Table of contents for 2023-08-01 in Star

Tyre Importers Association warns that consumers will bear brunt of sharp increase in prices THE SOUTH African Tyre Manufacturers Conference (SATMC), which represents the four tyre manufacturers with plants in South Africa, yesterday welcomed the continued imposition of anti-dumping duties on passenger, truck and bus tyre imports from China. “Since the start of the investigation we have seen no less than three price increases from the local manufacturers with a fourth one due to come into effect in the next month or two. The consumer will once again have to bear the brunt of these increases. This is exactly what we predicted will happen if a dumping margin is introduced,” Tyre Importers Association of South Africa chairperson Charl de Villiers said yesterday. “We expect prices to increase further in coming…

LIBERTY Two Degrees (L2D), the South African precinct-focused, retail-centred real estate investment trust (Reit), saw more improvement in its properties in the six months to June 30 from the low of the Covid pandemic, with footfall in its portfolio of some of the most iconic South African retail properties up by 9.1% over the period. “The portfolio’s operational and financial metrics have continued to improve, notwithstanding a muted domestic economic and operating environment. L2D generated a good operating performance in the first half,” L2D’s CEO, Amelia Beattie, said yesterday. L2D’s assets include Melrose Arch and the Sandton City and Eastgate complexes in Johannesburg, and Liberty Mall in Pietermaritzburg. The group, whose shareholders are mulling an offer by L2D’s parent, Liberty Group, to buy out the minority shareholders and delist, reported…

GOOGLE Search dominance and its business model are distorting platform competition as small and new platforms struggle for visibility and customer acquisition, according to the much-anticipated Online Intermediation Platforms Market Inquiry report. The report, released by the Competition Commission yesterday, is the culmination of almost two years of investigations into local and international business-to-consumer (B2C) online platform markets, and identifies features that adversely affect competition in these markets. The commission investigated, and required remedial action from leading platforms such as Google, Booking.com, Takealot, Apple, Uber Eats, Mr D Food, Property24, Private Property, AutoTrader, and Cars.co.za. Other businesses included national restaurant chains, Bolt Food, and Prop Data. The report said Google Search was an actual monopoly, accounting for more than 90% of all general searches across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.…

The transformative power of cloud computing, generative artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation (RPA) and ever more intelligent bots has made the digital transformation of organisations in the digital age imperative. The problem is that many organisations are struggling to navigate a world where digital and AI technology are fundamentally reshaping how we live and work. Organisations find it difficult to make digital transformation work and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage over their competitors. In this process, some organisations have wasted an enormous amount of resources on digital transformation. But there is immense potential for those organisations that get it right. Let us thus look at some of the factors that are important to get digital transformation right. Becoming digital Unfortunately, “digital transformation” has become a popular and panoptic term…

Glencore International said yesterday that it had acquired Pan American Silver’s 56.25% stake in the copper Mara Project for R8.5 billion. Mara, located in the Catamarca province of Argentina, has proven and probable mineral reserves of 5.4 million tons of copper and 7.4 million ounces of gold contained in 1.105 billion tons of ore. It has a 27-year mine life based on mineral reserves supported by more than 86km of drilling. The brownfield copper project ranks as one of the lowest capital-intensive copper projects in the world today, owing to the existing, well-maintained Alumbrera processing plant and associated infrastructure. Mara is expected to be in the top 25 global copper producers when operational, with an expected average copper production over the first 10 full years exceeding 200 kiloton per annum.…

Desiree Ellis has no plans of chopping and changing her Banyana Banyana team for their must-win clash against Italy tomorrow morning, despite calls for changes at the back. Banyana could reach the World Cup last 16 for the very first time if they beat Italy (kick-off at 9am) in their final Group G clash, and the result between Sweden and Argentina favours them. But after squandering leads to lose 2-1 to Sweden and draw 2-2 with Argentina, there’ve been growing concerns about the team’s game management – with blame thrown at their defensive unit. Stressing form, approach and match fitness, Ellis opted for centre-back Bongeka Gamede and goalkeeper Kaylin Swart in the last two matches ahead of regulars Noko Matlou and Andile Dlamini. That didn’t sit well with some, who…

Four suspects aged between 16 and 19 years old were arrested less than two hours after the brutal murder of a 79-year-old farmer, whose wife was injured in the attack. Mpumalanga SAPS Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said the suspects fled with three firearms and the victim’s vehicle in Grootvlei, next to Balfour, on Sunday at about 8.30am. “The suspects assaulted both victims, the husband and wife. The deceased was injured with an unknown object in his face, and as a result, he succumbed to his injuries.” According to the police, the farmer was certified dead on the scene by medical personnel, and his wife was taken to hospital for medical treatment. “The house was ransacked, and the suspects made off with an undisclosed amount of cash, a .22 pistol, a .38…

Popular YouTube podcast Podcast and Chill with MacG took its momentous celebration of reaching more than 1 million subscribers to Pretoria, filling SunBet Arena. Having hosted a list of esteemed personalities such as Oskido, DJ Sbu, Black Coffee, John Kani, Connie Chiume, Mmusi Maimane, Herman Mashaba, Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng, Abdul Khoza, Sello Maake KaNcube, Tbo Touch, Robert Marawa and Jub Jub, among many others, the podcast continues to be on an upward trajectory. At the event at the weekend, MacG, Sol Phenduka and Ghost Lady were at the helm as hosts, while thousands of supporters showed up for the event. It is no secret that the YouTube channel has grown in the past few years into one of the most talked-about subjects in the country. The podcast has maintained its…

THE Hawks and the Thai embassy are tight-lipped about the arrest of three men who allegedly held three women captive at a house in Garsfontein, Pretoria, and allegedly used them as sex slaves. The three men have since appeared in court and the women have been freed. Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said they made the breakthrough when one of the captive victims managed to escape. The woman, believed to be of Thai descent, reported her ordeal to the Thai Embassy and claimed she and the other two women had been held against their will for sexual exploitation. “This prompted the involvement of law enforcement and social services. “The information was followed up and contact was made with one of the victims who was still held against her will at…

AS Women’s Month kick off today, many inspiring South African women will be celebrated for the changes that they have enabled throughout the country’s history. Every year in August, the country marks Women’s Month, paying tribute to the more than 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on August 9, 1956 in protest against the extension of the Pass Laws to women. This year marks the 67th anniversary of the mass march of women to the Union Buildings to petition against the pass laws of the country at the time. The government’s programme this month is based on ongoing interventions across the work of government, civil society and the private sector within the context of the national priorities outlined by the government. It said that Women’s Month allows…

Bongeka Gamede has outlined the key factors that Banyana Banyana will need to beat Italy and keep their chances of reaching the World Cup last-16 alive. Having crashed out in the group stage at their first World Cup in 2019, Banyana could make history and reach the knockout stage in Australia and New Zealand. But that’s easier said than done. They must win their last Group G tie against Le Azzure tomorrow (9am kick-off) in Wellington and bank on the result between Sweden and Argentina favouring them. The South Africans have been the architects of their fate after squandering leads in their 2-1 loss to Sweden and 2-2 draw with Argentina. Gamede pointed out yesterday that it will be crucial for the team to improve their game management in the…

South Africa got back to winning ways with a victory over Trinidad and Tobago yesterday, sealing the game 69-28 in their first Super Six clash at the Netball World Cup at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Trinidad and Tobago started well with some good passing and patience while the Proteas has some nice movement from Ivette Griesel at wing attack and Ina-Mari Venter made no mistake inside the circle. Venter started against the Caribbean nation having came on in the fourth quarter in SA’s loss against Jamaica. Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago’s goal scorer Afeisha Noell was certainly making the Proteas work for everything with her presence on court. Nonetheless, Venter continued to be on the mark with her scoring precision and skill. It was an impressive first 15 minutes…

THE price of 95 octane petrol will increase by 37 cents per litre (cpl) tomorrow while the price of diesel (0.005% sulphur) will increase by as much as 71cpl due to stronger global oil prices last month, offset slightly by a stronger rand. South Africa’s fuel prices are adjusted monthly, informed by international and local factors including international crude oil and finished product prices, and including importation costs such as shipping costs. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy said yesterday that fuel prices are rising because the average Brent crude oil price increased to $79.75 a barrel in the period under review, from $75.10 per barrel the previous month, driven in part by increased demand for crude oil from China and India, and tightening supply due to continued production…

MTN GROUP expects half-year to June earnings to increase despite volatility in forex rates in key markets. In its trading statement for the six-month period ended June 30, 2023, the country’s second-largest mobile operator said yesterday that its headline earnings per share (Heps) was expected to rise by up to 10% to between 506 cents and 557c, from 506c previously. “Heps was negatively impacted by some non-operational and one-off items of approximately 207c, while in June 2022 it was 94c for the six-month period. “These include hyperinflation excluding impairments of 38c, foreign exchange losses of 169c, and an International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) charge arising from the MTN Ghana localisation transaction,” the group said. MTN said it noted the volatility in forex rates in key markets during the first half…

The rise of generative AI, an artificial intelligence technology that produces various types of content, including text, audio and synthetic data, raises an urgent need to feature African languages online. When we consider the fact that content on ChatGPT was made possible by years of English content written online, we can only imagine the extent of the African language gap. This is not to say African languages do not exist on platforms such as ChatGPT; however, their presence is very poor. For them to improve there will be a need for a concerted effort to write in African languages online. There was a period when the value of this exercise was poorly understood. It has now become critical that it is addressed. Here’s why. If tools such as ChatGPT become…

South African households and businesses’ appetite to take out loans is expected to continue moderating for the remainder of 2023, at least until there is certainty over interest rates, after falling to a 13-month low in June on weak economic activity. This comes as the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) this month left the door open after it paused its benchmark lending rate at a 14-year high of 8.25%, following 10 consecutive increases since the hiking cycle began in November 2021. Data from the Reserve Bank yesterday showed that private sector credit slowed by 6.25% year-on-year in June, matching market forecasts after a 6.85% growth in May. This marked the sixth consecutive month of growth in the private sector, albeit at a moderate pace since May 2022. The volatile bills…

Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said the demand for electricity was expected to surge with the cold front hitting Gauteng. This was shared while the SA Weather Service announced that residents should brace for freezing temperatures. Ramokgopa described the cold front as worrying when briefing the media on progress made on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan. He said it could also lead to higher stages of load shedding. “There’s a cold front coming in Gauteng. It’s something that is worrying. We are expecting that demand is going to surge,” said Ramokgopa. While the country fluctuates back and forth with power cuts, Ramokgopa assured citizens that Eskom is working hard to ensure the country does not go beyond Stage 4. “On outage slips, this is one area where we…

A PINETOWN, KwaZulu-Natal, taxi driver, charged with two counts in relation to child pornography and the alleged sexual grooming of an 11-year-old girl, was granted R3 000 bail on Friday. The 44-year-old man was arrested on July 24, and is charged with sexual grooming of a child. It is alleged that between April 12 and July 16, the accused had sexual conversations with the victim. These were allegedly with the intention to persuade the child, or to diminish or reduce any resistance or unwillingness by the child, to perform a sexual act with the accused by stating he “wanted to have a child with the victim”. He is alleged to have exposed the child to pornography by showing her pictures of his private parts. The accused is also charged with…

The three-day BRICS Political Parties Plus Dialogue held last week in Joburg, a month before South Africa hosts the 15th BRICS Summit in August, reasserted the important role of academics, civil society, and ruling and opposition political parties in advancing social change in the global South. The dialogue is one of the many events being hosted in South Africa ahead of the BRICS Summit next month. BRICS is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, a powerful grouping of the world’s leading emerging market economies. The Political Parties Plus Dialogue was held under the theme, “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for mutual accelerated growth, sustainable development, and inclusive growth.” The BRICS groups together Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Many countries from the global south have indicated…

Given the form Argentina have displayed in their last two outings, it is possible that the Springboks have all but written off this weekend’s match in Buenos Aires to World Cup planning. That is not to say they don’t believe they can win – and the Pumas might well field a second-string side – but if you look at the Boks that have travelled, this will be a makeshift team that is about giving game time to individuals who have been on the fringes. The Pumas are returning home after beating Australia away and making the Boks sweat for a grim 22-21 win in Johannesburg. It remains to be seen how coach Michael Cheika approaches this warm-up game but the Boks have shown their hand and it looks like they…

England beat Australia by 49 runs to win the fifth Test at The Oval yesterday and end the Ashes series all square at 2-2. Australia, chasing 384 runs to win, collapsed from 264/3 to 334 all out, with England’s retiring paceman Stuart Broad taking the final wicket. England did the bulk of the damage when, after a rain break of more than two hours, they took four Australia wickets for 11 runs in 19 balls. Off-spinner Moeen Ali took three wickets on his way to innings figures of 3/76 and all-rounder Chris Woakes ended with 4/50. Broad, England’s all-time leading Ashes bowler, then polished off the tail. Australia, as the holders, had already retained the Ashes, but they remain without an Ashes series win in England since 2001. “It was…

It was far from pretty and not overly convincing, but Springbok flyhalf Manie Libbok says the Boks took a great deal out of their 22-21 defeat of Argentina at the weekend. “It might not have looked like it, but we were actually good for long periods of that game against a difficult opponent,” Libbok said. “This game turned into a grind and we are pleased with the way we stayed in the fight. We kept on going, we did not back down, and we got the result.” Libbok said the Pumas have a knack for turning games into an arm wrestle, as the All Blacks and Wallabies will testify. “The Pumas are very good at putting teams under pressure and slowing the game down,” he said. “We lost (scrumhalf) Grant…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has commended the “sustained improvement” shown by Eskom’s generation fleet, a year after the government launched the Energy Action Plan to resolve the load shedding crisis. In his weekly newsletter Ramaphosa said yesterday that although load shedding had continued, the government had managed to avert a worst-case scenario by stabilising the performance of Eskom’s power stations and reducing demand. Ramaphosa said Eskom’s generation fleet had continued to show sustained improvement as unplanned losses had been reduced to less than 16 000MW in the last two months, down from more than 18 000 MW previously. He said planned maintenance had been reduced during the winter period, with Eskom having undertaken significant maintenance in the months preceding winter. “Since the launch of the Energy Action Plan, we…

TELKOM flagged an increase in revenue for the quarter that ended June 30, despite challenging economic conditions prevailing in South Africa, including load shedding. In its trading update, the mobile operator said yesterday that its group revenue grew 3.8% to R10.7 billion, boosted by data and fibre interest. However, core profit decreased by 4.2% to R2.2bn. Telkom reported that mobile revenue grew 5.2% to R5.5bn while mobile service revenue increased by 6.5%, and mobile data revenue rose by 9.9%. The trading update demonstrated the good performance of next- generation network (NGN) offerings despite challenging economic conditions prevailing in South Africa. Telkom Group CEO Serame Taukobong said: “Telkom has started the 2024 financial year with good momentum. Group performance was pleasing in the face of rolling power outages, muted economic growth,…

Elon Musk’s X.com, originally conceived as an “everything-store” for financial services in 1999, is being relaunched in 2023 as a more ambitious version of Twitter. Musk, who now owns Twitter, has outlined plans for a new social network with additional functions for comprehensive communication and financial operations, effectively transforming Twitter into a super app named X. The new CEO of X, Linda Yaccarino, has painted a vision for the app that extends far beyond its microblogging roots, saying, “X is the future state of unlimited interactivity – centred in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking – creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities.” Musk’s plans for X have been compared to WeChat, the widely used Chinese app that combines social media with other services. Under Musk’s direction, Twitter has…

Working at reducing the trade deficit between South Africa and its BRICS counterparts – Brazil, Russia, India, and China – while establishing strategic economic partnership to expand trade is key, according to the BRICS Business Council. This view was emphasised at the BRICS Business Editors’ Breakfast in Johannesburg yesterday ahead of the BRICS Summit taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg from August 22-24, under the theme: “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development, and Inclusive Multilateralism.” Stavro Nicolaou, a member of the BRICS Business Council, said the statistics showed that South Africa was benefiting from BRICS. “As we begin to mature as a BRICS formation across the five markets, it is important to see what the trade patterns look like and see how South…

The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) whet the appetite of film buffs over the past 9 days. The 44th edition wrapped up the event and prize-giving over the weekend with Korean film, Riceboy Sleeps, scooping the top honour. Directed by Anthony Shim, the film bagged the Best Feature Film award for its epic tale of a single parent’s journey of forging a new future for her son in a foreign land. Omen bagged the Best African Feature and Runs in the Family took the Best South African Feature accolade. Directed by Ian Gabriel, Runs in the Family was commended for providing a space for greater inclusion, respect and acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community. South African apartheid-era production Mapantsula, directed by Oliver Schmitz and starring Thomas Mogotlane and Marcel van Heerden,…

STATE witness Colonel Lambertus Steyn faced gruelling cross-examination by the defence counsels for the five men on trial for the murder of Senzo Meyiwa in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, yesterday. Steyn, a qualified data analyser with the SAPS National Cold Case Investigation Unit, gave his analysis of the data retrieved from phone downloads of the occupants at the Vosloorus home of Kelly Khumalo the day Meyiwa was murdered, which he received from the investigation team. On Friday, he told the court that they had established that Fisokuhle Nkani Ntuli had been in contact with Khumalo on at least two occasions before Meyiwa’s murder. Ntuli was said to have called Khumalo on August 2, 2014, and again on October 15, 2014. Steyn said the fifth accused had also been in…

DA leader John Steenhuisen has announced that the party will be filing charges against EFF leader Julius Malema and the ANC government with the United Nations Council. Steenhuisen said in a live broadcast of his speech that the party will be lodging a complaint against Malema’s alleged repeated hate speech utterances after he sang the “Kill the Boer” song during the EFF’s 10th anniversary celebrations at the FNB Stadium on Saturday. Steenhuisen said the charge would be laid in terms of Malema’s violation of at least three key UN charters. These included the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Article 3 of the Convention makes it a punishable offence to direct and publicly incite people to commit mass murder on the basis of their identity.…

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said yesterday he was not surprised by the turn of events in the Section 194 inquiry into the fitness of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to hold office. On Sunday, the inquiry mainly attended by the ANC, ACDP, DA and IFP – deliberated on the evidence and found several charges against Mkhwebane were sustained. A report will be prepared for the consideration of the committee before it is sent to Mkhwebane for comment. Holomisa said it was clear from day one that the ANC and DA had decided that Mkhwebane must go. “There have been questions about the inquiry. Why bring witnesses that were a subject of disciplinary hearings and present them to Parliament as if it is an appeal panel of some sort,” Holomisa asked.…

As the world marks the importance of World Breast-feeding Week from August 1–7, an expert spoke on raising awareness about the benefits of breast-feeding for both mothers and infants. Affinity Health’s Murray Hewlett said he understood that every parent and child is unique, and that they believed in empowering individuals to make informed decisions about infant feeding methods based on their specific circumstances. “We recognise that breast-feeding is a natural and beneficial option, offering optimal nutrition and fostering a deep emotional connection between mother and baby. “However, we also acknowledge that there are situations where pumping or alternative feeding methods may be necessary or preferred. Our mission is to provide comprehensive support, education and resources to help individuals navigate the complexities of infant feeding, ensuring that they can make the…

Hand it to Malema – like a prophet, he pulled in and seduced the crowds. Plying the young and restless with nyama and tshwalla. But most of all, intoxicating them with his philosophy of “mahaladom” – mahala houses, mahala education … Instead of standing at the podium and telling a whole generation of his supporters that any kind of success will come through sweat, toil and hard work. But then, here is a consummate politician, who has never worked a day in his life, living in the lap of luxury at the expense of taxpayers … yet having the sickening temerity in encouraging laziness among people who have nothing. Shame on you, Malema – you and those close to you are gluttons, without a moral compass. Your utterances will never…

Warning: This story contains graphic details and may be triggering to some readers Murder-accusEd Lauren Dickason, 42, told Dr Erik Monasterio, a forensic psychiatrist who interviewed her a month after she allegedly killed her three daughters, she could not form a connection with them and often felt “under-appreciated”, the court heard. Monasterio got involved with the Dickason murder case in September 2021 and first interviewed Lauren in October 2021, Stuff.NZ reported. Monasterio, testifying on behalf of the prosecution in the High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand, yesterday said he interviewed Lauren four times, three times in October 2021 and the fourth in April 2022. He also interviewed her husband, Graham. During their talks, Dickason told Monasterio she found it difficult to bond or form a connection with the girls, the…

Another masterful display and triumph from Max Verstappen ensured Red Bull finished the first half of the season, before the European “summer” break, unbeaten after Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix. The defending double world champion’s victory was his eighth consecutive success, his 10th in 12 races this year, and completed not only a hat-trick of Belgian wins, but also meant he has won every race in the last three months since teammate Sergio Perez’s victory in Azerbaijan on April 30. Here, we look at three things we learned from Sunday’s race. Playful Max toying with rivals The 25-year-old Dutchman is so dominant that he can still win from sixth on the grid after taking a five-place penalty. He is on a different plane to his rivals to such an extent seven-time…