Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-01-16 i Sunday Independent

ONE OF THE biggest responsibilities small and medium enterprise (SME) owners are faced with is hiring their first employee and building their first team. It can be a daunting task. But if tackled with solid research, clear communication and a dash of human intuition, it can be the most fundamental step you, as a small business owner, take towards achieving your business vision. Here are three tips you may not yet have considered when hiring your first recruits. 1. Don’t skimp on the job description For many small businesses, especially at start-up stage, employees are required to wear many different hats in order to make a long-lasting and meaningful impact on the company. On the other hand, some small businesses, at the growth stage, will consider hiring specialists…

Karabo Ngoepe and Edwin Naidu THE fight for control of the ruling party appears to have started with Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu seemingly raising her hand ahead of the much-anticipated elective conference. Political analysts say that Sisulu has seemingly taken a posture to criticise the same policies she is supposed to uphold and defend is a classical play in politics, which has also been observed internationally. If what transpired at Nasrec in 2017 is anything to go by, 2020 promises to be an explosive year filled with fireworks. Sisulu penned an opinion piece that has had the country divided. Her comments provoked differing views within the ANC and strong criticism from Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. Political analyst Dr Ralph Mathekga said this week that the article was Sisulu’s way…

From Page 1 A family member of one of the kidnapped victims who started collecting data and network of the ransom cases in South Africa since 2016 yesterday said the syndicate have made a fortune from their heinous crimes. “I can safely say that these criminals have collected about R800 million from their victims since 2016,” he pointed out. The Sunday Independent investigation has established that the highest paid ransom in South Africa to date was R75 million for one person. While we have established that another family was forced to pay a R45 million ransom at a hotel in Dubai. One of the most prominent abduction case in South Africa last year was the one of the four Moti brothers, Zia, Alwaan, Zayyad, and Zidan, were kidnapped in October…

Amanda Maliba amanda.maliba@inl.co.za The family of a 19-year-old Soweto woman, whose body was found hanging from a tree, have dispelled rumours that she committed suicide and say they suspect foul play. Images also circulated on social media. However, Police spokesperson Mavela Masondo, said the police have opened an inquest docket into the death of Matshepo Malefane and are awaiting a post-mortem to determine the cause of death. The Sunday Independent spoke to the distraught family of the teenager a day after she was buried and they were desperately trying to find answers as to what led to her death. Matshepo’s body was found hanging from a tree in Mapetla, Soweto, on the morning of January 5, and although there is a lot of speculation surrounding her death, according to her…

Manyane Manyane manyane.manyane@inl.co.za The ANC in the Free State says the controversial Facebook post by the provincial Department of Corporate Governance and Traditional affairs political advisor, Tshediso Mangope, was a reflection of the deep-seated effects of colonial education that belittles the heroes of “our society”. The party said the post should be condemned in the strongest terms and never be encouraged. This was after Mangope, a senior ANC member, who is a strategic advisor for Cogta MEC Mxolisi Dukwana, wrote on his Facebook page on the opening day of schools: “Boy starts his journey at Grey College, he is too happy. No magwinya and archaar eating Sadtu (SA Democratic Teachers’ Union) person will teach my children.” He also posted an unsavoury picture of two women in a swimming pool with…

Amanda Maliba amanda.maliba@inl.co.za The popular Pastor’s Wives reality show makes its much-anticipated return to the small screens after an impressive run last year. The show follows a group of high-profile wives of preachers from across the continent, showcasing their extravagant lives and “less than Christian like” actions and also to prove that “pastor’s wives are not boring”. Making her return on the show is Phume Khethang (46), who hails from Struisbult, Springs, who admitted that her life has changed a little after the show because of the fame that the show has brought onto her life. “I returned because I felt I still had a role to serve. Season one was a trial run, I was not sure what to expect and it was all new to me as I…

Karabo Ngoepe karabo.ngoepe@inl.co.za MANY South Africans react with disbelief each time a human being is attacked and killed by a crocodile. But for residents of villages surrounding the Nandoni Dam and the Luvuvhu River in Limpopo, crocodile attacks are a regular feature in their lives, and as harrowing as it is, they are forced to live with the constant danger. The lack of running water and proper sanitation to those living in the villages around the river, forces them to compete with the crocodiles in their turf and dice with death for the scarce resource. The villages are still reeling from the death of yet another croc attack victim, Lizzy Humbelani Mudzanani. The 29-year-old was killed by a crocodile on January 1 after she was attacked while doing her laundry…

A massive cyberattack warning Ukrainians to “be afraid and expect the worst” hit government websites late on Thursday, leaving some websites inaccessible on Friday and prompting Kyiv to open an investigation. Ukraine’s foreign ministry said it was too early to say who could be behind the attack but said Russia had been behind similar strikes in the past. The cyberattack comes as Kyiv and its allies have sounded the alarm about a possible new Russian military offensive against Ukraine. | Reuters…

For how long will the South African government ignore violations of the Foreign Military Assistance Act by locals serving in Israel's Apart- heid Army? Seven years ago, a high-profile group of South Africans made damning findings against Israel following their fact-finding mission to most of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Gaza was excluded due to Israel's bureaucratic conditions. The visit, facilitated by Open Shuhada Street South Africa and the Heinrich Boell Foundation, included meetings with civil society organisations, human rights activists and locals, both Palestinians and Israelis. The delegation comprised anti- apartheid activists Barney Pityana, Vusi Pikoli and Firoz Cachlia; civil society leaders Vuyiseka Dubula, Brad Brockman and Adila Hassim; politician Mbali Ntuli; author and political analyst Christi van der Westhuizen; and activists Adaiah Lilenstein, Bruce Baigrie and Keren Ben-Zeev. They…

KARL MARX, in defining the social relations of production, says that “in the social production of their existence, men inevitably enter into definite relations of production appropriate to a given stage in the development of their material forces of production”. How apt is this in the case of US consultancy firm Bain and Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA). This says to us that state capture is dead, long live state capture! Hardly has the ink of the first report of the all-important Zondo Commission dried up than BLSA embraced the infidelity-infested Bain, which bribed its way, leading to the destruction of the SA Revenue Service (Sars). BLSA was part of the vocal movement for bringing about the Commission of State Capture and its president, Busi Mavuso, did a sterling job.…

Nosipho Nyide nosipho.nyide@inl.co.za With a new year comes new trends. Last year we saw the return of Y2K trends, especially in fashion and beauty. Y2K, which refers to the period in the early 2000s, where “It girls” like Paris Hilton, Christina Aguilera, and Lindsay Lohan, wore low-rise jeans, mesh bodysuits, and butterfly clips. The hashtag Y2K had more than four billion views on TikTok, which played a big role in popularising most of the decade old trends that were popular last year. The 2000s decade was a gift that keeps on giving so there is no doubt that some of this year’s trends are still going to be inspired by that era, but there are some new trends that are set to take off this year as well. Generation Z, who…

Political contestations and the assertion of individual eligibility in partisan politics is not an abstract occurrence. Power, as well its allure and seduction, plays itself out in a myriad of ways across the globe, at least where governance and political expediency are concerned. From early democracies and governance arrangements, to modern democracies and their systems, proxy “wars” and factional politicking form part and parcel of organisation renewal, ideological shifts, and the shaping of critical philosophies which attempt to find ways of dealing with, and in some instances resolving contemporary challenges, which are often socio-economic in nature. Further to this, power battles have also been integral to the development of democracies and by implication, political organisations and cultures. To this end, it is not a South African phenomenon for the…

Linda Gumede, Sne Masuku and Nathan Craig CALLS have been made to the KwaZulu-Natal security cluster and government to intervene, after the continuous mass shootings and killings in the province. This is after 14 people were killed in separate incidents on Friday. According to the police, six people were shot dead in Inanda’s Amaoti area and eight were killed in eSigcakeni in Richmond, which they believed to be drug related. ANC spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela said the growing numbers of people who were killed in mass shootings were “shocking”. “In each and every crime statistics are released by Minister of Police (Bheki Cele), KZN has always shown an increase in criminal mass killings. “It can’t be business as usual for criminals to run amok and instil continuous fear in our communities…

From Page 1 In her article, Sisulu wrote that the most dangerous African today is the mentally colonised African who, when given leadership roles, are worse than the oppressor. “They have no African or pan-African inspired ideological grounding. Some are confused by foreign belief systems.” The ANC distanced itself from her stance, saying hers was a personal view, with the organisation’s chairperson and Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, adamant she had done nothing wrong by expressing her opinion. Asked to comment on the matter, Tyrone Seal, the spokesperson for Ramaphosa, said Minister Mondli Gungubele had dealt with the issue publicly. In a media briefing, Gungubele distanced the government from Sisulu’s comments, labelling them “recklessness of the highest order” as a gross misrepresentation of the Constitution. However, UCT…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za A matric pupil has taken Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga to court over her decision not to public matric results in newspapers and online platforms. Anle Spies, who sat for her examinations in Pretoria last year, filed urgent papers in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria in which she asked the court to rescind Motshekga’s decision. The results are due to be published on Thursday and the urgent application is expected to be heard on Tuesday ahead of the announcements of the results. She is supported in her application by AfriForum and Maroela Media. The application was filed on Friday, a few days after Motshekga announced that the department would not be publishing the results to comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia). In…

Don Makatile don.makatile@inl.co.za Mention the game of golf and people immediately think of big international stars and equally large sums of prize money. Rarely is the game associated with community development and fighting joblessness. But for the people of the Waterberg region in Limpopo, golf is just a means towards fighting the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality. For the 4th year in a row, the Limpopo Championship will be hosted at the Euphoria Golf & Lifestyle Estate on March 31 – April 1, but for the whole week of the golf tournament, men and women who’d ordinarily not have a cent to their name will be able to put food on the table for their families. The area around the plush Euphoria Golf & Lifestyle Estate – and…

South Africa’s political landscape is characterised by the inclusion of contrasting right-centre-left ideological views and political personalities. The democratic dispensation has largely postured a tolerance of all political views – through debate and a media fraternity that enjoys freedom of speech and expression regardless of who it may criticise or oppose. Nonetheless, a study by Quote This Women (a South African NGO) has revealed that, in South Africa, less than 20% of sources quoted in the news and public engagements are women. The irony of these findings is that despite the dominance of women (in numbers) across most sectors, particularly in politics, women are hardly at the centre of leading the narrative in those areas where they are a majority. The question to be asked is: Are women simply not…

ARCHBISHOP Desmond Tutu’s death on December 26, 2021 left our nation bereft, feeling the loss of our moral compass. Revered during his life for speaking truth to power, the Arch’s death provoked an outpouring of grief from across the world. Tributes on his passing lauded his role in the struggle for freedom, justice and equality in South Africa, and his solidarity with peoples’ struggles for freedom across the world. Sello Hatang, in a tribute he authored, noted that the Arch had a rocky relationship with the ruling party. The Arch himself had protested that he had not survived one tyranny to live under another. In death, though, the ruling party paid homage to the Arch’s life. Nevertheless, a moral and ethical disconnect exists between the rhetoric used to venerate the…

DENNIS PENU MOST of the 54 countries in Africa are unitary – the power to govern them resides mostly in a centralised government. Only Ethiopia and Nigeria are fully federal, while others like South Africa, the Comores, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia have some features of federalism. Federalism involves the division of power between a central government and regional governments. Each level has specified political power over different areas, and regional governments have power to determine local policies and raise their own revenue. Ghana is not known as one of the federations in Africa. However, it’s life as an independent state in 1957 began as a loosely formed federation, with fairly high levels of regional autonomy included in the constitution. The rules set down for…

BRITAIN’S Prince Andrew – who has been accused of sexually abusing Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of the alleged victims of convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – has been stripped of military titles and royal patronages, Buckingham Palace revealed. The palace said that the Duke of York will “continue not to undertake any public duties”, noting that he is “defending this case as a private citizen”. He would no longer use the title “His Royal Highness”, and his roles will be distributed among other royals. | Sputnik…

ZAAHIER ADAMS TO MOST observers, South Africa have in recent times looked a shadow of the great teams of the past that have represented the Proteas. Indeed, taking into account the length of time since they last won a significant Test series, arguably at home against Australia in 2018, a victory in a Test series over the world’s No 1 side, India, is worth celebrating from the roof tops. The fact that the Proteas were the first team to record a series win without scoring 250 – in addition to no batter scoring an individual century – in any of their turns at the crease is basically the equivalent of a money heist orchestrated by the “Professor” himself. But that matters nothing as this was purely a case of getting…

MANCHESTER City took a major step towards retaining their Premier League title with a 1-0 win over second-placed Chelsea yesterday, opening up a 13-point lead at the top of the table for Pep Guardiola’s side. Kevin De Bruyne’s 70th-minute strike means that City have 56 points from 22 matches with Chelsea on 43 points. Third-placed Liverpool, who have two games in hand, including today’s match at home to Brentford, are on 42 points. Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said his side would keep up the chase, but struck a realistic tone in regard to the title chase. “We won’t give up, but if City keep on winning every game, nobody can catch them,” said the German. City extended their winning run in the league to 12 games, deservedly so after…

THE Proteas secured a momentous series victory over the world No 1- ranked Test side India on Thursday. There were some memorable individual performances that inspired this marvellous come-from-behind performance. IOL Sport cricket correspondent Zaahier Adams provides his ratings card. Dean Elgar: 9.5 (235 runs, average 47, 50s: 2, HS: 96*) South Africa’s captain would literally land up in hospital before giving an inch away to the Indians. He took countless blows to the body during this series, but never blinked once. His 96 not out at the Wanderers to level the series will be remembered as one of the finest innings by a South African captain. The way he managed to drag his team from the doldrums of the series-opening defeat at Centurion has been nothing short of sensational.…

Yoga provides you with various physical, mental health and well- being benefits and luckily it requires a tiny investment in equipment compared to other forms of exercise. A yoga mat is one of the most versatile essentials you need, especially in these challenging times with gyms opening and closing. Practising on a yoga mat allows you to properly perform different poses while remaining safe and free from unnecessary stresses such as slipping or experiencing pain from uncomfortable body support. Whether you are a hardcore yogic or someone about to embark on your fitness journey, a yoga mat will help elevate your performance and keeps pains and aches at bay. Pallav Bihani, Founder Of Boldfit, shares some tips on how to select the best mat for your home workouts: Thickness There…

KARABO NGOEPE and TSHEPISO TSHABALALA THE lucrative National Lotteries Commission tender has been pushed back numerous times as the fight to handle the R180 billion pie rages on. At its centre is a company with close ties to Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel, Hosken Consolidated Investments Limited (HCI). HCI is led by Yunis Shaik and John Copelyn, who pumped money into ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa's 2017 Nasrec campaign. The R180bn tender bid has been put on ice for the third time. According to sources within the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) board, Patel has delayed the release of the Lotteries RFP (Request for Proposal) due to alleged differences with the NLC Board. Sources have told the publication that the RFP was sent to Patel in 2020, but to date he…

From Page 1 “The board of the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) submitted the Request for Proposal (RFP) document calling for applications for the fourth lottery licence on the 26th of November 2020. The minister is yet to approve the public issuing of the RFP document by the NLC. Enquiries with regard to the reasons for the delay must be directed to the office of the minister,” he said. Patel's spokesperson, Bongani Lukhele, confirmed that the minister had received the RFP from the board of the NLC, setting out the terms that they recommended the minister should publish. He said that had not happened as the department appointed independent legal advisers to review the draft RFP. “Senior counsel reviewed the draft RFP and identified a number of areas where the RFP…

Lesego Makgatho lesego.makgatho@inl.co.za The case of missing Amahle Thabethe remains a guessing game and a matter of hope and prayer until hard evidence proves otherwise, say the police. Thabethe, who should be celebrating her 12th birthday with her family in November this year, went missing on April 4, 2019 outside her Tsakane home in Ekurhuleni. She was 8. It’s been almost three years since her disappearance and there have been no leads in the investigation. Friends close to the family are seeking answers from the SAPS and are losing hope of finding out if Amahle is alive and where she is. They do, however, believe she could be held by someone known to her. A friend and social media activist, Thobeka Gigaba, and other concerned citizens have created a social…

Samkelo Mtshali samkelo.thulasizwe@inl.co.za THE ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is taking its provincial anniversary celebrations to the DA-led uMngeni Local Municipality, where it lost control of the council in the November elections. The venue for the celebrations is Mpophomeni, near Howick, where former president Nelson Mandela was arrested before being sent to Robben Island for 27 years. Yesterday, ANC provincial spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela said the venue had been recommended by the party’s Moses Mabhida Region for this year’s event. Ntombela downplayed suggestions they were making a statement by taking the celebration to the newly established DA stronghold. However, he confirmed the decision was taken in the aftermath of the shock defeat that sent the ANC to the opposition benches of the first DA-controlled council in the province. Ntombela insisted that the move…

LEKGANTSHI CONSOLE TLEANE Recent heavy rains following periods of drought have led many to reflect seriously on two related phenomena. For the scientific community the unpredictable and often devastating weather patterns provide indisputable evidence of climate change, largely caused by high carbon emissions. This has strengthened the resolve by environmental activists to campaign for a transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy solutions. Some of these developments point to the phenomenon of urban disaster risk. The United Nations Development Programme suggests that risk in urban areas is a combination of two factors: location and exposure to hazards on the one hand, and increased vulnerability due to poor local governance, environmental degradation, and resource scarcity. For governments, one of the major challenges remains how to convince some communities to avoid settling…

If told in the genre of non-fiction rather than fanciful fiction, the story of current day South Africa would be one of Great Expectations unmet, of a transformation undone, of a pandemic of poverty, of landlessness and joblessness. Such a book could well contain the uneasy prose of Minister Lindiwe Sisulu who recently wrote about the lack of social and economic justice for black South Africans. In her thought piece entitled “Hi Mzansi, have we seen justice?” Sisulu writes about “a sea of African poverty”, about how “Africans manage poverty while others manage wealth”, and about the need for an overhaul of the justice system so that it serves Africans better. Minister Sisulu was spot on when she said: “The stark reality is that if you don’t have land, you…

MINISTER of Tourism Lindiwe Sisulu penned an opinion piece on January 7, titled: “Hi Mzansi, have we seen justice?” It was a refreshing critique of the challenges confronting South Africa. Sisulu is right to express herself, and the content of her remarks must be vigorously defended without equivocation or ambiguity. On January 8, soon after I read the opinion piece, I publicly expressed the following remarks: “Wow, what a piece by Lindiwe Sisulu. I am pleasantly surprised that some in the ANC still get it and are prepared to articulate it eloquently. The issue is how to get such incisive thinking to influence the ANC and the country’s direction. Is it a lost cause?” I stand by these utterances. There have been several articles and remarks attacking Minister Sisulu. The…

BP says its fast electric vehicle chargers are on the cusp of becoming more profitable than filling up a petrol car. The milestone will mark a significant moment for BP, which wants to shift away from oil and expand operations in power markets and around electric vehicles (EV). EV charging is not expected to turn profitable before 2025 but BP’s fast battery charging points, which can replenish a battery in minutes, are nearing levels they see from filling up with petrol, with rising demand for rapid battery chargers. | Reuters…

SHANNON EBRAHIM Group Foreign Editor IN A far away land, so distant from our shores, there was a social explosion last week in Kazakhstan, the oil rich former Soviet state in central Asia. This is important for South Africans to know as we profess to care about the plight of the poor and working class in other developing countries. In this instance, the boiling frustration of the working class exploded, only to be snuffed out days after it began. Our trade unions and leftist movements should certainly care what lies behind the eruption, as the root causes are certainly disturbing in terms of a lack of social justice. The way in which the social protests were dealt with also sets an ominous tone for how future social protests in the…

WYNONA LOUW Western Province 48 Lions 36 WESTERN Province got their 2022 Currie Cup campaign off to a winning start as they ran in seven tries to the Lions’ five at Cape Town Stadium. With the Currie Cup and the United Rugby Championship running concurrently, both sides fielded a healthy dose of youngsters. Province got off to a strong start and showed good intent as they turned down a shot at posts to go for the try, and they were rewarded for their ambition when Adre Smith crossed over for a converted score (7-0). Dameon Venter added a try for the visitors later in the opening quarter (7-5), but WP flyhalf Tim Swiel stretched the hosts’ lead when he added a penalty conversion to take the score to 10-5. The…