Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-01-17 i Star

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za THE BLACK Business Council (BBC) has called for the consultancy Bain & Co to be blacklisted from further government contracts for its role in furthering state capture. This is in contrast to Business leadership South Africa’s (BLSA)’s stance last week, where its chief executive Busisiwe Mavuso defended keeping the US management consultancy Bain & Co as a member, saying the firm is not “inherently corrupt”. Meanwhile, Business Unity South Africa (Busa) chief executive Cas Coovadia said on Friday that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) should investigate all institutions and individuals that the Zondo report had recommended be investigated. “The NPA must then prosecute in instances where it finds a prima facie case that pertains. Busa has also expressed a willingness to support the NPA in urgently investigating…

Oluthando Keteyi Oluthando KeteyI@IOL.CO.ZA It mAY be a new year but that doesn’t mean viral challenges are a thing of the past. There is a new challenge taking over the social media streets. The “Umlando Challenge” has all the boys shaking their hips, and the ladies are loving it. The viral dance challenge sees social media users dancing along to the unreleased amapiano song Umlando by Toss, 9Umba and Mdoova. The challenge first began on TikTok which has become a popular place for viral videos and new music. TikTok has changed the way hits are made, how music is promoted and how the world discovers music. Local musical export amapiano is popular on the platform, so it’s no surprise that the “Umlando Challenge” has gone viral. A good yanos song…

Mashudu Sadike mashudu.sadike@inl.co.za SA CITIZENS refusing to be counted during Census 2022 may face up to six months imprisonment or be liable to pay a R10 000 fine, according to Stats SA Limpopo head Nthambeleni Mukwevho. This as the 2022 R20bn project is expected to see about 160 000 field workers starting to count the numbers of the population from February 3 to 28, kicking off the Census night on February 2, when the homeless will be counted. The project takes place every 10 years and is meant to ascertain how many people are living in the country by collecting data of each individual in every household. While the country continues to battle the effects of Covid-19, Mukwevho has urged the public to register online as the census goes online…

THE family of the four Moti brothers – who were kidnapped on their way to school and released weeks later – have dismissed as false reports that they have interdicted the police from speaking to them. In a statement made public by renowned anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee, the Moti family statement said: “We have not issued an interdict against the police.” The statement posted on Twitter added: “The media reports about an interdict is a complete falsehood, and the truth can be confirmed with Major-General (Samson) Manala from the SAPS.” The family said their sudden departure was “beyond our control and a reluctant one”. The statement said until now the family had steered clear of the media to avoid drawing attention to themselves for fear of reprisals. The statement added:…

Sifiso Mahlangu sifiso.mahlangu@inl.co.za THE drama around the acting city manager of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, Sello More, is continuing. In a judgment handed down on December 15, Judge AJ van Rhyn found that More’s appointment as the man in charge of the metro was null and void since October 30 as the municipal council of Mangaung failed to act in accordance with legal prescripts. More, despite the judgment, has remained the acting city manager and has entered into numerous contracts and tenders on behalf of the municipality, as if he was lawfully entitled to. In the matter before Judge van Rhyn, the court found that More did not have the required authority and approval to launch an interdict application against the executive head of Municipality Police Services and 144 other…

Staff Reporter A TOTAL of 150 developers, who are also entrepreneurs consisting of innovators and coders, developed technology-based solutions to boost entrepreneurship as part of Start-up Business Hackathon organised by the Start-up Business Festival in association with Geekulcha under the theme: “Building a living entrepreneurial ecosystem.” The hackathon’s partners included Microsoft and they hosted it in partnership with ITWeb, Brainstorm Magazine, GeoInt Africa, Red Bull Basement, University of Johannesburg Centre for Entrepreneurship, and RS Components. Over 30 teams participated while only 21 finalist teams submitted their solutions for review by a panel of judges from academia, funding/investment and the tech industry. The judges selected a Hack-A-Thon team of three women and two men, which came up with a solution that provides entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector with a data…

With our national Parliament ablaze, and the Constitutional Court vandalised, many wondered if the hidden hand behind the July 2021 anarchy had returned to haunt 2022. We do not yet know whether the damage to Parliament was deliberate, or due to an electrical fault, but we do know that it was dysfunctional governance which allowed it to happen. The SAPS bears the main responsibility for the safety of key points, and this shameful neglect is yet another example of our policing crisis, including in its crucial intelligence arm. Given the complicity of the Minister of Police who, irregularly, controls detective and intelligence services, and Ipid, it is the Commander-in-Chief, President Ramaphosa who, together with parliament, must take charge of cleaning up the policing Augean Stables. Their failure to do so…

SOMALI leader Mohamed Hussein Roble has expelled the AU Special Representative, Francisco Madeira, from the country due to his alleged interference in Somali domestic politics. Madeira sided with Somali President Mohamed Farmaajo when he dismissed Roble last month. Before an attempted alleged “coup” by Farmaajo in December, the Somalian premier asked the AU envoy to use extra peacekeepers. But Madeira “deterred the process”. On December 27, Farmaajo ordered Roble be fired over graft. The military sided with Roble, calling Farmaajo’s act a coup attempt.…

A massive underwater volcanic eruption in Tonga was so powerful it was recorded around the world and triggered a tsunami that flooded Pacific coastlines from Japan to the US, scientists said yesterday. Dramatic satellite images showed the long, rumbling eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano spew smoke and ash in the air, with a thunderous roar heard 10 000km away in Alaska. The US Geological Survey recorded Saturday’s eruption as equivalent to a 5.8 magnitude earthquake at zero depth. But the full extent of the damage in Tonga was unclear yesterday with communication lines down. A 1.2m (four-foot) wave swept ashore in the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa with locals reporting they had fled to higher ground, leaving behind flooded houses, some with structural damage, and with small stones and…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za ANTI NUCLEAR activists have expressed concern that Eskom will cut corners on its R49 billion maintenance programme to extend the life of the Koeberg nuclear power station by some 20 years. Eskom confirmed that after more than 450 days of uninterrupted operation, Unit 2 of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station will today be taken offline for a regular refuelling and maintenance outage, that is scheduled to last for five months. This will be the 25th refuelling outage on Unit 2 since commissioning and will also see the replacement of the unit’s three steam generators. The reactor pressure vessel head, which houses the nuclear fuel while the station is in operation, will also be replaced. “There are several components that Eskom has confirmed it will not work…

Corrie Kruger SOME YEARS ago, a senior broker at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), informed me that his company had very strict moral and ethical rules of engagement with clients, however, if the client did not like them … they had others too. From the revelations made at the Zondo commission, could it be that one of South Africa’s big five banking institutions, Nedbank, have a similar philosophy? Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, chairperson of the commission, in his report into state capture, states: “The support of the people of South Africa has kept all of us going in the commission.” Having witnessed the hearing over a period, and having a full realisation of the consequences of the theft from the poor that State capture engendered, the people of…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE FAMILIES of the two boys from Lesiba Secondary School in Daveyton, who died in a tragic shooting last week, say the incident was an “unfortunate accident” and that there was no quarrelling among the boys. The 2022 school year started on a tragic note after a Grade 10 learner from Lesiba Secondary School in Daveyton, Ekurhuleni, allegedly fatally shot a fellow Grade 10 learner, before turning the gun on himself last Wednesday. It was reported that the two learners died after a quarrel; however, the grieving families of the learners have set the record straight and said the fatal incident was an “unfortunate accident”. The families said that last Tuesday the two boys Njabulo Ndhlebe and Zukiso Majola, along with a third unnamed friend, sneaked out…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za JANUSZ Walus, Struggle icon Chris Hani’s killer, says that the government’s refusal to grant him parole has subjected him to cruelty and trampled on his human dignity. He has turned to the Constitutional Court to continue his battle against his parole denial. Walus seeks to have a 2021 ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) set aside. The SCA ruled that his application to appeal an earlier judgment by the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, had no prospects of success. This high court judgment dismissed another of Walus’s bids to fight off the decision to deny his parole application. He had sought an order that would set aside the decision by Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola to refuse him parole. In the Constitutional Court application,…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za AFTER being showered with love by the people of Botswana, renowned singer Makhadzi was delighted to share that she will be returning for a one-woman show in March. The warmth and support she received when she visited Botswana last year proved that she was not only loved in South Africa, but also had a solid fan base in other countries as well. All music fanatics in Botswana who are fond of her could not get over her powerful stage presence and her magnetic performances, leaving many wanting more. The Ghanama hitmaker was beside herself with excitement when she shared the news with her fans on her social platforms. “I am going to have my own concert. A stadium show. My one-woman show in Botswana. The beginning of…

FAROUK ARAIE | Johannesburg According to the recent edition of Newsweek magazine, Russia has developed the capability to wreak havoc with undersea cables should the war erupt with the West. During 2019, South Africans woke to be informed that Twitter was blanked out, and that the internet was slowed down drastically, due to failed undersea cables. Many global citizens are unaware that in the event of a military conflict between Russia and the West, undersea cables will be a prime target to disrupt global communications. These cables form a global infrastructure system that transmits 99% of the international data sent over the internet. Russia’s Losharik submarine can dive thousands of metres, enabling it to target cables at depths that would be very difficult to repair. Its dive depth…

Harry Sewlall | Parkmore SIR Sidney Poitier’s recent passing has elicited glowing tributes locally and globally and deservedly so. Not only was he an illustrious actor but he was a master of the autobiographical genre, as witnessed in his three memoirs. His life was so varied and so vast that it is easy to miss pertinent details about him in a tribute of limited length. A common omission I have noticed in local tributes on social media is that he visited South Africa in 1951 to film Cry, the Beloved Country, in which he portrays Reverend Msimangu. This was the first film version of this famous novel for which Alan Paton is most remembered in the US. A detail that is prominent in most tributes to Poitier…

IN THE drone’s-eye video released by Ukraine’s military, a small, blue targeting square hovers over an image on the ground. Seconds later a large plume of smoke bursts up from the spot. Two people are seen running from the site, where Ukraine claims it destroyed a D-30 howitzer used by Russian-backed separatists in the eastern Donbas region. But the strike on October 26 –from a Bayraktar TB2 drone made by Nato-member Turkey – represented more than another clash in nearly eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine. For Russia, it was another signal that Ukraine is boosting its arsenal to potentially change the military balance in the region – and why Moscow is demanding Nato end all defence co-operation with Ukraine and other former Soviet republics such as Georgia.…

HUNDREDS of Hondurans and Nicaraguans on Saturday congregated in the northern Honduran city of San Pedro Sula and began to march toward the US, television images showed, the first such caravan to be formed this year in Central America. The caravan set off days before leftist President-elect Xiomara Castro takes office in Honduras on January 27. She has vowed to revive the economy and combat corruption that stokes waves of mass migration to the US. The migrants left a bus terminal in San Pedro Sula for the border post of Corinto in an attempt to enter Guatemala. | Reuters…

Kedibone Modise kedibone.modise@inl.co.za Multi-award-winning musician Alley Moca, real name Ali Mokgalaka, is shifting things around with his new “funk” gospel EP Clap. Commenting on his latest offering, Moca said: “Clap has a fresh sound and nice and soft to the ear melody. It was influenced by Kirk Franklin, The Mighty Clouds Of Joy and my own authentic African sound.” Moca says his music carries a strong message of hope and healing. “There is a soul-healing and relationship-building message that is conveyed through this new body of work.” Moca discovered his passion for music at an early age, all thanks to his music-loving family. “The Mokgalakas are a musical family, and therefore I was not given a choice. I had to sing to keep the family singing tradition going.” “I sang…

Sonri Naidoo IT WAS a dark weekend for some residents in Joburg after a fire gutted a feeder board at the Lotus Substation on Friday morning. City power teams have been working around the clock to ensure recovery plans are implemented in order to restore power to the affected areas. The residents of Zakkariya Park, Vlakfontein, Hospital Hill and parts of Lenasia South were affected by the fire. City Power’s acting CEO, Tshifularo Mashava, promised that alternative ways would be found to ensure that electricity was restored to those affected, especially to critical services such as clinics and the police. He confirmed that mop-up operations had commenced on Friday, and based on the severity of the damage to the feeder board, they anticipated that the repairs and replacement of the…

BETTY MOLEYA betty.moleya@inl.co.za ALLEGATIONS of racial discrimination against black employees at Menlyn’s Dis-Chem branch have been made by a dismissed employee. The employee, who requested anonymity for fear of future reprisals, has accused her former manager and another employee of abuse. The woman, whose name is known to the Pretoria News, claimed to have been assaulted by one of her male colleagues in October in what spiralled out of control and then led to her dismissal in November. “I reported the incident to my manager. He was against the report because it involved his favourite employee and the guy was put on his final warning. “I then went above my manager and when he found out, he told me bluntly that if the colleague who assaulted me got dismissed he…

Dr Thabisi Hoeane | Pretoria There is a worrying trend that is gaining currency in society where critical, relevant public debates are undermined by the way they are presented. One case that comes to mind is the recent exhortation by the Limpopo MEC for health Dr Phophi Ramathuba. When addressing the serious issue of teenage pregnancy, she was vulgar, saying girls should “close their legs and open their books”. That such an insult should be made by a woman makes the statement doubly troublesome. For what it indicates is that only girls are promiscuous and they are the ones who are solely responsible for teenage pregnancies. It also underlines the gender bias that still exists within society against women, that is ironically even practised by women…

MINISTER Lindiwe Sisulu’s articles showed us how the press is important in sparking discussion on issues affecting the public. Sisulu wrote a thought-provoking article titled “Hi Mzansi, have we seen justice?”, and many people were upset by it. As a highly politically conscientious individual, the article did not reveal anything new to me, and I struggled to understand what the noise was all about. Who does not know that the majority of people (Africans) do not own the land in the country which they claim is theirs? Everyone knows that the economy of South African is dominated and controlled by white males. The press’s role should be to facilitate debate and discussion among the public. It is obvious that they should be impartial because they hold a certain influence in…

COMMISSIONS of inquiry have been a feature of political life in South Africa since 1994. However, the Seriti and Zondo commissions arguably represent the most explicit evidence of the scourge of corruption in democratic South Africa. The report of the Seriti inquiry, which cost R137 million, into the arms deal was handed to former president Jacob Zuma in 2016. This commission found no evidence of corruption in the the 1999 arms deal. However, Justice Raymond Zondo would hand over one of his three reports to President Cyril Ramaphosa in early January, six years later. Despite their similarities – their role in investigating allegations of widespread corruption and the stern rebuke that the commission heads received from certain public sections – there are several fundamental differences between them, with one predominating.…

EACH morning, more than 140 Palestinian farmers, men and women, gathered in the town of Beit Lahia in the Gaza Strip to grow crops to sell locally or in Israel. “This scene has long been absent from a town famous for being an agricultural area, due to the difficult political and economic conditions,” Munir Hamdouna, a 63-year-old farm owner in the town of Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, said. As a father of 13, Hamdouna said he was happy to see the resumption, noting that he had resorted to a local agriculture initiative as part of Gaza’s pursuit of a green economy that emphasized both eco-friendliness and profits. Over the years, the Gaza Strip witnessed a noticeable decrease in the number of farmers due to shrinking arable lands in the…

PRINCE Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson will retain her royal title. Sarah has continued to use the title Sarah, Duchess of York, despite her 1996 divorce from Andrew. Although his military titles and royal patronages have been returned to the queen in the wake of the Epstein sex trafficking scandal, there are no plans for Sarah to stop being referred to as a duchess. This comes after it was confirmed that Prince Andrew, 61, will face a civil case in the US as a private citizen over allegations he sexually assaulted a woman when she was 17. | BANG ShowBiz…