Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-03-12 i Mercury

Commission grants intervention rights to Sasol, Astron Energy and Numsa THE MERGED entity between Vitol Emerald Bidco and South Africa’s biggest filling station operator, Engen, will affect production and supply of refined petroleum products from local refineries, the Competition Commission said at a hearing of the Competition Tribunal yesterday. The Competition Tribunal is holding hearings into Vitol’s acquisition of Engen this week after granting intervention rights to Sasol South Africa, Astron Energy South Africa and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa). Yesterday, the Competition Commission said in its presentation to the hearing that it had “found evidence that the merger was likely to result in the foreclosure of local production, due to the loss of a significant customer” who is Engen. The commission wants the merger between…

Strength training is a type of physical exercise that involves using weights to build muscle strength, endurance and power. It is an essential component of any fitness routine, offering a wide range of benefits. Here are some of the top advantages of incorporating strength training into your workout regimen. One of the most obvious benefits is the ability to build muscle mass. This not only helps improve your overall strength and endurance, but also boosts your metabolism, making it easier to maintain a healthy weight. Strength training has been shown to increase bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures later in life. By putting stress on your bones through resistance exercises, you can strengthen them and improve their overall health. Whether you’re an athlete looking to improve your…

The annual report of the eThekwini Municipality has painted a damning picture of the municipality’s wastewater treatment works (WWTW) plants, revealing that many are not licensed, leading to a risk of polluting the environment. The plants are supposed to be licensed by the Department of Water and Sanitation. The licence is only granted if the plants comply with certain standards and do not pollute the environment. The City’s annual report for the 2022-2023 financial year was published recently. The municipality said issues around the licensing of its plants was a lengthy process and it is being attended to. Under the Trading Services unit, which has oversight over water, sanitation and electricity functions, among others, the City spells out a number of challenges faced by the unit. These include infrastructure that…

A KENTUCKY couple won $50 000 (R935 345) on a lottery, according to Associated Press. But they’d lost the ticket they bought a week before. Mark Perdue, who lives in Bowling Green, said the owner of the convenience store where he bought the ticket congratulated him when he went into the shop again. “I said: ‘For what?’ She said: ‘You won the lottery.’ I said:‘I wish.’ She said: ‘You did, I have you on video’.” He and his wife then looked and looked but couldn’t find the ticket anywhere and thought it might have been thrown away. “I’ve been beating myself up for three months thinking I threw this ticket away,” his wife said. Then Perdue went to check the condition of a company car and found the ticket inside.…

The US is worried about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It has embarked on a project to build a port in Gaza so ships can take emergency supplies of food and medical aid to the thousands of starving Gazans trapped by the ruthless Israelites. It doesn’t matter that the god-fearing Israelis are merciless against the women and children, for there’s always big-hearted Uncle Sam who is ever-willing and ready to give a helping hand. He’s so kind-hearted, caring and generous. Strangely, it’s the same big-hearted uncle who vetoed a UN resolution condemning the Israeli government for the killings and asking for an immediate end to the war. Worse still, it’s the same superpower that, without an iota of conscience, supplies the Israelis with all the killing machines to carry out…

THE cost for the restoration of burnt buildings of Parliament has been revised to about R2.1 billion following the addition of costs related to ICT infrastructure. This was revealed when MPs were briefed about the progress made on the restoration of buildings destroyed by a fire in January 2022. Project manager Simon Mashigo said the restoration and reconstruction work was initially allocated an amount of R2bn, but the estimate was not supported by any scope or any details. “We understood that as we get into planning and detailed designing, more definitive scope will come up, including costing,” Mashigo said. “Our revised costing comes to around R2.1bn, which is in terms of work we need to do as per original scope that we were given. “That also has CCTV, access control,…

Economists say interest rates are likely to remain unchanged when the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meets this month, due to inflation being at over 5% and a weaker rand. Johann Els, Old Mutual Group chief economist, said he expected the interest rate to remain unchanged. “Inflation has eased a bit but unfortunately there is still uncertainty, more especially because of the fuel price increases we have seen this year. “The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) will be concerned about the impact that could drift into headline inflation. The SARB needs to see headline decreases before they implement any interest rate cuts.” Els said the economy is weak at the moment. “However the SARB says it’s not because of high interest rates but because of structural issues such as the…

Political party Afrika Unite Congress (AUK), formed by members of the Shembe Church in KwaZulu-Natal last year, has written to the Electoral Commission of South Africa requesting more time to submit its provincial and national candidate lists. The commission gave all political parties until 5pm on Friday to submit their lists, but the AUK said the Electoral Amendment Act, which requires the party to provide 61 000 signatures in support of the party, and persistent load shedding, made it almost impossible to meet the deadline. AUK was formed by members of the eBuhleni faction of the church, one of the largest churches in the country with hundreds of thousands of followers. The party’s president Lizwe Ncwane wrote to the commission minutes after the deadline had passed, saying the Electoral…

Israel was checking yesterday if Hamas’s second-highest military leader died in an air strike, media said, as talks stumbled to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza war to coincide with the Muslim holy month of Ramadaan. If his death is confirmed, Marwan Issa would be the highest-ranking official from the Islamist militant movement taken out by Israel in the more than 5-month war that has pulverised the Palestinian enclave and killed thousands. Israeli Army Radio said Israel had bombed the Al-Nusseirat camp in central Gaza on Saturday night, where it had intelligence about the location of Issa, second-in-command of Hamas’s military wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades. The attack killed five people, the report said. Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel was checking if the fatalities included Issa. Neither the…

US, Canadian, French and Caribbean envoys were meeting yesterday in Jamaica to address the spiraling instability in Haiti, where gang violence has crippled the capital and forced foreign diplomats to evacuate over the weekend. Armed groups, which already control much of Port-au-Prince as well as roads leading to the rest of the country, have unleashed havoc in recent days as they try to oust Prime Minister Ariel Henry. In power since the 2021 assassination of president Jovenel Moise, Henry had been visiting Kenya, in search of support for a UN-backed security support mission, when the latest burst of violence broke out. Unable to return to Haiti last week, he instead landed in the US territory of Puerto Rico, where he remained yesterday, according to a US official. The Caricom group…

WELLINGTON: At least 50 people were hurt when a Boeing 787 operated by LATAM Airlines LTM.SN dropped abruptly mid-flight from Sydney to Auckland yesterday, according to the airline and a New Zealand health service organisation that treated the injured. The aircraft landed at Auckland airport as scheduled yesterday afternoon, according to FlightAware. One person was in a serious condition while the rest suffered injuries, said a spokesperson for Hato Hone St John, which treated about 50 people at the airport. The cause of the change of trajectory could not be ascertained. Experts say most plane accidents are caused by many factors that need to be investigated. | Reuters…

STOCKHOLM: Greta Thunberg and dozens of other environmental campaigners blocked the main entrances to Sweden’s parliament yesterday in a sit-down protest against the effects of climate change and what they said was political inaction. Thunberg said they were protesting “against the ongoing destruction of our life-supporting systems and of people already being killed as a result of the climate crisis. That needs to come to an end. We have had enough”, she said, accusing politicians of inaction in the face of global warming. “We are staying here for now,” she added. Last year Thunberg was detained by police or removed from protests in Sweden, Norway and Germany. A British court last month acquitted her of charges of a public order offence. | Reuters…

When a 17-year-old Jonathan Bird struck an undefeated 143 not out for South Africa Under-19 to seal a Youth ODI series victory over their English counterparts in Gosforth back in 2018, the Bishops prodigy had everyone earmarking him as the next Graeme Smith. Bird was indeed tall and left-handed but possibly a touch more elegant at the crease. The excitement grew even further when Bird starred on his List A debut for Western Province with a maiden century several months later. Unfortunately, for Bird, he has not been able to maintain the momentum on a consistent basis. The talent and potential are still there, but he has not been able to produce the numbers that gets everyone to sit up and take notice and hence missed out on being signed…

Defending Nedbank Cup champions Orlando Pirates are expected to be riding the wave of Soweto derby triumphs when they change direction towards cup exploits this week. The Buccaneers will, for the second round running, play hosts to a lower tier side in the Ke Yona competition when Motsepe Foundation Championship outfit Hungry Lions visits the Orlando Stadium next. Having already defended their MTN8 title this season, the expectation will be heavy on the shoulders of Pirates and coach Jose Riveiro with the DStv Premiership seemingly a stretch too far. The Sea Robbers occupy second place on the league standings after their win against Kaizer Chiefs and will want to cement that CAF Champions League slot, alongside back-to-back Nedbank wins. Avid followers of the second tier of South African football will…

FAIRTREE, a relatively young asset management firm based in Bellville, Western Cape, has outperformed the major players in South Africa’s investment industry to win the coveted South African Manager of the Year trophy at the annual Raging Bull Awards gala dinner, held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Monday. The event recognised outstanding performance to the end of 2023 by unit trust fund managers in selecting investments for their portfolios, taking into account consistency and aversion to risk. The Manager of the Year awards are based on the risk-adjusted performance of a manager’s suite of quali- fying unit trust funds, as determined by the PlexCrown Fund Ratings system, over a five-year period. The runners-up in the South African Manager of the Year race were last year’s winner, PSG…

Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has said the current stages of load shedding were a necessary trade-off to upscale planned maintenance by Eskom ahead of winter. This comes as Ramokgopa said he had met with the board of the newly-established National Transmission Company of South Africa, which he said had hit the ground running. It was now anticipating engaging with the private sector which was keen on investing in the grid extension. Sticking to the narrative that the trend-line of Eskom’s performance had improved over the past year, Ramokgopa said with the progressive increase in megawatts from the Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF), Eskom was ramping up planned maintenance to avoid extensive breakdowns down the road. “We could go on the short-term intervention and reduce this…

Listen to people for long enough – some people need very little time – and you will “see” into their hearts, their souls, and have a measure of the fear and pain that is theirs. The things we talk about and the way we talk, the things we find funny, offer a glimpse into the very depths of who we are, and into what is hurting within us. Every time we open our mouths to speak we are offering clues to the state of our emotional health. While it would be foolish to jump to conclusions based on a few uttered sentences and we ought to give one another the benefit of any doubt, some topics and obvious attitudes are unmistakable, unavoidable, and announce who people are and the pain…

How I wish there were more citizens who call a spade a spade in this country, like Harry Sewlall. In The Star on March 8, he obviously did not care whether he was labelled a racist for his comments, and he is to be applauded for that because unless we call a spade a spade, nothing will ever be corrected in the country. It is not easy to answer the question he poses as to whether black governments are unfit to rule because our government, like others on the continent, is fast failing. The difficulty lies in the fact that they all pursue the same illogical ideology, even if it has failed all other liberation movements in countries that gained independence many decades ago. Take for instance National Health Insurance…

A businessman from East London, accused of defrauding the SA Revenue Services (Sars) of millions of rand, has been rearrested after he allegedly absconded and failed to appear in court for his case. The Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (known as the Hawks) said it arrested 31-year-old Kholekile Ntlabathi on Thursday. He was a sole director of three business entities – Intelligence Build Enterprise, Elbowing group and Lungisa Construction. Eastern Cape Hawks spokesperson, Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, said it is alleged that Ntlabathi and his companies allegedly unlawfully submitted false tax returns to Sars for the period between 2018 and 2021. “Further allegations are that the suspect’s intention was to defraud Sars by submitting those returns on behalf of his business entities. “Ntlabathi submitted those fraudulent returns pretending to be…

The Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) is set to return this year in May. The festival will take place on May 3 and 4 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). The organisers said four reimagined stages would welcome artists and festivalgoers (Festinos) for Africa’s premier jazz celebration. “Formerly known as Kippies, Moses Molelekwa, and Rosies, these stages now bear the illustrious names of Sapphire, Ruby and Emerald respectively, and with a new outside stage Topaz, the scene is set for a sparkling showcase of both seasoned maestros and rising stars from across the globe.” Lindsay Rhoda, head of talent at CTIJF, said the festival would bring together an electrifying fusion of heritage and innovation to appeal to local and international audiences. “We have worked hard over the…

Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng is expected to rule on Thursday whether the alleged confessions made by two of the five men accused of the murder of Senzo Meyiwa are admissible in their trial. Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, Judge Mokgoatlheng, who is presiding over the murder trial of former Bafana Bafana captain, Meyiwa, has heard evidence in the trial within a trial since last year. The State and the defence have submitted their final arguments on the admissibility of the confessions allegedly made by Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi and Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya. Ntanzi and Sibiya claim they were severely assaulted by police and forced to sign confessions implicating themselves and others in the murder of the former Orlando Pirates goalkeeper. They were both arrested in 2020 but on different dates in different areas.…

On Friday, the world observed International Women’s Day (IWD), the annual ritual of assessing the progress towards gender equality in the manifold socio-economic sectors especially in the workplace, the boardroom, health policy and practice, income disparity and pay gaps, political representation, gender-responsive budgeting, agriculture and more recently even in climate, ESG (environmental, social and governance) and renewable energy cohorts. The fact that we indulge in this perennial soul-searching playbook suggests that the gender equality ecosystem remains a work in progress, albeit patronisingly slow in any meaningful transformative impact. The reality for billions of women is that in societies across the world, including the West, shaking off patriarchy rooted in the very beginning of human existence as symbolised by the Abrahamic faith traditions and subsequently nurtured by over two millennia…

YESTERDAY, 56 of the world’s largest countries and smallest islands, across six oceans, stood united to celebrate the shared values for Commonwealth Day. Commonwealth Day is traditionally celebrated on the second Monday in March. The theme for this year’s Commonwealth Day and the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is ‘One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth’. More than 56 nations will celebrate the occasion throughout this week, with representatives attending an event at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s headquarters in London. This year was especially significant as the modern Commonwealth will celebrate its 75th anniversary in April. At a Commonwealth prime ministers’ meeting in London on April 26, 1949, the London Declaration said that republics and other independent countries could be equal members of the Commonwealth. King Charles III said…

SION: Helicopters were combing an area near the Matterhorn Mountain in Switzerland yesterday to find a missing skier after five other members of the party were found dead after “catastrophic” conditions. The cross-country skiers, five of them members of the same family from the Valais canton, went missing around Tête Blanche Mountain on Saturday on the Zermatt-Arolla path. Authorities have not given the cause of death for the five but described “catastrophic” conditions with avalanches, snow storms and extreme temperatures. But the search party had to turn back late on Saturday within 500m of the missing group’s last reported altitude due to storms and heavy snowfall. | Reuters…

LISBON: Portugal’s centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD) won Sunday’s general election by a slim margin and is preparing to govern without an outright majority after the far-right Chega party warned of instability if it is not included in government. With 99.1% of the vote counted, the AD won 79 seats in the 230-seat legislature, followed by the Socialists with 76 seats, prompting them to concede defeat. Chega came third, quadrupling its parliamentary representation to 48 MPs on a clean governance and anti-immigration platform. Chega voters said the country was in a bad way and they wanted changes in housing, education and healthcare. | Reuters…

New Golden Arrows coach Steve Komphela has refused to take credit for helping the club break their 11-game losing streak with victory against Polokwane City. The KwaZulu-Natal outfit had been on one of their worst runs in the top flight ahead of their trip to Limpopo, which saw them switch their technical team personnel. Komphela, who left the club for Mamelodi Sundowns in 2020 and who was recently sacked by Moroka Swallows, was announced as the club’s new head honcho last Thursday. With former Abafana Bes’thende coach Mabhuti Khenyeza suspended because of an accumulation of yellow cards, Komphela sat alongside assistant Musa Bilankulu on the bench. Both Komphela and Bilankulu raced down the touchline to the corner to celebrate Nduduzo Sibiya’s decisive strike in Komphela’s first match in charge. Speaking…

THE Premier League's top three are separated by a single point with 10 games remaining as a thrilling battle between Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City looks set to go to the wire. Here, we look at where each of the contenders stand and how their run-ins compare. Arsenal – 64 points The Gunners are the most in-form of the three contenders with a run of eight consecutive league wins in 2024, including a crucial 3-1 victory over Liverpool in January. Mikel Arteta’s men have smashed in 33 goals in those eight games to also open up a healthy goal difference advantage over their rivals, which could prove decisive. Arsenal are not in league action again for another three weeks, and their trip to City on March 31 is the acid…

IT HAS BECOME very difficult to distinguish an authentic product from a fake product. Fake goods manufacturers have become so advanced that consumers are fooled into buying a product assuming they are buying an original version. In South Africa, this has resulted in people dying from eating expired goods sourced from traders who presented them to the market as authentic products. Authorities have attempted to curb this challenge; however, their efforts have failed. Now, there’s a tech solution to the fake goods challenge. As the world is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the barcode, the organisation GS1 that brought us the barcode was in South Africa to launch what it’s called Verified by GS1. Essentially, GS1 (non-profit entity) has brought the barcode and QR code together to assist consumers with…

Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has called on all members and friends of the Zulu nation to observe a minute of silence today to mark the third anniversary of the passing of his father, King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu. Misuzulu’s traditional Prime Minister Thulasizwe Buthelezi said the late king’s primary legacy was in reviving prominent traditional ceremonies like Umkhosi Womhlanga, Umkhosi Wokweshwama and Umkhosi Woselwa. “What those traditional ceremonies sought to do was to inculcate in the youth a sense of pride and belonging in terms of the Zulu culture and heritage. “That is the first legacy that the current king has kept, to maintain those events and now even on a much larger scale, especially the Reed Dance and the Marula festival in Ingwavuma. “By maintaining those traditions and events he…

LAST September mayor Mxolisi Kaunda wanted to place a gag order on councillors who spoke negatively about the ANC’s running of eThekwini (The Mercury, September 21). But thanks to the images of the trashed streets and garbage piled up around eThekwini, an appropriate election manifesto for the ANC has been provided which Kaunda is powerless to gag – especially concerning the smell. In the past 20 years there is nothing the ANC has not managed to cripple, corrupt or break. A once debt-free city has become bankrupt. Nothing gets resolved as the bus service, Moses Mabhida Stadium and uShaka Sea World lurch on mired in debt. Last September R2 billion was written off as “irregular, unauthorised, fruitless and wasteful expenditure” (The Mercury, September 14). While ratepayers pay more for private…

In his seminal work The Eight Zulu Kings, renowned author on Zulu history, John Laband, takes us into the cloisters of the negotiations that took place a few weeks before the first democratic elections of 1994. Laband recalls how on April 8, 1994, King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu and Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi met with president FW de Klerk and Dr Nelson Mandela in Skukuza at the Kruger National Park in the Mpumalanga province. The only item on the agenda was how to ensure the IFP’s participation in the national government elections that would take place a few weeks later. Prince Buthelezi’s non-negotiable condition for participating in the elections was the status of the Zulu king in a post-apartheid South Africa. Eventually the following wording was agreed to by the ANC, National…

HIGHER education institutions temporarily tasked to handle student allowance payments reportedly successfully processed the initial payments without any apparent delays. National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) acting chairperson Lourens van Staden gave an assurance last week that all allowances would have been fully paid before yesterday. Some tertiary institutions, such as Sol Plaatje University in Kimberley and Central University of Technology in the Free State, had already started seeing disruptive protest actions over allowance and accommodation issues. In an update on Saturday, Van Staden said 25 out of the 26 universities paid the February allowances as per their commitment dates. “The allowances paid include the book, accommodation, transport, food and personal care allowances. Unisa is finalising the process of determining allowances based on the number of modules registered by students.…

Transporters say there are still major delays at the Port of Durban despite interventions by the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA). TNPA said that the influx of trucks into the Port of Durban has led to it announcing a R233 million investment to rehabilitate roads at the port. Chris Moodley, director of freight company KZN Customs Clearing and Forwarding, said they had been engaging with Transnet for a long time now on the issues they faced. “Management promised to make changes but failed dismally to improve their services. “It’s always the same excuse – equipment challenges. What happened to the R47 billion bailout plan approved in December? Where are these parts and new equipment three months down the line?” he questioned. Another transporter, who did not want to be named…

THE Department of Justice and Constitutional Development was unable to pay R48 million to service providers, making it the main culprit in terms of national government departments failing to comply with timely payments. The Justice department should be ensuring that everyone abides by legal provisions, but it had 4 554 late invoices, the Public Service Commission (PSC) said, expressing disappointment. Public Works and Infrastructure owed R8.4m and the National Department of Health owed R8.2m, the PSC said. Commissioner Anele Gxoyiya briefed the media yesterday on the quarterly Pulse of the Public Service bulletin. Twenty-three departments were unable to comply with timeous payment of invoices amounting to R1 billion. “Of great concern, out of 40 national departments, only 17 fully complied with the requirement on timeous payments in Quarter 2. “Although…

Recently, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced the schedule for the election of school governing bodies (SGBs), which is to take place from March 1 to 31. However, it is worrying that a lack of parental participation, particularly in township and rural communities, has hampered this crucial process. Parental participation in the election of SGBs is not merely a box-ticking exercise, but a fundamental aspect of ensuring quality education for our children. These governing bodies serve as a bridge between the school, the community and the government, and make decisions that directly affect the learning environment and educational outcomes. The absence of parental involvement in SGB elections poses a significant threat to improving education in underprivileged government schools. Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga has rightly warned that if parents fail to…

CATHERINE, Britain’s Princess of Wales, issued an apology on social media yesterday for “any confusion” caused by an edited photograph which had been issued by her office Kensington Palace the previous day. Several leading news organisations including Reuters withdrew the picture of Kate, 42, posing with her three children after post-publication analysis showed it did not meet their editorial standards. Reuters picture editors said part of the sleeve of Kate’s daughter’s cardigan did not line up properly, suggesting the image had been altered. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” the message on X said, signed with a “C”. Kensington Palace said the photo had been taken by her husband, heir to the throne Prince William, last week. It was the first official photograph of Kate…

NEW YORK: Adults who use marijuana daily are 25% more likely to have a heart attack than those who don’t use it, according to research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The study also found a 42% increased likelihood of stroke. The findings were based on data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2016 through to 2020 from 434 104 US residents, ages 18 to 74. Of the participants, 4% were daily cannabis users and 7% used it about five days a month. The study found that cardiovascular risks were still present for those who used cannabis less often – a 3% increased risk for heart attack compared with non-users. | The Washington Post…

Hong Kong: Bitcoin hit a fresh record above $71 000 (about R1.3 million) yesterday as demand for the cryptocurrency picks up amid optimism that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year. The unit hit a peak of $71 432 in afternoon Asian business, according to Bloomberg data, meaning it has advanced almost 70% this year. The rally was helped by news that Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority had said it would allow the creation of crypto-related securities. That comes after US authorities gave the green light this year to exchange-traded funds pegged to bitcoin’s spot price, persuading some mainstream investors to add the unit to their portfolio. | AFP…

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said his team’s injury woes are no excuse ahead of the clash with Napoli in the Champions League tonight. The Catalans are aiming to reach the quarter-finals of the competition they last won in 2015, with the tie level at 1-1 after the first leg in Italy. Xavi is missing three key midfielders in Pedri, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong, as well as Ferran Torres and Alejandro Balde. However, the coach said his team could not use that as mitigation for failure and demanded a “magic night” at the club’s temporary Olympic Stadium home on the city’s Montjuic hill. “It’s the moment to be able to reach the quarter-finals, for four years we haven’t got to the last eight of the Champions League, I see it…

Percy Tau, one of South Africa’s favourite players, was a notable omission from the Bafana Bafana squad named on Monday, but fans will be pleased with the call-up for the exciting Orlando Pirates central midfielder Patrick ‘Tito’ Maswanganyi. Tau was hopelessly off-colour at the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast and his exclusion is not unexpected because the squad will be playing friendlies rather than competitive matches. Coach Hugo Broos has decided to let him stay with Al Ahly in Egypt and enjoy a break from the international scene. Instead, Broos has named 10 new players, including three uncapped players, in his 23-man squad for the upcoming international friendlies later this month. The 58th world-ranked Bafana will face Andorra (ranked 164th) at the 19 May 1956 Stadium in…