Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-11-28 i Sunday Independent

THREE important pieces of public policy discussions with profound implications on what policy paths South Africa follows caught and occupied my attention last week. These contributions lay bare the default policy position South Africa has taken and the disastrous autopilot posture Cabinet has assumed. It is ending in tears. The first is a contribution by Michael Sachs, a former treasury policy official, who opens with a column, The chronic position of the country’s public finances continues to worsen, which can be seen in several metrics in the Conversation paper. The second is the webinar which the principal of the National School of Government, Professor Busani Ngcaweni arranged. This was addressed by Chinese Professor Zang Weiwei on the concept of Civilizational State. The third was a webinar, in which I was…

Buhle Mbonambi buhle.mbonambi@inl.co.za One of the biggest stories in early 2020 before Covid-19 grabbed all the headlines, took place at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, where the most important global leaders, business figures, celebrities and philanthropists gather and discuss the challenges the world faces. While this happens, there are climate change activists in the background, also doing their best to remind the most powerful people in the world of how they need to factor in the state of the environment in their decision making. One of those activists was Ugandan Vanessa Nakate who, together with other young climate change activists, was present at the World Economic Forum. And yet when a picture was taken of these young actists, who included Greta Thunberg, Luisa Neubauer, Isabelle Axelsson and…

Democracy has shown us flames. Or is it coalitions? It might very well be that democracy has further exposed itself in this country as more problematic than it was uncritically thought to be. We are essentially dealing with a system that has nothing to do with the will of the people, but rather the cunningness of politicians for their own selfish interests. The outcome of the post-election coalition machinations has made it evidently clear that this whole thing does not necessarily have anything to do with the citizens. It is about who masters this treacherous game of numbers. For many weeks now, I have been impressing the unprincipled “danger” of “kingmakership” factor of small parties and so-called independents. This movie was explicitly played in the constitution of councils in the…

Robin Adams, Lethu Nxumalo and Nathan Craig MAJOR AIRLINES rushed to cancel South African flights over the weekend as the World Health Organization declared a new coronavirus variant to be “of concern” and named it Omicron. The UK, several European nations, Canada, the US, Singapore and Israel have restricted travel to and from South Africa. The move has left travellers, local and foreign, stranded at South Africa’s main airports. Association of Southern African Travel Agents chief executive Otto de Vries said the red listing was a setback of massive proportions. “While we await more clarity, there is currently no scientific evidence that the new variant is more resistant to the vaccine,” he said. Andrew Stark, managing director at Flight Centre Travel Group, said their number one priority was to…

Karabo Ngoepe and Roland Mpofu THE Gauteng provincial government says the number of admissions to hospitals for Covid-19 cases has started to increase, and the province has now officially been dubbed the epicentre of the new variant called Omicron. According to the provincial government, the numbers last week were four times higher than the previous week, pointing to an imminent fourth wave. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reported that there is a new variant, B.1.1.529 which is believed to be highly transmissible (see pages 1 and 4). The daily hospital surveillance in Gauteng (DATCOV) report released on Friday shows that the provincial admissions of in-hospital patients November 25 numbered 707. This equates to 312 for provincial public hospitals and 395 for the private sector. The public…

From P1 “We depend on tourism for jobs and livelihoods. We simply cannot have a repeat of December 2020, where restaurants and hospitality businesses bore the brunt of Covid regulations, making travel and restaurant patronage unappealing and difficult.” Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu called an urgent meeting on Friday with stakeholders from the private sector to discuss how both private and public sectors could work together to mitigate the inevitable effects. However, now the country waits to hear the outcome of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s meeting with the National Coronavirus Command Council yesterday. The urgent meeting foreshadows a national address on whether the country would spend the second consecutive festive season in a stringent lockdown owing to the emergence of a Covid-19 variant of concern. Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele said…

Resilience sees ‘Isono’ cast through the pandemic Amanda Maliba amanda.maliba@inl.co.za Thursday night was all about celebration and gratitude across Jozi, judging by the themes of most of the events staged on the night. BET’s original telenovela Isono was among the posh celebratory events staged at one of Illovo’s rooftop venues. Theirs was not only to celebrate their successful first season run, that concluded its first season one shoot recently, but also the tenacity that the entire cast and crew showed at the face of the many challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic posed. The cast and crew were in high spirits on the night, with some really letting their hair down as they danced on stage to fellow cast members’ performance, Anga Makubalo, popularly known as “Naakmusiq”. Lead actress Nthati Moshesh,…

Lesego Makgatho lesego.makgatho@inl.co.za Born and raised in Durban, Anant Singh is no stranger to the movie scene. With more than 100 films over four decades, his movies leave one with so many feelings and emotions of things past, present and future. Some of the most incredible films produced by Singh include Cry The Beloved Country, Sarafina, The Stick and the award-winning Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. He is the founder and CEO of the VideoVision Entertainment Group and has won many accolades for his work in the film industry. This week saw the renowned film producer launch his memoir, In Black And White. The book portrays Singh’s trajectory from growing up during apartheid in Springfield, Durban, to the movie mogul known today for the many productions under his belt. The…

REFLECTING on the past week in the history of South African politics will require more time and consideration for weeks and perhaps years to come. After the initial shock of the political manoeuvring that characterised coalition talks and outcomes in the wake of the local government elections wears off, the shifts in political power and the consequences they will have for government require more sober and macro-level analysis as the unspoken project to reform South Africa’s political culture is well under way. It’s clear from the events that led to the forming of coalitions across the country is that the maturing of our democracy needs a more intentional approach to voter participation, coalition governments and resilient governance in the face of instability. We must intentionally learn from these election lessons…

Europe scrambled to regain control over a resurgent coronavirus as govern- ments urged boosters and jabs for young children in a sign of growing unease at their inability to roll back the pandemic that has now killed 1.5 million people on the continent. Berlin, Paris and Prague were among capitals weighing tighter Covid restrictions and widening vaccinations campaigns as surging cases and the encroaching winter threaten to undo hard-won gains against the virus over the summer. With governments already struggling to cope with the more infectious Delta variant, the discovery of a new and troubling strain in South Africa was a stark reminder that the fight against Covid-19 is far from won. In Germany, outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel urged more stringent controls, France stepped up booster shots, and the EU’s…

Herman Gibbs herman.gibbs@africannewsagency.com THERE is a heightened expectancy around this afternoon’s high-voltage Soweto derby between Swallows FC and Kaizer Chiefs because this season’s spectacular failures have raised the ire of fans in both camps. Admittedly, as far as Soweto derbies go, the Swallows vs Chiefs showdown is the poorer cousin of the real McCoy, the Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates. However, there are extraneous factors at play at the Dobsonville Stadium (kick-off at 3.30pm). There is every chance that the outcome of the match could decide who the next managerial casualty of the season will be. On the one hand, there is Chiefs mentor Stuart Baxter. He has come under attack from past players and fans, who have called for his head. Baxter too might be at the end of his…

Clinton Moodley The summer holidays are upon us. It’s time to catch some sun, splash at the beach or plan a string of outdoor activities. After a long-drawn-out year in between the vaccine roll-out, civil unrest and price surges, it’s finally time to put your feet up. While most travellers will list wi-fi among their holiday must-have amenities, some intend to go digital-free. Holidays should be stress-free, and constant pressure to post about your trip may make you reach for your device more frequently. Whenever I travel for leisure purposes, I tend to go digital-free. While I keep my phone switched on in case of an emergency, I steer clear of social media and the internet. It helps me unwind, appreciate my surroundings and immerse myself in the destination and…

Among its accomplishments to date, Oura (which is pronounced like “Aura”) deserves a spot on any list of crowdfunding projects that have turned into real businesses. In August 2015, Finland’s Petteri Lahtela and Hannu Kinnunen – both of whom had backgrounds in technology and health – launched a Kickstarter campaign for a ring that was primarily devoted to helping people improve their days by sleeping better. By the standard of the rings they’d later release, their first-generation version was a bit of a bulky blob. But it spoke to enough people to raise $651 803 from 2 383 backers. The following year, Lahtela and Kinnunen rustled up $5.3m from investors, mainly in the US, to continue to build the company. Harpreet Singh Rai, an Oura user and investor, became president…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za BOTH ONLINE and brick and mortar retailers pulled out all the stops to attract foot traffic to their outlets for this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday bonanza, bolstered by the faster-than-expected recovery of the economy due to the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions. A study conducted by the Bureau of Market Research, on behalf of Capital Connect, said retailers could expect to ring up around R11.3 billion in additional sales over the period of November as consumers splashed out on Black Friday deals, up from R10.3bn a year ago. The R11.3bn was, however, significantly below the R15.4bn generated in 2019. In terms of specials, Shoprite, South Africa’s biggest retailer, led the way by offering deeper discounts from Thursday until today with up to 50…

Nosipho Nyide Nosipho Nyide@inl.co.za IT IS almost impossible to avoid online trolls because they are simply everywhere. Whether you use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or any other popular social networking site, there is a chance that a troll will find their way onto your profile to cause nothing but trouble. In recent years, online trolls have become one of the biggest problems faced by social media platforms, and even though they try to create safe spaces it is very difficult to keep track of trolls. A troll is a slang term that describes a person who posts unkind and off-topic messages in an online community, with the intent of provoking readers into responding. Trolls also very manipulative and can cause life-changing problems through their comments and messages. If you have experienced any…

Buhle Mbonambi buhle.mbonambi@inl.co.za Artists, humanitarians, innovators, athletes, designers, comedians and entrepreneurs gathered at a celebration of 2021’s cultural high points – the GQ Men of the Year Awards. Now in their third year, GQ South Africa marked the 2021 GQ Men of the Year Awards last night at the Four Seasons Hotel, The Westcliff, in association with Hennessy V.S.O.P. Privilège. They were co-hosted by GQ South Africa Editor-in-Chief, Molife Kumona, and broadcaster, Claire Mawisa. Guests enjoyed performances by Siki Jo-An, Kenyan superstars, Sauti Sol and as well as the Hennessy Lifetime Achievement award recipient, the iconic Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse”. The GQ Men of the Year Awards have become one of the most important signifiers of a persons impact in the year. Unlike the Best Dressed Awards, which award personal style,…

From Page 1 “I have been silent about this matter for a long time but now it is time that I open up about this case and fight for justice for Jimmy. After they killed my husband, they brought me closer, to monitor me and check what I know about the case. Now they want to discard me by claiming that I poisoned the deputy president while he was still the premier of the province and that’s the stigma that I am living with.” Mpatlanyane served as Mabuza’s chief protocol officer, and she was mysteriously removed from the position when rumours surfaced that she had poisoned the deputy president. “I was transferred to another department with the aim of frustrating me to resign. They have refused to put the allegations…

There are no surprises in the quarterly July to September crime statistics released recently. They show long-standing, abnormally high violent crime rates, including crimes committed during the orchestrated destabilisation after former president Jacob Zuma’s arrest. Underlying the statistics is a state of virtual anarchy, with very low conviction rates for violent crime. This is not a new phenomenon. However, it should be a wake-up call for all of us: without a far more active citizenry to hold our overstaffed, largely dysfunctional and often corrupt bureaucracies and elected officials to account, there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Although the alarming trends have historical roots, they reflect the democratic government’s failure to take remedial steps post-1994, including by implementing its own legislation. Instead of dealing with apartheid’s organised…

France has scrapped planned talks with the UK about migrant crossings in anger at a letter by Britain’s prime minister over the crisis, pushing relations to new lows following the deaths of 27 people in the Channel this week. The cancellation on Friday comes in the wake of the letter sent by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to the French persident, in which he criticised France over the country’s handling of illegal immigration and human trafficking. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told his UK counterpart, Priti Patel, she was no longer invited to talks today about the migrant crisis in the Channel with other European ministers. The meeting was set to go ahead without any UK presence, prompting London to demand France reconsider the snub. The row puts the two countries at…

Herman Gibbs herman.gibbs@africannewsagency.com CAF president Patrice Motsepe has given his support for the formation of a Pan-African Super League for the Mother Continent’s top 20 club teams as a means to generate much-needed income. Motsepe shared his sentiments when he chaired Friday’s extraordinary general assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Cairo, Egypt. Fifa president Gianni Infantino also addressed the meeting and expressed support for the proposed Pan-African Super League. “Count on the full support of Fifa, of course, when developing club competitions and a Pan-African Super League for the future of African football,” said Infantino, who urged delegates to use the platform at meetings to share concerns and voice opinions on African football matters. “We need to keep the door open. We need to give hope. We…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za WEAK-WILLED World Rugby has given Wallabies coach Dave Rennie nothing more than a slap on the wrists for his scathing attack on the match officials after his team’s one-point loss to Wales a week ago. Rennie, who also allegedly brought the game into disrepute when Australia hosted France in July, savaged referee Mike Adamson and TMO Marius Jonker after his team controversially lost 29-28 in Cardiff in part due to a red card and a try from an (illegal) slap down by the Welsh centre Nick Tomkins. Rennie described the refereeing as “horrendous” and intimated that poor decisions had cost his team victory for two weeks in a row — the Wallabies also suffered an unfortunate red card against Scotland the week before when they also lost…

PROFILING or segmenting a target audience is one of the mainstays of marketing for small businesses. Since the late 1980s, business owners and marketers have classified members of their target audience according to the Living Standards Measure. Since those formative years, the term has expanded to include “lower LSM” and “higher LSM”, perhaps with many of us not really understanding how to distinguish between them. How LSM is defined LSM, as a market research tool, is a determinant of socioeconomic class, based on standard of living and disposable income. It segments individuals into 10 groups, with LSM 1, including people who have the least disposable income and LSM 10 being the people with the greatest financial means. What many do not know, is that LSM ranks people based…

Tatum Hunter Paper-and-ink cookbooks come with a few advantages compared to recipe apps: extra information about origins and ingredients, and not having to incorporate your beeping phone into any good-for-the-soul cooking time, says cookbook author and critic Paula Forbes. There’s also a third benefit: analogue cookbooks aren’t sending streams of information about you to third-party advertisers. A report from Mozilla Foundation, creator of the “Privacy Not Included” holiday shopping guide report, found personal data streaming out of popular Android recipe apps, including precise location, detailed device information and scrolling and tapping behaviour. Allrecipes Dinner Spinner, Recipes Home, Easy Recipes and Shopping List and Food Network Kitchen were the worst offenders in terms of the number of data requests from advertisers, according to the report. It's the latest example of the…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za Political parties have warned that the government should not have caused unnecessary alarm when releasing information on the new coronavirus variant, Omicron. They said hiding information on the variant would have resulted in a backlash against the country. President Cyril Ramaphosa was yesterday meeting with the National Coronavirus Command Council ahead of new measures to contain the spread of the variant. But the DA, UDM and IFP said yesterday the scientists were correct not to hide information. DA MP Leon Schreiber said the information must not be hidden. “False binary to suggest only options are transparency or secrecy. Information must be made public, but not in a hysterical way that sows global panic and plunges SA into chaos when (Dr Tulio de Oliveira) himself admits that…

Lesego Makgatho lesego.makgatho@inl.co.za The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the lives and livelihoods of millions in South Africa and the world. The economic effects of the pandemic cannot be overstated. While South Africa’s economic growth is expected to rebound to 4% in 2021, this is on the back of a 7% contraction in 2020. This challenge presents an opportunity to build a green and sustainable future for all. The South African water sector offers huge potential for enabling economic recovery, combined with a quick turnaround, to ensure a greener economy post-Covid 19. How this recovery can be achieved was the focus of the 7th Annual Water Stewardship Conference, which took place this week. The event brought together representatives from government, industry, civil society and development partners to explore how investments…

Edwin Naidu edwin.naidu@live.co.za The leadership team at UCT has acknowledged that this year has been a particularly challenging one, with numerous hurdles. But their announcement last week of the appointment of respected academic Professor Elelwani Ramugondo as deputy vice-chancellor for transformation, student affairs and social responsiveness created a feel-good, celebratory atmosphere. Ramugondo emerged as the candidate for the position after receiving 17 of 21 votes from panel members. She also received more than 73% of votes from the university’s Senate and 80% from its council. “What’s beautiful about this appointment is that Elelwani is one of our own. She has risen through the ranks of our university from being a student to being a full professor, having obtained her BSc, MSc and PhD, DD qualifications in occupational therapy here,” said…

Joda bares her Mpho Rantao A fresh face in Mzansi’s new wave of R&B, Joda Kgosi, has a honeyed voice, telling melancholic stories of love from the perspective of a young soul whose interest in someone turned her affection into undesirable Sour Milk. Kgosi, full name Joda Kgomotso Naniki Kgosi, welcomes you into her world with the first track, Pity Party, singing: “And guess what I said when he said that? I understand”, already laying out the subjects of her debut album. Disappointment. Pain. “Sour Milk is about me letting out all of my anger on the men who have hurt me, every man who has made me angry. I used this album to vent about what they put me through,” Kgosi explains. It is not hard to hear the…

Don Makatile don.makatile@inl.co.za THE new Covid-19 Omicron variant has caused organisers of the Joburg Open, held at the Firethorn Course at Randpark Golf Club in Randburg, to hastily shorten the event’s programme, The prestigious Sunshine Tour programme was changed to conclude yesterday instead of today, as previously scheduled. With South Africa again placed on the UK red list with resultant travel restrictions imposed on Friday due to the emergence of a new Covid-19 variant in the country, 14 international players returned home. Nine others followed suit. A statement from the organisers said on Friday: “The Sunshine Tour, DP World Tour and City of Johannesburg have decided to reduce the Joburg Open to 54 holes to help non-South African resident players, caddies and tournament support staff return to their home countries.…

The recent local government elections have brought about 66 hung municipalities across the country. For those municipalities to be properly constituted, coalition talks among political parties were inevitable. The love feast between the pseudo-revolutionary adventurism of left-wing opportunists and the right wing that emerged is a bitter, humiliating, difficult but essential and useful lesson. Different parties represent different ideological orientation and constituencies. It seems as if ideological inclination is not a defining feature of the coalition. This means that any coalition is possible because of the ideological affinities between most of the parties. Unfortunately, these coalitions tend to begin and end at the elite level. Yet what matters is not the bringing together of the elites but the coalition of the constituents they represent. Coalitions work when the leadership of…

Inspired by the common sight of tired passengers sleeping on board their buses, a Hong Kong-based travel agency has launched a five-hour sleeping bus tour. The South China Morning Post reported that the aim of the dream bus is to provide overly tired and stressed residents a safe space to snooze. The 83km tour has a price range of $13 to $51. It starts in Hong Kong’s western district of Tsuen Wan and ends at the international airport in Chek Lap Kok.The bus caters to those who don’t intend to sleep as well.…

Stuart Hess SOUTH African cricket was dealt another blow yesterday when the Proteas’ One-Day International series against the Netherlands was called off due to the tourists’ concerns about travelling back to their country in the wake of the emergence of a new Covid-19 variant identified by South African scientists this week. “The decision comes as a result of mounting anxiety and concern on the side of the (Netherlands) team around travel bans and restrictions on flights from South Africa being imposed by several countries around the world including the United Kingdom (UK), European Union (EU) and the United States of America (USA),” a joint statement from Cricket SA and Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond (KNCB) said. The opening match of the series took place on Friday, but had to be abandoned…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za RUNAWAY DStv Premiership log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns returned to winning ways with a comfortable 2-0 win against Sekhukhune United at the Tuks Stadium yesterday. The win will be welcome for Downs after they drew successive games against SuperSport United and Cape Town City prior to the game. In-form Neo Maema opened the scoring for Masandawana in the 20th minute, notching his second goal in two games with a calm effort from close range. The goal came after Khuliso Mudau’s set piece towards the far post was headed by Peter Shalulile towards Maema who confidently finished. Themba Zwane slotted home Sundowns’ second goal in the 57th minute from the penalty spot after Nyiko Mobbie was judged to have handled the ball in the area. Mobbie made contact with…