Innholdsfortegnelse for 2023-01-30 i Pretoria News

Blackouts are triggering the collapse of South Africa’s economy and infrastructure ESKOM appears to be left with no one at the wheel to steer South Africa out of the ongoing energy crisis after a meeting between Members of Parliament (MPs) and the utility’s board and senior management at Megawatt Park to seek answers for the rolling blackouts collapsed following an early departure of CEO André de Ruyter. Three parliamentary portfolio committees were left seething on Friday after De Ruyter and Chief Operations Officer Jan Oberholzer asked to be excused from the crucial meeting on account of another meeting they had to attend with Eskom lender, the World Bank. MPs said De Ruyter and Oberholzer’s non-attendance of the meeting was concerning, especially considering the fact that the senior management was given…

TSHWANE residents are still at risk of a water outage with reports that reservoirs servicing Pretoria East are the worst affected by the serious restriction of water supply to the city from Rand Water. City spokesperson Selby Bokaba said there was no overnight supply from the water utility to the Garsfontein reservoir, and as a result, the reservoir level dropped to 23%. “The City has requested the water utility to channel more water to the reservoir. Elardus Park reservoir is at 53%, which is comforting, while Mooi- kloof has slightly improved overnight from 16% to 21% this (yesterday) morning. At this stage, Grootfontein reservoir is battling to recover – it is at 2.8%.” He said the water utility’s Bronberg reservoir that supplied Lombardy, Shere AH, Silver Lakes and parts of…

THE new state-of-the-art prostate cancer facility currently under construction at Steve Biko Academic Hospital received a thumbs up from the ministry of Health. This came after the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, together with the EU Commissioner of Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, and University of Pretoria vice-chancellor Tawana Kupe, recently conducted a site-visit at the Pretoria facility. The initiative emanated from the collaboration between the University of Pretoria and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre conceptualised in 2017 to offer prostate cancer services to South African patients. In South Africa, prostate cancer is one of the top five cancers reported among men. However, more than 300 South African prostate cancer patients have been successfully treated with the Targeted Alpha Therapy through this collaboration. The treatment is…

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says party president Cyril Ramaphosa has not distributed any information about the resignation of deputy president David Mabuza. There have been widespread reports suggesting that Mabuza, also known as “Cat”, has resigned from his position. Mbalula was speaking on the sidelines of the ANC national executive committee (NEC) lekgotla, a two-day meeting that brings together the political leadership and senior government officials to assess the performance of the ANC-led government against its policies and targets. Mabuza did not attend the lekgotla, and Mbalula told the media that he had sent an apology, which the leadership accepted. “The president has not shared anything about the resignation of the deputy president, and the deputy president has apologised. His apology was read and accepted. There’s no problem about…

Novak Djokovic said his win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in yesterday's Australian Open final was the "biggest victory" of his career, as he claimed his 22nd Grand Slam title and won back the hearts of the home fans a year after being deported from the country. Having arrived in Australia unvaccinated 12 months ago, the 10-time Melbourne champion was deported amid a backlash from angry Australians who had endured some of the world's toughest lockdowns as Covid-19 infections surged. But the Serbian's woes are now well behind him and his 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5) victory over Tsitsipas was met with thunderous applause from a packed crowd at Rod Laver Arena. "I have to say that this has been one of the most challenging tournaments I have played in my life,…

England 342/7 Buttler 94*, Brook 80, Moeen 51, Nortje 2/64, Parnell 1/54 South Africa 345/5 Bavuma 109, Miller 58*, Jansen 32*, Markram 49, Rashid 2/72 South Africa won the second ODI by five wickets to win the series 2-0 “Bavuma, Bavuma, Bavuma!” A name that has not echoed around a South African cricket ground with such fervour since that magical day at Newlands seven years ago. But for all the historical significance of that sunlit day in Cape Town, this arguably meant even more to the man himself, South Africa’s white-ball captain Temba Bavuma, at the Mangaung Oval yesterday. Bavuma has been the centrepoint of criticism for the past six months in SA cricket. The levels of condemnation crossed a line that no SA cricketer has ever had to endure.…

New Zealand stretched their leads in the men’s and women’s sevens world series standings after completing an emphatic double at the Sydney tournament yesterday. The All Blacks Sevens overwhelmed South Africa 38-0 in a lopsided men’s final, after the Black Ferns Sevens completed a 35-0 whitewash of France in the women’s decider. Men’s captain Sam Dickson was relieved his team had finally sealed a tournament win, having lost the final of the last two legs, including a shock defeat at the hands of Argentina at their home tournament in Hamilton last week. “We’ve been trying for a while now, making the finals and just missing out,” Dickson said. “It was an unreal tournament for us. It’s about time we had a polished performance like that.” At the completion of both…

TRADE unions have called the latest interest rate hike by the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) a “callous decision” that will further impoverish cash-strapped workers as the cost of borrowing rises. The SARB last week hiked its benchmark lending rate for the eight consecutive time, but this time by 25 basis points from 7% to 7.25% per annum in a bid to tame elevated consumer prices. This rate hike means the cost of borrowing has increased by a cumulative 375 basis points since the normalisation of policy rates began in November 2021. Trade union UASA’s spokesperson, Abigail Moyo, said workers would feel the pinch after latest repo rate hike. “Higher prices, a looming electricity increase of nearly three times the current inflation rate in April, combined with higher interest rates, bring…

SOUTH African share and bond markets remained strong last week despite the increase in the repo rate by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) and the ongoing load shedding, which has started to take its toll on the economy. The rand exchange rate held its ground despite a more dovish outlook by the MPC as it increased the repo rate by only 0.25%. The rand lost only 12 cents against the dollar since the rate announcement and ended Friday at R17.20 against the dollar. Commodity prices, especially precious metal prices, remain strong as the gold price trades higher than $1 920 (about R32 973) an ounce. The increase in the price of oil at $86.75 and the weaker rand over the past three weeks have contributed to a quick reversal in…

THE ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has had to kiss and make up with President Cyril Ramaphosa in a bid to come out triumphant when the governing party goes to its national elective conference in five years’ time. Independent political analyst, Gakwi Mashego, said there is nothing surprising with the KZN provincial executive committee (PEC) suddenly expressing its support for Ramaphosa. This follows the KZN PEC’s 180º about-face turn to support Ramaphosa as the country prepares for the general elections next year. ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo ruffled feathers when he labelled Ramaphosa an “ethical” leader who deserves the support of the nation. Addressing a PEC press conference in Durban last week, Mtolo said Ramaphosa had accounted for the ills of state-owned energy supplier, Eskom. “South Africans need liars: people who lie…

HOT on the heels of last week’s damning judgment by three judges against the Road Accident Fund (RAF) – that its board and chief executive, Collins Letsoalo had to pay from their own pockets the costs associated with two RAF cases – they indicated that they wanted to appeal against the judgment before the Supreme Court of Appeal. The fund and its heads stated 14 points in which they claimed that Mpumalanga High Court Judge President Judge Francis Legodi, who wrote the judgment, erred in his findings. The court last week issued a 97-page scathing judgment against Letsoalo and his board, which resulted in the personal costs order against them. It is not clear at this stage what the costs are, but some say it can be millions. Judge Legodi…

THE South African Air Force celebrated its 103rd birthday with a prestige ceremony and parade at its base in Swartkop, Pretoria, yesterday. Spectators enjoyed flight demonstrations with pilots displaying various stunts and leading teams. Cannons began proceedings by firing to open the event, stunning the audience and shaking the ground with their loud and smoking explosions that could be heard far and wide across Thaba Tshwane. During the occasion, chief of the SA Air Force Lieutenant-General Wiseman Mbambo announced Overberg Air Force Base as Base of the Year award winner. The award seeks to acknowledge performance on the upholding of standards and exceeding expectations by directorates, bases, units and squadrons. Following its years of existence and priding itself for being one of the oldest air forces in the world, the…

New Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka didn't get much sleep Saturday night after a rambunctious come-from-behind victory, but you wouldn't have known it early on the morning after. "I still feel like I'm on another planet trying to understand what just happened," Sabalenka replied, while revelling in a photo shoot at Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens. Resplendent in a glamorous pink dress and wearing high heels instead of her usual tennis pumps, Sabalenka took to a boat and glided around a lake with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup clutched firmly in hand. The powerful Belarusian, who will become world No 2 today, showed a new side to her personality, posing effortlessly in front of the cameras. She even managed a few high kicks, despite being understandably stiff after being taken to…

AmaZulu (1) 1 Qalinge 33 Richards Bay (0) 1 Maphathe 90+4 Katleho Maphathe scored a stoppage-time leveller as Richards Bay rescued a point against AmaZulu at the King Zwelithini Stadium yesterday. The result means Richards Bay further cement their place in second spot on the Premiership standings, while Usuthu remain in eighth place. A revived Thabo Qalinge continued his run in the Usuthu team as he broke the deadlock for the visitors, scoring his first top-flight goal in over two years. New signing Junior Dion made a run in between Richards Bay defenders and he was delightfully found by Pule Ekstein who, after composing himself, rolled the ball onto the on-rushing Qalinge, who tapped home from close range. Richards Bay captain Maphathe emerged in the final minutes of stoppage time…

FOOD prices will increase at the till as load shedding knocks the agriculture sector, but it is not clear to what extent, says Theo Boshoff, the CEO of the Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz). Load shedding is placing pressure on the agricultural industry directly through additional costs incurred to run generators. This applies both to primary production, but also in the value chain for cold storage, dairies and processing, among others. In an interview on Friday, Boshoff said, “The extent to which this will be passed on to the consumer is not clear. Actual food prices will also be influenced by whether or not there is damage to the various crops.” Currently there was a lot of pressure on irrigation as South Africa had experienced a very hot and dry January,…

Life is getting very expensive these days – especially when it comes to grocery shopping. Many of us are on a tight budget, so putting more money into our food budget is simply not an option. So today I am going to share with you some tips to help you deal with rising food prices. Go meatless You have probably noticed that IOL Lifestyle shares meatless recipes frequently. We do that for many reasons. It is a reminder that meatless recipes can be filling and easy to make. But, they are also better for everyone’s grocery bill. Not into tofu? That is okay. Cheese and vegetables are filling without having meat. Eat at home Dining out is an expensive thing to do. Many of the meals that you pay for…

Prince Harry “hugged” his son’s future nanny when she arrived for a job interview and his lack of formality quickly put her at ease. Lorren Khumalo worked for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shortly after their first child Archie was born in May 2019 and she recalled being stunned by “what a gem” the 38-year-old prince was when it came to putting her at her ease when they first met to discuss the position. The Zimbabwean-born nurse told how she asked Harry’s protection officer if she needed to curtsey before she went in for her interview. “And he just looked at me and laughed and he said, ‘You’ll see, Prince Harry is amazing.’ When I got there, the way he opened his arms, ‘Hello Lorren!’ and gave me a…

PROTESTERS burnt parts of the Greenhill GB Primary School in Olievenhoutbosch to ashes on Friday. They took out their anger and frustration on the school after they were threatened with forceful removal from land they illegally invaded and built shacks on. The Pretoria News was informed that an unidentified owner approached the South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, to obtain an eviction order against the illegal land occupiers. For the better part of last week rumours circulated among the community that they were on the verge of being removed from the land. In retaliation, they protested on Thursday and Friday, torching a block which stored groceries, learners’ uniforms, fridges and stationery. They also broke into a classroom and stole computers. Principal Jackson Ssemambo said the teachers and learners were not present…

THE City of Tshwane’s multimillion rand project to refurbish the Caledonian Stadium in Arcadia is in limbo after almost five years since it was allocated a budget of R67 million by former mayor Solly Msimanga. The project was envisaged to have been completed in three years, but this deadline has been missed. The problems at the project were highlighted during last week’s oversight visit by the EFF councillors in Tshwane who said R40m was used on the project during Msimanga’s tenure. They were disappointed that the construction had seemingly been abandoned as there were no activities on site. Instead, the site was littered with heaps of sand with weeds and debris. There were long grass, trenches and a stationary construction truck. Lack of progress has fuelled suspicions that the City…

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has warned the public about a bogus traffic police officer traineeship programme recruitment drive doing the rounds on social media. RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane said the bogus advert directs prospective applicants to download the traffic traineeship applications form for 2023 using the “RTMC” brand name to legitimise the programme. “The advert claims that posts are open to all nationalities and promises a work permit, housing accommodation and medical facilities,” Zwane said. “The corporation distances itself from this fake advertisement. The RMTC is currently not recruiting any traffic officer learners. When posts do become vacant, vacancies will be advertised on reputable platforms, including our website, mainstream media and RTMC social media platforms.” RTMC traffic officer recruitment is not open to all nationalities, it said. The…

The SANDF 5 South African Infantry Battalion, SAPS and Tracker in KwaZulu-Natal recently recovered three stolen vehicles. Captain A Tamela said the presence of the battalion, SAPS and Tracker along the South Africa/Mozambique border was making it increasingly difficult for criminal syndicates in the area. Tamela said this was evident after an incident on January 23, when 5 South African Infantry Battalion members conducted a joint operation with Manguzi SAPS. During the operation, Tracker confirmed there was a stolen grey Toyota Hilux in Manguzi. The vehicle was allegedly taken by heavily armed suspects during a house robbery in Hluhluwe, northern KZN. “The vehicle was found abandoned in Mbazwana, on the R22 near Manguzi. The owner was contacted to attend the scene. The vehicle was then handed over to Hluhluwe SAPS…

The DA has revealed that the country’s constant power cuts have resulted in deleted Home Affairs applications. This is because the country has been plunged into stages 4 and 6 load shedding since the start of the year. According to DA Home Affairs spokesperson Adrian Roos, load shedding continued to hamper the department’s delivery of services. “The DA has discovered that Home Affairs applications are being deleted due to load shedding. The possibility that this is also the case in other state departments is extremely concerning, and the DA will be doing oversight in the coming weeks to ascertain whether it is indeed the case,” he said yesterday. Roos said he had written to the Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, to urgently address this issue after visiting the Bronkhorstspruit…

SUCH has been the crazy nature of the Bulls’ schedule that the players and management haven’t seen their families in over two months. So while they are understandably disappointed about going down 37-28 to the Scarlets in Llanelli on Friday, arriving home yesterday would have brought much-needed relief. The Bulls have played six out of their last seven matches away since mid-December, and in that time, they also didn’t have the director of rugby Jake White with them, following his abdominal operation. They won two out of those seven games – against the Dragons away and Exeter at Loftus Versfeld – and lost to Exeter, Stormers, Sharks, Lyon and Scarlets away. “The biggest one is just to meet the family again! We haven’t seen them for two months. It was…

Liverpool's disastrous season suffered another blow yesterday as the holders were dumped out the FA Cup with a 2-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion. Kaoru Mitoma's brilliant control and finish in stoppage time earned the Seagulls a place in the fifth round. Liverpool had led at the Amex through Harvey Elliott, but have now won just once in their last six games. Lewis Dunk levelled before the break for Brighton and they were well worthy of the victory given to them by a moment of magic from Mitoma. The Japanese winger cushioned Pervis Estupinan's cross into his path, flicked the ball over Joe Gomez and fired high past Alisson Becker in the 92nd minute. Liverpool are languishing in ninth in the Premier League, 21 points behind pacesetters Arsenal. Their…