Sommaire pour 2021-04-30 de Cape Times

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za TONGAAT Hulett’s share price tumbled by more than 27 percent on the JSE after the troubled sugar producer and agri-processing company said yesterday that it had amended its debt reduction milestone to prevent a default. The share plunged to a low of R7.55, ending up closing the day 22.8 percent lower at R7.99. Tongaat was rocked by an accounting scandal in 2019 and an investigation by PricewaterhouseCoopers revealed that some of its former executives were responsible for overstating assets and profits by using “undesirable accounting practices”. The group implemented a turnaround strategy under chief executive Gavin Hudson, but a huge debt of around R13bn has remained a sore thumb for the group. Tongaat said yesterday it paid debt reduction proceeds of R6.01 billion to…

Athandile Siyo athandile.siyo@inl.co.za THE search for missing four-year-old Luphiwo Mbandazayo ended in joy after he was reunited with his family. Police spokesperson FC van Wyk yesterday said Luphiwo, who went missing on Monday in Lower Crossroads, was found in Delft unharmed. ’’He was safely returned to his parents by the Nyanga FCS (Family Violence Child Protection Sexual Offences Unit) detectives,’’ Van Wyk said. Ncumisa Manana, Luphiwo’s aunt, said the family was happy to have the child back. “We are grateful to everyone who assisted in the search. Not knowing where he was, was scary and we had all sorts of thoughts. We just thank the public and the Almighty for his safe return,” she said. Luphiwo had disappeared after he was seen playing outside his aunt’s home in Island,…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-leigh.solomons@inl.co.za ANC MP and former North West premier Supra Mahumapelo believes his five-year suspension was a preconceived idea. After the North West ANC disciplinary committee found Mahumapelo and ANC Women’s League secretary Bitsa Lenkopane guilty of misconduct earlier this week, the two announced yesterday that they would be appealing their suspension. Mahumapelo and Lenkopane were suspended two weeks ago amid claims that they held a parallel rally metres away from one held by the party’s interim leadership committee (IPC) in Mareetsane six months ago. Mahumapelo said around 2018/2019 someone from the provincial office had written that he must be expelled from the ruling party. “Now they come in the form of the disciplinary committee (DC) to execute what they’ve been writing in their own WhatsApp group,” he said.…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za GEORGE councillor Stag Cronjé, who was accused of irregularities linked to a controversial R350 million investment, has lodged a complaint of crimen injuria against Good Party secretary-general Brett Herron and provincial ANC leader Cameron Dugmore. The investment was made with Old Mutual in 2017, where Cronjé’s son was employed as an agent for the institution’s Broker Distribution. The choice of the financial institution came under scrutiny as Cronjé’s son allegedly benefited after he received commission for facilitating the deal. The George Municipality conducted an internal disciplinary process instituted under the code of conduct for councillors, which found that he had breached the code of conduct. Cronjé was fined one month’s pay for not declaring his interest in the matter following a recent municipal disciplinary hearing. Municipal…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za NEW RULES for the City’s animal keeping policy will make registering your pet mandatory and see cats known to scratch, bite, injure or attack not being allowed to roam free outside the premises where they are kept. The revision of the Animal Keeping Policy is being driven by the City’s safety and security portfolio committee. The public comment period opened on April 17 and will conclude on May 17. According to the revised policy, unregistered pets who go missing would risk going up for adoption. “In the case of a stray animal, the first step in the process would be for the animal to be reunited with his/her owner; this will be done by accessing the registration data by the welfare organisation. If the pet is not…

Reviewer: Jennifer Crocker Everything is Beautiful Eleanor Ray Loot.co.za (R248) Piatkus AMY Ashton lives in London and works as an admin manager for a rather boring company. She’s been there since she graduated from art school and moved into her house with her boyfriend, Tim, and her best and oldest friend, Chantel. But something has happened to Amy that has stopped her life in its tracks as it were. For over 10 years Tim, who she thought she was on the verge of marrying, and Chantel have been missing. There have been no sightings of them and Amy has turned her confusion and sorrow into becoming a hoarder of things she finds and loves, from pretty wine bottles to a massive assortment of lighters that litter the floor. Her neighbour…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za THE assault case against two Moorreesburg police officers has been postponed after the matter was transferred to a regional court earlier this week. Duwayne Williams and Justin Sassman appeared at Malmesbury Magistrate’s Court on Monday, both facing a charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. The two were arrested after Manfred Lewies, 35, died while in police custody. The arrests followed an investigation by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said: “Their case initially appeared at the Moorreesburg Magistrate’s Court and was transferred to the Malmesbury Regional Court. “It was then postponed to May 26 in order to furnish the legal representative of the accused with the contents of the docket.” Meanwhile, rape-accused and former City subcouncil manager Raphael…

Francesca Villette francesca.villette@inl.co.za A DELFT South woman’s R5 million lawsuit against the Road Accident Fund (RAF) has failed in the Western Cape High Court, after it was found to be an opportunistic attempt to obtain compensation. Thelma Julius claimed to have been walking along the pavement in October 2012 when she was hit from behind by a bakkie at a traffic circle in Main Road. She said she sustained a closed fracture of her left humerus (elbow) and deep scarring to her left hand. Her evidence was that her husband flagged down a passing motorist, whose identity is unknown, who drove her to the day hospital where she was attended to by a nurse before being transported to Tygerberg Hospital. During cross-examination, Julius admitted that Tygerberg’s clinical notes, taken on…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za A POLICEMAN and a security guard were wounded and three suspects arrested when police foiled a cash-in transit (CIT) heist in Khayamandi in Stellenbosch yesterday. Police spokesperson Vish Naidoo said a group of armed men attacked a CIT vehicle in Macassar and wounded a security guard in an attempted robbery. “Police reinforcements responded immediately, foiling the robbery, but a chase and a shoot-out ensued, creating multiple scenes between Macassar, Mfuleni and Stellenbosch, in which a 39-year-old sergeant from the SAPS was wounded. “The suspects were tracked down to Khayamandi taxi rank in Stellenbosch. Three suspects were arrested and five firearms, including three AK-47 rifles, as well as five vehicles, were seized in Stellenbosch. Two vehicles were hijacked by the suspects as they fled the Macassar scene,” Naidoo…

There are stronger words to use, but I’ll settle on “disgust” at how tone deaf every cricketer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and every coach and management member have been. This was a case for player power and for players to say “enough”. It boggles the mind that any player can be oblivious to the Covid-19 carnage that is ripping India apart, with 300 000 daily infections and thousands of daily deaths being confirmed. The imagery of people dying in hospital queues, of people carrying their loved ones to a place of mass burial and of people so sick because of Covid-19 has been broadcast globally. I get that the greed and money-obsessed Indian cricket bosses and those who dictate decisions within the IPL would want to gloss over…

MIHLALI BALEKA Kaizer Chiefs. Orlando Pirates. Mamelodi Sundowns. The darlings of South African football have inspired even more affection now after becoming the first three representatives from the PSL to reach the quarter-finals of continental football in the same season. After Sundowns became regulars in the Caf Champions League for the last six seasons, all hopes were pinned on them to be SA’s flag bearers once again this season – despite the departure of Pitso Mosimane. But the two Soweto giants, Chiefs and Pirates, rolled up their sleeves as well, ensuring that there will be three teams from the PSL when the quarter-final draw for the Champions League and Caf Confederation Cup is conducted at Caf headquarters in Cairo today. Sundowns have stood head and shoulders above their compatriots…

PRODUCER prices for final manufactured goods in South Africa climbed to an almost two-year high in March, driven by food, beverages and tobacco products. Data from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) yesterday showed that annual producer price inflation (PPI) increased by 5.2 percent in March, up from 4 percent in February. StatsSA said this was the largest annual rise in headline PPI since June 2019, when the rate was 5.8 percent, and was above market expectations of 4.5 percent. Food products, beverages and tobacco products went up by 6.8 percent year-on-year. Coke, petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products rose by 4.2 percent, while metals, machinery, equipment and computing equipment increased by 5.2 percent over the same period. On a monthly basis, producer prices inched…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za LONDON and JSE-listed Jubilee Metals said yesterday that it had delivered the first copper concentrate from the Jubilee Sable Refinery at Project Roan ahead of schedule. Project Roan is the first of three processing plants that Jubilee aims to construct in order to recover copper and cobalt in these facilities, with the target of 25 000 tons of copper a year. At full capacity, Project Roan is expected to recover 10 000 tons of copper equivalent a year. Chief executive Leon Coetzer said the successful delivery on time of copper concentrate from Project Roan to the fully operational Sable Refinery was the first major step in the group’s commitment to achieve its targeted production of 25 000 tons of copper a year within the…

THE RAND rose at a more than one-week high against the greenback yesterday amid a subdued dollar after the US Federal Reserve held interest rates unchanged at near zero. The Fed was steadfast in its attempt to achieve the Federal Open Market Committee’s target of maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the long term. The rand peaked at R14.15 against the dollar during intraday trade yesterday, its highest level on a closing basis since 19 April, before closing 1 cent stronger to the dollar at R14.29 by 5pm. The dollar was put under further pressure by US President Joe Biden's proposed spending plans which raised fears over the US budget and trade deficits. The rand has gained a lot of ground against the dollar…

Athandile Siyo athandile.siyo@inl.co.za THE much-anticipated Denis Goldberg House of Hope (DGHOH), envisioned by the late Struggle stalwart as a space to uplift the youth in impoverished communities that border Hout Bay, is set to be completed next month. In commemorating a year since the death of his father, David Goldberg yesterday said Denis’s final wish for the facility was expected to be completed before the end of May. The former Rivonia triallist No 3 accused and anti-apartheid campaigner died at the age of 87 after a lengthy battle with cancer, just before midnight on April 29 last year. David said his father was a loving man who wanted the best for others. “The year has been a bit crazy and it has gone by so quickly, and the love that…

Kailene Pillay and Zintle Mahlati AFTER two days of testimony at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, President Cyril Ramaphosa concluded his appearance by promising a renewed ANC. In a statement to Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, the party leader said state capture undermined the integrity and capability of public institutions and deeply damaged the effectiveness of the ANC. Ramaphosa testified on Wednesday and yesterday as president of the governing party. He will return to the commission as president of the country at the end of next month. Ramaphosa yesterday faced questions around Parliament’s oversight during the state capture years, party funding and its relation to state capture, in particular his CR17 campaign. Ramaphosa conceded that Parliament and the ANC “dropped the ball” in not dealing swiftly with…

| Orielle Berry Jwara! Induna's Daughter: A Memoir Joyce Notemba Piliso-Seroke Loot.co.za (R301) Tafelberg THE writer of this memoir was born into privilege in the 1930s; however, she was quick to question her surroundings. Pileso-Seroke grew up in the secure, gated compound of the mining elite in Crown Mines, Johannesburg, but it was there she became aware of the hardships and harshness of the men who dwelled in the mean barracks outside the compound. She decided she would heed her calling and become a social worker and studied first at Fort Hare University and then at Swansea University in the UK. When she returned home, she taught at Orlando High School in Soweto. In 1976, she was detained during the Soweto student uprising and her journey became increasingly political.…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za THE minor accused of the murder of Lonwabo Jack has abandoned his bail application and will remain in a place of safety. The 17-year-old arrested for the suspected hate crime on Jack, a gay man, was expected to apply for bail in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court yesterday but decided against pursuing the application. The boy is in custody at the Bonnytoun place of safety. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said: “The case was postponed to (yesterday) for bail information but the accused abandoned his bail application plans. His case has now been postponed to May 25 for further investigation. He will remain at the place of safety, Bonnytoun.” Jack’s lifeless, stabbed body was discovered in a pool of blood in Mau-mau, Nyanga East, on his birthday.…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-leigh.solomons@inl.co.za The legal team representing National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise has brought a discharge application in her animal cruelty trial. Modise was back in the dock yesterday at the Potchefstroom Regional Court. Modise is privately being prosecuted by AfriForum. The organisation’s chief investigator, Andrew Leask, said the private prosecution, led by the head of AfriForum’s private prosecution unit, advocate Gerrie Nel, closed its case yesterday. The defence then brought an application to have Modise discharged in terms of Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act. The act deals with the right of an accused to be discharged from the offence he or she has allegedly committed where, at the close of the State’s case, there is insufficient evidence. Leask said: “The defence argued that the accused…

Francesca Villette francesca.villette@inl.co.za STAFF including waitresses at The River Club’s Golf Centre’s restaurant may face an uncertain future as of today, as management announced it will shut its doors following the approval of the controversial R4 billion River Club development. The staffers were apparently only given a week’s notice about the shut down, a source said. The River Club management confirmed in a notice yesterday that the Golf Centre and the Players Restaurant and Bar will be closed from today. Questions as to the future of the employees and the time which they were informed of the move went unanswered by deadline. “We are pleased to announce that the River Club development in Observatory, Cape Town, was given the final approvals on Monday, April 19. “Due to these ongoing advancements,…

Time to end the politics of aggression and let Cuba function as an independent country International outrage at the continued US blockade against Cuba are at fever pitch, as protests in more than 50 cities across the world took place on Sunday, including in Pretoria. Demonstrators have demanded an end to the cruel US economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, which has denied its people basic necessities, medicine and medical equipment to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Events took place in major US cities such as New York, Washington, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Seattle and Indianapolis. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla has said there were 243 coercive measures applied by former US president Donald Trump, which remain in force…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za WHILE 65 percent of all middle managers in banking were black, surpassing the number of white middle managers for the first time in 2019, according to the 2020 Transformation in Banking Report, more needed to be done to reflect the demographics of the country, Banking Association South Africa (Basa) said yesterday. Basa said the report – produced by independent research company Intellidex, with statistics provided by the banks – reflected the progress made by banks in transforming the industry and increasing economic inclusiveness and empowerment despite the constrained economic conditions. The percentage of board directors who were black reached 44 percent in 2019. “These industry figures were achieved despite the difficult economic and business conditions that South African banks and companies have had to endure…

THE HOUSEHOLD Affordability Index reported that the average cost of household food basket in South Africa increased by 3.9 percent, or R159.37, in April to R4 198.93 compared to a month earlier – the highest level since September 2020. The index tracks food price data from 44 supermarkets and 30 butcheries, mostly in the townships of Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg and Springbok. In the last eight months, which is from September 2020 to April, the average cost of the household food basket was up by 8.9 percent or R342.59. In September the average cost of the household food basket was R3 856.34. The data also noted that all household food baskets in the cities surveyed showed a month-on-month increase and April was the most expensive month. “All household…

Staff writers and own correspondent THE murder of top cop Charl Kinnear was a callous act that was part of a conspiracy which is being exposed by the work of the police, says Police Minister Bheki Cele. He was reacting to the arrest of four suspects including alleged underworld boss and controversial businessman Nafiz Modack yesterday. Modack was among the four suspects aged between 29 and 49 arrested by the National Task team. The team executed six warrants of arrests in the Western Cape, according to the Hawks. “We also expect more arrests to follow,” Cele said. Kinnear had been investigating Modack’s alleged role in an underworld battle to control the Cape Town nightclub security industry. He was shot dead outside his Bishop Lavis home in September. “The arrests follow…

Staff writer COVID-19 has claimed many lives over the past year and the roll-out of vaccination campaigns across the world has brought much-needed hope to many, particularly the elderly who have been hospitalised due to the virus. Seventy-five-year-old Richard Nessworthy said he is looking forward to the protection against severe Covid-19 that the vaccine will offer. He was hospitalised at the Brackengate Hospital of Hope between January 18 and February 25, this year after contracting the virus. “I went in there with a 50/50 chance of surviving, but I came out alive. They saved my life, and I am so grateful to the health-care workers at the Brackengate Hospital of Hope. Because of them, I am able to stand here with my wife today. “I was on oxygen support…

siyavuya mzantsi siyavuya.mzantsi@inl.co.za POOR adherence to public health measures, mass gatherings, low testing and vaccination rates have been cited as factors that continue to pose the high risk of Covid-19 resurgence in several African countries. The analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that three countries face very high risk of Covid-19 resurgence, 20 face high, 22 moderate risk, and only one country faces low risk. This risk assessment was conducted in 46 countries and estimated using seven indicators with data from the past four weeks. These include Covid-19 cases per million people; the percentage of change in new cases; the percentage of change in new deaths; the reproductive number (the rate at which an infection spreads); the pandemic trend; the average weekly number of tests per 10…

| Julian Richfield #STAY WOKE GO BROKE Helen Zille OBSIDIAN WORLDS PUBLISHING THERE was a time, not so long ago, when social media was, as the name suggests, largely social and innocent. But there has been an ever-increasing growth, particularly on Twitter, in communications that at best could be labelled nasty and malicious, and much of which is orchestrated. Bots, trolls, fake news and people making impulsive comments on almost anything are an increasing trend. More disturbingly, both abroad and here in South Africa, people are being targeted, cyber-bullied and “cancelled” for saying something the targeters take issue with. “Social media has changed our understanding of what it is to live in a fear society, where people shrink away from expressing their opinions for fear of online persecution.” Somebody who…

ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za A WOMAN who claimed that she was gang-raped 40 years ago during a party at a house in Durban now wants to sue her alleged attackers for R600 000 in damages. However, in order to do so, she first has to have the law changed regarding the prescription on civil claims. The woman, 57, who cannot be identified due to the nature of the alleged crime, issued summons against two of her alleged rapists in the high court in Durban. Besides denying knowing her, let alone raping her, they objected to her claim on the grounds that she should have in law launched her civil claim three years after the alleged incident, unless she could prove that she was not able to do so at the time.…

The surge up the Premier Soccer League (PSL) log by AmaZulu and Lamontville Golden Arrows can only be good for South African football. For many years, the “big three” – Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates – have dominated the landscape. However, currently, AmaZulu are second on the log and underlined their title credentials with a sensational 5-1 triumph over Cape Town City on Wednesday night. Arrows also fought hard to secure a 0-0 draw with log leaders Sundowns to remain in third spot on the log. AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy, who must have savoured every moment of the win over Cape Town City (he was fired as their coach), and AmaZulu owner Sandile Zungu certainly look like they are kick-starting a revolution in South African football. The man-management…

Wynona Louw wynona.louw@inl.co.za The Stormers aren’t losing any sleep over Siya Kolisi. That was the message from assistant coach Rito Hlungwani when asked if they were at all concerned that Kolisi – who spent 11 years in the Cape before leaving to join the Sharks earlier this year – could pass any info and give the Durbanites a tactical advantage heading into the coastal clash. Tomorrow’s Rainbow Cup SA fixture, which kicks off at 2pm at Cape Town Stadium, will be the first time the Springbok captain will face his former team since switching the blue and white for black and white. And while the loose forward has been a big focus point – in terms of the media, at least – in the build-up to the match, Hlungwani said…