Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-09-26 i Sunday Independent

Wesley Diphoko wesley@fastcompany.co.za THE South African tourism industry has been one of the hardest hit industries in the pandemic. Today, Airbnb is announcing a new three-year commitment in South Africa to address barriers to becoming a tourism entrepreneur, and to help rebuild a more inclusive and resilient domestic tourism economy. The commitment, focused on infrastructure, training and investment, builds on Airbnb’s 2017 $1 million commitment in Africa to boost community-led tourism projects, and the Africa Academy, which has trained more than 300 hosts who earned more than R2.8m in 18 months. Building a stronger and more sustainable tourism industry in South Africa will take collaboration from all stakeholders, including Airbnb, and will require balanced and evidence-based regulation. In June, Airbnb set out its support for a simple, online and proportionate…

Pali Lehohla At the 42nd UN Statistical Commission held in New York in February 2011, I was invited to present on the subject of UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics: Threats and Responses. One country, Argentina, had not endeared itself and had persistently violated and endangered these principles. The government of that country had decided to change the consumer price index, fired the head of the division that was responsible for this index, and created an equivalent of apartheid- era “Sobukwe law” for Graciela Bavcqua. The Argentine delegation stormed out of my presentation in protest while loudly announcing “mastido, mastido” (liar, liar). Bavacqua continued to produce the consumer price index outside the Statistics Office and faced the wrath of the authorities, which included the prospect of losing her house if…

Debashine Thangevelo debashine.thangevelo@inl.co.za When Blood & Water debuted on Netflix last year, it was a bona fide hit. Suffice to say, fans were over the moon when the youth drama series was renewed for a second season. In between those Heritage Day braais, streamers bunkered down to catch up on the unfolding suspense over whether Fikile “Fiks” Bhele (Khosi Ngema) is or isn’t Puleng Khumalo’s (Ama Qamata) sister, who was abducted at birth. I don’t blame them, though, Gambit Films don’t disappoint. The writers have ingeniously penned this web of intrigue, laden with stumbling blocks, intense drama and a sprinkling of light-hearted moments. Every character, no matter their questionable actions, has a redemptive journey. The new 7-part series picks up several weeks later as everyone prepares for their first day…

Roland Mpofu roland.mpofu@inl.co.za The battle between the medical service providers (MSP) and the embattled Compensation Fund (CF) about the new regulations that may “spell the demise” of the MSP is far from over, as the CF has been forced to withdraw its notice in the Government Gazette at the last hour. The new regulations published by the CF in the Government Gazette on September 10, 2021, mean that the CF will no longer accept nominated bank accounts of agents, including third-party administrators, for repayment of claims. As of September 30, 2021, the Fund will only make payments into the bank accounts of medical service providers who provide the service to the injured worker. However, the Injured Workers’ Action Group (IWAG) – a coalition of affected and concerned parties –…

From Page 1 Dr Kajal Lutchminarian, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, former Miss India Worldwide and member of the KZN Specialist Network, representing about 400 medical specialists in private practice, said similar cries for help had been made but had been falling on deaf ears. Lutchminarian said, historically, medicine was a man’s world, and claimed women had to contend with misogynistic behaviour from patients, often being mistaken for nurses or addressed without the title of doctor. She asked that a “safe space” be created to protect women, so that patients or colleagues don’t feel a right to use them as a physical or emotional punching bag. “Male colleagues who suffer from an inferiority complex, or are threatened by a woman who can do the same work, sought to make themselves…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za Deputy President David Mabuza has drummed up support in Limpopo where he raised the alarm about a possible low voter turnout in the local government elections. Mabuza, who was campaigning in Polokwane in Limpopo yesterday, said the ANC must garner support to retain wards and municipalities it controls and also increase support in areas they did not do well in in the 2016 municipal polls. The ANC has deployed its big guns across the nine provinces with five weeks left before the November 1 elections. On his campaign trail, yesterday Mabuza said the ANC had to listen to the needs of communities. The deputy president said community members had raised concerns about lack of service delivery in some areas, matters they raised with regional leaders in Limpopo.…

Malaika wa Azania THE story of colonial conquest and imperial devastation is often told in the language of macro impacts – in the amount of land violently dispossessed, the number of the colonised shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to work as slaves in the plantations of the Americas, and in the statistics of the brutally maimed and murdered. This is also true of the story of apartheid in South Africa – a story often told about draconian laws that stripped black people of their humanness, of the massacres that claimed the lives of the unnamed, and of the heroes, mostly men, who went to prison for decades or led the liberation movements from underground. Very rarely is the story of colonialism and of apartheid told as a story of families…

Municipalities in South Africa do not have the infrastructure or a viable plan to link up societal needs and decentralised economic growth to create viable municipalities. It is now accepted that the corrupt tender system, pervasive destruction of existing infrastructure, and failure to expand infrastructure inherited from the apartheid government after 1994 have contributed mainly to municipalities' deteriorating infrastructure balance sheet. The problem of poor infrastructure is made worse by the lack of coherent plans to reimagine South Africa's cities outside apartheid spatial planning – we should expand on this view. Since 1994, South Africa has gone down a path of deindustrialisation with devastating consequences on the economy. As the economy continues to deteriorate, with no prospects of a turning point, the ruling party continues to implement misguided austerity-orientated fiscal…

Ruth Pollard and David Fickling ONE of the Taliban’s first acts after it swept to power in Afghanistan a month ago was to force most working women out of their jobs and into their homes. That’s going to add to the risk of starvation facing the country after years of crop failures and the collapse of this year’s wheat harvest. In an aid-dependent economy in deep trouble, the sudden removal of tens of thousands of wage earners, many supporting large, extended families, adds to the numbers facing hunger in a country where 47.3% live below the poverty line. What happens outside the cities could be even more devastating. Women make up nearly a third of the rural labour force. Without them, the problems of a country that’s barely able…

Clinton Moodley clinton.moodley@inl.co.za In betweeN the effects of the pandemic, the economy, the political climate and work stress, life can get overwhelming. We worry and become anxious, leading to a decline in our health and mental state. In these times, taking care of our mental health should be a priority – and the best cure to boost mental health can be a holiday. “Just taking a break from your daily routine sets you in a more jovial mood,” said Modipadi Phoku, a South African travel agent. “Exploring new cuisine, meeting new people, and observing different cultures can make you appreciate life a bit more. It can give you a new perspective on life and subconsciously help you solve a problem you’ve been battling with,” she added. Here are 5 trips…

BEN BIERMAN PART two of this series spoke to the importance of establishing and implementing a business model that is both functional and adaptable to socio-economic change. It also covered the centrality of business development and asked, “what’s next?” Part three references findings from the Business Partners Limited’s Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Index for the second quarter of 2021 measuring the attitudes and confidence levels of South African SME owners. The survey pointed to insufficient cash flow and lack of funding as major challenges for South African SMEs which often result in the failure of a venture. The issue of finance is more convoluted than many entrepreneurs realise. Let’s explore this issue in more detail: 1) The inability to maintain and sustain a healthy cash flow The…

Siboniso Mngadi siboniso.mngadi@inl.co.za ZULU King, Misuzulu kaZwelithini, is suspected to have been “poisoned” at his birthday party, a day before he was scheduled to address his subjects at the Umkhosi weLembe (Shaka’s Day) event held in Stanger, on Friday. The de facto Zulu king celebrated his 47th birthday at the Beverly Hills hotel in Umhlanga, Durban, on the eve of Heritage Day. The party was attended by the king’s close friends and associates including former President Jacob Zuma’s son Duduzane. King Misuzulu is the eldest surviving son of the late King Goodwill Zwelithini and his late wife Mantfombi Shiyiwe Dlamini Zulu, who, rumours that she had been poisoned were dismissed by the family at the time of her death. Dlamini died a month after her husband, amid a bitter family…

Tshepiso Tshabalala tshepiso.tshabalala@inl.co.za When, on a Friday afternoon, Dr Ivan Jardine left his office at the Bedford Gardens Hospital in Bedfordview, Ekurhuleni, to be in the comfort of his own home, little did he realise that he would spend the rest of the evening in a jail cell for driving after the curfew. The drama started when the ear, nose and throat specialist received a call at 6pm that his aunt was sick and his medical expertise was needed. Jardine’s first instinct was to go out and save his aunt’s life and he never anticipated that he would complete the call well after the Covid-19 mandated lockdown curfew. The medical practitioner, who has been in practice for more than 40 years, took the 50-minute drive to Quellerina in Roodepoort, to get…

Edwin Naidu OXFORD University Press (OUP) is offering five South African schools the opportunity to win subscriptions to Oxford EduZone worth R200 000 each. The first 50 schools to visit the Oxford EduZone resource hub (https://resourcehub.oxford.co.za/oxford- eduzone/) and complete the online form to request a demonstration of the platform before next Thursday (October 31, 2021), will be entered into a draw to win a one-year subscription to the available subjects for grades 8 and/or 10. OUP, the world’s largest university press, has launched a new branding which supports its ongoing transformation to become a digital-first business and to make knowledge and learning more accessible through the power of technology. OUP has been advancing knowledge and learning since its origins in the sixteenth century, and today it produces high-quality materials and…

Amanda Maliba amanda.maliba@inl.co.za NESCAFÉ RICOFFY celebrated turning 50 years old this week, at one of Joburg’s hidden gem venues, the Hallmark House, that overlooks the beautiful skyline this city has to offer. The 50th birthday party was attended by the who’s who of Mzansi, and guests were serenaded with epic performances by legends, that one would otherwise have had to spend a fortune to see. Imagine getting a front row seat to watch performances from global superstar Master KG, renowned duo Mafikizolo and even Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse, during a pandemic? A once in a lifetime experience. Under the theme “Express your South Africanness”, guests put their best foot forward in varying interpretations of what African Heritage means to them, creating a myriad colours and creativity that Mzansi is best known…

LEKGANTSHI CONSOLE TLEANE Imagine the dance troupe entertaining foreign guests at a popular venue. For government this is much needed revenue in taxes for the country. For the dancers and the restaurant workers it’s about the income, much needed to feed their families. The venue owner is mainly interested in profits. The visitor on the other hand marvels at “pristine Africa”. The latter point, that of a visitor who has come to experience the “unspoilt beauty of Africa”, is what Todd Cleveland is concerned with in his book – A History of Tourism in Africa: Exoticization, Exploitation, and Enrichment. But first let us dispense with the rhetorical question: “Surely tourism happens everywhere. What then is different and why should we be concerned with the history and nature of tourism…

With candidates having been registered for the local government elections on November 1, the battle for the country’s seven metros has ensued in earnest. While all the metros are important in their own right, I will focus on the City of Cape Town. The city warrants close scrutiny because it is located in the only province that is under the DA. Since the squabbles between the ANC’s Mcebisi Skwatsha and Ebrahim Rasool handed the province to the DA on a silver platter, it has been difficult for the ANC to usurp power from the DA. The appointment of a premier is linked to national/provincial elections. However, in the case of the Western Cape in general, and Cape Town in particular, the DA has dominated. The current DA incumbent is Dan…

Mozambique has experienced sustained violent extremist activity in the gas-rich northern Cabo Delgado. The violent activity which became increasingly palpable from October 2017, has been perpetrated by a local armed group dubbed al-Shabaab, which has ties to global terrorist organisation Islamic State. Al-Shabaab has capitalised on a variety of deep-seated political, economic, religious and social grievances harboured by the local community, largely against the Frelimo-led government in Mozambique. Mozambican security forces have largely been unable to sufficiently deal with the security challenges, while the Mozambican government has also been wanting in its efforts to address long-standing anger against the government. This inability was exemplified by al-Shabaab’s launch of a series of co- ordinated attacks in the coastal town of Palma in March. These led to dozens of deaths and the…

Shannon Ebrahim shannon.ebrahim@inl.co.za The tone of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in his address at the opening of the UN General Assembly indicates a clear shift in the country’s foreign policy, even if its strategic direction remains the same. Raisi delivered one of the most hostile denunciations of the US in the general assembly, saying: “Sanctions are the US’ new way of war with the nations of the world.” Raisi also criticised America’s policies on Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. The Iranian objective seems to be to depict American power in the world as irrelevant. Iran’s tone towards the West has already hardened under Raisi, but his foreign policy team is likely to be guided by a combination of realism and pragmatism. While Iran will push the US to lift sanctions…

THE Springboks came within three minutes of beating the All Blacks in Townsville, losing to a late Jordie Barrett penalty. It was obviously a vast improvement for the South Africans after their horror showings against the Wallabies. Mike Greenaway rates the players: 15 Willie le Roux (6): He was hesitant on defence and did not release in the tackle to give Barrett the shot at winning the match. 14 Sbu Nkosi (6): His workrate was good and that meant he was in a position to gather the ball from a Faf de Klerk hoist into the All Blacks 22 and score. His yellow card for deliberate knock-down was silly. 13 Lukhanyo Am (7): The little ball that he did get he showed nice touches, while his defence was rock solid.…

LANDO Norris celebrated his maiden Formula One pole and gave his team McLaren their first since 2012 in a stunning outcome to yesterday’s qualifying for the Russian Grand Prix. Norris is joined on the front row by the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz with Lewis Hamilton starting on the second row in his latest attempt at reaching 100 wins. Hamilton was looking good for pole after topping the timesheets in Q1 and Q2, but he then suffered late drama with three minutes left of Q3 when he hit the pit wall requiring a hastily fitted new front wing to his damaged Mercedes. A spin on his re-emergence out onto the circuit on slick tyres left the door open for 21-year-old Norris to steal the show at Sochi with a flying last…

Mervyn Naidoo mervyn.naidoo@inl.co.za THERE is growing concern in the health sector that female doctors in particular have become “physical and emotional punching bags” for some patients and even their male colleagues at the workplace. But little or nothing is being done to stem these alleged attacks which reportedly take the form of emotional and physical abuse, including rejecting romantic advances, because medicine was still “in the hands of the old boys club”. Over the past 10 days the spotlight fell on three female doctors who had been on the receiving end of violent attacks and emotional abuse, while on duty. A distressed doctor Mandisa Kubeka shared details during a TV interview of how she was assaulted with a file by a patient at the Lillian Ngoyi Community Clinic in Soweto,…

Amanda Maliba amanda.maliba@inl.co.za Although entrepreneurship is known for its ups and downs, for HIV/Aids activist and entrepreneur Sibulele Sibaca however, the journey has been rewarding. The 38-year-old started a foundation named after herself that aims to empower and emancipate people who have been orphaned by HIV/Aids, as she was when she was young. A painful period in her life that can potentially break the victim or survivor, she points out. Sibaca describes her involvement in the business world, after years of working in the corporate environment, as happenstance, and that making money was never the instant gratification she was after, but her quest was more about changing lives. “However, while changing lives, we can never ignore the bills that need to be paid, and that alone makes the journey…

Lesego Makgatho lesego.makgatho@inl.co.za It is the most natural thing yet there is often so much stigma attached to it – menstruation is a topic that men and even some women shy away from talking about. Although most women are affected by it at some stage in their life, only a few women take part in conversations around menstruation, let alone write about it. Flow: The book about Menstruation seeks to inform, educate, empower, and inspire all those who menstruate. This simple-to-read book has been written by a dynamic group of authors, namely; Candice Chirwa, Karen Jeynes, Pontsho Pilane with Dr Ilana Johnson, Tariq Hoosen and Claire Fourie. It is broadly divided into physical, psychological and political aspects of menstruation. It is compiled with interesting tid-bits, advice and guidance, a…

Heritage must be seen in the context of the development of our society. We must not take a nihilistic attitude towards our national cultural heritage, but must teach it to the new generation properly from the point of view of the developmental agenda. We must develop their progressive and people-oriented aspects critically. While opposing nihilism in preserving and developing our heritage, we must also thoroughly reject the tendency to return to the past. Some works of literature and art of the past are progressive and some of them are reactionary and even give distorted accounts of historical facts. We should, therefore, preserve those aspects of our cultural heritage which are not detrimental to our revolution so that our younger generation can understand them. Africa is faced with mammoth challenges in…

With Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng’s term coming to an end on October 11, President Cyril Ramaphosa has dutifully kick-started the process of appointing the next Chief Justice. Section 174(3) of the Constitution empowers the president to appoint the next Chief Justice after consulting the Judicial Service Commission and the leaders of political parties represented in the National Assembly. The president has enlisted the services of a panel that will sift through invited nominations after which, several names will be submitted for consideration. Only one candidate was considered during the appointments of the late Pius Langa, Mogoeng and Sandile Ngcobo. Mogoeng’s appointment was marked by vigorous public debates. An assortment of prominent non- governmental organisations opposed his appointment. The Bar Councils of the Eastern Cape, Johannesburg and Cape opposed his appointment,…

Non-profit organisation the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has announced former UN under-secretary-general and executive director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka as the winner of the 2021 Global Goalkeeper Award, it said this week. The Goalkeepers community is a global collective of collaborative and diverse change-makers. Members include both emerging and well-known leaders from around the world who represent a range of cultures, professions and interests, according to the foundation. According to the foundation, the annual Global Goalkeepers Awards are presented in recognition of remarkable individuals who are helping to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. “Among the initiatives that flourished under her (Mlambo-Ngcuka) leadership, she helped to create the Generation Equality Forum – a global gathering for gender equality that mobilised a historic $40 billion in commitments…

Herman Gibbs herman.gibbs@africannewsagency.com NAMIBIAN Peter Shalulile was in a class of his own as he single-handedly sank Orlando Pirates with two stunning second-half goals in yesterday’s DStv Premiership blockbuster at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto. After a goalless first half Shalulile towered above the stadium like a colossus and his brace had the hallmark of class. Pirates lost their unbeaten record in the process. Sundowns retained their unbeaten run as well as a clean sheet. It was their eighth clean sheet this season and they have yet to concede a goal. They opened a five-point gap at the top of the standings. At the outset, Sundowns tried to impose themselves with a crisp inter-passing game. They fired the first salvo in the sixth minute when Thabiso Kutumela, who was on…

THE Lions got the South African challenge in the United Rugby Championship off to a successful start when they surprised Zebre 38-26 in Parma in the very first match of the new competition on Friday night. The Italians were looking to end an eight-match losing streak carried over from Pro 14 while the Lions were desperate to put a horror Currie Cup behind them, but it was the South Africans who turned around their fortunes thanks to a dream first half. While the Lions did go into the game representing their country’s best chance of victory in a very tough opening round, not even the most die-hard Lions supporter could have predicted their team would be 35-0 up after 30 minutes of the new competition. Just 10 minutes into…