Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-03-06 i Sunday Independent

Wesley Diphoko wesley@fastcompany.co.za Ever since cryptocurrencies showed up in the financial world they’ve been met with scepticism from some quarters. Even the Coinbase listing was not enough to clear doubts of some in the financial establishment. The Russia-Ukraine war however may be what may trigger societal acceptance across the board. As big tech companies deactivate Russia from their financial systems and Swift begins to kick off there’s one option, cryptocurrency. Blockchain technology gives the Russians the ability to transact directly. Ukrainians have raised tens of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency to assist in the fighting. Ukraine’s vice prime minister announced on Twitter the country would soon release non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to help raise funds for its defence against Russia’s invasion. To date, Ukraine has raised more than $50 million in…

LAST week, I listened as colleagues in a seminar posed questions about who needed to be the titans of ideas for African development, how society responded to the perils that sink it and who should take the blame. As they debated, I came to realise intellectuals do not reside in institutions only, several roam townships, rural areas and lonely hamlets. All of them need to safeguard the progress of society. In July last year, we witnessed the biggest riots since the new dispensation when the country went up in flames and looting engulfed as lawlessness reigned. We never got answers. One questions the purpose of the hearings on the unrest. We never moved as society; we are where we were and continue to haggle over the real reasons. More fires…

Karabo Ngoepe karabo.ngoepe@inl.co.za MEMBER of the mayoral committee responsible for economic development in the City of Johannesburg, Nkululeko Mbundu, is among the people who owe the municipality for services. The Sunday Independent has established that while the City has gone on an accelerated drive to recoup funds owed to it by businesses and residents, one of their own owes it money but has not had his services cut. The City is owed around R38 billion in unpaid municipal rates, taxes, and levies. To claw back the money and to assist in service delivery, Mayor Mpho Phalatse launched Operation Buya Mthetho to collect revenue from delinquent ratepayers. The publication has established that Mbundu and his wife owe the City of Johannesburg well over R600 000. This week he confirmed his debt…

From Page 1 “The latest National Department of Health guidelines state that an asymptomatic Covid-19 positive person need not be isolated. Why anyone at this point is still testing asymptomatic persons is beyond me. “Still, if there is some bizarrely warranted reason to test healthy people, then all members of society should be tested again. Separating the two groups is tantamount to discrimination,” said the doctors. While the doctors maintain mandatory vaccination is unnecessary, and that the risks posed by both vaccinated and unvaccinated were the same, companies and universities appear to be pushing ahead. Wits University's mandatory vaccination policy kicked in on Tuesday. Since then, the institution said almost 70% of its students and about 75% of staff had supplied their vaccination certificates. The University of Cape Town said…

Mzilikazi Wa Afrika The woman claims the company running the private prison was negligent and demands R3.5-million. She opened a rape case against her former boss this week. THE woman who alleges her private prison boss raped her has opened a rape case against him at Pretoria Central Police Station on Friday. She also demands R3.5-million from South African Custodial Management (SACM), the consortium running Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Centre in Limpopo. Lillian Ngobeni claims in her letter of demands to SACM seen by Sunday Independent that the company "acted unlawfully and negligently" and failed to act against her alleged rapist after she officially reported the matter to the top management. Ngobeni's lawyer, Shonisani Ravele, confirmed that his client had sent a letter of demand to the company. "They haven't…

Lesego Makgatho lesego.makgatho@inl.co.za Are you an existing small business or an aspiring entrepreneur looking to gain crucial knowledge to help kick-start a business or boost your current business? Then Play Your Part Small Business Academy may be just the thing you’re looking for. While South Africa is confronted by many challenges, such as high levels of unemployment, crime and poverty, Mzansi has proven to be a country that continues to rise above difficult circumstances time and time again, a resilient country full of hope. The Play Your Part Small Business Edition Academy, launched in January this year, offers local existing and aspiring entrepreneurs the crucial knowledge to help start a business or boost their current businesses. This free online academy, which is Brand South Africa’s initiative, is in partnership with…

THE Tunisian Revolution of 2011 was sparked by the self-immolation of Mohammed Bouazizi in late 2010. Bouazizi epitomised the frustrations of millions of people caused by poverty and hunger sharpened by high unemployment and inflation, widespread state corruption and a lack of political freedoms. In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a tremor is running across Africa that threatens to ignite new revolts and protests caused by fears of increasing food and fuel prices. Here at home, poor South Africans were dealt a blow last week as the Minister of Finance announced below inflation increases for the historically pitiful social grants. Fuel, food prices and electricity increases will deepen the crippling levels of extreme poverty and hunger. Let us learn from history and put in place, in time,…

Rick Noack and Kate Brady One factor has long underpinned pushback by European governments and business over sanctions on Russia: concern for their own pocketbooks. But in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the continent has seen a rapid about-face and has begun to feel the effects. When Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and backed separatists in Ukraine’s east, European business groups were among the most vocal sceptics of the EU sanctions that followed. Just weeks ago, a major German business association was celebrating a “gratifying” surge in trade with Russia, while Italian CEOs met virtually with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss stronger ties even as the crisis was heating up. In a matter of days, the tone has changed. Since the invasion began last week,…

Herman Gibbs herman.gibbs@gmail.com KAIZER Chiefs managed three successive league wins over their Soweto derby rivals yesterday afternoon when they ran out 2-1 winners at Orlando Stadium after leading 1-0 at half-time. Chiefs’ feat of three successive league wins goes back to the 1991-92 season when the AmaKhosi reigned supreme in domestic competition. This was a rare league defeat at their Orlando fortress and in three seasons only Mamelodi Sundowns were able to inflict a league defeat there. The match had all the spills and thrills of the traditional derby, and it was a travesty that the fans were locked out from this showpiece. Straight from the opening centre, the Chiefs midfield was able to impose its superiority. As a consequence, they managed several attacks into the opposition half. There was…

CENTRAL Gauteng Athletics (CGA) took the saying ‘you can’t organise a piss-up in a brewery’ to new heights yesterday when they failed to elect their new leadership in an Annual General Meeting (AGM) that was chaotic from the onset. Other than the outgoing president’s and the financial reports, the council strangely agreed that the rest of the other reports should not be tabled to allow for a swift election process. So it was that none of the commissions of the biggest provincial federation of Athletics South Africa (ASA) were tabled. But if the idea was to ensure that delegates didn’t spend the entire day at the Germiston Stadium and thus vote in the new board without the usual time-wasting as per the suggestion of the outgoing president James Moloi who…

Fast Company GOVERNMENTS around the world are applying sanctions against Russia due to its war with Ukraine. But they’re not the only ones using business and economic means to punish Russia. A number of private companies – including many US tech giants – have found their own ways to hit back against the invasion. Though this list is not complete, these are some of the biggest corporations that are sanctioning Russia right now: Apple Airbus Alphabet (Google and YouTube) Boeing Disney Exxon Mobil Facebook Ford Harley-Davidson Mastercard Microsoft Netflix Reddit Snap Twitter Visa So how are these companies sanctioning Russia? Each is doing its own thing, and few have an outright ban on all of their products or services provided to Russia. For example, Apple has stopped all sales of…

The terms “digital transformation” and “digitalisation” have been bandied about boardrooms since the 1990s. Big corporates have invested millions in finding ways to carve their niche into the digital marketplace, leading to a misconception that only big industry role-players can afford to invest in digitising their businesses. The reality is that small businesses stand to gain substantial ground by injecting themselves into the digital space. And although digital transformation might look different for a small medium enterprise (SME) than it does in the con-text of big business, arguably there is a case to be made for it to be considered a business imperative. The saying, “if it’s not on social media, it didn’t happen”, may be tongue-in-cheek but there’s a nugget of truth in it. Three essential principles in order…

Gerry Cupido geraldine.cupido@inl.co.za In the past few years, the corset has become a wardrobe essential. From winter to summer, the constricting garments have managed to find their way onto the runway, into stores and out on the streets. And just as fashionistas think the corset is oh-so-last-year, it pops right back up. Whether they are worn as undergarments or uber-sexy outerwear, they make a bold statement. Who can forget Billie Eilish’s transformation when she donned various corsets for Vogue? A glimpse at what designers have been sending down the runway during recent fashion weeks, it’s evident that they are here to stay. Top luxury fashion houses are holding onto the look but, of course, with a few alterations here and there. From London to Paris Fashion Week here’s what we…

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover (R184 on Loot.co.za) Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up – she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true. Turning Red (Cinemas from March 11) Set in Toronto between 2002 and 2003, the story centers on Meilin “Mei” Lee, a confident 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian who is torn between staying her mothe’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. However, one morning, after she has a nightmare, she is…

Tshepiso Tshabalala Tshepiso.Tshabalala@inl.co.za THE distraught family of Mlungisi Nketshisa are still struggling to come to terms with his tragic death after he was mauled by his employer’s two pit bull terriers in Crystal Park, Benoni, where he was working as a gardener. The vicious attack happened just after 10am on Valentine’s Day when the 46-year-old who did odd jobs to support his family, went to finish off his gardening work at his employer’s home. His daughter, Ziyanda, said that all she wanted was closure and she hoped that the law would prevail. She said her father’s death left her in complete disbelief and pain. “It’s painful, and it looks like we will not get justice for my father. His employer was more worried about her dogs than my father’s life.…

From Page 1 In a voice note sent to the residents’ WhatsApp group, Swanepoel is heard crying out for help with her voice of panic. The woman said Nketshisa was declared dead at the scene by paramedics at approximately 1pm. “I was in my house busy cleaning when I heard the dogs barking. That is when I decided to go see what was happening. I heard Milton (Nketshisa) screaming for help when I walked out the gate. I then saw the dogs cutting into his flesh with their teeth. The two dogs were pulling him as though they were playing tug-of-war. I went to the house to get a broomstick to try and chase the dogs away, but I failed. I took my phone and called for help until more…

Don Makatile don.makatile@inl.co.za A SENIOR government official with vast experience in media and communications and many years in the public service is involved in a long-running battle with his employer to have his current position regularised, but to no avail. The tiff has forced him to seek psychological help, and the employer is querying his medical certificate. Mzukisi Lubabalo Ndara served as the Head of Office in Deputy Minister Nkosi Phathekile Holomisa's office at the then Department of Labour, from 2014 to 2019. From there, he moved, with his principal, to the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services.Nkosi Holomisa is the Deputy Minister of Justice and Correctional Services responsible for Correctional Services. Trouble started in July 2019, when a Khaya Somgqeza, who has since passed away, was appointed as the…

Halima Athumani Coceka Mfundisi was the first woman to graduate with a Masters in neurosurgery from the University of Pretoria, and only the second black woman to be admitted to the College of Neurosurgeons of South Africa. Neuroscience – the study of brains, spines and nervous systems – should become a standard element of health systems, says South Africa’s third black female neurosurgeon. While hard work is the resilience key to success, Mfundisi says operating on the brain and spine is “just like any other job”. Mfundisi tells SciDev.Net that African governments must invest in her field to help patients avoid long-term impairments and health problems. You became the first woman to qualify as a neurosurgeon from the University of Pretoria (UP) in its more than 100-year history. Why do…

From a general perspective, foreign policy can be defined as the strategy used by any government anywhere in the world when dealing with other governments elsewhere. It refers to general objectives that guide the activities and relationships of one state in its interactions with other states. In other words, foreign policy serves as a blueprint for how the government of a particular country will treat other governments when engaging them for political, economic, cultural and strategic reasons. Once adopted, the country’s foreign policy has to be followed and implemented by all office-bearers. This includes the sitting president and his or her entire Cabinet as well as all the citizens of that country. Ordinarily, the issue of the misinterpretation of such a foreign policy should not arise if it was properly…

Herman Gibbs herman.gibbs@gmail.com THE sun didn’t shine at Orlando Stadium yesterday but Kaizer Chiefs’ striker-cum-midfielder Bernard ‘Die Hond’ Parker did. He provided the sheet-anchor for his side’s 2-1 Soweto derby win on enemy territory. Superbly influential with the bite to match his bark, Parker intervened at crucial moments and was deservedly named ‘Man of the Match’. It was a fitting reward for the veteran who was presented with a commemorative jersey by Kaizer Motaung junior, Kaizer Chiefs’ sporting director. The jersey with No 30 emblazoned on the back of the Amakhosi jersey marked Parker’s 30th official Soweto derby match since he joined the club at the start of the 2011-12 season. Parker, who captained Chiefs in the match, had a hand in the opening goal after he held on to…

The Chinese tech giant Huawei has introduced a fibre-to-the room (FTTR) connectivity solution for home users as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This comes as the global workforce has speedily had to adapt to new ways of working, with some calling for better quality for in-home wi-fi connections to support the hybrid work model. VALR.com, a cryptocurrency exchange headquartered in South Africa, has raised $50 million (over R750 million) in Africa’s largest ever crypto funding round. This values the company at $240 million (R3.7 billion).VALR’s oversubscribed Series B equity funding round was led by Pantera Capital with participation from Alameda Research, Cadenza, CMT Digital, Coinbase Ventures, Distributed Global, GSR, Third Prime, Avon Ventures, a venture capital fund affiliated with the parent company of Fidelity Investments, along with existing…

IN THE early years of being the president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe won accolades for progressive policies, especially in food production and enabling Zimbabwe to be food secure. Mugabe proceeded to prod the British on the full implementation of the agreements of independence. Among these was land purchase with funds the UK had agreed to set aside for that purpose. But after 10 years of waiting and begging for the implementation of the Lancaster agreements on land sharing, Mugabe decided to start the programme of expropriation of land from white farmers. Guess what the superior club did? They imposed sanctions on him. The economy of Zimbabwe collapsed and suffered one of the highest inflation rates the world has witnessed. Zimbabweans became billionaires as the dollar came in denomination notes of…

Gerry Cupido geraldine.cupido@inl.co.za MANY people want to be social media influencers these days. Let’s face it, it’s easy money. Well, that’s what many people seem to think. For those who think getting free stuff and posting a few pictures is all that influencers do, think again. While for many it’s a side hustle, to the professionals it’s business and a full-time job. And for those who think it’s impossible to make a career out of it, a brief look at a few of our local influencers will give you an idea of why it’s become a lucrative business. Mihlali Ndamase, who was recently joined the Malfy (Italian gin brand), “La Famiglia”, as its newest South African ambassador, has a social media award to her name. In 2020, she won the…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za The Real Housewives of Durban star Nonkanyiso Conco is one of the most talked-about cast members this season. The 30-year-old who rose to fame in 2018 after giving birth to her son, whom she shares with former president Jacob Zuma, has created a name for herself in the entertainment industry. Better known as “LaConco”, the former Vuma FM presenter is capitalising on her fame by getting into the fashion and beauty industry. In July 2020, she launched LaConco Naturals, a beauty, cosmetic and personal care brand. LaConco describes beauty as something that has different meanings to every individual. “The fact is when you become engrossed with what beauty should look like, defined by the world, it crushes confidence and affects self-esteem because you feel you’re not fitting.…

Karabo Ngoepe karabo.ngoepe@inl.co.za AS STUDENTS at the University of Johannesburg protest against mandatory vaccinations, doctors are throwing their weight behind calls for an end to compulsory vaccinations being forced upon students at major institutions of higher learning, including the University of Johannesburg, Wits University, the Durban University of Technology, and by a number of corporations in South Africa. At least 70 doctors have penned a letter calling for the end of mandatory vaccinations. In it, the doctors, under the banner of Caring HCWs Coalition, said over the last few weeks healthcare practitioners in South Africa had been inundated with requests for medical exemptions from the Covid-19 vaccines. Their letter comes in the wake of protests, with students fighting against the mandatory vaccination policy, while the Department of Higher Education and…

Don Makatile don.makatile@inl.co.za A young Wits University graduate who started work at a primary school in northern Joburg in January 2019 says she had second thoughts about her career after she was sexually molested by the principal. Refilwe Tenyane (not her real name) is a foundation phase teacher at the school in Houghton. When the man, whose name is known to the paper but cannot be published because he hasn’t pleaded in court, first called her to his office, he asked how she was settling in, “questions that made me think that he cared about the well-being of his colleagues”. Tenyane says: “The problem began when he started hugging me inappropriately, where he would hug me tight, breathing heavily, with his genitals pressed against mine.” When she questioned this behaviour,…

The occupation of Ukraine by the Russian Federation forces is one of the inhuman and barbaric acts which cannot be justified by any standard. It is not different from atrocities committed by the US and several of its allies on many occasions. In a joint statement signed by Communist and Workers Parties from different countries, including South Africa, the parties observed that President Putin’s military intervention (which they coined the “Imperial War”) was not made to protect the people of the region or peace but to promote the interests of Russian monopolies in the Ukrainian territory and their fierce competition with Western monopolies. There are disturbing reports that Africans and south Asian people fleeing the Russian invasion are facing racial discrimination and abuse at the border from Ukrainian and Polish…

With the suffocation of the plurality of voices and unashamed muzzling of the press over the onslaught on Russia’s public broadcaster RT – formerly known as Russia Today – the hypocrisy of the Western power-mongers and their global tentacles has been laid bare as sanctions against Moscow are sharpened to bite worldwide. And then, in the midst of a Western-dominated neo-liberal world order, the rest of mortals ought to be served nothing but sheer unadulterated lopsided propaganda without any regard for an individual’s IQ or right of access to all available media products so that they can make up their minds on the strength of available information. Since the outbreak of the war between Russia and Ukraine/Nato/the West nearly 10 days ago, the first major victim of the war has…

Nation Nyoka A MONTH has passed since at least 26 traders and shoppers were electrocuted at the Matadi-Kibala food market in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), when a high-voltage power cable snapped and its exposed live end landed in a water-filled ditch. For many Congolese activists, the irony of the tragedy is that the people who were killed, mostly impoverished female traders, were unlikely to have electricity at home – and the market itself is also not electrified. “People see the power lines above them, but they don’t have access to that electricity. It’s not right for these people to die of electricity yet they don’t have it in their homes,” said Kambale Musavuli, a human rights activist and analyst at the Centre for Research on the Congo-Kinshasa, which…

IT WAS a familiar scene. The president of the US strode down the aisle of the House of Representatives to deliver the State of the Union address, the only constitutionally mandated instance of presidential speech. Usually, it serves to lay out the White House’s policy agenda for the coming year, along with perceived accomplishments. But, as the nation tuned in for the prime time address on Tuesday, President Joe Biden had to do more than simply outline key domestic priorities such as relaxing Covid-19 restrictions for a pandemic-weary public, addressing the highest inflation rate since 1980, touting his nomination of the first Black woman to the nation’s highest court and mobilising the Democratic Party before the 2022 midterm elections. Biden also had to respond to an international crisis he did…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za THEY played into the hands of Griquas early on, but the Bulls’ power eventually became too much to handle as they recorded a 53-27 Currie Cup win in Kimberley yesterday. The visitors scored seven tries to four on a warm Northern Cape afternoon to see off a gritty Griquas outfit that didn’t hold back until being worn down by the final quarter, as the Bulls’ superior physicality took its toll. A 63rd-minute touchdown by hooker Bismarck du Plessis ended Griquas’ quest of claiming another big scalp, having beaten Western Province 22-20 last month. The home side fed off the loose play from the visitors in the first half, which virtually kept them in the game. Instead of using their more experienced and physical forwards to grind down…