Innholdsfortegnelse for 2023-05-04 i Pretoria News

AVENG, the construction and open-cut contract mining group at the tail end of a long turnaround, said yesterday that all conditions had been met for the R1.22 billion sale of its Trident Steel subsidiary, a deal that finally extinguishes the last of the group’s legacy debt. Aveng announced a strategy in February 2018 to simplify its business, de-risk its balance sheet and reduce its debt. This required it to reduce from 23 business units to five, and turn around and dispose of non-core assets to allow it to focus on the core assets of McConnell Dowell and Moolmans. The disposal results in the parent company being debt free, removes the substantial working capital requirements of Trident Steel and leaves simplified operations with two operating segments McConnell Dowell and Moolmans.…

THE NATIONAL Treasury has hinted that it could possibly revise downwards South Africa’s growth forecast for 2023 as the country teeters on the brink of an economic recession on the back of persistent energy crisis. Deputy Minister of Finance David Masondo yesterday said Treasury would announce a further update on its projections in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement in October. This comes as the International Monetary Fund has projected growth of 0.1% for 2023, which is lower than the National Treasury’s projected growth of 0.9%. There are other more recent projections on growth in 2023, and market consensus is currently for growth of 0.6% in 2023. Masondo said that part of the major reasons for South Africa’s poor economic performance has been due to supply-side constraints – supply of electricity,…

IN A BID to repurpose used tyres efficiently, an independent tyre recycling body, the Tyre Recycling Industry Association of South Africa (Triasa), was launched recently. The body is the first independent tyre recycling body in the country and seeks to unite the different elements of tyre recycling in South Africa. This as South African Tyre Manufacturers Conference, an established association, is the official industry body and trade association of the local tyre manufacturers. Triasa describes itself as being made up of members which are companies or entities who are involved in the processing of waste tyres and employ either of the primary recycling technologies currently in use – mechanical or ambient grinding of tyres and pyrolysis (decomposition at high temperatures) of tyres and pre-processing, shredding and baling. “All members of…

Childhood friends Naledi Matshitse and Malebogo Diraditsile also known as the “Village Cooks” recently won season 8 of The Ultimate Braai Master. This is a South African-born reality cooking show celebrating our diversity and favourite activity. There are tough challenges set in some of the most beautiful landscapes our country offers. The teams need to battle it out to see who will take home the crown. In the last episode, aired on Sunday, the remaining three teams were given five hours to prepare a five-course dining experience, drawing from the different cuisines and cultures in the melting pot that is the Western Cape. In a plot twist, they were required to present a particular dish on the hour, every hour, for five hours. The contestants had to prepare a Malay-inspired…

Vitamin C is one of the most important ingredients for our bodies. It helps boost our immune systems. When we consume food rich in vitamin C, we are likely protecting ourselves from several chronic diseases. It is common for many of us to reach for vitamin C to help protect us from things like the common cold or the flu. This is because vitamin C has been shown to enhance cellular immunity by promoting the infection-killing ability of white blood cells. As a result, it is responsible for the proper functioning of the immune system. While it does not usually prevent infection, it can reduce the severity of cold symptoms and can shorten the duration of an infection. Spicy orange salad Ingredients 6 oranges 4 tbs white wine vinegar 1…

The all-new Toyota Urban Cruiser was first revealed in South African in January 2023, and we have now sampled the new crossover in Cape Town. The model forms part of the global alliance between Suzuki and Toyota has its eyes set on continuing the sales success story of the model it replaces. The new crossover now boasts significantly larger dimensions than its predecessor, measuring 4 365mm in length, with a wheelbase of 2 600mm. Inside, the larger dimensions provide more cabin space and leg room for rear passengers. The boot capacity, at 353 litres is commendable, with me and my driving partner able to pack our overnight luggage easily with sufficient room to spare for more items. Cosmetically, the Toyota Urban Cruiser has undergone a major overhaul. Standard fitment across…

Petrol is set to become more expensive, but diesel drivers can look forward to a decent reprieve. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy announced on Tuesday that the price of both grades of petrol would increase by 37 cents per litre from yesterday. However, 500ppm diesel is set to come down by 73 cents per litre, while the cleaner 50ppm diesel will see a smaller decrease of 47 cents. Illuminating paraffin will come down by 33 c/l. Following this week’s price adjustment, a litre of 95 Unleaded will now retail for R22.62 at the coast and R23.34 inland, where the less expensive 93 Unleaded will now cost R23.01. The wholesale price of 500ppm diesel will be reduced to R19.43 at the coast and R20.15 inland, while 50ppm is listed…

Shabnim Ismail has brought an end to her legendary international career in order to focus on family. The 34-year-old calls it a day after appearing in 241 international matches across all three formats for South Africa, in which she took 317 wickets as she established herself as one of the best fast bowlers in women’s cricket. Ismail’s last appearance was in South Africa’s historic ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final against Australia on home soil at Newlands in February this year, where the Proteas went down by 19 runs. “After 16 years proudly representing my country, I have come to the difficult decision to retire from international cricket and move on to the next chapter of my life,” said Ismail in her official retirement statement yesterday. “As any athlete knows,…

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro was still proud of his team’s efforts despite their failure to take a huge morale-booster heading into the Soweto derby after they drew 1-1 with Royal AM yesterday. While the stalemate at Orlando Stadium wasn’t the ideal result, Pirates remain second in the Premiership with 50 points, two ahead of SuperSport United, who did them a favour by drawing with Stellenbosch FC on Tuesday. “We did everything to get three points, but we only got one point. We are taking the positives as we still consolidated our advantage (in the league) with a game less (in the race for second place),” Riveiro said after the game. In the bigger picture, the draw stung as they ill head into the Soweto derby against arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs…

The Irish media have set their sights firmly on Leinster achieving much grander things than beating the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship this weekend, but undoubtedly, the Irish giants will be a weary bunch when they face the Durbanites. During a media briefing yesterday with Leinster’s Robin McBryde, the focus directed towards the assistant coach was on the team’s most recent triumph against Toulouse in the Champions Cup, and how they would build-up to the final against La Rochelle at the end of May. It would seem then that the encounter has been decreed a foregone conclusion, and that Saturday’s quarter-final clash at Aviva Stadium will be a mere formality. Admittedly, the thinking is not entirely flawed. Leinster will have their full weight to bare upon an inconsistent Sharks,…

Frank Lampard became the first English manager to lose 10 successive games in charge of a top-flight club for 35 years on Tuesday as his Chelsea team succumbed 3-1 at Arsenal. Chelsea’s all-time leading goal-scorer has lost all six of his matches since returning to become interim manager in the wake of Graham Potter’s sacking. Having also lost his last four games in charge of Everton he has now matched the sequence Arthur Cox endured as Derby County manager in 1988, albeit with two different clubs. Lampard could not have envisaged such a run when he returned to Stamford Bridge for a second stint in charge, having been sacked in January 2021. He looked aghast on the touchline as Arsenal took advantage of Chelsea’s flimsy defending to go 3-0 up…

COMBINED Motor Holdings (CMH) lifted its dividend 67% to 393 cents per share in the year to February 28 off strong financial results, but it has warned trading conditions in the year ahead are likely to be tough. CEO Jebb McIntosh said in the motor retail and distribution and car hire group’s annual report that the South African socio-economic environment would likely be driven by a continued power outages, infrastructure failure, violent crime and high youth unemployment. “Corruption remains endemic, with little evidence of the government’s pledge to root it out and hold the perpetrators accountable. “On the economic front, nine interest rate hikes and a weakened currency have placed severe strain on households, where the rising cost of housing and transport is now exacerbated by the need to…

THE GOVERNMENT effectively tightened foreign exchange controls by stealth last week by introducing onerous new administrative burdens for those wishing to take their money offshore. The SA Revenue Service (Sars) said in its online site on April 24 the move was aimed at “strengthening legislative alignment with the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) exchange control changes as it pertains to emigration, with the introduction of a new dynamic application called ‘Approval International Transfer (AIT)’, to replace the existing ‘Emigration’ and ‘Foreign Investment Allowance (FIA)’ application types.” Tax Consultant South Africa’s head of cross-border tax Thomas Lobban said on their website: “Perhaps now spurred on by the recent, and unceremonious grey-listing of South Africa by the Financial Action Task Force in February this year, this silent-but- violent change to the Tax…

THE National Assembly has approved the report of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development to amend the Constitution to include South African Sign Language as an official language. South Africa has 11 official languages which are Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu. The adoption of this constitutional amendment on Tuesday will bring to 12 the number of official languages in the country, once President Cyril Ramaphosa signs the bill into law. There has been a push over the years for sign language to become an official language. In 2017, Parliament resolved the matter after its Constitutional Review Committee processed submissions made in 2015. Submissions were received in 2015 from Deaf South Africa, among others, saying while sign language was well recognised in…

FOLLOWING an intervention to assist South African workers stranded in Egypt while fleeing the war in Sudan, government has appealed to South Africans travelling abroad or companies taking South Africans out of the country to inform the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco). In an update, the department said the Egyptian authorities have now granted permission for the South African group of 22 workers to travel to Cairo and catch a flight, which will take them through Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. The South Africans were working on an unspecified project in Sudan when the war broke out. The group fled Sudan in a boat arranged by their employer and arrived at an Egyptian port. For days, the group of South Africans were stranded in the boat…

SHE has the voice of an angel, and it will grace the coronation of a king and his queen in Westminster Abbey on Saturday. South African opera star Pretty Yende will sing a solo at the coronation of Charles and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the UK and the other Commonwealth realms. Charles will be crowned King Charles III. Sharing the news on social media, the UCT-trained soprano said: “It’s hard to put into words how honoured and blessed I feel to receive an invitation to perform at the coronation.” The coronation will showcase talent from across the UK and the Commonwealth. The invitation adds to Yende’s growing repertory of international performances and awards. The most recent is the Ceremonial Badge of Honour that recognises her contribution…

Once you’ve managed to pass the intense security scrutiny when you land in China there’s a new world waiting to leave you aghast. That’s especially true when it comes to cars, as we found out when we visited the Shanghai Motor Show as guests of GWM. Think almost 27 million cars sold in 2022 and you get an idea of how big the industry is in this part of the world. It’s a country with an interesting dynamic, with new coal-fired power stations going up at an incredible rate on the one hand and authorities pushing New Energy Vehicles with zeal on the other. So much so that car registration plates are coloured according to emissions and top of the pile is the green one that allows you to drive…

The Bulls have lost all five United Rugby Championship (URC) clashes against the Stormers and need to come up with something different if they want to win Saturday’s quarter-final. A packed Cape Town Stadium awaits once more for the Pretoria side to try and unlock the home team’s defences, and coach Jake White would have learned valuable lessons from last week’s 31-7 Currie Cup defeat to Western Province at the same venue. The pitch was one of the big talking points after it was damaged by the Monster Jam truck event and it led to players slipping throughout the game. In fact, Bulls wing Wandisile Simelane sustained a hamstring injury as well. But one of the main factors that helped WP emerge victorious against a powerful Blue Bulls side was…

Northern Ireland golf star Rory McIlroy revealed this week that he had taken a break from the sport to focus on his “mental and emotional well-being” in the wake of his missed cut at the Masters last month. McIlroy returns to the PGA Tour at the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina today feeling refreshed following a three-week hiatus from the sport in the wake of his disappointing Augusta campaign. The 33-year-old four-time major champion withdrew from the RBC Heritage tournament last month immediately after the Masters without giving an explanation. On Tuesday, McIlroy revealed he had skipped the tournament for his own wellbeing, adding that the turmoil that has rocked golf in the past year since the emergence of the breakaway LIV circuit had taken a toll. “I needed…

Arsenal will battle until the end for the Premier League title, their captain Martin Odegaard said on Tuesday after scoring twice in a 3-1 defeat of Chelsea that put the north London side back on top of the table for 24 hours at least. Three successive draws and a 4-1 drubbing at reigning champions Manchester City last week had seen Arsenal’s hopes of a first title since 2004 evaporate. City topped the standings for the first time since February by beating Fulham on Sunday, but Arsenal have returned to form by outclassing a struggling Chelsea team – meaning they have gone undefeated in London derbies this season. Relentless City are two points behind the Gunners with two games in hand after eight straight league wins, and would have reclaimed top…

I recall now sitting late nights in high school, the radio tuned onto 5FM, listening to Barney Simon dish out his gig guide – to which I could never go – for the evening, the repeating rift of Saron Gas’ Pig playing in the background. He would croon with his ducal tones regarding the latest rock trends, newest bands, and hottest properties. One night in 2000-something, Simon played an exclusive interview over the waves into the South African night with Linkin Park. There I was, finger on the record button of the tape deck, pressing and depressing as their songs played with interspersed discussions about their style and inspirations. I would play that tape in subsequent days and weeks ribbon thin. Linkin Park’s particular brand of angst and anger spoke…

SOUTH African markets ended the day on a positive footing yesterday – amid a weak US dollar as investors braced for the latest policy decision by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) while fears of a recession still lingered. The rand strengthened by 0.7% to R18.26 against the US dollar after recovering from R18.49/$1 on Tuesday as the bleak jobs data from the US put the dollar on the back foot. Data on Tuesday pointed to a slowing in the US labour market as the jobs report fell for a third straight month and hit a two-year low, down to 9.59 million vacancies from an upward revised 9.97 million in February, the lowest since April 2021. This suggested that employers were becoming more cautious amid heightened economic uncertainties. The…

MTN UGANDA’S mobile subscribers increased by almost 12%, boosted by financial technology and data services for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, the telecom operator said yesterday. Its mobile subscribers increased by 11.6% to 17.8 million. MTN Uganda CEO Sylvia Mulinge said: “MTN Uganda recorded a good start to the year with a solid Q1 (quarter one) performance, tracking positively against our medium-term targets with a solid revenue performance and margin expansion. This was delivered through disciplined execution of our strategy and incremental improvements in the trading environment with a relatively stable currency coupled with subsiding albeit high inflation”. Profit after tax grew 20% to 120.6 billion Ugandan shillings (U/sh) (about R600 million) in the reported period. MTN Uganda flagged that active data subscribers grew by…

Thuso Mbedu is a gone girl, and there’s no stopping her. The multi-award-winning actress has bagged a great deal as the face of Gris Dior fragrance. In a video posted on the Dior Beauty Instagram page, the Hollywood star said wearing the fragrance makes her feel “bold, fancy, sophisticated and mysterious”. “If I was a shade of Gris Dior, I think I would be enigmatic with an air of mystery and simple yet sophisticated.” Asked about what “dare” means to her, she said it means trying without fear and pushing beyond limits. “My career requires me to be quite daring, and so I try to bring that into my everyday life. I’ve been on a racetrack where I’ve driven like from zero to 220 miles per hour, to surfing, to…

DR NANDIPHA Magudumana and her co-accused, who include now former G4S prison wardens, will have to wait until next week before their applications to be released on bail will be heard. The Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court yesterday postponed their bail hearing to May 11 and 12. This followed the State adding two more accused, who were allegedly involved in the daring prison escape of Facebook killer and rapist, Thabo Bester. Tieho Makhotsa and Anastassja Jansen, also now former G4S employees, were arrested on Monday. The two are believed to have worked at the Mangaung Correctional Centre’s control room. Magudumana, Makhotsa and Jansen appeared alongside fellow accused Senohe Matsoara, Integritron CCTV technician Tebogo James Lipholo, and Buty Masemola. The appearance of the six yesterday marked exactly a year since Bester’s escape from…

POLICE in Gauteng arrested more than 1 700 suspects and recovered at least 65 unlicensed firearms as the law enforcement agents unleashed crime-fighting operations and routine police stop-and- searches across the province over the long weekend. “The perpetrators were found to have committed serious and violent crimes such as murder, attempted murder, robbery, car hijacking, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, rape, fraud and theft. “Diligent and intelligent police observation during routine patrols led to the discovery of most firearms,” said Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo. Police believe the firearms were used in the commission of serious and violent crimes in Gauteng. “In all, 453 arrests were effected in the Johannesburg district for offences ranging from malicious damage to property to assault with intent to…

THE SA Reserve Bank (SARB) has officially introduced upgraded banknotes and coins. In a statement issued yesterday, the central bank said the notes will be available from this week. “The upgraded banknotes and coins have enhanced security features and new designs, however, the broad themes for the upgraded banknotes remain the same as the current banknotes, while the theme for the coin is deep ecology,” the bank said. It explained that the banknotes continue to pay tribute to South Africa’s first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela, with his portrait retained on the front of the banknotes while the Big Five animals are now illustrated as a family on the back. “We also celebrate our constitutional democracy with the preamble to the South African Constitution printed in microtext around Madiba’s portrait…

Hydrogen has long been touted as an alternative to fossil fuel and despite, the attention being focused on electric vehicles, companies like GWM are spending an enormous amount of time and money on research and development to make it a viable alternative. GWM recently launched a hydrogen energy strategy focusing on the “green+intelligent” mobility idea that makes “building a sustainable and beautiful society characterised by hydrogen energy” its ultimate goal. According to GWM vice-president Mu Feng, by converting 1 million vehicles to run on hydrogen fuel cells in China, carbon emissions would be reduced by 510 million tons in one year. To that end, GWM will this year launch the world’s first SUV with Class C hydrogen fuel cells and launch a project that will see 100 49-ton hydrogen energy…

It took them a few days, but the Springbok management have eventually acknowledged the serious injury to captain Siya Kolisi. The openside flank sustained a knee ligament injury on April 22 in the early stages of the Sharks’ United Rugby Championship (URC) clash against Munster in Durban. Kolisi combined superbly with Lukhanyo Am down the right-hand touchline, and wasn’t far from the tryline when he was tackled, and it looked like the studs on his right boot got stuck in the Kings Park pitch. He stayed down and received intensive treatment but had his right knee strapped up instead of leaving the field. Kolisi played on for a few more minutes before eventually going off. Hopes were raised that it wasn’t too serious when he walked around the field to…

Over 30 000 tickets have already been sold for Saturday’s blockbuster United Rugby Championship quarter-final between the Stormers and Bulls at Cape Town Stadium. And one of the main highlights for the home fans will be seeing Stormers loose trio Evan Roos, Hacjivah Dayimani and Deon Fourie back together again. The awesome threesome were outstanding in the Capetonians’ march to the URC title last season, but have seldom been on the pitch together in recent months. Roos began 2023 a bit late after sustaining a rib injury on Springbok duty against England at Twickenham last November, which saw him sidelined until mid-January. His comeback was in the Champions Cup defeat to Clermont in France, and then shortly after that, he suffered a knee injury against Ulster in Belfast, where fellow…

Sergio Perez wants to be considered a Formula One title contender, and Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix offers the Mexican a chance to lead the championship for the first time and rattle the cage of Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen. A third win in five races would lift 33-year-old Perez above reigning double world champion Verstappen and be quite a statement of intent. Verstappen, who has enjoyed an unbroken run at the top of the standings since he won in Spain on 22 May last year, has yet to finish lower than second in 2023, and arrives in Florida with a six-point advantage. The 25-year-old Dutch driver was only five points clear of Perez after four races last year, but won in Miami with a fastest lap, and went on to…

Erik ten Hag has warned his Manchester United team of the dangers of complacency as they attempt to wrap up a place in next season’s Champions League. United are well-placed to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League, which would mean qualification for Europe’s elite club competition. The Red Devils, who face a tricky trip to Brighton tonight, are fourth in the table behind Arsenal, Manchester City and Newcastle, seven points ahead of Liverpool with a game in hand. But Ten Hag, whose side have already won the League Cup this season and meet City in the FA Cup final next month, has urged his men to stay focused for the last stretch of the season. The Dutch manager was asked by reporters yesterday about how satisfying it was…

Defender Sifiso Hlanti has urged his Kaizer Chiefs teammates to assist the coaches by doing the right things so that they can shrug off the pressure that’s fallen on Arthur Zwane. With the season close to the end as there are only four games remaining, Chiefs haven’t lived up to expectations, losing out on both the MTN8 and Premiership title. In the last few weeks, they were expected to save their campaign by finishing second in the league and winning the Nedbank Cup, which would have ended their seven-year trophy drought. But their aspirations of a top-two finish, which guarantees Caf Champions League football next season, have since gone up in smoke after losing to Swallows FC on Monday. Since then, though, Chiefs have had to turn their focus to…