Índice para 2021-09-17 em Cape Times

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons and Tarryn-Leigh Solomons President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a panel of experts to assist in the appointment of the new chief justice. The president has also called on the public to nominate prospective candidates. This process comes as Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng will be vacating his position on October 11. The panel will have to table its report to Ramaphosa by the end of October. Ramaphosa appointed former judge of the International Court of Justice and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay to chair the panel. This is a similar process Ramaphosa used in 2019 when he appointed advocate Shamila Batohi to head the National Prosecuting Authority. Other members of the panel to be chaired by Pillay include former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, Minister of Justice…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za “MY CHILD, my child is at the back.” These were the only words Alicia Lamprecht could shout in the traumatic moment she was hijacked and the suspect made off with her 7-month old baby, Henco in the back seat earlier this week. Days after their hijacking and kidnapping ordeal, Lamprecht, 28, from Brackenfell spoke to the Cape Times, saying reality had started setting in as her mind and body played catch-up with the emotions of that day. Their weekly visit to a friend in Observatory on Monday turned into a nightmare when her VW Polo Vivo was hijacked in Observatory – little Henco was strapped into his car seat at the back. “I am feeling drained. (Wednesday) was a big day for us because it was…

| Jennifer Crocker Waterboy – Making sense of my son’s suicide Glynis Horning Loot.co.za (R245) Bookstorm GLYNIS Horning is one of South Africa’s best writers, and this book is testimony to this. I just wish she never had to write it. It was an ordinary Sunday morning when Chris, her husband, came into their bedroom and told her their son Spencer, 25, was dead in his bed. And so begins a story no one ever wants to have as part of their lives. Spencer was due to start a new job on the Monday, he’d had a good walk and chat with Glynis the evening before. And now she was confronted with her son dead in his bed: “He could be asleep, lying against the pile of cushions…” What follows…

| Staff Reporter THE COUPLE Helly Acton Loot.co.za (R248) Bonnier Zaffre MILLIE is a perfectionist. She's happy, successful – and, with a great support network of friends and family (and a grumpy cat) around her, she's never lonely. She has her dream job at a big tech firm and is on track to become its youngest innovation director. The last thing she needs is romance messing up her perfectly organised world. Besides, normal people just don't have romantic relationships. Everyone knows that being in a couple is a bit ... well, odd. Sure, everybody has that one coupled-up friend who messes up the numbers at dinner parties, but it’s a bit eccentric. Why rely on another person for your own happiness? Why risk the humiliation of unrequited love…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za SIXTY-three-year-old grandmother Magdalene Booysen, from Manenberg, has been struggling to get a R1 700 social relief of distress benefit grant from the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) for almost two years, since her council flat was damaged in a fire, in January last year. The City is currently fixing the home, but Booysen said she has nothing, and desperately needs the R1 700 as a start to rebuild her life. “The day of the fire was the most devastating day of my life. I lost everything and it has been hard for me, living off other people. “I am glad my place is finally almost done because I can finally build up my own life again, but where do I start when I was left with nothing?…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za THE WESTERN Province Cricket Association has paid tribute to legendary ice-cream seller Moegamat “Boeta” Cassiem, who passed away yesterday morning after battling renal failure. The 67-year-old worked at Newlands cricket stadium for more than 55 years and was a favourite with patrons and players alike. “We are very emotional, everything is done, my father’s resting, we just need to make duas (prayers) for him and be there for one another,” his son, Mogammad Cassiem, said yesterday. He said the memories he would cherish most included the joy his father brought the family and his love for his sport. Originally from Kensington, the father of four and grandfather of 12 had been living in Mitchells Plain for 30 years. “My father loved Cape Town and Cape Town’s people.…

CAN the real Springboks please stand up? Our world champions didn’t look like the top dogs of rugby by losing 28-26 to Australia on the Gold Coast last Sunday. One positive was how the South Africans used their driving maul from line-outs, scoring three tries on the night at the Cbus Super Stadium. But that was as good as it got for Siya Kolisi and his team. They got a raw deal from referee Luke Pearce in the scrums, missed 21 tackles and conceded so many penalties that Wallaby flyhalf Quade Cooper scored 23 points out of his team’s 28 with his right boot. The referee also failed to pick up many infringements from the Aussies, especially how their players blocked Bok wings Makazole Mapimpi and Sbu Nkosi from chasing…

So much of the South African rugby supporter’s thinking plays out on social media every day, and every day provides a marketing sample of trends. One trend that is disturbing among black supporters is the belief that a black player is beyond criticism, especially if the analyst is white. Victor Matfield, in his role as a SuperSport analyst, criticised the selection of Damian Willemse on the bench if his role was to be a back-up goalkicker, as well as fullback, wing, centre and flyhalf cover. For those not versed with the Boks’ selections, having a player of Willemse’s versatility allows the Springbok coach to pick six forwards and only two backs in his match day 23 when it comes to the substitutes. Willemse, asked to kick a late conversion to…

HAITIAN Prime Minister Ariel Henry appointed a new justice minister, Liszt Quitel, after removing Rockefeller Vincent from his post, amid accusations of ties with the president’s murderer, Haiti’s official newspaper Moniteur reported yesterday. On Wednesday, the secretary-general of Haiti’s Council of Ministers, Renald Luberice, stepped down after accusing the PM of obstructing justice in the investigation of President Jovenel Moise’s murder. Josue Pierre Louis was appointed to the position. The same day, Henry dismissed Port-au-Prince prosecutor Bed-Ford Claude after he also accused the prime minister of alleged links with the slain president’s suspected assassins. Moise was shot dead at his residence on July 7, while his wife sustained injuries and was subsequently hospitalised in the US. The Haitian authorities have already detained more than 40 people, including 18 Colombian citizens…

Life-sized carvings of camels and horses hewn into rock faces in Saudi Arabia could be 7 000 to 8 000 years old, finds new research that suggests they are much older than previously thought. The 21 reliefs are heavily eroded and were estimated in 2018 to be about 2 000 years old, based on similarities with artworks found in Petra in Jordan. But the new research by Saudi and European institutions used various methods, including analysing tool marks, erosion patterns, and X-ray technology. This would mean the area of carvings, known as the Camel Site, “is likely home to the oldest surviving large-scale (naturalistic) animal reliefs in the world”, the study said. In the era it was created, the region would have looked very different from the arid landscape of…

Bangkok: Thai legislators yesterday gave initial approval to a law against torture and forced disappearances, after years of delay and criticism from rights groups. Activists have long accused authorities of state-sanctioned abductions and torture, and the UN says there have been more than 80 disappearances since 1980. The kingdom’s criminal code does not currently recognise the offences, but rogue state officials convicted under the new legislation will face long prison terms. Yesterday, the draft law passed a first reading in parliament, though it is not clear when legislators will take it up again, or when it will finally come into effect.…

Cairo: Egypt and Sudan have expressed readiness to resume talks with Ethiopia on its controversial Nile dam after the UN Security Council urged the three governments to swiftly reach a binding deal. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, set to be Africa’s largest hydroelectric project when completed, has sparked an almost decade-long diplomatic stand-off between Ethiopia and downstream nations Egypt and Sudan. On Wednesday, the UN Security Council adopted a statement encouraging the three countries to resume negotiations under the auspices of the AU to swiftly conclude a binding deal.…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za A major part of the groundwork for many national teams’ challenge at the T20 World Cup will be laid over the next few weeks when the Indian Premier League resumes, following a four month Covid-induced hiatus. Cricket’s most lucrative competition, had started in India in April but after a month of play, with some teams having players test positive for Covid-19 and with India in the midst of a devastating wave, the tournament was suspended in the first week of May. Financial demands meant it had to be completed this year and with India still in the grips of a Covid crisis, and the logistical problems created by bio-secure bubbles, the tournament was moved to the United Arab Emirates. The International Cricket Council piggy-backed on that, and…

eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za AMAZULU coach Benni McCarthy caused a stir in Usuthu’s 0-0 draw with SuperSport United on Tuesday. Following an exchange of words with Matsatsantsa boss Kaitano Tembo, McCarthy could be heard saying, “you have lost every bit of respect I had for you. That is why you are always broke,” McCarthy shouted. “Your career – Seven Stars, Ajax – no, listen, you wanna get deep, I'll get deep with you. You call me a c$*t!?” This was not the first time that McCarthy has lost his cool in public. The following are some of the other times it happened: McCarthy loses cool with referee Siyabulela Qunta (2021) While they were in good form, AmaZulu suffered a frustrating 1-0 loss to Orlando Pirates in May. McCarthy did not hide his…

From page 1 Between weeks 27 and 33, the percentage testing positive among 10 to 14 years or 15-19 years surpassed that of individuals over 19. A total of 201 deaths (35.6%) were among adolescents aged 15-19 years and 108 (19.1%) were aged under one. Among 324 (57.3%) in-hospital deaths, with available data on underlying conditions, 168 (51.9%) reported more than one underlying condition. Given their findings, the authors called for vaccination for children. “While there remains a need to maintain heightened vigilance and consistent implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions within schools and to discourage community and mass gatherings involving young people, vaccination in children – especially older children of 15 to 18 years – may need to be prioritised to close the immunity gap.” Meanwhile, health officials yesterday confirmed the…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za FORMER President Jacob Zuma will know today whether his application to have his jail term rescinded is successful or not. This, as the Constitutional Court will hand down its long-awaited judgement after hearing oral and written arguments from all parties involved. “Judgment on Friday, 17 September at 10h00: Is the judgment and order of the Constitutional Court, sentencing former President Zuma to imprisonment for contempt of court, rescindable? “And should it be set aside? (JG Zuma v Secretary of the Judicial Commission and Others),” the court announced yesterday. The matter was first heard by the court on July 12, four days after Zuma had started serving his 15 month sentence at the Estcourt prison in KwaZulu-Natal. Zuma and his lawyer had earlier approached the Pietermaritzburg high court…

| Staff Reporter HOSTAGE Clare Mackintosh Loot.co.za (R235) Sphere THE atmosphere on board the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney is electric. Celebrities are rumoured to be among the passengers in business class, and the world is watching the landmark journey. Flight attendant Mina is trying to focus on the passengers, instead of her troubled 5-year-old daughter back at home – or the cataclysmic problems in her marriage. But soon after the plane takes off, Mina receives a chilling anonymous note. Someone wants to make sure the plane never reaches its destination. They’re demanding her co-operation ... and they know exactly how to get it. It’s 20 hours to landing. A lot can happen in 20 hours ...…

Reviewer: Orielle Berry The Island of Missing Trees Elif Shafak Loot.co.za (R324) Penguin Books IT seems that conflict forever casts a dark shadow on the world – whether from close or afar. The current Afghanistan conflict is creating a humanitarian crisis now that the occupying forces have departed, leaving in their wake two opposing sides – the Taliban who wish to impose their extremist beliefs on the Afghan nation – with many trying to flee the country. Meanwhile, the age-old Israeli/Palestinian conflict sees two nations fight for the same land, with a never-ending cycle of violence, force and retribution. More than five decades ago, the island of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean became a blood-spattered country as Turks and Greeks were pitted against each other in a conflict that saw…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za COVID-19 informal settlement residents were rocked by the discovery of yet another body in a stream in the area yesterday. The discovery came just hours after three bodies were found in a canal in Sarepta Street, Kuils River, yesterday morning. At the weekend, authorities pulled the body of 15-year-old Asonele Wanga from the Covid-19 informal settlement stream. Asonele was among four victims of an alleged mob justice attack. The bodies of three other victims in the attack, Maphelo Mazamisa, 23, Sabelo Rasmeni, 21, and Yonela Mdladlama, 22, are yet to be found, despite authorities discovering two other bodies in the water. Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said the police had initiated a 72-hour activation plan for the mobilisation of resources in search of the suspects and determining the…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za NOMASA’s Guest House in Langa has kept its doors open despite the economic battering of the pandemic, thanks to a woman who was adamant about keeping her mother’s dream alive. The business is one of many in the tourism sector that have been hit hard over the past 18 months. In efforts to revive tourism in the city, especially this tourism month, Cape Town Tourism, working with the City of Cape Town, hosted inclusive tourism kasi-style in Langa yesterday. At the event, local entrepreneurs including Nomasa’s Guest House and Jordan Ways of Cooking, got to share their experiences. The guest house, which is still struggling to survive, hopes that with the move to lockdown Level 2 and the approach of summer, it will generate some income. Guest…

Many South Africans will be surprised to learn that there are Palestinian political detainees who are close to death, who have been on a hunger strike for more than two months. Anger in the occupied territories over Israel’s treatment of Palestinian prisoners has reached its zenith, and this week the Palestinian Authority (PA) warned against Israel’s retaliatory measures and crimes against Palestinian detainees, including torture. The PA has called on the international community and organisations to intervene and prevent the collective punishment Israel is threatening against the 4 600 Palestinian political prisoners, including women and children, in clear violation of international law. It is reported that Israel intends to worsen the prison conditions for all Palestinian prisoners. In a desperate attempt to bring attention to their plight, six Palestinian…

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin yesterday urged Russians to vote in parliamentary polls this week in which most vocal Kremlin critics have been barred from running as part of an unprecedented crackdown. The run up to the ballot has been marred by a sweep of dissenting voices and pressure on independent media, beginning in January with the arrest of Putin’s most prominent critic Alexei Navalny. Putin’s United Russia party is expected to retain its majority in the lower house State Duma but has been struggling with low polling figures days ahead of the vote. “I’m counting on your responsible, balanced and patriotic civic position,” Putin said in a video address, calling on voters to back deputies who will work towards the interests of “every citizen”. The Russian leader is currently…

Paris: Elton John has postponed European and US dates of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour due to hip surgery, the singer announced yesterday. “At the end of my summer break I fell awkwardly on a hard surface and have been in considerable pain and discomfort in my hip ever since,” the 74-year-old star said. “Despite intensive physio and specialist treatment, the pain has continued to get worse and is leading to increasing difficulties moving.” The “rocket man’s” farewell tour began in 2018 but many of the 300 dates were delayed by Covid.…

If anyone doesn’t need reminding that banknotes are just worthless pieces of paper, it is Zimbabweans: more than a decade ago, they watched as hyperinflation obliterated their currency and led to the printing of a 100 trillion Zimbabwean dollar note. Zim dollars were abandoned in 2009, after inflation caused by rampant money printing under the late president Robert Mugabe erased everyone’s savings and pushed millions into poverty. Most bills ended up in the trash, but Zimbabwean visual artist Prudence Chimutuwah has found value in the unloved old bank notes – by using them to make art. Chimutuwah wants Zimbabweans to look beyond the ugly history of the inflation – considered by the International Monetary Fund as the worst of any peacetime country – to see something beautiful in the bills.…

TOKYO: The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said yesterday that severe tropical storm Chanthu is forecast to approach Japan, calling people to stay alert for landslides, heavy winds and high waves in western Japan, as rough weather is projected from northern to western Japan through to Saturday. Chanthu, now heading north-west after spinning over the East China Sea the previous days, is expected to alter its tracks. It will possibly turn into a low-pressure system today, carrying gradually intensifying rain and winds to western Japan, the JMA said. The storm is expected to bring rainfall reaching in the region of 150mm.…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa’s bid to boost its electricity supply in the short-term through renewable energy could face further blackouts as legal challenges mount over the country’s 2 000MW Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP). The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) said yesterday that it was considering opposing the legal challenge brought against it by a renewable energy producer over local content exemptions in the programme. Suntech Solar Power South Africa earlier this month went to court to challenge the dtic’s decision to retrospectively grant exemptions to rival bidders for designated local content requirements. The RMIPPPP provides detailed local content requirements for 14 components plus subcomponents that might be used in the power projects such as electric cables and steel products. The Solar PV…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za HOME Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has been asked to appeal to President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare the day of the local government elections, on November 1, a public holiday. The Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) announced yesterday that it has written to Motsoaledi to facilitate its request. IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said: ”This intervention is aimed at affording all voters an equal footing to participate in the elections, without being encumbered by business and employment considerations on the day of voting.” Mamabolo also indicated that the IEC was grateful that Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga adjusted the National Senior Certificate exams timetable to accommodate the municipal polls on November 1. Her department announced this week that final school year exams had been brought forward,…

Staff writer PARLIAMENT is expected to file its answering affidavit soon in response to Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe’s application to urgently stop the National Assembly from going ahead with the impeachment process against him. Hlophe’s recently-filed notice of motion also wants to stop President Cyril Ramaphosa from suspending him, following the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) Tribunal process that found him guilty of gross misconduct last month. Parliamentary spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said the affidavit will present their argument. “Parliament will soon file its answering affidavit where its position will be stated,” he said. The tribunal’s report stated that Judge Hlophe breached sections of the Constitution when he tried to influence two justices of the Constitutional Court to rule in favour of then-ANC President Jacob Zuma in 2008. “In line…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za IT IS MORE than a year since Good Samaritan Peter Wagenaar’s car went up in flames, and despite police having closed the case with no perpetrators apprehended, he is still not deterred from his goal to help the homeless. In early May last year, the Mini Cooper, which Wagenaar used to feed homeless people during the national lockdown, was set alight in Mouille Point. Wagenaar said he had received complaints from residents who were opposed to him feeding the homeless, and it was believed the burning of the car was a way to stop him. “One gentleman put my personal details, my car registration, and my home address on social media to kind of deter me from feeding,” he said. Wagenaar recalls watching the car going up…

| Staff Reporter THE BOURNE TREACHERY Brian Freeman Loot.co.za (R260) PENGUIN THE world’s most ruthlessly efficient assassin, Jason Bourne, has carved a bloody swathe through all his opponents but now he’s facing the one force he can’t defeat – his own past – in the latest thrilling entry in Robert Ludlum’s New York Times best-selling series. Three years ago, Jason Bourne embarked on a mission in Estonia with his partner and lover, a fiery Treadstone agent codenamed Nova. Their job was to rescue a Russian double agent recently smuggled out of St Petersburg in the midst of an FSB manhunt. They failed. Their charge died at the hands of a shadowy assassin. Now, three years later, everything has changed. Nova is gone, killed in a mass shooting in Las…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za JUSTICE has been served exactly two years to the date for murderer duo Henry Molligan, 29 and John McCombi, 45, who were each sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment and life imprisonment, yesterday at the Knysna Magistrate’s Court. The two were convicted of the murder of pensioner Peter Henson at his Paul Kruger Street home in Sedgefield on September 16, 2019, where the 76-year-old Henson was tied up, gagged, stabbed and left for dead. The two were convicted and sentenced by Judge Robert Henney in the Knysna Circuit Court on charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances while they were acquitted of housebreaking with intent to steal. Molligan was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances and 25 years for murder, of which five…

With China and SA at helm of organisation, the next two years should be fruitful ThIS year marks the 15th anniversary of BRICS. The past 15 years have delivered for BRICS-enhanced mechanisms, expansion of areas of collaboration and stronger international influence. BRICS has thus become a model for co-operation between emerging markets and developing countries. Recently, Chinese president Xi Jinping attended the 13th BRICS Summit. He pointed out that the BRICS countries have grown into a crucial force to be reckoned with in the international arena. He also stressed that BRICS countries need to promote true multilateralism, global solidarity against Covid-19, openness and innovation-driven growth and common development. He also put forward initiatives to strengthen BRICS co-operation in public health, Covid-19 vaccines, economic, political and security affairs and people-to-people exchanges.…

CHINA yesterday slammed a new US alliance with Australia and Britain, under which Canberra will acquire nuclear submarine technology, as an “extremely irresponsible” threat to regional stability. The agreement “seriously undermines regional peace and stability and intensifies the arms race”, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a press briefing. US President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that the US and Britain would share highly sensitive nuclear submarine technology with Australia, a major departure from past policy and a direct challenge to China in its Pacific neighbourhood. The alliance is seen as a bid to offset China’s growing economic and military reach in the Asia-Pacific region. “The export of highly sensitive nuclear submarine technology by the US and Britain to Australia once again proves that they use nuclear exports as…

WASHINGTON: A woman has pleaded guilty to threatening to kill US Vice-President Kamala Harris. According to a press release by the Justice Department, 39-year-old Niviane Phelps sent her husband, who was in prison, short videos, where she talked about her plans to kill the official within 50 days. “You are going to die. Your days are numbered already,” the woman said in one video. In another clip, Phelps claimed she had received $53 000 (about R752 000) to carry out the “hit” against Kamala Harris. The ex-nurse also sent her husband a photograph of herself standing next to a target sheet with a firearm. Two days later she applied for a concealed weapons permit. Phelps sent messages to her husband via JPay, a computer application used for communication between incarcerated…

NEW DELHI: Several people were killed in rain-related incidents in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh yesterday. The rains lashed several parts of the state including the capital city Lucknow, triggering waterlogging. In the Sujanpura area of Jaunpur, three people were killed after a wall collapsed and a similar incident took place in Barabanki’s Ramsanehi Ghat area, killing two people. Deaths also occurred in Kaushambi, Ayodhya and Sitapur, News18 reported. “However, the exact number of casualties is still being ascertained.” The monsoon downpour led to the snapping of power lines and the closure of schools in the areas affected by incessant rain.…

BEIRUT: The judge investigating last year’s Beirut port blast issued an arrest warrant yesterday for former public works minister Youssef Finianos after he failed to show up for questioning, the state National News Agency reported. Finianos, a Hezbollah ally sanctioned by the US for his links to the group that it considers a terrorist organisation, could not immediately be reached for comment. The massive August 2020 explosion was caused by a large quantity of ammonium nitrate which had been stored unsafely at the port for years. The arrest warrant is the first for an ex-minister arising from the investigation. The blast killed hundreds.…

MANCHESTER City winger Jack Grealish crowned a fine display on his Champions League debut with a beautifully taken solo goal as Pep Guardiola’s side outscored RB Leipzig 6-3 at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. Grealish, who joined City for £100million last month from Aston Villa, created their opener with a corner headed in by Nathan Ake before making it 4-2 with a curling shot into the far corner. The England international said that he had been thrilled to finally get a chance on the European club stage. “I loved it. I’ve been waiting a while. The past few weeks, I couldn’t wait for this game. It’s been a great night,” said the 26-year-old. “It was one of those games. It had absolutely everything. In the end we’re delighted to get…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za BANYANA Banyana coach Desiree Ellis will be looking to guide her troops all the way in the upcoming Aisha Buhari Cup Locked in Group B of the competition, Banyana have been grouped with Ghana and Cameroon. They are due to play their first game of the tournament this afternoon against Ghana at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria. The upcoming games will be vital for Ellis’ side as they prepare to contest the 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (Awcon) qualifiers which start from late October. The Banyana squad that will contest the Buhari Cup contains a good balance of youth and experience with both local and overseas stars on the roster. Among the star names in the squad are veteran Janine van Wyk, Lebogang Ramalepe,…