Innholdsfortegnelse for 2024-12-31 i Star

Award-winning child influencer Kairo Forbes, the daughter of DJ Zinhle and the late rapper AKA, is at the centre of a social media storm after appearing in Ackermans’ latest back-to-school advertising campaign. The campaign, which also features Scandal! actor Khumo, has sparked criticism from some who believe the retailer should have given the opportunity to less privileged children. Facebook user Gomolemo Moela voiced their concerns, writing: "I'm not against Ackermans using Kairo and Khumo to advertise uniforms. But these kids are already privileged. Khumo has a role on Scandal! and Kairo is the daughter of DJ Zinhle and the late hip hop star AKA. "They probably go to schools that don’t even wear uniforms they’re advertising... Ackermans real customers are grandmothers from villages who swipe their SASSA cards to buy…

As unrest escalates in Mozambique, South African truck drivers are stranded at the Lebombo Border, uncertain of when the situation will be resolved. In response, the South African government has appointed former police minister Sydney Mufamadi as a special envoy to engage with Mozambican leaders during this volatile period. Truck driver Simon Kubheka, from Unitrans, voiced his frustration. “We are stuck; we don't know what to do now. We spent Christmas stuck here and we are now heading into the New Year, still here. We just hope that this unrest ends amicably,” he said. Many other drivers are also facing the same plight. The recent upheaval follows the Mozambique Constitutional Court’s validation of the ruling Frelimo Party’s election victory under President Daniel Chapo, spurring significant civil unrest in support of…

Johannesburg residents who ignite fireworks near animals, hospitals or old age homes will face a fine of R1 000, and those lighting fireworks within 500 metres of a petrol station, allowing minors to ignite fireworks and failing to obtain permission for fireworks display could be fined R1 500. This is according to the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), which has issued a stern warning against illegal use of fireworks ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations. As the New Year’s Eve approaches, fireworks are commonly ignited to celebrate the end of the year and welcome the arrival of the new year. However, the JMPD has issued a stern warning against the illegal use of fireworks. In a statement, the metro police acknowledged that while fireworks can add excitement to celebration, it…

FOR MANY victims of the VBS Mutual Bank looting scandal, the past six years have been a struggle to survive. One victim, a mother of four, has been forced to sell fruit in her neighbourhood just to put food on the table. Her heartbreaking reminder of the devastating impact of the scandal on ordinary people’s lives. While convicted former chairperson of the VBS Mutual Bank, Tshifhiwa Matodzi, has provided an explosive affidavit detailing how the bank was looted of over R2.3 billion of its investors, to authorities, delays keep disappointing the victims. Matodzi implicated individuals and political parties, including prominent EFF and ANC leaders. He was handed a 15-year jail term by the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, in July after pleading guilty to 33 counts which included corruption, theft, fraud…

The unmistakable sense of relief, gratitude, and joy was visible in the eyes and the body language of the principal and his basuwe (teachers/caregivers) during the preparation to take the boys to their eagerly waiting parents and families. The principal and his caregivers had performed their first assignment with distinction without the supervision of their late mentor. The initiates all looked shiny from the red letsoku (traditional lotion) that was applied to their bodies from head to toe. While waiting for the instruction to depart, they sat in rows with their heads bowed and their faces looking stern as a sign of respect. They sang with gusto, their melodious voices showing the joy at having completed the journey to manhood. The record-breaking number of 103 initiates across the Sedibeng/Vaal area,…

In a rapidly evolving legal saga, AfriForum has signalled its intention to take legal action against the Information Regulator (IR) regarding an urgent application aimed at halting the publication of 2024 matric results in newspapers. At the heart of the dispute is whether the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) method of sharing examination results aligns with the stringent requirements set forth in the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). Alana Bailey, AfriForum’s head of Cultural Affairs, confirmed in a recent statement that the organisation’s legal team is preparing to lay the groundwork for a case to ensure that matriculants’ results are available across media platforms. This move comes after the IR’s decision to prohibit the publication of these results was revealed, raising questions about the rights of matriculants to have…

THE Hennops River, flowing through Gauteng and for more than a decade called the river of diseases and sewage, is yet again facing another problem. This time a Cyanobacteria has bloomed in the river, stretching up as far as the Sesmylspruit. The Hennops action group Fountain Rivers Earth Sanctuary issued a health warning and said the bloom was caused by severe sewage pollution from further up above the Rietvlei Dam. This nature reserve and water source for many in Centurion will also be affected, as well as the lower Crocodile River and Hartebeespoort Dam where all these toxins end up; further blooms can be expected there, the group warned. It advised people to avoid all contact with this water and to try to ensure that their animals do not come…

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi has reflected on what has been a turbulent first five months with the club. Amakhosi closed off the year with a highly competitive win over Chippa United in Durban on Sunday, ending a run of three games without a win. The Naturena-based club has seen an expected fluctuation in results over recent months as they look to re-establish themselves as trophy challengers under Nabi. The Tunisian-born coach was handed the ropes at the start of the season and has seemingly been backed to a certain degree in the transfer market. Nabi has taken charge of 12 games at the club in all competitions and has won five, drawn three and lost four and currently occupy seventh place in the Betway Premiership standings. When asked…

Actor and director Justin Baldoni, 37, has been accused by actress Blake of sexual harassment on the set of their movie It Ends With Us and according to the Daily Mail, he is now preparing to submit legal documents of his own. His lawyer Bryan Freedman also told Deadline: “I am not going to speak to when or how many lawsuits we are filing but when we file our first lawsuit, it is going to shock everyone who has been manipulated into believing a demonstrably false narrative. “It will be supported by real evidence and tell the true story. In over 30 years of practising, I have never seen this level of unethical behaviour intentionally fuelled through media manipulation.” Daily Mail added Baldoni’s lawsuit would flip Lively’s narrative that the…

Tributes continue to pour in for internationally renowned dancer and choreographer, Dada Masilo, who died after a short illness on Sunday, age 39. Only weeks before her death, Masilo was acknowledged by the City of Joburg as one of 44 “artistic icons in the City of Gold” with a star embedded into the wall of Soweto Theatre. The respected Soweto-born star received many local and global awards, among them an Italian lifetime achievement award for classic and contemporary dance in September 2024 at the Premio Positano Léonide Massine for the Art of Dance. Masilo began her meteoric career at the Dance Factory in Newtown, Johannesburg in the 1990s. She was born in February 1985, and at the age of 11, grabbed the attention of the dance industry when she…

THE Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has upheld an appeal against the Department of Defence and Military Veterans, declaring a R60 million tender awarded to Zeal Health Innovations (Pty) Ltd in 2015 invalid and unlawful. According to the SCA, the tender was advertised in January 2015, with the goal of providing healthcare and wellness services to 16 000 military veterans. Zeal Health was awarded the tender in May 2015, and a three-year contract was concluded. However, the department failed to pay Zeal Health for its services, prompting the company to launch an urgent application in the High Court in September 2015. The SCA’s decision last week was based on the department’s failure to adhere to budgetary constraints and its unlawful commitment to liability. The court found that the acting director-general…

Ahead of the new academic year the University of Pretoria’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Francis Petersen has urged its donors to continue to help ease the fees plight of students caught in the “missing middle” “One of the pressing issues we face, as a university, but also as an education sector, is what I call the student funding challenge. “And this particular funding challenge is called the ‘missing middle’ funding challenge,” Petersen said at a UP event held that honoured the university’s donors. The event took place at the Javett-UP Art Centre, where Petersen explained that the missing middle “is a group of students who fall just above the income threshold for government financial aid, who cannot afford the full cost of university education. Their families earn too much…

As the New Year dawns, many individuals find themselves reflecting on personal and professional aspirations. While ambitions for career advancement often top these lists, the excitement surrounding lofty goals can lead to significant disappointment when expectations are not met. Many resolutions sound great in theory – like, “I’ll get promoted this year,” or “I’ll completely change my industry” – but fall short in execution. Experts from Serpple, a robust SEO analysis tool, have cautioned that the inherent pitfalls of unrealistic resolutions can lead to frustration instead of fostering motivation. “A lot of people make those resolutions about their careers. While these achievement goals can energise individuals and inspire them to climb the career ladder, setting unrealistic professional resolutions might derail their progress and morale,” say the experts. To navigate through…

With the URC season taking a break until the end of January, all four South African franchises still wield the power to dictate their playoff destinies. But, the upcoming fixtures in the league might make or break their aspirations for glory. The Bulls currently lead the local franchises, holding the fourth position on the log with 25 points, and they are closely pursued by the Sharks, who are just one point adrift in fifth place. Meanwhile, the Lions and Stormers are not far behind, each clawing for a spot within the coveted top eight. The Stormers rallied impressively over the festive season, accruing 10 vital log points to leap from 13th to 9th place where they will end the year, sitting just one point behind eighth-placed Irish outfit Ulster. Reflecting…

During those frenetic final moments of the first Test at Centurion the cameras continued to zoom in on Proteas’ last-man Dane Paterson. Normally the dressing room jester, there were no jokes from Paterson now. Not even a smile. This was serious business with a place in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s next year on the line. Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada ultimately took care of business with an unbroken 51-run partnership for the ninth wicket, which saved Paterson from the tension out in the middle. “I just kept thinking, I’m not going to leave it to Patto,” Proteas hero Rabada remarked after the nailbiting two-wicket victory over Pakistan. Rabada has won countless matches with the ball for the Proteas, but the situation facing him at Centurion was altogether…

Motorists are bracing for yet another fuel price increase as they welcome the new year, marking the third consecutive adjustment that adds to the financial burden faced by consumers. Effective from 00:01 tomorrow, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy announced increases across petrol and diesel categories, while households relying on illuminating paraffin will see a slight decrease in prices. Petrol 93 ULP & LRP: 19 cents per litre increase. Petrol 95 ULP & LRP: 12 cents per litre increase. Diesel (0.05% Sulphur): 7.50 cents per litre increase. Diesel (0.005% Sulphur): 10.50 cents per litre increase. In contrast, there is a slight reprieve for households relying on illuminating paraffin for heating and lighting, with a decrease in prices: 9.50 cents per litre decrease (wholesale). 13 cents per litre decrease in…

The mafia members threaten government procurement officers as well as entrepreneurs Police in the North West Province, particularly in the Ngaka Modiri Molema region, have been alerted to budget and tender “mafias” who threaten government officials for tenders, violently halt government projects, and demand a stake in large tenders provided by government departments and municipalities. The band, which represents itself as community members and “agents of change”, demands 30% and 40% of the tender or project, failing which they collapse the project. Entrepreneurs in the North West have reported to The Star that the “mafia” groups walk into government offices and threaten procurement officers, demanding that no tender be granted to businesses with directors from outside the province and that a 40% stake in the project be given to themselves.…

The ongoing controversy involving SABC employee Nobuntu Mkhize continues to escalate, drawing calls for justice from various organisations across the country. In a series of videos that have been circulated widely on social media, Mkhize can be seen hurling insults at flight attendants over an alleged dispute regarding drinks. She has since been placed on a no-fly list by FlySafair following a brawl aboard a domestic flight from Durban to Cape Town on Boxing Day. Kirby Gorden, spokesperson for FlySafair, expressed the airline’s dismay at Mkhize’s behaviour, emphasising that interfering with the flight attendants’ duties is a criminal offence. The incident has also caught the attention of the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), which has since received a comprehensive report from the airliner involved. The documentation has now been…

A few netizens have shared their encounters with monkeys after a monkey activated a panic button belonging to a Pietermaritzburg resident on Boxing Day. Private security company Mi7 National Group reported that a primate activated a client’s panic button after stealing the remote. Mi7 said that in a light-hearted moment this festive season, the security firm’s control room received multiple panic activations from the home of a Northdale client. Believing the client was in distress, several units were dispatched to the home without delay. “Upon the first team’s arrival, the client informed them that a monkey had entered the home and stolen a remote that contained the panic button,” Mi7 stated. “It then bolted from the premises, pressing the panic button several times as it hurried away, remote in hand.…

The South African government has strongly criticized illegal miners, known as zama zamas, following their voluntary emergence from abandoned mines in Stilfontein, North West. This wave of miners emerging comes after a major police operation, “Vala Umgodi”, was launched to address the ongoing illegal mining issues in the area. On Sunday, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) issued a statement claiming that the miners’ delayed exit is a deliberate strategy to avoid law enforcement. This statement questions the miners’ allegations of abuse and threats to their lives, which they cite as reasons for remaining underground. “The miners’ delayed emergence appears to be a tactic to evade arrest,” the statement asserted. “Contrary to their claims that food underground ran out months ago, evidence suggests they have had access…

Proteas coach Shukri Conrad brushed off criticism about the uneven scheduling of the World Test Championship after his team qualified for the final. South Africa beat Pakistan in a dramatic two-wicket win in Centurion on Sunday to earn their sixth successive Test win. On the average points system used for the championship, the South Africans are guaranteed a place in the final next June, even if they lose their last match, the second Test against Pakistan starting in Cape Town on Friday. “People abroad will be shouting that we had an easy draw. Well, I'm not going to apologise for that. We're just thrilled that we can be at Lord's next year," Conrad said after the victory against Pakistan. Australia's win against India in Melbourne on Monday put them in…

Manchester United’s transition from Erik ten Hag to Ruben Amorim is not going to be easy as their styles are completely different but the squad have full faith in the new manager, defender Harry Maguire said. The 39-year-old former Sporting boss, who favours a back three, has won four, lost five and drawn one of his 10 games since taking over from Ten Hag in November. United have struggled to get any momentum in the Premier League and sit 14th having lost four of their last five. “The thing is with the managers and the styles, it is not like they have come in and they have similar styles,” Maguire told Sky Sports in an interview published on Sunday. “They are the total opposite in terms of what they want…