Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-03-23 i Star

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE GOVERNMENT has called for calm and dispelled fears of possible food shortages in the country due to supply constraints as a result of Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine. Minister of Agriculture Thoko Dididza yesterday said there was no need to panic over the possibility of an impending food crisis as prices also continue to escalate. Didiza last week met with food processors, leaders in the fruit and grains industry, agricultural trading groups, and farmer associations to discuss availability of food supplies and farming inputs amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The engagement evaluated the availability of the food supplies and farming input supplies for the coming months. Didiza said that South Africa had sufficient supplies for the foreseeable future after benefiting from good harvests, and has already imported…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za STOR-AGE, South Africa’s largest self storage property fund, has acquired a four-property portfolio in England, its third acquisition there in 12 months, for £59 million (R1.16 billion) as part of a joint venture with the Moorfield Group. The portfolio, comprising modern, purpose-built properties in the south of England and the West Midlands, will add significant financial and operational scale to Stor-Age’s UK operations, Storage King, a statement said yesterday. Stor-Age chief executive Gavin Lucas said they made a strategic entry into the UK self-storage market a little more than four years ago, in November 2017. “Since then, we’ve seen Storage King deliver not only superb operating results year after year, but we have also seen it grow significantly, from 13 properties to 30, with a…

Bang Showbiz Trevor Noah has insisted he doesn’t want Kanye West to be “cancelled”. The 44-year-old rapper was recently banned from Instagram for 24 hours after using a racial slur towards the Daily Show host – who had criticised the Stronger hitmaker for his conduct towards ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend Pete Davidson – and was then dropped from performing at the Grammy Awards because of his “troublesome online behaviour”. However, Trevor has now spoken out to insist he thinks Kanye needs help, not punishment. He tweeted: “I said counsel Kanye not cancel Kanye.” The Love Lockdown rapper had lashed out at Trevor after the stand-up accused Kanye of harassing his ex-wife – with whom he has North, eight, Saint, six, Chicago, four, and Psalm, two – since she…

Sifiso Mahlangu sifiso.mahlangu@inl.co.za POMPIE Ledwaba, the Mpumalanga businessman who has accused Deputy President David Mabuza of killing whistle-blowers and political opponents, is facing allegations of perjury and defeating the ends of justice. Mabuza launched interdict proceedings against Ledwaba in the Mpumalanga High Court to stop Ledwaba from making the defamatory allegations, or prove it to be true. The interdict is to be argued on May 5. Mabuza has constantly denied that he directs criminals to fight his political or personal battles and that citizens with evidence linking him to any crime should approach the authorities. “I have an audio video of applicant (Mabuza) in 2010 at an ANC conference at Nutting House stating in his own words that he knows the identity of the killers of the whistle-blowers and that…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za MPUMALANGA farm owners Gawie van der Merwe and Petrus van der Merwe have been ordered to stop blocking installation of electricity in a homestead located on their farm. Johannes Mahlangu and Mary Manzini reside at farm Boschpoort, near Belfast, in terms of the Extension of Security of Tenure Act (Esta). Esta protects residency rights of workers on land they have occupied for 10 years, more especially if they are 60, or can no longer work due to ill-health, injury or disability. Mahlangu is a pensioner and has been at Boschpoort since 1980. He approached the Land Claims Court to take on the Van der Merwes for allegedly trampling on his family’s rights since taking over the farm in 2008. Mahlangu and Manzini submitted that after 2008, the…

Anita Nkonki OVER the years, multi-talented entertainer Somizi Mhlongo has maintained a strong relationship with his fans and that has allowed him to move from one show to the other. It is without a doubt that his charismatic and witty personality has won the hearts of many viewers in Mzansi. Mhlongo is set to light up the mood with candid conversations with his guests in his upcoming show Downtime with Somizi, which makes its debut on DStv channel 103 on April 1. He had taken time off from the limelight after abuse claims by his estranged husband Mohale Motaung. In this show, Mhlongo delves into a conversation with guests during an activity that takes them outside of their comfort zone as they take part in an outrageously fun and quirky…

MOHAMED SAEED | Pietermaritzburg CONSTITUTIONS of countries, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other charters to promote and protect human rights are written to guarantee all people basic rights, various forms of freedom, security, peace, equality and self-respect to lead dignified lives. In recent years, governments and international human rights bodies, which are in place to defend and promote human rights principles, have been undermining their constitutions and international charters. Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine is one of the many examples of the violation of international law. Another example is the Karnataka High Court’s misapplication of the Indian law on head scarves. Instead of using the right to religion, religious practices and expression to pronounce a fair and just judgment, it used a very narrow application…

Leila Patel Since South Africa adopted its post-apartheid constitution in 1996, the country has made important strides in realising the right to social security and in reducing poverty and inequality. Policies, legislation and administrative infrastructure have enabled the government to create an expansive social security system. Two out of three households receive a social grant and 60% of the workforce is covered by social insurance. South Africa is now an exemplar of an upper middle-income country that has gone further than many others in growing social protection to promote development. Nevertheless, the country still has persistent and extraordinarily high rates of poverty, unemployment, inequality and low levels of economic growth. As South Africa marked Human Rights Day on March 21, it is worth reflecting on what has been achieved, what…

Sri Lanka ordered its military to post soldiers at hundreds of gas stations yesterday to help distribute fuel after a sudden rise in prices of key commodities and shortages forced tens of thousands of people to queue for hours, and three people died while waiting, officials said. Tension over the scarcity of supplies has fed sporadic violence. The Indian Ocean nation is battling a foreign exchange crisis that hit payments for essential imports, prompting the government to approach the IMF. | Reuters…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za KYLE Verreynne has played and will continue to play a big role for the Proteas in the one-day international format, but that doesn’t mean his spot in the starting XI is cemented. Verreynne made a half-century in Sunday’s victory in the second ODI against Bangladesh at the Wanderers. He has also kept wicket and opened the batting in the series, is in form and is feeling comfortable about his position as an international player following a maiden Test hundred a month ago in New Zealand. However, his spot in the ODI team remains uncertain. “I don’t want to say I am in a tricky position, but with the batting line-up we have at the moment, it is quite difficult to get a fixed position and cement a…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za RISING oil prices are expected to exert pressure on prices after all types of oil rose for the fourth consecutive day yesterday as the EU countries considered banning Russian oil imports in response to the war in Ukraine. The price of Brent crude oil climbed 3.7 percent to above $119.31 (R1 783) a barrel early yesterday before softening to $114.22 a barrel. The move followed a 7 percent jump on Monday as the potential for more supply disruptions weighed on the volatile markets. European foreign ministers yesterday were debating whether to join the US in sanctioning Russian oil, with some countries, including Germany, arguing that the bloc was too dependent on Russian energy. Oil prices were also pushed higher by reports that Houthi rebels…

Theolin Tembo theolin.tembo@inl.co.za Sam Smith has told fans to prepare for their fourth studio which is set to be different and may include music that fans would be surprised to hear. Sam, who released their third studio album Love Goes on 30 October 2020, posted the news to their website recently. The singer has stepped back from the public eye after the release of their third album, and said that they have been through a big creative shift over the last few years. “The last few months have been busy, to say the least. I have been buried in a pile of music. I've been having wonderful emotional journeys which is very normal for this part of the process. “But this music is especially emotional for me and letting it…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za | Political Bureau THE Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is taking on the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that scored big from the mass deaths of mental health care patients in Gauteng during their transfer from Life Esidimeni facilities. Details of the investigations emerged at the Special Tribunal on Friday and SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago confirmed that the unit was not only focusing on Santa Kamogelo, based in Atteridgeville in Tshwane. The Special Tribunal’s Judge Lebogang Modiba upheld an exception by Santa Kamogelo to the SIU’s particulars of claim against the facility and its representatives, Busi Carrina Morale and GTZ Kambane. In its papers filed at the tribunal the SIU is claiming about R230 000 from the NGO. The Gauteng Department of Health entered into an agreement with Santa…

Robin-Lee Francke robin.francke@inl.co.za Former Miss Iraq, turned global interfaith activist is visiting South Africa. Sarah Idan was crowned Miss Iraq in 2017, the first beauty pageant representative for the country in 45 years. This week, marks the annual global Israel Apartheid Week, and an event will be held at universities where debates will be encouraged between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel groups to encourage a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Idan is expected to speak at the University of Cape Town (UCT) on Tuesday and University of the Witwatersrand on Thursday. However, life has not always been rosy for Idan who was born in war-torn Baghdad. Idan and her family were exiled in Syria for two years after receiving death threats. She joined the US Military as a translator at their…

“THE Palestine policy is our red line. It is impossible for us to accept Israel’s Palestine policies,” President Tayyip Erdogan said in December 2020. Fifteen months later, notwithstanding that Israel’s “merciless acts” have escalated across Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, he makes a huge somersault. Rolling out the red carpet for Israeli president Isaac Herzog on a state visit in the capital Ankara, Erdogan proudly spoke of building a new alliance with the settler colonial regime. Having repeatedly condemned Israel’s occupation, Erdogan is on record as having slammed US-brokered rapprochements between Israel and four Arab countries. His attack at the time didn’t sit well with the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco who had succumbed to American pressure to “normalise” relations with Israel. Astoundingly, Erdogan, who had been hailed by…

Allan Wolman | Tel Aviv, Israel THE PUBLICATION of the finding of the Commission of Enquiry into State Capture, by the Zondo Commission, has exposed startling and obscene disclosures of wholesale looting of public money by high-ranking politicians and their cadre appointees. The major banks’ complicity in abetting such obvious pillaging of ill-gotten money flowing through bank accounts given the safeguards that financial institutions are obliged to police, seemed to have been ignored. The Financial Intelligence Centre Act (Fica) governs the control of money laundering and suspicious banking transactions, yet huge sums of money are transacted through shell companies with no red flags raised. One wonders if South African banks have joined the free world in blocking the oligarch’s accounts? One must wonder if these Russian billionaires are…

In the previous instalment on this subject, we discussed nine of the 17 African leaders who dedicated their lives to fight for the human dignity of the people of African descent, profiled by Barrister Dudley Thompson, in his book, They Are Africans. In this article, we will discuss the rest of these leaders. Haile Selassie: Emperor Haile Selassie 1 of Ethiopia occupies an important place in the history of black people, not only for what he was – the head of a great African country – but also for the legacy he has left behind. He is regarded as the father of the Rastafari movement, and is followed by millions of Rastafarians to this day. Paul Robeson: A man of extraordinary conviction and courage, Robeson was a multitalented individual: sportsman,…

A Russian court yesterday sentenced jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to nine years in prison on fraud charges. Navalny, who was also found guilty of contempt of court, is already serving a two-and-a-half year sentence at a prison camp east of Moscow for parole violations related to charges he says were trumped up. Investigators accused Navalny of stealing for personal use several million dollars’ worth of donations that were given to his political organisations. Navalny has pleaded not guilty. | Reuters…

FRANCE have been receiving deserved plaudits for winning the Six Nations at the weekend, but honestly, I wasn’t that impressed by Fabien Galthie’s team. Yes, it was a wonderful effort to claim their first title since 2010 and first Grand Slam in 12 years. Beating Ireland is always noteworthy, and Wales are always tough in Cardiff. Watching Les Bleus overcome England at Stade de France on Saturday, though, left me unconvinced about whether captain Antoine Dupont and his team can really challenge the Springboks, the No 1-ranked team in the world. Eddie Jones’ England are quite some way off the pace, with the Australian coach trying to bring in fresh faces and elements in a rebuilding job before the 2023 World Cup. But even so, they were still able to…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za ATTACQ, known for the success of its Waterfall City precinct, lifted distri- butable income 34.1 percent to 28.2 cents a share for the six months to December 31, putting it on track to meet its full-year guidance. The interim distributable income excluded profit earned from the sale of residential units of 9.35c. Management forecast distributable income of between 46c and 48.1c a share for the year ending June 30, 2022, barring any unforeseen circumstances, much in line with the 2021 result. The growth in the past six months was mainly driven by the dividend from its investment in central and eastern Europe (CEE) focused MAS Real Estate (MAS) of R46.1 million. Chief financial officer Raj Nana said in a telephone interview that there…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za AS ANOTHER hefty petrol price hike creeps on for possibly next week, by up to R2 a litre, industry observers have questioned the actual 90-day crude reserves theory, and the true capacity of crude oil reserves. The government is reconsidering the petroleum price model that compels consumers to pay for long-term storage assets and over-protection of a lucrative industry. The existence of the 90-day reserves of crude oil, petrol, diesel and kerosene was exposed by industry insiders as having been legislatively expunged in 2013 when it was changed to 21 days, because the government, which holds the only six submerged tanks with 7 million barrels capacity each in Saldanah Bay, could not cope with the expense of keeping products in reserve for that long. “There is no…

Chulumanco Mahamba E-HAILING drivers have embarked on their three-day protest against the various e-hailing companies operating within South Africa, causing commuters to scramble to make alternative plans amid a halt in services. On Monday morning, e-hailing service commuters had to make alternative plans to get to work or school after the drivers of e-hailing firms started the protest. The drivers are calling for increased regulation of e-hailing services by the government. A recent graduate from Auckland Park, Mihle Mathiso said an e-hailing driver had been due to take her to Pretoria yesterday, along with family members, to buy items for her graduation this weekend. “Now the Uber prices are three, if not four, times more expensive and Uber is scarce because of the strike. “I had to ask my…

l State of disaster set to be lifted MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA TWO years after the National State of Disaster was announced, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country was now at a watershed moment. He said the country was ready to enter a new phase in the management of the pandemic. “After four waves of infection, fewer people are becoming severely ill and requiring hospitalisation,” he said in his address to the nation last night. “There are far fewer deaths than before.” Ramaphosa said the health services had learnt to manage the disease more effectively. “We have gotten used to wearing masks and washing our hands regularly. Most importantly, 48% of all adults have received at least one vaccine dose.” He said while the pandemic was not over, many parts of…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za FOLLOWING yet another legal battle to get the money he believes he is entitled to, “Please Call Me” inventor Nkosana Makate says he will continue the fight, even if the matter ends up in the Supreme Court of Appeal. Vodacom last week filed papers in the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, in which it is asking for leave to appeal against last month’s judgment in which Judge Wendy Hughes found that Makate was short-changed for his “brilliant” invention. Makate has remained patient over the decades to wait for his money, and for the legal tussle between him and Vodacom to end. He still remains patient, and told the Pretoria News that while he would oppose any appeal, it was Vodacom’s legal right to follow this route. “They…

Beverley Tsitsi Mutandiro | UK, London Has anyone in the Zimbabwean government tried to establish the reasons why its supposedly loyal and highly paid police and army are constantly abusing their power and participating in corruption, fraud and robbery? They are engaging in criminal offences such as fixing traffic fines, negotiating deals with criminals and taking bribes. They are supposed to be engaging with citizens, ensuring their safety and maintaining the rule of law. Apparently they are instead specialising in inflicting misery on the troubled, fearful, poverty-stricken and maltreated citizens, increasing human rights abuses and political instability. The problem becomes a challenge to neighbouring countries such as South Africa, Botswana and Namibia if they decide to migrate with such a corrupt mentality. The countries should put pressure on…

Six-time Grand Slam tennis champion Boris Becker used his business account as a “piggy bank” to pay for luxury shopping expenses and school fees, a British court was told yesterday. Becker is on trial charged with 24 offences relating to his 2017 bankruptcy over a £3.5 million (about R68m) loan from private bank Arbuthnot Latham for a property in Spain. The former world number one denies all the charges against him, which include nine counts of failing to deliver up trophies and other awards. | AFP…

More than 24 hours after a China Eastern Airlines passenger flight carrying 132 people inexplicably plummeted from the sky, crashing into the mountains of China’s southern Guangxi province, no survivors have been found. As rescuers searched the site yesterday, jet officials said no survivors had been identified while state media said that the chances of anyone on the plane surviving the crash and its ensuing explosion were “extremely small”. “Wreckage of the plane was found at the scene, but as of now, none of those aboard the plane with whom contact was lost have been found,” state broadcaster CCTV said yesterday. After flying for 48 minutes, the China Eastern-operated Boeing 737-800 travelling from Kunming to Guangzhou on Monday suddenly began to lose altitude around the time the flight would have…