Innholdsfortegnelse for 2023-01-11 i Pretoria News

Financial services authority mulls R15m penalty imposed on the former chief executive The Financial Services Tribunal (FST) yesterday dismissed an application from former Steinhoff International Holdings CEO Markus Jooste to suspend public censures imposed on him by the JSE, and the JSE’s prohibition of him becoming a director of a listed company for 20 years. However, the JSE said in an update yesterday that Jooste’s application to suspend the R15 million in fines imposed on him by the JSE was still being considered by the FST. Jooste is alleged to have master- minded the accounting frauds that led to South Africa’s biggest corporate collapse of some R200 billion in market capitalisation alone in 2017. He has contested the censures and fines imposed on him by the JSE. “The…

The SANDF is investigating an incident in Mozambique after a video, that has gone viral, purportedly showing South African soldiers in the vicinity where bodies of dead people are being thrown on to a pile of burning rubble. Yesterday, the SANDF said it was recently made aware of a video clip circulating on social media depicting members in a yet unidentified defence force uniform committing the act in Mozambique. About 1 200 SANDF troops have been deployed to assist in that country to fight insurgents as part of Operation Vikela. “The incident is believed to have taken place during November 2022 in Mozambique, where South Africa has committed forces as part of the SADC Mission in Mozambique (Samim). They form part of a combined force and fall under the command…

WHEN it comes to teaching young children about the world, parents may feel that some topics – like politics and religion – are too tough to broach. Money is another. Parents may not feel like they know how to approach the subject, or worry that they don’t set a good financial example for their kids. But money talk shouldn’t be avoided. Talking about it is the first stepping stone towards financial knowledge and, ultimately, to financial independence. Holding off the conversations for too long can leave your children in the lurch later in life. For instance, in South Africa, only 42% of adults are financially literate. In Ghana the figure is 32% and in Nigeria it’s 26%. This means a large number of adults in these countries do not know…

Israel’s parliament started voting overnight on reviving a law which gives settlers in the occupied West Bank access to civilian law, while their Palestinian neighbours face military courts. The session marks the first legislative move since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office last month, at the helm of the most right-wing government in Israeli history. The legislation, which has been repeatedly renewed since Israel seized the Palestinian territory in the 1967 Six-Day War, hit a stumbling block in June, contributing to the previous government’s collapse. Some members of the then coalition opted to vote against the law, which grants some 475 000 West Bank settlers the same rights as citizens living in Israel. The opposition then led by Netanyahu went against its ideological support of settlements to defeat the legislation,…

A court in Uganda yesterday quashed a section of a communications law that has been used to prosecute government critics, journalists and writers, including two who fled to exile in Germany, its judgment said. Under Uganda’s Computer Misuse Act, one of the sections proscribes the use of electronic communication to “disturb the peace, quiet or right of privacy of any person with no purpose of legitimate communication”. Punishments for offenders can range from steep cash penalties to jail sentences of several years. In a ruling on a petition filed by a rights activist who was seeking the quashing of that section of the law, the Constitutional Court in Uganda agreed, saying that it violated the constitution. Constitutional Court Judge Kenneth Kakuru, who wrote the lead judgment on behalf of a…

London: A Church of England funding body apologised yesterday for its historic links to slavery, after researchers unearthed the slavery links by combing through ledgers from more than 200 years ago at Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s official London residence. The Church’s commissioners committed £100 million (about R2 billion) of investment over the next nine years to “a better and fairer future for all” to address the wrongs of the past. The money will target “communities affected by historic slavery”, and further research about church links to the practice. |…

South Africa’s first female top flight referee, Akhona Makalima, is set to represent the country at this year’s 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup amongst a host of other African officials. The 34-year-old, who is no stranger to the biggest of stages, will be the only South African official at the global showpiece set to take place in Australia and New Zealand later this year. Makalima, who officiated at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, has progressed in leaps and bounds since her top flight debut in 2015 – she officiated at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, 2019 African Games, and the CAF Champions League. The Eastern Cape-born official’s last major tournament was last year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), where Banyana Banyana were eventual champions…

The tourism and hospitality industry in South Africa has heaved a sigh of relief after the government decided to not impose any crippling restrictions on travel and gatherings, at least not yet, in spite of a highly-transmissible Covid-19 Omicron sub-variant detected in the country. Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla yesterday said the government will not impose any internal restrictions as a result of the emergence of a newly found Covid-19 sub-variant. The XBB.1.5 sub-variant of the globally dominant Omicron variant was first detected in South Africa on December 27 by Stellenbosch University researchers and reported earlier this month. Phaahla said scientists were producing more genomes to determine if the new coronavirus variant was spreading. In the meantime, there would be no restrictions on travellers from affected countries, such as China…

SIMPLY because the mother has had a child with the father does not mean her entitlement to a life of her own must be discounted and ignored, while he continue as he chooses and directs, a judge said. This was in allowing the mother of a two-year-old to relocate to another province and take her daughter. The mother turned to the high court sitting in Pietermaritzburg, as the father of the child refused her permission to relocate the child. The parties were never married and broke up when the child was 14 months old. They had a parenting plan, which, among others, stated that neither party would be allowed to relocate outside the borders of KwaZulu-Natal and/or South Africa without the other party’s written consent. This would not be unreasonably…

THE EFF has accused the ANC caucus in the Ditsobotla Local Municipality in the North West of using “underhanded tactics” in the appointment of a municipal manager, which resulted in the newly elected mayor resigning within hours. Patriotic Alliance councillor Elizabeth Lethoko was elected at the Ngaka Modiri District Council Chambers in Mahikeng on Monday after- noon but tendered her resignation to council Speaker Fikile Jakeni before she went to bed. EFF members had earlier pro- tested against the former administrator Radinaledi Mosiane being present during the council meeting, saying his tenure had lapsed in December. This followed a period in which the Ditsobotla Local Municipality was placed under administration over financial mismanagement that has plagued the council for years. The municipal council was dissolved last year, resulting in by-elections,…

FROM PAGE 1 “What they want us to do is import debt-funded renewable technology, and the debt comes from them, which gives intermittent power, it doesn’t come 24/7, and we are not allowed to exploit resources under our own feet. “If you went to the majority of South Africans and asked them what their priorities are, the green agenda (doesn’t) even make the top 10,” Hersov said. Hersov, who has also been a staunch critic of ANC leaders, such as Minerals and Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, admitted that he finally agreed with him insofar as coal use was concerned. “I’m agreeing with him (Mantashe). We need not be embarrassed about our coal resources and we need to utilise them properly. We need to not be embarrassed about enormous onshore…

A MEMBER of the Patriotic Alliance (PA) has been suspended for allegedly assaulting the party’s provincial deputy leader, Sammy Claassen, after a meeting in Saldanha Bay last week. In the matter that has been reported to police, Claassen alleged that he was first threatened by Melvin Petersen when he tried to remove him from the meeting. “It was a closed meeting called by the West Coast regional executive committee (REC) in Saldanha Bay. While I was addressing the meeting I saw someone from Malmesbury, who is not a leader but a PA member. “I called him to order as he was not supposed to be in the meeting. “I walked to the parking lot and as I was trying to get into my car this guy was suddenly all over…

Strategic partnership has brought substantial benefits to both countries The long-standing fraternal relations and solidarity that existed between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the ANC and other South African liberation movements, culminated in the signing of the Agreement on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between South Africa and China in Pretoria in 1997, with the provision for it to take effect on January 1,1998. The establishment of diplomatic relations ushered in a new era for South Africa and China co-operation. It paved the way for closer political, economic, cultural and people-to-people ties, in a spirit of increasing friendship and constructive dialogue. The official establishment of diplomatic relations in 1998 was celebrated with a state visit of the highest symbolic significance by then President Nelson Mandela to China…

Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah movement yesterday condemned cartoons of Iran’s supreme leader published last week by the French weekly Charlie Hebdo, and called on Paris to punish the satirical magazine. The magazine said the caricatures of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were published in support of protests in Iran sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, after her arrest for an alleged breach of the country’s strict dress code for women. Hezbollah, Tehran’s close ally, called on “the French government to take firm measures to punish the perpetrators of this act, who attacked what is sacred and flouted the dignity of an entire nation”. Following the publication of the cartoons on Wednesday, Iran summoned the French ambassador to Tehran and closed a research institute affiliated with France’s foreign ministry. |…

LONDON: Space sector bosses said yesterday they were disappointed by the failure of the UK’s historic first attempt to launch satellites from home soil but pledged to try again. The failure of the mission on Monday night is a blow to the UK’s fledgling space sector. A Virgin Orbit Boeing 747 carrying the 21m-long rocket took off from a spaceport in Cornwall, south-west England. The rocket then detached from the aircraft and ignited as planned at a height of 10.6km over the Atlantic Ocean to the south of Ireland. But as it was due to enter orbit and discharge its nine satellites, scientists reported an “anomaly” that prevented it from reaching orbit. |…

Cotonou: Benin’s electoral officials were tallying ballots yesterday after a parliamentary vote seen as a key test of democracy in the West African state. Final results from Sunday’s vote, which observers from the regional bloc Ecowas (Economic Community of West African States) hailed as peaceful and calm, are expected by the end of the week. Opposition parties took part for the first time since President Patrice Talon came to power. Talon, a cotton magnate first elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2021, has promoted political and economic development but, say critics, at the cost of stifling Benin’s once-vibrant political culture. |…

Manufacturing output in South Africa is expected to continue struggling as the impact of the Transnet strike and intense power cuts of up to Stage 6 continued to weigh on the sector, after activity fell to a five-month low in November. Data from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) yesterday showed that manufacturing production fell by 1.1% from a year earlier in November, less than expected compared with market forecasts of a 3.5% decline. This downwards print in November followed a 1% increase in the preceding month of October, and was the first monthly decline in the country’s factory activity after four consecutive months of increases since July. This was a turn for the worse for the manufacturing industry which was a significant positive contributor to the 1.6% growth in gross…

THE recently launched South African imaging satellite called EOS SAT-1 has been hailed as the world’s first agriculture-focused satellite constellation. The satellite will provide the agriculture and forestry industry with high-quality data to support efficient and sustainable practices. Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, said the satellite would further cement South Africa’s position as an African leader in satellite development. The satellite will also help the country capture a valuable share of a niche market in the fast-growing global satellite value chain, he said. Built locally by South African company Dragonfly Aerospace, the satellite was launched on January 3 by US aerospace company SpaceX at Cape Canaveral, Florida, as part of the Transporter-6 mission. Nzimande said: “This will further cement South Africa’s position as an African…

THE deadline for the government to disclose the true reasons behind the Covid-19 lockdown regulations was not honoured – a move which could see Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma back in court to explain why she should not be held in contempt. This is according to public interest body, Sakeliga, which said the minister was in contempt of a court order instructing her to submit records concerning her 2020 state of disaster decisions. Sakeliga has now started a process to have the minister declared guilty of contempt of court. In terms of an order obtained by Sakeliga in November, Dlamini Zuma should have, by December 22, submitted to it ecords she had relied on when declaring the national state of disaster in March 2020,…

While South Africa will not re- impose Covid-19 restrictions, testing and surveillance of wastewater to detect Sars-CoV-2 RNA amid new Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 will be heightened. There will also be renewed focus on the vaccination programme after the Department of Health was advised to do so by the World Health Organization (WHO) and scientific advisors, said Health Minister Joe Phaahla. He held a virtual media briefing yesterday, along with his deputy Sibongiseni Dhlomo, to give a Covid-19 update. This follows the discovery of the first XBB.1.5 subvariant case in the country, which was detected by the Centre for Genomic Surveillance at Stellenbosch University. The scientists identified the subvariant last month in one of 97 random samples collected. Omicron is dominant in China, with many countries across the globe having introduced…

A World Health Organization committee (WHO) will meet on January 27 to consider whether the Covid-19 pandemic still represents a global emergency, a spokesperson said yesterday, three years after it was first declared. The WHO spokesperson, Carla Drysdale, confirmed the timing of the meeting at a Geneva press briefing. The Emergency Committee advises WHO director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus who makes the ultimate call on whether an outbreak represents a so-called Public Health Emergency of International Concern which is the UN agency’s highest level of alert. Several leading scientists and WHO advisers say it may be too early to declare the end of the Covid-19 pandemic emergency phase because of high levels of infections in China which dismantled its zero-Covid policy last month. However, the WHO also said…

The number of journalists who were attacked while covering the protests that broke out in Brazil has increased to 14, the Union of Journalists of the federal district of the country said. Among the injured journalists are employees of such media outlets as the Washington Post, Anadolu, Reuters and AFP, many of whom had their equipment stolen. Supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, protesting the results of the presidential election last year, stormed key government buildings in the Brazilian capital on Sunday. Police regained control of the buildings in the evening and arrested more than 400 people the same day. Security forces in Brasilia have launched an operation to disperse a protest camp located near the headquarters of the Brazilian armed forces. Meanwhile, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da…

Yerevan: Armenia will not host Russian-led military exercises this year, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said yesterday, signalling growing frustration with Moscow. Pashinyan’s announcement comes after the leader of the ex-Soviet republic criticised the work of Russian peacekeepers in the South Caucasus, which has been plagued for decades by fighting between Armenia and neighbouring Azerbaijan where tension persists over their borders. The conflict claimed more than 6 500 lives and ended with a truce that saw Yerevan cede territories it had controlled for decades and Moscow send peacekeepers to Karabakh. |…

HELSINKI: A Finnish court of appeal began hearing an international war crime case yesterday in which a Sierra Leonean man is charged with murders, rapes and other atrocities during the Liberian civil war between 1999 and 2003, the court said. Prosecutors believe the suspect Gibril Massaquoi, 53, murdered, raped and mutilated civilians while he was in the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). The RUF was an insurgent group that fought in Sierra Leone but also in Liberia for its ex-president Charles Taylor. Last year, Massaquoi was acquitted of all charges by a lower Finnish court. But the prosecutors took the case to Turku court of appeal. |…