Table of contents for 2021-05-03 in Star

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za STEINHOFF International shareholders once again shot down some of the important resolutions during the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) on Friday afternoon by voting against three of the five resolutions. The shareholders voted against a proposal to amend the remuneration policy applicable to managing directors with 92.69 percent against while 7.31 percent voted in favour, while 83.77 percent voted against the proposal to adopt the annual accounts for the financial year to end September 2020 and 92.53 percent voted against the proposal to cast an advisory vote in respect of the remuneration report for the year to end September 2020. Peter Wakkie was re-appointed as a member of the supervisory board, with 90.56 percent of the votes backing him, while a proposal…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za AYO TECHNOLOGY Solutions has reached agreements with professional third parties, financial services institutions and trusts that will enable it to do business over the next few months, its board said on Friday. These arrangements form part of a seven-point plan to ensure the sustainability of the business over the next few months after the Gauteng High Court last week denied urgent relief against First National Bank’s plan to suspend banking services to AYO from today. It emerged from court proceedings that AYO had not yet fully exhausted its options with other banks, notwithstanding AYO’s testimony that it awaited feedback from some banking institutions, and that not all banks in the country offered the suite of services that AYO required. Court evidence also suggested AYO could use third…

THE performance of British American Tobacco (BATS) over the past 12 months probably has many investors up in arms, specifically those invested in unit trusts and other savings pro- ducts with significant holdings in BATS, the world’s largest tobacco company based on sales in 2019. From the outside, it seems like a horror story. The Nasdaq-listed BATS is down nearly 5 percent in dollar terms from a year ago, the stock is down by about 13 percent in British pounds on the London Stock Exchange and some 24 percent in rands on the JSE. Over three years, BATS’s share price underperformed the FTSE/JSE All Share Index by 32 percent and the JSE industrial board, as measured by the FTSE/JSE Capped Industrial 25 Index, by more than 27 percent.…

The PRICE of petrol (both 93 ULP and LRP) for May will fall by 9 cents a litre from Wednesday, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy said yesterday. The price of 95 ULP and LRP petrol will also fall by 9c litre, while diesel will ease by 31c a litre. The illuminating paraffin price would fall by 23c a litre. The main reasons for the price adjustments were a decline in the average Brent crude oil price to $64.16 from $65.14 a barrel. The vessel that had stuck in the Suez Canal causing a delay for all cargo containers, including oil tankers, was freed, easing fears regarding supply disruptions. “The markets anticipate Opec and Russia will agree to ease production cuts from May during their next meeting,”…

Alyssia Birjalal alyssia.birjalal@inl.co.za Last year all eyes were on Marc Buckner and Marisia van Wyk in the hot-and-happening season two of M-Net’s The Bachelor SA. In the most romantic setting, Marc offered Marisia a ring in the last episode and then the two strolled off into the sunset together. During lockdown Marisia was with Marc in his Cape Town apartment, but after just two months their relationship hit rocky waters and Marisia was left posting single pictures on Instagram for everyone to see. Now, almost a year later, it seems like the lovebirds have found their way back into each other’s hearts, and have been openly sharing loved up pictures on their socials while documenting their travels together. Judging from the pictures, it seems like Marisia is back in Cape…

SA’s largest chrome miner shuts out small black companies in huge Chinese contracts Sifiso Mahlangu THE biggest chrome miner in the world, South African-based Samancor Chrome, has crushed black-owned chrome companies in activities that are against competition laws in South Africa. After some ownership changes, Samancor now belongs to a Chinese Consortium which includes Sino Steel, Min Metals and China National Investment Corporation, all three being multibillion-dollar enterprises. With its head office in Sandton, the powerhouse changed hands in South Africa with no regulatory approval in a transaction running into billions of rand, crushing all other competitors. Soon after Samancor changed ownership in 2019, two companies were appointed to be the agents for Samancor, selling their chrome worldwide. While Samancor previously sold chrome to some European countries, Turkey, India,…

ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za THE inventor of “Please Call Me”, Nkosana Makate, will be back in court this week to once again face Vodacom over the offer of R47 million the cellphone giant has made to him for coming up with the concept. Makate has squared off against Vodacom on several occasions in court and the issue also came up in the Constitutional Court in 2016. He is not accepting Vodacom’s offer, claiming that his concept is worth billions. He will turn to the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, tomorrow to review Vodacom’s offer. Vodacom claims that it does not owe him more than the offered R47m, as the “Please Call Me” is a free service, which does not generate an income. In applications leading up to this week’s review application,…

ITUMELENG MAFISA THE CITY of Joburg said it had prepared safety measures for bus drivers who were not willing to participate in today’s Metrobus strike. Spokesperson for the Joburg Metrobus, Goodwill Shiburi, said security measures had been put in place in case the bus strike became violent for both working drivers and commuters. This comes after the city was given a notice to strike by a partially recognised union, the Democratic Municipal and Allied Workers Union of SA (Demawusa). The union is demanding an 18% salarary increase, 14th cheque and R150 transport allowance, among a list of 28 demands, for their members. The Star understands that Demawusa only has nearly 100 members. “They want 18%; this is a bad time economically, they even want a spread over allowance, when…

Mpiletso Motumi mpiletso.motumi@inl.co.za THE live music experience is something music lovers have missed the most throughout the lockdown. Now that the scene is starting to open up, events are catering to a more authentic experience for attendees. With public performances slowly gaining momentum and coming back to life, it was only fitting for the much-loved Bassline Live series to be revived with a bang. Since 1994, Bassline has brought fans closer to the music through live performances from their favourite singers including icons and new trendsetters. For this Africa Month, Bassline is paying respects to young talent that has taken over the airwaves with their unique sounds. A three-concert series featuring Ami Faku, Msaki and Zoë Modiga will be staged at Gold Reef City’s The Lyric Theatre from this coming…

Education and inequality in 2021: how to change the system ANCIENT Greek schools, such as Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum, were restricted to a small elite group. Through time, even after learning societies began to flourish, it was still an education for some and not for everybody. In the 1800s black people were denied access to quality education in the US. In European colonies, education was used to strip people of their cultural heritage and relegate them to a future of menial labour. Education has always been less accessible to women than men. Even today, more than 130 million girls are still out of school. Although the difference between girls and boys is lessening, the disparity disadvantaging girls persists. From a socioe-conomic perspective, in many countries, private schools continue to…

Thousands of anti-coup protesters marched in Myanmar yesterday, calling for a “spring revolution” with the country in its fourth month under a military regime. Cities, rural areas, remote mountainous regions and even rebel-controlled border territories have been in uproar since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup. The junta has aimed to suppress dissent through a brutal crackdown involving mass arrests and an escalating death toll. Demonstrations kicked off early in commercial hub Yangon as activists called for a show of force. Youths gathered on a street corner before marching swiftly down the streets in a flash mob, dispersing soon after to avoid clashing with authorities. Local media reported that security forces were chasing protesters down and arresting them. Bomb blasts also went…

LOS ANGELES: Caitlyn Jenner, who just last week announced her candidacy for governor of California, has spoken out against allowing transgender athletes born male to play on girls’ sports teams. Jenner, 71, a former Olympic athlete who came out as transgender in 2015, said: “This is a question of fairness… We have to protect girls’ sports in our schools.” In January US President Joe Biden passed an executive order granting student-athletes permission to compete regardless of gender identity. | Sputnik…

LONDON: The Group of Seven richest countries will look at a proposal to create a rapid-response mechanism to counter Russian “propaganda” and disinformation, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said yesterday. Speaking ahead of a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in London, Raab said the UK was “getting the G7 to come together with a rapid rebuttal mechanism” to counter Russian misinformation. Russia denies it is meddling beyond its borders and says the West is gripped by anti-Russian hysteria. Raab is to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken today, for talks aimed at reinvigorating the G7’s role. Other G7 members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. | Reuters…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za MAMELODI Sundowns sent an emphatic reminder to any potential title challengers that they are not going to relinquish their Premiership crown without a fight by thumping Orlando Pirates 3-0 at Orlando Stadium yesterday. Having been pushed into second place over the weekend by an energetic AmaZulu, Sundowns roared back into top spot on the league standings by trouncing the Buccaneers. After both teams were unable to create any genuine opportunities during a deary first half that saw the action confined to the middle of the field, the Brazilians turned on the style during the second period. That was primarily due to the enterprise provided by Gift Motupa, who replaced injured striker Kermit Erasmus at halftime. The opening was eventually created when Peter Shalulile volleyed a strike from…

It was a tale of two birdies for JC Ritchie yesterday as he birdied the 18th hole twice at Royal Cape Golf Cub to win the Cape Town Open on the first play-off hole to win his eighth Sunshine Tour title. It was also his first Challenge Tour title in the event co-sanctioned by the European Tour’s second tier, as he defeated the man who led throughout, Jacques Blaauw, with a superb birdie on the 18th in the play-off, after he made a clutch birdie in regulation play in the final hole to get himself into the play-off. “After the first nine in my first round, it’s almost difficult to believe I’ve won,” said Ritchie. He made three bogeys in his first four holes, and turned in two-over-par. “I told…

4RACING, the business brand launched on Saturday on Champion’s Day at Turffontein that aims to be the face of a transformed horse racing industry, said yesterday that it had appointed Fundi Sithebe as chief executive, effective June 1, 2021. “I am very excited to have been presented with this opportunity and I look forward to engaging with all stakeholders as 4Racing proceeds with the transforma- tion and rebuilding of the South African horse racing industry,” Sithebe said. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administra- tion degree from Midrand University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Business Administration) from Wits Business School. She started her career as a management consultant at Deloitte, focusing on strategy and operations in organisational strategic projects. She was previously chief operating officer of Airports Company…

THE ROOKIE S2 M-NET CITY, DSTV CHANNEL 115, 5.30PM An action-packed season two premiere of this crime comedy. The officers grapple with the aftermath of a plotted attack on the city of Los Angeles, leaving Bradford fighting for his life. THE WINDSORS: INSIDE THE ROYAL DYNASTY M-NET CITY, DSTV CHANNEL 115, 7.10PM Following King George's death, Prince Edward must choose between the throne and marrying American divorcee, Wallis Simpson. THE STAND M-NET CITY, DSTV CHANNEL 115, 9.40PM A star-studded limited series based on Stephen King’s acclaimed apocalyptic novel. After a plague decimates the world, the survivors struggle between good and evil as two factions battle for the fate of humankind.…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za TENSIONS in the Zulu monarchy deepened yesterday when a grouping of royals – led by Prince Mbonisi Zulu and Princess Thembi Ndlovu (nee Zulu) – lashed out at how the death, and alleged poisoning, of disputed Queen Regent Mantfombi Dlamini and her succession was handled. In an impromptu press conference, held outside the main palace of Khangela in Nongoma in northern KZN, the royals denied they were behind the alleged poisoning of the regent. Princess Thembi lashed out and said this was painting them as “witches and anarchists” in the eyes of the public. “People think that we are murderers since the queen (Dlamini-Zulu) was said to have been poisoned. The people who were allegedly said to be behind this are the brother of mine (Prince Mbonisi)…

JAMES MAHLOKWANE james.mahlokwane@inl.co.za THE Department of Basic Education (DBE) is ready to safely welcome teachers, staff and pupils back to school for the second term starting today, said DBE spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga. Schools were on recess from April 23 as they marked the end of the first term, which started late due to the impact of Covid-19. Mhlanga said the resumption of schooling will happen in the same week that the council of education ministers is set to hold a two-day meeting, on Thursday and Friday, to deliberate on key issues affecting the Department of Basic Education. He said the impact of Covid-19 on the sector will form part of the discussions between members of the council, which includes the minister, her deputy, and all Education MECs across the country.…

JR Whitlock | Germiston Mcintosh Polela’s article “Cuban engineers are not taking South African jobs” (The Star, April 26) raises some interesting questions. He states that between 2011 and 2015, 57 Cuban engineers were brought to South Africa – 35 left in 2019. Last year, 25 Cuban engineers arrived in SA, giving a total of 47 engineers before the latest arrival of 24. So we now have 71 Cuban engineers in South Africa. Even with all these Cuban experts in the country, South Africa is still in dire straits with regard to water and sanitation. What have the Cubans been doing for the last 10 years? The new arrivals will apparently be paid R65 million a year over two years, for “not working”, but “imparting skills”. Huh? Many…

Cometh Dube-Makholwa | Midrand The drive for all countries in the world to implement universal healthcare coverage by 2030 is good in principle, but, is it achievable? Even before Covid-19, which continues to cause catastrophic destruction in many areas of humanity, wiping out many families, and healthcare workers, overwhelming morgues, cemeteries and destroying economies, causing unprecedented unemployment in many countries, the ideal of equal access to healthcare for all, noble as it is, was not always going to be easy to achieve for many countries. But the overcrowding in healthcare facilities and the huge shortages of staff are largely to blame and an inadequate health budget which can be described, as always, nothing but a drop in the ocean. After Covid-19, there will be a lot of reconstruction…

POLAND and Lithuania today commemorate the 230th anniversary since the adoption of their Commonwealth Constitution. For 226 years (between 1569 and 1795), both Poland and Lithuania formed a common state known as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In the 16th and early 17th century, the Commonwealth experienced its Golden Age – at the time being the largest state in Europe. Since the end of the 17th century, the political and economic power of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth began its fast and deep decline. The Commonwealth, surrounded by enemies, was unable to respond to the aggression of its neighbours. The destruction of the country and its economy was also related to political turmoil and the degradation of the political and social institution of the Commonwealth. A century later the Commonwealth was in a…

THERE were lots of smiles and slaps on the back last week as Cricket SA (CSA) unveiled its new Memorandum of Incorporation, which lays the platform for a new era of administration for the organisation. It was a long time in coming – too long, in fact. But for all the smiles and back slaps, all that the MoI does is take CSA to the start line. This race is a long one, with many hurdles along the way, hopefully none put there by CSA itself, as has been the case far too often in the recent past. The reformed administration will feature a new board of directors dominated by independent officials drawn from outside of cricket’s structures, including the legal fraternity, marketing and business, among others. Cricket SA’s presidential…

North Korea has accused US President Joe Biden of pursuing a hostile policy, dismissing “spurious” American diplomacy and warning of a response. Biden last week said his administration would deal with the threat posed by Pyongyang’s nuclear programme “through diplomacy and stern deterrence”. The White House said the president was open to negotiations with North Korea on denuclearisation following the completion of a policy review, but Pyongyang said Biden had made a “big blunder”. “His statement clearly reflects his intent to keep enforcing the hostile policy toward the DPRK as it had been done by the US for over half a century,” said Kwon Jung Gun, a foreign ministry official. “The US-claimed ‘diplomacy’ is a spurious signboard for covering up its hostile acts, and ‘deterrence’ touted by it is just…

Berlin: Berlin police yesterday said they had arrested more than 250 people after May Day rallies descended into “unacceptable” violence that saw protesters pelt officers with stones and bottles and set fire to bins. About 30 000 people from across the political spectrum took part in several marches in the German capital on Saturday as part of the traditional Labour Day workers’ rights demonstrations. Most of the demonstrations passed off peacefully, police said. But the mood darkened in the evening after police pulled far-left “black block” protesters out of the crowd for not adhering to pandemic hygiene regulations. Heavy scuffles ensued, with protesters throwing glass bottles and stones at police. | AFP…

BEIRUT: Lebanon has detained two brothers suspected of being involved in a foiled attempt to smuggle amphetamines into Saudi Arabia that prompted Saudi authorities to impose a ban on importing Lebanese produce, the caretaker government said yesterday. Saudi Arabia announced the ban on April 23 after the discovery of 5.3 million Captagon pills, a type of amphetamine, hidden in pomegranate shipments from Lebanon. The move compounds Lebanon’s severe economic crisis. Interior minister in the caretaker government, Mohamed Fahmy, said Lebanon was in contact with Saudi authorities over the probe. Fahmy said there was no evidence of involvement by Lebanon’s powerful Shia Hezbollah, long accused by Washington of links to a multi-million global drug trade. | Reuters…

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton won the Portuguese Grand Prix for Mercedes yesterday to stretch his Formula One lead over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to eight points after three races. Verstappen finished second at the Algarve circuit with Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas completing the podium, and taking a bonus point for the fastest lap, after starting from pole position. Verstappen’s Mexican teammate Sergio Perez was fourth. The victory was a record-extending 97th of Hamilton's career, his second of the year, and repeated his win at the same circuit last season. “That was such a tough race, physically and mentally, just keeping everything together. “It was very windy out there so it was very easy to put a foot wrong," said Hamilton, who started on the front row with Bottas. "I just…

US TREASURY Secretary Janet Yellen on Saturday tamped down concerns that President Joe Biden’s plans for infrastructure, jobs and families will cause inflation, saying the spending will be phased in over a decade. “It’s spread out quite evenly over eight to 10 years,” said Yellen, a former Federal Reserve chairperson. She said the Federal Reserve would monitor inflation and has the tools to address it if necessary. “I don’t believe that inflation will be an issue, but if it becomes an issue, we have tools to address it. These are historic investments that we need to make in our economy productive and fair.” Biden’s plans are paid for by a series of tax increases on the wealthiest Americans, less than 1 percent of the population, and on raising corporate…

ITUMELENG MAFISA TENSION and instability within the ANC have affected the struggle of workers in South Africa, says Cosatu general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali. Ntshalintshali was speaking to The Star against the backdrop of a busy political weekend with the country celebrating Workers’ Day and ANC leaders set to meet to discuss the controversial step-aside rule which has created further division in the governing party. He expressed dissatisfaction with the state of the alliance. “The leader of the alliance (the ANC) is embroiled in its own struggle in that context and ... the whole alliance will be impacted one way or another. “We can’t say things are going well. The leader of the alliance is struggling, and it has an impact because our members are in that organisation and it…

SOUTH Africa’s petrol price will dip by 9 cents a litre from Wednesday while that for diesel will decrease by up to 31 cents, the Mineral Resources and Energy Department said. The department said the retail price of illuminating paraffin, on which many South Africans still rely for cooking and lighting, would be 30c lower from Wednesday. The department said the rand appreciated against the dollar, averaging R14.49 per greenback between March 31 and April 29 compared with R14.98 during the previous period. | African News Agency (ANA)…

DEFENDING court actions is expensive for several reasons. Depending on the forum in which the action is instituted, the costs of defending claims can easily run into hundreds of thousands of rand. Careful consideration should, therefore, be given to the costs of litigation before defending claims. It is standard practice for a plaintiff to dispatch a letter of demand to a defendant beforeinstituting action. Upon receipt of the demand, defendants should interrogate the merit of the claim. More often than not, it should be clear whether there is merit in a plaintiff’s claim. In the event that this is not clear to a defendant, legal advice should be sought promptly. Meritorious claims should be settled as soon as possible. Too often, claims are defended for the wrong reasons, whether it…

Leo Zeilig EARLIER this month a court in Burkina Faso’s capital indicted former president Blaise Compaoré for his role in the murder of his comrade, Thomas Sankara, on October 15, 1987. The military court detailed Compaoré’s “complicity in the assassination”, the first time a court in the country has made such an accusation. Compaoré ruled the country until 2014 when he was forced to flee for neighbouring Cote D’Ivoire during a mass uprising. The decision to try the former leader has been called a landmark moment. Sankara’s family has pursued justice for almost 34 years but while Compaoré was in power there was no possibility of bringing his murderers to justice. The political history of Burkina Faso is one I have studied and written about extensively, with a particular…

Israel’s ultra-Orthodox residents exist in a world within the world, citizens of Israel by pledging their allegiance, attention and obedience instead to their rabbis and God. In isolated enclaves, they are exempt from the military draft, outside the national school system and largely oblivious to the surrounding culture. Now, this shocked country is asking whether that self-segregation – and the secular politicians who have enabled it for decades – is responsible for the worst civilian catastrophe in Israel’s history, the trampling death of 45 ultra-Orthodox men and boys at a massively overcrowded religious festival early on Friday. The ultra-Orthodox, or Haredim as they are known in Israel, follow some of the most conservative tenets in Judaism and have a lifestyle based on the Jewish culture that evolved hundreds of years…

LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday faced more allegations about his expenditure on the refurbishment of his apartment and on child-care for his son, which his foreign minister dismissed. The Electoral Commission says it has grounds to suspect an offence has been committed in the funding of the work. The cost of the work was around £200 000 (R4million) and that one invoice was settled by a Conservative Party donor – which would need to be declared to tax authorities. It also reported that a donor had been asked to pay for a nanny for Johnson’s son. | Reuters…

paris: Brazilian Amazon released nearly 20% more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere over the last decade than it absorbed, according to a report that shows humanity can no longer depend on the world’s largest tropical forest to help absorb man-made carbon pollution. From 2010 through 2019, Brazil’s Amazon basin gave off 16.6 billion tons of CO2, while drawing down only 13.9 billion tons, researchers reported in the journal Nature Climate Change. The study looked at the volume of CO2 absorbed and stored as the forest grows, versus the amounts released back into the atmosphere. Deforestation increased nearly four-fold in 2019 compared to the two previous years, from about 1 million hectares to 3.9 million hectares. | AFP…

Manchester United’s Premier League match against Liverpool was postponed last night after United fans forced their way into the stadium and stormed the Old Trafford pitch to protest against the club’s owners, the Glazer family. “Following discussion between the Police, the Premier League, Trafford Council and the clubs, our match against Liverpool has been postponed due to safety and security considerations around the protest today," United said in a statement after the game was called off. "Discussions will now take place with the Premier League on a revised date for the fixture,” the club added. Liverpool issued a statement saying they were in full agreement with the decision. An hour after the scheduled 5.30pm local time kick-off, both sets of players were still stuck in their hotels. The Lowry Hotel,…