Innholdsfortegnelse for 11/17/2019 i City Press

President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to launch an investigation into allegations that a major security breach at state arms company Denel may have led to the theft of classified and highly sensitive data about the company and the South African military’s missile capabilities. The unprecedented breach has been compared to treason and industrial espionage by a senior military officer. City Press can today reveal that, last week, Ramaphosa signed a proclamation authorising the SIU to probe allegations that intellectual property for some of Denel’s highly sought-after missiles was stolen by current and former employees. The intellectual property, which was allegedly stolen in about April last year, was allegedly given to arms company Saudi Arabian Military Industries (Sami). At least two former Denel executives, who met…

“But she became paranoid with everyone shortly after she started having problems with her husband” TV actress Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa’s domestic worker Mpho Koetsi (40) has described her as an “evil and heartless boss” who is hard to work for, after she claims she was fired for gossiping about her a week ago. Koetsi, who has been working for the actress and her husband Nkosinathi “Black Coffee” Maphumulo since January last year, claims that Mlotshwa fired her last Friday after accusing her of gossiping about her to Black Coffee and his mother – and replaced her with another worker on the spot. Koetsi, who lives in Pimville, Soweto, claimed the accusations were sparked by her being on speaking terms with Mlotshwa’s mother-in-law and the popular deejay. Now Koetsi is dragging…

Eleven people, among them three Transnet executives, are on the list of candidates being considered to replace the state-owned logistics company’s fired chief executive officer (CEO) Siyabonga Gama. Following the closing for application at the end of May, City Press has learnt that the 11 names were included in a “long list” for possible employment. Three sources privy to the CEO search process said interviews were conducted on August 13 by the Transnet board – with the assistance of independent and external experts professor Nick Binedell from the Gordon Institute of Business Science (Gibs) and Nosipho Damasane, former CEO of Richards Bay Coal Terminal. “The process included a competency-based interview process and personality assessment to identify leadership strengths and developmental areas,” one source said. “As matters stand, one of them…

Government is considering phasing out microbeads because these tiny plastic particles cause an enormous pollution problem, in the oceans in particular. Microplastics have a diameter of less than 5mm and land up in the sea because they cannot be removed from water sources. Marine animals eat this and it eventually ends up in people’s bodies, the department of environmental affairs’ report states. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) warns that microplastics are already polluting our freshwater resources. Other sources of microplastics are tyre wear, synthetic fabrics (bits that come off when you wash your clothes) and glitter, the WWF says. Microbeads are manufactured with a diameter of less than 1mm for inclusion in cosmetics and detergents (abrasives). The use of these is already banned in the UK, Ireland, Canada…

The Eastern Cape health department is facing more than R20 billion in medico-legal claims. Sizwe Kupelo, provincial health spokesperson, said the department had lost funds that were meant for service delivery through fraudulent claims of negligence that were submitted by legal practitioners. Kupelo alleged that, in some cases, the lawyers made these bogus claims without their clients’ knowledge in order to enrich themselves – and defraud the state. To date, the total value of medico-legal claims that the department was grappling with amounted to more than R20 billion, he said. While the department had settled some claims, added Kupelo, without specifying the amount, these payments were not part of the R20 billion figure currently before the department. The department was probing each of those claims to distinguish the genuine ones…

Skipping breakfast to save money for the next meal has been a way of life for some University of Pretoria (UP) students from poor households. A report compiled by the university’s institutional forum also found that about 40% of their students this year did not know where their next meal would come from, while a University of Witwatersrand (Wits) study in 2012 revealed that poor students scavenged for food from dustbins because they could not afford meals. The shocking details were revealed at the #FoodTalks seminar held by UP’s Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship (CAS) last week. The seminar, held at the university’s Old College House Seminar Lounge in Pretoria, focused on student hunger and how to achieve the right to food for all. The event was organised in…

The Spar Proteas are motivated to take this year’s momentum right through to 2023, when South Africa will host the Netball World Cup. The team will finish the year on a high after being rewarded for the great season they’ve had. At last weekend’s SA Sport Awards, they walked away with team of the year and federation of the year awards, and the cherry on top was when the federation’s president, Cecilia Molokwane, scooped the sport administrator of the year award. These awards were befitting a team that was crowned as this year’s Africa Netball Cup Champions in Cape Town last month. In July, the women in green and gold also made the country proud by reaching the semifinals of the Netball World Cup for the first time in 24…

At the risk of sounding boring, repetitive and defensive, I want to appeal to the public, players, coaches, managers and club officials to leave the refs to do their job. It’s not easy. In fact, it’s damn hard. Consider the official for just one moment – he or she acts as judge, jury and executioner, sometimes all in the space of seconds. I want to concentrate on South Africa and England for this week’s column. In my adopted country, South Africa, there seems to be a coordinated campaign to gang up on referees and there are few defence mechanisms the “men in black” can use to respond because, under Fifa’s rules, the referees are forbidden from engaging with anyone about their decision(s). I tend to agree with this line. Although…

When Ahmad Ahmad was voted in as the new president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in March 2017, he did not hesitate to make his presence felt. The Malagasy football administrator won the hearts of continental players and fans alike when he changed the African club competitions’ calendar to align with the Fifa international calendar. This was a stroke of genius when one considers that, for the longest time, African players had to deal with the club versus country debacle, resulting in some of them retiring prematurely from international football. This was because players feared losing their lucrative club contracts, especially those plying their trade abroad. Now CAF seems to be undoing that achievement. The tight schedules between fixtures in the ongoing 2021 Afcon qualifiers is a case…

A childhood dream could well become a reality for Zander Lombard as he stands on the brink of the biggest victory of his career in the Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club today. The South African, who considers this golf course at Sun City in North West his home turf because of his love for it, tees off the final round of “Africa’s Major” with a one-stroke lead on 11 under par. Just behind him on 10 under is compatriot Louis Oosthuizen and Belgium’s Thomas Detry. With one round to play, Lombard cannot help but think about what it would mean to win the Nedbank Golf Challenge and add his name to a list of some of the greatest golfers in the history of the game who…

It’s been 25 years since the official end of apartheid, yet it lives on, entrenched within everything that really matters – access to quality healthcare, education, housing, employment and basic services. The inequality trends report released by Stats SA this week depicts a country that is still very much divided. Inequality remains stubborn. It manifests itself along racial, geographical and gender lines. Inequality affects people in ways that really matter. The report shows stark differences between salary levels along race lines. The same goes for the employment rate. And despite concerted efforts to bridge the gender inequality gap in South Africa, women lag behind their male counterparts in almost every sphere. Inequality affects access to opportunities and personal growth, as the internet-less poor are practically cut off from the connected…

Digging deep Now that the Guptas have left town and the piggy bank is empty, Andile Mngxitama’s motley BLF stokvel is discussing its options. In a paper prepared for its upcoming conference, it muses on whether it should be “dissolved as an above-ground political organisation [or] goes underground and forms a people’s army”. Siya would like to know how deep underground so she can bring all her friends with shovels to help with the digging. We have not forgotten that time when Mngxitama spent a lot of time running away from the Red Berets, who wanted to have a word or two with him. Sweet nothings The DA’s former leader Mmusi Maimane emerged from weeks of obscurity to give his first interview. Many expected the pastor to speak frankly about…

Not long ago we saw our self-appointed anticorruption and good governance angel, the DA, start a journey of implosion with the unceremonious removal of party leader Mmusi Maimane. The resignation of Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba and the allegations he made cannot be taken lightly. Not that this was wholly unexpected in light of the history of the party and its black leaders. In a matter of days the party had undone its equal-opportunity mantra, replacing its key black leaders with white ones, including bringing back past leaders from the political grave. Some will argue that the DA is finding itself and, as with any inevitable change, the ructions we saw were normal. Those agitating for change within the party proudly pronounce that they are repositioning it, albeit through fight and…

AfriForum’s decision to investigate the murder of former Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa – on his family’s request – was received positively in all communities. On social media, numerous people very quickly sorted out the small group from the EFF who simply could not accept that black people and Afrikaners could cooperate positively to reach a common goal. Nor did Afrikaners and Afrikaans-speaking people hesitate to rebuke white racists who believe that AfriForum should only support white people. It was also apparent that some people were astonished that we would help a family that, five years after Meyiwa was killed, has still not seen justice done. Some asked why AfriForum was involving itself in the Meyiwa case. The short answer is simple – because it is the right thing to…

All comments from citypress.co.za Muller Oosthuizen Our leadership needs to step up on so many levels. Demke Bitzer As South Africans we should be ashamed to have this kind of deputy president. Kobus Pienaar This speaks to more than this issue. For David Mabuza to say what he said means the ANC also wants other countries to shut up about the human rights abuses in South Africa. I include the ANC because had it disagreed with his statement, it would have spoken up already. This is the start of a slippery slope. Lawrence Bhekinkosi Mavundla Our judgement of the suitability of a deputy president can’t be based on one comment made in Parliament. Maybe we should request to meet Mabuza instead of casting doubt about his suitability. Kurt Eiman I…

Everything is a Deathly Flower by Maneo Mohale Published by uHlanga 65 pages R180 At a time when South Africa has reached its tipping point in ending the silence about the pandemic that is gender-based violence, a piece of artistic acknowledgment of our intersectional traumas as experienced by a black, queer, survivor of sexual violence has emerged in Everything is a Deathly Flower. The book, an ode to the stories of survivors, is enmeshed in soliloquies of tender words and gentle mannerisms. Everything is a Deathly Flower encourages a realm where it’s okay to want to be held. A hand hug through words, a forehead kiss filled with acknowledgment, a mirroring smile of consolation are all human interactions that Mohale’s debut book shares with its readers. There’s a strong sense…

Michelle Adelman, CEO of Accite Holdings, an impact investment company, describes herself as a “problem-solving junkie”. It’s why she’s growing food for humans and fodder for animals in southern Africa, using hydroponic farming in arid conditions. She’s also promoting plant-based protein alternatives for meat, milk and eggs. She’s tossed the executive suits, high heels and briefcase lifestyle, from which for more than two decades she jetted out of New York across the globe, for a farmer’s hat, jeans and dust-covered hands. Her Damascene moment came seven years ago when, having successfully launched a new healthcare business for a New York equity company, she decided to reward herself with a swish new sports car. But right there on the salesroom floor, on the verge of paying for it, she had a…

The poultry industry master plan was announced by government last week at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s investment conference in Johannesburg. It is a creation of all relevant industry stakeholders – the government, farmers, processors, exporters, poultry importers and unions. It is a blueprint of the local poultry industry which has been flooded by cheap poultry imports from Brazil and the EU. It sets targets to be implemented by 2023 through the identification of five pillars instrumental in refocusing the poultry industry. These pillars are: • Setting up partnerships aimed at boosting production and feed availability and at the same time ensuring there is skills development; • Driving domestic demand and affordability of local broiler products; • Setting up safety and veterinary requirements within markets and giving opportunities to producers to export…

On May 10 1835, it was announced that all amaRharhabe would be expelled from the area between the Kei and Keiskamma rivers, and the land was to be annexed by the Cape Colony. The new province would be named Queen Adelaide. Chief Hintsa was forced to accompany Colonel Harry Smith’s patrol to gather Gcaleka stock. Shortly afterwards, Hintsa was killed in cold blood by George Southey. In the ensuing conflict, Maqoma and the amaRharhabe were securely settled in the kloofs of the Amatola Mountains. The months passed, with colonial forces trying to draw the amaRharhabe into a decisive battle. By September, after a long impasse, an agreement was made at the usual place, beneath a tall tree halfway between the fort and the Amatola Mountains. Although Maqoma was among those…

The liquidators of VBS Bank, which hope to recover R7.3 million from Jacob Zuma, appear to have a long road ahead of them – the former president seemingly can’t even pay school fees for one of his children. City Press’ sister publication, Rapport, can today reveal that a high school near Durban has obtained a default judgment against Zuma and his fourth wife, Nompumelelo Ntuli (45), over unpaid school fees for their daughter in the amount of R12 517. Reona Ramnarain, of Bentley Attorneys, confirmed this week that the account remained unpaid, despite the judgment against the Zumas being granted. The name of the high school is known to Rapport, but is being withheld to protect the identity of the minor child. The school obtained the judgment after Zuma failed…

“Oh no, not again!” This was the reaction of University of SA (Unisa) students on social media after the university sent out an email on Friday afternoon to students announcing that exam question papers for the second semester – October and November – had been leaked. The outrage was swift on social media after the university sent the email to its 400 000 students about the compromised exams. Unisa also informed the students that an investigation was underway to establish what had happened. Some students panicked online, speculating which modules were affected. Others speculated that it could have been the Taxation and Business Activities and Economics papers and the Foundations in English Literacy Studies exam. One jokingly asked: “Can Financial Accounting Principles, Concepts and Procedures be part of those leaked…

HIT Kelly Rowland ate this look up in her Iris van Herpen number from this year’s Fall/Winter Couture collection. The glimmer in her eye, simple and sleek hair and red lip, let the sheer do all the talking MISS Tamera Mowry-Housley looks like a fast-food restaurant mascot in this feathered outfit and the big yellow bow she slapped on to add a silhouette to the dress is an epic fail. Overall, the dress looks cheap and tacky MISS Bonang Matheba looked cute in her Fendi dress but for the standard we’ve all come to associate with Queen B, this look was a big disappointment. She looks like she’s about to go and have brunch and Mimosas with the girls and unbeknownst to her accidentally got dropped off on the E!…

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has announced that it will prosecute EFF leader Julius Malema’s former business associates and co-accused for tender fraud amounting to R60.4 billion, but Malema will escape prosecution – for now. In a letter addressed to lobby group AfriForum on Friday, the NPA said it would prosecute On-Point Engineering – as well as the company’s chief executive, Lesiba Gwangwa, and one of its directors, Kagisho Dichabe – in the high court. The charges relate to misrepresentation to Limpopo’s department of roads and transport with regard to the awarding of a tender worth almost R52 million. The NPA has added Thomas Rasethaba, who allegedly had a trust with an interest in On-Point, to the list of those who will be prosecuted. Gwangwa and On-Point will also face…

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s attempt to set aside and review Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s report relating to his CR17 campaign is nothing short of a leader trying to avoid accountability. The application has failed to establish a proper factual and legal basis for the review. These are the contentions Mkhwebane makes in her strongly worded responding papers, filed on Thursday in court, to oppose Ramaphosa’s review application. She says bank statements she received relating to the campaign were obtained lawfully. Ramaphosa (pictured), whom Mkhwebane found to have violated the code of conduct for members of Parliament and the executive, wants the report set aside. He wants the remedial action that he appear before Parliament’s joint committee on ethics and that the matter be referred to the National Prosecuting Authority to be…

Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy laid out her plans for dealing with plastic waste during her 2019/20 budget speech in Parliament: “Going forward, we must set up a multistakeholder implementation partnership, including at the highest levels of government. The management of waste and, in particular, single-use plastic waste, is a matter that also requires our most urgent and pressing attention. Our plastic bag regulations and the plastic bag levy are two mechanisms government has used to influence consumer behaviour and reduce littering. This is clearly not sufficient. The department is assessing single-use plastic products – plastic carrier bags, straws, earbuds, crockery and cutlery – and we will be conducting various stakeholder engagements in this regard. We want to see consumers challenge their favourite stores; we want to see…

In Black and Blue, the new cat-and-mouse thriller from director Deon Taylor (The Intruder), Naomie Harris doesn’t have time to stop and smell the gunpowder, let alone the roses. “She’s basically on the run for the entire movie,” says producer Sean Sorensen about Harris’ role in the action-packed drama, which follows the trajectory of Alicia West over the course of 36 hours. She’s definitely had a rough day and a half.” Set and filmed in New Orleans, Harris’ character West finds herself in a fight for survival after witnessing two fellow police officers murdering a drug dealer. To make things worse, the incident was captured by her bodycam. The film notably marks the first leading role for the UK actress, who has featured in both the James Bond and Pirates…

University of Western Cape: 1 000 students and hands out more than 50 000 meal packs; Sol Plaatje University: 1 200 students with three meals a day, costing R45 for breakfast, R50 for lunch and R50 for supper; Cape Peninsula University of Technology students depend on Nsfas; Sefako Makgatho University: 200 students; Stellenbosch University: 437 students with 1 546 meals and hands out 15 095 items of non-perishable food; University of Johannesburg: 16 000 students last year with two balanced meals a day – breakfast, lunch or dinner but numbers have dropped to 6 000 due to Nsfas; University of Mpumalanga: 60 students monthly and in winter also provides them with tea and coffee before writing their exams; University of Limpopo: donors contribute R292 800 for food and 30 000…

The Springboks have finally completed their “nationwide” trophy parade. (If you live in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the North West, Free State and Northern Cape, now you know that some provinces are more equal than others.) As is often the case in our country, sometimes messages get distorted and certain wrong narratives end up gaining traction in our society. During the celebrations of the Boks’ triumph in Japan, it has been mentioned consistently that captain Siya Kolisi, as a 14-year-old, watched the 2007 Rugby World Cup final at a local tavern because there was no TV set at home. Such an abnormal situation – a 14-year-old watching sports at a tavern – is not only normalised but it’s mentioned with pride and joy. Even rational and responsible parents do not see that…

An honest question that South Africa needs to answer is: Can the country afford to continue throwing money into the deep hole that is SAA? The honest answer is that the country cannot afford such a luxury while we are faced with high unemployment, a stagnant economy and grinding poverty. The national carrier is a nice-to-have institution that nurses the egos of political bigwigs who want to say they own an airline, regardless of whether or not it makes money. Turnaround strategies have been written, chief executives have been churned out, but the results have always gone from bad to worse. This week SAA announced that it intended to reduce its workforce by more than 900 workers. This did not sit well with employees, who downed tools and forced the…

With persistent unemployment and an unstable economy, it is important for South Africans to actively build a future they desire and strive to achieve by 2030. The importance of making sound economic policy choices and constantly tracking the status of the country gives citizens the valuable opportunity to make informed decisions that steer the country towards a future it desires. South Africa is a country that is developing; it has just reached 25 years of democracy and, though it has made strides, it is being crippled by crime, unemployment and a lack of a common goal. As it navigates the intricacies of a new democracy, we see groups of people uniting under the banner of creating solidarity while other groups are embroiled in political, racial and cultural conflict. To keep…

‘The Springboks’ emblem continues to represent Afrikaner supremacy” argues Modidima Mannya (Boks win: Unity or farce? City Press, November 10 2019). This would certainly be true if our society was stagnant. Fortunately, the majority of Afrikaners today are part of a new society and have broken ranks with the racist social order. I dare say that anyone who analyses South Africa of today through the prism of the past and the eyes of the almost extinct Broederbond is bound to arrive at a false conclusion. Such a person would always misjudge the unfolding social order and South African society which is in motion and constant change for the better, despite the clamour of the dying voices of the old social order. It’s this misreading of the past and history that…

Sandile Dikeni (pictured) is justly celebrated for his supreme skills as a wordsmith extraordinaire, people’s poet, griot, journalist, music lyricist and radio producer. He was an inspirational storyteller in the best of our African traditions. He had a “career” that transcended a variety of mediums. His poetry inspired us and his words expressed not merely his feelings, but became emblematic of our nation; anguished, brave, inspirational, uplifting, transformatory. Despite his upbringing in Victoria West, a sleepy town on the outer periphery of the Western Cape, where identity was diffuse and fluid, his vision was global. It is no accident that his name descends from warrior leaders such as Mgolombane Sandile, who led heroic struggles in the Frontier Wars. Sandile experienced the most traumatic incidents in his personal life that affected…

That tired old chorus about union wreckers and greedy workers is about to get fully under way again, as it always does whenever governments embark on austerity measures and inform “the nation” that we are all in the same boat; that we all need to “pull together” to salvage “our economy”. When organised labour disputes this, the invariable result is a cacophony of abuse from the business sector, which is all too often repeated – even magnified – at a governmental level. Workers, especially those in relatively secure, full-time employment, are portrayed as greedy, selfish and – horror of horrors – unpatriotic. The focus is also directed at the vast army of the unemployed and to the poorest of the desperately poor. Cynically – and sickeningly – we are told,…

South Africa’s biggest clothing retailers have promised to purchase an additional 85 million units in locally manufactured clothes, shoes and leather goods over the next few years in an attempt to boost the local textile industry. This undertaking by some of the biggest players in the clothing retail sector will boost the acquisition of locally produced goods from its present level of 44% to 65% by 2030. The announcement was made at the SA Investment Conference in Sandton, where a master plan for the development of the local textile, clothing, shoe and leather industry was signed by, among other parties, government, labour, the Foschini Group, Pepkor, Edcon, Mr Price and Woolworths. The textile industry has been pleading for protection and intervention since the 1990s, and government’s current industrial policy action…

Mint Connect, South Africa’s low-cost cellphone supplier, appears to be on the verge of collapse after its holding company CZ Technologies disinvested from the joint venture. The company, which supplies cheap cellphones to several retailers including Pep, Mr Price, MTN and Telkom stores, has failed to pay its employees since the company missed the August pay day. The company was meant to manufacture the low-cost cellphones locally but has failed to do so and instead opted for importing cheap mobile devices from China. City Press has seen letters which reveal that in August the company, formerly owned by former SA Revenue Service commissioner Oupa Magashula and entrepreneurs Rob Bruggeman and Sagran Pillay, promised but failed to pay its 34 employees that month. Instead it issued retrenchment notices last month. In…

A bidder for the ownership of Mpumalanga’s Lily and Barbrook mines, Siyakhula Sonke Corporation (SSC), has turned the tables and is now in the driving seat to sway the deal in its favour. Arqomanzi – an entity formed by SSC subsidiary, Flaming Silver 373 and Taung Gold – has won its application in the Mbombela High Court, which declared it an independent creditor of Vantage Goldfields SA (VGSA). The court declared that Standard Bank validly ceded its claims to Arqomanzi. The entity approached the court for this declaration after Standard Bank ceded all of VGSA’s loans amounting to R389 million to Arqomanzi. Arqomanzi’s “innovative manoeuvring”, as Mbombela High Court Acting Judge Hendrik Roelofse put it, will result in it having the upper hand in the matter as it becomes VGSA’s…

Individuals are significantly underfunded when it comes to disability or income protection. This is partly due to a lack of understanding or certainty about when or how this cover works. Insurers are starting to innovate around these covers to improve coverage rates. Making it easier to claim disability cover This month life insurance provider BrightRock brought significant enhancements to its temporary disability and income protection benefit, which provides certainty to the amount you will be paid and allows the client to receive the benefits as an upfront lump sum rather than waiting for the monthly income. The cover provides for 300 conditions which makes it the most extensive list of clinical conditions covered in the market and even includes pregnancy-related complications. Based on the clinical definition of the condition, BrightRock…

A landmark study into the relationship between financial services and prosperity across high-growth markets around the world has revealed that people’s definition of prosperity is more linked to financial security and peace of mind than to current income and wealth levels. The research by PayU, the fintech and e-payments division of Prosus – spun out from global technology investment giant Naspers – found that three quarters of people in high-growth markets do not identify wealth and income as driving factors of prosperity. In fact, three-quarters of people with a below-average income for their country report feeling prosperous. Instead, the top drivers for prosperity are being happy with your life, good health for your friends and family, having a good and stable job, and having enough savings for the future. Only…

What to drink when you’re not drinking The world is at the beginning of a paradigm shift in how it drinks, and global alcohol and sugary soft drink volumes are continuing to decline. Furthermore, the younger consumer is shunning alcohol altogether. Encapsulating the spirit of mindful drinking, Seedlip is pioneering a new generation of no-alcohol spirits using manufacturing processes, ingredients, formats, occasions and rituals common to its alcoholic counterparts to produce a sophisticated non-alcoholic drink. Better yet, it boasts zero calories and is sugar-free, sweetener-free and artificial flavour-free, making a Seedlip and tonic the credible adult drink for those not drinking. Seedlip Garden 108 captures the essence of the English countryside with sophisticated top notes of handpicked peas and hay from the founder’s family farm, with a complex herbal base…

Terminator: Dark Fate Arnie is back, but he plays a secondary role to the women in the latest Terminator film. Although a lot of people weren’t looking forward to this one, viewers who watch it are in store for all-out girl power in this watchable action flick. – Phumlani S Langa Zulu Wedding This charming film will win over the hardest of cynics. It’s a romantic comedy and love letter to the Zulu and Sotho cultures. – Channel24 Zombieland: Double Tap The Zombieland clique is 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…

Madea’s Family Reunion (2006) BET (DStv channel 129) Sunday, 8pm A Southern matriarch deals with a host of personal and family issues while planning her clan’s upcoming reunion. Ready Player One (2018) M-Net Movies Action (DStv channel 106) Wednesday, 8pm After the death of James Halliday, the creator of a virtual reality world, his prerecorded message reveals a hidden fortune, which makes teenager Wade Watts embark on a quest. Everything That Glitters (2018) Mzansi Magic (DStv channel 161) Saturday, 8.30pm Victoria Robinson seems to have the perfect life, but her unfaithful husband and a sexy younger man with dark motives will lead her into a dangerous game of cat and mouse, where she’ll discover that the perfect life comes with a high cost.…

SUN 17.11 Africa’s Great Civilizations SABC1 (DStv channel 192), 7pm The show portrays 200 000 years of Africa’s history and touches on subjects from the arts to writing, from the dawn of civilisation to the 21st century. The Odyssey SEASON ENDS M-Net (DStv channel 101), 5pm Following an accident, young Jay Ziegler falls into a coma. While his family and friends must continue their lives in the Real World, Jay finds himself in the magical Downworld on a quest to return home. Secrets in the Sky: The Untold... History (DStv channel 186), 8.15pm In 1943, in a circus tent in Burbank, California, in the US, a bunch of revolutionary thinkers gathered together in secrecy to build America’s first jet fighter. The Channel O Top 30 Channel O (DStv channel 320),…

“Security concerns were raised, including fears about IT security in terms of risk of access to network points. According to the whistle-blower, this led to the securing of the network points by putting plugs on them,” reads the SIU letter. The meeting did not happen at the company’s business development unit, but was hosted at its corporate offices. “The whistle-blower later realised that the Sami team had been at corporate [offices] for some time and that some information on the technology readiness level (TRL) of Denel’s missile products was provided to Sami on the instruction of Steyn,” the letter reads. “TRL is a type of measurement system used to assess the maturity level of a particular technological product. The officials who took part in these ‘negotiations’ with Sami from Denel…

As the EFF prepares for its second National People’s Assembly to elect its leadership next month, there is a growing sense of unhappiness among the so-called ground forces about the party’s empty promises on land expropriation without compensation and the lifestyle of some of the party’s leaders. The EFF is unwavering in its call for land expropriation and has not shied away from saying that land will be safer in the hands of the state. This has proved to be one of the pivotal factors in the party’s discussion document which was sent to the media. “All land in private hands is from henceforth expropriated without compensation and placed in the hands of the people as a whole,” reads part of the document. However, there seems to be a group…

Despite policy interventions to discourage and minimise the use of plastics, more than 50% of the plastic used in South Africa still ends up in our landfill sites. The Plastic Colloquium taking place in Gauteng on Thursday and Friday seeks to address and prevent this. While the plastics economy makes a significant contribution to the GDP of many countries through the support it provides to manufacturing and related sectors, plastics are increasingly considered to be one of the most problematic waste streams occupying landfill sites, illegal dumping sites, rivers and, ultimately, oceans, leading to dire consequences for aquatic life. South Africa is addressing the challenge of plastic pollution and its effects on human health and the environment. The study conducted by the department of environment, forestry and fisheries in 2017…

The fact that it is illegal to use dogs to hunt wildlife appears to do little to discourage their owners from letting the greyhounds’ hunting skills go to waste. They believe the dogs’ only purpose is to run after wild animals, tear them apart and eat them – and this is the only time these dogs experience freedom in the wild. “These dogs are meant for running – that’s what they were bred for. Even if we don’t catch anything on a day out hunting, a purpose is still served, which is to see them exercise and run in an open veld,” says Shaka Mcwango, a young man from Kagiso Hostel who has three dogs. To an ordinary person, the canine companions might appear skinny and underfed, but they are…

When Bafana Bafana team manager Barney Kujane retired shortly after the Afcon in Egypt in July, it was obvious who should succeed the veteran administrator. Safa looked no further than Levy Ramajoe, whose recent appointment appears to be more like a return on an investment than anything else. The 46-year-old, who hails from Bophelong township in the Vaal, is one of the federation’s longest-serving members, having come from humble beginnings as a quality controller at a steel factory. Called to join Safa, he rose through the ranks to become the federation’s goto man. The vast experience in administration that Ramajoe has garnered over the years enabled him to pull off one of the most complex logistics arrangements with regard to his charges, Bafana Bafana. The team had to face Ghana…

The expertise that guided the Springboks to the World Cup title less than two years after Rassie Erasmus took over coaching them will – if the director of rugby has his way – most likely filter down to the South African franchises campaigning in Super Rugby and the Pro 14. Erasmus, who stepped down from doubling up as Bok head coach after the World Cup final to focus on his director of rugby role for the remainder of his contract, is understood to be keen to embed his assistants in the franchises. In the past, all of Erasmus’ assistant coaches have been available to assist the franchises in attempts to get South African rugby aligned. However, it was mostly on a consultancy basis, where they would either go on tour…

Ahead of the demanding schedule facing his team, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane decided to take a short left out of the city so he could relax and stay away from the hectic football space. The Brazilians are facing a fixture congestion, starting with their Telkom Knockout semifinal clash against Golden Arrows at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Durban on Saturday. Then they are scheduled to host AmaZulu in a league game before taking on Angolan side Petro de Luanda in the first group game of the CAF Champions League – three games in seven days. Downs’ fixtures could force the PSL to reschedule some of their league games, especially if they reach the Telkom Knockout final. Sundowns will also most likely spend Christmas on the road as they are…

In the midst of the South African Under-23s celebrating their semifinal berth at the ongoing age-limit Afcon in Egypt, head coach David Notoane remains uncertain about what effect the end of the latest Fifa window will have on his squad. The junior Bafana played to a goalless draw against Nigeria on Friday to set a date with hosts Egypt in the Last 4 at the Cairo International on Tuesday night – the day the Fifa window officially ends. The two-week championship, which serves as the qualifier for next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, falls outside the international calendar and Notoane had his hands full trying to convince clubs to release players before then. The coach is hoping the clubs will do the “respectable thing”, given that South Africa are…

The word ‘shutdown’ has increasingly become one of the most loosely bandied about words in South Africa. Anyone with a grievance – be they students, unions or communities – grabs a microphone, issues a press statement or takes to social media to threaten to shut down a city or an institution. This week, the SA Municipal Workers’ Union threatened to shut down the Johannesburg CBD, probably because mayor Herman Mashaba has not refunded the union’s general secretary for a botched 1980s perm. A number of trade unions actually managed to shut down our national airline, demanding salary increases and rejecting SAA management’s proposed retrenchments of 900 workers. Since President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in February that Eskom was to be split into three units, various unions and federations have threatened to…

The global fashion industry is a lucrative business valued at $2.4 trillion (R35.6 trillion) and employs some 300 million people across its value chains. This sector is a crucial source of employment and is also a big gross domestic product (GDP) contributor for emerging and developed economies. While current total industry employment figures are not available, in 2014 the global textile, clothing and footwear sectors were estimated to employ between 60 million and 75 million people, three quarter of them women. In South Africa, due to huge job losses because of cheap imports, the industry now employs about 80 000 people. But this industry is due to get a much-needed boost in the form of Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel’s new masterplan for the sector. Patel, in his budget…

The impasse over the R18 billion debt owed to Eskom by Soweto residents represents a ticking time bomb if quick and sustainable solutions are not found to address the crisis. At the heart of it is the culture of non-payment for services, entrenched during the struggle against apartheid. Resultant disconnections have accelerated illegal connections. The township has witnessed violent resistance to prepaid metres. The call for a flat rate is therefore a different guise of this non-payment culture. It would be preposterous to propose a flat rate on airtime for cell phone usage or a DStv subscription. The principle is always, the more you use, the more you pay. A mind-set shift is needed to acknowledge that water and electricity are crucial and have to be paid for to ensure…

Robert McBride: The Struggle Continues by Bryan Rostron Published by Tafelberg Pages: 360 Price: R290 Judge Douglas Shearer delivered the verdicts on April 7 1987. He and his two assessors gave Greta Apelgren the benefit of the doubt on the most serious charge; they concluded that the state had not proved she knew about the car bomb and acquitted her on all counts relating to the Magoo’s Bar deaths. Robert McBride, however, was found guilty of murdering Angelique Pattenden, Marchelle Gerand and Julie van der Linde. Both accused were also found guilty of aiding Gordon Webster to escape, and of harbouring a terrorist and helping to smuggle him out of the country. A number of counts, especially against Apelgren, were dismissed. Nevertheless, McBride was found guilty of furthering the aims…

Great songs are like trees; they live for a long time. Patty and Mildred Hill’s song Happy Birthday is more than 125 years old. It’s wrecked all records and is the most recognised song in the English language. The internet is the greatest pollinator of songs. It brought us the South Korean sensations Gangnam Style and Baby Shark. It also exported our music to the world. There is even a YouTube video of members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army doing the Idibala. Sho Madjozi has become one of the most recognisable South African music exports. There was a time when songs travelled mostly via the wireless – they took long to travel and, like trees, did not reach certain countries. But there will always be a defiant tree. There…

The steel industry, which has also been complaining about cheap imports and unsustainable administered pricing for years, suffered a further setback this week following the announcement that ArcelorMittal SA (Amsa) would be closing its Saldanha plant in the Western Cape. Willie Venter, trade union Solidarity’s deputy secretary-general for the metal and engineering industry, said Amsa had its back against the wall for some time without any significant attempt by government to come to its aid. “Government simply has to revise its economic policy more urgently to stop the impending job losses,” said Venter. About 900 people will lose their jobs in Saldanha. Kobus Verster, CEO of Amsa, said the structural competitive advantage of the plant had been wiped out over the years and Saldanha could no longer compete effectively and…

A strong resolution from government is required if the country’s R48 billion poultry industry is to be revived to its former glory, and this must include the urgent implementation of harsher import tariffs. Responding to the recent announcement by government of a poultry master plan – a blueprint for the industry that aims to contain imports and apply trade measures to protect the local industry from unfair trade – the SA Poultry Association (Sapa) says poultry is the second largest industry in agriculture in the country, and the biggest employer. It is also globally competitive and goes up against the top six countries in the world in terms of the lowest cost per kilogram of chicken produced. In an interview with City Press this week, Sapa’s general manager of the…

You probably have heard advice that you should try to pay off debt with the highest interest rate first because this will allow you to save the largest amount on interest. This is true, and it can be a very good strategy if implemented cleverly. Some people take this one step further; since home loan interest rates are generally lower than car loan interest rates, you hear them proudly proclaiming: “I have paid off my car using my home loan’s access facility. I am going to save so much interest!” But will they really? And is it a good idea to use your home loan to pay off your car? It can be, but there is an important aspect which needs to be considered – repayment term. It is important…

After buying a house, a car is the second most expensive purchase most people will make. Whichever way you look at it, having a car is a necessity in most cases, especially here in South Africa where the public transport system is not reliable. A car does not just allow you the freedom to get around, it helps you to get to and from work, which provides for your livelihood. But cars carry a big price tag. There is a lot to consider when buying a car – whether it’s new or pre-owned. Most times people focus on the monthly instalment they think they can afford. For example, someone will say: “I can afford to buy a car which costs R5 000 per month.” But what other important costs must…