Innholdsfortegnelse for 11/10/2019 i City Press

Natacha Jacobs has forked out R14 000 to keep her pet chicken Tjortsie alive over the past week, but she still doesn’t know what’s wrong with him. “His white blood cell count is too high, he gets strange white fungus in his throat and he makes funny noises when he eats. We’ve had him at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital’s exotic animal section three times, but nobody knows what’s wrong with him,” said Jacobs (48). Jacobs, who runs a construction business with her husband Johan in Claremont, west of Pretoria, is desperate for answers. “Tjortsie is no different just because he’s a chicken, he is my child. I just want him to get better. I want him to be outside so he can be a chicken again,” she said. Tjortsie…

A Harlem-themed screening was held in Johannesburg on Thursday in honour of Forest Whitaker’s first lead role on ABC’s Godfather of Harlem. Whitaker plays notorious crime figure Ellsworth Raymond “Bumpy” Johnson from Harlem, New York. The local streaming service hosted a few invited guests at The Market theatre in Newtown and treated them to a screening experience with the man himself in which episodes five and six were shown. City Press sat down with Whitaker, an Academy Award-winning institution of cinema, at the Pivot Hotel in Montecasino. The star of The Last King of Scotland (2006), The Crying Game (1992) and Phone Booth (2002) strolled in with a smile on his face. Dressed in a navy suit, a black T-shirt and high-top Vans, the iconic veteran seemed relaxed and happy…

MISS Boity Thulo looked cute and in all honesty she wasn’t the worst look of the night. And although I’m a fan of anything metallic her jumpsuit looks a bit costumey and the fit could have been better. The finger-wave wig also makes the rest of her outfit look slightly outdated HIT Leomie Anderson served Iris van Herpen straight from the runway to the red carpet and we’re here for it along with her sleek ponytail too HIT Former Pussycat Dolls member Nicole Scherzinger brought sexy back and sizzled in this crimson coloured sequin mini dress MISS MISS Mabel again got it wrong with this outdated trend that we hope will never come back. Her neck piece, chunky belt and bracelet make it look cheap and tacky HIT Dua Lipa…

The Zondo commission is likely to move premises early next year to cut costs. Envisaging a likely extension of the scheduled February 2020 completion of its proceedings, the commission, in consultation with the department of justice and correctional services, has arrived at an agreement to cut costs through seeking cheaper residence to hold hearings. “The commission is anticipating a possible extension after [the scheduled cessation date of February next year]. To reduce costs, they are looking at a cheaper venue alternative for the hearings,” said department spokesperson Chrispin Phiri. Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille recently revealed that R14.8 million had been paid to media company Tiso Blackstar and property group Redefine Properties for housing the Zondo commission. A breakdown of the costs shows that monthly rental for…

*Nosipho Zethu’s child will have to travel more than 40km between his home and his new school next year. To make things worse, this was not one of the five schools she was presented with as her options when she applied online for her son’s placement in Grade 8 next year. Zethu was not familiar with the Gauteng education department’s revised policy that the placement of pupils could be done at schools up to 30km away from their homes, and even further, in contrast to the 5km radius stipulation in place in previous years. She was also not aware that her child was not guaranteed placement at one of the five school options presented to her. She was still considering other options this week, including taking her son to a…

An ex-lover, an MEC and a boyfriend are embroiled in a jobs-for-pals scandal in the Eastern Cape. The allegations against Eastern Cape transport MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxotiwe and her boyfriend at the time, Babonke Ndodomzi Dingindawo, are contained in an explosive affidavit submitted by Amanda Zono in March this year to the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) national office. Sources with knowledge of the case said Zono approached Nehawu’s national office after the union’s Eastern Cape office failed to help resolve her labour dispute with the department. Zono claims in the affidavit that she was Dingindawo’s former girlfriend when she got the job. But Khuselwa Rantjie, Eastern Cape transport spokesperson, denied the allegations, saying Tikana-Gxotiwe never facilitated the employment of Zono or any other employee in the department.…

‘Snoobab’ was a term used by white pupils to refer to black pupils at an Eastern Cape posh school. The term is baboons said backwards, according to a social media post shared by aggrieved pupils from Kingswood College. City Press learnt that pupils coming from one African country were not spared from xenophobic slurs allegedly made by their white schoolmates. A pupil said the reason victims posted the allegations on social media was that nothing was being done by college management to deal with their issues. “This has even caused tension between us and our parents. They just want us to focus on our studies and forget about this, but we cannot pretend that all is well at this college,” the pupil said. The college didn’t respond to specific questions,…

Barring any seismic shifts, Liverpool and Manchester City will – as they did last season – be the last ones standing when the battle for the Premier League title enters its final stage next year. The Citizens won the league by just one point over a Liverpool side that lost just one game the whole season. However, that defeat cost them dearly as it was at the Etihad in January following a draw between the two clubs at Anfield in October. That five-point swing gave Pep Guardiola’s team the league title, so it is not surprising that Liverpool are extremely wary ahead of today’s clash of the giants. The Reds take a six-point lead into the game, but will draw little comfort from the knowledge that, even in the worst-case…

Former Proteas captain Graeme Smith is in the running for Cricket SA’s (CSA) newly created position of director of cricket, according to a source. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said Smith was first sounded out in September for the post, which was created to fit into the new coaching structure of the Proteas. This was in reaction to the team winning only three of their nine matches to finish seventh at the World Cup. The source claimed that meeting was attended by CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe, his predecessor Ali Bacher, MultiChoice executive chairperson Imtiaz Patel and Gauteng Lions president Jack Madiseng. Smith was interviewed via video link on Friday. But Moroe denied that CSA had made an approach for Smith’s services, claiming that he had spoken to…

The first leg of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s investment drive brought in pledges of more than R290 billion last year. This week a further R363 billion in pledges were made at the second annual investment conference as part of Ramaphosa’s bid to raise R1.2 trillion over five years to stimulate economic growth. The pledges are by no means a small number, but considering that Eskom’s debt levels are R460 billion, it doesn’t seem to stretch very far. The sense of goodwill shown by the pledging companies reflects a sense of confidence that the wheels of change are creaking slowly, but creaking nevertheless. The conference and Ramaphosa certainly talked the talk, but can he and the companies walk the walk? The crisis of raging unemployment and low growth will not be stopped…

It ain’t funny The lack of seriousness in Parliament can be amusing (for us), but it is deadly serious for others. Last week African Independent Congress (AIC) MP Lulama Ntshayisa tabled a motion in Parliament congratulating Kaizer Chiefs on defeating Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0. Treated as a light moment by most MPs, this action, however, met with fierce outrage from AIC president Mandla Galo, who dismissed the motion as frivolous and “inertia-inspired” and demanded its withdrawal. “Parliament offers us space to intellectually engage, thus contributing to national discourse,” counselled a stern Galo. Mind sickness Spirits were high after South Africa won the Rugby World Cup last weekend. As usual, people flocked to social media to express their excitement and one of the users was former DA leader Mmusi Maimane. He suggested…

Are South African teachers trained well enough so that they can teach effectively? Do they have enough support to plan how they will teach the school curriculum successfully? Can our teachers successfully teach pupils who are in different grades, such as Grade R and 1, at the same time in one classroom? Are they also able to teach pupils whose mother tongue is different from the official language used to teach at school? Similarly, can they teach those second-language pupils with first-language pupils at the same time in one classroom? The digital era, where knowledge and communication are based on the use of technology, promises to change the way teaching and learning happens at school. Under these conditions, what is the role of hardcopy textbooks in the 21st century? Do…

Siya Kolisi and the rest of the Springbok world-beating team have proven once and for all that the top spot in the world is not the preserve of First World countries. In his world-acclaimed book called Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don’t, author, consultant and lecturer Jim Collins says people should ask themselves three questions: What are you deeply passionate about? What can you be the best at in the world? What drives your economic engine? Siya has axiomatically proven to us and the world that every businessperson, no matter how humble his or her beginnings may have been, has the potential to be a world-beater. In any group of people, there will be doubters who revel in the snobbery of failure. Don’t ignore…

The Mthatha-based King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality in the Eastern Cape has called on more airlines to join SA Express in servicing the Mthatha route to ensure increased competition and reduced ticket prices. This, after the carrier’s acting CEO, Siza Mzimela, announced new routes for Mthata Airport last week. Hailing the news, spokesperson for the municipality Sonwabo Mampoza said it would open up potential to grow and develop Mthatha’s economy. The additional routes will see the airline fly to Cape Town and East London – flying from East London to Mthatha, and Mthatha to Cape Town. Mzimela made the announcement during a stakeholder meeting in Mthatha, attended by members of the SA Express board and provincial government delegates. The routes will be a first for the town, which previously only offered…

Mrs Sithole obtained a personal loan from a bank and, in terms of the agreement, her last payment was due on December 25 2018. She experienced financial difficulties and, in April 2015, she made arrangements with the bank to pay a reduced instalment for six months. Towards the end of the term, she noticed that the bank had extended the repayment term of her agreement for a period of five years, saying this was at her request. She strongly disputed having asked for, signed or agreed to a restructuring of her account. The ombudsman’s investigation revealed the bank was unable to furnish any proof that the complainant requested or agreed to the restructure of the loan account, as is required in terms of section 116 of the National Credit Act.…

Instagram can be quite an interesting space between the drama of fake online stores scamming unsuspecting clients and keeping up with the filtered lives of the rich and famous. If you’re like me and appreciate the peculiar over the popular, it can be a place of engaging content and thought-provoking artistry. But for the artists who give us the content we signed up for, is it all that? “Social media has made it possible for me to meet other artists who I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with. But it can also be extremely toxic to my mental health and my creative process. It has often made me feel like I’m not doing enough and that everything I post must be perfect. “Due to these pressures, I often try…

The Real Housewives of Johannesburg 1Magic (DStv channel 103) Fridays, 7pm We were all on the fence when we heard that our fave madam, Evodia Mogase, and her sidekick and daughter, Mercy Mogase, would not be gracing our screens for the second season of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg. Evodia had become a central character of the reality TV show, keeping us glued to our screens. Let’s face it, Evodia and Mercy made season 1 and the show doesn’t seem to gather as much traction as it did when madam was still calling the shots. New sheriffs in town, Lethabo “Lejoy” Mathatho (TV presenter and founder of LeJoy foundation) and Nompumelelo “Mrs Mops” Mophatlane (married to IT mogul Isaac Mophatlane), have added some much-needed sparkle, with their designer clothing and…

Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005) BET (DStv channel 129) Sunday, 8.15pm A woman must put her life back together after her husband of 18 years abruptly kicks her out of the house. Empire (2002) M-Net Movies Action (DStv channel 110) Wednesday, 8pm John Leguizamo plays a deadly game in this crime movie. A drug dealer turns his back on the business and tries to invest in Wall Street, but the people from his past do not forget. The Guilt Trip (2012) Mzansi Magic (DStv channel 161) Saturday, 8.30pm As inventor Andy Brewster is about to embark on the road trip of a lifetime, a quick stop at his mom’s house turns into an unexpected cross-country voyage, with her going along for the ride.…

The Twilight Zone Available on Showmax The original show was a cult classic television production that fused science fiction, horror, drama, urban myths and bits of humour. It had a long run and some of you may have caught the many re-runs. It was like Outer Limits, but way ahead of that. A host introduced the viewer to a person experiencing weird things that could only occur in The Twilight Zone. That idea remains the same, but now Jordan Peele is the narrator and the imagery is not shot in black and white. In one of the episodes, a man finds a tape player on a plane. The audio tells the story of what’s happening on the flight as it is happening, which strikes the man as odd. He uses…

Financial misappropriation, use of a company credit card for flight tickets and a R170 million interest-free loan are some of the allegations that have emerged in the run-up to this week’s national elective congress of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru). And, on the eve of the all-important gathering, in which the union’s 30th anniversary was also celebrated, Reuben Mdletshe, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Popcru’s investment arm, the Popcru Group of Companies (PGC), was suspended for misconduct. However, Mdletshe has hit back, claiming he was made a scapegoat over the raft of questionable transactions which benefited the union’s president, Zizamele Makhaza Cebekhulu. At the heart of Mdletshe’s grievance is a R170 million interest-free loan received from Popcru members’ funds in 2016 and invested in petroleum wholesaler…

The police’s top brass in the Free State are fending off accusations that they are interfering with and stifling investigations into organised crime and high-profile murder cases across the province. This is as the trial of eight men accused of murdering Dr Louis Siemens continues in the Bloemfontein High Court. Details of the alleged interference and the extent thereof are contained in an explosive and classified letter of complaint by counterintelligence to national Crime Intelligence boss Peter Jacobs about police meddling in the investigations. The letter, dated August 14 and classified as “top secret”, accuses Free State’s police management of “deliberately” failing to hand over the investigations of four organised crime cases to the same team of detectives probing other organised crimes in the province. The four cases include three…

This year was for introspection and character-building for TV personality Pearl Thusi. “I was honest with myself as I focused on my personal growth more than anything else and this has helped me to grow as a person. “Today I am proud to say I am more grounded and I am loving the person I have become,” says the bubbly actress. This week Thusi became the talk of the town when the #SomewhereInTheAtlantic trended on Twitter. This got many confused as people thought she was somewhere abroad working on her new international project until Castle Lite announced and released a video on its social media platforms revealing that Thusi was the president of its campaign Republic of Extra Cold, which will take place at the somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean…

ANC MP Bernice Swarts is under investigation for allegedly swindling a businessperson of R500 000 under the pretext that it was going to be donated to the ANC for its 2014 general elections campaign. Not much has been known about Swarts until questions were raised about President Cyril Ramaphosa’s CR17 campaign and Public Protector Busi Mkhwebane launched an investigation when it came out that the late Bosasa (now known as African Global Operations) chief executive officer, Gavin Watson, donated R500 000. Swarts, according to information that became publicly known about the CR17 campaign, allegedly received R16 million from an account linked to the campaign to mobilise support in Mpumalanga province. The parliamentarian allegedly received R500 000 from Tuwani Mulaudzi in 2013, but the money did not reach the ANC. This…

Gary Player stood on a hill overlooking the vast expanse of Sun City below. For a moment, he just stared at the strips of green that are the fairways of the Gary Player Country Club. “Can you believe it?” he said under his breath. In the late 1970s, Player couldn’t believe it when he was asked by hotel magnate Sol Kerzner to build a golf course in the bush in North West. The world couldn’t believe it when this resort announced in July 1981 that it would host the richest golf tournament in the game. That announcement came from a corner of Africa and it shocked the world of golf. It was so big that newspapers described it as “the golfing coup of the century”. It was going to change…

One of the basic principles of being a human being is that we are honest, clean-living and courteous. We are raised by our parents, hopefully, to accept other people’s beliefs, and to respect their property and right to go about their business without hindrance or hassle. We are taught manners and to respect the rule of law so that we don’t endanger or impede another person’s way of life and culture. These values seem to be lacking when it comes to football. I regularly see players diving and cheating – trying to get their opponents yellow-carded or sent off. Gesticulating with an imaginary card towards the referee is the most irritating and disgusting gesture. Quite honestly, it makes me sick. The clear and deliberate “performance” by some players to indicate…

Police Minister Bheki Cele tied himself in all sorts of knots trying to explain himself after conservative lobby group AfriForum embarrassed government by announcing that it would help the family of slain Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa find justice. AfriForum has appointed Advocate Gerrie Nel to work on the case. The group was approached by the Meyiwa family to help them with the case, and they hope to expose the criminal justice system for all its failures. Many South Africans have complained about the fact that five years of investigations have not even led to an arrest of Meyiwa’s killer or killers, and his family has become ever more frustrated by promises and reassurances from the police. Meyiwa’s father, Sam, died earlier this year with a pain…

As the year starts to speed up as it winds up, it’s almost time again for 16 Days of Activism for no Violence Against Women and Children – a noble global annual awareness campaign that begins on November 25 each year, the date of the brutal murders of political activist sisters Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa Mirabal in the Dominican Republic in 1960. As we tally up the dead women and children and start fielding invitations to events that claim to fight gender-based violence, we also brace ourselves for the continued onslaught of crimes committed against women. But the call for a “ceasefire” over this 16-day period is never honoured by abusers, making a mockery of a period that begins on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women…

Bolo – a reading app for children announced this week by Google SA – is an educational tool that combines learning and reading out loud with rewards (gold stars) in a visual and game-like environment, all overseen by an artificial intelligence tutor called Diya. Developed and launched primarily for India, Google is expanding the app to other regions, mainly in developing countries and in regions where the literacy rate among children is low. The app is already available in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya. Bolo, which comes from the Hindi word for “speak”, encourages children between the ages of six and 12 to read out loud, with Diya guiding them on what to do and when to do it. Diya also assists children if they get a word wrong or are…

Vehicle manufacturer Volkswagen SA is heaving a sigh of relief after the conclusion of a trade pact between South Africa and the UK, which will ensure business as usual if Britain leaves the EU without an agreement. Thomas Schaefer, chairperson and managing director of Volkswagen Group SA (VWSA), said the danger that a no-deal Brexit held for South Africa, and the vehicle manufacturing industry in general, had now been averted. Schaefer said it would have been catastrophic for VWSA because its Uitenhage plant exports about 55 000 vehicles a year to Britain. Accordingly, a no-deal Brexit could have seen VWSA lose up to a third of its production. In volume terms, the UK was the top destination for South African vehicles exported last year. In value terms, the UK (at…

The SA Investment Conference (Saic), which took place at the Sandton Convention Centre over three days earlier this week, has been described by several business delegates as a “resounding success”. Having set a target of attracting R1.2 trillion in new investments over a period of five years, starting from last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa kicked off this year’s event by updating delegates about the commitments pledged by local and international investors at the 2018 conference. During his opening address, Ramaphosa said a significant number of investment pledges made last year, amounting to almost R300 billion, had materialised. “Of the 31 projects announced in 2018, eight have been completed and the money has been spent, and 17 are in their construction or implementation phase ... In total, this represents R238 billion…

A tale of lies, self-enrichment and backstabbing is slowly unfolding in light of the stalemate regarding the reopening of Lily and Barbrook gold mines in Mpumalanga. The mines’ owner, Vantage Goldfields (VGO), locked horns with Siyakhula Sonke Corporation’s (SSC) subsidiary, Flaming Silver 373, in the Mbombela High Court when their sale deal failed. The SSC has been blaming business rescue practitioner (BRP) Rob Devereux for the fiasco. Devereux started the business rescue process after the entrance to Lily Mine collapsed in February 2016, but was later joined by Daniel Terblanche, when his relationship with Flaming Silver’s CEO, Fred Arendse, came to an end. The mineral resources department ordered the immediate closure of the mines after three workers were buried in their container office. To reopen the mines, a total of…

One of my favourite calculations is that of net worth. It is not only meant for those who appear on rich lists, it is an important calculation for anyone working towards financial freedom. Effectively, the net worth calculation informs you if you are getting richer or poorer. Your net worth is calculated by adding all your assets and subtracting all your liabilities. It is simply the difference between what you own and what you owe. If your assets exceed your liabilities you are well on your way to financial freedom, but if your liabilities are more than your assets it means that you are living beyond your means. A lot of the time people concentrate solely on their salary; they concentrate on how much they make, which does make sense,…

The human species has a peculiar relationship with fatness. One century voluptuous figures are all the rage and the next thinness is in vogue. Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) cashes in with his art of full-figured women. A whole term has even been coined for his art form – Rubenesque.Urbandictionary.com defines Rubenesque as “applied to a woman who has similar proportions to those in paintings by the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens; attractively plump; a woman who is alluring or pretty but without the waif-like body or athletic build presently common in the media”. Fast-forward to the 19th century. Sabrina Strings, author of Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fatphobia, published this year, states that in her research she found that thinness has been a mainstream archetype in the…

“And, we are professionally prohibited by our regulatory code to discuss client matters with third parties.” Mdletshe was suspended on October 24 over allegations of financial irregularities involving loans, unauthorised payments and using the company’s credit card to buy flight tickets for his family. This week, Mdletshe told City Press: “This is an orchestrated plan to remove me, which would not have been a problem if they had approached me and told me I was no longer wanted. But they chose to remove me like this to hide the monies that have disappeared and hide their loot. I know that the R170 million [loan to Royale] did not go back to PGC … and I am going to defend myself.” In his letter of suspension, PGC board chair Loyiso Mdingi…

MOSES TSHAKE Tshake, a former auditor of the department of agriculture and rural development in the Free State was hijacked and killed on February 22 2013. At the time of his death Tshake had been investigating the Estina Dairy Project scandal in which more than R220 million – meant to benefit small-scale dairy farmers in Vrede – was transferred to Estina, a Gupta-linked company, which had been contracted by the Free State government to run the farming project. VUSI MLABA Mlaba was assassinated, hit by a hail of 15 bullets on the night of February 12 2016. Mlaba, an emerging farmer who lived in Warden, Free State, was a vocal community activist who spoke out against corruption in the Estina project. He was supposed to be a beneficiary in the…

Deputy President David Dabede Mabuza has come under heavy criticism following his comments in the National Council of Provinces that “we must be decent enough to keep our mouth shut” about reports that the Ugandan Parliament was considering reintroducing an anti-homosexuality bill. Under the new law, courts will impose harsh sentences, including seven years in prison and the death penalty for being gay or their supporters. When asked by KwaZulu-Natal DA MP Tim Brauteseth to condemn the human rights violations of LGBTIQ people in Uganda and other African countries, Mabuza said South Africa must respect other countries’ sovereignty. “You can’t impose your view of what you and your country think is right,” Mabuza said. But this did not go down well with civil society groups. “For Mabuza to say that…

Lennox Sitshetshe’s job of sending criminals to jail could be on the line as he stands accused of practising witchcraft in the office. He is also facing a charge of absconding when he went to meet prosecutions boss Shamila Batohi without an invitation. And now his employer, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), wants Sitshetshe to answer to these allegations in a disciplinary hearing if he wants to keep his job as a junior prosecutor. In August, Sitshetshe was placed on suspension following allegations that he sprinkled muti on the floor of an office he shared with colleagues at the East London Magistrate’s Court between July 7 and August 2. He allegedly threatened or attempted to assault a cleaner who wanted to mop the water on the floor. However, those close…

A North West provincial department has contradicted Premier Job Mokgoro’s statement that processes were under way for the donation of wildlife worth more than R100 million to be returned to the state’s possession. The 2016 game donation made headlines amid reports that some previously advantaged and established rare game breeders – and some politically connected individuals – were beneficiaries. Described as the “quantum leap donation” by the parliamentary portfolio committee on environmental affairs, the size of the donation and its approval came under scrutiny. Some issues had since been raised by the committee which recommended the reversal of the donation. Mokgoro recently gave the impression that this was under way. “The provincial government through the relevant agriculture and rural development department had issued a clear directive to the SA National…

A senior ranger at the world-renowned Kruger National Park has been suspended, following the completion of a probe into allegations of racism and the torture of black employees. SA National Parks (SANParks) hired Analytical Forensic Investigation Services (Afis) about five months ago to probe the matter, after black rangers began speaking out about their suffering at the hands of white colleagues. They alleged that their colleagues often accused them of rhino poaching and subjected them to apartheid-style torture methods, smothering and beating them in order to coerce them into confessing to the crime. The black employees claimed that they were handed over to police and detained, only to be released later in court because of insufficient evidence against them. SANParks’ management would nonetheless charge them internally and subject them to…

Friday’s announcement by CAF that it had terminated its $1 billion (R14.8 billion) television and marketing rights deal with French company Lagardère Sports has had a ripple effect. SuperSport has confirmed that the pay-TV channel will not be broadcasting CAF content, starting with the Under-23 Afcon tournament that got under way in Egypt on Friday, until further notice. “This also extends to the 2021 Afcon qualifiers, which resume on Wednesday,” said MultiChoice’s group executive for corporate affairs, Joe Heshu. “We are in a difficult position. We cannot broadcast the CAF games when we don’t have a firm contractual arrangement in place. SuperSport had previously acquired these broadcast rights from Lagardère.” This means local subscribers will miss out on Bafana Bafana’s opening qualifier against Ghana at the Cape Coast Stadium on…

For me, the most gratifying part of the Springboks’ ongoing tour of the country with the Webb Ellis Cup has been watching captain Siya Kolisi and veteran prop Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira soak it all in with the same passion they use to belt out the national anthem before games. It seems like everyone has forgotten, now that they are world champions (and we all know how we love a winner in this country), but it wasn’t long ago that both were branded as sell-outs on social media this year. Kolisi came in for his “Uncle Tom” moment when he was quoted during an interview while visiting his sponsors in Japan as saying the late Nelson Mandela wouldn’t have agreed with quotas. Then Mtawarira had to push back the release of…

While Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus’ six-two split on the bench has brought sexy back to the tight five, and Jacques Nienaber has introduced method to the rush defence’s madness, the Boks’ conditioning at the Rugby World Cup probably hasn’t gotten as much love as it should have. As our collective jaws have dropped at the relentless physicality of the Springbok pack, as well as a defence that presented the opposition attack with nothing but blind alleys, many of us may have overlooked the fact that lung-busting conditioning was the launching pad from which Erasmus’ demanding game plan was executed. But from the moment the world champions – being the first team to arrive and the last to leave at the World Cup was a metaphor of sorts, endurance-wise – set…

This time 30 years ago was arguably the most important in South African and world history. In a city 13 500km away from us, masses of people surged towards both sides of the Berlin Wall, climbing on top of it and chipping at the edifice with hammers, axes and other rudimentary tools. The scenes were emotional. For those on either side of that wall, it was the symbolic end of communism and the dawn of freedom. East Germans were celebrating the fall of the wall like it was akin to a prison breakout. For some among us, it was a tragic moment. A pall of sadness engulfed those who believed that socialism was the future and that places like the erstwhile German Democratic Republic were a laboratory for the nirvana…

Beast by Tendai Mtawarira with Andy Capostagno Published by Pan Macmillan Pages: 205; R290 During those three weeks when the Boks were playing at home and I was shuttling between Regan [Hoskins] and Michelle at home affairs, I started to think that this was probably not going to work out. But at the very moment when I was about to give up, I received a phone call that changed everything. I got a call from a friend saying: “Hey, Beast, the Arch wants to speak to you. Make sure your phone is on.” Later that afternoon my phone rang, I answered and a voice said: “Is that Beast? It’s the Arch here.” It was none other than Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the line. He said: “I love what you do…

The discovery of large South African offshore gas deposits has buoyed the oil and gas sector, but legislation needs to be finalised to attract investors and ensure that citizens benefit from the exploitation of the country’s resources. The discovery was made in February by oil and gas company Total at its Brulpadda prospect, located 175km off the southern Cape, in the Outeniqua basin. Estimated to contain 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent, the find has been lauded as “a game changer” for South Africa by Adewale Fayemi, managing director for exploration and production at Total. He was addressing delegates at this week’s Africa Oil Week conference, held in Cape Town. The discovery of gas in the Rovuma basin, off Mozambique’s northern coast, which holds an estimated 32 billion barrels of…

The R11 billion Beijing Auto Industrial Corporation (BAIC) plant at the Coega special economic zone in Nelson Mandela Bay has missed its deadline by two years because it failed to meet its own overambitious and unrealistic production targets set at the launch. The project, a joint venture between BAIC and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), was launched in 2016. Overzealous targets did not take into account unforeseen circumstances which usually affect projects of such magnitude. These came back to haunt the project. As the implementation of the project started, numerous problems such as work stoppages, language barriers, and differences in labour laws between China and South Africa were encountered. This derailed the targets set initially. “During the launch of the project in 2016, we were overenthusiastic and very optimistic. That…

Sasol Mining is putting up a fight to avoid reinstating or compensating employees who were dismissed for engaging in an unprotected strike a decade ago. The company said this week that it was appealing a labour court order which favoured the 941 employees. Sasol dismissed the workers when they staged a sit-in in the shafts of Middelbult, Bosjespruit, Brandspruit and Twistdraai mines in Mpumalanga in 2009 on January 22 and 23, over a dispute about a 7% wage gap between the company’s wage personnel and monthly staff personnel and 3% gap between Sasol Mining’s wage personnel and the rest of the industry. The labour court found that the dismissals were “substantively unfair”, even though they were procedurally fair, and ordered Sasol to reinstate workers who opted out of compensation retrospectively…

MTN R50 billion New Development Bank R23 billion Sanral R23 billion Transnet R22.16 billion Exxaro R20 billion French Businesses R20 billion IDC R18 billion Coca-Cola R14.7 billion Sappi R14 billion Amdec Group R14 billion Agribusiness R12.9 billion Development Agency Airports Company SA R12.875 billion Limpopo Eco-Industrial R10.7 billion Park Seriti Coal R10 billion Telkom R9 billion Liquid Telecom R8.5 billion Rio Tinto R6.5 billion Astron Energy R6 billion Atterbury R6 billion Steyn City Real Estate R5 billion Growth Point Properties R4.7 billion Orion Minerals R4 billion Teraco R3.3 billion Newlyn Investments R3.1 billion Vopak R3.1 billion HCI Hosken R3 billion Legacy R3 billion AMG-WEGO R2.79 billion Toyota R2.43 billion Triple Flag R2.1 billion Wilmar R1.5 billion Heineken R1.48 billion Discovery Bank R1.4 billion Opal Mining R1.2 billion Clover R1.16 billion…

Incorrect balances and terms on home loans, personal loans and revolving credit make up a significant portion of complaints to the Ombudsman for Banking Services, according to its latest report. Of the 5 996 cases it has closed so far this year, nearly 40% were related to maladministration by banks. According to ombudsman Reana Steyn, many complaints related to fees and charges, and many cases were concluded in favour of the client. Steyn says the ombudsman is often in the best position to identify and investigate maladministration by banks as and when it occurs, but adds that customers can help by being vigilant and querying their statements and balances timeously. According to the ombudsman, bank customers must take the time to go through their account statements. It is not impossible…

I saw a meme that says: “You know you are getting older when your back goes out more than you do,” which is funny, but back pain haunts many people. “Usually I can tell what I will be working on immediately when a patient walks into my practice, especially those who come in with a walk that is different from normal,” says Pretoria-based physiotherapist, Levy Tsoai. A large percentage (60% to 70%) of his patients are office-bound people. There are a number of office stretches that he suggests his patients perform regularly. Nonetheless, sometimes stretching and medicine are not enough. “Chiropractic is a complementary healthcare profession. So it is not allopathic [relating to or being a system of medicine that aims to combat disease by using remedies such as drugs…

Zulu Wedding This charming film will win over the hardest of cynics. A romantic comedy and love letter to the Zulu and Sotho cultures. – Channel24 Zombieland: Double Tap The Zombieland clique are back with more pointless, but oddly enjoyable adventures. The film isn’t very funny. It’s cleverly written in parts, but feels like a straight-to-TV offering. – Phumlani S Langa Maleficent: Mistress of Evil The sequel isn’t as bad as many claimed. It’s worth watching, if only for Angelina Jolie’s enlarged cheekbone structure, even though she doesn’t get much airplay. – Moroetsana Serame…