Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-02-27 i Sunday Independent

Wesley Diphoko wesley.diphoko@inl.co.za The world is currently witnessing a war that will have an impact that goes beyond Russia and Ukraine. The global response by world leaders through sanctions will prevent Russia from accessing technologies developed in the US and Europe. As a result of this action, we are likely to see the splinternet or further balkanisation of the internet, which simply means the world will have a divided internet. Splinternet is this idea that the internet, long imagined as a global online commons, is becoming a maze of national or regional, and often conflicting, rules. This is contrary to what the internet was intended to become, a global network. China is already outside of the global internet due to the great firewall of China. Russia has been preparing for…

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za When Covid-19 hit South Africa many cultural events across the country were cancelled and organisers who made a living from such events were left financially crippled. Some organisers continued to adapt to the “new normal” by using alternative platforms to run the festivals and also support the local economy. Food and drink festival organisers were some of those who pivoted in the midst of a pandemic. Not just a celebration of indulgence and consumption, food and beverage festivals are a celebration of diverse communities; whether centred on a particular style of cooking, or by delving into regional specialities. They function as a method of bringing people together to break bread while sharing an experience and a meal – an opportunity to try something new. And by the…

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za IF YOU have tried to master the art of cooking during the lockdown, you are not alone. From Dalgona coffee to banana bread, there have been plenty of trending dishes to try and relish. And even if you did not venture into the kitchen, there is always a cooking show or two to keep us salivating and creating those perfect dishes, at least in our heads. Can you relate to all of this? Below we bring you food shows to watch this year if you are trying to cook more. Wedding Chefs SABC1 will kick off March with a new entertaining reality show. Wedding Chefs is a cooking reality television show that sets out to search and match a chef extraordinaire with an engaged couple while bringing…

In an opinion piece “Beware, the snake might be dead but those who share its secrets can still bite” published by the Sunday Times in January 2018 in response to calls for his predecessor’s recall from government, I warned that: “It would be foolhardy of Cyril Ramaphosa to push for Jacob Zuma’s recall as president without control of the security services, especially the intelligence services.” As Stephen Ellis points out in External Mission, an intelligence community constitutes his “key institutional base”. In January 1987 the ANC appointed Zuma as its intelligence chief, a position he held until August 1991. During this period, he built an enduring intelligence network that not only turned him into the most feared man within the party but also catapulted him into the South African presidency.…

coNFERENCE Tswelopele Makoe An international panel of experts in the education sector converged virtually in Pretoria last week to thrash out scenarios of how higher education could look in the year 2050 and beyond. The conference was attended by representatives from more than 50 countries. It was organised by the global research organisation University Futures Network and Unesco, and hosted by Unisa on Thursday and Friday. The conference theme was “Re-imagining the Futures of Higher Education towards 2050”. Keith Holmes of Unesco argued that future methodology and scenario development needed to be at the heart of policy development if mammoth challenges facing the higher education sector were to be addressed properly. “Therefore,” Holmes said, “higher education has to create its own future, rather than rely on other people’s futures. By…

Sibulele Kasa sibulele.kasa@inl.co.za THE new academic year, usually full of hope and promise, started badly for students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, with many forced to bunk down in the student centre due to a shortage of accommodation For the past fortnight, more than 100 students, many of them first years, have been forced to sleep on the floor, stairs and benches in the centre, at the university’s District Six campus. In the mornings, the students queue to use showers at the closest on-campus residences before attending class. The accommodation problem is set to worsen when senior students return. The university said the number of beds at its residences dropped from 13 000 last year to just over 12 750. CPUT said it was due to the effects…

THE PRUSSIAN general and military theorist, Carl von Clausewitz, is known for his famous saying that “war is the continuation of politics by other means”. This aphorism has stood the test of time in its aptness to describe the interests behind the many wars that have benefited none other than elite interests that have stoked them. What then are the political interests that are behind the entrance of Russia into the territory of Ukraine? For the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, entering Ukrainian territory is the necessary means to correct the “mistakes of the past” which include the “artificial” creation of Ukraine, failed attempts to negotiate the non-expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) to the east. This is seen as a direct security threat to Russia, and the existence…

Herman Gibbs herman.gibbs@gmail.com BENNI McCarthy’s dual role as a doting father and a proud coach played itself out at Friday’s night press conference after AmaZulu had scored back-to-back Champions League wins. AmaZulu defeated Algerian visitors ES Sétif 1-0 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in their CAF Champions League Group B match. A week earlier, AmaZulu defeated Guinea’s Horoya SC by the same margin at the same venue. “Six points in two games, not bad, hey. How many of you thought AmaZulu would have six points after three matches? That is what we have done,” said McCarthy, adding, “It was a special win, and incredibly special day.” “It is a special win, but it is also an incredibly special day for me. Today was the day (17 years ago), I…

The Maravi Post Emotions are running high among Zambians, over a decision by the new government, to allow an Australian- listed company, to start large-scale copper mining in one of the country’s key national parks, the Lower Zambezi. On the banks of the Zambezi River, opposite Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park, the Lower Zambezi National Park is admired the world over as one of the most pristine, undisturbed, virgin and paradise-like places. It is one of Zambia’s premier wildlife destinations, with approximately 50 mammal species and 400 bird species, as well as a wide variety of spectacular trees, grasses and flowers. Some citizens fear open-pit mining will destroy all that and the constructing and blasting will scare the animals and push them to neighbouring countries, such as Zimbabwe, while chemicals…

Reuters Eu COUNTRIES agreed on Tuesday to open their borders to travellers from outside the bloc who have had shots against Covid-19 authorised by the World Health Organization (WHO), easing restrictions on those who received Indian and Chinese vaccines. The EU has so far authorised vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca (when produced in Europe), Johnson & Johnson and Novavax. In addition to these shots, the WHO has approved the vaccines produced by Chinese makers Sinopharm and Sinovac and by Indian company Bharat Biotech. It has also authorised the AstraZeneca vaccine made in India by the Serum Institute. Until now, most EU countries have not admitted people from outside the bloc travelling for non-essential reasons if they have been vaccinated with shots not approved in the EU. “Member states should…

To ADDRESS gnawing poverty South Africa deserves better: a granular and not a grainy Consumer Price Index (CPI). The father of modern linguistics, Noam Chomsky, provides an incisive process on how public value is destroyed: “Defund, make sure things don’t work, get people angry – privatise”. The late Yasser Arafat, who was chairperson of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, would have none of this. He inspired how Palestine would wage its struggle. Key to this was a focused attention on knowing Palestine. To this end, in 1993 he established a small team of people to address this task. The task was accomplished and the Palestine Statistics Office was established in 1993 with a skeleton staff of five to answer the profound question: “How do I know Palestine?”. It was one of…

“MAYBE she had so much money she just lost track of it. Maybe it was all a misunderstanding.” That’s how Anna Sorokin’s marks explained away the supposed German heiress’s strange requests to sleep on their couch for the night, or to put plane tickets on their credit cards, which she would then forget to pay back. The subject of a new Netflix series, Inventing Anna, Sorokin, who told people her name was Anna Delvey, conned more than $250 000 out of wealthy acquaintances and high- end Manhattan businesses between 2013 and 2017. It turns out her lineage was a mirage. Instead, she was an intern at a fashion magazine who came from a working-class family of Russian immigrants. Yet the people around her were quick to accept her odd explanations,…

Debashine Thangevelo Shonda Rhimes is not just ruling the roost in Hollywood, she’s showing everyone else how it’s done. And that in itself is a huge achievement and proof of the long-overdue shake-up in the industry. Her critically-acclaimed offerings, with the real-life inspired TV series Inventing Anna becoming a talking point globally, speak directly to her prowess as a trailblazing showrunner. She pushes boundaries. And she gets viewers to catch feelings for her well-etched characters. At the same time, she doesn’t forsake ardent fans of her magnum opus Grey’s Anatomy. When the series aired in March 2005, it became a benchmark for medical dramas. After watching the first two episodes of season 18 of Grey’s Anatomy, I can’t help but marvel over Rhimes’s genius. The serious bounces back from…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za A few weeks back, I was so excited when Riky Rick announced that Cotton Fest was back. I remember telling my friends how happy I was and recruiting them to attend the party. Little did I know that his death would come before the highly anticipated event. Since the year started, I’ve been writing tributes every week and never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be writing one for one of my favourite local musicians, Rikhado Makhado, aka Riky Rick, at least not so soon. According to the statement released by the Makhado family, the Boss Zonke hitmaker passed in the early hours of February 23. He was 34 and left behind his wife, two children, his mother and five siblings. He rose to…

Jessica M Goldstein AS OLIVIA on The White Lotus, Sydney Sweeney narrows her blue-as-Barbicide eyes over a copy of The Portable Nietzsche to toss off a vicious, vocal-fried observation that will shatter a grown man’s confidence while sending a tremor of terror through anyone older than 30 watching at home. As Cassie on Euphoria, the same eyes go Bambi-wide in love, hope and panic; rather than fear her, viewers fear for her, a naive romantic melting down as the guy she’s secretly having sex with studiously ignores her, lest his volatile ex (who is also Cassie’s best friend) discover their tryst. Cassie is the girl even bad boys dream about. Olivia is the stuff of most parents’ nightmares. It is very funny and a little odd to think of…

DESPITE being the nerve centre of all spheres in South Africa, the National Treasury has spectacularly demonstrated its incapacity and unwillingness to play a meaningful role in the important obligations of developing the economy. The 2022 Budget, like all Budgets presented in the recent past, demonstrates the evident fact that there is an unwillingness to develop South Afroca’s economy and, therefore, an unwillingness to fight unemployment and poverty. The Public Finance Management Act obliges the National Treasury to, promote the government’s fiscal policy framework; co-ordinate macro- economic policy and intergovernmental financial relations; manage the Budget preparation process; facilitate the Division of Revenue Act; and monitor the implementation of provincial budgets. Additionally, it oversees important instruments for economic expansion, and these include the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), the South African…

Mpho Rantao mpho.rantao@inl.co.za Actor, director and producer of the MTV Shuga drama series What Makes a Man, Ayanda Makayi, is on a mission to understand what it is that makes a man in a society like South Africa, where a large percentage of men are the perpetrators of gender-based violence. In the series, Makayi has a starring role as a perpetrator and it is through this role that the idea was born of journeying across the country to find answers in the hope of pushing more South African men to spread the conversation. “When we were creating this based on the lives I did on Instagram, I specifically broke it down to specific categories,” Makayi said. “I looked at what a man is in this day and age. Do the…

Mpho Rantao and Tshepiso Tshabalala An afternoon trip to the hair salon was supposed to have been part of a day of relaxation for Nomsa Peter, a 67-year-old retiree. But she was left traumatised and frustrated, with her bank account emptied and FNB refusing to reimburse the stolen funds to her, saying that she had shared her PIN with the same criminals who had robbed her of her SIM card and then used it to raid her account. Peter unknowingly took a wrong turn on her way out and ended up at an empty passage at the back of Goldman Street, in Florida, Roodepoort, where three SIM card fraudsters posing as field distributors from various telecommunications companies confronted her. The men wore bibs with the logo of service providers and…

Tshepo Mvulane Moloi and Aphiwe Socishe On FEBRUARY 10 President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the State of the Nation Address (Sona) tabling government’s social and economic investment programmes for South Africa. Predictably Sona 2022 was consistent with what was raised in the ANC’s “January 8 Statement”, delivered in Polokwane. So the new finance minister of South Africa, Enoch Godongwana’s, maiden Budget speech must be read as merely allocating funds to implement programmes announced at Sona. For the majority of South Africans compelled to adjust since March 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic had an adverse economic impact on their pockets, much was expected from Godongwana’s speech. The respective circumstances of South Africa’s residents may justify their anxiety on what may have been prioritised in the Budget. Uppermost was keen interest…

In a media statement dated February 8, 2022, the Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, John Jeffery announced the start of consultative meetings regarding the possible decriminalisation of “sex work”. We write this open letter because the announcement by the deputy minister is supposed to open the debate on what to do about the present law on adult prostitution. However, the use of the phrase “decriminalisation of sex work” concerns us as it suggests he has already taken a position. It is important for the public to know that the approach for South Africa ought to be the abolitionist equality law that decriminalises only the prostituted person and provides support for exit programmes while penalising pimps, brothel owners and the buyers of sex. We are not the only ones…

Samkelo Mtshali samkelo.thulasizwe@inl.co.za WITH a defence that is shakier than a rope suspension bridge, guilty of shipping in 34 goals in 26 English Premier League matches, it is not rocket science concluding that fourth-placed Manchester United are in dire need of a defensive shake-up. The Red Devils’ rearguard, marshalled by captain Harry Maguire, has leaked in the most goals of any of the sides currently occupying the top five positions in the English top flight, and even the arrival of World Cup-winning French international defender Raphael Varane has not proved enough of a tonic for the record 20 times English champions’ defensive woes. Maguire has been at the centre of much of the criticism for numerous of United’s defensive horror shows this season, and rightly so. The 41 times capped…

Travel Reporter DIRECT flights between Durban and Harare will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Flights from Durban’s King Shaka International Airport depart at 10.30am, landing at 12.40pm at Harare’s Robert Mugabe International Airport. The return service leaves from Harare at 1.20pm, touching down in Durban at 3.35pm. Travel time is about two hours and 10 minutes. “Harare and Durban are important commercial centres and key Airlink markets. This new route linking the two cities will be our third direct service to Zimbabwe’s capital, along with our flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town. We are certain that the new service will promote commerce and tourism between the cities and between KwaZulu-Natal and Zimbabwe. Having non-stop flights on the route means greater convenience and options for travellers who want to save…

Fibre operator Vumatel has acquired a 45% non-controlling stake in Herotel, which it says is a significant fixed wireless internet service provider and meaningful player in the local fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) industry. The Google News Initiative (GNI) this week announced the opening of the third Innovation Challenge in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. The selected innovation projects will be eligible to receive up to $150 000 each in funding. The GNI Innovation Challenge has been running in the region since 2019 and the first two rounds saw 43 projects selected from 18 countries. Recipients of the 2019 and 2021 Innovation Challenges answered a call for projects which would increase reader engagement and/or explore new business models. The ideas ranged from digital membership schemes to Arabic language search tools. Communications regulator…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za MINISTER Enoch Godongwana’s inaugural speech largely went down well with many sectors of the economy, and had Russian boots not already been trampling Ukrainian borders, it could really have been the talk of the town. The resulting spike of the oil barrel to more than $100 (R1 500), precipitating a fuel price hike, combined with an impending electricity tariff hike after National Energy Regulator of South Africa granted Eskom a 9.61 percent price increase, stole the shine from the finance minister. Particularly unmoved by the showmanship is the energy sector, perennially short circuited by Eskom, as it grapples with eloquence in the new language of the “Just Transition” a new phase in the energy mix, which is yet to be fully fleshed out. Greenpeace Africa climate…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za International model, lawyer and activist Thando Hopa has launched a new project called African Fashion Legacy (AFL), a concept that explores the history of the transcontinental African fabrics that have been part of the lives of African people. “AFL was launched after a seed planted by my mother. One afternoon she told me about the power of working-class communities and their significant contribution to fashion and culture. Her example was how rural communities in Lesotho created parallel ownership over Shweshwe, a heritage that was once only considered to be Swiss German. “I then spoke to ma’am Angelique Kidjo when I was at the World Economic Forum, and she told me how Ankara, in West Africa, had a similar historical trajectory. “I realised that if you follow the…

Debashine Thangevelo debashine.thangevelo@inl.co.za Shows like Game of Thrones, Outlander, The Handmaid’s Tale, Bridgerton, Shadow and Bone, Sweet Magnolias, The Magicians, Firefly Lane, Virgin River, The Queen’s Gambit and The Witcher are all examples of successful TV adaptions of novels. And One of Us Is Lying is the latest such offering to air. The teen murder mystery is based on Karen M McManus’s bestseller of the same title. And it’s giving us serious Pretty Little Liars meets Gossip Girl vibes. When I started watching, it was partly out of curiosity. But then I couldn’t stop watching. It really does reel you in. In one of his interviews, showrunner Darío Madrona was asked if the series stayed true to the book. He said: “We’ve been faithful to the spirit of the story…

Adela Suliman British rappers, politicians and royals lined up to champion the life and legacy of music industry executive and entrepreneur Jamal Edwards, who helped launch the careers of artists including Ed Sheeran, Jessie J and Stormzy. Edward died Sunday from a “sudden illness,” his mother, Brenda Edwards, a television presenter, said. The illness was not identified. “Jamal was an inspiration to myself and so many. Our love for him lives on,” she said. “Long live Jamal Edwards MBE, MBA, PHD,” she added, listing his social and academic achievements. Edwards was instrumental in the rise of a number of global music stars, particularly in rap and grime, after he was given a video camera for Christmas as a 15-year-old. Frustrated with the lack of diversity and access to Black music…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated that the termination of national police commissioner Khehla Sitole’s contract “was mutual” despite mixed feelings by political parties over the matter. Addressing journalists in the Eastern Cape yesterday, Ramaphosa said he and Sitole had arrived at a mutual agreement to terminate his contract. “We go through a number of processes in government. We have to follow a number of processes and by mutual agreement the national police commissioner and myself agreed that it is in the interest of the country that he should terminate his services a little earlier than we anticipated. Turn to Page 2…

MANYANE MANYANE manyane.manyane@inl.co.za PATIENTS in Gauteng have been subjected to inhumane conditions while multimillion-rand structures remain empty. One such patient is Tshidi* from Polokong. She must frequently visit a local clinic in Sebokeng Zone 17 for check-ups. The 27-year-old mother said she has to visit the clinic every month. Tshidi and other patients are crammed into shipping containers while a multimillion-rand building sits idle next door. She lamented the situation, saying nurses have told them there isn’t enough space to accommodate many people. They have to sit in the sun until they are called. She said she didn’t understand why the community was subjected to such conditions while the clinic had a newly built structure. “It is still in the morning, but it is already hot. I am tired. I…

It is hard to believe that, as I write this piece, the world is on tenterhooks after the military intervention or invasion (depending on how one looks at it) of Ukraine by Russia in those far-away European lands. We certainly live in uncertain times. Then I remember those highly provocatively sanguine words by Voltaire, “uncertainty is an uncomfortable position. But certainty is an absurd one”. These reawakening words are clearly relevant to the reality human existence is, particularly considering the global geopolitics of our time. Whatever happens in that Euro space today or whenever, Mother Afrika will not be left unimpacted. Thus, despite not being involved in the conflictual situation, we simply become collateral. Inevitably. This has been our story, as Afrikans, over history. In this context, we can cast…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za SPEAKER Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula says all options are on the table regarding the future of Parliament, whether it would be rebuilt from the same spot or relocated. Mapisa-Nqakula told the joint standing committee on the financial management of Parliament this week that their decision on the future of Parliament would also be informed by the work of engineers who were making an assessment of the damage. Some of the structures were destroyed and others partially damaged by the fire last month. The National Assembly and Old Assembly Chamber were gutted in the blaze. The offices of ANC MPs and those of the NFP and Good Party members were also damaged. “On the work of Parliament itself, I do want to say, honourable members, there is a work stream…

Sacha van Niekerk sacha.vanniekerk@inl.co.za Nothing quite compares to the thrill of rattling over dirt roads in a 4X4 and taking in the sights, sounds and scents of the bush coming to life on an early morning safari drive. A safari is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many people, including South Africans who practically have the Big Five at their doorsteps. With costs extending beyond just the exquisite accommodation, all-inclusive cuisine and wildlife excursions, they certainly don’t come cheap. Chief scientist of the National Wildlife Federation, Bruce A Stein, explained in an interview with Travel+Leisure that a portion of the charge is often used to fund important animal and environmental protection projects. “Contributing to the preservation of these natural wonders helps guarantee that they will be sustained.…

Sacha van Niekerk In a tweet on Monday, Matt Rivera notifed Airbnb about a firearm found by his son at their accommodation. The tweet said: “Last week, my 2-year-old son found this in the bedroom closet of our @Airbnb rental. “We asked for the gun to be removed, but they never came to take it. We sent in a picture to Airbnb to alert them, but so far, they’re ‘still investigating.’” Rivera attached pictures of the gun, which looks to be an air rifle stored in the closet beside two yoga mats. It appears he removed the weapon from the living area to the garage. According to the Airbnb rules concerning weapons, their ‘Standards & Expectations’ require that all weapons that are present at a listing be properly stored and…