Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-09-09 i Star

PAN-AFRICAN financial services group Sanlam reported lower mortality claims in the six months to June 30 relative to the same period in 2021 after Covid-19 impacts eased and life insurance earnings rebounded. The group’s general insurance operations, however, reported a large earnings decline due to bad weather conditions including the KwaZulu- Natal floods, rising claims and steeply rising claims costs, as well as lower investment return on insurance funds. However, the group said yesterday that its diversification had helped it to navigate the challenging global economic backdrop, and its overall operating results were strong. Group investment management operations reported strong earnings growth despite lower returns in global markets, and after benefiting from strong recent net inflows, performance and fund establishment fees, as well as growth in brokerage income. Credit and…

ENVIRONMENTAL lawyers ClientEarth said yesterday they were supporting a complaint filed in Australia against Glencore, which has a listing on the JSE, alleging that the miner and trader could be misleading investors and the public over its climate strategy. In a letter dated September 2, several green groups including the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Asic ) to investigate Glencore’s statements detailing its plan to hit net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The complaint alleges Glencore “is expanding its coal production in Australia“. “Despite Glencore publicly claiming to have Paris-aligned decarbonisation plans in place, the legal review of Glencore’s activities reveals that the company is using a decarbonisation pathway that fails to represent its coal business, which…

TONGAAT Hulett, the sugar and property group, said it hopes to present a new restructuring plan by the end of the month, and has asked the JSE to lift its share suspension. It said it expected that its annual results would reflect a lower earnings loss. This as it said it had secured a new R600 million funding facility, which was key to the restructuring plan, as it faces massive debt. An initial restructuring plan approved by the board was expected to be available by September 23, which it was hoped would deal with the firm’s R6.3 billion debt in South Africa. The troubled company is trying to set its house in order after an accounting scandal that led to its erstwhile directors returning to court on…

The Public Utility Transport Corporation (Putco) has kept its word and dismissed 105 workers yesterday for engaging in an unprotected strike for almost a week. The dismissal came after the commuter transport company handed the striking workers dismissal letters on Tuesday and gave them until 5pm on Wednesday to make written submission as to why they should not be fired. Putco spokesperson Lindokuhle Xulu said they received about 900 written representations: 400 were made by individuals and the other 500 came through unions representing their members. “We considered all the representations, but there are company processes. There were people who were already on final warning, and in the last couple of days there were people who were identified as instigators, as people who were blocking others from going to work…

Michael James has an opportunity for property investors when it auctions a multilevel property in Hyde Park. The liquidation auction will take place onsite at 2a Hurlingham Road, Hyde Park, Sandton, on September 22 at 10.30am. This entertainer’s dream includes: • Four en-suite bedrooms. • A bathroom. • A study on the lower level. • An entrance foyer. • An open-plan lounge and dining room. • A formal lounge. • A TV lounge. • A bar leading onto a patio with a built-in braai. • A kitchen. • A scullery. • Two built-in coldrooms. • a guest WC. • A lift. • A wine cellar. • A cinema. • Two sun lounges, one with a jacuzzi. • A server room. • A swimming pool and large garden. For more,…

In the past 90 days, Google searches for “current covid symptoms” have tripled, while searches for “latest covid stats South Africa” rose 160%. This is according to the latest Google search trends data. Searches for “how to make money” is the top “how to make” search in South Africa this year, while “how to make money fast as a woman” searches soared 90%, according to Google. “During the pandemic, businesses that adopted new digital skills built ‘a digital safety net’,” said Google South Africa director Alistair Mokoena. “Google helped 10 million people find jobs, digitise and grow across the region. We stand ready to do so again.” With more people using the internet to manage their lives, there has been an increase in searches about cybersecurity and privacy. “People…

While South Africa observes National Kidney Week, one of the country’s leading vascular surgeons, Dr Vinesh Padayachy, has implored people to be proactive and seek care before it’s too late. Kidney Awareness Week runs from September 5 to 9. He said 10 000 South Africans would succumb to kidney disease or kidney failure this year and that is how many die because of kidney dysfunction each year. Padayachy said that early detection was key to combating kidney disease. He said people who were diabetic and hypertensive should be particularly alert and have regular screenings for kidney disease. “HIV is also a major cause of chronic kidney disease. HIV nephropathy (deterioration of kidney function) can lead to an end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis,” Padayachy said. According to research, chronic kidney disease…

A slap, derogatory remarks, lack of care including the denial of resources and access to services by health-care professionals, have taken on a high level of normalcy, and are therefore not seen as a form of gender-based violence inflicted on women during pregnancy and labour. This was the focus of the 10th Helen Kanzira Memorial Lecture held at the Lagoon Beach Hotel, Milnerton, on Wednesday. This year’s hybrid event, themed “Obstetrics Violence: A Public Health Menace and a Human Rights Challenge in Africa”, was organised by the Dullah Omar Institute, UWC, and the University of Pretoria’s (UP’s) Centre for Human Rights. Obstetric violence includes physical, emotional, psychological, and sexual violence that happens during pregnancy and labour, by healthcare practitioners including doctors, nurses and midwives. The guest speaker was University…

THE Westbury Transformation and Development Centre, which was implemented by the Joburg Development Agency (JDA), has been shortlisted for an award at the 2022 World Architecture Festival in the Completed Buildings: Civic and Community category. It is the world’s largest festival and live awards competition dedicated to celebrating and sharing architectural excellence from across the globe. Now in its 15th year, the festival will take place in Lisbon, Portugal, from November 30 to December 2. Westbury was identified as one of the priority precincts along the Empire-Perth Corridor based on its potential to elicit short- to medium-term growth and intensification within the corridor. A project identified within this precinct was the redevelopment of what was initially the existing Westbury Transformation Development Centre (WTDC), which the JDA implemented on behalf of…

Lately we are witnessing a very betraying culture from the leaders of political parties that are openly selling votes to advance their nefarious personal agendas. Consultation with voters or members is not happening and only the few elite leaders can decide who they kiss and hug so that a certain party can be ousted. Surprisingly, when it’s elections campaign time, members are urged or even coerced to be on the streets and conduct door-to-door campaigns to promise the public things that they (political parties) can’t produce. Lately, my beloved Pan Africanist Congress of Azania is swimming with, kissing and hugging the mortal enemies of the oppressed, landless and dispossessed just so that “we can be in positions of power and influence”. That’s a lie and a sell-out move of the…

Nkosinathi Sibisi is finally living the dream after fitting like a glove at childhood club Orlando Pirates following his move from Golden Arrows. Born and raised in Mpophomeni, a township in Durban, Sibisi has always dreamt about donning the famous black-and-white jersey of Pirates. That dream became a reality when he moved to the Sea Robbers this season following an illustrious spell with Abafana Bes’thende. At Pirates, Sibisi has worn his heart on his sleeve, playing all eight matches – seven in the league and one in the MTN8 – since the start last month. His individual performances haven’t gone unnoticed as well, having racked up a handful of Man of the Match awards, while he’s scored a goal too. Sibisi holds an impressive record at the club as well…

THE DECISION by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza yesterday to lift the countrywide ban on the movement of cattle was “great news for the industry, consumers and the South African economy”. This was the view of Abrie Rauten- bach, the head of AgriBusiness and Relationship Banking at Absa, as well as other industry leaders who welcomed the move. The ban was imposed to help curb the spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in the country. Cattle are now allowed to be moved in all but three areas, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Free State which remain selectively restricted for now. Rautenbach said: “It is expected to have a positive impact on employment while also benefiting the logistics and grain industry. It is important for…

RISING interest rates and sharp increases in food and transport costs could continue depressing the overall consumer confidence in South Africa after slashing the morale of debt-laden affluent households if inflation remains elevated. The FNB/BER Consumer Confidence Index (BCI) released yesterday remained deeply in contractionary territory in spite of clawing back 5 index points to -20 points in the third quarter, after plunging from -13 points to -25 points during the second quarter. FNB yesterday said that consumer sentiment remained extremely depressed and signalled a substantial deceleration in real consumer spending growth relative to the robust rates recorded at the start of the year. Confidence levels of high-income households (earning more than R20 000 a month) and middle- income households (earning between R2 500 and R20 000…

Kim Kardashian is recording a true crime podcast. The Skims founder – who is training to be a lawyer – is “obsessed” with the subject and excited to have partnered with Spotify to take an in-depth look at “really crazy” cases, with the first series exploring a triple homicide. She said: “I’m doing a true crime podcast on Spotify. Oh my god, I’m obsessed (with true crime) ... “It’s called The System. The first season is about a really crazy case where a guy got the death sentence for a triple homicide that happened in Ohio. “There are so many twists and turns with how it was handled – or mishandled – and we take the listener along for a journey in search of the truth.” Kardashian, 41, has been…

THE DA in Gauteng wants health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi fired for allegedly failing to act on damning audit findings which exposed gross and irregular tender awards at Tembisa Hospital. The official opposition’s health spokesperson, Jack Bloom, made the call after he received written replies from Mokgethi confirming that an audit was conducted about non-compliance of supply chain management procedures and the findings were damning. Mokgethi made these revelations in her reply to questions from Bloom, who asked why the audit was done. In her reply, she said: “This random audit was conducted per the chief financial officer’s request to ensure that compliance (on supply chain management and financial management) policies were adhered to and ultimately to advise on best practices to improve on financial management performance; also to ensure that…

AN INVESTIGATION has uncovered a total of 4 912 fraudulent transactions at driver’s licence testing centres in Gauteng. The transactions were conducted between January 2008 and March 2016 and had a combined value of approximately R39 million, but could be more. According to Road Traffic Management Corporation chief executive advocate Makhosini Msibi, the actual total amount that relates to the fees dumping and fraudulent transactions was R1.4 billion. He couldn’t elaborate on the matters, as they were sub judice. Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure MEC Jacob Mamabolo said further investigations would be required to get to the bottom of these fraudulent activities. He was presenting the findings of an investigation conducted by a private company of all driver’s licence testing centres in Gauteng. The probe uncovered serious corruption and fraudulent…

A mental health specialist says the suicide statistics among young people locally and abroad are alarming and make early prevention and promotion essential. Natasha Freemantle, a children’s mental health specialist, said ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day, which is on September 10, that half of all adult mental health problems have origins before the age of 14, and 75% by age 24. She said the World Health Organization states that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in older adolescents (15 to 19 years). Freemantle said parents and caregivers had a fundamentally formative influence over the development of their children and future generations. “As parents or primary care- givers, we have a fundamentally formative influence over the development of our children, and future generations, most notably in terms of…

Kaizer Chiefs will be eager to return to winning ways in the Premiership against Marumo Gallants on Sunday (3pm kick-off) following their draw with AmaZulu. Chiefs have had a lukewarm start to the season, having won two matches, drawn two and lost three under the guidance of new coach Arthur Zwane. They were unfortunate not to keep all three points at FNB Stadium on Saturday night as they were held to a goalless stalemate by Usuthu. Chiefs played their best football on the night, but were let down by their finishing, which is a concern for Zwane. The arrival of striker Caleb Bimenyimana, who made his first appearance for the club after receiving his work permit on Saturday, is expected to help Chiefs at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Sunday.…

DESPITE Mamelodi Sundowns managing to score a last-gasp Premiership winner on the stroke of full-time to beat a resilient Chippa United 1-0 on Wednesday night, co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi was unhappy with the officiating at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Peter Shalulile, as he always does, was in the right place at the right time to fire home a well-delivered corner and ensure the Brazilians snatched three vital away points. Mngqithi, although pleased with his team’s victory, laid into the league’s officiating, blasting their time-management skills and inability to allocate relevant stoppage time on more than one occasion this season. “I’m very unhappy about what our officials are doing now. How many times did the goalkeeper go down? How many substitutions were made in the second half, and they only added four…

Rain at The Oval yesterday gave the Proteas’ batters at least 24 more hours to ponder how they would do a better job than they did in the second Test against England two weeks ago. Before it was covered up because of the incessant rain, former England players Mark Butcher and Kevin Pietersen – commentating for Sky Sports – said the pitch looked like a belter. Ben Stokes had won the toss and chosen to bowl, presumably to put South Africa’s weakness under more pressure in what would have been tricky conditions given the cloud cover, and to keep with his team’s own preference for batting last. The Proteas fiddled with their batting unit, with three of the four changes made to the team from the one that lost in…

LENDER Capitec’s share price took a nosedive of almost 9 percent on the JSE yesterday after it reported that it forecast an increase in its interim results, but much lower than the mar- ket had expected. The share price tumbled to a low of R1 900.04 in intraday trade, later closing the day at R1 906.91. However, in the past year the bank’s shares have increased by 10.35 percent. In its trading statement for the half-year ended August 31, 2022, the bank said group headline earnings per share would be between 3 964 cents and 4 067c per share, representing an increase of between 15 and 18 percent. The banks also flagged that group earnings per share would be between 3 963c and 4 064c per share, repre-…

MANUFACTURING output in South Africa could turn the corner for the better in the second half of the year if the energy crisis does not disturb momentum following the rebound in July. However, if load shedding inten- sifies during the summer months – as Eskom has indicated – manufacturing output could continue to slow down and drag down the overall economic growth. Data from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) yesterday has shown that manufacturing output increased by 3.7 percent year-on-year in July after three consecutive months of down- turn. Manufacturing was the biggest drag on gross domestic product in the second quarter, falling by 5.9 percent after floods damaged factories and plants and disrupted logistics and supply chains in KwaZulu-Natal, while rotational power cuts intensified. However, this July…

If you had any doubts about award-winning rapper Cassper Nyovest partying up a storm with American rapper Busta Rhymes, be prepared to eat humble pie, as there is footage. Nyovest recently took to Twitter and shared his experience of an epic night in London, where he parted with international stars Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Talib Kweli and Mos Def. In his post, the Move For Me hitmaker explained that no cameras were allowed at the star-studded gig, which raised questions of whether the event happened. After all, if there aren’t social media posts, did it even happen? Well, thanks to Busta Rhymes’ latest Instagram post there is evidence of the exclusive party Nyovest managed to bag an invite for. Busta Rhymes posted several pictures on Instagram and on slide number…

The charge of fruitless and wasteful expenditure against suspended public protector advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane with regard to millions of rand of public funds spent on failed litigation took centre stage at Parliament’s hearings into her fitness to hold office. When the hearings resumed yesterday, after a two-week break, the enquiry’s evidence leader, advocate Nazreen Bawa SC, took the committee through a summary of judgments handed down against Mkhwebane. Bawa said the cost of legal consulting and professional fees incurred by Mkhwebane between the 2016/17 and 2021/22 financial years was R158.9 million, of which R146.9m was spent on legal fees. When Kevin Mileham (DA) said he wanted a list indicating the firms and lawyers who had “benefited” from the cases, Bawa said she would endeavour to assist the committee in that…

THE Vosloorus police officer who responded to the call of the shooting of Senzo Meyiwa told the court how he saw the lifeless body of the Bafana Bafana captain lying on a bed. “When we got into the hospital, it was full. We met a woman who said she was MaKhumalo. Before we met MaKhumalo, we met a nurse who led us to where the person was. “We saw that he had been shot and he had passed away,” said Sergeant Patrick Mthethwa. Mthethwa, the second witness in the trial, denied accompanying forensic officer Sergeant Thabo Johannes Mosia from the hospital to the house. He told the court they received the call regarding a shooting in progress around 8.53pm and arrived at the house shortly afterwards. Upon arrival, they met…

The University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Department of Educational Psychology in the Faculty of Education will launch the first Centre for Neurodiversity at a public higher education institution today. The Centre for Neurodiversity (CND) at UJ results from a collaboration between the university, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the EU. Based at the UJ Soweto Campus, the centre will be involved in community engagement work within the larger Soweto area as well as in surrounding communities. The centre is one of three in the country funded by the DHET and the EU as centres of excellence and national hubs, the other two being Wits – Centre for Deaf Studies, and University of Pretoria – Centre for Visual Impairment Studies. In underprivileged communities, families usually cannot afford psychological,…

AFTER years of contractual dispute and delays in construction, the people of Orange Grove, Norwood and surrounding areas have welcomed back their state-of the-art clinic. The official reopening of Orchards Clinic took place on Monday, with Gauteng health MEC Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi overseeing the process for the primary health-care facility whose refurbishment began in 2015. Mokgethi said the return of the clinic would broaden the provision of primary health-care services to the people of Norwood, Orchard, Orange Grove, Balfour, Highlands North and neighbouring suburbs for whom the provision of services was limited due to the renovations. Patients from the area were forced to travel to clinics in Hillbrow and Alexandra to access medical services during the construction. “I am very pleased that the clinic will be reopened to the community.…

MELODIOUS voices of scores of female law enforcement officers permeated the air at the intersection of London Road and the N3 motorway in Alexandra, as the Joburg metro police (JMPD) and their police (SAPS) counterparts marked the end of Women’s Month activities with song and dance during an educational drive. The event was organised by the JMPD’s Community Outreach Unit in Region E and involved hordes of stakeholders in law enforcement from around the area raising awareness against gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide. Held last week on Wednesday, the educational drive was designed to generate awareness about social crimes affecting women in the local community and to teach them how to mitigate these. SAPS officers and their counterparts in law enforcement maintained high visibility at the intersection, which has…

Miss, Mr & Mrs Deaf South Africa (MDSA) crowned six new national titleholders, and four awards were presented to the contestants who got the highest score in the three divisions last Saturday evening at the Playhouse Company in Durban. The ceremony saw last year’s titleholders, Megan Holmes (Mrs Deaf SA 2021), Chanika Viljoen (Miss Deaf SA 2021) and Darren Archer (Mr Deaf SA 2021), crown their successors at the end of their year’s reign. With many contestants vying for the titles, Kereese Kuppan from Johannesburg took the win for the “Miss” category. Winning the title in the “Mrs” category was Annamarie Matthysen from Pretoria, while Christo Lourens from Cape Town won the “Mr” title. The MDSA organisation said the beauty pageant promotes confidence in contestants. “This is not a typical…

IF you were in the room when Selvyn Davids spoke about playing in front of the Cape Town crowd during the Rugby World Cup Sevens this weekend, you would have got a good look at what it means to the players. The Blitzboks will run out in front of a packed home crowd when they go in search of their first Melrose Cup. Davids also featured at the 2018 World Cup in San Francisco, but this one will be even more special for the Jeffreys Bay-born scrumhalf. Speaking on the eve of the tournament, which will be the first Sevens World Cup to be hosted in Africa and only the second Rugby World Cup in South Africa, the Blitzbok playmaker spoke about what makes this one so special. “My family…

ITALY’S Monza circuit celebrates its 100th anniversary this weekend with Ferrari under pressure to perform in front of a packed home crowd and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen ready to spoil the party. Formula One’s most successful team have again flattered to deceive this season, revving up the fans with a quick car and early wins before strategic errors, driver mistakes and technical failures took a toll. Verstappen, meanwhile, will be going for his fifth win in a row on Sunday to take his tally to 11 victories from 16 races. The race at the super-fast Autodromo Nazionale, the ‘Pista Magica’, ends the European season and a gruelling triple header, with teams arriving from the Netherlands after Belgium the weekend before. “Monza has historically been a tougher circuit for us,” said…

CHELSEA confirmed Graham Potter as their new manager yesterday, just over 24 hours after parting ways with Thomas Tuchel after only six games of the Premier League season. Potter, 47, who has earned a reputation as a visionary coach at Brighton & Hove Albion, has agreed a five-year deal with the six-time English champions. His appointment is quite a departure for a club, who usually select household names with experience at Europe’s top clubs, but signifies a change of approach. He is the first managerial appointment under new American chairperson Todd Boehly, who took over three months ago. “We are thrilled to bring Graham to Chelsea. He is a proven coach and an innovator in the Premier League who fits our vision for the club,” Boehly said in a statement.…