Innholdsfortegnelse for 10/11/2020 i City Press

When rumours of an extramarital affair between African Apostolic Church leader Bishop David Ramela and author Carol Motolo surfaced in church two months ago, Motolo took legal steps against members who were spreading the reports. But several church members who spoke to City Press on condition of anonymity this week claim that Motolo is expecting Ramela’s child. “She has ruled out the possibility of terminating the pregnancy because of her spiritual belief, which is against doing so,” said a source. According to at least two sources, news of the affair and the pregnancy reached the bishop’s wife last week. The sources alleged that the two started dating around March this year and when rumours of their secret love affair began circulating, Motolo instructed her lawyers in Lesotho to write letters…

Input from a commission at the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) lekgotla suggests that the governing party is contemplating more stringent measures to deal with the employment of undocumented immigrants in the country. This is one of the measures the ANC is trying to introduce to reduce the unemployment figures and build a formidable economy, while ensuring that the sporadic violent confrontations between locals and foreign nationals are dealt with. The commission, which focused on peace, stability and corruption, submitted its recommendations to the NEC at the end of the lekgotla on Monday. Chaired by NEC member Toni Yengeni, the commission’s other members are Cabinet ministers Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Ronald Lamola and Bheki Cele. It suggested that the employment of immigrants should be regulated to ensure that South Africans can participate…

Wide-scale corruption has rocked Mpumalanga’s best-performing school, where a principal allegedly paid staff members about R1.2 million over and above their salaries and pocketed more than R232 000 for himself, among other dubious transactions. An investigative report by the Mpumalanga department of education into Lowveld High School in Mbombela, which City Press has seen, also reveals that the school’s governing body was completely sidelined from the school’s financial affairs because the previous governing body wrongfully delegated financial powers to the principal, Willem Steyn. Steyn ran the coffers with finance officer Charmaine Tecklenburg, who was assisted by her mother, Sasha Botha, and they shifted money between five bank accounts. This week, concerned parents told City Press that the school’s management had taken a hardline stance on those who were in arrears…

Zulu Man in Japan Available on Netflix SA In this 44-minute-long documentary, we are taken back to last year, when rapper Nasty C went to Tokyo, Japan, on a creative pilgrimage. Shots of Nasty and his team wandering the city’s streets are inserted between an interview with the man himself, who explains his thoughts and feelings around the cutaway imagery. The main focus is on his studio session with Japanese rapper JP The Wavy. The two met via social media and, within eight days, created seven songs together, one of which is Chotanoshi (a little fun), for which there is a colourful video. The entire package has the gritty and cool feel we have come to expect from Red Bull, which facilitated this visit. Zulu Man in Japan is mostly…

Despite fears that the outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus would result in high claims from medical scheme members, driving up the cost of healthcare, the opposite has proven to be true. Since the outbreak of the pandemic locally, schemes have built up surpluses due to fewer claims as elective procedures were deferred to make way for hospitalisation related to Covid-19. There were also fewer emergency admissions because car accidents reduced dramatically, and the ban on the sale of alcohol led to fewer people seeking care in hospital trauma units. These have resulted in savings for medical schemes, which they are able to pass on in the form of lower premium increases. Discovery Health announced a zero increase in premiums for the first six months of next year and Momentum Health…

The spaza shop industry is a major contributor to the burgeoning township economies around South Africa. Often underestimated, this sector contributes billions to the country’s economy and provides an invaluable service within communities. The Grand-Pa Spaza Academy is committed to developing business effectiveness within the spaza shop industry, with a view to growing business success. With the development of successful small businesses, more jobs can be created, which uplifts communities by making them more economically active. The Grand-Pa Spaza Academy curriculum addresses the challenges facing small businesses, and is designed specifically for spaza shop owners. The programme focuses on developing basic business skills, understanding the fundamentals of marketing and customer relations, as well as the effective use of resources and financial management. Since its inception in 2013, over 1 000…

The ugly scenes we witnessed in Senekal, Free State, this week showed us the tinderbox that the farm attack phenomenon is and why it needs urgent attention. It is being used by right-wing groups as a rallying point – convincing white farming communities that they are being targeted because of their race seems to be working, which is a scary development. It is not enough for government to be dismissive and not react empathically to farmers’ grievances. This only serves to play into the hands of dangerous extremists. With groups like the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging basically dead, the Boeremag crushed and other extreme right groups unable to rise above the parapet, this issue gives extremists fertile ground to mobilise. This makes it a national security issue that deserves high-level attention. Why…

A free-for-all As the adage goes, if you can’t beat them, join them. Well, that seems to be exactly what the South African security forces are doing. After erecting a useless R40 million fence at Beitbridge and rounding up Zimbabweans across the country and deporting them, the defence force seems to have thrown in the towel after Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula confirmed that soldiers posted at the border were now escorting Zimbabweans to buy groceries and visit clinics in Mzansi before escorting them back home. Siyahleba likes it when a politician is this honest. It is hilariously refreshing. Indecisive Dave Siyahleba thinks it is very sad to watch a sober politician lose all power while still in office. Siya watched a pitiful Gauteng Premier David Makhura announce that he was…

Germany’s Michael Schumacher is widely considered to be one of the greatest Formula One drivers in the history of the sport, as his many records prove. One of those records could be equalled today in the German Grand Prix on the Nürburgring, a track on which Schumacher achieved five of his 91 victories. British wunderkind Lewis Hamilton, who has won six of the 10 races so far this season, stands at 90 victories. He missed an opportunity to equal Schumacher’s record at the Russian Grand Prix on September 27, where his race was derailed by two five-second penalties, and he finished third behind team-mate Valtteri Bottas and Red Bull Racing frontman Max Verstappen. Hamilton started his racing career with McLaren in 2007 at the Australian Grand Prix and secured a…

Alex Ramaala still clearly remembers the two races that chased him away from athletics. “My first race was a cross-country race in Alberton, which was apparently one of the hardest races because of the heat and the dust,” the 20-year-old recalls. “I was 11 and I hadn’t done any training because I’d undermined the running – that was a big mistake. “I didn’t do badly, I finished 10th, but it was so tough that my chest was sore the whole day. I was coughing and ... I was just in pain. My second experience like that was when I did the 1 500m at the CGA [the Central Gauteng Athletics championships]. “I also didn’t train for that race, and that was even worse because I needed speed and proper fitness.…

Prior to Pitso Mosimane’s abrupt departure from Mamelodi Sundowns, one bold promise he had made was to refresh the club’s ageing squad. This is reflected in the many signings the club has made in the ongoing player transfer window. However, with 12 new arrivals confirmed so far, the question is: Who will make way for the newcomers? Or will they just be another statistic at the club and never see much action? The impression is also that Mosimane – who has since joined Egyptian powerhouse Al Ahly – had the final say on the newcomers, and whether the acquisitions will fit in with his successors’ plans. Mosimane’s former assistants Manqoba Mngqithi and Rhulani Mokwena were officially named as the team’s joint coaches last weekend. Sundowns legal and commercial manager Yogesh…

Whatever it is, it’s not right. And whoever wronged the other needs to come clean and apologise. In life there is no need to hold grudges as this will hold us back. Instead, grudges remind us of the past, which we should not dwell on. Personally, I believe in resolving issues and moving on. Before you wonder what I am on about, here is my theory: I am referring to the issue of midfielder Bongani Zungu and his continuous “snub” by Bafana Bafana head coach Molefi Ntseki. The question of the selection (or non-selection) of Zungu pops up whenever Ntseki names the squad. For this reason, I think it is imperative that the coach addresses this issue once and for all. Coach, if Zungu is not part of your plans…

Eastern Cape 1. Bizana Pondo Chiefs (22 games, 47 points) 2. Spear of the Nation (21 games, 46 points) 3. Matta Milan (22 games, 45 points) 4. Bush Bucks FC (21 games, 42 points) Free State 1. Mangaung United (25 games, 59 points) 2. Super Eagles (25 games, 58 points) • All teams have played 25 games Gauteng 1. Pretoria Callies (23 games, 50 points) 2. Pele Pele (23 games, 45 points) 3. Baberwa FC (22 games, 44 points) KwaZulu-Natal 1. Mvoti United (24 games, 60 points) 2. Summerfield Dynamos (24 games, 57 points) 3. Dabeka Sporting (23 games, 53 points) Limpopo 1. Mikhado FC (24 games, 52 points) 2. Magesi FC (24 games, 48 points) • All teams have played 24 games Mpumalanga 1. Mpumalanga United (22 games, 45…

In the June 17 2020 edition of City Press, it was incorrectly stated that AfriForum has been telling powerful and influential international audiences that “government intends to seize all white-owned land” and that “whites are in danger of being exterminated through an ANCsanctioned genocide”. AfriForum has stated that it has never made such claims. The organisation says it does not believe that the wave of farm murders amounts to genocide and that its opposition to land expropriation without compensation does not equate to its believing that all white land will be seized. City Press withdraws these assertions and apologises to AfriForum.…

When local entrepreneur and reality TV star Shauwn Mkhize’s reality show, Kwa Mam’Mkhize, was nominated for the best reality TV show award by the Hollywood and African Prestigious Awards (HAPA), she was over the moon. Now the multitalented philanthropist is set to receive the honorary woman of the year award at the same function in Beverly Hills, US, next Sunday. Launched in 2002, these awards honour American and African pioneers of industry, academia and the arts. This week, an elated Mkhize told City Press: “To get the nomination for the best reality TV show was a big surprise, a welcome one. Our reality show is not even a year old, and it’s in isiZulu, yet still got nominated in Hollywood. It’s such an amazing feeling to get recognition after opening…

A year ago, Yanga Chief brought us one of the biggest songs of the year, Utatakho, which had us on full swag with the drip drip. His last EP, Becoming a Popstar, was crowned best hip-hop album at this year’s SA Music Awards (Samas), which were shrouded by the uncertainty of the Covid-19 coronavirus, as well as that a few categories were viewed as wrongly judged. The streets were unsure whether the crown of the hip-hop category belonged to Becoming a Pop Star or to YoungstaCPT’s Things Take Time. Either way, the Chief managed to outbox Youngsta, DJ Sliqe, KO and Big Zulu to win the coveted title. #Trending couldn’t think of a better time to have this man grace our pages and let us in on a little of…

The year has posed many uncertainties and now, without knowing what the future holds, private medical aid members need to decide on their medical scheme options for the coming year One lesson Covid-19 has taught us is to ensure that we have sufficient healthcare funding policies in place that suit our own and our dependants’ financial capabilities and medical needs. Most medical schemes offer benefit plans with various levels of cover and, from January 1, you can select any of the plans on offer by the medical scheme without being penalised. Typical categories of cover to evaluate within the available plans are: • Limited or unlimited cover; • Medical scheme tariff against actual cost; • Provider choice; and • Upfront payments from your own pocket in the form of copayments.…

On Wednesday, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize reported that 1 913 people had tested positive for Covid-19 in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 685 155. In that same period, there were 145 Covid-19-related deaths in the country, taking the total toll to 17 248. On Friday evening, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases released the weekly figures, which reflected that, in the previous 24 hours, 1 641 new cases were registered. Wednesday’s numbers mean that nearly 2 000 people were confirmed to have come into contact with someone infected with Covid-19 in 24 hours. This means that those people would have come into contact with and possibly infected others if they chose not to follow the prescribed social distancing guidelines and other regulations. And…

Meeting your childhood sweetheart and hitting things up again is a rare phenomenon. When it does happen, the lovebirds live to tell a remarkable tale. I recently had the experience of reuniting with my childhood sweetheart. Like many youngsters in the 1980s, growing up in dusty Matsulu, east of Nelspruit in the then eastern Transvaal (modern-day Mpumalanga), I marvelled at Chinese movies. From Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan to Shaolin monks, the movies were on another level. Of course, others enjoyed Western movies, where guns and shooting were the order of the day. During those days, a TV was a scarce commodity and families that had one always attracted many youngsters to their yard. It was common to see children sitting, kneeling or standing at an awkward angle at an…

For weeks, my eight-year-old son didn’t leave the yard, mainly because he didn’t want to wear a mask. “You know why I hate masks?” he said one evening as we lay on the bed in my bedroom. “Because you can’t see if someone is happy to see you because you can’t see their smile.” In a way only a child can, he went on to explain to me why not seeing people’s smiles was a loss for him. “Mama, it makes me very sad. I won’t even know if people are meanies,” he said. I told him that being happy to see people isn’t only shown with a smile. As much as he wants to see if people are happy to see him, he has to show it too, I…

President Cyril Ramaphosa stirred up a hornets’ nest when he dared inform ANC members that the public saw the party as Accused No 1 in the corruption stakes. Corruption always begins with a small group of criminals who manage to manipulate – and eventually taint – an entire system. The nooses are now tightening around the necks of those who initially thought they were untouchable. It seems that we’re moving from a week to a month, a year and perhaps a decade of handcuffs. Only time will tell when and how it will end, but there’s no doubt it will involve the destruction of both evidence and careers. As the handcuffing gains momentum and more beneficiaries start having sleepless nights, the party at the centre of the storm – the…

We’ve all heard it. It’s been shouted from the rooftops time and again – consistency! And who can blame the coaches, players and match commentators? A couple of examples might bring some perspective to the situation. In a recent game involving Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, referee Anthony Taylor came in for some stick after two crucial decisions he made. Firstly, there was the incident that I highlighted on social media and on my online show – Monday Review Show – where there was a coming together between Anthony Martial of United and Eric Lamela of Spurs. It was a nothing incident, really, except that Lamela made a huge thing of it. Picture the scene. Lamela sticks out his arm and makes contact with Martial’s neck/chin. Now,…

Sifiso Hlanti will not allow the Fifa transfer ban on Kaizer Chiefs to get in the way of realising his dream of playing for the popular Soweto club. Hlanti, who is a free agent following the sale of Bidvest Wits to Limpopo club Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila, has been training with Chiefs for the past two weeks. The towering wing-back was among the group of players left in limbo after the sale of the Clever Boys a few months ago. The 30-year-old is a lifelong Chiefs supporter and did not hesitate when accepting the offer from the club to train with them. The Glamour Boys are in the middle of a transfer ban saga with Fifa, after the club was sanctioned for the irregular signing of Madagascan midfielder Andriamirado “Dax” Andrianarimanana…

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Emperor of fashion David Tlale has been hard at work on a new collaborative range and expanding the reach of his brand, which has seen the shores of New York and will reach Ghana soon. At House of David Tlale, in the Johannesburg CBD, his team is hard at work, diligently examining fabric and threading seams. Tlale’s robust aura makes the large waiting area feel puny. Adjacent to the suede sofas and green Persian rug on the floor, his Style Awards grace a mantle above a mini bar fridge filled with his branded water. The golden branding on the bottle matches the shimmer of the multiple awards. Tlale takes a seat behind his desk on the all-too-iconic golden throne, looking like a monarch about to pass rulings down to his…

About R60 million in payments due to personal protective equipment (PPE) service providers to the Free State health department has been halted following an investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) on the Covid-19 tenders to supply surgical gowns. Last Friday, the SIU issued an interim instruction via email to the Free State treasury and health department, “asking them, inter alia, not to proceed with the payments pending our investigation”. It may not be enough for the crime-busting unit to just issue the instruction by email as the law requires that an interdict should be obtained from the Special Tribunal of SA. However, SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago on Friday said: “The SIU is initiating proceedings that will interdict and restrain the department from making further payments.” At least 32 companies…

The mother of Chuma Shweni, the late president of Nafcoc Youth who passed away under controversial circumstances at a traditional healing initiation school outside Johannesburg last month, wants to know the truth about her son’s death. It is alleged that Shweni died of a seizure on September 9 after he had consumed traditional beer (umqombothi) as part of a prescribed ritual. However, an autopsy carried out the next day found that he suffered head injuries from a blunt object. According to the autopsy report – which City Press has seen – his death certificate states that he died of unnatural causes. Shweni was a well-known businessperson who became a millionaire at the age of 21, according to his Nafcoc profile, and was heralded as a visionary, a fierce fighter against…

As the law takes its course with those implicated in the collapse of VBS Mutual Bank, there are still clients who have not received any of the money they lost. City Press understands that not all 17 894 of its retail depositors have qualified to open accounts with Nedbank, while those who qualified to do so have only been paid a maximum of R100 000. Nedbank was appointed by the SA Reserve Bank to administer the depositor funds of former VBS clients. The Reserve Bank has been working on assisting 144 of these victims with documentation so that they are able to claim back the money they lost. Aubrey Mulaudzi, an investor and a member of the VBS shareholders’ forum, said he received some of the money he had deposited…

AMN (Any Minute Now) Cassper Nyovest Available on all streaming platforms AMN (Any Minute Now) starts with a gospel-like intro by Zola 7, which was honestly hard to hear as the singing is a bit too grainy. It’s a long intro that eventually gives way to a fairly decent verse – at least by Cassper’s standards – on To Whom it may Concern. They aren’t the tightest rhymes, but at least he has the courage to try to impart wisdom and prod at notions of friendship and hate. He even takes aim at Scoop Makhathini and Riky Rick. Cassper is bobbing and weaving because, after this somewhat flat song, he brings on US producer Boogie for Thoughts, a sombre and sobering song that plays out over a trap soul soundscape.…

The World Bank believes that Africa’s road to economic recovery must be paved with sound economic policies, and that African countries need to reconstitute their fiscal space to finance programmes that can stimulate recovery, improve debt management and fight corruption. However, the most crucial measure of African countries’ economic recovery will depend on how fast they can prioritise policy actions and investment that address the dual challenges of extreme unemployment and inequality. These assertions are contained in the World Bank’s Africa’s Pulse: Charting the Road to Recovery report, which was released on Thursday and looks at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the continent’s economies. The report also makes recommendations for how African countries can move towards recovery, both individually and collectively. World Bank chief economist for the African…

Imagine spitting in your boss’ face and living to tell the tale. A lesser boss would have fired me on the spot, but not Brian Searle-Tripp. After that incident, we went on to build a life-long friendship. It was in Cape Town during the roaring 1990s and the last days of the reputed advertising industry, at an agency called Ogilvy and Mather, Rightford Searle-Tripp and Makin. We had a company tradition that was envied by many. The company had a pub upstairs, which opened every day at 4.30pm. On some Thursdays, the gigs went on for a long time, often curtailed by sunrise. I learnt from my boss that partying all night was no excuse for being late for work or, even worse, to slack off the following day. After…

When the late Nelson Mandela said he would join “the nearest branch of the ANC in heaven”, one could imagine OR Tambo being there to welcome his upstanding comrade. But given the old men’s reputed sober habits, we can’t say whether they would make a beeline for the local bar. Even less clear is whether his friends, Ahmed Kathrada, Andrew Mlangeni and George Bizos would continue their party support in the afterlife, or be too disillusioned to bother. Both Kathrada and Mlangeni watched helplessly in agony as the party of Nobel laureate Chief Albert Luthuli was desecrated. Their lamentations were often waved away as the fickle rumblings of the decrepit. They were seen as a nuisance, told to mind their own business. The only recourse for these galant veterans was…

With the ANC continuing to score own goals that will ensure its ejection from the pinnacle of South African politics, it’s worthwhile looking at the state of opposition politics. As the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Hawks seemingly get their mojo back, the arrests of some senior government officials and tenderpreneurs, mostly with ties to the governing party, may signal the turning point in the fight against graft – with the ANC squarely in the dock. It’s time South African opposition parties readied themselves to assume the reins from the staggering ANC in 2024. In its 26 years governing South Africa, the ANC has wrought more damage to the country than it has improved the lot of the downtrodden masses. The promise of “a better life for all” has…

Rafael Nadal maintained his grip on the French Open by reaching another men’s singles final – where he will face top seed Novak Djokovic today. Spanish second seed Nadal is going for a record-extending 13th title and won 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-0) against Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman in his semifinal. Nadal (34) has only lost twice on the Roland Garros clay. Djokovic is one of the men to beat him and set up another chance by overcoming Greek sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. The 33-year-old Serb showed his resilience to win 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1 against 22-year-old Tsitsipas, who was aiming to reach his first grand slam final. Now Djokovic will meet Nadal for the 56th time in their careers – no two men have played each other more – and…

Damian Willemse has been playing rugby for the vast majority of his 22 years on the planet. During that time, Willemse – who has grown into a thoroughbred athlete as explosive as he is agile, with feet that probably belong on Dancing with the Stars – has displayed such rare gifts in the game that he is bound to have repeatedly been described as “a natural”. In any pursuit, being called a natural is usually a necessary cushion for the gifted as they fumble their way through their formative years in their chosen field. Whatever mistakes Willemse would have made as a schoolboy player, being reassured that he was born to be a world-class rugby player would have come in handy when soothing the doubts that nag at all of…

“Every coach will want his assistant to do certain things. Cavin [Johnson] is very loyal, will be honest with him and will work very hard. Cavin will play that role of being a confidant and a good deputy. Pitso [Mosimane] has a good man there and he made a good choice. If Pitso wants something done a certain way, Cavin will have his back. “Cavin will do what Pitso asks without moaning or complaining. I think Cavin will give his input on tactics and be able to debate on a technical level about how to manage the team. They will be more like partners. Pitso will be able to rely on him. “They are in a foreign country, so they will become very close. Being the head coach can be…