Innholdsfortegnelse for 2023-04-17 i Pretoria News

THE MOST RECENT World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) meetings indicate traditional aid such as poverty in Africa is likely to dry up unless such funding addresses climate change, but the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a tool to lift the economic resilience of the continent. This was according to AfCTFA secretary-general Wamkele Mene, who spoke at a briefing on Saturday ahead of the three-day 2024 African Continental Free Trade Area Business Forum, which started at the International Conference Centre in Cape Town yesterday. The AfCTFA was launched in July 2019 and this is the first such forum to be held in person. The AfCFTA aims to progressively eliminate tariffs and liberalise trade on intra-Africa trade, making it easier for African businesses to trade within the…

Chrissy Teigen has come out in support of her husband, John Legend, who was recently slammed by a section of social media users for carrying his daughter Esti in a baby wrap. Teigen shared several snaps from her family’s trip to Venice, Italy, on Instagram on Saturday, including one that showed Legend using a fuzzy swaddle to cradle their baby girl against his chest, Page Six reported. “Can u please give them some advices [sic]?’’ the troll wrote in a since-deleted comment, while tagging someone who could potentially explain “how to wear the carrier right’’. But the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, 37, did not take the unsolicited parenting advice lightly and supported the way the All of Me singer, 44, held their infant. “‘Right’ is how she is comfortable,’’ she…

A DOCTOR is wanted by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit after he skipped bail in Limpopo. The 48-year-old psychiatrist, Ernest Brandon, is alleged to have absconded from his bail hearing last week, after he was implicated in an illegal mining matter. Brandon, described by police as a “foreign national”, was initially arrested in January 2021 along with five other suspects accused of illegal mining at Phashaskraal Village, outside Burgersfort. Hawks spokesperson Lethunya Mmuroa said the suspects were all released on bail and given their next court date, but Brandon absconded. “On the next court date, Brandon never pitched up, as a result a warrant of arrest was authorised against him.” Authorities were requesting the assistance of the public to re-arrest the suspect, he said. “The Hawks are pleading…

MINISTER of Health Dr Joe Phaahla has been urged to alleviate the critical shortage of anti-venom in South Africa and on the continent. This is in an open letter signed by 27 experts in the field of snakebite treatment, including highly experienced medical and trauma practitioners, as well as anti-venom and snake handling experts. The letter calls for the prevention of a situation where life-saving care can no longer be provided to patients in need of healthcare assistance for snakebites. “Anti-venom is a critical life-saving treatment in patients bitten by venomous snakes. It has excellent outcomes when used timeously and correctly,” trauma surgeon Professor Timothy Hardcastle, said. He is a member of the National Snakebite Advisory Group and the Trauma Society of South Africa. The group offers a free national…

JUSTICE and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola’s apology to Thabo Bester’s victims could be easily acceptable if it was followed by his resignation. Not only did he and his leadership drop the ball, they are not the right people for the job. In fact, their failure to timeously communicate Bester’s escape is more than just dropping the ball. We would be not off the mark in arguing that it may have been a deliberate ploy to not come out early with news of Bester’s escape as it would once again have been an embarrassment to the government of President Cyril Ramaphosa. Or is it true that Bester was well connected politically? Whatever the case, Lamola cannot expect the victims and South Africans to simply accept his apology and move on.…

Germany switched off its last three nuclear reactors this weekend, exiting atomic power even as it seeks to wean itself off fossil fuels and manage an energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. While many Western countries are upping their investments in atomic energy to reduce their emissions, Germany brought an early end to its nuclear age. It’s “the end of an era,” the RWE energy firm said in a statement shortly after midnight confirming the three reactors had been disconnected from the electricity grid. Europe’s largest economy has been looking to leave behind nuclear power since 2002, but the phase-out was accelerated by former chancellor Angela Merkel in 2011. The exit decision was popular in a country with a powerful anti-nuclear movement, stoked by lingering fears of a…

Russian President Vladimir Putin marked Orthodox Easter Sunday by applauding the “strengthening” role of the church for society and youth. “I would like to express my profound gratitude for your tireless and selfless work in preserving the enduring historical, spiritual, moral and family values, by educating and enlightening youth,” said Putin after taking part in the liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. “For many years, your wise pastoral words have served to strengthen society. As we face serious challenges, it is particularly important,” he said. | AFP…

Sulaimaniyah: At least two people have been killed and two others wounded in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region, officials said yesterday, blaming a drone strike carried out by neighbouring Türkiye. The strikes near the town of Penjwen, close to the Iranian border, targeted a vehicle carrying Turkish Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), one official said. The PKK, which Ankara and its Western allies classify as a “terrorist” organisation, operates rear bases in Iraq’s north. Haval Abubaker, regional governor of Sulaimaniyah, expressed “concern” about the “attacks” in a telephone call with Masrour Barzani, prime minister of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan. | AFP…

SEOUL: South Korea fired warning shots towards a North Korean vessel that crossed the maritime border, South Korea’s military said yesterday, a day after the incident that further raised tension over the North’s missile tests. The South said it had broadcast warnings to expel a North Korean patrol boat that breached the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the sea boundary. “Our military maintains decisive battle posture,” it said. The North’s incursion came as tension flared over the North’s stepped up military activities in recent weeks, including Friday’s test of a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile that experts say would facilitate missile launches with little warning. | Reuters…

The surprise announcement that Jacques Nienaber is to call it a day as Springbok coach after the World Cup in October begs the question: Who of who will succeed him? The answer has surely been there all along in the form of the two assistant coaches, Deon Davids and Mzwandile Stick, and the real conjecture is which of them will assume the head coach mantle. What would be a real shock is if the aforementioned pair were overlooked and an outsider to the current coaching structure was brought in above them. What message would that send out? Davids and Stick were the coaches when the Southern Kings played exciting rugby in 2017 and Makazola Mapmpi was finishing off try after try. The Bok coaching staff has been a tight unit…

The Chiefs believe All Blacks captain Sam Cane is rediscovering his best form after the evergreen flanker turned in another impressive performance for the Super Rugby Pacific leaders. Cane was a standout performer in Saturday’s 33-17 win over the Hurricanes, which extended the Chiefs’ unbeaten start to the season to seven games. A defensive powerhouse, the openside flanker made 17 tackles and helped the visitors claim control up front in a dominant second half, where they piled on 25 unanswered points. Chiefs assistant coach David Hill told Sky Sport that Cane’s early season energy could actually be attributed to an injury he suffered in October last year. “He’s had a longer pre-season than he has done, so physically he’s in great shape. “It just shows, he was outstanding again today.”…

ARSENAL blew a two-goal lead for the second game in a row as Bukayo Saka’s penalty miss proved crucial in the Premier League leaders’ damaging 2-2 draw against West Ham United yesterday. Mikel Arteta’s side struck twice in the first 10 minutes at the London Stadium thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard. But just seven days after squandering a 2-0 advantage in their 2-2 draw at Liverpool, the Gunners again cracked under the pressure of the title race. Said Benrahma’s penalty reduced the deficit for West Ham before the interval and after Saka fired his spot-kick wide early in the second half, Jarrod Bowen volleyed in an equaliser for the struggling hosts. It was a hammer blow for Arsenal, who sit four points clear of second-placed Manchester…

THE City of Tshwane is at risk of being put under administration again. After the metro council failed to pass the draft budget, Gauteng Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Mzi Khumalo indicated his department could intervene via relevant legislation. Possible intervention by the provincial government comes after the council failed to pass an adjustment budget for 2022/23 on Friday at the continuation of a special council sitting at Tshwane House. In 2019, the Gauteng provincial government dissolved the city council and put the municipality under administration in line with Section 139 of the Constitution. At the time, the provincial government cited poor service delivery and maladministration as some of the motivating factors for taking charge of the city’s administration. The decision was subsequently overturned by the Constitutional Court. On…

FOR A NURSE dedicated to answering the call to care for others, it has been a year of life-changing highs and lows, starting with her own cancer diagnosis and culminating in an international honour in recognition of the hope that she embodies. Penny Olwage, an occupational health nurse practitioner at Netcare Greenacres Hospital in Gqeberha, was recently named a “Global Hero of Hope” by the American Cancer Society and the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) for her commitment to helping and inspiring others to beat the illness. She is one of four 2023 Global Heroes of Hope in South Africa, joining 30 other heroes globally. “I had for many years been involved in the Cansa Relay For Life events, which I was originally drawn to when a close…

Sudan’s army launched air strikes on a rival paramilitary force’s base near the capital in a bid to reassert control over the country yesterday after a power struggle erupted into clashes that killed 56 civilians and dozens of fighters. The fighting that broke out on Saturday between army units loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by deputy leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, is the first such outbreak since both joined forces to oust president Omar Hassan al-Bashir in 2019. At the end of a day of heavy fighting, the army struck a base belonging to the government’s paramilitary RSF in the city of Omdurman, which adjoins the capital Khartoum, witnesses said late on Saturday. Both the military and the RSF claimed…

A former lawmaker in India’s parliament, convicted of kidnapping, was shot dead along with his brother while police were escorting them for a medical check-up in a slaying caught on live television. The dramatic footage of the men being killed was shared across broadcast channels and social media. A gunman is seen reaching over the shoulders of police to point a pistol at the temple of the former lawmaker, Atiq Ahmed, whose turban is blown off as the gun discharges. His brother, Ashraf Ahmed, was shot a split second later. In other footage, one gunman is seen firing repeatedly at the brothers’ bodies as they lay on the ground. The two victims died within minutes, while the police quickly detained three suspects. Media reports say the assailants had been posing…

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez apologised in an interview published yesterday to victims of sexual abuse over a sexual violence law that included a loophole enabling at least 978 imprisoned offenders to get their sentences reduced or ended early. The “Only Yes Is Yes” law, which arose as a result of public outrage over the so-called Wolf Pack case, centred on consent and was meant to resolve cases where defendants were convicted of the lesser crime of sexual abuse as victims had not resisted out of fear. But because the new law carries a lower minimum sentence – the result of merging sexual abuse and aggression – it has enabled some perpetrators to successfully seek reduced sentences or early release. After the law was passed in October, sentences in 978…

DHAKA: Firefighters, supported by military personnel, in the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka finally extinguished a blaze that had swept through a three-storey shopping complex some 27 hours after it erupted, in the second such incident in two weeks. Some 30 people, mostly firefighters, were injured, but there were no other casualties. The fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday morning, when most of the nearly 1 500 shops in the complex were shut. Another massive fire in another shopping complex in Dhaka on April 4, destroyed 5 000 stores. Lax regulations and poor enforcement have been blamed for industrial fires that have plagued Bangladesh. | Reuters…

The Bulls won’t be lulled into a false sense of security despite scoring 11 tries against Zebre, and will have to “go back to zero” ahead of Saturday’s United Rugby Championship showdown with Leinster at Loftus. The 78-12 dismantling of the Italian club will do wonders for the Pretoria side’s confidence, but now it’s all about claiming a quarter-final spot and Champions Cup qualification. The highest position that the Bulls – who are currently seventh on 43 points – can finish on the log is fifth, but the final standings will be determined by the last match of the league stages, where Glasgow Warriors will face Connacht in Scotland on Saturday. And their task will be made tougher by a Leinster outfit that may be missing their first-choice players, but…

SAPPI’S share price closed 5.75% down on the JSE on Friday after it announced that the sale of three European mills to Aurelius, for about R5.4 billion, had fallen through. Sappi said in a statement yesterday that the date for completion of the suspensive conditions contained in the agreement to sell three European Graphic Paper mills to Aurelius had lapsed and the transaction would not proceed. The share price closed at R44.44 on Friday, compared with R56.46 a year ago at the same date. Sappi had announced on September 29, 2023, that it had reached an agreement with Aurelius Investment Lux One S.à.r.l, to divest its Maastricht Mill in the Netherlands, its Stockstadt Mill in Germany and its Kirkniemi Mill in Finland. The deal was subject to the fulfilment of…

South African equity, bond and foreign exchange markets turned bullish with positive sentiment towards commodity prices, especially precious metal prices, and lower-than-expected inflation rate in the US. This as the annual inflation rate in the US decreased for a ninth consecutive month to 5% in March, the lowest since May 2021. The rate dropped sharply from 6% in February and was below market forecasts of 5.2%. Global equity markets started to move more strongly as the dollar rebounded and investors continued to adjust their expectations for monetary policy and the economic outlook. It is, however, still expected that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) is likely to increase its repo rate by 25 basis points next month, although there are increasing expectations it could pause the tightening cycle. On the JSE,…

THE Easter weekend saw Hilary Swank announce the arrival of her newborn twins – a girl and a boy – as she became a mother at 48. Swank joins a growing number of celebrities who became parents in their forties and fifties, including Naomi Campbell and Janet Jackson. There may be very good reasons to postpone starting a family, but it’s also important to consider the potential financial implications when you make this call, says Farzana Botha, product specialist at Sanlam Savings. There are many reasons why people put off having children, including job goals, deferred marriage or long-term relationships, the need for greater financial security and emotional maturity, and the desire to pursue other interests like travelling. While there are benefits to this, Botha warns that postponing parenthood may…

THREE additional accused, Sodiki Ailwei Thomas, 54, Setlamela Mafa Abraham, 59, and Nesane Ntuseni Benedict, 46, appeared in the Polo- kwane Special Commercial Crimes Court last week, facing charges of fraud amounting to R2 million. The court appearance followed their arrest by the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation unit earlier this month, when the trio were warned to appear in the court, joining seven others who were charged earlier in the same case. Spokesperson for the Hawks in Limpopo, Warrant Officer Lethunya Mmuroa, said the seven initially charged include four farmers and three officials of the Department of Agriculture arrested in January this year. “Between 2013 and 2014, small-scale farmers in the Vhembe District were affected by flooding, and the Department of Agriculture was engaged to assist with funds. “The…

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has issued a stern warning to party members who do not toe the party line in a motion of no confidence against Joburg Mayor Thapelo Amad. Amad is expected to face a motion of no confidence after a series of embarrassing interviews which have left question marks on his competence as mayor of the City of Joburg. His leadership has weakened the ANC-led coalition and fragmented the minority parties in the City of Joburg. The Patriotic Alliance (PA) which was part of the ANC-led coalition that endorsed Amad as mayor has announced it would leave the coalition and support ActionSA’s motion of no confidence. Mashaba said ActionSA was reopening talks once more with its former coalition partners to take over the City of Joburg after the…

IT’S time again for the Battle of the Giants All Styles Dance Sport Festival, which brings together some of the best dancers from across the country to compete in a variety of dance styles. The annual festival takes place over several days, with different rounds of competition each day. This year the event will take place from April 20 to 23 at the Sun City Superbowl. The internationally recognised event has been in existence for more than 30 years and last year attracted 613 dancers from 57 dance schools nationally. “This year is going to be very exciting as there’s a whole list of new styles being introduced, including Afro Styles of Pantsula, Sbujwa, Afro crews and Tap battles. There will also be additional ‘achiever’ prizes available at this year’s…

Ramaphosa’s watershed test will come in 2024 elections President Cyril Ramaphosa threw down the gauntlet to local and global investors attending the 5th South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC) in Sandton a few days ago. “We are on the recovery path, we refuse to be daunted by the challenges we face, we are confident that we will recover,” he declared defiantly in his opening speech to SAIC last Thursday. “We remain convinced that South Africa is an investment destination with significant untapped potential. We do believe that by leveraging our unique value proposition, we have the ability to attract higher levels of investment,” he said. In 2018, he boldly set an ambitious target to raise R1.2 trillion in investment over a five-year period. Last Thursday, also in his closing speech…

China is expected to announce an economic rebound tomorrow when Beijing releases its first quarterly GDP figures since abolishing growth-sapping Covid-19 restrictions last year. The Asian giant’s virus containment policy – an unstinting regime of strict quarantines, mass testing and travel curbs – strongly constrained normal economic activity before it was abruptly ditched in December. The disclosures tomorrow will give the first snapshot since 2019 of a Chinese economy unencumbered by public health restrictions, with analysts polled expecting an average of 3.8% year-on-year growth in the period from January through March. But the world’s number two economy remains beset by a series of other crises, from a debt-laden property sector to flagging consumer confidence. “The recovery is real, but still in its early stage,” said Larry Hu, chief China economist…

The G7 pledged yesterday to quit fossil fuels faster and urged other countries to follow suit, but failed to agree to any new deadlines on ending polluting power sources like coal. The language reflects the depth of disagreements among the allies on the balance between climate action and energy security, with host Japan leading a pushback against the most ambitious proposals discussed. After two days of talks in the northern city of Sapporo, the bloc’s climate and environment ministers vowed to “accelerate the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels so as to achieve net zero in energy systems by 2050 at the latest... and call on others to join us in taking the same action”. But they offered no new timelines beyond last year’s G7 pledge to largely end fossil fuel…

Dubai: A fire in a residential building in Dubai killed 16 people and injured nine others in the wealthy Gulf emirate, the government said yesterday. The fire broke out on the fourth floor of the building in the Al-Ras neighbourhood in the old part of the city. The civil defence force said preliminary investigations showed the fire was caused by a “lack of compliance with building security and safety requirements”, the government’s media office said in a statement. Firefighting teams were at the blaze within six minutes of being notified, it added. Dubai, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates, has a population of around 3.3 million. | AFP…

JAKARTA: Separatist rebels in Indonesia’s Papua region yesterday claimed to have killed nine army personnel the day before, after Jakarta did not respond to a request for negotiations, while the military said one soldier died. Indonesian military spokesperson Julius Widjojono said yesterday other soldiers were dispersed to several sites in the search for captured Susi Air pilot, Phillip Mehrtens. The military will intensify the operation to rescue Mehr- tens as they’ve identified his location. The West Papua National Liberation Army abducted the New Zealand pilot in February. The group initially demanded Jakarta recognise the area’s independence but said this month they were prepared to drop that demand and seek dialogue. | Reuters…