Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-10-05 i Star

DIVERSIFIED miner Anglo American will establish a new renewable energy business in SA in collaboration with Électricité de France (EDF) Renewables, a global leader in renewable energy. The companies will form a new jointly-owned company, Envusa Energy, to develop a regional renewable energy ecosystem in South Africa, they said in a statement yesterday. According to Anglo American, as part of the agreement, Envusa Energy would launch a mature pipeline of more than 600 megawatts (MW) of wind and solar projects in South Africa, a major first step towards the development of an ecosystem that is expected to generate 3 to 5 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy by 2030. “This first phase of Envusa Energy’s renewables projects is expected to be fully funded – including by attracting debt financing that…

CONSUMER spending in South Africa is expected to remain depressed due to the elevated cost of living in spite of the drop in fuel prices this month. Analysts said yesterday that while the petrol price cut would bring some relief to motorists food prices were still at unaffordable levels. The Department of Mineral Re- sources and Energy (DMRE) announced the fuel price adjustment for October on Monday, decreasing the petrol price for three consecutive months. The DMRE said the price of 93-octane petrol would drop by 89 cents a litre and 95-octane petrol by R1.02 a litre. The petrol price drops to R23.36 a litre from a record high of R26.74 a litre in July. The wholesale price for illuminating paraffin will fall 61c a litre. Diesel will…

MERGENCE Industrial Group (MIG) has increased its stake to 100% in Lasercraft, a precision sheet-metal and plate engineering company, as part of the group’s growth and expansion into the South African industrial sector, a statement said yesterday. Previously MIG had a 60% stake in Lasercraft, of which 51% is owned by black women, making MIG one of the largest, black-owned and managed diversified industrial groups in South Africa. MIG chairperson Masimo Magerman said the 100% shareholding would enable the group to expand its footprint in the South African and rest of Africa industrial sectors through an organic and acquisition growth strategy. The move also allowed Mergence to diversify to other sectors of the South African economy toward its vision of being an investment holding company, with direct interests in assets…

After a thrilling season finale, e.tv’s local medical drama series Durban Gen is jumping to the future this October in its extended season two – 2B. The new season’s storyline is set five years later with the opening scene at the sangoma graduation ceremony of Mbali Mthewa, portrayed by Nelisiwe Sibiya. The contrast and conflict between traditional and Western medicine will become a big factor in the story. One thing is for sure: love, relationships and cheating scandals will continue to unfold. Durban Gen is the channel’s first medical drama set in KwaZulu-Natal and is one of the most watched shows on e.tv. In August the show boasted 2 748 014 viewers.…

Eskom said it was pleased to announce that the residents of Trade and Moletsane in Soweto had finally agreed to have prepaid meters installed in their homes. The communities had clashed with Eskom officials on various occasions when Eskom tried to install prepaid meters in different households. The two communities have been without electricity for a number of weeks, forcing them to concede to Eskom’s offer and accept the installation of prepaid meters. The local councillor of those two townships had complained that he was the victim of attacks from the community because of frequent blackouts. Eskom spokesperson Amanda Qithi said Eskom technicians were expected to come this week to install the meters. “The next step is that we are going to go there and install prepaid meters. We hope…

Popular television channel Trace has taken its entertainment up a notch with the launch of its locally produced shows Future Maskandi, Afro Tech is Life and The Re-introduction. Future Maskandi will be hosted by the popular and seasoned presenter Zulu Mkhathini. Viewers can also expect to see renowned artists like Mzukulu, Mnqobi Yazo, Lwah Ndlunkulu, Thee Legacy and Big Zulu feature in the show. Future Maskandi is a fiery 13-part, studio-based, insert-driven variety show. Set to introduce the viewers to the back-stories and music of new entrants into the maskandi music space, the show aims not only to showcase but celebrate artists who have fused traditional maskandi music with a fresh contemporary sound. The show will air on Monday evenings at 7pm from October 3. The Re-introduction, coming in November,…

VETERAN Kwaito musician and former TV star Bonginkosi Dlamini, known as Zola 7, is making a comeback. Dlamini performed as a surprise act at A Night with Legends in Joburg, sharing the stage with kwaito stars Arthur, Kabelo, Oskido, Thebe and Mdu. Earlier this year, Dlamini had to assure his fans the “worst was over” and that he was overcoming his “health challenges”. Now, he said, he was now able to focus on his career. “My struggle with epilepsy is something I have been open about. I am managing the chronic illness well. I am glad to say that I am over the worst.” He said he was overwhelmed by the love and support he was receiving from the industry and everyone who played a role in helping him make…

It is disturbing how critical policymakers are naive and ignorant of the lived experiences of most people who are affected by the polices that they propose. Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago is a case in point. Recently, he bizarrely, without context or content, advocated that South Africa’s socio-economic problems can be solved by a reversion to Gear (growth, employment and redistribution). Gear did work in the 2000s, mainly because the economy grew. But who were the beneficiary of Gear is the question policymakers like Kganyago wilfully and arrogantly ignore or they simply do not want to answer. Gear was meant to achieve stability of the economy, but in whose interest? It achieved economic growth but failed to achieve employment and redistribution of the country’s wealth. Many companies made billions…

If our nascent democracy is to avoid following in the footsteps of Zimbab- we, our citizens need to accept that state-owned entities (SOEs) like Eskom do not need more black employees. They need competent employees who are suitably qualified and experienced. In a similar vein, our citizens need to accept that Eskom does not need good quality coal supplied by black-owned companies. It needs good quality coal supplied at the best possible price. The same principle applies to all SOEs. Simply put, if we replace affirmative action and BEE with common sense, the rest is easy. Success is almost inevitable. Vote for common sense in the next election. |…

RIYADH: The International Monetary Fund said yesterday that up to 20 countries, many in Africa, could need emergency assistance to cope with the global food crisis. The IMF on Friday approved a new food shock borrowing window under its existing emergency financing instruments to help vulnerable countries cope with food shortages and high costs stemming from Russia’s war in Ukraine. IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva, speaking at a conference in Saudi Arabia, said 48 countries are particularly exposed to the food crisis and “about 10-20 are likely to be asking (for emergency assistance)”, and that “quite a lot of them” are in sub-Saharan Africa.…

Geneva: Former German chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday won the UN refugee agency’s prestigious Nansen Award, receiving praise for her determination to protect asylum seekers while in office. Pointing to the more than 1.2 million refugees and asylum seekers welcomed by Germany in 2015 and 2016, at the height of migrant crisis sparked especially by the war in Syria, the UNHCR selection committee hailed Merkel’s “leadership, courage and compassion.” “It was true leadership,” UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said.…

THE UPSIDE of the continued use of oil and gas by Africa far outweighs the risk to climate change, CEF Group chief executive Dr Ishmael Poolo said yesterday. Poking a stick at the headlong rush by developed countries into decarbonising their economies, he said in an address to the Africa Oil Week in Cape Town yesterday that instead of South Africa being rewarded for deploying 30% renewables as a percentage of its electricity-generating capacity, the country “is still chastised for its use of its natural endowment of natural resources,” such as the burning of coal. Poolo’s and comments by Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe indicate that while renewable energy development may be galloping ahead elsewhere in the world, and will continue in South Africa, traditional fossil fuel energy…

SOUTH Africa’s mining sector delivered a sterling performance in the past year, despite several local and global challenges, and all stakeholders received much-welcomed value, according to the PricewaterhouseCooper’s (PwC’s) SA Miner 2022 report. The report released yesterday gives an analysis of the mining results, and other factors including the economic context, infrastructure-related challenges in the sector, and industry and market analysis. Minerals account for more than half of South Africa’s export revenue. In 2021, the two largest export categories – precious metals and stones as well as ores, slag and ash – contributed 43.2% of total export revenue. Mineral fuels, including coal, accounted for a further 8.3% of export revenue, the report said. According to the report, the industry’s financial performance exceeded expectations on most fronts. “Distributions to shareholders more…

Two brothers have taken it upon themselves to address issues of pad poverty among young girls by starting a pads drive campaign. Izah, 13, and Akhani, 12, were motivated to start the drive following a conversation they had with their mother, Latoya Mukansi. The pair had informed Mukansi that they were horrified to find out that many girls were unable to attend school on a monthly basis due to the lack of access to sanitary pads. The brothers were motivated into action and sought donations from their mother to start a pad drive. Since then, they have made a handover to two schools, with the first being on International Women’s Day, March 8. Izah said he used his rugby and water polo platform exposure from sports to highlight the societal…

motorists were no doubt relieved to see a decrease in the fuel price for October. However, the Road Freight Association and farming associations have raised concern about another increase in the price of diesel. The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe announced on Monday that the price of petrol would drop by 89c a litre for 93 ULP and LRP, and decrease by R1.02 per litre for 95 ULP and LRP. For diesel, 0.05% sulphur has gone up by 10c per litre and 0.005% sulphur by 15C per litre. The price of illuminating paraffin (wholesale) has decreased by 61c per litre. Mantashe said the main reason for the fuel price adjustments was a decrease in the crude oil price. He said high demand was the reason for the…

THE Capricorn District Municipality in Limpopo has incurred the fury of the public and other interested parties for leaving a R22 million tourism hub in ruins 16 years after it was completed. The Motumo Trading Post on the N1 in Botlokwa between Polokwane and Makhado was meant to be a platform for local tourism entrepreneurs to showcase their products and sell to visitors along the freeway leading to Mopani and Vhembe. The facility was also meant to provide accommodation for those travelling along the route. It was conceptualised by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism between 2003 and 2006, and handed over to the district municipality in 2009 to operate and maintain. But the building has no water or electricity connection and suffered fire damage and…

South Africans have had the honour of outstripping our global peers in living with three huge problems. Much of Europe, the UK and North America are facing a dark, cold winter without reliable energy, and the UK is coming to terms with shifts in power of another kind in their new Cabinet. None of these problems are new to South Africans. But thankfully, there are steps that can be taken to turn this track record on its head. We can start with government opening Eskom’s monopoly to fair competition to keep the lights on and businesses working. The first order of business of the new Eskom board should be to ensure it dispenses with localisation requirements, buys from independent power producers, and stabilises debt on the most favourable terms possible.…

FORMER City of Joburg mayor Mpho Phalatse ended her short stint by declaring we must pray. And I would like to assure her indeed, we will pray. But why should Phalatse be worried about the turn of events? This is because it was not the complete will of the people that made it possible for her to be the mayor, and her turn will surely come. Also, I would like to congratulate her for remaining in faith in the past months. We will ask and proclaim the truth and shine of God, to bless all the mayors, so by the time she comes back, she will be able to do all that she is meant to do. As a black woman, she made us all proud, but she learnt enough…

THE time for talking about cracking down on kidnappings in South Africa is over. The past week has shown that the scourge is not showing any signs of going away. On the contrary, it is becoming increasingly rife. And no one is safe from these so-called criminal enterprise syndicates, it seems. The abductors do not appear to discriminate, they are targeting rich and poor, black and white, young and old, and locals and foreigners alike – not just wealthy businessmen. Just over a week ago, 8-year-old Lukhololwam Mkontwana was snatched while playing with his friends in Nyanga. Yet in spite of his family paying R1 000 of the R100 000 ransom demand, the little boy was found murdered in Siqalo days later. On Thursday, a Ukrainian woman was plucked…

MANILA: A Philippine journalist has been shot dead while driving in the country’s capital, police said yesterday, prompting condemnation from media groups and activists who described his assassination as a blow to press freedom. Radio journalist Percival Mabasa, 63, was killed by two assailants at the gate of a residential compound in the Las Pinas area of Manila on Monday night, police said. “That the incident took place in Metro Manila indicates how brazen the perpetrators were and how authorities have failed to protect journalists and citizens,” said the National Union of Journalists. The national police vowed to bring justice over the attack.…

When Kaizer Chiefs and hosts Swallows FC renew their rivalry today (7.30pm kick-off), several players who failed to impress in Sunday’s MTN8 semi-final have a chance to make amends. Among those who underwhelmed were the Chiefs strikers Ashley du Preez and Burundian Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana. Du Preez came in for harsh criticism on social media after he fluffed an easy chance when one-on-one with AmaZulu keeper Veli Mothwa. Du Preez’s shot went high over the crossbar. On the eve of the Swallows clash at Dobsonville, Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane rushed to the striker’s defence. Du Preez has had a lean spell since joining Chiefs from Stellenbosch, and after eight matches, he has only scored once. Zwane is confident that Du Preez will bounce back and prove his worth. “He is a…

THE SOUTH African Reserve Bank (SARB) will continue raising interest rates well into 2023 in a bid to stabilise monetary policy and restore price stability amid persistently high inflation. The SARB Governor Lesetja Kga-nyago yesterday said that domestic inflation outcomes have worsened as higher global food and Brent crude oil prices weighed on prices. Inflation in South Africa climbed to 7.6% in August, a slight moderation from the 7.8% hit in July, and a full 1.9 percentage points above the inflation outcome of January. Headline inflation is expected to average 6.5% in 2022, up from 4.5% in 2021, and to remain above the midpoint of the target range of 3 to 6% into 2024. As inflation and expectations of future inflation increased, the SARB’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) raised…

OCEANA Group plans to sell off its cold storage business, Commercial Cold Storage Group, or CCS Logistics, for R760 millon, so that it can focus on new opportunities in the fish protein sector. The business would be sold to the minority interests in CCS Namibia, net of the value accruing to minority interests in the Namibian (CCS Namibia 31%) and Duncan Dock (CCS Ports 30%) operations. The implied 100% enterprise value including minorities of the transaction was R895m. Oceana said the purchaser was a special purpose vehicle owned by a consortium comprising Old Mutual Life Assurance Company, acting on behalf of the Infrastructural, Developmental and Environmental Assets Managed Fund (Ideas), and the African Infrastructure Investment Fund 4 Partnership (AIIF4). The main beneficial owners of the consortium members are Ideas Fund,…

Former rugby, model and reality TV star Lee Thompson is back on social media after a rough few months. Thompson, who was South Africa’s first bachelor on M-Net’s The Bachelor SA in 2019, recently dealt with a stint of substance abuse that led to him living on the streets in Cape Town before being rescued by family and friends who sent him to a rehabilitation facility in Gauteng. It was reported online that it was Thompson’s second visit to the facility. Now, some weeks later, Thompson is back on social media, and ready to launch his tell-all book, The Truth Behind The Rose, which was initially supposed to be launched in 2020. The star seems in high spirits. On Instagram, he shared the cover of the upcoming book, along with…

THE US Embassy in Pretoria has hinted that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will not interfere with South African law enforcement authorities in their Phala Phala burglary probe. In June, the DA outlined an elaborate plan to hold President Cyril Ramaphosa accountable for his “failure” to lawfully report the theft of millions of US dollars stolen from his farm in Waterberg, Limpopo, more than two years ago. Leader of the opposition party John Steenhuisen publicly introduced what he termed, “nine steps to holding President Ramaphosa accountable”, which included writing to the FBI asking it to investigate the matter. But it appears the FBI will not make any moves on the Phala Phala matter. US Embassy spokesperson David Feldmann acknowledged receiving the request from the DA, but declined to indicate…

The government has been urged to work with foreign countries to handle the repatriation of South Africans who die abroad. Last week, yet another family came out to ask for help to bring home the remains of their loved one – Siphosethu Mqokozo. The family need R300 000 to repatriate her remains after she died in China last week. The family of the teacher, 30, has, following her death on September 22, started a BackaBuddy campaign to raise funds to repatriate her. Mqokozo, originally from Vaal bank in the Eastern Cape, took up an English teaching post in the City of Yangzhou in the Jiangsu province of China in 2019. The family said she left the country in October 2019. They had not seen her since, but had used various…

PUBLIC interest law centre Section27, representing four Limpopo schools, is taking education authorities to court for suspending infrastructure projects at Limpopo schools during Covid-19. The organisation has filed papers with the North Gauteng High Court to declare the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Limpopo Department of Education’s decision to suspend infrastructure projects during Covid-19 unlawful and unconstitutional. Section27 represents four Limpopo schools – Ndzalama Primary School, Dingamanzi Primary School, Chameti Secondary School and Bvuma Primary School. Ndzalama Primary’s roof was damaged in a storm in 2012 and another storm in 2018 ripped the roof off two classroom blocks. “Ndzalama Primary School has struggled and has existed with dangerous school infrastructure since at least 2012. It has suffered damage from at least two serious storms which…

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s pledge to stay the course and intensify his “special military operation” by unleashing a “more serious” military response against Ukraine should not be taken lightly by global citizens. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the danger of a chemical or nuclear war has been mounting, as evidenced by Putin’s inflammatory rhetoric. Besides the thousands of Ukrainians and Russians already facing gross violations of human rights, countries outside their borders can face collateral damage. The growing threat of a nuclear war in Ukraine and possibly in some other part of the globe in the future (also increases) the chances of nuclear accidents or errors created by nuclear weapons, making it even more important for negotiations on nuclear disarmament to be supported, endorsed and finally sealed. According to…

The call for African media to turn to constructive journalism could help media bridge the worsening globally biased polarisation mirroring the resurgency of Cold war politics in the coverage of China-Africa relations. A push towards constructive journalism in the last decade calls for unapologetic positive news about African countries, centred on African agency. While the biased coverage of the African continent in Western media, albeit with slight positive shifts, is probably a matter of public concern, the reporting of China-Africa relations in Western media and some domestic media on the continent calls for rethinking. Constructive journalism entails reporting solution-focused news, rather than focusing on negative and conflict-based stories, giving stories more context and background, and reporting what is going well. The purpose is to engender a deeper understanding of issues…

Stockholm: A trio of physicists yesterday won the Nobel Prize for discoveries in the field of quantum mechanics that have paved the way for quantum computers, networks and secure encrypted communication. Alain Aspect of France, John Clauser of the US and Austria’s Anton Zeilinger were honoured “for experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science”, the Physics Prize jury said in a statement. Each scientist “conducted ground-breaking experiments using entangled quantum states, where two particles behave like a single unit even when they are separated”, the Nobel committee said, adding that the “results have cleared the way for new technology based upon quantum information”. “It has become increasingly clear that a new kind of quantum technology is emerging,” Anders Irback, chair of the…

Tokyo: When it comes to the number of billionaires by region, Asia has 951, North America 777 and Europe 536. A region-by-region analysis of assets owned by more than 2 400 people on the Forbes “Real-Time Billionaires List”, by Nikkie Asia, showed $4.7 trillion in North America, followed by $3.5 trillion in Asia, and $2.4 trillion in Europe. By country, the US ranked first with 719 billionaires, followed by China with 440. India has 161. The 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have 114 billionaires, while Taiwan has 45, South Korea 28 and Japan 27.…

If the emphasis of this series against India was more about finding answers ahead of the T20 World Cup later this month than actually winning it, then Rilee Rossouw has certainly nailed down the No 3 spot for the tournament in Australia. Such are the options South Africa have at their disposal at the top of the order that Rossouw’s two ducks at the start of the series had left his place open to debate. But after a blitzkrieg yesterday when the powerful left-hander blasted, smashed and boomed 100 not out from 48 balls with eight sixes and seven fours, that discussion is now closed. Rossouw’s dynamism powered SA to a mammoth 227/3, and ultimately a comfortable 49-run consolation win. It would be easy, perhaps valid, to suggest that the…

Temba Bavuma failed yet again in yesterday’s third T20 International against India in Indore. The Proteas captain was out for just three runs off eight balls, which finished a miserable three-match series for him that started out with two ducks in a row in Thiruvananthapuram and Guwahati. Coming after he was snubbed at the SA20 auction in Cape Town recently, it is a lot for the 32-year-old from Langa to take in. Just on that SA20 auction, it is hard to understand how South Africa’s T20I skipper can be ignored in his own domestic tournament, especially as he has done well for the Lions over the years in all formats. But let’s get back to the Proteas’ situation. In his last 11 T20I innings before the current India series, Bavuma…