Tabla de contenidos para 2024-01-09 en Cape Times

Kanye West has hailed Bianca Censori as an “amazing stepmom” and an “iconic muse”. The Stronger rapper – who has North, 10, Saint, 8, Chicago, 5, and four-year-old Psalm with ex-wife Kim Kardashian – paid a heartfelt tribute to his spouse in recognition of her birthday and praised the Yeezy architectural designer for her constant support. He shared a close-up photo of Censori, who had her hair up in a bun, silver hoop earrings and minimal make-up and wrote on Instagram: “Happy birthday to the most beautiful super bad iconic muse inspirational talented artist Masters degree in architecture 140 IQ loving by my side everyday when half the world turned their backs on me and the most amazing step mom to our children I love you so much thank you…

from page 1 “The habit of failing to take responsibility appears permanently embedded in the years of strife between the party factions seeking to excise corrupt individuals from influential positions in the party and the government and those resisting progressive changes that could have paved the way for a successful implementation of the election promises. “The cost of disentangling the ANC from the corrupt individuals has always been a monumental fact grudgingly accepted by advocates of the cause. “The more it strengthened practical actions, such as implementing the recommendations of several commissions of inquiry, auditors-general reports, and amended policies and legislation, the fiercer its attachment to denial that the party’s entanglement with corruption is rapidly losing its electoral support.” Nyembezi said, now the public often saw “not genuine leaders but…

‘In politics, always avoid defending indefensible’ ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula’s admission that they lied in order to defend former president Jacob Zuma’s “fire pool” may have further dented the party’s renewal process ahead of the crucial elections, according to some analysts. Mbalula’s remarks on Sunday ahead of the party’s 112th anniversary celebrations, have also raised questions about the stance the ANC took when it shot down a parliamentary inquiry report which found against incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa on the Phala Phala farm scandal. Mbalula confirmed that the ANC lied about the fire pool to protect Zuma in relation to the scandal which concerns R206 million in corrupt tenders for upgrades including the fire pool which the party at the time explained away as being part of security upgrades.…

NEWLY-APPOINTED chief financial officer at the cash-strapped Knysna municipality, Clifford Julies says he is committed to “cultivate a culture of responsibility”. Julies, with 19 years of financial expertise, including extensive experience in the accounting, auditing, and investigation sectors, assumed his role as chief financial officer at the beginning of the year. Knysna municipality announced Julies’ appointment, highlighting his credentials in Accounting from UNISA, Internal Auditing from the University of Pretoria, adding that he is “recognised professionally as a certified fraud examiner, internal auditor, and professional accountant”. Julies said: “While I was content in my previous role, I felt a need for new challenges. Knysna presented challenges I had successfully overcome in the past, and I was eager for change…I intend to leverage my extensive experience to enhance financial management, address…

With crime stats showing a rise in home invasions, members of the public have been urged to invest in security for their properties and become more involved in neighbourhood watches in a bid to guard against becoming victims. This follows a disturbing video that has gone viral showing four men barging into a Newlands East home, in Durban and holding a family of six at gunpoint. The latest crime stats for the period July to September 2023, which were released last November, showed that there was a 3.8% increase in robberies at residential premises compared to the same period in 2022. Aidan David, chairperson of the eThekwini district police board which oversees several Community Policing Forums (CPFs), said criminals have become more desperate. “Their value for life or the thought…

THE government of South Africa is to be commended for instituting proceedings against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to request an interim measure preventing the illegal Zionist settler state from continuing its genocidal war against the people of Gaza. On December 29, 2023, South Africa boldly approached the ICJ with a meticulously prepared case and will be backing this by sending a legal “A-team” to argue its case at The Hague on Thursday and Friday. Hardly two-weeks following October 7, it was clear to Israeli Holocaust scholar, expert Raz Segal, that Israel’s assault on Gaza amounted to a “Textbook Case of Genocide”. SA’s 84-page document supporting its case produces substantial evidence in several categories, including the sheer scale of the killings of the citizens…

The first US lunar lander launched in more than five decades has experienced an anomaly preventing it from pointing its solar panels towards the sun, the company that built the robot said yesterday. Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander separated successfully from United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket overnight from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Base, and quickly established communications with Nasa’s Deep Space Network of ground-based radio antennas. All its systems powered on as expected, and it “entered a fully operational state,” Astrobotic said in a tweet. But “unfortunately, an anomaly occurred which prevented Astrobotic from achieving a stable sun-pointing orientation. The team is responding in real time as the situation unfolds and will be providing updates as data is obtained and analysed.” Peregrine was meant to touch down on a…

A schoolteacher in Oregon has found part of an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 airplane door that blew out mid-flight, the US transport safety authority said Sunday, in a development that could help with the investigation. The emergency, which saw no major injuries, prompted airlines and safety bodies around the world to ground some versions of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets pending inspections, with dozens of flights cancelled. The chief of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said a schoolteacher found the door panel in his backyard in the city of Portland, Oregon. Alaska Flight 1282 departed from Portland International Airport and was still gaining altitude when the cabin crew reported a “pressurisation issue”, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said, with the plane quickly returning to Portland. | AFP…

NEW YORK: A US winter storm was yesterday on track to move from the Southwest, near the Gulf Coast to the Northeast, all the way to Maine. The next storm was forecast to begin today, bringing several centi- metres of rain last night into today for much of New England. The storm will also wreak havoc across the US, just east of the Rockies. Snow affected about 60 million residents in the Northeast at the weekend. Moderate to heavy snow is forecast for the central Appalachians and New England. Snowfall is expected to reach 15-30cm in places. More than 15 million Americans living across Texas to Florida are under severe storm threats. | Sputnik…

LONDON: King Charles III’s disgraced brother Prince Andrew will reportedly reject any efforts to be evicted from his Windsor mansion by the king after his name was featured nearly 70 times in newly unsealed documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “The king can’t force him out. He has a cast iron lease that he has absolutely every intention of honouring,” a source said. Andrew has spent over £7.5 million (about R178m) on the estate and still owes more than $2m in repairs. | Sputnik…

FINANCIAL markets locally and glo- bally recovered strongly during November and December. The announcement by the Federal Reserve (Fed) on November 14, 2023, that the Fed would probably lower its bank rate by at least three times in 2024, as well as the increase in US unemployment in November, boosted share and bond markets worldwide. South Africa followed the bullish momentum to the end of 2023. However, growing concern of the effect of high interest rates during 2023 on the US economy turned equity markets around strongly since January 2, 2024. As a result, the rand exchange rate remains under pressure, trading between R18.30/$ and R18.80/$. On the JSE, the Alai gained 5 260 points from November 13, 2023, to December 31. This is an increase of 7.3%. The…

People were seriously living their best lives in December. A Facebook user took to the app to share a bill of more than R93 000, which also revealed that the waiter was tipped over R8 400. In the caption, @Tamaswati Nqobile Dlamini said that the hefty bill was covered by her “guy friend”. She added that she only drank two glasses of the Ace champagne listed on the bill. The bill showed that the “guy friend” spent R84 591 on booze and tipped the waiter R8 459. The name of the establishment wasn’t revealed on the bill. The most expensive item on the bill was a bottle of Aces Gold that cost an eye-watering R14 300. Other items on the exorbitant bill included four bottles of Veuve Rich champagne which…

IT was a case of David vs Goliath when a Rwandese national and his wife entered the legal arena against the mighty Department of Home Affairs - and won their case. The applicant, only identified as Mr R, turned to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, after the department refused to grant him and his wife refugee status in South Africa. The couple had to flee Rwanda as their lives were in danger there. Without even considering their reasons for fleeing to South Africa, Home Affairs officials here simply rejected their reasons for wanting refugee status as being “fraudulent and manifestly unfounded”. Desperate to be legally in South Africa and not having money to appoint lawyers to assist them, Mr R argued his own case before Judge Stanley Nyathi. “And…

A LAKESIDE church has until January 19 to remove nearly 100 storage containers in the facility after the City slapped it with compliance notices. The containers at the Riverview Church of Christ premises drew outrage from residents opposed to an alleged lease agreement signed between the storage company and the church. About the compliance notices, the City told the Cape Times: “The City served a notice in terms of Section 126 of the Municipal Planning By-law on the owner and user of the said erf in Lakeside on December 18, 2023. “In terms of this notice the owner/user is instructed to cease operating the container site and comply with the Municipal Planning By-law and zoning of the property by January 19, 2024. As such, those served with this notice are…

In an attempt to free the suspect, some residents apparently turned against the officers and subsequently damaged their vehicles. These efforts proved futile as the suspect was eventually detained. Police oversight and community safety MEC Reagen Allen said the vehicles were out of commission and unable to be used in crime-fighting efforts in an area where there was much need. “This is unacceptable behaviour and I condemn it in the strongest terms. “The community members who allegedly participated in this lawless act should know that they have made themselves guilty of interference and obstructed officers of the law in executing their duties. Investigations are currently under way and where a case can be made against anyone complicit, the law will have to take its course. Hanover Park is an area…

THE State has painted taxi boss and businessman Bonke Makalala, 33, as a person who had an influence in police circles and recently allegedly attempted to influence correctional officers at the Malmesbury facility where he is currently remanded. However, he has denied the allegations and insisted that the State is trying to make him out to be a dangerous criminal to society. Makalala’s formal bail hearing started at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court yesterday where he faces numerous charges including murder, two attempted murders which related to an incident where taxi owner Masixole Batwali was shot and killed in 2019 in Batwali Street, Old Crossroad, Nyanga. He was also charged for driving a police vehicle in Ocean View. Two police officers based at the Nyanga police station who allegedly allowed him…

THE South African government has taken the decisive step to bring Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over alleged acts of genocide in its conflict with Palestine in Gaza. This courageous decision reflects South Africa’s commitment to justice and human rights, as well as its historical context that compels it to confront oppression wherever it may arise. The heartbreaking scenes of innocent civilians, including children and women, falling victim to the violence in Gaza have stirred the conscience of South Africa and the world. South Africa, having emerged from the dark shadow of apartheid, understands all too well the impact of oppression and the urgent need to stand up against it. The echoes of its own struggle for freedom and equality resonate deeply with the plight of…

Anders Behring Breivik, the right-wing extremist who killed 77 people in 2011 and is now “suicidal” according to his lawyer, appeared in court yesterday in his lawsuit against Norway over his prison conditions. At the Ringerike prison where the five-day trial was being held, Breivik appeared with his head shaved. He refrained from making provocative gestures as he has done on previous occasions. The now 44-year-old has been held apart from other inmates in various high-security facilities for more than 11 years. He argues that his extended isolation is a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits “inhumane” and “degrading” treatment. On July 22, 2011, Breivik set off a van bomb near government offices in Oslo, killing eight people, before gunning down 69 others,…

KYIV: Russia has launched a new round of strikes against Ukrainian military targets, including military production facilities and a decision-making centre using Kinzhal missiles and other precision weapons, the Ministry of Defence has announced. The operation included missile, artillery and drone attacks against Ukrainian forces in 108 separate areas and against 113 artillery units and firing positions. They included a strike on a facility used as a meeting place by commanders of Ukraine’s 101st Territorial Defence Brigade. This follows reports yesterday of air raid sirens and explosions in Ukraine regions. Russia has ramped up its strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure. | Sputnik…

BERLIN: Farmers in Germany have used hundreds of tractors to block highways across the country, including in Berlin, as they accuse the government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz of declaring “war” on their industry. Queues of tractors were parked in front of the capital’s Brandenburg Gate amid protests over the government’s plans to slash agricultural subsidies as a cost-saving measure. The protest in Berlin is one of hundreds across Germany due throughout the week. They follow an announcement by the German government that it intended to slash diesel subsidies and tax breaks for vehicles used in forestry and agriculture. | Sputnik…

Vatican City: Pope Francis called yesterday for a global ban on surrogacy, saying the practice of a woman carrying another person’s child was “deplorable”. In his New Year’s address to diplomats at the Vatican, the pontiff, 87, said it was a “grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child”. In a speech dominated by calls for an end to conflicts around the world, he said: “The path to peace calls for respect for life.” This began “with the life of the unborn child in the mother’s womb, which cannot be suppressed or turned into an object of trafficking”, he said. “A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract.” | AFP…

UNCERTAINTY over policy decisions in South Africa is forecast to continue to permeate throughout the economy due to a plausible wide range of 2024 election outcomes on the back of bleak growth in 2023. These are the findings of the North West University Business School Policy Uncertainty Index (PUI) for the fourth quarter of 2023 which was released yesterday. Although remaining well in nega- tive territory, the PUI showed a welcome easing to 65.5 points in the fourth quarter from 71.8 points in the third quarter (baseline 50 points). North West University said while negative factors shaping the PUI were still strong enough to keep the index highly elevated, there were enough positive factors to slightly reduce the PUI level in the fourth quarter. The PUI highlighted…

from page 1 Outa said it had released voice recordings of two meetings between Khosa and a representative of a service provider, which revealed how service providers allegedly paid millions of rand in kickbacks to Nzimande and Khosa and at least R1 million to the SACP. Yesterday Nzimande rejected the allegations, vowed to take legal action, and told the media that he would voluntarily subject himself to the ANC ethics and integrity bodies. “My conscious is clear, and I have nothing to hide or fear,” he said. Nzimande labelled Outa’s report as “malicious and largely false”, saying the allegations were linked to a “fight-back campaign” in which Outa was also “opportunistically colluding” with the very same people it was once investigating. “I do a lot of political fundraising; however, with…

ENERGY experts say the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining the powers of the Minister of Electricity has given him more capacity to address the issue of load shedding. With the rights and responsibilities more clear, they said, the minister could now move more swiftly in addressing this challenge. Last week The Presidency announced that President Cyril Ramaphosa had approved a MOU entered into by Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan and Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. The MOU aimed to better clarify the respective responsibilities of the two ministers with respect to Eskom and the resolution of the electricity crisis. While Ramokgopa was appointed almost 10 months ago, his roles and responsibilities had been unclear. The management of the country’s energy sectors overlaps between three departments – minister in the…

Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande says he intends to legally challenge the allegations that he and National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) board chairperson Ernest Khosa received millions of rands in kickback payments from service providers. At a briefing yesterday Nzimande said he was not guilty of corruption and added that there was no need for him to resign. “As the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation, I have never used any money from any of my departments’ entities for the purpose of funding the SA Communist Party (SACP). “Nor have I received any personal kickbacks from NSFAS or its entities,” he said. The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) last week said it had leaked voice recordings containing “damning allegations about a patronage network in the Department of Higher…

Police said warrants of arrest have been issued for two suspects released after their initial detainment in connection with a triple murder in Gugulethu, due to technicalities pointed out by the Senior State Prosecutor. This as Bongani Philipps, a third suspect, appeared at the Athlone Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The 36-year-old faces murder and attempted murder charges in connection with a shooting at NY 137 on New Year’s Day. Three people were killed and another seriously wounded when suspects in a vehicle fired shots at the vehicle they were in which was about to drop off someone. According to police spokesperson Andrè Traut, Philipps was arrested on Saturday in Manenberg after he handed himself over to police. He said the provincial serious and violent crime detectives had “tightened the net around…

In every election, observers and party agents ensure that roleplayers FORMER president Jacob Zuma says there is too much secrecy in the South African electoral system and that it is suspicious that after voting, the voter has no idea where their vote goes until the announcement of results. Sharing insights on the scope and content of the right to free and fair elections could highlight the invaluable role of the checks and balances and arrest misperceptions about willy-nilly changes to the necessary arrangements that have, over the years, secured the integrity and legitimacy of our elections and, ultimately, our democracy. Insights are essential for guiding the work of election observers and party agents in assisting the Electoral Commission of South Africa in discharging its constitutional mandate to conduct elections and…

Israel killed a Hezbollah commander in south Lebanon, reports said yesterday, amid rising concerns the war with Hamas will escalate into a wider Middle Eastern conflict. The senior member of the Iran-backed group was killed by a strike on his car, a security official said. In a statement, Hezbollah said its commander Wissam Taweel from the southern village of Kherbet Slim was killed in the fight against Israel. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said an Israeli drone strike targeted a vehicle in Kherbet Slim. Photos on the news agency showed the charred vehicle on the side of the road. If true, this would be the second Hezbollah commander Israel had targeted in less than a week in Lebanon. Hamas also blames Israel for the killing of a top leader in…

At least five cops were killed and 22 people injured after a bomb went off near a police van carrying personnel to provide security to polio vaccination teams in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, officials said. The incident occurred in Bajaur district’s Mamund Tehsil. Civilians were among the 22 wounded, according to Bajaur police. “Twelve out of the 22 wounded are being treated at the hospital, while 10 others seriously injured have been referred to a Peshawar medical facility,” said Wazir Khan Safi, medical superintendent at Khar District Headquarters Hospital. Police spokesperson Israr Ahmed confirmed the personnel were on their way to provide security to polio teams carrying out vaccination campaign. “The polio campaign in the area has now been suspended. Seriously injured people will be taken to Peshawar…

London: The UK is the only G7 country where household budgets have not recovered to pre-Covid levels, trade union body the TUC said yesterday. The situation had “left millions exposed to skyrocketing bills”, pushing many Britons “deeper into debt”, it said. The TUC said in a report that household disposable revenue in real terms, taking into account rising prices caused by inflation, was 1.2% lower at the end of Q2 of 2023 than at the end of 2019. But over the same period, disposable income grew by 3.5% on average across G7 countries, it added. If households saw the same level of growth, they would receive an additional £750 (R18 000) a year. | AFP…

San Francisco: The alleged drug use of the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, has left Tesla and SpaceX executives and board members worried, as his reported consumption of LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms can jeopardise his health and his businesses. A new report in the Wall Street Journal claimed that in recent years, some executives and board members at his companies “have developed a persistent concern that there is another component driving his behaviour – his use of drugs”. Alex Spiro, an attorney for Musk, said his client was regularly tested at SpaceX and had never failed a test. People close to the Tesla and SpaceX CEO said he was consuming ketamine. Musk said last year he had a prescription to use the drug as an antidepressant.…

Ben Stokes’ now legendary WhatsApp text to Moeen Ali asking him to come out of retirement for last year’s Ashes is certainly growing in stature around the cricket world. Not only did England Test captain Stokes convince Ali with a simple one-line message – “Ashes?” – but coaches around the world have now followed suit in trying to persuade other players to overturn their decisions. Proteas Test captain Shukri Conrad sent a similar message to off-spinner Dane Piedt, who was living in the US at the time, to return to South Africa to be eligible for a one-off tour to New Zealand next month. Now West Indies T20 legend Kieron Pollard has revealed that new MI Cape Town coach Robin Peterson followed a similar path to get the big Trinidadian…