Innholdsfortegnelse for 2023-05-08 i Star

Surviving ‘one of the most difficult years’ after appointment of the final curator 3SIXTY Life has expressed the hope of exiting the period of being under curatorship in the next three to six months after surviving “one of the most difficult years” following the appointment of a final curator in March. The funeral insurer is finalising its annual statements for the 2020 financial year, which should be released by the end of May, followed by the 2021 and 2022 annual statements, hopefully before the end of the year. Khandani Msibi, the acting group CEO of Doves Group Holdings, 3Sixty Life’s parent company, sat down with Business Report on Friday to outline the process that they have gone through to turn this business around during the he termed “one of…

ANC Ward 25 councillor in the City of Matlosana in the North West, Tebogo Sepale’s party membership has been suspended with immediate effect after several videos of him having sex with a young man went viral. Of the videos, there is one where it looks like he is in an office wearing an ANC leather jacket, but the one where he appears to be having sex with the man has set tongues wagging, and social media users shared their views after watching it. He is seen placing a phone in a position to capture the session, standing behind the young man as he delivers strokes. He keeps on looking into the camera as though he is in an adult movie. The disgraced Sepale is also alleged to have had intercourse…

If you’ve been avoiding matte lipsticks in fear of your lips drying out, cracking and spoiling your look, then this is your sign to be bold and take the plunge with Essence’s 8H Matte Liquid Lipsticks – now boasting a brand new look. Just keep an eye out for its transparent bottle filled with its highly-pigmented formula and a built-in applicator so that you can easily colour match and take your lips from drab to fab in an instant. Don’t worry, with Essence’s 8H Matte Liquid Lipsticks’ new look, we’re still saying goodbye to dry and uncomfortable lips and hello to full, pout-ready lips that feel both light and pleasant. Its long-lasting formula can be applied effortlessly, thanks to its creamy liquid texture. As your lips are coated, watch as…

AKA may be gone, but the Megacy, as his fans are affectionately called, threw all their support behind the late rapper, winning him multiple awards at the Metro FM Music Awards 2023. His fans now face the sobering reality that they will never again see Kiernan “AKA” Forbes take the stage to perform or express his gratitude for their support. It was also a bleak reminder that this was the last time people would vote for him after he had delivered his chart-topping album, Mass Country. It brought tears to the eyes of both his family and his followers when the Forbes family entered the stage to accept the prize. The musician scooped four awards, kicking off the night with the Best Collaboration Song award for his song with Nasty…

At the start of his tenure as Orlando Pirates’ head coach in June 2022, little-known Spaniard José Riveiro was ridiculed as the supporters gave him no chance of success with the Sea Robbers. Local fans called the coach a ‘plumber’ and Riveiro was quite perplexed when he became aware of the label. But five months later, ‘The Ghost’ were over the moon after Riveiro steered the team to the MTN8 knockout title. After Saturday’s Nedbank Cup semi-final win over arch rivals Kaizer Chiefs, ‘the plumber’ has steered Pirates to another cup final as the Buccaneers claimed a 2-1 victory in the final throes of extra-time. At Saturday’s post-match media conference, the club’s media officer introduced Riveiro and said he had guided Pirates to a second cup final this season. Riveiro…

As Real Madrid secured their 20th Copa del Rey title, Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti heaped praise on Brazilian winger Rodrygo’s impressive brace which allowed them to lift the trophy after beating Osasuna 2-1 on Saturday. Ancelotti defined Rodrygo as an elegant player who makes unpredictable movements, which allows him to score goals. Ancelotti believes that his potential is limitless. “Nobody knows just how far he can go,” he said after the match. “He’s a very elegant player, who’s movement is amazing and he scores goals. He’s progressing spectacularly. “We played really well for the first half an hour. Vini jnr was unstoppable. “Then I don’t know what happened and I calmed him down a bit. This team needs to do one thing, and one thing only: play good football.…

THERE is no way Mamelodi Sundowns could be classified as ‘the team to beat’ in the Champions League semi-finals, as has been suggested by one of the Brazilians’ victims in the continental competition recently. Following their defeat to Sundowns in the quarter-finals, CR Beluoizdad coach Nabil Kouki said he fancied Rhulani Mokwena’s team as the favourites among those in the penultimate stage of Africa’s premier club competition. Mokwena may be in his first full season in charge of the South African champions, but he is not naive enough to take such praise to heart or to let it delude him into anticipating a smooth journey towards Sundowns’ second star. “We have no right to be the favourites or the team to beat in the semi-finals,” Mokwena said as he looked…

ALEXFORBES is acquiring a majority interest in TSA Administration (TSA), an independent provider of institutional group risk insurance administration services in South Africa with a 25-year track record, for an undisclosed sum. Alexforbes chief executive Dawie de Villiers said in a statement on Friday the deal would bolster the group’s existing binder business, strengthen the offering to clients and broaden their relationship with intermediaries. The good relationships TSA had built with intermediaries would be maintained, he said. Alexforbes would initially acquire 60% of TSA, with the option to acquire the remaining 40% over five years. The purchase price would be settled in cash and Alexforbes intended to fund it by drawing down on its existing term loan facility. “The business has carved a significant leadership position in this space by…

RAIN, the start-up company that has focused on the home internet market, launched a 4G mobile network on Friday, pitting it against the three major players MTN, Telkom and Vodacom in voice calls. The operator, 20.3% owned by African Rainbow Capital Investment, said on Friday that it had started South Africa’s first 4G data only network in 2018 and the country’s first commercial 5G network in 2019. But after acquiring spectrum from the government in the 2022 auction, Rain’s 4G network has a more comprehensive reach, the company said in a statement. “This has now positioned Rain to enter the market as a full mobile network operator, thus becoming the fourth telco after Vodacom, MTN and Telkom, with a network that offers national coverage in voice, SMS and data.” An…

If there’s one thing about Cassper Nyovest, he’s also where the money is. The Siyathanda star recently announced he’s part of the second year of the global music programme, Sprite Limelight. The programme brings together four diverse international artists to create music in a unique format that sees one hook (or chorus) used on several different beats. Nyovest will be joined by a line-up of three other artists from across the world: Feid, Lexa, and Lay Zhang. The brand has teamed up with OneRepublic lead singer and multi- Grammy award-winning songwriter, Ryan Tedder to spearhead the campaign by creating the hook and the theme for this particular season. Each of the four participating artists were tasked with creating an original song around this hook. He shared on Instagram, “BIG NEWS!…

With politically connected neighbours such as President Cyril Ramaphosa, his adviser Bejani Chauke, and Ramaphosa’s nephew Morgan Maumela, the R12 million Hyde Park mansion recently reportedly rented out to “Facebook rapist” Thabo Bester remains one of Jozi’s most luxurious properties in one of its richest suburbs. According to media reports, the luxury home recently returned to the market for a rental of about R70 000 a month, with listing agent Bruce Patcha of Patcha Properties saying the property has been on the market since the beginning of last month. However, the question on everyone’s lips was, who was funding the rental of R70 000? Was it proceeds from Arum Properties, or was the couple funded by their politically connected friends? Two weeks ago, the Sunday Times…

ActionSA, UDM, and 17 other political parties lauded the decision by the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Friday that upheld their request to exempt hospitals, clinics, schools, and police stations from load shedding. The court ruled that the Department of Public Works, in conjunction with or without other organs of State, must “within 60 days take all reasonable steps to provide uninterrupted electricity supply to all public health establishments, schools and SAPS stations across South Africa.” ActionSA’s head of strategic litigation, Gill Benson, has called this judg- ment a positive legal victory for South Africans who suffer due to rolling black- outs. “The legal victory ensures that communities across South Africa will no longer be subject to the failures of the ANC at Eskom, which have left our…

Following interventions from social media after she opened up about her ongoing feud with Open Mic Productions, Makhadzi won the “Best Female Artist” award at the Metro FM Music Awards, where she thanked the record company. Makhadzi took everyone by surprise when she unapologetically mentioned the record company on stage while accepting her award. A few days ago, Ndivhudzannyi Ralivhona, affectionately known as Makhadzi, commanded the attention of her fans and followers when she spoke out about Open Mic Productions Music reportedly exploiting her. Having worked with the record label for years, Makhadzi claimed on social media that she had never received a cent from her sales. “I signed with Open Mic only for three years. “In these three years, I dropped four albums. I have never received a cent…

The Department of Health says it has noted an announcement made by the World Health Organization (WHO) that Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency. WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the end of the Covid-19 global health emergency was a moment for reflection. “The painful lessons we have learnt, the investments we have made and the capacity we have built must be transformed into meaningful and lasting change,” he said. He added that the worst thing any country could do was to let down its guard, to dismantle the systems it has built, or to send the message to its people that Covid-19 is nothing to worry about. “What this news means is that it is time for countries to transition from emergency mode to managing Covid-19…

Five years ago, the former health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi announced that Tiger Brands’ Polokwane meat processing facility was the source of the biggest listeriosis outbreak South Africa had ever seen. Thousands of people were harmed as a result of consuming processed meat produced at a Tiger Brands factory, and over 200 people died. Many are still awaiting justice. The fatal infection, which is harmful to mostly vulnerable people, including children, the elderly and pregnant women, first broke out around the end of 2016. It was declared an outbreak in January 2017, and in early 2018 the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the World Health Organization confirmed that they found traces of the ST6 genetic variant of listeria in a Tiger Brands’ facility in Polokwane. Meat products produced…

The world needs to know that Zimbabwe’s land acquisition programme was a front for the elite to plunder the country under the veil of redistributing land to the people. Surely the UK, South Africa and the US should do something about the corruption in Zimbabwe. It needs to be addressed so the country can heal and rebuild itself without Emmerson Mnangagwa and his thugs. Mnangagwa’s incompetence is now at its peak with all the gold looting in Zimbabwe and his gold mafia exposing him as the one giving the go-ahead for doing so. Former Rhodesia president Ian Smith was dubbed the colonial racist and people of Zimbabwe fought the oppression to gain independence. Yes, they did gain their independence, but they gained a country that was economically stable and the…

The Stormers completed a fairly easy sweep over the Bulls in their United Rugby Championship quarter-final at the weekend, but are now bracing for a visit from “mongrels” Connacht in the semi-finals at Cape Town Stadium this Saturday. After they ran the Pretoria side off their feet, beating them 33-21, the Stormers are anticipating a far more fierce battle with the visiting Irish side, who toppled Ulster to reach the semis. But the Stormers and their supporters will also hold their collective breath that flank Deon Fourie and a few other stars will be fit to run out this weekend in their bid to reach a second successive URC final. Fourie, having just returned from a cheekbone injury, played for just under 50 minutes on Saturday before being withdrawn with…

SOME JUNIOR minors operating in South Africa have been forced to close their mines as the double whammy of woes by State-owned Transnet and Eskom has hit profit and led to insurmountable logistics challenges. The Minerals Council hosted a webinar on Friday where industry players discussed the experiences that junior minors have had due to load shedding and Transnet’s lack of locomotives. Letisha van den Berg, a representative of Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa, said some association members had small mines and most could not afford generators to run their operations. This had led to some closing shop. Van den Berg said: “What the guys are doing is looking at the frequency, only producing on demand. They do their major maintenance during load shedding instead of the…

Ed Sheeran has been cleared of the allegation his Thinking out Loud song ripped off Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get it On. The singer, 32, who denied the accusation that his hit stole fundamental musical elements from Gaye's song, had faced a $100 million (R1.8 billion) lawsuit brought by the heirs of the song’s co-writer, Ed Townsend. Last week, after a jury of three men and four women deliberated for less than three hours, they reached the decision that he was not guilty. Speaking outside the court, Sheeran said: “I’m just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy. I am not and will not allow myself to be a piggy bank.” Sheeran’s lawyer had said the case should never have been brought to court. The…

It is not a funeral scam but a community initiative aimed at helping community members with the challenges of burying loved ones. This is the explanation of newly-elected Joburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda who, upon taking up the hot seat of being the first citizen of the City of Gold, finds himself embroiled in an alleged community burial scheme scam. Yesterday, the Al Jama-Ah councillor spent his first Sunday as mayor at the Grace Bible Church in Soweto, where he was welcomed by the congregation and personally by Bishop Mosa Sono. Gwamanda, who was seated in the front row during yesterday’s service, smiled when Sono congratulated him on being the city’s first citizen, adding that this was a complex job. Sono said: “The mayor has felt that he needs to be…

IN SPITE of not being lauded as the best show by many, there were a few local celebrities who made an effort to grace the black carpet at the Metro FM Music Awards 2023 night. Renowned media personalities Katlego Maboe and Lerato Kganyago were at the helm of this prestigious event as hosts. The sought-after hosts took to the stage in different impressive outfits, and they also kept the audience entertained the whole night. Other well-known personalities who showed up also followed the Black is Back theme, showcasing their stunning, differently styled black garments on the black carpet. Blue Mbombo, who is known to always deliver the assignment when it comes to fashion, made a statement in a long black dress receiving nods of approval from her fans. Somizi Mhlongo…

A Standerton Correctional Centre warden has been arrested after police confiscated contraband items during a raid at the facility. Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said the official was nabbed at his home, on Thursday. “Police operationalised information received whereby members from Standerton Crime Intelligence, Standerton K9 and Correctional Service personnel followed up the alibi of the member who is involved in drug smuggling. “A search was conducted and one sachet of crystal meth weighing 9g, 19 plastic bags of dagga weighing 1 856kg, seven cellphones, six cellphone chargers, seven SIM cards and an undisclosed amount of cash was recovered and confiscated,” Mohlala said. The official is expected to appear in the Standerton District Court for possession of drugs and other items. Mohlala said the investigation would determine if the…

The rebuilding of the Bulls squad could start as early as today, while X-factor players and some hardened forwards and streetwise coaches will add the necessary ‘wow factor’ for next season’s United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign. That was the promise from Bulls director of rugby Jake White to his players in the aftermath of Saturday’s 33-14 quarter-final defeat at the hands of the Stormers in front of a boisterous 44 000-strong Cape Town Stadium crowd. While Cyle Brink’s try just before half-time gave the Pretoria side some hope of a comeback at 17-7, it was not to be as the Capetonians added further points by wing Angelo Davids and flyhalf Manie Libbok’s accurate goal-kicking. Having finished sixth on the URC standings, being knocked out of the Champions Cup last-16 (although…

Replacement goalkeeper Ntokozo Mtsweni made two saves in the shootout to pave the way for Sekhukhune United to emerge triumphant against Stellenbosch in their Nedbank Cup semi-final at Danie Craven Stadium last night. Sekhukhune ran out 4-3 winners in the penalty shoot-out after 120 minutes of football failed to produce a goal and will now face Orlando Pirates in the cup final at Loftus Versfeld at the end of the month. The opening half-hour produced end-to-end football. Most of the action was at the Sekhukhune end, where the defence surrendered four early corners. Two of these were conceded in the opening two minutes. Stellies produced several attacking sorties from the opening whistle, and a goal looked imminent. However, their early efforts were foiled and a potent header by Júnior Mendieta…

Nobody can blame Sharks director of rugby Neil Powell for grasping onto some straws of hope after his team were smashed 35-5 by Leinster in the URC quarter-finals in Dublin. He had been describing his long-term plan of fixing the Sharks and mentioned that the Currie Cup team had beaten the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in a game that overlapped the URC one, while the Sharks Under-19s are on a roll in their competition and beat Western Province away. “With John Plumtree coming in, I will be less hands-on (with the senior team),” Powell said. “My responsibility will be to look after the systems at the Sharks, especially the Academy, so that we fill the senior team from the bottom and not the top.” In other words, Powell wants to…