Star 2023-01-30

Blackouts are triggering the collapse of South Africa’s economy and infrastructure ESKOM appears to be left with no one at the wheel to steer South Africa out of the ongoing energy crisis after a meeting between Members of Parliament (MPs) and the utility’s board and senior management at Megawatt Park to seek answers for the rolling blackouts collapsed following an early departure of CEO André de Ruyter. Three parliamentary portfolio committees were left seething on Friday after De Ruyter and Chief Operations Officer Jan Oberholzer asked to be excused from the crucial meeting on account of another meeting they had to attend with Eskom lender, the World Bank. MPs said De Ruyter and Oberholzer’s non-attendance of the meeting was concerning, especially considering the fact that the senior management was given…

TRADE unions have called the latest interest rate hike by the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) a “callous decision” that will further impoverish cash-strapped workers as the cost of borrowing rises. The SARB last week hiked its benchmark lending rate for the eight consecutive time, but this time by 25 basis points from 7% to 7.25% per annum in a bid to tame elevated consumer prices. This rate hike means the cost of borrowing has increased by a cumulative 375 basis points since the normalisation of policy rates began in November 2021. Trade union UASA’s spokesperson, Abigail Moyo, said workers would feel the pinch after latest repo rate hike. “Higher prices, a looming electricity increase of nearly three times the current inflation rate in April, combined with higher interest rates, bring…

The world’s biggest Consumer Electronics Show, CES 2023, was held in Las Vegas and displayed numerous innovative, astounding and sometimes perplexing technologies. A few of these remarkable products were: A driver assistance system Comma.ai demonstrated their Comma 3 device installed in a KIA EV6. The Comma 3 device runs on Openpilot, an open source advanced driver assistance system that can be retrofitted to more than 200 models. The hardware consists of three high-dynamic range (HDR) cameras, cellular LTE, wi-fi, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), high-precision GPS and microphones, and costs about R25 797. During tests the Comma 3 advanced driver assist device provided a very smooth ride and was able to easily recognise and stop for red traffic lights. It further kept the vehicle centred in the lane, made assisted…

FOOD prices will increase at the till as load shedding knocks the agriculture sector, but it is not clear to what extent, says Theo Boshoff, the CEO of the Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz). Load shedding is placing pressure on the agricultural industry directly through additional costs incurred to run generators. This applies both to primary production, but also in the value chain for cold storage, dairies and processing, among others. In an interview on Friday, Boshoff said, “The extent to which this will be passed on to the consumer is not clear. Actual food prices will also be influenced by whether or not there is damage to the various crops.” Currently there was a lot of pressure on irrigation as South Africa had experienced a very hot and dry January,…

Rock legend Stevie Nicks wrote a heart-warming letter to the Ndlovu Youth Choir following their stellar performance at the America’s Got Talent All-Stars in Los Angeles. In her letter, shared on her social media platforms this week, the Dreams hitmaker hailed the choir for their performance. She was impressed with their rendition of We Will Rise. “To the Ndlovu Choir, I just wanted to congratulate you on your brilliant and moving performance last night on America’s Got Talent,” said Nicks. “It made me feel like maybe, someday, with your help, the whole world will rise again. You are the world! “Can I be in your choir?” In their response, the choir welcomed her proposal to join them. “Thank you for your inspirational letter. It means so much to us. We…

Hollywood actor and producer Greg Kriek continues to fly the South African flag higher on global stages. The Cape Town-born actor won the Best Supporting Actor of the Year for his stellar performance in the Holocaust drama Trust at the Indie Short Fest (ISF), Los Angeles Annual Film Awards. Over 35 countries were represented at the festival, which also serves as an official qualifier for the Oscars and the Baftas. Kriek dedicated his award to survivors of the Holocaust and their families. “It was a tremendous honour working with such a dedicated team. Our fearless director Diane Lansing set the tone from day one and we could all feel we were making something really powerful and special,” said Kriek in the statement shared with IOL Entertainment. In Trust Kriek plays…