Innholdsfortegnelse for 2025-02-04 i Star

Despite setbacks in platinum and diamonds, sectors like chrome and coal showed resilience The South African mining industry remained under pressure in 2024 as lower non-gold commodity prices resulted in lower profitability among miners and caused some 12 000 job losses, Minerals Council economist Hugo Pienaar said. Speaking at the Investing in African Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town on Monday, Peinaar said the sector was also impacted by logistic sector problems, and that the challenges in the sector were diluted to some extent by the positive impact from the absence of mining load curtailment by Eskom since end-March 2024. This meant that from depressed levels in 2023 there was only a marginal improvement in real mining production during 2024. He said there were low basket prices in platinum…

US President Donald Trump’s early Monday morning announcement that he would stop providing aid to South Africa following the signing into law of the Expropriation Act towards the end of last month sent the rand into a tailspin. In an address to the media, Trump said he was singling South Africa out on the continent due to the new law. “Terrible things are happening in South Africa ... they're confiscating land and actually they're doing things that are perhaps far worse than that." The rand went through R19 to the dollar at midnight on Monday, before settling somewhat at the top end of the R18 to the dollar range. The local currency regained ground and was pegged at R18.74 to the dollar at 6pm. Anchor Capital’s CEO, Peter Armitage, speaking…

Concern has been raised about the agricultural impact in South Africa following US President Donald Trump announcing across-the-board tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. The Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) said on Monday that they expect an impact on the agricultural sector due to Trump’s tariff announcement. Oxford Economics said that the latest set of tariffs will lead to weaker gross domestic product growth, higher unemployment, higher interest rates, and higher inflation this year in Canada, Mexico, and the US than in their January baseline forecast. “It will also cause us to raise our trade-weighted US dollar forecast.” Oxford Economics said that to quantify the potential changes to the February baseline forecast, we leaned on our tariff scenario that included 10% tariffs on China and 25% blanket tariffs…

Vodacom is forecasting a stronger performance in the second-half of the 2024 financial year after group revenue grew 1.6% to R39.5 billion for the quarter ended 31 December, up from R38.9bn during the same period a year ago, impacted by a stronger rand. South Africa’s largest telecommunications group by market share reported Monday that group service revenue growth accelerated to 11.6% on a normalised basis, above its medium-term target. Vodacom said South Africa service revenue growth improved to 3.2% supported by prepaid while Egypt grew service revenue 44.3% in local currency, with Egypt financial services revenue up. The improved Vodacom South Africa performance was underpinned by a variety of factors including successful seasonal campaigns, improved consumer environment in the prepaid segment and a 40.6% increase in data traffic. Service revenue…

The music world rejoiced on Friday when The Weeknd's highly anticipated album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, finally graced the airwaves after a significant delay related to the recent wildfire crisis affecting the Greater Los Angeles area. In a heartfelt message shared on social media, the artist, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, explained his decision to postpone the album's release out of “respect and concern for the people of Los Angeles County”. He remarked: “This city has always been a profound source of inspiration for me and my thoughts are with everyone impacted during this difficult time.” The wildfires erupted on January 7, igniting widespread destruction and necessitating evacuations, thus delaying the album's initial launch date of January 24. Despite the disappointment of waiting, his dedicated followers showed understanding, recognising that…

The South African government has launched a diplomatic offensive to reject "disinformation" spread by US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk on the country's land reform policies. Trump and Musk sparked outrage with tweets accusing the SA government of "confiscating" land and perpetuating racist ownership laws. Trump wrote on social media platform X: “SA is confiscating land and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY. It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention. The United States won't stand for it, we will act. I will be cutting off all future funding to SA until a full investigation of this situation has been completed.” Musk who heads Trump’s department of government efficiency, who was born in Pretoria and briefly attended…

The City of Tshwane’s bid to push for the blacklisting of companies linked to businessman Edwin Sodi from doing business with the government appears to have hit a snag. This is after the National Treasury disputed recent claims by Mayor Nasiphi Moya that a revised request for blacklisting parties implicated in a tender for refurbishing Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant had been submitted to the Treasury. The City had awarded a contract to a joint venture, CMS, NJR & Blackhead to upgrade the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Works, but it was terminated in 2022 due to intermittent delays to the project. Last year, the City launched a process to restrict Sodi or his affiliated companies from doing business with the government by submitting a request to the National Treasury to endorse…

THE time has come for South Africa’s leadership to take action and restore order and accountability to the Road Accident Fund. Without immediate intervention, the RAF will become yet another failed state-owned entity. This is according to Pretoria attorney Gert Nel who specialises in RAF matters. Nel expressed his concern about how the fund is being operated. “Fuel levy payers’ money is wasted, real lives and livelihoods are at risk, with road crash victims bearing the brunt of systemic inefficiency and bureaucratic indifference.” He said the RAF is an institution charged with compensating road crash victims, yet it is deliberately distorting its purpose by bypassing legal obligations and operating in blatant defiance of court rulings. He accused the fund’s leadership of evading accountability while systematically denying justice to thousands of…

Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) has announced that Westpark Cemetery is expected to reach full capacity by May 2025. The burial site, which has been operating since 1956, is now limiting burials to 15 interments per week as it manages the city’s burial space. In a statement, JCPZ spokesperson Jenny Moodley said: “This marks an important moment in managing the city’s burial space, and City Parks is addressing it with great care and consideration for the immediate and long-term needs of our residents. “JCPZ understands the deep emotional and cultural significance of burials for the families and communities we serve. We are committed to providing support for families during this difficult time and respecting cultural practices to allow for appropriate and respectful burial options. “As urban populations grow and…

This week stands as a decisive moment for Orlando Pirates as the club embarks on a challenging journey that could either bolster or shatter their hopes for this season's Betway Premiership title. With two critical matches looming, the stakes have never been higher for the Buccaneers, who are the closest side to disrupting Mamelodi Sundowns’ attempts at an eighth league title in a row. Pirates sit second and six points behind the defending champions on the league standings having played a game less. A perfect week for head coach Jose Riveiro would be for his side to collect all six points available this week whilst Sundowns stumble against SuperSport United on Wednesday. The Sea Robbers’ first test comes midweek against a confident Sekhukhune United, known for their resilient style and…

As the saying goes, ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery ...’ After seeing France implement Rassie Erasmus’s ‘Bomb Squad’ on Friday to defuse Wales, South Africans would’ve been snickering at the marvel from foreign fans when Fabien Galthie put on an almost fresh forward pack in the first round of the Six Nations Championship. While the Les Bleus replacements were not as effective as the original ‘Bomb Squad’ of the double World Cup-winning Springboks, especially when the influential Antoine Dupont left the field, there is something magical when five or six forwards run onto the field at the same time. Of course, there was praise for the French and Galthie after their Bok copy stunt. Meanwhile, the Springboks were crucified for it time and again, with pundits and former…

Striker Marcus Rashford believes he can help Aston Villa enjoy a deep run in the Uefa Champions League after joining the club on Sunday on loan from Manchester United for the rest of the season. Rashford, capped 60 times by England, has endured a troubled season at United and has not played since mid-December but says he is ready to help Villa in multiple competitions. Unai Emery's side have qualified automatically for the Champions League last 16, host Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup fourth round next weekend and are eighth in the Premier League. Asked about a return to Europe's elite club competition, Rashford said: "Obviously, (it's) the biggest competition for a club to be involved in. "I'm sure it will be a new experience for me, playing for…

Shares in Tiger Brands slumped by 2.63% on the JSE yesterday after the company said it had reached an agreement to compensate individuals affected by an earlier outbreak of listeriosis in South Africa. Between 2017 and 2018, South Africa was rocked by an outbreak of listeriosis that may have resulted from meat products produced by Enterprise Foods, a division of Tiger Brands in Polokwane. The outbreak affected about 1000 people, with 216 deaths suspected to have emanated from the outbreak. On Monday, Tiger Brands said it had reached an agreement with Richard Spoor Inc and LHL Attorneys representing those affected by the listeriosis outbreak in a class action “for advance payments” to be made. The payments will be made to persons who are seeking interim assistance to address urgent medical…

There has been widespread concern from experts and different economic sectors following Elon Musk’s comments on X that the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the main US agency for foreign aid, is a criminal organisation that is being run by radical lunatics. Musk further added that he was considering the future of US AID. International relations expert Dr Noluthando Phungula from the University of KwaZulu-Natal said it would be catastrophic if USAID was stopped. “And this is on multiple fronts including but not limited to public health, humanitarian efforts and even economic development across the globe. Cessation of assistance would be a major setback, undoing much of the progress made. The USAID funds the majority of health programs in the underdeveloped world.” Phungula added that South Africa also…

US tech giant OpenAI on Monday unveiled a ChatGPT tool called "deep research" ahead of high-level meetings in Tokyo, as China's DeepSeek chatbot heats up competition in the AI field. Artificial intelligence newcomer DeepSeek has sent Silicon Valley into a frenzy, with its supposed low cost and high performance prompting calls for US developers to go faster. OpenAI, whose ChatGPT fronted generative AI's emergence into public consciousness in 2022, said its new tool "accomplishes in tens of minutes what would take a human many hours". "Deep research is OpenAI's next agent that can do work for you independently -- you give it a prompt, and ChatGPT will find, analyse, and synthesize hundreds of online sources to create a comprehensive report at the level of a research analyst," it said in…

Pepkor Holdings on Monday delivered strong results for the three months ending 31 December 2024, with group revenue from continuing operations climbing by 12.1% to R26.7 billion. The surge in performance has been attributed to robust sales growth and market share gains in traditional retail, complemented by significant advancements in the group's fintech segment. The company's sales performance during the quarter reflected a 9.5% increase in total group sales, while like-for-like sales saw a notable rise of 7.3%. Notably, in Southern Africa, excluding PEP Africa and Avenida, like-for-like sales achieved an increase of 9.6%. However, challenges were evident in regions outside Southern Africa, where like-for-like sales rose by 4.4% in constant currency but fell by 14.6% in rand terms. The quarter commenced with rapid sales growth during the seven weeks…

EFF leader Julius Malema demanded that President Cyril Ramaphosa take decisive action against Rwanda, including closing the Rwandan embassy in Pretoria after South African soldiers were killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). However, Ramaphosa has vowed to continue providing support to the DRC, despite growing calls for the withdrawal of SA troops from the conflict-torn region. The decision comes amid escalating tensions with Rwanda, which has been accused of backing rebel groups in the DRC. "The embassy of Rwanda should be closed with immediate effect because we cannot share the soil with the people who have the blood of South Africans on their hands," Malema said during a media briefing in Johannesburg on Monday. “It is unacceptable for our soldiers to be caught in a conflict where their…

The Randburg Magistrates Court has granted the defence’s request for the postponement of bail proceedings in the case of former estate agent Darryn Wilken and his girlfriend Tiona Moodley to Friday. Wilken and Moodley were arrested last month after authorities found more than 10 million sexually explicit images and videos involving minors in their possession. The state in a bid to bolster its case of money laundering against the accused has indicated that Wilken faces at least 24 counts of money laundering, a schedule 5 offence that carries a minimum sentence of 15 years per count. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) also revealed how Wilken received more than R2.5 million million through deposits made into his bank accounts in just one year. Last week, IOL reported that the State was…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has been urged to prioritise electricity, water, and sanitation challenges in the country when he delivers his first State of the Nation address under the Government of National Unity (GNU) on Thursday. Civil society organisations said water and electricity remain a need in every household in the country and they are expecting Ramaphosa to reveal initiatives to prioritise these basic essentials. Civic movement Save South Africa said it was a human rights catastrophe that to date, many poor and marginalised citizens still find themselves in a position where water is not drinkable because of “cadre deployment” in key sectors of the economy. The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) said the water crisis is escalating, threatening public health, food security, and basic human rights; while the ongoing electricity…

ANC leaders have expressed concern over the imminent liquidation of Ithala Bank, which has been important in supporting local communities. Speaking on the sidelines of the ANC’s 113th anniversary January 8 statement celebration at Caluza Sports Ground in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, on Sunday, ANC KZN chairperson Siboniso Duma said they want Ithala Bank back. He said they believe the Prudential Authority favours major banks. Duma stated that fixing Ithala Bank would alleviate concerns for the grandmothers and grandfathers who use the bank to keep their stokvel money. “Yet it is a KwaZulu-Natal bank, which could lead to a sovereign wealth fund because, imagine transferring the appropriation bill of KwaZulu-Natal, it will be a big bank,” Duma said about Ithala Bank. During the celebration, he said Amakhosi were communicating with provincial leadership…

The City of Tshwane has pledged to restore the neglected Schubart Park flats in Pretoria’s inner-city to its former state after nearly 13 years of disrepair and safety concerns that rendered it uninhabitable. In 2012, the property made national headlines after the City evacuated its occupants due to safety concerns. The Constitutional Court subsequently ruled that the evacuation was illegal and ordered the municipality to provide alternative housing for the displaced tenants. The delay in repairing the property has been blamed on lengthy legal disputes with Tsoseletso Consortium - the developer, who was appointed during the ANC-led administration. After taking power in 2016, the DA contested the deal, believing it was brokered "outside the scope of council and outside the scope of the law". The deal was part of the…

A fainting spell in the witness stand by a defendant in a damages claim became a legal issue after the magistrate questioned whether “this was just an act” and the defendant now wants the magistrate to recuse himself from the case. The issue arose after a magistrate, Hein Louw, claimed damages for alleged defamation against the defendant, Zelda Steenkamp. Her lawyer withdrew from the case after Steenkamp wanted a postponement of the matter and the magistrate refused. He called Steenkamp to the witness stand to explain to the court how she was now going to proceed with her case. But Steenkamp “fainted” in the witness box, which necessitated a postponement of the matter. The magistrate doubted whether the fainting was not just a ploy by Steenkamp to get her postponement.…

After a turbulent start to his tenure at Kaizer Chiefs, coach Nasreddine Nabi is gearing up for post-Soweto Derby redemption. Following a challenging loss to their arch-rivals, Orlando Pirates, Nabi has stressed the importance of moving forward and focusing on the upcoming Premiership clash against AmaZulu at the FNB Stadium this Tuesday. “I don’t want an excuse after we lost this game against Pirates, and it is not good. We lost three points, but we have another opportunity in the other derby sometime this season," Nabi stated, highlighting the critical need for a fresh mindset among his players. With the squad grappling with inconsistency, as evidenced by Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Pirates—marking their third loss in the last five league matches — Nabi is keen on turning the team's fortunes…

It would be naive to look at Paarl Royals' two losses at the backend of the round-robin stage and doubt their ability to win Tuesday night’s first qualifier against the in-form MI Cape Town at St George's Park. After all, this Royals side is the same team that had previously looked almost unbeatable earlier in the tournament. Having been without captain David Miller last week, due to a groin niggle, the Royals look an even stronger unit. The 35-year-old addressed the media on Monday with positive news about his injury. "It's feeling good," he said. "After fitness tests, it seems to be going well, but we'll see how we pull up (Tuesday) morning." Despite the losses, Miller emphasised that the team is not concerned. The experienced left-hand batter highlighted his…

The Automotive Business Council (naamsa) on Monday released vehicle sales data for January 2025. naamsa said it expressed optimism that the positive momentum of the fourth quarter of 2024 continued into the first month of 2025, as the industry recorded a gain of new vehicle sales of 10.4% year on year. “We are absolutely confident that an improved economic outlook, coupled with higher business and consumer sentiment, will support the new vehicle market in 2025. “Aggregate domestic new vehicle sales in January 2025, at 46 398 units, reflected an increase of 4 375 units, or a gain of 10.4%, from the 42 023 vehicles sold in January 2024. Export sales increased by 5 803 units, or 29.7%, to 25 348 units in January 2025 compared to the 19,545 vehicles exported…

As the political landscape in the US continues to spark debate, two leading property experts have shared their perspectives on President Donald Trump and his impact on the property sector. With Trump’s deep-rooted ties to the industry and his business-centric policies, opinions among property executives remain divided. Some view his tenure as a period of economic growth and deregulation, while others highlight concerns over volatility and policy uncertainty. Here’s what these two industry leaders had to say about Trump and his influence on the property market. Adrian Goslett the regional director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa: As the world reflects on the political and economic implications of Donald Trump’s presidency, questions arise regarding the ripple effects on markets far beyond the US. In South Africa, the…

Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Team on Monday warned that is has detected a new malicious campaign targeting Android users with a fake wedding scam. It uses fake wedding invitations to lure victims into installing a malicious application that was labelled by Kaspersky as the Tria Stealer. “It forwards content from text messages and emails, along with other data to the attackers, hijacks device owners’ WhatsApp and Telegram accounts to ask for money from friends or family. With the interception of SMS messages, attackers also have the opportunity to gain access to accounts in different apps or services (for example, online banking) by requesting OTP login codes from these services and reading them in the intercepted SMS messages,” said Kaspersky, which is a technology leader in developing security software…

The Botswana government and De Beers announced on Monday that they have established a new sales agreement for De Beers’ rough diamond production, after more than five years of negotiation and within 100 days of the election of a new government in that country, The agreement, to be signed officially within a short period, and on conclusion of the award of mining licenses, is in alignment with the Heads of Terms agreed on September 30, 2023, and the long standing negotiations were concluded on Friday, Botswana Minister of Mineral and Energy Bogolo Joy Kenewendo said yesterday at the Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, Debswana is a 50:50 joint venture between the government of Botswana and De Beers and operates several diamond mines in the country: Jwaneng, Orapa,…

RMH paid CEO Brian Roberts and CFO Ellen Marais R18.7 million and R10.1m, respectively, in total remuneration in 2024, with the company seeking to retain its top executives although there was no adjustment to the executive directors’ fixed pay. RMH did not pay short-term incentives offered while executive directors did not receive annual long-term incentives. However, due to the special dividend paid in January 2024, it offered replacement awards in compensation of value lost by participating directors on historically awarded awards. Roberts’ salary for the half year to September 2023 amounted to about R2m while for the full year to September 2024 he was paid around R4m. RMH has shifted its financial year-end from 31 March to 30 September. Roberts’ total compensation for the year to end September 2024, including…

The Durban Magistrates Court granted Darren Govender R200,000 bail but his brother, security boss Ferrel, will have to remain behind bars. The brothers are accused of gunning down Shailen Singh, a Durban businessman at Meridian Drive in Umhlanga on December 29. The State alleges that Singh was shot by Ferrel for having an affair with his girlfriend and that Darren assisted him. Fourteen spent cartridges were found at the crime scene. Before the court handed down the bail judgment, the brothers walked into the dock, with Ferrel clutching a black rosary. Throughout the proceedings, he held on to his rosary until the Magistrate gave his judgement. Prior to Magistrate K. Broughton delivering the bail judgment, he replied to Darren's request to have his bail listed under schedule five of the…

UNDER the Government of National Unity (GNU), the ANC has not sold out the people of South Africa and instead it is riding the storm to emancipate the country. That was according to the ANC’s first deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane, who was speaking at the party’s 113th anniversary January 8 statement celebration at Caluza Sports Ground in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, on Sunday. During her keynote address, Mokonyane said the party used its 40% of the electorate’s support to call on those who wanted to work with them, hence the formation of the GNU and Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) in KZN. She said under the GNU, led by the ANC through President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Bela Act—the education law—has been signed. “Some people said we were selling out by joining the…

The EFF in Tshwane has fired back at the DA’s assertion that the former governance and support officer (GSO), Ashraf Adam, resigned after the EFF’s political attacks against him. DA caucus leader Cilliers Brink expressed concern about the circumstances leading to Adam’s resignation after his appointment two years ago. He said the current development could lead to the ANC, with support from ActionSA and the EFF, resuming a cadre deployment programme, which is likely to see more senior officials facing pressure to leave. Adam’s unexpected departure was captured in council reports tabled during Thursday’s council meeting, which proposed the appointment of an acting GSO and the advertising of a vacant position. Brink said: “Included in the reports are allegations against Adam for failing to disclose the facts behind a mutual…

CANCER remains one of the most feared diseases worldwide. It is the second leading cause of death that shapes personal stories and public health alike. The constant stream of health news about cancer oscillates between fear and hope. Nearly every day, we hear that almost everything we do (or fail to do) might cause cancer. Just as frequently, reports of miracle cures or breakthrough treatments bombard us, offering a supposed silver bullet. While it is fortunate that the fears are usually wildly exaggerated, it is equally unfortunate that the hopes often are too. Understanding how pseudoscience infiltrates cancer reporting and finding ways to counteract it are critical to protecting public health and saving lives. This is something that we should also keep in mind when we observe World Cancer Day…

The unavailability of the influential JD Schickerling is a significant setback for the Stormers as they prepare for a must-win derby against the Bulls in Cape Town this week. The big lock has been one of the better Stormers players this season and up until their match against Leinster, he had rescued their line-out. Schickerling rejoined the Stormers in the off-season last year after a stint in Japan and has consistently excelled. The 29-year-old was injured in the loss to the Dublin team and defence coach Norman Laker says “it will be a while” before Schickerling returns. The silver lining to the cloud is that the Stormers are blessed with good depth in the second row and a combination of Springbok Salmaan Moerat and the under-rated Ruben van Heerden is…

A group of 34 players have completed day one of the Springbok Women’s second alignment camp of the year, as the national team’s preparations for the World Cup in England in August picks up pace. Bok Women coach Swys de Bruin and assistants Laurian Johannes-Haupt, Franzel September and Bafana Nhleko, took the squad through their paces at Loftus Versfeld. The players return to their home unions on Wednesday for the third round of the Women’s Premier Division. De Bruin was pleased with the first camp in Stellenbosch in January and again applauded the provincial unions for their willingness to avail their national players while the Women's Premier Division is underway. “Their buy-in was crucial as we look towards the World Cup in August and September,” said De Bruin. “This camp…

The Proteas were basking in the afterglow on Monday of a perfect opening weekend in the Netball Nations Cup, where they picked up a 70-45 win over Uganda and hard-fought 61-59 victory over the hosts at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena. The South Africans top the standings in the four-team tournament. They have the week to prepare for their clash against Malawi at the Copper Box Arena in London on Saturday. “The mood in the camp is positive and energetic and inspiring at the moment,” Proteas head coach Jenny van Dyk told Independent Media Sport exclusively from the UK. “It’s great to have two good wins against two strong teams, so even though we know it’s far from done, it’s a step in the right direction for us. We just spent a…