Table of contents for 2022-12-08 in Star

SUNRISE Energy, struggling operator of an LPG (liquid petroleum gas) import terminal in Saldanha Bay that supplies the Western Cape, said the takeover by the Strategic Fuel Fund (SFF) of gas importer and distributor in business rescue Avedia would result in Sunrise having to close its doors. This was according to RBB Consulting economist Jacob Muller, who yesterday presented the economic case to the Competition Tribunal that the proposed merger of Avedia’s operations with those of the state-owned SFF should be prohibited. He said the likelihood of Sunrise having to shut its 5 500 metric ton capacity LPG storage and terminal facilities in Saldanha Bay if the Avedia deal went ahead would result in less competition, in an unnecessary duplication of facilities and less gas import capacity being available to…

CONFIDENCE levels among South African manufacturers have remained muted amid a challenging outlook for the sector, due to the country’s ongoing intensifying energy crisis. The Absa Manufacturing Survey for the fourth quarter showed that overall business confidence during the quarter remained unchanged at 26 points, after two consecutive quarterly declines. Justin Schmidt, the head of the manufacturing sector at Absa Relationship Banking, said this was in part due to pressure from load shedding, water restrictions and transport constraints, which continue to weigh on local manufacturers. “Despite the fourth quarter being a peak sales period for manufacturers, increased production costs and insufficient demand as consumers struggle with the rising cost of living hampered potential improvements in confidence this quarter,” said Schmidt. “Additionally, insufficient demand will remain a concern as many manufacturers…

Award-winning actress, model and LGBTQIA+ icon Cara Delevingne makes her presenter debut in Planet Sex on Showmax. In Planet Sex With Cara Delevingne, she puts her mind and body on the line to try to understand our deepest desires. The X-rated series takes viewers on a journey with Delevingne, who attends a masturbation class, making art from her vagina, donating her orgasm to science and the list gets raunchier as the series explores more sizzling sex discussions. Speaking in Cannes at the international TV market MIPCOM, Delevingne admitted the 18SL series challenged her boundaries. She said she didn’t realise she was a prude until Planet Sex took her to New York to attend a masturbation masterclass. “I went into the masturbation seminar thinking it was going to be a classroom…

The delays in DNA results have resulted in the postponement of the case against 20-year-old Sifiso Mkhwanazi, who is alleged to have raped and killed at least one of six women sex workers. Mkhwanazi is believed to have lured some of the women to his father’s panel-beating workshop in Selby Village, Johannesburg, for more than a year. The 20-year-old suspect appeared briefly before the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court yesterday for the resumption of his case. However, the matter had to be postponed to February 20 next year after the State requested another postponement for further investigations due to outstanding DNA results. The State further informed the court that police had failed to carry out some instructions on the identification of the deceased using DNA, which led to further delays in the…

The Joburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) says while the City of Johannesburg encourages the freedom to engage in informal trading, the business initiatives have to be in compliance with the provisions of the informal trading by-laws and any other applicable laws. Speaking to IOL after pictures of metro police officers confiscating vendors’ goods in Joburg were shared online, JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla said the City Council set apart and demarcated stands or areas of informal trading on any public road, the ownership or management of which is vested in the Council, or on any other property in the occupation and under the control of the Council. “Any person who intends to carry on a business as an informal trader may apply to the Council in the prescribed manner for a…

For the past few days, many of us couldn’t take our eyes off President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Phala Phala game farm scandal. It has been such gripping stuff that it could easily be better than a Hollywood soap opera. But, for soccer fans, it has been a terrible distraction for the World Cup matches in Qatar. Tuesday was an especially important day for football fans in Africa. Morocco was the sole surviving African nation and the only Arab team left in the World Cup. They took on the Spanish giants for a place in the quarter-finals. The match wasn’t a thriller. For 120 minutes, the Spanish tried to penetrate the Moroccan defence but the team from north Africa was no easy pushover. They were well organised and kept the…

Sassa’s R350 social relief of distress grant (SRD) was South Africa’s top trending search term for the second year in a row. Google said trending items that made it onto the list included social grants, the war in Ukraine and the Fifa World Cup. Google revealed what South Africans were searching for, who the top trending person was and what movies or TV shows and sports fixtures South Africans were looking for. Google’s Year in Search is an annual analysis that reveals the top trending lists, and spotlights what the world searches to see, learn and do. In a year characterised by increased load shedding, the war in Ukraine, the Qatar World Cup and the deaths of a number of high-profile South Africans, the public turned to Google. Google released…

US South Africans enjoy our lifestyle vehicles. Whether it’s an SUV double cab or MPV the great outdoors calls whenever we get the opportunity. Some take it more seriously than others and enjoy getting really far away from the madding crowd that requires some serious off-road skills and others prefer a more gentle approach but still don’t want to be overrun by the throngs. To get there ordinary road tyres won’t do so most people fit a decent all-terrain tyre or for when the going gets really tough tyres with a more aggressive tread pattern and more often than not, mud tyres. And then there are those who spend almost all their life on tar but want to create an image of being the toughest around. Most of these vehicles…

England manager Gareth Southgate is wrestling with the biggest dilemma of his reign as he tries to plot a way to stop the “sensational” Kylian Mbappe in Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final. Southgate’s hopes of leading England to a third successive semi-final at major tournaments hinge on finding a solution to a problem that has proved impossible for any team to solve in Qatar. Just how do you subdue a player with Mbappe’s lethal combination of electric pace, balletic skill and clinical finishing? Australia, Denmark and Poland failed to come up with an appropriate answer as Mbappe scored in his three starts on route to the quarter-finals. Poland defender Matty Cash summed up the conundrum posed by Mbappe after the Paris Saint-Germain forward’s brilliant two goals in France’s 3-1 last-16 victory…

Kurt-Lee Arendse has shown the world what he is capable of with several thrilling performances for the Springboks, but now he is about to enter a new stage: the Champions Cup in Europe. The speedster is sure to line up at fullback for the Bulls in Saturday’s tournament opener against Lyon at Loftus Versfeld (7.30pm kick-off), having come off yet another scintillating display in last week’s 45-9 thrashing of Cardiff in the United Rugby Championship. The 26-year-old from Paarl is in the form of his life, having starred for the Boks during their November tour. He formed a deadly combination with fellow Paarl product Canan Moodie last Saturday, setting up a try for the Bulls No 14 with a chip over the top of the Cardiff defence, and will look…

French club rugby has a reputation for being one of the toughest environments in the game, where off-the-ball tactics and cheap shots are the order of the day. The Stormers will be entering that cauldron for the first time on Saturday when they face Clermont Auvergne at the Stade Marcel-Michelin – an intimidating 19 000-capacity arena where the local fans in yellow and blue will let you know exactly what they think. A man with intimate knowledge of what the Capetonians can expect on Saturday is veteran flank Deon Fourie, who is familiar with the region, having played for neighbouring Lyon from 2014 to 2019, before moving to Grenoble for two more years ahead of his fairytale return to the Stormers last year. “I think those days (of off-the-ball niggle)…

Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) on Wednesday said it had issued a much reduced revised penalty of R20 million to disgraced former Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste for insider trading. On October 29, 2020, the FSCA imposed an administrative penalty of R161.6 million on Jooste for breaches of the Financial Markets Act. But it said the revised penalty was in line with the Financial Sector Tribunal’s decision on insider trading regarding Steinhoff International Holdings. The FSCA said R1m of this penalty had been levied for encouraging Jaap du Toit to sell his Steinhoff shares. “Mr du Toit never acted on the contents of the warning SMS. The provision prohibits an insider from encouraging or discouraging another person to deal in securities which the inside information relates to,” it said. The…

ABSA Group, a South African lender, said yesterday due to the uncertain economic outlook for next year, it expects its credit impairments to increase due to higher interest rates negatively affecting consumer finances. In its trading update for the 10 months ended October 31, 2022, the group said credit impairments increased, with its credit loss ratio in the upper half of its through-the-cycle target range of 75 to 100 basis points. Personal loan credit impairments were also expected to increase materially, in part due to new business strain. “Within our South African retail portfolio, higher inflation and the 325 basis points rise in policy rates are expected to increase credit impairments. “Vehicle finance credit impairments are expected to grow materially, despite improving noticeably in the second half, while home loans…

Fresh off the news that his divorce from reality TV star Kim Kardashian has been finalised, rapper Kanye “Ye” West has reportedly been spotted looking cosy with South African-born supermodel Candice Swanepoel. According to tabloid reports, Swanepoel has been romantically linked to the rapper for several months. He posted a picture of her wearing his gap sunglasses, YZY SHDZ. The Sun reported in September that the two were quietly seeing each other and had taken romantic trips to Oxfordshire and New York. A source told the publication: “Kanye and Candice have been seeing a lot of each other and he’s been introducing her as his girlfriend.” The publication said the rumoured couple are keeping things casual as they both have busy schedules and are not looking into rushing anything. According…

THE African Transformation Movement (ATM) is planning to oppose President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Constitutional Court and challenge his review application on the Section 89 committee finding concerning the “Farm Gate” scandal. ATM leader Vuyo Zungula said the party was consulting its legal team and was prepared to ensure that the Constitutional Court does not allow the president to run away from accountability by putting holes in the findings of the legal experts who investigated violations of laws in the theft of around $4 million in undeclared cash on his farm. Zumgula has accused Ramaphosa of using the courts to try to escape impeachment. “It is our view as the ATM that Mr Ramaphosa is revealing his character of being a dishonest person. He is only interested in saving himself,…

ntombi.nkosi@inl.co.za ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe said the party was concerned about the power crisis amid Eskom’s announcement of the implementation of Stage 6 load shedding. He was speaking during a media tour yesterday at Nasrec, south of Joburg, in preparation for the ANC’s 55th national conference taking place next week. “We are quite concerned now that we have hit Stage 6… I was not aware… I don’t think it’s enough for us to keep on calling on Eskom. I think South Africans expect leadership from the ANC. Our employees in government must act now. We can’t keep on calling Eskom and its board. Now it is time for action,” said Mabe. Load shedding is hurting everyone, especially business and industry. “There has got to be decisive action. We need…

The Pretoria Magistrate’s Court has sentenced Pretoria Hotel rapist Amos Khumalo to life plus eight years’ imprisonment for violating two minor girls. The family of the victims, aged 13 and 11, who Khumalo was found guilty of raping and attempting rape, said they were relieved that their two-year wait for justice had finally materialised. A family representative said they were happy with the sentence and had been hoping that Khumalo received life for what he had put the children through, and especially for taking away their innocence. In delivering the judgment of sentence, the presiding magistrate on Tuesday said he had taken into consideration all the merits of the case as well as the arguments by the State and the defence counsel. He said in coming to an appropriate sentence,…

Oxford University has announced “goblin mode” as the Word of the Year after more than 340 000 people cast their vote worldwide. Previous words have included “vax” (2021), “climate emergency” (2019), and “selfie” (2013). This comes after the Word of the Year vote was opened to English speakers for the first time in its history. “Oxford University Press is pleased to announce ‘goblin mode’ as the Oxford Word of the Year for 2022,” said the university on Monday. “The Oxford Word of the Year is a word or expression reflecting the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the past 12 months, one that has potential as a term of lasting cultural significance.” According to the university, the Word of the Year is supported by evidence of real language usage. Oxford’s…

With all 12 hopefuls vying to be YouthX Award winners, only four young change-makers were chosen as winners and received life-changing prizes at the YouthX Summit, hosted by Nedbank. The winners are Kiara Maharaj (arts and culture), Ziyanda Dludla (social good and sustainability), Yanga Ngcayisa (sport and entertainment), and Lesego Finger (tech and innovation). Hosted by the popular presenter and actor Moshe Ndiki, the summit celebrated candidates who showcased their work on the Unlocked Me platform as part of this year’s YouthX awards. The awards, which are part of the YouthX programme, were created to unlock potential and give South African youth between the ages of 18 and 26 the opportunity to win prizes and resources to fund their business ideas, existing businesses, or opportunities to further their careers. Dludla…

The highly-anticipated new-generation Ford Ranger is launching in South Africa this week, featuring a muscular new look and advanced technologies that aim to make it the benchmark in its class. And, roll the drums, Ford has finally revealed pricing for the Double Cab models, which now form part of a simplified range of 13 derivatives, down from the previous generation’s 24 models. The Single Cab and Super Cab variants will follow in early 2023, Ford says. Pricing starts at R486 000 for the Base Double Cab, while the XL kicks off at R529 900 and the XLT is priced from R592 700. But if you want the range-topping Wildtrak V6, be prepared to fork out R953 500. The redesigned Ford Ranger boasts an upgraded chassis and a somewhat modernised cabin,…

“Their parents can be immensely proud,” answered Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen with a chuckle. The question, quite cheekily, was who he considers the better player between the Tshituka Brothers – Vincent or Emmanuel. Van Rooyen opted to remain quite diplomatic, and who can blame him after having coached both at the Lions with great success. Secretly though, one could imagine that ‘Cash’ will be quite pleased that despite the departure of Vincent, his loose forwards – Emmanuel included – have shrugged off a potentially squad-altering departure, and continue to rock and roll full-steam ahead. ‘Manu’, as Emmanuel is called by his teammates, was superb last weekend for the Lions in their 32-15 dismissal of Scarlets, the younger Tshituka picking up the man-of-the-match award after accumulating 80 metres and 13…

Eoin Morgan’s footprint will forever be imprinted in England’s cricket history. The Dublin-born left-hander brought “cricket home” when he became the first England captain to raise the one-day international World Cup trophy above his head on an unforgettable balmy Sunday at Lord’s in 2019. But Morgan’s legacy goes far beyond delivering the Holy Grail. He revolutionised England’s approach to white-ball cricket, and provided the support, motivation and encouragement that has unleashed a whole new generation of young English cricketers who play the game without any fear. And although the 36-year-old retired from international cricket earlier this year after 363 white-ball matches, it was his playbook that provided the platform for Jos Buttler’s team to win the T20 World Cup in Australia last month. Morgan and Buttler, along with fellow 2019…

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic described their World Cup quarter-final opponents Brazil as “terrifying” after the five-time champions thrashed South Korea 4-1 to send a clear message to their rivals. Brazil, however, could be even stronger in tomorrow’s last-eight clash with the 2018 runners-up as leftback Alex Sandro should be available and they will be close to full-strength after a number of injury problems. With talisman Neymar and key defender Danilo returning against South Korea after missing two games due to ankle problems, coach Tite had to improvise and started right-back Danilo on the left of the defence. Tite is hoping to field his first-choice team against Croatia with full-backs Danilo and Sandro in their natural positions, sending versatile centre-back Eder Militao back to the substitutes’ bench after impressive performances. Neymar…

South Africans should brace for candle-lit Christmas dinners as utility implements Stage 6 SOUTH Africans should brace for candle-lit Christmas dinners this year, as Eskom has not ruled out higher stages of power cuts – up to Stage 8 – after implementing Stage 6 load shedding for the first time since September 18. The struggling power utility yesterday increased load shedding from Stage 3 to Stage 4 in the morning, then ramped it up to Stage 6 indefinitely, at noon. Eskom said this was due to a high number of breakdowns since midnight on Tuesday, as well as the requirement to strictly preserve the remaining emergency generation reserves. The utility currently has breakdowns totalling 17 800MW of capacity, in addition to planned maintenance of 5 400MW, together taking 23 200MW…

SOUTH Africa keeps on getting distracted in its policies and approaches geared towards raising the long-term growth of its economy, said economist Keith Lockwood. He spoke with Business Report following Altron FinTech’s release of its latest Short-term Credit Impact Index, known as the AFSCI Index, which tracks the impact of short-term credit extension on the South African economy on a quarterly basis. The index for the third quarter of 2022, showed a 0.9% quarter-on-quarter increase in net short-term credit extension. Explaining why the index remains pertinent, Lockwood said while short-term credit represented a very small share of total consumer credit, it was important because it provided a barometer of the financial health of a vulnerable, and often neglected portion of South Africa’s population. He asked whether the country wanted to…

Local celebrities Nandi Madida and Somizi Mhlongo applauded Christopher Logan, a young white man who defended his black pal Thabiso Danca against an alleged racist pub owner. Cellphone video footage emerged on social media recently in which Logan is seen confronting the owner of the popular Cape Town joint Hank’s Olde Irish for allegedly denying Danca access to the venue because he was not accompanied by a white person. Pointing at his friend, Logan said: “This man, right here, Thabiso, came in yesterday, moments after Jordan (his other friend, who is white) came in …Your bouncer stopped him and said, ‘You cannot come in here without a white person. If you come in here, I know what you’re like; you steal, you guys cause trouble, you need to come in…

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has been asked to recuse himself from the Section 89 review process. This is after President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday accused the Section 89 panel of misunderstanding its mandate when considering the Phala Phala farm saga. Ramaphosa decided to take the report that found he may have violated the Constitution on review to the Constitutional Court, calling for it to set the report aside. In light of this, calls are growing for Justice Zondo to recuse himself. Some ANC members, including Tony Yengeni, have called him “a biased chief justice” whose bias had shown itself in some of his public and private statements. During the state capture hearings, Justice Zondo is reported to have said that Ramaphosa had saved the National Treasury, adding that if Ramaphosa…

KZN’s Qiniso Ngiba and Gauteng’s Leane Naude emerged as winners of the Blue Sky Young Researchers Innovation Award – and will now compete internationally against 12 other representatives from seven countries. The awards are held biennially – young students and researchers who focus on forest- based science are encouraged to take part, and this includes forestry techniques and turning raw materials into products which contributes to the forest bio-economy. Ngiba, 25, obtained his BSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of KZN and his Master’s from Stellenbosch University. Ngiba is a junior research engineer at paper and packaging manufacturer, Mpact. Ngiba’s project synthesised artificial humus by using the spent pulp lignin from the pulping and paper-making process and tested these products in a plant trial. The synthesis of artificial humus…

A 8-month-old died after swallowing a button battery last week. The news was shared by Dr Melissa Chettiar on her Facebook page on Sunday evening. Chettiar is a paediatrician at Kingsway Hospital in Durban. “This week I lost a beautiful 8-month-old baby due to the ingestion of a button battery which became lodged in his oesophagus,” Chettiar said. “I am heartbroken writing this post but I need parents, especially of infants, to become aware of the dangers of these innocent-looking batteries.” She said button batteries were found in many electronic devices and children’s toys and were corrosive. “If it becomes lodged in the oesophagus it can cause full-thickness burns and oesophageal and tracheal perforation,” Chettiar said. “If you see your baby or toddler ingest a button battery it should be…

Police in Mpumalanga have welcomed the sentencing of two field rangers, after they were caught with an unlicensed and prohibited firearm with ammunition as well as “a dangerous weapon” at a camp site inside the Kruger National Park. “Hendric Eccelence Silinda, 31, and Achieve Musa Mlambo, 38, were both sentenced on Tuesday, 6 December 2022, by the Skukuza Regional Court after being arrested in February 2019,” said Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala. The court heard how Silinda and Mlambo, who were employed as rangers at the Kruger National Park, became involved in some “dodgy dealing”. “Information surfaced that there were certain field rangers at Skukuza section who were in possession of an unlicensed firearm. Further details indicated that the firearm was hidden somewhere at their camping site. SANParks then…

Have you invested in high-end holiday homes in KwaZulu-Natal’s coastal areas? Well, this tsunami of poop spilling over and affecting the Indian Ocean, and the rivers and beaches will no doubt put a serious dent in the values of these properties. It’s so bad that walking on the beaches is now considered risky. There is no easy fix, even though the mayor of eThekwini is attempting to convince prospective holiday-makers that all is okay. It’s not okay, it’s an unmitigated disaster, as years of incompetence and mismanagement translate into financial disaster for businesses and homeowners alike. The need to fix things is immediate and urgent!…

THE MAYOR of Joburg is not only accused of messing up the finances of the City of Joburg, but now she is accused of stealing another woman’s fiancé and tying the knot. Over the weekend, Mpho Phalatse married Brutus Malada, an official in the City of Joburg. There had long been rumours that Malada had been writing the mayor’s speeches because he was a skilled writer. Malada is also an ActionSA member close to the leadership of the party. The Star spoke to Malada’s former fiancée, Ntsako Tshifaro, who accused the mayor of ruining her relationship. According to Tshifaro, she and Malada would watch Phalatse on the evening news and sometimes comment on her as a politician. Tshifaro is a businesswoman from Venda, and she said it came as a…

Kevin Lerena says it would be “definitely fitting” to have a rematch with Daniel Dubois, and feels that if he had been given time to recover from a knockdown, it could have been a different outcome in their WBA (regular) heavyweight title bout in London at the weekend. The 30-year-old southpaw stunned fans at ringside at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night when he dropped champion Dubois to the canvas in the first round. But the tall British boxer found his feet in the second round, and then knocked out Lerena with a big right uppercut in the third. Dubois went down three times in the first round, but was controversially allowed to recover in his corner after English referee Howard Foster called time at two minutes and 49…

Cristiano Ronaldo first found himself unloved and unwanted by Manchester United. Now the unthinkable has happened – he has been dumped by Portugal. The superstar forward was largely a spectator as the side he has captained for so long threw off the shackles and romped to a 6-1 victory over Switzerland in the World Cup last-16 on Tuesday night. Young striker Goncalo Ramos, brought in for Ronaldo, scored a stunning hat-trick and at least competed with his illustrious teammate for the headlines. Ronaldo came to the World Cup seeking respite after a troubled spell at Old Trafford this season, where he had become a peripheral figure under new manager Erik ten Hag. Those frustrations boiled over last month in an explosive TV interview in which he lashed out at the…

It is no secret that Argentina’s dreams of a third World Cup triumph lie largely on the shoulders of Lionel Messi, but another man bearing the same first name is also integral to the hopes of the Albiceleste. At 44, Lionel Scaloni is the youngest coach at the World Cup.Tomorrow, he will pit his wits against the oldest, 71-year-old Louis van Gaal, when Argentina take on the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. “I’m proud to take him on, everyone knows what he’s done for football and how many people have tried to copy him,” Scaloni said of Van Gaal after Argentina beat Australia in the last 16. “This is one of the pleasures that football gives you, especially as it is happening at a World Cup.” In his four years in…