Innholdsfortegnelse for 8/23/2020 i City Press

Life is expensive – just breathing costs money!– Innocentia Morolong Thanks to the national lockdown, popular slay queen Innocentia “Inno” Morolong had to think outside the box to earn a living, as the closure of clubs, restaurants and taverns meant no job and no income for her. The 28-year-old, who’s the face of Sandton’s Hydro Lounge, says she had to focus on selling her fashionable unisex sunglasses range, Shades by Inno, to make ends meet. “But I thanked the lockdown, because it forced me to make things happen for myself,” she says. “I launched Shades by Inno so that I could survive as a single mother of one and keep up my lifestyle. Life is expensive – just breathing costs money! So, having my business run successfully will make things…

Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has ordered an investigation into allegations of conflicts of interest at the community schemes ombud service, in which it is claimed that some board members participated in job interviews with people they might have known, or had even awarded them contracts. The ombud service is an agency within the department of human settlements that was set up to provide an alternative dispute resolution service in community schemes such as sectional titles, homeowners’ associations and people living in blocks of flats. At least seven cases of alleged conflicts of interest involving five board members have been recorded at the ombud service since the board took over in January last year, according to internal documents that City Press has seen. The allegations are linked…

It never rains, but it pours for Black Entertainment Television award-winning musician Sjava. He was axed from Mzansi’s top drama series Uzalo after the SABC allegedly told its executive producers that they’d made a blunder in casting the muso, who’s currently facing a charge of sexual abuse. Two well-placed sources told City Press this week that Sjava (whose real name is Jabulani Hadebe) was removed from the SABC1 production by the channel amid a rape charge opened by his ex-girlfriend, songbird Yamikani “Lady Zamar” Banda. “Sjava’s extremely talented, but these rape charges have cost him his career. We understand that he told the production he isn’t guilty. Unfortunately, he needs to prove his innocence. Otherwise, he won’t work any more with a rape case hanging over him,” said an SABC…

With so many cannabidiol products on the market, it can be confusing to know just what to buy. Many manufacturers create low-quality products to cash in on the fad and make a quick buck. Be sure to thoroughly research a product before you decide to purchase it. Here are three questions you need to ask before deciding on a product: 1. Where and how was the hemp grown? 2. Has the final product been independently tested by a third-party laboratory to confirm composition and purity? 3. What production methods were used? Good quality CBD products typically use CO2 extraction, which is the gold standard.…

The office of the consumer goods and services ombud released its annual report this week. It resolved more than 8 600 complaints, with an average turnaround time of 42 days. Of those, 65% resulted in a favourable outcome for consumers. The ombud is not an adjudicative body and cannot order a business to comply with a ruling, but it plays an important role in guiding the implementation of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) and what constitutes fair business practice. Its key role is to assist parties to reach an agreement, guided by the CPA. The details of the act are not always clearcut and, in many cases, it requires some form of arbitration or guideline. A good example would be regarding what constitutes a “reasonable” contract cancellation fee. According to…

The military coup in Mali this week and the ongoing crisis in Zimbabwe must be the evidence we need not to undermine what Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said in his veiled warning to the ANC and government. This is also proof that, whether we agree with religion or not, religious leaders are influential in society and we undermine their views at our own peril. In an outburst after government denied the Dalai Lama a visa a few years ago, Tutu issued a veiled threat to the ANC government that he and others would pray for its demise. He said: “I really am warning you out of love. I’m warning you like I warned the Nationalists. I am warning you. One day‚ we will start praying for the defeat of the…

An annoyance Politicians just can’t get a clear and loud message, even if it hits them square in the face. Evidence of this was on display this week when Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa was touched on his studio after media mogul Bonang Matheba and another Twitter user said they found him annoying. @mpumz_n tweeted: “Nathi Mthethwa annoys me,” to which Matheba replied: “Me too. Very much.” Mthethwa then invited the two to share their concerns with him on email or Twitter. They just don’t like you, Minister, period. There is nothing to share with you. What priorities? The DA has clarified that MP Tshepo Mhlongo, who was supposed to be paying attention in a parliamentary committee sitting, was instead shopping at a Pick n Pay supermarket. Visuals…

Ididn’t know S’Busiso Mseleku was a lay preacher until I saw him conduct the memorial service of a colleague. I couldn’t reconcile the dirty jokes with the man of the pulpit so, after the service, I asked him to explain the “disconnect” to me. “KaMathanda,” he said, leaning close so nobody would hear him, “la engibuya khona bangazi ngingumfundisi [where I come from, they know me as a preacher].” We laughed. He said he always found himself conducting memorial services and funerals, even when he came as an ordinary mourner. And he saw things at funerals. All the drama and family feuds unfolded right before his eyes. He once told a story of what happened in Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal, many years ago. A woman from there died in Durban after a…

Royal Eagles will fly no more in the GladAfrica Championship after the Jomo Cosmos’ surprise win yesterday ensured that the KZN outfit are relegated to the ABC Motsepe League. Eagles cannot finish higher than 15th position in the second tier league. Mathematically they can only amass 28 points if they win all their games. Cosmos’ 2-1 win over Free State Stars catapulted Ezenkosi up to 14th on the standings with 29 points. Eagles only have pride to play for now in their three remaining games. They face NFD championship contenders Uthongathi at the Randburg Rugby Stadium in a 1.30pm kick-off this afternoon. The Eagles are at the bottom of the table in the GladAfrica Championship, with a disappointing 19 points from 27 games. Since the resumption of the PSL, they…

If there was one period S’Bu Mseleku enjoyed most in a season, it was the tail-end of the campaign, when clubs were fighting for survival and championships. This brought out the best in him as he walked around the newsroom, teasing people about their favourite teams and how they were doing. Lately, he would repeat what former Baroka coach Kgoloko Thobejane once told him – “Football can kill you, real death” – to anyone who cared to listen to him. Previously, he had enjoyed quoting Bill Shankly’s famous remark: “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don’t like that attitude. I can assure them it’s much more serious than that.” The end of the season was his time to shine and brag about what happened…

A top diplomat from the oil-rich United Arab Emirates (UAE), who is informally linked to the governing ANC, allegedly flew in and out of the country without a passport last Sunday. UAE ambassador to South Africa Mahash Saeed Alhameli allegedly waltzed Gupta-style into OR Tambo International Airport’s immigration services and demanded to fly to Lesotho without a passport. Alhameli, mentioned in ANC circles as one of the goto guys for the party in times of financial need – a claim that party treasurer-general Paul Mashatile has pleaded ignorance to – allegedly returned from Lesotho on the same Sunday and forced his way back into the country without a passport. But, on his return, police allegedly chased him to Pretoria – a claim that the home affairs and international relations and…

Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane may be publicly defending her 2018 report into the Financial Services Board, now known as the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), but, within the confines of her office, she openly concedes that the investigative work that went into the report was “grossly negligent and reckless”. While admitting to the mistakes, Mkhwebane places the blame squarely on senior investigators in her office, who, as of Friday, were facing a disciplinary inquiry. Mkhwebane’s admissions are contained in notices sent out to Abongile Madiba and Lesedi Sekele, the chief investigators for good governance and integrity, as well as Ponatshego Mogaladi, executive manager of administrative justice and service delivery. The three are being charged with “gross negligence or recklessness in the performance of their duties regarding the FSCA investigation”, with…

DA interim leader John Steenhuisen has dismissed the idea of a debate with leadership contestant Mbali Ntuli, saying she cannot determine party processes ahead of their conference. However, Steenhuisen supporters have told City Press that a debate would be a trap for the interim leader, as he could be dragged into an ugly dispute about race. KwaZulu-Natal MPL Ntuli, who is vying to become the leader of the DA, is moving full steam ahead with her campaign and challenged Steenhuisen to participate in four televised debates, which she said would enable citizens to hear for themselves the difference in viewpoints between the pair. Gauteng leader John Moodey is also challenging Steenhuisen for the position of DA leader. Responding to Ntuli’s challenge, Steenhuisen said it was not up to individuals to…

The North West provincial legislature has spent more than R50 million in at least five years on two financial consultancy companies owned by the same person. A third company, owned by the same person, was awarded a contract last year, which is still active. The legislature continues to spend money on consultants, despite the Auditor-General having repeatedly raised concerns about “overreliance on consultants”. The three companies – Kreston North West, Kutame Konsult and Nkonki North West, whose appointments are now the subject of an investigation by the Hawks – are all owned by 46-year-old Essa Kara. They were appointed one after the other, with only the names changing since 2013. REGISTRATION DATE CONFUSION Kreston North West (whose contract is still active) was registered on June 14 2018. Exactly six months…

I lost most of the livestock. They were auctioned off to pay for the sheriff’s costs An Eastern Cape farmer has been financially ruined after being evicted from the farm that he was granted the right to use in 2012 as a beneficiary of government’s land reform programme. The story of Vuyani Zigana, who farmed for years on the Groove Park farm between Kokstad and Matatiele, bears similarities to that of farmer David Rakgase (78), of the Nooitgedacht farm in Limpopo, who lost thousands of rands in court battles to force the state to sell him the land he had farmed for 27 years. In a landmark ruling last year, the Pretoria High Court ruled that government’s inability to sell the farm to Rakgase was irrational and unconstitutional. Last year,…

THE CAST LIST READS LIKE A LOCAL FILM MAKER’S DREAM: • Albert Ibokwe Khoza – Madlamini, Zazi’s governess • Andile Nebulane – King Ntuka • Awethu Hleli – Ilitye • Ayanda Daweti – Pee-Erot • Ayanda Makayi – Kike • Bokang Phelane – Princess Zazi • Bongile Mantsai – Hlengu • Chuma Sopotela – the Crazed Uchawi witch doctor • Daniel Hadebe – Pangool • Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa – Umna • Faith Baloyi – Queen Assilli • Faniswa Yisa – Mother Superior, keeper of ancient secrets • Hamilton Dlamini – Qotha • Harry Imoru – Akachi soldier • Hlubi Mboya – Ndiya Zazi • Hybre Taljaard – Serpentine elemental two • Khanya Mkangisa – Heka Nymph • Khayakazi Kula – Ncedisa • Khulu Skenjana – Mahlathini, the main guard •…

1 What is the name of the catchy song written by an Idols contestant that trended on Twitter this week? a. Poki Poki b. Jika Jika c. Yoki Yoki d. Yizo Yizo 2 How will Meghan Markle break royal tradition this year? a. By voting in the US elections b. By running for office c. By signing autographs d. By wearing fur 3 Which SA figure graced the cover of Men’s Health magazine this month? a. Maps Maponyane b. Siya Kolisi c. Somizi d. Kwesta 4 Which beloved talk show host in the US has been in the spotlight for alleged mistreatment of her employees? a. Oprah Winfrey b. Felicia Mabuza-Suttle c. Wendy Williams d. Ellen DeGeneres 5 Which US artist sat down for a chat with Democratic presidential hopeful…

Government revenues in Africa are estimated to drop by $45 billion (R769.93 billion) this year from the pre-Covid-19 forecast. The depreciation will further compound African countries’ high levels of debt, which have increased to roughly $40 billion annually, driven higher by the depreciation of many of their currencies this year. These were the words of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was speaking in his capacity as the African Union (AU) chairperson during the handover ceremony of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) secretariat on Thursday. “In 2020, African debt is expected to increase by about 4.4 percentage points of GDP and is thus likely to trigger a debt crisis and potentially a default by some countries,” said Ramaphosa. He said decades of progress to raise living standards and reduce poverty…

Wikipedia defines ‘doublespeak’ as “language that deliberately obscures, disguises, distorts or reverses the meaning of words. Doublespeak may take the form of euphemisms, in which case it is primarily meant to make the truth sound more palatable. It may also refer to intentional ambiguity in language or to actual inversions of meaning.” If this definition sounds familiar, that’s because, when it comes to the governing ANC, the party just can’t stop using doublespeak. Just this week, it emerged that secretary-general Ace Magashule had held a meeting with provincial secretaries and chairpersons of the ANC to discuss a decision by the party’s national executive committee (NEC) that an audit be conducted to find out which members were facing criminal or disciplinary charges and would need to declare their business interests. In…

In The Marvelous Land of Oz, author L Frank Baum said: “Everything has to come to an end, sometime.” This sentence came to mind as South Africa moved to national lockdown level 2 this week. The statistics of the country’s economic performance, job losses, company closures and poor revenue collection tell a story of a lockdown whose effect is beyond what we could have imagined. It will take time for the economy to recover, but many other casualties of the disaster may not be able to bounce back. We’ve read, with anger, how the country was fleeced by unscrupulous tenderpreneurs who inflated prices of much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) to make a quick buck while the country was fighting the Covid-19 coronavirus. As many industries were closed and restrictions imposed…

Safa is not anticipating that players will have to report for national duty under a biologically safe environment (bio-bubble) format similar to the one the PSL has implemented to complete the delayed club football season. Bafana Bafana are expected back in action in October after CAF and Fifa this week confirmed the revised dates of the international football calendar. Already, coach Molefi Ntseki has proposed two friendly matches for the next Fifa international week from October 5 to 13, to prepare Bafana for the back-to-back Afcon qualifiers against São Tomé and Príncipe in November. The continental qualification campaign was suspended in March due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus, which also saw the final tournament to be staged in Cameroon being moved from next year to January 2022. “We…

Crusaders coach Scott “Razor” Robertson’s announcement this week that he wants in on the British and Irish Lions’ tour of South Africa next year has two implications. The first is that this is the nearest thing to a fissure in New Zealand’s famously tight-knit coaching fraternity since Robbie Deans – ironically another Crusaders coach at the time – upped sticks and went to coach Australia in 2008. The second is that, if Lions coach Warren Gatland accedes to Robertson’s request, the combined home unions’ chances of winning their three-test series against the world champion Springboks have just received a significant boost. Usually, coaches keep their heads down when they’re overlooked for the job of coaching the All Blacks, but one gets the impression that Robertson never quite did after New…

With its annual general meeting hurtling into view in just under a fortnight, Cricket SA (CSA) approaches what should be the culmination of the past few years of succession planning with a gaping hole where its leadership should be. As things stand, when September 5 comes around, CSA will go into its the meeting minus a president, a CEO and a board member, after Chris Nenzani, acting CEO Jacques Faul (regular CEO Thabang Moroe was suspended due to allegations of misconduct in December) and independent director Steve Cornelius all resigned this week. Nenzani and Faul have since been replaced in an interim capacity by Beresford Williams and Kugandrie Govender. The latter’s appointment as the organisation’s first woman leader was, perhaps in keeping with CSA’s reputation at the moment, greeted with…

There’s more to Kaizer Chiefs head coach Ernst Middendorp’s decision to leave out goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune from the team’s match-day squad than meets the eye. At least this could be what Middendorp was hinting at when he told City Press this week that “the management of Kaizer Chiefs will probably give a little bit more information” on Khune. He was responding to the increasing calls from a section of the club’s fans for him to reinstate the team’s one-time regular in goal. Daniel Akpeyi’s place as Chiefs’ No 1 keeper has come under scrutiny after the team let in half a dozen goals in their three matches in the bio-bubble over the past fortnight. This includes Amakhosi’s 3-1 defeat by Bloemfontein Celtic on Wednesday – their heaviest loss in the…

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A Limpopo man has asked the police’s elite unit, the Hawks, to investigate how his wife was gifted large sums of money and went on holidays with a well-known ANC member in the province. The 51-year-old man deposed an affidavit with the SA Police Service (SAPS) in which he requested the police to investigate the source of the money that his wife, a warrant officer in the SAPS, allegedly brought to their home in plastic bags. “I believe that this woman is captured in very serious corruption activities with ANC officials. The deals are so serious that she is even forced to sacrifice her marriage, husband and kids, who are now suffering the consequences of her corrupt activities,” reads the man’s affidavit. “Around March 2017, my wife received a large…

Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) board members have pocketed hundreds of thousands of rands in board fees accumulated over the past eight months thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to IDC spokesperson Chimwemwe Mwanza, while four board meetings were scheduled to take place between January this year and August, the board held a total of 16 meetings at a fee of R22 000 per meeting for each member who attended. “As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, risks that related to liquidity and capital management, risks in the IDC’s client portfolio, and the need to engage with funders of the corporation and ratings agencies necessitated additional meetings,” said Mwanza. He added that many of the meetings had been requested by the IDC’s management. Other developments that were unrelated to the pandemic…

The world has undoubtedly experienced an information overload since the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan nine months ago. The misinformation ranged from how drinking bleach could cure the virus, to the notion that the virus was “medical terrorism” or a bioweapon engineered in a laboratory and unleashed by China to wage economic and psychological warfare against the rest of the world. Most of this has been based purely on rumours, stigma and conspiracy theories – yet this information has spread like wildfire on social media sites and messaging apps. In fact, a new study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene has identified more than 2 300 reports of rumours, stigma and conspiracy theories doing the rounds in 87 countries across the globe…

Eastern Cape police are looking at ways to involve the army in the fight against stock theft in the province. According to national crime statistics released by Police Minister Bheki Cele two weeks ago, Sulenkama Police Station in Qumbu has the highest number of cases of livestock theft reported in the entire country. Last week, City Press reported how villagers of Nyanisweni, especially widows, were leaving in fear that armed stock thieves would pounce on them and steal their sheep, goats, cattle and horses in the dead of night. This week, a contingent of government leaders, led by Premier Oscar Mabuyane, safety MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe, provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Liziwe Ntshinga and mayors, held an imbizo in Khubusi village in Qumbu near Sulenkama. The village, just like Nyanisweni not far…

First of all, let me say how good it is to be back writing for City Press. I missed reading all your comments and good wishes. I cannot continue without expressing my sincere condolences to the family and friends of my good friend S’Bu Mseleku, who passed away this week. We had known each other since my refereeing days in South Africa in the 1980s and 1990s. I always found him to be a gentle, humble man and a credit to humanity. Slow to anger and quick with wit and laughter. S’Bu, you will be dearly and sorely missed. Humanity is worse off for your passing. May you rest in peace in the arms of the Lord. His gain is our loss. REFS IN THE SPOTLIGHT You may have read…

Like 400 million other people, I’ll be watching tonight’s Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Bayern Munich in the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. But my thoughts will be thousands of miles away from the capital city of Portugal. They’ll be in Johannesburg in 2015. In that year, Juventus and Barcelona made it through to the championship match and the LaLiga side won 3-1, thanks to goals by Ivan Rakitić, Luis Suárez and Neymar. Brazilian superstar Neymar has since moved on to PSG and will no doubt be one of the men on which coach Thomas Tuchel pins his hopes in tonight’s final. Not that I can remember who contested the 2015 final, though. I’ll have to look it up. What I can remember is that my good…

Cape Town City striker Kermit Erasmus is constantly proving to be the real McCoy in the race for the Absa Premiership Golden Boot award. Along with Kaizer Chiefs’ hotshot Samir Nurković and Highlands Park striker Peter Shalulile, Erasmus is among those that have been banging them in in the PSL bio-bubble that had low scoring margins in the opening week. Erasmus was robbed of what seemed like a legitimate goal in City’s 1-0 defeat to Stellenbosch FC on Thursday. His effort, a trademark lobbed goal, was flagged by the assistant referee for offside. The strike would have been Erasmus’ third on the trot in as many games. The Bafana Bafana striker will have another shot at the target to maintain a close gap with Nurković and joint leading scorers Gabadinho…