Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-11-10 i Pretoria News

LEADING alternative stock exchange A2X Markets has grown the number of securities listed on its platform by 55% this year alone. This as it has grown its trade value 40-fold from just R657 million in 2017 to more than R26 billion in its fifth year of operation, despite the many industry regulatory and infrastructural challenges that exist for smaller incumbents. A2X said in a media release yesterday that the potential savings it made available to the financial market to be in the region of R500m per year. This was driven by cost-effective trading fees and the ability to capture price improvement, as a result of the buying and selling of shares at a better price, when brokers transact. “The current savings amount of R500m is set to increase…

American actress Gabrielle Union-Wade is in South Africa for the launch of her new haircare range. The Being Maryjane star partnered with Clicks to launch her haircare line, Flawless, in South Africa. She made an appearance at Clicks Sandton City this past weekend with her basketball player husband, Dwyane Wade. In a video posted on Instagram by the cosmetics company, the star expressed how grateful she was to be in South Africa to launch her products. “I’m so happy to be here. Just knowing that Clicks has the brand and the brand is in great hands, I can’t ask for anything more. This is a dream come true. “We wanted our products to be affordable, accessible, and actually good for your hair.” Launched in August 2021, Flawless is a range…

THE Taung Regional Court has sentenced 53-year-old Daniel Kediemetse Sehemo to life imprisonment after convicting him for raping a 73-year-old woman. “The conviction emanates from an incident that took place on February 3, at Sekhing Village near Taung, where Sehemo broke into the home of an elderly neighbour with the intent to commit rape,” said North West spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Henry Mamothame. “He subsequently strangled and raped her before fleeing the scene.” Sehemo knew the victim “very well” and the NPA said he knew that the elderly woman stayed alone. In the previous year, the septuagenarian had suffered a stroke. “The victim reported the rape to the police and Sehemo was subsequently arrested and denied bail. In mitigation of the sentence, his defence (lawyer) read a…

a CASH-in-transit robbery yesterday led to the total halt of traffic on the N4 outside Tshwane and left four security guards injured. Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Netshiunda said a cash van and its escort vehicle were being driven along the N4 near Simon Vermooten Road when they were attacked by robbers reportedly travelling in multiple vehicles. The escort vehicle and the cash van collided with the robbers’ vehicles. The escort vehicle is reported to have overturned, and two security guards were injured. The driver of the cash van and his crew member also sustained injuries. The assailants robbed the security guards of their three firearms, a rifle and two pistols before fleeing the scene with an undisclosed amount of money. The robbers reportedly fled in a white Mahindra Karoo and…

THE Inwooners Baagi Civil Movement wants residents to discuss and take resolutions concerning the “frustrating estimates bills” the City of Tshwane has been sending to account holders for many years. The organisation is determined to unite residents from all the townships in areas such as Mabopane, Winterveld, Soshanguve, Odi and Klipgat, to come up with resolutions. A meeting has been scheduled at Giant Stadium this Saturday. The organisation believes the City is aware it has been sending its residents illegal bills for many years, because it was not doing actually meter readings, but estimates. The organisation’s David Ratladi said: “Instead of the City admitting that their bills are illegal, it brought in agents to harass people and force them to enter into payment arrangements. “Only recently the City started to…

ELIMINATING malaria in the SADC region by 2030 is possible as long as people are empowered with knowledge about the disease so they can take responsibility for their own health. This is according to Dr Taneshka Kruger, project manager of the University of Pretoria’s Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control. Travellers, in particular, need to be aware when entering a malaria-endemic area and ensure they protect themselves, she said. At the same time, endemic communities need to be aware of malaria research and control interventions being implemented in their area, Kruger said. In South Africa, malaria is endemic to Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, with 10% of the population at risk of contracting the disease Malaria transmission is seasonal in the country – cases often rise in October, peaking in January and…

BLACK staff and students at Stellenbosch University must be feeling some form of vindication by the scathing findings of the commission of inquiry into allegations of racism at the institution. Those readers familiar with this space would recall our October 27 editorial lamenting the slow pace of transformation at the university, which we described as window-dressing. In fact, the report can be summed up as evolving around the word “transformation”. It’s mentioned 223 times in the 184-page report. Our words were rather kind if the report by retired Justice Sisi Khampempe is anything to go by. She released her report following the commission of Inquiry into alleged racism at the university, established after two major racist incidents this year. The first involved a verbal altercation between two final-year law students…

Republican hopes for a sweeping rebuke of President Joe Biden in congressional elections failed to materialise, with both parties picking up seats following a campaign fought against a backdrop of stubbornly high inflation and fears for US democracy. Republicans needed one seat to wrest control of the evenly divided Senate but by yesterday the only one to change party hands went to the Democrats, with John Fetterman, a burly champion of progressive economic policies, triumphing in Pennsylvania. In the House of Representatives, early results suggested Republicans were on track to wrest control from Democrats – but only by a handful of seats, a far cry from their predictions. Top Republican Kevin McCarthy – who hopes to be the lower chamber’s next speaker – struck an upbeat note as he addressed…

The Kremlin said yesterday that Moscow’s ties with Washington were likely to remain at rock bottom regardless of the results of US midterm elections, with relations at a historic low over the conflict in Ukraine. “These elections won’t have any significant impact,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies, adding: “Our existing ties are bad and they will remain bad”. US President Joe Biden, who has been a key ally to Ukraine and provided weapons and financial backing, could be constrained in his support for Ukraine if the Republicans win majorities the Senate and the House of Representatives. Ukraine, meanwhile, has denied that it was under Western pressure to negotiate with Russia, insisting that talks could be held only if Russia relinquishes all of the…

Ramallah: A Palestinian teenager was killed yesterday in clashes with Israeli troops during a visit by right-wing politicians to the religious site known as Joseph’s Tomb in the occupied West Bank, multiple sources said. The Palestinian health ministry said: “Mahdi Mohammad Hashash died of serious wounds caused by shrapnel that hit different parts of his body during the occupation’s incursion into Nablus,” the largest city in the northern West Bank. The ministry said he was 15. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades claimed the minor as one of its members. It was not clear if he was killed by an explosive he was carrying, or by Israeli fire. |…

Dhaka: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said yesterday it had reached a preliminary agreement with Bangladesh to provide a support package worth $4.5 billion. The package is “aimed at restoring macro-economic stability and preventing disruptive adjustments to protect the vulnerable, while promoting structural change to support strong inclusive and green growth,” it said. Bangladesh has been hit hard by the sharp rise in global food and energy prices. Its precarious financial position has been compounded by unprecedented floods inundating the homes of more than 7 million people and causing nearly $10 billion (about R178bn) in damage. |…

THE South Africa ‘A’ team will play before a sold-out crowd of 42 000 in Cork tonight after opponents Munster moved the game to a bigger capacity stadium. Munster’s home ground, Thomond Park, has a capacity of 25 000 but with tickets in high demand, the game is being played at the bigger Gaelic Football ground, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, in Cork, and all the tickets disappeared in no time. It will be the first time a rugby match will be played at the stadium, which is the home ground of the Limerick hurling team, and Munster coach Graham Rowntree told reporters that the first time his players set foot in the ground will be for the kick-off. “We won’t train there. I want it to be a special moment,” said…

ACTIVISTS and analysts have expressed growing concern about South Africa’s increasing loans to fund its Just Energy Transition Programme (JETP) following more than R10 billion in loans from European countries. France and Germany have signed loan agreements for the two European nations to each extend €300 million, or a combined least R10.7bn, in concessional financing to South Africa to support the country’s efforts to reduce its reliance on coal through a just transition to cleaner energy sources. The announcement was made yesterday amid the ongoing UN Climate Change Conference, or COP27, in Egypt. The loans are provided by the French and German public development banks, AFD and KfW, directly to the South African government via the National Treasury. They are part of investment plans to the International Partners…

A PROPOSED paint deal between Kansai Paint, the manufacturer of Plascon, and Akzo Nobel (AkzoNobel), the manufacturer of Dulux-branded paint products, was scuppered by the Competition Commission in a bid to protect decorative coatings prices. The deal was announced in June as AkzoNobel sought to further strengthen its African footprint after reaching an agreement with Japanese, Osaka-based Kansai Paint to acquire its paints and coatings activities in the region. The commission, in a statement said yesterday that it had prohi- bited a proposed deal by AkzoNobel, an Amsterdam-based company that manufactures chemicals and chemical products, to acquire Kansai Plascon Africa and Kansai Plascon East Africa as it was likely to result in a substantial prevention or lessening of competition. The commission said it found that the proposed merger would…

THOUSANDS of Public Servants Association (PSA) members are expected to descend to the offices of the National Treasury in the Pretoria CBD to protest against the government’s unilateral implementation of a 3% increase despite reaching a deadlock with labour unions. The union declared a deadlock with the government last month following its failure to accede to its demand for a 6.5% increase across the board for all public servants, including essential workers. The strike was initially set for last week, but postponed until today. The PSA vowed to bring services to a standstill in all public service institutions, including OR Tambo International Airport, other airports and border posts. Schools, especially the writing of the matric exams, were also expected to be affected by the indefinite strike action. Public Service and…

A GROUP calling itself the Bakgoma Ba Mothapo Council is asking that the acting monarch Kgoshigadi Refilwe Madipona Mothapo’s two children be subjected to DNA tests to establish their bloodline. In this round of the royal battle in the Polokwane High Court, the Bakgoma Ba Mothapo Council (the applicant), which describes itself as the inner circle of the Mothapo royal family, has brought an application for the bloodlines of Thato Paledi Mothapo and Mashoto Motheo Mareketle Mahlangu to be determined, in case they are appointed as chiefs. They want the two to avail themselves for DNA testing with a member of the applicant’s royal family. In papers before the court, Legodi Johannes Mothapo describes himself as the secretary of the applicant. He said the council has instituted another (pending)…

CLIMATE change is bringing to the forefront of the public conscience the critical issues about the linkages between human rights and the environment. African cities are at the mercy of the weather and other forces of nature, with the continent being vulnerable to frequent storms, cyclones, and droughts. As these extreme weather events become more common, there must be a more concerted effort to safeguard the rights of the most vulnerable. Governments across the continent are falling behind in their obligations to protect the rights of persons in the face of climatic change. As a result, people – especially those displaced by armed conflicts or climate change itself – continue to suffer under despicable conditions. There is potential here to descend into a dual crisis with human rights becoming a…

Russia sticks to its commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, but sanctions are holding Moscow back from faster implementation and more ambitious goals, Ruslan Edelgeriyev, Russian special presidential envoy for climate, said yesterday. “At present, we stand by the commitment to carbon neutrality by 2060. However, Russia could achieve carbon neutrality at a faster pace if there were no double standards and discrimination,” Edelgeriyev said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 broadcaster on the sidelines of the 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27). Countries around the world began committing to carbon neutrality under the Paris Agreement adopted in December 2015, following the 21st COP in Paris. With 194 signatories to date, it marks the first global effort in history to…

Hackers have followed through on a threat to leak sensitive medical records stolen from a major Australian health company that counts the country’s prime minister among nearly 10 million customers. Medibank told investors that a “sample” selection of customer data was posted on a “dark web forum” yesterday after it refused to pay a ransom demand. The data included names, birth dates, passport numbers and information on medical claims for hundreds of customers who were separated into “naughty” and “nice” lists. Some on the “naughty” list had numeric codes that appeared to link them to drug addiction, alcohol abuse and HIV infection. For example, one record carried an entry that read: “p_diag: F122”. F122 corresponds with “cannabis dependence” under the International Classification of Diseases, published by the World Health Organization.…

KATHMANDU: An earthquake in western Nepal killed at least six villagers, four of them children, as the tremor destroyed mud and brick houses in remote communities living in the foothills of the Himalayas. The quake struck in the early hours yesterday. Its epicentre was close to a national park in the Doti district, 430km west of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. Some 536km to the south-west, residents of the Indian capital, New Delhi, were shaken awake by the power of the 5.6 magnitude trembler. Nepal is still rebuilding after two earthquakes in 2015 killed almost 9 000 people, delivering a $6 billion blow to the economy. |…

Paris: Organisers of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France said police raided their offices yesterday as part of a probe into the management of the competition under former chief executive Claude Atcher. Atcher was sacked last month after an internal investigation reported “alarming managerial practices” amid allegations of bullying and harassment from staff. The probe followed a referral from auditors at the finance and sports ministries. France’s L’Equipe said investigators were looking into misuse of personal expenses, “certain contracts in the past and also alleged irregularities linked to the ticketing system for the 2023 World Cup.” |…

A Qatari World Cup ambassador called homosexuality a “damage in the mind” in a German TV interview, sparking criticism in Europe and the United States on Tuesday just 12 days before the tournament kicks off. Qatar will accept gay visitors but “they have to accept our rules”, former international footballer Khalid Salman said in the interview with the ZDF broadcaster that aired on Tuesday evening. Salman also said homosexuality was “haram” - forbidden in Islam - during the interview, which was abruptly broken off after his comments. Qatar has come under sustained fire over its human rights record ahead of the World Cup, including its treatment of foreign workers and its stance on women's and LGBTQ rights. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Tuesday called Salman's comments "awful". “That…

Emo Adams returned to Mitchells Plain in Cape Town to thank his former teachers for the role they played in his childhood. Adams was happy to visit Eastville Primary School and shared the moment with his fans on Instagram. He wrote: “Went to visit my primary school, I finally got the opportunity to say thank you.” In a speech to the teachers he said: “I appreciate what you do, I value what you do and I think the things you do shouldn’t go unseen. “I think you should get a raise.” He told IOL Entertainment: “The principal felt the morale of the teachers was low and asked me as an ex-pupil to speak at the teachers’ conference as they go into the last quarter. “It was very emotional being back…

A MOTHER who stabbed her newborn daughter several times with a pair of scissors because she did not want to take care of the infant has been sentenced to 22 years direct imprisonment by the Mpumalanga High Court. Phindile Sibiya, 26, from Belfast, in the district of Bushbuckridge, pleaded guilty to murdering her female infant. She told the court that she had intentionally killed her infant and then buried the tiny body in a shallow grave, said Monica Nyuswa, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson in Mpumalanga. Sibiya said she met the love of her life last year at her homestead in Belfast Trust. He proposed love and she accepted, especially as he promised to marry her in future, she said. On their second meeting, they had consensual, unprotected sex and she…

EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu has criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa for making commitments to transition South Africa from the use of coal to renewable energy while developed countries still largely rely on fossil fuels. South Africa is one of the International Partner Group nations that have joined hands to bring an end to greenhouse emissions, but it seems South Africa is expected to make the first move while countries like Germany have gone back to importing coal because of the failure of renewable energy initiatives. Ramaphosa made the recent commitments at the 2022 Conference of Parties – or COP27 summit – held at Sharm El-Sheikh International Convention Centre in Egypt this week. The conference noted that not much action had been taken since nations signed transition agreements years ago. The…

HAVE you ever noticed that, at first glance, everything looks normal in all the best horror movies? It is a classic scene of the South African spring season. Look at the events leading to the ANC’s 55th national conference at Nasrec in Johannesburg in December: candidates campaigning in branch meetings across the country, social media buzzing with slate tables emblazoned with candidates’ smiling faces, and other behind-the-scenes manoeuvrings. Even the predicted election outcome fits a template as familiar as blossoming plants. Most experts agree that most delegates will re-elect party president Cyril Ramaphosa, even though he will probably lead a sharply divided executive committee. He will return because he is the incumbent leader – and incumbent leaders almost always secure re-election – and because times are uniquely tough for the…

Iran has warned Britain it will “pay” for what it labelled its actions to desta- bilise the Islamic republic in the protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death, state media reported yesterday. Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib also accused Iran’s major regional rival, Saudi Arabia, of financing media outlets behind the wave of unrest, now in its eighth week, state news agency IRNA reported. Iran said Britain harbours hostile Persian-language media reporting on the protests sparked by the death of Amini, 22, following her arrest by the morality police for an alleged breach of Iran’s dress code for women. “In recent events, the involvement of the British in the propaganda, and the Saudi regime in the financing, was more than obvious,” the minister was quoted as saying. “Unlike Britain, we will never…

Jerusalem: Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, pictured, held talks with party leaders yesterday on the new governing coalition to be headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, after receiving the official results of the November 1 general election won by the veteran right-winger. Netanyahu has served as prime minister longer than anyone else in Israel’s 74-year history. His right-wing Likud and its allies won 64 of the 120 seats in parliament. That result has given Netanyahu the majority to form a stable governing coalition which may also be the most right-wing in Israeli history. Yesterday, Herzog denied reports that he was working to bring Netanyahu’s rivals – outgoing centrist prime minister Yair Lapid and defence minister Benny Gantz – into a unity government that would sideline the controversial Jewish Power party leader, anti-Arab agitator…

Athens: Public transport in the Greek capital was severely disrupted yesterday and television and radio news went off-air after unions called a general strike to protest price hikes amid spiralling inflation. Athens’ busy roads were all but empty, with the walkout affecting bus, underground, tram and suburban train services as well as taxis. Boat services from the mainland to the Ionian Islands and those in the Aegean Sea were also halted by the industrial action. It is the second such strike in Greece since September. Energy-linked price hikes have sent inflation soaring. Unions are insisting on the need for salary increases. |…