*Sugar Crisis Looms As Gold Star Shuts Refinery*

Gold Star, a subsidiary of ZSE-listed StarAfrica, has temporarily closed its Harare refinery and placed
employees on indefinite leave, citing a sharp increase in raw sugar prices by its supplier Tongaat Hulett.

Gold Star commercial executive Revesai Gwenhamo said raw material price increases made their
operations unprofitable.

“We are writing to advise that we have closed the Goldstar Sugars Harare Refinery with effect from
Monday, February 13, 2023, until further notice,” Gwenhamo said in a notice to customers.

“The closure is a result of a raw sugar price increase taken by our supplier on February 9, 2023, which
makes it difficult for the company to produce and sell refined sugar at a competitive and viable price, as
well as onerous trading terms which have constrained raw sugar supplies to the refinery.

“We have engaged the supplier and look forward to finding an amicable solution to enable us to resume
operations as soon as possible. We will keep you informed of progress on the matter.”

According to insiders, Tongaat Hullet raised the price of raw sugar to maintain its monopoly in the
industry.

Last year, a value chain report published by the National Competitiveness Commission (NCC) said that
the country’s sugar industry is being hampered by Tongat Hulett’s monopoly and its subsidiaries
dominating all levels of the sugar chain.

NCC’s report lamented that a combination of policy and value chain inefficiencies rendered locally
produced sugar and related products uncompetitive for the export market.

Currently the price of locally produced sugar averages US$738 per tonne, above a SADC average of
US$500.
Tongaat Hulett spokesperson Charity Tambandini declined to comment on the factors that led to the
hike in raw material prices but instead stated that her company was involved in ongoing discussions
with Gold Star to find an amicable solution.

“There are high-level discussions currently underway to clarify issues and once discussions are over and
a position agreed, all stakeholders will be informed,” said Tambandini.

Turkey rescuers say voices are still being heard under the
rubble

OSMANIYE, Turkey —  Rescue teams in southern Turkey say they are still hearing voices from under the
rubble more than a week after a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake, offering a glimmer of hope of
finding more survivors.

In Kahramanmaras region,

emergency workers saved a 35-year-old woman who was believed to have been buried for around 205
hours, according to state broadcaster TRT Haber.

Two brothers —17-year-old Muhammed Enes Yeninar and 21-year-old brother Abdulbaki Yennir — were
also pulled from collapsed buildings on Tuesday, the broadcaster also reported.

Further east, in the city of Adiyaman, rescuers pulled an 18-year-old boy and a man alive from the
rubble, while Ukraine's rescue team pulled a woman alive out of the rubble in the southern province of
Hatay, according to CNN Turk.

Eight days after the tremor and its violent aftershocks, more than 41,200 people have been confirmed
dead across Turkey and Syria, and survival stories are becoming few and far between.

UNICEF said it fears that even without verified numbers, it is "tragically clear" that the number of
children killed following the quake "will continue to grow."
James Elder, a spokesman for the United Nations children's agency, said 4.6 million children live in the
10 Turkish provinces hit by the disaster, while in Syria, 2.5 million children have been affected.

As rescue operations start to shift to recovery efforts, UN workers are racing to funnel aid to survivors in
Syria through two new border crossings approved by the government in Damascus.

The United Nations welcomed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's decision on Monday to open "the two
crossing points of Bab Al-Salam and Al Ra'ee" between Turkey and northwest Syria "for an initial period
of three months to allow for the timely delivery of humanitarian aid."

Eleven trucks with UN aid crossed into northwest Syria via the Bab Al-Salam passage on Tuesday, UN aid
chief Martin Griffiths tweeted, adding that 26 more trucks passed into the region via the Bab Al-Hawa
crossing.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized that human suffering from this natural disaster
should not be made worse by manmade obstacles such as access, funding and supplies.

The UN is launching a $397 million humanitarian appeal for victims of the earthquake in Syria for three
months and finalizing a similar appeal for survivors in Turkey, Guterres announced.

International aid has been slow to arrive in rebel-held areas in northern and northwestern Syria. The
situation has been complicated by years of conflict and an already existing humanitarian crisis that has
led to further difficulties for survivors who lack food, shelter and medicine as they battle freezing winter
conditions.

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said last week that any aid the country receives must go through
the capital Damascus.

But many Western nations have been reluctant to lift sanctions despite requests from Assad, as the
measures were placed on his regime after it led a brutal campaign in which hundreds of thousands of
civilians have been killed during the years-long civil war.
Heavy Rainfall Alert: MSD Says Affects Most Parts Of The
Country
The Meteorological Services Department (MSD) of Zimbabwe has said most parts of Zimbabwe are
expected to receive heavy rainfall from today 16 February 2023.

In a weather update seen by Pindula News, MSD urged members of the public to stay indoors as the
heavy rainfall may disrupt outdoor activities. Reads the weather update issued on the 15th of February
2023:

*WHAT?*: HEAVY RAINFALL

*WHERE?*: THE MOST PARTS OF THE COUNTRY

*WHEN?*: THURSDAY 16 TO MONDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2023

*WATCH OUT FOR*: LOCALIZED VERY HEAVY RAINS (IN EXCESS OF 50mm) & FLASH FLOODING IN AREAS
WITH SATURATED SOILS, WETLANDS, IMPERVIOUS GROUNDS & ALONG RIVER BASINS. BLOWN OFF
ROOFTOPS & FALLEN TREES DUE TO STRONG WINDS. OPEN DRAINS AND POTHOLES THAT MAY BE
COVERED IN WATER

*WHAT TO DO*: STAY INDOORS DURING THUNDERSTORMS UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY RAIN MAY
AFFECT OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: PLANS WITH WEATHER IN MIND, IF TRAVEL IS NECESSARY, PLEASE TAKE
CAUTION ON THE ROADS AS VISIBILITY MAY BE REDUCED AND THERE MAY BE HIDDEN FLOOD DANGERS
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS FLOODED RIVERS [ON FOOT OR IN VEHICLES]

*UPDATES ON THE IMPACTS AND REFINED AREAS TO BE AFFECTED WILL BE AVAILED THROUGH THE
MSD PLATFORMS*

• WARNING LEVEL: 4
*LIKELIHOOD*: LOW

*IMPACT*: SIGNIFICANT

*HOW?*: The effects of a Cut-off low, expected from Thursday 16 February into the weekend, should be
felt in most parts of the country with heavy rains mainly expected in the southern half of the country.
Rainfall amounts in excess of 65mm in 24 hours with a high probability of flash floods in the low-lying
areas are anticipated. This is normal for this time of the year, especially in a season that is expected to
have above-normal to normal rains.