Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-04-09 i Pretoria News Weekend

Newzroom Afrika TV journalist Zikhona Tshona is one of alumni of Rhodes University’s School of Journalism and Media Studies selected as the institution this year marks its 50th anniversary by honouring 50 of its “most distinguished” alumni. Tshona told IOL that her passion is human interest stories and journalism that seeks to achieve social justice, thanks to the training she received at the Eastern Cape institution. “It’s exciting to be honoured while young by an institution you went to. My passion for human interest stories and journalism that seeks to achieve social justice started here in Makhanda, in the streets of Joza. Since I found out I have honestly been in disbelief,” said the seasoned broadcaster. “The beat of journalism I cover is not one that gets much attention, so…

SA REVENUE Service (Sars) employees are preparing to go on strike over the taxman’s refusal to increase their salaries for the second year in a row. Sars staff are demanding a 10% pay hike for the 2022/23 financial year while the their employer has offered them nothing. Sars is also accused of unilaterally withdrawing several employee benefits. The Public Servants Association (PSA) says Sars has maintained that it cannot afford a salary increase and proposed a 0% salary increase for the 2022/23 financial year, which the union has rejected. PSA assistant general manager Reuben Maleka told Independent Media that the parties reached a deadlock at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), which was trying to resolve the dispute. “This was rejected and the CCMA will issue a certificate…

A DEFINING feature of South Africa is the level of inequality in almost all spheres of society. Nowhere is this more observable than in the schooling sector. It’s not unusual to find wealthy schools, comparable to the best anywhere in the world, within 5km of poor schools. Some blame for this inequality can be attributed to the lingering effects of racially biased funding that favoured white people during apartheid. But it does raise the question of why, after more than two-and-a-half decades of democracy, poor children of South Africa continue to sit in overcrowded classrooms with crumbling floors and broken windows. There are still schools in South Africa where pit latrines are in use, a fact that education authorities are well aware of. To its credit, the state implemented a…

A Turkish court has decided to move the trial of 26 suspects linked to the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, pictured, to Saudi Arabia, in what is widely seen as a concession by Turkey. The Istanbul criminal court’s decision this week was a stunning reversal by Turkey, which after the killing of Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, went to great lengths to publicise the Saudi government’s role in the plot. Recently though, Turkey has tried to improve ties with the kingdom. |…

Late nights. Early mornings. Lost Sunday afternoons. Nightmare clients. Missed school plays. Circles under eyes. Copious cups of coffee. Pitches and presentations. Closed deals. They’ve all strung together into the journey it’s taken to reach your promotion or salary raise. And a long journey it’s been, with a hard-earned reward at the end. But before you start living a little larger and trade in your jalopy for a Jag, pump the breaks and take a step back. Lifestyle creep is real, and if you’re not smart about how you manage your increased income, it could sneak up and steal your extra rands just as soon as you’ve started earning them. So, what exactly is lifestyle creep? According to credit bureau Experian, lifestyle creep refers to the increased discretionary spending some…

When you retire, two-thirds of your retirement fund savings must be used to buy what is known as a compulsory annuity (pension), provided by a life insurance company. What you do with the other third – and any other savings you may have accumulated in discretionary investments – is up to you. If you need that money to supplement the pension you receive from your compulsory annuity, there are various ways to invest it – from RSA Retail Savings Bonds, to bank fixed deposits, to unit trusts and exchange traded funds. But life insurers are offering an increasingly diverse and sophisticated range of products designed to provide an income that keeps pace with inflation, and also protects against loss of capital and against longevity risk, where you outlive your investment.…

A PROMISING pair of runners from the Western Cape township of Fisantekraal will be lining up at the start of next week’s Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon, thanks to their participation in a development programme for talented runners between the ages 12 and 23. Several young runners from the programme have represented Western Province at school level, and many could represent South Africa when co-ordinated funding becomes a reality. Waldi Robinson, 17, will be taking a crack at the half marathon for the first time, while Ralph Pietersen, 40, takes on the ultra for the sixth time. “I’m really excited and nervous at the same time. It’s my first 21km,” said Robinson. “Running is something that has always been part of my lifestyle and has motivated me in different ways, not…

IT may not be a World Marathon Major, but the Paris Marathon is one of the most highly regarded road races in the world. And to have ticked it off my bucket list on Sunday was a fulfilling achievement. Well, not so fulfilling given that I failed dismally in terms of my targeted time of completing the race. I had gone to Paris with the aim of running a personal best time in the marathon. That meant I wanted to run anything under two hours and 55 minutes. I dragged myself across the finish line in a pedestrian three hours and four minutes. As I lamented my failure, a friend showed me another perspective: “Is there such a thing as a poor run in Paris,” he laughed. “You ran a…

Jewellery, and particularly the fine jewellery industry, is driven heavily by classics. They are high-value luxury goods that can be worn multiple times and still be passed down onto generations. Fine jewellery designer, Prakshi Sharma, shares timeless jewellery trends: Tennis bracelets When we say Tennis bracelets are never going out of fashion, we really mean it. It’s truly a classical and timeless piece of jewellery. It consists of a single row of hand-crafted diamonds of any one shape, which encircle the wrist and can always be customised for your exact wrist size. It can also be made with coloured gemstones like emeralds, sapphires, or rubies. Wear one as it is, pair it with a watch, stack, mix and match with bangles. There’s nothing you can’t do with a tennis bracelet.…

THE man who confessed to breaking into the house of globally acclaimed Ndebele artist Esther Mahlangu, and robbing the 87-year-old pensioner has been remanded in custody. Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said Simon Kgantshi Skosana, aged 27, and an accomplice appeared before the Mdutjana Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga yesterday. “Simon Kgantshi Skosana was remanded in custody until April 20 for formal bail application. “Suspect number two, Jan Mlemani Kwati Masilela, aged 32, was released on R3 000 bail. He will be back in court on May 10,” Mohlala said. Provincial commissioner police Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela commended the “sterling work” done by detectives. Mahlangu was assaulted during a robbery at her house in Weltevrede, near Siyabuswa on March 19.…

THE Covid-19 pandemic has brought huge disruptions to many lives, but it has also seen some positives emerge, including an initiative called Re.Bag.Re.Use. It started as a hobby during the pandemic lockdown, with empty bread packets repurposed and crocheted into beautiful shopping bags. Founder Regine le Roux said the idea was to turn soft, clean plastic into bags, instead of leaving it to become an unsightly mess on the side of the road, or end up in landfills. Le Roux said the community project had used about 4 350 bread bags since it started. “The pandemic has had a dire economic impact on many people. The initiative provides community members a small way to supplement their income, a bit of extra pocket money. “It’s not a full-time job and the…

SOME say world peace is impossible – considering the current global challenges and prolonged conflicts. We say world peace is not only possible, but it is inevitable. In 1985, the Baháí communities globally launched an effort to help eradicate the old-world attitudes and behaviours that have made impossible the overcoming of barriers to global peace. This campaign began with a letter addressed to “The Peoples of the World” by the Universal House of Justice, the governing council of the Baháí international community entitled “The Promise of World Peace”. The letter analysed the reasons that world peace had for so long been considered unattainable – citing seven major barriers and outlining new approaches for overcoming those barriers. In a previous article, I had mentioned two of these barriers that must be…

ONE of South Africa’s top Afro house producers, DJ and artist Dr Feel, is dropping his debut album Made In Africa next month. “The album, which features a star-studded array of artists, will be released by Portugal-based record label Bosom on May 20. “Made In Africa has been long time coming. I have been working on it for some time – about 4 years or so,” Dr Feel said. “Tracks such To Forget, featuring Zhane, and Ndiwe Unondidadisa, featuring Sarchieman were recorded a while ago. “I wanted to create and have a sound that defines Dr Feel, a sound with my signature, and I feel like this is the right time to release it. “Taking into consideration the success of my previous releases and the growth of my brand in…

Betty White’s personal belongings are expected to fetch $1 million to $2m at a “lifestyle auction”, said Martin Nolan, the executive director of Julien’s Auctions. “The items came from her home in Brentwood or her residence in Carmel in California, where she lived with her husband, Allen Ludden.” The actress died at her home in Los Angeles on December 31, at the age of 99. The paintings, awards, jewellery, scripts and clothes will be auctioned between September 23 and 25 in Beverly Hills. |…

National Treasury has added another product to its consumer-friendly RSA Retail Savings Bonds, the Top Up Bond. Unlike the existing Fixed Rate and Inflation Linked Bonds, which require a lump-sum deposit, the Top Up Bond allows investors to make “top-up” deposits into the bond at any time during the term of the bond, which is three years. The Top Up Bond, which was launched on Friday last week, is targeted at investors who want to save small amounts regularly, say once a month. The initial minimum deposit is R500 and subsequent deposits must be at least R100. Currently, the interest rate on the three-year bond is 8.75% a year, compounded. Individuals as well as informal groups, such as social clubs and stokvels, which operate on monthly pooled savings, are eligible…

MANCHESTER City manager Pep Guardiola said no team has pushed him to the absolute limit in the way Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side has and he will remember the rivalry fondly when he eventually retires from the game. City lead Liverpool by one point going into tomorrow's clash at the Etihad Stadium, a game that could potentially decide the fate of the title race with eight rounds left. Guardiola has had memorable rivalries with Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid when he was at Barcelona and Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund when he managed Bayern Munich but he picked a consistent Liverpool as his toughest rival yet. “When I retire and watch and play golf, I will remember the biggest rivalry was Liverpool. When you achieve 100 points and 98 points (in a season), you…

Britney Spears says she will address Justin Timberlake’s apology in her upcoming memoir. The Toxic hitmaker, 40, plans to respond to her ex-boyfriend who she dated between 1998-2002, in her as yet untitled autobiography. She is writing her story after being freed last year from the conservatorship that gave her father Jamie Spears control over her financial, health and professional decisions for 12 years. The 40-year-old pop star wrote on Instagram on Monday: “I’m writing a book … and as it’s actually healing and therapeutic … But instead of using my heart, I’m using the intellectual approach as Justin (Timberlake) did when he apologised to Janet (Jackson) and me. “Although he was never bullied or threatened by his family, he took the opportunity to apologise 20 years later!!! Timing…

When Thebe Magugu was announced as the first AZ Factory “amigo” by the Richemont Group, many wondered what his collection would look like. Magugu, the famed South African designer, is taking the fashion world by storm. He is regarded as a leading light in the new generation of fashion designers, and was chosen by Johann Rupert’s Richemont Group to be the first guest designer for AZ Factory, founded by the late Alber Elbaz. As an “amigo”, he would design a capsule collection that had hallmarks of the late Elbaz, his vision for AZ Factory and also Magugu’s design aesthetic. The ethos of AZ Factor is simple: “We design beautiful, purposeful, solutions-driven fashion that works for everyone. We are life, not just lifestyle, a place to experiment and try new things.”…

SURROGATE motherhood has over the years become a big topic in the country’s courts. This is because every surrogate motherhood agreement has to first be confirmed by the court. A judge has now developed criteria and ordered that the interests of existing children on both sides must also be taken into account. Gauteng High Court Judge Brenda Neukircher, in a recent judgment, took a closer look at the issues surrounding the children already in the existing families – the family due to receive a new baby as well as the children of the surrogate mother who will be carrying the child for nine months. Up to now the courts, in dealing with applications to confirm a surrogate motherhood agreement, mostly looked at the parties involved and whether such an agreement…

GIVEN the inequalities in large parts of South African society, young girls are hit hard and continue to miss large chunks of school every month owing to a lack of sanitary products. While society has been asked to help, Boitumelo Thage has answered the call of young girls who miss school because of menstruation. In 2019, the published author, activist for students and campaigner against gender-based violence launched an initiative to target the distribution of 2 000 sanitary pads. She runs a campaign through her NPO A Second Chance. She said the move was prompted by the many young girls across the country who continued to miss school due to not having sanitary products. “As clichéd as it sounds, not enough is being done about this problem, and this initiative…

MOBILE data users may no longer have to worry about their bundles expiring for at least six months, following proposed amendments to regulations by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa). Earlier this week, Icasa published amendments to its end-user and subscriber service charter regulations in which it is proposed that telecommunications operators be forced to roll over data bundles for a minimum of six months. The draft regulations also deal with the roll-over of voice and SMS bundles. The regulations were last amended in 2018, and implemented in February 2019, following an intense public backlash against perceived high mobile data charges, under the banner of the “data must fall” movement. In the new draft amendments to the regulations, Icasa has proposed that data, SMS, and voice bundles should…

IT WAS a surprise for doctors at Jane Furse Hospital when they discovered on Thursday that the set of twins they were delivering were conjoined. A 41-year-old mother delivered a set of twins through Caesarean section and until they arrived, neither mother nor doctors had any idea that the babies would be conjoined. Yesterday the Limpopo Department of Health said the patient, whose name has not been released to the media yet, was a referral from a nearby clinic. She was diagnosed as having a normal twin pregnancy during ante- natal clinic visits, and it was only during the operation that doctors discovered that the babies were joined on the chest and abdomen. “The babies were successfully extracted without any difficulties and transferred to Mankweng Hospital for full and further…

Days before the murder trial of the five accused in the murder of Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa gets under way, Netflix has released a five-part docuseries, Senzo: Murder of a Soccer Star. Of course, fans and family are still left with tears streaming down their faces and a dull ache in their hearts as the circumstances around his death remain a mystery. In Sara Blecher’s docuseries, she revisits his relationship with Afro-pop star Kelly Khumalo and the events leading up to that night. She also uses eyewitness accounts of what transpired, coupled with first-hand accounts by those closest to Senzo as well as Kelly. Blecher also broaches the subject of a cover-up and bribery. Of course, there are no answers here – the trial is yet to happen. But…

LIEUTENANT-General Fannie Mase- mola was appointed as national police commissioner by President Cycril Ramaphosa on March 31. The announcement was made shortly after the president responded last month to a question in the National Assembly, saying that he would follow a similar process to that of his appointing the chief justice and the national director of public prosecutions. This statement was interpreted by many to believe that the public would be afforded an opportunity to make inputs. Suggestions were made that the panel must be representative of society, and that such a process was actually the president imposing a check on his own power. This was not what happened. Little is known about the panel of experts advising the president. It has been reported that Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga…

China has strongly urged the US to cancel House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan next week, saying it would severely impact Chinese-US relations. China will take firm and robust measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Xinhua reported. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, urged the US to stick to the one-China principle and stipulations of the three China-US joint communiques. Tomorrow marks the 43rd anniversary of the US signing into law the Taiwan Relations Act. |…

In this month’s article, I’ll go into more detail about the importance of risk cover, as well as its benefits throughout your financial journey. Although risk cover – which insures against premature death, disability, or some form of incapacity – is always a grudge purchase, there is often no better means of securing your financial future or that of your family. What is risk cover? The importance of risk cover in personal financial planning is often overlooked given its perceived complex nature and the monthly financial commitment for an event that you hope will never occur. Risk cover is a long-term insurance product that provides financial protection in the wake of significant life events such as death, critical illness, and/or disability – there is no one-size-fits-all option. The true value…

A DEJECTED Lewis Hamilton said yesterday that nothing being done to his under-performing Mercedes was making a difference after he managed just 13th in second practice for the Australian Grand Prix. The British seven-time world champion has had a tough time so far this season, with his car alarmingly adrift of pace-setters Red Bull and Ferrari. The German manufacturer's problems with porpoising -– bouncing at high speed -– are still an issue and he is frustrated. ‶It’s just nothing we change on the car makes a difference at the moment,“ he said, after finishing nearly two seconds behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who topped the timesheets. "So that's the difficult thing. You're getting very optimistic, and then you make changes, and then it doesn't seem to be wanting to improve. ‶We…

Travelling to another country for the first time is an exciting adventure that you will remember for the rest of your life. Nerves, hiccups and some struggles are always expected, but the benefits and memories will far outweigh the challenges. Packing includes considerations such as your destination, the purpose of your trip and what season it is. Here are some tips to make sure everything is in order before you hop on that international flight. Getting your first passport If you’ve never left the country, chances are you don’t have a passport. If you are applying for the first time, you will need to file in person. First you have to fill out forms from your Department of Home Affairs. You will also need proof of your citizenship, such as…