Indholdsfortegnelse for 2022-01-27 i Cape Argus

Given Majola given.majola@inl.co.za WITH more and more South African businesses in distress amid an economy decimated by Covid-19 disruption, some employers are not paying their required staff Unemployment Fund (UIF), with some employees afraid to report their employers’ non-compliance to laws, according to the Department of Employment and Labour. The amount of the contribution due by an employee must be 1 percent of the remuneration paid by the employer to the employee. The employer must pay a total contribution of 2 percent, with 1 percent contributed by the employee and 1 percent contributed by the employer, within the prescribed period. UIF spokesperson Makhosonke Buthelezi said in an interview with Business Report this week that the organisation only becomes aware that the money deducted by employers from…

MICHAEL SHERMAN michael.sherman@africannewsagency.com LED by Erik van Rooyen, 13 South Africans will tee it up in the Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club from today. Van Rooyen is the top-ranked SA player in the field at 63rd in the world, and comes off a tie for 12th place at the Abu Dhabi Championship last week. It will also be the fourth week in a row the 31-year-old is playing after two top-25 finishes on the US PGA Tour at the beginning of January. With one victory on the DP World Tour (DPWT, formerly the European Tour) coming at the Scandinavian Invitation in August 2019, Van Rooyen will be looking to add a second win in the near future. In fact, Van Rooyen was in the winner’s circle as recently…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za Two weeks of training has left Laura Wolvaardt and her Proteas teammates champing at the bit to play again in the one-day international series against the West Indies that starts at the Wanderers tomorrow. There’s been a lot of time spent in the nets, some internal practice games and then another training match on Tuesday, but an actual ODI will be enormously beneficial for the players, according to Wolvaardt. “Game time is crucial, because there is only so much you can do in the nets,” the 22-year-old said yesterday. The Proteas and the West Indies play the first four ODIs at the Bullring tomorrow, with the World Cup in New Zealand very much the focal point for both. “We’ve all spent a lot of time in the…

Given Majola given.majola@inl.co.za FIFTEEN (15) out of the 17 food items which are considered the core foods that should reasonably be found in most South African homes increased in price this month with price hikes seen across the board, says the Pieter- maritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group (PMBEJD). These food items were generally prioritised and bought first. The average cost of the Household Food Basket this month was R4 401.02. On a month-on-month the average cost of the Household Food Basket increased by R125.08 (2.9 percent). The year-on-year average cost of the basket increased by R349.82 (8.6 percent), from R4 051.20 in January 2021 to R4 401.02 in January 2022. The group’s programme co-ordinator, Mervyn Abrahams, said yesterday that in the total Household Food Basket, 35…

MIKE GREENAWAY mike.greenaway@inl.co.za THE Sharks team to play the Stormers in Durban on Saturday will be boosted by Springboks Siya Kolisi and Bongi Mbonambi, and despite what both teams will tell the media, that is bound to add some spice to this juicy United Rugby Championship encounter. The highly-experienced Bok pair missed the Sharks’ victory over the Lions last week because they were completing a conditioning programme as they were a week behind the rest of the squad after having needed an extra week off in December, but now they are both in the Sharks team that has been running– and perspiring extensively in the humidity – at Kings Park this week. Kolisi will take over from James Venter at openside flank and at hooker, Mbonambi will come in for…

Given Majola given.majola@inl.co.za THE AGRICULTURAL sector’s priority now is to lobby the government to reprioritise budgets to invest in repairing road infrastructure and bridges that were damaged by rain and flooding that wreaked havoc in many parts of South Africa, according to Andrea Campher, Agri SA’s manager for risk and disaster unit. The affected local and provincial departments should reprioritise funds and where that money is not available, applications should be made to the national government, she said. The industry body said it was still assessing the extent of the damage to agriculture through its commodity and provincial affiliates. The provincial departments of agriculture and the provincial disaster management centres were also assessing the damage within each province. Campher said the exact crop losses would be known at the end…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za The Proteas have recalled Simon Harmer from the international wilderness for the two-match Test tour of New Zealand next month. Harmer last played for the Proteas against India in 2015 before changing course by signing a Kolpak deal with Essex in the English County Championship in 2017. The 32-year-old made an immediate impact at Chelmsford by leading the east London club to their first Championship for 25 years. The right-arm off-spinner has since taken 250 wickets for Essex across the last four seasons, which has included another two championship titles and the Bob Willis Trophy in the truncated 2020 season. But with the Brexit coming into effect in the United Kingdom, which has seen the Kolpak ruling disbanded, Harmer is once again available for selection for the…

STEFANOS Tsitsipas said he was “in the zone” after producing his best match of the tournament to demolish Jannik Sinner and storm into his third Australian Open semi-final yesterday. The Greek fourth seed was at his dazzling best to romp past the 11th seeded Italian 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in two hours and six minutes and into a semi-final against either Daniil Medvedev or Felix Auger-Aliassime. It was a most impressive performance from the world No 4, who grasped control of the quarter-final on Rod Laver Arena with a break in Sinner’s opening service game and did not relinquish his firm grip. Tsitsipas said his tennis was “way better” than his previous four matches at the year’s opening Grand Slam. “It was the most consistent and the best match I’ve had…