Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-01-31 i Star

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za NEARLY seven years after the fact, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), last week issued an unusual public censure to African Equity Empowerment Investments (AEEI) and its then sponsors, the PSG Group. The censure revolves around a 2015 share deal with SAAB Grintek Defence in which AEEI’s then corporate sponsors, PSG, did not advise the company to inform its shareholders or seek their approval, for a R120 million share deal that included a call option. The question, Dr Iqbal Survé, chairperson of Sekunjalo Investment Holdings (SIH), a shareholder in AEEI, has asked, is why now, and why use his name to drive the headlines? Commenting to Business Report, Dr Survé said he believes the JSE’s timing is all to do with the concerted effort by motivated parties…

Helmo Preuss THE $750 MILLION, or R11.68 billion, loan to South Africa approved on January 21 follows many months of negotiations with the multilateral financial institution. It will boost the January foreign reserves by an equivalent amount and reduce the call on the domestic bond market as well. The World Bank loan follows that of the BRICS New Development Bank loan of $0.4bn received on November 15, 2021. That loan only matures in September 2046. In its media release, the Treasury said the World Bank loan would support the government’s efforts of protecting the poor and vulnerable from the adverse socio-economic impacts of the pandemic and supporting a resilient and sustainable economic recovery. In other words, this money will most likely be used to extend the Temporary Employer/Employee…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za IT IS no longer sustainable for the public purse to rely on the often “expensive, protracted” court proceedings before settling the rocketing medical negligence claims. This is according to the SA Law Reform Commission (SALRC), which has invited the public to comment on its proposals intended to curb the financial burden of medico-legal claims on the fiscus. Claims against the provincial and national health departments for negligence at public health institutions stood at a staggering R147.12 billion at the end of the 2019/20 financial year, the SALRC said. Significant billions went to lawyers as contingency fees. About 72% of the claims were made against the provincial health departments. The SALRC highlighted a report on claims relating to cerebral palsy, birth asphyxia and neonatal encephalopathy. Many of these…

Former president back in high court today Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za Last year, former president Jacob Zuma and his legal team delivered a curve ball in his arms deal corruption trial when they applied to have Billy Downer, the senior prosecutor of the NPA (National Prosecuting Authority), removed from the high-profile case. Zuma argued that Downer did not have the title to prosecute him, and he further alleged that from as early as 2001, Downer contaminated the case by allegedly leaking critical information to the media and CIA spies. Zuma alleged that the leaking of information by Downer continued until August last year when he allegedly leaked his medical records to a certain journalist. The application for recusal was then heard and on October 26, Judge Piet Koen dismissed it and…

Kennedy Mudzuli kennedy.mudzuli@inl.co.za AS HAS become the norm for many, a weekday afternoon is not complete without listening to Pheli FM’s Capital Lunch, anchored by Mfana Magriza. So popular is the show that it is streamed way outside the borders of Tshwane – as far as Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West. And there is not doubt that all this is thanks to the broadcasting style of the presenter, known to his large support base as “Mfana Magriza”. His government name is Mahlatsi Maroga, and being born and raised in Atteridgeville, or Pheli, means he is as Pretorian as the jacaranda trees. “I’m a Pheli kid. I was born in Kalafong, not too far from the Pheli FM studios. I’m 21, now living in Pretoria West,” he said. He first…

JOHN Whitlock | Germiston There has been no drumbeat for war in the Russian media controlled by Putin. If there was, the media would be making a meal of it. The Russian people don’t want war, nor do the Americans and their allies. The Gorbachev Foundation states: “There is no reason for Russia to invade (Ukraine) and nothing useful to be gained from military actions.” Even Kyiv has been saying that the West is overreacting. Armageddon? Not likely. The stakes are too high. Permanent members of the UN Security Council in a joint statement (January 2022) pledged to ensure a nuclear war is never fought. The permanent members include Russia, China, the US, the UK and France. They also declared: “There could be no winners in a nuclear…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za RENOWNED actor and body builder Vuyo Dabula, better known for his role as Gadaffi on Generations, has found himself having to assure his fans that he is still alive after falling victim to a death hoax on social media. A video had emerged on TikTok where someone made people believe that the popular award-winning actor had passed on. Dabula abruptly took to his Instagram account with a series of videos and slammed all the claims swirling around. “There is somebody who made a video on TikTok and they say that I have passed on. If I was just alone I would not care about what you are saying. But there is a lot of people that you have affected. A cousin of mine called me now her…

Nokwanda Ncwane nokwanda.ncwane@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa has one of the highest gender-based violence and femicide (gbvf) rates in the world; it has also been widely reported that it is one of the most violent countries. And so, to strengthen the country’s efforts in fighting gender-based violence, President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law legislation that will be victim centred. Civil society and non-profit organisations that are committed to fighting gbvf have, for many years, called on the government to sign into law legislation that will send a message to the perpetrators while also protecting the victims. On Friday Ramaphosa assented to, among others, the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act Amendment Bill. The bill’s primary goal is to improve the country’s prevention of sex crimes, particularly of paedophilia.…

FRENCH troops cannot stay in Mali at any price, as conditions of their engagement there are deteriorating, French Defence Minister Florence Parly said at the weekend, after a recent decision by Paris and its allies to work out their further activities in the African country. “The conditions of our operation, whether military, economic, or political, are getting more and more difficult – in a nutshell, we cannot stay in Mali at any price,” Parly said. France began reducing its presence in Mali in December 2021.…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has confirmed that all Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners will be placed in schools. Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi announced that, as of Friday, all Grade 1 and 8 learners who applied through the 2022 Online Admissions had been placed. Spokesperson Steve Mabona said the GDE’s statistics indicated that it received 347 216 applications under the 2022 Online Admissions for Grade 1 and Grade 8. “From this figure, 321 768 applicants had submitted their proof of residence and others required documentation to enable the department to facilitate their placements. As a result, 129 779 Grade 1 learners and 191 989 Grade 8 learners were successfully placed,” he said. Mabona said that since the opening of the late…

From page 1 Judge Koen’s ruling was based on oral arguments which were made in court before Zuma upped the ante and pressed criminal charges against Downer at the Pietermaritzburg police station. In the criminal case which is now being probed by the SAPS, the spokesperson of the Jacob Zuma Foundation, Mzwanele Manyi, said the former head of state and his legal team had been kept abreast of developments. He added that the NPA had appointed a team to see whether the matter should be referred for prosecution or not. “The matter is being handled by an investigation officer. He has been in constant touch with the attorney of President Zuma. Apparently, a multidisciplinary task team under the guidance of NDPP (National Director of Public Prosecutions) has been appointed to…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) hosted a technical briefing to decode some of the science behind topical issues around Covid-19, where the experts provided insight into understanding vaccine effectiveness. Head, Division of Public Health Surveillance and Response Dr Michelle Groome explained there was a difference between vaccine efficacy and vaccine effectiveness. Groome said measuring vaccine efficacy looked at how many people who were vaccinated developed the disease compared with how many people who received the placebo developed the same disease in a controlled clinical trial, usually randomised. Vaccine effectiveness refers to how vaccines perform in the wider population and was measured using observational studies and not randomised. Not being randomised means the vaccinated and unvaccinated populations may be different. “Vaccine effectiveness is not a simple…

Kennedy Mudzuli kennedy.mudzuli@inl.co.za MUSIC producer, engineer, DJ and recording artist Kay9ine has started 2022 with a bang by releasing a new track. The song is more of a starter before he drops his highly anticipated second album, Colours of Music. Asked what people can expect from the new single and album, Kay9ine – real name Kagiso Mokgatle – said he had worked on many important projects throughout his career. “When I start a project, it’s very important for me to be clear about the goals and then create a plan with milestones. This is what should be expected from the new track and album. “The project I’m working on right now is the release of my album. Date of release will be announced very soon. “The second project that…

Are labour unions really pro-workers and as poor as they claim? After watching scenes of the Clover labour strike over the past nine weeks, it has become difficult to believe that the labour unions have the interests of workers at heart. Unions are known for taking a pro-poor stance guided by Marxist philosophy which argues for a worker revolution to overturn capitalism in favour of communism. From my observations, however, it is safe to conclude that unions are anti-workers and anti-poor. It is quite disappointing that trade union bosses lack an understanding of how economics works, which explains how things unfold the way they do. This is disappointing because the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels teach us the fundamentals of politics and economics. It is therefore nonsensical that…

Mukesh Kapila In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) appointed Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as its director- general. He’s the first African and the first person from the global south to occupy this high office. His election process was equally historic – a secret ballot that gave equal voting opportunity to all member states for the first time in WHO’s 70-year history. The post had been filled previously by a vote of the executive board. Tedros, as he is popularly known, got an overwhelming two-thirds majority. This triggered great jubilation in his home country of Ethiopia that he had served with distinction as health and foreign minister. But now, the mood in Addis Ababa has turned toxic. As Tedros stood poised to renew his mandate at WHO, the Ethiopian government…

AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Saturday reminded US rapper Kanye West, planning to hold a concert in Melbourne in March, of the necessity to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before entering the country. It remains unclear if the rapper has received vaccine doses, as in different interviews he said mutually exclusive things on this issue, the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported. The reminder came two weeks after Australia annulled the visa of Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic. | Sputnik…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za With a 14-point advantage over nearest rivals Orlando Pirates in the Premiership, it will take one of the biggest upsets in South African football to prevent Mamelodi Sundowns from winning a record-extending fifth consecutive league title. Co-coach Rhulani Mokwena says that Sundowns’ preparations for the second half of the season have been good. “We are trying to make sure that we are working on improving the team and players so that we can improve our final product,” said Mokwena. “That work has continued and the players have responded exceptionally well. We have done work on the pitch to improve certain critical areas of our performance. We played a friendly match against Platinum City Rovers from the NFD and the performance was good.” After having already won the…

Itumeleng Mafisa THE GAUTENG Education Department said it was concerned about an initiation incident at the Glenvista High School that turned sour. This comes after parents of Grade 8 learners complained to the school about a video that was taken showing the matrics making the new Grade 8 learners perform disturbing acts such as crawling and swimming on the ground. The video was allegedly taken by one of the school’s staff members. The Star understands that some learners were suspended after the incident and that some Grade 8 learners had been receiving counselling. Many former Model C schools had discarded the culture of initiation of new learners into high school because of the abusive nature of some initiation practises. Gauteng Education Department spokesperson Steve Mabona said the department had established…

Itumeleng Mafisa COSATU said it was concerned about the precedent that could be set by a Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) ruling that upheld the dismissal of a worker who refused to vaccinate. A string of companies have made vaccination mandatory for employers and the latest CCMA judgment has sparked a debate about the rights of workers to bodily integrity and certain medical reasons for those who cannot vaccinate. There were also religious debates over the vaccine. Cosatu’s parliamentary co-ordinator, Matthew Parks, said employers should try to protect jobs at all times. Parks said the debate on mandatory vaccines was complicated and likely to be tested at the Constitutional Court. “If a worker is not happy, they can appeal against the CCMA ruling and we encourage any worker…

Turkmen Terzi Dr Khalilah Camacho Ali, the former wife of the heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, visited the Nizamiye complex which is home to the largest mosque in the southern hemisphere, and is located in Midrand. During her visit, she met Turkish philanthropist Ali Katircioglu who built the mosque complex. “This is the most beautiful Masjid I’ve ever seen. You know, I even went to visit the Mosque of Muhammad Ali in Cairo. I mean, but this Nizamiye Masjid here is even more beautiful and tonight, they even lit up the minarets for me. I like those and it’s all my favourite colour; green.” This is the first time Ali has visited South Africa, and is here to work on a movie project with the US-based Hartquist Productions on the…

Cometh Dube-Makholwa | Midrand IT IS impossible not to compare how things were in the past and what is currently happening in our hospitals. In my days as a student midwife at Bara, things were very different. There was no shortage of clean linen so it was unthinkable a patient could be allocated a bed with dirty linen – even worse, with blood stains from another patient. How things have changed! That nurses sleep on duty using blankets that should rightfully be provided for patients is something that could never happen. I believe every word in this article because in one public hospital, a patient who was thought to be mentally challenged, one night took nurses’ uniforms that were put aside while the owners were sleeping, to the bathroom to…

FAROUK ARAIE | Gauteng The SIU report presented to President Cyril Ramaphosa is only the tip of an enormous iceberg that has engulfed and entwined our nation in the claws of an octopus that has grown so huge that its size defies description. Every day a new corruption scandal is unearthed, costing the nation millions of rands. The looting of the PPE funds defies description,the scope and depth of brazen theft is mind boggling. People who were trusted became corrupt with power, fame, wealth and influence. The intoxication of power led to the ruin of every state controlled institution. These grotesque and unsavoury acts must be condemned by the nation. We have become a lawless nation on the rampage. Criminal elements that hold a country hostage are precursors…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za AN OPPORTUNITY is in the pipe line for all those fans with questions about the popular actress and TV presenter, Candice Modiselle. Former Generations: The Legacy actor has announced her upcoming YouTube show, The Five Minutes Call, which is set to debut on February 3,. The show is to provide answers to all the questions that fans often have about their favourite celebrity, particularly those frequently asked on direct messenger. Modiselle said she was delighted to share more details about herself and answer questions, such as about how she broke into the entertainment industry and what steps she took to overcome her nerves. “All those questions I get asked in my DM. I finally get to answer them. How did I break into the industry? What is…

THE ANC-led Alliance, consisting of the ANC, the SACP and Cosatu, was a formidable force in the Struggle against apartheid and the formation of a post-apartheid South Africa in 1994. It has until recently enjoyed unchallenged hegemony in our national politics. That is why the ANC felt confident to describe itself as “a leader of society”. This was no exaggeration as many ANC leaders were prominent national figures such as Nelson Mandela, who gained the status of a global icon as president of the ANC and South Africa. The ANC continued to bask in his glory long after he left government. A cornerstone of the Alliance's cohesion was its branding of post-apartheid reforms in South Africa as a process of National Democratic Revolution (NDR) to usher in a society reflecting…

THE VOLCANIC eruption at Tonga this month unleashed an atmospheric shockwave that radiated out at close to the speed of sound, pushing large waves across the Pacific to the shores of Japan and Peru, thousands of kilometres away. Forecasting models and warning systems, designed primarily to assess earthquake-triggered waves, did not account for the boosting effects of the shockwave. It was a critical flaw in these systems, scientists said, leaving them unable to predict exactly when the waves would hit land. “The trans-Pacific and global waves arrived earlier than forecast, which (was) terrible for distant shorelines,” said civil engineer Hermann Fritz at Georgia Tech University, who studies tsunamis. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano eruption triggered a tsunami that destroyed villages and resorts and knocked out communications for the South Pacific…