Innholdsfortegnelse for Saturday, June 27, 2020 i Pretoria News Weekend

Cigarette ban stands, Fita case stubbed out ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za THE buying and selling of tobacco products, including cigarettes and electronic cigarettes, remains banned in South Africa. This was confirmed yesterday afternoon when the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, turned down with costs the application by the Fair Trade Tobacco Association (Fita) to reverse the ban on the sale of tobacco products as part of the national lockdown. The ban, introduced for health reasons as part of the strategy to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and help manage the health risks for those who contract it, has led to an increase in the smuggling and illegal sale of cigarettes. When amendments to lockdown level 3 regulations were announced, alcohol sales were permitted from June 1 during limited hours, but tobacco sales…

Advice for women in love affairs STAFF REPORTER AGAINST the backdrop of horrific crimes against women, wellness coach Lynette Kruger has a key message for young women entering into relationships. Keep in mind the image you had of yourself growing up and the kind of life you envisaged having, and ask if your experience is matching up to that, advised Kruger, who was the guest on a Pretoria News Facebook-live chat on Tuesday. She spoke of the escalation in gender-based violence and how it was magnified during lockdown when victims felt trapped with their abusers. Kruger advised women to consider these as warning signs: ● He’s sarcastic and makes you question your worth. ● You do not feel loved and respected. ● When you question him, you’re being emotional or…

LAID BACK Hearing those sweet tunes on some sunny day JOUBERT MALHERBE A RESULT of the various stages of lockdown we’ve been subjected to over recent times has been the emergence of DIY boffins. The skills levels haven’t been the same but, nonetheless, people have been trying their hand at tackling various projects. Knowing my limitations, I will happily exclude myself. The other day I went to a Mica store at the mall in funky Doringkloof, to get bird seed. I’ve been a pretty good customer over the past couple of years, since a growing number of feathered folk – mostly sparrows (aka “mossies”) and doves – have made our garden in groovy Glover Avenue a port of call for a peck. I’m amazed at how quickly word gets around…

Time to dump ‘together’ for something real LINDSAY SLOGROVE TOGETHER. The most overused, abused, hackneyed, trite word in common usage today. It should be a beautiful word, filled with hope, mutual respect and support, and above all, action. It should be, for example, a parent, teacher or mentor assuring a young person that we’ll tackle this tough challenge “together”, then sitting down and actually working on the problem until a solution is found. It should be people checking over their neighbours’ walls to see how they really are, and if they are struggling, offering valid, concrete, actionable help or support. Or asking for help if you need it. It should be – especially in these desperate Covid-19 times of separation – making sure your family, friends and colleagues are really…

COVID-19 US governors back-pedal as the numbers of cases increase WHEN Texas began lifting corona-virus restrictions, Republican Governor Greg Abbott didn’t wear a mask. He wouldn’t let mayors enact extra precautions during one of America’s swiftest efforts to reopen. He pointed out that the White House backed his plan and gave assurances there were safe ways to go out again. Two months later, a sharp reversal is unfolding as infections surge. The back-pedalling is not just in Texas. As an alarming Covid-19 resurgence is setting records for confirmed cases and hospitalisations across the US South and West, governors are retreating to measures they once resisted and striking a more urgent tone. Critics bristle that the actions are too little, or worse, possibly too late as patients fill up intensive-care beds…

BELGIUM Mixed-race women sue for crimes against humanity FIVE mixed-race women born in Congo when the country was under Belgian rule who were taken away from their black mothers have filed a lawsuit for crimes against humanity targeting the Belgian state. With their claim, they hope Belgium will finally recognise its responsibility in the suffering endured by the thousands of mixed-race children, known as “métis”, who were snatched away from families and placed in religious institutions and homes. “This systematic policy of racially motivated abduction is a crime against humanity,” Michele Hirsch, the women’s lawyer, said yesterday. “It is not enough to say: ‘We apologise.’ Reality has to be taken into account. Their lives have been shattered.” Last year, Belgium’s then-prime minister Charles Michel apologised to the métis children who…

Nigerian embassy in Indonesia vandalised PRETORIA: The Nigerian embassy in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, was vandalised by protesters. According to reports, the protesters were Nigerian citizens who were protesting on Thursday against the alleged discriminatory practices and infringement of their rights by Indonesian immigration officials. Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama condemned described the attack as “disgraceful”. “Every effort will be made to identify them and see they are severely punished. Totally unacceptable behaviour,” he tweeted. The protest comes a week after an apartment block under construction on the premises of the Nigerian High Commission in Accra, Ghana, was demolished by a businessman who claimed the building was being built on his land. ANA…

Lockdown-themed reading You’re not alone: thrillers and mysteries that feature characters stuck in isolation CAROL MEMMOTT  The Washington Post SHELTERING in place doesn’t mean you can’t go visiting. You can drop in on fictional characters trapped in isolated houses in out-of-the-way places. No social distancing is required, and you’ll sympathise when they feel the walls closing in. Lucy Foley’s crime novels are compared with Agatha Christie’s locked room mysteries in which murder suspects are trapped at the scene of the crime. The atmospheric The Guest List (William Morrow) is set on a craggy island off the west coast of Ireland where family and friends gather for the Instagram-ready wedding of Julia Keegan and Will Slater. The island can only be accessed by boat, so when a member of the wedding…

FOOTBALL CEO: Time running out for season’s end MINENHLE MKHIZE THE Premier Soccer League (PSL) will decide next week as to when and where the local season will end. The Absa Premiership and Division Two (GladAfrica) will probably be completed in Kwa-Zulu-Natal and Gauteng, but as yet it has not been decided which province will hold which division. Acting PSL chief executive Mato Madlala said that they will be meeting with their board of governors next week. “We have a board of governors meeting on Tuesday. The matter of sending the letter to Fifa and where are we going to finish is on the agenda. We also have to discuss the start of the new season also. Time is not on our side. Our wish is that the PSL and…

TV GUIDE TODAY Golf: PGA Tour: Travelers Championship, Day 3, 7pm, SS5, CSN, SS1 Motorsport: Supercars Championship: Sydney SuperSprint Race 1, 7.10am, SS6; NASCAR Cup Series: Pocono Organics 325 in partnership with Rodale Institute, 9pm, SS6 Rugby: Aotearoa: Blues v Highlanders, 9am, CSN, SS1 Soccer: Premier League: Aston Villa v Wolves, 12.30pm, SS3; Emirates FA Cup, Quarter-final: Norwich City v Manchester United, 6.25pm, SS3; SkyBet English Football League Championship: Leeds United v Fulham, 3.55pm, SS3, SS1; Serie A: Brescia v Genoa, 5.05pm, SS9; Cagliari v Torino, 7.20pm, SS9; Lazio v Fiorentina, 9.35pm, SS9; La Liga Santander: Athletic Bilbao v Mallorca, 1.55pm, SS7; Celta Vigo v Barcelona, 4.55pm, SS7; Osasuna v Leganes, 7.25pm, SS7; Atletico Madrid v Alaves, 9.55pm, SS7 TOMORROW Golf: PGA Tour: Travelers Championship, Day 4, 7pm, SS5, CSN,…

Tshwane scores Miss South Africa finalist hat-trick TSHWANE has three of the 15 finalists in the Miss South Africa 2020 competition. They are 24-year-olds Chantelle Pretorius and Lebogang Mahlangu and 22-year-old Natasha Joubert. Pretorius is a full-time model who spends half her time working in Europe while also working to complete a BCom business management degree at Unisa. Mahlangu is a food scientist working for a large multinational. Her original passion was for soccer, and she represented Gauteng province. She is also a social entrepreneur with a community bakery in Soshanguve. Joubert, who comes from Centurion, holds a BCom degree in marketing and works as a public relations officer for a legal firm. The other finalists are Anarzade Omar, Busisiwe Mmotla, Olin-Shae De La Cruz (Gauteng), Savannah Schutzler and Jordan…

CAPTURED Spectacular drone pictures DRONES this week captured two natural encounters off the coast of South Africa. A drone picture by Gerard Britz in eMkhomazi and posted on Drone Love South Africa captured a huge shoal of sardines as the annual sardine run reached the South Coast shore. The sardines bring in their wake gannets, dolphins, seals, sharks and other animals. This year, because of lockdown, only those living near the coast have got to participate – with those living inland relying on social media to share in this natural phenomenon. Meanwhile, a teenage drone pilot called Zach B captured scenes of a great white shark circling some surfers and paddlers in Plettenberg Bay. The NSRI is asking people to be cautious along the Southern Cape coastline and the Eastern…

Mogoeng has done SA ‘d isservice’ Mandela grandson urges chief justice to step down if he stands by his statements on Israel JONISAYI MAROMO MEMBER of Parliament and grandson of former president Nelson Mandela, Nkosi Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela, joined the call for Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng to retract his statements expressing his apparent support for “apartheid Israel”. “We call on Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng to retract statements attributed to him by Jerusalem Times (The Jerusalem Post) supporting apartheid Israel. We request him to uphold Madiba’s legacy of standing for human rights and unreservedly supporting the struggle of oppressed peoples and those living under occupation all over the world,” said Mandela. “President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela’s support for the struggle of Palestinian people living for 72 years under apartheid Israel’s occupation…

EDITORIAL We shall overcome this virus IT HAS become Gauteng’s turn to stand in the eye of the Covid-19 storm. Up until now it has been the Western Cape that has borne the brunt of the pandemic, with the Eastern Cape following closely behind. Now the coronavirus is in the country’s economic heartland. Hospitals in some of the viral hot spots are becoming overwhelmed, with patients being forced to lie on the floor as they receive treatment because there simply are not enough beds. None of this is new. None of this is unexpected. On the contrary, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has been an exemplar of proper crisis communication: he has kept the country in his confidence, he and his advisory committee have continuously painted a picture of what will…

CARPING POINT Sho’t Left solution for hard-pressed national Treasury KEVIN RITCHIE @RitchKev THE TAXI industry flexed its muscles on Monday and Gauteng, the country’s economic heartland, immediately took the hit. People arrived late for work – whether they were on board taxis or stuck behind them. Some didn’t even make it. The protest was done and dusted that day – just to remind the government of what lies in wait if the taxi bosses don’t get their way. What they want is more than the R1.135 billion being offered as compensation for the loss of earnings during lockdown. It works out to R5 000 a taxi, which owners say isn’t enough. They want R20000. For an industry that is resolutely unregulated and often downright lawless, known neither for the tax…

The People Perfect storm for coronavirus infection LONDON: In many ways, it has been a perfect storm for illegal gatherings in England as hot weather has prompted people to abandon their cooped-up Covid-19 existence. After incidents of crammed beaches, illegal street parties in London and soccer celebrations in Liverpool, there were worries yesterday about the averse attitude to the spread of th virus. | AP Small-scale miner’s $3.35m tanzanite find CAPE TOWN: A Tanzanian small-scale miner and father of 30 has become a millionaire after finding two of the world’s biggest tanzanite stones. Saniniu Laizer was handed a cheque for $3.35 million (more than R57m) from the country’s ministry of minerals at a trading event yesterday after he discovered the tanzanite stones in a mine close to the Kenyan border,…

Mexico City police chief shot, 3 dead MEXICO CITY: Heavily armed gunmen attacked and wounded Mexico City’s police chief in a brazen operation that left three people dead, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said yesterday. The chief later tweeted, apparently from the hospital where he was being treated, that he beleved the Jalisco New Generation cartel was responsible. Sheinbaum said in a news conference that the police chief, Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch, was being treated in a hospital, but was out of danger. She said a truck carrying gunmen with rifles blocked the chief’s SUV and opened fire. Two of those killed were part of García’s security detail. The third was a woman who just happened to be driving by. AP AP…

SERIES Snarky,smart jokes starting to wear thin HANK STUEVER  The Washington Post GIOVANNI RUFINO Netflix LAST year’s polling data on the first season of Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan’s Netflix series The Politician came back somewhat mixed, as it should have. This cynically satirical series, which charts the political rise-fall-rise cycle of a supremely confident and self-interested young man named Payton Hobart (Ben Platt), takes an all-too-easy theme (politics is corrupt) and stretches it well past its usefulness or comic potential. Owing its tone and stylistic approach to a chaotic blending of Wes Anderson, Tracy Flick and Selina Meyer (and speaking in Murphy and company’s native tongue of speed-sass), The Politician has apparently ignored some of the voters’ feedback on season one. The show almost certainly needs fewer…

CREDIT Consumer debt defaults set to rise DEBT DEFAULTS by consumers are expected to rise as they struggle with the economic impact of Covid-19, according to credit bureau TransUnion. In its South Africa Industry Insights Report for the first quarter 2020, released this week, TransUnion highlighted some of its predictions on the economic impact of the pandemic on the consumer credit market. Carmen Williams, director of research and consulting for TransUnion South Africa, says: “Towards the end of 2019, the credit market had already started to feel the impact of challenging economic conditions. This trend continued into 2020 and began to accelerate as both consumers and lenders started to experience the impacts of Covid-19. With lockdown measures taking hold only towards the end of the first quarter, demand for consumer…

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED HOW TO STRUCTURE AN EMERGENCY FUND I want to start saving an emergency fund. What should I be thinking about? Name withheld Nirdev Desai, the head of sales at PSG Wealth, responds: Start by setting a ballpark. Although it can be difficult to determine what you’ll need, or may seem impossible to reach your targeted amount, knowing where you are going is an essential first step. The rule of thumb for an emergency fund is to save three to six months’ living expenses. For some of us, this will be less than it will be for others, and you can assess your essential spending to determine what an average month’s expenses look like. You may realise that prioritising savings now to secure your future financial security may…

Australia and New Zealand bask in the glow after being handed Women’s W-Cup ‘treasure’ AUSTRALIA and New Zealand yesterday hailed victory in a groundbreaking bid for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, promising to turn the “treasure” of the tournament into a spur for gender equity and fairness. The trans-Tasman neighbours will unite for the first Women’s World Cup to be hosted by more than one country after FIFA Council members voted 22-13 in favour of their bid over Colombia. “We have been given a treasure,” New Zealand Football (NZF) Federation President Johanna Wood said. “We will look after the treasure and make women’s football even more front and centre and we will do that as a team.” Players on the national women’s teams celebrated wildly in the early hours yesterday…

Red card looms for next years Africa Cup of Nations final A postponement of January’s Africa Cup of Nations finals could be on the cards when the Confederation of African Football (CAF) meet next week in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Cup of Nations is set for Cameroon from JanUary 9-February 6 but appears increasingly under threat as time begins to run out. Qualifying is still far from complete and national team football on the continent is not due to resume before October in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak. “The Cup of Nations could be pushed back by 12 months,” a senior official told Reuters, asking not to be identified. However, general secretary Abdelmounaim Bah told reporters last week the best option remained its current dates.…

‘Prioritise female judges for GBV cases’ LIAM NGOBENI OUPA MOKOENA African News Agency (ANA) REPLACE male judges with female ones in courts dealing with cases of gender-based violence (GBV). This is one of the demands made by the women under the banner of the #EnoughIsEnough protest. The protest moved along Madiba Street to the Union Buildings to add its voice to the growing outrage over GBV. The group is asking that the murder of women becomes a national priority, and that there should be detailed tracing and reporting on GBV in the country, with information shared at a monthly media conference. Another issue raised was the need for free legal assistance to GBV victims to assist in bringing their cases to the fore and securing convictions. Minister in the Presidency-for…

Nine types of remote-work personalities A RANGE of work-from-home personality types have emerged during lockdown. Nine distinct types have been identified by Pretoria University associate professor in human resource management, Nasima MH Carrim, who told the Pretoria News that while some coped well with the adjustment, others did not fare as well over the past few months. Here are the types she has identified: The eager beaver The eager beaver is a workaholic and needs to keep busy all the time. While some aspects of the business have stopped and staff may be on obligatory leave, the eager beaver feels that this is the right time to work on improving the systems. The backbone of the organisation These employees are highly dedicated to the company. The backbones are able to…

COMMENT Consider the cost of silence An independent media is the vital lifeblood of a healthy democracy. When the truth hurts, then the media is doing its job DR IQBAL SURVÉ ANA FREEDOM of the press is roughly defined as having the ability to use various channels – print, digital and broadcast – to convey information, opinion and news, without the interference from the governing state. In other words, no government shall control what media can and cannot say save for, in this country, what is held in our Constitution as hate or racist speech. For true media freedom to exist, there needs to be a balance of viewpoints – from all sides. The good, the bad and the ugly, the rich and the poor, educated or not, ill…

SCOTLAND Attack at Glasgow ‘asylum’ hotel Multiple stabbings before knifeman shot dead by police A KNIFEMAN has reportedly stabbed three people to death in a Glasgow hotel housing asylum seekers and slashed a police officer before being shot dead by armed police. Police Scotland declared a major incident yesterday afternoon and closed swathes of the city centre after the male suspect stormed into the Park Inn Hotel in West George Street and began stabbing people in the reception area. BBC reporter Catriona Renton who was on the scene, tweeted: “Understood three dead in a stairwell of hotel. Had been stabbed. Police shot suspect.” The broadcaster reported that the male knifeman was shot dead after armed units stormed the building. One video from the scene shows a make police officer…

UNITED STATES Washington church caught up in new controversy LEADERS of the yellow church that has been at the centre of the District of Columbia’s Black Lives Matter demonstrations say they are concerned about how police cleared protesters from the area earlier this week – and upset that the city built a fence around their property in the name of safety. Police and city workers on Monday and Tuesday cleared out people, signs, bicycles and tents – including a volunteer medical tent – from the intersection of 16th and H streets NW, in front of St John’s Episcopal Church and across Lafayette Square from the White House. Up went high fencing, blocking the park all along the south side of H Street, and blocking St John’s – but not other…

Teen who threw boy from 10th floor jailed LONDON: A British teenager who threw a 6-year-old French boy from a 10th-floor viewing platform at the Tate Modern art gallery in London with the intention of killing him was jailed for at least 15 years yesterday, the BBC reported. Jonty Bravery, who was 17 at the time of the incident in August and said he carried out the act because he wanted to be on the television news, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder in December. The young victim, who was not named, suffered a bleed to the brain, fractures to his spine and has been left with life-changing injuries, the court heard. The boy remains in a wheelchair. Reuters…

THINGS TO WATCH THIS WEEK SATURDAY, JUNE 27 S.M.A.R.T Chase: M-Movies Action at 8pm A private security agent gets ambushed while trying to transport a valuable Chinese antique out of Shanghai. With help from his team, he must now battle his way through a gang of thugs to reclaim the prized possession – and his reputation. SUNDAY, JUNE 28 Riviera S2: BBC First at 8pm Riviera’s highly anticipated return picks up in the immediate aftermath of the explosive first series finale, where the Clios family is faced with the tragic death of one of their own. Only this time, the blood is on the hands of the show’s female protagonist, Georgina (Julia Stiles). MONDAY, JUNE 29 McDonald and Dodds: BBC Brit at 8PM Moving to a new town is never…

The Brief CAPITEC BANK GIVES CLIENTS THREE-MONTH INTEREST REFUND CAPITEC Bank clients who used payment breaks will receive a three-month interest refund on their loans. The interest refund will be available to all clients who have taken up Capitec’s Covid-19 payment break or rescheduling relief plan between March 27 and June 30. Capitec chief executive Gerrie Fourie says although payment holidays offer clients temporary financial relief, loans still incur interest, which increases the total cost of credit. “While this is only about 20% of our credit clients, we want to help them as much as possible, which is why we will waiver the interest accumulated during the first three months of the relief period, provided they are in good standing and continue to meet their loan repayments.” After six months…

SOCCER Sibaya’s goal was to always give his best MIHLALI BALEKA PRESSURE, which is coupled by expectations, normally mounts when you are one of the few experienced and decorated players in a national team squad that’s about to play in a major tournament on home soil. But not so when your name is MacBeth Sibaya. As Bafana Bafana prepared to stage the first ever Fifa World Cup in 2010, there were only seven members of the 23-man squad that were playing in the elite leagues in European countries - Bernard Parker, Aaron Mokoena, Tsepo Masilela, Kagisio Dikgacoi, Steven Pienaar, Anele Ngconga and MacBeth Sibaya. The latter though was no ordinary of the lot. Sibaya was fresh from finishing third with Rubin Kazan in the Russian Premier Liga – arguably one…

“Hands of Stone” Duran still standing after being hit by COVID-19 FORMER world boxing champion Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran tested positive for coronavirus after being admitted to a hospital center with flu-like symptoms, the pugilist’s son said on Thursday. “My father’s exams have just arrived and confirm that he is positive for COVID-19,” Robin Duran said on his Instagram account. “For now he still doesn’t show symptoms, beyond a simple cold, he is not in intensive care, nor on a respirator, he is still under observation,” he added. The 69-year-old Panamanian former boxer retired in 2001 and is considered one of the best lightweights in history. He fought over five decades, held four different world titles, and his record stands at 103 wins, with 70 knockouts and 16 losses.…

Liverpool won’t stop now ... LIVERPOOL manager Jürgen Klopp has warned his Premier League rivals that his team will not stop in their pursuit of more success after securing the title on Thursday. Liverpool were crowned champions with seven games remaining after second-placed Manchester City lost to Chelsea 2-1, leaving Klopp’s team, who have lost just one game this season, unreachable at the top with a 23-point advantage. “The consistency the boys showed really is so exceptional that I cannot describe it and we will not stop, we will not stop,” he said. “We really have to – and will – stay focused, we see the opportunity... but ‘will not stop’ doesn’t mean we will win everything, we just want to improve.” But the German, who won the Champions League…