Table of contents for 2022-12-05 in Star

Kevin Hart has added a new date to the South African leg of his forthcoming Reality Check world tour. Hart initially announced his return to Mzansi with his one-night-only performance at the Sun Bet Arena at Time Square Casino on Friday, February 17, 2023. On Thursday, the award-winning comedian and actor announced that he has extended his South African tour with a new additional date, Saturday, February 18. “Big Concerts and Live Nation Comedy confirmed that due to popular demand, a second Kevin Hart Reality Check Tour date has been added to the SunBet Arena, Time Square, Pretoria show run. New date: Saturday, February 18, 2023,” read the press statement. When the initial announcement was made last week, South African fans took to different social media platforms, pleading with…

DNG Energy CEO Aldworth Mbalati has accused some of his peers and government officials of running a campaign against him and his company for fighting tender corruption. On Thursday, fine art valued at about R4 million was seized from his Sandhurst home after the sheriff of the court repossessed more than 50 pieces of art ranging from paintings and sculptures to woven works, which were commissioned from the Candice Berman Gallery in May this year. He said the recent media attack on him was staged to ensure that his bid to challenge the Karpowership tender was derailed. Karpowership, a unit of the Turkish Karadeniz Energy Group, was in 2021 awarded one of the country’s longest contracts to supply power from vessels to South Africa in a deal worth more than…

THE wedding between City of Joburg mayor Mpho Phalatse and a municipal official in the office of the mayoral committee member for public safety, David Tembe, has allegedly sparked controversy within the DA. The Star understands that Phalatse had invited a majority of ActionSA members to the wedding, but had not invited some of her DA colleagues. Sources in the DA said some DA leaders only learnt of the wedding on social media, and saw it as a betrayal. “Some in the DA caucus cannot wait for her to go because it is clear she will soon cross the floor to ActionSA.” The wedding invitation said the first leg of the wedding was in Diep- kloof, Soweto, where the groom comes from, with the second part yesterday at the…

LONGYUAN South Africa Renewables held an open day to accentuate all the work that they have done in a new energy sphere, as well as promote and showcase the various South African spheres. Themed “Rainbow to the Future”, the open day saw several stakeholders, including heads of departments from China and Longyuan employees telling how the energy company has alleviated the circumstances of their daily lives. With the China National Energy Group Longyuan Power vigorously developing wind power and photovoltaic in South Africa, China and South Africa attach great importance to environmental protection and green development, and Chinese enterprises are actively promoting clean energy construction in South Africa. China stands ready to work with South Africa to move China-South Africa ties forward with higher quality and a broader scope. Longyuan…

My top five Springbok choices in order of merit: 1. Franco Mostert. A phenomenal player whose work-rate was unbelievable in every game. An unsung hero who always gave more than his best. Battered and bruised, he was here, there and everywhere. If I was a selector he would be my first choice for the team. 2. Willie le Roux. A fully rejuvenated fullback. Always planning, scheming and plotting a variety of moves to bamboozle the opposition. His interchanging with his flyhalf was a great success. An inspiring old hand who continually spoke to, cajoled and urged his team to do better. A superstar. 3. Faf de Klerk. After one mediocre game, Faf bounced back to deliver superb flyhalf displays. His fast and accurate service gave his flyhalf, and other players,…

THE African proverb that “he who digs a grave for his enemy might as well be digging one for himself” appropriately paraphrases President Cyril Ramaphosa’s predicament in the unfolding drama of Phala Phala. Ramaphosa stands accused of having acted unlawfully in handling the burglary that took place at his Phala Phala game farm in February 2020. Before the Phala Phala scandal surfaced, Ramaphosa had assiduously portrayed himself as a crusader against corruption. He was seen as a tireless advocate for accountability and transparency. In crafting this image of himself, Ramaphosa enlisted the services of groupings that he could fool all of the time. Discerning observers could not be swayed by Ramaphosa’s smoke and mirrors escapades. This week Ramaphosa joins the ranks of the damned. The findings of Parliament’s Section 89…

ISLAMABAD: Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for an attack on Pakistan’s embassy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Friday via a statement posted by one of the militant group’s affiliated channels on Telegram yesterday. The embassy came under attack on Friday and a Pakistani security guard was wounded by gunfire in what Islamabad called an attempt to assassinate its head of mission, who was unhurt. IS said the attack was carried out by two of its members armed with “medium and sniper weapons” and was targeting the ambassador and his guards who were present in the courtyard of the embassy. | Reuters…

WASHINGTON: Nasa astronauts have installed a new Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) on the International Space Station (ISS). “Astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio have installed Roll-Out Solar Array on the starboard truss structure of the @Space_Station. They have also restored a power channel to 75% of its capacity,” NASA said on Twitter at the weekend. Cassada and Rubio’s spacewalk outside the ISS lasted around seven hours. The new solar array units were delivered to the ISS on a Dragon spacecraft on November 27. | Sputnik…

Aiden Markram has used the opening rounds of the One-Day Cup to soothe his wounds after South Africa’s T20 World Cup exit, and again illustrated what an important batter he is for the national team. Whether his international future still includes Test cricket remains to be seen. Markram played no part for the Titans in the Cricket South Africa 4-Day Series, but that was understandable given his omission from the tour party for the trip to Australia. And while he had a poor World Cup, the first two matches in the One-Day Cup have shown that in the limited-overs formats, he remains a batter capable of destroying opposition attacks. Last Friday he top scored for the Titans after making 80 in their defeat to the Lions in the competition’s opening…

THE RICHEST man in the world has delivered on his promise to enable free speech on Twitter. Elon unleashed a bombshell over the weekend with the release of the Twitter files. Essentially, the files are communications within Twitter (before Elon’s time) that show how the social media platform influenced the US elections. One of the major highlights from the files reveal how Twitter tried to hide embarrassing information about the US President’s son, Hunter Biden. The files also show how the US mainstream media colluded with Twitter to control the narrative during the US election period. On the other hand, the files also show the kind of environment Elon Musk walked into when he bought Twitter. Chances are he did not know the kind of operations that took place in…

Another tragedy involving a child has been reported just a few days after the start of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign. The body of a girl, 5, was discovered at her uncle’s house in Kwanonqubela, Alexander, in the Eastern Cape, after police were notified by the suspect (uncle) about an assault at his home. Police say Siphesihle Xhali was found lying on the lounge floor, brutally battered. The child’s mother had dropped her off at her father’s house in the same area at about 2pm on Friday and he later left the child at a neighbour’s house. Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nomthetheleli Mene condemned the brutal killing. “At about 5.40am, police were alerted by the suspect (the child’s uncle) of a person…

CANNABIS isn’t just a drug for medicinal or recreational purposes, but a new sector which could prove useful in addressing poverty, especially in rural areas. South Africa has made significant regulatory progress in the past five years surrounding the consumption and distribution of cannabis, and industry stakeholders claim cultivating the “leafy green plant” could benefit the poorest of the poor. Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Nomalungelo Gina, said the cannabis sector possessed a huge potential for small, medium, and micro enterprises, especially for people in rural areas where poverty is concentrated. Gina, speaking during the Agriculture and Land Summit in Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday, said they aimed to identify gaps and explore opportunities in the agricultural sector value chain within the district and the province. She said they…

After 12 weeks of adventure, Tropika Island of Treasure has crowned Team Tropical, All-Star Karlien van Jaarsveld and her partner model Ruan Scheepers, as season 10 champions. The duo faced-off with Team Piña Colada, All-Star Jonathan Boynton-Lee and his partner fitness coach Lelani Loots and Team Mango Peach, which included All-Star Brendan Peyper and his partner TV presenter Boitumelo “Melo” Moloto. Viewers were taken on a 12-week adventure full of interesting twists and turns as 18 consumer contestants and eight celebrity All-Stars first battled it out in St Lucia, KwaZulu-Natal, for a coveted spot to compete in the Seychelles for their share of the R1 million grand prize. The last six contestants have survived a demanding physical challenge tackling the mountainous terrain and seas of the Seychelles, and the…

A champion for peace and reconciliation, much like statesman Nelson Mandela, is what South Africa needs to reignite the spirit of forgiveness and unification. The country needs a leader to revive the nation’s aspirations to come together. So said participants in the Annual Mandela Remembrance Walk held at the Freedom Park Heritage site and Museum at the weekend. Jane Mufamadi, CEO of Freedom Park, said the park had launched the Remembrance Walk to pay homage to Madiba, who died on December 5, 2013, but also to remind South Africans of how the country had a giant of a legend who lived among them, and “had bequeathed to us the values we still need today”. “As we do the remembrance walk we are reminding South Africans to be tolerant and peaceful…

At its upcoming elective conference, the ANC will be presented with a rare opportunity to review its foreign policy towards Israel. At its previous elective conference, it resolved to downgrade South Africa’s embassy in Israel, which was not a wise move. Pretoria’s hostility towards Israel will not help restore peace between Israel and Palestine. Dialogue is the only effective mechanism. Last week, members of South African civil society, churches and business organisations came together to sign the Tshwane-Jerusalem Declaration. The noble declaration calls for the rekindling and re-establishment of relations between South Africa and Israel. It is a spiritual call by Christians who have links with Israel, and about what other South Africans believe could be beneficial to them from Israel’s record of development and innovation. “We, proud South Africans,…

If the Abergil crime syndicate knew President Cyril Ramaphosa had over $4 million sewn into his lounge sofa, they would have had a big payday. The Abergil family’s leader and seven others were arrested by Interpol SA in South Africa a fortnight ago They are a criminal organisation based in Israel with cells around the world. They go where the grounds are most fertile for their illicit operations of car-jacking, fraud, money laundering and drug smuggling. The Jewish Mafia is headed by Itzhak Abergil and his brothers, Meir and Abraham. Considered one of the world's top 40 biggest drug importers into the US, the Abergils have been arrested and detained multiple times. Murder is a natural component of their repertoire. South Africa has a long history of corruption in the…

The Blitzboks are back in the business of putting smiles on South African faces after winning the Dubai Sevens at the weekend, the fourth occasion in a row they have won this leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series. Dubai truly has been a happy hunting ground for the Blitzboks and it is perhaps no coincidence that the desert playground has played host to a turnaround in fortunes for the Blitzboks after a lean run on the world circuit. At the beginning of this year, the Bliltzboks hit the ground running only to lose their spark a few tournaments ago. This was not long before long-standing coach Neil Powell was to finish his successful tenure, and there was a very disappointing showing in the Sevens World Cup in Cape Town.…

SHANGHAI: Authorities in China’s financial hub of Shanghai will from today scrap some testing requirements in the country’s latest relaxing of its strict zero-Covid policy following nationwide protests unseen in decades. Multiple cities have started to roll back some restrictions after public resentment at harsh and prolonged containment measures reached a boiling point with multiple protests. Shanghai residents will no longer need a 48-hour negative test result to use public transport and enter parks and tourist attractions, authorities said yesterday. The city of more than 23 million was sealed off for months this year. | AFP…

Kylian Mbappe set up a history-making goal for Olivier Giroud and then scored two himself as holders France eased into the quarter-finals of the World Cup with a 3-1 win over Poland yesterday. Giroud’s opening goal a minute before half-time was his 52nd for his country, allowing him to pass Thierry Henry and become France's all-time record marksman. Mbappe’s lethal strike in the 74th minute killed off any prospect of a Poland comeback, and he netted again at the death to move to nine goals in just 11 World Cup appearances, the second-most for a French player at the tournament. At the other end, the threat of Robert Lewandowski was snuffed out by the French defence, although the 34-year-old Poland captain did get the consolation of scoring a stoppage-time penalty.…

SOUTH Africa’s largest asset manager, the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), has invested over R1.6 trillion on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). In 2022, nearly 30 years after democracy opened the country to business, less than 1% of this magnificent sum (it’s a lot of zeroes), has been invested in black-owned companies. It’s not because there are not enough black-owned or managed organisations out there though, to my mind, it’s because the more things change, the more they stay the same. The outcry over the PIC’s investment into Patrice Motsepe’s African Rainbow Capital (ARC) and Ayo Technology Solutions (AYO) is a case in point. Especially that of AYO, of whom reams of articles have been written, in what appears to be a deliberate attempt by the “establishment” media to undermine the…

If Spotify’s Wrapped 2022 list is anything to go by then South African music artists have had a great year along with the amapiano genre which surpassed a billion streams altogether. The annual list is a detailed snapshot of the most loved artists, creators and songs of the year, according to Spotify subscribers. This year’s list shows that local music consumption in South Africa has grown exponentially, increasing by 85% between 2021 and 2022. Hamba Haa hitmaker Kabza De Small topped several categories on the list, appearing in five out of seven top music streaming lists in SA. He leads the charge as the most streamed South African artist, proving that the genre known for birthing creative dance challenges is unstoppable. The amapiano artist is also one of the only…

DNG Energy is preparing to launch new heads of argument in its bid to fight off the Karpowership deal, which was unsuccessfully challenged in the courts last year. In January, DNG lost a court case seeking to overturn the award of 2 000MW of the emergency power contracts awarded by the government to the Turkish company, Karpowership. The high court dismissed, with costs, the application from DNG Power Holdings to set aside the appointment of preferred bidders under the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme. According to DNG CEO Aldworth Mbalati, the Kapowership “unlawfully and irregularly won” the right to supply about 60% of the allotted generation capacity for 20 years. Mbalati told The Star that his legal team was preparing new heads of argument, which will…

The search is on for 15 remaining bodies of people who were swept away in what is suspected to be a church baptism or ritual along the Jukskei River on Saturday afternoon. The City of Joburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) initially launched a search and rescue operation for the missing 15 people but by last night, 14 bodies had been recovered. EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi told Newzroom Afrika: “Last night (Saturday), people were conducting a church ritual or baptism when a storm (hit) and (swept) about two people away. One person was rescued and received medical care and was transported to a medical facility.” Mulaudzi added that the two were confirmed dead. By late yesterday, the death toll had risen to nine. “It is believed there were about 33 congregants…

Justice Bale has secured a spot as a finalist in the Face of Humanity pageantry and discusses his advocacy for the destigmatisation of blindness, highlighting that he does not want people to use the condition as a selling point. He says when he received the devastating news about his eyesight being permanently damaged, it was heartbreaking, and he had to accept that his life had changed entirely. Having undergone about 13 operations in attempts to regain his vision, Bale decided he would remain optimistic and still go after his dreams and aspirations. The model from Kempton Park said that initially, he had no interest in pageantry or modelling, but someone close convinced him that he had all that it takes to strut the runways. “This year, in March, I was…

A SHY baby Ball Python is on the loose in Garsfontein and her teenage owner is heartbroken. Ozzy said to be a shy but loveable “girl” somehow got out of her cage a week ago – last Friday – and is nowhere to be found. Her owner, Zuraida Venter, 14, told The Star’s sister paper, the Pretoria News that she was at the end of her tether with worry about her beloved Ozzy. “I have three wonderful snakes as my pets. My eldest ‘child’ is called Alexa and she is a Corn Snake. Her bonded partner is Axl, also a Corn Snake. And then there is Ozzy, my most beautiful brown Ball Python baby of about 10 months.” Zuraida said she was very upset a week ago while the…

WHAT was meant to be a fun night out for a family from Roodeplaat, north-east of Pretoria, turned out to be a traumatic three-hour ordeal stuck in a lift at Menlyn Park Mall. On Friday evening, Ntai Mokoena said he and his partner decided to go out with their two children, aged 5 and 7, to play games at the nearby Menlyn Park mall arcade and grab something to eat. He said just before 8pm they made their way to the lifts to leave, but instead of going down, the lift went up and stopped working at level P6. Mokoena said he and two other men who were also stuck in the lift with the family tried to open the doors, but when they couldn’t, they pressed the emergency button…

Respect them, yes, but never allow them to regard themselves as being above the law or better than those who abhor the inconsistencies of political life and thought. Politicians, without exception, must be held accountable at all times. They should be treated without fear or favour. Our tax monies allow them to earn good salaries, as well as gain lucrative perks, and they must be judged on the work they do for the benefit of the people. We sit with a constitutional crisis that is truly extraordinary. President Cyril Ramaphosa, knowing full well that the Sword of Damocles was about to split him in half, has been schmoozing with the likes of King Charles III and Joe Biden, and an important visit from Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela has been cancelled.…

THE City of Cape Town was very successful in receiving various international awards in 2022. It is such a pleasure to see how this unique city, which, in my humble opinion, is one of the most beautiful in the world, attracts more and more tourists, investments and major events, year after year. In October the travel industry's most prestigious awards programme, World Travel Awards, named the Mother City as the continent's most attractive travel destination for the second consecutive year. The heart of Cape Town, the majestic Table Mountain, was included in the list of ‘7 new Wonders of the World’ in 2011 and this year it was called the “Best Viewing Platform in Africa”. Finally, it deservedly won in the nomination "Best Airport in Africa". The capital of…

jakarta: Thousands of villagers living near Indonesia’s Mount Semeru were racing for refuge yesteray to the wail of emergency sirens as lava snaked towards their homes under a black sky after the volcano erupted. Locals fled on motorbikes, sometimes three at a time, as a mushroom cloud of ash approached and monsoon rains lashed the area in East Java. “It was dark and raining. The rain did not consist only of water, but also volcanic ash. It was like mud,” said an AFP journalist on the scene. Indonesian authorities raised their alert level for the volcano to its highest after the crater spewed hot ash a mile into the sky. It came only a year after the volcano last erupted, killing 51 people and laying waste to homes. Rescue workers…

Beni: Fifty-seven former hostages of a rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, some young women used as sex slaves, were reunited with their families on Saturday, AFP correspondents saw. They were freed last weekend after a large-scale Congolese-Ugandan military operation allowed them to escape the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), one of dozens of armed groups in the volatile region. The Ugandan and Congolese armies have led an offensive against the ADF in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri for more than a year. The mostly women were reunited with their families at a ceremony in North Kivu. | AFP…

Spain will be favourites to beat Morocco in the World Cup last 16 tomorrow (5pm kick-off), but the teams’ experiences in the group phase were a reminder of the unpredictability of tournament football. Spain, who humbled Costa Rica 7-0 in their opening game, finished second in Group E behind Japan while Morocco defied the odds to win Group F ahead of Croatia and Belgium. The Spanish, world champions in 2010, lost their last group match to Japan and face a difficult test from a Moroccan side growing in confidence under coach Walid Regragui. After Morocco had beaten Canada 2-1 to reach the last 16 for only the second time and first since 1986, Fifa posted a photo of Regragui holding an avocado with a soccer ball inside it and pointing…

Japan will invoke the spirit of the Samurai warrior in their clash against Croatia today (5pm kick-off) as they look to banish the memory of their exit from the last World Cup and reach the quarter-finals for the first time. The heartbreaking defeat by Belgium in the last 16 four years ago, when they gave up a 2-0 lead and lost to a stoppage-time goal, still haunts Japan, and veteran defender Yuto Nagatomo said they were desperate for redemption. “I have never forgotten about that battle against Belgium. Sometimes scenes from the match suddenly come back to me and the last four years have been very tough,” the fullback, who is playing at his fourth World Cup, said yesterday. “But I think we have grown mentally as well as physically…

Brazil forward Neymar is set to play for the five-time champions in their World Cup last 16 match against South Korea tonight (9pm kick-off) after recovering from an ankle injury, coach Tite said. Neymar suffered the injury in Brazil’s opening 2-0 win over Serbia, which ruled him out of their 1-0 win over Switzerland and the shock defeat by Cameroon, one of a series of injury problems within the squad. Fullback Danilo was also cleared by the medical staff. “Neymar will train today in the afternoon and if he trains well, he will play,” Tite said yesterday. Neymar has suffered many issues with his right foot and underwent surgery four years ago for a fractured metatarsal. The news of his return to the starting line-up came after Thiago Silva was…