Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-09-19 i Sunday Independent

BEN BIERMAN THE first five years in the life cycle of a startup are its most crucial. The formative years are for trial and error, this is when you get to experiment with marketing channels, cement your value proposition and finally, establish whether your predictions on market appetite for your product or service was accurate. The formative years are for trial and error, this is when you get to experiment with marketing channels, cement your value proposition and finally, establish whether your predictions on market appetite for your product or service were accurate. Unfortunately, as part one in this series explained, the majority of start-ups in South Africa fail within the first year. Most SMEs never really get off the ground, and it’s important to delve deeper into why…

There are several factors that should not be overlooked when addressing the high rate of teenage pregnancy in South Africa A teenage pregnancy, as defined by the American Pregnancy Association, is a pregnancy that occurs for a woman under the age of 20. A young woman 12 years and under who falls pregnant, although not a teenager, falls under this definition as well. Factors such as ignorance, risky behaviour, a lack of strong family structure, poverty and gender inequality contribute to the high rate of teenage pregnancy. Structurally, the limitation of access to contraceptives, inconsistent and incorrect use thereof, coupled with the restricted access to termination and the shaming that follows it, make teenagers prone to fall into this vicious cycle. Teenage pregnancy rates in South Africa have reached alarming…

Mervyn Naidoo and Linda Gumede A successful bid to preserve a luxury car worth more than R500 000 and allegedly used by the man dubbed the “Woolworths looter” was made by the State at the Durban High Court, on Friday. The National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) held the view that the accused, Mbuso Moloi, used the Mercedes Benz C300 Coupé to commit his alleged crimes. The AFU accordingly filed a “preservation of property” application, which was granted. But when approached for comment at his Pinetown home, yesterday, Moloi denied that his car had been “seized” and said he was not in a position to comment further. His attorney, Mfanafuthi Biyela, also claimed to have no knowledge of such action. Video footage of Moloi, 30, apparently exiting the Woolworths…

From Page 1 Yesterday, Saturday, in Cape Town, the World Health Organization(WHO) said Africa remains behind the rest of the world in vaccinations administered, with only 3.6% of the continent’s population fully vaccinated. WHO Africa Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said at least 470 million doses of vaccines are expected to be delivered to African countries via the Covax facility by December. “Export bans and vaccine hoarding still have a chokehold on the lifeline of vaccine supplies to Africa. As long as wealthy countries lock Covax and the African Union out of the market, Africa will miss its vaccination goals,” she warned. This was also a key message from Abdool Karim at the Asmal lecture. Emphasising the need for servant leaders apply today as much as it did…

Lesego Makgatho lesego.makgatho@inl.co.za If there’s an author who’s been a literary treasure to South Africa, it has got to be Mandla Langa. The 71-year-old writer with African spirituality has come forth with a new book titled, The Lost Language of The Soul. This brilliant novel follows the life of 14-year-old Joseph Mabaso, who embarks on a journey of self-knowledge. He meets his unlikely guides: Sobhuza, a freedom fighter; Chikwedere, a stonecutter and illicit trader; Madala, who helps him home in on his own voice; Leila and her horses; and Auntie Susie Juma, the unofficial Zambian ambassador in Yeoville, Johannesburg. Each of these Dantean characters assists Joseph in bringing his daring quest to a soul-stirring end. Joseph is used to his father Sobhuza’s long absences from the family home in Lusaka,…

THE litany of challenges facing the ANC as the country builds up to the local government elections in November, by most indications, suggests that the liberation movement is firmly on a downward spiral and stands to concede more ground in the key metropolitan cities that propel the South African economy. The last elections in 2016 marked a watershed moment for the ANC as opposition coalitions unseated it from Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay, three important cities for their symbolism as the economic hubs and seat of government. The laws of the country were already being made in Cape Town, the bastion of the fierce rival that is the DA. The ANC had also barely hung on to power in Ekurhuleni, where it had to share power with other smaller…

Violent extremism is often a symptom of state fragility and weak social cohesion. It tends to take root in marginalised areas where the state is not adequately attending to community needs and grievances, which are then easily mobilised. Young people with little hope for their future are particularly vulnerable. While governments tend to pursue “hard security” responses in such contexts, there is a growing awareness that this will not solve the issues. The causes of violent extremism are complex and multifaceted, stemming from a mix of historical, political, economic and social, and psychological push-and-pull factors, including grievances around economic and political exclusion on the one hand, and ideology and material benefits that transform grievances into violent extremist action, on the other. The alarming conclusions of US military intervention in Afghanistan,…

Western countries are increasingly focused on strengthening their political and economic presence in Africa to counter the rising power of China. But in doing so, they are merely paying lip service to the global human rights agenda and the fight against racism. In fact, a number of South Africa’s major western trading partners – the US, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Canada and Australia are refusing to participate in the events commemorating the anniversary of the Durban declaration against racism on the grounds of its alleged anti-Israeli nature. This month marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations World Conference Against Racism that was held in Durban in 2001. The objectives of the Durban Conference were, according to UN resolution 52/111, to review existing racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance, and…

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused the EU of not approving his government’s post-coronavirus recovery plan due to a row over LGBTQ rights. The European Commission is responsible for paying out the bloc’s E800 billion (about R14bn) pandemic recovery fund but has yet to give Hungary the greenlight for its E7.2bn plan. Tensions with its EU partners boiled over in June after an anti-LGBTQ law adopted by the Hungarian parliament, which critics say equates paedophilia to homosexuality. |…

Pali Lehohla IN 2010, NIGERIAN intellectual and former director of the African Institute of Economic Development and Planning Adebayo Olukoshi, and I were part of a team of four assigned to undertake a review of the Human Science Research Council. After providing an analysis of the problem, Adebayo concluded, to our amazement, that parts of the system were “uselessed”. He had turned an adjective into a verb. He explained how the term “uselessing” in Nigeria describes, in large part, the mismanagement and corruption that had come to define Nigeria as a country and a people in common parlance. South Africa having been the last to be liberated from colonial and apartheid domination in Africa has had major benefit of learning from the 60-year experience of those that got independence…

Buhle Mbonambi buhle.mbonambi@inl.co.za A few weeks ago I got an invite for a cook-along with celebrity chef, restaurateur and My Kitchen Rules SA (MKRSA) co-host and judge David Higgs. I quickly accepted. A few weeks ago too, I had joined the M-Net show's launch of the third season of MKRSA, which premieres on Sunday at 6pm – and where Higgs and his co-host, J’Something, cooked a simple shitake mushroom and edamame beans ramen dish. But this time we were going gourmet. Higgs has signed up with meal kit company, UCook, to curate dishes from his award-winning restaurants, Marble and Saint, and also his book, Mile 8. I often remind myself that I need to go to all the top restaurants in the country so I can write with authority on…

Both Betrand Russell and Charles Bukowski have paraphrased the saying: The trouble with the world is that fools are sure of themselves while the wise are full of doubt. Luckily for South Africa and by extension, the world, have wise men like world-renowned epidemiologist Professor Salim Abdool Karim who do not shy away from calling it as it is. When Professor Karim speaks, we have learnt that it is wise to take heed. At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, he emerged as the lodestar in our arsenal against the pandemic. Pity we couldn’t keep him long in the think-tank against the coronavirus as he had to return to his first love and vocation, the treatment of HIV. We quote him elsewhere in our pages today speaking at the 10th…

From Page 1 “Kindly note that the matter is close to finalisation. Once finalised, the PSC will communicate accordingly. The director-general post was advertised and the selection process is at an advanced stage,” Madikizela said. The two love birds were investigated after the Sunday Independent exposed their romantic relationship in January last year, after the baby’s mother was employed to a top position in December 2019. At the time of the exposé both parties rubbished the story and even denied that they had a relationship or had had a child together. It was during the disciplinary hearing that the woman admitted that they “had unprotected sex” with Mamphiswana nine years ago. During her disciplinary hearing, the woman also confirmed the Sunday Independent report that she and Mamphiswana visited Home Affairs…

From Page 1 Money in this account is earmarked for the purposes of the country’s various crime fighting agencies.” When Moloi was asked about the car’s whereabouts and whether he would challenge the preservation order, he said: “I don’t know anything about any car being seized. What are you talking about? What I know is that I’m looking forward to my next court date on 12 October.” His lawyer, Mfanafuthi Biyela, said he had not received any information about the preservation matter. “I cannot comment on something that has not been brought to my attention. I can confirm that my office has not received any information regarding my client’s car being seized,” said Biyela. Samuels said, in his affidavit, that on July 12, the manager of the Woolworths store, who…

Edwin Naidu Universities in South Africa retain outdated, often discriminatory cultures which are exclusionary, so there must be a concerted effort to fight discrimination with a more significant commitment to social justice, said Professor Sibongile Muthwa, Nelson Mandela University Vice-Chancellor and head of Universities SA (Usaf). “In many ways, we would like to see universities make a greater commitment to inclusion to fighting discrimination and be strongly committed to social justice,” she said. Speaking ahead of next month’s major indaba on current pressing problems and challenges for the tertiary sector, hosted jointly by Usaf and the Council on Higher Education, she said the conference would focus on critical debate around the knowledge project, which remained in need of transformation. “Underpinned by issues such as, Fees Must Fall, for example,…

Manyane Manyane manyane.manyane@inl.co.za A raid at the Boksburg Correctional Service Centre on Friday last week left some inmates injured after scuffles broke out between prisoners and the guards. According to inmates who spoke to the Sunday Independent this week, the clash came after they submitted a formal complaint about the centre’s head, Hendrik Smith, on September 1, accusing him of a number of infringements, including assault and failing to provide good living conditions. A few days after the submission, the inmates said, a group of guards arrived at the prison and beat them while looking for drugs and dangerous objects. They claimed that the authorities were also looking for some of the inmates who had led the delegation. The chaos was captured on video. According to one inmate, the…

LEKGANTSHI CONSOLE TLEANE MAHMOOD Mamdani’s style of writing is defined by preoccupation with issues of bifurcation, a term that he uses in one of his books. For him, the separation of phenomena into two different parts often fails to recognise the existence of complexities that may assist us to better understand how things function. In this latest offering, Neither Settler nor Native: The Making and Unmaking of Permanent Minorities, Mamdani advances the central thesis that the emergence of political modernity in Europe, which included the notion of toleration for minorities, gave rise to the nation-state as we know it. This involved the use of race to establish a political formation called the nation, which is based on exclusion of others who may be “different”. This in turn got mixed with…

THE spectre of the many killings before the 2016 local government elections looms large over the elections on November 1. Thus far, there has been less violence than in 2016, but with the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s reopening of candidate lists, recent deaths and injuries linked to politics fuel fears that violence may escalate in the coming weeks. Immediate steps to prevent conflict could include monitoring ward meetings by senior party members and the police, subject to checks on links with candidates to ensure independence. However, the conflict linked to politics is part of a wider violence problem of the routine use of hit men, guns and corrupt policing needing urgent attention. As in the 2016 elections, intra-ANC conflict is most in evidence, as factions continue to dominate the…

American news magazine TIME released its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world this week, with several African game-changers making the prestigious list. These are the Africans, either born on, or with roots to the continent, that made the cut for 100 Most Influential People on the list this year. 1. Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Nigeria) The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WHO) was named alongside world leaders like US President Joe Biden, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Earlier this year Okonjo-Iweala made history by becoming the first woman and first African selected to head the WTO. 2. Angelique Kidjo (Benin) Four-time Grammy Award winner Kidjo is one of the greatest artists in international music today, a creative force with thirteen albums to her name.…

Shannon Ebrahim shannon.ebrahim@inl.co.za THE US’s legacy of brutal mass torture and abuse that it presided over in the years following the 9/11 attacks did irrevocable damage to its standing in the world. It made a mockery of the US as a global leader, exposed its willingness to violate international law and to violate every aspect of the Convention against Torture, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment. The CIA and its black sites established across the world did more damage to global efforts to enshrine human rights than anything that preceded it, and after the extent of the CIA’s brutality was exposed, the US could never pretend to be a shining light on a hill (not that it ever was). The CIA and the US military’s gross abuses of human rights across the…

MIHLALI BALEKA mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za KAIZER CHIEFS (0) (1) Hlanti 74’ ROYAL AM (1) (4) Letsoalo 34’, 67’, Mabiliso (OG) 76’, Thikazi 90+5 IT might be early days, but pressure appears to be mounting for coach Stuart Baxter after his Kaizer Chiefs side were hammered 4-1 by new kids on the block Royal AM in a DStv Premiership match at the FNB Stadium yesterday evening. This was Chiefs’ second successive defeat. A week ago, they were beaten 2-0 by champions Mamelodi Sundowns in Tshwane. That loss away from…

Clinton Moodley MANY people shy away from travel because they think it is expensive and unattainable. Most scroll through their Instagram feeds with fomo, wondering how they can get a slice of the travel lifestyle without the hefty price tag that comes with it. Many travel-obsessed wanderers have explored for free for years, soaking in the sights, sounds and smells of destinations. Over the years, there have been many unique and exciting ways that travellers ventured out without forking out any extra cash. The secret is research. I mean, you can’t expect to have a free travel trip fall into your lap without some effort. There are plenty of ways to travel for free. The first and undoubtedly easiest way to travel for free is by visiting free attractions. Some…

“I am surrounded by idiots.’’ – Scar in Lion King Discovery has become the first JSE-listed company to announce mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for all staff in early 2022. Other Top-40 JSE-listed employers are expected to follow suit. We all know about stock exchanges and herd mentality. At least one news editor cheered the company on in an editorial, saying: “Leaders would be wise to follow Discovery's example and hold firm on vaccines.” To anti-vaxxers – sorry to disappoint, this township doctor is 100% supportive of science, medical engineering, human progress and vaccines or immune modulators. But, Discovery may have jumped the gun here. It is rather premature in the evolution of the response to the pandemic to threaten to limit employees’ personal rights and freedoms. It is also an inappropriate…

Mzilikazi Wa Afrika THE PUBLIC Service Commission (PSC) must remain without reproach as it is the heartbeat of good governance, according to the senior official who blew the whistle on how then commission DG Dovhani Mamphiswana chaired an interviewing panel that recommended the appointment of his “baby mama” to a top position. The comment, made yesterday, followed the dismissal on Friday of Mamphiswana’s “baby mama” and the decision that the state must recoup more than R1 million from her. “I was brave enough to stand up against our disgraced DG, who was a powerful man at the time and my boss, and his mistress to expose this unethical behaviour. “The Sunday Independent is also vindicated as all along these people wanted the world to believe that the story was fake…

Don Makatile don.makatile@inl.co.za THERE’S a new sheriff in town and, like the proverbial broom, he’s already sweeping clean. Advocate Boyce Mkhize is the head honcho of the Community Scheme Ombud Service (CSOS), “a national public entity established in terms of the CSOS Act No. 9 of 2011, which was instituted in 2016 as an alternative dispute resolution body designed to resolve administrative disputes in all types of community schemes”. If you live in a block of flats or apartment, you may be familiar with the unpleasant living experience of sharing your space with horrible neighbours or a bully of a body corporate. The CSOS acknowledges that “grievances abound in shared living spaces. Neighbours are inconsiderate, trustees are authoritarian, rules are unreasonable, managing agents are incompetent … you name it”. The…

Don Makatile don.makatile@inl.co.za Every business school must have taught a module on the prudence of letting the rand circulate a few times before it leaves a community. Legend has it that wherever they find themselves around the world, Armenians will allow the currency to change hands among them before going out. It would seem that the people of Soweto have finally heeded this lesson and want to keep the rand among themselves for a little while longer. For the second year running, Sowetans want to trade among themselves before going out to shop from outsiders. A vehicle called the Soweto Republic, how apt, is hosting the second annual Soweto Brands Producers Movement market on Heritage Day, 24 September in Naledi, further west of the sprawling township. Kgora Mataboge of Soweto…

Thanks to NB Publishers, keen readers interested in South Africa’s “Social History”, are in for a treat from a new book about the life-story of Jaki Stone Seroke, entitled Zwelethu – Our Land. Explicably, Zwelethu was Seroke’s nickname, inspired from his affiliation to the Pan African Congress (PAC) of Azania’s “rallying open palm salute” Izwe lethu. He is among the hordes of obscure and avant garde “black” South African activists or Sons of the Soil subscribing to the motto of Serve, Suffer and Sacrifice. In their parlance within PAC, their reference to Azania is their adopted name for South Africa. Seroke’s book is invigorating, as it successfully foregrounds details about him and other activists whose diverse contributions remain less known apropos South Africa’s socio-political struggles. The latter is significant…

There have been high hopes placed on the Intra-Africa Trade Fair (IATF), an exhibition taking place in November this year, with intentions of bolstering the revenue made and kept on the African continent. A delegation of African leaders met for the signing ceremony, at the International Convention Centre in Durban, this week. The 2021 host Rwanda encountered complications and South Africa was nominated to host the fair, said KZN MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Ravi Pillay. |…

France’s education minister urged teachers to be vigilant after a bizarre cyber-harassment campaign erupted among pupils on Friday targeting those born in 2010. The viral hashtag #anti2010 has alarmed parents because it involves 10- and 11-year-olds in the sixth grade – which marks the entry into secondary school. The origins of the insults and online threats are unclear but appear to have emerged on the TikTok video sharing platform that is hugely popular with young people, possibly in response to video games. |…

AMAZULU showed fortitude to thrash Nyasa Big Bullets 3-1 at the Bingu National Stadium in Malawi yesterday afternoon. The result meant that Usuthu won the two-legged play-off 3-2 on aggregate after losing the first leg 1-0 in Durban last week. Benni McCarthy’s side have advanced to the CAF Champions League second preliminary round and will play against Congolese giants TP Mazembe next month. Usuthu’s goals came via a brace from striker Bongi Ntuli while veteran Siphelele Mthembu, who looked dangerous for his side throughout the game, completed the rout in the second half. Usuthu led after four minutes when they were awarded a penalty following a handball from the home side. Ntuli stepped up and slotted home successfully. Seven minutes later, Ntuli notched his brace when Mthembu’s back-heel found…

Clinton Moodley DAY trips allow travellers to explore South Africa on a budget. Here’s how to spend less than R150 in these nine provinces: KwaZulu-Natal Hillcrest Paintball Guests can enjoy paintball, laser tag and Airsoft, suitable for ages 16 and older. Two paintball games, including a protective mask, jacket and 200 paintballs, cost R150 per person. Laser tag starts from R120 per person for four games and all equipment. Visit www.hillcrestpaintball.co.za Pure Venom Located in Shelly Beach on the South Coast, Pure Venom is known as the biggest reptile farm in Africa. There is also a petting zoo. Entry costs R140 for adults and R120 for children aged 4 to 12 years, and pensioners. See www.purevenom.com Eastern Cape Morgan Bay Cliffs The escapement boasts some stunning views – and…