Table of contents for 2021-11-08 in Star

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za Purple Group has made a fair value adjustment of R50 million in relation to subsidiary EasyEquities’ option to acquire a 51 percent stake in EasyCrypto, formerly known as DCX Capital. Purple Group said in a trading statement on Friday that the value of the stake had increased significantly over the past six months due to increased investment activity and client adoption of the EasyCrypto 10 product. Over 100 000 EasyEquities clients were invested in the EasyCrypto 10 bundle, with an investment value of more than R500m. Purple Group also said that headline earnings per share for the year to August 31 were expected to rise by between 185 and 195 percent when compared to the 1.54 cents reported in the prior financial…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za THE BIG INTERNATIONAL online tourism booking and event platforms impose pricing parity policies on the venues listed on their sites, not good news for consumers looking for cheaper prices and it stifles marketing innovation among tourist venues and resorts. This emerged on Friday at the third day of the Competition Commission’s Online Intermediation Platform Market Inquiry. Reinard du Plessis, general manager of marketing at ATKV, a local camping and resorts company, told the inquiry that the conditions of being listed with the large international travel booking platforms included that the venue needed to ensure its prices and rates were the same across all the online booking agencies that the venue had contracted to list with, although the venue was free to post promotional prices on its own…

Given Majola given.majola@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa’s recent massive fuel hike that sees motorists paying close to R20 per litre at the petrol pump from this month meant that financial service companies like Mastercard and Visa will simply get increased returns on their profits due to the linked expenses as a percentage of pump price, according to fuel retailers. The Fuel Retailers Association (FRA) chief executive Reggie Sibiya said on Friday that the payment platforms would gain more profits without breaking any sweat, but by extracting more from the fuel margin allocation. “The SA Reserve Bank (Sarb) has just announced their intention not to review these payment cards interchange fees knowing very well how fuel purchases linked to cards compromise retailer margins,” Sibiya said. The association of service station owners noted with…

Dieketseng Maleke dieketseng.maleke@inl.co.za IN an effort to upskill and reskill, the Durban University of Technology (DUT) has launched a post-graduate Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) programme. The postgraduate programme will start with a cohort of 20 postgraduate students receiving bursaries to the value of R90 000 each. “It is envisaged these students would go on to make a positive impact on society by shaping skills, pioneering industries, and empowering industries with their research findings,” DUT said. According to DUT, this is aimed at realising the highest levels of the government’s strategic plans for societal and industrial reforms, as well as narrowing the growing digital divide brought about by the emergence of the 4IR. The university said the training was done in collaboration with five leading researchers across South African tertiary institutions.…

THE Mowbray Cemetery, under the Moslem Cemetery Board, has announced the launch of the Mowbray Cemetery Bursary Fund for Students of Deen. The bursary fund was initiated by board chairman Faizal Sayed, and inspired by the second deputy president of the Muslim Judicial Council Shaykh Riad Fataar. Those willing to contribute can email Info@MowbrayCemetery.org or call the Cemetery between 8am and 4pm on 063 399 0656. | Robin-Lee Francke…

THE Covid-19 pandemic has deeply affected our economy through job losses and salary cuts. Aspiring students who dream of furthering their education are on the lookout for available bursaries in order to pay for 2022’s tuition. Red & Yellow Creative Business School and Publicis Group Africa are awarding bursaries to students that will equip them with top skills for the creative industry. For more information, please visit www.redandyellow.co.za |…

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za SPENDING time in the kitchen is so much more enjoyable if you have all the pantry staples you need. Making sure you have a well-stocked pantry will make whipping up a healthy meal for your family quick and easy. What are pantry staples? Pantry staples are your “basics” – food items you use time and time again. They are generally shelf-stable for long periods and great for buying in bulk to save money on your grocery budget or to stock up in case of an emergency. Having a well-stocked pantry is good, even during the best of times. This helps you save money on your grocery bill because you can stock up on non-perishable food items when they go on sale. However, a well-stocked pantry can also…

Nokuthula Mabuza nokuthula.mabuza@inl.co.za THE wife and widow of the late medical doctor, Hlakanipho Masuku, who was brutally killed inside his surgery, says she is not ready to forgive his murderer. Lungile was speaking at the Esikhawini Methodist Church in Empangeni where Masuku’s killer Siyabonga Dlamini was rendering his public apology to the family and the community last week. Masuku was shot inside his surgery at Entokozweni next to Esikhawini College in 2002. Lungile said she had a 4-month-old baby when her husband died. “They destroyed my life. I had just qualified as a doctor from medical school doing my internship. My other two children were still young at that time. I needed my husband more than anything during that time. To this day I have not recovered. My daughter is…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za Coach Mark Boucher has lauded the performance of his captain Temba Bavuma, despite the Proteas failing to advance to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. The Proteas became the first team since the advent of the group stage at the T20 World Cup to lose just one of their five Super 12 matches and still not advance to the knockout stage. The difference ultimately between South Africa boarding the plane home and preparing for a semi-final was a mere 0.477 on the net run-rate scale. Bavuma’s team were under pressure throughout the tournament since their opening game defeat to Australia with just two balls remaining, but the captain has managed to navigate both the on and off-field pressures with aplomb in…

Wynona Louw Comment While the Springboks’ 23-18 victory over Wales in the first Test of their end-of-year tour wasn’t the ultimate advert for rugby, their character was. In saying it wasn’t the best display of the game, that first half especially comes to mind, more so when you consider the errors and how the Boks were their own worst enemy at times. But they fought back from that and overcame it, and that alone is one of the things that made this victory a huge one. After trailing 12-9 at half-time after only keeping the scoreboard ticking with penalties, the Boks scored the decisive try through replacement hooker Malcolm Marx in the 73rd minute, with Elton Jantjies connecting with a penalty right at the end. This was the Boks’ first…

HERMAN GIBBS Triumphant Stuart Baxter sympathised with Orlando Pirates co-coach Fadlu Davids after Kaizer Chiefs won the much-anticipated Soweto derby encounter 2-1 thanks to a late second-half penalty at FNB Stadium on Saturday. Baxter said he was mindful that the Pirates camp would be hurting after their fate was decided by a stoppage-time penalty. He decided on making small talk when he stepped up to shake hands with Davids pitchside at the end of the match. “I don’t rub people’s noses in it (the penalty), so I needed to be politically correct,” said Baxter when he faced the media at the post-match match conference and was asked about his pitchside chat with Davids. “I said (to Davids) these refereeing decisions can go both ways. I was not apologising for…

Dean Burmester claimed his second victory this year as he added his name to one of the most prestigious trophies in South African golf when he won the 86th PGA Championship at St Francis Links in the Eastern Cape yesterday. Burmester signed off with an incredible final round of 65, including a front nine of 29, to win by two shots on 17-under par. “This is massive. I’ve come close to winning this a couple of times before,” said Burmester, who lost in a play-off for this title to Jaco van Zyl in 2016. “I’ve always wanted to get my name on this trophy with a lot of the legends of the game, and I had high expectations for this week. I’m just glad I managed to do what I…

Novak Djokovic won a record-extending sixth Paris Masters title by avenging his US Open final loss to Russian Daniil Medvedev with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory in yesterday’s showpiece match. The Serbian, guaranteed to secure the year-end world No 1 spot for a record seventh time, needed time to adjust to break the world No 2’s sturdy defence, but was unstoppable once he found his opening. Djokovic was looking to avoid ending a season without a Masters title for the first time since 2017 and kept his cool to accomplish his mission against the holder. Medvedev was overwhelmed in the third set and bowed out on the first match-point when Djokovic unleashed a superb forehand winner down the line. Two months after Medvedev denied Djokovic a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam…

IF A MEASURE of black economic empowerment is based on ownership and economic transformation, we can green tick the PioTrans model. It is based on Johannesburg’s Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system, which saw the formalisation of a tenuous cohabitation of sole proprietorships into a corporate entity providing real shareholding for 299 taxi owners and providing formal and permanent employment for their drivers. When it was first rolled out in 2010, the Rea Vaya BRT initially encountered significant reservations from various stakeholders. Although the BRT’s primary objective was improving public transport, a crucial intention behind the introduction of a high-quality BRT system to Johannesburg was the incorporation and transitioning of taxi drivers and owners into a formal structure. Yet the process was not without its challenges: the taxi industry was…

It’s 1.30am, and I’m about to watch a duel between magicians. One is a “demonolater”, someone who claims they worship demons and can petition them in return for knowledge or power. The other describes themselves as a “Solomonic magician”, and claims to be able to command demons to do his bidding, as some Jewish and Islamic traditions have believed of King Solomon, who ruled Israel in the 10th century BC. In the course of studying 16th-century books of magic attributed to Solomon, I had found that “Solomonic magic” is alive and well, and growing in popularity. There is an online community of young occultists, tweeting theories and controversies, and using TikTok to share their craft. At 28, I’m slightly too old to be familiar with the platform Twitch, mostly used…

WITH the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in gear and more companies speeding up their digitisation strategies, now is the time to develop skills to ensure employability and career advancement in the sector. Prudence Mabitsela, founder and Managing Director of Dynamic DNA, said it is imperative that both learnerships and upskilling or reskilling of existing employees are prioritised to close the digital divide. Here are the top six most in-demand IT jobs and the skills you need to get ahead: 1.Software Developer Cloud computing is one skill that software developers should add to their CV as more companies move their environments into the Cloud. Learning platforms like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform will be highly beneficial. Upskill on version control tools such as Git and SVN; containers…

AN innovative legal research project, led by Professor Donrich Thaldar of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s School of Law, has been awarded R18 million in funding by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH is the world’s largest public funder of health-related research, supporting research worldwide that has an impact on knowledge of health and medicine. |…

Debashine Thangevelo Let’s be honest, a bit of controversy sometimes goes a long way in boosting ratings. And some shows piggyback on the noise and ride out the storm to achieve victorious results. Below are three such shows: Love Island South Africa (Showmax) The show first aired on M-Net in March this year. Mzansi was outraged by the lack of diversity on the reality show. And they made their feelings known on social media. Of the initial 10 cast members, there were only two coloured and two black contestants. The shoddy editing and other blunders were another talking point. The channel, feeling the fury of viewers, made haste in rectifying the unforgivable oversights. Eventually, the tension cooled and the show got a fair amount of attention. But it will forever…

Itumeleng Mafisa AFRICAN Content Movement (ACM) leader Hlaudi Motsoeneng says despite having won only two seats in the Maluti a Phofung Municipality in the Free State, the ACM was determined to change lives in that area. Speaking to The Star days after the release of the election results, Motsoeneng said his party was more determined to put in the hard work to show that the ACM practised what it preached. The ACM had made an impact in a number of the 35 wards with some people calling from other parts of the Free State asking for an ACM branch to be formed in their area, he said. “The elections went well considering that we were not able to fully mobilise because of the pandemic. People voted for ACM…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za NIGHT Embassy, a residency programme centred around a space for unrestrained self-expression and unlimited creativity, starts with “Unmute The City” this week in Newtown. The company Unmuted. started as an independent record label but has now morphed into a network of entities that host events and radio. Co-founded by musical artists Lincoln Long and Draper, Unmuted. will start Night Embassy Joburg from November 12 to 14 at Newtown’s nightlife complex Carfax. “The Unmuted. Night Embassy residency will be dedicated to the unheard – the ones that are [told] to wait for their big break. Giving them a voice is what it means to ‘Unmute The City’,” said Long. Draper added it’s out with the old and in with the next. “Over a three-day exhibition of culture, we…

Velani Ludidi KHAYELITSHA rapper Sinesipho Peter, 26, well known by his stage name Bravo Le Roux, has been nominated for two awards for this year’s edition of the SA Hip Hop Awards (SAHHA). He is nominated for mixtape of the year for Rise of Istrato, where he collaborated with DJ Switch. His second nomination for his feature on Flash iKumkani’s “Umhluzi remix”. The artist could not contain his excitement about the nominations. “I was surprised to see the Rise of Istrato being nominated over International Gubevu. I still don’t know how to feel about that, but on the brighter side I have more people involved on the mixtape. The whole vision of making the mixtape was to push the culture forward.” The 2021 SA Hip Hop awards will air on…

Brenda Masilela and Shifaan Ryklief WITH one week remaining for the Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glascow, Scotland, negotiations and solutions to curb the climate crisis will continue to dominate headlines this week. Major announcements were made last week, including that South Africa has secured around R131 billion to transition from coal towards green energy. According to CNN, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced at COP26 that a multibillion- dollar partnership between the US, UK, France, Germany and the EU will fund South Africa, India, Indonesia and the Philippines in a pilot Accelerating Coal Transition programme. Another announcement made last week was the first major deal where leaders from more than 100 countries committed to ending deforestation by 2030. COP26 issued a statement which outlined a…

Matshelane Mamabolo Matshelane Mamabolo SO much for local coaches not being good enough! The general tendency by our Premiership clubs to rush to Europe in search of coaches tells the story of a country not confident in their own. But if the local men were not good enough, why is it that a quarter of the coaches who will be contesting the 16-team CAF Champions League group stages will be South African? It is a remarkable feat hitherto not achieved since our readmission to international football in 1992, one that should have us excitedly looking ahead to the resumption of the mini-league phase of the continent’s premier club knockout competition in February. And believe me I am not just referring to the Mamelodi Sundowns coaching trio of Manqoba Mngqithi, Rulani Mokwena…

Antonio Conte’s first Premier League game in charge of Tottenham Hotspur ended in a scrappy 0-0 draw at Everton yesterday, as a crucial VAR intervention helped them to a point. The pivotal moment in a game of few clear chances came just past the hour mark when referee Chris Kavanagh awarded a penalty against Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris for a foul on Richarlison but changed his mind after checking the pitchside monitor. Tottenham substitute Giovani Lo Celso almost won it for Tottenham late on with a shot against the post, but a draw was a fair result. Everton ended a feisty match with 10 men after Mason Holgate was sent off in stoppage time for a wild tackle on Spurs midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojgberg. Conte will take some satisfaction from Tottenham’s…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za IN Frans Steyn’s Man of the Match interview after the Springboks’ thrilling 23-18 victory over Wales on Saturday, he excitedly proclaimed that he had never lost at Millennium Stadium – the Boks’ hoodoo ground since 2014 – but he could have modestly added that he has never lost at all to Wales in his glittering career. The 34-year-old replaced the injured Damian Willemse midway through the first half and proceeded to deliver an extraordinary performance, be it with powerful surges with ball in hand, thunderous touch finders, rock-solid kick receipts or, indeed, a monster penalty goal from inside his half that reprised the Jet Boots nickname he was given by New Zealanders when he kicked the Boks to a Tri-Nations win in Hamilton in 2009. When the…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za MTN GROUP’S shares soared to close to 13 percent up on Friday after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) finally granted approval in principle for MTN Nigeria to operate its proposed Mobile Money (MoMo) service. The shares closed at R167 on the JSE. “This is the first step in the process towards a final approval, subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions as stipulated by the CBN,” said Uto Ukpanah, MTN’s company secretary. The news is a boost for MTN and rival Airtel Africa, which have been awaiting the granting of PSB licences since 2018, when the CBN indicated its intention to do so. The companies are expected to meet a number of conditions before receiving the Payment Service Bank (PSB) licence required by the CBN…

OLD MUTUAL (OMU) has been active in the past week. From its Private Equity arm looking to purchase Long4Life (L4L) to its previous chief executive Peter Moyo’s lawyer wanting to see the directors jailed, the company has had its fair share of coverage. But the main news is the unbund- ling of 62.89 percent of its remaining holding in Nedbank Group (NED), taking its interests down from 19.4 percent to 7.2 percent of total holdings. Unreal to think that OMU has been a majority shareholder in NED for the past 35 years, acquiring 52 percent of Nedcor Limited back in 1986. An unbundling is basically a transaction whereby one company distributes its equity stake (the shares it holds) in another company back to its own…

The caramel hair was as perfect as remembered. The rhythmic moves were as graceful as in our mind’s eye. And when the signature melismas of I Will Always Love You began, it was impossible not to be transported to the spot again – the plane of transcendent Zen only a few singers have taken us. Whitney Houston was back. It's just that she was a hologram. The Grammy-winning legend died more than nine years ago. But in Las Vegas, beginning last week, Houston took to the stage, singing some of the most famous pop songs of all time in An Evening With Whitney, a live concert with a Houston hologram. This is what Pat Houston, her sister-in-law and manager, wants; this is what BASE Hologram, run by the former Clear…

THE end of the year is approaching which means it’s time for the exams. Covid-19 has placed additional pressure on pupils and parents alike. Laager Rooibos, together with specialist dietitian partner, Mbali Mapholi, compiled some easy tips to prevent the onset of stress. Here are six easy-to-follow tips to get you going: Tip #1: Timetables Draw up a study timetable that includes achievable daily goals so as not to overwhelm your child. Include time for relaxation and fun to achieve balance. Tip #2: Rest is best While the temptation might be to get in as many studying hours as possible, taking time away from sleep will negatively impact studying. A sleep-deprived person is less likely to focus, and sleep plays a role in consolidating memory to store information. Tip #3:…

ENTREPRENEURSHIP is often described as a lonely journey. At times, it might even feel overwhelming. But being receptive to advice and support from different sources, whether it be veteran entrepreneurs or industry experts, can help to avoid the challenges of going at it alone. “Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, just starting out as a business owner or one with years of experience under your belt, there will always be people who you may be able to learn or draw inspiration from and who could provide you with a fresh perspective that enhances your journey,” says Jenine Zachar, head of enterprise and direct banking at Standard Bank. Standard Bank, which provides a diverse range of support and solutions to business owners, whether start-ups or multinationals, has made it easier for entrepreneurs…

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za The raw food diet is popular in wellness and health circles. It has been around since the 1800s but has gained popularity in recent years. Its supporters believe consuming mostly raw foods is ideal for human health and has many benefits, including weight loss and better overall health. There are three broad types of raw food diet: a raw vegan diet that excludes all animal products focusing only on plant-based foods; a raw vegetarian diet that includes plant-based foods plus raw eggs and unprocessed dairy products; and a raw omnivorous diet that includes plant-based foods, raw animal products and raw or dried meat. What can you eat? According to dietitian Taylor Jones, the raw food diet, often called raw foodism, is composed of mostly or completely raw…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za SLAIN model Reeva Steenkamp’s parents learnt with a “huge shock” that their daughter’s murderer, former Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, is now eligible for parole – eight years into his imprisonment. Pistorius killed Steenkamp in 2013 after firing four bullets through a bathroom door, subsequently claiming that he believed that an intruder had broken into his upmarket home in Pretoria. He was initially found guilty of culpable homicide on October 21, 2014, and handed five years’ imprisonment. Following an outcry, the State appealed and he was convicted for murder and sentenced to 15 years. The Supreme Court of Appeal clarified in July this year that Pistorius’ jail term should be counted from 2014. This meant he had effectively served half his jail sentence and, under the country’s law regulating…

Phillimon Mnisi | Protea Glen THE South African political landscape is in a changing state with every election. More voters are giving political parties a mandate, that they would prefer a coalition government. Citizens are speaking with a clear voice that they do not trust a single party to be in governance of their local municipalities. Coalition government is becoming a norm with every election. This is because many citizens have become disillusioned with too much power concentrated in one political party. Concentration of power in a single party has resulted in arrogance, incompetence, deployment of poorly qualified cadres, callous attitudes towards the poor and disinterestedness in serving communities with the dedication and diligence required to meet their expectations. Politics in the country has degenerated into a spectacle…

Xavi Hernandez has been waiting to be Barcelona’s manager for six years and preparing for much longer, but he could never have imagined it would come like this. After his last game playing for Barcelona in 2015, Xavi stood on the pitch at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin with his left hand on the right ear of the European Cup. Holding the trophy with him was Andres Iniesta and with their spare hands, they both raised four fingers, one for each of their Champions League triumphs. The Saturday before, Xavi had won the Copa del Rey and the Saturday before that, La Liga, three titles and another treble, the second of his career, complete. He was leaving for Qatar at the end of a season in which his role had…

Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia won a red-flagged Algarve MotoGP yesterday as new world champion Fabio Quartararo failed to finish after falling off his Yamaha. Italy’s Bagnaia, who started on pole position for a fifth consecutive race, finished ahead of 2020 world champion Joan Mir of Suzuki and Australia’s Jack Miller (Ducati). Starting from a lowly seventh on the grid, Quartararo fell five laps from the end of the race on the same circuit where he had won the Portuguese MotoGP in April. In a dramatic race, Bagnaia claimed his third win of the season to give Ducati the constructors’ title. The race ended prematurely under red flags, however, after Iker Lecuona and Miguel Oliveira, both on KTMs, crashed two laps from home. Both riders were conscious, although Oliveira required a…

Scotland’s replacement hooker Ewan Ashman scored a try on his debut as they won the forward contest to defeat Australia 15-13 in a feisty autumn international clash at Murrayfield yesterday. Loose-forward Hamish Watson also crossed for a try, and flyhalf Finn Russell slotted a penalty and a conversion as the Scots kept up their winning run against Australia with a third successive victory. Australia, beaten at the breakdown and in the scrum, managed a single try through loose-forward Rob Leota as prop Allan Alaalatoa also received a contested yellow card. Russell landed the winning penalty after 69 minutes as the visitors were penalised at the scrum yet again, much to the delight of the home fans in the 65 700 crowd. Scotland lost injured hooker George Turner after 11 minutes,…