Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-09-19 i Pretoria News

The State-owned entity is facing an emergency to fix broken coal plants, replenish diesel for its generators ESKOM, which resorted to load shedding Stage 6 early yesterday morning, faces a crisis to fix broken coal plants and replenish diesel and pumped storage water emergency capacity, and will go to the market, possibly this week, to source up to 1 000MW of existing capacity. This was according to Eskom chief executive André de Ruyter, who said in a briefing yesterday that the additional 1 000MW would likely be sourced from companies who already have their own installed capacity, such as some mining groups and Sappi. He said the intention was to bring the capacity online as quickly as possible, based on the price of Eskom’s most expensive generation,…

WHILE Jagersfontein Developments, the company that owns the tailings dam that collapsed in Jagersfontein, hasn’t said anything, it does appear as if this is the end of its operations, according to Richard Spoor, a public service lawyer. This follows the collapse of the tailings dam last week, leading to the death of one person and the displacement of many others. The cause of the collapse has yet to be determined. According to Spoor, Jagersfontein Developments produces vast quantities of tailings and needed a dam to dump them. Without the tailings dam, they won’t have anywhere to dump them. “I think they generate about 300 tons per hour of tailings, and you need a place to dump that. And they have stated previously that it is too expensive. It’s not economically…

RECENTLY, the technology community gathered with public sector technology leaders at the GovTech summit to focus on the government’s technology plans. According to those who attended, Minister of Communication and Digital Technologies Khumbudzo Ntshavheni outlined the South African government’s paperless vision. About 2 500 delegates were told that digitisation programme aims to have 80% of citizen-facing services to be online by 2025. Whenever people dream about a paperless world it reminds some of a period when this was a wish of many in tech and those in the know understand that the opposite has happened. The introduction of technology in many spheres of our lives has instead of reducing the use of paper increased it. One can therefore understand the gasps in the GovTech Durban gathering when this government…

Obese women who take oestrogen and progestin-containing oral contraceptives have a 24-fold greater risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) compared to non-obese women who do not use the medicines. The findings of the study were published in ESC Heart Failure, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Study author Professor Giuseppe Rosano of the IRCCS San Raffaele University in Italy, said: “It is well established that both obesity and oestrogen-containing contraceptives are risk factors for VTE. “Despite this, obese women continue to receive these drugs. The scientific evidence indicates that obesity and combined oral contraceptives have a synergistic effect on VTE risk and this should be considered in prescribing decisions. “Progestin-only products, including pills, intrauterine devices, or implants, are a safer alternative to the combined pill in women carrying…

THE Competition Tribunal on Friday granted interim relief to the Sekunjalo Group and related entities in a groundbreaking decision by interdicting and preventing three banks from closing Sekunjalo Group bank accounts and ordering five others to reopen accounts that had been closed – on the same terms and conditions that had existed before they were terminated. The Black Business Chamber welcomed the tribunal’s ruling. The chamber had written to the Competition Commission in February requesting an investigation into possible collusion between the country’s major banks in closing the Sekunjalo Group’s accounts. The chamber’s secretary-general, Mntuwekhaya Cishe, said: “While the Competition Commission is still deliberating on the conduct of these banks and is yet to make a ruling, (the chamber) is hoping that there is no other logical determination that the…

TRANSPORT Minister Fikile Mbalula’s department and local KwaZulu-Natal transport officials should take some responsibility for the deadly truck accident that claimed the lives of 21 people, mostly children, on the N2 between Pongola and Itshelejuba. Friday’s horror crash in which a truck ploughed into a bakkie transporting school children was a long time coming, according to residents who alerted officials about the dangerous road as far back as 2019. Even the so-called “Mr Fix It” Mbalula was once informed by a Twitter user about a tragedy waiting to happen. A call he evidently ignored, perhaps because it came from an unknown source. In his post the resident pleaded with Mbalula for his intervention. “@MbalulaFikile I am from a small town called Pongola in northern KZN, we have (the) N2 crossing…

Protests broke out in western Iran on Saturday at the funeral of a young woman who died after being detained by morality police enforcing strict hijab rules, as security forces used tear gas to disperse demonstrators. Videos posted on social media showed protesters shouting anti- government slogans in Saqez, the hometown of Mahsa Amini as they mourned the 22-year-old who died in a hospital in Tehran on Friday. “Death to the dictator” – a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, chanted some protesters, while police fired tear gas. In the past few months, rights activists have urged women to publicly remove their veils, a gesture that would risk their arrest for defying the Islamic dress code as the country’s hardline rulers crack down on “immoral behaviour”. Videos posted on…

Tokyo: Two million people in Japan were told to seek shelter at the weekend before the arrival of Typhoon Nanmadol yesterday, national broadcaster NHK said, as the weather agency issued a “special warning” about the powerful storm. NHK, which compiles alerts issued by local authorities, said level four evacuation instructions – the second highest – were in place for people in Kagoshima, Kumamoto and Miyazaki in the southern Kyushu region. The move came as the Japan Meteorological Agency issued its highest alert for Kagoshima, a warning that comes when it forecasts conditions only seen once in several decades. |…

Nicosia: Cyprus president Nicos Anastasiades has welcomed a “landmark” decision by Washington to fully lift a decades-old arms embargo, conditional on Nicosia continuing to block Russian warships from its ports. The US imposed the arms embargo in 1987 in the hope to encourage its reunification. The Mediterranean island has been divided between the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus and a breakaway northern statelet, set up after a Turkish invasion in 1974 in response to a coup sponsored by the military junta then ruling Greece. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken lifted the restrictions on Friday. On Saturday, Türkiye condemned the US’ move. |…

CAPE Town accountant and Safa Cape Town president Bennett Bailey have joined long-serving football administrators Natasha Tsichlas and Linda Zwane as the new Safa vice-presidents who were elected at a meeting held at Safa House in Nasrec on Saturday. The fourth vice-president is Irvin Khoza who is not elected, but automatically occupies the position because he is the president of the PSL. Safa also announced that the new NEC (National Executive Committee) have unanimously agreed to endorse South Africa’s bid to host the 2027 women’s World Cup. Safa CEO, Tebogo Motlanthe, confirmed the decision and said the process would get underway as soon as possible. “The NEC has resolved that we must bid to host the World Cup for women in 2027,” the Safa CEO said. “We as the…

QUEEN Elizabeth II embraced techno- logy over her long reign of 70 years. When she delivered her Christmas message in 1957, she was the first British monarch to use television in her Christmas broadcast. In 1997 Buckingham Palace established a website and later started using social media, such as an official You Tube channel in 2007, Twitter in 2009, and Instagram in 2013. Unlike former president Trump, a prolific Tweeter, it is doubtful whether the Queen ever in her personal capacity sent a Tweet or uploaded any media to You Tube or Instagram. However, the Queen’s greatest contribution to technological innovation lies in the various honours she bestowed on leaders in technology – her own knights of the technology table. To commemorate her prodigious contribution to technology it is worthwhile…

Events after the hawkish stance by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) chairperson Jerome Powell during his Jackson hole speech on August 26, where he warned that the US would continue to raise interest rates until the inflation rate was back to 2%, rattled world equity markets and boosted the dollar to record strong levels against the euro and the pound last week. These predictions weighed heavily on the stock and exchange rate markets after the US inflation rate for August was released. The markets expected a drop in the CPI rate to 8%, from 8.5% in July. The inflation rate for August, however, came in at 8.3%. On the back of Powell’s warning and anticipated increase in the Fed rate this week of a third consecutive 0.75% or even 100…

THE battle for the Balobedu royal throne in Modjadjiskloof in Limpopo has intensified, after regent Mpapatla Modjadji announced in a letter to the Balobedu nation last week that there would be a coronation ceremony to crown Prince Lekukela Modjadji. The announcement is in defiance of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who recognised Princess Masalanabo Modjadji as the legitimate heir to the throne in 2018. Princess Masalanabo is the younger sister to Prince Lekukela, and both are children of late Rain Queen Makobo Modjadji, who died after a short illness in June 2005. Princess Masalanabo was adopted and raised by ANC stalwart Mathole Motshekga, who last year took the matter to court, for the Balobedu nation to recognise Princess Masalanabo as the incoming queen at her coming of age on January 20. In…

When living in Beijing, we often frequented a restaurant with cuisine from Xinjiang, close to the university. This cuisine is unique, and for us it was an experience to marvel at the diversity of China. Not many people realise just how diverse China really is. Last year, China’s Information Office released the ninth White Paper on “A Guarantee of Equal Rights for All Ethnic Groups in Xinjiang”. The White Paper protects the seven comprehensive human rights, and goes further to enshrine freedom of religious belief and equality of all Chinese citizens and ethnic groups. It is reported that of the 61 members elected to the 13th National People’s Congress in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, nearly two-thirds are from ethnic minorities, while between 1955 to 2020, at constant prices, Xinjiang’s GDP…

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to an annual meeting between India and Russia yesterday. The visit has been touted to be significant in light of this being Putin’s only second work visit outside Russia since the onset of Covid-19, and amid the continuing tensions between the west and Russia over Ukraine. The summit will also witness the inaugural session of the India-Russia 2+2 dialogue. Russia’s Defence and Foreign Ministers will meet with their Indian counterparts. This highlights the increasing mutuality of strategic interests between the two close partners. Considering how the cancellation of the summit last year caused a rise in speculation in Chinese and Pakistani media pertaining to the waning India-Russia partnership, the 21st summit has attracted more attention than most Indian engagements this…

Kigali: Residents of one of Rwanda’s biggest slums accused the government of forcibly evicting them before yesterday’s deadline as police insisted that the relocation process was “smooth”. As drones buzzed overhead with messages urging residents to pack their belongings, police stopped people from entering the Kangondo slum, disparagingly known as “Bannyahe” or “where can I defecate”. The slum borders some of the most exclusive areas in the capital Kigali and has been at the centre of a long-running dispute between residents and the authorities, who have earmarked the area for development. |…

Rome: The toll from storms that drenched Italy and sparked major flooding in the centre of the country has risen to 11, with two people still missing, authorities said on Saturday. The storms broke on Thursday evening, with more than 400mm of rain falling in some places in just a few hours. “Searches are ongoing for the two missing,” the Ancona police said. Across the area around Ancona, the port capital of the central eastern Marche region, streets were turned into rivers, cars swept into piles by the floodwaters, furniture washed out of homes and thick mud left everywhere. More rain was expected. |…

GOLDEN Gloves Promotions (GGP) boss Rodney Berman is going to approach the camps of both Lusanda Kominisi and Tshifhiwa Munyai to discuss a potential rematch of the South African Lightweight championship. Kominisi dethroned Munyai via a controversial unanimous points decision in the main undercard fight of GGP's 'Lights Out' box and dine bill at Emperor's Palace on Saturday night. "I would like to do a rematch of the Kominisi and Munyai fight. “That judge who scored it 117-110 should be sanctioned because there's no way that could have been the case. Kominisi was dropped, yet that scoring suggests he won nine of the 12 rounds, that's just not possible," Berman contested. And he was right, for even Kominisi himself expressed surprise at the outcome while Munyai collapsed to the…

Edward West PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa met with US President Joe Biden in the White House on Friday, where relations with Russia, climate change and trade with South Africa’s third biggest trading partner after China and the EU were discussed. Biden has led an international coalition to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for the near-seven month war in Ukraine, while South Africa has maintained warm diplomatic relations with Russia. Other topics discussed included trade, climate and energy, Reuters reported. A joint task force on trade and investment will be established to expand bilateral economic ties. The two leaders committed to addressing some of “the world’s most urgent challenges over which we both share concern, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and its negative consequences for food security in Africa.” Reuters reported that Biden…

THE LOW PRODUCTIVITY growth (labour productivity and total factor productivity) particularly for the SMMEs, is hampering efforts to improve economic growth and the competitiveness of South Africa, according to Productivity SA board chairperson Professor Mthunzi Mdwaba. Speaking at the entity’s Annual General Meeting on Friday, he said it was an undisputed fact that productivity improvement was the most effective to ensure long-term competitiveness, long-term business success, economic growth and, should be addressed holistically if the country was to tackle the challenges of unemployment, poverty, inequality, and exclusion. Low competitiveness was cited as a fact, with SA’s global competitiveness ranking at a low 62nd place out of 64 countries last year, and 60th out of 63 countries this year. Infrastructure (including education and innovation systems) and business efficiency (including productivity…

After a long cold winter most of us have been left with lack-lustre skin, desperately needing to get our glow on as spring signals summer’s approach. If you’re looking to brighten up that dull winter skin, here are three simple face masks using everyday ingredients you most likely already have in your home. Avo mask Avocados have become a staple in most fruit bowls, along with the apples and oranges. This rich and creamy gem is packed with natural oils. So you don’t really need much else to make it work. Simply mash half an avo into a small bowl then add two tablespoons of honey. Mix it all up and apply to your skin. Now all have to do is scroll through TikTok for 20 minutes and let it…

Tshwane residents can breathe a sigh of relief that they will not have Eskom disconnecting power supply to the metro. This is after the City on Friday announced that it had finally settled its outstanding debt of R1.6 billion with the power utility. The settlement was made following Eskom’s threat to disconnect bulk power supply to the municipality due to non-payment of its electricity account, which was payable on August 17. The threat was communicated in a media statement and resulted in a public spat between the parastatal and the City. Tshwane mayor Randall Williams recently said the City had “seen unnecessary media statements and commentary by Eskom on our current bill”. In response to Williams’ comment, Eskom said: “This is rather unfortunate, but we have and will continue engaging…

From page 1 In its ruling, the tribunal found the group had established a prima facie case that the banks had engaged in a practice involving a concerted refusal to supply banking services to Sekunjalo, amounting to a restrictive horizontal practice in terms of Section 4(1)(a) of the Competition Act. “Banking plays a central role in the economic life of society, and no commercial transaction of substance and scale is possible without banking services,” the tribunal said. The Sekunjalo Group had established a prima facie case that the conduct of the banks impeded or prevented the Sekunjalo Group from participating in or expanding within the markets in which the group operated, thereby substantially lessening competition. According to the tribunal, the banks justified their conduct based on the reputational risk in…

Police Minister Bheki Cele has filed a motion of intent to defend a lawsuit in the Pretoria High Court filed by alleged July unrest instigator and social media commentator Sphithiphithi Evaluator. Evaluator, whose real name is known to the Pretoria News, is suing the State and the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Shamila Batohi, for unlawful arrest and malicious prosecution after the case was thrown out of court in March following several postponements. Evaluator and others were accused of instigating the 2021 July unrest that saw more than 400 people dying in widespread looting and the destruction of infrastructure, mostly in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The court papers, with case number 01 2070/2022, are addressed to Evaluator’s lawyer, Godrich Gardee and the registrar of the court, and titled “Notice of intent…

SA needs R30bn to finance a just energy transition As the world edges towards the UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, in November, it is no surprise that the global narrative is resetting towards this trajectory, notwithstanding the entrenched impacts of a receding Covid-19 pandemic, the changing Ukraine conflict and dealing with the global shocks of rising inflation, food and fuel prices and a cost-of-living crisis. Last week Barbara Creecy, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environmental Affairs, joined fellow ministers from Africa at the Egypt-International Co-operation Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh before COP27 in their clarion call for a sharp increase in climate financing for Africa in particular, while at the same time pushing back against any abrupt and arbitrary move away from fossil fuels,…

People flocked to central London to join a queue to file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth at the weekend, undeterred by a government warning to stay at home to avoid standing in line for hours to see the late monarch lying in state. Tens of thousands of people have already filed past the coffin in a steady, solemn stream, queuing for hours through the dark and cold to pay their respects to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch – a testimony to the affection in which she was held. By mid-morning, the culture ministry said the waiting time stood at up to 16 hours to reach Westminster Hall to take part. Earlier, the ministry had said it would pause entry to the queue if demand became too high, adding an appeal…

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had launched a series of strikes on Ukrainian troop positions. Russian forces conducted strikes in the Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, according to the ministry, which added that Ukrainian forces had carried out an unsuccessful offensive near Pravdyne in Kherson. The ministry also accused Kyiv of carrying out shelling near the Zaporizh- zhia nuclear power plant. Radiation levels at Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant, remain normal, according to the ministry. It said two incidents of Ukrainian shelling were recorded near the plant on Saturday. A spokesperson for Ukraine’s foreign ministry denied Ukrainian forces had carried out shelling near the facility in the south of the country. Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the plant. The UN International Atomic Energy…

Nairobi: Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has vowed to proceed with a massive and controversial East African oil project, dismissing a resolution by European lawmakers calling for it to be delayed over “rights violations”. France’s TotalEnergies and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation signed a $10 billion (R176bn) agreement earlier this year to develop Ugandan oilfields and ship the crude through a 1 445km long pipeline to Tanzania’s Indian Ocean port of Tanga. The scheme has run into strong opposition from activists who say it threatens the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people and fragile ecosystems in the region. |…

Santiago: The Chilean Foreign Ministry’s acceptance of the Israeli ambassador’s credentials on September 30 has been rescheduled, days after a diplomatic tussle flared in the South American country. The dispute began on Thursday, when Chilean Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejola informed newly-appointed Israeli Ambassador Gil Artzyeli, pictured, that Chilean President Gabriel Boric was postponing a meeting to accept his credentials until next month. In response, Israel’s foreign ministry summoned Chilean ambassador Jorge Carvajal on Friday for what it called a reprimand at a meeting where, it said, “Israel’s response would be made clear”. The Chilean ministry said on Saturday that the postponement should be understood as a response “within the framework of the political sensitivity generated by the death of a Palestinian teenager” last Thursday. It added the postponement decision was…

SAUL "Canelo" Alvarez retained his undisputed super-middleweight world title on Saturday, seeing off Gennady Golovkin to complete their epic fight trilogy in Las Vegas. Mexico's Alvarez was in charge for most of an electric 12 rounds at the T-Mobile Arena, winning a unanimous decision to spark wild scenes of celebration among the Mexican fans who made up most of the sellout crowd. One judge scored the bout 116-112, while the two others had it 115-113. "Thank you so much, my friend," Alvarez said to Golovkin in the ring after a bout whose build-up was marked by some bitter rhetoric. It was a welcome return to form for Alvarez, who suffered the second defeat of his career earlier this year after moving up to light-heavyweight to face Dmitry Bivol. "You have…

Teenager Ethan Nwaneri became the youngest player in Premier League history as he came off the bench in Arsenal's comfortable victory over Brentford yesterday, breaking the record previously held by midfielder Harvey Elliott. The record was previously held by Liverpool teenager Elliott, who was 16 years and 30 days old when he came on for Fulham in 2019. Young England underage international Nwaneri was introduced in the final moments and replaced goal scorer Fabio Vieira for Arsenal's 3-0 win over Brentford. Nwaneri has featured at Under-18 and Under-21 levels for Arsenal this season and the attacking midfielder earned a spot in Mikel Arteta's squad with the likes of Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith-Rowe unavailable due to injury. The schoolboy was promoted to first-team training this week having made his Under-21…