Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-07-01 i Star

HELIUM and methane miner Renergen said “a few weeks delay” in the commissioning of its Phase 1 plant was “a small price” to reduce the risk of catastrophic failure, chief executive Stefano Marani said in an update yesterday. The commissioning of Phase 1 of the Virginia Gas Project, the first onshore gas project in South Africa, which is expected to produce helium and methane, has attracted significant investor interest on the JSE and has helped to propel Renergen’s share price 89 percent over 12 months to the R36.32 it traded at yesterday. Kela Securities predicted recently in report that Renergen has a few catalysts that could see its share price rise in 6 to 12 months, of which the July commissioning of the helium plant had been expected to…

WILSON-BAYLY Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO) has maintained a liquid balance sheet after deconsolidation of its Australian subsidiary, with R3 billion in cash reserves on May 31, the group said in a trading statement yesterday. This balance was also after an outflow of A$75 million (about R834m) post the WBHO Australia deconsolidation date. WBHO’s earnings per share and headline earnings per share were expected to be at least 1.1 percent worse and 3.6 percent lower respectively, for the year to June 30, compared with the previous year. “Liquidity in each region has been forecast to the end of June 2023. WBHO is acutely aware of the remaining impact of deconsolidating the Australia group and has forecast these negative cash flows,” the group said. Cash reserves in the UK…

CONSUMERS will be digging a bit deeper for goods as producer inflation accelerated to an all-time record high in May, pushed higher by elevated global supply chain pressures and reflecting concerns over raw material shortages. Data from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) yesterday showed that producer prices in South Africa surged by 14.7 percent year-on-year in May, rising from 13.9 percent in April. This marked the 6th consecutive month of double-digit inflation for final manufactured goods after starting the year at 10.1 percent, and the highest reading since records began in 2013, also topping market estimates of 14.1 percent. Stats SA said the main contributors to the headline PPI annual inflation rate were coke, petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products which rose by 31.7 percent…

R Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by a federal court. The singer, 55, was handed the term in New York for masterminding a scheme to entice and sexually exploit young aspiring singers and underage children. Former ’90s superstar Kelly was branded “the pied piper of R and B” at the US District Court in the city as he was faced with several of his victims who detailed his “deplorable and inexplicable” abuse during victim impact sentences ahead of his sentencing on Wednesday. Kelly’s sentencing follows his conviction last year by a jury on multiple counts of racketeering, relating to bribery and forced labour. The musician, real name Robert Sylvester Kelly, was also found to have violated anti-sex trafficking law, the Mann Act. In sentencing, Judge Ann…

Nuco Auctioneers will be hosting the Greyling Vervoer complete company closure auction, live and online, on Thursday at 10.30am. Lots will include a range of mechanical horses, dropsides, trailers, flat decks, forklifts, light duty vehicles, truck and trailer parts, jacks, brick grab cranes, rims and tyres, lifts, cargo nets, tool cabinets, compressors, pressure washers, pipe crimping tools, milling machine, lathe, cabinets and drawers, desks and chairs, shelving and generators. All items will be available for viewing at Friedesheim Street, Odendaalsrus, Free State from Monday until Wednesday, from 8am to 4pm. Bidders can register at register.nucoauctioneers.com. On-site registering facilities will be available for all live bidders on viewing and auction day. For more information, contact Rudolph at 081 851 5551 or visit www.nucoauctioneers.com. |…

Civic organisation Equal Education (EE), joined by pupils in their numbers, marched to Parliament yesterday in protest against proposed changes to the school infrastructure law. They said their biggest concern was a proposal by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga to remove deadlines currently imposed on the government to fix schools. “The most scary change Motshekga wants to make to the school infrastructure law is to remove the deadlines that put responsibility on the government to get rid of pit toilets – and provide basics such as water, electricity, classrooms, libraries, etc – by specific dates. Her proposed changes, if passed, will mean that pupils and teachers will wait many years for safe and proper school infrastructure,” EE said. “Basic Education Minister Motshekga signed the Norms and Standards into law in…

Two penguins that stranded a year ago on KwaZulu-Natal beaches were flown to the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob) in Gqeberha, where they will begin the final leg of their rehabilitation programme. The South African Association for Marine Biological Research (Saambr) said it was grateful to The Bateleurs (Volunteers Flying for the Environment) and especially to pilot Claude Parnell who offered to fly their two VIPs (very important penguins) from KZN to Sanccob Gqeberha on Sunday. Lead animal behaviourist Kelly de Klerk said: “It’s a bitter-sweet moment seeing them being loaded onto their VIP plane because we have enjoyed rehabbing and watching these two special birds go from strength to strength. They have left footprints on our hearts. Until then, we hope they continue making…

AWARD-winning storyteller and broadcaster Nontobeko Sibisi is brimming with pride after securing a spot at the coveted 15th edition of Talents Durban, set to take place from July 22 to 31. Out of thousands of hopefuls vying to be part of Talents Durban from across the globe, only seven documentary projects were chosen. They include Togo, Tunisia, Egypt, Nigeria and Uganda. Sibisi is among 27 participants from across Africa selected to take part in the film-making programme. She is representing South Africa in this year’s cohort alongside film producer and director Gabriella Blumberg. Talents Durban is an initiative of The Berlin International Film Festival and is part of six international initiatives of Berlinale Talents. Sibisi expressed gratitude at the opportunity afforded her. “I’m so excited and grateful to be part…

THE Covid-19 pandemic caught the world off-guard. However, the City of Joburg, its citizens and business were pushed to be innovative and technologically driven to continue with the core functions, acting city manager Christiaan Ehlers said at the Smart City Innovation Challenge Awards. Ehlers delivered the keynote address at the awards, hosted by the city at Wits University’s Tshimologong Innovation Precinct on Monday. Four digital entrepreneurs, QH Consultants, Iconix Engineering Solutions, Technological Plumbing Solutions and Graf-in Tech, were announced as 2021-22 winners. They walked away with R500 000 each and a pilot opportunity for their solutions within city departments or entities the solutions are linked to. Ehlers said the pandemic had fast-tracked the city’s collective readiness, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and exposed gaps in service provision, weaknesses in old operation…

JOBURG City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) is collaborating with the Johannesburg Parks Alliance (JPA) through a “Partnership Action Imbizo” to develop vibrant, green, safe, and sustainable public parks. The entities last week held a partnership event at the George Lea Park in Sandton as part of the R1 billion green campaign, a multi-year initiative looking at the power of greening to address environmental and socio-economic issues. “No longer is the dependency solely with the government to mitigate climate change. Joburg needs an alliance with the private sector to offset our carbon footprint, to create a liveable city,” community development MMC Ronald Harris said. The city’s primary focus is on the green economy, including carbon sequestration programmes such as tree planting, rejuvenating parks, waste minimisation efforts, environmental education and public participation…

THE 25th HollywoodBets Cosafa Cup takes centre stage next week and it is no surprise defending champions Bafana Bafana are among the favourites to retain the title alongside 2021 finalists Senegal. Senegal are currently the best team on the continent following their Africa Cup of Nations win in February, with their closest competitor for the Cosafa Cup being hosts South Africa who are ranked 13th in Africa. The pair provided scintillating entertainment the last time the Cosafa Cup was held. They blew away their opponents before needing a penalty shootout to determine the winner in the final, which Bafana won courtesy of goalkeeper Veli Mothwa. The Cosafa Cup has been largely monopolised by Bafana and Zambia for the last decade. Bafana have won the tournament four times in the last…

AS PSG GROUP released its “swansong” annual report, marking the end of an era, the JSE-listed entity could have a shareholder fight on its hands over its plan to unlock value in the group, which involves a share buyout. The group, with a market cap of R19 billion, announced on March 1 it planned to unlock value for its shareholders via a restructuring plan that should be concluded by the end of August and subsequently delist from the JSE. PSG Group was founded in November 1995 by Jannie Mouton and Chris Otto, with a dream of building a financial services conglomerate. The annual report, released late on Wednesday, focused on PSG’s restructuring, which was done in light of the significant discount at which PSG Group has been trading to…

THE R17 BILLION of cancelled road construction tenders are now scheduled to be awarded in September after a new bidding process and after South African National Roads Agency Ltd (Sanral) cleaned up the corporate governance processes in the five tenders, said Sanral acting chief executive Themba Mhambi. Sanral also announced yesterday that the Development Bank of Southern Africa had been appointed as an independent public entity to handle Sanral’s large-scale procurement and oversight of the tenders. Sanral’s board on May 23 declined to award the five tenders due to lapses in the due process – turning a blind eye would have exposed the roads development agency to irregular expenditure and possible litigation that might have held up the projects in courts for years, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said at…

Ultimatum after violent response of communities towards technical teams employed to install pre-paid electricity meters in township SOWETANS should allow Eskom officials to install pre-paid meters in communities or risk being cut off from power supply this winter, Eskom said yesterday. Eskom Gauteng spokesperson Amanda Qithi said the utility’s workers were being threatened and, in some cases, beaten by community members for trying to install meters in the township. Qithi said this week the community of Moletsane in Soweto intimidated Eskom technicians when they tried installing meters. She said that area was a non-paying area and Eskom had no choice but to move the community from conventional electricity to split metering. Qithi said it was the second time that the community of Moletsane had chased Eskom workers away. She said…

Music streaming giant Spotify has released this week’s music chart about the South African music scene, revealing Kabza de Small as one of the local artists topping the charts. His consistency in delivering music loved by listeners has also placed him among the artists dominating the music charts. Kabza de Small is the man behind smash hits such Asibe Happy and Abalele, where he features renowned artist DJ Maphorisa and popular music sensation Ami Faku. The Canadian rapper Aubrey Drake Graham took a No 1 spot after his surprise album that had some of its songs produced by Grammy award-winning talent Black Coffee with his son Esona. This position does not come as a surprise because the announcement that SA’s favourite DJ was behind the making of Honestly, Nevermind by…

TREK4Mandela, an annual expedition whereby a group of inspired individuals summit Mount Kilimanjaro in support of Caring4Girls, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 2022. The expedition has two climbs – the first will mark the official 10 years of the Trek4Mandela summit to take place on Mandela Day – 18 July; and the second climb will be a female only climb on 9 August in celebration of Women’s Day. The expedition will include 30 climbers led by the Trek4Mandela Expedition leader, mountaineer and adventurer – Sibusiso Vilane. On 18 July 2012, Richard Mabaso and Sibusiso Vilane sought to reach Africa’s highest peak in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation as a Mandela Day initiative, which supports Caring4Girls. Caring4Girls is a programme, founded by the Imbumba Foundation, that addresses the…

JOBURG Environment and Infrastructure Services MMC Michael Sun led the A Re Sebetseng service delivery campaign in Jeppestown this week. Sun delivered the keynote address on behalf of the mayor, Mpho Phalatse. He was accompanied by Development Planning MMC Belinda Echeozonjoku, Group Corporate and Shares Services MMC Leah Knott, Economic Development MMC Nkuli Mbundu and Public Safety MMC David Tembe. They were joined by ward councillors Themba Mkhize and Nkosikhona Khanyile. “Throughout our everyday lives at Pikitup we are teaching our children about separation at source. This is to ensure that we reduce the level of refuse that ends up on our landfill sites. The city is fast running out of landfills sites. The small things we do will make sure that our city is clean,” said Sun. “It…

SWALLOWS FC are set to announce who their new coach will be during the course of next week. The Dube Birds had an underwhelming past season as they needed the PSL promotion/relegation playoffs to avoid relegation. Swallows chairperson David Mogashoa confirmed that the club’s coach Dylan Kerr’s contract is ending and added that they will soon have talks with him. “We will make announcements once we have finalised the 2022-23 squad and the position of the head coach. It is an open secret that coach Kerr’s contract ends 30 June 2022. Kerr is currently out of the country. We will have a meeting with him next week when he returns,” wrote Mogashoa on social media. While Kerr earned praise for helping Swallows avoid the drop, Mogashoa has also steered clear…

Cricket South Africa CEO Pholetsi Moseki is hoping new director of cricket Enoch Nkwe will help the organisation “turn the corner” and “reach greater heights”. Nkwe was unveiled yesterday among a string of new appointments at CSA, along with Mtunzi Jonas joining as CCO, Tjaart van der Walt as CFO and Wanele Mngomezulu as CMO. Nkwe, 39, replaces former Proteas captain Graeme Smith, who opted not to renew his contract at the end of March. He previously coached the Lions, where he was recently still employed as a “strategic consultant” to two titles – the T20 Challenge and four-day series in 2019. He also led the Jozi Stars to the inaugural Mzansi Super League title. This success saw Nkwe promoted to interim director of the Proteas in 2019 for the…

Wales will be honouring their great legend of the game Phil Bennett in Saturday’s first Test against the Springboks at Loftus Versfeld and will be supercharged to deliver a performance worthy of the great British and Irish Lions flyhalf. Fittingly, it was at Loftus in 1974 that Bennett delivered one of his finest performances when he steered the Lions to a 28-9 victory over the Boks that secured the tourists a famous series win. Wales coach Wayne Pivac confirmed that his team will wear black armbands in honour of Bennett, who died three weeks ago. “Phil is a proper legend and is respected worldwide,” Pivac said. “It has been a sad time for his family and all Welsh fans and we will be doing our best to put on a…

The JSE All Share Index also fell 2.1 percent to 66 284 points, its lowest since June 23 THE RAND FELL to its lowest in 19 months yesterday while stocks at the JSE slipped into a one-week low as the markets closed in the red after Eskom extended its severe power cuts amid fears of global recession. By 5pm the rand was bid at R16.37 to the dollar, 13 cents weaker than the prior day at the same time. Eskom yesterday implemented Stage 6 load shedding for the third day in a row following multiple plant breakdowns due to labour protests over wages. The struggling power utility said load shedding would also be implemented at Stage 6 today, while a minimum of Stage 4 would be…

PWC HAS REVISED South Africa’s economic growth prospects for 2022 on the back of domestic and international upheaval, which has been exacerbated by the current energy crisis and the war in Ukraine. At the start of 2022, PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC’s) downside economic scenario suggested real gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 1.6 percent this year and an average inflation rate of 5.6 percent. PwC yesterday said that its current baseline outlook was for 1.8 percent growth and 6.3 percent inflation, which is not far removed from this downside view from January. PwC chief economist Lullu Krugel said there were still many industries lagging behind in spite of the first quarter GDP growth returning the economy to its pre-pandemic size. Krugel said their baseline scenario for the country…

Documentaries submitted from around the world will feature at the 43rd Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), which is set to take place from July 21 to 30. Twenty carefully curated feature- length documentaries, of which six will be live screening at Suncoast CineCentre, will feature in this year’s line-up. From the heart of a glacier in the Italian Alps in N-Ice Cello to the evening skies of Beirut in Kash Kash, there is something for everyone. Here’s a list of international doccies to catch at this year’s DIFF. Wind Blows in the Border This looks at a fight for ancestral lands. It is directed by Laura Faerman and Marina Weis. Adam & Ida Directed by Jan Tenhavn, it tells the story of Polish-Jewish twins who survived the Holocaust. Portraits of…

Forged bank statements, insufficient funds on submitted bank statements, fabricated invitation letters and falsified hotel reservations are just some of the reasons South African missions abroad rejected 98 000 tourist visa applications from around the world. Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi shared a document which showed 98 760 tourist visa applications had been rejected during the 2021/2022 financial year. The figures were collated from South Africa’s embassies, consulates and other diplomatic posts abroad – collectively known as missions. Motsoaledi shared the reasons and the statistics in a written Parliamentary response to a series of questions asked by DA Parliamentary tourism spokesperson Manny de Freitas. De Freitas wanted to know the number of tourism visa applications rejected from each country in each month, as well as the reasons for each rejection.…

IN APRIL, an SAA Airbus A330-300 was allowed to take off from Accra to ORT with more than 200 passengers and crew, being fully aware that the loaded aviation fuel had water in it. It was reported that one of the engines surged in mid-flight. A fuel contamination event can lead to catastrophic consequences if not timeously detected and corrected. No plane should be released for flight if it has dangerous levels of fuel contamination. Many accidents have occurred due to lower grade fuel involving dirty and incorrect grade type fuel. It is of critical importance that fuel taken onboard at uplift is not contaminated in any way since any such contamination is likely to affect all engines and this may not be evident until after an aircraft has become…

After the report of the tragic incident at Enyobeni Tavern, there is a burning fire on social media. Some are blaming the “1980s” for failing to be good role models to the 2000s generation, some are blaming the “2000s” for being the most irresponsible, unruly, and difficult generation. Throwing stones and pointing fingers will not help. One should not ignore the fact that the generational shift is natural; we are living in an ever-changing world, one way or another we may not expect generation 2000 to behave like those of the ’90s and ’80s, because the world has changed. Who is to blame? Are we blaming Time for this generational shift? Are we blaming parents for failing to bring discipline? Are we blaming society itself for failing to come up…

Nick Kyrgios buried the rage he showed in his Wimbledon opener to ease into the third round yesterday and warned: “I just wanted to remind everyone that I’m pretty good.” The volatile Australian pulled off a 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 win over Serbian 26th seed Filip Krajinovic to make the last 32 for the sixth time. “If I can just continue to play like that, I’m very dangerous,” said Kyrgios, who will face world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas for a place in the fourth round. Kyrgios fired 24 aces and 50 winners past Krajinovic, who made the final on grass at Queen’s in the run-up to Wimbledon. He also only conceded nine points on his serve in an 85-minute win on Court Two. The 27-year-old Australian, who made the quarter-finals on…

AFTER his landslide victory in the Safa presidential race against challengers Ria Ledwaba and Solly Mohlabeng, Danny Jordaan was showered with praise. The 70-year-old Jordaan was chosen to head South Africa’s football governing body for a third successive term. He garnered 186 votes against Ledwaba’s 27 and Mohlabeng’s eight. First to sing his praises was Gianni Infantino, president of the world governing body Fifa. “Please accept my warmest greetings and sincerest congratulations for your recent re-election as president of the South African Football Association,” Infantino wrote in a note to Jordaan. “I also seize the opportunity to thank you for all your efforts, your work, and your important contribution to the development of our sport and the promotion of its values in South Africa. “Sending you and your team my…

Convener of selectors Victor Mpitsang says he will leave no stone unturned in ensuring the Proteas men’s team will have the best opportunity to win the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. It is unfortunate that an injury to captain Temba Bavuma, who on Wednesday was ruled out of the entire tour to the United Kingdom with an elbow injury, has left the door open for prodigal son Rilee Rossouw’s return to the national team after a six-year absence. But it still required Mpitsang to extend the invitation to the 32-year-old for the three-match T20 series against England and the subsequent two matches against Ireland. Mpitsang has already proved that he possesses no malice towards returning Kolpak players, with Duanne Olivier and Simon Harmer reintegrated into the Test…