Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-12-14 i Star

THE CONSTRUCTION sector outperformed gross domestic product (GDP) by a wide margin in the third quarter, but fixed capital formation remains well below that of similar sized countries. The Afrimat Construction Index (ACI) released yesterday showed the index had virtually fully recovered from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The ACI is a composite index of activity in the building and construction sectors compiled by Dr Roelof Botha, an economic adviser to the Optimum Group, on behalf of Afrimat. The index value of 123.4 was 23.4% higher than the base period, which was the first quarter of 2011, but it remained lower than its record high of above 140, recorded in the third quarter of 2016, a decline since then which Botha said indicated the erosion of investor confidence since…

This comes as passenger volumes record overall recovery to pre-Covid-levels AIRPORTS Company South Africa (Acsa) has assured airline passengers that they will enjoy a seamless experience at its airports during the peak festive season, with scheduled flights taking off on time after overcoming jet fuel challenges. This comes as passenger volumes have recorded an overall recovery of pre-Covid numbers of 70% for the year to date in South Africa, driven by domestic travel at 72% while international travel accounted for 66% by end October. Acsa CEO Mpumi Mpofu yesterday said that jet fuel supply challenges were a thing of the past after various factors had resulted in supply challenges, specifically at OR Tambo and Cape Town international airports. Stock-levels at these airports dropped to alarmingly low levels at times during…

Bigger and better, Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is back at the Montecasino’s Pieter Toerin stage, to celebrate the spirit of love, family, humanity, kindness, forgiveness and generosity. This theatre production that embodies the spirit of Christmas will be staged from December 14 –24. Directed by Elizma Badenhorst and produced by Jaco van Rensburg, A Christmas Carol follows the classical tale of Scrooge, the tight-fisted, miserly grump who hates Christmas. This season, Scrooge, played by seasoned actor Ashley Dowds, is transformed, after three visitations, into a new Scrooge, who wants to spread the message of goodwill and cheer through his generous spirit. “We are truly excited to be presenting A Christmas Carol again this year at Montecasino. This year the production has been expanded and revised and is starring Ashley…

THE Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has called on motorists to plan their trips carefully and to avoid travelling at night. According to the RTMC, an analysis of fatal crashes over the past festive seasons shows the number of collisions increased between 4pm and midnight between Thursday and Sunday. RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane said this could be attributable to poor visibility, fatigue and impaired driving. However, the early hours of the morning before dawn were also a dangerous period in which to drive. Early on Monday, a collision between a truck and a taxi left 11 commuters in the taxi dead and three injured. They were travelling on the N1 between Winburg and Verkeerdevlei in the Free State. The death toll subsequently rose to 13. The vehicles collided head-on at…

Five years after escaping the “Cupcake sex scandal”, President Cyril Ramaphosa is back in the midst of yet another scandal that his Cabinet members have successfully protected him from. Yesterday, Ramaphosa survived a possible impeachment process against him after only five ANC MPs rebelled against the party by voting in favour of the Phala Phala report to be adopted. In 2017, then deputy president Ramaphosa, who was vying for the position of president of the ANC and country, became the face of a sex scandal linking him to eight young women. He was reported to have allegedly exchanged erotic pictures and videos with them, with some of them calling him “Cupcake”. It was also said that the now-state president financed the lifestyles of some of them, with one reported…

Two more lucky Absa customers’ lives changed after they drove away with new cars as part of the bank’s “Rediscover Real Living” campaign. “It’s about us helping our customers with the right tools to kick-start and rediscover their lives,” Absa’s head of consumer lending, Nick Nkosi, said at the Toyota dealership in Bryanston. As part of the campaign which was launched in July, Absa ran a competition to give away new Toyota Starlets to two customers on Monday morning. At the gathering, the two winners were handed the keys to their fiery red vehicles and also won one year of free car insurance. The other three winners drove away with their cars last month. The two customers who drove away with keys to their new cars were Jacobus Meyer from…

DESPITE the fact that the Basic Education Department will investigate alleged cheating in the matric exams in Mpumalanga, ActionSA has called for the arrest of the teachers involved. This follows reports that money was allegedly paid to teachers to help pupils cheat in their exams by providing answers in WhatsApp groups. It’s been alleged that pupils paid R1 500 to the teachers to join the WhatsApp group. During exams, the pupils allegedly went to the toilets to check the answers on their phones. “Those teachers who have been found to have acted unlawfully must be discharged, prosecuted, and jailed,” ActionSA said. It called on Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga to “suspend the alleged conspirators and nullify the results of the learners who have been found to have unduly benefited from…

We have become daily victims of power blackouts nicely termed “load shedding”. We also are experts in evading potholes even in affluent areas. This year, there has hardly been a day without a shortage of power, a basic need for a simple livelihood in South Africa. We need electricity to prepare food, to follow news, to learn and read. We need it to use current technologies to communicate with others. This power lights up dangerous roads, making it difficult for criminals to pounce on us. Driving in the dark renders us drivers helpless in daily efforts to avoid potholes even in city centres, itself an embarrassing failure of our “post- colony” South Africa. Driving through the streets of Standerton and Balfour in south-western Mpumalanga recently was painful for this reason.…

France captain Hugo Lloris praised Morocco for their remarkable World Cup run, and warned that the holders will face “formidable” opponents in tonight’s semi-final showdown (9pm kick-off). Morocco are the first African and Arab team to reach the World Cup semi-finals, having beaten Spain on penalties and then Portugal in the knockout stage after topping their group ahead of Croatia and Belgium. “We can only have respect and admiration for what they have done, but nothing happens by chance at this level,” said Lloris, who won a French record 143rd cap in their quarter-final win over England, yesterday. “When a team is capable of beating Belgium, Spain and Portugal, and finish top of their group, it is because they have lots of quality on the field – and undoubtedly off…

Australia will launch a new short-format golf event involving 10 city-based teams that its backers hope will revolutionise the sport and broaden its audience. The Ultra Golf Championship (UGC) will debut in December 2023, with teams competing over nine holes rather than 18, the PGA Tour of Australasia, which is sanctioning the event, said yesterday. The concept, echoing the rapid-fire T20 format that has shaken up world cricket, was designed by Australian businessperson and UGC founder Deke Smith, and will be promoted by the local tour. “This is an event we are passionate about, and it continues to align with our innovation in the game in Australia,” PGA Tour of Australasia tournaments director Nick Dastey said. “We know once this world-first format has some of the best players in the…

RMB Holdings (RMH) had since December, 2020 delivered a 46.5% return to shareholders as it continues with its monetisation strategy and is defending legal action from some shareholders relating to a property loan guarantee. The group said in results for the six months to September 30, the return to shareholders included a R2 billion special dividend in September and a R1.1bn special dividend paid in May, 2021. The halfway mark of its monetisation strategy had been breached, realising 63% of the net asset value as at June 30, 2020 the group said. The payment of the special dividend in September reduced net asset value per share to 98.8 cents from 238.6 cents, a decrease of 59%. On September 7, an agreement RMH and RMH Property concluded with Brightbridge Real Estate…

“President Cyril Ramaphosa, the darling of the capitalists, has a talent for secretly getting rid of his political opponents within the ANC, without him being seen directly doing so,” said political analyst Bheki Mngomezulu. The UWC professor made this comment soon after the ANC had announced the expulsion of Carl Niehaus, a known Ramaphosa adversary. “Right now we are seeing a situation whereby the likes of Bathabile Dlamini, Tony Yengeni, people who are vocal in saying the president must step down, are the ones who have been kicked out of the race,” said Mngomezulu. He said it had never happened before that ANC leaders would be kicked out of the race ahead of the elective conference. Mngomezulu said Ramaphosa kept his hands clean because he “lets other people fight his…

IT WAS an all-white affair at the Joburg All White Bubbly Festival on Saturday as the crowd came out in numbers for this prestigious event at Waterfall Park in Midrand. The All White Bubbly Festival forms part of the “Gimme Summer That Sho’t Left” activation campaign recently launched by Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, where she urged South Africans to get out of the house more. On entrance to the festival, guests received a complimentary glass of champagne, and for the rest of the night they were spoilt for choice as a variety of the country’s finest bubbly was available. The event also showcased some of the most amazing food trucks Joburg has to offer and live performances by some of South Africa’s most popular musicians, as well as DJ Fresh.…

Aurelien Tchouameni might do most of his work in the shadows but the France midfielder lit up the World Cup with his brilliant opening goal in Saturday’s quarter-final win over England. The 22-year-old later gave away the first penalty of the game at Al Bayt Stadium which Harry Kane scored to equalise for England, yet France eventually ran out 2-1 winners, and Tchouameni’s role for the holders has been vital given the problems they faced coming into the tournament. The outlook for coach Didier Deschamps and his side appeared grim when they were struck by an avalanche of injuries, not least with their starting midfield duo of Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante both being ruled out. Deschamps had to completely reconfigure his team, including abandoning his experiment with a back…

Sharks hooker Bongi Mbonambi has brushed off French star Antoine Dupont’s comments that he is uneasy at the inclusion of South African teams in the Champions Cup. The Sharks are in Bordeaux preparing for Friday night’s round two match, and Mbonambi was asked about Dupont’s comment last week that he preferred the competition when it just involved European teams. “I don’t think all the French players are negative about us coming in,” Mbonambi said from Bordeaux. “I have seen only one article about it, Dupont’s, and he said that with South African teams, it is no longer a European competition … whatever that means to him. “But rugby is becoming more and more of an international sport. “It is what it is, and we are here to make the best…

Britain’s WBC heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury has chosen an unusual sparring partner for a potential fight with Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk after former Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney agreed to help him prepare for his next bout. The Old Trafford club’s record goal-scorer Rooney, now in charge of US Major League Soccer team DC United, is a big admirer of compatriot Fury, who said he was keen to get involved. “I spoke to Wayne last night and he’s well up for it,” Fury told ITV. “But he’s a right-handed person, so he’s got to switch up to be southpaw left-handed. “So we’re going to bring Wayne in for preparation for Usyk.” Asked if he was joking, Fury replied: “No, very, very serious. “He’s agreed, so he’s going to…

Bulls coach Jake White said he will largely stick to the group of fringe players from last week for Saturday’s Champions Cup showdown against Exeter Chiefs (3pm kick-off). The Director of Rugby at Loftus Versfeld sprung a surprise last week by picking what could be described as a B team to face French club Lyon, as he rested his top players like Springboks Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie and Marco van Staden. But they did the almost unthinkable to emerge 42-36 victors in Pretoria after running up a 28-0 lead in the first half, and then holding on desperately at the end for a deserved triumph. Now they have to deal with a 24-hour journey to England. “In a nutshell, it will be the same sort of guys who played last…

GOLD Fields faces an uncertain future after the resignation of its CEO, Chris Griffith – only a year-and-a-half into the role – and after the recent departure of several of its executives. Gold Fields said yesterday that Griffith’s resignation was his decision as he felt responsible after the failure of the Yamana deal. Griffith, 57, who was appointed CEO in April, 2021 plans to leave on December 31. In a call to journalists yesterday, Gold Fields chairman Yunus Suleman said Griffith had approached the board and said that he intended to leave the company. Martin Preece, who is currently running Gold Fields’s South Deep Mine, has been appointed interim CEO. “He felt responsible for the failure of the Yamana deal, and he approached us that he would like to depart.…

SENTIMENT in the business sector in South Africa has remained relatively stable to end November, due to optimistic economic performance and in spite of the ongoing energy crisis and political instability. The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) yesterday said the Business Confidence Index (BCI) declined by 1.4 index points to 109.4 in October. However, Sacci said the BCI recovered the 1.4 index points in November and went back to 110.9 points. The BCI was 3.6 index points higher in November this year than in November last year, and 2.9 index points up on November, 2020. Sacci said the erratic movement of the BCI in 2022 from a high of 112.0 in February to a low of 103.2 in May – 8.8 index points – in itself mirrored…

Jamie’s Easy Christmas Countdown BBC First, DStv channel 174 at 7.02pm Jamie Oliver offers a stress-free guide to festive feasting with luxurious smoked salmon pâté, pork stuffing crammed with silky leeks, sweet peaches and roasted chestnuts, and goose-fat roast potatoes that are fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside. Tales From the Explorers Club Discovery, DStv channel 121 at 8pm Josh Gates explores how club members' swashbuckling exploits inspired Hollywood. A bullwhip-cracking archaeologist may be the real-life Indiana Jones. Salvage Kings History, DStv channel 186 at 8.15pm Ted and Nick hit a 1960s bungalow in a celebrity neighbourhood and strike gold with a one-of-a-kind prospecting machine.…

GAUTENG Premier Panyaza Lesufi said despite investing almost R600 million in the refurbishment and upgrading of the AngloGold Ashanti Hospital, which had been identified and dedicated as a Covid-19 critical-care facility, the provincial government has now resolved to walk away from the stinking deal. “This is another painful chapter, I must be honest. It is just that the new administration, which I have the honour to lead, we took a decision to eliminate uncertainty. If it was not the case, this matter would hang on for quite some time,” Lesufi told journalists. “The Gauteng government, through the department of health, during Covid, requested a hospital be established to deal with the challenges of Covid. Through a mine called Ashanti, a hospital was identified, and that institution needed R50m to be…

THE PROTEA Glen and Protea South communities are working around the clock to finish mopping up operations at their homes, damaged by the floods that devastated parts of the neighbourhood on Friday morning. On Monday, Human Settlements Minister Mamoloko Kubayi, Gauteng Human Settlements MEC Lebogang Maile and Joburg Housing MMC Mlungisi Mabaso met residents of the areas affected by the floods in parts of Kliptown, Protea South and Nancefield to assess the damage and the losses incurred. Kubayi said the department was on high alert after the displacement families. “It is never an easy day dealing with disasters of this kind because here we are dealing with people’s lives and people who have lost their valuables. It has been quite a difficult day. Previously, we have put people in halls…

Some fellow Star newspaper readers may interpret this expression and enquiry as an utterance from a “mama’s baby”, but for more than seven years ago since my mother passed away, I stay firm on this stance that I have tabled on many stages and platforms about the question, Why only “16 Days”? Why not make every day a focal point to both youth and women, who all form part of the most vulnerable in our society? For example, how can Mzansi, a continental superpower, have such high unemployment? Second, femicide and other issues of gender-based violence seem to be the norm. Yet, still efforts to curb this pandemic are limited to 16 days. I am talking about some men out there who celebrate the 16…

As we head into the festive season, e-hailing apps will see increased demand for rides as people shop and head to various holiday destinations. But this also means criminals will double their efforts in their illegal activities. To ensure people have a pleasant experience as they move around in the coming weeks, Bolt has released some safety tips which passengers need to consider when using e-hailing apps. Request in a safe spot While passengers wait for their driver to arrive, it is advisable to do so in a safe place preferably inside the pick-up location to avoid being a victim of cellphone snatching. Verify app details After confirming the trip, passengers must ensure that the vehicle make, registration and the driver match the details provided in the app. Should none…

THE much-anticipated upcoming ANC national elective conference is characterised by robust campaigning by the two presidential hopefuls. With two days left before ANC delegates assemble at the Nasrec centre, Johannesburg, to choose the leader of the organisation for the next five years, Dr Zweli Mkhize’s campaign is gathering momentum and making inroads in provinces previously thought to be Cyril Ramaphosa’s bases. Provinces such as the Free State which recently changed its tune by promising Mkhize a bigger chunk of its delegates’ vote, and the Eastern Cape, have endorsed him as their chosen candidate. Mkhize visited the Eastern Cape on Monday – a province known to be Ramaphosa’s turf and with the second largest number of delegates after KwaZulu-Natal. For any candidate to win the congress, these two provinces are crucial.…

Never mind the fireworks and deafening pop music that await at Al Bayt stadium – the real pre-match show for the World Cup semi-final between Morocco and France was provided by Walid Regragui yesterday. The 47-year-old coach of the first African and first Arab team to reach the last four of the World Cup took full advantage of the chance to address the world’s football media in a Doha auditorium the day before the clash with Didier Deschamps’ team. The Moroccan exuded pride, optimism, defiance and humour in a refreshing contrast to the usual drone of non-committal clichés that coaches ritually role out before big games. He mocked the game’s modern focus on possession, ridiculed the ‘Expected Goals’ stats and laughed in the face of those who wrote his team…

Scott Boland will be Australia’s third seam bowler for the series-opening Test match against South Africa, with Michael Neser to make way for fit-again skipper Pat Cummins, head coach Andrew McDonald said. While Cummins has recovered well from a quadricep injury, Josh Hazlewood will miss the Gabba Test starting on Saturday to continue recovering from his side strain. Mitchell Starc is the other member of Australia’s pace attack. “Expect Scott to take that spot at the Gabba,” McDonald told reporters. “His record is amazing at the moment, so he’ll take his place, and the assumption is that Pat does play.” Boland, the country’s second Indigenous Australian cricketer to play Tests, has had a dream start in the longest format, taking 21 wickets in four matches at an average of 10.33.…

Frenchman Frederic Vasseur was named team principal and general manager of Ferrari yesterday, tasked with ending Red Bull’s dominance in Formula One. It will be the 54-year-old’s first job with one of F1’s heavyweights. “Ferrari NV today announced that Fred Vasseur will join Scuderia Ferrari on January 9 as team principal and general manager,” said Ferrari in a statement. Vasseur fills the void left by the resignation of Mattia Binotto last month after Ferrari failed to mount a serious and sustained challenge to Red Bull, despite a promising start to the campaign. Vasseur until recently held the position of CEO and team principal of Sauber Motorsport (currently Alfa Romeo F1 Team), having been there since 2017. Sauber announced yesterday that former McLaren team principle Andreas Seidl would become their new…

The unusual errors in the second half last week won’t result in the Stormers moving away from their attacking style in Saturday’s Champions Cup clash against London Irish at Cape Town Stadium (7.30pm kick-off), according to centre Ruhan Nel. John Dobson’s team had a 14-3 half-time lead against Clermont in France last weekend, but ended up going down 24-14 in icy weather at the Stade Marcel Michelin. But now that they will be back at their Cape Town fortress, Nel is confident his team will find their groove with ball-in-hand again. Clermont played with much greater conviction in the second half, with their forwards carrying strongly and imposing themselves physically on a Stormers side that had the edge upfront in the opening 40 minutes, but gradually became “softer” in defence,…