Table of contents for SW-2021-04-20 in Star

ALLEGATIONS by businessperson and ANC veteran Tokyo Sexwale on alleged billions deposited at the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) pointed to a com- mon scam and there were no such funds, the SA Reserve Bank said in a statement yesterday. Sexwale had said in an eNCA Power to Truth programme that money from the Heritage Fund – meant for the poor – had been stolen. He had said President Cyril Ramaphosa and his prede- cessor, Jacob Zuma, were aware of this fund. “This fund is here in South Africa already, it comes through the SA Reserve Bank. I'm part of two people who are mandate holders,” he was quoted as saying on the eNCA website. SARB said that over the years, it and National Trea- sury had received many such…

Queen Elizabeth’s birthday will not be marked by a gun salute this year. The monarch turns 95 tomorrow but the Ministry of Defence have confirmed that the traditional 41-gun and 21-gun salutes in Hyde Park and the Tower of London will not take place for the second year in a row as the queen is still in mourning following the death of her husband Prince Philip, 99, earlier this month. The ritual was scrapped last year in line with the queen’s wishes that no “special measures” be taken while the UK remained in the grip of lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic. Plans to mark the queen’s birthday with a new portrait have also been abandoned. The monarch is expected to mark her birthday with a quiet private lunch with close…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za A SPRINGS gender-based violence (GBV) victim who was allegedly hit and dragged while naked said she was shocked and traumatised after she was shown paperwork that her case had been withdrawn. The 41-year-old mother of two, who asked to not be identified, has become the latest victim of GBV who believes that law enforcement has let her down. She told The Star yesterday that her alleged assault happened on October 16 last year, at the home of the man she was staying with in Nigel, Ekurhuleni. She said that around midnight she was woken by a man, who threatened to pour boiling water on her. The mother said she believed the incident started because she rejected his advances for sex. “I was sleeping and it was…

Mpiletso Motumi mpiletso.motumi@inl.co.za THE Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP) is bringing some form of economic relief to the Southern African Disabled Musicians Association’s (SADMA) artists. The founders and board members of the association consist of blind musicians who have vast experience and expertise in the music industry. They received R300 000 in grant money to help their artists and to create an opportunity to raise more funds. As with everyone in the music industry, SADMA doors were shut due to the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions on events and social gatherings in the country. However, for musician with disabilities the burden was that much harder as opportunities for them to make a living was already a difficulty. “As SADMA the PESP grant has been of great benefit as we are…

GOITSEMANG TLHABYE THE ANC Youth League in Tshwane and the Congress of South African Students (Cosas) has taken the plight of the Limpopo learner Lufuno Mavhunga to the doorstep of the Department of Basic Education in Pretoria. Lufuno, a 15-year-old learner at the Mbilwi Secondary School, near Thohoyandou, committed suicide after a video showing her being assaulted by a fellow learner went viral. ANCYL activist Lindokuhle Xulu said, apart from demanding justice for Lufuno, the demonstration was also aimed at highlighting mental illness and related problems. Xulu said they wanted to propel the department towards the implementation of an integrated school health programme. He said they believed that if public schools had interventions to address mental wellness, as in private schools, learners would not have to endure what Lufuno…

THE NAVEL-gazing at the ANC’s Luthuli House is fast having far-reaching ramifications for the country. By now South Africans have come to realise that when the ANC sneezes, the whole country catches pneumonia. Since coming to power in 1994 the party has not known peace. The party of John Langalibalele Dube, Pixley ka Isaka Seme, Albert Luthuli, Oliver Reginald Tambo and Nelson Mandela has been reduced to a battle ground. The once-glorious movement was voted in overwhelmingly by the majority of South Africans in the first democratic elections on April 27, 1994. From the onset, what looked like a fight between those from exile and those who remained fighting apartheid flames in the country, soon degenerated into what seemed to be ethnic divisions – amaXhosa versus amaZulu. From then,…

BALTIORE: More people were diagnosed with Covid-19 during the past seven days than any other week since the start of the pandemic – topping 5.2 million globally – with the worst outbreaks accelerating in many countries that are ill-equipped to deal with them. This comes days after the world surpassed 3 million deaths, with countries rolling out vaccinations. The data from Johns Hopkins University showing a 12% increase in infections from a week earlier casts doubt on the hope that the end of the pandemic is in sight. While infection rates have slowed in the US and UK, India and Brazil in particular are shouldering surging caseloads. Global atalities have increased for the past month and were about 82 000 last week, an average of almost 12 000 a…

SYDNEY: Australia and New Zealand have agreed to a quarantine-free travel bubble between the two countries, which opened yesterday. According to the BBC, the trans-Tasman bubble comes more than a year after New Zealand’s borders were closed due to the global pandemic and both nations contained their Covid-19 outbreaks to keep infection rates low. In a joint statement by New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison, they agreed that the travel bubble will stay intact, provided both countries keep their Covid-19 outbreaks under control. The two nations closed their borders in March 2020 and introduced strict quarantine measures for returning nationals. | African News Agency (ANA)…

For the Springboks, the build-up to the British & Irish Lions Series has had its fair share of hiccups. There have been the logistical issues, which have since been sorted with the confirmation that the Lions will in fact be touring South Africa. There is the ongoing push to have fans in attendance. And most recently, the talks of the Rainbow Cup not going ahead as planned with SA Super teams emerged as a stumbling block. But there have also been some positives, one of which being the recent performances of some overseas-based South Africans. And Dillyn Leyds has shone. The former Stormers fullback continued his solid form for French Top 14 side La Rochelle at the weekend as he scored a stunning try in an impressive 80-minute performance. It…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za THE PRUDENTIAL Authority (PA) said yesterday that it had no concerns regarding Absa Group’s decision to close its Absa Money Market Fund (AMMF), worth around R80 billion, following its engagement with the bank since last year. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) said the Prudential Authority (PA) had a number of engagements with Absa Group (AGL) during the course of 2020 and 2021 on the proposed closure of the Absa Money Market Fund and rationale thereof. “The closure of the Absa Money Market Fund was based on an assessment and decision made by the Absa Group. The PA does not have any material concerns regarding AGL’s decision to wind down the fund,” the SARB said. Last week, Absa informed investors that it would close the…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za THE COCA-COLA Company has unveiled plans to sell its shareholding in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) through an initial public offering (IPO) that will see shares traded on the JSE and Amsterdam. The company said the group had not yet taken a decision on the quantum of the stake, and would work with CCBA on the IPO process over the next 18 months. The IPO was expected to pave the way for CCBA, Africa’s biggest bottling company, to operate as an independent Africa-focused, South African-headquartered, managed and domiciled business. Speaking during The Coca-Cola Company’s 2020 first quarter earnings webcast yesterday, chief executive James Quincey said it had always been the group’s intention to reduce its interest in CCBA in line with its strategy to operate as…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za RUC CEMENTATION Mining Contractors, a subsidiary of the Murray & Roberts (M&R) mining platform, has been awarded a R2.3 billion Newmont Corporation shaft lining and equipment contract in Australia. The contract was for Newmont’s Tanami Expansion 2 project in Australia’s Northern Territory. Newmont is the world’s largest gold producer. M&R’s share price increased 2.8 percent to R11 on the JSE yesterday morning on the announcement of the contract, with the price well up from R5.16 a year ago. The share price closed at R10.74. RUC is a diversified underground mining contractor with an extensive portfolio of completed and current projects throughout Australia and the Asia-Pacific. M&R said yesterday that capital investment in the mining sector continued mainly in brownfield expansions, although it was expec- ted…

Sonia Rao Imperiled, then postponed, the 93rd Academy Awards are finally set to take place this month – on April 25. Not many know what to expect, save for the dissonance of glitz and glamour against the backdrop of a world decimated by illness and economic downturn. Perhaps the Oscars will serve as a reprieve; they are, after all, the most extravagant of award shows. Sceptics wonder whether they’re worth the big to-do. Now tack on to this the logistical nightmare of organising the show during a pandemic and the telecast’s declining ratings. Several Hollywood insiders noted that the Academy Awards still serve a few explicit purposes. There’s the honour of peer recognition. But the Oscars are also a moneymaker for studios to leverage prestige to boost ticket sales…

Gift Tlou gift.tlou@inl.co.za FEZILE Ngubentombi Hospital in the Free State has allegedly failed to conduct a coronavirus test on a patient with pneumonia and Covid-19 symptoms. Kim Mashiqana, 36, claims her husband was admitted to the hospital on April 9. After a seven-day stay he told her he was going to be discharged. Mashiqana says the hospital did a Covid-19 rapid test – with negative results. However, she was informed it was key for the hospital to take a swab to submit to the lab to double check as he had all the Covid-19 symptoms. Mashiqana expressed concerns with the hospital, saying she’d been given the runaround when trying to get information on her husband’s condition. “On April 16, I received a phone call from my husband panicking that a…

Se-Anne Rall A HIGH school learner, who violently assaulted a classmate in September last year, has been sentenced to 12 months’ community service. The16-year-old has also been placed under the supervision of a probation officer for the duration of the sentence. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal, Natasha Kara, said the learner at the Mathole High School in Mahlabathini, would also undergo intensive therapy. She was convicted of assault last month. Video footage of the teen attacking her classmate went viral on social media last year. In the clip, the girl is seen ripping off the victim’s underwear and dragging her on the ground. She then pushes away a boy who tries to intervene and continues to kick the victim in the face. Kara said in handing down sentence, magistrate…

FAROUK ARAIE | Benoni The tragic and untimely death of Limpopo learner Lufuno Mavhunga, a victim of school bullying, graphically illustrates the deadly nature of the bullying menace. A young 15-year-old girl committed suicide to end her constant agonies at the hands of a sadistic bully. Intimidation at schools has become a vexing issue. It is a sensitive subject that provokes anxiety because it arouses emotions and has negative images which require courage to face it squarely. To admit to the existence of learner violence in schools, traditionally a place of learning and growth, is particularly painful. As a consequence, violence often clips out of the official agenda and public debates on education. Schools are meant to be safe zones, not war zones. Schools of our past…

Government’s agenda is on course to deny ownership to most vulnerable in society Melusi Ncala and Mashudu Masutha SOUTH Africa’s land reform and restoration system has proven, nearly three decades after apartheid ended, to be spectacularly ineffective and untrustworthy. The reasons are corruption, incompetence, and failure to adhere to the Constitutional requirements – and we must demand an end to this unacceptable situation. Land remains an emotive fault line in South Africa. Post-apartheid South Africa has unsuccessfully fiddled with land reform, through legal and politically charged principles of tenure, redistribution and restitution. Add to this failure a land governance regime blighted by corruption, and the frustration and impatience of those affected become clear. The recent legislative amendments throughout the South African land reform space have also failed to…

NASA’s miniature robot helicopter Ingenuity performed a successful take-off and landing on Mars early yesterday achieving the first powered, controlled flight by an aircraft over the surface of another planet, the US space agency said. The twin-rotor whirligig’s debut on the Red Planet marked a 21st-century Wright Brothers moment for Nasa, which said success could pave the way for new modes of exploration on Mars and other destinations in the solar system, such as Venus and Saturn’s moon Titan. Mission managers at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) near Los Angeles burst into applause and cheers as engineering data beamed back from Mars confirmed that the 1.8-kg solar-powered helicopter had performed its maiden 39-second flight as planned three hours earlier. Altimeter readings from the rotorcraft showed that it became airborne at…

TEHRAN: Iran and world powers have made some progress on how to revive the 2015 nuclear accord later abandoned by the US, Iranian officials said yesterday. Tehran and the powers have been meeting in Vienna since early April to work on steps that must be taken, touching on US sanctions and Iran’s recent breaches of the deal, to bring back Tehran and Washington into full compliance with the accord. “We are on the right track and some progress has been made, but this does not mean that the talks in Vienna have reached the final stage,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said in Tehran. US President Joe Biden’s administration has said it is ready to remove “all sanctions that are inconsistent” with the accord. | Reuters…

Eleven Pakistani police officers seized by supporters of a radical Islamist group campaigning to get the French ambassador expelled have been released, officials said yesterday. The officers were grabbed and taken as hostages during the latest violent clashes between police and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protesters in Lahore. A video circulating on social media, confirmed by a police source, showed some of them bloodied and bruised, with bandages around their heads. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the hostages had been released after talks with the TLP, which the government banned last week after effectively labelling it a terrorist organisation. “Negotiations have been started with TLP; the first round completed successfully,” said Rashid. Lahore police said one of the hostages was a ranger from the country’s paramilitary force. The officers had…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za South Africa’s cricketers have apologised to the sport’s sponsors for the actions of Cricket SA’s administrators, saying officials have “undermined and betrayed your commitment to the sport”. In a statement released through the SA Cricketers’ Association – the players union – and signed by Saca president Khaya Zondo, and the three Proteas captains, Dané van Niekerk, Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma, the players also admonished CSA’s Members’ Council for not acting in the best interests of the sport in SA. Players around the country are understood to be very concerned following Sunday’s pronouncement by Minister of Sport Nathi Mthethwa that he could ban CSA as the official governing entity for cricket, thus jeopardising the players’ opportunity to represent South Africa. Yesterday’s statement outlines how government intervention would…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday called on the private sector to partner with the government to increase investment in port and rail infrastructure at the Port of Durban. In his weekly newsletter yesterday, Ramaphosa said that the expansion of infrastructure at the Port of Durban would require R100 billion in new investment over the next decade. He said the investment would be required to expand the port’s capacity for container handling from 2.9 million units to more than 11 million units a year. “Altogether, the expansion of infrastructure at the port will require R100bn in new investment over the next decade and more,” Ramaphosa said. “This will completely transform the port, expanding its capacity for container handling from 2.9 million units to more than 11 million units.” Ramaphosa…

AIM- AND JSE-listed Kibo Energy briefly rallied 7.6 percent on the JSE on news that it had commenced an extensive due diligence process for the potential acqui- sition of all or part of a prospective port- folio of UK renewable energy projects. Chief executive Louis Coetzee said the opportunity was in line with the group’s strategic aim to deliberately and actively transition from fossil fuel-based energy solutions to sustainable renewable energy solutions. “It also has the potential to sig- nificantly advance and accelerate the development of the company’s renewable energy project portfolio in the UK and, subject to positive outcomes from ongoing due diligence and feasibility assessments, provide the company with a further source of short-term revenue,” Coetzee said. The opportunity comprised several attractive standalone renewable energy projects in…

NASDAQ-LISTED Karooooo Investment (KRO) will list on the main board of the JSE tomorrow via a secondary listing, after 98.6 percent of eligible Cartrack Holdings shareholders opted to remain invested in Karooooo. Shareholders in Cartrack, which provides real-time mobility data analytics solutions for the transportation sector in more than 20 countries, in February approved a plan to list founder and chief executive Zak Kalisto’s investment vehicle, Karooooo, on the Nasdaq, with an inward listing on the JSE, following the delisting of Cartrack on the JSE. Karooooo said yesterday in a statement that Cartrack shareholders holding 9.41 million Karooooo Investment shares had participated in the reinvestment offer, and, pending final approval of the JSE, Karooooo would, by way of the inward secondary listing, list all its issued shares on…

Whoopi Goldberg ended her partnership with Maya Elisabeth on their Whoopi & Maya line in 2020 after four years but she’s now preparing to get back into the market with a product line named in honour of her family. The View star is expected to share details of the new venture in the inaugural issue of Black Cannabis Magazine, of which she is the cover star. A source said “she’ll reveal Emma & Clyde, her new cannabis product line … launching soon in California. Emma & Clyde is named after Whoopi’s mother and brother, and includes edibles, pre-rolls, flower and accessories.” The magazine launches today. | Bang Showbiz…

Thabo Makwakwa thabo.makwakwa@inl.co.za A GROUP of former FNB employees who claim to have been unfairly dismissed have come forward; accusing the banking institution of homophobia, racism and bullying. Several black women who claim to have suffered humiliation and unfair treatment by one of the country’s largest financial institutions spoke out yesterday. This came in the wake of revelations of discrimination by Absa and FNB against black-owned businesses and scores of others who have found their banking services terminated or in the process of being shut down unjustly. In a closed series of interviews in Joburg, the women claimed they were subjected to abuse by some senior FNB managers, including the bank’s operational manager, Ronald Smith. Despite this being escalated to the bank’s executives and human resources head, Dipuo Nkele, no…

Making music for the African soul Mpiletso Motumi mpiletso.motumi@inl.co.za IN GHANA, the pronunciation of “gy” sounds more like a “j” when the locals speak the Twi language. For Afrofusion singer Jackline Acheampong, choosing a stage name that paid homage to her home town was only natural. “I decided to put in the Twi language to depict where I am coming from so the Gyakie spelling is because I am Ashanti, from Kumasi,” said the 20-year-old daughter of high-life legend Nana Acheampong. “Growing up, I would always go to the studio with my dad and there was always music playing at home. He fuelled my love for music and entertainment.” A few years ago, Gyakie received a beat from a Nigerian producer and she wrote a song for it. She…

Jean Michel Bouvier | Bryanston SEEING Prince Harry at his grandfather’s funeral, I have to ask him this – if you have shown no consideration and respect for your grandfather when he was alive and seriously ill in hospital, by having the interview with Oprah, why would you bother to return to Britain and show respect to him now that he’s dead? What is the point? I just hope your grandfather did not die of a broken heart after he had learnt of your bombshell interview. Honour and show respect to someone when he is alive so he can die a happy man. It’s too late now Harry.…

WE ALL have had different kinds of tests and trials in our lives, especially within the past year with the Covd-19 pandemic affecting everyone, in one way or another. We often wonder whether one can remain positive and happy even when we go through hard times, and how does one attain lasting joy. According to the Bahá'í Writings, “happiness consists of two kinds; physical and spiritual. The physical happiness is limited; its utmost duration is one day, one month, one year… Spiritual happiness is eternal and unfathomable. This kind of happiness appeareth in one’s soul with the love of God and suffereth one to attain to the virtues and perfections of the world of humanity”. Happiness is being filled with joy, peace, love and a sense of well-being. Joy is…

Sarah-Jane Lennie WHEN you are a police officer, your emotions have to be hidden or pushed down. Officers work hard to detach themselves from their emotions as a way to cope in a culture that has an expectation of silence in the face of trauma. This culture contributes to the increase in mental health issues in police officers and staff. I should know. Policing is in my blood. I was a police officer for 18 years. I am a child of two police officers and my husband is a police officer. My dream was to become a detective chief Inspector, running murder enquiries. I made it to detective inspector. But then my world – and my mental health – came crashing down. I was constantly reliving my investigations in…

Moscow: Detained Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny is in “satisfactory” condition after he was moved to a prison hospital, the country’s jail authority said yesterday. “A general practitioner examines him every day,” the authority said. “The patient has given his consent that vitamins be prescribed to him.” Navalny has been on hunger strike for more than two weeks in protest against the lack of medical care in the prison camp. His team has repeatedly sounded alarms about his deteriorating health, warning of possible heart failure. | IANS…

MADRID: Spain will study the effects of mixing different coronavirus vaccines, government researchers said yesterday, responding to shifting guidelines on the safety of the AstraZeneca shot. Along with several other European countries, Spain restricted vaccines produced by the Anglo-Swedish drug maker to people over 60 after regulators linked it to a rare form of brain blood clots, mostly in younger women. The trial would draw on a sample of 600 people of all ages from across Spain. The study aims to determine within 28 days whether a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine can be given to patients who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine. A UK study on mixing vaccines was expanded last week to include shots made by Moderna and Novavax. | Reuters…

UN human rights experts have rejected a review commissioned by Britain’s government into race inequality as a bid to “normalise white supremacy despite considerable research and evidence of institutional racism”. The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report, issued on March 31, said Britain should be seen as a “model for other white-majority countries” – a conclusion that provoked fury from domestic critics who branded it a “whitewash”. “In 2021, it is stunning to read a report on race and ethnicity that repackages racist tropes and stereotypes into fact, twisting data and misapplying statistics and studies into conclusory findings and ad hominem attacks on people of African descent,” the UN working group of experts on people of African descent said. “The suggestion that family structure, rather than institutionalised and structural…