Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-03-14 i Star

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za STANDARD Bank Group has appointed Liberty Holdings’s chief executive David Munro as its new group executive to lead the integration of the insurance and asset management company into the group. Insurance group Liberty delisted from the JSE on March 1, 2022, following the 100 percent acquisition of its shareholding by Standard. Standard chief executive Sim Tshabalala, said: “We will now be able to bring the group’s insurers, asset managers and bankers closer together to create a more united whole that will be far greater than the sum of its parts. Together, we will build a fiercely competitive African financial services giant.” Munro has a 26-year career with the group, first in corporate and investment banking, and then as chief execu- tive of Liberty. “David is widely…

Itumeleng Mafisa THE National Union of Mineworkers has demanded the resignation of Neal Froneman, the chief executive of one one of South Africa's biggest mining companies Sibanye Stillwater, after he allegedly insulted the leadership of the country and refused to work with representative unions. NUM president Joseph Montisetse said Froneman led his company to acquire Lonmin and Anglo Platinum mines in the platinum belt and under his leadership there have been many job losses in the mining sector. “Froneman is the major destroyer of jobs in the mining industry. He did buy the Cook operations in the gold sector in SA and immediately put them on care and maintenance resulting in huge job losses or retrenchments. “Froneman's main objective is to punish workers and their families. He also bought Lonmin…

STAFF REPORTER WHICH generation and genre of South African music is the best? The early days of Bubblegum music brought about the edgy and soulful sounds of Brenda Fassie and the Big Dudes, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Sello Chico Thwala and many more. Following that era was the unforgettable sounds of Kwaito and House music. But the one era that has put South Africa on the international music map has been AmaPiano. A new chillout spot in Centurion, aptly named “Centurion Chillas”, is mixing Jazz and Amapiano for a real South Africa know bar. The new spot is the playground for Jazz artists and Amapiano DJs. On Saturday, Centurion Chillas hosted a party for some RAF (Road Accident Fund) staff. And yesterday, it paid homage to late iconic Kwaito singer Mandoza,…

IJ Saks | Tableview Eskom is costing the economy R700 million a day. Do the president and Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan realise what they are doing to our country by not fixing Eskom once and for all? It seems like they don’t care as they have inverters and load shedding does not affect them. Without power you cannot run a country. Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe is as much a culprit for all our electricity woes as he should have allowed renewable energy on the grid years ago, so don’t expect a quick-fix any time soon. I hope the DA gets a majority in Parliament when it has the vote calling for the president’s Cabinet to be expelled, as they are all useless.…

Forty-seven children were “killed or maimed” in Yemen’s civil war in January and last month following a surge in violence, the UN children’s fund said on Saturday. Children were the “first and most to suffer”, Unicef said, adding that more than 10 000 minors had been killed or injured in the war in Yemen that has raged since 2015. “Just over the first two months of this year, 47 children were reportedly killed or maimed in several locations across Yemen,” said Philippe Duamelle, Unicef representative to Yemen. “Since the conflict escalated in Yemen nearly seven years ago, the UN verified that more than 10 200 children have been killed or injured. The actual number is likely much higher,” Duamelle said. In the war in Ukraine, at least 71…

Legendary singer-songwriter Nat King Cole’s family has signed an agreement with Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group to manage and expand his legacy to new generations, Variety reported. In the decades before his death in 1965 from lung cancer at the age of just 45, Cole scored more than 150 singles across Billboard’s pop, R&B, and country charts and has sold an estimated 50 million-plus records worldwide. His daughters Timolin and Casey Cole said: “We’re delighted to entrust our father’s legacy to Irving Azoff and the team at Iconic.”…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za AN ACCELERATION of structural reforms could boost confidence, investment and drive faster economic growth, Sim Tshabalala, chief executive of the biggest bank on the continent by assets, Standard Bank Group, said on Friday. Geopolitical tensions, particularly in Ukraine, presented risks to this outlook he said at the release of the group’s results. The group operates in more than 20 African markets. “The situation in Russia and Ukraine is complex and evolving. We are monitoring the events to comply with all relevant local and international laws and guidelines,” he said. The group has limited direct exposure to Russia and Ukraine. However, potential secondary impacts across the countries where the bank operates were being assessed for example in financial markets, trade, transport logistics, commodity, and food prices. The Industrial…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za MONDI, the global paper and packaging group that operates in more than 30 countries, said on Friday that its operations in Russia represented 12 percent of its revenue by location of production in 2021. Over the last three years, the business in Russia had generated 20 percent of group underlying earnings before tax depreciation and amortisation – Mondi has operated in Russia for more than 22 years. The most significant facility was the pulp, packaging paper and uncoated fine paper mill located in Syktyvkar. The group also has three converting plants in Russia. These facilities, which employ more than 5 300 people, primarily serve the domestic market and have continued to operate through the heightened geopolitical tension, the group said on Friday. In Ukraine,…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za A SOUTH African mother scored a legal victory that will enable her to keep her son with her following an application by her estranged husband that the child be returned to him in the UK. The husband is a UK citizen and his wife South African. They were married in terms of Islamic rites. The parties later had marital problems and have been embroiled in litigation regarding their son, who turns 5 later this year, at the Swansea Family Court. That court issued an order that the parties will have shared custody. The mother brought the son with her to South Africa to obtain a work visa. This was refused, which meant she could not return to the UK with her son. Her husband, however, turned to…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za A MAN who spent nearly six years in jail for double murders he did not commit is taking his fight for damages to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA). Simon Songo scored a partial victory at the North Gauteng High Court in November 2020, when he first dragged the ministers of Police and Justice and the National Prosecuting Authority to court for damages. This partial victory was a condonation that his application can be heard despite it being lodged two years after his release from jail. The full Bench of the North West High Court upheld Songo’s appeal against a double-murder conviction and sentence on October 15, 2015. It ordered his immediate release from prison. He was arrested on June 19, 2006, for the alleged murder of…

Itumeleng Mafisa itumeleng.mafisa@inl.co.za THE Zimbabwe Anti-Sanctions Movement (ZASM) has brought a case against US President Joe Biden, his government and local and American financial service providers to declare the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the US as illegal and a crime against humanity. The ZASM is calling for support from the global community to put pressure on the US and the UK to lift all sanctions. The movement has set up a base in South Africa where it is engaging banks, big corporates and civil society to act on the “blatant disregard of human suffering imposed by sanctions of over 20 years ago”. Acting for the ZASM, attorney Lesley Ramafhilo said: “A 21-year-old in Zimbabwe was not born when the sanctions that affect him or her were applied. The people…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za HAVING spent over a decade amassing various accolades in the music industry, afro-soul singers Jaziel Brothers are still consistently releasing sensational music that many strongly relate to. The multi-award-winning duo, Luthando and Ntobekho Jaziel, have built their name and won many hearts with their captivating vocals and soulful love songs. The Star asked the pair about their new single titled Crazy and how they have managed to stay afloat throughout the years. They said this single is quite different from the ones they have done before as it sparks a conversation between two people. “Let us call it a conversation starter that anyone who believes in love can use. We have written so many songs about love but this one poses a question to someone that you…

Michael Tinarwo | Warrington UK The world has been left devastated by the recent decision by President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine. This inhumane act has left dozens of civilians slaughtered in the streets and thousands of brave soldiers have died trying to defend the country. It is encouraging to see world leaders stand up against this act of terror and implement sanctions against Russia. This is a clear message to the world these human rights abuses and acts of terror will not be tolerated or excused. Power should be exercised with fairness and grace, it should not be abused to further a president’s agenda to the detriment of innocent civilians. It would be encouraging if the world could also hold Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Zanu-PF party accountable for their…

Although widely welcomed, the dismissal of SAPS National Commissioner General Kehla Sitole was tinged with disappointment as the man responsible for the atrocious state of policing, Police Minister Bheki Cele, was not axed. However, the replacement of one member of a dysfunctional management will make no difference, as there are serious questions about the competence of all of those in the top echelon and about how they came to occupy their positions. The extent of irregular promotions demands that no national commissioner be appointed until an independent forensic audit of all senior management appointments and promotions and current irregular appointments have taken place. Without this step, this nepotistic patronage network will follow the same corrupt trajectory of the past 12 years, perpetuating the impunity enjoyed by violent criminal networks. Apartheid’s…

The US seizure of Iranian tankers in recent months has not stopped sanctions-hit Tehran from increasing oil exports, Iran’s oil minister was quoted as saying on Saturday. “The United States has on several occasions in the past months violated Iranian oil tankers to prevent export of shipments,” Javad Owji said in an interview carried by Iranian media. His remarks follow reports of a recent seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in the Bahamas, even as Iran-US talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal could see the lifting of US sanctions in return for Tehran curbing its nuclear work. A last-minute demand by Russia, an ally of Iran, forced world powers meeting in the Austrian capital to pause for an undetermined time, despite having a largely completed text. On March 5,…

Prince Harry has been accused of snubbing Queen Elizabeth II after he said he would miss Prince Philip’s memorial service amid a legal dispute over his security protection in Britain. While a spokesperson confirmed that Harry would skip the service on March 29, he was reportedly set to attend the Invictus Games in the Netherlands two weeks later. Meanwhile, the Palace said the monarch would not attend the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London today owing to her fragile health.…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za LOAD shedding has a huge impact on the City of Joburg’s infrastructure, said City Power after numerous parts of the city experienced unplanned outages this weekend, especially after load shedding. City Power experienced a number of power interruptions in the Randburg and Hursthill areas. The power utility’s spokesperson, Isaac Mangena, said the major causes of these outages included load shedding, cable theft, equipment failure, cable faults and damage to equipment. “Load shedding, in particular, has an effect of delaying our ability to repair damaged equipment and to restore power with the necessary speed. It also causes major damage to our electricity equipment as the system is not designed to be turned on and off to meet load shedding demands,” Mangena said. He added that over and above…

Anita Nkonki HE IS one of 10 climbers on a quest to take on the highest mountain in Africa, to have their voices heard for a good cause. Former Mr Deaf 2017 SA runner-up, Raymond Jonker, is set to raise awareness about social woes pervasive in deaf communities by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in August. The Climb4TheDeaf initiative is his and the rest of the climbers’ quest to fulfil their shared vision of making a difference in their communities. “Every deaf child has the right to hear with the help of a cochlear implant or hearing aids. Not every child can hear due to lack of finance as it is extremely expensive. This initiative is very important to me as I’m one of the lucky ones able to…

T Markandan | Kloof “HOWZIT, bra? How’s your SUV?” “It’s lekker, bro. It goes like a bomb. I feel like a king sitting high up and looking down at all the little motorists below me.” “Do you still feel like a king when you have to fill its enormous tank?” “Hey, bro, that’s another matter. The petrol price is killing me. It cost me R1 750 to fill the tank the other day. With all the running around I have to do every day, the petrol will only last me a week.” Well, folks, if you are one of those image-driven snobs showing off your top-of-the-range, million-rand luxury sedan or the big SUV with an NUR number plate, then you are going to pay a heavy price for…

IT IS disappointing that the ANC has decided to deflect attention from what the world has referred to as “aggression” of Russia in Ukraine, by marching to the Israeli Embassy. The effort could have been put towards stopping Russia from murdering innocent people in Kyiv. While the marchers (the ANC, the SACP, and Cosatu) should be hailed for fighting for the rights of Palestinians, they have become unhealthily obsessed with Israel. If they care so much about the Palestinian plight, why are they not talking about the 400 000 Palestinians who are suffering at the hands of the Lebanese in Lebanon? In Lebanon, Palestinians are not allowed to practise law, medicine, and engineering. Is that not apartheid? And yet, our government says nothing. While visiting Ramallah in 2018,…

Russian forces stepped up the pressure on Ukrainian cities at the weekend. Ukraine prepared yesterday for a “relentless defence” of Kyiv as the capital faced possible encirclement by Russian forces who also launched an air strike on a military base outside the city of Lviv, near the Polish border Nine people were killed and 57 were injured in air strike the city’s mayor said. AFP reporters in Kyiv said there was thick black smoke rising from the eastern suburbs on Saturday. Russian forces shelled a mosque where 80 civilians were sheltering, the foreign ministry said, without specifying the time of the attack or the number of casualties. Meanwhile an AFP reporter in the southern city of Mykolaiv said a hospital in the district of Ingulski came under fire, forcing residents…

Zambia’s former president Rupiah Banda has died at the age of 85 after a long battle with colon cancer, his son Andrew said in Lusaka. The country’s fourth leader since independence from Britain served from 2008 to 2011 – a term remembered for economic growth and corruption allegations. Banda was vice-president when his predecessor, Levy Mwanawasa, unexpectedly succumbed to a stroke, propelling him into the top job. He was defeated in 2011 elections despite overseeing major economic growth during his tenure.…

Michael Sherman michael.sherman@inl.co.za The Lions bagged their third victory of the URC as they ran out 37-20 victors against Cardiff at Ellis Park yesterday. While the Lions showed good attacking flare in the first half, as they scored three tries, the second half was about defending their lead. They were successful as they were able to grind out a victory as they outscored the visitors by four tries to two. Ultimately, the five points for the bonus point win did nothing for their log position as the Lions remained 14th in the 16-team competition. But they drew closer to 13th-placed Cardiff on 17 points, one behind their Welsh opposition. The Lions made a scorching start with scrumhalf Morne van den Berg bursting through a tackle from close range after a…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za Imperial Lions 186 Six Gun Grill WP 190/9 WP won by one wicket George Linde’s gutsy unbeaten 67 saw Western Provincd claim what for most of the afternoon looked a highly unlikely victory in a One-Day Cup match against a disjointed Lions at the Wanderers yesterday. WP slumped to 112/7 in the 33rd over in pursuit of a modest target, and an early exit for the small group of spectators allowed into this vast venue appeared to be in the offing. Instead Linde, who played a couple of ODIs in Sri Lanka last year but is now surplus to requirements for the Proteas, kept his composure, played smartly, and forged crucial partnerships for the eighth and ninth wickets to get his side close. It was left to…