Innholdsfortegnelse for Sunday, July 12, 2020 i Sunday Independent

NATION R4bn Eskom bill: MPs want answers Portfolio committee remains watchful KARABO NGOEPE, MZILIKAZI WA AFRIKA and PIET RAMPEDI MEMBERS of Parliament are expected to again grill Eskom over it’s controversial R4 billion payment to four companies, including how the embattled power utility plans to recover the money. Chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on public enterprises Khaya Magaxa yesterday said: “The next step will be the committee providing an opportunity to the shareholder minister to brief the portfolio committee and members asking questions, which will include how Eskom is going to recover the money.” This comes after it emerged that Stefanutti Stocks-Basil Read Joint Venture, Swedish multinational ABB South Africa, and Tubulcar Construction Projects picked up R1 billion each in Eskom overpayments for their roles in the construction of the…

CABINET De Lille hits back at reshuffle claims IN the Sunday Independent last week – in our story, “Cabinet reshuffle could backfire” – we reported that a possible reshuffle motivated more by ANC politics than governance issues could backfire, according to political experts Professor Somadoda Fikeni and Dr Metjie Makgoba. This was after several ANC and government sources claimed a reshuffle was on the cards which could affect about eight ministers including Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille. The story also quoted an ANC source saying De Lille was a potential target because of accusations that “she is giving tenders to her cousins and friends” and “she’s not accountable when her party has long collapsed”. While the Presidency and the ANC were approached for comment, the same courtesy was not…

PASSION Hip to the satisfaction of working the land Engineer-turned-farmer is helping feed people and employ them and nothing can deter him or keep him down long – even surgery DON MAKATILE FORTY-three-year-old Floyd Tshivhase has had two hip replacement jobs done; the left one in 2012 and one to the right hip in 2016. He does not remember battling with the hips, but out of the blue, he was in serious pain and the doctors advised hip replacement surgery. He’s up and about now, in rude health. This is the kind of excuse many would need to fall into a state of dependency on others and charity – not Tshivhase. He runs a thriving 10-hectare farm about 3km from Thohoyandou, the capital of the former Venda homeland. He was…

Council urges against reinstating alcohol ban BONGANI HANS THE National Liquor Traders Council (NLTC) has urged the government not to reverse its decision to lift the ban on the sale of alcohol. The council’s national convenor, Lucky Ntimane, made the plea yesterday after Health Minister Zweli Mkhize had said the government was considering reinstating the restrictions on the sale of alcohol. Mkhize said as a result of escalating abuse of alcohol, hospitals were overwhelmed by trauma patients. Ntimane said the NLTC did not have a solution to the problem of alcohol abuse. “We have always been calling for the government to sit down with us and find ways in which we can mitigate this thing,” he said. Mkhize, who is the member of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC), had…

ICYMI | IOL.CO.ZA MOZAMBICAN FARMERS INCREASE YIELDS Property is intended to serve life, and no matter how much we surround it with rights and respect, it has no personal being. It is part of the earth man walks on. It is not manMARTIN LUTHER KING JR African American minister and activist A climate-resilience project supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB) is providing irrigation and drainage to small-scale farmers in Mozambique, helping boost their yields. Nearly 48 km of rural roads were rehabilitated to a climate-resilient design. | Read more on IOL…

ITALY Police identify teenagers sharing porn ROME: Italian authorities said yesterday they had identified a group of 20 teenagers who shared child porn and dark web videos of suicides and mutilations on their cellphones. They were tipped off to the images by the mother of a 15-year-old boy in the Tuscan city of Lucca who found them on her son’s phone. The police said they discovered an “exorbitant” number of videos being exchanged via WhatsApp, Telegram and other instant messaging apps. The youths also exchanged gore videos from the dark web. In all, 20 minors aged 13-17 who shared the images were identified, and police said their investigations are continuing to find other people involved. | AP…

Second fatal shark mauling in a week SYDNEY: A 15-year-old surfer died yesterday when he was mauled by a shark, the second fatal attack in a week in Australia. Police said the teenager was surfing at Wooli Beach, about 600km north of Sydney, when he was attacked. This incident happened not far from where wildlife ranger Zachary Robba was fatally mauled by a great white shark in April. Jim Simmons, mayor of Clarence Valley shire, said visitors had flocked to the region for the school holidays. Last Saturday, a scuba diver died after being attacked by a shark off the coast of Queensland state. It’s unusual for Australia to have five fatal shark attacks in the first six months of a year. On average, three people die from shark attacks…

AFRICA THIS WEEK LEAVE TALK OF THE DEAD, FOCUS ON THE LIVING VICTOR KGOMOESWANA @VictorAfrica THE MEC for Health in Gauteng, Dr Bandile Masuku, chose the wrong scripture last week. Covid-19 deaths globally constitute 4% of the 12 million, 550 000-odd deaths. And yet Dr Masuku unnecessarily deemed it wise to talk of the more than 1.5 million grave sites he is preparing in Gauteng. What necessitated such an alarmist statement? Hopefully, this was a case of bad judgement under pressure and not supply-chain corruption. Administering health care in the epicentre of the pandemic means he is overwhelmed by around 75 000 cases and around 500 deaths. Why not focus on converting empty hotels into wards for Covid-19 patients? That would somewhat reignite the hospitality sector and relieve our stretched…

Alexander Forbes feels effect of Covid-19 SIPHELELE DLUDLA siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za ALEXANDER Forbes has been forced to freeze the fees of all its non-executive directors as part of the group’s cost-containment initiatives in response to the impact of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic on its operations. The JSE-listed diversified financial services group this week said it planned no increases for the ensuing year with all directors remaining on the same remuneration as in 2019. It said it had, however, added a new lead independent director fee. Alexander Forbes ended the financial year to end March on a downward note as the positive market returns recorded in the first nine months were reversed in the last quarter. The group saw assets under administration and management fall 9 percent to R310 billion, owing to negative…

REAL NUMBERS Without the much-needed NHI, we might as well start preparing graves PALI LEHOHLA UGANDAN President Yoweri Museveni has likened Covid-19 to what happens during war time. Museveni told his nation that in a war situation, nobody asks anyone to stay indoors. You stay indoors by choice. In fact, if you have a basement, you hide there for as long as hostilities persist. In Italy and Brazil, harrowing images of fields upon fields of graves have shocked the world. Now our turn is nigh. Gauteng Health MEC Dr Bandile Masuku last week pointed to the digging of graves in preparation for the eventuality. Masuku alluded to 1.5 million graves in Gauteng. He said the figure was not based on expected deaths but on the overall graves capacity in the…

STARS TANYA OBREZA Aries (March 21 - April 20) Forward-moving Mercury grants you permission to make changes. If you feel it’s time to move on, do so. While you can’t change the past, take comfort in knowing that every new day can lead to new beginnings. Start thinking positively, and watch your world expand. Taurus (April 21 - May 20) Mercury is keen to keep you in its relaxed company so, this week, you can catch up on things that aren’t too important. If you’re wondering what could make you happier, think love and friendship. A delightful opportunity boosts Taurean charm. A great time for announcements. Gemini (May 21 - June 21) Plans have been kept on hold lately. Maybe you’ve surrendered to others’ demands. Not so this week. Your…

FOR THE RECORD IN THE opinion piece under the headline “Why no word from vice-chancellor on Mayosi, UCT’s biggest failure?” The journalist makes a number of inaccurate claims that UCT would like corrected. The piece asks why “no word from vice-chancellor on Mayosi?” And claims that Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng has maintained “a stony silence” on the matter. This is untrue. There is a letter on the UCT website penned by Professor Phakeng on this matter, which was also distributed to over 35 000 UCT staff, students and members of the UCT Council on June 30, 2020. The journalist had accessed the UCT website prior to writing his article of July 5 as he stated that if, “Phakeng needed to jog her memory, the Mayosi report is on the university website”.…

BOOKS I am done writing this story, says author LESEGO MAKGATHO lesego.makgatho@inl.co.za “IT’S A relief to close this chapter,” said Jackie Phamotse, speaking about her latest book, Bare III: Ego. “It’s a relief for my writing process – I am done writing this story, I am done thinking about it. It’s also a relief for my readers. They’ve wanted to know how the end looks like, how the rebuilding (of the story) looks like, and how I did certain things to get out of that relationship. A lot of readers were yearning for that.” Phamotse is a writer, social activist and philanthropist. Her debut novel Bare: The Blesser’s Game, was published in 2017 and awarded the African Icon Literary Award in Lagos, Nigeria. Her second of the franchise Bare: The…

ICYMI | IOL.CO.ZA UNSUNG HEROES IN COVID FIGHT Real courage is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. Doing the unpopular thing because it’s what you believe, and the heck with everybody.JUSTIN CRONIN THERE is a brave team of heroes at the coalface in the fight against Covid-19, yet they remain largely unsung, unheralded and forgotten. Like their medically qualified counterparts, these selfless men and women place their lives in danger at every turn as they play a crucial, part in the national war against this global disease.…

Mobs target truck drivers amid protests NKULULEKO NENE TRUCK owners, already under pressure from a shrinking economy exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, have become targets for mobs who are demanding that foreign national drivers step down. On Monday night, two trucks were set alight in Wadeville near Gauteng after having just been repaired. Three trucks were also looted in the province, while attacks took place in other parts of the country. A truck owner from Zululand, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal, said his nephew, a truck driver, had to dive into a bush after he was assaulted by a mob who also poured petrol on him. He said his truck and trailer, which had not been insured at the time, was burnt to ashes. He…

OBITUARY Louis Mazibuko was a gifted sports journalist DON MAKATILE WWW.KAIZERCHIEFS.COM Supplied A DISCERNING art collector walks into a gallery and, more often than not, when he steps out, his piece is wrapped in plastic bubble under his arm or, size being the issue, the item is being readied for shipment later to his address. If you agonise over its merit or the price tag for days on end, you either lack the requisite eye or the item does not belong on your wall. I walked into the newsroom of Sunday World on Commando Road one day and when I left a gem called Louis Mazibuko was in the bag – I had a sidekick, muse, confidant, sounding board, friend that I could come to work to all rolled into…

COMMENT HEALTH MEC’S GRAVE MISTAKE INVITES PANIC OUPA NGWENYA IT WAS imprudent first for Health MEC Dr Bandile Masuku to conduct a press briefing at prospective gravesites with gravediggers in the background. Why would an MEC for Health be talking about graves and making provisions to bury his constituency, thousands of whom have contracted Covid-19 but are still very much alive, while only a few are fighting for their lives in hospitals? Burials are the domain of Joburg’s City Parks or the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs. People whose job is the preservation of life and wellness don’t give media briefings at gravesites. Masuku’s priority as a Health MEC is saving lives, not digging graves. From whatever angle that Masuku’s briefing could be considered, it signalled that a…

CRITICS Is there another side to Mamokgethi Phakeng? EDWIN NAIDU EMBATTLED UCT vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng is in the wars again. This time the combative varsity boss has been labelled a bully by the university’s Ombud, Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa, according to a report which claims that the diminutive dresser rules with an iron fist. The ombud has angered Phakeng and divided opinion on campus, presenting the four new members of the UCT council nominated by convocation with a headache as they sit this weekend with other members of the council to deliberate the report. Certainly, the recent report on the late Professor Bongani Mayosi highlighted serious challenges, calling into question the management into the matters leading up to his death. This report by the ombud was brewing in the background as tension simmered.…

COMMENT VANDALISING OF WATER INFRASTRUCTURE LEBOGANG MASEKO THE advent of the coronavirus pandemic in South Africa has put the issue of service delivery by the government under the spotlight. Following the lockdown that was officially declared in March by President Cyril Ramaphosa, Minister Lindiwe Sisulu announced that the Department of Water and Sanitation would deliver more than 40 000 water storage tanks to various municipalities across the country. The department’s social media pages, including Minister Sisulu’s page, were abuzz with pictures of the delivery of these water tanks and tankers being delivered to communities in need. In its efforts to ensure communities affected by the shortage of water, the department further enhanced its call centre capacity and notified the public they could call in and report water challenges. Last month,…

LETTERS Email: scribe@inl.co.za (no attachments). All letters must contain the writer’s full name, physical address and telephone number. No pen names. Qolani video footage orchestrated by NGOs IN LAST week’s editorial, an anti-land invasion operation in the City of Cape Town was referred to as an illegal eviction. This is not true, and the national government has made it clear on numerous occasions that municipalities have a responsibility to prevent the illegal invasion of land. In addressing the incident involving Mr (Bulelani) Qolani, there is no question that the selective video footage shared is indeed concerning. As with many cases of outrage that dominate social media these days, it turned out that all was not as it seemed. The video of Mr Qolani turned out to be a masterful piece…

The People Maxwell’s extreme rules for Epstein staff NEW YORK: When Ghislaine Maxwell, pictured with Jeffrey Epstein, was put in charge of running his homes around the world, she took a page out of the Buckingham Palace servants’ guide, and forced staff to follow the royal rules. These revelations were made by author Bradley Edwards in Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein. Among the most important rule: “The staff never look the master, Jeffrey Epstein, in the eye”. Household staff had to linger in the background, and could not speak unless they were spoken to. | New York Post Protest against arrest of Russian governor MOSCOW: Thousands of people protested in the Russian city of Khabarovsk against the arrest of the region’s governor on charges of…

TECHNOLOGY Amazon backtracks on its TikTok ban IN THE span of a few hours, Amazon.com Inc banned and then unbanned the TikTok video-sharing app from employee mobile devices, calling the move a mistake. The news generated widespread attention and came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last week the US was “certainly looking at” banning TikTok, suggesting it shared information with the Chinese government. Amazon said the email to workers was sent in error adding, with regard to TikTok, “There is no change to our policies.” Reuters and New York Times…

Stray dogs digging up children’s graves CAPE TOWN: In one week, the graves of more than 343 children were dug up by stray dogs in Chimoio, Mozambique. The coronavirus pandemic has brought on job losses in Mozambique. Many people are battling to survive and are unable to feed their dogs. Movement restrictions have further seen Mozambicans scarcely visiting cemeteries, the BBC reported. At a children’s cemetery in Chimoio, about 1200km north of Maputo, stray dogs have dug up the graves of 343 children in one week, a TV Miramar reporter said. Families in Mozambique whose children have died and who cannot afford a coffin resort to wrapping the body in a blanket or plastic covering. According to data from the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef), Mozambique has a mortality rate for…

Twitter suspends far-right accounts BERLIN: Twitter has blocked several accounts associated with the right-wing extremist Identitarian movement, including the profile of its leader, Martin Sellner, from Austria, and its German branch. The profiles now read: “Twitter suspends accounts which violate the Twitter Rules.” The suspension, which has been in place since Friday, also affected accounts in France, Italy, Denmark and Britain. Twitter confirmed the suspension, saying the accounts were taken down for glorifying terrorism and violence. Germany’s Identitarian movement account had about 30000 followers, while Sellner had nearly 40 000. The movement is against multicultural societies and spreads extremist conspiracy theories. Facebook and Instagram banned the group from their platforms a while ago, though Identitarian members’ profiles still exist on YouTube. dpa…

BIZ 101 How to help your business adapt during and after Covid-19 BEN BIERMAN COVID-19 and the resultant lockdowns have left businesses with disruptions of unprecedented levels. As South Africa gradually exits lockdown and prepares to return to full production, the reality is that the pandemic has irrevocably changed many aspects of our lives. Instead of returning to normal, it is becoming increasingly clear that businesses are going to need to adapt to a new set of challenges and circumstances. The new normal may however not be that difficult for most. It may offer opportunities to evolve and thrive. Here are some tips to help your business to adapt to the winds of change. Policies Masks and hand sanitisers are now compulsory in all work environments and screening employees for…

TV HIGHLIGHTS DRAGNIFICENT! TUESDAYS at 9pm TLC (DStv 135) FEATURING some of America’s most beloved drag queens, the series will take you on a loud, outrageous and heart-warming ride as the queens help each person reveal the best version of themselves – inside and out. ‘CELEBRITY MYSTERY BOX’ WEDNESDAYS at 8pm, Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) Watch your favourite celebrities go head-to-head in this exciting new cooking show. Each celebrity guest will be tasked with creating an A-class meal from a box of mystery items. Will they overcome or will the kitchen prove too hot for them? Hosted by Chef Nti and LesDaChef.…

FOOTBALL SA football … 10 years on from hosting World Cup BAFANA Bafana’s failure to qualify for the last two Fifa World Cups since participating in the tournament as host a decade ago, has raised questions about the country’s growth as a ‘football nation’ since 2010. Soccer writer MIHLALI BALEKA quizzed five Bafana 2010 World Cup squad members about the current state of South African football. And here’s what they had to say: I think if Pitso Mosimane, who was an assistant coach in 2010, stayed (for the longevity of his contract as the Bafana coach) and was not released, we would have progressed as a nation. All the countries that participate in the World Cup are sitting with six to 10-year plans. Look at Belgium, they were not…

LA LIGA Bale’s bail out bugs Real Madrid supporters GARETH Bale has enraged Real Madrid fans yet again by pretending to nod off during Real’s clash with Alaves, taunting his detractors. The Welshman was left on the bench for the fourth game in a row as Los Blancos recorded another important win in the LaLiga title race, beating the visitors 2-0. Bale, who has started just 12 games this season and hasn’t featured in any of Real’s last four matches, began laughing sarcastically when Madrid brought on their fifth and final substitute on Friday night. With his hopes of getting into the action over, the winger reclined in his seat, propped his feet up and covered his eyes with a face mask at the fan-free Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. Spanish…

EPL Canaries suffer hammer blow with new record NORWICH saw relegation from the Premier League confirmed yesterday lunchtime following their 4-0 defeat by West Ham. Daniel Farke’s side sit bottom of the table with 21 points from 35 games and have not picked up a single point since football returned under Project Restart. Six straight defeats has seen them concede 15 goals and score just once in what has been a miserable campaign for the Norfolk club and they have now become the first team to be relegated from the Premier League five times. The relegation sees Norwich overtake Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Crystal Palace in the unwanted books. They all have four relegations from the top-flight to their name. Yesterday’s defeat leaves them with just nine points available to close…

SOCCCER Jose refuses to give Levy a red card JOSE Mourinho has defended Daniel Levy as Tottenham fans prepare to fly a ‘Levy Out’ banner over the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during the north London derby tomorrow. The group behind the banner, which has cost £650, are promising there will be more protests against chairman Levy and the club’s owners Enic if they don’t see more progress on the pitch. A spokesman said: “We believe it’s a necessity because, from being in a Champions League final, nearly on par with Liverpool, we are 10 steps back again. “Being ahead of Arsenal, to being behind a club who have had three managers in one season, in possibly their worst season. “Levy and Enic need to invest in the club and have us…

Tail Piece FORD APOLOGISES AFTER NEARLY LAUNCHING BRONCO ON OJ’S BIRTHDAY DEARBORN, Michigan: The Ford Bronco had a taste of infamy back in 1994 when a white specimen was driven by former football superstar OJ Simpson during the police chase that followed his wife’s murder. It is certainly an image that Ford would want people to forget, which is why the company recently faced public criticism for announcing that the all-new Bronco would be revealed on July 9, which happens to be OJ Simpson’s birthday. However, Ford quickly rescheduled the reveal event to July 13 after it became aware of the oversight, which it said was completely coincidental. It’s an easy but unlucky mistake to make, but one that the company immediately set out to rectify, while also posting an…

NATION Montana in dispute with Zondo Ex-Prasa boss accuses State Capture Commission chairperson of being biased MZILIKAZI WA AFRIKA and KARABO NGOEPE FORMER Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) chief executive Lucky Montana has taken Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) accusing him of being “biased, unethical and unprofessional”. Montana, who is expected to testify before the State Capture Commission later this year, believes its chairperson “has already taken sides”. In his scathing complaint to the JSC, submitted on Friday, Montana asks that Judge Zondo “must be carefully scrutinised” because he has “demonstrated gross misconduct” and “wherein he acted in a manner that is unbecoming of a judicial officer ...” Hesaid Judge Zondo’s “conduct and decisions have a bearing on the future of the…

COMMENT ARE YOU DEAF TO THE NEED FOR SIGN LANGUAGE? THULI ZIKALALA MY JOURNEY as a South African Sign Language (SASL) interpreter was shaped by an incident I witnessed while attending the memorial service of a global icon seven years ago. Today I am one of only 11 SASL interpreters accredited by the South African Translators’ Institute and the first-person in the country to do a sign language interpreted podcast. My determination to push for change was inspired by my experiences on that cold and rainy morning in December 2013 as I sat among thousands of people who had gathered at the FNB stadium to honour the memory of our beloved icon Nelson Mandela. Although we were mourning Madiba’s death, we were also celebrating the legacy and life of a…

CORONAVIRUS (Covid-19) Officials’ deaths spark fears Health minister not surprised that Gauteng is now the epicentre KENNETH MOKGATLHE AS COVID-19 infections and deaths climb in South Africa, North West MEC of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Gordon Kegakilwe, Langeberg, Cape Town mayor Henry Jansen and former KwaDukuza mayor and ANC spokesperson Ricardo Mthembu, have succumbed to the epidemic this week. Three Premiers – North West’s Job Mokgoro, Western Cape’s Alan Winde and Gauteng’s David Makhura, have had to go into self-isolation after testing positive for Covid-19. On Friday, the mayor of Lesedi Local Municipality in Gauteng Lerato Maloka alongside her councillor Mapule Motsepe also tested positive for Covid-19. Also, six members of the province’s health war room tested positive to Covid-19, the Department of Health said in a statement on…

COMMENT PARADIGM SHIFT VITAL FOR AFRICAN SOLUTIONS IDO LEKOTA COMMENTING recently about the impact of the Covid-19, president of EsadeGeo Centre for Global Economy and Geopolitics, Javier Solana said the future of the postcoronavirus world will be built on what we say and do now. His comment reminded me of the quote by Vietnamese-American novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen: “All wars are won twice, the first time on the battlefield, the second time in memory.” It is in the context of Solana’s comment that we should view the importance of the call for Africa to find “African solutions to African problems”. This is indeed an important call which the adherence to its letter and spirit will not only put Africa at the centre stage of human development but also create memories…

COMMENT THE KEY TO UNLOCKING CAPABILITIES PROFESSOR YUSUF KARODIA AFRICA’S population will double by 2050. The continent and its vast pool of exceptionally young human capital – the median age is 19.7 – is gifted with an opportunity for sustained economic development. One of the key factors in realising this growth is the widening of access to higher education – however, there are legitimate questions to be asked about what kind of education is on offer and who gains access to it. It is abundantly clear that over recent years the volume of available higher education seats in Africa has increased. Access has certainly been widened by the growth of institutions in the private sector – around 21% of young Africans in higher education attend private institutions. Their role as…

RESTITUTION State custodianship of land call EFF: It’s not confiscation, it’s morally, economically, socially justifiable repossession and the only way to ensure equitable access FLOYD SHIVAMBU Reuters IAN LANDSBERG African News Agency (ANA) LAST month, Parliament through a hybrid system voted to re-establish the ad hoc committee, mandated with the task of amending section 25 of the Constitution. The parliamentary resolution is a continuation of the Constitutional Review Committee and thereafter parliamentary resolution in 2018 which unequivocally stated that, “Section 25 of the Constitution must be amended to make explicit that which is implicit in the Constitution, with regards to Expropriation of Land without Compensation, as a legitimate option for Land Reform, so as to address the historic wrongs caused by the arbitrary dispossession of land, and in so doing ensure…

EDITORIAL Focus must shift to how we care for those infected THE number of Covid-19 infections and deaths keeps rising at a rate that is frightening, yet the government’s communication message on the pandemic hasn’t changed that much. Perhaps it’s time that the focus shifted from prevention to how to survive this pandemic and how to care for the infected because there is no guarantee that everybody who will get infected will get a hospital bed. South Africa doesn’t have enough hospital beds and, fortunately, it’s not everybody who tests positive that will need hospital care. The focus on how to prevent the virus by regularly washing our hands, sanitising, physical distancing and keeping masks on, now seems hackneyed. The horse has bolted for the prevention message. What matters now…

FRANCE Four arrests for attack on bus driver FRENCH Prime Minister Jean Castex encourgaed the judiciary yesterday to come down hard on the perpetrators of a brutal attack on a bus driver who reportedly would not allow them to board without masks. Politicians have called for tough judicial measures against the four people responsible for the attack. The bus driver, in his late fifties, was initially declared brain-dead after the attack in Bayonne, in south-western France, earlier this week that caused shock and outrage nationwide. He died on Friday. According to local media reports, he had turned away several people in Bayonne, near the border to Spain, after they wanted to board without masks or a valid ticket. The rejected passengers allegedly attacked the driver, with heavy blows to the…

FRANCE No modern twists for Notre Dame NOTRE Dame Cathedral will be rebuilt just the way it stood before last year’s fire. And to stay historically accurate, the medieval monument will again be built with potentially toxic lead. That is the verdict reached by French President Emmanuel Macron, the cathedral’s present-day architects and the general in charge of the colossal reconstruction project for one of the world’s most treasured landmarks. Macron, who wants Notre Dame reopened for the 2024 Olympics, had initially pushed for a contemporary touch atop the cathedral, prompting eye-catching proposals from architects around the world. But he came around to the traditionalists’ argument, and approved reconstruction plans for the monument that were presented on Thursday. The plan includes recreating the 19th-century spire designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc that…

LATIN AMERICA Coronavirus takes toll on leaders THE Covid-19 pandemic is sweeping through the leadership of Latin America, with two more presidents and powerful officials testing positive this week for the new coronavirus, adding a destabilising new element to the region’s public health and economic crises. In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro, 65, announced his illness on Tuesday and is using it to publicly extol hydroxychloroquine, the unproven malaria drug that he’s been promoting as a treatment for Covid-19, and now takes himself. Bolivian interim President Jeanine Añez, 53, made her own diagnosis public on Thursday, throwing her already troubled political prospects into further doubt. In Venezuela, 57-year-old socialist party chief Diosdado Cabello said on Thursday on Twitter that he too had tested positive. The country’s Oil Minister Tarek El Aissami,…

Cabinet reshuffled after killing, protest CAPE TOWN: Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has replaced the finance, foreign, energy and health ministers and three other senior cabinet post-holders as part of a sweeping reshuffle, the government said. News broadcaster Al Jazeera reported that the reshuffling of the government on Thursday came after a person was killed and several others injured during largely peaceful demonstrations in Sudan, demanding faster reform and greater civilian rule in the country’s transition towards democracy. Hamdok also accepted the resignation of the ministers of agriculture and natural resources, infrastructure and transport, and animal resources, wrote news outlet Xinhua. Hamdok assigned caretaker ministers to the ministries. ANA…

IRAN Sanctions against Iran cut off all options on the table JASON REZAIAN IRAN is in a bad spot. The Islamic republic’s sanctions-battered currency is trading at an all-time low against the dollar. An outbreak of the novel corona-virus is killing more people each day than it did at its original peak earlier this year. And a series of explosions, suspected to be part of Israeli operations to damage Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, has exposed vulnerabilities in the regime’s ability to protect its most sensitive sites. The government of Ukraine, meanwhile, is preparing to sue Iran for damages over the downing of its civilian aircraft in January, in which all 176 people on board were killed by an Iranian missile. Iranian officials may very well be feeling the pressure, but if…

Stadio Holdings education group growth still on track SANDILE MCHUNU sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za PRIVATE education group Stadio Holdings has said its growth projections remained on track despite facing mounting challenges as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. The group said it had set itself a target of 56 000 students by 2026. Chief executive Chris Vorster said Stadio needed to grow its learner base at least 8 percent each year in order to reach its goal. Voster said while the group achieved a 10 percent increase during the first half of the financial year, Covid-19 forced it to reconsider some of its capital expenditure programmes. “We decided to freeze all new uncommitted staff appointments, as well as freezing all uncommitted capital expenditures during the rest of the year,” Vorster said. Studio, an…

BAND Finding their beat under lockdown Sauti Sol have released an album that cements their status as one of the new leaders of African music BUHLE MBONAMBI Universal MY FIRST encounter with Kenyan Afropop band, Sauti Sol, was in Durban in 2013. MTV Africa invited the continent’s biggest artists to perform at the Africa Unite concert, which was headlined by Snoop Dogg (when he called himself Snoop Lion). I hadn’t heard of them until they performed at the concert. They were one of the first acts and one of the few acts I left the VIP enclosure for. When they were done performing, they came into the marquee. I approached them and told them I enjoyed their music. Two years later, I bumped into them in a hotel lift at…

TV GUIDE TODAY Cricket: Test Series: England v Windies, First Test, Day 5, 11.30am, SS2 Golf: PGA Tour: Workday Charity Open, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Day 4, 7pm, SS5, CSN, SS1 Motorsport: NASCAR Cup Series: Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart, 1.30am, SS6; FIA Formula 2 Championship, Round 2: Race 2, 9am, SS6; Formula 1: Styrian Grand Prix, Main Race, 3.05pm, SS1, SS6; IndyCar Series: REV Group Grand Prix, Road America, Race 2, 6pm, SS6 Rugby: Aotearoa: Hurricanes v Highlanders, 5.30am, SS1, CSN Soccer: Premier League: Wolves v Everton, 12 noon, SS3; Aston Villa v Crystal Palace, 2.55pm, SS3; Tottenham v Arsenal, 5.10pm, SS3; AFC Bournemouth v Leicester City, 7.30pm, SS3; Premier League Wrap, 10pm, SS3; Premier League TV: Matchday Live Extra, 10.30pm, SS3; Serie A: Genoa v Spal, 5.05pm,…

INJURY TIME LISTEN TO LUNGI STUART HESS SECTION 16 of the constitution makes provision for ‘freedom of speech’. South Africans are free to say what they want even when saying it is incredibly stupid. And talking about incredibly stupid – step forward Boeta Dippenaar and Pat Symcox. Boy, where to begin? The condescending tone of their social media posts targeting Lungi Ngidi? The racism? The ‘whataboutism’? What the pair wrote, illustrates a special level of stupidity, and inability to ask: “Why?” Why did a 24 year old player, just starting his international career, feel so strongly about including his teammates in talking about why Black Lives Matter? Why are Dippenaar, who is 43 years old, and Symcox who is 60, unable to see what that movement stands for? Why don’t…