Innholdsfortegnelse for 2023-02-24 i Pretoria News

Amaphinifa is becoming the hottest fashion trend in South Africa. If you have attended an African traditional ceremony, be it a wedding or ancestral ceremony, you would have noticed women wearing wraparound dresses made of shweshwe prints. Well, those dresses are known as Amaphinifa. Recently people haven’t been wearing them only for special occasions; they’ve now become a wardrobe staple for everyday wear. Thobeka Nene, the owner and founder of Thiago Madam, believes that “if you are a woman, Iphinifa is one of the essential must-haves in your closet and, as a brand, they have revolutionised the original Iphinifa to fit evolutional women”. Known for their vibrant colours and distinctive patterns, Amaphinifa are not only reserved for married women. Anyone can wear them and style as desired. Nomonde Mabhushula of…

CIVIL rights movement #NotInMyName has expressed outrage after members of its Pan-African Desk, who are part of the Banyamulenge community from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) living in South Africa, were allegedly clobbered by security officials at their embassy in Pretoria. #NotInMyName secretary-general Themba Masango said the two men, Richard Mukata and Jean-Claude Sibomama, had gone to the DRC Embassy to apply for passports. “The Congolese nationals, Richard and Jean-Claude, aimed to apply for their passports and had fulfilled all requirements to visit the embassy, including prior and approved appointments. Instead… the two were attacked in… (full) view of all officials, and sustained injuries because of their ethnic affiliation – being members of the Banyamulenge community. “It is disconcerting that this is a second attack and that this issue…

GAUTENG Premier Panyaza Lesufi faces a mammoth task to provide the DA with finer details of his plans to wipe out crime in the province. Lesufi is due in the legislature today to reply to accusations that his maiden State of Province Address this week was ambitious and lacked detail. Yesterday, DA leaders launched an onslaught against him, labelling his address in the legislature on Monday mere promises likely not to be implemented, an accusation which irked ANC members in the legislature. Earlier, the debate on the speech got off to a chaotic start following mudslinging and insults between ANC and EFF members in the House. The sitting had to be adjourned for a few minutes after opposition parties allegedly used unacceptable language including “nonsense” and “bull****”. That prompted speaker…

KWAZULU-NATAL educator Lulu Menziwa, dubbed South Africa’s sexiest and richest teacher, has once again reminded online trolls that she’s not here to play. In a Twitter post, she commented: “Bring my kids to school guys,” alongside pictures of herself dressed stylishly while in seated in her classroom. In response, one of her followers shared a throwback of an Instagram video she did a few years ago after finding social media fame. Taking to her Instagram Live, Menziwa called out older men who dragged her sexy attire, saying: “They’re hiding on their profiles; they’re so ugly.” Responding to individual comments on her IG Live, the teacher didn’t mince her words, saying even though she had become famous on social media, this did not mean that people should be nasty, especially when…

THE Proteas Women’s team have a date with destiny. A home ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final against England. And they are fully aware a nation expects nothing less than a victory. The days of merely being content with reaching this stage are over. It has been some journey for Sune Luus’s team. The last two weeks have been a roller-coaster, starting with the opening defeat to Sri Lanka. From thereon the mountain only became steeper. Victory over New Zealand in Paarl reignited the challenge before stumbling again in Gqeberha when the Australians were simply too good. Destiny was out of their hands, but fortunately the Kiwis defeated Sri Lanka that set up a must-win game for the Proteas against Bangladesh. A nervous start was averted and the Proteas won…

A senatorial candidate from Nigeria’s opposition Labour Party was killed late on Wednesday by unknown gunmen in south-eastern Enugu State, a local party official said yesterday, the latest violent incident ahead of a momentous national election. Nigerians are due to elect their next president and MPs on Saturday, against a chaotic backdrop of armed conflict in the north-east, high levels of violent crime everywhere and shortages of cash, fuel and electricity. President Muhammadu Buhari is stepping down after serving the maximum two terms allowed by the constitution, and the three-man race to succeed him is seen as the most unpredictable contest in recent Nigerian history. Africa’s most populous nation, biggest economy and top oil producer switched from army rule to democracy in 1999, but its elections have long been plagued…

BEIRUT: Longtime central bank governor Riad Salameh, his brother Raja and one of his assistants have been charged with money laundering, embezzlement and illicit enrichment, a senior judicial source said yesterday. The charges come after an 18-month investigation into whether Salameh and his brother embezzled more than $300 million (R5.5 trillion) from Lebanon’s Central Bank between 2002 and 2015. Judicial authorities in at least five European countries are investigating Salameh and his brother Raja on the same allegations. The governor has dismissed accusations as part of a bid to scapegoat him for Lebanon’s financial woes. | Reuters…

ANTAKYA: Türkiye will widen an investigation into building contractors suspected of violating safety standards following its devastating earthquake, the interior minister said, as the country stepped up housing plans for victims. Suleyman Soylu said 564 suspects had been identified so far, with 160 people formally arrested. President Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to rebuild housing within one year. Soylu said 313 000 tents had been erected, with 100 000 container homes to be installed. Soylu saidmore than 600 000 apartments and 150 000 commercial premises had suffered at least moderate damage. | Reuters…

A brown bear that lay almost perfectly preserved in the frozen wilds of eastern Siberia for 3 500 years has undergone a necropsy by a team of scientists after it was discovered by reindeer herders on a desolate island in the Arctic. “This find is absolutely unique: the complete carcass of an ancient brown bear,” said Maxim Cheprasov, laboratory chief at the Lazarev Mammoth Museum Laboratory at the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, eastern Siberia. The female bear was found by reindeer herders in 2020 jutting out of the permafrost on Bolshoy Lyakhovsky Island, part of the New Siberian archipelago about 4 600km east of Moscow. The extreme temperatures helped preserve the bear’s soft tissue for 3 460 years, as well as remains of its final repasts – bird feathers…

Eskom has confirmed the unprecedented shedding and curtailing of power to stage 7 WINTER came early for South Africans after Eskom confirmed shedding and curtailing a combined more than 7 000MW of electricity supply from the grid over the past two days. This has fuelled chatter around the country that Eskom implemented an unprecedented stage 7 or stage 8 load shedding on Tuesday and Wednesday night without informing the public. However, Eskom’s System Operator yesterday denied reports that had quietly ramped up load shedding from the current stage 6. This contradicted Eskom’s spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha, who told another publication that it was accurate to say load shedding was at stage 7 at that particular time on Wednesday night. The Eskom System Operator decides on the load…

Nothing ruins a fine pair of shoes, a date, or your foyer like a stench. It’s also challenging to prevent the odour from spreading to the rest of your footwear once it starts. This is due to the fact that even the most delicate shoes serve as a dank, sweaty haven for odour-causing germs. Although you can’t get rid of the smell entirely, you can manage it. Try these professional suggestions for stopping stinky feet before you lose another pair of shoes. Try to avoid getting wet Keep your feet dry, advises board-certified dermatologist Dr Becca Baxter, to avoid stinky feet. After a shower, towel off your feet and apply an anti-fungal powder between your toes to keep them dry and prevent fungus that can cause odour. When possible, put…

TSHWANE residents have been warned to use water sparingly as more interruptions emerge to add to the 30-hour “drought” that started at 3am today. Rand Water had to suspend supply in order to finalise the tie-in of the new water pipeline, but vandalism threatens to thwart the mitigation plans. The City of Tshwane planned to fill up almost 20 reservoirs that supply numerous communities that would be affected. However, it implemented an emergency shutdown of Rand Water supply in order to carry out repairs to its pipeline components that were vandalised on Wednesday evening. Rand Water said isolating valves for the meter on the line that supplies the City of Ekurhuleni’s Eden Park were damaged, and as a result 52% of pumping to the Palmiet and 27% to the Mapleton…

High-profile murders in our crime-ridden country, have once again thrust gun-related violence and gun control into the limelight. KZN is the epicentre of gun-related violence. It is a recorded that 9 000 guns go missing every year, while 24 guns illegally enter the market every day, destroying 30 lives every day. Strict gun laws introduced in 2001 have had little effect on the carnage we are witnessing. According to reports, rising gun-violence crimes can be attributed to a spike in smuggling of weaponry into the country. There are about 3.8 million unregistered, illegal firearms in circulation in South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, a critical factor in the escalating gun-related murders in the country. History has proven that gun control laws do not work, because they are based…

Israel launched air strikes on Gaza in return for rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave yesterday, a day after the deadliest Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank in nearly 20 years. Eleven Palestinians, including a 16-year-old, were killed and more than 80 wounded by gunfire on Wednesday, the Palestinian health ministry said, when Israeli troops raided the flashpoint West Bank city of Nablus, drawing international appeals for calm. The death toll was the highest since the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, ended in 2005. It was described as a “massacre” by top Palestinian official Hussein al- Sheikh, who called for “international protection for our people”. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who heads a new coalition government regarded as the most right-wing in Israel’s history, praised Israeli forces and vowed…

Police in Northern Ireland said yesterday that they had arrested three men over the shooting of an off-duty officer, after declaring “violent dissident republicans” the “prime focus” of their investigation. The shooting, condemned by politicians as “outrageous and shameful”, was carried out by two men in the town of Omagh in County Tyrone on Wednesday. Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell, a high-profile officer who has led major investigations, was taken to hospital and is in a “critical but stable” condition after being shot multiple times at a sports complex, police said. Officers in Northern Ireland are subject to sporadic attacks that were once common in the region, which was plagued by decades of sectarian violence known as the Troubles before the signing of peace accords in 1998. Chief Constable Simon…

Washington: The US defense department has released a cockpit selfie of a U-2 spy plane pilot soaring over a Chinese balloon the day before it was shot down. US President Joe Biden’s order to down what the US has since called a “sophisticated high-altitude spying vehicle” sparked the latest diplomatic spat between Washington and Beijing. The photo released by the Pentagon on Wednesday shows the Chinese balloon floating over the central continental US on February 3 as it is observed by the U-2 pilot. The balloon can be seen hovering above the expanse, its solar panels visible underneath, with the pilot’s helmet in the foreground. | AFP…

London: A six-decade archive charting pop icon David Bowie’s career will open in London in 2025, providing a “new source book for the Bowies of tomorrow”, a museum director said this week. Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum Tristram Hunt said the “incredible” collection had more than 80 000 items of Bowie memorabilia. They range from hand-written lyrics and letters to sheet music, original costumes, photography and album artwork. A number of instruments owned by Bowie as well as music videos, set designs and awards are also due to go on display. | AFP…

PASCHAL Werhlein is having quite the Formula E season in his Porsche as the German is top of the standings ahead of the Cape Town ePrix. Werlein’s teammate Antonio Felix de Costa was third in the Hyderbad leg of the Formula E calendar, while Werhlein finished fourth. Despite not finishing on the podium, Wehrlein extended his lead at the top of the standing. They will be hoping for much of the same when they hit the track in Cape Town in a few days time. Wehrlein says he wants more of the success they have been currently having. “We are leading and we want more that so I think our package looks strong. “We need to do a step forward in qualifying because that is our weak area at the…

AIDEN Markram’s elevation to the Proteas T20 captaincy received a major boost after he was named captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad for IPL 2023. Markram seems set to succeed Temba Bavuma, who relinquished the T20 leadership reins last week as the new national short-format captain. The 28-year-old’s stocks are certainly on the rise after leading the Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the inaugural Betway SA20 title earlier this month. Bavuma will now lead the Proteas Test team with his debut as a skipper being the series against West Indies in Gauteng next week. Markram has led the Proteas before in ODI cricket for a brief period of five matches in 2018. He has, however, taken his game to an entirely different level in T20 cricket the past few years. Markram is perched…

ANDRE de Ruyter’s blockbuster exit from Eskom has left sections of society divided right down the middle over how the corruption allegations he made could potentially see South Africa regressing after a four-year marathon which exposed how the State has been captured. This comes after De Ruyter’s explosive interview with the commercial 24-hour TV station eNCA. During the interview, De Ruyter made a litany of allegations among which he reiterated that corruption was deeply entrenched at Eskom and hinted at political interference due to vested interests. De Ruyter said he had made enemies at Eskom and had stepped on the wrong toes after trying to close the taps to a cartel that was allegedly syphoning off at least R1 billion from Eskom every month. He also implicated an unnamed…

CITY of Tshwane council speaker Dr Murunwa Makwarela – the sole Cope councillor in the metro – is facing a revolt from the multiparty coalition partners after he refused to convene a special council sitting today. In a joint media statement issued yesterday by coalition partners, which include ACDP, IFP, ActionSA and Freedom Front Plus, they have accused Makwarela of having aligned himself with the ANC and EFF in a bid to be elected as the next mayor on Tuesday. This week, Makwarela dismissed suggestions that he harboured ambitions to become the mayor, saying such a position was reserved for the DA, according to the multiparty coalition agreement. On Wednesday, Makwarela pledged his support to the coalition partners’ mayoral candidate, Cilliers Brink, a former Tshwane councillor and MMC for corporate…

MEDIA personality Ayanda Allie is returning to her first love: music. Taking to her Instagram account this week, Minister Fikile Mbalula’s former spokesperson announced that she would be releasing her debut album, We The People, in March. Giving her fans a taste of what to expect from her upcoming debut album, Allie shared a short video clip of herself behind the scenes, showcasing her vocal prowess. “Status quo is such that we can no longer stay silent. My debut album, We The People, will be out in March, Human Rights Month,” she said. “The songs hold a mirror to society and articulate what I couldn’t say as a news anchor or spokesperson. The process has been liberating – here’s a peek,” she added. Allie said music had always been a…

At least five people were killed and 48 were still missing a day after the collapse of a coal mine in China’s northern region of Inner Mongolia, state media reported yesterday. The open-pit mine operated by small local firm Xinjing Coal Mining Co collapsed in a landslide, leaving dozens of workers buried under a huge pile of debris half a kilometre wide and an estimated 80m high, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Dramatic security camera footage aired on CCTV yesterday showed an avalanche of rock and soil falling from one side of the mountain into the mine pit, burying a number of excavators and dump trucks. Three hundred rescue workers were at the site using heavy machinery and rescue dogs to aid in their search for the trapped miners, state…

Moscow: The head of Russian mercenary outfit Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said yesterday his fighters in Ukraine were getting ammunition after he accused Russia’s top brass of withholding supplies. A day earlier he had called on Russians to pressure the country’s regular army to share ammunition with his fighters, in an ongoing stand-off with military leaders. Fighting alongside Russian forces, Prigozhin’s mercenary group has spearheaded the assault for towns in eastern Ukraine. The 61-year-old ally of President Vladimir Putin has also been involved in a bitter power struggle with the defence ministry for months. Prigozhin accused Defence Minister Sergei Shoiguof wanting to “destroy” Wagner. | AFP…

Brussels: The number of asylum applications in the EU soared to almost a million last year, a 50% increase over 2021 and the highest level since the 2016 influx of refugees into the bloc. The EU Agency for Asylum said the bloc’s 27 member states plus Switzerland and Norway (EU+) registered 966 000 applications last year. The increase in 2021 was due in part to the removal of Covid-related curbs and to as conflicts and food insecurity in many regions of origin. The agency said the largest groups of applicants were Syrians, Afghans and Turks, followed by Venezuelans and Colombians, who both filed about three times as many applications as in 2021. | IANS…

LOS ANGELES: Harvey Weinstein, the one-time Hollywood titan who came to epitomise a culture of pervasive sexual misconduct by powerful men that ignited the #MeToo movement, was to be sentenced yesterday for the 2013 rape of an actress in Los Angeles. Prosecutors have recommended Weinstein, 70, receive the maximum penalty of 24 years in prison, with no eligibility for parole, after a Los Angeles trial jury found him guilty of rape and two other felony charges of sexual abuse in December. The sentence should be served once the former movie producer and Miramax co-founder has completed the 23-year sentence imposed for a sexual misconduct conviction in New York, prosecutors argued. Weinstein’s team opposes the district attorney’s recommendation, given Weinstein’s “advanced age and deteriorating health”, defence lawyer Mark Werksman said. Weinstein…

A spirited counter-attack from captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues went in vain as Australia entered their seventh Women’s T20 World Cup final with a five-run win over India in the first semi-final at Newlands Cricket Ground yesterday. After Australia’s big players stepped up to make 172/4, India’s top three aggregated only 15 runs among themselves. Harmanpreet and Jemimah rose to the occasion by making 52 and 43 respectively while spearheading the chase with a brilliant 69-run stand off 41 balls. But the duo falling in 4.2 overs post the 10-over mark meant India could never recover from it and ended up at 167/8 in 20 overs, falling so close yet so far, yet again. India would also look at their sloppy fielding efforts and dropping two crucial chances apart…

KAIZER Chiefs ‘hitmen’ Caleb Bimenyimana and Christian Saile Basomboli have to bring their scoring boots against arch-rivals Orlando Pirates and help the team get over the finish line. Chiefs have been below-par this season and they lost their last match against Golden Arrows ahead of tomorrow’s Soweto derby at FNB Stadium. That defeat meant that Chiefs fell behind in their aspirations of a second place finish on the log standings, which guarantees CAF Champions League football next season. However, Chiefs are living in hope that they can trim the gap between them and second-placed SuperSport United to two points come tomorrow evening. But it won’t be that simple against their sworn enemies if they continue with their inconsistent run in front of goals. The scoring responsibilities will be pinned on…