Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-07-11 i Sunday Independent

Pali Lehohla THE MERRIAM-WEBSETER dictionary describes an idiot as a stupid person. In May 2018, Cope leader Willie Madisha had an entertaining exchange with then Speaker of Parliament Baleka Mbete. Madisha asserted that half of the people in Parliament were stupid. Naturally, Mbete was not impressed and ordered Madisha to withdraw the statement. But what Madisha applied instead was a mathematical set notation referred to as a compliment of the universe. If half of Parliament is not stupid, then the other half is stupid. Paradoxically, Mbete was pleased by the answer, perhaps affirming Madisha’s point. US wartime president Harry Truman once said: “My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, there’s hardly any difference.”…

Ougat – From A Hoe Into A Housewife, And Then Some by Shana Fife I READ an excerpt of Ougat and I burst out laughing. Shana Fife is a hilarious writer; even when she is writing about a really depressing and confusing time in her life, she still manages to lace it with so much humour you can’t help but throw your head back and laugh. Ougat is a story of survival: of surviving the social conditioning of her Cape Flats community, sexual violence and depression, and ultimately escaping a cycle of abuse. It’s dark humour, but it’s also so relatable. Skeem Saam (Viu/ SABC 1 6.30pm, weekdays) I suggest you tune into SABC 1’s daily drama, Skeem Saam, which has become a must-watch in recent months. The show,…

NATION From Page 1 Maphunye added that if Ramaphosa loses at the ANC conference next year, he could be given the same dose of medicine that Zuma was given, but this will depend on the extent to which substantial evidence could be dug up to charge Ramaphosa with anything related to what he did during his tenure of office. Professor Ralph Mathekga said the situation might end up with some of the ANC branches punishing the ruling party. “When the branches are not happy and feel the party is failing them, such behaviour results in a situation where we see people not campaigning. “The ANC depends a lot on its branches, and if they are not in a good shape and being torn like this, you might end up with…

Manyane Manyane manyane.manyane@inl.co.za THE Constitutional Court ruling on Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane's jurisdiction to investigate President Cyril Ramaphosa's CR17 campaign funding has reignited questions about transparency surrounding political party funding. While the apex court last week found that the investigation had not been within Mkhwebane's scope, the ruling didn’t close the door on the 2017 ANC leadership campaign being brought before the courts again. Ramaphosa is said to have received hundreds of millions of rands in campaign funding, which cast aspersions about the donors’ intentions. The AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism is set to return to the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria after the ConCourt ruled that the lower court erred in dismissing the organisation’s claim of constitutional invalidity of the Executive Ethics Code, which did not place an…

The alleged claim that eNCA blocked the news conference called by Jacob Zuma, is indeed very disturbing. The importance of free speech and expression as a valuable tool in a democratic society cannot be underestimated. In their efforts to provide the public with information about controversial yet important events, journalists in South Africa face constant intimidation, sometimes brutal deadly assaults, which constricts their ability to convey truthful information about cardinal and pivotal issues. It was Sir Winston Churchill who in 1949 offered these profound words: “A free press is the unsleeping guardian of every other right that free men prize, it is the most dangerous foe of tyranny. Under dictatorship the press is bound to languish. A vigilant press will continue to be the fourth estate, the vigilant guardian of…

The numbers of Covid-19 cases and deaths in South Africa have increased exponentially over the past 12 months. At the beginning of July 2020, the country had 168 000 cases and 2 844 deaths. A year later, at the start of July 2021, there were over two million confirmed cases and more than 61 000 deaths. These numbers are only a snapshot of the kind of pressure South Africa’s healthcare system is under. On the one hand, the country needs to drastically increase the number of frontline health workers. And on the other hand, there’s not enough money, according to acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, to employ medical interns, or even extra medical staff. Laetitia Rispel chaired the ministerial task team responsible for the development of the 2030 National Human…

Don Makatile don.makatile@inl.co.za TWINS Lwando and Lwazi Ndlangalavu have always gone into business together for double impact. Their strategy is proof that two heads are better than one. Just the other day they were punching above their weight in the liquid petroleum gas industry – and making a killing. Their latest venture is more attuned to their training as bean counters. They own 4surity (Pty) Ltd, a company headquartered in Johannesburg that offers Software as a Service (SaaS) that proactively monitors and reports on compulsory insurance cover cancellations or lapses on financed assets on behalf of banks. Lwazi (or is it Lwando?) explains their business: “When a bank finances a car or a house on hire purchase or mortgage agreement, one of the conditions of grant is a compulsory insurance…

Manyane Manyane manyane.manyane@inl.co.za RESIDENTS of Matjhabeng Local Municipality in the Free State say they are fed-up with the lack of service delivery, and are threatening to continue protesting until mayor Wilson Speelman resigns or is fired over allegations of corruption against him. The Matjhabeng Community Foundation, which has in the past been organising several marches, alleges that service delivery and the state of the municipality collapsed since Speelman took over the office in 2016. Matjhabeng comprises six towns: Welkom, Ventersburg, Hennenman, Odendaalsrus, Virginia and Allanridge. The foundation's secretary. Shima Mahlatsi last week said: “The situation in this area is bad. There’s a lack of development for small businesses by the municipality while sewage spillages are our daily experience. There’s a lack of youth development programmes in the municipality and the…

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) needs to be commended for having initiated a process to review whether the current conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic will be suitable for free and fair elections. Even more impressive is the fact that they decided to appoint Justice Dikgang Moseneke who is universally admired for his independence, integrity and knowledge of legal process, to lead this process. Many of us have appeared before Justice Moseneke to either motivate for the postponement of the 2021 Local Government Elections or to proceed under the current circumstances. Those who have argued for the retention of October 27 as the election date have basically centred their argument on two points. First, they have argued that this would be unconstitutional because such a move would offend section…

The Biden administration in the US signalling its intention to support a Covid intellectual property (IP) waiver was welcomed, alas, besides being a case of a ‘“too little, too late”. Since the early days of the pandemic, progressive international organisations such MSF (Doctors Without Borders) and the Third World Network (TWN), have strongly supported the TRIPS (The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) waiver proposal on grounds that it would accelerate efforts by developing countries to collectively fight the Covid-19 through creating requisite capacities for manufacturing the vital personal protective equipments including face masks, therapeutics, and vaccines. They argue correctly that the most practical way to ensure the availability of enough vaccines to meet the demand is through scaling up production. The IP protection acts as a legal…

A massive blaze tore through a Bangladesh factory killing at least 52 people trapped by flames that forced workers to leap for their lives from upper floors, emergency services said on Friday. About 30 people were injured in the fire, and hundreds of distraught relatives and other workers waited anxiously outside the food factory as it continued to rage. The inferno was the latest to tarnish Bangladesh’s safety record marred by a series of disasters in industrial complexes and apartment buildings. |…

SURREY will always be a part of Hashim Amla’s cricketing legacy. It was at Surrey’s home ground, the Oval, that Amla became South Africa’s first triple Test century maker with an unbeaten 311 against England in 2012. Nearly a decade later, playing for Surrey, Amla earlier this week played an innings, in absolute contrast, but as remarkable. Amla knows how to accelerate an innings. He has a T20 strike rate of 132 and an ODI strike rate close to 90. He has scored 18 452 runs in 247 First Class matches, which excludes List A matches, in which he scored 9 973 runs. He knows how to win the biggest matches with his appetite for runs, and his 311 against England led the Proteas to an innings and…

Ben Bierman JUST yesterday, we were preparing to celebrate the beginning of a new year. But since then, businesses have faced a gauntlet of hurdles brought about by Covid-19. They have adapted repeatedly and some have found ways to navigate this brand new business world. Halfway through the year, it is time to take a retrospective at what we have done and how far we have come. It is time to take stock once again and setting time aside to reflect on the goals that we set at the beginning of the year. Here are some central aspects to taking inventory and measuring your trajectory for meeting those goals. Review During the 1930s and 1940s, Globe Wernicke invented industrial “in and out” paper trays for clerks to sort their…

Buhle Mbonambi buhle.mbonambi@inl.co.za THE fashion industry has woken up from its Covid-19 induced slumber. In-person fashion shows are back and what better way to show that life is going back to normal (for some, anyway). Fashion week kicked off with Menswear Week 2022 at Pitti Uomo in Florence, Italy, where Thebe Magugu was one of the highlights. It was Magugu’s first-ever full menswear collection. He presented a collection that was a commentary on South Africa’s current environment. He was inspired by Mandy Wiener’s book Whistleblowers. He told Vogue: “A lot of the politicians that are mentioned in the book often escaped being interrogated, so I thought it was very interesting to place these words in that setting so people could imagine what that might look like.” Featured on the show…

Alyssia Birjalal alyssia.birjalal@inl.co.za South Africans and the rest of the world are obsessed with reality shows. Give us anything about people’s lives, be it locally produced or not, and whether we love it or not, we would gladly eat it up, crush the bones, suck the marrow and then when we are done, spit out the bones. That’s why Netflix’s announcement of its first African reality series, Young, Famous & African, could not have come at a better time. In fact it’s about time we celebrate and show off our very own African celebrities to the rest of the world instead of creating fame and wealth for unknown people overseas. With shows like Bling Empire, Made In Mexico, Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives and even Yummy Mummies being aired…

Manyane Manyane manyane.manyane@inl.co.za GOVERNMENT has promised to fight poverty and hunger through the basic income grant for persons under the age of 35 years. But the intended beneficiaries and analysts say this won't be a lasting solution. The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) last week said the government was planning to address the long-standing challenge of youth unemployment through the newly developed National Youth Policy. In an interview the department’s chief director, Bernice Hlagala, said the policy was aimed at strengthening youth development during and post the Covid-19 era. Hlagala said the DWYPD also seeks to find innovative ways to address the high unemployment rate, which is linked to mental health issues. DWYPD spokesperson Shalen Gajadhar said the basic income grant was a proposal made by…

Lesego Makgatho lesego.makgatho@inl.co.za What comes to mind when you think about sex? The expression of intimacy and love? Past shame and hurt? Current pleasure and play? Ongoing disappointment or surprise? A new book titled Touch: Sex, Sexuality and Sensuality is a striking anthology on sex as a vast, yet intertwined experience between people. The collection draws on the experiences of sex from people across genders, sexualities, and even borders. Sometimes political, sometimes personal, and sometimes even problematic, the book delves into the many ways in which sex features in our lives. Sex can be fun, tricky, heartbreaking, and sometimes non-existent and this book covers all this and much more. The pieces are real, expressive, poetic, touched by trauma, cathartic and sexy. Contributors to the compilation include South African singer-songwriter, actor,…

The rule of law has finally prevailed. South Africans should celebrate the decision of the former president, Jacob Zuma to hand himself over for his long awaited incarceration. He has been for some time acting in a delinquent manner; trying very hard to string along the judiciary. What’s worse is that he has been arrogant in doing this. Zuma somehow in his mind believed that he was untouchable and could do anything he wanted when it came to his faith with the judiciary. He got the taste of the rule of law. His strategy to portray himself as a victim of political conspiracy did not work for him. His advisers have clearly ill-advised him and now he must suffer the consequences. It is not true that there is some political…

Law enforcement agencies bear the unenviable responsibility of taking no prisoners in order to restore calm and a sense of normality to KwaZulu-Natal, which has erupted into anarchy since Wednesday when former president Jacob Zuma was escorted to prison to serve his 15-month jail term for contempt of court. This is no time for meaningless platitudes. The moment calls for decisive action and leadership. A number of trucks, about 25 at the last count, had been set alight as protesters calling for the release of Zuma went on the rampage across his home province. Scenes of the burning carnage and thereafter looters stripping the wreckage of car parts have filled television screens and were shared widely on social media. Throughout all this madness and wanton destruction some, like Zuma’s daughter…

Roland Mpofu roland.mpofu@inl.co.za The latest Covid-19 infections, hospital admissions and fatalities in South Africa paint a picture of a country deep in the throes of the pandemic. This week alone, over 400 deaths were recorded daily for three consecutive days, suggesting the emergence of a growing trend. Health experts say the spike in Covid-19 related deaths is caused by the health system starting to buckle under the pressure of the high test positivity rate, as well as the slow vaccination drive, that could have saved many lives, if more people were vaccinated at least two weeks prior to the third wave of infections. Nationally, 22 443 new cases and 374 deaths were recorded on Friday night. Some 63 873 have succumbed to the virus in the country since the pandemic…

AFTER nine rollercoaster days of intense emotions and high drama, our fourth head of state began his unfortunate, but inevitable and extraordinary imprisonment for contempt of court on Thursday. While those who blame him for all our public and personal ills may rejoice, it was a sad day for our hard-won but fragile democracy that we reached this grave pass. Usually sharp-witted, quick to laugh – especially at his own foibles – time has taken its toll on this tough, proud leader who has survived ridicule, diminution of his contributions, and numerous challenges. Even his fiercest critics would have felt a modicum of pity at the drawn, exhausted leader we saw at his press conference last Sunday evening. As he was driven at break-neck speed from Nkandla to the Estcourt…

Shannon Ebrahim shannon.ebrahim@inl.co.za Haiti is in the depths of crisis following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on Wednesday this week. The state has never been so weak, and the volatile situation could easily spiral out of control. The country currently has two competing constitutions, no sitting parliament, overdue elections, a chief justice who just died of Covid-19, and an incumbent prime minister, Claude Joseph who was supposed to be replaced this week by Ariel Henry, but who has now declared “a state of siege” which translates into the borders being closed and martial law declared. The now assassinated Moïse was an enigma. On the one hand he sounded very much like the only real “people’s president” Haiti ever had – former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide – as far as the…

THE compliments came thick and fast as Pitso Mosimane spoke of Kaizer Chiefs ahead of his clash with Amakhosi in the CAF Champions League final in Casablanca next weekend. But they were, typically, not bereft of the subtle Jingles jibe that many often fail to pick up on. Now in charge of Al Ahly of Egypt, Jingles is on the verge of becoming the joint second most successful coach in continental football should he lead the Red Devils to their tenth triumph in Africa’s premier club knockout competition. A four-time winner on the continent – two Champions League and two CAF Super Cup titles – he will join Tunisian Faouzi Benzarti on five titles with victory next Saturday. Portuguese Jose Manuel is the leader with eight. In a…

ENGLAND and Italy are counting down to the Euro 2020 final, with Gareth Southgate’s men seeking to end a 55-year trophy drought and the Italians aiming to spoil the Wembley party. Sporting immortality beckons for England captain Harry Kane and his teammates, who are desperate to etch their names in the record books by winning just the second major trophy in the nation’s history. Wembley, which was also the venue for England’s 1966 World Cup triumph, will host around 65 000 fans for the game despite coronavirus restrictions still in place. England began the tournament as one of several contenders to lift the trophy and have taken advantage of playing all but one of their matches at home. Southgate’s men will be willed on by the vast majority of a…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za CRICKET South Africa’s Social Justice Nation-building project is a necessarily painful exercise. Already, in the first week, through what the ombudsman, Dumisa Ntsebeza, termed the ‘scene-setters’ – anecdotes emerged, which left those delivering them close to tears. Norman Arendse, the former Cricket SA president, who will serve on the new board as an independent director, spoke about how the current generation of cricketers in this country stood on the shoulders of players, who many would not have heard about. “I’ve played with great cricketers that have never had the opportunity to represent their country. The most recent one, who is my age, is Vincent Barnes. But some of the older players like Lefty Adams, Rushdie Magiet, the late Saait Magiet, Coetie Neethling, Archie Sonn, a beautiful swing…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa looks likely to extend stricter lockdown regulations for a further two weeks as the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic continues to ravage South Africa. The extension will see businesses in the tourism, hospitality and alcohol industries continue taking a heavy toll amid calls for the easing of the restrictions. Anchor Capital’s Nolan Wapenaar said maintaining the current level would push some restaurants, hotels and leisure businesses past the point of no return. Wapenaar said reducing the lockdown restrictions too soon would cost human lives and also place a further burden on a hospital system that is at capacity. “We have also noted that the consumer and business confidence levels are fickle and a protracted downturn in these could jeopardize the nascent recovery of our…

Jamal Grootboom jamal.grootboom@inl.co.za AMALA Ratna Zandile Dlamini, better known as Doja Cat, has cemented her place in the music industry. Having recently released her highly anticipated third album, Planet Her, the Kiss Me More hitmaker’s album, has received overwhelming praise, getting a 7.8 rating on Pitchfork, four stars on NME and 77% on MetaCritic. Planet Her is one of the best albums to be released this year. From the Afrobeats-inspired opening track, Woman, to Get Into It (Yuh), which pays homage to female hip hop star Nicki Minaj, Doja seamlessly weaves together trap, pop and various other genres for an eclectic mix of songs that show her versatility as a rapper and singer. However, there was a period in her rise to stardom that she was close to being cancelled.…

Mzilikazi wa Afrika and Karabo Ngoepe A criminal case has been opened against a journalist who allegedly stole and distributed Jacob Zuma’s prison photos. Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo yesterday confirmed that the case was opened at Escourt police station after a prison warder claimed that the journalist, who cannot be named yet, stole his SD card with the Zuma pictures from his camera and later distributed them. “She has been identified and all relevant information has been shared with (the) law enforcement (agency). “A DCS official has also been suspended in this regard. The investigation continues in spite of these developments as we want to leave no stone unturned,” said Nxumalo. The former president will not enjoy visits from his family as Correctional Services stamps its authority during his…

The incumbent king who succeeded his father, must unite all African nations on the continent. But, before that, I would like to remind the children of the late king of AmaZulu that the Zulu kingship does not belong only to their bloodline, but also to the Zulu people and children of Mnguni, as well as the descendants of Muntu or Batho. Additionally, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, was appointed by the ways of our forefathers to be guardian and guide of royal protocol. Above that, royal authority comes from the power of God. It is important that the descendants of royalty are mindful of their actions and words in a constitutional democracy and should not recklessly and emotionally include feminism and democracy in royal matters. What should be known by all…

Dr Abdul-Karim G Elgoni Last week, the African Diaspora Forum (ADF) lost one of its hard-working leaders, Gabriel Hertis, an activist for the rights of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa. Gabriel succumbed to a short illness on July 2. His untimely death robbed our community of one of its pillars, whose leadership and dedication to working with and for migrants was the driving force behind the ADF. Gabriel worked with the founding leaders of the ADF in building a strong organisation that has become known continentally and internationally as a strong defender of the rights of migrants, human rights and a service provider to thousands in need. A staunch Christian who always spoke about the need to keep praying for God’s favour and mercy, Gabriel was one…

Watchers of the South African political scene would not miss pointing out that former president Jacob Zuma and his see-saw decision-making lapses evoke very steeped positions peppered with emotions from either side of his serial sagas. Zuma brings out the worst or the best in people. Persistent mention of his name points to the question of whether or not there is a government. If there is, there would not have been as many civil society organisations (CSOs) seized with the exercise of public power in one direction or another. Since the government is the people and the people are the government, the people cannot escape blame for the Zuma factor and cannot plead not guilty to the mess. The executive became delinquent to a point. In defending Zuma in…

Saturation media coverage of the stand-off between the SAPS and Nkandla crowds ignoring lockdown regulations raise questions about double standards in imposing sanctions. There were good reasons for that initial SAPS inaction, but there is cause for concern about the way in which Covid-19 regulations have been implemented since March last year, exacerbated by the promulgation of new, unnecessarily draconian, criminal offences during the current level 4 lockdown. Although the Nkandla gathering was a super-spreader, attempts by the SAPS to arrest people would probably have led to a blood-bath, given the climate of incitement by well-armed Jacob Zuma supporters. The SAPS reportedly has images and video footage, so the immediate imperative is to arrest all leaders and organisers of the gathering, and travelling from Gauteng, and inciting and firing guns…

AFRICA marked its worst pandemic week ever, but the worst is yet to come says the World Health Organization (WHO). With the third wave gaining new ground across the continent, WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti said the end to this precipitous rise is still weeks away. “Covid-19 cases are doubling now every 18 days, compared with every 21 days only a week ago,” Moeti said. More than 5.7 million cases have been reported in Africa and 140 000 deaths. | See https://bit.ly/IOLAfricaCovid…

Domestic and overseas fans will be barred from all Olympic venues in Tokyo and three surrounding regions over virus risks, putting most of the Games behind closed doors. But a handful of events are taking place outside the capital, with different rules for those areas. In Tokyo and the prefectures of Chiba, Saitama and Kanagawa, all fans will be barred from all events. Tokyo will be under a virus state of emergency until August 22, which largely involves limiting alcohol sales and restaurant opening hours.…

KAIZER Chiefs strongman Daniel Cardoso can rightly feel aggrieved that after playing six years for the most storied club in the history of South African football, he has yet to win a trophy. The tough-as-nails central defender was signed from Free State Stars by Stuart Baxter in 2015, a few months after Chiefs had landed the double, which included the league and MTN 8 titles. The closest Cardoso has come to a championship medal was league runners-up last season after Chiefs topped the standings for most of the way. Now Cardoso is reunited with Baxter, who has arrived at Chiefs for a second stint. He is well aware of Baxter’s earlier achievements of winning the 2012-13 Premier Soccer League and defeating SuperSport United 1-0 to win the Nedbank…

WORLD number one Ash Barty became the first Australian woman to win the Wimbledon singles title for 41 years yesterday when she defeated Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-3 6-7(4) 6-3 in the final. The 25-year-old Barty, who won her maiden Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2019, emulated her idol Evonne Goolagong who claimed the second of her All England Club titles in 1980. “I hope I made Evonne proud,” Barty said on court after the trophy presentation. “This is incredible.” Ten years after winning the girls’ singles title at Wimbledon as a 15-year-old, Barty came into yesterday’s final having won five of the seven matches she had played against Pliskova. She breezed to a 4-0 lead against the former world number one with a double break. Pliskova appeared all at…

Debashine Thangevelo SA’s local content deserves to be celebrated as much as international content, if not more. From our gifted creators, actors and behind-the-scenes crew, we are producing world-class content while staying true to our roots. Nqobile, a new 13-part drama series, is a testament to our great storytelling. This home-grown slice of life is a gritty and compelling watch. Nqobile Khumalo, who fans will recall from Scandal! and Isibaya, is formidable as the title character. She taps into a wide range of emotions, evolving from a grief-stricken and abused wife to a pioneering businesswoman. The series opens with flashbacks of her son drowning in the family pool. This has created a huge rift between her and her husband Simo (Kagiso Modupe). However, his father George (Magic Hlatshwayo) is Nqobile’s…