Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-01-29 i Pretoria News Weekend

Talk about the pernicious families of famous people. Britney Spears has weathered the most destructive storms when it comes to hers. Just as her 13-year conservatorship ended, bolstered by the support of fans and industry peers in the #FreeBritney campaign, she is hit by another family member mooching off her fame. This time it was sister, Jamie Lynn, who was, and continues to be, a thorn in Britney’s side. While promoting her autobiography, Things I Should Have Said, she opened a can of worms in her interview on Good Morning America. Britney was vexed by this. Understandably so, though. Her name was being bandied around in the most unflattering light. It was obviously triggering to have her behaviour described as “erratic, paranoid and spiralling” and Britney was done with the…

Bollywood livewire star Ranveer Singh, who will next be seen in films such as Jayeshbhai Jordaar, Cirkus and Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, says he wants to be the first at trying something groundbreaking and be the best actor of the country. Ranveer said: “Right now I am becoming obsessed with this craft. I want to play more with it and want to explore more, so yes, right now its burning like a blazing inferno – wanting to do more and see what the possibilities are. Do things that haven’t been done before.” After Ranveer completed a decade in cinema, he said he felt he knew nothing about the craft and needed to explore himself. “I really have evolved as a person and as an artist. Initially I was…

Buhle Mbonambi buhle.mbonambi@inl.co.za I still remember the first time I came across the name “Mugler”. I was paging through a Vogue at the public library in my hometown of Richards Bay. It was my world. A place where I could hide between the shelves and be transported to another universe, one filled with words that took me on adventures. The cover was frayed, so I didn’t know who it was on the cover, but it was an early 2000s edition and on the many page adverts before you got to the contents page, was the advert for Thierry Mugler’s Angel perfume. There was Jerry Hall, sprawled over white dunes in the desert, wearing a silver evening gown, her hair perfectly coiffed, reaching for a bottle of Angel. That ad transfixed…

Jonisayi Maromo jonisayi.maromo@africannewsagency.com PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has extended well wishes to Chinese ambassador Chen Xiaodong when he addressed the virtual Chinese New Year celebrations, also called the Spring Festival, which celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. “Dear friends in South Africa, in the People’s Republic of China, and around the world, I wish you all well as we usher in the Chinese Year of the Tiger, an animal that symbolises strength, bravery and independence,” said Ramaphosa. “As we recover and rebuild in the wake of Covid-19, it is our wish that the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and South Africa will lead to mutual economic growth, development and common prosperity, prosperity for ourselves, for our respective regions, and for the rest of the…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za SPEAKER Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has urged MPs to wait until an independent investigation into the fire that gutted Parliament, costing millions of rand, has been concluded before deciding on the next course of action. This comes after the SAPS confirmed that four officers have been suspended. The officers were on duty when the fire broke out. SAPS head of Protection and Security Services Lieutenant-General Sam Shitlabane said the four officers would now face disciplinary action over their conduct. Mapisa-Nqakula was briefing the joint standing committee on the financial management of Parliament yesterday, where she revealed that there was an independent investigation into the fire. She said this was not a criminal investigation as the police were busy with that, but this investigation was looking at what went wrong.…

IN JUST about any country, doing 400km/h on a public highway would be enough to get you locked up for a very long time, presuming you weren’t killed in the process. But in Germany there are some rural sections of the famous Autobahn highway that remain derestricted, and thus the stunt you see below appears totally legal. Highlighted in a video that has gone viral in recent times, Czech businessman Radim Passer recently pushed his Bugatti Chiron hypercar to a speed of 414km/h on a derestricted section between Hannover and Berlin. However, according to the Associated Press, the German Transport Ministry is not very impressed with the stunt, releasing a statement this week that said the law requires drivers to only drive so fast when the vehicle is constantly under…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za WHEN Sean Everitt says today’s United Rugby Championship match between the Sharks and the Stormers at Hollywoodbets Kings Park is a “50-50” affair, he is not far off the money. You would think, though, that a Sharks team with its full complement of Springboks has to be at least marginal favourites on their home turf, and if the Stormers can win this one, it will possibly be a superior feat to upsetting the Bulls at Loftus last week. Everitt’s coaching counterpart, John Dobson, is certainly strumming the underdog guitar. Dobson inferred that while the Sharks are brimming with superstars, his team is now bereft of them. “If you want to talk about galacticos … players like Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi and Wilco Louw are…

IANS All testing measures for eligible fully vaccinated travellers arriving in Britain will be scrapped from next month, as the UK government goes one step further to reopen the Covid- battered travel sector. From 4am on February 11, all testing requirements will be removed for eligible fully vaccinated arrivals, with only a Passenger Locator Form now required, according to a statement released by the British government on Monday. Arrivals not recognised as fully vaccinated will need to take a pre-departure test and a PCR test on or before day 2 after they arrive in the country, reports the Xinhua news agency. “This final step in our stable and safe full return to international travel is a major boost for UK tourism, setting Britain free ahead of the crucial half-term and…

Inkoo Kang It takes a certain amount of wilful cluelessness to pilfer a designation meant to underscore the extreme inequality of a historical epoch – one in which the rich got obscenely richer and the poor got desperately poorer – and re-appropriate it as the name of a vehicle for wealth porn. And yet here we are with the escapist new period drama The Gilded Age, which takes as its chief concern the pearl-clutching clash between old and new money in 19th-century New York high society. Creator Julian Fellowes, who delivers his long awaited follow-up to Downton Abbey here, is naturally taken by the surface, rather than the rot underneath. And so his cameras sweep and gawk over all that an HBO budget can buy: homes that could be mistaken…

Sacha van Niekerk sacha.vanniekerk@inl.co.za After the release of Bridgerton and the resurgence of other period dramas like Downton Abbey on Netflix, Regency core had us lacing up corsets and sporting ankle-length dresses with Empire waistlines in 2021. However, the trend has only just begun to grow legs with another splintered off from the original. It’s called “Pearl core” and it’s already been worn by a number of celebrities, including Harry Styles, Gigi Hadid and Usher. At awards shows, concerts and other glamorous events, we’ve been dazzled with everything from simple and dainty strings of pearls to more ornate designs featuring row upon row of the iridescent gems that drape over collarbones. So, it’s no wonder that Pinterest Insights revealed a major increase in pearl-related searches on its website. For 2022,…

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za After wine and cars, premium water is the next luxury good. It was one of the cheapest drinks available but, with time, the option of bottled water has gained prominence and monetary value. In some cases, water is sourced from a specific area in the world, which allows for a huge mark-up. Many people – mostly ballers and collectors – choose to buy these luxurious brands of water. Luxury water brands even have their own connoisseurs called water sommeliers, people knowledgeable about the various filtering processes and best combinations to pair certain kinds of water with specific meals. Luxury water is not only distinguished by taste and colour, but also by the bottle in which it is stored. Some have decorated the bottle of water with gold,…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za PARENTS of Afrikaans pupils at the Theresapark Primary School in Akasia, Pretoria, have threatened legal action against the Gauteng Department of Education if their concerns that their children are being marginalised are not addressed within two weeks. Tensions ran high outside the school yesterday morning when officials from the department came face-to-face with the parents. The parents are claiming that their Afrikaans-speaking children are being shunned and that they are taught in places outside the classrooms, such as in a storeroom. The parents handed over a memorandum to representatives of the department in which they are asking for an urgent investigation into the treatment of their children. The disgruntled parents claim that white Afrikaans children are also being told to leave the school and to find another…

James Mahlokwane james.mahlokwane@inl.co.za Residents have threatened to protest unless the Gauteng government and SAPS urgently restore electricity to the Ga-Rankuwa police station. Residents say it is ridiculous that a police station serving a vast area has not had electricity since October last year. It was alleged that the cables from an Eskom substation were severely damaged and stolen, resulting in the police station and nearby court and the mortuary being in the dark. Power to the other institutions have since been restored, but the police station still relies on a generator. Community leader Martin Moloto said this matter was of concern, because, while the police station did not have enough staff to assist the residents in all four of its sectors, crime was rampant in the area. “This is why…

Kedibone Modise kedibone.modise@inl.co.za GRAMMY-nominated musician Somi Kakoma is set to release her forthcoming new album, Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba, in honour of music icon Mama Miriam Makeba. The album drops on March 4, on what would have been her 90th birthday. According to Somi, the new body of work is a celebration of the late Makeba’s immense contribution to the music industry. “This album is my attempt to honour the unapologetic voice of an African woman who inevitably made room for my own journey and countless other African artists. In short, I owe her. We all do.” Released under her own record label Salon Africana, the album features Somi’s renditions of Makeba’s popular songs, including Pata Pata, Malaika and House of the Rising Sun. The 17-track album features…

THE Speedback, by David Brown Automotive (DBA), is an ultra exclusive, hand-crafted grand tourer that blends classic styling with modern underpinnings and lavish interior trimmings. The latest commission to see the light of day is called the Speedback Silverstone Edition, and only 10 units will ever be produced. Built for an unnamed customer in Asia, the unique grand tourer celebrates the heritage of David Brown Automotive’s headquarters and build facility, situated in the same town as that famous race circuit. The handcrafted machine took over 8 000 hours to build, and this example’s aluminium body is finished in a “discreetly menacing” Black Metallic exterior colour, bespoke to the new owner. The hand-painting process alone takes over eight weeks to complete. Also setting the edition apart is a set of bespoke…

ALTHOUGH the South African electric car market remains in its infancy, 2022 is shaping up to be a big year for local fans of battery-powered cars, with Audi, BMW and Mercedes all planning to unleash multiple EV options. However, Volvo has gotten the jump on them all with the arrival of the first XC40 P8 Recharge units this month, priced at R1.2 million. The Volvo XC40 P8 Recharge also has some serious performance on offer. With outputs of 304kW and 660Nm directed to all four wheels through two electric motors, the compact SUV is said to be capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in a mere 4.9 seconds. Thanks to its 78kWh battery pack, the P8 Recharge is capable of a range of 418km between charges, according to Volvo. When hooked…

DYLAN Mostert made the most of his recent equipment change yesterday as he put his new Srixon clubs into tournament play for the first time in the opening round of the Sunshine Tour’s Vodacom Origins of Golf Final at Gary Player Country Club at Sun City. The result was a six-under-par 66 and a share of the lead with Martin Rohwer of the 54-hole event that kicks off the 2022 action on the tour ahead of a host of Challenge Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned events. His seven birdies and just one bogey gave him and Rohwer the lead over Alex Haindl. “The swing felt a bit rusty at the beginning,” Mostert said, “and I suppose that’s natural after the long break over December and January. But it started…

Mark Strong and Jodie Turner-Smith have boarded the cast of Netflix’s Murder Mystery 2. The pair will be joined in the sequel by Melanie Laurent, Kuhoo Verma, Enrique Arce, Tony Goldwyn, Annie Mumolo and Zurin Villanueva, with John Kani and Adeel Akhtar set to reprise their roles from the first film. Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, who led the ensemble for the 2019 movie, are also set to return for the new project. The film will shoot in Paris and the Caribbean but plot details are being kept under wraps for now. Jeremy Garelick directs this time, with James Vanderbilt again writing the script. The first Murder Mystery film followed New York police officer Nick (Sandler) and his wife Audrey (Aniston) as they went on a European holiday to rekindle…

The colour of the year 2022, Very Peri, falls into a rich, luscious periwinkle blue shade that seeps deep into the generous violet-like blend of blue and red. The oxymoron combination of warm and cool undertones sparks the colour into a fresh, flashy, futuristic vibe that is an ideal thrust for all the artistically crafted spaces we step into. The presence of Very Peri in architecture and interior design denotes transition, dynamism, and any other hint of newness that we all seek. In a personal space, such as an individual room, the vividness of Very Peri can be indulgently overplayed as a wall finishing, a hybrid of patterned wallpaper or textured paint, with free-form geometry or wild botanicals that further stimulate the dynamic persona of the colour. Paired with daring…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za FOUR of the country’s top judges will face gruelling interviews next week for the post of the country’s top judge. The Judicial Service Commission will begin the interview process on Tuesday, with Constitutional Court Judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga in the spotlight. Each candidate’s interview is scheduled to last for most of the day and will be broadcast live. The panel will deliberate on the interviews on Saturday next week, which will be a closed session. Second in the hot seat, on Wednesday, will be Supreme Court of Appeal Judge President Judge Mandisa Maya, followed by Gauteng Judge President Dunstan Mlambo. Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo will be the last to be interviewed on Friday. President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to later announce the chief justice based on the…

Norman Cloete norman.cloete@inl.co.za RAPE, physical assault, hijacking, theft, and harassment, being forced to flee the province and even the country. These are the harrowing experiences some Gauteng women allegedly endured at the hands of a “hunky” serial con artist, whose name has been withheld. He poses as a Blue Bulls rugby player and even as a successful Discovery broker to force his way into the lives of his prey. When things go belly-up, he assaults and robs them. It’s believed the attractive and muscular jock duped several women out of hundreds of thousands of rand. He is believed to be so aggressive and dangerous that some of his victims have fled South Africa and are now living abroad. Specialised Security Services’ lead private investigator on the case, Jan Roos, described…

Harvest Thwala GAUTENG Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has announced that as of yesterday, all Grade 1 and Grade 8 pupils whose parents applied for positions via the 2022 online admissions system have been successfully placed. “We are relieved that all Grade 1 and 8 learners in Gauteng have now been placed under our online admissions system,” said Lesufi. According to reports, hundreds of parents of pupils in Gauteng were struggling to find placements since the opening of schools. Early this week, the department revealed that since the opening of late registration on January 12 they had placed 22 664 pupils. According to the statement, all Grade 1 pupils had been placed and the department was hopeful that the remaining 202 Grade 8 pupils in Johannesburg Central would be placed by…

THERE is no doubt that the wave of dance challenges has taken the world by storm. It is a form of entertainment that many people have taken part in. Popular Umhlobo Wenene radio presenter Putco Mafani also jumped onto the bandwagon, not knowing it would land him in hot water at work. In a video on social media, Mafani was seen dancing to the Nkao Tempela Dance Challenge on top of a table at the SABC studios. Mafani has since issued an apology following his suspension, detailing that excitement got the better of him. “To all my fans, family and colleagues at Umhlobo Wenene FM, I know it sounds weird but I am sorry for allowing myself to be swept by the exciting wave of the Nkao Tempela Dance at…

WHILE rumours swirl around about a possible 6 Series revival to replace both the BMW 8 Series and 4 Series models, the current 8 Series has been given its obligatory midlife facelift. The BMW 8 Series two-door Coupe and Convertible models, as well as the four-door Gran Coupe, all receive a subtly redesigned front end as well as an upgraded infotainment system. What’s more, BMW’s M Sport package is now standard on all models, because why would you not want it? This means that all models now come with aerodynamically optimised body features in the area of the front and rear apron as well as on the side skirts. The cars roll on double-spoke 19-inch M light alloy wheels with mixed tyres, because why would you want Marie Biscuits on…