Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-08-14 i Sunday Independent

Some of the world’s most prolific business leaders attribute a fair part of their success to the art of negotiation. As a small business owner, knowing how to negotiate will become one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. Consider the words of American author and life coach Tony Robbins: “A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have,” which can be particularly true of negotiation. To sharpen your negotiation skills: Check your mindset No price in the business world is ever fixed. Therefore, you should never take for granted that the price of something, or the terms and conditions attached to it, are set in stone. Entering into a deal with this mindset will allow…

Issey Miyake, who died on August 5, at 84, came from Hiroshima. As a high school student, he was immensely moved by the beauty of the handrails of the Peace Bridge near ground zero of the atomic bombing in the city. The handrails were designed by sculptor Isamu Noguchi. “It made me aware of the power of design that can give people encouragement,” Miyake later said. Miyake became a hibakusha – an atomic bomb survivor – while an elementary school student. Yet he rarely spoke of his wartime experiences because, “I don’t want to be called a pikadon [a slang term for the atomic bomb] designer, and it would be pathetic to make the atomic bombing an excuse,” he once said. However, in December 2015, the 70th year from the…

On Tuesday, this nation will mark exactly 10 years since that fateful day of August 16, 2012 when 34 black workers were ruthlessly killed by the government of the ANC in Marikana. A decade is a very long time indeed, especially under circumstances where the victims of the callous and ghastly deeds desperately wait for justice to be served. This sentiment far outweighs the powerful injunction that “justice delayed is justice denied”. It is worse in the sense that with the Marikana Massacre, the denial of justice to the victims is spiced with arrogance, insensitivity and condescension on the part of those in power. Ten years after the Marikana Massacre, it is morally and politically instructive that we pause and reflect on this despicable act. In the past years, many…

SEASONED television host Katlego Maboe is back on the telly. The multiple-award-winning Maboe, one of South Africa’s most popular television presenters, made a return to the SABC3 weekdays morning show Expresso two years after he was axed from the show following gender-based violence (GBV) allegations made by his ex-girlfriend, Monique Muller. The GBV allegations surfaced in October 2020 and became the catalyst for Maboe’s temporary downfall. He was suspended from the show and lost out on numerous gigs as companies did not want to be associated with him when the scandal broke. The Cape Town High Court in January this year found the allegations to be baseless, vindicating Maboe after two years of being bashed in the court of public opinion and being cancelled on social media. Cancel culture is…

If you can read music and have been looking for something that traces the history of guitar music and its players, then Billy Monama’s Introduction to South African Guitar Styles: Vol 1 may entice you. The book, written and compiled by the guitarist, aims to decolonise the curriculum and it presents the comprehensive story of what makes South African guitar music special, from the earliest days to the 1980s, and from Durban and Giyani to Jozi. It is an exploration of the history of the guitar in black South African popular music over five decades and the most important styles to have evolved around it: marabi, maskandi, African jazz, kwela, mbaqanga and xiTsonga. It is an accessible tutorial for those who can formally read music and those who play only…

Moroka, Jabulani, Dlamini and Molapo residents have been complaining about the declining standards of service by officers at the Moroka Police Station and how police officers on duty have offered little to no help when called to assist with crime prevention measures. The residents have also complained of officers having a cavalier attitude when investigating criminal cases. But statistics from the SAPS contact crimes report showed that crimes investigated by Moroka Police Station had increased to 76.3% between 2017 and 2022. Yet the station has been placed in the top 30 list of stations that are struggling to solve crimes or managed to tighten the reins on criminals when it comes to cases of assault, attempted murder and robberies. This confirms what the residents have been complaining about that their…

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s recent tour in Africa was meant to be a game changer, not only in terms of Russia’s relations with the continent, but in the global power struggle involving the US, Europe, China, India, Turkey and others. Many media reports and analyses placed Lavrov’s visit to Egypt, the Republic of Congo, Uganda and Ethiopia within the obvious political context of the Russia-Ukraine war. The British Guardian’s Jason Burka summed up Lavrov’s visit in these words: “Lavrov is seeking to convince African leaders and, to a much lesser extent, ordinary people that Moscow cannot be blamed, either for the conflict or the food crisis.” Though true, there is more at stake. Africa’s importance to the geostrategic tug-of-war is not a new phenomenon. Western governments, think tanks and…

Kenya’s elections were largely peaceful but disputes over previous presidential votes have been followed by deadly violence, fueling jitters as provisional results point to a tight race between frontrunners William Ruto and Raila Odinga. Kenyan media stopped broadcasting the provisional results of the country’s presidential poll, raising questions over the outcome of the vote as the counting process entered its fourth day on Friday. Kenya’s general elections, held on Tuesday to choose the fifth president, county governors, senators and members of the National Assembly, were largely peaceful, free and fair, according to pan-African blocs. EU election observers also said that elections in Kenya were marked by less tension compared to previous occasions, according to Africanews. They did, however, raise concerns about the counting process as they had been kept away…

Elon Musk has sold nearly $7 billion (about R114m) worth of Tesla shares, amid a high-stakes court battle with Twitter over a $44bn buyout deal. The billionaire offloaded about 7.9 million shares in the electric carmaker between August 5 and 9, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week. “In the (hopefully unlikely) event that Twitter forces this deal to close and some equity partners don’t come through, it is important to avoid an emergency sale of Tesla stock,” Musk, said. |…

ORLANDO Pirates return to their home patch and will look to get back to winning ways when they host a struggling Chippa United at the Orlando Stadium today at 3pm. The Buccaneers began their season on a positive note on match day one, but a draw against Stellenbosch last time out has thrown a few questions at the Sea Robbers, questions they are looking to answer with victory against the Chilli Boys. Nkosinathi Sibisi, one of a few players recruited in the off-season, seems set to be a part of the club’s plans under new coach Jose Riveiro. The Durban-born defensive player scored his first and Pirates’ only goal in their last match, and admitted that the game lit a fire in their belly and they’re determined to claim victory…

THE absence of Comrades Marathon Up Run record holder Gerda Steyn from this year’s attempt at The Ultimate Human Race has left the field wide open. Steyn announced this week that she will be competing at the New York Marathon in November and was thus going to skip the August 28 race in KwaZulu-Natal. Could this be the year that we see a black female runner winning the Comrades for the first time since women were allowed into the race in 1975? The only active black woman to have ever won a gold medal at the ultra says she is not in the shape to make history. Fikile Mbuthuma, the Nedbank Running Club star who is one of just three black women to have ever made it into the top…

Travel sickness is caused by consistent movements during travelling and is found to be most common among children and pregnant women. The holiday car rental experts at StressFreeCarRental.com have researched eight easy steps to prevent holidaymakers from experiencing travel sickness. Roll down the windows Taking in the fresh air is vital when a passenger is experiencing sickness. Breathing in the fresh air can ease nausea symptoms. When travelling by plane, turn on the air conditioning. Stay hydrated Water is key to reducing the severity of a headache caused by travel sickness. Drink plenty and avoid the temptation of a glass of prosecco or fizzy drinks. Pack the gum Having chewing gum can relax your stomach, as the coolness can relax stomach muscles and takes your mind off the pain. Snack…

Lamont Dozier, the middle name of the celebrated Holland-Dozier-Holland team that wrote and produced You Can’t Hurry Love, Heat Wave and dozens of other hits and helped make Motown an essential record company of the 1960s and beyond, has died at the age of 81. Dozier’s death was confirmed on Tuesday by Paul Lambert, who helped produce the stage musical The First Wives Club that Holland-Dozier-Holland wrote for. Duke Fakir, the last surviving member of the original Four Tops, called Dozier a “beautiful, talented guy” with an uncanny sense of what material worked best for a given group. “I like to call Holland-Dozier-Holland ‘tailors of music’,” he said. “They could take any artist, call them into their office, talk to them, listen to them and write them a top 10…

This Tuesday marks 10 years since the shameful Marikana Massacre where 44 lives were lost in a strike over mineworkers’ wages, an incident that should have been avoided. August 16, 2012, took away from the gains made since the advent of democracy on April 27, 1994. With the troubleshooting that ensued, including the setting up of the Farlam Commission, we seemed to have vowed that a repeat of such would never happen again in our beautiful land. But a decade later, we don’t appear to have learnt sufficiently from the bloodletting that threatened to return us into a police state. Granted, the police have curbed their trigger-happy appetite that resulted in the killing of 34 miners at Marikana but, to this day, the SAPS have still not built better relations…

Why are South African workers choosing resignation amid our jobs crisis? South Africa is experiencing a ‘Great Resignation’ as workers are no longer satisfied by salary budgets and loyalty to their employers. In a job-scarce country, workers are expected to hold onto their jobs, especially with inflation hiking the price of expenses. This trend has been limited to occupations or niche fields of specialisation in the private sector. Recruitment companies have found that unstable economic conditions have led workers to explore other job opportunities, or simply resign. Andisa Liba, chief people officer at Floatpays, explained that any turnover over 16% gives a negative reflection on the company or the industry affected. A high turnover across departmental functions could indicate that there are organisational problems at the core of the decisions…

Organisations representing medical professionals were fuming over the government’s move to import specialist doctors and nurses to work in the public health sector. Some detractors said the sector was already on “life support” and the shortage of specialist doctors and nurses was due to the government’s negligence, lack of foresight and ignoring role-players’ warnings. This comes as the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) published a “critical skills” notice which was gazetted last week. This meant that foreign doctors would now be needed to fill the skills deficit. Specialist doctors in more than 30 medical disciplines were listed as wanted, including surgery, dentistry, anaesthesiology, pathology, obstetrics and gynaecology. The country also lacked specialist personnel skilled in five nursing disciplines such as paediatrics, intensive and trauma care. The DHA initially published their…

In the spirit of celebrating Women’s Month, Brand Africa recently awarded skin care brand Portia M with ‘The most admired woman-owned business’ award. Brand Africa was established in 2010 as a brand-led non-profit intergenerational movement to inspire a brand-led African renaissance. Portia Mngomezulu is the founder and managing director of Portia M, a trailblazing skin care brand that is available in over 2 000 major retail stores and 14 African countries. The Portia M story started in 2010 when Portia had stretch marks after giving birth to her first child. She was advised by her mother-in-law to use marula oil to treat the stretch marks. Mngomezulu knew where to get the oil as she had grown up playing under a marula tree in Phalaborwa, Limpopo. The effectiveness of the Marula…

IF YOU are a father who’s looking for a safe space to not only talk freely without fear of judgment about issues you may be facing, but also connect with others in relation to their struggles, then the Amatyma movement could be just what you need. Established and run by businessman and author Thato “TT” Mbha, the movement is a programme and platform that focuses on responsible fatherhood and brotherhood with conversations entirely focused on fathers. And in the spirit of driving the conversation, South African hip hop DJ, TV personality, rapper and entrepreneur Thabo Molefe, known as Tbo Touch, had a chat with TT. The two men spoke candidly about matters of managing relationships, leadership in all spheres of life and more. “What we don’t understand as breadwinners is…

The COVID-19 pandemic has helped stimulate domestic tourism, encouraging a Johannesburg-based global hotel group, to eye South African travellers for luxury tourist destinations in neighbouring Botswana, Mozambique and a resort close to the iconic Vic Falls in Zambia among other travel spots in their lavish offering. Johannesburg-born Lindi Mthethwa, Regional Director for Sales and Marketing at Minor Hotels, in Bryanston, said the pandemic has stimulated tourism across South Africa’s borders with people driving to neighbouring Botswana or Namibia, for example. “When we got into lockdown in March 2020, we realised as it eased, there was an opportunity to target the local domestic market,” she said. “Now that the lockdown has ended, we have people travelling to places again, and for those not keen on driving, there are flights to places,…

The ANC has recently concluded its 6th National Policy Conference, with the need for its renewal emerging as a major theme. Key to the party’s renewal is to rebuild its internal democracy. The governing party, struggling to maintain its power, has embarked on a public effort to renew and restore its image and integrity. Central to its plans are to deepen democracy from within the party. It has cemented its step-aside policy, has committed for its branches and ordinary members to be the driving force behind its policy, and plans to vet its entire membership. While the reasons for this approach may be more expedient than altruistic, this is an opportunity that should not be missed because its impact may have far-reaching positive effects on the country’s democracy. To be…

AFRICA is blessed with an abundance of natural resources. If its mineral resources are managed effectively, Africa has the answers to not only its electricity crisis, but also continental food security and rising fuel costs. Africa’s largest natural gas exporter, Algeria, has recorded the largest natural gas production as at 2020, reaching an output of about 85 billion standard cubic metres. The Global Times reports that positive signals from this global energy powerhouse, Algeria wanting to join BRICS, is not only a game changer for the continent. On a side note, we’re seeing more co-operation between African countries, for example, Botswana offering to sell South Africa its excess electricity. Algeria’s interest in joining BRICS demonstrates that more countries have faith in the group and its ability to offset the…

Over the period of three days last week, the Israeli air force and army pummelled Gaza, leaving, once again, the destruction of homes, livelihoods, and 47 murdered Palestinians – 16 of them children. The two leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) who were assassinated were from the group’s political, not military wing, which makes their assassinations illegal under international, and Israeli, law. The Israeli onslaught was unprovoked and had absolutely no reason or purpose except in the propaganda statements of Israeli officials and their apologists globally. No Israeli official or military officer even claims that Israel was responding to an attack. This, despite statements from the US and the UK, immediately after Israel began its attack, proclaiming that Israel had a right “to defend itself”. The facts are not…

An Italian man had to be rescued after becoming trapped in a collapsed tunnel near the Vatican. He is suspected of being part of a gang burrowing its way to a nearby bank, police said Friday. Firefighters spent eight hours digging him out from under a road in the west of Rome, before he was freed and taken to hospital. For Italian newspapers, however, the motive was clear, noting that the tunnel was found near a bank before the a long weekend, when residents head out of town and Rome becomes empty. |…

APPALLING selections by the Springboks coaching staff came back to haunt their team at Ellis Park yesterday when the desperate All Blacks came back from their loss in Mbombela the week before to beat the Boks 35-23. The inability of the South Africans to win primary possession was key to their downfall and much of that failure was due to the coaching staff failing to pick Malcolm Marx to start the game, while the recall of Duane Vermeulen was a failure. The “Ellis Park factor” that was so debated going into this match ultimately favoured an All Blacks team that so often have dined out on the Highveld factor because it favours their running game, and once more that was the case. The Springboks knew a backlash was coming from…

Karim Benzema was among the 30-man list of nominees for the 2022 Ballon d’Or award, which was announced by France Football yesterday, while seven-time winner Lionel Messi was omitted from the list for the first time since 2006. Messi’s arch-rival, five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo was included, as well as Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, French forward Kylian Mbappe, and Egyptian star Mohamed Salah. However, another PSG star Neymar also missed out on the nomination which meant that Mbappe will be the sole player on the list coming from French Ligue 1, reports Xinhua. Messi, who won the title last year, had been nominated 15 times in a row since 2006 (except for 2020 when the award was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic). The 35-year-old didn’t meet his own lofty standards…

San Francisco: The much-awaited first orbital test flight of SpaceX’s Starship vehicle will not lift off this month as it has not yet received the necessary launch clearance, the media reported. Earlier, the launch was scheduled for July, later it was shifted to August. On August 2, CEO Elon Musk in a tweet said: “A successful orbital flight is probably between 1 and 12 months from now.” According to a radio-spectrum licence application that the company filed with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), SpaceX is targeting a six-month window that opens on September 1 for the highly anticipated mission, Space.com reported. The licence was granted on Wednesday, according to the Twitter account FCC Space Licences, which keeps tabs on such things. But this approval is not the final regulatory…

Although women have made great strides in our society, they still face many challenges that need to be addressed head-on. Some of these challenges that hinder progress include among others poverty, inequality, unemployment, teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence. As we mark Women’s Month in South Africa, we should all celebrate women who led purposeful action to redress inequality in the hope of a better future for their communities, children and themselves. We pay tribute to more than 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August, 1956 in a protest against the extension of the pass laws to women. Let us observe and acknowledge the work done by all women who have made invaluable contributions to our communities and society at large. It is a time when…

The Minister of Finance’s involvement in the current protracted public service salary negotiations is un- necessarily complicating the process and adding to workers’ growing frustration. The minister’s role is, however, regulated in terms of sections 78 and 79 of the Public Service Regulations. These sections provide that the state can enter into a collective agreement only if there is a realistic calculation of costs involved in both the current and the subsequent fiscal year. The agreement must also not be in conflict with Treasury regulations. In addition, the relevant governmental authority can cover the costs from its own departmental budget or based on a written commitment to provide additional funds from Treasury, or from budgets of other departments with their written agreement and Treasury approval. Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana…

The US-Africa Summit beckons later this year. It comes against the backdrop of the significant impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on global finance. African leaders and their US counterparts will be deliberating on issues of concern to both and either sides. Illicit financial flows (IFFs) have not ceased to be one of the major challenges facing developing economies, particularly in mineral-rich Africa. Considering the already difficult conditions African economies faced prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, IFFs do not seem to enjoy enough attention and priority. The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has conducted a study on illicit financial flows. When reading this 2020 report titled “Tackling Illicit Financial Flows for Sustainable Development in Africa”, themes such as African agency and the AU’s seven priority areas spring to mind.…

In yet another “lightning diplomacy” visit, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (aka Minister of Foreign Affairs), spent about 10 working hours in South Africa on August 8. His mission was to break South Africa’s resistance to joining the US-led economic war on Russia. Biden’s America wants South Africa to impose total sanctions against Russia and demands that South Africa should condemn Russia’s occupation of the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine. Like German Chancellor Scholz before him, during his visit on May 24, Blinken failed to deliver. His South African counterpart, Naledi Pandor, reminded Blinken that international law requires conflicts to be resolved peacefully by the means of diplomacy and without the threat or use of force. Funding and arming one side in a military conflict can…

Mamelodi Sundowns gave Kaizer Chiefs a footballing lesson as they thumped Amakhosi 4-0 at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium yesterday afternoon. It was a disastrous opening 15 minutes for Amakhosi and in particular defender Siyabonga Ngezana, who was in the centre of everything that went wrong for the away side. Uruguayan Gaston Sirino marked his return to the starting 11 with an instinctive goal as he capitalised on amateurish play from Ngezana in the sixth minute. The defender played an under-hit pass to Bruce Bvuma but Sirino was quickest to pounce and fired past the helpless Chiefs goalie. Things went from bad to worse for Chiefs in the 15th minute as a moment of panic allowed Peter Shalulile through, Ngezana dragged the Namibian international in haste and the referee pointed to…

The manner of the Springboks’ 35-23 defeat to the All Blacks at Ellis Park last night comes at just the right time ahead of the build-up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup. South African fans were confident ahead of the second Rugby Championship encounter following last week’s 26-10 triumph over New Zealand in Mbombela. But the Kiwis’ all-out attacking approach exposed the Boks’ soft underbelly and was a welcome wake-up call ahead of France 2023. Time and again the Bok coaches have stuck to their guns in how they want their team to play – attain physical dominance, chase the box-kicks and use the pressure to set up points-scoring opportunities. But the nagging question has always been what else the world champions would have up their sleeves if they were…