Innholdsfortegnelse for 3/15/2020 i City Press

With the number of South Africans infected with the Covid-19 coronavirus climbing at a rapid rate, an emergency Cabinet meeting scheduled for today is expected to come up with measures to curb the spread of the global pandemic in the country. Information gleaned from a high-level government document seen by City Press, as well as from interviews with senior officials, indicates that South Africa could follow the lead of some of the world’s most badly infected countries by imposing travel bans, instituting temporary closures of some airports and restricting public gatherings. Last night, a government source said that events where there were more than 1 000 people in attendance would be under scrutiny. The Cape Town Jazz Festival has been cancelled, and the Gauteng F1 is on hold. “It will…

In the article ‘Former DA heavyweights join Mashaba’, published in City Press on March 1 2020, we reported that Michael Beaumont’s relationship with the DA soured after it emerged that John Steenhuisen had an affair with Beaumont’s wife, Terry Kass, in 2010. However, Beaumont has pointed out that he continued serving in the DA until 2016 and left in good standing only when he was appointed as Herman Mashaba’s chief of staff in the City of Johannesburg. He said his relationship with the DA soured last year and had nothing to do with the affair. IS THERE A STORY THAT NEEDS TO BE HEARD? Let us know. Send an email to tipoff@citypress.co.za SUBSCRIBE TO CITY PRESS IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS AROUND THE HOME DELIVERY OF YOUR NEWSPAPER OR WANT…

More than 30 SABC radio sports bulletin readers are facing a bleak future as the public broadcaster has announced its intention to collapse sports segments and combine them with news bulletins at all of its public radio stations. The move is part of cost-cutting measures being implemented by the cash-strapped SABC as part of its turnaround plan. On Tuesday, the SABC sports department sent an email to both its radio station managers and sports readers, informing them of the impending changes. In the email, which City Press has seen, Gilbert Nyadzhiwa, programme manager for SABC Sport Radio, states: “As from April 1, SABC Sport will no longer provide sport bulletins on all radio stations. As a result, SABC Sport will not renew any contract with the bulletin readers – ie…

Isolation – Refers to isolation or confinement of Covid-19-positive individuals at one of the 11 designated isolation hospitals in the country. Quarantine – The World Health Organisation’s quarantine guidelines say: “Quarantine implies the use or creation of appropriate facilities in which persons are separated from the community while being attended to ... possible settings include holiday facilities, dormitory or military facilities; home-based quarantine might be the only feasible option.” While in quarantine, the people being attended to are well but have had exposure to Covid-19. They are quarantined to allow the incubation period to pass and to wait for test results when they are conducted. Screening at ports of entry: • At airports of entry screening begins on board with questionnaires being completed by all arriving passengers; • Port health…

African nations from Rwanda to Mauritania have reported their first cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, showing the spread of the pandemic is accelerating across the world’s second-most populated continent. The sub-Saharan region has been left largely unscathed as the pandemic swept the globe. Of the more than 140 000 cases globally, only a few dozen had been confirmed in Africa. Infections now appear to be expanding geographically, with many of the new infections being found in people who recently arrived from Europe. Mauritania, in the northwest of the region, reported its first case of Covid-19 on Friday – an expatriate who travelled from Europe on March 9, according to the ministry of health. In southern Africa, Namibia reported that a couple visiting from Spain tested positive – its first cases.…

Television actress Katlego Danke is one of those fortunate enough to have found a new home when soapie Isidingo was cancelled after 21 years on the screen. In November last year, the SABC issued a statement giving reasons for its decision to can the long-running soap opera, including “poor audience ratings, a decline in revenue and poor return on investment”. Danke (41) played Kgothalo in Isidingo, which aired its final episode on Thursday. This week Danke was excited to talk about her role as a trophy wife in the new Mzansi Magic telenovela, Gomora, which is the nickname of the famous kasi, Alexandra. Her new role as Thathi is a reminder of her popular role as Dineo Mashaba in Generations six years ago. Gomora is replacing the drama series, Isithembiso,…

The Gauteng executive committee has received approval from the national department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs to go ahead with the dissolution of the embattled City of Tshwane. City Press understands that Cogta Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma sent official correspondence to Gauteng Premier David Makhura and Cogta MEC Lebogang Maile about the matter earlier this week. The department has agreed that an administrator be appointed to assist with a turnaround strategy which will see the residents of the city receiving services and ensure that all irregular financial management is dealt with accordingly. This despite the DA going to court to challenge the decision. In the communication, which was sent on Monday, Dlamini-Zuma acknowledged the numerous steps which were taken by the provincial government to attempt to solve the problems of…

Wits University has come under fire for allegedly refusing to release a report into the conduct of its gender equity office, which is tasked with investigating allegations of sexual misconduct. A group which identifies itself as Witsies@Heart, the Academic Staff Association of Wits University (Asawu) and the National, Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), have been trying to access the report since last year. This week they all criticised the university, alleging that the management was refusing to share it. The investigation was conducted by Advocate Adila Hassim in 2018. Witsies@Heart said their attempts to have Hassim’s report released to the university community had failed. City Press understands that the university will not release it because of confidentiality. Witsies@Heart told City Press that the report would reveal what had…

After snubbing services from a municipality that the community refused to recognise for months, some residents of Vuwani in the Vhembe District Municipality in Limpopo are prepared to accept services from the Collins Chabane Local Municipality. Vuwani is made up of about 30 villages. Since 2015 its residents have been up in arms after the Municipal Demarcation Board moved them from the Makhado Local Municipality and incorporated them into the newly established Collins Chabane Local Municipality. This led to a spate of protests which sparked unprecedented violence. At least 30 schools were torched and other infrastructure damaged as the community demanded to be returned to the Makhado Local Municipality. The shutdowns culminated in the boycott of the 2016 local government elections because the Municipal Demarcation Board refused to budge. Eventually,…

ATHLETICS › Several prestigious marathons, including those in Barcelona (Spain), Paris (France) and Rome (Italy), have been rescheduled for later in the year › The World Athletics Indoor Championships, which were due to be held in China from March 13 to 15, have been postponed to next year › London Marathon - scheduled for 26 April - is postponed and rearranged for 4 October BADMINTON The Asia Championships have been moved from China to the Philippines BASEBALL The start of the Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball league has been postponed BASKETBALL All NBA matches have been suspended, as have all games organised by the International Basketball Federation CYCLING › Paris-Nice is being held behind closed doors by introducing buffer zones 100m around the sign-on podium at the start of the stage…

Gross negligence, complete disregard of the Public Investment Corporation’s (PIC’s) investment processes, suspicion of collusion, egregious violation of fiduciary duties by board members – these are some of the findings of the commission of inquiry led by retired Judge Lex Mpati, the former president of the Supreme Court of Appeal, into impropriety at Africa’s largest asset manager. The report, released this week, laid the blame at the door of Dan Matjila, the PIC’s former chief executive, for the number of hugely questionable investments made during his tenure. As a result, the commission recommended that the PIC must “explore where any personal liability is attached to the conduct” of Matjila – including with regard to any fruitless and wasteful expenditure which, if found to be the case, would make Matjila “liable…

Last week I was expecting a visit from a friend. She had even promised to bring me lunch at work. You can imagine my frustration when she did not pitch. Early this week I gave her a call and my opening remarks were to chastise her before she could say anything. “The least you could have done was to let me know you were not coming, rather than to keep quiet,” I said. She just listened to my rant without saying anything. Then: “You know I am sick and they suspect coronavirus. I went to hospital on Saturday at around 6am and left there in the afternoon after all the tests were done on me.” That was her response. I had nowhere to hide, for I had jumped the gun…

‘Madam chair, point of order!” “Yes, honourable member. On what point do you rise?” This has become a familiar exchange for anyone who has been following parliamentary sittings over the past few years. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent state of the nation address (Sona) was not spared from this exchange. For many, it was the most memorable part of the address. The exchange was initiated by EFF members, who disrupted proceedings and eventually walked out. They began their disruption by protesting against the presence of FW de Klerk, the country’s last apartheid president, in Parliament. De Klerk and his wife were invited guests. In a televised interview, conducted a few days before the Sona, De Klerk had denied that apartheid was a crime against humanity, saying: “Apartheid was not the sort…

It sounds funny and impossible to many South Africans, but it is a right step in the right direction. A big up to the Council of Education Ministers for proposing that Eastern Cape matric pupils be allowed to write their final examinations in isiXhosa. I know many South Africans will ask how pupils are going to survive in varsities and workplaces without English after matric. They do not know that universities are gradually transforming. Unisa and the University of KwaZulu-Natal allow students to write some exams in their vernacular. Again, writing in isiXhosa doesn’t mean matric pupils don’t know English because it will be offered as a subject to all students, but not as a language of teaching and learning. With this initiative, I don’t think the education department is…

For those who still doubt or deny that apartheid was a crime against humanity, here is why I believe that it was. I do so as a white South African, two-thirds of whose life was lived under, amid and then against apartheid. Despite that opposition, I know that I benefited from apartheid and still do, like all whites, at first unwittingly, then from my teens onward unwillingly. I was born in a hospital, grew up in comfortable homes provided by my professional parents, had an education in schools and at university, worked as an academic and lived in pleasant suburbs that were not just segregated but far superior to any that would have been my unjust lot had I been born a black person. My angle of approach to this…

If social media comments on the quarantine in Polokwane, Limpopo, of 122 South Africans – being repatriated from Wuhan in China – are anything to go by, bad news awaits them back home. Borrowing from the book of Leviticus 13:44, they could be “pronounced leprous and unclean” because they might spread the Covid-19 coronavirus. My view is not on the merits or demerits of where they might be quarantined but on the social media comments on the matter and on Covid-19 in general. Comments, especially on Facebook and Twitter, ranged from asking why Polokwane had been identified because it is not the capital city, to probing why those “sick” people were being taken to Limpopo and not to Thaba ’Nchu in the Free State. A quick profiling of the people…

International markets are still reeling after a bloodbath on the stock markets this week. The JSE was not spared, with R3.3 trillion in market value being wiped out in the first four days of the week. On Friday, the JSE’s all share index was somewhat higher than at Thursday’s close, but a country mile from the 52 936 points of a week ago. It closed 1.09% higher to end at 44 785 points. Companies, investors, pension funds and fund managers were left licking their wounds when the JSE fell by about 13% between Monday and Thursday. Nishlen Govender, portfolio manager at Citadel, said the loss from the peak to the trough for the most important exchanges, such as the JSE Top 40 and the S&P 500, totalled about 20% and…

South Africa has raised tariffs on poultry imports to help protect local producers who have called for measures to counter a flood of cheap shipments to our shores. The announcement immediately drew criticism from the US, which previously threatened to exclude South Africa from a preferential trade agreement after a disagreement over the levies in 2015. In January, the US began reviewing South Africa’s market access under the so-called Generalised System of Preferences -- the loss of which could put as much as $2.4 billion (R39 billion) of South African exports at risk. In the Government Gazette on Friday, Treasury said levies for frozen bone-in chicken pieces were raised to 62% from 37% for imports from all nations excluding the EU and members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).…

South Africa’s biggest banks are increasingly relying on the rest of the continent to make money as an economic recovery at home ebbs further away. The big four make the bulk of their profit locally, where power shortages, incoherent government policies, corruption and ailing state-owned companies have drained the fiscus and resulted in two recessions in as many years. None of the top bankers expect things to get better anytime soon, not while the Covid-19 coronavirus sows global panic. “It’s not often that we see bank earnings go backwards ... The more diversified you are, the more you can withstand any macro-shock across any region. The businesses that had diversity from a geographic perspective saw the benefit of that in these results,” said Nolwandle Mthombeni, an equity analyst at Mergence…

Asia’s leaders certainly didn’t have a road map. It is only with the benefit of hindsight (and the help of growing literature on the subject) that we are able to discern their strategy. To take Singapore as an example: to an extent, Lee Kuan Yew and his colleagues managed by a healthy combination of curiosity and pragmatism. When asked the secret of his success, Prime Minister Lee admitted that there was no miracle, but that rather, “We did a few things right and well, and continued to do them right and well, widening and deepening them all the time.” Still, there are many good reasons for Africa to learn from eastern Asia. The regions, we note, share similar colonial histories. More importantly, through better choices, Asia shows the possibility of…

South African tax residents are subject to tax on their worldwide income and capital gains, which will be subject to capital gains tax (CGT). Be aware that if you’re invested in a rand-denominated fund, also known as a feeder fund, the CGT can have a bigger impact as the rand depreciation is included. There are ways to try and reduce this but Andrew Wellsted, director and head of tax at corporate legal firm CMS RM Partners, says it can be a complex and expensive endeavour. “There is the possibility to invest via offshore estate planning structures and this can drastically reduce the South African CGT exposure. This is because the foreign structure would now be subject to tax in its own jurisdiction rather than the individual paying tax in South…

1 It disciplines you to save. A debit order goes off your bank account before you can spend the money, and you learn to live off the money that is left in your account. 2 Your savings grow over time. A relatively small debit order can become a significant amount of money over time. For example, a monthly debit order of just R200 (less than the cost of a meal out with the family) paid over 10 years will, thanks to the power of compounding growth, be worth as much as R40 000 if the investment grows at 10% a year. 3 It reduces the risk of emotional investing. With a lump sum investment in units (shares), the timing of entering the market has a significant impact on the investment…

South African doctors are very concerned about the possible impact of the new corona virus on people with HIV or TB, but there is no data about how these diseases would react to each other. What is certain is that people with heart disease, lung diseases and diabetes have a higher risk of getting sick and dying as a result of the Covid-19 coronavirus. According to the Johns Hopkins University in the US, the average fatality rate worldwide is 3.5% of diagnosed patients. Almost 81% of patients have light symptoms, 13.8% are admitted to hospital while 4.7% are critical and end up in the intensive care unit. Data from nearly 45 000 patients in China, where the Covid-19 outbreak started, show that older patients and those with other illnesses get…

Amapiano king Kabza De Small and Khathide “Tshatha” Ngobe scored big at the annual DStv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice Awards held at the Ticketpro Dome in the north of Johannesburg last night. Kabza, real name Kabelo Motha (28), scooped awards for Favourite Rising Star and Favourite DJ. Kabza and his partner in crime, DJ Maphorisa, collectively known as the Scorpion Kings, are popular for producing smash hits such as Umshove, Phoyisa and Chomi Areye Sandton. Last year, Kabza told City Press that the secret behind his successful music was understanding people who consume his music. “You need to love your craft first. Secondly, you should understand what your audience wants at all times. “Understanding the latest trends on the street helps a lot. It’s key to a successful music career,” he…

Eighty-four officials working for the higher education and training department have been flagged for illegally doing business with the government. In April last year the public service and administration department, working closely with Treasury, had flagged 1 068 education department officials, the highest number of all departments. Asked about what kind of contracts the officials had with the state, Treasury referred the question to the public service and administration department, which indicated that details would be revealed once police and prosecutors had finalised investigations. The public service and administration department told City Press that monitoring the central supplier database had led to the implicated officials being uncovered. Their names had been forwarded to relevant departments and to police for investigation. When asked what had happened after the officials were discovered,…

Listening to music helps patients who have suffered a stroke recover by stimulating their brain and lifting their mood, according to a new study. In the first study of its kind, researchers evaluated how music therapy improved the lives of stroke patients in Cambridge in the UK. Stroke is a leading cause of disability in the UK, and patients often struggle with motor skills and being able to cope mentally. The study found that playing the keyboards, drums and percussion instruments lifted patients’ general mood and helped them concentrate. The sessions also helped with rehabilitation by improving finger dexterity, the researchers found. Repetition is key to helping patients recover. Strokes have devastating long-term effects on sufferers, rendering many people unable to complete simple tasks. As well as speech and language…

Due to the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, the Sharks will go into the enforced Super Rugby break at the top of the overall table after prevailing in a typically nervy South African conference derby over the Stormers in Durban yesterday. Sean Everitt’s men, led by a late surge by their pack of forwards and key performances among the backs by fly half Curwin Bosch (14 points), centres André Esterhuizen and Lukhanyo Am, and fullback Aphelele Fassi, were deserving of their sixth win from seven starts. Thanks to their aggression at the breakdown, territorial play and judicious kicking by Bosch, the Sharks underlined their status as title contenders for whenever the competition resumes. Perhaps in keeping with the physicality one would expect from a South African derby, Stormers flanker Johan du Toit…

By the time Kaizer Chiefs play Bidvest Wits on Wednesday, only one point could separate the title chasers if Mamelodi Sundowns beat Orlando Pirates on Tuesday. With only nine or fewer games remaining for most clubs, the 2019/20 Absa Premiership campaign is entering its final stretch, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most dramatic endings in recent times. This season has proven to be competitive, and there have been many twists and turns. However, it is still too early to determine where the coveted title will end up, or who will go down, come May. Chiefs and defending champions Sundowns are in a close race for the title, while SuperSport United have emerged as the dark horse after a late rally of impressive results. Pirates and Maritzburg…

City Press and Mamelodi Sundowns are offering 20 lucky City Press readers a chance to win double tickets to their Absa Premiership match against Orlando Pirates on Tuesday at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. The game starts at 7.30pm. To win, SMS the keyword DOWNS to 34217. Please include your name and surname. SMSes cost R1.50. Free SMSes do not apply. The competition closes tomorrow at midnight. Winners will be notified by phone and must collect their tickets from the City Press offices at Excel Park, corner Roderick and Lynnwood roads in Lynnwood, Pretoria. Competition terms and conditions apply.…

The last time the top flight in English football was postponed, Leicester City had just beaten Manchester City 4-3. Six days later, Germany invaded Poland. A further two days later, Great Britain declared war on Germany and, in terms of the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939, no large gatherings were permitted. The Football League decided to suspend the first division. At the time, all teams had played three games and the only team with three out of three wins was Blackpool. Behind them were Sheffield United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton. On Friday, the top flight – and most other football leagues in the UK – was again suspended when the Premier League followed other leagues, including the Serie A, the La Liga and Ligue 1, that had earlier halted matches.…

There is a great column on the Eurosport website called The Warm-Up. It contains some of the most beautiful and witty writing about football that you will find anywhere – the sort of prose that makes you want to whistle wistfully as you slurp your vanilla milkshake. This week, The Warm-Up was sombre as the human race reeled from one of the biggest crises we’ve faced in modern history. What follows is a passage from the column published on Friday. “The Warm-Up needs to be honest with you all for a moment. It didn’t watch the football last night. Any of it. This is a football column and, admittedly, this could be a problem. But sometimes it’s hard to focus on sport, even one as glorious as football. “When you…

The events of the past few months in Tshwane, and the eventual dissolution of its municipal council, have brought into sharp focus coalition governments and how they operate. Whereas others might want to attribute the blame to the voters, the truth is that the main problem lies in how political party coalitions are being managed in South Africa. During the 2016 municipal elections, 22 municipalities emerged with hung councils. This was brought about by the fact that there was no single political party which had won with an outright majority in those municipalities. In a case of first past the post, a party with the majority vote would constitute a council. But section 46(d) of the Constitution provides that the electoral system “results, in general, in proportional representation”. It is…

Joe Naude via SMS Wouldn’t it be great if the Zulu royal household could be financially self-sufficient by attracting tourists and opening the palaces to the public like the British royals do sometimes? It’s not fair when all South Africans have to pay for the upkeep of eight luxurious palaces and the fancy cars of the king’s many wives. It is the 21st century after all. Zorba Gauteng Seeing as Goodwill Zwelithini is not my king, why should I pay for his royal lifestyle? I suggest that Zulu-speaking people should pick up the tab. Chris KwaZulu-Natal I am not a royalist nor am I Zulu. So why should the rest of South Africa pay for this patronage? Jen Hallowes KwaZulu-Natal These royals don’t add any value. They are just a…

Khamr: The Makings of a Waterslams is a true story that maps Jamil F Khan’s experience of living with an alcoholic father and the direct conflict of having to live a Muslim life that taught him that nearly everything he called home was forbidden. In a detailed account from his childhood to early adulthood, Khan lays bare these experiences. His memories are overwhelmed by the constant discord that was created by the chaos and dysfunction of his alcoholic home and co-dependent relationship with his mother, while trying to manage the daily routine of his parents trying to keep up appearances and his maintaining scholastic excellence. In this article, Khan tells us about his experience of delving into these memories while writing this book As a writer of scholarly and popular…

Peter Armitage, the CEO of Anchor Capital, and Peter Little, a fund manager, say there is money to be made in the market by investing in high-quality companies at reasonable prices, when the market is at a low point. Although there are various opportunities to buy, they warn investors to be selective and to keep in mind that this is a period of substantial uncertainty and volatility. Some of the opportunities Anchor sees include: • Shoprite – a quality business, it is looking attractive at less than R120 a share. • Investec also looks attractive with the unbundling of its asset management division, which will list independently from the bank as Ninety One. • South African bank shares also deserve attention, with price-to-earnings ratios of below 7x and dividend yields…

Thanks to William Shakespeare’s pithy dramatisation, March 15 – also known as the Ides of March – will always be linked with prophesies of doom and the assassination of Roman statesman and military general Julius Caesar – the ruler was stabbed to death by a group of senators inside the Senate on March 15 in 44 BCE. Some suggest that the mutineers’ motives were illuminated by the light of liberty and that they only wanted to prevent Caesar’s plans for a permanent dictatorship. Others argue that the senators were protecting the economic interests of a small elite from a reformer with strong popular support. Either way, Caesar was warned of his demise. Roman soothsayer Spurinna had been predicting trouble since February 15, when, during the festival of Lupercalia, he examined…

Companies must review and adapt their policies as soon as possible to prepare for the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. This has been the warning sounded by legal experts this week, against a backdrop of increasing numbers of South Africans contracting the virus and companies beginning to look at allowing people to work from home. “Companies may have to begin looking at granting extra sick leave for special circumstances, which Covid-19 undoubtedly is,” said attorney Anli Bezuidenhout, a senior associate specialising in employment law at legal firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr. According to Bezuidenhout and advocate Jackie Nagtegaal of legal insurance firm Law for All, an employee’s sick leave must be used if they are required to go into quarantine as a result of coming into contact with the virus. “It is also…

Favourite song of the year (brought to you by JOOX) Prince Kaybee ft Indlovukazi, Supta & Afro Brotherz – Gugulethu Favourite TV presenter Moshe Ndiki Favourite comedian (brought to you by Kia) Siyanda Maphumulo Favourite rising star (brought to you by Kia) Kabza De Small Favourite radio personality Khathide ‘Tshatha’ Ngobe Favourite actor (proudly presented by 1Life) Warren Masemola Favourite actress (proudly presented by 1Life) Sindi Dlathu Favourite music artist/group King Monada Favourite DJ Kabza De Small Favourite sports personality (brought to you by SuperSport) Siya Kolisi Favourite personality of the year (brought to you by Showmax) Bonang Matheba Ultimate viewers’ choice awards – most voted in total Khathide ‘Tshatha’ Ngobe…

The upcoming national conference of the ANC’s former military wing is shaping up to be a bitter face-off between the so-called generals and the foot soldiers. On Thursday, it will be the second time that the uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) tries to sit down for an inclusive national conference to elect new leaders after a postponement this week. The MK national council, referred to among lobbyists as “the generals”, is expected to put forward its secretary-gene-al Gregory Nthatisi for the presidency election. But MKMVA president Kebby Maphatsoe is also touted for the post and his lobbyists believe they have enough numbers among the 600 voting delegates to cause an upset. Maphatsoe’s lobby group has drummed up claims that former senior MK leaders who later became military chiefs in…

For Martha*, a Limpopo Capricorn TVET College student, finding out her negative result for Covid-19 coronavirus this week has been a relief – and, although self-quarantine is “hard”, she said: “I’m trying by all means to do what I’ve been told to do.” Speaking to City Press on Friday, on condition of anonymity, the 29-year-old said their group of 16, who had returned from Henan Province in China, initially had concerns about not having had laboratory tests for Covid-19 when they arrived back in the country on Friday last week. The return of the students had caused some mayhem with the provincial health department, which had said in a press statement last week that the students had been “thoroughly quarantined and tested before they were released” to return to the…

Cancellations of graduations, trips and the use of fingerprint technology to access campuses are some of the urgent steps taken by universities in response to the fear of a Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. City Press has learnt that universities have set up committees tasked with dealing with Covid-19 on campuses and taking precautionary measures for staff, students and visitors. A Wits medical student was quarantined on Friday morning for having been in contact with a patient who had tested positive for Covid-19. Wits would not respond to questions about details, and spokesperson Buhle Zuma would only say late on Friday that the student had been self-quarantining at home. “The next step will be guided by the outcome of the results,” Zuma said. This was after the Wits management committee announced in…

Ntosh Madlingozi is gearing up for his show, Sober Sex, on April 1 at the Auto and General Theatre on the Square in Sandton. And it’s no April Fool’s joke. We met with the laid-back funnyman at the headquarters of local humour, the Goliath and Goliath offices in Randburg, on Thursday. Madlingozi had just returned from the Cape Town leg of his show, where he performed at The Mother City Comedy Festival. The Goliath family has turned its family enterprise into the epicentre of local comedy. The small office reception area boasts three Comedy Choice Awards, and articles about Goliath and Goliath adorns the walls. As we sat waiting at reception, comedian and club co-owner Jason Goliath was spotted outside, conducting a phone interview while sitting in a Beemer. Madlingozi…

In the aftermath of Eskom’s attempts to recoup the R2.3 billion debt owed to it by Emfuleni Local Municipality – which saw the sheriff of the court seize property worth millions of rands this week– Gauteng’s provincial government has pledged to support local governments by offering officials “skills and finance management training”. Speaking to City Press, Gauteng finance MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said the province had already set aside R100.3 million, through its Medium Term Expenditure Framework, to assist municipalities identified as priority cases and to train officials to adopt good business practices, including fiscal discipline. In particular, she said, the money would be used for “building sustainable municipalities which can effectively deliver services to residents”. During her provincial budget speech last week, Nkomo-Ralehoko also announced that R19.5 million had been…

Primary schoolchildren are allegedly being signed up by “agents” to be “sold” to top rugby-playing high schools, and many poor families are being enticed by the large amounts of money on offer. This “sick” state of affairs comes against the backdrop of an age-cheating scandal that has unfolded at Glenwood High School in Durban over the past month. Four pupils who played in the KwaZulu-Natal Craven Week team were caught posing as younger players. In a letter earlier this month, Noel Ingle, who heads the SA Schools Rugby Union (Sasru) and the Glenwood Preparatory School, where the boys involved started playing rugby, apologised and pleaded innocence. Agents are being accused of recruiting young primary school pupils to “sell” them to top high schools and there is little that SA Rugby…

Sharks chief executive Eduard Coetzee is now the unlikely face of transformation in South African rugby. I say unlikely because, on the face of it, Coetzee – with his Pretoria upbringing and his Affies schooling – is as Afrikaans as they come. And Afrikaners have always been credited with the lion’s share of the blame for the reason transformation has never quite worked. But, thanks to his overhaul of the Sharks’ culture from a borderline toxic environment into one where black players are thriving, his thesis on transformation and his #ISeeColour belief, Coetzee is front and centre of a transformation movement driven by the very same people, administrators, who mostly only paid it lip service before. When starting out in his role, SA Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux, speaking about…

Fans of VfL Bochum have been able to buy tickets for their side’s second Bundesliga match against Heidenheim for a cheap €5 (R90). There is, of course, a slight drawback to buying a ticket at that price – the view on that side of the pitch is severely restricted. But the more expensive tickets (€8.58) have a similarly restricted view. There is, however, a completely understandable explanation for the fact that the pitch is hard to see – the club is selling tickets to a match that is being played behind closed doors. The club this week said it was just reacting to the wishes of their fans: “Many of our fans wanted to support the club and to purchase so-called ghost game tickets. We are very happy about this…

Tuesday: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Orlando Pirates (Loftus, 7.30pm) Wednesday: Kaizer Chiefs vs Bidvest Wits (FNB Stadium, 7.30pm) Friday: Chippa United vs Cape Town City (Sisa Dukashe Stadium, 8pm) Saturday: Black Leopards vs Maritzburg United (Thohoyandou Stadium, 3.30pm); Highlands Park vs Mamelodi Sundowns ( Makhulong Stadium, 3.30pm); Orlando Pirates vs Bidvest Wits (Orlando Stadium, 6pm); SuperSport vs Bloemfontein Celtic (Lucas Moripe Stadium, 8.15pm); AmaZulu vs Baroka (King Zwelithini Stadium, 8.15pm) Sunday: Polokwane City vs Kaizer Chiefs (Peter Mokaba Stadium, 3.30pm); Stellenbosch vs Golden Arrows (Cape Town Stadium, 3.30pm)…

Banyana Banyana and the nation need not worry about the safety of vice-captain Refiloe Jane, who plies her trade in Italy. the country is in lockdown in an attempt to combat the rapid spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. Jane, who is in the midst of her first season at Italian giant AC Milan, this week told City Press she was safe and sound, and referred all other questions to the club. The club said that “the players are all fine, they obviously have to stay at home and have to do training themselves”, as developed by the Milan fitness team. “For us and for Jane, no problem,” the club said. The Banyana star moved to Italy last year after helping lead South Africa to their first Women’s World Cup. Fifi,…

With Covid-19 coronavirus infections spreading rapidly, South Africans have now to become more realistic in dealing with the inevitable, rather than still hoping vainly that it will disappear. At an individual level, we are enjoined to do the right thing by ensuring good personal hygiene, avoiding mass events and getting tested as soon as we recognise any symptoms. Government has to do its bit to share information timeously, monitor the situation and take drastic action if necessary. Although late, the evacuation of South African citizens from Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the outbreak, is better than no action at all. The return of these citizens is voluntary. Hundreds of other South Africans will remain in China. Those who are returning to the country are being placed in quarantine in a…

All shout, no bite Some have wondered why Cereal kept Fearfokkol Mbalula in his Cabinet when he brings only bluster and braggadocio. Perhaps, being reserved, the Prez needed someone to shout and keep us entertained. Fearfokkol was in his element when journalists asked about him being implicated at the Zondo commission of inquiry by Khanyi Kweyama. He exploded: “Kweyama left me in Parliament without answering questions, and where do I meet her? At the Zondo commission ... where everyone who is bored goes to urinate.” Isn’t it time he also went to urinate? Dr’s diagnosis Cereal knows the pain of being mocked. After South Africans welcomed the first case of the Covid-19 coronavirus with memes, songs and dance moves, they now realise it is serious and want Cereal to do…

Bhekani Thabede KwaZulu-Natal South Africans in exile didn’t open spaza shops, didn’t sell drugs, didn’t fight police officers in protests, didn’t became security guards or falsify marriages to gain citizenship. They stayed in organised camps and knew what had brought them to their host countries. Immigrants hang around in our towns doing whatever, but they survive and buy cars and stay in flats. Molefe wa Lerato North West I am for open borders, but our African brothers are taking us for fools. If they continue with this behaviour then I’ll join the xenophobes and campaign to have them leave our country. Respect should be reciprocated. Nonqaba Mini Gauteng It’s true that it must stop because they owe us a great deal. These migrants are taking advantage of our ubuntu by…

How to Raise a Man: The Modern Mother’s Guide to Parenting Her Teenage Son by Megan de Beyer Penguin Random House 235 pages R240 •••-- Being a first-time mother of an almost five-month-old son, the responsibility to raise him to become an empathetic, responsible and respectful man is not one I take lightly. The truth is that, historically, many men haven’t treated women well and it’s only recently, with movements such as #MeToo and #MenAreTrash, that women have really started speaking out about it. The message is clear – we need to raise our sons better. So, instead of teaching our daughters how to not get raped, we should be raising boys who don’t rape. However, I think it goes a bit beyond that these days. The majority of men…

South African industry may well be struggling in the current economic climate, but the time of low growth is the perfect opportunity to focus on ways of identifying how to sweat existing assets and get maximum return on investment, rather than risking greater stress on the company’s bottom line by buying new assets. Now is also the time to set up scenario planning for future success, for getting the basics right in preparation for future growth, and for finding ways to optimise people and processes to provide strong foundations for future business strategies. While there’s much hype about the fourth industrial revolution, truly successful use of technology doesn’t necessarily imply that everything in a business needs to be automated, computerised or handed over to artificial intelligence and machine learning. Businesses…

Sasol, the country’s biggest company by revenue, said it might sell assets or stock to ease its financial woes after an oil price collapse exacerbated a debt burden swelled by a troubled expansion in the US. The fuel and chemicals producer will seek to reduce operating costs and reschedule some capital expenditure, it said this week. The group will be within its debt covenants on June 30, its financial year end, as long as oil prices remain at current levels, Sasol said. “The disruption in the global oil market, coupled with the ongoing effect of the Covid-19 coronavirus, has significantly changed the outlook in just a few weeks,” said CEO Fleetwood Grobler. “It is critical that we keep matters within our control by acting quickly and decisively.” Sasol, which is…

A locally manufactured vehicle, which will be a global first to be made from a cheaper and lighter hybrid of stainless steel, could be cruising on South African roads soon if things go according to plan. The Runza car will come with many benefits: cost-effectiveness, durability, crashworthiness and recyclability. Above all, it will be made from the abundant chrome-ore – of which about 70% of the world’s reserves are found in South Africa. The spinoff of manufacturing this car here is that the country will increase beneficiation of its raw minerals. Most car bodies are made from aluminium because it is lighter and therefore reduces fuel consumption. Their frames and pillars are made from cast aluminium. Now, lighter weight materials based on stainless steel, have been developed by engineers working…

Grocery shopping can be the pits – you go to buy bread and milk, but end up with a bag full of goods at a cost of R300 or more. How does that happen, and how can we be more conscious of our habits and stop ourselves from automatically taking things off the shelves? Saving money isn’t only about giving things up, buying less or tracking your every cent – sometimes, just being savvy and alert can save you money and allow you to get the most out of every rand. Before you next go shopping, consider these three tips: KNOW YOUR BUDGET This may be tricky if you don’t usually budget, but you need to set a spending limit to ensure that you’ll make it through the month. Shopping…