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A FRESH APPROACH TO LOCAL NEWS 13 April 2021 - www.tametimes.co.za
When South Africans Expect Life To Get Back To ‘Normal’ After Covid-19 Expectations about when life might return to something like a ‘pre-Covid normal’ vary widely across the globe, according to a new World Economic Forum-Ipsos survey. The survey was based on the online responses of 21,011 adults from 30 countries around the world. It found that, on average, 59% of people expect something like ‘normal’ will return within the next 12 months. But there were significant differences in different countries. In Saudi Arabia, Russia, India and mainland China, over 70% of adults expect life will return to a pre-Covid normal within a year. By comparison, 80% of people in Japan think it will be longer, with more half in France, Italy, South Korea and Spain agreeing. South Africa also leans towards the more cautious end of the scale, with 49% of South Africans believing it will take longer than a year for things to return to normal. 36% believe life will return to normal in the next four to 12 months, and 15% believe things will be back to normal within three months. Opinions on when the pandemic will be contained also closely matched opinions on a return to normal – suggesting that people believe the two to be closely linked. On average, 58% of those surveyed expect the pandemic to be contained within the next year. Some countries – India, mainland China and Saudi Arabia, for example – are more optimistic. But, four-in-five in Japan and more than half in countries including Australia and
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Sweden expect it will take more than a year for the pandemic to be contained. 50% of South Africans believe that it will take longer than a year for Covid-19 to be successfully contained in the country. The survey also asked people about the pandemic’s impact on their mental health. An average of 45% of adults globally said their mental and physical health has become worse since the beginning of the pandemic. However, since the beginning of 2021 nearly as many say it has improved as those who say it has worsened. South Africa is expected to ramp up its Covid-19 vaccinations over the coming months, with phase 2 of the country’s vaccination plan now scheduled to begin on 17 May. In a media briefing last week, Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said that the country has now secured a combined 51 million jabs in the agreements that have been signed with various drug makers, aimed at 42 million people. Mkhize said the government is still working hard to procure more jabs to ensure that those who may be unaccounted for or undocumented, are also immunised to reach herd immunity. On Monday (12 April), South Africa reported 931 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total reported to 1,558,458. Deaths have reached 53,322, a daily increase of 66, while recoveries have climbed to 1,483,296, leaving the country with a balance of 21,840 active cases. The total number of vaccines administered is 288,408.
Tourist Helplessly Watches Rental Car Sink Into Hermanus Harbour If you thought your Monday was going badly, spare a thought for an extremely unlucky tourist from the United States of America (USA) who could only stand by and watch his rental car slowly roll down a Hermanus jetty and plunge into the harbour with his valuables inside. Video footage captured by CCTV cameras at the Neptune’s Divers and Cruises offices demonstrates the unfortunate ordeal, which witnesses described as a “total disaster”. The tourist was about to set off on an epic nine-month journey through Africa, and could only watch with gritted teeth as his car and valuables met a murky fate. Makayla Mohr – who works for the dive center located at the Hermanus New Harbour alongside the township Zwelihle and close to the western end of Westcliff Road – witnessed the whole ordeal. She said that as the man entered the offices and began ascending the staircase, he turned around and saw his rental Hyundai i20 creeping towards the
edge of the jetty. By the time he turned around and tried to run to the car, it was too late,” she said. Mohr said that the man – who had gone diving with the company the day before – had been “pretty cool” about the situation, immediately informing the rental car company of the incident. She said that the man’s valuables, including laptops and cameras, were in the car when it plunged into the ocean, adding insult to injury. She said that she was relieved that the man hadn’t dashed to try and salvage the situation, saying that had he tried to do something he may have become trapped and put his own life in jeopardy.
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13 April 2021
White Appointments At Eskom Based SA Film Wins Bafta Award On Performance And Delivery Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has denied wrongdoing in the appointments of a number of senior employees at the power utility over the course of 2020.
This comes after suspended chief procurement officer Solly Tshitangano claimed De Ruyter was racist by giving preference to white-owned companies in the awarding of supplier contracts and subverting protocols to appoint white persons in key positions at the company. Tshitangano’s allegations came after Eskom suspended him in late February 2021, citing under-performance in curbing spending at the utility. The claims have spurred Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) and Eskom to launch investigations into De Ruyter’s conduct. Before SCOPA suspended its probe pending the outcome of Eskom’s own investigation, De Ruyter had submitted a 53-page affidavit to the committee in which he rebuked Tshitangano’s allegations. Among the points addressed by De Ruyter, he outlines the circumstances and timelines of key appointments made during his tenure. The first appointment is that of Werner Mouton, who was appointed Eskom’s Senior Manager of Fuel Sourcing in January 2020 on a three-month fixedterm contract. In addition, Mouton had supposedly been appointed at a rate of R200,000 per month after being interviewed by De Ruyter on a Sunday. De Ruyter said Tshitangano had requested additional expertise, approved Mouton’s appointment, and signed his initial contract of employment. De Ruyter provided email correspondence to substantiate his claim. Mouton’s contract was extended
repeatedly after he had become integral to Eskom’s cross-functional team mandate to ensure the cost-effective procurement of fuel. De Ruyter said Mouton was instrumental in delivering an R800-million saving on fuel expenditure during the 2020 financial year. Subsequent extensions of Mouton’s contract were concluded with the necessary approvals and required processes followed, he said. He also provided documents with Tshitangano’s signature to this effect. De Ruyter added that Mouton was not his friend or family member. He added that prior to his appointment, he had never met or interacted with Mouton. Tshitangano has also claimed that the appointment of Pieter Le Roux as Eskom Senior Manager for Procurement and Supply Chain was irregular. He alleged Le Roux was part of the same panel that conducted interviews for the position to which he was appointed. Contrary to this, however, De Ruyter said that no interviews were necessary or conducted in the appointment of Le Roux. This was because Le Roux was sourced internally as part of the reshuffling of Eskom personnel to a revised generation division. De Ruyter said this reshuffling was extensive and was performed in consultation with the Group Executive of Human Resources and the Chief Operating Officer, both of whom accepted the outcome of the appointment. “Mr le Roux was therefore appointed after all proper processes had been followed and after thorough consideration of all suitable candidates,” De Ruyter said. He added that as part of the changes at the Generation Division, the General Manager for Finance who was previously
a white male, was replaced by an African female. This was because De Ruyter and “a number of other executives” deemed the white male incumbent as not meeting the required performance standards of the position. “In no way can it, therefore, be suggested that the changes in management were motivated by ulterior racial motives. In addition to the complaints around the appointment of Mouton and Le Roux, Tshitangano has raised issues with the appointment of Eskom’s Head of Internal Audit and Assurance. According to him, this required the involvement of the company’s Audit and Risk Committee. De Ruyter, however, said there was no requirement for the committee to be involved in this process. “All proper processes were followed in the appointment of Eskom’s Head of Internal Audit and Assurance, Company Secretary, and Chief Information Office,” De Ruyter said. “The appointments were considered and approved by Eskom’s People and Governance Committee and Eskom’s Board, as required.”
The South African-made documentary ‘My Octopus Teacher’ has won the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) for Best Documentary. The film released on Netflix enjoyed international popularity and has been a favourite for winning several film awards. The film was directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed and features the diver Craig Foster as he befriends an octopus living in the kelp forests in the waters of False Bay. The awards presentation ceremony, held in London, had no audience due to COVID-19 restrictions and was streamed live across the globe. This is yet another big win for the South African film industry proving that South Africans does have what it takes to be successful in this highly competitive world.
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Worked From Home?
Claim Back From SARS With This Calculator
South Africans can now claim a tax deduction if they have worked from home for more than half of their total working hours, or for more than six months during the tax year that started in March 2020 and ended in February 2021, says Elani van der Westhuizen, senior tax technical at TaxTim. Van der Westhuizen said that TaxTim now
offers a home office expense calculator which will help you calculate your expense claim. However, before using the calculator, Van der Westhuizen said that you need to first meet these minimum requirements: You have spent more than half of your total working hours working from your home office.
You have a letter from your employer that states that you can work from home and confirms the percentage of time you spent there. You have an area of your home exclusively used and set up for work. Your office is specifically equipped with the relevant instruments, tools, and equipment needed to do your work from home. “f You Meet These Requirements, You Can Claim Rent Or Interest On Your Bond, Repairs To The Premises, Rates And Taxes, Water And Electricity, Cleaning, Data Usage, Wear And Tear Of Office Equipment And All Other Expenses Relating To Your House Only. “If You Earn Commission That Is More Than 50% Of Your Total Salary, You Can Also Claim For Other Commission-Related Business Expenses, Such As A Phone, Internet, Stationery And Printer Repairs,” Said Van Der Westhuizen.
To determine your home office deduction, Van der Westhuizen said that workers should calculate the total square meterage of their home office in relation to the total square meterage of your home and convert this to a percentage. The percentage is then applied to the home office expenditure to calculate the portion that is deductible, she said. Van der Westhuizen added that TaxTim’s home office expense calculator can also do this for you. “These claims will not be listed on their sars auto assessment and therefore it is important to ensure that you add these to your tax return yourself. “This situation is different for sole proprietors or freelancers who work from home because they can automatically deduct all their home office expenses. “They also do not have to meet the same stringent conditions to qualify for a deduction,” van der westhuizen said.
13 April 2021
03
Lood de Jager will stuggle to get fit for Lions series 13 April 2021
Springbok bosses Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber will be holding thumbs that misfortune doesn’t strike Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert in the approach to the Lions tour of South African following the news that Lood de Jager has suffered yet another serious injury. With the Lions tour just three months away, Etzebeth (Toulon) and Mostert (Honda Heat, Japan) are currently the only fit locks from the rich supply that helped the Boks win the World Cup in Japan in 2019. The fourth member of that excellent quartet, RG Snyman, is still to make a comeback from a horrific knee injury sustained on his debut for Munster last August. The luckless De Jager reportedly broke his leg in a freak training ground incident at Sale Sharks a few days ago. The 28-year-old apparently slipped on a ball and when his 2.06m, 125kg frame hit the deck awkwardly, a leg fracture was the unfortunate result. De Jager has suffered way more than his
share of serious injuries since making his debut for the Boks as a youngster in 2014, including a severe shoulder injury 21 minutes into the World Cup final against England 18 months ago. De Jager had only just resumed playing again after that injury and the threemonth time frame for him to recover from this recent setback just about coincides with the start of the Lions tour in July. British and Irish Lions tour to go ahead in South Africa as planned The British and Irish Lions will proceed with their summer tour to South Africa after all alternative contingency plans were ruled out. However, a number of obstacles still need to be overcome, with Lions board member Bill Sweeney confirming cancellation would be the only option left if it is unable to go ahead for any reason. Press Association De Jager made a huge splash on the international scene at the 2015 World Cup in England where as a 22-year-old newcomer he was one of the best Springbok players. He has played 45 Tests and is considered one of the most
intelligent lineout specialists in the game, and if he can contribute to the Boks in July, it would be a considerable boost. The next tier of second rowers available to coach Nienaber, those playing in South Africa, are not yet in the league of the overseas-based players but those who have put their hands up include Ruben van Heerden (Sharks), Salmaan Moerat (Stormers) and Ruan Nortje (Bulls). Another solid option for Nienaber is onecap Bok Jason Jenkins, who is playing for
Ireland’s Munster.TFollowing the three days of alignment activities in Gauteng, the Springbok management will travel to Durban where they will repeat the exercise with a selected group of Sharks players on Thursday and Friday, before returning to Cape Town. The Stormers’ players will attend a similar camp activity next Monday, while the Bok coaching and management staff are due to visit Bloemfontein next Wednesday
Kobus Wiese thankful for second chance after surviving massive heart attack World Cup-winning Springbok Kobus
who assisted him and those who sent well
‘I’m not one of those guys who get on the
Wiese says he’s “thankful for the second
wishes his way.
scale every second day,
chance” after being hospitalised following
“It was a bit unexpected and a bit of a
I am carrying a few kilos too many and
a massive heart attack last week.
scare, but I thank the good Lord for the
I will see if I can shed a few pounds, but
medical staff at the Paarl Mediclinic and
this incident was not about cholesterol or
The 56-year-old was rushed to hospital
Panorama, they were a huge help,” he
blocked arteries.
last Tuesday where he underwent a
said.
“It was one artery that somehow got a
procedure to have an intravascular stent
“I want to thank everyone who sent well-
little tear on the inside and that led to slow
inserted into a narrowed vein.
wishes, I appreciate it.”
bleeding which eventually formed a blood
In an interview with CapeTalk’s Lester
When asked about the nature of his
clot. It had nothing to do with cholesterol.
Kiewit on Monday, the former Bok lock
medical event, Wiese confirmed that the
I’m thankful for this second chance.
admitted that it was a “scary” experience,
cause of his heart attack was due to one
I am very grateful.”
while he also thanked the medical staff
torn artery.
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