Tabla de contenidos para 2021-11-30 en Cape Times

Francesca Villette francesca.villette@inl.co.za THE ANC has renewed calls for Local Government MEC Anton Bredell to take ownership of the Public Protector’s finding him guilty of breaching the Code of Ethics, following his failure to act against fraud and corruption committed by Oudtshoorn Local Municipality officials in March 2019. Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane released the findings last month, following a complaint lodged by Good Party MPL Brett Herron. The ANC also noted that it marked a year since Mkhwebane’s report about his alleged interference in appointments at the George Municipality. Complaints about the DA’s process of suspending George municipal manager Trevor Botha were investigated and Botha was suspended. But the Western Cape High Court ordered Botha be reinstated with immediate effect, and that the municipality pay the costs. Leader of the…

Francesca Villette and Okuhle Hlati THE fact that Omicron was detected so early by South African scientists demonstrates the success of the investment the country has made in science. This was among sentiments expressed by the Health Ministry and a panel of scientists at a media briefing yesterday. World-renowned epidemiologist Professor Salim Abdool Karim said that while studies were still being done, there was a likelihood, based on how other variants have reacted to the available vaccines, that they would also work against Omicron. “Closing the borders has almost no benefit for two reasons. As of yesterday, there were already 11 countries reporting cases of Omicron. Trying to isolate South Africa or southern Africa is not really going to help because pretty soon many other countries are going to become…

Staff writer FOLLOWING the indefinite postponement of the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s 12th Ministerial Conference due to the emergence of Omicron along with changes in border rules for Switzerland, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) again deplored the dogmatic opposition to the landmark TRIPS Waiver proposal to temporarily waive intellectual property (IP) rights on Covid-19 medical products. Opposition came from a group of high-income countries, including the EU), the UK and Switzerland, MSF said. With the Covid-19 pandemic showing no signs of abating, including in regions with unfettered access to Covid-19 medical tools and high vaccination rates, as in Europe, it is clear that prioritising access to Covid-19 medical tools, including tests, treatments and vaccines for everyone, everywhere is essential, MSF said. “Recent emergence of another new, more transmissible variant is…

Soon after the National Party came to power, a number of aircraft crashed at huge cost IT’S that time of the year again. Thirty four years ago, on the night of Friday , November 27/Saturday, November 28, 1987, South Africa’s worst air crash took place. SAA’s Boeing aircraft at the time were given the names of our mountains. The Helderberg Range is close to Somerset West, so how can we forget? Looking back, soon after the National Party notoriously came to power in 1948, quite a number of air disasters happened in South and Southern Africa, with the loss of many lives. In 1954 a Comet plunged into the Mediterranean Sea en route from London to Jan Smuts Airport, Johannesburg, with the loss of 14 passengers and seven crew.…

GENEVA: The heavily mutated Omicron coronavirus variant is likely to spread internationally and poses a very high risk of infection surges that could have “severe consequences” in some places, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday. No Omicron-linked deaths had yet been reported, though further research was needed to assess its potential to escape protection against immunity induced by vaccines and previous infections, it added. In anticipation of increased case numbers as the variant, first reported last week, spreads, the UN agency urged its 194 member states to accelerate vaccination of high-priority groups and ensure plans were in place to maintain health services. “Omicron has an unprecedented number of spike mutations, some of which are concerning for their potential impact on the trajectory of the pandemic,” the WHO said. “The…

LOS ANGELES: Music fans have learnt what has been taking singer Rihanna so long to release a new music album – she has been spending her time reinventing pyjamas. And judging from the reaction on social media, her efforts have been a complete success. The superstar, 33, recently posted a series of stories on Instagram showing her wearing a night-suit with a cheeky cut taken out at the bottom. The pyjamas are in the latest collection of her Savage X Fenty lingerie brand. The footage sparked torrents of comments on social media with users drooling over the clothing item. Many users were entranced by the singer’s creativity. Others said they ordered the pyjamas immediately after seeing the video. However, some didn’t like the idea of a night-suit with a…

SINGAPORE: A human rights watchdog has urged Singapore to call off the execution of Malaysian man, cognitively impaired Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, to impose a moratorium on the death penalty. Its court of appeals will hold a hearing about giving Dharmalingam a stay of execution today. The hearing was scheduled for November 9 but he tested positive for Covid-19. “Singapore must avoid a stain on its reputation by commuting Nagaenthran’s sentence,” an Amnesty International’s researcher, said. He was sentenced to death in 2010 for smuggling heroin, despite being assessed to have an IQ of 69, way below the baseline of 100.…

PARIS: Plans to replace the gothic ambience of Notre Dame cathedral with a softer vibe of modern art and warm lighting have raised a few eyebrows, but the priest in charge denies any radical transformation is afoot. With the cathedral set to reopen in 2024 – five years after a fire devastated much of its roof and spire – church authorities are putting forward new plans on December 9 for how the public will experience the iconic Parisian landmark. They include Bible quotes to be projected in multiple languages on the walls and new art installations in place of its little-used 19th century confessionals…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za Duanne Olivier’s dominance in the domestic four-day competition has put him firmly in the picture for an international recall, should India tour South Africa later this summer. Olivier confirmed yesterday that he has availed himself for Proteas selection after chatting to convenor of selectors Victor Mpitsang. “(The selectors) did speak to me,” Olivier said. “They basically asked me if I am open to play for the Proteas again and I said ‘of course, yes,’ but I can’t select myself, it’s up to them if they want me or not. All I can do is to focus on the present and take it day by day.” Olivier has been in outstanding form for the Highveld Lions through the first four rounds of the tournament, claiming 28 wickets at…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za SEVERAL MPs face the prospect of being reprimanded in Parliament and some will have their salaries docked for not complying with the code requiring them to declare their interests to the national legislature. This comes after the joint committee on ethics and members’ interests found that a group of eight parliamentarians either made declarations late or did not disclose them at all for the 2020 register of members’ interests. Co-chairpersons Bekizwe Simon Nkosi and Moji Lydia Moshodi said transport portfolio committee chairperson Mosebenzi Zwane, joint standing committee on financial management of Parliament Bertha Mabe, ANC MPs Ethel Nkosi, Itumuleng Ntsube, Moloko Tlou and Bufeze Yabo did not submit their disclosure of interest forms. In their report, Nkosi and Moshodi also said EFF spokesperson Vuyani Pambo and ANC…

Sithandiwe Velaphi sithandiwe.velaphi@inl.co.za FORT HARE University student Nosicelo Mtebeni’s grieving family has rejected her killer boyfriend’s apology after he pleaded guilty to murder and defeating the ends of justice when he appeared in the East London High Court yesterday. Aluta Pasile, 25, apologised for killing the law student, saying he was ashamed and regrets dismembering her body before putting it in a suitcase in Quigney, East London, in August. Pre-sentencing proceedings got under way after Judge Thami Bheshe accepted Pasile’s guilty plea. The court heard the gruesome details of how Pasile murdered the 23-year-old. Her killing sparked outrage, underscoring the scourge of violence against women by their partners sweeping the country. Pasile detailed how he and Mtebeni enjoyed an evening of drinking together on August 16 when he noticed that…

In the warm atmosphere of celebrating the Centennial of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and at a time when time frames of the two centenary goals converge, the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee was successfully held in Beijing from November 8 to 11, 2021. It adopted the Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party’s Centennial Struggle (hereinafter referred to as the resolution). The meeting, held at a critical moment when China embarked on a new journey of building a great modernised socialist country, summed up the achievements and experience of the party over the past 100 years, highlighted that the party has established Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party…

When young nuns at a convent in Eastern Europe told their Mother Superior that a priest had tried to molest them, she retorted that it was probably their fault for “provoking him”. When African nuns in Minnesota asked why it was always they who had to shovel snow, they were told it was because they were young and strong, even though white sisters of the same age lived there too. As the Roman Catholic Church pays more attention to the closed world of convents, where women spend much of their time in prayer and household work, more episodes of psychological, emotional and physical abuse are coming to light. A new book, Veil of Silence by Salvatore Cernuzio, a journalist for the Vatican’s outlet, Vatican News, is the latest exposé to…

Barbados is about to cut ties with the British monarchy, but the legacy of a sometimes brutal colonial past and the pandemic’s impact on tourism pose major challenges for the Caribbean island as it becomes the world’s newest republic. Famed for its beaches and love of cricket, Barbados will this week replace its head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, with her current representative, Governor General Sandra Mason. Ceremonies yesterday evening into today will include military parades and celebrations, as Mason is inaugurated as president, with Prince Charles – heir to the British throne – looking on. In a speech to be delivered at the transition ceremony, Charles is due to focus on continued ties between the two countries. “As your constitutional status changes, it was important to me that…

Sydney: Climate change is the “overwhelming factor” driving the country’s ever-more intense bushfires, Australian government scientists believe – directly contradicting claims by the country’s political leaders. In a peer-reviewed study, scientists at state agency CSIRO reviewed 90 years’ worth of data and concluded climate change was the major influencing factor behind megafires like those that ravaged Australia in 2019-2020. The experts studied a range of fire risk factors – from the amount of dead vegetation on the ground to moisture, weather and ignition conditions – to see what could be driving catastrophic blazes.…

GABORONE: Botswana’s Court of Appeal has upheld a 2019 ruling that decriminalised gay sex, a decision hailed by the gay community as establishing the southern African country as a “true democracy”. Yesterday’s decision in effect struck off two sections of the penal code that had outlawed homosexuality. Before the 2019 High Court ruling engaging in gay sex in Botswana was punishable by up to seven years in prison. The state had argued on appeal that the penal code outlawed gay sex and there was no evidence that people’s attitude towards homosexuality had changed.…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za EPP, THE NETHERLANDS-based owner of retail property in Poland, will delist from the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and from its secondary listing on the JSE, prior to an internal reorganisation of the company, EPP said yesterday. The delisting plans follows Redefine Properties’ announcement to buy all the shares it does not own in EPP in order to recapitalise and to restore EPP to a dividend paying company by 2023. Redefine already owns 45.44 percent of EPP. EPP’s share price increased 2.67 percent to close at R12.32 on the JSE yesterday, while the Redefine’s share price closed up 4.17 percent percent to close at R5. EPP owned 29 retail properties and six office complexes in most of Poland’s regional cities as at June 30, 2021. It…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za TWO undocumented men from Somalia have won an appeal against the decision of the Bellville Magistrate’s court to dismiss their bail application. The two were charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful ammunition, after a gun was found in the shop they were in. Western Cape Acting High Court Judge Daniel Thulare last week found that the magistrate lacked information on the status of the men in order to reach a proper determination on the bail application. Judge Thulare also ordered the State to assist the men to present themselves before a Refugee Reception Officer within five working days, after which the matter was remitted back to the Bellville magistrate for a decision on whether or not to grant bail. The men,…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za AS THE country observes 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, police have launched a manhunt for the suspect behind the killing of a young woman who was shot dead while sitting in the back of a car in Hanover Park. While the motive behind the killing, in Johndown Walk, remains unclear, police spokesperson FC Van Wyk said the suspect fled the scene. “On Sunday at around 5.30am, a 21-year-old female was shot and killed in Johndown Walk, Hanover Park while she was sitting in the back of a vehicle. The circumstances are being investigated,” said Van Wyk. The incident has left residents reeling, with community activist Mervyn Jacobs urging police to bring in more resources in the search for the suspect.…

THE government’s decision to establish a task team to look at making Covid-19 vaccination mandatory for specific activities and locations, is long overdue and will assist in economic recovery efforts. Speaking during a televised address on Sunday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the government had set up a task team that would undertake broad consultations on measures that would make vaccination a condition for access to workplaces, public events, public transport and public establishments. The move comes in the wake of a slow vaccination drive that has seen only 35% of the adult population being fully vaccinated. The country’s fight against Covid-19 has also been undermined by the discovery of the new Omicron variant, a move that has seen all the major countries impose a travel ban on South…

Sydney: Australian spin bowling legend Shane Warne has reportedly been injured in a bike accident, and though the injuries are not serious, he went to hospital as a precaution. Sydney Morning Herald, quoting News Corp, said yesterday that, “Warne was riding his bike with his son, Jackson, when he fell off and slid for more than 15 metres. Shane says he went to hospital as a precaution.” The 52-year-old has played 145 Tests and is the second-highest wicket-taker in the longest format of the game at 708.…

Julie Anne Genter planned on getting to the hospital by bike ahead of her daughter’s birth, but she didn’t know she would be the one pedalling. The New Zealand MP was already having contractions when preparing to bike to the hospital on Sunday morning. An avid cyclist and member of New Zealand’s Green Party, she planned to make the 10-minute trek riding in the front of a cargo bike driven by her husband. When they realised it would be too much weight with her hospital bag, she told the New Zealand news outlet Stuff she “just got out and rode.” It’s not immediately clear what kind of bicycle she took to the hospital, though she has talked about owning an electric cargo bike. Less than an hour after arriving at…

Chennai: Police are probing a complaint filed by a woman Yasmin, 28, that two men robbed her of Rs 2.5 lakh (R53 869) she had received by selling her baby. Yasmin thought a woman, Jayageetha, who arranged the sale of the baby, might be behind the money theft. Police are searching for Jayageetha and the two men. Yasmin said she met Jayageetha at a hospital. Yasmin wanted to abort her second child as her husband had left her and she was struggling. Jayageetha convinced her to sell the baby. Yasmin gave birth to a boy on November 21. A week later, Jayageetha paid her in cash. But on returning home, two men followed her and snatched the money.…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker refuses to believe that his team’s dream start to the season has been undone over the last couple of matches. Stellies enjoyed an 11-game unbeaten run that saw the winelands-based club rise to a lofty second on the DStv Premiership table. However, Barker’s charges have slipped to two consecutive defeats to Orlando Pirates (3-0) and Royal AM (1-0) in their last two games. They are still in third position and Barker is adamant this is not the beginning of an unwanted streak of defeats. “You can’t take away 11 games of good football that we have played. I don’t think so. “We can’t now think that in three days we have thrown everything away,” Barker said. The Stellies mentor remains pleased…