Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-11-27 i Pretoria News Weekend

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za A LIMPOPO woman whose husband divorced her after 35 years of marriage lost her legal bid not to share her pension of more than R2.8 million with him. The woman, who cannot be identified as her application in the Polokwane High Court forms part of a divorce action, asked for an order that her now former “cheating” husband forfeit 50% of her pension money The parties were married in community of property and thus the husband was entitled to half of everything. But the woman said his behaviour, which according to her led to their eventual divorce, should be condemned by way of ordering that he forfeit his share of her pension fund. The court, however, ruled against the woman and ordered that the husband should…

Kennedy Mudzuli kennedy.mudzuli@inl.co.za GOSPEL singer, songwriter and recording artist Muzi Madlala has released a new five-track EP titled Salvation Power, the second of his three-year music career. Prior to that, the 45-year-old husband and father to two “amazing souls” released singles Ngiyisidalwa Esisha,Ayikho Injabhiso Kuye and Yabethelw’ Imvana. His debut release in March last year was titled Simdumise and featured 10 songs. “Apart from the fact that my latest release is not a full album, it is different from the debut in many ways. In this EP I have featured my producer Mthetho Mbatha, the founder of Soulid Entertainment Media, in two songs, Ithemba Lami and Seated on the Throne. “The first album was only in vernacular, while this one has mixture of isiZulu and English songs. Although this…

Karishma Dipa karishma.dipa@inl.co.za WHILE the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign has been welcomed by the Teddy Bear Clinic, its founder Shaheda Omar believes it should be commemorated every day of the year. “Our organisation doesn't believe in just 16 days of activism but 365 days, where it is the focus and action is taken,” she told the Saturday Star this week. “We appreciate the hype and attention the campaign receives, but it’s still not good enough and we are still not seeing a change in behaviour.” Omar notes the national plan against violence and femicide, which focuses on issues such as identity, prevention, justice, care, response and support, economical power, research and training for victims. But she believes that it’s not being properly…

BETTY MOLEYA betty.moleya@inl.co.za THE Thusangwanageno graduates are at different intersections across the country this Saturday looking for donations for prospective students at higher learning institutions. From 5am, the graduates will be in Gauteng, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In Gauteng, they will be at Eskia Mphahlele Drive, Pretoria; Mooiriver intersection in Potchefstroom; and Swartruggens Road in Rusternburg. In Limpopo, the group will be on Church Street in Polokwane. Other graduates will be at Corner Madiba Drive, Nelspruit in Mpumalanga, as they kick off the initiative founded in 2017 to assist prospective students who have been accepted at higher learning institutions in South Africa. They want to raise registration fees and tuition fees. Since its inception, more than 600 students have been assisted by the initiative founded by John Molepo, who…

HOW will the next episode of local governance in South Africa look? Well, the recent coalition talks about forming local councils, punctuated with barbed public exchanges between political parties, provides a glimpse of what we can expect: an intense period of political horse- trading. We also know that the outcome of the 2021 local government elections presents a particularly strenuous test on two fronts. First, it diminishes the unilateral control of municipal councils by the ANC. Second, it offers an extraordinary case of the decline of a democratically dominant party and the corres- ponding growth of opposition party and civil society formations in local governance. These two factors, and many others advanced elsewhere, create the perception that the ANC will face a fierce storm with swirling debris from these competing…

Celine Dion’s siblings have trashed the offbeat biopic Aline: The Voice of Love, inspired by the singer’s rise from child stardom to queen of soft rock and released in cinemas in Canada yesterday. “I don’t recognise my family, I don’t recognise our roots,” Claudette Dion, told Quebec radio show La Semaine des 4 Julie this week. “Celine never wanted for anything.” Claudette and her brother Michel Dion appeared as guests on the show. They accused Valerie Lemercier, who directs and stars in the film, of wildly distorting the life and personality of Celine, pictured. | AFP…

In recent decades, inflation hasn’t been a big issue. In developed countries it has been remarkably low, even after the global financial crisis in 2008. It has even dipped below zero, resulting in deflation in some countries. And while not as low here in South Africa, it has been pretty well kept under control by the SA Reserve Bank, only occasionally creeping above the 3-6% target range. I wrote about inflation back in May, when the first signs of inflationary pressures appeared in the US. The commentators I quoted were generally of the opinion that the rise in inflation was temporary as economies rebounded from the pandemic – what they referred to as a “base effect”. A quick explanation: base effect refers to the exaggerated growth, when expressed as a…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za IN sad news for South African rugby, this weekend’s round six matches in the United Rugby Championship in South Africa have officially been postponed due to the emergence of a new variant of Covid-19 (B.1.1.529). Next week’s round seven matches have also been postponed. In a statement, the organisers said that due to the sudden developments that had placed South Africa on the UK and EU travel red list, the matches would be rescheduled for later this season. “The safety and well-being of our participating clubs’ players, coaches, support staff and match officials is the foremost priority and the URC is currently working with the four visiting clubs – Cardiff, Munster, Scarlets and Zebre – to facilitate their return as soon as possible,” the statement advised. “This…

Buhle Mbonambi buhle.mbonambi@inl.co.za IT WAS an explosion of colour at the Zebra Square Art Gallery as South Africa’s influential creatives, media personalities and business leaders gathered for the SA Style Awards Judges Dinner on Sunday. The glamour stakes started on a high note, thanks to the dress code that required guests to be in their black-tie best while incorporating bright colours. Add the fleet of luxury vehicles that would make a car collector weep, and you have a scene out of a James Bond film. Due to the pandemic and the many losses on the creative scene, SA Style Awards founder Jillian Grogor said they had to push the awards ceremony, which was meant to have been the 25th instalment of the event, to February as celebrating this…

Ntando Makhubu ntando.makhubu@inl.co.za THE #JHB2SOSHA walk against substance abuse is back. It’s the fifth edition of the big walk organised by the Clean Up Hub in Partnership with Hollywoodbets and Redicure and takes place on December 2 and 3. Through the walk, the organisers aim to highlight the increasing rate of crystal meth abuse, a drug believed to have worse side effects than nyaope. Clean Up Hub founder Reikhutsitse Malala said with this walk, they aimed to raise warning bells on the increasing numbers of young people using crystal meth and highlight some of its side effects, which include brain damage. According to Malala, their office has noted the new wave of reported cases of service users losing their minds and behaving dangerously because of crystal meth. He said the…

Sameer Naik sameer.naik@inl.co.za GLOBAL animal welfare organisation Four Paws has urged government to consider legislative changes to stop the commercial trade of all big cats in South Africa. With South Africa the biggest exporter of live big cats globally, and with widespread big cat farming, the organisation is pressing for urgent legislative changes. It wants the Department of​ Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to include all big cat species within the protective legislation it’s planning to implement for lions. Most recently, Four Paws obtained shocking, previously unreleased footage which has revealed widespread big cat farming across South Africa. The footage documents and supports estimations as many as 12 000 lions, and an unknown number of tigers, are being intensively farmed in captive facilities across the country. “While the government’s draft…

SOUTH Africa’s affordable SUV segment has literally exploded in the past year, with new entrants like the Suzuki Vitara Brezza and its Toyota Urban Cruiser twin hitting local shores along with the Kia Sonet, Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger. Having experienced a bit of FOMO, Hyundai is now getting in on the action too. The Korean carmaker has expanded its Venue compact SUV range with a new base model called the 1.2 Motion. Priced at R259 900, the Hyundai Venue 1.2 Motion costs R58 000 less than the 1.0T Motion which was previously the most affordable entry into the range.…

Interpol has elected an Emirati general accused of torture as its new president, despite the concerns of human rights organisations that fear the agency will be at risk of exploitation by repressive regimes. The appointment follows generous funding by the United Arab Emirates for the Lyon, France-based body and accusations that Abu Dhabi has abused Interpol’s system of so-called “red notices” for wanted suspects to persecute political dissidents. Emirati general Ahmed Nasser al-Raisi was elected on Thursday follow- ing three rounds of voting during which he received 68.9% of votes cast by member countries, Interpol said in a statement. After his election, Raisi tweeted he would “build a more transparent, diverse, and decisive organisation that works to ensure safety for all”. However, Raisi did not address the accusations, but said…

WHEN it comes to the festive season, I somehow cannot manage to make my money last throughout. What do I need to prioritise in order to make it through until the end of January? Name withheld Tanya Joubert, wealth adviser at PSG Wealth Pretoria East, replies: The festive season tends to be exceptionally challenging and overwhelming from a financial perspective, and a lack of proper financial planning and conduct during this time can easily result in you having to start the new year on the back foot by having to dip into savings or incurring debt. With the dire South African unemployment figures and the tough economic climate, many individuals might find that a speedy financial recovery is not on the cards due to the snowball…

Herman Gibbs herman.gibbs@africannewsagency.com AFTER losing their clean sheet record in the midweek Tshwane derby, the good vibes of getting the monkey off their back could free up Mamelodi Sundowns to play like champions again. Against cross-town rivals SuperSport United on Wednesday, Sundowns surrendered goals for the first time in 13 league matches dating back to the end of last season. The match, their 11th this season, ended 2-2 after Sundowns led 2-0 at one stage. Rulani Mokwena, the Sundowns co-coach, responded to the stalemate by saying: “We just soldier on, it’s still a long season. The good thing the monkey is off our back now.” Sundowns return to action today when they host Sekhukhune United, the surprise package of the Premiership, at the Absa Tuks Stadium (kick-off 3.30pm). Sekhukhune, after…

| Reuters WOMEN were the target of 87% of the social media abuse that a sample of athletes faced during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, according to a World Athletics study published on Thursday. The research, carried out in collaboration with data science company Signify Group, found that the abuse included sexist, racist, transphobic and homophobic content, as well as unfounded doping accusations. The study included a sample of 161 Twitter handles of current and former athletes (81 women, 80 men) involved in the Tokyo Games, from a list of 200 athletes selected by World Athletics. Of the 23 athletes who received abuse in the posts identified by the study, 16 were women while 63% of the total abuse was directed at two black female athletes. The study identified 132…

Rhonda K Garelick What becomes of luxury in a global pandemic? Is the pursuit of luxury incompatible with our drastically changed lives under Covid? Luxury can be so external, and life lately feels so internal. A big part of luxury is theatre: the couture gown that dazzles the crowd, the splendid car gliding past onlookers, the Instagrammed vacation. The admiration, desire or even envy of others creates part of luxury’s allure. The pandemic scrambled this. It isolated us physically, reducing opportunities for “performing” our luxuries. Travel was shut down or severely curtailed, as were many parties, openings, galas and all other occasions for gathering and display. Without social interaction, is luxury doomed? Not at all, it turns out. In fact, luxury sales overall have risen during the pandemic, as…

Kennedy Mudzuli kennedy.mudzuli@inl.co.za PASSION is what drives Afro Brotherz duo Lawrence Skosana and Robert Mashifane. “We became musicians because we were very passionate about music, and music was our easiest way to express our intuitive thoughts and feelings,” said the music stars. The two come from Vezubuhle, KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga and are commonly known as Click and Mohamed. It is the same passion for music that saw them win a Mzansi Magic song of the year award for the hit single Gugulethu with Prince Kaybee. But life is not all music for the duo. “We have other hobbies and are business-minded. We wish one day to own restaurants in our town,“ they said. “Patience, creativity and confidence keep us going. These are our strengths that we believe make us…

NOVEMBER 20, observed globally as Universal Children’s Day, is a reminder that every child has unique gifts and potential and it is our responsibility and privilege as parents to educate and guide our children, to support them to grow through life’s many challenges, and to help them turn the tests in life into victories. The Baháí Writings state that “Children are even as a branch that is fresh and green: they will grow up in whatever way you train them”. They urge us to “Take the utmost care to give them high ideals and goals so that once they come of age, they will cast their beams like brilliant candles on the world and will not be defiled by lusts and passions … but instead will set their hearts on…

SECTION 174 (3) of the Constitution provides that the president, as head of the national executive, after consulting the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and the leaders of parties represented in the National Assembly (NA), appoints the chief justice. This means that the usual practice of the JSC interviewing judges and advising the president on recommendations, is dispensed with. Only the president must consult with the JSC and political parties in the national assembly. Legally, there is no prescribed form the consultation should take. There is also no time constraint within which the president must appoint a new chief justice. Further, if the JSC or political parties disagree with the candidate, they have no mechanism of recourse to object. They may challenge the appointee if the candidate is not a fit…

The murder of black jogger Ahmaud Arbery, pictured, is a reminder of how far the US has to go in its fight for racial justice, but the guilty verdict handed down to his killer shows this week shows that the justice system is doing its job, President Joe Biden said. “While the verdicts reflect our justice system doing its job, that alone is not enough. Instead, we must recommit ourselves to building a future of unity and shared strength, where no one fears violence because of the colour of their skin,” he said. Travis McMichael shot and killed Arbery in May last year.…

For many of us, the beginning of December marks the moment when we can start daydreaming: about kicking back poolside with a drink in hand, spending valuable time with the family making memories, or hitting the road with friends on a good ol’ South African road trip. For many, it’s also one of the only times when we can truly relax for days on end, with no need to keep time or worry about work obligations. Unfortunately, one thing that can rudely jolt you out of this dreamworld of braais, beach days and beers is that phone call from your neighbour or armed response provider bearing bad news: there’s been a break-in. Or, perhaps you have an uninterrupted break, only to return to a burst geyser or leaking pipes that…

The Monetary Policy Committee’s decision last week to increase the repo rate from 3.5% to 3.75% and subsequently the prime lending rate from 7% to 7.25% is little surprise as rumblings of an increase have been in the market for some time. An increase impacts finances, affordability and how consumers should be thinking about the future, particularly as regards property. In the previous high interest rate environment, more people were renting than buying residential property. When interest rates began to fall from around the start of the pandemic in 2020, everything shifted. Bond originators, banks and attorneys were negotiating 100% bonds, so naturally the rental market took a hit as people saw an opportunity to buy. Rental vacancies had previously stood at between 1% and 5%, but shot up as…