Innholdsfortegnelse for 2023-02-13 i Pretoria News

It’s Valentine’s Month and love is in the air. Gift-giving aside, did you know there are also certain foods and drinks that may help get you in the mood for romance? In essence, some foods are thought to act as aphrodisiacs, and others can help to increase libido, or boost blood flow. In an interview with IOL Lifestyle, founder of Bella Rouge, Jenni Holdsworth, said these are some of the foods you can eat that just might help enhance your romance. Honey Ever wonder where the term “honeymoon” came from? Centuries ago, newly-weds in Europe drank honey wine during the first month of marriage to improve their sexual stamina. As a bonus, the long-ago lovebirds also got small amounts of beneficial vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from honey. Chocolate The Aztec…

THE EFF in Tshwane has announced a programme to uplift about 500 young people who earn a living by taking random photographs of people. The party said youth unemployment had left many out of the formal economy, and the number of untrained street photographers in the city had risen exponentially. The youngsters are graduates, struggling to find employment. Money they had saved to buy the most affordable digital cameras allowed them to take pictures and immediately share them with their customers via WhatsApp. However, their method of finding customers has irritated people walking on the street – they randomly take photographs without getting permission, with the hope those pictured will like – and buy them. Pictures are sold for anything between R10 and R20, and the street photographer makes up…

IN SPITE of having travelled a thorny road, new GM of Anew Hotel Capital in Pretoria, Ozwane Mahlangu, has proved that nothing is impossible. Mahlangu obtained her National Senior Certificate at the age of 38. “We all have different journeys to reach our final destinations, but with passion comes perseverance,” said Mahlangu, who is affectionately known as Oz. She demonstrated this by overcoming decades of obstacles to matriculate. Mahlangu was staying at Anew Hotel Capital when she studied for her matric exams. About 12 years later, she is the GM of this hotel. She grew up on a farm in Dullstroom in Mpumalanga. Due to the rural nature of farm life, her access to schools during her childhood was limited. Mahlangu started working for a family as a domestic…

Looking back, it was surprising that black people following boxing had a soft spot for Gerrie Coetzee – until, of course, he had a black boxer or any non-white as an opponent. Nobody dared to support an Afrikaner against a black person; Afrikaners represented oppression against black people. It was no wonder then when in 1979, in his world heavyweight title fight against black American boxer John Tate, black people were behind Tate, somebody they had probably only heard of for the first time. Gerrie lost the fight, to the jubilation of black people. However, the upset from black people was obvious when Coetzee won against Leon Spinks. He kept the belt (title) for a short while, losing it to Greg Page the following year . The jubilation among…

Tehran: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will head to China within days for a three-day visit aimed at strengthening economic co-operation, state media reported yesterday. Raisi is expected to hold private talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and delegations from both countries are due to sign “co-operation documents”, according to Irna. The agency added that Raisi will also take part in meetings with Chinese businessmen and Iranians living in the country. Iran and China have strong economic ties, especially in the fields of energy, transit, agriculture, trade and investment. In 2021, both countries signed a 25-year “strategic co-operation pact”, said to include “political, strategic and economic” components. | AFP…

DUBAI: The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said yesterday that public debt in some Middle East and North Africa (Mena) states is of “concern” and that governments need to build resilience through fiscal policies to protect against shocks in uncertain times. Kristalina Georgieva, speaking at the Arab Fiscal Forum in Dubai, urged authorities to adopt “robust” fiscal frameworks and address climate change. The IMF forecast last month that economic growth in Mena would slow to 3.2% this year, before ticking up to 3.5% in 2024. Inflation was seen surpassing 10% in 2023. | Reuters…

Rescuers pulled a seven-month-old baby and a teenage girl from the rubble yesterday, nearly a week after an earthquake devastated TÜrkiye and Syria and killed more than 28 000. UN relief chief Martin Griffiths said he expected the death toll to at least double after he arrived in southern TÜrkiye to assess the quake’s damage. Tens of thousands of rescue workers are scouring flattened neighbourhoods despite freezing weather that has deepened the misery of millions now in desperate need of aid. Security concerns led some aid operations to be suspended, and dozens of people have been arrested for looting or trying to defraud victims in the aftermath of the quake in TÜrkiye, according to state media. But miraculous tales of survival still emerged from the destruction and despair. “Is…

New Zealand’s prime minister Chris Hipkins has warned residents to hunker down and prepare an evacuation plan as a cyclone was to begin pummelling the northern tip of the country yesterday. Cyclone Gabrielle is forecast to envelop the upper half of the North Island over a 48-hour period from yesterday evening, two weeks after parts of the same region had devastating floods. Auckland remains under a state of emergency after flash floods swamped the city on January 27, resulting in four deaths and forcing thousands from their homes. Debris from that deluge remains on the streets of the country’s biggest city, which now faces another bout of heavy rainfall and severe winds. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said everyone should be ready to face the threats posed by flooding, huge ocean…

ONE of Gauteng’s most wanted criminals, linked to at least 100 house robberies, has been positively identified via fingerprints after he gave police the wrong name when he was caught. Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo said the “prime suspect” has been in hospital after he was injured at the time of his arrest in November, during a shoot-out with police. “The Gauteng investigating team’s thorough investigation and fingerprint results revealed that the suspect arrested in November 2022 gave police a false name to try to evade prosecution for about 100 house robberies. “The suspect’s fingerprints came back identifying him as one of the most wanted men in the province. He is now in custody facing the full might of the law.” In October last year, following a tip-off, investigators…

THE Tshwane Metro Police Department has warned city residents to expect crowds of International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC) members who will be gathering around the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, as the long-running succession case resumes today. In an advisory, department spokesperson Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said there would be a picket outside the superior court along Madiba Street. “Tere will be a picket at the Pretoria High Court, along Madiba Street in Pretoria, on Monday (today) at 8am by International Pentecost Holiness Church. The purpose (of the gathering by the IPHC members) is to attend the leadership succession case,” said Mahamba. “They are expected to disperse when the court adjourns,” he added. A media advisory issued by the IPHC Jerusalem faction led by “Successor” Michael Sandlana said thousands of members…

LIMPOPO ANC chairperson Stan Mathabatha has allegedly defended himself against his detractors at the first party provincial executive committee (PEC) meeting after the national elective conference held at Nasrec last year. Mathabatha, also Limpopo premier, was apparently confronted by PEC members at the meeting as to why he decided to fail provincial branches that had decided to support President Cyril Ramaphosa at the party’s 55th conference. The chairperson and his deputy Florence Radzilani made a U-turn on the eve of nominations of candidates at the conference, supporting Dr Zweli Mkhize, who eventually lost to Ramaphosa by 579 votes. Mathabatha, nicknamed “Ama- bhubhezi” after he chanted the Struggle song “Wathinta thina wa thinta amabhubhezi” while announcing his U-turn on the sidelines of the conference, has defended his decision. The meeting, held…

‘R2 trillion investment’ unlikely amid ongoing electricity crisis Another year, another State of the Nation Address (Sona). For millions of South Africans, this is when the government of the day showcases its programme for the year ahead, consolidated by the impending National Budget for the next financial year, its performance in delivering what was promised in the previous year, what went wrong and what hope there is for the future. Sona 2023 was no exception. When President Cyril Ramaphosa stood at the lectern to address the nation, I wonder how aware he and his colleagues were of the enormity of his speech, nay, the proposed recipes to remedy the disastrous stewardship of the nation, country, economy and society by his governing ANC administration, now in its 29th year of uninterrupted…

BRUSSELS: Belgian prosecutors have charged another EU lawmaker, Marc Tarabella, with corruption in a cash-for-influence scandal that shook the European Parliament. Tarabella, a Belgian socialist, was detained on Friday. Le Soir quoted prosecutors as saying he was charged with corruption, money laundering and membership in a criminal organisation. Tarabella’s lawyer, Maxime Toller, said his client denied any wrongdoing. The so-called Qatargate started last December when authorities charged four people linked to the European Parliament – which sits in the Belgian capital Brussels – over allegations that World Cup host Qatar lavished them with cash and gifts to influence decision-making. | reuters…

SEVILLE: The Spanish film academy’s Goya Awards paid tribute to the late Spanish film-maker Carlos Saura, while French actress Juliette Binoche picked up an international honorary award. Saura, who died on Friday aged 91, had been due to receive the academy’s honorary Goya Award at the annual ceremony. It was awarded posthumously, and, to applause, his widow Eulalia Ramón read out Saura’s own words, written before his death: “I am sorry I cannot be with you”. Saura was credited with leading the awakening of Spain’s art cinema after decades of fascist dictatorship under Francisco Franco. | Reuters…

A British crime boss has been arrested in Thailand after five years on the run, Thai police said yesterday. Richard Wakeling, 55, fled Britain in 2018 after he tried to smuggle £8 million (R172m) of liquid amphetamine into the country in 2016. He was sentenced in absentia to 11 years and placed on the British National Crime Agency’s (NCA) “most wanted” watch list. Wakeling was caught on Friday in the Thai capital Bangkok by the Central Investigation Bureau working with the NCA. “Since 1993 he regularly travelled to Thailand. “But after being charged he changed his name and his passport’s nationality to Irish, that’s why it didn’t show up on the system,” a senior Thai police officer said. Wakeling will appear in court today to begin the extradition process, he…

A US fighter jet shot down an unidentified object over Canada on Saturday, the second such incident in North American skies since the dramatic downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon a week ago. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a joint US-Canadian military operation led to the takedown of the object, the latest in a series of mysterious air intrusions. “Canadian and US aircraft were scrambled, and a US F-22 successfully fired at the object,” Trudeau tweeted this weekend. Shortly after the 3.41pm local time downing of the object, aviation authorities shut down part of the airspace over the northwest US state of Montana after detecting what they called a “radar anomaly,” the US Northern Command said. In a sign of jitters over possible intrusions, Northern Command said US fighter…

Orlando Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi insists that the team must retain their status in African football by playing in the CAF Champions League. Pirates have had a rollercoaster season. They won the MTN8 crown but have been largely inconsistent in the league. On Saturday night, though, the Sea Robbers put their league season on hold when they faced All Stars in a Nedbank Cup last-32 clash, which they won 2-0 in extra-time. Pirates’ goals were scored by Monnapule Saleng and Thembinkosi Lorch as they made it to the Round of 16, keeping their chances of bagging a second trophy alive. But that didn’t come easy as head coach Jose Riveiro was sent off during the game with assistant coaches Ncikazi and Sergio Almenara having to take over. Winning the…

The Champions League knockout stage kicks off this week with a blockbuster showdown between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich topping the bill and doubts surrounding all of the English contenders. Since the World Cup in Qatar there has been another transfer window of record spending by Premier League clubs, whose £815-million (about R17.6-billion) outlay on new players in January represented 79% of the total across Europe’s biggest five leagues according to analysts Deloitte. There are, nevertheless, doubts surrounding all the English sides taking part in the last-16, even Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. The Abu Dhabi-backed club will still be favourites to overcome RB Leipzig, but they have appeared flawed domestically of late and perhaps the uncertainty surrounding the future will leave them feeling greater pressure to perform in Europe this…

BARELY singed by load shedding because of extensive investment in power back-up systems, pharmaceutical manufacturers said there were only a few take aways from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address on Thursday, which failed to deal with the less than inflation price increases granted in December. In an interview, chairperson of the Pharmaceutival Task Group Dr Stavros Nicolaou said the industry was left questioning the government’s capacity to deliver on making the manufacture of essential medicines conducive. “We have a mixed reaction to the State of the Nation address (Sona). Though we have not extensively been affected by load shedding because of back up measures, which have pushed up the cost of production, the 3.28% increase granted to the industry places the future supply of medicines into question. We are facing very…

NO MATTER how rich you are, you can never escape the long arm of the law. This was the lesson learnt by a husband embroiled in divorce proceedings with his estranged wife. The wife turned to the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, to claim interim spousal maintenance of R95 000 a month, pending the final divorce, as well as R6 million towards her legal costs. The court commented that the husband, a businessman, was not entirely forthcoming about his income or assets. Acting Judge F Bezuidenhout noted that the husband at a stage said: “I can make money over and over again in my sleep.” A life of luxury unfolded during the maintenance hearing. The couple’s youngest son, still a teenager, told the judge, “we’ve lived like the richest people in…

The proverbial “when you snooze, you lose,” truism came to play before the court this week. A decade ago, Absa obtained a judgment against a family which struggled to pay their monthly instalments to sell their property on execution. But over the past 10 years, the bank didn’t execute the order and the family remained living in the house. They made payments over the years in the amounts they could afford. But now a decade after the lender first obtained the judgment, it returned to court to obtain an order allowing it to go ahead with the sale and perhaps set a reserve price on the house when it was executed. But a Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, judge would have none of it. He questioned why Absa didn’t act on…

THE SAPS are searching for the suspects behind the killing of a Mamelodi man, said to have links with the notorious Boko Haram group, after he was shot and killed on Friday. Police spokesperson Captain Mavela Masondo said they had opened a case of murder and were searching for the suspects, after the man, 48, was shot and killed in Mamelodi at about 4pm. Masondo said the man, only known as Zorro, was driving a Toyota Hilux when assailants started firing shots at him until his vehicle came to a stop. “The man, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds, was certified dead on the scene, with the motive for the killing unknown at this stage. “Police are appealing to anyone with information that can help in the investigation or assist in…

A group of trade unions, including the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) and theNational Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), will take to the streets of Woodmead tomorrow, in protest against the non-payment of medical insurance. This comes after Numsa accused security companies of defrauding workers out of their medical insurance benefits. Numsa recently reported that the Council for Medical Schemes was actively investigating cases against security companies that deducted money from workers for medical insurance but failed to pay it over to Affinity Health, the chosen service provider. Numsa and other trade unions such as Abanqobi Workers Union, Kungwini Amalgamated Workers Union and Satawu will march in protest at the iMvula Group’s continued deductions of millions of rand from the salaries of poorly-paid security officers despite not…

Military-ruled Myanmar is set to allow civilians “loyal to the state” to apply for licences to carry firearms, according to media reports and an unverified government document. The leaked document, purported to originate from the home ministry, sets out criteria for those seeking a gun licence. Experts worry that allowing civilians to carry guns would empower pro-junta groups and only serve to escalate the violence and near-daily clashes between the military and armed resistance forces that have raged nationwide. US-based conflict monitoring group Acled says about 19 000 people died last year as the military’s crackdown on protests led many to take up arms against the junta. | Reuters…

JERUSALEM: US President Joe Biden has called for wide agreement to be reached in Israel on sweeping changes to the judiciary pushed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right government which have sparked nationwide protests. Israel’s parliament may today begin legislation for the judicial overhaul, which would increase the government’s sway in selecting judges while weakening Supreme Court power to strike down laws or rule against the executive. Biden said: “Israeli democracy is built on checks and balances, and on an independent judiciary. Building consensus for fundamental changes ensure people buy into them so they can be sustained.” | Reuters…

BERLIN: Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will end his term as planned in October, a spokesperson for the alliance said, after a newspaper reported a further extension was in the works. “The mandate of Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has been extended three times, and he has served for a total of almost nine years,” NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said. “The Secretary-General’s term comes to an end in October of this year and he has no intention to seek another extension of his mandate.” Earlier, Welt am Sonntag reported Stoltenberg’s term was to be extended again as the alliance sought to maintain stability during the war in Ukraine. Stoltenberg, an economist by training and a former leader of Norway’s Labour Party, had his Nato term extended last year. He was prime minister of…

The leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner said yesterday that his troops had taken an eastern Ukrainian village a few kilometres from the key city of Bakhmut which Moscow has been trying to capture for months. “Wagner’s assault units took the town of Krasna Hora,” Wagner’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said. It was impossible to independently confirm the claims. Experts have debated the strategic importance of Bakhmut, but the city has turned into a key political and symbolic prize in the battle. Rivalry between the paramilitary Wagner group and the Russian army have come to the surface during the fight for Bakhmut – though the Kremlin denies any rift. On January 11 Prigozhin claimed his fighters had taken control of the city of Soledar near Bakhmut. The Russian defence ministry…

The Sharks have a fight on their hands to keep star fullback Aphelele Fassi in their ranks, with the Stormers known to have him in their sights when he comes off contract at the end of this year. The 25-year-old has been at the Sharks since he finished school at Dale College in King Williams Town in 2017 but could be in the market for a change in scenery in December. It is known that Stormers coach John Dobson is keen on adding Fassi’s brilliant attacking skills to his already potent backline. Fassi, however, is on the books of Roc Nation, the American sports marketing giants, and with their affiliation with the Sharks, they are unlikely to steer him in the direction of their arch-rivals from the Cape. Fassi is…

Marcus Rashford extended his hot streak with the late goal that inspired Manchester United's 2-0 win against old rivals Leeds on yesterday. After Rashford scored to spark United's comeback from two goals down in Wednesday's 2-2 draw with Leeds, Rashford tormented the Yorkshire club once again. Rashford netted with 10 minutes left at Elland Road to make it four successive Premier League games with a goal for the England forward, who has scored in eight of his last nine appearances in the competition. Following Alejandro Garnacho's frustrated reaction to being substituted on Wednesday, the Argentine teenager made amends as he came off the bench to seal United's hard-fought victory five minutes after Rashford's goal. United's win was just their second in their last five league games, although they have now…

AlphaTauri showed off their new Formula One car livery on Saturday with Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda left in no doubt what the Red Bull-owned team expect from him this season. Tsunoda will be starting his third year with the Italy-based team, whose launch was held at New York’s Lincoln Center during Fashion Week. “Last year, Yuki struggled with the car,” AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost said during the digital reveal of the AT04. “This year, as I expect we will have quite a competitive car, Yuki must always aim to be in Q3 (the final phase) and finish the races in the points. He is a very highly-skilled driver and now has a lot of experience with two seasons in F1. For this reason, of course, he has to score…

The Stormers will this week head to Pretoria as favourites for their United Rugby Championship (URC) clash with the Bulls but Jake White, back from illness and with a new outlook on rugby, might have a surprise or two up his sleeve for John Dobson's defending champions. White and Dobson are set to continue their rivalry at Loftus Versfeld and judging by how the last clash went, fireworks can be expected from both coaches in the build-up this week. Dobson's Stormers are heading to Pretoria in a comfortable position in the URC but a rejuvenated White, after his near-death experience, can be just the inspiration the Bulls need for Saturday. The Bulls mentor made a miraculous recovery after emergency surgery due to illness and will be hoping the miracles continue…