Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-08-02 i Star

JSE-LISTED insurance investment holding company Conduit Capital has expressed surprise that its subsidiary, Constantia Insurance Company Limited (CICL), has been placed under provisional curatorship and slammed the decision as “premature”. Conduit’s share price dipped by almost 52 percent on the JSE in intraday trade yesterday to R0.17. Its shares have dropped by 73 percent in the past three years. Constantia is a diversified pan-African insurer writing business in health, life, medical malpractice and property and casualty, providing coverage to people, professionals and institutions across SA and 19 other African countries. The SA Reserve Bank’s Prudential Authority (PA) approached the High Court of South Africa on July 26, by way of an ex parte application, to place CICL under curatorship. CICL was placed under provisional curatorship after it failed…

ESKOM has not approached the government for additional money to fund its massive maintenance costs in a bid to end loadshedding. This was according to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana yesterday who said the struggling power utility had not officially approached the National Treasury for capital injection for its maintenance programme. Godongwana was speaking during a briefing by a cluster of ministers in the Energy Crisis Committee, unpacking actions to achieve long-term electricity supply. “Eskom has not come to us, for now, for the cost of maintenance,” Godongwana said. “What we do know, the matter was raised (and) a figure of about R2 billion in the context was raised. On closer interaction with Eskom, Eskom said no, it’s too early to do that precisely because they have given the generation division…

The 43rd Durban International Film Festival announced its award winners during a live-streamed event on Facebook and YouTube on August 1. After an intense process of judging the films in competition, musician, writer and producer Bruce Retief’s 1960 – which was chosen to open the film festival – walked away with the Best SA Feature Film prize. “1960 is a powerful historical re-imagination that lays bare some of the chasms of trauma in our history and the effect that this has had generationally. We come from a legacy of a lot of pain and a lot of secrets. The film offers a sensitive portrait of a powerful woman with full agency and highlights a narrative that is also sensitive to gendered erasure. The film also does a beautiful job of…

Joburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) members have shared their experiences of trauma during their 20-day search for 7-year-old Khayalethu Magadla. Khayalethu went missing after falling into an open manhole near his home in Dlamini, Soweto, on June 13. EMS members were called to the scene the next day but the search and rescue subsequently turned into a search and recovery as rescuers worked overtime to intensify their search. The City of Johannesburg Emergency Services rescuers recently shared their experiences while on the search mission and how emotional it was giving the Magadla family feedback without the recovery of the 7-year-old. The body of the little boy was found on July 2, after 20 days of the team searching more than 20km of a pipeline. EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said…

THEATRE enthusiasts and others alike are set for a feast of a production as Marikana The Musical returns to the South African State Theatre stage to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the Marikana Massacre of 2012. The August 2012 massacre at Lonmin saw 34 protesting mineworkers killed by police in Marikana, North West, and the production, written and directed by celebrated playwright Aubrey Sekhabi is an adaptation of the book titled We Are Going to Kill Each Other Today: The Marikana Story. It is written by Thanduxolo Jika, Felix Dlangamandla, Lucas Ledwaba, Sebabatso Mosamo, Athandwa Saba and Leon Sadiki and it looks at the lives of mineworkers and their families, and the events leading up to the massacre. It even goes back to the villages and townships…

The Blitzboks are understandably kid brothers to the Springboks, but they are certainly not poor relations, and the Bok team preparing in Nelspruit for the All Blacks say they have been given a timely lift by the South African gold in the Sevens at the Commonwealth Games. The Boks watched the final on Sunday night from their team room at their hotel in Nelspruit and were hugely impressed by the commitment and ruthlessness shown by the Sevens brethren in dismantling Fiji. “It was an outstanding performance by the Blitzboks and they must know they made us proud,” assistant coach Deon Davids said. “Their reaction after the win shows how much it meant to them, and they are an inspiration to us to strive to put up a similar performance on…

Springbok Sevens coach Neil Powell praised every single member of the Blitzbok squad for their performance at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham at the weekend when claimed gold at Coventry Stadium on Sunday night after dismantling Fiji in the final. The South Africans scored five tries to one and were in complete control from start to finish for a 31-7 victory. The Blitzboks went into the final unbeaten after swiftly dealing with Malaysia, Tonga and Scotland during the pool stages and going on to defeat Australia in the final four. Fiji of course claimed silver, while New Zealand took bronze and Australia and Samoa placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Powell said it was important for the team to regroup after their recent disappointing World Rugby Sevens Series events in Toulouse…

THUNGELA Minerals yesterday flagged that it expects to be printing money hand over fist in its interims on the back of the strong benchmark coal price for thermal coal, and higher realised prices achieved. In its trading statement for the six months ended June 30, 2022 released yesterday, the coal producer said its earnings per share were expected to increase by about 2 044 percent to between R66.85 and R67.45. Headline earnings per share were likely to increase by about 2 101 percent to between R66.85 and R67.45. Thungela has gained from the global coal prices that have risen in the first half of the year, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a drought in China, while supply disruptions and rebounding electricity demand have warmed up the market for…

MTN Group’s share price increased more than 3.4 percent yesterday after forecasting robust earnings for six months to June, 30 and following strong results from its Nigeria subsidiary. The share price traded at R143.65 yesterday after a trading statement said interim headline earnings per share (Heps) were expected to increase by between 40 to 50 percent. It would translate to between 542 cents to 581 cents for the six-months, compared with 387 cents at the same time last year. MTN’s share price had surged to more than R200 in February, the first time it had breached this level in nearly seven years, but the price fell again after the Nigerian Communications Commission announced in April that all mobile operators had to restrict outgoing calls for subscribers with SIMs not linked…

Nine years after the shocking murder of model Reeva Steenkamp, her story is revisited in M-Net’s exclusive 3-part documentary, My Name is Reeva. Steenkamp was riding the crest of success in her career. The model and paralegal had completed filming for the fifth season of Tropika Island of Treasure and was one of the industry’s most-loved personalities. But on February 14, 2013, the media was abuzz with news of her death, with her then-boyfriend, Oscar Pistorius, saying he had accidentally shot her, mistaking her for an intruder. Two days later, the first episode of Tropika Island of Treasure aired and her memory was celebrated with a heartbreaking video tribute. The incident sent shock waves throughout the world. Pistorius, aka the Blade Runner, was arrested and charged with murder. The case…

The trial of former president Jacob Zuma may only get under way next year. This because the Pietermaritzburg High Court is awaiting the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the suitability of prosecutor Billy Downer to lead the State’s case after Zuma approached the apex court. Yesterday, when the matter was called, Zuma and a representative of his co-accused, French company Thales, were not in court and the matter was adjourned to October 17. Zuma and Thales face charges related to fraud, corruption and money laundering in connection with the arms deal that took place in the 1990s. Judge Piet Koen yesterday granted the postponement, saying that the court would reconvene in October to discuss a way forward. The trial date has provisionally been set for November 7 to December 2…

PREPARING for the next pandemic requires a transparent, science-driven approach, supported by clear and accessible communication. This is what came out of a health-care advocacy event in Sandton on Friday, held to encourage ongoing pandemic preparedness in South Africa. The event marked the launch of the “Pandemic Preparedness SA” campaign where a panel discussion involving scientists engaged on the response to the pandemic, looking at how the lessons learnt can help prepare for the next one. Dr Tim Tucker, chief executive of specialist health-care services provider SEAD, noted that from the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, most of the world found themselves inadequately prepared. “We learnt that the world is unprepared for these kinds of stressors and we are part of that global environment and as such…

SANParks, with other conservation organisations, hosted a webinar on how to recognise the contribution rangers make to ensure the protection of the natural environment. Wildlife rangers across the country shared stories of their conservation work and how the work of rangers had become increasingly demanding and dangerous. SANParks Honorary Rangers Board chairperson Paul Colditz said: “Today on World Ranger Day under the theme ‘Guardians of the Wilderness’, we honour our rangers who face challenges, dangers and difficulties on a daily basis to protect our precious wildlife and the wilderness. We also pay tribute to those who have died in the line of duty.” WWF South Africa wildlife trafficking hub lead, Craig Hay, said rangers traditionally had a role as guardians and protectors of wildlife and landscapes where…

Alicia Keys declared her love for husband Swizz Beatz in a series of heartfelt posts on Instagram to mark the couple's 12th wedding anniversary. The pair tied the knot in a lavish ceremony on July 31 2010 and went on to become parents to two sons, Egypt, 11, and seven-year-old Genesis. Swizz and Alicia marked their relationship milestone by sharing pictures of their wedding day on her Instagram page, speaking about how they have kept their relationship strong over the years. Alongside one of the wedding snaps, Alicia wrote: “This is the day we got married! Look at these cutie pies! Those same stars are still in our eyes. And it’s only getting better!” The Fallin singer added: “When we said our vows we wanted our love to never be…

After the 1994 democratic elections, South Africans witnessed many policy and other conferences. In simple language, ordinary South Africans expect moral and ethical leadership based on fairness and social justice and a democracy that delivers the historic mission of the anti-apartheid and freedom struggle heroes that opposed colonial and apartheid policies. Policies, speeches, statements and conferences mean nothing to people still battling to make ends meet in terms of food, employment, housing, safety and security, electricity and water, quality education and health care and basic municipal services. Together with policy strategy, government officials need a standard procedure or guideline manual in order to efficiently and meticulously serve South Africans. |…

Stocks of major poultry producers lose wind on the JSE after minister suspends duties Stocks of major poultry producers lost wind on the JSE yesterday as Minister for Trade and Industry (DTI) Ebrahim Patel suspended punitive import duties for 12 months that had been imposed after an investigation into poultry dumping by Brazil, Denmark, Ireland, Poland and Spain last year. The news flustered local poultry producers, but was welcomed by meat importers and exporters. On the JSE yesterday Astral Foods in afternoon trade saw shares fall to a low of 3.32 percent, closing 2.39 percent lower at R195.19 while RCL Foods shares ended the day unmoved as the decision gazetted yesterday is still making the rounds of the market. According to the International Trade Administration’s (Itac) notice in…

LIBERTY Two Degrees has reported continuing recovery in its retail-focused property portfolio and will pay a full interim dividend that is 11 percent above the same time last year. The strong recovery was reflected in the 10.2 percent increase in the foot-count for the six months to June 30, compared with the same time a year before. Among its leading properties, retail trade turnover at Sandton City increased 31.4 percent compared with the same period in pre-Covid 2019; Midlands Lifestyle Centre’s was up 72.2 percent, while Botshabelo Mall’s increased 36.3 percent. “Our customer experience initiatives continue to pay off as the portfolio records the highest foot-count in the first six months of 2022 compared to the prior three comparative years. “The portfolio consistently experiences double digit growth in foot-count, having…

South African-born hip-hop guru Emile Jansen returns from the USA to work on his new album, Black Noise 14th Album. Emile YX? as he is fondly known, will also complete two books and promote 40 of his “Heal The Hood” book clubs in September. After his appeal to SAMRO (South Africa Music Right Organisation) for a small grant to complete Black Noise, the request was granted. Jansen, who originally hails from from Cape Town, currently lives in Alpharetta, Atlanta, Georgia USA with his wife and two children. “I recently became a green card holder and will create similar work in the USA like I do here with ‘Heal The Hood Project’ and ‘Hip Hop Culture’. “In the meantime I have released a book called Reconnect The String and will return…

With petrol, paraffin and diesel prices set to drop tomorrow following the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE) fuel price announcement, economists said this will only bring slight relief after motorists and commuters battled to adjust to the steep fuel price increases of previous months. Based on current local and international factors, Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe said the price of petrol (93 and 95 ULP and LRP) is decreasing by R1.32 a litre, diesel (0.05% sulphur) is decreasing by R0.88/l and diesel (0.005% sulphur) by R0.91/l, illuminating paraffin (wholesale) is decreasing by R1.44/l and SMNRP for IP by R1.92. However, the maximum LPG gas retail price increased by R0.57. Economist Dawie Roodt said this was a relatively small decrease in petrol prices and its impact on the economy this…

Mignon du Preez hopes that some of the gold medal magic South Africa had at the weekend can rub off on the Proteas Women for their must-win Commonwealth Games T20 clash against England at Edgbaston today. The Proteas had some time off after their defeat to New Zealand in their Group A opener on Saturday and the players were able to watch their compatriots achieve success in the swimming pool and on the rugby field. “It was good to spend some time away from cricket and watch some other sports – the swimmers, the rugby and the Euro finals,” Du Preez said, the latter being the women’s European Championship football final between England and Germany that took place at Wembley on Sunday evening. The host nation won that title in…

Dillan Solomons has credited his athletics background as the springboard that ensured he has become one of the fastest and most disciplined players in the Premiership. Before cutting his teeth at the defunct Milano United, Solomons was an up-and-coming athlete, specialising in sprinting, as well as the long and triple jumps. He won a handful of awards with the Western Cape provincial side, before eventually taking up football as a professional career. He had stints at Milano, Royal AM, Stellenbosch FC, Cape Town All Stars and Swallows FC, the club that gave him his top-flight breakthrough. At Swallows, Solomons became a force to be reckoned with last season, outpacing his markers on the flanks and scoring crucial goals. His exploits arguably made him the fastest player in the league last…