Your daily stars
Joanne Madeline Moore has been a professional astrologer and writer since 1994. Her horoscopes are published on five continents.
AQUARIUS
21 JAN - 19 FEB
Be extra careful when e-mailing, texting or tweeting today, as it will be very easy to send the wrong message to the wrong person. So, think things through and then proceed with plenty of caution.
PISCES
20 FEB - 20 MAR
You’re feeling impulsive but think before you speak! If you blurt out the first thing on your mind, then you’ll spend the rest of the day patching up the problems you’ve unwittingly created.
ARIES
21 MAR - 20 APR
Expect the sparks to fly as Mars and retro Mercury stir up a sensitive situation. Hasty words can cut like a knife. If you don’t self-edit, then you could end up with a simmering argument on your hands.
TAURUS
21 APR - 21 MAY
Are you in a mental rut? Shake up your thinking by investigating a topic that has always intrigued you. When talking to a work colleague or family member, choose your words carefully.
GEMINI
22 MAY - 21 JUN
Today, you’ll feel restless and contrary and in the mood to do the complete opposite of what is expected of you. This could cause problems – especially with family members or close friends.
CANCER
22 JUN - 23 JUL
Crabs are rather capricious creatures. And mood swings are likely today as Mars and retrograde Mercury stir up your volatile emotions. So, try not to take critical comments too seriously.
LEO
24 JUL - 23 AUG
Avoid being overopinionated today. You’re in the mood to be controversial but that could lead to unexpected consequences. Remember – some things are best left unsaid.
VIRGO
24 AUG - 23 SEP
Mercury is retrograde so it’s not a suitable time to enter into delicate financial negotiations, as your thinking is not as sound and sensible as usual. If you criticise a loved one, then expect a fiery response.
LIBRA
24 SEP - 23 OCT
If you meddle in other people’s affairs or engage in garrulous gossip, then you could end up with egg on your face. So, check the facts thoroughly before you open your mouth!
SCORPIO
24 OCT - 22 NOV
Avoid saying exactly what’s on your mind, as others may be shocked. So, think carefully before you speak, especially when dealing with a stressed work colleague or family member.
SAGITTARIUS 23 NOV - 21 DEC
You have a talent for putting your foot firmly in your mouth – especially today. Avoid being too blunt, as some people aren’t ready to sample your special brand of Sagittarian truth serum.
CAPRICORN 22 DEC - 20 JAN
You won’t get much support from others today – they have their own problems to deal with. So, strive to be a self-sufficient Capricorn. And don’t let yourself fall into the trap of negative self-talk.
Former board member comes out in defence of regulatory body’s CEO.
Former board member of the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (Irba) Iqbal Motala has come out in defence of the audit watchdog’s chief executive, Jenitha John.
Motala resigned from Irba on 25 January – one day before Finance Minister Tito Mboweni decided to dissolve the board after holding discussions with its members regarding the “position the board [had] taken in respect of the chief executive officer and to discuss the resignation of a number of board members”.
Motala was not at the meeting. He has, however, rubbished claims that the controversial appointment of John was at the heart of the minister’s decision to fire the board.
In a statement, National Treasury said the dissolution of the board was in line with Section 12(5) of the Auditing Profession Act, which gives the finance minister the power to terminate the contracts of the members of the regulatory board if their performance is deemed unsatisfactory. Mboweni declined to expand. A lawyer by profession, Motala was reappointed as a member of the Irba board in June last year, but resigned last month after he “realised that there was a concerted effort to get rid of Jenitha”.
Scandal
The board had seen a series of resignations and allegations of infighting stemming from the appointment of John as CEO because of her history with sugar processing firm Tongaat Hulett.
John had served on that board since 2007 and was chair of its audit and compliance committee in 2018 when the company was involved in an accounting scandal. It was found to have overstated its assets by R4.5 billion.
A PricewaterhouseCoopers report implicated 10 Tongaat Hulett executives in the scandal but this did not deter the Irba board from appointing John as its chief executive.
A glimpse behind the scenes
Former board member Preston Speckmann told Moneyweb that he resigned after the newly appointed board held its second meeting in July last year.
His resignation letter to Mboweni gave the public a glimpse of the divisions within the board and set the ball rolling for more board resignations.
Zunaid Vally (who was appointed to replace Speckmann) and former board chair Martie Janse van Rensburg also resigned from the 10-member board.
Speckmann told Mboweni there were “distinct groupings” within the Irba board – the “old” group, which was “hell-bent” on having previous chief executive Bernard Agulhas return to his position, and the “new” group.
“The new group did not want interaction with Ms Jenitha John,” reads Speckmann’s letter. “In their own words, she must leave given the Tongaat Hulett matter.”
Motala notes: “Preston Speckmann did not allude to the fact that he resigned because of the appointment of the CEO, instead he resigned because of the manner in which the board was dealing with the CEO. I fully endorse what Preston said.”
If the board had fired John over the Tongaat matter, it would have exposed itself “professionally” and “financially” because it received a legal opinion that John’s appointment was above board. John declined to comment. A new board is expected to be appointed in three months’ time, with businesspeople Nonkululeko Gobodo and Roy Andersen appointed by Mboweni as interim caretakers.
The new group did not want interaction with John