Innholdsfortegnelse for 2023-05-03 i Pretoria News

The first Monday of May, and all fashionistas know what that means. It was Met Gala day. This year the spectacular affair paid tribute to legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld with the theme “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”. The Met Gala, often referred to as the “Super Bowl of fashion”, has created some of the most iconic and memorable celebrity fashion moments. Here’s who wore what at this year’s Gala, co-hosted by Penélope Cruz, Michaela Coel, Roger Federer, Dua Lipa, and Vogue’s Anna Wintour of course. There’s no way one can do a Lagerfeld theme without pearls. And Kim Kardashian did the most by wearing layers and layers of strings of pearls from Schiaparelli. Another to don pearls was Lizzo, in a custom black silk dress with rows of pearls…

The soccer star had been invited to a teammate’s birthday party on the day he was killed, court told SENZO Meyiwa’s friend has told the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria how he and the Bafana Bafana captain cancelled their plans to go to a party on the day he died. Mthokozisi Thwala was giving testimony on the goalkeeper’s death at the resumption of the court case yesterday. Five men are standing trial for the October 2014 murder of Meyiwa at the family home of his then girlfriend Kelly Khumalo in Vosloorus. Thwala was one of the people in the house when the soccer star was shot dead. Bongani Ntanzi, Sifisokuhle Ntuli, Muzikawukhulelwa Sthemba Sibiya, Mthobisi Prince Ncube and Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa are facing charges, including premeditated murder and attempted murder. The…

THE multimillion-rand project to upgrade Tsamaya Road, also known as K54, in Mamelodi township had to be stopped because of illegal encroachments on the road reserves. This was revealed by the City of Tshwane’s MMC for roads and transport, Katlego Mathebe, following her recent engagement with the Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela. The Tsamaya Road project was started in 2018 and financed by the Gauteng provincial government at a cost of R440 million. It was expected to take 30 months for the construction of a north-bound dual carriageway, two bridges over the railway line, cycle and pedestrian paths, as well as taxi lay-bys. It is, however, not yet completed. Mathebe said encroachments of road reserves also remained a challenge for upgrading the K69 or Solomon Mahlangu Drive. Challenges…

Popular cultural platform Among The Lilies presents Ode To The Woman, a “market, art exhibition and soirée event” that creates a woman-run economy, is set to take place at the Women’s Jail at Constitution Hill on May 7. This event aims to celebrate innovative and creative women who create their own products, make art, provide services, DJ, and perform poetry and music. It also creates a miniature economy that will be run by women. Attendees will have the opportunity to collect their art, buy their products, learn about their services, and immerse themselves in performances by the famous Koeksista, and DJ sets by Mamthug, Congo Muffin, and DORMANTYOUTH, among others. Founder and creative director of Among the Lilies, Mpumi Mayisa, explains the essence of the affair. “Among the Lilies is…

Vital to address South Africa’s ongoing inequality Many people disingenuously complain that social grants are an unnecessary burden to the taxpayer. To date, 44% of South Africa’s 60.6 million people rely on their social grants as compared to fewer than 7 million registered personal income taxpayers. Of course, the situation does not look good, and the sustainability of social grants is questionable. According to the SA Revenue Service, tax revenue from personal income tax is still concentrated at the top. It is estimated that a mere 17.9% of South African taxpayers earn over R500 000 a year, but they account for 52% of all taxable income. This does not come as a surprise since the apartheid economic design is almost intact, with whites often still holding senior positions and…

A computer scientist often dubbed “the godfather of artificial intelligence” has quit his job at Google to speak out about the dangers of the technology, US media reported this week. Geoffrey Hinton, who created a foundation technology for AI systems, told The New York Times that advancements made in the field posed “profound risks to society and humanity”. “Look at how it was five years ago and how it is now,” he was quoted as saying in the piece, which was published on Monday. “Take the difference and propagate it forwards. That’s scary.” Hinton said that competition between tech giants was pushing companies to release new AI technologies at dangerous speeds, risking jobs and spreading misinformation. “It is hard to see how you can prevent the bad actors from using…

NEW YORK: Serena Williams has confirmed she is expecting baby number two, telling reporters at the star-studded Met Gala in New York this week that there were “three of us” on the red carpet, where she arrived with husband Alexis Ohanian. The 23-times major winner announced last year that she was “evolving away from tennis,” saying that she wanted to grow her family after welcoming daughter Olympia in 2017. A return to competitive tennis appears highly unlikely for Williams, one of the most decorated athletes ever to pick up a racket. | Reuters…

Seoul: South Korea and Japan agreed to resume their long-stalled finance ministers’ meeting “at an appropriate time this year” as the two countries gear up to normalise economic ties after several years of trade tensions. Officials from Japan will visit South Korea next month to work out details of the meeting, the ministry of economy and finance said. The agreement was reached during a meeting between South Korean Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho and his Japanese counterpart, Shunichi Suzuki. Seoul and Tokyo also agreed to expand co-operation in global platforms, such as the Group of 20 and the ASEAN+3. | IANS…

LONDON: Apple Inc urged a London tribunal yesterday to block a $2 billion (R18.4bn) mass lawsuit accusing it of hiding defective batteries in millions of iPhones by “throttling” them with software updates. The tech giant is facing a lawsuit of £1.6 billion plus interest, brought by consumer champion Justin Gutmann on behalf of iPhone users in the UK. Gutmann’s lawyers say Apple concealed batteries issues in certain phone models and “surreptitiously” installed a power management tool which limited performance. Apple said the lawsuit was “baseless”. Gutmann asked the Competition Appeal Tribunal to allow it to proceed to a trial. | Reuters…

The closing stages of the Premiership season has been full of thrills and spills as the 16 teams are chasing respective targets at the top, middle and bottom of the standings. Already crowned the champions — for a record-extending sixth time in a row — it would seem as though Mamelodi Sundowns have nothing left to play for going into the rest of the league season. But that’s not the case. They want to continue winning matches as that will aid their bid of beating their 71-point record they set during the 2015-16 campaign. So with the last three games boasting nine points which would see them reach the 73-point mark, their next three opponents, which include AmaZulu who will host them today, should be wary. Sundowns are also full…

A TODDLER’S decomposing body was found in a sack dragged by a pack of dogs in Mpumalanga. Police spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said an alert community member saw the dogs dragging a loaded sack, and opened it to see its contents. “On Friday, April 28, a community member who was near a chicken farm at Chweni, ljjKabokweni spotted dogs dragging a maize-meal bag. He was suspicious and chased the dogs away,” Mohlala said. “On inspection of the bag’s contents, he found the toddler’s body which was in the state of decomposition.” In a separate incident, police in Mpumalanga have retrieved a decomposing body of a human being near the Injaka Dam in Bushbuckridge. Mohlala said the body was discovered on Friday, and the person’s identity is unknown at…

THE annual Metro FM Music Awards 2023 ceremony is one of the most glamorous music events. They celebrate not only leading music artists, but also local fashion. This year, A-listers are expected to flock to the City of Mbombela on May 6 where they will grace the affair in head-turning garments. It has also been announced that the Metro FM Black is Back fashion competition is making a return, to see who will steal the show. Hopefuls stand a chance to score an exclusive access pass to this year’s Metro FM Music Awards and access to the official pre- and after-party. They also stand a chance to get access to the iconic Metro FM All-White Love Movement. The event will be hosted by media personality Lerato “LKG” Kganyago alongside the…

Sudan’s war has forced 100 000 people to flee over its borders and the fighting, now in its third week, is creating a humanitarian crisis, UN officials said yesterday as gunfire and explosions echoed across the capital despite another ceasefire deal. The conflict risks morphing into a broader disaster as Sudan’s impoverished neighbours deal with a refugee crunch and fighting hampers aid deliveries in a nation where two-thirds of the people already rely on some outside assistance. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said Cairo would provide support for dialogue in Sudan between the rival military factions, but was also “being careful about not interfering in their domestic matters”. “The entire region could be affected,” he warned yesterday as an envoy from Sudan’s army chief, who leads one of the warring…

Palestinian armed militant groups fired salvoes of rockets from Gaza into southern Israel yesterday after an Islamic Jihad leader died in custody following an 87-day hunger strike, the first such death in more than three decades. Khader Adnan, who was awaiting trial, was found unconscious in his cell and taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead after efforts to revive him, Israel’s Prisons Service said. Hundreds of people took to the streets in Gaza to rally in support of Adnan and mourn his death, and two separate rocket barrages were launched against Israel, claimed by an umbrella group of militant factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The Israeli military said at least three rockets were fired from Gaza in the hours after Adnan’s death and a further 22…

LOS ANGELES: Oliver Stone thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “great leader for his country”. The 76-year-old Platoon director believes that Putin, who launched his invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago, is “loved by the people” and his nation is doing a “great job” with issues such as nuclear energy. The Academy Award-winning film-maker is now at the helm of a documentary about Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “It could be my last film, you know, because I’m at that age where I can keel over tomorrow.” He said he considered himself to be in the “middle” of the political spectrum but claimed Democratic leader and US President Joe Biden was a “cold warrior in the worst sense of the word”, while his favourite president…

Kathmandu: A US mountaineer has died on Everest in the fourth fatality on the world’s highest peak this climbing season. Jonathan Sugarman, 69, was on an acclimatisation rotation at about 6 400m when he died yesterday, his expedition organiser said. “He was feeling unwell and passed away at Camp 2. Efforts are under way to bring back his body,” Pasang Tshering Sherpa of Beyul Adventure said. “We are trying to send a helicopter but it is snowing and the weather is not favourable.” This year’s spring climbing season on Everest had a tragic start last month with the death of three Nepali climbers on the treacherous Khumbu icefall. | AFP…

Shukri Conrad’s SA ‘A’ side includes selections for the future and also gives an opportunity to players to rekindle their international careers. The SA ‘A’ squad that will tour Sri Lanka later this month was selected by Proteas Test coach himself and the appointment of Tony de Zorzi as captain stood out on the day of the squad announcement. It is long-term thinking from Conrad. Clearly, the Test coach aims to build a future Test leader in the 25-year-old. De Zorzi has captained Western Province on many occasions and that experience will come in handy on this tour. The addition of Jordan Herman, Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs was also long-term thinking. Despite their lack of experience, Conrad recognises the immense skill the youngsters have already displayed in their young…

They needed some time to recover and recoup with family after some hectic travels in the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup. And according to Stormers fullback Damian Willemse the long-weekend break came at the right time to recharge their batteries ahead of a demanding URC quarter-final against the Bulls on Saturday (3.30pm kickoff) at Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town. “It was an important week off after the demands of the Champions Cup, the guys needed some time just to get refreshed and back with the families,” Willemse said. “We had some prep last week (before the break) and this week we are back into the full swing of things. It was a good period for us to get off, especially after the demands we had this last month.…

India overtook Australia yesterday to go No 1 in new Test rankings issued by the ICC, while also retaining the top position in T20s. England remained third in Tests but reduced the gap behind the top two teams significantly, the rankings published by the ICC showed. England have won 10 out of 12 Tests since captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum joined forces last year following a woeful run of one win in 17 matches. The new annual rankings reflect all series completed since May 2020 and drop results from the 2019/20 season, the ICC said. India last topped the Test rankings for a month in December 2021, while Australia has been No 1 since January 2022 after hammering England 4-0 in the Ashes. The table remained otherwise unchanged,…

It’s been a long time coming, but we are glad that the Miss South Africa organisation finally got the memo. For years people have been longing for an inclusive beauty pageant, and 2023 is when we see the organisation allowing married women and those with children to enter the competition. “This year, we have pushed more boundaries than ever before, and we are delighted to welcome all women ready to step onto our leadership platform and be the next ambassador for South Africa,” says Stephanie Weil, CEO of the Miss South Africa Organisation. “We, as women, are so many things; we can be business owners, leaders, innovators, influencers, mothers, daughters, philanthropists, role- models, ambassadors and queens, all at the same time.” She adds: “Showcasing the multi- diverse nature of all…

MINISTER of International Relations and Co-operation Naledi Pandor has reiterated her stance that the country should adopt a cautionary approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the country later this year. Speaking to Xoli Mngambi on Newzroom Afrika on Monday, Pandor said arresting the Russian president in accordance with an arrest warrant by the ICC would not be a simple matter, as there were many factors that complicate the issue. Putin is due to arrive in the country in August for the BRICS Summit in Durban. ‘’This is a very difficult international situation. I do think that we need to fully consider what the implications might be. It is very correct that there is a special team that Deputy President Paul Mashatile has put together looking in depth at…

Her love for wildlife and her concern about rhino poaching prompted Thembeka Mtetwa, who recently graduated with a PhD in veterinary science during the University of Pretoria’s Autumn Graduation ceremonies, to join this noble profession. She shared her journey from public schools where there was “limited or no access to resources” to becoming a published academic. Mtetwa, who is a lecturer in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology in the Faculty of Veterinary Science, told the Pretoria News that she remembered the first time she saw a rhino in the wild, and it took her breath away. “When I became aware of the current rhino poaching crisis I knew I had to do something about it. But to do something about it, I knew I had to be part of…

In South Africa, there has been a pervasive perspective that economic development can best be measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, this analysis is not only inaccurate, but also a misrepresentation of socio-economic realities. The point that is often overlooked is that GDP only measures the production and consumption of goods in a particular country. As such, GDP alone cannot reflect the socio-economic disparities in South Africa. A better analysis of welfare should be conscious of capital accumulation, for example as offered by German activist Rosa Luxemburg in 1913, and redefined by Marxist geographer David Harvey as “accumulation by dispossession”. These theories explain how the South African economy can be considered a historically oppressive settler- colonial economy, based on the exploitation of indigenous people and mineral resources for the…

Hit by devastating earthquakes in early February, Türkiye now faces environmental challenges on the disposal of the waste and rubble left over from the destroyed buildings and roads. Two massive earthquakes destroyed cities on large swathes of land in southern Türkiye on February 6, killing nearly 51 000 people. Referred to as “the disaster of the century” by the Turkish government, the catastrophe caused about 227 000 buildings to collapse or sustain heavy damage, according to data from the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised new homes for the millions of people affected by the disaster within a year. In the cities ravaged by the tremors, where reconstruction is currently under way, workers had started to clear a staggering amount of rubble…

Kenyan police fired tear gas at a small group of protesters in Nairobi yesterday as the opposition resumed anti-government demonstrations over high living costs and alleged voting fraud in last year’s election. A Kenyan television station yesterday showed police firing tear gas to disperse a handful of protesters in Nairobi’s Mathare suburb, as well as footage of a minibus that had been set on fire on a road leading to the city centre. In the CBD there was a large police deployment and some shops remained closed. The police said on Monday that the protests would be considered unlawful. Raila Odinga’s Azimio La Umoja coalition said the protests would go ahead. | Reuters…

KAMPALA: Uganda’s parliament yesterday passed one of the world’s strictest anti-LGBTQ bills mostly unchanged, providing for long jail terms and the death penalty, after the president requested parts of the original legislation be toned down. The new bill retains most of the harshest measures of the legislation adopted in March, which drew condemnation from the US, EU, UN and major corporations. The provisions retained in the new bill allow for the death penalty in cases of “aggravated homosexuality” – gay sex when HIV-positive, and for a 20-year sentence for promoting homosexuality. The US said it was assessing the law’s implications for its HIV/Aids programme in Uganda. | Reuters…

Washington: A group of US lawmakers has called for Chinese fast fashion brand Shein to be investigated over claims that Uyghur forced labour is used to make some of the clothes it sells. A letter to the Wall Street watchdog comes amid expectations the firm may sell its shares in the US. “We have zero tolerance for forced labour,” Shein said. The company also said it had no plans for a listing on Wall Street. Shein added: “We are committed to respecting human rights and adhering to local laws and regulations in each market we operate in. Our suppliers must adhere to a strict code of conduct.” | IANS…