Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-07-29 i Star

THE SHARE PRICE of South Africa’s biggest steel producer, ArcelorMittal SA (Amsa) slid 15 percent yesterday despite it reporting a 22 percent increase in interim headline earnings to R3billion. The firm did not declare a dividend. Chief executive Kobus Verster, however, warned that economic headwinds had intensified both internationally and domestically, significantly affecting the trading environment. “The international price correction in a soft local demand environment will impact the financial results,” he said. The shares traded at a low of R5.50 in mid-morning trade following the release of results for the six months to June 30. Its revenue rose by 19 percent to R22.17bn. The net debt position was 61 percent lower at R1.09bn. “The company has successfully delivered against its predicted outlook and in some instances…

Issues of intellectual superiority and intimidation caused drama when they came up at yesterday’s Committee for Section 194 Inquiry hearings into suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office. The public protector’s recently reinstated Free State head Sphelo Samuel, who was being cross-examined by Mkhwebane’s counsel, Dali Mpofu SC, was accused of undermining Mkhwebane because he felt intellectually superior to her. Mpofu took issue with Samuel after he said he did not think Mkhwebane was intellectually suited to her role. Samuel had questioned Mkhwebane’s conduct during meetings. He said she displayed a lack of information and that her ability to lead discussions and take decisions on the arguments that were made during meetings was lacking. Mpofu was cross-examining Samuel on the testimony he gave on Wednesday about how Mkhwebane…

His Name is George Floyd Robert Samuels, Toluse Olorunnipa Loot.co.za (R250) Bantam WRITTEN by two award-winning reporters this is the only definitive biography of George Floyd. The murder of George Floyd sparked a fiery summer of activism and unrest all over the world in 2020, with peaceful protests sometimes erupting into violent clashes. People marched under the Black Lives Matter banner, decrying Floyd’s death and demanding an end to racial injustice. Drawing on The Washington Post archives and in-depth reporting, His Name Is George Floyd is a definitive biography that dives deep into the myriad ways that structural racism shaped Floyd’s life and death. This intimate portrait of one emblematic life, while pulling back to profile the institutions that shaped it; the authors deliver a powerful exploration of institutional…

If electric cars are developed, I think solar cars can also be developed, and would be the cheapest form of energy. A stylish solar panel can be installed at the roof top of a car and one or more batteries in the bonnet. If the battery is fully charged, the panel can be disconnected. The battery can also be charged using solar from the house connection. If a car is parked where there is no sunshine, the panel can be removed and placed where there is enough sun. Solar cars will solve our fuel problems and reduce air pollution, but can have a negative effect on the economy. With free “fuel” from the sun it will be very cheap to drive a car, as a result the number of cars…

GLOBAL progress against HIV has faltered, new data has revealed. A new report on the global HIV response was released by the Joint UN Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids), revealing that during last two years of the coronavirus pandemic and other crises, progress against the HIV pandemic faltered, resources shrunk, and millions of lives were at risk as a result. According to the report, globally, the number of new infections dropped only 3.6% between 2020 and 2021, the smallest annual decline in new HIV infections since 2016. In southern Africa, the rapid progress from previous years significantly slowed in 2021. “These data show the global Aids response in severe danger. If we are not making rapid progress then we are losing ground, as the pandemic thrives amid Covid-19, mass displacement, and…

In his essay, The Decay of Lying, Oscar Wilde opined that “life imitates art far more than art imitates life”. Wilde is opposing Aristotle. I’m not sure whether he’s actually right. But there’s often a curious relationship between art and life. Certainly, one can be seen through the prism of the other and vice versa. This year in London – well over a century after its first performance – an opera has been revived which is proving a sensation. Dame Ethel Smyth, suffragette, feminist and, for her times, lone English woman composer, did not exactly get a willing audience when her opera The Wreckers was first composed. She wrote it in French to a libretto by the philosopher Herbert Brewster and had, in fact, to have it all translated…

The Hague: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte urged farmers yesterday to end their “life-threatening” protests against government environmental plans after roads were blocked by fires and manure. Farmers have resumed their protests after a break of several weeks, demanding an end to government plans to cut nitrogen emissions by reducing livestock and closing some farms. The Netherlands, the world’s second-largest agricultural exporter, is one of the top greenhouse gas emitters in Europe, with much of this blamed on cattle-produced manure and fertiliser. | AFP…

KAROOOOO, an international provider of real-time data analytics and business intelligence, reported solid results for its first quarter ended May 31, leaving management confident enough to keep the outlook for the remainder of the financial year unchanged. Total revenue was up 28 percent to R801 million (R626m). Revenue growth coupled with ongoing operating efficiencies resulted in profit for the period increasing 44 percent to R156m (R108m) and earnings per share 42 percent to R4.96m. Chief executive and founder Zak Calisto said in an interview that he believed the revenue growth momentum was sustainable throughout the year. He said he was satisfied with the financial performance, but there were some things he wished they could have done better, such as dealing with the “uphill battle” of…

SA Federation of Trade Unions’ (Saftu) Ruth Ntlokotse said she would not recognise the “illegitimate” leadership of the National Union of Metal Workers of SA (Numsa). This comes after Numsa elected new leadership on Wednesday night despite a court interdicting the congress from proceeding. Numsa had said it had the right to proceed with the congress because it had appealed against the decision. But it turns out that on Wednesday night the court rejected the appeal. Ntlokotse was Numsa’s second deputy president before her suspension from the union a few days ago. “The leadership was chosen without regard to the constitution. “They are wasting their time, that congress is not legal and it was a holiday for delegates,” Ntlokotse said. Ntlokotse said the Labour Court in Johannesburg had ruled…

THE SPY WHO KNEW TOO MUCH Harper AN UNMANNED sailboat ran aground on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The cabin was in disarray, and papers marked “Top Secret” were found, along with a phone directory filled with 351-prefix numbers, a classified CIA exchange. As veteran investigative reporter Howard Blum tells it in his intriguing new book, The Spy Who Knew Too Much: An Ex-CIA officer’s quest through a legacy of betrayal, things then moved quickly. The boat’s owner turned out to be John Arthur Paisley, later described by the agency as a “low-level analyst”. A week later, a corpse was discovered floating in the bay, identified by the chief medical examiner as Paisley. Cause of death: suicide. Never mind that the examiner's office did not receive the corpse until…

Dear Mr President, When the entire world takes one knee against injustice, everyone listens. South Africans are down on both knees. Are you listening? Are you caring? Are you responding? Save our wonderful land from injustice, indifference, incompetence and, most of all, dishonesty. We must surely be a laughing stock to the outside world. Government members and yes, at least one president sent to prison, albeit briefly. South Africa’s respect and dignity need restoring desperately. You should embrace this task urgently because it’s required of you by us the citizens. God bless South Africa.…

THE countdown has begun for the eagerly-awaited inaugural Herstory International Theatre Festival that is set to bring women from all walks of life together from August 1-7 at Soweto Theatre. This festival will showcase creatives from across the globe, giving them a platform to tell their stories and celebrate their different backgrounds. The inaugural Herstory International Theatre Festival will not only provide a platform for women's stories, but will also showcase their artistry. The Star had a conversation with Tebogo Sedumedi, who is affectionately known as Aus Tebza and is the overall music director of the festival. The multi-talented singer, who has been in the entertainment industry for many years, expressed delight at the prospect of being part of an event that celebrates women. “To be part of such an…

Syria lost its territorial integrity when the civil war erupted in 2011. Major European countries, together with the US, back Kurdish forces in Syria, while Russia and Iran support the Bashar al-Assad regime. As a majority Sunni Muslim country, Türkiye’s main aim is to maintain historical and religious ties with Iraqi and Syrian Muslims. Türkiye lost its land connection with Iraqi Arabs when Kurds in the country established their autonomy in a part of Northern Iraq that borders Turkiye. Syria’s Kurds also formed the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, also known as ‘Rojava’, alongside the Turkish border. Thus Türkiye’s 1 300km border with Arab states Iraq and Syria are controlled by Kurdish armed groups. Türkiye built relatively strong ties with the Kurdistan Regional Government that rules the autonomous…

Today, we celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the accession to the throne of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. 23 years that shaped, guided, and reinforced Morocco’s path as a country that values unity, friendship, and people above everything. In the middle of the Covid crisis, when nothing seemed certain, Morocco, along with many of its sister nations, including South Africa, continued to foster and most importantly to act for a better future, a better world, a more responsible one. Overcoming the crisis meant, for us, creating new perspectives, new directions, new schemes, and new tools for our people to grow in a decent, conducive, and more sustainable environment. No crisis can ever defeat the spirit of genuine solidarity. Morocco always stood for this spirit, by expending the frame, the focus,…

Absa BANK has warned that the cost of living in South Africa will rise even further towards the end of the year, in spite of easing global oil and food prices. Absa macro-economist Miyelani Maluleke yesterday said the second- round effects of supply-side price shocks continued to drive up inflation, forcing aggressive monetary policy decisions. Maluleke said they believed the headline consumer price index (CPI) inflation would peak at 7.9 percent in October, before softening to end 2023 at 4.7 percent. Headline consumer inflation surprised on the upside and surged from 6.5 percent in May to 7.4 percent in June, its highest level since 2009, mainly driven by higher fuel and food prices. Maluleke said core inflation would be critical for the path of headline inflation…

While Banyana Banyana were gearing up to play Morocco in the Women’s African Cup of Nations, African leaders and business people and their US counterparts met in Marrakesh to sign infrastructure, mining, agriculture and trade deals. The Africa-US business conference, the vision of King Mohammed V, has brought billions in development for the African continent. President Mokgweetsi Masisi, of Botswana, and a high-level delegation also headlined the conference. Chair of the Africa50 board of directors, Dr Akinlumi Adesina highlighted the crucial role Africa50 was playing in bridging the infrastructural gap in Africa. Adesina told delegates gathered for the shareholders’ meeting that Africa50 had invested more than $5 billion (about R84.3bn) in 16 private sector-focused investment projects in the past six years. “Africa50 is pushing the frontiers of development in infrastructure…

THE family of Tshegofatso Pule have described murder accused Ntuthuko Shoba as a “psychopath” who has not shown remorse after killing their daughter, adding that the family expects nothing but a life sentence when the court resumes its final day of sentencing later today. Shoba, who appeared before the South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, yesterday for his sentencing is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder of his then pregnant girlfriend, Pule, who was found hanging from a tree in Roodepoort, Durban Deep, on June 4, 2020. The case was expected to reach its conclusion today following a sentencing process which was adjourned yesterday after a gruelling court session in mitigation of sentence. Speaking following the adjournment of the case, Pule’s uncle and family spokesperson Tumisang Katake said the…

Trapped is an incredible new thriller you won’t want to put down. It’s a case unlike anything detective Mina Dabiri has seen before. A woman inside a magician’s box, with swords pierced through. But this time, it’s not a magic trick. It’s murder. Mina enlists the help of celebrity mentalist, Vincent Walder. Only he can give her insight into the secret world of magic and illusions. Mina and Vincent discover that the murder victim has the Roman numeral III carved on her leg. The killer is counting down and there are going to be more murders. Time is running out. Lying Beside You Michael Robotham Loot.co.za (240) Sphere Twenty years ago, Cyrus Haven’s family was murdered and only he and his brother survived. Cyrus because he hid. Elias because he…

After the KwaZulu-Natal conference, the ANC morphed into a Janus-like party, with one face as a party in power, mouthing rhetoric against “shadow enemies”, and the other as a protector of what was once a world-class economy. It is doubtful whether changes can revive the spirit of the once-great political party back to the glory it attained more than 27 years ago. The ANC will be voted out of power in 2024, irrespective of who is elected leader at the national conference. Popularism and realism will be the defining characters in 2024. Fake news and online echo chambers have enhanced tribalism and division. Most voters are convinced that elitist links to corruption are indissoluble. Factional wars and a leadership in disarray, the ANC is looking woefully unprepared for the next…

WHEN I learnt of the murder of the mayor of Collins Chabane Municipality, Moses Maluleke, Henry Fielding’s words came flooding back to me: “It hath been often said, that it is not death, but dying, which is terrible.” His assailants pumped many bullets into his body and made haste to shed innocent blood at his homestead. One was reminded of the tremor the world felt when great men such as John F Kennedy and Chris Hani were assassinated. Shakespeare aptly described the scene: “And tell sad stories of the death of kings: How some have been deposed, some slain in war… All murdered.” Maluleke and I were once soccer arch-rivals as our villages were adjacent to each other. He was a staunch supporter of Xikundu Mountain Bombers and I was…

Health-care experts have zoomed in on a rise in acute severe hepatitis of unknown cause in children. Yesterday, as the world marked World Hepatitis Day, the ANC study group on health hosted a webinar commemorating the day, focusing on a new variant of acute severe hepatitis of unknown cause in children. Chairperson of the National Assembly’s portfolio committee on health Dr Kenneth Jacobs explained that the reason World Hepatitis Day was so important was that more than 1.3 million people die annually as a result of hepatitis. In April the World Health Organization (WHO) was notified of severe acute hepatitis of unknown cause in 10 children across Scotland, and all the patients were noted to have been previously healthy. Their ages ranged from 11 months to 5 years old. The…

OFFICIALS from Joburg’s Public Safety Department won the spoils and bragging rights after dominating various sporting codes at an intergovernmental sports day organised by the management of the Correctional Services Department in Johannesburg. The sporting event, tailored to encourage civil servants to lead healthy lifestyles and promote general wellness and mental health, saw various sports teams from the city compete in aerobics, track running, golf, cycling, volleyball, football, and netball. The event was organised for government sports teams in Gauteng and came after two years of Covid-19 public restrictions, which prevented active participation in mass sporting events. The event offered public safety officials from the City a platform to network and unwind following a series of lockdowns and from the high-pressure environment they work in. “Because of Covid-19, we were…

THE announcement yesterday that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) would go ahead with its national congress despite a Labour Court ruling spells more trouble for the labour movement. For those who hadn’t noticed, there’s been a low-intensity civil war within Numsa and the broader SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu). Saftu was formed after Numsa was expelled as an affiliate of the Cosatu in 2015 over whether to support the ANC in the 2014 general elections. Eight years later, the fissures within Numsa and Saftu can be attributed to the two personalities who were there when the new federation was formed: Numsa’s long-standing general secretary, Irvin Jim, and Saftu’s general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, who also happens to be Cosatu’s former boss. After a compromised outcome of the…

US President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping held a fifth call as leaders yesterday, speaking for more than two hours, as concerns mounted over a possible visit to Chinese-claimed Taiwan by US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi. US officials had said the call would have a broad agenda, including discussion of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which China has yet to condemn. At its core, US officials see the exchange as another chance to manage competition between the world’s two largest economies, whose ties have been increasingly clouded by tensions over democratically governed Taiwan, which Xi has vowed to reunite with the mainland, by force if necessary. Beijing has issued escalating warnings about repercussions should Pelosi visit Taiwan, a move that would be a dramatic, though not unprecedented, show…

AS the masses flocked to OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday to give Banyana Banyana a heroine’s welcome, there stood an anxious Given Sedibane right in front. In his hand, Sedibane, who had travelled all the way from Limpopo, held a bouquet of flowers. He joked that “these are for my wife”, Banyana captain Refiloe Jane, who led the team to their first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title in Morocco. Since that euphoric morning, Jane has gone on to become a “national crush” on social media, with men and women drooling over her pictures. It’s worth mentioning that Jane wormed her way into the hearts of the masses with more than her looks, but style of play as well. She has always had a calm approach to her football…