Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-08-11 i Star

Britney Spears has revealed she is taking a small break from social media. The Piece of Me hitmaker – who is battling to end her conservatorship – has announced to her fans that she will be posting on Instagram “a little less from now on”. She wrote: “In a system where I’ve felt completely hopeless for so long, at least I do have a platform to share!!!! As Selena Gomez says it best – The world can be a nasty place… I know it… you know it… kill them with kindness!!! Unfortunately the news has been pretty nasty saying horrible and mean lies about me so I’m gonna post a little less from now on!!!! God bless you beautiful people… TA TA!!!! (sic)” Spears previously spoke out about her conservatorship,…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE GAUTENG Department of Education (GDE) opened online applications for Grade 7 learners in public schools starting Grade 8 in 2022 yesterday, with some glitches. Phase 1 of the 2022 admissions opened for Grade 7 learners currently enrolled in Gauteng to apply for Grade 8 until September 3. The GDE’s online admissions application process for Grade 1s and 8s was split into two phases this year to ensure that the high placement demand is managed more efficiently. “We are initially looking at over 183 000 registered candidates that are currently in Grade 7. That system opened at 8am (yesterday) and at this point we are happy that over 13 266 parents or applications have been successfully completed,” department head Edward Mosuwe said. The figure increased…

Sibusiso Mboto THE SA National Defence Union (Sandu) has called on newly appointed Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise to intervene over the alleged shortage of hygiene material for army personnel deployed in KwaZulu-Natal. The army had been deployed to KZN and parts of Gauteng following the unrest and looting last month. In a letter dated August 9, the union called on Modise to respond within 48 hours to what it labelled the “scandalous neglect of basic hygiene for our soldiers”, or face urgent legal action. Sandu secretary Pikkie Greef said they had been alerted of the shortage of hygiene material including toilet paper, soap, and hand sanitiser by their members on Monday this week. He expressed concern over the health of their members amid the Covid-19 pandemic.…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za A FREE drive-through Covid-19 vaccination site is set to be launched on Friday at Zwartkops Raceway in Centurion. With South Africa’s Covid-19 vaccination programme starting to pick up pace, numerous vaccination sites – including drive-through sites – have materialised. This Friday at 9am the Centurion community, in partnership with the Gauteng Provincial Government, will launch its newest site, but this time at the Zwartkops Raceway, a car racing track outside Laudium and Erasmia. “We are planning to have the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines available. Details will be released later this week,” said pharmacist co-site manager Muhammed Zaakir Essack on Monday. Other site managers are Dr Khatija Ahmed and Ahmed Ismail. The new site, where vaccination is free and caters to everyone, whether they have medical…

Peter Bachtis | Benoni Tito Mboweni is clearly a man of great intelligence, but fell short of pandering to the ANC political narrative, hence his resignation. Holding the keys to the country’s bank accounts, he has had to deal with a myriad of issues knowing full well that the coffers are empty. Yet he was expected to show solidarity with the incorrigible directives from his Boss, and absurd demands from his Cabinet colleagues. Lesser man would have capitulated, but hand it to him, he stood up to the tsunami of political interference. He leaves a gaping hole – and his replacement is just another ANC noddy.…

Bongani Shabangu THE failure to fully implement inclusion in schools cannot be solely shifted to the government’s inability to provide the necessary resources required for fostering inclusivity and ineffectiveness in order to actualise its policies on Inclusive Education (Education Whiter Paper 6). To understand the crux at hand, we must first be cognisant of the fact that inclusive education is no longer about just the physical placement of pupils with impairments in general classrooms. It is a movement that focuses on reflecting on the values and principles that counteract how educational systems reproduce and perpetuate social inequalities regarding marginalised and excluded groups of pupils across a range of abilities, characteristics, developmental trajectories and socio-economic circumstances. Inclusive education has become an educational approach that seeks to address pupils’ diversity by…

SINCE South Africa’s first participation, post-apartheid, in the Olympic Games, our country’s athletes have performed beyond expectations – all things considered. When the Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday heralded the end of the Games, and the Olympic Flame was extinguished, Team South Africa could boast of only a paltry three-medal haul, and although our country placed third on the continent, this was Team South Africa’s worst performance since the Beijing 2008 Olympics. This is despite the fact that the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) sent its largest contingent of 185 athletes to Tokyo, which dwarfs other countries on the continent. On Monday Sascoc president Barry Hendricks initially confirmed weekend reports that the cash-strapped Olympic committee would not pay bonuses to South Africa’s two medal winners –…

Bangkok: Riot police yesterday fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters in Bangkok as hundreds rallied for democratic reform and against the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Demonstrators defied a ban on public gatherings as Thailand tries to quash its worst virus outbreak so far, with daily new cases hovering around the 20 000 mark. Hundreds of protesters wove their way through Bangkok streets on motorbikes and in cars. Some demonstrators threw firecrackers and fireworks at police, who responded by firing water cannon, rubber bullets and tear gas. A youth-led democracy movement kicked off in Thailand last year drawing thousands to rallies demanding the resignation of Prayut, the former army chief who came to power in a 2014 coup. | AFP…

Rome: Mount Etna’s south-eastern crater has grown in height after six months of activity, Italy’s volcano monitoring agency said yesterday, making Europe’s tallest active volcano taller than ever. The famous volcano’s youngest and most active crater has risen to a new record of 3 357m above sea level, said INGV, the National Institute for Geophysics and Vulcanology, based in the Sicilian city of Catania. Some 50 episodes of ash and lava belching from the mouth of the crater since mid-February have led to a “conspicuous transformation of the volcano’s outline”, it said. The north-eastern crater of Etna reached a record height of 3 350m in 1981, but a collapse at its edges reduced that to 3 326m, recorded in 2018. | AFP…

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed issued a call yesterday for all eligible civilians to join the armed forces as fighting raged in multiple regions of Africa’s second most populous nation. Abiy sent troops into Ethiopia’s northernmost Tigray region last November to topple the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the regional ruling party which dominated national politics for nearly three decades until 2018. The move came in response to TPLF attacks on federal army camps, said Abiy, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. Although Abiy promised a swift victory, the war took a stunning turn in June when Tigrayan forces recaptured the regional capital Mekele and the Ethiopian army largely withdrew. Abiy also declared a unilateral ceasefire, saying it would facilitate aid access to a region where 400 000…

Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi received a hero’s welcome after flying to France yesterday to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) following his shock departure from Barcelona. The agreement to sign the 34-year-old Argentine is a major coup for wealthy PSG, who will add one of the best footballers of all time to an already formidable front line that includes Brazil’s Neymar and young Frenchman Kylian Mbappe. Wearing a T-shirt that read ‘This is Paris’, Messi beamed and waved at scores of fans who had come to greet him at Le Bourget airport on the outskirts of the French capital after his flight from Barcelona. Chanting “Messi, Messi, Messi,” the fans cheered and let off firecrackers. “It’s going to be mad. After all, it’s a legend who is arriving,” said Florent…

Bulls Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za THE Blue Bulls and Griquas meet at Loftus Versfeld this afternoon with both teams desperate to return to winning ways after unexpected Currie Cup defeats last week. Griquas had been expected to beat the Lions in Kimberley to back up their impressive win over the Sharks the week before, but the Joburgers turned the tables after having lost to Griquas in the first round. The Bulls were the favourites going into their match in Durban last Friday, but the Sharks bounced back to win convincingly. “We are on the back of a disappointing result against a strong Sharks side, and now we will face an equally committed and dangerous Griquas team,” Bulls coach Jake White said. “Griquas have proven that they are very strong competitors in…

Manufacturing sector gains ground at slower rate off a low base and civil unrest Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za MANUFACTURING production in South Africa is expected to continue growing well into the second half of the year from last year’s significant slump, albeit at a slower rate due to recent civil unrest. Data from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) yesterday showed manu- facturing production increased by 12.5 percent year-on-year in June from a year ago, lower than the 15 percent consensus. This followed an upwardly revised 36.3 percent jump in May. This was the fourth consecutive month of rising industrial activity, although at a much softer pace than a month before due to base effects from last year’s Covid-induced decline. The largest positive contributions came from motor vehicles, basic iron…

R. Kelly, the disgraced R&B superstar who faces a battery of sex abuse charges in several US states, appeared in court on Monday as jury selection began in his federal New York trial. Dressed in a navy blue suit, the 54-year-old appeared stoic as the questioning of jurors began in the Brooklyn court, where he faces charges of racketeering, sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery and forced labour, spanning from 1994 to 2018. Kelly’s lawyer Deveraux Cannick was reticent when asked by AFP how he was feeling, smiling and saying: “Just another Monday”. The musician, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, who is currently incarcerated at a Brooklyn federal prison, has denied all charges. All prospective jurors will remain anonymous and be partly sequestered throughout the process. Those selected for the…

ITUMELENG MAFISA CITY of Joburg Speaker Nonceba Molwele has dismissed remarks that the metro’s new mayor Jolidee Matongo is a foreign national. Matongo was elected unopposed as the city’s first citizen yesterday just over a month after former mayor Geoff Makhubo succumbed to Covid-19 related complications. During his acceptance speech as a nominee at the special council meeting yesterday, Matongo declared that he was the son of a migrant from Zimbabwe. However, Molwele later cleared the air around Matongo’s citizenship. “It is important because there’s a perception that the executive mayor is not a citizen. “I want to put it into perspective that the executive mayor was born and brought up in the country – in Soweto, to be precise. “He has been in…

EMPLOYEES working at Unit 4 of Eskom’s Medupi power plant whose generator exploded at the weekend, have been placed on precautionary suspension pending the conclusion of an investigation, the power utility has announced. Eskom said the incident occurred during work to displace hydrogen with carbon dioxide and air respectively, in order to find an external leak. “Following the power station’s preliminary investigation, it appears that while performing this activity air was introduced into the generator at a point where hydrogen was still present in the generator at sufficient quantities to create an explosive mixture, which ignited and resulted in the explosion,” the utility said. “It also appears that there was a deviation from the procedure for carrying out this activity. As such Eskom has undertaken to place those employees who…

SIHLE MAVUSO and ZINTLE MAHLATI THE health of former president Jacob Zuma has once again popped up in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, pitting his lawyers against the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) which is questioning the doctor’s notes from the military health services claiming he is sick. It’s not the first time Zuma’s health has been a subject of court dispute, as in February last year, while he was in Cuba undergoing medical treatment and skipped a court appearance, Judge Dhaya Pillay had to issue a warrant of arrest when she was not convinced that the medical note provided was sufficient. Zuma was yesterday billed to be in the high court with his lawyers to argue why the NPA’s top prosecutor, advocate Billy Downer SC, should not lead his prosecution…

Loyiso Sidimba THE Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) wants the Constitutional Court to decide by August 30 when the local government elections will be held. The IEC has applied to the apex court to postpone the municipal polls, scheduled for October 27, until February due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In its application, the commission wants the Constitutional Court to declare that it may hold local government elections outside the 90-day period required by the Constitution and the Municipal Structures Act, and direct that the municipal polls be held no later that February 28, 2022. In its founding affidavit filed by its chairperson, Glen Mashinini, the commission warned that if the election proceeded in October, it would leave a significant number of eligible voters unregistered. The IEC has cited statistics…

BONGANI NKOSI bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za @BonganiNkosi87 ABDUCTIONS for the purpose of placing young boys in illegal initiation schools remain rife in parts of the country, including Gauteng. This has been revealed in a new report by the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE). The study probed the emergence of illegal circumcision schools in Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng and Limpopo. “These provinces were identified as epicentres for the high prevalence of illegal initiation schools, which are characterised by a series of unlawful activities including the kidnapping and abduction of teenage boys, gangsterism, mutilation, trafficking and a series of other human rights violations,” read the report. The abduction trend was quite common across the provinces. It included cases of young boys of Ndebele ethnicity being abducted from Gauteng and taken to illegal schools in…

National Women’s Day, observed annually on August 9, is an opportune time to reflect on the progress we have made towards education, empowerment and equal opportunities for women and girls, while looking ahead to overcoming the challenges that still remain. Despite visible improvements in the last few decades to ensure equal education and other rights for girls and women, various forms of discrimination against them persist. The development and education of every child, their personality, talents, mental and physical abilities and spiritual qualities to their fullest potential, are the right of every child – whether boy or girl. Education of girls is not only a human right. It is also in the best interests of society as a whole. According to the Bahá'í Writings, education must be provided equally to…

MOHAMED SAEED | Pietermaritzburg The recent civil unrest, violence, loss of lives and looting has added to the stress and anxiety students and parents are facing due to the virus. Forced school closure, attending school on alternate days and other disruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic has led to concerns about outcomes for students’ learning and mental health. All these challenges are also infringing on students’ right to quality education, social interactions and extracurricular activities. Covid-19 has brought significant disruptions to education across the world and we need to prioritise education during these unique times. As the situation with coronavirus numbers continues to increase around the country, I humbly appeal to parents to carefully monitor for symptoms and consider whether or not your child should attend school for the…

Iqbal Jassat AMID a full-blown controversy sparked by a decision to allow Israel “observer status” at the AU, it is crucial to note that the Zionist colonial settler regime hasn’t halted its violent plunder of Palestinian rights while relentlessly pushing ahead with illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The unauthorised permission by the AU Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat has resulted in African leaders facing divisive consequences of a rash, unwise and problematic decision. Mahamat’s unilateral approval, if not reversed, would allow Israel to adversely influence the historic solidarity of the continent with Palestine. When news broke from Israel celebrating its admission, it was revealing to note that the AU website was conspicuously silent. Only days later did Mahamat confirmed it, thus giving rise to speculation and questions…

Taliban insurgents tightened their grip on captured Afghan territory yesterday as civilians hid in their homes, with an EU official saying the militants now controlled 65% of the country after a string of sudden gains as foreign forces pull out. President Ashraf Ghani called on regional strongmen to support his government, while a UN official said advances made in human rights in the 20 years since the hardline Islamists were ousted from power were in danger of being erased. In the capital Kabul, Ghani’s aides said he was seeking help from regional militias he has squabbled with over the years to rally to the defence of his government. He had also appealed to civilians to defend Afghanistan’s “democratic fabric”. In the town of Aibak, capital of Samangan province on the…

WASHINGTON: The US Senate yesterday approved a $1.2 trillion (R17.1 trillion) infrastructure investment plan backed by US President Joe Biden. The package, described by the White House as “historic”, would go to the House of Representatives for final approval. The budget resolution “will be the most consequential piece of legislation for working people, the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor since FDR (President Franklin Delano Roosevelt) and the New Deal of the 1930s,” said independent Senator Bernie Sanders, the chairperson of the Budget Committee. “It will also put the US in a global leadership position to combat climate change and make our planet healthy and habitable for future generations.” | AFP…

Seoul: The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un yesterday called Seoul authorities “perfidious” over the South’s joint military exercises with the US, and demanded Washington withdraw its forces from the peninsula. Kim Yo Jong’s remarks came despite a surprise thaw on the Korean peninsula, prompted by a series of personal letters between her brother and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Seoul and Washington are treaty allies, with around 28 500 American troops stationed in South Korea to defend it against its nuclear-armed neighbour. | AFP…

SOUTH AFRICA Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za THE Springboks will have to defend their Rugby Championship crown without the services of Pieter-Steph du Toit, who has undergone surgery on the shoulder he injured during the second Test against the British & Irish Lions. The 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year was the controversial victim of a late tackle by Lions wing Duhan van der Merwe and left the field in visible pain, and now he has had an operation that could rule him out of rugby for the remainder of the year. “Pieter-Steph had shoulder surgery on Monday, and I spoke to him briefly. It went well but he will be out for some time,” coach Jacques Nienaber said after announcing a new-look team to play Argentina on Saturday. “I’m not…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za After an extended period on the sidelines, former captain Jaco Kriel will finally return to the rugby field when the Sigma Lions face the Free State Cheetahs tonight in Bloemfontein. Beloved by ‘The Pride’, the Springbok flank last played for the team in January in the Currie Cup semi-final against the Bulls, which the Johannesburg outfit lost 26-21, and has since then battled with recurring niggles and Covid-induced absences. Against the Cheetahs, the 32-year-old has been selected onto the bench by coach Ivan van Rooyen as cover for a starting trio consisting of captain Francke Horn, Ruhan Straueli and Sibusiso Sangweni. Elsewhere, Rabz Maxwane, who has scored four tries so far this Currie Cup campaign, has been moved onto the right wing so as to reintroduce Stean…

Liam Karabo Joyce liam.joyce@inl.co.za From the moment their relationship was made official, it appeared to be something out of a movie. When media personality Somizi Mhlongo went public with his relationship to his then-boyfriend, Mohale Motaung, South Africans were taken aback by, yes, the usual things, like the couple’s age gap, but it was how public Mhlongo was about the relationship that shocked the masses. Until then, the Sarafina star had kept his relationships private. South Africans were given all access to the couple. They appeared on Mhlongo’s reality show Living the Dream with Somizi, they did interviews together, posted each other on their respective social media accounts and were given a wedding special. The first of its kind for a gay couple in Mzansi. However, it wasn’t long before…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za THE City of Cape Town has been accused of acting immorally and arbitrarily by refusing to promote a firefighter who suffered permanent injuries at the workplace. Adam Damons, who suffered life-changing injuries when he was dropped during a drill in 2010, is dragging his employer to the Constitutional Court over its insistence that it won’t promote him. In papers filed at the Joburg-based apex court, Damons said that the metro did not change his firefighter rank after the accident. He was first transferred to finance and billing, and then to the fire and life safety education section. But 11 years later, Damons remained with no prospects of career advancement. His applications for senior firefighter posts were declined based on his disability. Damons sought to convince the Constitutional…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za OPPOSITION parties have refused to back Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to succeed Thandi Modise as the Speaker of the National Assembly, following last week’s changes in Cabinet. The DA, IFP and UDM said there was not much to say about Mapisa-Nqakula, as she did not have a good track record in government. The DA said it would not back Mapisa-Nqakula, and her roles in government in the past make her unfit to lead the national legislature. DA chief whip Natasha Mazzone said during her time as defence minister, Mapisa-Nqakula was caught up in a number of blunders by the army. This included the travel of senior ANC leaders to Zimbabwe during the start of the lockdown last year. The ANC paid back more than R100 000 for the…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za PARENTS have a responsibility to their children to allow the law to take its course and not to attempt to resolve their disputes by resorting to “self-help”. Any attempt to do so inevitably increases the tension between the parents, and that regrettably adds to the suffering of the children. This is according to the Supreme Court of Appeal, which once again warned that the country’s courts were bound by the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. Only in extreme cases, where it was clear that the lives of children would be in danger if returned to the country where they lived, would a court intervene. The best interests of a child who has been removed from the jurisdiction of a court in the…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za THE Department of Health says more than 400 medical students, who were studying in Cuba, have returned to the country. The first group returned on August 5; the second group arrived on Monday. About 15 students had to remain in Cuba, having tested positive for Covid-19. The department’s comments come after the SA Medical Association Trade Union (Samatu) said the group of fifth-year students had been left stranded in Cuba, with no money to purchase basic goods for months. The 469 students, who had completed their fifth year studies in Cuba, will now complete their final year of clinical training at local universities. Samatu general secretary Cedric Sihlangu said the group had been expected to all arrive at the end of last month. But the Health Department…

Norman V Mahlangu | Siyabuswa Fellow South Africans, lend me your ears. When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. We have, once more, just experienced fuel hikes that some analysts claim are associated with the recent Zuma protests. The political cadre will not feel the pinch since they have access to abusing state funds and resources. As usual, we are the ones who will pay the price and face the consequences of the looting. I so wish that this old proverb can be personified through us: “Once bitten, twice shy.” The battle of the elephants is just beginning, the climax is yet to come. Where will our country and its infrastructure be if we don’t learn from our mistakes? In situations like this, the Zulu concept…

SOUTH Africa’s economy has taken several heavy body blows recently. These include a slowdown due to measures taken to control the spread of Covid-19, on top of increased state dysfunctionality due to corruption. The country has also just experienced the worst riots since it became a democracy in 1994. President Cyril Ramaphosa and former Finance Minister Tito Mboweni have put measures in place to try to soften some of the hardships caused by the pandemic and, more recently, the arson and violence. But a host of additional adjustments need to be made – to economic plans as well as budgets. One of these is the country’s power generation and electricity supply programmes. A reappraisal of the country’s long-term electricity requirements – and a review of technologies best suited under the…

Wildfires fanned by blistering temperatures and tinder-dry conditions have killed at least seven people in Algeria, the interior minister said yesterday, adding that the fires had criminal origin. Photographs on social media show huge walls of flame and billowing clouds of smoke towering over villages in the forested hills of the Kabylie region, east of the capital Algiers. Meteorologists said the temperature would reach 46°C yesterday, and the country was also struggling with severe water shortages. Fires were reported in multiple locations in 14 districts, 10 around Tizi Ouzou, one of the most populous cities in Kabylie. Interior Minister Kamel Beldjoud said seven people had been killed, including six in the region around Tizi Ouzou and one in Setif. “Fifty fires starting at the same time is impossible. These fires…

San Francisco: German pharmaceutical and chemical giant Bayer has lost another appeal against a verdict that found its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer – the latest setback in its bid to end thousands of lawsuits over the product. An appeals court in San Francisco upheld the 2019 ruling in favour of a couple who claimed they got non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after using Roundup for years. The court also upheld a judge’s decision to reduce the jury’s compensation to Alva and Alberta Pilliod from $2 billion (R29bn) to $86.7 million (R1.28bn). The German firm maintains tat scientific studies show Roundup’s main ingredient glyphosate is safe. But it is classified as a “probable carcinogen” by the research agency on cancer at the World Health Organization. | AFP…

Paris: Coldplay, Billie Eilish and Ed Sheeran are among the stars announced yesterday for a day of concerts across multiple cities on September 25 to raise awareness about climate change, poverty and vaccine distribution. New York, Paris and Lagos are the first cities to be announced for Global Citizen Live, which will run for 24 hours and be screened around the world via TV stations and social media. Global Citizen said it urgently wants 1 billion trees planted, 1 billion vaccines delivered to poor countries and meals for 41 million on the brink of famine. | AFP…

Herman Gibbs SUPERSPORT United FC coach Kaitano Tembo has raised fears that players could well be in pre-season mode rather than be match-fit, ready and raring to go when the new season kicks off with an MTN8 quarter-final clash on Saturday. Tembo, the 51-year-old former Zimbabwean defender, said the club’s pre-season preparations were hamstrung by the absence of several players who were away on national team duty. “It was tough when we first convened at the start of the pre-season,” said Tembo, who is serving a second stint as the head coach of SuperSport. “The problem was that we did not have a full complement of players because some were representing their countries at the Olympic Games, and others were on Cosafa Cup duty. “Many players only joined pre-season training…

Chelsea will aim to start the new season as they ended the last with more silverware when the European champions face Europa League winners Villarreal in the Uefa Super Cup in Belfast today. Thomas Tuchel’s stunning impact since taking charge of the Blues in January has raised expectations for Chelsea to challenge in all competitions this season, particularly with Romelu Lukaku on the verge of returning to Stamford Bridge for a club record fee of £97-million (about R1.8bn). Tuchel’s men beat Manchester City to lift the Champions League in May, just five months after he replaced the sacked Frank Lampard with Chelsea languishing in ninth in the Premier League. Victory in Porto was Chelsea’s third over City in six weeks towards the end of the season. Now they have the…

Sharks Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za THE Sharks face a test of depth more than anything else when they visit the Pumas in Nelspruit today in what is the second of three Currie Cup matches they play in eight days as the competition scrambles towards the play-off stages. The Sharks stunned the Bulls 35-28 last Friday, they play the tricky Pumas today and then are back in Durban to host the Cheetahs on Saturday. Like Griquas, the Pumas have had a decent Currie Cup and accounted for the Lions at Emirates Airline Park in their most recent game, having also beaten the Lions in the first round. As matters stand, they have dropped down the table to sixth place after having had a bye, but that does not mean much when it…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za LAMONTVILLE Golden Arrows coach Lehlohonolo Seema is both excited and humbled as his side prepare to kick off their 2021/22 season with an MTN8 quarter-final clash against SuperSport United at the Princess Magogo Stadium in Durban on Saturday. There will be heavy expectations on Seema to continue Abfana Bes’thende’s good form from last season, which saw the club finish fourth in the Premiership and narrowly miss out on a place in the CAF Confederation Cup. It remains to be seen, however, if Seema will be able to replicate the type of performances that Mandla Ncikazi orchestrated as Arrows’ mentor last season. Ncikazi has since left the Kwa-Zulu Natal-based club and is now part of the Orlando Pirates technical team. “We have been preparing well, and not only…