Tabla de contenidos para 2024-04-05 en Cape Times

THE disbanded school governing body (SGB) of Heathfield High has submitted an urgent interdict in an attempt to stop the appointment process for positions, including that of former principal Wesley Neumann. Former SGB chair Craig Dowman approached the Western Cape High Court yesterday for an order to find the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) acted unlawfully in filling senior posts using an interim SGB allegedly only made up of department officials. The governing body which included parents was dissolved on February 28 by Head of Education Brent Walters. In the application, Dowman wants the WCED to be interdicted and restrained from proceeding with the recruitment process including, but not limited to, shortlisting, interviewing and selection of candidates for recommendation for appointment and appointment as principal of the school as there…

ENERGY experts have cautioned consumers against celebrating the nine days the country has gone without load shedding, saying this is a result of lower demand over the Easter weekend rather than an improvement in the Energy Availability Factor (EAF). The EAF refers to the percentage of available power that is being generated by the power utility. Energy expert Clyde Mallinson said there had been reduced demand over the Easter period. “This has resulted in no load shedding in the past days. There has been a slight improvement in the coal fleet but I wouldn’t say that is cause for celebration, as Eskom still needs to look at ways to add more capacity to the grid.” Mallinson said there had also been a reduction in the amount of planned maintenance. “It’s…

The University of the Western Cape (UWC) has announced Professor Robert Balfour as incoming rector and vice-chancellor. Council chairperson Xoliswa Daku officially announced the appointment yesterday, saying this followed rigorous deliberation. Balfour steps into office effectively on January 1, 2025. Outgoing VC Tyrone Pretorius’ term is coming to an end in December this year. Balfour was shortlisted last year, along with professor Vivienne Lawack, UWC’s deputy vice-chancellor (DVC) and professor José Frantz, the university’s DVC for research and innovation by the Senior Appointments Selection Committee chaired by judge Nathan Erasmus. Balfour is currently the DVC of teaching and learning at North-West University (NWU). Daku said they believed he would bring a wealth of experience in academic and administrative leadership spanning almost 20 years in public and private higher education institutions.…

Day One – Feast of the Dragon Early evening My father always says: “You can’t run from your responsibilities,” but he lacks imagination. Besides, I’m not running. I’m sidestepping. Crossing the road so me and my responsibilities don’t make eye contact and aren’t forced into awkward small talk both of us know isn’t going anywhere. Those cute twins by the toffee apple stall, however, are worth a second look. I throw the boy a wink and he returns a heart-wrenchingly shy smile. Blessed hells, he has flowers in his hair. His sister looks as though she wants to beat the crap out of me. When I shoot her the finger guns, she clutches her hotdog so hard the sausage shoots out of the bun. Resistance. Strength, Dee. You do not…

Sylvia’s Second Act Hillary Yablon Loot.co.za (R279) Orion HILARIOUS, and an utterly feel-good, this is the story of 63-year-old Sylvia who, when her life is turned upside down by her cheating, money-swindling husband, grabs it with both hands, moves to New York City and sets out to follow all her dreams (with lots of hi-jinks along the way) ... Growing older doesn't just mean growing wiser. But it does mean a lot of fun ... When Sylvia finds her husband under the covers with another woman, she’s shocked and furious ... at first. But by the time her head stops spinning, Sylvia realises she hates the retirement community she’s living in – it’s for old people. And she certainly doesn’t feel old. So, she enlists the help of her…

Nominating politically or morally tainted candidates for office flies in face of reason SHOULD there be a political price to pay for a corrupt politician who squandered public finances, who is an unrehabilitated insolvent, who was declared to be of unsound mind by a court of law, who was convicted of an offence and sentenced to more than 12 months imprisonment without the option of a fine? Common sense says yes. As do ordinary citizens who raised objections against politically and morally tainted candidates who must never be allowed to stand for public office. But since the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s March 26 determination that a handful of candidates – including the former president of the ANC and the country, Jacob Zuma – do not qualify to stand for…

The leaders of the US and Israel were set to speak yesterday after Washington expressed “outrage” over Israel’s killing of seven aid workers and growing concern over its military operations in besieged Gaza. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold their first phone discussions since the Israeli strikes on Monday killed the employees of the US-based charity World Central Kitchen. The bodies of six foreign staff of WCK – Australian, British, Polish and US-Canadian citizens – were repatriated from Gaza via Egypt on Wednesday, while the Palestinian employee was laid to rest in Gaza. Biden and Netayahu were also expected to discuss Israel’s plans to send ground forces into Gaza’s densely crowded far-southern city of Rafah, and Israel’s wider conflict with Iran and its allies after it…

NATO foreign ministers celebrated the 75th anniversary of their alliance yesterday with flags, cake and marching bands, while its secretary-general reminded the US that it needed its allies more than ever as the Ukraine war enters its third year. The alliance’s 32 member states have agreed to start planning for a greater role in co-ordinating military aid to Ukraine to help it battle Russia in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II, and show unity as Ukraine awaits a package worth $60 billion that remains stalled in the US Congress. On the second day of a meeting in Brussels, the ministers marked the signing in Washington on April 4, 1949, of the North Atlantic Treaty that established the transatlantic political and military alliance. European leaders, who make up the bulk…

HELSINKI: The 12-year-old boy accused of killing a fellow sixth-grader in a school shooting in Finland this week appears to have planned it ahead of time based on evidence from confiscated electronics, police said yesterday. The attack at the Viertola school near Helsinki on Tuesday, in which two other children were also severely injured, was believed to be triggered by bullying, investigators have said. The boy, apprehended by police 4km from the school, is too young to be tried in court and is now in the care of social services. Police say he has admitted the attack. After school shootings in 2007 and 2008 in which 20 people died, Finland tightened gun laws. | Reuters…

ZURICH: Switzerland’s population grew last year at its fastest rate in 60 years, pushed by record immigration including thousands of people from war-torn Ukraine, preliminary figures from the Federal Statistics Office showed yesterday. The permanent population rose by 145 400 to more than 8 960 800 by the end of 2023, an increase of 1.6%. Without Ukrainians, the rise would have been 1%. The increase meant population growth was greater than it has been since the beginning of the 1960s, the office said. Net migration to Switzerland more than doubled to 142 300 last year, the highest number on record, the office said. | Reuters…

THE Proteas Women have gone through the entire summer without a T20 series victory despite having played against five teams – two away from home in Pakistan and Australia, and three at home against New Zealand, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Most recently, Sri Lanka, led by Chamari Athapaththu, got the better of Laura Wolvaardt’s Proteas as they came back from 1-0 down in the three-match series to eventually win it 2-1, recording their first series victory over South Africa. They beat South Africa by seven wickets in the second T20 in Benoni last week, before going on to inflict a series-winning four-wicket victory in East London on Wednesday night. During the course of the season, coach Hilton Moreeng – with his one-season contract extension – has moved on from batter…

THE BEER Association of South Africa (Basa) said yesterday that Charlene Louw had been appointed as its new CEO. Louw has had extensive experience in commercial and corporate law for more than 20 years. After practising as an attorney, she moved on to senior roles in the energy and private security sector. She also held leadership positions in public-facing entities such as the Road Accident Fund and Pikitup. The beer industry is a significant contributor to the economy. It supports more than R70 billion gross value added to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), representing R1 in every R79 of South Africa’s GDP. It supports the livelihoods of nearly 250 000 people. Basa’s members are Heineken SA, South African Breweries, United National Breweries and the Craft Brewers’ Association…

When it comes to championing youth issues, the EFF has emerged as the clear favourite with approximately 51.42% respondents in IOL and Independent Media’s poll survey in the run-up to this year’s national and provincial elections. The ANC scored about 16.50%. IOL and Independent Media announced recently that they had commissioned African Innovation Research SA (AIRSA), a subsidiary of African Innovation Solutions, to conduct biweekly polls ahead of the elections. In the results of the first poll survey conducted by AIRSA across Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town, a sample of 1 000 respondents provided valuable insights into their views on voter registration, the upcoming elections, perceptions of the presidency, preferences for the next president, party predictions, and youth-related issues. AIRSA will undertake a national poll in all nine provinces…

FROM being Speaker of the National Assembly to now being an accused and a pensioner – Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula had her first dreaded day in the dock yesterday and was released on R50 000 bail after being in custody for about five hours. Not showing any visible emotion, Mapisa-Nqakula, 67, entered the dock at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court, accompanied by members of the State’s investigating team and the police. She patiently sat and endured the flashing media cameras and did not once glance in the direction of her husband, Charles Nqakula, good friend Baleka Mbete and others who sat in the public gallery as support. It was a long day for her, as she handed herself over to the police at the Lyttelton police station shortly after 7am. Since then…

While police and the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) have launched probes following comments allegedly made by Knysna ward councillor Sharon Sabbagh referring to fellow councillors as “monkeys”, the Knysna municipality is also taking action. Sabbagh is accused of breach of conduct, with Knysna Municipality speaker Mncedisi Skosana saying Sabbagh will now face a formal procedure in accordance with the Local Government Municipal Structures Act. He said he has initiated formal procedures following “reasonable suspicion of a breach of conduct”. Skosana said according to the act he is “obliged to authorise an investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged breach” and is in the process of appointing an independent investigator. “The findings will be presented before the council in an open meeting, as mandated by the code of…

James Percival Everett Loot.co.za (R260) Macmillan A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. While many narrative set pieces of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in…

A lesson in cruelty Harriet Tyce Headline They say you can't always get what you want. But you can take it. Anna wants a fresh start. She doesn't believe she deserves it, but after three years behind bars she has finally paid her dues. Most of them, anyway. Lucy craves the attention of the only man she can't have, her alluring Oxford professor. He's married, not for the first time. Maybe she should be next in line? Marie the recluse has been locked up for too long. She's not ready to be free, but some rules are meant to be broken. Everyone wants a perfect life. But not everyone is prepared to take it. Unless someone decides to teach them a lesson.…

ON March 14 South Africa and Zimbabwe announced that they had reached an agreement that would see Zimbabwe supplying water to South Africa. The agreement entails treated water being transferred from Beitbridge Water Treatment Works to Musina. South Africa’s Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, and his Zimbabwean counterpart, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Jongwe Masuka, both spoke about how this initiative is meant to alleviate the water challenges Musina has faced. The agreement between the two countries stems from a bilateral agreement of co-operation on water resource management signed in 2015. Although this agreement is important for South Africa, as it is water-scarce, the economic and political instability in Zimbabwe has led many to question whether this agreement will bear fruit. However,…

A helicopter plucked to safety yesterday six people stranded in a mining area after Taiwan’s worst earthquake in 25 years, and rescue workers reached 400 people cut off in a hotel in a mountainous national park by air and confirmed all were safe. Hundreds of aftershocks struck Taiwan’s eastern region, driving scores to seek shelter outdoors, as the death toll from Wednesday’s 7.2-magnitude quake rose to 10, with the tally of injured at 1 099, authorities said. A helicopter ferried to safety six miners trapped on a cliff in a dramatic rescue after the quake cut off the roads into Hualien’s soaring mountains, in footage shown by the department. The department said four foreigners remained unaccounted for – one Canadian, one Indian and two Australians. Rescue workers located most of…

A 37-YEAR-OLD man who is in critical condition after being attacked by monkeys in a Hong Kong country park has tested positive for B virus, making him the first person in the city to contract the deadly infection. Hong Kong authorities are investigating the case and warning the public to refrain from touching or feeding wild monkeys. Anyone injured by monkeys should seek immediate medical attention, the Centre for Health Protection said this week. The man was admitted to the hospital for fever and “decreased consciousness” on March 21. Family members said he was injured during a visit to Kam Shan Country Park, a hiking destination known for its troop of wild monkeys, in late February. His is the first case in Hong Kong of the rare infection that can…

YANGON: Myanmar security services shot down seven drones over the military-built capital Naypyidaw yesterday, the junta said, in what appeared to be a rare attack on the junta’s centre of power by its opponents. The military’s ouster of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in 2021 sparked renewed fighting with ethnic minority armed groups, as well as with pro-democracy People’s Defence Forces in areas previously untouched by decades of conflict in Myanmar. The National Unity Government, dominated by MPs ousted in the coup who are now working to topple the junta, said it had carried out the attack with the PDF. There was no damage and no casualties. | AFP…

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron believes France and its Western and African allies “could have stopped” Rwanda’s 1994 genocide but did not have the will to halt the slaughter of an estimated 800 000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, the presidency said yesterday. In a video message to be published on Sunday to mark the 30th anniversary of the genocide, Macron will emphasise that “when the phase of total extermination against the Tutsis began, the international community had the means to know and act”, said a French presidential official. The French president says the international community already had experience of witnessing the Holocaust in World War II and the mass killings of Armenians in Ottoman Türkiye during World War I. | AFP…

The Warriors will be looking to keep their momentum going as they aim for a ninth straight victory and a double over the Titans in tonight’s CSA T20 Challenge clash at St George’s Park in Gqeberha (6pm start). The Warriors beat the Titans by two runs in their first leg at SuperSport Park in Centurion, and with the tournament already past the halfway mark, the defending champions find themselves in an unfamiliar sixth position. The Titans have missed out on maximum points in their last two fixtures due to rain, and will be hoping it will be a case of third time lucky when they attempt to break the Warriors’ eight-match winning streak and get back in touch with the top four sides. The Warriors, currently on 35 points with…

THE SOUTH African bourse was the best performing among major emerging market (EM) peers FTSE/JSE Capped Swix Index, up 2.9% month-on-month (m/m) in March, as it clawed its way back towards positive territory. However, the FTSE/JSE Capped Swix is still down 2.3% in the year to date. Gold miners rose 24% m/m and were a major boost to the JSE’s performance, as shares of these miners tracked the price of the yellow metal higher. Gold was up 9% m/m, with the price posting new all-time highs during the month. Platinum group metal (PGM) miners increased 11% m/m and also benefitted from March’s bounce in metal prices. PGM and gold miners were responsible for more than 2% of the FTSE/JSE Capped Swix’s performance last month. Shares geared towards…

The 8-year-old girl from neighbouring Botswana, sole survivor of the bus crash in which 45 Botswana nationals died in Limpopo, has been discharged from hospital. The child, Lorraine Atlang Siako, was escorted by medical care workers and government officials to the Polokwane International Airport to catch an hour-long connecting flight to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Wednesday. From Johannesburg, Lorraine and her mother were scheduled to catch a flight back to Botswana. Last week, near Mamatlakala, in Limpopo, a bus ferrying Botswana nationals careened out of control and plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass. The ill-fated bus had been travelling from Botswana’s capital Gaborone to the popular Saint Engenas Zion Christian Church in Limpopo for the annual Easter service. Speaking to broadcaster eNCA, Limpopo MEC for…

Upstart Alexandria Procter Loot.co.za (R229) Melinda Ferguson Books Some people are born to stand out – not to sit back quietly and meekly waiting for things to happen, but to be out there making a difference, doing, changing, shifting paradigms. By her own admission, Alexandria Procter was a precocious kid, with the nice, but tame name of Claire which she changed to Alexandria to reflect her driven personality. Her father is a medical doctor, and her mother an advocate, and they live in the Eastern Cape overlooking Jeffreys Bay, and among others, have horses. Alexandria’s education was extremely privileged; she wanted for nothing. After matric, she embarked on a trip into the the wider world ostensibly to “discover the meaning of life” and get “to the root of human suffering”,…

Araminta Hall’s One of the Good Guys is not just another domestic thriller – it explores the harsh realities of domestic abuse and safety of women. The book opens with a social media campaign post “Walk for Women” to end the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) and from the start, the storyline draws you in with its raw honesty and blurred lines between right and wrong. “In the past twelve months, four of our friends have had their drinks spiked in a nightclub, nine of them have been called w****s for refusing advances from drunk men, eighteen touched inappropriately...We’re not one of the 1500 women murdered each year in the UK. Because for those who die there are thousands of others living in fear all day every day.” Divided into…

The Six Disciplines Of Strategic Thinking - Leading Your Organization Into The Future Michael Watkins Loot.co.za (R229) Ebury Edge International author Michael Watkins sets out six crucial skills for the modern leader in The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking: Leading Your Organization into the Future. Watkins stresses the critical importance of leaders sharpening their strategic thinking skills within today's intricate business landscape. Watkins, an expert on leadership transitions and organisational success, identifies pattern recognition; systems perspective; mental agility; structured problem-solving; visioning; and political savvy as essential disciplines for success, from first-time CEOs to new business leaders. His model provides “a set of mental disciplines leaders use to recognise potential threats and opportunities, establish priorities, and mobilise themselves and their organisations to envision and enact promising paths forward”. Weaving real-world examples…

Banyana Banyana have been the flag-bearers for South African soccer for a number of years now. They won the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, and became the first SA senior team to reach the knock-out stages of a Fifa World Cup last year. They made it out of their group in Australia and New Zealand, and went down in gallant fashion to the Netherlands in the round of 16. But now coach Desiree Ellis and her team have an opportunity to right a wrong from their recent past: qualify for the Olympic Games. Having competed at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, Banyana missed out on the Tokyo edition in 2021. After drawing 0-0 away in the first leg of the 2019 second-round qualifier against Botswana, Banyana just needed a…

The booming use of electric vehicles in parts of California is reducing CO2 emissions in those areas, a study showed yesterday, bolstering a key pillar of the state’s drive towards net zero. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, say a network of sensors set up around the San Francisco Bay Area – where Teslas and other EVs are a common sight – has logged a small but steady drop in the volume of planet-warming carbon dioxide being pumped out every year. “We show from atmospheric measurements that adoption of electric vehicles is working, it’s having the intended effect on CO2 emissions,” said chemistry professor Ronald Cohen, the study’s lead author. Carbon dioxide is one of the main contributors to global warming, the human-caused phenomenon of rising temperatures increasingly playing…

Brussels: Authorities arrested 22 people across four European countries yesterday as part of a probe into a suspected €600 million (about R12 billion) fraud of Covid recovery money. Dozens of raids were conducted with arrests in Italy, Austria, Romania and Slovakia as a result of an investigation into an alleged criminal network thought to have scooped up the funds, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office said. It added that the Venice office of Italy’s financial police unit, froze assets worth over €600m on the authority of a pre-trial judge. Of the 22 arrested suspects, eight were put in detention pending trial and the other 14 were under house arrest. | AFP…

Paris: The number of new prostate cancer cases around the world will more than double over the next two decades as poorer countries catch up with the ageing of richer nations, according to a Lancet report published yesterday. “Our findings suggest that the number of new cases annually will rise from 1.4 million in 2020 to 2.9 million by 2040,” said the medical journal, based on a study of demographic changes. Researchers said the rise in cases is linked to the increased life expectancy and changes in the age pyramid around the world. Prostate cancer is the most widespread cancer among men, accounting for about 15% of cases. | AFP…

The long-standing rivalry between Banyana Banyana and the Nigerian women’s team will once again take centre stage as the two nations bid to grab qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games. The South African women’s team made the daunting trip to Nigeria to play the first of two legs to determine who jets off to Paris in July between the two continental powerhouses. Banyana and the Super Falcons will kick off at 6pm SA time today at the MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja. A victory for the defending Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) champions will see them join either Zambia or Morocco as the two teams to represent Africa at the Paris Olympics. Banyana coach Desiree Ellis named the strongest possible 23-player squad to get the job done over…