Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-08-22 i Star

PURPLE Group’s share price surged 10.95 percent on Friday morning after announcing that it had reached a partnership agreement with an e-wallet provider in the Asia-Pacific region. In a JSE market announcement, Purple Group said the provider, which had requested not to be named before its commercial product launch next month, will offer the EasyEquities investing services to its significant user base in the region, comprising “tens of millions of users”, through its e-wallet app. Purple Group owns the online platforms EasyEquities, EasyProperties, EasyCrypto and GT247.com. Its EasyEquities platform started in 2014 allows investors to buy fractional ownership of shares listed on the JSE and the New York Stock Exchange. It has more than a million users. EasyEquities’ revenue increased by 27.9 percent to R108.7 million in…

FINANCIAL markets moved mostly negative last week after three consecutive weeks of recovery. The annual inflation rate in the UK had increased by more than 10 percent in July (over last year July). This is the highest inflation rate since February 1982 and above expectations of 9.8 percent and much higher than the 9.4 percent recorded for June 2022. In the US the release of the Federal Open Market Committee’s minutes of its July meeting also caused nervousness around risky assets like bonds and equities. Although analysts, at first, after the release of the minutes on Thursday reacted positively as they evaluated the report as “dovish”. This means that the Fed’s aggressive interest rate hikes during the last two meetings at 0.75 percent per meeting…

DNG Energy, the mega company that took the Mineral Resources Department to court over the R300 billion contract controversially given to Turkish energy company Karpowership, says it can resolve South Africa’s power failures and end load shedding in six months if government gave it the opportunity. DNG took the department, Minister Gwede Mantashe and Minerals and Energy director-general Thabo Mokoena to court after Mokoena invited DNG head Aldworth Mbalati to Kream restaurant in Pretoria, where the DG told him that “he needed to be in the system and work with them if he wanted to win the tender”. Mbalati’s court action halted Karpowership’s start to power generation. “We just need six months to resolve the power challenges. That’s all we need. The resources to provide adequate and sustainable power solutions…

From page 1 “Also, gas is going to play a very big role in achieving transition. If you want to go through a net zero carbon economy you really need natural gas to play a role. Natural gas can provide base-load power, providing fuel as a source of transformation and industrialisation,” Mbalati said. Mbalati said by 2050 the continent’s population would have risen dramatically and for the continent to be able to service the growing number of people it would be crucial for continent to prioritise gas energy. “Gas will play a very important role in terms of catalysing society. Therefore attracting the right kind of financing is not a challenge. One thing is certain, we are not going to get a net zero carbon solution if we stop industrialisation…

Imagine a wounded, tired lion, foaming from its mouth, covered in scars but still trying to protect itself from a pack of bloodthirsty hyenas. As the laughing pack of cowardly hyenas circle the lion, it knows it’s in trouble. They take painful little bites at a time of the lion’s flesh, yapping and boasting as they continue to smell blood. The lion seems annoyed and scared at the same time… not knowing how it would free itself from this situation. Not a nice scene, is it? Well, my dear South Africans, the picture I just painted for you is a reflection of what the ANC is busy doing to our beloved country. Never before has there been a political party who absolutely ravished, pummelled and damaged an economy such…

The ANC has caught itself in a very serious bind. The noble idea to provide free housing after 1994 to accommodate those who had been marginalised by apartheid is imploding in its face. This is because instead of the ANC having been brave and saying there was going to be a cut-off date for this free housing, it made it permanent. This is the light of the statistics recently provided by the Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements, Lebogang Maile. He indicated on average the province provided 10 000 units per year when the backlog is 1.2 million. At this rate, it will take 120 years to satisfy this backlog. And this is not the end of the story. Maile has indicated on average, since 2000, this demand has doubled…

SOUTH Africa’s international relations department published a document on August 1, setting out the country’s new foreign policy. The outline of South Africa’s national interests is an important paper that sets out how the country will relate to the rest of the world for some time to come. The title of the document is: “Framework on South Africa’s National Interest and its Advancement in a Global Environment.” Governments are often cautious, for various reasons, about communicating their national interests. This is a first effort by the Department of International Relations and Co-operation to contextualise South Africa’s national interests. But the document falls short in key respects. The first flaw is its title. It speaks of the national “interest” rather than interests (plural) – but in international relations there isn’t just…

Algiers: More than 10% of a Unesco-listed biosphere reserve has been destroyed by fires that tore through northeastern Algeria, killing at least 38 people, an expert said. The figure cited by Rafik Baba Ahmed, former director of the El Kala Biosphere Reserve, means that the burned area of the park alone is almost double what the civil defence service said has been destroyed throughout the north-east of Africa’s largest country since June. The fire service said on Saturday said most of the fires there had been put out. |…

Nairobi: Africa’s biggest carrier Ethiopian Airlines said it has suspended two pilots who apparently fell asleep, temporarily lost communication with air traffic control and missed their landing at Bole International Airport during a flight from Khartoum to Addis Ababa. The plane overshot the runway on Monday before landing safely, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. The Aviation Herald said the pilots were woken up by an alarm triggered when autopilot mode disconnected. The plane circled back to land safely 25 minutes later, flight data showed. |…

While England have been left wondering why they weren’t more assertive in their defeat to the Proteas at Lord's, the tourists still feel there is room for improvement when the second Test match starts in Manchester on Thursday Having had the weekend off to explore London, the focus from today will switch to how South Africa can wrap up the series at Old Trafford. In Dean Elgar, the Proteas have a captain who is pragmatic and in his own words “always going to find a negative somewhere”. Along with coach Mark Boucher, who Elgar effusively praised following the win at Lord’s, the captain will keep the players’ feet firmly on the ground as they start preparations for the second Test. “Even when things are going well, you have to look…

Global anti-money laundering body puts country on notice for need of changes SOUTH Africa’s much-vaunted financial systems may face an existential threat that could further derail its economy, according to Yolande Butchart, a foreign exchange consultant at Brent Wealth Management. In an Investment Report published by Brenthurst Wealth, Butchart said if the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global anti-money laundering body, placed the country on notice that unless certain changes were made, South Africa would be lumped with pariah states like Pakistan, Myanmar, South Sudan, and Syria. “The danger to the economy lies in further loss of credibility as an investment destination, which is already hampered by the junk investment status conferred by the major rating agencies,” Butchart said. According to Butchart, the bad news for South African citizens…

SOUTH Africa’s two largest workers union federations have put their differences aside in a bid to tackle the country’s worsening economic crisis and rising unemployment. Thousands of workers affiliated to the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) will on Wednesday down their tools and join the national strike against what they believe is an impending economic collapse. Giving an update on their readiness yesterday, Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi said their socio-economic strike represented a push back and a response by the workers to the ongoing class warfare directed at them by both public and private sector employers. Losi said the growing frustration in the country was mainly being fuelled by policies that favour the elite at the expense of the poor, especially…

Aspirant small SA and Lesotho businesses ‘falling prey to takeovers by powerful multinationals eyeing their assets to repatriate abroad’ THE Star’s investigation unit has cracked an international business syndicate that has extorted aspirant small businesses in Lesotho and South Africa of millions. The newspaper obtained court papers filed in Lesotho last month where prominent South African businesswoman Louisa Mojela is accusing Amanda Corporation, a large multinational in the cannabis industry based in Canada, of strategising to take over one of its subsidiaries, Bophelo Bioscience & Wellness, to close it down and repatriate its cash abroad, destroying the livelihood and income of hundreds of Lesotho nationals and South Africans living around the Free State. In an urgent liquidation application Mojela successfully launched in the Maseru High Court, Justice Mokhesi agreed…

THE Western Cape, Free State and Gauteng are among the top three provinces with a high number of police officers identified among 178 perpetrators of domestic violence over the six-month period ending in March. This emerged in a report SAPS commissioner Fannie Masemola tabled in Parliament last week for the period between October 2021 and March 2022. Masemola is required, in terms of the Domestic Violence Act, to submit a bi-annual report on complaints received against SAPS members for violation of the legislation and steps taken against these officers. “The SAPS provides information on the number of serving members who have contravened the act, the action against such members and also members who are victims of domestic violence,” he said. In his report, Masemola said the 178 officers identified as…

POPULAR actor and media personality Lawrence Maleka is thrilled to be hosting the country’s 28th South African Music Awards (Sama28) ceremony on Sunday at Sun City. Maleka makes a return to the Samas with Nandi Madida. In a statement the Gomora actor said: “I am again honoured to have received the call to host the country’s most prestigious awards show. “I am excited about the calibre of artists that will be celebrated across the 30 categories, the phenomenal performers that will ignite the stage and the magic Nandi Madida and I will create on the stage. It’s going to be a memorable iteration of the Samas.” RiSA (Recording Industry of South Africa) chief executive Nhlanhla Sibisi said Maleka was a “natural fit” for the ceremony. “He brings the type…

Trolls that live under suspended bridges continue gruffing away, threateningly, at billy goats who are bent on grabbing their share of animal rights. Opinions abound regarding such spoilsports who just don’t want to, or don’t know how to, recognise that some countries just want to be left on their own without foreign interference. Writers to this paper have complained that financial aid accorded to Palestinians has never been utilised to improve or develop these people. When Mahatma Gandhi and other members of the Indian Congress Party were warned by Viceroy Mountbatten that the evacuation of Britain from “the jewel in the crown”, would cause an implosion in India, the answer this gentleman received was very clear: “Yes, for certain, that will be a problem. But it’s going to be our…

It is befitting to quote Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw: “The law is equal before all of us, but we are not all equal before the law. Virtually there is one law for the rich and another for the poor. One law for the cunning and another for the simple. “One law for the forceful and another for the feeble. One law for the ignorant and another for the learned. One law for the brave and another for the timid. And within family limits one law for the parent and no law at all for the child.” To complement this statement, many people will remember the classical words of George Orwell when he said, “some animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others”. Our law enforcement agencies…

“WE’RE our ancestors’ wildest dreams…” This is a phrase that’s been coined and popularised by young people, especially on social media, in reference to situations where someone has succeeded against the odds. While celebratory in nature, this phrase also reminds us sharply about the many historical obstacles that hindered those who came before us from imagining what was possible; and from accessing opportunities that could have helped them realise their potential, so they could unleash their greatness. One shudders to think about the many would-be black academics, captains of industry and other intelligentsia who instead found themselves languishing on the margins of society, consigned to a life of poverty, thanks to the brutality and systematic oppression of apartheid. “We’re our ancestors’ wildest dreams,” perhaps best encapsulates the unique epoch in…

Mexico City: Mexico has arrested a former attorney general Jesus Murillo Karam who led a controversial investigation into the disappearance of 43 students in 2014 -- one of the country’s worst human rights tragedies. Arrest warrants were also issued for 20 members of the military, five administrative and judicial officials, 44 police officers and 14 members of the Guerreros Unidos cartel. They are accused of involvement in organised crime, forced disappearance, torture, homicide and obstruction of justice, prosecutors said at the weekend said.…

Kathmandu: Nepalese mountaineer Sanu Sherpa, who has set an “unbeatable” record by climbing the 14 highest peaks in the world twice, received a hero’s welcome when he arrived home at the weekend. Sanu, 48, originally from Sankhuwasabha district of Nepal returned from Pakistan after completing his record attempt in mountain climbing history. Sanu climbed eight peaks which are above the height of 8 000m – and two times each – in Nepal, Pakistan China, a new record in mountaineering history. |…

Born and raised in Tshwane, 25-year-old singer-songwriter Motswedi Modiba, aka Moe, recently dropped her breakout single, It was a vibe. Produced and co-written by award-winning music producer and Idols SA judge JR Bogopa, the new single is taken from Moe’s coming EP, Me, Ever After. Moe’s breakout single, released in July, has managed to accumulate more than 35 000 streams across Africa, the US and Europe. The single has also been successful on social media platforms such as TikTok, where the audio has been used more than 3 700 times. Music has always been a big part of Moe’s life. She started singing at the age of 9. She released a gospel song, Babawethu, on acclaimed musician Tebs Davids’s Coming Back album. The song did well and served as her…

Gauteng parents and guardians who applied for 2023 online admissions, but have not yet uploaded documents, are being urged to submit their supporting documents by August 30. The 2023 online admissions application period for Grade 1 and 8 closed on Friday. “We are proud that our innovative Online Admissions System has managed to successfully facilitate such a high number of applications. We have also noted a significantly low amount of complaints from applicants, which is testament to the system’s constant improvement,” said Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi. According to the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), 748 485 Grade 1 and 8 applications were successfully recorded by Friday morning since the opening of the 2023 online admissions application period on July 22. GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona said as of…

THE multiparty coalitions in two of Gauteng’s most important cities, Joburg and Pretoria, seem to be on the verge of collapse with tensions simmering between the DA and the new kid on the block, ActionSA. This comes after an exchange of words between Action SA leaders in Pretoria and DA mayor Randall Williams. ActionSA had accused Williams of corruption and interfering in procurement processes of the city. In Johannesburg trust issues had emerged between the two parties after ActionSA was seen as being in support of a campaign by opposition parties against City of Joburg speaker Vasco da Gama. Council sources told The Star mistrust between the leaders of ActionSA and the DA was brewing. The situation had become so toxic that City of Joburg mayor Mpho Phalatse had accused…

WOMEN dressed to the nines, gathered for a day of laughter, cocktails and empowerment at The Star and Moja Love’s Women’s Day event on Saturday. More than 300 women braved the chilly Saturday morning to attend The Star and local channel Moja Love’s “The Choice is Yours” women’s event at Altitude Beach in Fourways. The guests gathered at the lavish event to celebrate women and engage in issues affecting women in South African society. The guests, who were beautifully and colourfully dressed, gathered at the luxurious venue where they were provided with food, drinks and goodie bags and were able to have their pictures professionally taken by The Star’s photographers. Radio and TV personality Dineo Ranaka dazzled the crowd as the master of ceremonies with a cream two-piece power suit…

A YOUNG Somerset West, Cape Town, ballet dancer who has been accepted to study his passion in the US is appealing for public support to make his lifelong dream come true. Nineteen-year-old Ayabonga Mani has the opportunity to study at the Ballet Rambert School in London and Circle in the Square Theatre in New York. “I started dancing at the age of 11 and have been training in a full-time vocational programme at Jacqui Pells School of Ballet under the tutelage of Tracy Li for the past three years. “These have been lifelong dreams of mine. “I come from a single parent household with a mother, who is a domestic worker, who’s worked incredibly hard and sacrificed everything to put me through school. I have been auditioning for the past…

The delays in starting construction on the K14 Apies Bridge have put at least 3 000 jobs on the line. The project to link the K14 Apies Bridge to the Rosslyn and Silverton automotive special economic zones will now only begin in 2024. Construction on this project was meant to begin in 2021. The potential to unlock a R12 billion investment into the Rainbow Junction Mega Mixed-Use Development in the north of Pretoria is now also in jeopardy. Investment opportunities like the one offered by the Rainbow Junction Mega Mixed-Used Development are critical if we want to create more employment opportunities in our province. It is of utmost importance that the Gauteng provincial government ensures that all demand and procurement plans are put in place at the start of the…

SIX-year-old Shanawaz Azghar is back home, safe and sound, and recovering after his 35-hour kidnapping ordeal. Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), the Kensington family’s prayers were answered late on Thursday night. It was a happy ending for the little Grade R schoolboy, who became the latest victim of a worrying surge in abductions in Cape Town. What set this case apart from the other kidnappings, was that the perpetrators hadn’t targeted a particularly wealthy family. In recent months, local business people, such as Ismail Rajah, and family members involved in successful businesses, like Shireen Essop, had fallen prey to these ruthless criminals. What also made this incident different was that the victim’s father, Muhammad Asghar, has personally, without the assistance of police, arranged the release of Shanawaaz. He had…

Somalis anxiously waited to know the fate of their missing relatives yesterday as emergency workers attempted to clear debris after a deadly 30-hour siege by al-Shabaab jihadists at a hotel in the capital Mogadishu. Many civilians lost their lives and dozens were wounded in the gun and bomb attack by the al-Qaeda-linked group that began on Friday evening. Many others are feared to be trapped, injured or dead inside hotel . While some reports on Saturday night said 13 people had been killed, the death toll was reported to be 40 yesterday with more than 70 injured, Sputnik news agency reported citing the Somali Guardian. Al-Shabaab spokesman Abdiaziz Abu-Musab told the group’s Andalus radio that its forces had “inflicted heavy casualties”. Witnesses reported at least two large explosions as…

LONDON: European countries could stretch out limited supplies of the monkeypox vaccine by administering smaller doses of the shot, the European Medicines Agency has said. The drug regulator said the new technique would allow more people to be inoculated as supplies of the vaccine run short. Using the fractional dosing approach, one vial of the vaccine can be used to administer up to five separate doses – instead of a single dose – by injecting a smaller amount in between layers of the skin, instead of fully below the skin. |…

LUANDA: The body of Angola’s former president, José Eduardo dos Santos, who died in Spain last month, arrived in Luanda on Saturday night Marcy Lopes, a government minister said, casting a new element into a tense election campaign. A court in Barcelona, Spain ruled in favour of his widow Ana Paula dos Santos for his remains to be repatriated to his home country. The fate of his remains was at the centre of a legal drama involving his widow and Welwitschea dos Santos, nicknamed Tchize, one of his daughters who had requested an autopsy. A Spanish judge ruled on Wednesday that the death was from natural causes, ruling out foul play. The judge also allowed the release and repatriation of the body. Dos Santos, who stepped down five years ago,…

The Springboks haven’t won in Australia since 2013. So, motivation loading ... The Boks will face the Wallabies in Adelaide for the first time on Saturday, and that alone would make victory this weekend a sweet one. But besides the ‘novelty’ of a Boks v Wallabies fixture in Adelaide, after playing most of their Tests in Perth and Brisbane over the last few years, coach Jacques Nienaber and his team will be desperate to return to the form that saw them become world champions. That will start with passing what will be a few tough remaining Rugby Championship tests. After the first Test in Adelaide, they face Australia again in Sydney a week later, before concluding their campaign with back-to-back games against Argentina in Buenos Aires and Durban on September…