Innholdsfortegnelse for 2023-02-15 i Star

TELKOM shares leapt by 8% yesterday after the mobile operator said for the quarter ended December 31, 2022, it had grown its quarterly revenue by 2.3%, driven by continued growth in new-generation technologies and increased data consumption. The group flagged that it was also on track to unlock value for its shareholders with a full or partial disposal of the mast and towers business of Swiftnet and the sale of a stake in Openserve. Its shares rose to an intra-day high of R36.94 on the JSE, having risen by 13.72% year to date. The group flagged that top-line performance was resilient considering ongoing load shedding, pressure on consumers due to ongoing interest rate hikes, high energy and fuel prices, and other inflationary pressures on the cost of living. In its…

HOUSE price growth fell in December due to softer demand, higher living costs and deteriorating affordability, the latest FNB House Price Index showed. Annual growth in the FNB House Price Index moved slightly lower to 2.7% year-on-year in January, from 2.9% in December, with the decline spread across price segments and major cities. “We anticipate house price growth of around 2% this year, versus 3.5% and 4.2% in 2022 and 2021, respectively. “Price growth should start lifting in the second half of 2024, as interest rate pressures ease and marginal buyers return to the market,” FNB economists Siphamandla Mkhwanazi and Koketso Mano said at the release of the index. They said they expected home buying activity to decrease further in coming months as affordability becomes more stretched. Their view is…

ANTI-drug and anti-gangsterism activist Ayob Mungalee, known as the Ultimate Warrior X, was brutally gunned down in a shooting in Eldorado Park on Sunday evening, opposite his home. Mungalee, 58, was a keen campaigner against injustice, violent crime, drugs and gun violence that threaten the Eldorado Park community. Following his alleged execution-style shooting, the Gauteng Legislature’s portfolio committee on community safety called for the speedy arrest of the murderers behind the fatal shooting. “A respected community leader, Mungalee was known for his firm stance against drugs and gangsterism, which plague Eldorado Park. He was popular for working closely with the police and the community in fighting violence and crime in the area,” said committee chairperson, Bandile Masuku. “His death is a sad moment for Eldorado Park and marks a…

Like many other events re-introducing themselves back in the entertainment industry after the Covid-19 enforced hiatus, Ultra South Africa is back with a bang and a fierce line-up. Ultra SA is an electronic music festival which has made headlines since its inception, hosting shows in Cape Town and Joburg. Following the lifting of all forms of Covid-19 lockdown regulations last year, Ultra announced the “full-fledged and inspired return” of its shows in South Africa, calling on its supporters to save the dates: March 10 (Cape Town) and 11 (Joburg). For its eighth edition, the festival has added names to its main stage line-up, including future house superstar Oliver Heldens, home-grown heroes Goldfish, and very recent Grammy winner Zakes Bantwini. They will be joining other global icons such as Alesso,…

AKA, South Africa’s most recognisable name in hip-hop, was gunned down – with his friend, celebrity chef Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane – outside a restaurant along Durban’s popular night spot Florida Road on 10 February. It’s reported that AKA was killed in a cold-blooded shooting, a recurring theme of gangsta rap culture. The ghastly manner of his death, apparently an orchestrated hit as captured by CCTV footage, is a first in the South African music industry and has had international reverberations. The 35-year-old AKA was born in Cape Town as Kiernan Jarryd Forbes – and would later also tag himself as Supa Mega or Bhova. He was based in the country’s biggest city, Johannesburg, where he hunkered down atop the hip-hop food chain for more than a decade. From the start…

The Women’s Premier League may be the biggest money-spinner in the game, but Chloe Tryon was out shopping while the auction was happening to remain focused on the Proteas’ crucial T20 World Cup encounter against New Zealand. It was only en route to Boland Park in Paarl on the team bus that the big-hitting right-hander was informed by her teammates that she would be on her way to Mumbai Indians for nearly R660 000. Tryon’s purchase price is not close to her Proteas teammates Marizanne Kapp (R3.2-million) and Shabnim Ismail’s (R2.1m) price tags, but it remains a significant amount for the all-rounder, who hails from Amanzimtoti in KwaZulu-Natal. It certainly helped that Tryon remained in her bubble, for her national team needed all of her on Monday in Paarl. The…

The inaugural Betway SA20 was a rousing success. There was plenty of hype in relation to the entertainment off the field, but the premier attraction remained the sparkling cricket played out in the middle. Here, Zaahier Adams picks his Team of the Tournament… 1 Faf du Plessis Joburg Super Kings Runs: 369, Average: 41, Highest Score: 113, Strike-rate: 147.60 The Joburg Super Kings skipper was integral to the process of transforming the Wanderers into a fortress for the Yellow Lions. JSK were unbeaten at home due to Du Plessis striking 232 runs in four innings, which included the tournament’s maiden century. Unfortunately for Du Plessis and the Super Kings, his form evaded him at a critical point of the campaign as he closed off with two successive ducks. 2 Adam…

INSURERS are bracing for a wave of claims following the declaration by the government yesterday of a State of Disaster due to the flooding in parts of the country. President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday declared a national state of disaster, the second in a week, to enable an intensive response to widespread flooding that has affected seven of the country’s nine provinces. He also declared the electricity crisis a state of disaster in his National State of the Nation Address last week. Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape have been most affectedby the floods, which were brought on by the haevy rainfall as a result of the La Niña weather phenomenon, according to a statement from the office of the presidency yesterday. There was also flooding reported in Gauteng, eastern KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo,…

INVESTORS have warned about the impact of load shedding on South Africa’s fiscus in the years ahead, saying that the woes brought about by rotational power cuts were yet to hit the tax revenue collection numbers. This comes as Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will next week table the Budget in Parliament in the midst of an unprecedented energy crisis that has severely crippled economic activity. The Budget is expected to reveal that the country’s debt load has crossed the 70% mark of the gross domestic product (GDP), or has increased by nearly R700 billion more. Investec chief economist Annabel Bishop said the gross loan debt was likely to be projected near 71% of GDP for 2022/23 and run around 70.5% for the following three medium-term years of 2023/24 to…

It was a story that not only made headlines internationally, it left us heartbroken too. Now, almost two decades later, the story of baby Zephany Nurse is set to premiere on M-Net. Girl, Taken is a riveting documentary that delves into the abduction of three-day-old Zephany from Cape Town’s Groote Schuur Hospital in 1997, how she was found 17 years later – and how those involved have coped since being thrust into the international spotlight. Co-directed by Francois Verster and Simon Wood, the documentary won the award for Best South African Documentary at the Durban International Film Festival. The story of baby Zephany, who was raised as Miché Solomon, is one many are familiar with – but the documentary goes much further. In Girl, Taken she speaks about her upbringing;…

THE family of slain rapper AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes, has shared the most recent information about their son’s funeral arrangements. Yesterday, the family, led by AKA’s dad, Tony Forbes, confirmed in a media address held at Rockets in Bryanston that the popular rapper and music producer will be laid to rest in a private provincial funeral ceremony on Saturday. His memorial service, which will be open to music fans, is to be held at the Sandton Convention Centre on Friday. The award-winning rapper was gunned down outside the Wish On Florida in Durban on Friday night. He was in the company of members of his team and long-time friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, who also died after a second assailant opened fire seconds after the shooting of AKA. Speculation has…

ADVOCATE Thembeka Ngcukaitobi has rejected a claim by the African Transformation Movement (ATM) that the ANC pressured National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to choose an open vote during the Phala Phala debate in Parliament. The Western Cape High Court, Cape Town, was this week hearing an application from the ATM which seeks to review and set aside the Speaker’s decision to compel MPs to vote openly on the adoption of the Section 89 panel’s report on the Phala Phala matter. The report, produced by an independent panel of experts, including former Chief Justice Sandile Ncgobo, Judge Thokozile Masipa and advocate Mahlape Sello, found that President Cyril Ramaphosa had a case to answer. However, on December 13 last year, ANC MPs voted against the adoption of the report, defeating the opposition’s…

THE shock exit by Tshwane’s mayor Randall Williams from office this week has been described as a breath of fresh air for the municipality. The SA Municipal Workers Union’s (Samwu) regional chairperson Nkhetheni Muthavhi, said Williams’ resignation on Monday had lifted staff morale. He attributed Williams’ exit to the “baas boy mentality” he demonstrated when he (allegedly) instructed senior municipal officials to rubber stamp a R26 billion unsolicited bid proposal for generating power for the city. The instruction was captured in a recording in which Williams was heard telling senior managers that the city’s executive made “executive decisions”, and that the administration was duty-bound to implement them whether they “agree or disagree” with them. He was subsequently accused of meddling in municipal procurement processes. “This man has been…

No more Grammys for award-winning superstar Zakes Bantwini, who won a coveted Grammy Award 10 days ago along with fellow musicians Nomcebo Zikode and Wouter Kellerman. The local stars were honoured for their hit song Bayethe with a gong in the Best Global Music Performance category in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 5. Their win came a year after Bantwini’s long-time collaborator Black Coffee won the same award in 2022. Bantwini, who recently lost his father to gun violence, said more needed to be done to stop the violent crimes involving guns that have killed South African musicians. This comes days after rapper AKA, whose real name was Kiernan Forbes, was gunned down outside a restaurant on Florida Road, Durban, a week after amapiano artist Vusi Ma R5 was killed…

Internationally acclaimed musical group the Soweto Spiritual Singers, founded by multi-talented siblings Nkululeko and Vicky Vilakazi, will be performing for the first time at the Joburg Theatre next month. Born in Soweto, the Vilakazis came from a humble family where both parents were pastors and ministers of the gospel. Their parents couldn’t afford to pay for tertiary education, so the siblings turned to their passion, music, to try to earn a living. In 2007, Vicky and Nkululeko founded the Soweto Spiritual Singers, and in 2009 they started touring across Europe. “The choir was formed to celebrate our ‘Unity in Diversity’ as a nation,” said Vicky. “We want to present our cultures and traditions in energetic performances accompanied with dance, ululating, and an exhilarating towering of joy to the world.”…

The Lions have a big problem, one they have not been able to overcome since December 2021, and which will create doubt in their abilities, stifle hunger in their bellies, and hamper belief in their convictions. Since that December, the Joburgers have beaten Irish, Italian, Scottish and Welsh opposition. They have also tamed one of the biggest rugby clubs in the world in Stade Francais. They have travelled abroad to Europe and won all their matches on tour, but they have failed to beat any South African franchises in that period. Indeed, the last SA team to fall to the Doornfontein-based team at franchise level was the Stormers 14 months ago. It is a bugbear that will plague any side and a record that will make the Lions even more…

Curwin Bosch says the Sharks are ready to hit the ground running on Saturday at Ellis Park against the Lions (3pm kick-off) after a performance against the Stormers that was “just not good enough”. The Sharks were smashed by the Capetonians and then went into a bye week, before regrouping for this week’s visit to the Lions for a crucial United Rugby Championship (URC) match. Both teams are in the must-win territory as opportunities to make the crucial top eight (and Champions Cup qualification for next year) dwindle. “That performance was way below our standards, especially at home,” said Bosch, who is personally in fine form, although against the Stormers, he was playing behind a beaten pack. “We had an in-depth review of what went wrong, and on the day,…

Charles Leclerc declared his love for the new Ferrari SF23 Formula One car after giving it a Valentine’s Day debut at the Italian team’s Fiorano track in front of hundreds of passionate fans yesterday. The Monegasque beat Spanish teammate Carlos Sainz in a coin flip, conducted by new team principal Fred Vasseur, for the honour of driving the red and black car for its first laps on a sunny morning. “It feels good,” said Leclerc after two laps. “It feels special. Everything went smoothly. Obviously, with two laps it’s difficult to go into details, but I already gave my feedback once I was in the car to the engineers. “The car was running well, smooth. Everything went really well,” added the 2022 runner-up, who waved to the cheering fans filling…

The move is no surprise, says World Wide Worx CEO Arthur Goldstuck TELKOM’S announcement yesterday that it would cut 15%, roughly 1 800, of its workforce was not a surprise. In fact, the only surprise was that it’s not a bigger cut, World Wide Worx CEO Arthur Goldstuck said yesterday. This follows the mobile operator informing its shareholders yesterday that it would retrench 15% of total employees across the group, citing it was challenged by managing its costs associated with the migration of rev- enue between old to new technologies. Telkom said it would enter a formal consultation process with relevant stakeholders in terms of section 189 of the Labour Relations Act (S189A process) regarding the restructuring of certain operations. “The S189A process will impact all business units and…

SPAR GROUP yesterday said it had improved its online offering through an updated Spar2U App, which had just been launched, as it said in a trading update that it had delivered a robust trading performance for the 18 weeks ended January 28, 2023. The grocery retailer said its on- demand shopping platform for groceries and liquor, Spar2U continued to gain momentum amongst retailers and customers. “Having launched its pilot phase during the prior comparative period, Spar2U ramped up its availability to 201 sites at the end of the period and consumer feedback has been extremely positive. “An improved offering is now available through an updated Spar2U App, which has just been launched,” it said. Spar has needed to grow its online offering as it competes with its rivals stronger delivery…

A new theatre production Home Affairs delves deeper into the social ills facing South Africa, a country in crisis. Written and directed by Michelle Douglas, Home Affairs stars theatre and TV actors Sello Ramolahloane and Lawrence Joffe. Home Affairs will be staged at Sandton’s Theatre on the Square from February 21 to March 11. The play takes a deeper look at the lives of two men facing the crisis of mid-life; “apparently stuck in circumstances and a country” beyond their control. Douglas said she hoped the play would stir the much-needed conversation around the current state of the nation, the impact of apartheid, corruption, energy crisis, poverty, unemployment, high cost of living and many other issues affecting South Africans today. “With this production, we’re looking for a platform to voice…

Opposition say he’s a disaster, country now ripe for revolution Opposition parties yesterday gave a scathing response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (Sona). They said his office was blighted by a myriad failures, equated his term to former president Jacob Zuma’s, and said conditions, among other things, were ripe for a “revolution”. Leader of the DA, John Steenhuisen, said South Africa will “cross the Rubicon” without Ramaphosa come the 2024 general elections. He said if Zuma’s presidency was disastrous, Ramaphosa’s was a “farce” and had been “disastrous”. He said under Ramaphosa, South Africa had six days of load shedding in 2018, 22 in 2019, 35 in 2020, 48 in 2021, 157 in 2022, and the “shameful record” of daily rolling power outages this year. Minister…

Murder accused Ntuthuko Zikhali briefly appeared before the Benoni Magistrate’s Court yesterday for the murder of 4-year-old Bokgabo Poo, whose body parts are still missing four months after her death in Wattville, Ekurhuleni, in October last year. At the time of her disappearance, community members went on a frantic search for Bokgabo’s missing body parts, and two days later they were led to the gruesome discovery of another body, dumped in a dam in Wattville, Johannesburg. Even after police interrogation, Zikhali has failed to reveal what happened to the child, let alone direct the family to where he allegedly hid some of the body parts. The child’s family have expressed their disappointment following the postponement of her murder case to March 30, to allow the Director of Public Prosecutions in…

The proverbial “you snooze, you lose” truism came into play in court last week. A decade ago, Absa obtained judgment against a family who struggled to pay their monthly instalments, to sell their property in execution. But over the past 10 years, the bank didn’t execute the order and the family remained in the house. They made payments, in amounts they could afford, over the years. But now, a decade after it obtained the judgment to sell the house in execution, the bank returned to court for an order allowing it to go ahead with the sale and perhaps set a reserve price. But in the South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, Judge Stuart Wilson suspended the order granted 10 years ago and ordered Absa to first speak to the family…

Ingredients 30ml soy sauce 15ml sesame oil 15ml honey 30ml kewpie mayo 15ml sriracha sauce 1 garlic clove, minced 15ml ginger, finely grated 1 chilli, finely chopped 1 portion (about 240g) salmon, cut into small cubes 3 nori sheets, cut into 4 equal squares 5ml rice vinegar Salt, to taste 250ml sushi rice, cooked To Assemble: 45ml kewpie mayo 15ml sriracha sauce ½ an avocado, cut into small cubes 1 spring onion, thinly sliced Toasted sesame seeds, to taste Method For the sushi muffins: In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients and mix well. Place the cubed salmon into the soy sauce marinade and stir, coating the salmon well. Cover and set aside in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 180°C and lightly…

Oh no Beyoncé ... The mega diva and über superstar has announced a new tour. Sadly, she has forgotten her roots, the place where her forefathers and mothers came from – Africa. She still has time to reconsider and make a detour; yep, she can take a shot left, and pay homage to her diehard fans. Smelly Jozi is full of her fans and at this time, South Africans need a shiny star to entertain them so that they can forget their daily drudgery of no water, no power, no jobs and no hope for at least a few hours. Minister Sisulu should contact Beyoncé personally to plead with her to reconsider... “To the left... to the left... la la la...”…

Orlando Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi will return to the hot seat for at least the next two matches following the suspension of head coach Jose Riveiro. Ncikazi, who led the Buccaneers to the Caf Confederation Cup final last season, will work alongside Sergio Almenara when Pirates take on Fadlu Davids’ Maritzburg United at Orlando Stadium on Friday, and then arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs the following Saturday at FNB Stadium. The suspension of Spaniard Riveiro is reportedly due to his use of inexplicable language towards match officials in Pirates’ Nedbank Cup last-32 encounter against All Stars last weekend. Ncikazi claimed after the match that although he could not confirm it, there may have been an issue concerning offensive language directed at the referee on the day, Xola Sitela. “From what I…

Former star midfielder Teko Modise has heaped praise on Mamelodi Sundowns’ character development as they continue the early stages of their Champions League journey. The Brazilians opened their group-stage campaign with an edgy home victory against Sudanese giants Al Hilal over the weekend, with Cassius Mailula scoring the solitary goal. Although almost unstoppable on the domestic front, questions have been raised about the mentality of the current crop of Sundowns players and coach Rulani Mokwena. With a majority of the players that won the 2016 Champions League already sidelined or departed, Mokwena was tasked with the difficult duty of ensuring the current squad stay hungry despite a clear lack of competition in the country. One of the members of that 2016 Champions League-winning team, Modise sat down with Hlompho Kekana…