Table of contents for 2022-08-12 in Star

Nompilo Gumede, a young woman from Pietermaritzburg, has published a book with a stern and empowering message to her peers to “stay away” from blessers and sugar daddies. The 21-year-old BSc psychology student has packed her warnings about the dangers of dating rich older men into her newly published book, The Demon’s Wife. The book tells the story of Mahlori Mathebula, who goes to Durban to further her studies and then returns home to Limpopo to rescue her family from the grip of poverty. The character discovers the finer things in life that only money can buy. “With newly found friends who have been in the ‘soft life’ game for years, it isn’t long before she too is bedding rich, older men and securing the bag. “She soon becomes a…

AT the age of 25, while her contemporaries were Instagramming latte foam and downloading dating apps, British author Ella Risbridger lost her long-time boyfriend to cancer. She had a contract to write a “cheerful dinner-party cookbook” but instead handed her forbearing editors The Year of Miracles, a luminous memoir about grieving, renewal and the twin consolations of friendship and cooking. In The Year of Miracles, she cooks her way through bereavement. The two books are a gift to readers and cooks, although, for Risbridger’s sake, let’s hope there are no additions to the bittersweet series anytime soon. The year alluded to in the title is 2020 (a tough one for all) and the miracles are the manifold small pleasures we decide to create, or simply acknowledge, in our everyday lives.…

JOBURG mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse has apologised to the people of Soweto for last week’s failed meeting. On Saturday, Phalatse was supposed to have met residents of the sprawling township, together with the leaders of Operation Dudula and Soweto Parliament, at the Jabulani Amphitheatre. However, Phalatse reportedly called in sick a day before the proposed meeting, which angered some leaders who promised to disturb this week’s council sitting. The meeting was supposed to have provided feedback to Soweto residents after the recent shutdown, which saw residents march to the mayor’s offices in Braamfontein in June. Among the issues tabled by residents were Eskom and high electricity bills as well as other service delivery problems. Speaking on the sidelines of a City of Joburg Women’s Day event, Phalatse apologised to…

It’s widely known that DJ Zinhle is a woman who wears many hats and in the past few years, all her career endeavours have been on an upward trajectory. The music artist and businesswoman has announced the launch of ERA by DJ Zinhle onto the Uber Eats app, which also happens as she celebrates 10 years since her brand was introduced to people. The popular, timeless fashion-accessory brand ERA by DJ Zinhle is working with Uber Eats to deliver sophistication and style right to customers’ doorsteps, according to an announcement. This collaboration will see the local brand now being accessible to all users on the Uber Eats platform spanning watches, jewellery, eyewear and all sorts of accessories with just the tap of a button. The ERA brand was first launched…

UNISA will hold its annual Feroza Adam Memorial Lecture and Women of the Year Awards today. The event is supported by the Unisa Women’s Forum in partnership with the South African Women in Dialogue and is themed “Realising Women’s Rights for an Equal Future #Women Breaking the Glass Ceiling”. This year will be the 23rd commemorative event in honour of Adam, a South African political activist who died in a car accident on Women’s Day, August 9, 1994, soon after she was elected a member of the national government that same year. Keynote speakers will include Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, South Africa’s ambassador to Namibia, Thenjiwe Mtintso, and Unisa principal and vice-chancellor Professor Puleng LenkaBula. “The Unisa Women’s Month dialogue seeks to address gender-based violence in the country,…

A popular fast food takeaway in Fordsburg, Joburg, Solly’s Corner, is no longer. A landmark in the Fordsburg community with roots stretching back nearly five decades, it burnt down on Tuesday afternoon. The shop was known for making the “best” fried chips. No injuries were reported, according to emergency services. The store was located at the corner of Lilian Ngoyi Street (formerly Bree Street) and Central Road. Johannesburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said two fire engines responded to the blaze between 6pm and 7pm on Tuesday evening. “We responded to the fire incident last night (Tuesday) between 6 and 7 in the evening. There were no injuries which were reported during this fire incident. Some patients were treated for smoke inhalation by private ambulance services which were on site. “The…

The late South African legendary poet Don Mattera’s book Memory is the Weapon has a haunting poignancy. Memory is one of the invaluable human assets that gives one a sense of self and identity. Memory is the only weapon in our armoury to recapture the past. I have observed we are a stressed nation that is forever in the present. Our national memory has been struck by Alzheimer’s. The disease was discovered by German neurologist Alois Alzheimer in Frankfurt in 1905. As we celebrate Women’s Month, how many people remember the trail blazer of labour relations and human rights in South Africa, Kate Jowell? She was an editor of Fairlady magazine and the first female to head a business school in South Africa. On February 1, 1993, she was appointed…

IN SEPTEMBER 2017, then president (Jacob) Zuma signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), saying; “We are making a clarion call to all member states of the UN to sign and ratify the ban treaty in order to rid the world and humanity of these lethal weapons of mass destruction.” This treaty was ratified in 2021 where the South African Department of International Relations and Co-operation stated: “The total elimination of all weapons of mass destruction remains one of South Africa’s key foreign policy priorities.” Naledi Pandor, the South African foreign minister said: “We are committed to promoting South Africa’s national interests and values, a better South Africa, a better Africa, a better world for all. “We continue to stress that dialogue, mediation and diplomacy is the…

A proposal by the City of Cape Town to use the area commonly known as “Happy Valley” (currently an informal settlement) for low-cost housing has ruffled feathers in the upmarket suburbs along the R27 which surround it. As Table View and the surrounding neighbourhoods have expanded, new arrivals have pressured the City to remove the informal settlement whose existence precedes the upmarket cluster homes that dot the landscape. Plans to develop Happy Valley, or Erf 1117, for low-cost housing have been in the offing since at least 2013, but almost 10 years later nothing has happened as the area around it has developed. Now it seems the Greater Tableview Action Forum (GTAF) is demanding that any low-cost housing plans be shelved, simply because the area cannot accommodate the poor. Instead,…

FREETOWN: Sierra Leone declared a nationwide curfew yesterday following a massive protest in the West African country. This week, thousands of protesters took to the streets of the capital Freetown and some other parts of the country, calling on the government to grapple with the high cost of living. The protest disrupted businesses with shops remaining closed across the capital city for fear of being attacked. At least 21 civilians and six officers were killed in the capital, Freetown. The internet was also temporarily shut down. | Xinhua and Reuters…

DEMAND for tickets to witness tennis great Serena Williams in action at the US Open spiked in the 24 hours following her announcement that she would retire after the hardcourt Grand Slam in New York, ticket retailer StubHub has said. “We typically see demand spike on StubHub when a player announces their retirement, and this is especially the case when it’s Serena Williams, arguably one of the greatest players to set foot on the tennis court,” spokesman Adam Budelli said. “Over the past 24 hours, we’ve seen eight times more sales on StubHub for the US Open than the daily average, but the great news for fans is that the average price paid for a ticket has stayed steady, signalling that there is plenty of inventory for people who want…

SOUTH African citrus exports were 7 percent higher across all container terminals combined when compared to prior year volumes mid-season, despite global challenges facing the industry, Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) said yesterday. Challenges facing the industry include soaring input costs, especially fuel and fertiliser, a major surge in shipping costs, ongoing operational challenges at the country’s ports, and the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on trading patterns. Despite this, TPT said it had handled more than 77 376 forty-foot equivalent units in the first half of the season across its container terminals in Durban, Ngqura and Gqeberha. Actual citrus export volumes were 36 percent higher than the previous year at the Port Elizabeth Container Terminal; 13.1 percent higher at the Durban Container Terminal Pier 1; 6.1…

JOBURG and Tshwane residents have been urged to use water sparingly to prevent reservoirs from running dry after Rand Water began implementing a four-day planned shutdown. The water utility informed six municipalities, including Tshwane and Johannesburg, that it would need to interrupt supply for technicians to conduct a tie-in of a pipeline. The 53-hour shutdown was planned to run from 5pm yesterday to 10pm on Sunday. Although the water utility promised to ensure that work was done timeously so that the inconvenience was not prolonged more than necessary, the City of Tshwane has made plans to assist residents. City of Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said residents were urged to use water sparingly during this time to prevent reservoirs from running dry. He said they should also ensure that they stored…

Women are better drivers than men, new telematics data has revealed. This was one of the conclusions from customer-incident data released by the stolen-vehicle-recovery and fleet intelligence company Netstar. The company said this was another recognition of the important role women played in maintaining society’s functioning and disproved patriarchal stereotypes of bad “woman drivers”. It further showed that men in general were worse at adhering to safe driving practices. Netstar chief technology officer Cliff de Wit said the findings indicated that their female customers drove better than their male counterparts during the four months surveyed. “The data was gathered using Netstar telematics – a combination of vehicle sensors, GPS and telecommunications technology, and supports emerging offerings like usage-based vehicle insurance and underwriting.” De Wit said the new data calculated…

Starting on a positive note, the music of R&B superstar R. Kelly has sold more than 75 million records worldwide and he was the 1990s most successful R&B artist. But, earlier this year, he was sentenced in New York to “30 years in prison for using his celebrity status to sexually abuse children and women”. He is still to face further sex abuse charges in Illinois and Minnesota. In Soulless – the Case Against R. Kelly, DeRogatis has delivered a disturbing and powerful indictment of the music industry, R. Kelly and the politics of Chicago. DeRogatis was pop music critic for the“Chicago Sun-Times for 15 years. For more than 20 years, from 2000 when DeRogatis received an anonymous fax that “R. Kelly had a problem with young girls” he stayed…

The power of structural violence is that it tries to silence us. The power of feminism is that it gives us a voice. So much of our life experience is filtered through our bodies – norms, myths and cultural standards continue to shape the way that we and the world feel about our bodies and how we see ourselves. Feminism is necessary to help us learn and unlearn things about ourselves and the world we live in. Feminism is for all of us. This collection take us from an examination of skin and hair, to an exploration of pleasure, sex and safety. They explore the way our bodies change, our health, and how we become who we are. They examine the way that institutions can trap us, how we can…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has gained international recognition for his role in the Ukraine- Russia grain deal.This is a UN-backed agreement that was realised in Istanbul last month after months of effort from the Turkish government and is vital for food security for many Middle Eastern and North African countries. On the one hand, while he has received praise over this deal, he has also received global condemnation for conducting military operations against Kurdish groups in Syria. Erdogan has established a very “special relationship” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has faced international isolation since Russian armed forces invaded Ukraine in February. The Russian president is willing to establish strong business ties with Türkiye, especially in the areas of trade and energy, but Erdogan’s close ties with jihadist…

IN CELEBRATION of Women’s Month, artist Lerato Nkosi has been announced as the winner of the first ANNA Award, an art award aimed at recognising a new generation of women artists. The ANNA Award is an annual contemporary art prize for women artists in South Africa and the winner receives R100 000 cash, a one-month residency at PLAAS in Franschhoek, a profile on Latitudes Online and a year’s supply of ANNA products. Nkosi, who grew up in the Mpumalanga village of Swalala and was raised by her mother and grandmother, examines the complexities of existing as a woman with the awareness that the teachings are impacting and affecting her existence. The artist’s work employs ink and stamps as a vital, organic, multifaceted material. Nkosi’s entry for the ANNA Award featured…

There’s been outrage from some quarters in South Africa about reports that Eskom and some municipalities intend to increase the connection fee for electricity users who also generate their own power. A number of commentators have also criticised the idea even though Eskom has said that no such proposal has been tabled officially. We take a contrary view, for two main reasons. Firstly, we believe that grid connection fees are crucial to protect the finances of both Eskom and municipalities. Secondly, they are needed to support the “just transition” to which the South African government and energy experts claim to be committed. There is a broad consensus that the world needs to move to “net-zero” energy sources to avoid a global warming climate disaster. For South Africa’s coal-based society, this…

International observers expressed concern yesterday about the spread of disinformation during the long wait for results from Kenya’s election, as provisional counts point to a tight presidential race. Preliminary results broadcast by local media indicate that Deputy President William Ruto and Raila Odinga, the veteran opposition leader now backed by the ruling party, are neck-and-neck, raising the likelihood of a challenge by the losing candidate. No presidential poll outcome has gone uncontested in Kenya since 2002, and the disputes have led to bloodshed in the past, involving either ethnic clashes or police violence. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is under pressure to deliver a free and fair poll after 2017 presidential vote was annulled due to irregularities in the counting process and mismanagement by the election body. But…

Iceland: Tens of thousands of people have braved a steep, rugged trail in Iceland to catch a rare glimpse of an active volcano after it erupted last week, spewing red-hot lava into the sky. Tourism officials said yesterday that almost 23 000 people had made the difficult, hours-long trek to spot the volcano in the Meradalir valley, just 40km from the capital. The hike to the newly-formed crater is a 14km round trip across tough terrain, with a 300m ascent. Strong winds and rain have done little to deter crowds. The latest volcano erupted in the Meradalir valley on August 3. | AFP…

ATTRACTING interest in local football going forward is going to be a challenge for South Africa. We are living in the digital age. Attendances at football games throughout the world have decreased. Some fans prefer to save money and watch from the comfort of their homes, rather than go to stadiums. This is not necessarily a bad thing. For one, a lower amount of people at stadiums reduces the carbon footprint generated at sporting events. Instead of trying aimlessly to find ways to bring back crowds and relive the “good old days”, clubs need to get innovative in terms of how they brand themselves online and through other means. While attendances in Europe’s top five leagues have reduced, the drop has been more noticeable in developing leagues such as SA.…

NOMFUNDO Mngomezulu has not stopped pinching herself to confirm she was not dreaming since her inclusion in the 24-member Proteas team in April. The 20-year-old from Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal was at a loss for words to describe what it means for her to be among the players who will be representing South Africa at next year’s World Cup. “I am out of words,” Mngomezulu said on the sidelines of the Women’s Netball National Championships at North West University’s Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds. “I’ve been dreaming and wishing to be part of the team and represent my country. “It has been my dream to play for my country, to wear that gold dress, and even today I don’t believe I am part of this to play for my county.…

Nine opposition parties are set to decide the fate of President Cyril Ramaphosa and his administration. The parties met about ”strengthening the arm of Parliament” and “holding the executive accountable” after the lid blew off the so-called Phala Phala farmgate scandal. This is detailed in a joint statement by the DA, EFF, IFP, ACDP, UDM, NFP, ATM, Cope and PAC. Former State Security Agency director-general Arthur Fraser revealed that Ramaphosa tried to conceal a crime at his farm in Lephalale, Limpopo. The alleged crime involves the farm being robbed of an alleged $4 million (more than R60 million), but Ramaphosa has since denied any involvement in “criminal conduct”, saying the money stolen was the proceeds from a “business transaction of selling animals” because he was a game farmer. In the…

The culpable homicide charge against former North West MEC for Human Settlements, Public Safety and Liaison, Nono Maloyi, who is now vying for the position of provincial chairperson, has not been struck off the roll. Contrary to a seemingly planned disinformation campaign suggesting that charges against Maloyi had been dropped, the National Prosecuting Authority yesterday slammed the talks saying only the NPA can drop charges. Speaking to The Star, NPA provincial spokesperson Henry Mamothame said: “Maloyi’s matter is pending the outcome of the application. He cannot withdraw the case himself. Only the NPA can withdraw the case”. It is alleged that on the night of September 1, 2018, Maloyi was travelling at extremely high speed, on the N12 between Klerksdorp and Stilfontein when he crashed into another vehicle with two…

Liv has never been a woman with a lot of female friends, but when she meets fellow new moms Beth and Binnie in a Mommy and Me play group, she knows she’s finally found her best friends for life. But then Binnie introduces Ange. Rich, beautiful, and capable, somehow, of doing it all, Ange changes the dynamics of their little group. Liv finds herself on the outside, scrambling to fit in with the people she could always be herself around. When Ange suggests a trip to Greece to celebrate their girl gang, Liv knows she has to go – even though her family really can’t afford it – or be left out of the group for good. Once on the islands, though, Ange makes it clear that Liv will always…

COUNCIL Speaker Vasco da Gama hosted an event at the Metro Centre to promote women of excellence in the City of Joburg on Women’s Day. ​Johannesburg Student Council (JSC) Junior Councillor Thandolethu Gwebu, a 16-year-old from Parktown Girls High School, was the programme director. She spoke with confidence and poise as she introduced the speakers. The JSC Speaker, Junior Councillor Nitara Moodley, from St Stithian’s College, spoke on what Women’s Day meant to her as a teenager. “The obstacles are different, but the struggles are the same”, Moodley said. ​Nominations from various departments and entities were sought for front-line women employees in often overlooked positions. A general worker from one of the city’s clinics, Daisy Grobler, was happy to be recognised as a woman of excellence. She asked for a…

THE former pastor of a well-known church who published statements on Facebook with the core message being “how to steal money using the Bible” was ordered by the South Gauteng High Court in Joburg to remove them immediately. The respondent was also interdicted and restrained from publishing any further defamatory statements on social media regarding the church and its bishop. The name of the respondent and the church are not revealed in light of the defamatory statements made against the church. The respondent made various allegations against the church, including that it had forced him to marry one of the ushers and undergo a vasectomy. He accused the church and its leaders of being money grabbers and in his social media posts attached a picture of a bishop who is…

Monday, August 8, was International Women’s Day that started in Germany in 1914 when women’s right to vote was recognised. South African women struggled against the pass law, holding demonstrations in Bloemfontein in 1913, in Potchefstroom in 1930, and at the Union buildings in Pretoria in 1956. In South Africa, anti-apartheid and anti-colonial activists included Lilian Ngoyi, Fatima Meer, Helen Joseph, Albertina Sisulu, Rahima Moosa, Charlotte Maxeke, Sophia Williams-de Bruyn and Frene Ginwala. We have come a long way from the time of Ngoyi who was arrested for using the post office reserved for whites and her courageous activism together with other women on August 9, 1956. On this day, Ngoyi led a women’s anti-pass march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Sixty-six years later, men continue to dominate women;…

The election of the SACP's new general secretary, Solly Mapaila, is a breath of fresh air in South African politics. He is known to be a true believer of working-class emancipation and this will make him gain respect from the Left. Under the current political climate and with the economic crisis the country is facing, we need leaders who will lead campaigns against developments that seek to undermine the prospect of economic emancipation for the poor. Mapaila must make his mark by focusing on exactly that and not harbour ambitions for blue lights. The Left movement is weak, Cosatu is no longer taken serious and socialists parties in the country are almost non-existent. It is the SACP that has the sober voice in politics but its voice needs to be…

A prolific letter writer nominates three females as suitable candidates for the position of president of South Africa. All three have a plethora of degrees and other qualifications. They have also served in a multitude of portfolios and other positions, yet have not influenced or grown the ailing ANC government in any miraculous or inspirational way. Naledi Pandor did not achieve much in her ministerial portfolios, although she was responsible for the complete overhaul of the nation’s education system which is now in dire straits and dysfunctional. Lindiwe Sisulu has been involved in a number of controversies as, for example, her N2 Gateway housing project. The project was host to the largest illegal occupation of houses in the country’s history. She was accused of over-using executive jet flights during her…

CHINA and African countries called world leaders to strive to urgently raise pledged funding to $100 billion (about R1.6 trillion) to fight the climate change war, which has now become the biggest global threat facing the world, while forging ahead with crucial co-operation to urgently address growing threats. In the past half decade, China and Africa have intensified efforts through critical policy and political convergence on tackling climate change. Major China-Africa engagements have produced groundbreaking frameworks prioritising climate change as an immediate threat to humanity, the China-Africa Co-operation Vision 2035, Dakar Declaration of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation, Sino-African Declaration on Climate Change and the Focac Dakar Action Plan (2022-2024). The later is profoundly groundbreaking, and, has the potential to address the growing challenges of…

Addis Ababa: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed kick-started electricity production from the second turbine at its controversial mega-dam on the Blue Nile yesterday, despite continuing objections by Egypt and Sudan over the project. Abiy also confirmed a third filling of the multi-billion dollar Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd) was under way, a development that led Egypt last month to protest to the UN Security Council. Yesterday’s move came even though there is still no agreement between Ethiopia and its downstream neighbours Egypt and Sudan about the Gerd’s operations. | AFP…

Tokyo: China has overtaken the US as the world leader in both scientific research output and “high impact” studies, according to a report published by Japan’s science and technology ministry. The report, published by Japan’s National Institute of Science and Technology Policy, found China now publishes the highest number of scientific research papers yearly, followed by the US and Germany. The report also found Chinese research comprised 27.2% of the world’s top 1% most frequently cited papers. The US accounted for 24.9% of the top 1% most highly cited research studies, while UK research was third at 5.5%. | IANS…