Table of contents for 2021-07-12 in Star

Taika Waititi has given fans an insight into Thor: Love and Thunder, describing it as the “craziest” film of his career. The 45-year-old film-maker is writing and directing the upcoming Marvel movie, and he’s given fans an insight into what they can expect, admitting it “shouldn’t make sense”. Speaking to Empire, he explained: “I’ve done some crazy s*** in my life. I’ve lived, like, ten lifetimes. But it’s the craziest film I’ve ever done.” The acclaimed movie-maker – whose previous credits include Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit – admitted that, in a lot of ways, the film isn’t very logical. He reflected: “If you wrote down all the elements of this film, it shouldn’t make sense. “It’s almost like it shouldn’t be made. If you walked into a room and…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) – Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (CRAM) Wave 5 report has revealed that the school drop-out rate in South Africa has tripled from 230 000 before the Covid-19 pandemic to about 750 000 in May 2021. The NIDS-CRAM is a study conducted by a national consortium of 30 social science researchers from local universities. The group’s researchers said the “pre-pandemic” or “normal” rate of drop-outs, according to the General Household Survey of 2018, was about 230 000 learners in 2018. Using the NIDS-CRAM data, the researchers estimated that in May 2021 the total number of 7-year-old to 17-year-old learners who have not attended school once during 2021 was between 650 342 and 753 371. “This marks a threefold increase in learner drop-out.…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za DUTCH businessman Guus Kouwenhoven, convicted in his native country of smuggling weapons to ex-Liberian president and warlord Charles Taylor, is pinning his hopes on the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) to stave off extradition. Kouwenhoven fled to South Africa in December 2016 citing ill health while his trial was under way in the Netherlands. He was convicted in absentia in 2017 and sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment. The trial court found him guilty of illegally supplying weapons to Taylor’s regime between 2001 and 2003 and participating in war crimes committed by Liberian forces and militia between 2000 and 2002. Taylor is currently serving a 50-year jail sentence for war crimes. Kouwenhoven used his timber company, Oriental Timber Corporation, to smuggle arms to Taylor in violation of a…

Chulumanco Mahamba THE DEPARTMENT of Basic Education (DBE) has urged all educators and staff to use the remaining days to get vaccinated after the sector deadline was extended to Wednesday. The DBE said: “The extension became necessary when additional doses for basic education personnel became available. The extension will enable the sector to vaccinate more people but also to mop up where some sites experienced some technical challenges resulting in delays.” The department said that according to the Department of Health (DoH), 437 386 educators and staff had been vaccinated since the roll-out began. The department’s initial plan had been to vaccinate 582 564 by Thursday last week. The DBE said that the vaccination numbers would improve significantly on Friday as Limpopo planned to use the weekend, including Friday and…

THEMBA KHOZA | Department of Water and Sanitation The pollution of water resources is a major problem in the country with most rivers and streams turned into rubbish dumps. Water resource pollution has a negative impact on the social and economic development of communities and the country at large, as pollution affects water quality and reduces the quantity of water fit for use. Rivers and streams provide many socio-economic benefits for society. In some parts of the country, some rural communities still depend on rivers for their livelihoods. Clean and healthy rivers and streams provide communities with water for human consumption, cooking and washing. The watercourses provide fish for food and water for agricultural products and livestock. The rivers and streams also provide recreational areas for communities. This…

Many of us are full of good intentions that rarely work out. In the final analysis, what we actually do counts more than what comes out of our mouths. Former Human Settlement Minister Tokyo Sexwale once vowed that by the end of his term of office, shacks would be a thing of the past. He went on to spend the night at one shack to register his intention. The rest is history. Time flies and four years will soon be over. CAF president Patrice Motsepe, please use football to raise your concern about the dire situation in eSwatini. Take drastic measures to pressure the powers that be. Football is basically meant for entertainment. The off-season tournament kicked-off on Tuesday in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape. Maswati are mourning after the massacre of…

WHEN the trailblazing Kaizer Chiefs embark on their journey to Morocco this week, the weight of history will rest heavily on their shoulders as they ponder their date with destiny on Saturday. This weekend’s CAF Champions League final against Africa’s most decorated team, Al Ahly, in Casablanca may be a bridge too far for Chiefs. With an ordinary group of players, Chiefs have done extraordinary things to reach the championship round of the premier club competition in Africa. Looking back, one miracle after the other followed as they stunningly advanced from the group stages for the first time in history. Against all expectations, they then survived the do-or-die knockout phase. Despite this spectacular run of success, fans of African football can justifiably agree with former Egypt international striker Ahmed Hussein,…

Veli Mbele Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) commands pride of place in the awakening of the oppressed and in the efforts of Black people to free themselves from foreign domination in South Africa. Taking the reins of the Azania People’s Organisation (Azapo), after Curtis Khehla Mthembu, and after the Sharpeville Massacre, the settler regime had effectively suppressed all organised Black resistance. They banned the ANC and the PAC. Black people were gripped by fear. Those politically active, were forced to go underground or into exile. These circumstances gave birth to the BCM. Starting as a student organisation, the SA Students Organisation (Saso) was formed in 1968 and formally inaugurated on July 1, 1969, with Bantu Biko as its first president. This month marks the 52nd anniversary of the founding of…

When Lionel Messi, already a regular starter for the mighty Barcelona, made his international bow in 2005 as an 18-year-old for a powerful Argentina side he surely never imagined it would take him 16 years to finally claim a trophy with his country. But the six-time Ballon d'Or winner had to suffer numerous disappointments, including losing four finals, before leading his country to a 1-0 victory over "eternal rivals" Brazil in the Copa America final at Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracana stadium on Saturday. Despite a glittering career that has seen him help Barcelona to win the Champions League four times, La Liga 10 times and the Copa Del Rey seven times, Messi's hopes of matching that with international success were repeatedly frustrated. In truth he wasn't as inspired in…

SIPHELELE DLUDLA siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE alcohol industry has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to lift restrictions on the sale of alcohol, saying it cannot continue to endure a double pandemic of Covid-19 and poverty. The National Liquor Traders (NTL), representing 39 000 township-based taverns, shebeens and bottle stores, wrote to Ramaphosa over the weekend pleading for the lifting of the ban. The National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) met yesterday to assess developments in the Covid-19 pandemic and the national response to this challenge. The Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance in SA (Saapa SA) urged the government to allow access to alcohol through off-consumption sales, while retaining the suspension of on-consumption trading, which it said “is clearly the best option”. NTL convener Lucky Ntimane said the devastation of the current ban…

THE SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) will sign a wage agreement with the government today, following three months of public sector wage talks. Sadtu general secretary Mugwena Maluleke said the union would sign the deal following consultation with members. The Star understands that some public service unions affiliated to Cosatu will not be among those accepting the offer and signing today. Maluleke said a level 1 employee would get an increase of around 11% and level 2 employees 10%. Only two categories, 11 and 12, would get less because of their high salary scale. The union recognised that the government had moved from a 0% increase to the current sliding-scale offer that would see different percentages for different levels of employees. “Those unions that are accepting the offer will sign…

I was recently asked to talk about grief for a client, which took me down a potentially painful rabbit hole, especially in this time when there is a collective grief that often feels like it’s weighing each of us down. There is a lingering sadness that seems to permeate all our interactions. And it isn’t just grief for the loss of so many souls in such a short period of time. It isn’t just the uncertainty and anxiety that comes from not knowing who we will lose next. It is also grief for life as we knew it. When we could go outside, interact with people and spaces, without Covid-19 hovering in the background. This is why, I believe, many of us spend so much time hyping up this…

Science and technology too should be left to discover the origins of Covid-19 SOME of the information circulating these days on the Covid-19 vaccines may be described as fake news. While people do have the right to refuse to take the vaccines, they simply cannot propagate conspiracy theories such as that a vaccine contains a micro-chip that enables governments to monitor people. A number of commentators have recently highlighted the intersection, at this point in our history as the human race, of the pharma-sceptics and the techno-sceptics. These two groups of people, though marginal in the past, have become somewhat mainstream and therefore have been able to capture quite a few adherents. Pharma-sceptics would have us believe that we are not to trust the pharmaceutical companies or the governments that…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za WHEN the Springboks resumed training yesterday afternoon in Johannesburg, it was Rassie Erasmus who had the whistle around his neck in a reprisal of his role of head coach at the last World Cup, and he will continue to do so until Jacques Nienaber concludes his self-isolation after testing positive for Covid-19. Nienaber was one of a number of management and players who tested positive last week in a chaotic time for the Boks, giving rise to speculation that the tour of the British & Irish Lions might not even get as far as the Test series, which is not long away now (the first Test is on July 24). But the good news is that yesterday morning a large group of players were cleared to return…

THE darling of South African mixed martial arts, Dricus du Plessis, earned himself a R1.1million performance bonus after an emphatic display at UFC 264 yesterday. Under the bright lights of the sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas - building up to the much-anticipated trilogy fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor - Dricus (16-2) reaffirmed his star-power and skill to the world when he beat the dangerous and higher-ranked Trevin Giles (14-3) in their preliminary middleweight bout. Following his short-notice UFC debut fight and first round knockout over Brazil’s Markus Perez late last year, Dricus finished American Trevin with a second round KO. Leading into the fight, Dricus acknowledged Trevin’s fast hands and explosive power and it is also well-documented that he has a good takedown defence and decent…

Matshelane Mamabolo FOR someone who was the butt of many Mamelodi Sundowns fans’ jokes five years ago, Ramahlwe Mphahlele could well have the last laugh next weekend. Taunted for having made “a bad move” back in 2016 when he left a Sundowns outfit he captained to join Kaizer Chiefs, the right-back would no doubt have felt a tinge of regret at his decision. After all, just after he’d traded Chloorkop for Naturena, he watched from a distance as the Brazilians captured the CAF Champions League title to become only the second South African team after Orlando Pirates to be crowned African champions. As if that was not bad enough, the club he had just joined and success suddenly resembled the parallel lines of the railway – seemingly destined never…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za If there was any hint of complacency within the South African camp ahead of their one-day international series against Ireland, the Proteas’ first outing at a damp Malahide yesterday would surely have put those notions to bed now. There wasn't enough time to complete the first full ODI between these two countries on Irish soil since 2007 before the heavens opened once too many times, but Ireland certainly did enough to show that they will be no pushovers when the sun does indeed stay out long enough. Temba Bavuma won the toss and inserted the hosts and despite opting to rest Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje, the Proteas skipper would have expected his first-choice new ball pairing of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi to make the…

Venues such as gyms and fitness centres can also operate, subject to strict health protocols Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za The RESTAURANT industry has heaved a sigh of relief as the government has slightly relaxed the lockdown restrictions, although the healthcare system remains under pressure. President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday announced that the country would remain at adjusted level 4 of the lockdown for another 14 days, until July 25. Ramaphosa said that restaurants and eateries would be able to operate, albeit while observing strict health protocols, in a bid to boost economic activity. The restaurant industry has been pleading with the government to be allowed to reopen, because a number of establishments have closed or were on the brink of collapse because of the economic fallout from the pandemic. “Such establishments may…

BURIED IN THE BACKYARD CBS JUSTICE, DSTV CHANNEL 170, 8PM Each hour-long episode of this true crime series digs into a case in which the killer kept their victim close to home. We’ll go inside the police investigation, as first-hand accounts from law enforcement agents and those closest to the victims paint a picture of what happened from the time that anyone suspected that something was wrong, to the moments that led to the recovery of the body. HELSTROM FOX, DSTV CHANNEL 125, 8.45PM In this action fantasy series based on the Marvel Comics characters, Daimon and his sister, Ana, children of late serial killer and satanist Marduk Helstrom and their demon-possessed mother, Victoria, hunt down humanity's most evil offenders. The siblings have a little supernatural assistance. Thanks to…

Children are our most precious treasure, “for in them are the promise and guarantee of the future. They bear the seeds of the character of future society which is largely shaped by what the adults constituting the community do or fail to do with respect to children”, as stated by the governing council of the Bahá’í international community. Our love for children, the manner of treating them, the quality of the attention we show them, and the spirit of adult behaviour toward them in general, are all very important in shaping their future. Every child has unique gifts and potential and it is our responsibility and privilege as parents to educate our children intellectually and spiritually, support them to grow through life’s many challenges and help them turn the tests…

Thabile Mange | Johannesburg The Department of Basic Education is in a drive to vaccinate teachers to fight the Covid-19 virus. Most teachers, including those who have comorbidities, have been vaccinated. However, there are some who are refusing to vaccinate because of personal reasons such as religion. Last week, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga briefed the media about the vaccination progress. She indicated that teachers who work from home due to comorbidities, are to return to work when schools reopen. The minister did not indicate whether the decision to return teachers with comorbidities back to the classroom is based on scientific advice. The thing is, a vaccine is not a cure. Therefore, Motshekga cannot assure the nation that teachers with health conditions will be safe at work. Therefore,…

Mpiletso Motumi mpiletso.motumi@inl.co.za FRANK Casino’s latest single Forever brings him back to the centre of music featuring friend and fellow rapper Riky Rick. The hit-making rappers joined forces again and this new song is pegged to be even bigger than Frank Casino’s first collaboration with Riky Rick on his 2017 Whole Thing (Remix). “It wasn’t a song where I was looking to feature Riky specifically on it. Me and Riky have just had that relationship. It was three songs that I had sent to him. There was one song in particular that I had him in mind for. He recorded for the other song but later decided that this was the one he liked. So that is how the song came about. I was just excited to be in the…

Anna Majavu A LARGE group of workers, taxi drivers and unemployed people in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape have come together to form a new organisation that will contest the upcoming local government elections. Known as the Makana Citizens Front, it will put forward candidates in Makhanda and the small towns of Riebeek East and Alicedale. The front, whose formation follows the three-day shutdown of Makhanda in May, is being steered as an organisation by meetings held every Sunday afternoon in Soccer City, also known as Fingo Square, in Fingo township. The square meetings decide the actions for the following week – for example, the most recent one resolved that 50 unemployed people would hold a socially distanced march on the municipality the next day, demanding that all councillors…

Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama has withdrawn from The Open at Royal St George's after his recent Covid-19 diagnosis and inability to practice properly in time for the year's final major, the Japanese golfer said yesterday. Matsuyama has been self-isolating since testing positive during the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit on July 2. He is currently asymptomatic but subsequent PCR tests have continued to show positive results. "I'm feeling fine but haven't been able to practice in preparation for The Open," Matsuyama said in a statement released by the R&A ahead of the tournament, which begins on Thursday. "Combining that with the difficult travel to the UK, my team and I have decided it's best to withdraw to ensure everyone's safety. "I feel badly missing The Open and look forward to…