Innholdsfortegnelse for 2023-05-09 i Pretoria News

THE Balobedu Royal Council has endorsed Princess Masalanabo Modjadji to be installed as the next rain queen in August. The council, a parallel structure to the Modjadji Royal Council, was established in December last year after a fall-out between Princess Masalanabo and her elder brother, Prince Lekukela Modjadji. In October last year the Modjadji Royal Council hosted a traditional ceremony inaugurating Prince Lekukela as the next king, which would end 200 years of rule by women in the Balobedu nation, situated at Khetlhakone Village outside Modjadjiskloof in Limpopo. The two siblings have been in a fierce battle to ascend the throne to lead the Balobedu nation after the death of their mother, Queen Makobo Modjadji, the “rain queen”, in 2005. The factional Balobedu Royal Council consists of the late queen’s…

A woman who was bitten by a friend’s husky dog more than nine years ago – when she was 17 – is due to receive R50 000 from the pet owner as compensation. The owner also has to pay for the medical expenses incurred. In terms of the Western Cape High Court judgment, Theo Pillay – owner of the dog – had to also foot the bill for six physiotherapy sessions which the victim, Micayla Marshall will still have to undergo. In total, Pillay will have to fork out about R80 000. Marshall told the court that on January 11, 2014 she and her sister were invited by the son of Pillay to their home for a social gathering. She was driven there by her mother. On arrival, she…

The South African government has welcomed the start of pre-negotiation talks between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, which commenced in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday. Department of International Relations and Co-operation spokesperson Clayson Monyela said South Africa further joined the AU in commending the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the US for facilitating and hosting the pre-negotiation talks, as well as the two Sudanese parties for their direct engagement with each other across the table. Monyela said South Africa reiterated the centrality of the AU and Intergovernmental Authority on Development in the pre-negotiation and subsequent talks to ensure long-lasting solutions to the challenges faced by Sudan. “South Africa further commends the role played by the president of South Sudan, HE Salva Kiir, African leaders and others who…

The five countries have maintained stable monetary policies and can issue treasury bonds IT HAS been 29 days since I landed at Shanghai Airport to continue with unfinished work at Zhejiang University International Business School (ZIBS), where I was a visiting professor in 2019. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns put paid to returning to ZIBS in 2020 and 2021. Arriving at the campus in Haining in Zhejiang Province, I was met with a new environment. Now, in 26 more days, or as my granddaughter, Lolwethu (or Lolu for short) keeps reminding me every day how many more sleeps before I return home. I miss my three grandchildren, and especially Lolu. As I prepare to return home, I must think about buying gifts. I thought about the Duty-Free shop…

IF ANYTHING, the Minister of Electricity has proven to be nothing more than just a public relations stunt. Saturday marked exactly three months since the appointment of Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as the country’s electricity minister. His primary role was to drive the government’s programme of significantly reducing the “severity and frequency of load shedding as a matter of urgency” and to expedite the government’s work to ensure the full implementation of the Energy Action Plan. In nearly 100 days in office, Ramokgopa appears to be nowhere closer to that goal. Just yesterday Eskom announced another severe Stage 6 load-shedding bout, warning that this was anticipated to persist throughout the week as a result of the failure of additional generating units and the delay of several units to return to service. In…

Sudanese are pinning their hopes on talks in Saudi Arabia between envoys of the warring factions to end the bloodshed that has killed hundreds and triggered a mass exodus, but there is no sign lasting relief will come anytime soon. There has been no word on progress in the talks which began on Saturday between the army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah. The combatants have said they would only try to tackle humanitarian issues like safe passage, not an end to the war. Numerous ceasefires have been violated since the conflict erupted on April 15. The sound of air strikes and clashes echoed anew across the capital Khartoum yesterday, witnesses said. “If the Jeddah negotiations fail to stop the…

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has condemned a “shootout” involving Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) officials delivering humanitarian aid in Myanmar. It was unclear who was behind the incident in Hsi Hseng township in the western Shan State. Myanmar has been trapped in violence and economic turmoil since the military in 2021 overthrew an elected government and launched a brutal campaign to crush dissent. Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government, allied with the anti-junta militias,said it was not involved in the incident. Indonesia has for months engaging the Myanmar junta, shadow government and armed ethnic groups to kick-start a peace process. | Reuters…

Canberra: Millions of Australians will receive rebates from their energy bills under a cost of living relief package. Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced the federal budget for 2023-24, which he will hand down today, will include about 1.5 billion Australian dollars (about R18.6bn) to subsidise the energy bills of pensioners, welfare recipients and small businesses. Chalmers also said the budget would include changes to the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax paid by oil and gas companies on their offshore liquefied natural gas projects. The changes are expected to yield an additional 2.4 billion Australian dollars. | IANS…

LONDON: King Charles thanked singers who performed at a coronation concert in his honour at Windsor Castle for a “great treat” as a long holiday weekend of celebrations drew to a close yesterday. Celebrations culminated in the Coronation Concert featuring singers including Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, as the royals joined a 20 000-strong audience at Windsor, the king’s palace to the west of London. In a surprise comedy sketch after the concert, Charles and Camilla interrupted Richie and Perry as they were relaying their experience of the weekend on TV show American Idol, on which the singers are judges. Charles asked Richie whether the singers will be there “all night long”, in reference to one of Richie’s hits. After a weekend of street parties and celebrations, yesterday, which was…

It is not often that an overseas batter is credited for his ability to play high-quality spin in the IPL, but Proteas middle-order star Heinrich Klaasen is certainly earning the respect of people in India. Klaasen, playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, has enjoyed a breakout IPL season this year after being part of the tournament since 2018. Having previously only been a squad member, Klaasen has established himself in the Sunrisers middle order with some exceptional performances. The 31-year-old has struck 215 runs at an average of 43, but more tellingly he has the highest strike-rate of 185.34 for batters who have scored more than 200 runs in the competition. It is widely acknowledged that batting up-front against the new ball in the powerplay is the most productive time on…

South African markets opened the week on a positive note after stocks and the rand survived short-term weakness ahead of inflation data release this week, and on the back of the US Federal Reserve opening the door to further rate increases. The rand started trade yesterday at R18.39 to the dollar before clawing back some gains up 0.6% at R18.30 to the dollar. The local currency was volatile over the past week, initially recovering to R18.27 against the dollar before sliding to close the week at R18.41 on Friday. Investec chief economist Annabel Bishop yesterday said the rand was still seeking a directional driver as a risk-averse environment persists in global financial markets and has continued weakening, depreciating against key currencies such as the euro and British pound. On the…

Social media influencer and DJ Cyn Bougee, 21, has landed a deal with a local skincare brand. Bougee is famous on TikTok for doing a skincare routine and cleaning vlogs while throwing jabs at those who speak nasty of her. I remember how she told Sithelo Shozi the way to get off in a cleaning vlog, narrated in a calm voice. She has partnered with HygieneCo, a skincare and feminine hygiene brand, as a representative. She is modelling for a range of HygieneCo products, including a body wash, body lotion, and body oil. She is also the face of FashionCo, a retail fashion brand that affordably represents exquisite style. The reason they chose her is that, since the brand caters to Gen Z fashion senses, it was only fitting that…

Football fraternity remembers ‘Goldfingers’, the man who could sell ice in Antarctica ALEX Shakoane’s life as a football administrator resembled the golden rings and necklaces he used to wear with pride – blindingly shiny and hard to ignore. The man who got to be famously known as “Goldfingers” was a consummate “salesman” whose role as Mamelodi Sundowns’ public relations officer catapulted him into football celebrity status. Granted, he had long disappeared into the background thanks to the technological and social media era that rendered the likes of him somewhat redundant. But his death on Sunday following a stroke at the age of 67 is sure to be sorely felt at a time when clubs are finding it hard to attract crowds to the stadiums. Shakoane, who was among the early…

WHILE the country’s only licence printing machine is once again out of order, AfriForum is gearing-up for its legal challenge in August, which deals with the expiry of driving licence cards. According to the Department of Transport, the machine broke down and a part had to be replaced by the original manufacturer. AfriForum will be in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, on August 7 and 8 to demand, among others, a declaratory order stating that the five-year validity period of driving licences is unconstitutional. It will also ask for all fines that have been issued for expired licences be declared unconstitutional. According to Ernst van Zyl, campaign officer for strategy and content at AfriForum, the least the government can do is to grant a grace period to those…

Nobody likes to talk about it because we all feel holier than thou, but the anti-gay laws in Uganda once more stink of just another infringement of basic human rights! Even in this technologically advanced “modern”world, hypocrisy thrives. Religious leaders continue quoting holy books to prove that gay behaviour is an abominatiion. So what exactly do they do when faced with – God forbid – their own children born with this problem? Honour-killing? Most people learn from an early age to behave similarly to one another. We “all” want to get rich. We “all” hate work. We “all” love handsome boys. Beautiful girls . Except some. This normal primate behavioural rule may just meet up with exceptions. Call it a quirk. A quark. A lepton. Call it the God-particle.…

Russia launched its biggest swarm of drones for months against Ukraine yesterday, the eve of Russia’s May 9 holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany, which Kyiv marked a day earlier in a symbolic new break with Moscow. Kyiv’s mayor said Russia had fired 60 Iranian-made kamikaze drones at Ukrainian targets, including 36 at the capital, all of which had been shot down. Debris hit apartments and other buildings, injuring at least five people. A food warehouse was set ablaze by a missile in the Black Sea city of Odesa, where officials reported three people were injured. It was the biggest drone swarm yet in a renewed Russian air campaign unleashed 10 days ago after a lull since early March. Kyiv said Moscow was also making a final push to…

Indian security personnel are escorting back to their homes thousands of people who fled to temporary camps after rioting and ethnic clashes in the north-east that killed about 70 people last week, officials said yesterday. Fierce fighting broke out in the state of Manipur bordering Myanmar when members of about 30 tribal groups clashed with a non-tribal group, the ethnic majority Meitei, over the economic benefits and reservation status extended to some tribes. “We are trying to ensure villagers return to their homes as leaders from opposing sides have started holding peace talks,” said Lorho Pfoze, a member of parliament from the state. Civilians were taken home after the completion of combing operations near the border areas, a senior officer of the Indian Army said, adding that the dawn-to-dusk curfew…

Tehran: Iran yesterday executed two people convicted over desecrating the Qur’an and insulting the Prophet Muhammad, the judiciary said. Sadrollah Fazeli Zare and Youssef Mehrdad were hanged. In March 2021, one of the accused had purportedly confessed during a court session to publishing content on his social media account admitting to the insults committed. The pair were also accused of administering social media channels and groups that promoted atheism and insulted Islamic “sanctities”. Iran hanged 75% more people in 2022 than the previous year, two rights groups said in April. At least 582 people were executed. | AFP…

Washington: Nasa launched two small satellites designed to track tropical cyclones hour by hour from a base in New Zealand yesterday in a project that could improve weather predictions on devastating storms. The new storm trackers, sent into orbit on a rocket built by US company Rocket Lab, can fly over hurricanes (or typhoons in the Pacific) every hour, compared to every six hours with current satellites. Researchers will be able to see storms evolve on an hourly basis. The information gathered on rainfall, temperature and humidity could help scientists determine where a hurricane will make landfall and how intense it will be, helping better prepare for evacuations. | AFP…

A host of senior United Rugby Championship players could return to their Currie Cup teams to provide more impetus to the competition. After being dumped out of the URC playoffs by the Stormers and Leinster, respectively, the Blue Bulls and Sharks can call on their big-name players to help them push for a semi-final spot in South Africa's premier domestic competition. It’s especially the Bulls who need all the help they can get as they have lost twice in a row in the Currie Cup and have been slipping down the standings. They second from bottom after only winning three of their nine matches. The Sharks on the other hand have been doing quite well without their senior players and have managed to stay among the top four sides. They…

With less than 60 days to adhere to a court ruling to ensure public healthcare facilities, schools and police stations are exempted/protected from load shedding, the Public Enterprises Minister (Pravin Gordhan) has opted to lodge an “urgent appeal” to set aside the ruling due to the risk to the country’s grid. The widely celebrated judgment, which would have secured uninterrupted electricity supply to all public healthcare facilities, schools and police stations, was handed down by the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, last Friday but has been criticised by the government and energy analysts for its nearly impossible implementation. The overwhelming sentiment was that even if the government and Eskom were able to adhere to the ruling, the risk of a national blackout would become severely higher and it would come at…

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has welcomed the independent chairperson’s findings against its former second deputy president, Ruth Ntlokotse, who was on Thursday expelled as a member of the union. In a statement, Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said the union had been forced to issue a statement to address the matter due to “a continuation of misconduct by the former 2nd deputy president”. Ntlokoste was found guilty on three charges by the independent panel led by labour relations practitioner Charlie Higgs. Her expulsion from the Saftu-affiliated Numsa comes after Ntlokotse and 30 other members initiated a court process against Numsa before its congress in July last year. In August, the Labour Court dismissed Ntlokotse’s contempt of court application. She had applied to the courts to have…

The DA in Gauteng says the province’s Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation has spent R28 million in the past two years on social events, while artists are struggling without much-needed support from the department. The party’s Gauteng spokesperson on sport, arts, culture and recreation, Kingsol Chabalala, said Gauteng artists, particularly in the townships, were facing serious challenges posed by the lack of resources and funding from the department. According to MEC Morakane Mosupyoe, the department spent R14 473 205 in the 2021/22 financial year and R13 327 380 in the 2022/23 financial year on social events such as beach parties and live music shows. Mosupyoe revealed this in a written reply to the DA’s questions tabled in the Gauteng legislature. Chabalala said this…

LET ME first take this opportunity to congratulate you and your families for reaching this milestone, a pinnacle of your studies by reaching matric. When you began your schooling 12 or so years ago, this day was a distant dream and today it is a reality. Congratulations! It has come to this. Allow me to begin with familiar words from Marianne Williamson. We have heard and read them so many times, but they are worth repeating: Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your…

“Istanbul!” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shouted to the sea of supporters he gathered for a show-of-force rally ahead of next Sunday’s election – the toughest of his two-decade rule. “If you say okay, we will win for sure!” The masses were packed shoulder-to-shoulder across the tarmac of Istanbul’s old Ataturk airport at the weekend – a tidal wave of Turkish flags and banners with the 69-year-old president’s face. Erdogan was the mayor of this city before leading his Islamic-rooted party to power and ending half a century of secular rule in the mostly Muslim but officially secular state. The loss of Istanbul to the opposition in 2019 mayoral elections cracked Erdogan’s aura of invincibility and sounded the first warning bell for the approaching vote. The latest polls suggest that Erdogan…

The death toll from floods that devastated two villages in east Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last week has more than doubled to 401, the provincial governor said yesterday, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in the country’s recent history. More bodies were being recovered yesterday, adding to the scores of others wrapped in bags and piled into mass graves over the weekend, local civil society sources said. The villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi in Kalehe territory, South Kivu province, were inundated on Thursday after days of torrential rain triggered landslides and caused rivers to break their banks. The central government in Kinshasa has not yet communicated a death toll. It declared yesterday a day of national mourning. | Reuters…

Copenhagen: Six crew members kidnapped by pirates last month from a Danish oil tanker off the Congo have been rescued from Nigeria, the ship’s owner said yesterday. The Liberian-flagged Monjasa Reformer had 16 sailors on board when it was attacked by pirates on March 25. When the 135m-long tanker was found by the French navy the following week off the coast of Sao Tome and Principe in the Gulf of Guinea, the remaining crew said six of their colleagues had been kidnapped. Monjasa did not specify if ransom was paid. Monjasa had previously said it had lost contact with the crew after pirates boarded the ship. | AFP…

Harare: Prominent Zimbabwean novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga, 64, yesterday won an appeal against an “inciting violence” conviction she received for staging a silent protest. The award-winning author and film-maker was given a Z$70 000 (about R3 600) fine and a six-month suspended sentence last year over the small demonstration when she held up a sign calling for reform. A High Court in Harare yesterday overturned the verdict saying that it was erroneously reached. She was arrested in July 2020 as she walked the streets of Harare with a placard reading: “We want better – reform our institutions.” | AFP…

As Manchester City plot a revenge mission against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals they can draw confidence from the presence of Erling Haaland as the major difference from when the teams met 12 months ago. City seemed set for a second consecutive final when they led 5-3 on aggregate heading into stoppage time of the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu last season. But they were stunned by two goals in two minutes by Rodrygo before Karim Benzema’s penalty completed the comeback in extra-time as Real went on to lift the European Cup for a 14th time. A late defensive collapse was only part of the story. City also paid for not taking a series of chances to kill the tie off over both legs without a natural…

Lionel Messi returned to training with Paris Saint-Germain yesterday six days after Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain was suspended for going on an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia. “Leo Messi returns to training Monday morning,” tweeted the club along with a photo of the 35-year-old in action. His return makes it likely he will feature in PSG’s home match with relegation-threatened Ajaccio on Saturday. PSG hold the whip hand in defending their Ligue 1 title, a six-point lead over Lens with four matches remaining. He was suspended by the Qatar-owned club after failing to turn up for training last Monday. Instead, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner travelled to Saudi Arabia without PSG’s permission to fulfil commitments as part of a contract with the country’s tourist office. Messi subsequently apologised in a…

The Blitzboks have an extremely important fortnight coming up, one which will dictate how, when and if they qualify for the Olympic Games next year. The South Africans are currently seventh in the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Series on 106 points, and if they wish to automatically qualify for the Paris Games, they must finish the season no lower than fifth, which is currently occupied by Australia six points ahead. Moreover, the Blitzboks must also leapfrog not only the Aussies, but also the Samoans, who are a place above them on 111 points. France, currently in fourth – the final Olympic qualification berth – participation at the Games is already secured, due to their host status. The next two weekends then – in Toulouse and then the season-ending event in…