Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-09-09 i Star

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za CONSTRUCTION sector activity was up a solid 4 percent in the second quarter over the first three months of 2021, and rebounded swiftly and in a big way over the same quarter in 2020 due to the Covid-induced low base effect, renowned economist Dr Roelof Botha said yesterday. Speaking at the release of the Afrimat Construction Index (ACI), and on behalf of Afrimat, he said the ACI came to 110.3 points in the second half of 2021, a rebound of 55 percent compared to the same quarter last year. The construction industry continues to improve, he said in a telephone interview. The quarter-on-quarter improvement was fuelled by strong increases in construction sector employment, as well as building material sales. Some 156 000 jobs…

SOUTH Africa’s private label sector has continued to hold its own, rising to command 24.3 percent of the total basket of value sales, which equates to R71 billion, according to NielsenIQ’s new client report titled the State of Private Label in South Africa. The sector’s recent growth comes in the face of the age of lockdowns and an altered consumer reality imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. NielsenIQ, a view provider on consumer behaviour, said the annual sales for the 12 months to end May served to cement PL’s growth path from 2019, when its share of sales was 22.8 percent, which rose to 23 percent by May last year, and a further 24.6 percent by May this year. NielsenIQ South Africa managing director Ged Nooy said there was no doubt…

Liam Karabo Joyce US-BORN, South African-based, hip-hop artist Tshego (real name Tshegofatso Ketshabile) has followed up the runaway success of his 2019 debut album, Pink Panther, with a new EP. 3 Piece is a three-track offering of Tshego’s signature trap-R&B sounds. The EP features collaborations with some of South Africa’s most exciting musicians, among them Flvme, Blxckie and Shekhinah. With 3 Piece, Tshego stays true to his trap-inspired sound with laid-back verses over atmospheric synths, tuned kick drums, and complicated hi-hat patterns. The EP-opener, My Favourite Song, features multi-award-winning pop and R&B vocalist Shekhinah. The two take turns to deliver alluring verses about working on a relationship while dealing with personal vices and demons. “I like pain, and my tattoos state it,” Tshego said, illustrating the sometimes-toxic nature of relationships.…

Sonia Rao Britney Spears’s father filed a petition in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday to end the conservatorship controlling his daughter’s life and finances, according to the Associated Press. The news arrives nearly a month after Jamie Spears agreed to vacate his role as the pop star’s conservator after 13 years. The filing marks a major development in court proceedings over the conservatorship, a legal structure that exists to protect the monetary and personal interests of elderly and seriously ill people. Britney’s conservatorship was established in 2008 as she publicly struggled with her mental health in the face of intense scrutiny from the media and paparazzi. Her father’s petition must be approved by Judge Brenda Penny before it goes into effect. At the next hearing, scheduled for…

ITUMELENG MAFISA GUN FREE SA said it was shocked at the wounding of a Johannesburg pensioner by a stray bullet allegedly fired at the funeral service of the president of the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association, Kebby Maphatsoe. Reports suggest that the pensioner Margerette Halloway, 75, from Westdene, was wounded by a stray bullet fired by mourners at the funeral. Police are investigating a case of attempted murder, but they could not confirm if the bullet that struck the pensioner in the leg came from the ANC stalwart’s funeral. A researcher at Gun Free SA, Claire Taylor, said while the incident was shocking, the practice of shooting in the air during funerals was an international problem. “Shooting in the air, especially during funerals, is not a South African…

Francesca Villette Francesca.villette@inl.co.za THE wheels are in motion to claim back millions of rand owed to the poor who were cheated by disgraced Bellville attorney Brian Baumann. Baumann’s name was struck off the roll of attorneys this week after Western Cape high court Judge Patrick Gamble ruled the convicted fraudster’s actions of swindling clients who had lodged claims for compensation with the Road Accident Fund, were “scandalous, to say the least”. Baumann, 53, is imprisoned in Goodwood after he, in November last year, was convicted on 16 counts of fraud and sentenced to 12 years’ direct imprisonment. The high court noted that Baumann misled his clients as to the extent of their respective settlements, telling them that they were entitled to only a fraction of what was owed. The charge…

READERS will know that there are proposed amendments to two pieces of labour legislation. Firstly, the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Amendment Bill and, secondly, the Employment Equity Amendment Bill. The entities administering the Employment Equity Act and the Compensation Fund Act are both dysfunctional. In essence, the only good thing that would come of the change to the Occupational Injuries Amendment Bill would be the inclusion of domestic workers. It is vital that all workers are registered with the Compensation Fund so as to ensure that they would ostensibly be paid for injuries or diseases arising out of the workplace and to give indemnity to the employer for any claims from workers who are injured or contract diseases. Because of the inefficiency and broken Compensation Fund administration, many…

Allan Wolman | Tel Aviv, Israel Assembling in New York on September 22 will be a gathering of like-minded, small-minded and, might one add, evil-minded delegates for another hate-fest called Durban IV Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. No doubt despite the ANC’s financial woes, not able to pay salaries or Sars and UIF, they will certainly “source” funding to attend this conference. To their credit, more and more principled countries have given notice of boycotting this conference, and hopefully those still with a moral compass will follow suit. One certainty is that the likes of the rogue states will attend in force, hiding behind their racism and radicalism. Leading the pack will be the ANC delegation that epitomises all three of those opening…

A faction was in its earliest sense “a party or group formed to promote its own interests”. That was some 500 years ago, long before the development of political parties as we understand them. In the local context, the word is most familiar in the “faction fight”, usually a fight between rival black groups in tribal areas and conditions, a sense recorded for the 1900s. These deadly confrontations were the beginnings of gang warfare in urban areas, commonly contests for territory for the lucrative drug market, now highly organised and globalised. One of the local gangs was called the Russians, which terrorised the townships from the 1940s. Another currently operating in Marseilles is called the Blacks Faction has over time developed a political sense, as parties are usually an agglomeration…

SOMALIA’S Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble yesterday accused the country’s president of “obstructing” an investigation into an intelligence agent whose disappearance sparked an outcry. Roble fired NISA’s director Fahad Yasin after calling the agency’s report “not convincing”. The official was reinstated by President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who called the sacking “illegal”. He promoted Yasin to national security adviser, threatening to set off a political crisis in the unstable country. | AFP…

THE Open Championship is to return to Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland in 2025, organisers the R&A announced yesterday. The links course previously hosted the championship in 1951 and again in 2019, when Irishman Shane Lowry won the claret jug. “We could not be more thrilled to be bringing the Open back to Royal Portrush in 2025,” R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said. “There will be huge excitement among golf fans around the world to see the best men’s players facing the challenge of this magnificent links once again.” US golfer Collin Morikawa won this year's Open at Royal St George’s in July. The 150th Open next year will be played at St Andrews in Scotland, with the following two championships being held at Royal Liverpool and…

ZAAHIER ADAMS zaahier.adams@inl.co.za THE Proteas women’s team’s accomplished start to the one-day international series has put a spring in their step. If they can fashion a second win against the West Indies tomorrow they will be one step closer to breaking down yet another barrier this year. Hilton Moreeng’s team have already climbed their Mount Everest when they beat a strong Indian side in their own conditions for the first time earlier this year, but they are now battling the heat and humidity of the Caribbean for a maiden series win there too. “The team is in a very good place at the moment, but the conditions really are something else. Last night was one of the toughest experiences I’ve had on the field. The pitches were a bit low,…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa needs to recalibrate its debt management strategy as the finance costs on the government’s more than R400 billion debt are steadily gathering momentum, SA Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago said yesterday. At a discussion on South Africa’s inflation targeting strategy, Kganyago said the State had this far only been able to adequately manage its debt servicing strategy due to low inflation costs, but the horse was fast bolting, with inflation ticking up. “Over the past 12 months or so, we have noticed that National Treasury borrowed over the short end of the yield cap, and because South Africa has such a steep yield cap, we have benefited from borrowing over the short end of the yield cap, but that must be telling us something…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za After surging by 15 points to 50 points in the second quarter, the RMB/BER Business Confidence Index (BCI) retreated to 43 points in the third quarter and is back in net negative terrain, where respondents unsatisfied with business conditions outnumber those that are satisfied. Given the variety of negative factors that affected sentiment in the quarter, this outcome is unsurprising. But things could easily have turned out worse. Although it is not unusual for the RMB/BER BCI to decline after a strong surge, several confidence-sapping developments did aggravate the third-quarter decline. Standouts included the third wave of Covid-19 infections and resultant stricter lockdown restrictions, as well as the unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng. Additionally, respondents had to deal with transport disruptions, first…

Given Majola given.majola@inl.co.za The biggest challenge facing entrepreneurs was how to build a business that would thrive in a future that looked very different to anything that could have been previously imagined, according to Mike Stopforth, a director of business and leadership transformation consultancy Beyond Binary. He said running a business in the current challenging economic environment required a profound level of skill and was difficult under normal circumstances. This was compounded by the rapid acceleration of digitisation and the complex working environment created by the onset of the pandemic, and the number of variables that business leaders needed to consider having increased. Stopforth was a guest speaker in PSG’s most recent Think Big Series webinar held this week relaying his insights on the skills and strategies that business leaders…

Liam Karabo Joyce liam.joyce@inl.co.za IF THERE’s one thing we do as people, it’s box other people. The desire to label others and place them in a box based on sexuality, ethnicity, nationality, hobbies and even musical interests has always fascinated me. Of course, I’ve done this too. However, I’ve endeavoured not to, which can be difficult. Like in the interview with musician Benny Afroe. He’s not a hip-hop star, he’s not an amapiano vocalist or gospel to pop star either; he’s a genre-fluid musician with a goal to inspire people. Born Benny Riba, the rising star recently released his debut EP, following a long list of hit singles and collaborations. Yours Truly is a heartfelt eight-track EP that required a lot of honesty and emotions. A project that has been…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons JUSTICE Minister Ronald Lamola has revealed 12 542 young people between the ages of 16 and 25 are in prison – with 2 453 serving time for murder. In a written parliamentary question, EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi asked Lamola to provide details on the number of persons between the age of 16 and 25 incarcerated in correctional services facilities and the number of the specified persons convicted for murder and grievous bodily harm. Lamola’s figures indicate that, among provinces, youth from the Western Cape comprise the highest number of these inmates, at 3 320, followed by the Eastern Cape with 2 238. A combined figure for the Free State and Northern Cape showed 2 219 youth were behind bars. Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West had a combined…

tender dispute THE Mpumalanga Health Department is embroiled in a legal tussle with a company that claims it is owed R41.5 million for distributing sanitisers to rural communities between April and May last year. Meridian Hygiene brought an application for a summary judgment in the Mbombela High Court. The group argued that it reached a verbal agreement with the department to supply sanitisers. It invoiced the department for R41.5m at the end of May last year. Meridian submitted in its court papers that following the invoice the officials it dealt with “wanted nothing to do with (us)”. The company sought to convince the court to hear its application as one in which the department should be treated as a defendant without a bona fide case. But the department’s legal…

John Whitlock | Germiston THERE’S sex education in primary schools. Even 10-year-olds are getting in on the act. I wonder why? The Gauteng Department of Education wants to “strengthen their teenage pregnancy and sex education campaigns”. Have the “campaigns” had any real effect on curbing pregnancies? Everyone seems to be having a jolly good time. The DA chimes in with “make teenage pregnancy prevention a priority in schools”. Wow! How? According to the horrific statistics, teenagers are ignoring all the “correct knowledge and guidance provided by the provincial government” as well as the “preventative measures” provided. How qualified are the teachers to teach sex education? Parents are “encouraged to instil discipline in their children”. Please! Discipline is no longer permissible. Intensifying the sex education programme is not…

MURTHI SOOBOO | Copperleaf A LOT has happened over the past 48 to 72 hours in terms of Correctional Services decisions and the Electoral Commission (IEC). The decision to release ex-president Zuma on medical parole has received wide condemnation from various individuals and political parties. The IEC decision by way of the interpretation of the Concourt decision to reopen registration to field candidates for the municipal election and a further opening of registration for individuals who are not part of the voters roll is a fact. While this is being contested in court, ordinary citizens who have the ability must make their vote count. So while we can’t control all things within our midst, we must encourage each other to make changes within ourselves that can have a…

Two diamond bracelets that belonged to French queen Marie-Antoinette will go under the hammer in Geneva later this year, the auction house Christie’s said yesterday. The bracelets, coated with 112 diamonds, will be sold together and are estimated to fetch between $2-4 million when they go under the hammer on November 9. The historic jewels could go for far more than the asking price. Marie-Antoinette, the last queen of France before the revolution, was guillotined in Paris in 1793 at the age of 37. | AFP…

THE Wallabies will have an indigenous design on their primary jerseys starting from the South Africa Test on Sunday to “celebrate and recognise First Nations peoples” in Australian rugby, the sport’s governing body said yesterday. The design by artist Dennis Golding will be incorporated into the playing numbers of the Wallabies’ jerseys for the Rugby Championship clash against the Springboks on the Gold Coast and in subsequent matches, Rugby Australia (RA) said. “It will mark the first time an Australian representative team will bear both the coat of arms and a First Nations design in its primary playing strip,” RA said in a statement. Australia already has an alternative Indigenous jersey emblazoned with Golding’s artwork and first worn in the 2017 win over New Zealand in Brisbane. That jersey will…

Springbok team WYNONA LOUW wynona.louw@inl.co.za SPRINGBOK coach Jacques Nienaber says playing in front of a crowd in their Rugby Championship clash against hosts Australia on Sunday is going to require them to adapt. All domestic and international games since rugby resumed have been played in empty stadiums in South Africa. Given that they will complete the remainder of their Rugby Championship campaign in Australia, the Boks are naturally in for something different. And while they are looking forward to it, Nienaber admitted that it will take some getting used to, especially in terms of on-field communication. “We spoke about it, of course. As a player I think you want to perform in front of people. It’s funny, when the crowds were taken away we said it was going to be…

AFTER five consecutive draws, France found their groove again when they secured a 2-0 victory against Finland in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. Les Bleus, who had long been struggling against compact sides, failed to beat Bosnia & Herzegovina and Ukraine in their previous games. But, with a shift in formation with fullbacks Theo Hernandez and Leo Dubois moving forward to winger positions in attacking mode, they stretched the defence to strengthen their grip on Group D. Antoine Griezmann scored a double after some nice combinations with Karim Benzema as the injured Kylian Mbappe’s absence was barely felt in Lyon’s Groupama stadium. “I’m very happy with my performance and with that of the team,” said Griezmann, who joined Michel Platini in third place of France’s all-time scorers with 41…

THE US Open has been an absolute treat – perhaps because, in the absence of Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, many had thought it could lose some of its lustre. However, the quality of play, level of drama and emergence of new faces has made it one of the most enjoyable sports events of the year. And as boorish as American sports fans can be, their presence has added to the enjoyment, even through the TV screen. Some of that enjoyment has been tempered by what players have to face once a match is over. It was Sloane Stephens (confession: one of my favourite players to watch) and later her compatriot Shelby Rogers who shone a spotlight on one of the ugliest parts of modern sport – online…

Popia is an opportunity to build customer trust THE RECENT implementation of the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia) means that every business or organisation, irrespective of size or type, is now accountable to consumers for the protection and appropriate use of their data. The legislation applies on two levels – businesses that gather and store customer data, and those that merely use it, without capturing or storing it, fall within the scope of Popia. The same is true of the nature of the data that is collected or stored. For example, a business that captures just the name and contact details of people with whom it has one-off dealings (like a security firm logging visitors at the entrance to a gated community) has as much responsibility to protect…

Ian McMahan The Washington Post Remember the maximalist vs minimalist running shoe debate? Irene Davis is trying to bring it back. Davis gained acclaim for her role on the Harvard research team behind the rise of barefoot running 12 years ago. The swift arrival of barefoot, or minimalist, running was only rivalled by its rapid decline. After injuries increased and lawsuits punished claims of injury reduction, the trend shifted to mega-cushioned shoes like the Hoka. Minimalism lost that round. But now, based on her team’s new research, Davis is again advocating for footwear that lacks support or cushioning – this time with a focus on all people, not just runners, and especially children and seniors. “We need to get this message out about what we are doing to our feet,”…

Itumeleng Mafisa THE PUBLIC Servants Association (PSA) says it is concerned by reports of the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) considering writing off more than R9 billion owed to it by global retail giant Steinhoff. Reports emerged this week that the PIC proposes to come to some sort of secret settlement with Steinhoff on the basis of a philanthropic motivation of saving the company and a limited number of jobs, all at the expense of the pensioners and members of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF). In December 2017, former Steinhoff chief executive Markus Jooste re- signed after auditors flagged accounting irregularities in its books. The Stellenbosch-headquartered group's share price has plunged by more than 95% since he stepped down, and billions were wiped from Steinhoff's market…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za PRIVATE tertiary institution the South African College of Applied Psychology (SACAP) and social enterprise the Knowledge Trust have partnered to develop a WhatsApp short-course to help combat youth unemployment. SACAP has joined with the Know- ledge Trust to build a course to transfer personal development skills to Knowledge Trust members that can help set them up for success in their training and work. The Growth Mindset Course is delivered via WhatsApp. The social enterprise has a network of 380 000 members, mostly under 25 years, and more than 70% of them are women. The Knowledge Trust brings their network together with partners, employers and education institutions to turn the tide of youth unemployment by opening up learning and earning opportunities. “The organisation has established a Growth Mindset…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za DESPITE allegations by some Gauteng Department of Health (GPD Health) officials that no medical records or medication was provided for psychiatric patients during their relocation to NGOs, no such complaints were raised with the Life Esidimeni Group. The revelation was made at the Life Esidimeni inquest yesterday. Former managing nurse from the Waverley Care Centre, Zanele Buthelezi, who has been on the stand since Monday, was yesterday cross- examined by her lawyer, advocate Harry van Bergen. The centre was one of several facilities run by Life Esidimeni to house psychiatric patients on behalf of GPD Health. The government terminated this contract in 2016 and 144 patients died after they were moved to NGOs. The inquest, currently heard virtually by the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, seeks…

Khotso KD Moleko | Bloemfontein HOW wonderful it would be if the sharing and “caring” attitudes capturing the pro-vaccination fanatics could be shown for other things as well. If the energy that is being exhausted to force everyone to take a vaccine could be used to prevent poverty, corruption and unrighteousness, I am sure South Africa would be the happiest place on the planet and the citizens would race almost like Formula One cars to the nearest vaccination site. Unlike poverty, slavery and inequality where the poor can live side by side with the rich whites and blacks, and God love us all. Well, I have news for your aggression, also when you refuse to accept and believe in Jesus Christ, because of religious freedom you are in…

IN JULY, South Africans and the global community watched in horror as lawlessness and violence, unprecedented in the country’s democratic history, were unleashed. What had started as pro-Zuma protests, after his imprisonment for contempt of court, became a free-for-all looting spree, uncontrolled criminality, and wholesale arson of factories and warehouses that caused an estimated R50 billion in damages. More than 40 000 businesses, and 300 banks and post offices were destroyed. Three-hundred lives were lost in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. While the Cyril Ramaphosa-led government could have reacted more swiftly, the administration has restored order to the warring zones due to the resilience of South Africa’s socio-political institutions. However, some of the conflict areas remain volatile. Further afield, on July 29, the capital of Chad, N’Djamena, was a theatre of mass…

Mexico’s supreme court voted this week to decriminalise abortion, a striking step in a country with one of the world’s largest Catholic populations and a decision that contrasts with tighter restrictions introduced across the border in Texas. Ten supreme court judges ruled unconstitutional a law in northern Coahuila state that imposed up to three years of prison for women who underwent illegal abortions, or people who aided them. The 11th judge was absent during the vote. The ruling is binding on other states. “Today is a watershed in the history of the rights of women and pregnant people, above all the most vulnerable,” Chief Justice Arturo Zaldívar said. The vote comes as a powerful women’s movement is transforming Mexico. Female politicians make up half of the National Congress, and an…