Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-09-06 i Pretoria News

BIDVEST saw six out of its seven divisions report strong trading growth after already rebounding last year following the pandemic, and it was in pursuit of offshore acquisitions, chief executive Mpumi Madisa said yesterday. Trading profit growth increased 23 percent to R9.7 billion for the year to June 30 and headline earnings per share from continuing operations grew 21.9 percent to 1 442.0 cents. The total dividend was up 24 percent to 744c per share after a final dividend of 364c was declared. Key drivers were growth from record bulk commodity volumes handled and pharmaceutical sales, new vehicle price and volume increases, a rebound in travel and tourism-related revenue and full year contributions from acquisitions in the UK and Ireland. Madisa said in a telephone…

Gauteng executive ‘failed to follow proper procedure’ or inform Ramaphosa, but fate of the province’s No 1 sealed The job of North West Premier Bushy Maape is safe for now despite losing his battle to become the ANC provincial chairperson to the incumbent Nono Maloyi. This was confirmed by Maloyi yesterday when he addressed the media about the outcome of his party’s first provincial executive committee (PEC) meeting, which ended in Sun City, Rustenburg, yesterday. Maloyi was answering media questions about the future of Maape in the North West legislature after ANC members in Gauteng decided to recall Premier David Makhura. However, that was hampered after it was found that the party’s Gauteng executive apparently failed to follow proper procedures before making such a decision. As a result, Makhura would…

ADVOCATE Zandile Mshololo, for the fifth accused in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, said yesterday the ongoing proceedings in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, were irregular and not according to the law. Mshololo, who represents Sifisokuhle Ntuli, kicked off proceedings yesterday by stating that the letter by the National Prosecuting Authority in which it said docket 375 would be dealt with only once the proceedings regarding docket 636 were completed, was not communicated to the defence, which was irregular and unlawful. The State had indicated it did not intend to hand this document to the court because it viewed it as irrelevant, she said, but her team would plead for it to be submitted to the court as it contained evidence which pertained to the violation of the accused’s constitutional…

THE police have spent more than R5.7 million on safety and security measures at political events such as conferences and rallies since April 2019. This was revealed by Police Minister Bheki Cele while responding to DA MP Andrew Whitfield on whether the SAPS rendered security services to conferences and political party events, and what the full costs were. In his response, Cele said: “It must be noted that the SAPS did not render security services per se, but rather their involvement was to ensure the safety and security of the events, ie, policing services.” He provided a list of events per province and the amount incurred. KwaZulu-Natal did not feature on the list provided, and IFP events were not listed, including those held in Gauteng and Mpumalanga. The expenditure incurred…

Health authorities in the Eastern Cape are liable for damages to a widow after her husband fell out of the fifth floor window of the Livingstone Hospital in Gqebera. The incident was found to have been due to the negligence of staff who under-medicated him and did not properly monitor him for his apparent psychosis. George Williams was admitted to hospital while suffering from severe alcohol withdrawal, a condition known as delirium tremens. He also appeared to have been suffering from secondary schizophrenia. Williams died of his injuries hours after he had fallen out of the glass window from the fifth floor at the nurses’ tearoom. His wife, Jeanine Williams, instituted a claim for damages in the Eastern Cape High Court, stating that if the nursing staff were vigilant and…

The Road Freight Association (RFA), the taxi industry and a civil society organisation that tracks food prices welcomed the fuel price cuts announced yesterday, but warned it would be some time before consumers would see relief across the value chain for food and other services impacted by the fuel prices. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy said that the price of both grades of petrol will be slashed by R2.04 per litre, while the price of diesel 0.05% and 0.005% sulphur will drop by 56.34 cents per litre and 46.34 cents per litre respectively. The wholesale price of illuminating paraffin will go down by 82c per litre. The department said lower prices were due to lower international oil prices and the stronger rand. However, the decreases were less than…

We depend on nature and the ocean for food, medicine and livelihoods When Sinegugu Zukulu, Nonhle Mbuthuma and Siyabonga Ndovela grew up, everything revolved around the life-giving ocean on the Wild Coast. Their parents and grandparents taught them how the ocean mattered. For them, as members of fishing communities on the Wild Coast, like those on the West Coast, the ocean still matters. They depend on the ocean for their sustainable livelihoods and take their connection to the ocean seriously. They do not just go to the beach for recreation, but harvest food and medicines through a craft passed on from generation to generation. They bear duties and obligations relating to the sea and other shared resources like our land and forests; it is incumbent on them to protect the…

The Israeli army conceded yesterday for the first time that one of its soldiers had likely shot Palestinian-American reporter Shireen Abu Akleh after having mistaken her for a militant. “There is a high possibility that Ms Abu Akleh was accidentally hit by IDF (Israel Defence Forces) gunfire fired towards suspects identified as armed Palestinian gunmen,” said the army’s final investigation report into her May 11 death. The acknowledgement comes after months in which the army had insisted it was impossible to determine the source of the deadly shot that killed the celebrated Al Jazeera journalist in the occupied West Bank, saying it could have been militant fire. “Our conclusion is that it’s not possible to determine unequivocally which gunfire killed her, but there’s a higher probability that she was hit…

Kenya’s Supreme Court yesterday unanimously upheld William Ruto’s presidential win in a scathing judgment that blasted opposition leader Raila Odinga’s accusations of cheating. Soon after, Odinga tweeted that he would respect the ruling even though he disagreed with it, easing fears that Kenya would see any repeat of the violence that followed disputed votes in 2007 and 2017. There were no immediate signs of protest in Odinga’s stronghold of Kisumu city or the low-income areas of Nairobi that support the left-wing politician. East Africa’s most wealthy and influential nation had been on tenter- hooks since the August 9 elections, which pitted Ruto, a former chicken seller, against two of nation’s most powerful political families. Similar accusations of cheating triggered deadly election violence, often with ethnic undertones, during the two…

OTTAWA: Two men suspected of killing 10 people in a stabbing rampage that devastated an indigenous community in Canada were at large yesterday as authorities tried to determine a motive for attacks that shocked a nation where mass violence is rare. Police launched a manhunt for Damien Sanderson, 31, and Myles Sanderson, 30, after they allegedly stabbed people in 13 different areas across an indigenous community and its surrounding province on Sunday. At least 15 others were wounded. The attacks in Saskatchewan province were among the deadliest in Canada’s modern history. Indigenous leaders say they may have been drug related. | Reuters…

Washington: One person was killed and rescue crews were searching for nine others after a small plane crashed along the coast of the US state of Washington on Sunday, the coast guard said yesterday. The US Coast Guard dispatched helicopters and boats to scour the area. Local search-and-rescue officials were also on the scene. The cause for the crash had yet been determined. Two ships will “remain on scene throughout the night searching for the 9 individuals on the seaplane,” the coast guard later said on Twitter. The plane crashed flying over the Pacific Ocean inlet of Puget Sound on its way to Renton Airport near Seattle. | AFP…

TRELLIDOR Holdings’s revenue fell by 1 percent to R513 million in the year to June 30, and headline earnings per share plunged by 99 percent to 0.4 cents, the company’s results showed yesterday. Included in the results was a provision for the Labour Court judgment of R32m. The group said household budgets were stretched and consumers traded down, resulting in lower demand for its higher-priced and premium pro- ducts. In addition, the subdued residential property market and increasing trend in estate living had a negative impact on sales of Trellidor’s traditional product. Trellidor’s distribution was predominantly through a national network of 51 franchise owners, essentially small businesses. The government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic had a disproportionate negative impact on small businesses. The franchise network had…

ACTOR Bradley Cooper wants to have more kids with Irina Shayk. The 47-year-old actor – who welcomed daughter Lea back in 2017 with Irina – called it quits with the supermodel in 2019 but the pair are reportedly considering rekindling their romance after enjoying a holiday together and would like to have another daughter together. A source told PageSix: “It was a real family getaway and they are considering getting back together. She would like her daughter to have a sibling. “They both (Bradley and Irina) haven’t got serious with anyone else and they are both into the idea of having a kid.” However, the news comes just days after it was claimed that the Licorice Pizza star and his ex were simply “getting along well for the sake of…

Barberton Magistrate’s Court has remanded 40-year-old Nkosinathi Themba Zungu in custody after he was arrested for allegedly transporting and dealing in dagga at Hilltop, on Barberton Road. “It was reported that on September 1, members of the National Intervention Unit deployed in the Barberton Mine followed a suspicious courier company vehicle seen on surveillance cameras loading a large number of bags at the back of the vehicle,” said Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi. The vehicle was followed on the gravel road towards Hilltop. “When the vehicle was stopped and searched, 26 bags of compressed dagga with the estimated value of R700 000 were seized. The Hawks’ Nelspruit-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation were alerted and they took over the investigation. “The case against Zungu was remanded to September 9…

ACTIONSA said it was “disappointed and concerned” after Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi announced the extension of validity of the Zimbabwean exemption permits to June 30. The special exemption permits held by less than 200 000 had been set to expire by December 31, following the current “grace period” set by the South African government. Herman Mashaba, leader of the political outfit has criticised Motsoaledi for the six months’ extension of permits. “South Africa has been under the grip of crime, economic squeeze, and a seemingly unending plethora of social ills allegedly due to the influx of migrants and mostly by undocumented and illegal immigrants,” Mashaba said. “It is not long ago that violence flared in Kagiso west of Johannesburg when residents took the law into their own hands…

Senior officials from the Gauteng Department of Health implicated in transferring mental health-care patients from Life Esidimeni facilities into unprepared, unlicensed NGOs in 2016 are scheduled to testify at the inquest from today. Dr Makgabo Manamela, who was head of the Mental Health Directorate at the department at the time, is due to give her evidence before North Gauteng High Court Judge Mmonoa Teffo today. She had applied for a postponement of her evidence until September 12, but yesterday the judge refused the postponement. Dr Barney Selebano, who was head of the department at the time of the transfer of the patients, and former health MEC Qedani Mahlangu, are expected to give evidence in October and November. The last three witnesses to testify were the most senior government actors involved…

THE Gauteng Health Department says it is yet to receive a forensic report into the cause of the fire at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital. This comes after a Daily Maverick report on Sunday indicated the cause of the fire was arson. Last year the hospital was severely damaged by a fire that has remained a mystery. Gauteng Health spokesperson Motaletale Modiba said the department has been inundated with media enquiries following the Daily Maverick article, which said it was in possession of a forensic report into the fire. “We unfortunately have not seen the so-called forensic report and, as such, are not in a position to comment on it. “Maybe you should check with the SAPS (to establish) whether they have indeed completed their report and with which department…

The IFP’s Chief Whip in Parliament, Narend Singh MP, together with the Conservation Action Trust, represented by Francis Garrard, co-hosted the South African première of Lions, Bones and Bullets at an in-person screening at Parliament in Cape Town on August 30. Lions, Bones and Bullets is an award-winning documentary made in South Africa, which follows the journey of Penguin South Africa author, Richard Peirce, as he investigates the captive lion breeding industry. The film offers a valid appraisal of this “industry”, based on an informed, fact-based investigation. In his recorded introduction, Peirce said he believes South Africa has a special responsibility as a key guardian of many of the world’s iconic species. The screening was attended by several MPs across portfolios, who share a deep concern for, and belief in…

RECONCILIATION between the ANC and IFP will finally eliminate the possibility of a re-emergence of political violence in KwaZulu-Natal and set the province on a sustainable economic growth trajectory. The reconciliation will be good for economic growth and the creation of a unified province that can attract foreign investment. Speaking at the launch of the Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Foundation in Durban last week, the IFP president emeritus Mangosuthu Buthelezi said he was optimistic that his party and the ANC can heal the wounds of the past by embracing the path to reconciliation. Buthelezi’s comment comes after the KwaZulu-Natal ANC issued a statement to the media wishing Buthelezi well on his 94th birthday. On Friday, the ANC replied to Buthelezi’s reconciliation plea by announcing that it had set up a team…

Liz Truss will become Britain’s next prime minister after winning a leadership race for the governing Conservative Party yesterday, vowing to press ahead with promised tax cuts and action to tackle a deepening energy and cost of living crisis. After weeks of an often bad-tempered and divisive leadership contest, Truss, currently the foreign minister and the favourite to win, beat former finance minister Rishi Sunak in a vote of Conservative Party members, winning by 81 326 votes to 60 399. “I will deliver a bold plan to cut taxes and grow our economy,” Truss said after the result was announced. “I will deliver on the energy crisis, dealing with people’s energy bills, but also dealing with the long-term issues we have on energy supply.” Truss takes over as the country…

ROME: Pope Francis will not be able to visit Moscow and Kyiv until after a gathering of religious leaders in Kazakhstan on September 13-15 on his doctor’s orders due to a knee problem, he said. “There’s been a bit of a setback with the knee recovery and the doctor banned it,” Francis said. “But I have been maintaining contact over the telephone ... I always believe that by having a dialogue, we advance.” The Vatican has had to mend strained relations with Ukraine after Francis referred to Russian ultra-nationalist Darya Dugina, who was killed by a car bomb near Moscow, as an innocent victim of war. | Reuters…

NAIROBI: Parts of Somalia will be hit by famine between October and December as a drought worsens and global food prices surge, the UN said yesterday. The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 40 years and experts say the region is on track for a fifth consecutive failed rainy season. “Famine is at the door,” UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said. Famine would affect parts of south central Somalia but it is worse now than in 2010 and 2011 due to four failed rainy seasons and decades of conflicts, the UN said. The 2011 famine claimed more than a quarter of a million lives, most of them children.…

Lahore: Spurred by rising inflation and unemployment, a large number of Pakistanis are crossing borders via illegal channels, falling prey to a thriving racket of smugglers. For many people fleeing poverty, getting across the borders requires them to pay huge sums and even their lives, with smugglers squeezing them to pay more than 500 000 PKR (R39 252). Trekking through mountains and no-man’s-lands to avoid arrest, most of these young men endure a gruelling journey to Europe. Many are nabbed at the borders of Iran and Turkey – transit countries for illegal migrants – and deported to Pakistan, while Greece uses disproportionate force to push them back toward Turkey. | IANS…

THERE are promising signs that Mamelodi Sundowns will not be running away with the Premiership title this time around, as has been the case in previous years. Last season, it was a one-horse race from the word 'go' and Sundowns claimed their fifth straight Premiership title with four matches to spare. They finished 16 points clear of second-placed Cape Town City. This season, after six rounds, Sundowns have already suffered two defeats and a draw. They are in sixth position and have been upstaged by AmaZulu and Royal AM, who occupied the upper rungs of the elite league ladder. It is still early in the season, and the chances are that Sundowns will recover, given the enormous resources at their disposal. All Sundowns need to do is to establish why…

FOR THE YEAR ended June 30, 2022, the group said its headline earnings per share increased by 6.1 percent to 530.6 cents compared to 499.9c last year. Group revenue increased by 4.3 percent and was supported by a combination of improved sales volumes in key categories and price increases to ameliorate significant cost pressures. The board declared a final ordinary dividend of 292c per share, resulting in a full-year ordinary dividend of 462c, which was 6.2 percent higher than last year, and in line with the growth in headline earnings, the group said. “The group’s performance in the first semester was disrupted by the civil unrest in July 2021, with all of our facilities and retail stores closed to safeguard our staff. “Direct losses amounted…

Business conditions at South African firms continued to improve in August, the latest PMI data showed, although the rate of growth eased amid signs of a slowdown in customer demand. This comes after consumers were hit by steep price increases in July, with headline annual inflation rising to a 13-year high of 7.8 percent due to elevated fuel and food costs. The S&P Global South Africa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) edged lower to 51.7 points in August from a 14-month high of 52.7 points in July. This reading signalled a modest improvement in business conditions in three months. S&P Global said both output and new orders grew for the fourth consecutive month, albeit at a slower pace, as customer demand appeared to ease. The rate of expansion…

Heritage Day is in three weeks, and below we bring you an easy and delicious recipe to inspire you, shared by the South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association. Braai mushrooms with chickpea stuffing Makes: 8 Ingredients Tahini lemon drizzle 4 cloves garlic 80ml freshly squeezed lemon juice 150g tahini ½ tsp ground cumin Pinch salt Lemony breadcrumbs 2 tbs olive oil 50g breadcrumbs 1 small garlic clove, grated Zest of 1 lemon Stuffing 2 tins of chickpeas, drained and rinsed 4 tbs olive oil 2 shallots, finely diced 1 clove of garlic, finely minced Zest and juice of 1 lemon ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp chilli flakes 3 tbs chives, chopped 3 tbs parsley, chopped 8 large portobello mushrooms Olive oil, for cooking Salt and pepper, to taste Method…

LIMPOPO has become the second province to record an incident in which a group of women were held at gunpoint and gang-raped before being robbed of their belongings. In the latest incident, five women were locked up in the offices of a funeral parlour and raped at Malipsdrift outside Polokwane in the early hours of Sunday. This follows the gang-rape of eight music video actresses in Krugersdorp, Gauteng, about six weeks ago. Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, said that on Sunday six heavily armed men targeted two funeral parlours next to Leporong along the R37 road. “Two female friends on their way to visit a boyfriend working at Wisani Burial Society, were walking along the R37 road, when they were accosted by six men who grabbed them and took…

CORRUPTION by traffic officials taking bribes will be dealt with harshly, no matter what amount of money is involved, a judge has said. With these words, the judge confirmed the two-year direct jail sentence meted out to a Limpopo traffic official. “Dishonesty remains dishonesty, and the value of gratification received will not make it less dishonest. A high degree of professionalism, morals and honesty is expected from law-enforcement officers. “If they are left to do as they wish, society at large will lose confidence in the officers who are supposed to protect road users from those who break traffic laws daily,” said Judge Maake Kganyago, sitting in the High Court in Polokwane. Traffic officer Portia Ramphelo found out the hard way that a bribe – even if it is a…

THE battle for the soul of the City of Joburg has become messier with opposition parties planning the removal of mayor Mpho Phalatse this week. It is understood that a motion of no confidence against Phalatse has been planned for this week. This follows the ousting of council speaker Vasco da Gama last week. Several members of the multiparty coalition voted against Da Gama in that council sitting. This included Cope councillor Colleen Makhubela, who was also the municipal chair of chairs. The DA has threatened Makhubela with legal action should she continue in the role as acting speaker. Some in the coalition had expressed concerns that the DA was centralising power within its ranks and trying to control the coalition. Al-Jama-ah leader Thapelo Amad said the DA was fast…

Eight people had to be treated by the Tshwane Emergency Services for smoke inhalation after a group of five attempted to set fire to the Legal Practice Council building behind the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, yesterday. Spokesperson for Tshwane Emergency Services Charles Mabaso said the fire broke out at the Procforum Building, which houses the Legal Practice Council offices in the central city, at about 8.20am. Mabaso said firefighters arrived to find part of the building alight, with heavy smoke coming out of multiple floors and some occupants reportedly still trapped between the first and third floors. According to Mabaso, six offices, two each on the ground, first and third floors of the building, were found to be on fire. However, firefighters managed to get the blaze under control and…

The sad passing of Lorraine Botha MPL on the last day of Women’s Month is significant. The dreadful news of her untimely death was met with great grief across the caucus of the ANC in the Western Cape Provincial Legislature. At such a time, political differences are put aside to appreciate life and to acknowledge the great strides the person had made to improve the lot of others. The late Ms Botha served as my counterpart, as chief whip, for the DA for just under three months. We had entered the legislature together in 2014 and had to learn the ropes of serving the people of the Western Cape together. A hard worker who died with her boots on, in her office, Ms Botha was impeccable in her appearance and…

At least 46 people were killed when a strong earthquake struck south-western China yesterday, state media reported, as violent tremors in a remote region damaged homes and left some areas without electricity. The magnitude 6.6 quake hit about 43km south-east of the city of Kangding in Sichuan province at a depth of 10km, according to the US Geological Survey. Fourteen people lost their lives in Sichuan’s Shimian county and seven died in nearby Luding county, while more than 30 were injured, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Tremors shook buildings in the provincial capital of Chengdu – where millions are confined to their homes under a strict Covid-19 lockdown – and in the nearby megacity of Chongqing, local residents said. “I felt it quite strongly. Some of my neighbours on the…

Ukraine made its boldest claim yet of success on the battlefield in its week-old counter-offensive against Russian forces in the south, while European markets reopened yesterday in free-fall after Russia kept its main gas pipeline to Germany shut. After days of declining to give details about their new offensive, Ukrainian officials posted an image online of three soldiers raising a flag over a town in Kherson province, a southern region occupied by Russia since the war’s early days. The image of the flag being fixed to a pole on a rooftop, purportedly in Vysokopyllya in the north of Kherson, was released as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Ukrainian forces had captured two towns in the south and one in the east. Russia has said it has repelled assaults in Kherson.…

LONDON: Russia hit Hollywood stars Ben Stiller and Sean Penn with sanctions yesterday in response to their public criticism of Moscow’s war on Ukraine. The foreign ministry included the actors on a new list of 25 US citizens – mostly politicians, trade officials and industrial executives – that it was placing under sanctions and banning from entering Russia. Stiller and Penn have been vocal supporters of Ukraine in the conflict and have met Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in high-profile shows of support. In June, Stiller, star of Zoolander and Dodgeball, told Zelenskyy: “You’re my hero.” Two-time Oscar winner Penn was in Ukraine recording a documentary when Russia invaded on February 24. He was forced to flee on foot, joining the millions of Ukrainians crossing into Poland in the first days…

London: More than 1 100 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Sunday, figures showed yesterday, as campaigners challenged the legality of a policy to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda. The Ministry of Defence said 1 160 migrants were detected in 25 boats in the 24 hours to midnight on Sunday, after 960 made the journey on Saturday. The arrivals take the number of people having made the crossing this year to 27 384, nearly as many for the whole of 2021 when 28 526 were intercepted. It is also the second time in two weeks that over 1 000 people have been picked up in a single day. A record 1 295 were brought ashore on August 22. | AFP…

The Springboks’ attitude against the Wallabies was one of their best traits on Saturday. They were fired up. They were determined. And they stood back for nothing. That is the kind of roar we need to see from Jacques Nienaber’s team every week. Springbok behemoth Eben Etzebeth and Wallaby prop Allan Alaalatoa’s ‘coming together’ was one of the biggest talking points to emerge from the Boks’ Rugby Championship victory Down Under, which saw them break a nine-year losing streak in Australia. That moment, and there refusal to stand back throughout the game, showed attitude in bucketloads. Following that altercation between the two on-pitch captains, reaction came from all over the rugby world, and outside of it. Memes of the Bok lock’s “angry eyes” were all round, so were the “don't…

Cape Town City’s almost non-stop conveyor belt of fixtures continues today when they host Sekhukhune United in the Premiership at Athlone Stadium (kick-off 7.30pm). City’s hectic schedule is due to their maiden participation in the CAF Champions League, with their campaign set to begin against Congolese outfit AS Otoho in a first leg preliminary round clash on Saturday. However, before coach Eric Tinkler’s side can focus on their African adventures, they need to take care of their business at home against the Babina Noko. Fortunately for City, the upshot about playing a string of fixtures in close proximity, especially when in-form, is that as a team you are able to build up a bit of momentum. And’s exactly what City have done over the past four league matches. Bar the…