Innholdsfortegnelse for 12/15/2019 i City Press

Werner Wessels, creative consultant for Miss SA, had no doubt that Zozibini Tunzi would be crowned Miss Universe because “South African women have so much to say and give to the world”. Wessel was referring to Tunzi’s response to the question of what we should be teaching young girls today. “Leadership ... It’s something that has been lacking in young girls and women for a very long time, not because we don’t want to but because of what society has labelled women to be. I think we are the most powerful beings in the world and that we should be given every opportunity ... that is what we should be teaching these young girls, to take up space,” she responded. Wessels, who worked with Tunzi from the top 16 of…

Senior leaders within the EFF were for weeks locked in talks with former national chairperson advocate Dali Mpofu, trying to dissuade him from contesting the position of deputy president. But in the end his attempt at second-in-command fell short after he could not muster the minimum number of votes required to be eligible. EFF leader Julius Malema was nominated unopposed, while deputy president Floyd Shivambu also retained his post in the top six. The remaining four positions are widely expected to be occupied by new faces. Among those who are alleged to be in the running are senior leaders Marshall Dlamini, Veronica Mente, Poppy Mailola and Omphile Maotwe. Nominations got under way late yesterday, with the outcomes of voting expected this morning in the event of any contestation. City Press…

Scientists have found a specific circuit in the brain, previously only linked to overeating, that also alters impulse control. Researchers from the University of Georgia (UGA), US, say this circuit has hormones that increase food intake, which is what makes us order a bucketful of popcorn when we smell it at the movie theatre or grab a tub of ice cream at the supermarket. In a study conducted on rats, when this pathway was activated the animals lacked impulse control and quickly tried to reach food given to them by scientists. The team says the findings suggest that one day a pill could be developed to target this pathway to stop people from overeating or craving junk food. “There’s underlying physiology in your brain that is regulating your capacity to…

• Cement-less concrete known as Cenocell, which has been patented all over the world. Doyoyo invented this when he was based at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, one of the US’s top research universities. This cement is made from fly-ash, a byproduct of coal combustion in coal-fired power plants, cement production, paper manufacturing and mining operations; • Flushing solar-powered toilets that operate as a miniature waste-treatment plant. They are suitable for places where water supply and sanitation are scarce; • Ecocast brick-making machines that save water and energy; and • Design and construction of a hydrogen motorbike named Ahifambeni.…

The dual role of SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande as the leader of the party and a minister in government was again endorsed by delegates at the special national congress this week, despite mutterings that he should be stationed at headquarters full time in order to ensure the wellbeing of the party. The lobby to clip Nzimande’s wings did not gain traction. According to insiders, no one stood up in the plenary session to back the proposal, even when party stalwart Yunis Carrim opened the floor. Only one person raised the issue at the commissions, but it was not seconded because the dominant view was that the SACP constitution and previous congresses gave sufficient guidance regarding Nzimande’s status, City Press has learnt. Nzimande is currently the minister of higher education…

SUN 15.12 S’khipha Amafiles Moja Love (DStv channel 157), 9pm An investigative show that delves into difficult situations faced by people who reach out to the show to get help. Issues probed include fighting to reclaim a loved one from a cult to the behind-the-scenes life of the volatile relationship of Babes Wodumo and Mampintsha. MON 16.12 Ithemba Mzansi Magic (DStv channel 161), 8pm Award-winning actresses Vatiswa Ndara and Brenda Ngxoli star in Mzansi Magic’s new series, Ithemba. Sisters Philiswa and Nomonde are revealed to the rightful owners of the KOB land. WED 18.12 Ghosted: Love Gone Missing MTV (DStv channel 130), 9.50pm This programme helps a distraught Reese track down his friend Brendan whom he lost contact with when he moved from Illinois to San Francisco. FRI 20.12 Marvel’s…

Now that CSA finally has its director of cricket, there seem to be more questions than answers. The courtship of former Proteas captain Graeme Smith for the role began as far back as August, but now that he has “signed” four months later, it’s difficult to work out whether the chase has been worth it. The eye-catching detail of the deal is the fact that it is only for three months because CSA’s arse-about-face approach to sealing it meant Smith ended up signing a contract to commentate in the IPL before it was concluded. It is a sign of the position of weakness from which CSA was negotiating that a job in which putting structures aimed at sustaining the whole system in place could only be given to someone who…

Players are not allowed to wear armbands during matches. I was amazed by the number of people who contacted me regarding this issue. Are players allowed to wear armbands and traditional wrist attire during a game? The answer is very simple: No. I know it came up recently in a game in South Africa, where a player, for traditional and cultural reasons, wanted to wear them. But the law is very clear on this issue. Law 4 says: “A player must not use equipment or wear anything that is dangerous. All items of jewellery (such as necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, leather bands and rubber bands) are forbidden and must be removed. Using tape to cover jewellery is not permitted.” What is permitted is/are: “Non-dangerous protective equipment – for example, headgear,…

Tuesday, December 17 Bidvest Wits vs Mamelodi Sundowns (Moses Mabhida Stadium, 7.30pm) Friday, December 20 Bidvest Wits vs Cape Town City (Bidvest Stadium, 8pm) Saturday, December 21 Orlando Pirates vs Black Leopards (Orlando Stadium, 3.30pm) Baroka FC vs Stellenbosch FC (Peter Mokaba Stadium, 3.30pm) Highlands Park vs Golden Arrows (Makhulong Stadium, 3.30pm) Mamelodi Sundowns vs Polokwane City (Loftus Versfeld Stadium, 6pm) Chippa United vs SuperSport United (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, 8.15pm) Sunday, December 22 Maritzburg United vs Kaizer Chiefs (Harry Gwala Stadium, 3.30pm) Bloemfontein Celtic vs AmaZulu (Dr Molemela Stadium, 3.30pm)…

The newly appointed director of cricket at Cricket SA (CSA), former Proteas captain Graeme Smith, began his tenure by hiring old team-mate Mark Boucher as head coach and installing interim coach Enoch Nkwe as his assistant. Smith spoke to City Press about what he hoped to achieve in his three-month stint in charge. Do you feel that a three-month contract is sufficient to do what you need to do? There’s a helluva lot of stuff to get done. I need to work with the current South African cricket leadership to see where we end up because that’s the most important thing: where we end up. We need to find a way that we can all progress going forward. I guess the main focus now is getting stuck in and sorting…

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s term in office has not exactly garnered rave reviews. The man who rose to the highest office in February last year has been accused at various intervals of indecisiveness, lacking a backbone and lacking a coherent vision. The best compliments he has received are that he is better than his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, and that he is the best out of a bunch of mediocre leaders. This is unfortunate because much was expected of Ramaphosa, given that he had been in apprenticeship for the job for about two decades. This week, he again failed to rise to the occasion when the Eskom crisis presented him with an opportunity to lead. Not that he was expected to conjure up an engineering miracle and fix a problem that was…

Presidential ice As we move deeper into December, we will see lots of “ice boys”. These are leeches who hang around their monied friends and take instructions to do menial tasks, such as buying ice to cool drinks. Mbuyiseni Ndlozi was called Juju’s ice boy after he was seen running errands for Julius Malema. But we now have an ice boy in the highest office in the land. David Mabuza was seen dozing off as the president addressed the media on Eskom this week. Later, when asked a question by the media, DD requested to be allowed to first “walk the president out”. This is nothing short of ice boy tendencies, DD. High morals Back to Azapo, that political party that held a national congress in a town hall in…

Given the current situation in the country and in much of the world, it seems insensitive to voice the traditional wishes for a merry festive season and a peaceful and prosperous year to come. Because wishes, in and of themselves, are futile at best. To update an old Scottish proverb relating to horses and beggars: If wishes were dinners, the hungry would eat. Wishes on their own are worthless. Action is required if wishes are to have any chance of fulfilment. It’s much the same with hope, which, as great English poet Alexander Pope noted, “springs eternal in the human breast”. We may all wish that load shedding would end and hope that poverty will be eradicated in an unpolluted world of peace and plenty, but wishes and hope will…

As this is the last edition of the Your Money, Your Lifestyle pages for the year, I thought about the most important message I would like to share with you. Right now, the best thing you can do for your financial health is to plan for December and January. In most cases, when people write to us with financial difficulties it is because they have failed to plan. We live in a world that is geared towards immediate gratification and the misplaced belief that things will sort themselves out. We make impulsive spending decisions with the hope that the “future me” will have figured out how to pay for it. Given the expectations around the festive season, the impulsive spending and I-deserve-it mantra are at their peak, combined with the…

When the power cuts struck last Saturday, I took my camera and went to the park. It had already been raining for five days. A photo excursion works best when you are not looking for anything; when your mind is an open canvass, waiting for nature to leave its impressions on you. I walked around the park for more than four hours but covered less than 2km. I heard the birds chirp all around me, but I think they had decided that they were not going to pose for me on that day. I found some fallen trees and tried to photograph them but they were in a bad mood, deliberately lying on the wrong side. And even though they could sense my plea, they did not offer to turn…

EFF leader Julius Malema has laid bare some of the weaknesses of his party, saying that they are a hindrance to electoral growth. Malema was tabling his political report before the party’s second national elective conference, referred to as the national people’s assembly, which kicked off in Johannesburg yesterday. His concerns were supported by an organisational report tabled by former secretary-general Godrich Gardee, outgoing at the time, who painted a grim picture of the party’s performance in by-elections over the past five years. “The EFF has not built adequate internal capacity to win municipal ward-based elections. This is a huge problem in light of the fact that municipal elections are ward-based. We need to build capacity to win wards and win municipalities. “The reason that most of you do not…

When she met her blesser five years ago Lucia Tlou* (25) was convinced that she had found her soulmate. She says it was love at first sight. “He was my dream man. He was tall, dark and handsome. He stole my heart. On our second date he surprised me with white roses wrapped in R100 notes and a sterling silver engagement ring. He knelt down and proposed,” she remembers. “I was shocked; everything happened so quickly. I was not ready to commit, but I said yes!” A year into the relationship her boyfriend, who is a prominent businessman, bought her an apartment in Fourways and a Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and gave her a monthly allowance of R30 000. It didn’t matter that he was not spending time with her during the…

A 15-year-old pupil from the prestigious Kimberley Boys’ High School in the Northern Cape is dead after allegedly being bullied in the schoolyard. Northern Cape police spokesperson Dimakatso Mooi confirmed that a docket had been opened into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mxolisi Nelson Qwele (15) and that the case would soon be referred to the National Prosecuting Authority for a decision about whether to proceed to trial. The police were called in because doctors were not sure whether his death was as a result of natural causes. It is understood that preliminary medical examinations show that one of his lungs collapsed, that there was blood in his throat and that his brain was swollen. Qwele was allegedly throttled at school by a fellow pupil, four days before he…

Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has defended her censure of judges, saying no one must be muzzled or stopped from expressing their views about court decisions. She said her strong opinion on social media on Friday must not be interpreted as an attack on judges. Mkhwebane, unhappy with a high court decision which refused her leave to appeal her office’s adverse judgment for the Estina dairy farm investigation and the resultant personal cost order, took to Twitter to voice her distress. Mkhwebane tweeted that she hoped other Public Protectors who came after her “won’t have to deal with what I’ve been through – harassed daily, including my family, certain journalists tasked to deal with me and questionable judgments”. It looks like we are faced with a constitutional crisis, she said. “The…

The idea of the Buyel’Ekhaya Music Festival, which kicked off on Friday evening at Hemingways Mall in East London, is more nuanced than simply coming home as the name suggests. The organisers are trying to convey a sense of returning to our roots. City Press sought to find out how this festival, which is celebrating its 10th year, has grown and what it has offered the people of East London – beyond a lovely annual concert. The main attraction is the concert today, featuring Kwesta, Busiswa and Sho Madjozi, among others, and it is the quintessential coastal festive bash. In the past four years they have cleverly added a fashion element as a fringe event. A room on the rooftop of Hemingways was made available for a fashion extravaganza showcasing…

The UK is on course to leave the EU within weeks, with newly re-elected Prime Minister Boris Johnson preparing to deliver on his central campaign promise to “get Brexit done”. However, with the transition period now looming and Johnson coy on his vision for future UK-EU relations, analysts said the years-long political crisis is far from over and warned there could be more drama ahead. Johnson’s Conservative Party swept to a landslide victory in Thursday’s snap general election, handing him the parliamentary majority he needs to action Brexit by the end of next month and kick-start talks about post-divorce relations – on trade, security and law enforcement, among other issues. Anand Menon, director of the UK in a Changing Europe think-tank, said that, in the post-election short term, the Conservatives…

Real Madrid and Barcelona have a rivalry that goes far beyond football. It is steeped in the Spanish Civil War, in Francoism and, now, in the quest for Catalan independence. In fact, Catalan independence is the reason that the first El Clásico of the season is being played at Camp Nou, the home stadium of Barcelona, on Wednesday. The match was originally scheduled for October 26, but it had to be postponed following protests that took place in Barcelona. Demonstrators rallied against the lengthy jail sentences handed down to Catalan pro-independence politicians, following an unauthorised referendum that was held a few years earlier. Madrid then imposed direct rule over the region. There is no guarantee that Wednesday’s match will go ahead as Real Madrid have said that they will not…

Formula One is set to make history next year with its 22-race calendar, which will mark the longest season in the world championship’s illustrious history. It all started back in 1950, when 25 races were held – some of them on the same day or within three days of each other – but only six counted towards the inaugural world championship. Of the six, four – the Monaco Grand Prix in Monaco, the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps and the Italian Grand Prix in Monza – still remain part of the programme. Of the other two races on the calendar in 1950, the Swiss Grand Prix is no longer held, while the French Grand Prix is now held at the Paul Ricard Circuit at…

Must we unite around wrongdoers just because we share the same identity? Must black people unite around fellow black people who have not only been found wanting in rectitude but have made fellow black people suffer through theft, fraud and related shenanigans? Must women unite around women who defraud poor people? Is calling out a fellow woman or fellow black person for wrongdoing a betrayal of women and black solidarity? These are questions that have been troubling me. These questions kept coming to mind as speaker after speaker spoke at the Pan African Bar Association of SA (Pabasa) dinner and 70th birthday celebration of iconic struggle lawyer Dumisa Ntsebeza on November 15. If black people cannot hold fellow black people and women fellow women accountable for alleged or suspected or…

The case was simply titled Tshabalala v The State; Ntuli v The State. The purpose of the court was to decide whether someone could be convicted of rape even if they did not physically participate in the crime. And this week the Constitutional Court held that the doctrine of common purpose applied to the common law crime of rape. The court made this finding as it dismissed an appeal by two men who were convicted of rape 20 years ago, under the doctrine of common purpose. In other words, the men who “held skivvy” for their mates while they went on a “well-orchestrated and meticulously calculated” rampage, invading and robbing nine homes and raping eight women, were guilty of rape too. “This scourge has reached alarming proportions in our country.…

The unfortunate aspect of being a die-hard football supporter is that you swear by your team, through the best and worst times. Unlike my vote, which I have learnt to vary and apply according to the circumstances of the day, my love for my favourite team is constant and unyielding. This means that even when I am unhappy about decisions the team takes, all I can do by way of protest is to shrug my shoulders in indignation, but thereafter make peace with it. Young Orlando Pirates’ coach, Rhulani Mokwena, was recently removed as coach after acting in the role for about three months. He was taken back to the assistant role after the club hired a relatively unknown German coach, Josef Zinnbauer. The club has employed 11 coaches in…

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari declared during his recent visit to South Africa that xenophobic attacks in the country were a shame on Africa. Other African leaders have been similarly critical of the South African government’s inability to prevent attacks on immigrants and refugees. The recent outbreak of violence was the latest instalment in criminality that dates back to the beginning of the country’s independence in 1994. While no one can dispute the tragedy such violence has visited on immigrants and refugees, African observers, particularly political leaders, fail to understand three facts that define the problem: • Nearly all violence occurs in predominantly black townships and informal settlements; • The target of violence is not only African immigrants; and • Foreign nationals in most parts of the country are not subject…

The SA Reserve Bank’s worst-case scenario, which would see the country’s economy lose 1.1 percentage points in growth and lead to the loss of 125 000 job opportunities, is fast becoming a reality. The central bank’s latest forecasts predict that the economy will sacrifice 0.4 percentage points in GDP growth if Eskom’s availability factor declines to 65% for a few months. If the power station fleet staggers to 60% availability, the expectation is that 1.1 percentage points will be lost. Up until last week, Eskom had only been able to deliver 63% of its installed capacity. The past week saw a historic low for Eskom, with the ailing state-owned enterprise being forced to implement stage 6 load shedding (rolling blackouts). It is not yet known what the availability figure over…

The EU could impose tariffs on the US and other rivals if they refuse to settle trade disputes after the crippling of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). On Thursday, the European Commission, which coordinates trade policy for the 28-member bloc, proposed changes to an existing law that it has already used to curb imports of steel after US tariffs effectively closed the US market last year. The proposals are the EU’s latest response to a crisis at the WTO, which the bloc has relied upon for 25 years to intervene in trade conflicts. The WTO Appellate Body, which has acted as a supreme court for international disputes, became paralysed this week after the Trump administration’s blocking of new appointments for the past two years meant its membership fell below the…

Pay off debt or save your bonus? Some people have been fortunate enough to receive a 13th cheque and/or a tax rebate. These windfalls are a great way to give your finances a boost. One of the debates is whether or not you should use your bonus to pay off debt. While the logical argument is to pay off debt, some advisers point out that we get trapped in a cycle of spending on our credit cards all year and then settling the debt with our bonus, rather than learning to live within our means. The impact of not investing a portion of your bonus stops you from creating real wealth as you lose out on compounding growth. If you are severely indebted you may have to use your bonus…

With the year coming to an end, a lot of us are feeling fatigued and cannot wait for the holidays. We want to kick off our shoes, relax and spend time with our loved ones. I am, however, reminded of what Warren Buffett said: “Someone is sitting under the shade because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” We always wait for the new year to set new goals or pursue the things we want. But instead of waiting for the new year to get your finances in order, the best time to start planning is now. Before the holiday season is in full swing, reflect on the year that was and make plans for the coming year. HERE ARE TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR FINANCES IN 2020: 1 Set…

A company linked to a former employee of the Eastern Cape education department was awarded a contract – estimated to be worth about R500 000 – after she submitted a proposal which led to the company being awarded the tender. The contract, meant to clean up “ghost staff”, was awarded to HashData, which is linked to Sacha Wilson, the former deputy director and project manager at the Eastern Cape education department’s integrated document management and human resources record restoration project. The tender award and the suspension of the department’s chief financial officer (CFO) Jason O’Hara is now under investigation. City Press has seen a trail of emails showing personal relations and a proposal for the same contract sent by Wilson –s now a consultant at HashData – to Penny Vinjevold,…

The 2019 Billboard Women in Music event was held at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, US, this week. Its red carpet was star-studded with musicians who showed us that hitting high musical notes isn’t the only thing they’re good at. Moroetsana Serame lists more hits than misses Normani looked gorgeous in this double-breasted suit. The smoky eye and nude lip, paired with simple sleek hair and gold accessories toned down the loud print beautifully Alicia Keys was no shrinking violet in this lavender suit. The detail on the elbows and her matching bralette are the perfect additions to elevate this look Tenille Townes looked absolutely stunning in this neon suit. The bell sleeves add just the right amount of drama to this classic ensemble Billie Eilish paired chunky sneakers…

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) might pay dearly for its betrayal of the DA during the vote for the new Johannesburg mayor earlier this month. The IFP councillors voted in support of the ANC mayoral candidate, leaving the DA feeling betrayed. DA KwaZulu-Natal provincial leader Zwakele Mncwango has indicated that the party is considering reneging on the signed agreement with the IFP in the province. “The IFP has decided to marry itself to the ANC. In any relationship, when your partner decides to be unfaithful and marry themselves to someone else, that inevitably means the end of that relationship. In this case we did not pull out, they [the IFP] are the ones who pulled out of our signed agreement,” said Mncwango. The parties initially went into cooperative governance in…

The policy posture of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s sixth administration came under fire from delegates attending the SA Communist Party’s (SACP’s) special national congress, held this week, who warned that government might be “taking a shift to the right”. The four-day congress, which took place in Kempton Park, ended on Thursday. It was dominated by questions on whether government was implementing certain “neoliberal” reforms that favoured more profits for the rich at the expense of the poor, instead of adhering to the ANC’s leftist-oriented election manifesto and conference resolutions. Ramaphosa’s critics within the ANC have used the thorny issue of the implementation of ANC resolutions to question his leadership and to prepare for a critical appraisal of his term in office at the party’s national general council (NGC), set to take…

Thabang Moroe and Cricket SA’s (CSA’s) board appear to be directly responsible for the circumstances that led to the poor performance of the Proteas at the World Cup. This is according to a report released by the team’s brains trust after the World Cup. The “sign-off ” rights conferred on Moroe by the board on February 1, the feud between CSA and the players union, the South African Cricketers’ Association (Saca), the failure to allow players to return from the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier and a U-turn on the promise to renew team coach Otis Gibson’s contract are some of the reasons advanced for South Africa’s World Cup misery. The report was compiled and submitted by team captain Faf du Plessis, team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee and Gibson, shortly…

While most of the attention has been on Kaizer Chiefs’ runaway train, not many have noticed how Durban club Golden Arrows have been lurking not too far behind among the chasing pack. Arrows have staged a remarkable turnaround under the guidance of former Chiefs’ coach Steve Komphela. “When coach Steve arrived at the club [in December last year] he changed the mind-set of the players. He made us believe that we are not a small club,” Arrows’ captain, Matome Mathiane, told City Press this week. “If you look around, our team is full of young players but the coach knows how do handle them as he is a great motivator.” The 31-year-old central defender is adamant that his side’s placing in the fourth spot on the Absa Premiership table is…

The term “black tax” needs to be better understood. Our perceptions of the term have missed the fundamental economic realities of the black poor, working and middle classes. For anyone who might be wondering what “black tax” is and hasn’t overheard it yet at a braai or in a WhatsApp group, according to the Urban Dictionary it’s “the extra money that black professionals are expected to give every month to support their less-fortunate family and extended families”. This understanding of supporting family or less-fortunate family to be a “tax” had me thinking about the way black people relate to one another. Wouldn’t anyone who is in a position to help their family do just that? Whether Indian, Chinese, black or any race. Indeed, for the majority of black people, the…

As this lowly newspaperman was preparing for the festive season, celebrating the end of the load shedding and toasting the appointment of Josef Zinnbauer at the mighty and ever-glorious Orlando Pirates Football Club, a sobering note landed in his inbox. It was from an outfit called Emerging Advisors Group (EAG), an influential China-based research and advisory firm. It was titled: “South Africa is dead. What next?” The opening summary read thus: “Things have worsened considerably this year for South Africa in terms of real economic momentum, the fiscal balance and growth-adjusted funding costs. And, at this point, the future holds little but further protracted recession, spiralling public debt and endless rand pressures ... As a result, we see nothing to buy here.” Jolted, the lowly newspaperman dropped his glass and…

In Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics and violence against women of colour, Kimberlé Crenshaw demonstrates the direct ways in which class, race and gender shape the structural and political aspects of violence against black womxn in a patriarchal society. Crenshaw argues that gender and class oppression, coupled with racial discrimination, contribute significantly to black womxn’s social and political marginalisation. Diepsloot provides a poignant example – it is about 40km from the Johannesburg city centre and financial hub and it deeply lacks public infrastructure, including transport and municipal services. One service that is lacking is the provision of post-rape medical care by the health department. This is especially critical in Diepsloot where academic research revealed extremely high levels of gender-based violence. Research conducted by the University of the Witwatersrand and…