Índice para 2022-06-08 em Cape Times

The long-awaited criminal trial of two former security police officers accused of being involved in the kidnapping and murder of anti-apartheid activist Nokuthula Simelane has once again been delayed. Yesterday, the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, was told that one of the accused may not be fit to stand trial. Willem Coetzee and Anton Pretorius briefly appeared in court this week, where the matter was postponed to August 23. Advocate Jaap Cilliers, who appeared on behalf of both accused, told Judge Papi Mosopa that there was a possibility that Coetzee may not be fit to stand trial. He said a specialist had issued a preliminary report which indicated that he may suffer from dementia. Cilliers said as things stood, he could not follow or understand the criminal proceedings or complex discussions.…

The current medical aid scheme for serving and retired MPs was not viable and it was time for it to be restructured, said National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. Tabling the R2.6 billion budget, Mapisa-Nqakula said the National Treasury allocation to the tune of R2.683 billion had a shortfall totalling R74 million. “This shortfall is largely driven by the compensation employment baseline reductions introduced by the National Treasury.” She said the continued budget reduction required mitigation steps to ensure financial viability and sustainability. “It is very clear that if steps are not taken in correcting the allocation and in reducing expenditure, a significant budget shortfall could occur in the 2024-25 financial year,” she said. The Speaker said the presiding officers would consider specific proposals soon regarding restructuring of the budget, especially…

Local law enforcement authorities and their Namibian counterparts are seemingly dodging serious questions about the millions of US dollars allegedly concealed on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm before criminals, reportedly from Namibia, helped themselves to the loot and splurged it in Cape Town. Former State Security Head Arthur Fraser has recently lodged a criminal complaint against Ramaphosa at the Rosebank police station for allegedly defeating the ends of justice, kidnapping of suspects, their interrogation on his property and bribery. The case is in connection with a 2020 break-in, where in excess of US$4 million (roughly R60m) was stolen at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in Waterberg, Limpopo, by four Namibian nationals and one South African, colluding with his domestic worker who first discovered the loot in 2020, said Fraser. His explosive affidavit…

POLICE Minister Bheki Cele has fired back at the DA in the Western Cape, saying they were using the killing of people to score political points. This follows the latest release of crime statistics and a reply in which Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagan Allen revealed to the Western Cape legislature that about 2 088 firearms had been recovered over the past two years. The provincial government, including premier Alan Winde, mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and DA provincial leader Tertuis Simmers, have since expressed their dissatisfaction regarding crime prevention and control, claiming that Cele was not prioritising crime fighting in the Western Cape. They made various calls for a dedicated site to be established in the province for the destruction of illegal firearms, policing to be devolved and Cele…

Russia yesterday reported that forces had taken full control of residential neighbourhoods in Ukraine’s flashpoint city of Severodonetsk, after Kyiv said its troops were fighting on in the eastern hub despite being outnumbered. “The residential areas of Severodonetsk have been fully liberated,” Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told a defence ministry meeting. The Russian army was still seeking to establish control over the city’s “industrial zone and the nearest settlements”, he added, amid conflicting reports of who is in control of what. Moscow has been pushing for control of the strategic industrial hub as part of its bid to conquer a vast swathe of eastern Ukraine but Kyiv’s forces have so far managed to hold out. “Our heroes are holding their positions in Severodonetsk. Fierce street fights continue in the…

US SENATORS Mitt Romney and Jon Ossoff sent a request to the State Department this week for a “full and transparent investigation” into the death of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian American journalist who was killed while reporting on an Israeli military raid in the West Bank last month. The two senators also urged the Biden administration to ensure “justice is served.” “The killing of a US citizen and of a journalist engaged in the work of reporting in a conflict zone is unacceptable,” the senators wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “Press freedom is a core American value, and we cannot accept impunity when journalists are killed in the line of duty,” they wrote. The State Department did not respond overnight to a request from…

Mexico City: A new caravan with more than 10 000 migrants has left Mexico with the aim of reaching the US border. The largest contingent so far this year, made up of Central American, South American and Caribbean migrants, departed late on Monday from the city of Tapachula in the Mexican state of Chiapas on the border with Guatemala. Many of its members have been waiting for months to regularise their immigration status in Mexico and legally transit to the US border. The caravan coincides with the start of the ninth Summit of the Americas, where heads of state and government will meet in Los Angeles on June 6-10 to address the increase in irregular migratory flows. | IANS…

Stockholm: The Swedish government will not inject more capital into struggling Scandinavian airline SAS, the country’s industry minister said yesterday. This came a week after SAS said it was seeking to raise 9.5 billion kronor (abot R14.8bn) in new capital. Sweden and Denmark are SAS’s main shareholders, with each holding 21.8 percent stakes, which rose in the past two years. Hit hard by the pandemic, SAS already cut 40 percent of its workforce – 5 000 staff – in 2020. The airline posted a net loss of 1.5 billion Swedish kronor (R2.34bn) in the second quarter, compared to a net loss of 2.4bn kronor a year earlier. | AFP…

Team South Africa won’t be on a “holiday” when they take on the rest of the continent at the African athletics championships in Mauritius from today. A 90-strong team, the biggest at the event, jetted off to the Indian Ocean island to participate at the Cote d’Or National Sports Complex until Sunday. Athletics SA’s track and field commission chairperson Jean Verster said that Mzansi’s finest were hoping to top the overall medal table. At the last championships in 2018 in Asaba, Nigeria, SA harvested a 31-medal haul, but were officially second on the list to Kenya, as they earned 11 golds to SA’s nine. But Team SA’s hopes of matching those feats won’t be high in Mauritius, as they are without the likes of Wayde van Niekerk and Ruswahl Samaai,…

DUBAI police say the arrest of “most wanted” suspects, the Gupta brothers Atul and Rajesh, reflects the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) commitment to combat money laundering through cooperation among the competent authorities. The brothers, who are wanted in South Africa for state capture crimes during the tenure of former president Jacob Zuma, were arrested this week. Their arrests came after Interpol issued red notices against Atul Gupta and his wife, Chetali; Rajesh Gupta and his wife, Arti; former Nulane Investment Bank of Baroda account signatory Ankit Jain; director of Wone Management Ravindra Nath; and the directors of Pragat Investments, Ramesh Bhat and Jagdish Parekh, according to a statement issued by Dubai police. “Dubai Police made the arrest after receiving a red notice for the Gupta brothers by Interpol. “The force…

SCHOOLING was disrupted at Bardale Primary School in Mfuleni after several learners collapsed – allegedly due to a spiritual calling. Provincial Education Department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the incident led to several learners being sent home for displaying adverse symptoms. “The school was disrupted yesterday (Monday). The incident revolved around an alleged spiritual calling. The WCED did provide counselling support to the school. A meeting was arranged between staff and parents at the school. Learners who were not feeling well were advised to stay at home. The learners need to address this with their parents and their spiritual healer according to their family rituals if required,” said Hammond. Hammond said schools must respect and acknowledge that all learners have different belief systems, however, the primary purpose of schools was academic…

Mining company’s activities must be probed Glencore has a lot to explain if the reports coming out of the US are anything to go by. The US Department of Justice made a dramatic announcement last month that Glencore pleaded guilty to and entered into a plea bargain to pay fines of more than $1.1 billion (R17bn) for bribery and market manipulation in several countries including the US itself, Brazil and seven African countries. South Africa was not mentioned as one of those countries, but there is a catch. The US Justice Department indicated that “fines from other jurisdictions are in the pipeline and Glencore has agreed to co-operate in continuing investigations”. Do we need to read anything else from the US statement, or must South Africans be content that…

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried to shore up his leadership yesterday by setting out a raft of new policies to ministers after he narrowly survived a confidence vote that revealed the scale of the threat to his position. Johnson won the ballot of Conservative Party MPs on Monday by 211 votes to 148 – enough to avoid having to immediately resign but a larger than anticipated rebellion within his party that leaves him wounded and battling to win back the confidence of his colleagues and the general public. His first challenge is to convince his most senior allies, some of whom would have been likely to run to replace him if he had been forced out, that he will be able to move on from questions about his leadership.…

LOS ANGELES: Elon Musk warned Twitter Inc that he might walk away from his $44 billion (R677bn) deal to acquire the social media company if it fails to provide the data on spam and fake accounts that he seeks. The warning, delivered in a letter from Musk’s lawyers to Twitter’s chief legal officer, Vijaya Gadde, accused Twitter of being in “material breach” of its deal obligations. Musk’s lawyers reiterated his request for details on bot accounts. Twitter said that it planned to enforce the completion of the deal on the agreed terms. Musk has said one of his priorities will be to remove “spam bots” from the platform. | Reuters…

LONDON: The UK must invest in research and treatment of the so-called long Covid-19 cases as about 2 million citizens are still struggling from side effects of the disease, the UK Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said yesterday. The RCN said that “very few” of UK long Covid-19 clinics within the NHS are engaging nurses with expertise in chronic conditions typical for coronavirus infection. About 71% of 2 million British residents suffering long Covid-19 said it was “adversely affecting their day-to-day activities,” the RCN said. Side effects include fatigue, breathlessness, muscle pain, brain fog, anxiety and depression. Some are unable to work or socialise…

Berlin: German police said yesterday they had opened an investigation on suspicion of criminally negligent homicide against three railway employees following a train derailment last week that cost five lives. The Upper Bavaria police department said prosecutors in the state capital of Munich had ordered the criminal probe over the crash of the packed regional train on Friday. The accident occurred near the Alpine resort Garmisch-Partenkirchen, an area gearing up to host the G7 summit in late June. The investigation is targeting three (national railway company) Deutsche Bahn staff members Police provided no further details.. | AFP…

US-based Bafana Bafana striker Bongokuhle Hlongwane has been living the American dream while making his mark in Major Soccer League for his club Minnesota United. The strong-running Hlongwane will be spearheading Bafana’s attack against Morocco in tomorrow’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Group K qualifier in Rabat (9pm kickoff). He is one of the players around which coach Hugo Broos is building a national team for the future. Although Hlongwane has been playing well and has established himself as a key player for Minnesota, he has not been able to score after 14 matches since he joined in January from Maritzburg United. He is always one of the club’s favourite picks for Minnesota’s marketing campaigns in the media. It’s somewhat strange for Minnesota fans because they had anticipated that the…

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has uncovered a scam that uses dead people’s IDs on the eNatis database to avoid paying what can be very high costs in terms of licences etc, says the Ministry in the Presidency. Briefing the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) on referrals made by the SIU, Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluations’ Jonathan Timm said the corruption-busting body had made a total of 41 187 referrals for administrative action in 2020-21 and 24 782 the following year – bringing the number to 65 969. He said a vast majority of referrals related to removal of deceased persons from the eNatis database. “There is an interesting story how the SIU identified a scam that utilises the transferring money owed to deceased ID numbers on eNatis…

THE Department of Home Affairs described the decision by Irish low-cost airline Ryanair to force South Africans travelling to the UK to take a test in Afrikaans as a backward profiling system. UK-bound travellers who were unable to complete the test will be refused travel, according to the airliner. This was done “due to the high prevalence of fraudulent South African passports. We require passengers travelling to the UK to fill out a simple questionnaire issued in Afrikaans. If they are unable to complete this questionnaire, they will be refused travel and issued with a full refund,” a spokesperson for the airline reportedly said. Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaled’s spokesperson Siya Qoza said the requirement was not the official position of the UK government. “We are taken aback by the…

“I FEAR for my life,” says a traumatised e-hailing driver who is finding it hard to return to duty after being involved in a robbery and attempted hijacking in Browns Farm, Philippi, recently. While tempers flare among communities related to attempted kidnappings and hijackings, the attacked e-hailing driver, who did not want to be named for fear of victimisation, said he fears for his life and his colleagues as their jobs have become “more dangerous” in recent months. Police confirmed that the incident is under investigation. The driver said he had picked up the passengers – one of whom had a broken arm – at hospital. “They told me it was their first time and they were unsure how to go about the booking. “They then begged me to…

THE Western Cape will receive 180 more police officers to be deployed across 10 police precincts for the next two years, plus 35 vehicles, in efforts to deal with crime hot spot areas. The recently-released crime statistics painted a grim picture, with the province recording an increase of 1 015 murders, 1 933 sexual offences and 6 032 of assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm. Police Minister Bheki Cele, joined by his deputy Cassel Mathale and other top cops, welcomed the new personnel, including crime scene investigators and VISPOL (Visible Police) yesterday in Belhar. Problematic areas that will benefit from the resources include Kraaifontein, Khayelitsha, Delft, Harare, Gugulethu, Nyanga and Philippi East. During a media briefing at the police provincial headquarters in Green Point earlier, Western Cape…

Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi either does not read, or she has a comprehension problem or is simply inept. Despite Judge Bernard Ngoepe’s judgment of April 4 that ordered News24 to issue a corrective statement, she still persists that Eskom skimped on planned maintenance to keep the lights on during my tenure. Despite Judge Ngoepe’s ruling, Kubayi said in an interview with Xoli Mngambi on Newzroom Afrika on June 2, in her capacity as economic head of the ANC Economic Transformation Committee, that Eskom’s problems are attributable to me. Interestingly, on the very same morning, Refilwe Moloto hosted Mr Shamil Ishmail on her CapeTalk breakfast show to talk about Prima- Research’s report titled “Shedding light on Eskom”. Ishmail is the director of PrimaResearch in Cape Town. Ishmail nailed…

NAMIBIAN medical doctor and poet Esperance Luvindao was recently named to Forbes Africa’s annual 30 Under 30 list. The list, now in its eighth year, features Africans under the age of 30 who are innovative entrepreneurs, tech geeks, sports stars, and influential creatives who contribute to the continent’s growth. The Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 list is the most anticipated annual compilation of game-changers in Africa, and for 2022, the team was on the hunt for 30 of the continent’s brightest achievers under the age of 30 from the categories of business, technology, creatives, sport, and science, particularly health. New categories include health/science, which honours front-line workers, particularly young professionals, entrepreneurs, and unlikely heroes who are reinventing Africa’s healthcare sector. On Monday, Luvindao said no words can adequately describe the…

LOS ANGELES: the heirs of an author whose article inspired the 1986 film Top Gun have sued Paramount Pictures for copyright infringement, according to court documents. Three decades after the blockbuster original, which was based on Ehud Yonay’s 1983 magazine article, “Top Guns”, about a fighter pilot training school, Paramount released a sequel last month that has topped North America’s box office. In their complaint filed to a California court, Shosh Yonay and Yuval Yonay, the writer’s widow and son who live in Israel, allege that the story’s copyright was returned to them in 2020, “but Paramount deliberately ignored this, thumbing its nose at the statute. The Yonays contend and Paramount denies that the 2022 sequel, like the 1986 film, is derived from the author’s story.” The Yonays are…

Islamabad: Pakistan’s polio eradication campaign is in disarray after an alarming jump in cases last week. Eight polio cases have now been reported in children over the past month in North Waziristan district, bordering Afghanistan. They are the first cases in more than a year. This new outbreak, officials believe, is due to parents falsely marking themselves and their children as vaccinated. A probe into the outbreak has been launched. North Waziristan is a former Taliban stronghold in northwest Pakistan, where high vaccine refusal rates are thought to be behind the new cases. “Fake markings and refusals are two key reasons in the recent outbreak.” | IANS…

Lara Goodall’s contribution with the bat in the second T20 international provided an apt illustration of the change in attitude the Proteas women brought to their overall performance to square the series with Ireland. In the first match at the Pembroke Cricket Club in Dublin, Goodall, tentatively pushed at the first delivery she faced from off-spinner Rachael Delaney and was out caught behind. In the second match, she slapped a six and four off the third and fourth deliveries she faced, setting the tone for the South Africans as they chased down the Irish’s meagre target of 107 for the loss of just two wickets with 30 balls to spare on Monday evening. “It wasn’t our best performance in that first match. Sune (Luus, the captain) sat us down,…