Table of contents for 2021-07-30 in Star

Vernon Mchunu NATIONAL Treasury’s move to initiate a process towards allowing debt-burdened South African workers access to a portion of their pensions has been met with a cautious welcome. While organised labour hailed the proposal, economists agreed with Treasury that the lifeline should be limited and restricted so as to avoid compromising long-term stability of livelihoods. Announcing a set of economic relief measures in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and civil unrest, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said that Treasury was in discussions with Nedlac on the proposal. The incentive was intended to benefit workers who had lost part of their income during Covid-19. “This is proving to be a complex problem to solve, if we are to ensure preservation of savings,” said Mboweni. Treasury’s deputy director-general Ismail Momoniat…

Edwin Lombard edwin.lombard@inl.co.za AVID climber, Professor Thuli Madonsela, summited Mount Kilimanjaro on Nelson Mandela Day on July18, as part of an all-women team. The Thuma Foundation congratulated its founder, Madonsela, and the #Trek4Mandela- #Caring4Girls team that organised the expedition. The foundation said Madonsela’s trip was sponsored by Paul Dunn and Northam Platinum. “We also thank all who have continued to donate money and sanitary pads to the #Caring4Girls initiative aimed at liberating girl education from period poverty barriers while fostering self-leadership and resilience among girls.” Madonsela’s Kilimanjaro summit, along the Rongai Route in Tanzania, is her second, her first having been via the Marangu Route in 2019 on Women’s Day, August 9. Reflecting on the summit and cause behind reaching it, Madonsela said: “In Africa we say ’It takes…

I USUALLY send this e-mail from a different address. Due to the fact that I get no response, I decided to try a new e-mail address. Yes, this is still about the willow tree near my house in the park. Last week person/people unknown burnt the grass in the park. The vagrants living under the tree apparently lost all their belongings in the fire and left. However, this afternoon I again saw a white sail/canvas thrown over the branches of the uprooted tree. This means we have the same problem again. Danger to our person, properties and health. This is e-mail number 32. How much longer do we have to wait? Wake up and smell, not roses. |…

ITUMELENG MAFISA THE SA Council of Churches (SACC) went on a mission of mercy and healing this week, visiting the family of the jailed former president Jacob Zuma and the racially torn and death-stricken community of Phoenix in KwaZulu-Natal. The SACC’s general secretary, Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana, and a delegation of priests and pastors visited the Zuma family in Nkandla on Tuesday. The visit was followed by a meeting of religious leaders in Phoenix. The Zuma family is part of the Congregational Church. Mpumlwana, who expressed sympathy for the Zuma family following the death of a family member days after the former statesman was incarcerated, said it was the duty of the church to show compassion and togetherness to the suffering. More than 300 people died in the unrest that…

Like all government departments that take time to react – mainly after the facts – the South African Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) only on July 28 condemned the AU for granting Israel observer status in the AU. This announcement was made more than a week ago, and Dirco only reacted now. Is anyone surprised? Like earlier this month, the ANC government woke up after the facts of rioting and looting. But given that the country was under level 4 lockdown, one can excuse this inept government as clearly all departments were “working from home”, including foreign affairs, the police and army. Will the AU decision-making body take any notice of South Africa’s objection? It seems not, but even if it had come up for…

On the special occasion of the centenary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, we are celebrating the 94th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The Nanchang Uprising, launched on August 1, 1927, was seen as the CPC’s initial bid to establish the people’s army, marking a new era of China’s revolution. In the past 94 years, the People’s Army has made indelible achievements on behalf of the CPC and the people. On the journey ahead, the People’s Army will fully implement Xi Jinping’s Thinking on Strengthening the Military in the New Era as well as the military strategy for the new era, maintain the party’s absolute leadership over the people’s armed forces, and follow a Chinese…

Chapter 2 of the Constitution advocates for freedom of expression and states that “everyone has the right to freedom of expression”, and that this right includes the freedom to hold opinions, receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority. The unrest that gripped the country through acts of looting and violence two weeks ago, as well as the constant disinformation machine on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, are undoubtedly reconstructing the concept of freedom of speech. We have seen this through the state's effort to clamp down on various individuals who have been identified as primary instigators of this unrest. This includes the arrest of former Ukhozi FM presenter Ngizwe Mchunu, who yesterday was granted R2 000 bail. Some of his bail conditions include…

Tsunami warnings were lifted for Alaska and the rest of Pacific after a huge earthquake of 8.2 magnitude struck the seismically active US state in the late hours on Wednesday. In Alaska, small tsunami waves measuring under 30cm above tide level were observed in Sand Point, Old Harbor, King Cove, Kodiak, Unalaska and Alitak Bay, said the US National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC). There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage to property. Several Alaskan coastal communities were evacuated following the quake. Among them was Seward on the Kenai Peninsula, south of Anchorage, where sirens blared and residents were told to move to higher ground. The US Geological Survey said the quake was at a depth of 35km. It struck about 91km east-southeast of Perryville, about 800km from Anchorage,…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za THE Currie Cup enters its return leg this weekend, and the Lions have it all to do if they are to make a push for a play-off spot. After five matches, the Johannesburg team are currently rooted to the bottom of the standings on 10 points after just one victory, trailing mid-season pacesetters the Sharks by 14 points. Covid-19 disruptions and civil unrest aside, neither the coaching staff nor the players will be pleased with their current run. If the team based in Doornfontein want to consider themselves serious contenders for a semi-final berth, they will have to start showing utmost commitment, pride and a vastly improved 80 minutes, starting with the Pumas today (4.45pm kick-off) at Ellis Park. Since the start of the season, the Lions…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa Under-23 football coach David Notoane has admitted that too many lapses in concentration cost his team as they were thrashed 3-0 in their final group stage game of the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday. The result meant the South Africans exited the tournament without securing a single point. “The game was disappointing, especially in the first half. There were defensive mistakes which gave us no chance of advancing to the next round,” said Notoane. “We were not in the game and did not really push Mexico. We knew that we were (up) against an efficient team which is strong in terms of breaking down your attack.” SA clearly got the basics wrong, common among SA men’s teams in international competition, and paid the price. They failed…

IN a new domestic season that promises much, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns should compete for all the trophies on offer. After all, last term was all about laying solid foundations, right? Sundowns won two of the three major trophies in the country (the DStv Premiership and the MTN8), bagging their fourth league title in a row, under the reign of Manqoba Mngqithi, Rhulani Mokwena and Steve Komphela. This was the trio’s first season in charge. Mngqithi and Mokwena were announced as co-coaches after Pitso Mosimane’s resignation, while Komphela joined Sundowns in the role of senior coach after resigning from Golden Arrows. This arrangement was seen as a ticking timebomb by many, including yours truly, given their variation in coaching styles. Mngqithi is a football teacher, Mokwena is a tactician,…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za ONE of the heroes of the Devils Peak blaze has returned home to the delight of his wife and two children after spending four months in hospital being treated for severe burns. The Eerste River firefighter was discharged from the Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital on Tuesday after having been admitted on April 18, the day the fire at Philip Kgosana Drive broke out. After 11 days in hospital, he stood for the first time while on a ventilator and supported by hospital staff. He suffered severe burns to his face, neck, arms, and hands. The tips of his fingers had be amputated. He underwent about 25 operations. Trauma surgeon Dr Denis Allard said the firefighter had suffered burns to 17% of his body. Plastic and reconstructive…

THE JOHANNESBURG Development Agency (JDA), which recently marked its 20th anniversary, looks set to charge into the next 10 years by continuing to build a more welcoming, competitive and resilient city to live, work and play in. Established in 2001 as part of the iGoli 2002 re-engineering process, the JDA is the area-based development agency of the City of Joburg. It initially focused on the inner city but broadened its mandate to become an area-based development agency that straddles both a market- and citizen-facing approach. The JDA deals with the renovation, innovation and reimagination of the city’s built environment and urban communities through a programme of place-making and area-based development. The agency has undertaken over 1 000 projects throughout Joburg. Its capital expenditure over the past 20 years is about…

I HAVE a query about the ongoing lack of water supply I have endured for four months, and as you can imagine I am seething and fed-up. I relocated to a complex, Hazelwood in Glensan, at the beginning of the year and have had no joy on the water supply almost since moving in. I know there are major water challenges in this area, and at the onset of autumn/winter, there were water pipe bursts on almost a daily basis, but the water always returned to a normal pressure. About three weeks ago this changed. From early in the morning before dawn, the pressure disappears and essentially I have no water supply till lunch time, if I am lucky, and then it disappears again and only gets to a “normal”…

South Africa is the centre of attention after our national security was shaken like a hummingbird fleeing from a blizzard; but South Africans should not view their country as a prodigal son who needs redemption but as a system that must adapt to the needs of its citizens. National Security is a system that is subject to natural laws. What South Africans and the world witnessed two weeks ago when people took out their anger on the country’s infrastructure amounted to entropy and not an insurrection because an insurrection is not subject to the laws of nature. Entropy is defined as a measure of the disorder in a system. To use the term loosely, entropy means chaos, the tendency for things to fall apart where the centre is loosely structured.…

Rebecca Walker, Jo Vearey and Nichola Maple Migration is increasingly recognised as a determinant of health. Research shows that, in many cases, cross-border migrants arriving in new countries are healthier than the host population. But the advantage often falls away as non-nationals encounter discrimination and challenges in accessing documentation, support services and employment. Covid-19 illustrates how refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people and migrants are being left out of pandemic preparedness plans. We have been conducting research exploring access to Covid-19 vaccines across the continent. Our findings and a case study of South Africa highlight the issues of vaccine nationalism, vaccine exclusion and hesitancy, and their likely effect at the population level. Our investigation highlighted how migrants and refugees are being excluded. First, migrant populations have simply not been…

Turkey is offering to protect Kabul’s strategic airport after US forces leave in what experts view as a high-risk bid to improve Ankara’s strained ties with Washington. Keeping the air hub safe from advancing Taliban forces became a major issue after US President Joe Biden called an end to Washington’s 20-year involvement by ordering all troops out of Afghanistan by the end of next month. Hamid Karzai International Airport offers the safest route for embassy staff and humanitarian aid to reach the war-torn country. Its fall could leave Afghanistan largely cut off from the world. Ankara’s surprise proposal gave Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a chance to build a rapport with Biden during their first meeting at a Nato summit in June. The offer meets two of the Turkish leader’s…

Beit Ummar: Clashes broke out yesterday between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians at the funeral of a Palestinian boy killed the day before in the occupied West Bank. Mohamad al-Alami, 12, died on Wednesday after being shot by Israeli soldiers while travelling in a car with his father. Yesterday a procession followed the boy’s body through the streets. Later, hundreds of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers, who responded by firing tear gas. The Israeli army said that on Wednesday, its soldiers had attempted to stop a suspicious vehicle. “After the vehicle did not stop, one of the soldiers fired toward the vehicle’s wheels,” the army said. “We are looking into the claim that a Palestinian minor was killed as a result of the gunfire,” it said. | AFP…

MIHLALI BALEKA @mihlalibaleka BEN Motshwari was evidently disappointed with how Orlando Pirates finished last season. But that the club has only made four signings, retaining the bulk of the players, has led him to believe that they can build on the positives going into the new season. In almost all of the off-season transfer windows, Pirates, being among the country’s top three supported sides, were expected to raid the market. But in the latest one they’ve bolstered only three departments. In the heart of defence they added Kwanda Mngonyama; in midfield they brought in Bandile Shandu and Goodman Mosele; and in attack they added Monnapule Saleng from Free State Stars. Those retained by the Sea Robbers were responsible for guiding the team to their first silverware, the MTN8 crown, after…

Springboks WYNONA LOUW wynona.louw@inl.co.za WITH so much at stake in the second Test between the Springboks and the British & Irish Lions, the Boks simply have to get the win to stay alive in the series, while the Lions will be driven by this simple fact: If they secure another victory over the world champions, they have claimed the series. Last week, the tourists claimed a 22-17 win at Cape Town Stadium in the opening Test, so the pressure is on the hosts as they have everything to lose if things don’t go their way in the second fixture. So, with that in mind, here are five players who could have a big say in how things go down in the Mother City tomorrow (kick-off 6pm). Handre Pollard He was…

MIKE GREENAWAY mike.greenaway@inl.co.za BRITISH & Irish Lions scrumhalf Conor Murray was coached by Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber for 18 months at Munster, but that has not made him any the wiser as to what Erasmus is up to with his controversial social media antics over the last fortnight of the Test series. The South African pair were at Munster in 2016 and 2017 and left when Erasmus was appointed SA Rugby’s new director of rugby in 2018, and that was more than enough time for Murray to gain a powerful insight into their psyche. Erasmus and Nienaber have been mates since they were young men in the South African army and they have coached together since their early days at the Cheetahs in 2004-2006, right the way through to…

NEF unveils new R150m fund to support black manufacturers GIVEN MAJOLA given.majola@inl.co.za THE NATIONAL Empowerment Fund (NEF) has been allocated R150 million by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition to establish the Black Business Manufacturing Fund (BBMF) in an attempt to support black entrepreneurs in manufacturing various products locally across all key sectors of the economy. To qualify for BBMF funding, companies must be majority owned by black people with a minimum of 51 percent black ownership, among other criteria. The NEF, a provider of innovative transformation solutions for an economically inclusive economy, said yesterday that this was in response to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent call for the acceleration of the implementation of local Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan aimed at rebuilding the local economy.…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za FEUDS regarding the right to bury a deceased person have the potential of permanently dividing the family. These are sensitive disputes best suited to be mediated and resolved by family elders, rather than being brought to court where there is usually no winner. This is according to a Polokwane High Court judge, who said applications involving a tussle over a body usually divide families. “It is the time when the family should be united more than ever, and prepare to give the loved one a dignified burial, rather than hang their dirty linen in court,” Judge Maake Kganyago said. This was in relation to an application by a widow whose estranged husband died days before their divorce was due to be finalised. The widow, only identified as…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE DEPARTMENT of Basic Education (DBE) moved to clarify a circular sent to schools this week, saying it did not seek to compel teaching and non-teaching staff to be vaccinated. On Monday, The Star reported that a circular which director-general Mathanzima Mweli sent to schools said the department reserved its right to “deal” with teachers choosing not to vaccinate on constitutional, medical, religious and cultural grounds. Basil Manuel, executive director of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA (Naptosa), told The Star that the department was basically threatening to axe teachers choosing to exercise their constitutional right not to vaccinate. Responses to the article were very strong with leaders including African Christian Democratic Party leader, the Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, saying the ACDP would not hesitate to take…

IT IS not clear who will be the number one citizen in the City of Joburg following the death of councillor Geoff Makhubo from Covid-19 complications early this month. Council Speaker Nonceba Molwele earlier said that they were currently working with the Electoral Commission of SA to prepare for the election of a new mayor. ANC Joburg spokesperson Sasa Manganye said the party was awaiting a meeting of the Gauteng provincial executive committee for the region to present three candidates to the committee. Manganye said regional politics in Joburg were matured and there would be careful consideration as to who would succeed departed mayor Geoff Makhubo. The Star understands that among the names being bandied about are Molwele, finance MMC Jolidee Matongo, health MMC Eunice Mgci and…

Service-delivery protests have been rife since the early 2000s but, violent and destructive protests aimed at public infrastructure have been increasing in recent years. It is essential to acknowledge that the destruction of infrastructure is indicative of the country’s current socio-economic standing. Although understandable, the destruction of public infrastructure – which is key to all socio-economic development – potentially could undermine the future capabilities of the country. The Department of Water and Sanitation’s infrastructure was spared from this havoc, however, the department still receives a complaint of vandalism every other day, which is essentially at local government level. Beyond vandalism of infrastructure being an act of criminality, it renders service delivery impotent. |…

Although I have a soft spot for Deanna Chooky Stevens, I really don’t know what being a Trump supporter has to do with my letter regarding “fatherlessness”. Can Chooky deny the fact that homosexuality “is becoming more and more prevalent” or does she think it is waning? In her rush to berate me, Chooky completely missed the point of my letter. The letter was not about homosexuality but the problems the lack of a father figure poses for society. Just a few remarks before I close. Firstly, homosexuality is not a mental disorder. Dr Peter Saunders states: “Male homosexuals often have a dominant, supportive mother and a weak, remote or hostile father”. (Bell, A et al, Sexual Preference) states: “Lesbians may have had a dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship”. Martin Hallett, director…

SOUTH Africa is facing a national crisis – the most catastrophic since entering democracy. We have a government that has lost touch with its people; a governing party fraught with factionalism; a disparate group of opposition parties; a security cluster paralysed by the recent uprisings; a health-care crisis; an economic group that is shockingly silent; constant service delivery protests, and the list goes on … In short, we have a leadership crisis. A candid assessment of the ANC will demonstrate it has become so factionalised that it is incapable of leading. After more than 100 years, the venerable party that led the change to democracy has lost its currency. As a person, our president is very likeable. But as affable as he is, he has failed to lead. There is…

Six civilians including several children were among 19 people killed yesterday in the fiercest clashes to rock Syria’s Daraa province since it was captured by the government, a war monitor said. Artillery shelling by regime forces on the village of Al-Yadudah, northwest of Daraa city, killed a woman, her child and three other youngsters, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Regime artillery fire also killed a sixth civilian in the district of Daraa al-Balad further south, according to the Observatory. The deaths bring the toll for yesterday’s clashes to a total of 19 across the province, which is in southern Syria. The figure includes at least eight Syrian regime fighters and five gunmen affiliated with former opposition groups, the monitor said. Russian-backed Syrian army and allied forces…

BOGOTA: About 9 000 migrants are stranded in a Caribbean municipality in Colombia amid a surge of people passing through on their way to north America after the re-opening of international borders, the Colombian migration agency said. The migrants – mostly Haitians but also Venezuelans and Cubans, as well as a number from African countries – are stuck in Necocli, in Colombia’s Antioquia province. They hope to move on through the Darien Gap towards Panama, and then to the US or Canada. Colombia reopened its land and river borders with Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Panama in May, after a 14-month closure. It opened its border with Venezuela last month. | Reuters…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za TESTIMONIES from two provincial officials yesterday highlighted how Cricket South Africa’s recent administrative turmoil saw transformation used as a political football, leading to critical issues regarding development being ignored. Nash Degambur and Tshoko Moloko from the Easterns Cricket Union (ECU) told CSA’s Social Justice and Nation-building hearing that development initiatives were used as political tools which detracted from the very important work that needed to be done in a region where divisions along racial lines remain. Provincial unions and clubs have been under the spotlight this week at the hearings, with testimonies from various officials at the lower rungs of the South African cricket ladder providing an insight into how the administrative shenanigans at the top have led to critical issues being ignored below, which directly impacts…