Table of contents for 2023-03-03 in Star

With last year’s pandemic levels dimming its light, the festival was forced to host a minimum number of patrons and organisers say they are relieved to be back to full capacity. Organiser Barry Reid said: “In 2023, there are no limits and due to last year’s FOMO, there’s much hype and excitement for what will be the biggest Cape Town Pride ever. There is a reason why Cape Town Pride was voted the ‘Best Pride in Africa’ by Interpride in 2021 – we pull out all the stops.” Back by popular demand are the evergreen 3 Tons of Fun, Afrohouse sensation 3 Fingers from Crossroads, the electrifying 3Divas drag trio, who are celebrating their 13th year on the Cape Town Pride stage, and the 2016 runner-up in SA’s Got Talent…

“GANG violence will not stop just because (police) Minister Bheki Cele came here today. It is not the first time that Cele has come to Westbury.” These are the words of one of the residents who spoke on condition of anonymity following Cele’s visit to the area yesterday. “I still have pictures from his last visit to the area in 2018. He came here and landed in a helicopter, but gang-related violence and drug peddling by protected criminals continued.” Cele, who visited the Sophiatown police station to get a briefing on crime prevention efforts in the area, promised to intensify his efforts in dealing with the myriad criminal issues in the area. Cele’s visit comes after the community witnessed another eruption of gang-related violence following the gunning down of Keenen…

Johannesburg’s new MMC for Health and Social Development, Ennie Makhafola, plans to ensure that the city’s clinics offer the best service in the country. Makhafola, an EFF caucus member, is a professional nurse. She said one of her priorities was increasing the operating hours of clinics in the city. In most townships around the city, residents would have to wake up in the early hours to get service at the clinic. Makhafola said there had been strides already to increase operating hours of clinics, and her term in office would see more innovations. “Our clinics are already operating from 7.30am till 4pm and from 6am to 6pm for those covering extended hours. To further increase access to health care, I am looking into having all our clinics work extended hours,…

Forever Interrupted Taylor Jenkins Reid Loot (R175) Elsie Porter is an average twenty-something and yet what happens to her is anything but ordinary. On a rainy New Year’s Day she heads out to pick up a pizza for one. She isn’t expecting to see anyone else in the shop, much less the adorable and charming Ben Ross. Their chemistry is instant and electric. Ben cannot even wait 24 hours before asking to see her again. Within weeks, the two are head over heels in love. By May they’ve eloped. Only nine days later, Ben is out riding his bike when he is hit by a truck and killed on impact. Elsie hears the sirens outside her apartment, but by the time she gets downstairs, he has already been whisked off…

Pangolins: Scales on Injustice Richard Peirce Loot (R184) Struik Nature THE pangolin, which has been an inhabitant on Earth for tens of thousands of years, is in danger of extinction. In his book, the author points out the monetary value of a pangolin. Due to people in Southeast Asia believing the fallacy that pangolin scales have special medicinal powers, scales sell for R50 000 per kilogram. Pangolin meat, regarded as a delicacy in China, can fetch R5 400/kg. With such figures, the trade is brisk and has tragically attracted the attention of organised crime. Thus the pangolin has become the most trafficked mammal in the world. Pierce introduces readers to this charming and enigmatic animal and follows the likely journey of a pangolin poached in Zimbabwe and…

It was encouraging to read in The Star, February 28, about the demonstration staged at the Zimbabwean UK embassy by the activist group, The Citizens Coalition for Change UK and Ire, calling for the release of MP Job Sikhala who has spent 256 days in jail in Zimbabwe without bail. That this call can safely be made only thousands of kilometres away from Zimbabwe is an indication of the extent of tyranny imposed on the people of Zimbabwe by the Zanu-PF government under President Emmerson Mnagwagwa, which is no different from the 37 years they endured under the late president Robert Mugabe. It is a good start that might persuade the president to reconsider his style of governance out of embarrassment for the way it reflects badly on the country…

Most employers prefer prospective employees to have at least three references to confirm their bona fides. In the past, a testimonial was a prerequisite for school admission. When I applied to the principal of Lemana High School, I requested my teacher to write me a testimonial. The teacher wrote that my bona fides were unquestionable and beyond reproach. “He is an honest boy from an honest home,” he fondly wrote about me. When I received my admission number in the post, I was over the moon. It was cheering that I was exposed to the “paradise” called electricity for the first time at boarding school since our Soweto township had no electricity. I tried doubly hard to maintain the value of integrity throughout my schooling career, but one day…

It is reported that women tend to be hesitant to seek health-care associated with taboo subjects such as sex, HIV, and reproductive health. This lack of awareness becomes a challenge to be tackled for preventative women’s health-care. Experts say promoting women’s reproductive and overall health should be a top priority for community development. According to Sister Thandi Mgcina, health-care manager at NPO, Rhiza Babuyile, there were still many adolescent girls and women who needed to be encouraged to seek health-care at their closest available facility. This is because many women are reluctant to seek health-care associated with taboo subjects such as sex, HIV and reproductive health. Mgcina said the decrease in cases associated with teenage pregnancy shows that communities have improved access to primary health care for women. “Anecdotally, our…

KABUL: The Gemini, a 164m cruise ship, has become a floating shelter for hundreds of Turkish earthquake survivors. They are among nearly 2 million people who were uprooted by the earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria last month. The vessel is docked in Iskenderun Port off the coast of southern Türkiye. On board are 1 251 people, including four doctors. The ship has provided temporary respite from the wreckage of a disaster that killed more than 46 000 people. Türkiye’s disaster management agency said more than 1.9 million people were offered shelter in locations including tents, containers, dormitories, hotels and guesthouses. | The Washington Post…

Florida: A fresh crew of astronauts was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) yesterday by Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX and Nasa, a week after the launch was delayed after a problem with the ground system. Two Nasa astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut, and an astronaut from the UAE, are set to reach the ISS outpost today to begin a six-month stay. The capsule would spend a day navigating through space before connecting with the space station. The mission marks the sixth long-term ISS team that Nasa has flown aboard SpaceX. | ANI…

BRENDON McCullum has promised that England will keep faith with their attacking game during the Ashes despite Tuesday’s extraordinary one-run loss to New Zealand in Wellington. The hosts levelled a two-match series by becoming just the fourth side in 146 years of Test cricket to win after following-on. The Basin Reserve contest will go down as an all-time classic, with England asking New Zealand to follow on 226 runs behind, only to struggle in pursuit of a target of 258. England, despite being denied a seventh successive victory, have won 10 out of 12 Tests since captain Ben Stokes and coach McCullum, himself a former New Zealand skipper, joined forces last year following a woeful run of one win in 17 matches at this level. McCullum, while disliking the ‘Bazball’…

THE pressure on the Sharks and the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship (URC) will strike a new level this weekend as the race for play-off spots moves up a few notches with just four rounds left to the knockout stages. Going into this weekend’s South African derbies, the Stormers are in second place and are home and dry for a quarter-final, while the 12th-placed Lions dropped out of the race long ago. But in between are the Sharks in seventh place on 40 points and the Bulls just above them on 41 points, and it is these two teams that will be fighting for their lives when they visit the Stormers and host the Lions, respectively. The Lions can do the Sharks a huge favour by shocking the Bulls…

PRIVATE renewable energy projects currently under development will go a long way to alleviate power shortages, Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) CEO Emrie Brown said yesterday. She said RMB at present had a pipeline of more than 5 000MW. In the six months, RMB’s sustainability finance and ESG advisory teams facilitated deals worth R17.3 billion, adding to the R26.41bn facilitated over the previous financial year. “This enables clients to have access to reliable power supply to ensure they positively contribute to our economy,” she said at the release of the bank’s interim results for the six months to December 31. She said RMB, the corporate and investment banking arm of FirstRand had ramped up its transition and infrastructure financing and continued to grow its broader Africa business in the…

SIU: house was built with funds linked to siphoning off of NLC grant funding The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has revealed that the house of the renowned award-winning actress Moitheri “Terry” Pheto that was set for auction failed to acquire a buyer on the first day of its auction. Last year, the SIU reported that the house was built with funds linked to the siphoning off of National Lottery Commission (NLC) grant funding. The SIU swooped on multimillion-rand properties, a luxury vehicle, and two seafood restaurants owned by Pheto, former Lottery boss Lesley Ramulifho, and a group of others. Despite an unsuccessful first day of auction, SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said they would go ahead with the auction of the house of the Tsotsi star. He said the unit was…

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has noted the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey published by Statistics South Africa for the fourth quarter for the period October 2022 to December 2022, which shows a marginal decrease in the unemployment rate. The official unemployment rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points, from 32.9% in the third quarter to 32.7% in the fourth quarter both of 2022. Numsa’s spokesperson, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, said that in the fourth quarter, the unemployment rate also decreased by 0.5 percentage points to 42.6%. Even though there has been a decrease, these figures are still very high, demonstrating the failure of the policies put in place to create more employment. “We have a growing population of young people who are sitting at home, not working. The…

On February 22, 2023, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana touched on some of South Africa’s labour issues. Firstly, one needs to understand that our country is in a perilous state. Money is tight, state-owned enterprises are bankrupt and government departments are desperately low on finance and functionality. Most of this is because of theft, cadre deployment and corruption. Godongwana stated that “households are under pressure from the rising cost of living, and unemployment remains stubbornly high”. At least there is an acknowledgement that unemployment is probably one of our biggest issues arising out of state capture. The minister does acknowledge that unemployment is as urgent today, if not more so, as it was at the dawn of our democracy nearly 30 years ago. In fact, it must be stated that unemployment…

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan showed his true colours in his interview on Newzroom Afrika. As a seasoned politician, you would have expected more from him. But he has been well groomed by the ANC on how to be evasive. As Public Enterprises Minister, his replies to the questions on the looting at Eskom were most disappointing. You would have expected him to show more interest and concern and say that he and the government are taking De Ruyter’s allegations seriously. Gordhan should also have asked De Ruyter for names and accompanied him to the police to lay charges. But all he did was dismiss his allegations as mere “allusions”. Yet, the whole country knows that Eskom has become a feeding trough for the ANC and needs urgent intervention to…

Thabethe, who will be representing the country at Miss Supranational in Poland in July as Miss Supranational South Africa, launched her advocacy campaign, Project Khulisa, this week, which aims to help communities struggling with food insecurity. The 23-year-old, who was in her final year of a BSc in Dietetics and Human Nutrition at the University of KwaZulu-Natal when she entered the pageant last year, discusses the complexities of obesity and shares some affordable and nutritious recipes. Asked for her opinion on obesity in South Africa, she said: “Obesity is the enemy and is under-estimated in South Africa. Through a number of mechanisms, some as simple as the mechanical stress of carrying excess weight and others involving complex changes in hormones and metabolism, obesity raises the risk of various fatal…

TUNIS: A Tunisian opposition coalition said yesterday it would hold a demonstration on Sunday despite being denied permission by the authorities, who cited an alleged plot by the group’s leaders against state security. Leaders of the National Salvation Front coalition are among prominent opponents of President Kais Saied arrested over the past month on charges that the opposition says are politically motivated. The governor of Tunis said he was refusing permission for Sunday’s protest. Labour union UGTT is holding its own protest in the capital tomorrow with opposition parties. | Reuters…

Buenos Aires: Argentina is facing a massive electricity outage after a fire affected the national power grid, leading to blackouts in half of the South American nation. The fire on Wednesday reportedly started in open fields, affecting crucial power lines in the coastal zone and putting a nuclear power station offline. The outage comes amid a heatwave in Argentina, with day temperatures over 35°C. Major cities are worst affected, with an estimated 150 000 people still without power in Buenos Aires. In 2019 a massive electrical failure left tens of millions of people in the dark in Argentina. | IANS…

PROTEAS Test captain Temba Bavuma was satisfied with his team’s 87-run victory over the West Indies in the first Test yesterday but knows there remains plenty of room for improvement. In the first Test of a new era under Bavuma and coach Shukri Conrad’s leadership, the home team were again guilty of their, all too familiar, batting collapses, which were prevalent under the previous regimes. The first innings saw the Proteas lose 9/121 before being skittled for just 116 second time around. Fortunately, Player of the Match Aiden Markram was in sublime form with knocks of 115 and 47 to give the impressive Proteas bowling unit enough runs to defend. Anrich Nortje did the business in the first innings with his fourth career Test five-wicket haul before talisman Kagiso Rabada…

FORMER Australia captain Ricky Ponting feels that David Warner missed the chance to end his Test career on his own terms after scoring a double century against the Proteas in Melbourne last year and says that he should have retired after the Sydney Test, which was his 101st match in the longest format of the game. Warner registered scores of 1, 10 and 15 in India in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy before being sent home to recover from a fractured elbow. He has passed 50 just twice in his past 20 Test innings and doubts are being cast on his place in the Australian team for the Ashes in England. The seasoned opener struggled in the 2019 series in England, averaging just 9.50 across five Tests with three ducks. “For…

SOUTH African stock markets snapped the three-day gains yesterday as investors continued to fret about the prospect of further monetary tightening from major central banks. This comes as the local bourse had closed in the green on Wednesday, as stronger Chinese factory data revived hopes for a global economic rebound. The JSE All Share Index fell more than 1.5% to around 77 415 points after consecutive sessions of advances due to the prevailing fear of higher for longer interest rates, after hawkish comments from US Federal Reserve officials. Barloworld, Naspers, and Investec led the losses with 5.86%, 4.29% and 5.05% to R90.60, R3 272.71 and R110.37per share, respectively. South Africa was not the only one to be affected as emerging market stocks edged lower. In the US, Atlanta…

Wits University students intensified their protest over a lack of accommodation and financial exclusion yesterday. The students, who have been protesting since Tuesday, have vowed to continue their fight until management meets their demands. Classes were disrupted for most of the day as students continued their opposition to the concessions confirmed by the university aimed at easing the situation. Yesterday’s action saw Braamfontein come to a standstill in certain areas as rioting students moved through the CBD. Tyres were burnt and litter scattered throughout the streets by students who accused the university of being unresponsive to their needs and demands. The Wits Student Representative Council (SRC) said: “Students who haven’t registered due to financial exclusion have been made to suffer due to a lack of money while the university has…

Ikapa Group Express Auctions will be hosting a Sars Customs online auction on March 15, from 8am to 12.30pm. The auction will consist of items from the Gauteng warehouses, including jewellery, sporting equipment, hairpieces, tools, machine parts, car parts, household goods and vehicles. The first warehouse is the Ortia & Karsene State Warehouse at 10 Mpumelelo Road, Doornfontein, City Deep, Johannesburg. Call either Sipho Christopher Skosana at 083 447 4496 or Hendrika Coetzer at 072 235 2889. The second is in Pretoria, AcerlorMittal, on the corner of Roger Dyason and Frikkie Meyer roads, Pretoria West. Call Nthabiseng Seganye at 079 508 3061. Viewing is by appointment only on March 13 and 14 from 9am to 3pm. For more information, contact auctioneer Johan at 082 854 4685 or visit www.ikapagroup.co.za.…

Unnatural History Jonathan Kellerman Loot (R249) Century A gripping new crime novel featuring Alex Delware from the master of suspense. When Lieutenant Milo Sturgis and psychologist Alex Delaware are called to the scene of a converted LA industrial building with a man brutally murdered inside, it sets off their most complex case yet. The victim had recently received rave media attention for his latest photography project: images of homeless people living their “dreams”. However, some saw this elaborately costumed project as nothing more than exploitation. Did anger turn to murder? Or do the roots of violence reach down to the victim’s family – a clan, sired by an elusive billionaire? As new murders start taking place, Alex and Milo look into the unsettling case, culminating in one of the…

BRITNEY - BREAKING FREE Danny White Loot (R268) Michael O’Mara Although I am familiar with the musical career of Britney Spears, I do not fall into her fans’ age group. Having said that, my interest in her personal life was piqued when issues with her conservatorship started bubbling in the media. Britney – Breaking Free by Danny White is an unauthorised biography and as the subtitle suggests, in the latter part of the book there is focus on Britney and the lifting of that suffocating conservatorship. Yet another victim of fame at a young age, Britney started her career in showbiz with much promise. She was talented, beautiful, hard-working, and professional. But as her fame took off and more people became involved in her career, her work schedule and its…

Prince Harry is reportedly planning to add an extra chapter to Spare. The 38-year-old royal – who tied the knot with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in 2018 – stepped down from official duties in 2020 and released his bombshell memoir in January but is now said to be adding another chapter to the paperback release which will detail his and his wife’s reaction to the “backlash” they have received following the release of the tome as well as their Netflix documentary. A source told PageSix: “Prince Harry is already planning to add at least one new chapter … to the paperback version … out later this year or early next, when the hard cover sales have ended. “Readers are eager to know (Harry and Meghan’s) feelings about the royal backlash…

Dr Iqbal Surve’s article on a free and independent media warrants comment. Freedom of the media and the right to free speech are the pivotal pillars our fragile democracy relies on. The right to speak freely is a prerequisite for all our other freedoms and for living in a free society. Of course, free speech is not a panacea. While some speech allows us to confront injustice, there are plenty of instances when our speech can perpetuate injustice and harm. For our freedom of speech to work, to have meaning or the power to improve our democracy, we need to listen to one another. In fact, we have a responsibility to listen, because listening allows us to extend freedom of speech to others. This is because the right to assemble…

Hadebe will be among other local music heavyweights, including Makhadzi, Emtee, Mthandeni, Toss, DJ Pru, Siya Papu, Shasha, DJ Stu, Thula Sizwe, Tshedi Mholo and Lady Cele, to highlight the birthday. Sjava recently released his eagerly awaited album, Isbuko, which brings to light a deeply introspective side of the artist as he takes the listener on a journey of bare and raw emotions. “I feel good about the album. I am proud of it, it’s my work. It means a lot to me that I am still alive and that I am able to do this and continue with God’s work.” The Eweni hitmaker unpacks the essence behind the title “Isbuko”, which he says is all about reflection, sitting yourself down, and asking yourself questions. “And why I titled it…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa seems to be suffering from a bad case of decision paralysis. The same diagnosis could be used to characterise most of his presidency thus far, if one were to do a pure “plan vs action” analysis. But in this current period, there appears to a heightened level of suspense, tension and expectation as the nation awaits a response from the presidency on a range of issues. It’s been three weeks since the State of the Nation Address when Ramaphosa declared a National State of Disaster to “urgently” tackle the electricity crisis that has necessitated load shedding every day this year. One of the key features of the government’s response was the creation of a minister of electricity within the presidency. That was on February 9 and no…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged his Russian counterpart to end the Ukraine war on the sidelines of G20 talks yesterday, in their first face-to-face contact since the invasion. Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke briefly at the meeting of the world’s top diplomats in New Delhi, which failed to reach a joint final declaration after objections from Moscow and Beijing. “I told the foreign minister what I and so many others said last week at the United Nations, and what so many G20 foreign ministers said today – end this war of aggression, engage in meaningful diplomacy that can produce a just and lasting peace,” Blinken said. The last time Blinken and Lavrov were in the same room – at a G20 meeting in Bali last…

LONDON: More than half of the world’s population will be overweight or obese by 2035 without significant action, says a new report. The World Obesity Federation’s 2023 atlas predicts that 51% of the world, or more than 4 billion people, will be obese or overweight within the next 12 years. Rates of obesity are rising particularly quickly among children and in lower income countries, the report found. The report found that childhood obesity could more than double from 2020 levels, to 208 million boys and 175 million girls by 2035. The cost to society as a result of being overweight would be more than $4 trillion annually by 2035. | Reuters…

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rhulani Mokwena has stated that he expects the winner of the coveted Footballer of the Season award to emerge from his group of players. When quizzed about where he thought the Footballer of the Season award would land, Mokwena refused to pick out any of his outstanding individuals but expressed his confidence in that person emerging from the Sundowns dressing room. “If it was up to me, I would give them (the Sundowns players) all Player of the Year,” he said. “I think the players have been magnificent and I’ve said it in every press conference, the game of football belongs to the players. “Whoever is (Footballer of the Season), I’m sure they will come from the Sundowns squad because I think there hasn’t been anyone…

THREE months on from his season-ending victory in Abu Dhabi, Max Verstappen returns to the Gulf this weekend set on claiming another win to ignite his bid for a third consecutive world title. The 25-year-old Dutchman, who reeled off 15 triumphs in 22 races last year on his way to becoming a double world champion with Red Bull, has never won a season-opener or a race in Bahrain. Last year, he retired from second place as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took pole position, fastest lap and a convincing victory, leaving Verstappen to play catch-up in the early part of the season before dominating. It is a memory he and Red Bull and keen to banish with a brisk start to the 2023 season in front of a sell-out crowd at the…