Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-10-18 i Pretoria News

THE BATTLE for Comair’s survival is on as the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and liquidators of the operationally defunct airline oppose the withdrawal of air licences and frequencies by both the International air Services Licensing Council (IASLC) and its domestic subsidiary the Air Licensing Council of South Africa. The parties argue that the decision devalues the company as a going concern and risks the tenacious hold on the jobs of 1 500 employees. Provisional Liquidator Cloete Murray said: “The two councils have unlawfully suspended licences for Comair and we are going through the court process to have the suspensions lifted. “There is the Kulula brand and then there is the corporate identity of Comair, which a whole range of people we are talking to are interested…

CALGRO M3 lifted its gross profit margin by 22.1% in the six months to August 31, as the developer of integrated residential developments and memorial parks enters a period of controlled growth and focus. Revenue increased to R607 million from R576m the year before. Headline earnings per share (Heps) increased to 57 cents from 42.79c. Chief executive Wikus Lategan said in a telephone interview yesterday that they were pleased with the “solid performance” and they expected a financial performance uplift in the second half. He said even though it was a tough environment, where it was easier “to save R1 than to earn an extra 10c”, they continued to focus on driving efficiencies, containing costs and delivering quality affordable homes and memorial parks. This, with investment in building…

Victoria Beckham says she removed her tattoo of husband David Beckham’s initials as it wasn’t “delicate”. The former Spice Girl, 48, sparked a raft of rumours about why she had it removed when fans noticed the wrist inking was missing, but she denied it was a sign she was leaving her ex-footballer partner. Victoria told the Today show on Thursday: “I had these tattoos a long, long time ago and they just weren’t particularly delicate. “Mine were just a little bit thick and they were bleeding a little bit and they just weren’t as pretty. They just didn’t look so nice. It doesn’t mean anything more than that. “The media started to speculate, ‘Was I leaving my husband?’ No. I was just a bit sick of the tattoo. It’s as…

THE Tsakane Magistrate’s Court has granted bail of R3 000 each to seven Ekurhuleni metro police department (EMPD) officials who are facing murder and attempted murder charges, among others. The seven have been identified by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) as Laurens Daniel Venter, 49, Nkululeko Walter Mtetwa, 36, Daniel Eric van Wyk, 39, Gideon Johannes Myburg, 60, Justin Sibusiso Ncube, 50, Thamodhran Pillay, 50, and 62-year-old Eugene Phillip Raubenheimer. “The seven are facing charges of murder, attempted murder, assault with grievous bodily harm and defeating the ends of justice,” said NPA Gauteng regional spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana. “It is alleged that on September 8, just before midnight, the seven EMPD officials raided a house that belonged to one of the complainants in the matter. During the raid a 19-year-old…

The new KwaZulu-Natal ActionSA provincial chairperson, Zwakele Mncwango, has vowed to bring back party members who resigned en masse from the party in August. Speaking to the media after being formally introduced as the party’s new chairperson yesterday in Durban, Mncwango said his first task would be to bring back the members who had left. He said after speculation that he was going to join ActionSA there were former members who called him saying if it was true he was joining the party, they would come back. The former DA legislature chief whip said there were also members of other political parties in the province who called to encourage him to join ActionSA so they too can join under his leadership. He said he believed people left ActionSA because there…

THE term “load shedding” has been declared South Africa’s Word of the Year 2022. The Pan South African Language Board (Pansalb) in association with media research company Focal Points has proclaimed load shedding as the 2022 South African Word of the Year. The South African Word of the Year is a word, term or expression that most reflects the passing year in language. Other terms shortlisted were inganekwane, gaslighting, xenophobia, and Phala Phala. “Candidates for SA Word of the Year were reviewed by Pansalb and shortlisted, and through media research company Focal Point keywords were tracked for the period October 2021 to September 2022. This media data was analysed to determine the prominence of the keywords within the media and to identify the frequency with which they were used in…

A STAGGERING R425 million – that’s the amount of money that both the Gauteng government and national government owe the City of Tshwane for municipal services such as water and electricity as of September 21. This was disclosed in a 12-page document compiled by mayor Randall Williams and submitted to the new Gauteng MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, eGovernment and Research and Development, Mzi Khumalo. The document, which the Pretoria News has seen, was put together as part of responses to queries about the City’s finances raised by Khumalo’s predecessor, Lebogang Maile. On October 3, Maile enquired about the City’s finances in the wake of reports that the City failed to pay workers’ salaries on time, and was in financial trouble with Eskom. He had written to Williams,…

IGA Swiatek increased her overwhelming dominance of the WTA rankings yesterday after her victory in the San Diego Open at the weekend. The Pole beat Croatia’s Donna Vekic in Sunday’s final despite losing the second set to record her 64th match victory of 2022. Paula Badosa fell four places from fourth to eighth after the Spanish player lost to Danielle Collins in the quarter-finals in San Diego. 1. Iga Swiatek (POL) 10835 pts 2. Ons Jabeur (TUN) 4555 3. Anett Kontaveit (EST) 3796 4. Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 3515 (+1) 5. Jessica Pegula (USA) 3417 (+1) 6. Maria Sakkari (GRE) 3346 (+1) 7. Cori Gauff (USA) 3082 (+1) 8. Paula Badosa (ESP) 3010 (-4) 9. Simona Halep (ROM) 2960 10. Caroline Garcia (FRA) 2924 11. Daria Kasatkina (RUS) 2885 12. Veronika…

CHELSEA boss Graham Potter revealed on Sunday that England defender Reece James will be in a knee brace for a month in a further blow to his World Cup hopes. The Premier League club confirmed on Saturday that James was expected to be out for eight weeks after suffering a knee injury in last week’s Champions League win at AC Milan. It means he will not be fit until after the group stage of the tournament in Qatar, which starts next month, with his prospects of being included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad fading. “In terms of his involvement in the World Cup, I don’t know, it will depend on how he recovers - he’s in a brace for four weeks so that slows everything down,” Potter said after Sunday's…

PITSO Mosimane guided his Al-Ahli Saudi team to a 2-0 away win over Al-Riyadh on Sunday. The result was a second win on the trot for Al Malaki who Mosimane has been tasked to rebuild, following their relegation from the Saudi Pro League last season. The win moved Mosimane’s side to third in the Saudi second division and they are also unbeaten in six games. The 85-year-old Al-Ahli Saudi have a decorated history in Saudi Arabia and are a fallen giant of Saudi football following their relegation from the top flight last season. They were playing in the AFC Champions League, which is Asia’s premier club competition up until last season and also were runners up in the tournament in 2012. Mosimane who left Egyptian giants Al Ahly earlier in…

MANCHESTER United footballer Mason Greenwood was yesterday remanded in custody after appearing in court charged with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault. The 21-year-old forward looked at his family from the dock before he was taken down the steps at Manchester Magistrates’ Court. All three charges relate to the same woman. Greenwood was first held in January over allegations relating to a young woman after images and videos were posted online. He had been on bail since, but was arrested on Saturday for an alleged breach of conditions. Members of Greenwood’s family sat in the public gallery in the small courtroom, along with members of the press. Wearing a grey hooded Nike top and grey jogging bottoms and flanked by two dock officers, the footballer spoke only to…

EMPOWERDEX said yesterday that the Dis-Chem Pharmacies group was not paying lip service to the equity aspirations, but was doing its best to fix the demographics within its operations, with research having shown there is only a 55% attainment of targets by South African companies. This after a leaked letter on the weekend from the drug maker’s chief executive Ivan Saltzman – outlining measures for the group to meet its employment equity targets – faced a public backlash. “We are growing at a fast rate and a few appointments other than white don’t cut it. It’s the ratio between white and black that counts. So, when no suitable black candidate is found and a white is appointed, we need several blacks just to maintain the status quo, never mind moving…

MURRAY & Roberts’s (M&R’s) share price plunged 40% yesterday after it said its financial results to December 31 were expected to fall at least 100% as its international engineering projects are being affected by global supply chain issues and slow payments. The price was trading 39.58% lower at R4 by around midday, after it had steadily declined from R13.54 a year ago. Among comments elicited by the falling share price on Twitter was Carles Boles (@CharlesBoles), who said at M&R’s September 1, 2022, results presentation: “The chief executive said the recent slide in share price was inexplicable. Today (October 17) trading update said 1H2023 (first half of the year) earnings will be down at least 100% and there are working capital funding issues. Not so inexplicable it seems?” Simon Brown…

DELOITTE Africa’s strategy to put right its tarnished reputation and become a trusted and respected audit firm has paid off, with the regulator giving the company’s audits a clean bill of health. The professional services firm has seen a pleasing improvement in the selected and inspected audit engagement files, culminating in a 100% score in 2022. This follows the conclusion of a review performed by the Independent Regulatory Board of Auditors (Irba) earlier this year. Releasing its 2022 Transparency Report yesterday, Deloitte said the quality of its audits increased from 50% in 2019, to 78% in 2021, to now reach its goal of achieving 100% audit quality outcome. Deloitte South Africa also received no reportable findings at firm level in 2022 with respect to the firm’s systems of quality control.…

Ten contenders from around the world will compete in the final of this year’s Starbucks Emea Barista Championship in Milan later this month. Thirty-six countries are competing to be crowned the 2022 Emea Barista Champion. After months of preparation, coffee tastings, sharing their personal storytelling, and latte art showdowns from their talented partners across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa it’s now down to just 10 contestants. Making it to the top 10 is South African barista Phuti Mmotla. The 32-year-old from Ga-Matlala in Limpopo works for Rand Capital Coffee, the Starbucks licensee for sub-Saharan Africa. Mmotla, now based in Cape Town, is a District Beverage and Coffee Coach, supporting the business and its partners at the store to drive excellence through training and coaching of baristas and store-level barista…

A 40-YEAR-OLD alleged drug lord who has been charged with the murder of a man was denied bail. Kishen Pillay appeared in the Atteridgeville Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Pillay has been charged with the murder of Tshilidzi Madiba, 30, and five counts of attempted murder. The incident took place in Lotus Gardens, next to Atteridgeville in the west of Pretoria. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), it is alleged that on September 11 Pillay had an altercation with one of the victims. “Pillay allegedly assaulted the victim, who later told his friends what happened. “It is further alleged that Pillay shot Madiba, who was declared dead a few hours after arriving at the hospital,” said NPA provincial spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana. On September 20, Pillay handed himself over to the police.…

FORMER City of Joburg mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse has labelled the ANC in Joburg as the “undisputed champions of corruption” ahead of her legal battle in the South Gauteng High Court, challenging her removal. Phalatse lodged an application early this month in which she challenged it on legal grounds, arguing that a vote of no confidence against her was made in “haste” by speaker Colleen Makhubele – just a few days after she was elected to the position with the support of the ANC and other parties. Makhubele was part of the DA-led coalition government, but broke ranks afer the removal of the then council speaker Vasco da Gama last month. Yesterday, Phalatse, in a virtual address, repeated scathing attacks on the Joburg ANC led by the new mayor, Dada…

The ANC staff representative committee saysit will lodge an interdict application to halt the party’s crucial national elective conference in December if the issue of unpaid workers’ salaries is not addressed and remedied. The party has also not paid provident funds or medical aid contributions and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) said it had an agreement with the ANC staff provident fund that the party had to pay R10 million a month to the fund for the outstanding amount. The matter has dragged on for two years and at the July conference staff protested outside the venue with the party managing to make payment so the conference could continue. Staff are incensed at the news that ministers and their deputies had their perks improved in April. Mvusi Mdala, the…

PLAYERS choosing to focus on the team rather than zooming in on their own goals and performances is common; you'll be hard pressed to find a professional player who doesn't say it's all about the team. But even if Libbie Janse van Rensburg chose to go the other direction and gush over her own achievements, it would be easy to understand why. The 28-year-old became the first Springbok women’s player to achieve 100 Test points, getting to that grand number in only 12 outings. In their World Cup clash against Fiji on Sunday, she slotted two conversions and a penalty at the Waitakere Stadium in Auckland, with her 78th-minute penalty handing the South Africans a 17-14 lead in the game. Fiji, however, hit back to deny Stanley Raubenheimer’s team their…

QATARI landlords eyeing profit from the looming World Cup have been kicking out a growing number of mostly foreign tenants, sometimes with just a few days’ notice. More than one million football fans are expected to descend on the capital Doha during the November-December tournament, putting a strain on the tiny Gulf nation. Landlords who have spotted an opening to increase rents “show no pity” and the market is dominated by “greed”, said a representative of a real estate company, speaking on condition of anonymity. Reem, a foreigner working for a major Qatari company, was told she had a week to leave her apartment. The woman, using a pseudonym to avoid blowback from her employer, told AFP the owner of the block wanted the dozens of apartments he has…

MAINTAINING interest rates at 200% – the highest in the world – will stifle economic growth for Zimbabwe, as it battles monetary instability despite retailers and manufacturers starting to record a surge in US Dollar sales amid a local currency crunch. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said over the weekend that Zimbabwe would maintain interest rates at 200% for the next three months as a way of stabilising inflation. The government was inclined to maintain the current tight monetary, interest rate and fiscal policy regime. “That’s what it takes to bring stability and bring things under control,” he said. The Zimbabwe dollar local unit of exchange, which has been highly volatile, has notched up some stability on the parallel exchange rate market. It has been trading at around $1:ZWL700 in the…

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has urged UNaids, government officials and all stakeholders to urgently place the focus of the global HIV/Aids response on testing, treatment initiation and late presentation, as the Joint UN Programme on HIV/Aids and its partners convene an emergency meeting in South Africa this week. The AHF is an international non-profit organisation that offers cutting-edge health care and advocacy to approximately 1.6 million patients in 45 nations throughout the US, Africa, Latin America/the Caribbean, Asia/Pacific, and Europe. Currently, they are the world’s largest non-profit provider of medical care for HIV/Aids. According to UNaids, these organisations seek to combat the 1.5million new HIV infections expected in 2021, an increase of 1 million from the 500 000 expected in 2020. Attendees of the meeting, which aims to “Establish targets…

It’s time to pack away those boots and unpack your sexy summer sandals. However, if your feet are still in winter mode, dry and cracked, then best you give them some loving and get them summer ready. And there’s no need to rush off to an expensive salon to do so. A DIY home pedicure is an easy and cost-effective way to perk up those winter feet. Follow these three steps for smooth summer-ready feet. 1. Soak your feet. Soaking your feet for 10 – 15 minutes in warm water will soften your soles and heels, the areas that need the most attention. Once you’re done soaking, pat them dry. Try this baking soda foot soak for deep cleaning: Ingredients 3 tablespoons baking soda 3 cups warm water Juice of…

AFTER nationwide outrage, President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered the scrapping of the controversial 2022 Ministerial Handbook, which allowed his high-earning Cabinet ministers to freeload on electricity, rent and water. Ramaphosa, via his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, addressed the media on matters of public interest, after his return from a presidential business trip to the United Arab Emirates at the weekend. Ramaphosa this year signed a 2022 version of the Ministerial Handbook, which replaced a more austere 2019 version that was lauded at the time. The 2022 version sparked outrage, with the DA calling for the scrapping of the Ministerial Handbook in its entirety, while Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse chief executive, Wayne Duvenage, and SA Federation of Trade Unions general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, branded the 2022 amendment “disgusting”. “On the Ministerial Handbook,…

DANCERS from different provinces descended on Pretoria this past weekend and showed off their dance aptitudes, leading to the selection of a winner, who will face-off with dancers from across the globe in the world final. The crowd was never ready for the dance-off that was witnessed at the Red Bull Dance Your Style national final, where Sandile “Sand1” Zulu danced his way to victory. Hailing from Johannesburg South, the animated hip-hop dancer was only confirmed as a participant in the national final 24 hours before the competition started after another dancer pulled out. Little did he know that at the end of the night, he would win over the audience’s heart and lift the Red Bull Dance Your Style trophy. Sand1 had the crowd chanting his name as he…

SOUTH Africa are between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, they are keen to give Temba Bavuma some game time to find form. On the other hand, they know that any further failures ahead of next Monday’s T20 World Cup opener in Hobart will only increase the pressure on their captain. Bavuma, who is struggling with a viral infection picked up on the preceding India tour, ultimately did not take the field in the first warm-up game against New Zealand in Brisbane yesterday, leaving just tomorrow’s match against Bangladesh as his last chance for any preparation in the middle. In the absence of Bavuma and also Quinton de Kock, the Proteas put out a makeshift opening pair of Reeza Hendricks and Rilee Rossouw who dealt with…

AFTER five years in the wilderness, Zimbabwe returned to the T20 World Cup with a grand victory over Ireland in Hobart yesterday. Sikandar Raza, who has been in excellent form across formats for the last 12 months, played a match-winning role with 82 off 48 balls to spearhead Zimbabwe to an imposing 174/7. The all-rounder also chipped in with figures of 1/12 from three overs to restrict Ireland to 143/9. Raza, though, was quick to praise the performance of the seam-bowling trio of Richard Ngarava (2/22), Tendai Chatara (2/22) and Blessing Muzarabani (3/23) that set up the victory by reducing Ireland to 22/4 in the powerplay. The trio exploited the chilly evening conditions perfectly by getting the ball to seam away from the Ireland right-handers, and even utilised a slip…

BARCELONA coach Xavi said Real Madrid beat his team in the Clasico because they were more mature. Los Blancos earned a 3-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu to replace Barca at the top of La Liga on Sunday, moving three points clear of their Catalan rivals. The defeat came after a draw with Inter Milan in the Champions League which leaves Barcelona on the verge of a second successive group stage elimination. “They beat us on maturity, in knowing how to compete,” Xavi told a press conference. “We competed worse than our opponents, that’s why we lost the game. “They are a team that’s more mature than ours at this moment.” Barcelona signed various players in the close season, including La Liga’s top goalscorer Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha.…

WITH the World Cup barely a month away, Brazilian superstar Neymar went on trial in Spain yesterday over alleged irregularities in his transfer to Barcelona nearly a decade ago. Wearing sunglasses and a dark suit, the 30-year-old waved to the press as he arrived at the Provincial Court of Barcelona with his parents who are also in the dock. Spanish prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison term for Neymar and the payment of a €10million fine. The high-profile trial is the culmination of a years-long legal saga over his 2013 transfer from Brazilian club Santos to Barcelona. He then joined Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain in a world record €222m transfer in 2017. Neymar, who came to Barcelona just hours after scoring the winning goal against Marseille in a Ligue 1 match…