Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-01-30 i Sunday Independent

THERE are so many factors to consider before launching a business – a sound business model, the market, location or workspace and other overheads, bank accounts and licensing, to name a few. However, strategic pricing should always be at the top of your priority list to ensure the viability of your business. The pricing of goods and services is so crucial that it has produced a whole industry of pricing analysis specialists. These experts build pricing models based on market trends, statistical analysis and strategic positioning. Finding the right price point to enter the market competitively is no small feat – it’s more of a science. Getting it right is essential, because pricing, whether directly or indirectly, will influence all aspects of your business, from profit margins and sales volumes…

LINDIWE Sisulu’s blistering attack against the status quo in governance via the Constitution is a blistering indictment against the one-sided democracy now prevalent in our contagious and politically toxic rainbow nation. Rainbow South Africa is a total farce. Our so-called democracy represents the most imbalanced nation on Earth.This grotesque imbalance is a recipe for disaster – an invitation to chaos and tyranny. How can our nation hope to survive in rivers of monumental wealth alongside oceans of poverty and despair? Under these frightening circumstances, a titanic clash will render the Constitution impotent. Our Constitution was designed as an anchor for constitutional governance. It was supposed to be our last refuge from chaos and tyranny. But It’s noble provisions were relegated to the dustbins of history. Its sublime undertakings…

Mpho Rantao mpho.rantao@inl.co.za Uber has come under fire on social media for allegedly racially profiling its clients and charging white clients lower rates. Some South Africans have been sharing experiences on Twitter of how they have been charged lower rates for trips after changing their names on their profiles into those of white people. They also claim that they also get better vehicles transporting them by doing so. In response, Uber South Africa’s head of communications, Mpho Sebelebele, has refuted the allegations, saying the company does not discriminate. “Fares are calculated based on rates for time and distance, and the wait time is subject to the availability of drivers in the area and not determined by the individual requesting. These fares vary by city and product (eg, UberX, Uber Go,…

From Page 1 Bhengu elaborated that her daily trip to and from work would cost her more than R40, but when she changed the name, the price went down to R18, which perplexed the property consultant. "I remembered reading Uber's website and learning that trips costs weren't lower than R20, but I was essentially given the price of the UberGo option that was lower and the car was vastly better. They were cars I usually see on the UberX option, which is normally more expensive." Another user named Kabelo* expressed his dismay under Bhengu's tweet over the price change when he tried the experiment, booking a trip to a regular location and getting charged almost R30 less than his original price. "I'm upset that this actually works," he said. "I…

Manyane Manyane manyane.manyane@inl.co.za Members of the SAPS have lost an average of four firearms a day and this has compromised the safety and security of the public and has increased people’s vulnerability at the hands of criminals. According to Gun Free SA, 29 600 firearms were lost and stolen from police stations in the period between 2001/02 and 2020/21. Gun Free SA director Adele Kirsten said there was a lot that was needed to protect the police and also hold them responsible for losing a firearm as guns in the hands of criminals were a threat to society. “Most police officers are killed when they are off duty (for example, last year 31 members were killed on duty and 50 off duty). In many cases when police officers are killed…

REPORTED disbelief by the Black Business Council (BBC) that President Cyril Ramaphosa does not believe in the transformation agenda is cause for evaluative reflection by all entities shouldering the burden of blackness to their name, cause, programmes, vocation and respective stations of life. So disconsolate is the BBC that the prospects for the continued existence of the Presidential Economic Transformation Advisory Council (Petac), is feared to be on the ropes and set to hit the canvas and would soon be counted as down and out. The question is whether or not Petac shall inevitably be pronounced dead and its final rites performed? That is better left to the war of the gods. But, should blackness be fated to the gods too? I move that it should not but firmly relocated…

Amanda Maliba amanda.maliba@inl.co.za Families of the victims of the accident in Protea Glen, that lead to the tragic deaths of 17-year-old friends Sakhile Mazibuko and Khaya Nkolongwane want justice for their children are still battling to find answers from the police. The Mazibukos and Nkolongwanes feel aggrieved that seven months after an off-duty Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officer allegedly knocked them down while speeding on the streets, the police have made no arrests and yet the suspect is free and is often seen driving around in the area. The incident happened on June 19, 2021 and a case of two counts of culpable homicide was opened on June 20, 2021, CAS 268/2021 at the Protea Glen Police Station. After allegations that the investigating officer in the case had asked…

Amanda Maliba amanda.maliba@inl.co.za Following the success of her singles on national radio stations, singer and songwriter Nomfundo Moh has released her debut album, Amagama. The album aims to make her a household name following her latest single, Phakade Lami. The entire 13-track debut studio album was written by the 21-year-old. She started the process in 2020 during the lockdown but said she wasn’t aiming for anything at that point. She was just inspired to make music. “I didn’t think much about it at that time. I was just inspired to write and make music, so I did. Little did I know that I would have a full body of work that people would consume two years later. It is all so surreal,” said the bubbly muso. The album covers a…

The EFF, ANC and other opposition parties in the City of Joburg failed in their bid to disrupt the election of Section 79 committee chairs through singing and dancing, while the DA-led coalition government was choosing their candidates who were elected unopposed. Opposition parties lodged bids to stop the council from adopting minutes of two previous council meetings which were also disrupted due to a dispute over voting methods. The DA elected 16 of their candidates to different committees. | IOL…

Shifaan Ryklief shifaan.ryklief@africannewsagency.com Last Saturday, Cameroon-born Francis Ngannou defended his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight belt for the first time against a former sparring partner, Ciryl Gane, during UFC 270 at the Honda Center, California. For Ngannou fans in attendance and those streaming online, witnessing the heavyweight belt being wrapped around “The Predator’s” waist was the perfect end to an eventful evening as it meant success for a job well done. However, for those back home in Cameroon and more so for the people in his hometown of Batie, it meant hope, determination and a strong will to achieve anything no matter the circumstances you are born into. The road to becoming the UFC heavyweight champion of the world and claim the honours of being known as the baddest man…

Tesla’s most important products this year and next will not be cars, chief executive Elon Musk said this week, but software that drives them autonomously and a humanoid robot. Some Tesla drivers are buying $12 000 self-driving packages in the expectation that full autonomy is around the corner, and 60 000 Tesla drivers are testing the latest self-driving software. Tesla uses cameras and artificial intelligence, avoiding as radar and lidar sensors that rivals say are key to achieving full autonomy. | Reuters…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za THE Proteas women’s side got the wake up call they probably needed in the first One-Day International against the West Indies on Friday night. Their lethargy wasn’t costly in terms of a result, with the match abandoned due to rain, and the lessons learnt from that clash which the West Indies dominated, will stand them in good stead for tomorrow’s second match, also at the Wanderers. The South Africans looked out of sorts, their rhythm not helped by the fact that play was interrupted a couple of times by rain. Not that that should be any excuse. They seemed to take their foot off the pedal after a good start with the ball, and were flummoxed by the powerful striking from Deandra Dottin in her career best…

MORGAN BOLTON Vodacom Bulls (20) 34 Try: Grobbelaar, Papier, Botha, Vorster; Conversion: Steyn (4); Penalty: Steyn (2) Yellow Card; Nortje Emirates Lions (3) 10 Try: Kriel; Conversion: Swanepoel; Penalty: Zeilinga A ruthless Vodacom Bulls dispatched an underwhelming Emirates Lions, securing a morale-boosting victory in their United Rugby Championship clash yesterday afternoon at Emirates Airline Park. The Bulls, although certainly not clinical in the execution of all their chances, took their shots when it counted, while the Lions made far too many errors far too often when in possession to build any sustained threat. For the first 20 minutes or so, the match was an arm-wrestle, with both teams trading blows through the boots of Morne Steyn and Fred Zeilinga. In this specific early skirmish, however, it was the Bulls that…

IANS IF WE don’t over-think the aspects of our appearance that we don’t like and accept them as they are, we are more likely to have a positive self-image of ourselves. A positive self-image leads to healthy lifestyle choices as well as positive thoughts and behaviours. Certain teenagers are body shamed at school or by their families, which can change their relationship with their bodies. Teens are frequently influenced by their peers and family members, and they tend to adopt their views on what constitutes an acceptable body image. A person’s physical and emotional health can suffer as a result of a negative or distorted body image. It can lead to a variety of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, OCD, and eating disorders. A poor self-image can lead…

The South African government is in a serious state of disaster. One wonders if the Department of State Security is even aware of this because we have been witnessing disturbing scenes that smell like deliberate sabotage. The burning of our national key points can't be coincidental, it is clear that someone is behind this. As much as our government would want to keep certain information from the public, it must take us into confidence and assure us that it is capable of dealing with this crisis. We have become a joke in other countries because of the incompetency of our leaders. What is also clear is the fact that there is a serious campaign to unseat the current president, and the two cannot be separated. South Africa does not need…

Manyane Manyane manyane.manyane@inl.co.za Various organisations ranging from consumer and medical to the religious, as well as trade unions, believe that the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) missed the mark when it ruled against an employee fired for refusing to vaccinate. SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) spokesperson Trevor Shaku said the union would work with its unions to challenge the ruling. He believes the judgment was arrived at by concentrating on the procedures the employer followed in notifying employees about vaccination and the failure of the employee to comply. “It would have been a fair judgment if this process was merely on another safety and health measure that does not infringe the worker’s bodily integrity. But because it overlooks the constitutional prescription, it’s not a fair judgment,”…

From Page 1 She added that she felt extreme social pressure and emotional discomfort being subjected to deciding between her livelihood and accepting the vaccine under current conditions. She was referring to having to waive explicitly all avenues of recourse against the pharmaceutical companies who manufacture and supply the vaccines and the company in the case of temporary and permanent side effects. In the judgment, Matshaka said: “In my own sense of fairness, I can only conclude that Mulderiji is permanently incapacitated on the basis of her decision not getting vaccinated and (by) implication refusing to participate in the creation of a safe working environment.” He added that he could therefore conclude that her dismissal was substantively fair. Pandemic - Data Analytics (Panda) chairperson Nick Hudson said the judgment implemented…

Tracy-Lynn Ruiters tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za Council worker and actor, the Cape Flats’ very own Uncle Joe has become somewhat of a local singing sensation. His real name is Joseph Mitchell and he has now pinned his hopes on also becoming a pop star and made it his mission to fulfil a dream of singing on national TV and becoming a singing sensation at age 61. Mitchell from Welcome Estate in Athlone, who has been a civil servant for more than 20 years, has landed a spot in the top three of musician Loki Rothman’s Afrikaans singing competition Wat Dit Vat. The 13-episode show started as a social experiment on Instagram during lockdown. Being a part of the show was a big bucket-list item he could tick off. He is also an actor, having…

The decision by ANC MP Mervyn Dirks to write to Mkhuleko Hlengwa, asking him to summon President Cyril Ramaphosa to appear before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) to explain the content of the leaked audio clip, has landed him in hot water. In the clip, Ramaphosa remarked in the national executive committee that public funds were used to campaign for top positions in the party. Following this incident, the ANC’s Chief Whip, Pemmy Majodina, instructed Dirks to withdraw his letter to Hlengwa or face the consequences. When the 9am deadline passed, the ANC instituted punitive action against Dirks. While this appears to be an internal ANC matter whereby the party is applying its rules against one of its members, there is more to it than it meets…

The new Property Practitioner’s Act, which will take effect from Feburuary 1, provides more protection for consumers, including the need to disclose defects in sales and rentals. Although it has been in practice for some time, it is now a legal requirement. The document must be signed by all parties and annexed to the respective sale or lease agreement. If a seller tries to conceal defects that they were aware of, they could be sued by the purchaser. A property practitioner must do an inspection with the seller. | IOL…

Shannon Ebrahim shannon.ebrahim@inl.co.za What if Russian troops and missiles are deployed in Cuba and Nicaragua, and the establishment of Russian military bases are under way? What would the reaction of the US be? We know the answer to that because after Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was asked about the possibility of sending troops to Latin America earlier this month, the US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US would act decisively if there was Russian military activity in Latin America. So that begs the question: Why should Russia not act decisively when there is a build-up of Western forces in its own backyard, a web of Western military bases already in place, and the imminent threat of Nato extending its military presence right up to Russia’s borders…

Efforts were under way on Friday to rescue a small whale, apparently weak and injured, that got stranded on a beach in a suburb of the Greek capital. Live whale sightings are rare in Athens. The mammal bobbed in waist-high waters off Trocadero beach off the suburb of Palio Faliro, as a vet took blood samples. A marine biologist said the mammal could have become disoriented due to ongoing seismic research for hydrocarbons in the Gulf of Kyparissia in western Greece, one of its main habitats. | AFP…

AN imperious Ashleigh Barty said it was a dream come true after yesterday becoming the first Australian to win her home Grand Slam in 44 years, but the memories made along the way were more important than the trophy. The world number one was 5-1 down in the second set against fearless American Danielle Collins but came storming back to win on a tiebreak and sweep past the 27th seed 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) and be crowned Australian Open champion. It was a third Slam title for the 25-year-old after her breakthrough French Open success in 2019 and Wimbledon last year, joining Serena Williams as the only active players to win majors on all three surfaces. “It’s a dream come true for me and I’m just so proud to be an…

Buhle Mbonambi buhle.mbonambi@inl.co.za The ingénue. Beloved (and sometimes despised) by many in Hollywood. She’s the young (okay, not always) newcomer that everyone wants a piece of, but can’t get. Plucked from relative obscurity to super stardom, her name is instantly added to the lexicon of people you just must know. And that is exactly what has happened to Julia Fox. She scored a seat among the heavy-hitters at the couture shows in Paris. Ms Fox’s trajectory is mind-boggling. But no one is surprised when you think about it – this is celebrity theatre at its finest and we are all lapping it up as intended. I’ll be the first to admit I did not know who Julia Fox was until she was suddenly everywhere. Page Six, TMZ, The Shade Room…

This year marks the centenary of the Rand Revolt – the strike which developed into a bitter armed clash between white workers and the state, and which lasted for approximately two months. At the beginning the strike was led by the South African Industrial Federation through a joint strike committee. But during the course of the dispute, leadership was passed on to the Council of Action composed of militant trade unionists – including members of the Communist Party of South Africa such as Comrades Spendiff and Fisher, who were killed in Fordsburg during the violence that ensued. Three others, Lewis, Hull and Long were sentenced to death for their part in the workers’ armed resistance and marched bravely to the gallows singing the International Working Class song, The Red Flag.…

The last sentence of the powerful book, Parcel of Death, the biography of Onkgopotse Abram Tiro, penned by Gaongalelwe Tiro, reads: “South Africa’s first democratically-elected president, Nelson Mandela, during a state visit to Botswana in 1995, visited Tiro’s grave to acknowledge his contribution to the liberation struggle.” What a fascinating way of concluding a book whose protagonist paid the ultimate price for the ideal of freedom, the true liberation of the people of Azania! But, it’s incontestable that what Tiro and many other heroes, heroines and martyrs of the struggle died fighting for, remains a far-fetched dream betrayed at the altar of the rainbow in 1994. But what is poignant in this context is what Gaoganelwe asserts, and actually laments, when he says, “the pre and post-apartheid authorities failed to…

The killing of 36 people in Phoenix, KwaZulu-Natal, and the subsequent arrest of 22 people for the murders during what sociologist Ishmael Lesufi calls the July 2020 Food Riots forced the country to revisit the age-old problem of tense relations between Africans and persons of Indian origin. In a 1972 article titled Ugandan Asians and Some Lessons for Us, which some attribute to Steve Biko but whose authorship is not clear, it is noted that while the dictator Idi Amin displayed “blatant stupidity” by expelling persons of Indian origin from Uganda, the more guilty party were the colonialist British who had engineered ethnic relations between Africans and Indians that would explode into outright tensions. The article highlighted some lessons that needed to be learnt at the time. “For the merchant…

Tshepiso Tshabalala, Manyane Manyane and Roland Mpofu Teachers’ unions say their members feel under siege from communities who expect them to perform miracles and ensure unqualified pupils pass and are promoted to the next grade. This came after a deputy principal at Phomolong Secondary School, Thembisile Ngendane, 50, was shot and killed, allegedly by a pupil, outside the school gate last week Friday, January 21, while sitting in her car. Police’s preliminary investigations have revealed that three gunmen driving in a white vehicle shot Ngendane through the passenger window. National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA executive director Manuel Basi said there was a mind-shift in society as a whole, where teachers are expected to pass failed pupils or that they should not take corrective measures against pupils who fail to…

THE South African government applied for and was granted a $750 million (about R11.4 billion) low interest rate loan by the World Bank with very attractive terms, inclusive of the 13-year repayment period with a three-year grace period. A special communication on this by the National Treasury on January 21 said that this loan would support government’s efforts to accelerate its Covid-19 response aimed at protecting the vulnerable poor and unemployed groups from the adverse socio- economic negative multiplier effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and supporting a resilient and sustainable economic recovery. The rand immediately strengthened against all the major currencies we usually compare it with, when the news of the R11.4bn World Bank loan to South Africa started trending globally on January 21. l Having traded at R15.52/US$ and…

Koffi Kouakou and Charles Matseke If growing diplomatic rumours that Russia has warned France and Ecowas (the Economic Community of West African States) against any military intervention in Mali are true, the geopolitical implications of such rumours are considerable. The context is everything and tells it all. West Africa is in turmoil, again. The dreaded spectre of coups d’état has again been raising its ugly head in West Africa over the past six months. Burkina Faso is the latest country to see the military overthrow a legitimate government, adding to a growing list of disruptive changes in government. Even “Operation Barkhane”, famously known as the number one counter-terrorism effort in the region costing more than $1 billion (about R15bn) annually, has been unable to create stability in Mali and the…

Leo Adams US and European leaders are increasingly concerned about Russia’s military deployment in the region and the possibility it could invade Ukraine. The US is supplying arms and ammunition to Kiev, while Germany blocks a Nato ally from transferring weapons to Ukraine. Berlin has avoided provoking Russia as they are bound by economic co-operation in terms of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that runs through Danish waters to Germany. On the other hand, Nato member Turkey, which enjoys a better relationship with Russia compared to the US and various European countries, is ironically fully backing Kyiv with Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drones. Despite the dangers of Ukraine being a country at war, with tourism organisations reporting Ukraine to be one of the riskiest holiday destinations in the world,…

Leftist Xiomara Castro has been sworn as the first woman president of Honduras, vowing to reform the crime-and poverty-stricken nation into a “socialist and democratic state”. Castro, 62, took the oath at a ceremony at the Tegucigalpa National Stadium after an week of fighting within her party that challenged her authority. She promised to improve education, health care, security and jobs. The guests included US Vice President Kamala Harris, King Felipe VI of Spain and Taiwan Vice President William Lai. | AFP…

| Reuters EGYPT’S progress at the Africa Cup of Nations could come at a heavy cost to its most popular club, dividing fan loyalties as the country awaits a key quarter-final clash in Cameroon today. It also highlights a strange decision by Fifa to host its Club World Cup at the same time as the final week of the Cup of Nations tournament, in an unprecedented overlapping of dates. Cairo giants Al Ahly will participate in the Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates next week, playing their first game against Mexican club Monterrey in Abu Dhabi on February 5. But if Egypt beat Morocco in tonight’s Cup of Nations quarter-final, and advance to next week’s semi-final and final, Ahly will have to play without six of their…