Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-12-15 i Star

CONSUMER prices have softened to a five-month low in South Africa as global inflation is starting to show signs of slowing down, in spite of food and transport prices exerting upwards pressure. According to Statistics SA (Stats SA) yesterday, headline consumer price inflation (CPI) cooled slightly to 7.4% in November from 7.6% in October. This was the lowest reading since June but slightly lower than the consensus forecast of 7.5%. But inflation still remained above the upper limit of the South African Reserve Bank’s 3% to 6% target range, which could pave the way for yet another interest rate hike early next year, though less aggressive than the 75 basis points increase the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee announced at last month’s meeting. Nedbank economist Johannes Khosa said they were…

The popular medical drama series Durban Gen will take a brief screen break from December 19 until January 6. e.tv confirmed that they would be adjusting their normal programming for the festive season. “The second extended season of Durban Gen season two, will be put on a short pause” read the channel statement. The new season of Durban Gen was launched in October with the storyline taking place five years later. Dr Mbali Mthethwa, played by Nelisiwe Sibiya, has since become a fully fledged sangoma. In the past two months, the doctor gave viewers some insight into the contrast between traditional and western medicine. The show also introduced new couples, Dr Thabo (Meshack Mavuso) and Dr Zondo (Fanele Ntuli), who are now married – but for how long? Zondo has…

Move seen as part of president’s culling of his political rivals President Cyril Ramaphosa seems to have intensified his apparent plan to oust his political enemies ahead of the ANC national elective conference that starts tomorrow. He is seeking to be re-elected ANC president when more than 4 000 delegates gather to cast their votes at Nasrec, south of Johannesburg. The latest to bite the dust is Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe, who may not be a politician but was suspended two days before the start of the conference. The suspension comes after the Judicial Conduct Tribunal found Hlophe to have “breached the provisions of Section 165 of the Constitution by improperly attempting to influence the two justices of the Constitutional Court to violate their oaths of office”. Ramaphosa…

Despite speculation President Cyril Ramaphosa and his camp are planning to bar high-ranking ANC leader Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma from entering the ANC presidential race at the party’s 55th ANC conference, but she is going nowhere. Dlamini Zuma and three ANC MPs voted with opposition parties on whether the National Assembly should adopt the report which found Ramaphosa had a case to answer regarding the Phala Phala matter. Others who refused to toe the ANC line were former North West premier, Supra Mahumapelo, former Mineral Resources minister Mosebenzi Zwane and MP Mervyn Dirks. From the ANC, 214 MPs voted against the report which essentially blocked possible impeachment proceedings against Ramaphosa. Although ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe came out strongly against the four for voting against the party and vowed to report them…

There are few people in life to whom one can say he or she changed my life. The late Swiss pianist and musician Paulette Robert changed Dr Musa Nkuna’s life. Nkuna is a son of the soil, an opera star now based in Germany. He was left thunderstruck by the death of Robert. She was meticulously tied and folded into the knots of his heart. She gave him his first music lesson and encouraged him to pursue music as a career. She was like a second mother to him. He described her as a person who touched many lives and was like a fresh wind that blew away old memories. The Evangelical Presbyterian Church in South Africa paid tribute to Robert, who died in Switzerland…

Nurses and pregnant women have been urged to vaccinate against whooping cough following an increase in infections among young children. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reported that it had picked up on the increase in cases of pertussis among children younger than five years of age, and said the cases had been reported in the Western Cape, especially among infants younger than three months. Pertussis is a vaccine-preventable disease caused by Bordetella pertussis and is a notifiable medical condition. The organisation said on a positive note, following vaccination a person’s immunity against the disease lasted for about five to six years. Episodic increases in pertussis cases have reportedly occurred in vaccinated populations every three to five years. However, the completion of childhood primary series and boosters was important…

A MPUMALANGA judge has put his foot down in two cases against the Road Accident Fund (RAF) in which both parties claimed millions. The claimants provided the court with hardly any evidence to prove that the accidents did occur. They could also not show that the injuries they claimed to have suffered existed. In both cases, Judge BA Mashile raised his eyebrows when the lawyers of the claimants did not bother to call witnesses in support of their cases. Yet, they expected the court to grant millions in favour of their clients. Judge Mashile concluded in both cases that the public purse had to be protected and he granted absolution from the instance in both matters. This means that neither the plaintiffs nor the RAF could prove their case against…

I AM always amazed at Peter Bachtis’s insight and compassion with regard to the hardships of people and countries. His letter, “Indonesia has laid itself open to ridicule”, refers. However, his tongue-in-cheek referral to South Africa is noteworthy. Roughly 87% of Indonesia identifies as Muslim. Its conservative Is- lamic ideology has grown increasingly popular. Indonesian law does not recognise same-sex marriages, and who says it is wrong? The liberal Left and bleeding hearts? What makes their opinion valid? In a Pew research poll, only 9% of Indonesians said homosexuality should be accepted. The new law, passed unanimously, will take effect over three years. Charges can only be filed by parents, children and spouses. Muslim countries have a low crime rate because of their strict Islamic penal law. Rape is three…

We saw their faces as they stood up and said no. With the exception of five brave ANC MPs, all the rest, 242 of them, are faceless cowards who put party before country. Shamelessly they toed the party line, voting against the adoption of the Section 89 panel report. Yet the irony is that it was Parliament which asked for the report into the Phala Phala farm scandal. Now they don’t trust their own report. But they trust a man who stands accused of violating his oath of office. We expected it, but to see these men and women stand up and say without flinching that they will protect their crooked leader says much about their character. What gutless, spineless, disgusting, crawling worms sit squirming in Parliament. Oh yes, they…

The ANC has a huge decision to make at their national elections conference on Friday, and that question is: Which bull has the biggest horns at the ANC farm, is it Phala Phala or Digital Vibes, or both? This is a figure of speech, in case readers are wondering. Another question following that one is: Which bull to pull down, is it Phala Phala or Digital Vibes, or both? One thing for sure is that there is a bull or bulls that must be pulled by its or their horns inside the ANC’s elective conference. There may be a bully somewhere and that bully must come down and they may not be singular, they may be multiplied. Can the ANC discern who or which is/are the bull/s that must be…

BERLIN: German prosecutors said yesterday police carried out searches across seven states this week in their investigation of climate activists from the Last Generation group, suspecting possible criminal acts and the formation of a “criminal organisation”. The investigation was connected to possible criminal acts in connection to activities around the Schwedt oil refinery, a statement said. A spokesperson for Last Generation had dismissed the searches as intimidation. Climate activists in Germany and elsewhere in Europe have drawn the scrutiny of authorities with bold stunts. | Reuters…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will take a dossier to the UN alleging its neighbour India has backed incidents of terrorism, the foreign ministry said yesterday, and that India was behind a high-profile bombing. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said the dossier would include detailed evidence and information of India’s involvement in a 2021 bombing outside the house of an Islamist leader, Hafiz Saeed, among other incidents of sabotage. New Delhi has not responded to the allegations and said Saeed was the mastermind of 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people, a charge he has denied. | Reuters…

Eskom board says there is no immediate plan to appoint Mpho Makwana as interim CEO André de Ruyter’s sudden resignation as Eskom Group CEO yesterday has exposed the chasm in opinion about the direction of the country’s renewable energy programme within South African business and industry. The business sector expressed mixed feelings yesterday about De Ruyter’s resignation as Eskom CEO. De Ruyter, who has been under immense pressure due to the ongoing electricity crisis, submitted his resignation earlier this week to the Eskom board. When he first took office in January 2020, De Ruyter set himself a target of 18 months to end the country’s persistent load shedding and ramp up the utility’s maintenance programme. His failure to meet his ambitious target and Eskom’s serious challenges became the stick…

RETAILER Pick n Pay said yesterday as it opened its 300th stand-alone store in South Africa that its clothing unit sourced more than 40% of its range locally and remained focused on its growth. In a bid to develop local designers as part of its strategy, Pick n Pay Clothing said in a statement that it had collaborated with South African designer Gavin Rajah for its Futurewear collaboration initiative to curate exclusive collections at affordable prices. Pick n Pay Clothing general manager, Hazel Pillay, said: “We rely heavily on our local manufacturing base to create consistency. This has helped us largely mitigate the impact of global supply challenges that the industry has experienced over the past three years. We’ve grown local content from 28% three years ago to 40% now,…

TSHWARELO HUNTER MOGAKANE PROMINENT Mpumalanga lawyer Slungu Thobela has taken the ANC to court for allegedly victimising branches that nominated the party’s deputy president David “DD” Mabuza for ANC president. In a 158-page document submitted to the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court, Mbombela, Thobela is taking legal action against the ANC in his capacity as a branch chairperson in Zwelisha, outside White River. Seven respondents are named in the court papers and include Mpumalanga ANC chairperson Mandla Ndlovu, his deputy Speedy Mashilo, provincial secretary Muzi Chirwa, his deputy Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, provincial treasurer Mandla Msibi, the ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) and the entire ANC as an organisation. Thobela Attorneys lodged the application on an urgent basis on December 9, serving all the respondents one by one and further acknowledging…

AN EASTERN Cape man received a welcome early Christmas gift – his freedom – after two judges overturned his four life terms as well as an additional 15 years imprisonment. He had been convicted on five counts of raping his daughter. The man, who cannot be named in order to safeguard the identity of his daughter, had maintained his innocence from the start. The magistrate who presided over his case ignored his version and accepted that of his daughter. The high court, sitting in Bhisho, ordered the immediate release of the father from prison. He has served more than four years, following his conviction on five counts of rape and subsequent sentence. In appealing his convictions, the father said his estranged wife and her family had prompted his daughter to…

A Dangerous Business Jane Smiley Loot.co.za (R564) Knopf Reviewer: Maureen Corrigan A MASH-UP of a western, a serial-killer mystery and a feminist-inflected tale of life in a bordello. The novel is set in the wide-open town of Monterey, California, in 1852. Heroine Eliza Ripple is a recent widow. Back home in Kalamazoo a few years earlier, the teenaged Eliza was pushed into marriage by her parents, who were dazzled by the social and financial credentials of a stranger in town named Peter. Predictably, Peter turned out to be a con man – and one who was sexually brutish to Eliza, to boot. Entranced by the mirage of the Gold Rush, Peter dragged Eliza to Monterey, where he was promptly shot in a bar fight. Eliza didn’t shed many tears. Indeed,…

Cleaner’s Boy – A Resistance Road To A Liberated Life Patric Tariq Mellet Loot.co.za (R240) Tafelberg IT is through that choice of taking a resistance road, the one less travelled, that I got to experience a liberated life. Patric Tariq Mellet took his first steps on this road at age 8 and by 13, he engaged in his first consequential and difficult political act. He organised a fast in his high school to protest the killing of anti-apartheid cleric, Imam Abdullah Haron in detention. The match had been lit. Arbitrarily classified as “white” despite his heritage and family, he was ordered to join the armed forces. He refused as he could not take up arms against his own people. Instead he heeded the call of OR Tambo and joined…

Beauty contestants from different parts of the country converged on Gauteng for the prestigious Face of Devotion Mzansi 2022 pageant where, at the end of the glorious evening, winners were crowned. Face of Devotion is centred on giving a platform to contestants from different backgrounds, without beauty standards or societal norms being a barrier. Karabo Matjee, the overall winner of the Face of Devotion Mzansi 2022 pageant, commented about her win, revealing that being part of the pageant taught her many lessons. “I define myself as an ambitious, beautiful queen who never settles for less. One lesson I took from this experience is that you should never allow a person to define who you are and what you stand for. “Remember to keep your dreams alive and understand that achieving…

Lionel Messi fever is real and it is growing. And you’d expect it will reach its climax should he be successful in winning the World Cup on Sunday. Argentina have already booked their place for that showpiece match after crushing Croatia 3-0 on Tuesday, and will face either France of Morocco, who played on Wednesday night. The discussion this past decade has raged on whether Messi, now in the twilight of his career, is the Greatest of All Time. Many argue the moniker of G.O.A.T belongs to Brazilian Pele, or Messi’s countryman Diego Maradona. Some have even suggested Cristiano Ronaldo, to which I say pish posh. If Messi is to lift the trophy, then surely his achievements will make it a moot point. He will certainly be the greatest of…

SEOUL: US Forces Korea launched a new space forces unit yesterday as the allies ramp up efforts to better counter North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats. The US Space Forces Korea is the second overseas space component of the US Space Force and is tasked with monitoring, detecting and tracking incoming missiles, as well as bolstering the military’s overall space capability. US Forces Korea said the unit would enhance the US’s ability to ensure peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in North-east Asia. South Korea’s air force also set up its own space unit this month. | Reuters…

HOW people watch football is changing each year with multiple camera angles giving fans immersive viewing but capturing games volumetrically could lead to a whole new TV experience. Sky Sports caused a buzz in 2019 when they used over 100 cameras so their presenters could analyse the techniques of top golfers using holographic replicas of each player in 360 degrees. Sky and other companies are now trying to bring such technology into football, giving fans the option of being at eye level next to a striker as a goal goes in or a controversial tackle is made. “You want to see certain goals 50 times over,” Peter Moore, former Liverpool CEO and now senior vice president at Unity Technologies, said from his home in California. “There are so many Divock…

ELTON Jantjies says his off-field issues are “already behind me”, and that it is the right time to make a fresh start at his new team Agen after arriving at the French club this week. It has been a tumultuous year, on and off the field, for the 32-year-old flyhalf, who has had to deal with injuries and then the drama around his alleged affair with Bok team dietitian Zeenat Simjee – which she has denied. He has also faced a lawsuit from his agent James Adams for a breach of contract involving hundreds of thousands of rand, while there was an incident on an aeroplane earlier in the year where he was arrested on a charge of malicious damage to airline property. Jantjies spent some time at a facility…

As the news spread that the CEO of power utility Eskom, André de Ruyter had resigned, labour unions and the SA Youth Economic Council said while his exit was expected, Eskom must act to end load shedding. Numsa said the Eskom board must act with urgency to announce a replacement, even if on a temporary basis. The replacement must have the skills and capability to continue all efforts to reduce load shedding. Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said, “The resignation of De Ruyter is a major blow for Eskom and the efforts to address the energy crisis we are facing on an ongoing basis. While this is a blow, it is hardly surprising, given the irresponsible comments made by some in government and some other sectors. “Business remains committed to working…

SINGER Nomcebo Zikode’s fight against record label Open Mic Productions has become messier. In court documents which IOL Entertainment has seen, she has turned the to the High Court after her Grammy-nominated song Bayethe was unlawfully taken down from Spotify. Zikode and her collaborators Zakes Bantwini and Wouter Kellerman received the nomination for the 2023 Grammy Awards under the category Best Global Music Performance. In her affidavit, Zikode alleges that on November 16, the day the Grammy nomination was announced, Spotify removed the song from its platform, as the result of a letter sent by Open Mic Productions attorneys Mamphahlele and Masipa Inc (MM). The letter said “the recording infringes on its intellectual property in one or more musical compositions’ (the take down notice)”. Zikode claimed “the statement is false,…

Ingredients 500g diced pumpkin, steamed or 500g leftover pumpkin chunks, steamed 2 tsp (10ml) paprika 1 tsp (5ml) nutmeg Salt and pepper to taste 2 stalks spring onion, finely chopped, or a ¼ onion, finely chopped 4 cups baby spinach, wilted 2 rounds (about 200g) feta cheese, crumbled 8 lasagne sheets Tomato sauce 1 tbs (15ml) olive oil 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 cans diced tomatoes ¼ cup reserved pasta water Salt and milled pepper to taste 1 tsp (5ml) white sugar Handful basil leaves, torn ½ cup (125ml) grated Marksbury Select Parmigiano Reggiano Method Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add tomato, water, salt and pepper. Stir and reduce…

THE latest unemployment figures have shown the situation in South Africa has gone from bad to worse. Most of us are punch drunk and are almost oblivious to the ongoing pain that unemployment is causing each and every single South African family. For the past 20 years, the country has been bleeding jobs and very little has been done to stem the tide. There are many ways in which the government could tackle the job crisis, but every time a solution is suggested, it is either ignored, or reasons are given as to why they don’t want to even try. The unhealthy relationship between the trade union movement and the ANC is part of the problem. The trade unions want to protect their members who are already in jobs and…

Most members of the United Nations are guilty of human right violations, yet some powerful members single out Qatar for human right abuses. This type of shameless behaviour is hypocrisy in full motion. The 2022 World Cup propelled a tiny wealthy nation into another political dimension. The sufferings of displaced people in the Middle East was given a global platform. The peaceful nature of the Islamic religion was witnessed by a global audience. A progressive Muslim country staged the biggest sporting event with astounding success. Religion and tolerance gained a new momentum, that had humanity watching every moment of this global spectacle, free of violence and intolerance. Qatar 2022 was a shining mirror of Islam. Five billion people at 228 million per day watched the message of Islam at Qatar…

Super thespian Tom Cruise is apparently in town, doing some acting in one of his flick franchises, Mission Impossible. I wonder if he knows that he and his crew will require lots of “generator” power to complete the scenes. Perhaps he can weave into the storyline a failing Third World economy, headed by an insidious political management team, and the “mission” is to save all South Africans from dying a most horrible death? It does sound like a mission impossible. The Mission Impossible prota- gonist will have his hands full trying to save us. Perhaps we can call on Marvel studios to send us Thor or Spider-Man to save us from this poisonous national catastrophe in progress?…

Chinese President Xi Jinping, his ruling Politburo and senior government officials will meet over the next two days to plot a recovery for China’s battered economy just as the nation faces a surge in Covid-19 infections. The key annual economic policy conference takes place as virus infections spike in the capital Beijing a week after the leadership abandoned its tough “zero-Covid-19” controls. The policy had been championed by Xi but last month sparked the most extensive protests under his 10-year presidency. The closed-door annual Central Economic Work Conference will run from today to tomorrow, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the matter. Policy insiders and business analysts are watching closely, saying the leadership was likely to chart further stimulus steps and discuss growth targets. Global investors, already caught…

London: Thousands of homes on the Shetland Islands off Scotland’s north-east coast were without power in freezing temperatures yesterday after “significant” snowfall, the electricity provider said. The Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said engineers were working to restore supplies to about 2 800 homes but that full restoration was only likely by the end of the week. Temperatures on Shetland plunged to -10°C. On the Scottish mainland, the mercury dipped to -17°C in the Highlands town of Braemar. The Shetland Islands Council said wet and heavy snow had brought down power lines and poles. | AFP…