Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-07-20 i Pretoria News

ASCENDIS Health has reached agreement to sell its Pharma business to Austell Pharmaceuticals for R410 million, a deal that it says will reduce its debt and stabilise the balance sheet. The share price shot up 10.8 percent to 72 cents by midday yesterday, indicating that some shareholders were clearly enamoured with the transaction. “This gives us enough runway to stay listed and build a company again,” chairperson Harry Smit said in a telephone interview. The Austell offer is 10 percent more than an earlier offer for the Pharma business, which was made by a Pharma-Q and Imperial Logistics joint venture. “The disposal of the Pharma business will significantly reduce the debt burden. The net purchase price will be set off against the R590m loan that Ascendis…

JSE-LISTED BHP produced a strong fourth quarter to cap off a year of significant progress,while it yesterday warned of tough times ahead. In its operational review released yesterday the diversified miner said it had increased production across its portfolio of commodities during the June quarter. Iron ore production for the period was 64.2 million tons, an 8 percent increase, which showed record production from the Mining Area C hub, the continued ramp-up of the South Flank operation and the improved supply chain performance. Total copper production decreased by 4 percent to 1.57 million tons. Production for the 2023 financial year was expected to be between 1.6 and 1.8 million tons. Nickel production in the June quarter was up by 1 percent to 18…

THE second leg of Rivers of Living Waters Church leader Bishop Bafana Stephen Zondo’s sex trial began this week in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. However, this time the evidence of one of his alleged victims will be heard behind closed doors. The prosecution applied to Judge Papi Mosopa to order that the evidence of the woman be heard in camera for medical reasons. Prosecutor Jennifer Cronje handed a medical letter to the court, and although she did not elaborate on the reasons for the witness to testify behind closed doors, it is understood that the reasons are stress-related. Advocate Piet Pistorius, who represents Zondo, did not object. This means that the evidence of the alleged second victim will only be heard by the judge, the prosecution and the defence…

STEVE Biko Academic Hospital has became the first health facility in South Africa to receive the World Stroke Organisation Angels Diamond Award for excellence in related care. This is the first international award of its kind awarded to any South African hospital, in the private or public sector. The awards recognise hospitals that provide excellent stroke care and encourage hospitals to implement quality monitoring in order to improve performance. Criteria were based on international guidelines for treating acute stroke patients. Hospitals were eligible for gold, platinum or diamond awards, with diamond representing the highest level of performance. Chief executive at Steve Biko Hospital, Dr Mathabo Mathebula, said it was a great honour. “This achievement has been a milestone in our journey and is a reflection of the relentless work our…

Businessman Sandile Zungu yesterday officially announced he was bidding to become provincial chairperson of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, saying his campaign had revealed the party could not ignore the angst and concern over the step-aside resolution. Zungu, owner of AmaZulu Football Club, is expected to run against the main contender for the chairperson position, incumbent Sihle Zikalala, as well as Finance MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube and Nhlanhla Ngidi. The uMlazi-born businessman, who on Sunday told supporters in Ulundi that he had consulted many party leaders, including former president Jacob Zuma and former KZN premier Willies Mchunu, said the step-aside resolution was flawed. “There is an overwhelming sense of angst and discomfort with the step-aside resolution in the manner that it has been implemented. There is an overwhelming view that it is…

Laura Wolvaardt is pleased, but also a little frustrated with her form in the one-day international format. She was the Proteas women’s second highest run-scorer in the three-match series with England, in which South Africa were soundly beaten by the hosts. She remains the mainstay of the SA batting order and has evolved her game, most notably in how she bats in the powerplay. Wolvaardt scored 154 runs in the three ODIs, making two half-centuries and scoring at a strike rate of 90.81 – comfortably better than her career strike rate of 68.41. “In the last two games, I’ve been in unknown territory where I find myself on 50 at more than a run-a-ball, which I am very happy with. I’ve wanted to work on my starts,” said Wolvaardt. Although…

In their prime, Wayde van Niekerk and Caster Semenya would have guaranteed two medals in the 400m and 800m respectively for South Africa at any major event. But the two superstars of SA athletics would have arrived in Eugene, Oregon last week with very different goals for the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field. Van Niekerk is still trying to get back to his best following a nightmare time with injuries since THAT touch rugby match at Newlands in October 2017. Having celebrated his 30th birthday last Friday, though, Van Niekerk gave himself a nice little present by cruising in his 400m first-round heat at the world championships on Sunday to advance to the semi-finals. The Rio Olympic champion and world-record holder stopped the clock in a solid 45.18 seconds,…

The Springbok Women’s team has departed for Japan, where they will play two Tests against the home nation in the Taiyo-Seimei Japan Rugby Challenge Series. The South African ladies are in action on July 24 in Iwate and again on July 30 in Saitama. Overcoming the tough travel and warm Japanese summer are some of the factors that will test their resolve, but they are also up against a Japanese side that recently toppled Fiji and Australia. “We are fully aware of those challenges, and that was part of the thinking on undertaking the tour in the bigger planning towards the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand,” said coach Stanley Raubenheimer. “The players will be exposed to the jet-lag factor and how that impacts on your body, as well…

THE NATIONAL Treasury has proposed wide-ranging measures that could lead to severe sanctions, including disciplinary action, against accounting officers who fail to pay invoices within the stipulated 30-day period. The Treasury yesterday published the “2021/22 annual report on non-compliance with payments of suppliers’ invoices within 30 days” for the period ending March 2022. National and provincial government departments are required to pay suppliers’ invoices within the prescribed period in terms of section 38(1)(f) of the Public Finance Management Act. The report found that the number of invoices paid after 30 days by national and provincial departments in the 2021/22 financial year amounted to R33.7 billion. The situation deteriorated for the number of invoices older than 30 days and not paid by national and provincial departments as this stood at…

SOUTH African Airways (SAA) and Kenya Airlines plans for a super airline to dominate the African skies has come closer to fruition with the announcement of a codeshare agreement, which will see each airline sell under its own code, flights operated by the other. Passengers travelling out of South Africa will have more options to travel to African destinations including Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Entebbe, Mombasa and Kisumu, while Kenya Airlines’ passengers will have more options for travel into Southern Africa including Cape Town, Durban and Harare. This follows the signing in November last year of a strategic partnership framework, which is expected to improve the financial viability of the two carriers by cutting costs, increasing the size of the available fleet at their disposal through code sharing and potentially…

TEACHING and learning resumed yesterday at Sediba Sa Thuto Primary School in Mamelodi, which had been closed down by parents and the community at the end of May due to overcrowding. It was the second time the school was shut down this year due to a variety of issues, among them lack of tables and chairs, and improper roads and bridge across a nearby river. School governing body chairperson Tebogo Selemela said pupils resumed learning and parents were happy with the progress made by the Department of Education to rectify some of the issues. “Three mobile classrooms were delivered on Monday and are being installed. We are so happy that at least overcrowding will be lessened.” Selemela said they were relieved that learners had returned to class after missing more…

According to sources, Ramaphosa will watch the balance of forces play out in what is expected to be a tough contest for provincial leadership with incumbent Sihle Zikalala the leading contender. Finance MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube and uMlazi-born businessman and owner of AmaZulu FC Sandile Zungu are also contesting for the regional chairperson position of the powerful and influential province. Ramaphosa, who has faced criticism after former State Security Agency boss Arthur Fraser laid charges against him for allegedly covering up the theft of millions of dollars from his Phala Phala farm, is expected to attend the KZN conference, despite the province not being seen as a stronghold of his. Sources say Ramaphosa will get a mixed reaction at the conference, but a no-show will send the wrong message to his…

Former Orlando Pirates captain Happy Jele said his exit from the club came as a result of him wanting to continue playing at the highest level. The 35-year-old’s departure was confirmed this week. He left along with 14 other players. The clean-out came as a result of the Soweto giants looking to rebuild under new Spanish coach Jose Riveiro. “When the chairman (Irvin Khoza) invited me to his office to offer me a non-playing position, I was humbled but at the same time shocked, as I personally was not ready to take off the badge as yet,” Jele said in a statement. “I was offered an opportunity to be part of the non-playing staff, and I gracefully expressed my desire to play for another season or two before I hang…

Banyana Banyana goalkeeper Andile Dlamini has said the team’s success is due to an unbreakable bond among the players. Coach Desiree Ellis’s charges advanced to the final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) on Monday night, following a hard-fought 1-0 win over southern African rivals Zambia. Banyana will face Morocco in the final on Saturday after the hosts upset Nigeria in the other semi-final. “There is something about this team that is just different and unbreakable. Every player in this team wants to win. They are motivated,” Dlamini said. “I know that every player wants to do this to inspire change and positive vibes in South Africa. “When you walk onto the field, nobody wants to lose a game. We want to inspire youngsters who are depressed and…

Kaizer Chiefs are involved in one of the most highly-anticipated refurbishment jobs in the DStv Premiership ahead of the new season as they seek to build a team that is capable of reclaiming their past glories. The Soweto giants find themselves having to chase down Mamelodi Sundowns, a gap they hope to close in the upcoming season. Another issue for the Amakhosi faithful is the technical team’s inability to place and back one of Itumeleng Khune, Bruce Bvuma and Brandon Peterson as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper for more than six months. One of the most integral components of every team that dominates for a substantial amount of time is establishing a solid No 1 who forms the foundation of anything they seek to build. Khune – a 16-year servant of…

Deputy Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka has refused to grant another extension, and threatened to invoke her powers to force the president to answer 31 questions on the Phala Phala farm affair DEPUTY Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka has threatened to invoke her subpoena powers against President Cyril Ramaphosa, after he failed to meet the deadline to answer 31 questions relating to the Phala Phala farm scandal. The public protector initially had until July 3 to finalise an investigation into whether Ramaphosa had violated the Executive Members Code of Ethics. Ramaphosa requested an extension to allow him to answer the questions that had been posed by the now suspended Public Protector Advocate Busi Mkhwebane. She was controversially suspended a day after confirming an investigation following a complaint against the president from…

THE search and seizure operation at the offices of the Limpopo Department of Health in Polokwane over the multi-million rand Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) scandal will yield enough evidence to make arrests soon. This is according to the head of criminology at the University of Limpopo, Professor Jaco Barkhuizen. The Hawks stormed the department’s building and barred employees and officials from leaving while they confiscated their laptops and cellphones. Speaking to Pretoria News yesterday, Barkhuizen said it meant that the law enforcement officials got a tip-off that there was incriminating evidence in the devices. He said: “The reason why the Hawks would take cellphones and laptops is evidentiary values. There is potential evidence in these tools that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Hawks want to access before…

A lack of progress in negotiations since COP 26 has been raised as cause for concern by South Africa at the 13th Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin, Germany. The dialogue, which ended yesterday, was aimed at addressing a range of issues including emissions reduction and adaptation. Speaking at the event, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy said not enough progress has been made in multilateral negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on key areas since COP 26. The discussions on loss and damage, finance, adaptation and the just transition remained trapped in process-related discussions, she said. “Last year in Glasgow some developing countries were vilified for stressing their national circumstances in relation to some of the desired outcomes in the Glasgow Climate…

While there has been no official confirmation yet, Cheslin Kolbe is almost certainly out of the Rugby Championship after suffering a serious jaw injury in the third Test against Wales at Cape Town Stadium last weekend. So, the question now is: Who will replace him in the Springbok No 14 jersey for the first Test against the All Blacks on August 6 at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit? Well, coach Jacques Nienaber should have his answer after controversially giving his entire 42-man squad opportunities over the course of the series with Wales. And one of the few players to really stick his hand up in the revamped side that lost 13-12 in Bloemfontein was Kurt-Lee Arendse. Indeed, Nienaber said after the series that he had learned a great deal about his…

Cricket South Africa’s new T20 venture – their third attempt at launching a league – will be under-written by the owners of some of the biggest T20 teams in the world and broadcaster SuperSport. Former Proteas captain and Cricket SA’s previous director of cricket, Graeme Smith, will oversee the project – as the tournament’s ‘commissioner’. Smith is unlikely to face the kind of turbulence he had to put up with as Cricket SA freed itself from the mess created by the previous administrators, although he will know that his new role is not one that is without challenges. This tournament is CSA’s version of ‘going all in’. The future of the sport in the country is at stake. The current chief executive, Pholetsi Moseki, with whom Smith forged a close…

A “magnificent” Christian Eriksen and “warrior” Lisandro Martinez will bring creative flair and fighting spirit to Manchester United, manager Erik ten Hag said yesterday as his new-look squad starts taking shape. The pair join Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia as the Dutchman’s three key signings so far as he looks to inject new life into the Old Trafford team after their woeful campaign last season. United, who last won major silverware in 2017, finished sixth in the Premier League with their lowest points total since the league was launched in 1992. Danish midfielder Eriksen was signed as a free agent on Friday after leaving Brentford, with Argentine defender Martinez joining the club from Ajax two days later. Ten Hag said the experience of Eriksen, 30, would be vital and his creativity…