Table of contents for 2023-08-14 in Star

International Energy Agency forecasts global oil demand may reach an all-time high FUEL PRICES in South Africa could increase dramatically over the next month, possibly pushing consumer inflation back above the upper limit of the target range, as the global demand for oil is expected to reach an all-time high. This comes as the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Friday revised upwards its forecast for global oil demand growth in 2023, which could also potentially push prices even higher. In its August report, the IEA said demand was “scaling record highs” on the back of a sharp reduction by oil producing countries such as Saudi Arabia and Russia. The IEA said the world oil demand hit a record 103 million barrels per day in June, and August could see yet…

THE RISING tide of farm murders in South Africa has not only sparked domestic outrage, but has also garnered international attention, and in the days leading up to the BRICS Summit hosted in South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s replies in Parliament concerning the issue of farm murders, have raised concerns about their potential impact on investor confidence. Leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) are convening to discuss economic co-operation, thus Ramaphosa’s approach to addressing the concerns around the threat to South Africa’s food supply, will play a crucial role in shaping perceptions of South Africa’s commitment to security, stability, and economic growth. Farm murders, characterised by violence directed at rural farmers, have been a long standing issue in South Africa, and are a symptom of an…

No one can predict whether the mooted coalition of opposition parties, which are to hold preliminary talks in the near future, will succeed or not. But it is becoming clear the message they are punting is likely to seriously undermine their efforts. What they want to do primarily is to throw the ANC out of power. What exactly are these parties, if they come into power, going to offer voters? The ANC despite its problems, still resonates with a significant chunk of the electorate. And if these voters feel that the intention is just to deal with the ANC, it might sway them back to the party. This is going to play right into the hands of the ANC because it is going to emphasise to the electorate that these…

The current taxi strike in the Western Cape is receiving national news attention. The City of Cape Town has had to interdict taxis to stop the chaos they were causing in the city. Unfortunately, lives have been lost, including that of a British tourist. This will no doubt reverse some of the excellent tourism work that the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape have achieved. People need to “connect the dots” – just like clockwork, every year before an election, there is suddenly mass action, protests and actions similar to what we are presently seeing. This is not a coincidence. The ANC are desperate to do whatever it takes (even if lives are lost, property is destroyed, jobs are lost, and the economy is negatively affected) to…

THE sad reality is that children often become collateral damage in divorce proceedings. A teenager’s dreams to complete this year’s Formula One season in his category was shattered by his parents’ bickering. The youngster, who is said to be one of the top competitors in the country in his class, has to, for now, forgo his ambitions after an order by the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. The teenager’s parents are divorced, but when they were still on speaking terms, both agreed to contribute equally towards his passion. Things turned sour when the boy’s father found a new love and his mother struggled to cope with it The father had set an ultimatum that he would continue to contribute financially towards the racing, provided the mother was civil regarding his relationship.…

POLICE believe they have compelling evidence against four men who have been arrested for allegedly stalking victims on an LGBTQ dating website, luring them for a rendezvous at lodges in upmarket areas before robbing them of valuables. Their alleged modus operandi is for one of the accused persons to chat up male victims on Grindr, which is regarded as one of the largest dating sites for members of the LGBTQ community. After victims’ confidence was won, dates are arranged at lodges. The victim gets drawn into the room by one of the accused. Once inside, they get bound and gagged by all four men, before being robbed. One of the main objectives of the accused is apparently to gain access to the victims’ cellphone banking apps. Police have since interviewed…

LILLIAN Chen, general manager of Apollo Solar Technology, said to achieve self-reliance, women in South Africa and in China had to first believe in themselves. Chen spoke during an event hosted by the Chinese Consul-General in Johannesburg, Tang Zhongdong, which brought hundreds of women from contrasting backgrounds to deliberate on self-reliance and empowerment in the context of the BRICS community of nations. “Do not listen to the nos. Take the yeses that you get in life and ignore the nos. There is a book called Change the way you think, and it says that children growing up, especially girls, get told three times more nos than boys. I was privileged the way my parents supported what I was doing. Ignore the nos and believe in the yeses. Believe in yourself…

The Springboks left for Europe this past weekend amid much fanfare as an enthusiastic crowd congregated at OR Tambo International Airport to bid them au revoir. The SA senior national men’s team have two matches in the UK against Wales this coming weekend and the All Blacks the weekend thereafter, to create momentum, calm their heaviest of critics, build confidence and find answers to some truly pressing concerns. At the fore of those apprehensions, is a lack of depth at No 10. The injury to Handre Pollard created a fright of disheveled conspiracy theories online and between supporters this past week that head coach Jacques Nienaber and Co would engineer some sort of injury within the 33-man Bok squad to ensure the 29-year-old makes the World Cup. The Bok mentor…

SUDAN’S war has left university lecturer Ali Seif without pay for months. To make ends meet, he has turned to making soap in his room at a makeshift displacement camp. Out of work as fighting rages between the forces of rival generals, many Sudanese have been forced to find creative ways to support themselves and their families. Until April 15, when the conflict erupted between the army headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Seif had worked at a Khartoum university. Now the engineering lecturer and his family live in Wad Madani, a city where most of the nearly 3 million people displaced from the capital fled for safety. Wad Madani has been spared the violence so far, but air strikes and fighting…

DAMASCUS: Violent explosions were heard from missile stockpiles of pro-Iran militias east of Syria’s capital Damascus before dawn yesterday, a war monitor said. Residents of the Damascus region heard the blasts from “the warehouses of pro-Iran militias” in a mountainous area east of the capital, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Israel has launched air strikes on Syrian territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces, Hezbollah fighters, and Syrian army positions. With Iranian and Russian support, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has clawed back much of the territory it had lost to rebels. | AFP…

Kaizer Chiefs (1) 2 Du Preez 36, Castillo 90+4 Cape Town City (1) 1 Van Heerden 23 Edson Castillo etched his name into Kaizer Chiefs supporters’ hearts with a stoppage time winner for mighty Amakhosi over Cape Town City in a rousing MTN8 quarter-final at Athlone Stadium yesterday. With the game deadlocked at 1-1 in the 94th minute, the Venezuelan forward found himself unmarked at the back post to deliver the strike that killed off the gallant City outfit. What local football may lack in quality at times, it certainly makes up for in high drama, excitement and passion. And that’s exactly what these teams delivered yesterday. The conditions were perfect for flowing football, maybe not so the cut-up turf, but both teams delivered high-octane entertainment in this end-to-end MTN8…

RULANI Mokwena is human after all! Such has been the Mamelodi Sundowns coach’s rise to the top of South African football coaching circles that he has quickly become associated with perfection and success. This is, after all, a coach who fraternises with the likes of Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and other top football technicians and tacticians the world over. He has been nicknamed the South African Mourinho, remember? That’s a massive compliment given the Portuguese Jose Mourinho’s incredible achievements as a coach. And the moniker fits. Mokwena has yet to lose a Premiership match since taking sole charge of Sundowns midway through last season, having helped the Brazilians set all kinds of league records. This is a coach who took the club to their first Caf Champions League semi-final since…

SOUTH Africa will aim to put its best foot forward in a bid to convince the BRICS member states that the country is open for business, thus hoping to attract investment into the infrastructure and manufacturing sectors. This comes as the country hosts the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg next week where government leaders, State-owned companies and private sector businesses from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) will discuss partnerships for mutually accelerated growth. In preparation, the BRICS Business Council has held a number of stakeholder engagements with working groups from the South African Chapter. Co-chairperson of the Infrastructure Working Group Zodwa Mbele on Friday said they wanted to share knowledge with BRICS member countries and industry experts to see how South Africa can benefit. The BRICS Infrastructure…

While Cyan Boujee is no stranger to the public limelight, there are many who are only now hearing about her for the first time as she finds herself in the middle of a sex tape scandal involving dance music star Prince Kaybee. Since she first emerged as an influencer three years ago, Boujee has constantly been at the heart of social media drama due to her turbulent personal life. Back in June, Sunday World reported that the 22-year-old had been arrested for allegedly stealing an iPhone 13. The matter was apparently not placed on the roll due to a lack of sufficient evidence for a successful prosecution. Before that, Boujee had a brush with the law last year, after she opened a case of assault against her boyfriend, Nigerian Afrobeats…

Besides the feared job losses, the privatisation of Eskom would deal a serious blow to the country’s electricity sector. These sentiments have been widely shared on social media platforms by concerned South Africans who fear last week’s move by Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, who instructed Eskom board chairperson Mpho Makwana to expedite the sale of assets of the Eskom distribution unit to a separate state-owned entity. Cosatu and the EFF have slammed the move and those seeking to privatise the power utility. Energy experts also indicated that the intended privatisation and plundering of Eskom assets was being disguised as “unbundling” by Gordhan. Energy expert Chris Yelland said the new distribution company was established on August 26, 2022. The entity was registered by former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter, who…

A Strand mother and a number of good Samaritans are racing against the clock to make a young woman’s dream to study internationally come true, but their efforts have hit a wall with a “lost” postal package. Kristen Mayer’s mother Henra said they were anxiously trying to locate an important parcel with original documentation for Kristen’s European passport application, with just days to spare. Kristen, 17, has been accepted at The HAN University of Applied Sciences in Nijmegen, Netherlands, and is expected to jet off on August 20, if all papers and documentation to be submitted are in order. However, concerted efforts to locate the parcel with original documentation – sent from Kristen’s father in Italy to South Africa – have proven fruitless, the family said. Mayer said the location…

AH WELL, it was a bit too far for Banyana Banyana. The Dutch were too strong for them. After beating Italy, they ran out of steam against the favourites. We must remember Banyana faced a team who were runners-up in the 2019 World Cup. So it was going to be tough. But they can still hold their heads up high. They did not crumble against the Dutch, but lost 2-0. Significantly, all four African countries which qualified for the Fifa Women’s World Cup, have been eliminated before the quarter-final stage. What is noticeable is the gap between the First World and Third World countries, between Africa and their former colonial rulers. Besides Colombia, all the countries in the quarter finals are the rich First World countries. Rich countries spend vast…

A nation without its history is like a tree without roots, and will eventually be extinct. Systematically, SA’s history is being expunged. The contemporary gospel of ‘move on’ is passionately preached. Commemorations of June 16, June 27, August 9 and the like are said to be a backsliding sentiment. Former colonial oppressors and foreign teachers put emphasis on business sustenance and economic growth to neo-learners and the working class. Sadly, history unearths those discrepancies and wrongdoings. Singing or chanting “Kill the boer, kill the farmer” is simply an outcry to redress past imbalances and injustices. We are a traumatised nation that never underwent counselling. Until true reconciliation occurs, singing and chanting will continue. Figuratively, the Struggle song means “remove or heal ongoing black pain”. The unaffected, including foreigners who were…

THE Public Service Commission (PSC) is aiming to complete a two-phased investigation into senior management service personnel without qualifications by the end of December. This was revealed by PSC chairperson Professor Somadoda Fikeni in his response in writing to a request from DA MP Mimmy Gondwe. In April, Public Service and Administration Minister Noxolo Kiviet revealed in a response to parliamentary questions that, in terms of Persal records, there were 1 874 senior managers who had no qualifications for the positions they occupied as at March. Kiviet said according to the 2016 directive on minimum requirements for appointment of SMS members, directors and chief directors should have an undergraduate qualification on NQF Level 7. Deputy director- generals and heads of departments should have an undergraduate qualification and a postgraduate qualification…

NIAMEY: The leader of mutineers who seized power in Niger, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has met with a delegation of religious leaders from Nigeria and told them about the need to lift the sanctions imposed against Niamey, the head of Niger’s rebel military government, Ali Lamine Zeine, said yesterday. “The head of the country instructed them (religious leaders) to explain everything that we would like to see in the coming days,” Zeine was quoted as saying by the RTN broadcaster. He also noted that the new authorities in Niger are open to mediation efforts to normalise the situation. | Sputnik…

ROME: Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says Poland registered 16 000 attempts to illegally cross its eastern border this year, and in his opinion Russia and Belarus masterminded the crisis. “Poland has been under attacks on its eastern border with Belarus … This is a joint plan of Russia and Belarus, who want to destabilise our country, and the entire European Union,” he said. yesterday. “Ensuring the security of Poland’s eastern border, which is in fact the external border of the EU and Nato, is our priority,” he added. | Sputnik…

New Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino saw the team he rebuilt in the close season fight back to draw 1-1 at home to Liverpool in their Premier League opener yesterday as debutant defender Axel Disasi cancelled out Luis Diaz’s opener. In a meeting of two of last season’s heavyweight flops, Diaz threatened to ruin Pochettino’s first competitive match in charge of the Blues when the Colombian stretched out a boot to turn in a defence-splitting pass by Mohamed Salah in the 18th minute as the visitors attacked with lightening speed. Liverpool thought they had doubled their lead just over 10 minutes later, but Salah was judged to have been offside before he put the ball past goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, one of four debutants in Chelsea’s starting lineup. Chelsea weathered the storm…

Minister of Electricity Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has left it to the system operator to decide whether the City of Johannesburg will be exempted from load shedding during the crucial BRICS Summit next week. Heads of State of BRICS nations, government ministers and private business executives will descend on Johannesburg from Tuesday to attend the first in-person, three-day summit since the outbreak of Covid-19. The summit comes as power utility Eskom is implementing daily power cuts of two hours at a time to protect the national grid from collapsing due to “long-standing insufficient energy generation capacity” amid rising demand. The government usually requests the Eskom system operator to exempt the country from load shedding on special occasions, and it was expected this would be the case to avoid a possible embarrassment…

THE Jacob Zuma Foundation said it was not surprised at the mixed reaction regarding the special remission programme which allowed for the release of the former president without returning to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence. Zuma was given a 15-month sentence in June 2021 for refusing to testify at the state capture inquiry. The move sparked unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Just under two months into his sentence, he was released on medical parole by former Correctional Services Department commissioner Arthur Fraser. This decision was challenged and last year the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruled that Fraser’s decision was unlawful and unconstitutional. The SCA said it was up to the current commissioner to determine whether the time Zuma spent on parole should be considered as part…

A businessman has been arrested for illegally connecting his business to both water and electricity supplies, according to the City of Joburg. The City says it has also shut down the supply at Leeuwkop Prison because it owes close to R10 million for water. The City, said the Roodepoort businessman, who ran a glass-making business, was arrested by metro police officers at his business premises in Stormhill on Friday afternoon. “This was part of a sting operation against businesses illegally connected to the City’s services. The establishment owes the City more than R6.4m for water and electricity services. The multifaceted Credit Control drive was led by the City manager Floyd Brink, the Revenue Department, City Power, Joburg Water and JMPD across the city,” read a City statement. The City has…

Every woman appreciates being surrounded by other women with whom they can make profound and lasting connections. To highlight the essence of sisterhood, renowned actress Stephanie Ndlovu and songstress Holly Rey have joined a campaign alongside other prominent women to epitomise sisterhood. The vibrant besties include YouTube comedy sensation, Nelisiwe Mwase, professional make-up artist, Bridget Mahlangu, radio jock presenter, Mantsoe “Pout” Tsatsi, and South Africa’s first Bachelorette, Qiniso van Damme. Ndlovu spoke about what being part of the campaign meant to her and explained the importance of sisterhood. She said with this campaign, people expected a lot of humour and relatable funny moments and would also be inspired by the significance and importance of sisterhood. “It’s the first time I’ve ever been part of a web series campaign, so it’s…

America’s former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, once said: “When it comes to foreign policy, it is important to remember that politics stops at the water’s edge.” She meant that a country cannot blindly pursue its foreign policy based on loyalty; it has got to do with mutual benefits for the parties involved. It is, therefore, vital that patriotism rather than patronage be employed when we are dealing with international relations. Politicians, journalists, and scholars do not have to rely only on the existing literature to make up their minds on the Israel-Palestine issue. It is important and necessary that they emulate what the leadership of the Patriotic Alliance (PA) has recently done by visiting Israel to see for themselves what has been reported about those countries over so many…

The City of Tshwane is the first metro in the country to have a green building development and net zero carbon building by-law and policy. This is according to Economic Development and Spatial Planning MMC Hannes Coetzee, who said the net zero carbon building by-law and policy intended to encourage the uptake of green building principles and design measures. The municipality was acutely aware of the environmental impact that buildings and non-renewable energy have on its ecological footprint. “Therefore, the City has taken steps to capacitate building control officers, building plan examiners and inspectors from the Economic Development and Spatial Planning Department by means of the recently held SANS 10400 XA and net zero carbon buildings training workshop,” Coetzee said. He hailed the City for being at the forefront of…

AN ACTING judge in Limpopo was at pains to point out to opposing litigants in a multimillion-rand damages claim against the health authorities that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. These comments were made in yet another interlocutory application in the case where Daniel Sithole is claiming damages from the Health MEC in Limpopo. He was a clinical manager in the employ of the Limpopo Health Department. He issued summons in 2017 against the department, suing it for damages arising from how he was treated, or mistreated, during his employment. The main matter, however, has never got off the ground, as both parties have launched numerous technical objections in law against each other’s cases. One such interlocutory aspect once again landed in court now, but three…

ANOTHER Kruger National Park official was stormed and killed by a hippo at the weekend. Kobus de Wet, a crime investigation officer from Groenkloof, Pretoria, was killed while camping with his family on Saturday. Speaking to Pretoria News yesterday, Kruger National Park spokesperson lke Phaahla said: “Details are sketchy at this stage and circumstances around the incident are under investigation. “The South African National Parks executive management send out sincere condolences to his immediate family, friends and the SANParks family.” Phaahla said the memorial and funeral arrangements were under way. Last year, a leopard within the park injured two employees. The first incident occurred on June 26 and the second on July 17. Both employees sustained serious injuries. Head ranger Cathy Dreyer said the leopard was captured and had to…

A popular travel agency, Priority Escapes, has left most of its clients in limbo after shutting down its social media platforms. Reports of clients demanding their money have erupted on social media, with many relating their ordeal, including paying large sums of money to the company. According to reports, Francois Swart, managing director of Priority Escapes, sent multiple emails revealing that the business was unable to meet its financial obligations. He said they were left with no choice but to cease trading but would communicate with their clients immediately. “It is with deep regret that it falls on me to advise you that we find ourselves in a position whereby we are unable to meet our financial obligations in respect of Priority Escapes’ clients and service providers. “We have had…

BUILD One South Africa (Bosa) unveiled our first 24 candidates who will stand for election to Parliament and Provincial Legislatures under the Bosa banner in next year’s elections. The “First 24 for 2024”, as we’ve colloquially dubbed them, are the first batch of 400 candidates Bosa will recruit, train, endorse, campaign with and govern alongside. When Bosa launched 11 months ago, one of our core pledges to the people of South Africa was to improve the quality of elected representatives in government and improve their relationship with the public. That is why these first 24 – like every other Bosa candidate – are first and foremost community candidates. They are chosen by communities to appear on the voting ballot, dependent on communities to get into government, and accountable to communities…

LAHAINA (Hawaii): Days after devastating wildfires tore across the island of Maui, the death toll continued to mount as volunteers mobilised to care for survivors and criticism swelled over the government’s response to the tragedy. Residents of Lahaina, the historic former Hawaiian capital that became an inferno, criticised what they called inadequate warnings of the sudden firestorm and said they were being left to fend for themselves in its wake. “I feel like the citizens of this island have been called upon, maybe by a higher power, to actually help because no one else is helping,” said Kai Lenny, a professional surfer. Hawaii Attorney-General Anne Lopez said her department would launch “a comprehensive review of critical decision-making and standing policies leading up to, during and after the wildfires.” Officials have…

DUBAI: A US-led naval coalition in the Gulf has warned ships in the region to stay away from Iranian waters to avoid possible seizure, the US Navy said. The warning shows tensions remain high in and around the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran seized tankers in late April and early May, while Washington and Tehran finalise a deal to free five US citizens detained in Iran. “The International Maritime Security Construct is notifying regional mariners of appropriate precautions to minimise the risk of seizure based on current regional tensions,” Commander Timothy Hawkins. | Reuters…

A couple of years ago, Deon Fourie was playing second division rugby in France, but was hungry to contribute to a team playing top-level rugby and that was one of the reasons why he decided to rejoin the Stormers in 2021 – and the hooker/loose forward hasn’t looked back. Fourie, 36, has since won the United Rugby Championship (URC) with the Cape franchise and, thanks to his exploits in the No 6 jersey, earned himself a call-up to the Springbok squad – something that was not on his radar when he returned. But he has embraced the opportunity and after being selected as part of the 33-man squad that will be looking to defend their Rugby World Cup title in France from next month, Fourie wants to contribute in any…

Scotland reckon their fitness could give them a real crack at World Cup glory next month after they stormed back against France for a second successive week and came agonisingly close to winning away in St Etienne on Saturday Their 30-27 loss at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard saw Scotland come from 27-10 down, scoring three unanswered tries in the last 20 minutes and losing the game only after conceding a late penalty. It came seven days after they had been 21-3 down at half-time at Murrayfield in the first of their two World Cup warm-up games against the French but, despite being down to 14 men, came back to win 25-21. “We can take loads of confidence,” said captain Jamie Ritchie. “I don’t know many teams in the world that can…

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro is a happy man as his troops are having fun and hitting all the right notes at the moment. Pirates have been tipped to be one of the teams to beat this term but after losing their opening league match to Stellenbosch, those expectations took a blow. But Riveiro’s men have dusted themselves off in style to confirm they are real contenders in all five of the tournaments they will be competing in, including the MTN8 and DStv Premiership. They hammered Royal AM 4-2 in the league on Tuesday before putting Sekhukhune United to the sword with an emphatic 5-0 win in the MTN8 quarter-final on Saturday night in Orlando. Having scored nine goals across all competitions the Sea Robbers are seemingly enjoying their football.…