Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-08-15 i Star

THE SOUTH African Reserve Bank’s Prudential Authority (PA) has lambasted Nedbank for administrative compliance failures including failing to comply with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism governance-related obligations.The PA said in a statement on Friday that it was imposing administrative sanctions on Nedbank and it directed the bank to take remedial action following an inspection in 2019, in terms of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (Fica). A Nedbank spokesperson said the inspection had come less than two months after amendments to the FIC Act were required to be implemented by April 2, 2019. “While Nedbank has paid the financial penalty and acknowledged the administrative shortcomings present at the time in 2019, it would like to highlight that the lengthy delays in promulgating the amended Fica had particular adverse implications for Nedbank –…

GLOBAL oil prices marched back towards the $100-mark (R1 619) per barrel on Friday due to temporary supply disruptions and rising demand forecasts in spite of recession fears. Shell and Chevron on Thursday briefly halted oil production at several platforms in the Gulf of Mexico after a leak shut two pipelines connecting the platforms, but pipeline service resumed on Friday. This saw the price of Brent crude oil rebounding 2.4 percent from last week’s sharp decline to $99.39 per barrel by close of trade on Friday, before paring gains in the evening. Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency (IEA) raised its forecast for global oil consumption by 380 000 barrels per day to 2.1 million, citing a global switch from natural gas to oil due to supply…

THE much-coveted Miss South Africa title has made its way back to Polokwane to loud applause and excitement at the finale of the contest in Pretoria on Saturday night. The crown returns to the northern-most province scooped by 23-year-old Ndavi Nokeri after a stint in KwaZulu-Natal when it was held by Lalela Mswane, who went on to become the first black woman to win Miss Supranational. The lass, from Tzaneen, won the title on Saturday night after a tight contest which attracted a huge crowd to the Times Square Sun Arena in Tshwane. The event indicated how people had missed being out and about during the two-year pandemic. The pageant featured an all-female judging team, with former public protector advocate Thuli Madonsela, investigative journalist Devi Sankaree Govender, Miss Universe 2019…

BEING behind bars has not stopped four convicted inmates from running an extortion scam from prison cells, and getting men to pay thousands into accounts they set up. The scam was uncovered last week by the Hawks Serious Corruption Investigation team, who said the men – from two Pretoria correctional facilities – had been operating for three months and targeted men by using the fake identities they had taken from unsuspecting police officers. “The four, aged between 26 and 32, will appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court today and more arrests are imminent,” the Hawks said after the arrest. The Hawks were assisted by the Emergency Support Team from the Gauteng Department of Correctional Services and executed the joint operation at the Odi and Baviaaspoort Correctional Centres in Mabopane and…

Taiwan, formerly known as Formosa, has had a rather turbulent history. It was colonised by the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and the Japanese. In 1945, after the Japanese surrender, Taiwan was put under the administrative control of the Republic of China (ROC) by the UN Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. There was no transfer of territorial sovereignty. The “Cairo Declaration” was merely a “statement of intent” – a “non-binding declaration”. It was without force of law to transfer sovereignty from Taiwan to the ROC. Taiwan has become an important US partner in trade and investment, health, investment screening, science and technology, education, the supplying of semiconductors, and advancing democratic values. Taiwan’s economy is among the 25 largest in the world. Its geostrategic position is also of great security importance. Its vibrant democracy…

JUST over one year since its last assault on Gaza, the Israeli government launched yet another round of catastrophic bombings, flattening homes and killing Palestinian families. This is the fifth attack by Israel of this magnitude since it placed Gaza under a crippling blockade of land, air and sea 15 years ago. The rampant violence against Palestinians by the Israeli military – with the funding, support and defence of the US government – is horrifying in its cruelty and inhumanity. Palestinians live under Israeli brutality every single day of the year. And, when Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza, no one can escape, no one can flee to safety. Our grief and rage is also intensified by watching the spectre of Israeli settlers and extremists roaming Jerusalem in mobs, attacking Palestinians and…

On August 16 mine workers, activists and no doubt a few politicians will gather on the now infamous rock outcrop near the former Lonmin Platinum mine in Marikana, North West province, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Marikana massacre. This was the most lethal use of force by the South African police since the 1976 Soweto uprising against the then apartheid regime. At least 138 people died in three days. In fact, the Marikana massacre was so brutal that it has been likened to the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre, where apartheid police shot unarmed civilians in their backs as they fled, killing 69. They were protesting against identity documents that black people were forced to carry, restricting their movement. Between August 12 and 16, 2012, a total of 47 people…

The Proteas’ preparations for the first Test against England at Lord’s from Wednesday has been hampered after Duanne Olivier was ruled out of the series through injury. Olivier sustained a Grade 2 hip flexor muscle tear during the four-day tour match against England Lions at The Spitfire Ground St Lawrence in Canterbury over the weekend. “Duanne presented with significant discomfort involving his right hip flexor muscle at the close of play on day three of the four-day tour match. After clinical assessment, he was referred for an MRI scan which revealed a grade 2 tear involving the right pectineus muscle,” said Proteas team doctor Hashendra Ramjee. “Due to the extent of the injury, he has been ruled out of the three-match Test series against England and will return home where…

Ian Foster has fielded a number of slagging comments related to his coaching over the past few weeks. On Saturday in the dungeons of Ellis Park, it was the turn of the All Blacks coach to fire back after his team’s Rugby Championship win over the Springboks. “It has been pretty vicious,” Foster said of the criticism that had been levelled at him during a run that had seen the All Blacks win just one out of their previous six Tests. He took particular aim at his countrymen, who had written Foster’s obituary prior to the 35-23 victory on Saturday. “There’s been a lot of onslaught, particularly from our New Zealand media. They’ve got high expectations of us, and they’ve made that loud and clear. They’ve clearly come very strong…

Scuttling Sekunjalo’s perfectly legitimate offer to save Ubank slammed SEKUNJALO has expressed disappointment that the curators of Ubank advised they could not allow the Sekunjalo Consortium an opportunity to purchase Ubank, as they had been given instructions by the Prudential Authority (PA) of South African Reserve Bank (SARB), to only sell Ubank to other banks. Sekunjalo chairperson Dr Iqbal Survé expressed concern about the outcome, saying: “This is extremely disappointing and worrying. Despite our best efforts to transform the banking sector and committing capital and resources to ensure that Ubank could be retained in the hands of workers such as NUM, it is patently clear SARB has no intention of allowing diversification of the banking industry,” said Survé. In a letter to SARB, Sekunjalo expressed a formal interest in acquiring…

A LOT HAS been said about Amazon’s plans to build its Africa headquarters and much less has been said about its products. The reality is that whether there’s success in building a brick-and-mortar HQ or not, there’s little that can be done to stop the Amazon DNA in South Africa. The fight against building on heritage land in Cape Town may be worthy, however, there’s something that should be of greater concern for South Africans. As Amazon plans to set up its online marketplace next year in South Africa there’s a need to be aware of the products that will come with the Amazonification of South Africa. Some of those products are robots that collect citizens’ data in a way that we’ve never experienced before. Amazon is planning to acquire…

TikTok virality has given rise to many of the biggest songs in South Africa over the past few years. With dance challenges becoming the order of the day. For amapiano artists, the entertainment platform has become the most popular avenue for artists to push music. Seeing this trend, the 28th South African Music Awards (Sama28), has introduced a new public-voted category, TikTok Viral Song of the Year. “From your FYP to #TikTokAtSAMA28: here are the nominees for the first-ever TikTok Viral Song of the Year music category at #SAMA28,” TikTok South Africa shared on Twitter. The award recognises and celebrates local songs and artists who have dominated the platform in South Africa in the past year. Yuvir Pillay, TikTok’s music operations lead for sub-Saharan Africa, said music was a…

Lukhanyo Am, the Springboks’ best player in their shock defeat to the All Blacks at the weekend, says his team is eager to get back on the horse and beat the Wallabies in Australia in the next leg of the Rugby Championship. The Boks were hot favourites to do a double on the New Zealanders after winning handsomely in Mbombela the week before but suffered a shock 35-23 loss at Ellis Park and Am said the team must bounce back in their next challenge at the Adelaide Oval in Australia on August 27. Am, who had a sensational game said: “We are gutted. We wanted the win, but unfortunately, the result didn’t go our way. We’ll go back to the drawing board and have a look at the opportunities we…

BEAUTIFUL, expensive and fast cars stole the show at the Extreme Festival at the Zwartkops Raceway in Centurion on Saturday. A family event saw the young and old enjoying a variety of activities that included exhibitions, races, food and music. The festival sought to combine all aspects of motoring in one fun-filled festival, the organisers said. The cars which battled it out for first place featured the immensely popular G&H Transport Extreme SuperCars, among them Ferraris, Porsches, the Lotus, BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes. Reneilwe Matlhaela, who said it was his first time visiting the raceway, said he enjoyed how the event was family focused. “It has a chilled family vibe; there was not a lot of alcohol, which was very nice. It is something that I would do again. I would…

THE Springboks stood on the precipice of further denting the aura of the All Blacks, but when they stared down into the dark abode before them, they found a wounded beast glaring back at them. Arguments and debates will surely continue this week regarding the tactics selections and game plan of Bok mentor Jacques Nienaber but the conclusion will be the same: the Green and Gold had a rare opportunity to inflict a third straight defeat on their opponents in the modern era, at Ellis Park. Instead, through their own lack of concentration, game management and adapting to what was in front of them, they fell back into a game plan that had become inadequate as the match progressed due to various factors – including injury – and let slip…

At an intersection in the western Kenyan town of Eldoret, two groups of men stand on opposite street corners, gathered around newspaper stands, and whooping and gesturing at results so far from Tuesday’s election. In the presidential vote, both groups have something to cheer – even though those on the north side are avid supporters of Raila Odinga, while those on the southern corner back his rival, Deputy President William Ruto. Veteran opposition leader Odinga led Kenya’s presidential race, official election results showed at th eweekend, pushing Ruto into second place. With just over 26% of votes counted, Odinga had 54% and Ruto had 45%, according to results provided by the Kenyan election commission and displayed on a large screen at a national tallying centre in the capital, Nairobi.…

CAXTON and CTP Publishers and Printers have broadsided the management of Mpact for continuing to act in a cartel, following Mpact’s claims that Caxton had “ulterior” motives when it voted against Mpact’s directors pay at the annual meeting. Caxton, Mpact’s largest shareholder with a 34 percent stake, said in a statement on Friday that “far from” having an ulterior motive, Caxton’s intention to acquire control of Mpact had been met with “inexplicable hostility”. This not only from Mpact, but also from Golden Era, which is Mpact’s competitor, major customer, co-accused in a cartel case which has been under investigation by the Competition Commission since 2016, and more recently a 10 percent shareholder in Mpact. Mpact CEO Bruce Strong yesterday refuted any allegations of acting as a cartel, and…

LAST WEEK I wrote about South Africa’s healthcare system that became inaccessible to many people due to the consistent neglect, poor management, and corruption of public health facilities. This situation is further exacerbated by the unaffordability of private healthcare for most people in South Africa. Especially people in remote areas often do not have access to quality health services. To increase access to healthcare of people living in remote areas, I offered the possible solution of telemedicine or telehealth, used with great success in many countries across the world. Telemedicine generally refers to the use of modern technology to provide clinical care and other medical services remotely to persons whose access to medical services are restricted by geography. South Africa experiences a serious problem with the ability of state hospitals…

North West’s top 5 still to be elected after delegates threaten to collapse indaba plagued with problems THE voting for the ANC North West top five leadership was expected to take place until the early hours today, with the election of the provincial executive committee (PEC) postponed to the end of the month. The 9th North West provincial conference has been mired in controversy since it started on Friday following a court application to stop the gathering from taking place among other challenges. From the late start to the existence of bogus delegates and the withdrawal of nominated candidates, the conference was yet to elect its top five after news broke that former provincial chairperson Supra Mahumapelo had announced his dramatic withdrawal from the nomination for the…

The Pay the Grants movement has expressed outrage at what it said was the ongoing abject failures of Sassa and the Department of Social Development surrounding the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. The movement said this was continuing during Women’s Month when millions of mothers were struggling to feed their children while the country faced a crisis of spiralling cost of living. It criticised Sassa for declining caregivers for “Alternative Source of Income” due to receiving the Child Support Grant of R480. Amandla.mobi movement members also recently marched to the Social Sector Summit demanding that the Department of Social Development urgently fix R350 grant problems as it said Sassa had stopped paying the grant to millions. The movement also highlighted barriers to applying for the grant, non-payments, delays…

Chemicals and energy company Sasol has launched a schools competition aimed at raising awareness on the use of renewable and sustainable energy. The company’s Energy Innovation Schools competition is geared for Grade 4 to 11 learners from schools in Sasolburg, Secunda and Ekandustria. Sasol said the competition aimed to raise awareness of renewable and sustainable energy usage and stimulate wonder and curiosity about science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education among school learners. According to Sasol, the competition further enables the learners to innovate, build critical thinking and develop problem-solving and interpersonal skills. “The aim of the Energy Innovation Schools Project competition is to stimulate a sense of wonder and curiosity about science, technology and energy among learners to enhance the intermediate phase, senior phase and FET phase curriculum in…

Once again policy confusion reigns in the education sector, where there are plans for universities to be downgraded if they do not meet set standards. This is the bane of South Africa – always tinkering with policy, the result being that administrators end up managing processes in and off themselves. This problem arose when that horrendous policy was adopted by the government to merge higher education institutions. Incompatible traditional universities were “merged” with technikons, creating a hybrid creature, the so-called “comprehensive universities” which are unravelling and hence these mooted changes. But when are we going to stop making changes and focus on delivering quality education? This tendency even affects the basic education sector. Take curriculum changes that have been experimented with over the years. We had that discredited Outcomes-Based…

Israel, like any other country, has a duty to defend its borders, especially when it feels that its national security is threatened. It is a common cause that such defence should not involve unnecessary provocation to other countries. But, it would be myopic to expect Israel to sit back and fold its arms when attacked by terror organisations such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). When Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014 (the Russo-Ukrainian war), South Africa never condemned Russia’s provocation toward Ukraine. Then, this year, when The Russo-Ukrainian war intensified and countless people lost their lives, livelihoods, and statehood as a result of being displaced, South Africa has not been prepared to condemn Russia for its gross military attack on Ukraine. It is evident that SA was too quick to…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s whirlwind visit to three African countries is the second in less than 12 months. In 2021 he visited key US regional partners Senegal, Kenya and Nigeria. In South Africa,Blinken unveiled the US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa, marking a paradigmatic shift in America’s engagement with Africa. Why a paradigmatic shift? First, it sets a positive tone for US engagement with Africa. Previous US strategies began from the premise that Africa was not a strategic actor in the broad scheme of American foreign policy. This strategy is different. It starts from the assumption that Africa is a core priority of US foreign policy – a fundamental commitment to working together to advance a shared agenda. The tone is matched by the emphasis on African agency. And…

Montreal: With monkeypox vaccine in short supply in the US, thousands of foreigners, including Americans, are flocking to Montreal to get their shots. The capital of Quebec province, located about 70km north of the US border, has decided to make the vaccine available to all those who consider themselves to be at risk. Since the vaccination campaign was launched in mid-May, Montreal has inoculated 18 500 people, 13% of them foreigners. The goal is to vaccinate some 75-80% of the population deemed to be at risk, in particular men who have sex with men or with multiple partners. |…

Victor Mpitsang and his panel of national selectors have a tricky task to find the right combination for the Proteas’ middle order ahead of the first Test against England. Temba Bavuma’s absence through injury leaves a bigger hole than many imagine, and while the candidates for the No 4 and 5 spots all performed reasonably well in a tour match last week, none of them demanded inclusion. Khaya Zondo made 86 in the first innings against the England Lions, Rassie van der Dussen 75, while Aiden Markram scored 88 not out in the second innings. Ryan Rickelton, who’s been in hot form for Northamptonshire, made a first-ball duck and spent an hour at the crease in the second innings to score 15. The Proteas need solidity in that middle order,…

Erik ten Hag expressed his surprise at Manchester United’s 4-0 capitulation at Brentford that left the Red Devils bottom of the Premier League for the first time in 30 years. But after just two games in charge, the Dutchman is getting a crash course in United’s new reality. The 20-time English champions have now lost seven consecutive away league games for the first time since 1936. That run included similar thrashings at Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion. United have conceded four or more goals seven times in the league since the start of last season. Any hope of a new dawn under the former Ajax boss has been blown apart by the same failings on and off the pitch that have persisted during a decade of decline…

The Springbok women’s next goal is to expand their fan base, according to flyhalf Libbie Janse van Rensburg after they thrashed Spain in the first of two Tests on Saturday. The South Africans claimed a 44-5 victory at Ellis Park after losing their last three games to Spain, improving their world ranking to 12th in the process. “It was a massive week for us, and this win was even better,” said Janse van Rensburg. “To play at this iconic stadium was such an amazing feeling, and we could feel the energy coming from the crowd. “We were already boosted by the FNB sponsorship announcement earlier in the week, knowing that such a flagship brand wanted to be associated with us. “We had so much support and encouragement this week, on…