Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-06-06 i Sunday Independent

Nosipho Nyide Money, as the old adage goes may not buy you happiness – but it can buy you new friends, a study of lottery winners has concluded. An expert from Vietnam National University studied the impact of lottery winnings on the social circles of 5 000 people across five Vietnamese cities and provinces. He found that, after receiving such a so-called “income shock”, people tended to acquire more long-term friends and those made outside of work settings. The expert said that, using lottery winnings, people are able to increase their consumption on social activities – allowing people to make new long-term friends. The study was undertaken by development economist Nguyen Viet Cuong of the Vietnam National University in Hanoi. Data for the study was sourced from Vietnam’s 2015 Household…

From P1 This week President Cyril Ramaphosa insisted that he was waiting for the SIU report, before he could act against Mkhize. However, political parties have called for Mkhize and his director-general Dr Sandile Buthelezi to be dealt with after the pair failed brief Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Health on Digital Vibes' on Friday. Mkhize is said to have received legal advice not to take part in the meeting. Meanwhile, some MPs said having the matter reported to law enforcement authorities does not necessarily make it sub judice. UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said both Mkhize and his director-general should be put on leave pending the investigation. Freedom Front Plus MP Phillip van Staden urged Mkhize to brief the committee if he had nothing to hide. “Minister Mkhize must come to…

BRICS Bank, commonly referred to by the markets and industry alike as the New Development Bank (NDB), is proving to be a worthy multilateral lending vehicle particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Established in 2014 and kick-started its operations a year later from its headquarters in Shanghai, China, the NDB is the brainchild of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). Itself established in 2006, BRICS seeks to improve the global South relations to a point of economic self-reliance and broader solidarity in matters of common interest from all spheres of life including international relations and global politics in general. BRICS has not always been impactful. Its programmes have been exciting on paper and often dismally poor in practice. However, credit ought to go to the BRICS…

Lesego Makgatho lesego.makgatho@inl.co.za SOCIAL media users need to be careful about what they post on Facebook and Twitter. 1. Always think before you post anything on social media. 2. You can be sued for tweeting a statement that could cause harm to others. You may not have posted the original content, but shared (retweeted) a malicious tweet, which is seen as an endorsement of the original content; legal action may be taken against you in a court of law. Everyone found to have contributed to the false statement or defamatory content, could be held liable for defamation. 3. Stealing someone’s images – even of yourself taken by someone else – can be considered as theft. Sharing content as if it’s your own, without permission to share that content or giving…

Lesego Makgatho lesego.makgatho@inl.co.za We all love freedom of expression. One would agree that this is one of the most important constitutional rights granted to every citizen in this country. But it is not an unlimited right. Legal implications of what is put out on social media have shownthat while we are granted freedom of expression, we can’t quite say whatever we want and think we can get away with it. Social media has made its way into almost every aspect of our lives and has become one of the most prominent forms of communication. But one Facebook post, one tweet can land you in of hot water. Take KwaZulu-Natal realtor Penny Sparrow, for example. In a Facebook rant, Sparrow called black beachgoers “monkeys” and was later found guilty of hate…

UNISA is hosting the first Andrew Mlangeni Memorial Lecture and discussion at their main campus in Pretoria today from noon. Mlangeni, the last of the Rivonia Trial accused to die – last year at 95 – is certainly the last of the ANC members worthy of such posthumous valediction. The man gave his life to the organisation, unlike those who had the temerity to tell us “I did not join the Struggle to be poor”. Mlangeni – and his peers, was a special kind of ANC cadre, the type the governing party is failing to attract, even as a handful. The result is that the ANC today is the home of vultures on the lookout for the first opportunity at self-enrichment. You only have to look at the travails of…

Nathan Adams and Keshia Africa As Queer rights takes pride of place major brands are celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride Month. The rainbow flag is flying high and at fashion retailer H&M who asked Siphesihle Dube, a former Western Cape government spokesperson to be part of the H&M Beyond The Rainbow campaign. The campaign also includes Lethabo Matseke, the store manager at H&M Bloemfontein. Both shared their stories through scanning a code with a cellphone at the retail stores. The LGBTQIA+ community commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riots which took place in Greenwich Village, New York June that year. This year marks 51 years of Pride celebrations. Dube aka Dollar Debbie on Instagram shared a post produly standing in front of the billboard of himself which is prominently featured…

Don Makatile don.makatile@inl.co.za THE situation in many, if not most, black townships under ANC rule in a purportedly post-apartheid SA is tragic. On the other hand, White Monopoly Capital (WMC) remains firmly entrenched in power in SA. This is just one nugget of the many that populate the hard talk throughout The Great Pretenders: Race and Class under ANC Rule, a three-year study by Ebrahim Harvey that resulted in the book. A political commentator and analyst, Harvey’s interest in contemporary politics has earned him a PhD. He pulls no punches. He was at a conference in Cuba one past year, courtesy of an air ticket and accommodation paid for by Cyril Ramaphosa who he knows from their years in the trade union movement. But in a conspicuous and bold…

Noni Mokati and Zintle Mahlati IN the 27th year of South Africa’s democracy, citizens young and old have once again been urged to exercise their Constitutional right by voting in the local government elections on October 27. It is perhaps the fundamental principle of voting to maintain your rights that continues to inspire and energise Dr Brigalia Bam, 89, years after she’s left the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa. Although no longer actively involved in electoral processes, Bam’s tenure as a commissioner and later the chairperson of the IEC, seemingly still sparks some interest in her, particularly where electoral matters are concerned. Despite times having changed, Bam, who received the Covid-19 vaccine on May 24, has strong views about electioneering amid a global pandemic. “The challenge of the pandemic…

To understand the root cause of bullying, we must address corporal punishment and the underlying drivers of violence in children’s environments. Films like Underground Railroad and 12 Years a Slave portray slavery and apartheid, with religion being used to promote and perpetuate corporal punishment. The generational repercussions of this kind of discipline is the historic trauma our society is dealing with today, writes Neziswa Titi, a research psychologist. | IOL See http://bit.ly/IOLbullyvictimisation…

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) famously established a “collective security” system after World II. Article 5 of the Nato Treaty of 1949 provided “the Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all”. The Nato collective defence concept implemented a “massive retaliation” formula, by escalating any conflict with one country into a conflict with a large group of countries. In contrast, the SADC is the successor to the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference of 1981, whose aim it was to free the region from apartheid. The 1992 SADC Treaty in its Article 4 lists the following fundamental principles a) sovereign equality of all member states; b) solidarity, peace and security; c) human rights,…

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza mostly dismissed a change in Israeli government, saying the nationalist leader due to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would likely pursue the same right-wing agenda. Naftali Bennett, a former official in Israel’s main West Bank settler organisation, would be Israel’s new leader under a patchwork coalition struck this week. “There is no difference between one Israeli leader and another,” said Ahmed Rezik, 29, a government worker in Gaza. “They are good or bad for their nation. And when it comes to us, they are all bad, and they all refuse to give the Palestinians their rights and their land.”…

HERMAN GIBBS and ESHLIN VEDAN DSTV Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns signed off a sublime record-breaking season with a 3-0 win over Cape Town City at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria yesterday. Goals were at a premium on the final day of the 2020-21 Premiership season, but Sundowns showed their championship mettle by scoring thrice without reply at the Sundowns fortress. None of the other teams scored more than one goal yesterday. Sundowns recorded a runaway league winning margin of 13 points. A 10th-minute free kick brought Sundowns' dead-ball specialist Lyle Lakay into play. He did not disappoint with a trademark over-the-wall strike that left City goalkeeper Marc Anderson flat-footed between the sticks. Towards the end of the match, Namibian-born Peter Shalulile, Sundowns’ ace goalmouth poacher, scored twice in the…

MORGAN BOLTON Lions (14) 21 Try: Warner, Massyn, Botha; Conversion: Jordan Hendrikse (3) Sharks (19) 33 Try: Van Vuuren (2), Buthelezi, Mapimpi, Volmink; Conversion: Libbok (3), Chamberlain THE Sharks controlled possession and territory in their Rainbow Cup clash at Emirates Airline Park on a chilly afternoon yesterday to grind out an important, bonus point victory which keeps their hopes of winning the conference alive. In a match that saw eight tries scored between the two sides, it was the Sharks that managed and controlled the encounter with much more conviction, and their 33-21 victory leap-frogs them into second on the standings with 16 points, four behind the table-topping Bulls. The triumph ensures that their fate is firmly in their hands with the clash against the Bulls at Jonsson Kings…

Ben Bierman ALMOST every aspiring entrepreneur gets their chance to weigh up whether it is a good idea to have a close friend or family member as a business partner. The answer is not always simple and almost always varies from scenario to scenario, and person to person. There is certainly a reason why the adage, “never do business with family and friends”, is an expression rather than a concrete rule. As a starting point, when faced with this kind of decision, ask yourselves the following salient questions: Are we in it for the same reasons? The most successful and efficient business partners share a vision and are clear about their goals from the onset. Is the collective ambition to employ a growth strategy that will boost the business’s bottom…

The future of Africa is young. The continent has more under-20s than anywhere in the world, which means that we have to change the way that young people are supported. Facebook has realised this and created a platform and opportunities for the continent’s youth to flourish. One of its key roles is supporting and investing in young and diverse creative talent. “At Facebook, we’re deeply invested in the creative industry in Africa, and nowhere is it more exciting to witness this vibrant creative scene – individuals and businesses who are changing the way Africa is viewed, not just in Africa, but around the world,” says Nunu Ntshingila, regional director, Facebook Africa. Art is one of Africa’s greatest exports. From fine art and crafts to jewellery and fashion design, film, music…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za FORMER Universal Service and Access Agency of SA (Usaasa) directors are considering more legal action after Public Protector Busi Mkhwebane’s report that was used to fire them was reviewed and set aside. The six former Usaasa non-executive directors who challenged Mkhwebane’s 2018 report are ex-chairperson Mawethu Cawe, board members Jabulile Nkosi, Tshegofatso Maloka, Xola Stock, Linda Nene and Lungelwa Shandu. Former telecommunications and postal services minister Siyabonga Cwele axed the board following Mkhwebane’s findings. Judge Daisy Molefe reviewed and set aside the public protector’s report largely due to Mkhwebane’s refusal to remove chief investigator Abongile Madiba from the investigation as requested by the former directors because he appeared to have taken an interest in the matter and shown his unfair bias. In an email to the former…

Gentle realisation we all have story to tell FATHERHOOD, race, identity, belonging. These are just some of the themes Kojo Baffoe explores in his book, Listen To Your Footsteps: Reflections & Essays. While he published two poetry collections, Voices In My Head and And They Say: Black Men Don’t Write Love Poetry in 2004 and 2005, this could be considered his first book. The former editor of Destiny Man and Afropolitan, and erstwhile host of Life with Kojo Baffoe on Kaya FM, said the book was born with various ideas of what it could become. “I was toying around with different ideas. I thought of making it a nice quirky book beautifully designed on business lessons from our children. “I then thought I should write a book about my…

Protecting children from violence, exploitation and abuse is not only a basic value but also an obligation as set out in Article 28 of the South Africa Constitution. Furthermore, children are guaranteed a right to parental care, and where it is inadequate; the state will provide appropriate alternative care. Therefore, child protection is a national programme directed at preventing and responding to violence against children, abuse, neglect, exploitation – including commercial sexual exploitation, trafficking, child labour, exploitation, and harmful traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation/cutting and child marriage. As the country celebrates 27 years of the Constitution; it is important to note that protecting a child is about upholding the rights of a child as provided for in the Constitution. Unfortunately, the protection and access to children’s rights cannot…

Don Makatile don.makatile@inl.co.za Unisa, in conjunction with the June and Andrew Mlangeni Foundation, will today host a memorial lecture and round-table discussion on the legacy of the late icon, Andrew Mlangeni, at the ZK Matthews Great Hall, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Buildings, at their main campus in Pretoria. The event will take place in a hybrid format in compliance with the Covid-19 Adjusted Level 2 rules, with the main participants physically present at the venue, while the rest of the guests can follow the proceedings virtually. It begins at noon and will run until 4pm. The event is the brainchild of Professor Puleng LenkaBula, the principal and vice-chancellor of Unisa and Professor Hlengiwe Mkhize, the Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and People with Disabilities, who also chairs…

Manyane Manyane manyane.manyane@inl.co.za Forty-five years ago, June 16 was on a cold and very dry winter Wednesday and as South Africa and the whole world woke up that day, little did they realise that this was the day that would set the country alight and change its history for good. During the morning of June 16 1976, pupils from Soweto schools embarked on a peaceful protest against the introduction of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in black schools. At that point in time in South Africa’s history, Afrikaans was regarded as the language of an oppressive white minority and the change in the curriculum was seen as nothing but yet another attempt by the apartheid regime to place more hurdles in the education of the black child. The…

Art, culture, weapons of Struggle Medu Art Ensemble was based in Gaborone in Botswana between 1979 and 1985. Medu (meaning “roots” in Sepedi) played a key role in shaping South Africa’s culture of struggle against apartheid. The collective was formed by South African cultural activists exiled after the 1976 Soweto uprising and it worked with artists back home, Botswana citizens, and some from other countries. Medu used the creative arts – visual image, theatre, music and literature – to give voice to South Africa’s liberation struggle. In 1982 Medu brought several thousand cultural activists to Gaborone for a conference titled “Culture and Resistance”, proclaiming that “Culture is a weapon of Struggle”. A Pan-Africanist and anti-colonial enterprise, Medu engaged with international revolutionary art including the work of German theatre-maker Bertolt Brecht,…

GENDER equality and climate justice are inextricably linked. In any climate crisis, it is women and girls who often face the greatest impacts from environmental degradation and natural disasters – from increased poverty to escalations in gender-based violence. Yet despite creating and leading solutions, they are all too often missing from formal climate leadership, innovation and jobs. The Covid-19 pandemic has amplified many of these inequalities. Gender-responsive climate and environmental action starts with ensuring women have equal access to productive resources, such as finance, land, water and clean energy. It must also support women’s skills-building, advocacy and access to technologies, with disaggregated data to inform planning and action. Ahead of this month’s Generation Equality Forum in Paris, we have an opportunity to put women and girls at centre stage in…

Shannon Ebrahim shannon.ebrahim@inl.co.za I have walked the halls of the museum at Auschwitz where mountains of human hair and tiny children’s clothes and shoes reduce grown men to tears. Nothing compares to that horror of the Holocaust of the European Jewry. I have visited the genocide memorials in Rwanda, where hundreds of human skulls line the church pews in parishes where the bloodied clothes of children still litter the floor from that genocide in 1994. My great-grandfather was a prisoner of war in a concentration camp at Cape Point in 1900, and his letters passed down to me from that desperate time still haunt me today. But I have never seen anything that recognises or memorialises the genocide of the Herero and Nama people of Namibia who were subjected to…

Companies that hire transgender people would be given tax breaks, Bangladesh announced this week. This is the latest in a series of measures to boost support for the minority group in the conservative Muslim-majority nation. Bangladesh is home to about 1.5 million transgender people, who face rampant discrimination and violence and are often forced to live by begging, the sex trade or crime. Bullying and abuse have make it harder for them to secure jobs. Companies would be given a 5% tax cut, or be reimbursed with 75% of the salaries of transgender people, if they hire 100 workers or 10% of their workforce from the community.…

JORDIE Barrett missed two late penalties as the ACT Brumbies notched up only the second win by an Australian team in the Super Rugby Trans Tasman competition yesterday with a 12-10 victory over the Wellington Hurricanes in Canberra. Barrett sent a pair of penalty attempts wide of the posts in the final three minutes as Dan McKellar’s side picked up their first win in the tournament against a Hurricanes side that had been looking to return to the top of the standings. Len Ikitau’s 52nd minute try earned the Brumbies the victory in a tight game that leaves the Auckland Blues in sole possession of first place in the Super Rugby Trans Tasman standings after four rounds. The Brumbies’ win moves them to five points from their first four games.…

Vuyolwethu Fundam Vuyolwethu.Fundam@africannewsagency.com A solocation might not be such a bad idea if you don’t have any friends or family who are available to travel with you. To some people, taking a solocation may seem like a boring idea. We travel to create memories, among other things, so it’s natural for them to wonder how they’ll achieve that while travelling alone. Adventure When travelling as a group, there’s usually a set itinerary intended to match everyone’s interests. When you travel alone, you can be more flexible with your daily schedule. You have complete control over your adventure schedule. And you can also chop and change it as you see fit. Challenge your comfort zone When you travel alone, you’ll have to put yourself out there. You’ll have to interact…

Wesley Diphoko wesley.diphoko@inl.co.za When WhatsApp introduced its controversial privacy policy, many people migrated to other platforms such as Telegram and Signal. During the same period, data from analytics firm SensorTower suggests that downloads of the privacy-focused Signal app grew by nearly 1 200% year-on-year throughout Q1 2021. It was downloaded an estimated 64.6 million times. January was the blockbuster month for the app, with more than 51 million downloads. Telegram’s download growth in the same period was 98%, and the app recorded 161 million installs. This surge also helped Telegram cross the mark of 500 million monthly active users on the platform. The massive migration to other platforms has, however, not impacted WhatsApp as much. Facebook told a leading tech start-up media entity that most users had accepted the updated…

Pali Lehohla CATS do not devour their kittens often, but when they do, you should know they made a very difficult decision to come to that conclusion and take that action. Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke released the results of the first quarter labour force survey (QLFS) this week. Compared to 2008, the share of employment for the youth aged 15-34 proportionately and in absolute terms has been gutted in favour of their parents. The mother cat is devouring the kittens. When I, as Statistician-General, made the point in 2016 that the current generation of the young was underperforming relative to their parents in education and employment outcomes, then-president Thabo Mbeki said we must be a strange nation. However, it should not be the fact of being strange, but rather what should…

Mzilikazi Wa Afrika, Nathan Craig and Keshia Africa VACCINE applications in South Africa have a political contestation instead of being a fight against the pandemic, a South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) board member claimed yesterday. The board member claims that Sahpra would thoroughly scrutinise applications made by certain vaccine manufacturers in order to frustrate or prolong their process of approval while others would just be pushed for approval without any scrutiny. “Certain companies who don’t have political connections or muscles would have their vaccine applications pushed back while those who have professors and researchers linked to certain organisations would have their applications done within weeks.” The board member says so far Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines have been approved in South Africa while others like Sputnik and…

Samkelo Mtshali samkelo.thulasizwe@inl.co.za PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa’s promise to hold his Cabinet ministers accountable to the South African public has taken shape with the publishing of the Minister’s Performance Agreements (MPA) after Parliament approved departmental annual performance plans. This comes a year after Ramaphosa’s pledge in his 2020 State of the Nation Address that performance agreements between himself and members of his national executive would be made public to enable South Africans to hold accountable those they had elected into office. Although the agreements have only just been made public, they are for the entire five-year term of office of both the president and his Cabinet ministers. Given the country’s battle with the Covid-19 pandemic, among the ministries headlining the performance agreements was Dr Zweli Mkhize’s Department of Health which has…

Tshepiso Tshabalala tshepiso.tshabalala@inl.co.za GENDER equality activists and the LGBTIQ community have welcomed the inclusion of transgender women in the Miss South Africa beauty pageant. The eligibility of trans women to enter the competition came into effect in 2019. Organisers of the pageant say the inclusion of trans women in the competition is quite important as the Miss SA Organisation is all about inclusivity and equality. The chief executive of Miss SA, Stephanie Weil, says the organisation intends to wholly change the South African beauty pageant industry. “Since we took over the competition, our goal has been to be more inclusive and embracing of all members of society and this includes trans women. “The world is finally opening up to the changing beauty standards and understanding that beauty is not a…

Regional tensions plague PAP Viasen Soobramoney Viasen.Soobramoney@africannewsagency.com TO rotate or not to rotate – that is the question. It is also the reason why the Pan- African Parliament (PAP) descended into chaos this week. At the heart of the dispute is the election of the parliament’s president and office-bearers. Southern African states are calling for a rotational presidency which their East and West African counterparts are opposing. Since the establishment of the parliament in 2004, the presidency has never been held by a Southern African state – the only exception being Zimbabwe’s Chief Fortune Charumbira, who served in an acting capacity following the premature departure from office of Algeria’s Bouras Djamel in December. An AU resolution calling for the rotation of the presidency is what Southern African states cited when…

SOUTH Africans joined millions around the world in commemorating World Environment Day yesterday, as they will do World Oceans Day on June 8. A year ago we were in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, the world is opening up as more countries, including South Africa, successfully roll out vaccination programmes. Activists and lobbyists have raised the alarm that other important issues have taken a back seat amid the pandemic. As the world battles against Covid-19 and spares no effort to develop successful vaccines, conflicts around the world, gender-based violence, chronic hunger and unemployment have continued unabated. Climate change and environmental sustainability is one such issue. Pre-pandemic, world leaders and climate activists had declared 2020 a “super year for nature”, anticipating outcomes of several global climate conferences set to…

MIHLALI BALEKA mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za AT the end of a turbulent outing in domestic football, there was a sigh of relief for Kaizer Chiefs. Chiefs will play in the MTN8 competition next term after beating TS Galaxy 1-0 on the final day of the DStv Premiership at the Mbombela Stadium yesterday. Chiefs recorded their lowest points tally (36), despite finishing eighth on the standings. They also made headlines for the wrong reasons recently, firing coach Gavin Hunt and replacing him with interim coaches Arthur “10111” Zwane and Dillon Sheppard. Chiefs’ turnaround was completed this week when they recorded back-to-back wins against Golden Arrows and Galaxy. Despite the midweek victory, which was propelled by a hat-trick from Lebogang Manyama, Chiefs needed to be mentally prepared for The Rockets. After all, this was a…

WYNONA LOUW THERE weren’t many surprises when SA Rugby president Mark Alexander named the 46-man Springbok squad for the Tests against Georgia and the British & Irish Lions Series, with all but one of the active 2019 World Cup-winning players included, along with a good sprinkling of form rising stars. The retired trio of Tendai Mtawarira, Francois Louw and Schalk Brits and the injured Warrick Gelant are the only names missing from the squad that lifted the Webb Ellis cup in Japan on November 2 – the last time the Boks played an international game - while eight uncapped players were included. Joseph Dweba, Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, Jasper Wiese, Sanele Nohamba, Wandisile Simelane, Yaw Penxe, Rosko Specman and Aphelele Fassi are the newcomers rewarded with a chance to make…