Table of contents for 2022-09-22 in Star

ESKOM yesterday warned the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to grant the full 32% tariff increase it requires in the 2023 year or face the consequences. Appearing before Nersa in public hearings to justify its Multi Year Price Determination 5 Eskom said if the tariff was not granted the power utility would risk the further deterioration of its assets leading to load shedding. This as the utility was not able to cater for its maintenance programmes with the current rates it was paid. Kabelo Masike, a senior Treasury economist at Eskom, said that Nersa discounting elements of the proposal, including costs incurred, to give a lower determination only kicked the can down the road. “The lower inflation tariff scenario is always the more favourable, but the shortfall has…

CITY LODGE Hotel Group (CLHG) said yesterday that its annual results for the year ended June 30, 2022, pointed to a strong recovery and a promising position for the future as the firm reduced its headline loss and saw a steady improvement in occupancies. This, after the hospitality, travel, and tourism sector were hit hard by Covid-19, devastating riots and insurrection in South Africa. In its reviewed provisional condensed consolidated results for the year ended June 30, 2022, the group said total revenue for the year increased by 117% to R1.1 billion compared to the previous year’s R508 million. “This included the 150% increase in food and beverage revenue spurred by our enhanced offering,” CLHG said. The headline loss improved to R49.5m compared to 2021’s R455.2m. This excluded…

Award-winning comedian and The Daily Show host Trevor Noah recently made fans laugh out loud with his segment on King Charles. But he received backlash soon after from those who didn’t take lightly to the jokes. On the late-night talk show, Noah joked about how the newly crowned head of the British monarchy couldn’t bend to pick up a letter from the late queen which mistakenly fell into the waste paper basket. The letter had to be picked up by former royal butler, Paul Burrell, after he was summoned by the king. “This guy had to bend and pick something up for Charles. When I was a kid I thought kings used to pull swords out of stones, this dude can barely pull his d*** out of his own pants.…

A member of the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) and his friend have been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering their friend over a car trade dispute. EMPD member Siyabonga Nkosinathi Mzolo and his friend Mfiseleni Mahlaba were handed their sentence by the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg yesterday. According to NPA regional spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane, the pair and a third unidentified person shot and killed long-time friend Mduduzi Mcambi following a car trade dispute. Mzolo was said to have sold a stolen car belonging to Mcambi’s sister, and Mcambi wanted his sister to be paid back her money. Mjonondwane said: “During the evening of May 13, 2018, Mcambi came out of his shop in Ivory Park and went to the water tap outside. While there, he was shot…

Base: 1 packet Tennis biscuits, finely crushed ½ cup butter, melted Filling: ¾ cup milk ¾ cup castor sugar ¼ cup cream 3 large egg yolks ¼ cup cornflour Juice (240ml) and grated peel of 4 lemons 1 tsp vanilla essence ½ cup cold butter, cubed Swiss meringue: 4 large egg whites ½ tsp cream of tartar 1 cup castor sugar ½ tsp vanilla essence METHOD Combine the biscuits and butter and press into a greased 35cm x 12cm rectangular tart tin. Chill until firm, about 20 minutes. Heat the milk and sugar in a pot and stir until the sugar dissolves. Combine the cream, egg yolks and cornflour and whisk into the milk mixture. Add the lemon juice and grated peel. Cook for about 5 minutes, whisking…

PROTON is back in South Africa and there’s nothing humble about the Malaysian carmaker’s ambition to offer a more premium alternative to the other “newbie” brands. At the launch presentation at Kloofzicht, outside Joburg on Wednesday, a company representative was unapologetic in his claim that the new Proton models, which are based on Geely products from China, offer superior quality to the Chinese contenders that are doing well in our market, and therefore justify their higher price tags. For the record, the Proton X50, which is similar in size to a Hyundai Creta, is priced between R449 900 and R579 900, while the larger X70 will set you back between R529 900 and R639 900. The cars are Geely-based, as the Chinese carmaker has a 49% stake in Proton. Geely…

NOT only was Ruan Nortje the best South African No 5 lock in last year’s United Rugby Championship, but arguably the finest in the competition overall. The 24-year-old Bulls player is a line-out master, and won the URC Ironman award for the most minutes played in the league stage of the season – an incredible 1 394 minutes in 18 matches, which meant that he sat out just 46 minutes in total. Nortje was picked in the team of the tournament as well, and duly earned his Springbok debut against Wales in Bloemfontein in July. Nortje came off the bench at the Free State Stadium, and has been unlucky not to add to his solitary outing, with Bok coach Jacques Nienaber sticking with Lood de Jager throughout the international season.…

IF the Springboks’ defeat of the Wallabies in Sydney a few weeks back was a quarter-final and last week’s win in Buenos Aries was a semi-final, it stands to reason that they will be treating the Rugby Championship finale in Durban on Saturday as something approaching a World Cup final. “That is exactly how we see it,” Lood de Lager told the media yesterday just in case anybody is unclear as to how seriously the Boks are taking this game. “It is a massive game in that, not only is the Rugby Championship at stake, but it is also great preparation for us players for the knock-out stages of next year’s World Cup.” The towering lock pointed out that it is a long time since the Boks won the Rugby…

Virtual meeting discusses a number of pertinent issues of Eskom power cuts THE GOVERNMENT will soon be announcing further interventions to deal with the ongoing energy crisis in South Africa, over and above the emergency energy plan presented in July. This emerged as Cabinet held its scheduled virtual meeting yesterday to discuss a number of pertinent issues related to crippling power cuts implemented by Eskom. The struggling power utility last week plunged the country into severe stage 6 rotational load shedding as a number of its ageing coal-fired power plants experienced unplanned breakdowns. Cabinet spokesperson Phumla Williams said on Wednesday that the Cabinet expressed regret that intermittent load shedding was happening at a time when the government was engaged with the interventions announced in July to overcome the energy…

AS A YOUNGSTER growing up in KwaMashu, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), I never would have dreamed that I would someday be two-time winner of Africa’s greatest horseracing event – the Hollywoodbets Durban July and two-time South African champion jockey. Horseracing has been a door into a life I could not have imagined. I can only hope that this same door will lead many young, black people to even greater success than mine. But this door may soon be shut closed by a well-intentioned yet ill-conceived legislative measure now under consideration in the Kwa- Zulu-Natal provincial legislature. The problem is a proposal in the Gaming and Betting Tax Amendment Bill that would divert funding from the province’s racecourse operator, Gold Circle, to a soon-to-be-established “Transformation Fund”. Currently, Gold Circle receives 3% of the…

Need to ensure that religion is not Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoa- ledi’s recent utterances that South Africa will institute a ban on permits granted to foreign pastors and religious workers has sparked fury in the religious community. Motsoaledi, who this past week addressed the National Assembly’s home affairs committee, announced that religious leaders who come to the country to start churches will no longer be eligible to obtain work permits or residency permits. This is in light of cases involving some religious workers, among them Malawian televangelist Shepherd Bushiri, who fled the country in 2020 after being charged with money laundering, and Nigerian evangelist Timothy Omotoso, who is accused of a spate of rape and human trafficking charges by the Eastern Cape courts. “I want to confirm that…

Cervical cancer is the second most prevalent cancer in South Africa, killing approximately 3 000 women a year. The main cause is infection of the cervix by the human papillomavirus (HPV) through sexual contact. “HPV can be prevented with the HPV vaccination. Cervical Cancer Month in September is an important opportunity to raise awareness about HPV risks and the need for the HPV vaccine for girls aged 9 and older,” said Dr Seithati Molefi, deputy chief of party at health NGO Right to Care. According to the NGO, the World Health Organization recommends girls aged 9 and above should receive the HPV vaccine before they become sexually active. As part of South Africa’s public health programme, all Grade 5 girls or those 9 years and older in public schools have…

Technology company HP has revealed the results of its first education-focused survey in Africa, which shed light on teachers’ skill sets and how learning experiences for pupils can be improved in South Africa and Nigeria. The quantitative research was conducted in April and May with 802 teachers in South Africa and Nigeria surveyed. The sample group in both countries comprises public primary and high school teachers, as well as private school teachers in Nigeria. Since the focus was not merely on those teaching technology, the study findings reflect educators who teach a wide range of subjects, including languages and maths. The study identified 10 skills as crucial to future-proofing learning. Most teachers – seven in 10 – agreed that creative, innovative, critical and entrepreneurial thinking, as well as digital literacy,…

In a strongly worded plea yesterday, Gayton McKenzie took to Facebook to express his ideas on getting Eskom out of the doldrums, as South Africa’s electricity crisis continues unabated. The Patriotic Alliance leader and Central Karoo mayor posted on his Facebook page, saying: “Eskom apparently needs 1 000 megawatts to keep the lights on, let’s create 11 000 megawatts within the next five months which will keep the lights on in 2023 and is 11 times more than what you need.” The ‘get things done’ mayor said that the Central Karoo was the most suitable place in South Africa to be used to create renewable energy. “The region has good sun during the day, wind at night, vast tracts of land and evacuation capacity – you could not find a…

The N2 from Richards Bay north is a nightmare to drive on because of the number of heavy duty vehicles – in particular coal carrier trucks – using this road to travel to and from the Transvaal. Up until a number of years ago, Richards Bay Coal Terminal would only accept coal delivered by rail. Unfortunately, for some reason, this changed. Why? It is imperative that the government does all in its power to resurrect the rail system in this country so that freight can be moved by rail instead of road. This will not only lessen wear and tear on the roads, but will also, and most importantly, reduce the sort of road carnage that is all too common on South African roads.…

FORMULA One will have a record 24 races next season, with Las Vegas making its floodlit debut in November and Monaco signing a new deal to secure its place on the calendar until at least 2025. The governing FIA announced approval of the calendar on Tuesday, with the Las Vegas Strip circuit taking a November 18 date as the season’s penultimate round and third in the US. It will also be the first race to be held on a Saturday since 1985. “The Las Vegas Grand Prix is going to take F1 race weekends to the next level,” said Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali. Monaco, historically the most glamorous race, had its future thrown into doubt earlier in the year amid contract renewal talks. Formula One said a new…

THE heartbreak of failing to qualify for the 2022 Fifa World Cup after a controversial penalty decision in their loss to Ghana last November has resulted in confidence levels in the Bafana Bafana squad plummet. Since then, the team returned to action for two friendlies and a 2023 Africa Cup on Nations group stage qualifier, but have not been on the winning side again. It is a situation that can change over the next few days, according to Bafana captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams. South Africa, world ranked 68th, will play Sierra Leone (113th) on Saturday and Botswana (146th) next Tuesday. Both matches will be played at FNB Stadium. The world rankings of Bafana’s opponents suggest that the South Africans should end up victors on both occasions, but Williams cautioned…

IT may have been a tough decision for Marius Louw to leave the Sharks in Durban and join the Lions in Johannesburg, but the hard-running centre has already made himself right at home in the City of Gold. The 26-year-old spent eight years in KwaZulu-Natal, having moved from Bloemfontein after matriculating from Grey College. But Louw never quite found a permanent spot in the No 12 jersey – after shifting from flank – in the black-and-white outfit, and he opted for a fresh new world at Ellis Park. “Joining the Lions, it was a tough pre-season and there were a lot of learnings. Fitting in has been very easy – the coaches and players have been very welcoming. I’ve learnt a lot just in these last few weeks, and I…

CONSUMER prices in South Africa fell slightly in August due to softening fuel prices as the global oil prices eased, though food inflation continued upwards. Data from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) today showed that the annual consumer inflation edged lower to 7.6% in August from 7.8% in July. However, though the consumer price index (CPI) has moderated this August inflation print remains above market expectations of 7.5% and the upper limit of the South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB’S) target range of 3% to 6%. StatsSA said that fuel prices decreased by 3.8% between July and August, with petrol falling by 5% and diesel by 0.9%, pushing the annual rate for fuel down to 43.2% from 56.2% in July. StatsSA chief director for price statistics Patrick Kelly said the welcome decrease…

SASFIN Holdings lifted headline earnings a share 23.6% in the year to June 30 after increased borrowings by businesses fuelled growth, leaving all the group’s key financial drivers strengthened, chief executive Michael Sassoon said yesterday. Headline earnings improved to R166.7 million for the year ended June 30, 2022, from R141.1m in 2021. The better earnings were mainly from improved credit performance and it enabled the raising of a cash dividend by 18.2% for the financial year to 154.85 cents per share. Total income was flat due to divestment from non-core businesses. However, group profit improved sharply to R183.9m from R77.6m, following an 18.6% increase in loans and advances to R8.6 billion. “We weathered Covid well and we feel we are in a good position. This growth was…

Siv Ngesi is one of two South Africans to land a role in the international film, The Woman King. He was also among the cast who graced the red carpet at the film’s world premiere at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival on September 8. IOL Entertainment spoke to the star ahead of the South African premiere on September 30. He recently lost his mother, Zanele Jaqueline Ngesi, and said the film depicts her life, in a way. “This film came out around about the same time I lost my mother in August. The incredible link of it is that my mother has always been the strongest woman I have ever known, an incredible beast. “I have done other international films, but nothing was as big as this one. It’s…

SIX senior government officials and company directors from Gauteng and the Free State are out on bail of R20 000 each for fraud in connection with the Winnie Mandela Museum in Brandfort. The suspects appeared at the Welkom Magistrate’s Court yesterday. They are facing charges of fraud, theft, contravention of the Public Finance Management Act and contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act. The accused are Humphrey Tsoarelo Malakoane, 56, former head of the Sports and Culture Department, now head of the Education Department; Nontsikelelo Eunice Aaron, 55, a former municipal manager of the Lejweleputswa District Municipality; Lebogang Aubrey Sebeela, 47, formerly of the Sports and Culture Department; Monyane Matthews Sefantse, 53, former municipal manager of the Lejweleputswa District Municipality, currently municipal manager of the Nketoane Local Municipality; Errens…

WHILE much of the world’s focus is on electrification, Ford has come out swinging with a new unashamedly 5.0-litre Coyote V8 and a manual transmission. And if you’re leading the sales charts with the world’s most popular sports car, why change a winning recipe that people love and admire? Which is exactly what the new Ford Mustang embraces, while giving us a good few years to enjoy the thundering sound of eight pistons gulping down petrol in a classic American coupé or convertible. Revealed at the Detroit Motor Show in downtown Detroit recently, the launch event was preceded by a stampede of more than 1 000 Mustangs that assembled in Washington from all over America to drive to the home of Ford. They were there along with the world’s media…

THE Springboks are down to their fifth-choice flyhalf in Frans Steyn for Saturday’s Rugby Championship decider against Argentina, but the South Africans must avoid a similar scenario playing out at next year’s Rugby World Cup. All of Handre Pollard, Elton Jantjies, Johan Goosen and Damian Willemse are unavailable for the Kings Park clash this weekend due to injuries and off-field reasons. But, as unlikely as this flyhalf situation seems, it’s not the first time it has happened, and it won’t be the last. The most famous came in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, when the All Blacks had to call on Stephen Donald from a fishing trip to help out, and he ended up kicking the winning penalty in the 8-7 final win over France. Before him, Dan Carter, Colin…

WITH the transfer window set to slam shut today, team’s from the South African top-flight will be looking to bolster their squads. So far we have seen that every team in the league this season is beatable and has flaws, including defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns. signing or two before the transfer window closes can not only reinforce problem areas for teams but also score them points. One player whose name is hotly linked with a move is Lyle Lakay. The defender is tipped to join Cape Town City in what is interesting and also somewhat bizarre news. Lakay was one of the best defenders in the league last season, helping Masandawana to yet another league title while also earning a recall to the Bafana Bafana squad. However, he appears to…

STEPHEN Fleming was a fierce adversary of Graeme Smith’s during their playing days. In fact, the former Black Caps captain played a major role in Smith’s evolution from wet-behind-the-ears rookie captain back in 2003 to his eventual all-powerful position as Proteas skipper. And now Fleming, by virtue of his position as head coach the Joburg Super Kings, once again has to play a pivotal role in Smith’s career - this time as the Commissioner of the new SA20 League. The JSK, a subsidiary of the all-powerful Indian Premier League franchise the Chennai Super Kings, is a major player at the table and the success of the league does weigh heavily on how the Wanderers-based team performs in the inaugural season. To ensure that JSK do start on the right foot…