What's in City Press: Cyril's plane parts stolen
R85m Falcon spare parts scandal rocks SA Air Force
A confidential investigation into the removal and disappearance of high-value spares meant for SA's Falcon aircraft fleet – the same fleet that transports the president, deputy president and other top officials – has exposed alarming lapses in procurement control, institutional oversight and national security protocols.
Comedy of errors as minister, families wait in Bloemfontein while DRC troops land at Waterkloof.
Confusion with the flight arrangements, especially the airline the SADC contracted, resulted in the soldiers having to land at the Waterkloof Air Force Base, instead of in Bloemfontein.
Outcry over City of Joburg's 'rigged' R91m tender
The City of Johannesburg's R91 million medical aid brokerage tender has been marred by claims that the contract was crafted to favour the current service provider.
Tsekeleke on TikTok: Family, lover at war over social media sensation
TikTok sensation Moxon 'Tsekeleke' Tholo is caught in a tug of war between his family and his girlfriend, Mathapelo 'Black Cat Girl' Kanyane.
Zuma's benefactor accused of planning arrests of his detractors
Durban businessman Roy Moodley and his son Kesavan, who have previously worked with corrupt police officers to have business rivals discredited and arrested, are now allegedly planning to plant huge amounts of drugs on their detractors.
Son of erstwhile Cameroon leader battles claim on his R100m estate
The son of a former Cameroonian leader is fighting tooth and nail to stop his ex-girlfriend from getting a share of his estate, believed to be worth more than R100 million, following assertions by the woman that they were in a customary marriage.
Helen Zille is one of at least eight in the DA who aspire to be mayors in Gauteng metros
As the DA gears up for next year's local government elections, internal jostling has begun among party members vying to be considered as mayoral candidates across Gauteng's three metros – Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.
Despite Ramaphosa's suspect intentions, let's make the National Dialogue work
Given where we are and President Cyril Ramaphosa's seeming inability to act on anything with urgency, it is hard to argue against the proposed National Dialogue, when South Africans will get together to map out the nation's future, writes Mondli Makhanya
Do you only watch sports? DStv may soon give a package only for sports channels
MultiChoice, which will soon be taken over by French broadcasting giant Canal+, is considering introducing a separate sports package.
Sunshine Hospital to be auctioned after RAF battles
A hospital with 200 beds, which primarily treated impoverished victims of road accidents, had to close and is being auctioned after the Road Accident Fund (RAF) falsely accused the hospital of fraud and stopped payments.
Minister's adviser 'shielded from gross misconduct'
The national department of social development is under scrutiny for allegedly failing to discipline Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe's adviser, Ngwako Kgatla, raising accusations of preferential treatment.
Flood-hit Mthatha residents are picking up the pieces and searching for loved ones
While the search for missing school pupils continues and some residents are picking up the pieces following this week's floods in Mthatha, a resident, Richard Mokeona, who is originally from Sterkspuit and lives in Slovo Park, painted a picture of how they tried to save as many people as possible.
Beauty therapist almost dies; skin peels off after allergic reaction to medicine
A beauty therapist's skin started peeling off and she came close to death after an allergic reaction to medication prescribed to her at a mental health clinic.
Community denies construction mafia allegations but still demands 30% share
Some members of the community, who have been interdicted from preventing Lonerock Construction from rehabilitating the Golden Highway in Gauteng, have accused the company of not empowering local businesses and using courts to get its way.
Hungani and Stephanie call it quits after six years of marriage
The marriage between renowned television personalities Hungani Ndlovu and his wife Stephanie is sinking following a bold decision by the former to move out of their matrimonial house.
'I could not be part of that for another day,' says Liam Jacobs after ditching DA for Patriotic Alliance
MP Liam Jacobs has officially joined the Patriotic Alliance (PA), declaring that he realised he was being used by the DA. He says he has now found a home in the PA.
Transnet services could go offline as IT fight rages on
Some of Transnet's operations could be rendered dysfunctional if the state-owned enterprise doesn't get another service provider to store its key operational information.
Let's stop beating about the bush: alcohol is a huge danger to society, writes Fred Khumalo.
The alcohol industry contributes hugely to the economy and employs thousands of people, but the damage that alcohol does to our society arguably outweighs its socioeconomic benefits.
Why Capitec's CEO is forcing SA to rethink its unemployment narrative
The outcry was swift when Capitec CEO Gerrie Fourie dared to challenge SA's sacred unemployment statistics.
What Cape Town Spurs will argue against Durban City in court
Durban City player Falakhe Tshanini's transfer from Marumo Gallants, which is not in dispute, could play a significant role in relegated Cape Town Spurs' bid to prove its case against the KwaZulu-Natal club in the Johannesburg High Court.
'Muthi is real in football' – Durban City captain Ayanda Mtshali's emotional return to Premiership
Seven years ago, Ayanda Mtshali, the captain and goalkeeper of newly promoted Durban City, almost quit soccer to pursue a career in the music industry.
Fifa Club World Cup | SA players to bask in global spotlight
One thing is certain: the Fifa Club World Cup underway in the US will give South African players a fair share of the global spotlight.
Banyana Banyana can still successfully defend their CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) crown, even without their star player, Thembi Kgatlana.
Two Bafana Bafana teams were in action on the same day this week – one played against Mauritius in the Cosafa tournament in Bloemfontein, while the other faced Mozambique in a friendly game in Polokwane.
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Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Walmart's Stock Price Is Up Despite New Transshipment Tariffs
Walmart prides itself on its everyday low prices. Being a low-cost retailer has been a key contributor to Walmart's status as the world's largest retailer. A key reason for Walmart's 'everyday low prices' is the procurement of goods from low-wage, low-cost nations, such as China or India. In 2023, goods from China accounted for 60% of product sales. India is the second largest source of imports. Between January and August 2023, 25% of Walmart's U.S. imports originated in India. Higher tariffs, of course, threaten the EDLP strategy. But the new tariffs on transshipments are even more painful for retailers relying on low-cost foreign imports. The New York Times points out that ever since President Trump began raising tariffs on goods from China during his first term, Chinese companies have raced to set up warehouses in Southeast Asia and Mexico to bypass US tariffs through the use of indirect shipments. On July 31st, Trump signed an executive order targeting transshipments. Goods deemed by the Customs and Border Patrol to have been transshipped to evade applicable country of origin duties are now subject to an additional 40% import tax on top of the applicable country of origin tariff rates. These rates will take effect on August 7th. The legal definition of transshipment is a good that did not undergo a 'substantial transformation' in the country through which it passed. For example, the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement requires that at least 75% of cars be manufactured in North America based on North American-sourced components to qualify for duty-free treatment. So, for example, goods that flow to Mexico from China, where final consumer packaging is done, would be a light form of value-add. These goods would almost certainly be considered transhipped products. The executive order did not go into detail on the exact amount of value-add needed to avoid the 'transshipment' designation. Surprisingly, the new transshipment tariffs have not led to a decline in Walmart's stock price. On July 31st, when the new rules were announced, Walmart's stock closed at $97.98. Today, the stock opened at $99.67. Walmart's ability to pass these higher tariff costs on to consumers may be somewhat constrained. In May, Walmart said that it planned to increase prices, possibly by June, to pass along the higher tariff costs. 'We have always worked to keep our prices as low as possible, and we won't stop. We'll keep prices as low as we can for as long as we can, given the reality of small retail margins,' a Walmart spokesperson explained. Trump strongly disagreed with that idea. He wrote on Truth Social that Walmart needs to stop using tariffs as an excuse for increasing prices across its stores. And said that with Walmart having seen enormous profits last year, Walmart should absorb the costs associated with tariffs, instead of passing them on to customers. Walmart has worked to get its foreign suppliers to absorb some of the higher costs. Walmart asked several Chinese apparel and kitchenware suppliers to cut prices by up to 10% per tariff round. For many of these suppliers, Walmart is by far their largest customer and thus has substantial negotiating leverage. But these price decrease requests are much larger than what suppliers are used to. Further, the Chinese government is pushing back. According to The Wall Street Journal, Chinese officials summoned Walmart executives following complaints from suppliers. Authorities criticized the retailer's demands as unfair, warning that forcing suppliers to absorb tariff costs could breach contracts and disrupt market stability. Legal consequences were reportedly mentioned during the discussions. China can help exporters by devaluing its currency, which lowers the price of exports. They're also giving tax breaks and other incentives to their exporters, trying to keep them afloat. These tactics are something they have done in the past. But these things have been roundly criticized by the US and other Western nations. Experts on retailing say that, despite the President's call for retailers to 'eat the tariffs,' retailers will not be willing to absorb all of those increased prices. 'This idea that the president says, 'Listen, retailers, eat the tariffs.' That's not going to happen,' Kevin O'Leary of Shark Tank explained. Suppliers, retailers, and customers will all absorb some of the higher costs driven by tariffs. Even before the transshipment announcement, Walmart was struggling to forecast results. The retail giant did not release a profit outlook for the first quarter of the year due to the uncertainty surrounding the economy and tariff-related costs. Walmart on Thursday shared that its profits slipped in the first quarter of the year to $4.45 billion. It's difficult to understand why Walmart's stock price did not slump. Was it because many don't fully understand the potential impact of the transshipment tariffs? Or is it because Walmart has a strong history of growth despite headwinds? Or do some believe this transshipment rule will be difficult to enforce? How could US Customs and Border Patrol detect transshipments? If we take Walmart as an example, and assume they wanted to avoid transshipment tariffs (which I do not assume), the CBP would look for changing patterns in shipment origins. Walmart operates 20 distribution centers in Mexico. These warehouses are advertised as supporting the Mexican market. If shipments from these DCs started flowing across the border to the US, that would be evidence that Walmart is looking to avoid transshipment tariffs. What would be more challenging for the CPB to detect is a shift from FOB at origin to FOB at destination. FOB stands for "freight on board." The term is used to describe the point in a transaction where a product being shipped becomes the property of the buyer. In an FOB Origin shipping arrangement, the buyer is the owner of the product as soon as it leaves the point of origin. In an FOB Destination shipping arrangement, the shipment becomes the property of the buyer when it reaches a specified destination in the shipping process. In general, in an FOB destination contract, the seller of products plans all the logistics. In FOB origin arrangement, the buyers often designate which shipping company to use and even which lane a shipment should move on. Large companies frequently believe that by taking responsibility for logistics, they can save money. But a shift to FOB at origin contracts could allow suppliers to more easily evade transshipment duties by adding an extra port to the end-to-end shipment and thus sell prices to a retailer at a lower price.
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
3 African nations have agreed to take deportees from the US. What we know about the secretive deals
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Rwanda has become the third African nation to enter into a deal with the Trump administration to accept migrants deported by the United States. The Rwandan government said Tuesday it has agreed to accept up to 250 deportees from the U.S. for resettlement but didn't immediately give any more details, including when they would arrive or what Rwanda got, if anything, out of the deal. The U.S. has already deported eight men it said were dangerous criminals who were in the U.S. illegally to South Sudan and another five to Eswatini. Here's what we know, and still don't know, about U.S. President Donald Trump's expanding third-country deportation program in Africa and the largely secretive deals the U.S. is striking. The U.S. State Department and the Department of Homeland Security haven't responded to requests seeking more details on the deals in Africa. The U.S. sent eight men from South Sudan, Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar and Vietnam to South Sudan in East Africa in early July after their deportations were held up by a legal challenge. That led to them being kept for weeks in a converted shipping container at an American military base in nearby Djibouti. U.S. officials said the men had been convicted of violent crimes in the U.S. When it took custody of them a month ago, the South Sudan government said it would ensure their 'safety and wellbeing' but has declined to give other details, including where the men are being held and what their fate might be. South Sudan has been wracked by conflict since it gained independence from Sudan in 2011 and is teetering on the edge of civil war again. Two weeks after the South Sudan deportations, the U.S. announced that it had sent another five men — citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos — to the small kingdom of Eswatini in southern Africa. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said they were also violent criminals whose home countries had refused to take them back. Eswatini's government said the men would be held in solitary confinement until their repatriation, and later said that might take up to a year. A human rights lawyer in Eswatini has taken authorities to court alleging the men are being denied legal representation while being held in a maximum-security prison, and questioning the legality of detaining them indefinitely when they have served their criminal sentences in the U.S. U.S. authorities didn't name the men or say if they had been deported straight from prison or detained in another way. Eswatini, which borders South Africa, is one of the world's last absolute monarchies. King Mswati III has ruled since he turned 18 in 1986. Authorities under him are accused of violently subduing pro-democracy movements in a country where political parties are effectively banned. Rwanda's deal with the U.S. comes after a contentious migrant agreement it reached with the U.K. in 2022 collapsed and was ruled unlawful by Britain's Supreme Court. That deal was meant to see people seeking asylum in the U.K. sent to Rwanda, where they would stay if their asylum applications were approved. The failed deal ultimately cost the U.K. nearly a billion dollars in public money, including around $300 million that it gave to Rwanda and didn't get back. Rwanda said that the deportees it will take from the U.S. will be resettled there and given work training, healthcare and help with accommodation. Analysts say that African nations might be seeking a range of benefits from the Trump administration in return for taking deportees, including more favorable tariff rates, aid and other financial assistance, and even the easing of sanctions against some of their officials. AP news on the Trump administration:
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
S.Africa urges more countries to stand up to Israel's 'genocidal activities'
More countries must recognise a Palestinian state and stand up to Israel to stop its "genocidal activities", South Africa's Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told AFP in an interview Tuesday. Pretoria has been a leading critic of Israel's actions in Gaza, bringing a case before the UN's top court in December 2023 arguing that its war in the Palestinian territory amounted to genocide. As some of Israel's allies "are now also saying, no, this can't continue, it means that it is bringing us closer and closer to the Israel regime to stop the genocidal activities", Lamola said. This will also boost efforts to "allow humanitarian access to the people of Gaza" and "to agree to go into a negotiation table to cease the fire", he said. "We really welcome this development, and we call for more countries to continue to recognise Palestine." "We welcome the intention to recognise by France, Canada, and all countries of the world. This will put the pressure so that we can end up with ceasefire," Lamola said. South Africa's case before the International Court of Justice argues that the war in Gaza, which began with the militant group Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, breached the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention. Israel has strongly denied that accusation. Several nations have added their weight to the proceedings, including Spain, Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Turkey, Chile and Libya. The leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Canada have meanwhile said they plan to recognise a Palestinian state in September, and urged other nations to do so. The announcements by some of Washington's closest allies have displeased US President Donald Trump. Lamola said that had the world acted when South Africa made its case at the ICJ, "we would not be where we are". "It's clear starvation is emerging, famine, and all these are things we warned about in our ICJ case -- that this will lead to famine, will lead to complete cleansing of the population," he said. "It's rather late, yes, but it's better than never. So let them act, let them support, let them put the pressure." fal/br/jcb/sbk
