Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-10-12 i Star

THARISA Minerals, the platinum group metals (PGMs) and chrome co-producer, said yesterday that despite the PGM prices trading in the lower half of their 12-month range, driven by the economic slowdown, prices had not retreated as much as anticipated. In its production report for the fourth quarter and year ended September 30, 2021, the group said demand-supply fundamentals, particularly for palladium and rhodium, remained in deficit, with platinum projected to be in a deficit within the next 18 months, according to consensus market analysis. “While supply from Russia is difficult to predict, primary supply from South Africa is slowing, driven by lack of development, rising costs and electricity curtailments, affecting deep-level mines in particular. “At the same time, the increasing importance of PGMs for the future of the hydrogen economy…

THE REOPENING of the Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) car factory in Prospecton, Durban, in mid-August after four months of halted production due to damages caused by floods, has boosted manufacturing production in South Africa. However, manufacturing activity is expected to lose momentum towards the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter due to intensified power cuts and the disruption at the South African ports. Data from Statistics SA (StatsSA) yesterday showed manu- facturing production surprised on the upside in August, rising by 1.4% from a year ago, buoyed by the automotive sector. This was the second straight month of increases after an upwardly revised 3.9% year-on-year rise in July, beating market expectations of a 0.7% contraction in August. Electricity production and consumption increased by…

Be careful! Car washes appear to have become the latest hunting ground for criminals, who steal vehicles from car washers while you’re out in the mall or perhaps enjoying a coffee while you wait elsewhere. Some motorists have shared on social media their unfortunate tales about how their cars were stolen after leaving them at the car wash. One Facebook user, who wrote in a Fourways community group, said she left her BMW X3 at a local car wash where she has been getting her car washed for the past four years. However, when she went to pick up her car before school pick-ups, she arrived at the car wash and her car had been handed over to her “driver” – a man she or her husband did not know.…

The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has amended the fees for South African passports and travel documents which will cost more. The department said the amended fees will come into operation on November 1. It said the fee changes to passport and travel document came after a bench-marking exercise with other countries that found SA’s tariffs were up to three times lower. “The decision was also informed by the fact that production costs are much higher than what people are paying for our passports. This means the government is heavily subsidising passport holders when such a subsidy is not realised for ordinary ID applicants. “We believe that the people who are able to travel out of the country are financially better off than ordinary citizens and they don’t…

Esteemed musicians Abigail Kubeka and Yvonne Chaka Chaka will be honoured with Lifetime Awards at the first annual Basadi in Music Awards on Saturday, at the Gallagher Estate Convention Centre. Kubeka developed a sterling career as an actress starring in stage productions, television shows and films which kept her star shining bright, commanding large and intimate audiences including Nelson Mandela and the late Queen Elizabeth II. Chaka Chaka, known for her originality and African flavour is one of the few black South African female acts to break through outside South African borders, and has earned herself the title of “Princess of Africa”, a name she also uses for her foundation which champions change in health and education for African and South American communities CEO of the South African Music Performance…

Red Bull’s breach of F1’s budget cap leaves some big questions to be answered by a governing body, whose handling of the sport is coming in for more criticism after the controversial end to last season. The FIA said on Monday that Red Bull, the team of now-double world champion Max Verstappen, had spent more than allowed in 2021. The breach was declared a “minor overspend” – less than five percent of the overall cap of $145-million – but no financial details were given. How much they overspent is the key question. It could be tens of thousands or as much as $7.25m, which would be a significant amount in terms of track performance. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, whose team’s record run of eight constructors’ titles in a row is…

Mark Boucher described the mood in the South African camp as “okay” following their 2-1 defeat in a one-day international series to a second-string India team yesterday. The Proteas were bowled out for just 99 in 27.1 overs as India surged to a seven-wicket victory in the third and final match in New Delhi. The series defeat pushed SA even further away from an automatic qualifying spot for next year’s ODI World Cup, while some scarring is likely to remain ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia later this month. The Proteas play their first match in that competition on October 24. “I think we are okay at the moment. It is disappointing to lose, but we’ve got a massive competition around the corner, which is what we are…

Robert Lewandowski has proven over the years that he guarantees goals, as long as he gets the ball. Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez is searching for answers to that problem, with his team’s form dipping at just the wrong moment, as they welcome Inter Milan and then face Real Madrid in the Clasico this week. The Italian side visit Camp Nou tonight in a near life-or-death Champions League clash, before Barca visit the Santiago Bernabeu in a battle to move clear at the top of La Liga. Coinciding with the team’s struggles, reflected by a 1-0 defeat at Inter last week and a shaky 1-0 win over Celta Vigo on Sunday, has been Lewandowski’s goal-rush drying up. After netting in six consecutive La Liga games, the Polish striker could not continue…

The performance against Zebre Parma wasn’t perfect, but coach John Dobson praised the character of the Stormers in their 37-20 URC victory in Italy at the weekend. A polished display and 22 points from young inside centre Sacha Mngomezulu helped the Cape side overcome a spirited comeback, with the bonus-point try from the No 12 in the final stages the cherry on top and extend an incredible winning streak to 14. The Stormers won’t be at full-strength either for this Friday’s United Rugby Championship clash against Ospreys in Swansea (8.35pm kickoff), with Springboks Damian Willemse and Herschel Jantjies rested ahead of the Boks’ end-of-year tour to Europe. “My gratitude goes to those boys who play for 80 minutes and beyond the hooter in each match. You can’t coach that, and…

The Bulls are still smarting from their loss to Glasgow, but will be bolstered by two Springboks in Johan Goosen and Sbu Nkosi for Saturday’s URC clash against Munster (8.35pm kick-off). The Pretoria side went down 35-21 to the Warriors at Scotstoun Stadium last weekend, when a number of attacking opportunities were wasted. Bulls boss Jake White will hope that the return of Goosen and Nkosi will add much-needed bite to the backline, with another Test player in Canan Moodie out for eight weeks with a hamstring injury. Bulls attack coach Chris Rossouw confirmed from Europe yesterday that Goosen – who sat out the Glasgow match due to the 4G pitch, a surface on which he sustained a serious knee injury against Cardiff last year – and Nkosi, who has…

SOUTH African stocks fell for the third consecutive day yesterday as resource-linked companies continued to register losses due to the ongoing workers strike at Transnet ports. Transnet’s recognised workers unions – the United National Transport Union (Untu) and the SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu) – on Monday rejected a revised wage offer. The JSE All Share Index fell nearly 1% to around 64 175 points by noon yesterday, the lowest since September 30, as the Transnet strike hampers exports of minerals, especially coal to Europe. In intraday trade commodities-linked shares were leading the losses, with Thu- ngela Resources falling 5.7% to R276.84 per share, South32 also lost 4.8% to R42.49 per share, while Glencore and BHP eased 2.7% and 2.4% to R96.93 and R452.64 per share, respectively.…

AFROCENTRIC Investment Corporation’s share price leapt a massive 25% yesterday morning to R5.24 after Sanlam made an offer to acquire control at R6 a share. The majority black-owned company’s board said they had received an offer from Sanlam to acquire no less than 36.9% and up to 43.9% of AfroCentric’s share capital. The proposed deal will, at the least, leave Sanlam holding 55% of Afro- Centric and no more than 60%. AfroCentric delivers affordable medical aid, health insurance and administration services. AfroCentric chief executive Ahmed Banderker said although the transaction was still subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, he was “encouraged” by the offer and believed it signalled a positive move forward for AfroCentric. “Sanlam will be able to integrate AfroCentric’s product offering into its ecosystem, while AfroCentric will gain…

Author and former spy boss Ronnie Kasrils says the theatre masterpiece The Unlikely Secret Agent is an ode to his late wife, anti-apartheid activist Eleanor Kasrils. It is making its return to Baxter Theatre from October 20 to 29, before a national and international tour. Adapted into a play by award-winning actor and playwright Paul du Toit, The Unlikely Secret Agent brings to life a remarkable story of a young woman’s courage and daring at a time of increasing repression in apartheid South Africa. Eleanor, an unassuming young mother, is arrested at Griggs bookstore where she works in Durban. She is taken in for questioning. The police are on the hunt for her lover, the notorious “terrorist”, Red Ronnie Kasrils. She finds herself detained under the 90-day detention act and…

New Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane conducted oversight visits at the Katlehong School of Specialisation and Monde Primary School in Ekurhuleni yesterday to monitor the first day of the fourth school term. Term 4 is a crucial part of the academic year as matric pupils prepare to write the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams from October 31. The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) said it was also prioritising the placement of all new Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners by the end of the academic year. The MEC said the department chose to visit the Katlehong School of Specialisation as it was the best model school in Gauteng. “We’re also here for the school to show us how they have been using the location and the programmes they have to…

A private security company is urging patrons waiting for their food to be cautious in the wake of a worrisome new crime modus operandi. According to Fidelity ADT group marketing and communications head Charnel Hattingh, they are seeing a spike in patrons being targeted at drive-thrus. “As crime and unemployment increase and we head towards the festive season, hijackings and opportunistic crime traditionally increase,” she said. “However, we are seeing a new trend emerging where criminals target unsuspecting patrons at drive-thru establishments. Typically, as you get to the front of the queue, armed suspects from the vehicle in front of you get out and attempt to hijack your vehicle. There are usually two cars involved: the vehicle behind you blocks your car in when you try to reverse.” She urged…

Intokozo Yemfundo Project initiated a spelling bee competition in Soweto, approaching scores of pupils to take part in addressing some of the literacy and spelling challenges often observed among primary school children. The spelling bee aimed at making the culture of reading and spelling more enjoyable and engaging, not only for the children involved, but also for the community at large. In July, several schools around Soweto were approached to take part in the spelling bee. This was followed by classroom spelling bee competitions, culminating in the first round of the Intokozo Spelling Bee competition held last month. A total of 120 pupils from four primary schools – Tiakeni, Tshilidzi, Mambo and Elsie Ngidi – qualified and competed in the tournament. The tournament comprised two written test rounds where…

Lindiwe Sisulu and Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma have strategically forged a partnership in the race for the positions of ANC presidency and deputy presidency. This is good news for women in South Africa. It is also good news for those with more progressive politics since Sisulu and Dlamini Zuma are outspoken about their pan-African, decolonisation ideology. This is a breath of fresh air, given the increasingly right-wing and draconian trajectory of the Ramaphosa faction. Sisulu has made her position clear when, in an unprecedented move for an ANC minister, she wrote an article, earlier this year, criticising the judiciary for its role in the colonial systems that prevail in a democratic South Africa – one that has kept the historically racial population in a master/slave trope, with most black people usurped…

The Lions return to home comforts on Saturday against Ulster (2pm kick-off) after a successful three-match URC tour in Europe. During their victories over the Ospreys, Cardiff and Edinburgh, the rugby world has discovered Ruan Venter, Francke Horn, Sanele Nohamba and Henco van Wyk, but the Joburgers also had unsung heroes that pulled them over the line in those matches. Here, Morgan Bolton looks at five of those Lions who have the opportunity to continue their purple patch of form in the coming weeks ... Andries Coetzee There might have been a few sniggers when it was announced that the Springbok would be returning to Johannesburg, but honestly, ‘Boeboes’ has been solid at fullback, if not spectacular. The 32-year-old has brought a degree of maturity to the backline, and has…

Hideki Matsuyama said yesterday that he was fully committed to playing on the US PGA Tour as he prepares to defend his title at this week’s Zozo Championship in his native Japan. Matsuyama, who became Japan’s first men’s Major winner at the US Masters last year, will face a field including Tokyo Olympic champion Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and rising South Korean Kim Joo-hyung as the PGA Tour returns to Narashino Country Club. Several top stars, including two-time Major winner Dustin Johnson and British Open champion Cameron Smith, have defected from the PGA Tour to Saudi-backed LIV Golf, which offers huge prize purses. The PGA Tour has banned LIV golfers from competing in their events, and world No 19 Matsuyama said he had no intention of joining the rebel circuit.…

The Sharks returned home on Monday with their heads held high after a successful URC tour, but that doesn’t mean they are going to scorn a wealth of world-class reinforcements whoare fit and raring to go against the Glasgow Warriors on Saturday. It is an afternoon kick-off at Kings Park (4pm), and a bumper turnout is expected to witness the Sharks debut of one of the biggest names in the game, Eben Etzebeth, while many are also interested to see how rising star Vincent Tshituka goes in his debut for his new province. The latter was one of the top South African performers in the last URC, winning a series of Man of the Match awards in Lions colours. He became the centre of a tug-of-war between the Sharks and…

THE INTERNATIONAL Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that the risk of a global recession was fast approaching and could be as soon as 2023 as more than a third of the global economy will contract this year or next. In its latest World Economic Outlook report yesterday, the IMF painted a grim picture about global growth prospects amidst a number of economic headwinds and geopolitical pressures stacked against growth. The IMF cited high inflation, tightening financial conditions, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the lingering Covid-19 pandemic as main challenges, IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas said they now forecast global growth to slow from 6% in 2021 to 3.2% in 2022, before declining to 2.7% in 2023, down from 2.9% earlier predicted. Gourinchas said this was the weakest growth since 2001,…

PASSENGER Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) and Acsa came up as the black sheep of transport parastatals yesterday at the parliamentary portfolio committee on transport with an 81% rate of under-performance in their core mandate. The Transport Portfolio’s overall irregular expenditure, largely attri- buted to the three, amounted to R1.7 billion from R1.6bn in the previous year, while fruitless expenditure ramped up to R291 million from R117m in the previous period. Carla Ferreira, the acting senior manager responsible for Transport at the AG’s office, said: “Prasa, Acsa and Sanral are among the most non-compliant of the entities. They account for 84% of procurement processes not being transparent and competitive. 11% of their processes are not equitable and fair.” Prasa, which…

Sindisiwe Manqele, the woman who stabbed musician Nkuli “Flabba” Habedi to death with a single blow to the chest at his Alexandra house in 2015, has finally shown her face in public after being released on parole in May for the rapper’s murder. During the Flabba murder trial, Manqele concealed her identity and wore scarves covering her face at every court appearance until she was eventually convicted and sentenced for stabbing her boyfriend to death during a drunken row. Manqele said she stabbed Habedi in self-defence, but the court found she murdered Habedi, who she had been dating at the time. In 2016, she was sentenced to 12 years in jail by Judge Solly Sithole at the High Court sitting at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court. Manqele was released on…

A year or so ago, a journalist, an expert on hairstyles, referred to the “short back and sides” favoured by Afrikaans farmers as “kak” hairstyles, while Peter Bachtis deplores Faf de Klerk’s long hair, believing that it clouds his judgement on the playing field. Absolute twaddle, of course. Looking back over the years, I can remember great players with long hair – Naas Botha, Percy Montgomery, Rob Louw, Wynand Olivier, Frans Steyn and, later, Victor Matfield and RG Snyman, among others. Old-timers, like myself, will remember the great Jean-Pierre Rives, the captain of France, with his flowing blond locks, and his do-or- die attitude. He is regarded as the greatest open-side flanker of all time. France, in those days (1970 to 1980), played free-spirited, unpredictable and entertaining rugby, inspired…

Ingredients 1 packet (400g) frozen shortcrust pastry, defrosted Flour, for dusting 5 large eggs ¾ cup (185ml) cream Salt and milled pepper ½ bag (100g) baby spinach, chopped 1 cup (250ml) frozen peas 1 log (100g) goat’s cheese, sliced For serving: 1 packet (80g) fresh rocket 1 packet (125g) sugar snap peas 1 packet (20g) fresh watercress ½–1 tub (25-50g) pumpkin seeds, olive dust & hemp hearts Method Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 22cm tart tin or round spring-form cake tin. Roll out pastry onto a floured surface to 3mm thick and cut to fit the baking tin. Whip eggs and cream together and season. Pour mixture onto pastry case. Add spinach, peas and goat’s cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes or just until set and golden. Top with fresh…

Montecasino is expected to come alive on December 10 as dancers from around the world gather to compete for the Red Bull Dance Your Style world title. Red Bull Dance Your Style is a dance battle where the emphasis is placed on bringing people together in the celebration of dance, music and performance and on recreating the social party atmosphere that all the street dance styles are derived from. Red Bull said the competition was a mixed, all-style one-on-one battle in which dancers from any street style discipline can enter. Before the world final, South Africa will choose who will represent them as the top 16 best street dancers go head-to-head at the national final on October 15 at 012 Central in Pretoria. The top 16 include Sne Hlope, Diddy…

The Springbok Women’s team have put their sobering 40-5 defeat to France behind them, and are determined to beat Fiji on Sunday in their second match of the World Cup (6.45am kick-off). To be frank, many people thought the Boks would lose by a bigger margin to the team ranked third in the world, and scrumhalf Rumandi Potgieter says the players have taken to the practice field packed with positivity. “We are really happy to be back on the training field – this is where we need to be right now,” said Potgieter. “When we looked at what went wrong against France, we realised that there were a lot of good things we did, apart from a couple of poor options on defence that were exploited by France, who showed…

Kaizer Chiefs’ ace goal poacher Caleb Bimenyimana is proving to be a penalty specialist. Three weeks ago, Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane handed Burundi-born Bimenyimana his first start in a match against SuperSport United, who were on a high after defeating cross-town rivals Mamelodi Sundowns two weeks before. The team languished in 14th place on the standings at the time. In a pre-match pep talk, Zwane called on the players to show their true worth – Chiefs had won only two of their seven outings then. Bimenyimana was one of the players that responded. His impact on the match was the most telling as he scored both goals in Chiefs’ 2-1 win, with one from the penalty spot. Last week, Bimenyimana was on the score-sheet again when Chiefs won 2-1 in…

Australia are banking on a rookie power-hitter born in Singapore to help them defend their Twenty20 World Cup title on home turf this month. Lanky right-hander Tim David had been knocking on the door with a series of blistering performances on the global T20 circuit, including in the Indian Premier League and England’s T20 Blast. David has become one of the most sought-after finishers in the game, and Australia skipper Aaron Finch said it was a no-brainer to include him in the squad for a home tournament where conditions are expected to favour batsmen. “The form that he’s been in over the last couple of years has been outstanding,” Finch said of David (26), whose rise really started last year when he had a breakout season with the Hobart Hurricanes…

New AmaZulu FC head coach Romain Folz believes that his appointment by the club came as a result of “people taking note of the work that he was doing”. The Frenchman was a surprise appointment by Usuthu to replace Brandon Truter, who parted ways with the Durban-based outfit last week following their loss in form. AmaZulu became the second team that the 32-year-old will coach this season. Foltz coached Marumo Gallants in the early stages of this season and failed to impress there, before Dan Malesela surprisingly returned to his former club late in September. “It’s a great opportunity for me to showcase my work. It’s also a sign that what I did in my previous club caught the eye of the people. “As much as I could have done…

The chief executive of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Claude Atcher, was removed from his position yesterday by tournament organisers after he was suspended in August by France’s sports minister due to “alarming managerial practices”. A preliminary investigation into Atcher’s management style found evidence of a “deep social malaise” within the organisation. Atcher’s suspension was ratified by the French Rugby Federation, French Olympic officials and the French government following a meeting of the 2023 tournament organising committee’s board of directors on Monday. “Taking note of the report’s conclusions, France 2023’s Board of Directors has decided to terminate the contract of its CEO, Mr Claude Atcher,” the organising committee said in a statement. Atcher’s suspension was prompted by the preliminary findings of a Labour Inspectorate investigation which was launched at the…