Índice para 2022-10-03 em Cape Times

A USUAL trip to my local gas stockist a week ago left me frustrated and disappointed. I had been used to experiencing localised gas stockouts over winter for the past few years, but my local gas stockist informed me that his supplier has told him that this would be resolved, as there will be multiple sources of supply of gas as a result of new import facilities coming online to resolve the supply issues. This year in particular, we relied heavily on gas for our cooking and heating needs, especially over winter. But this year my experience is that it has been exceptionally difficult to get gas, as a result of the continued supply issues that I was informed about from my local stockist. I even tried alternative stockists, but…

INDONESIAN President Joko Widodo has called for a thorough investigation into the tragedy that claimed more than 120 fans at a football match in East Java province, following a stampede. Thousands of angry football fans of Arema FC rushed onto the pitch at the Kanjuruhan stadium in the Javanese region of Malang on Saturday, after their team lost 3-2 to Persebaya Surabaya. Authorities fired tear-gas at supporters of the losing side to calm down the crowd, which led to a deadly stampede. At least 125 people died and more than 100 people were injured, with 11 of them in a critical condition, according to the vice-governor of Indonesia's East Java, Emil Dardak. An East Java police spokesperson however said 323 people were injured, up from the initial count of 180.…

Named in his honour, retired Justice Albie Sachs received a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by former US first lady Michelle Obama at the Clooney Foundation Gala hosted by George and Amal Clooney, co-founders of The Clooney Foundation for Justice, and Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation. Revered for his heroic commitment to ending apartheid in South Africa, the Albie Awards honours courageous defenders of justice who put themselves at great risk. Justice Sachs was honoured with a lifetime achievement award on September 29, while Filipino journalist Maria Ressa was honoured with the Justice for Journalists award; iAct, an organisation that supports survivors of genocide in refugee camps, received the Justice for Survivors award. The Belarusian human rights group Viasna was awarded the Justice for Democracy Defenders award,…

For whale enthusiasts, Hermanus was the place to be as thousands flocked to the town to celebrate the welcoming of the mammals, those lucky enough catching a glimpse of the majestic ocean giants this weekend. The popular fun fest, which officially opened on Thursday night, kicked off the whale-watching season, the first since the Covid-19 outbreak. The heartbeat of the whale festival, the Eco-Marine Tent, has become the biggest attraction. Informative and entertaining, with a focused appeal to children, adults and anyone who cares about preserving the ocean wildlife. With its wide range of eco & marine-related environmental exhibitions, the aim of the Eco-Marine Tent and the Hermanus Whale Festival is to inspire visitors through informative, colourful, interactive displays, films, music, arts and food and informative…

FORMER urban development mayco member Brett Herron says getting the City to sell the Salt River Market site for social housing was “mission accomplished”. This after his complaint against the City with the office of the public protector was turned down on Friday. Acting Public Protector advocate Kholeka Gcaleka said that Herron’s complaint lodged in 2019, alleging that the City’s immovable property adjudication committee (IPAC) “unreasonably delayed and obstructed the consideration of the disposal of the site to avoid it being disposed of for social housing, is not supported by the facts and applicable legal prescripts”. Herron had claimed in his complaint that several of the erven that make up the site known as the Salt River Market site were identified as suitable for social housing in 2012. The site…

ON SATURDAY energy prices rose for millions of British households as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite and the country faces a bitterly cold winter exacerbated by the twin threat of a resurgent Omicron infection wave, and the competing seasonal flu virus trying to reclaim its winter pathogen pole position. The reality is that for consumers all over including South Africans, 2022 continues to be an annus horribilis, forcing households to make choices, some of which could be life threatening because they can’t afford the basic necessities of food and fuel due to the dramatic rises in prices caused by the disruptions of the lingering pandemic, the Ukraine conflict and global economic shocks such as rising inflation, subdued GDP growth and the economic slowdown in China. In the UK, the…

DAKAR: France’s army has had no involvement in recent events in Burkina Faso, the French embassy in the capital Ouagadougou said on Saturday, a day after President Paul-Henri Damiba was ousted in a coup. The embassy said it was issuing its statement in response to reports circulating on social media. Burkina Faso army Captain Ibrahim Traore announced on national televison on Friday that he had ousted military leader Damiba in the second coup this year in the troubled nation. It marks the sixth military power grab in just over two years in West and Central Africa, a region that over the last decade had made strides to shed its reputation as a “coup belt”, only for persistent insecurity and corruption to open the door to military leaders. In January, Burkina…

The death toll from a suicide bombing on a Kabul classroom has risen to 35 and 85 wounded, the UN said at the weekend, as Shia Hazara women who bore the brunt of the attack staged a defiant protest against the “genocide” of their minority community. On Friday, a suicide attacker blew himself up in a Kabul study hall as hundreds of pupils were taking tests in preparation for university entrance exams in the city’s Dasht-e-Barchi area. The western neighbourhood is a predominantly Shia Muslim enclave and home to the minority Hazara community – a historically oppressed group that has been targeted in some of Afghanistan’s most brutal attacks in recent years. Meanwhile on Saturday, dozens of Hazara women defied a Taliban ban on rallies to protest the latest bloodshed…

Managua: The Nicaraguan foreign ministry has announced a break of diplomatic ties with the Netherlands over interference in Nicaraguan affairs by Dutch ambassador to Central America Christine Pirenne. On Friday, the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, condemned Dutch interference in the country’s affairs and said that he did not want relations with “this interventionist government” because Pirenne came to talk to Nicaraguans “as if Nicaragua were a Dutch colony”. The US ambassador, Hugo Rodriguez, and EU ambassador, Bettina Muscheidt, have also been barred entry for showing a lack of respect for the country’s sovereignty.…

Russia was diplomatically isolated even more at the weekend after President Vladimir Putin annexed four Moscow-held areas of Ukraine with Kyiv condemning the move and vowing to retake the territories. Putin staged a grand ceremony in the Kremlin on Friday to celebrate the annexation, hours after shelling killed 30 people in Ukraine’s southern region of Zaporizhzhia. “I want to say this to the Kyiv regime and its masters in the West: People living in Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are becoming our citizens forever,” Putin said. The four annexed territories create a crucial land corridor between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014. Together, the five regions make up around 20% of Ukraine, where forces in recent weeks have been clawing back territory. Washington announced “severe”…

ORLANDO Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns proved they are part and parcel of South African football royalty after going toe-to-toe on Saturday. In the previous seasons, it was quite rare to see the traditional big three, Pirates, Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs, progress to the semi-finals of MTN8. So, when Pirates and Sundowns were drawn against each other in the semis this season, the tie was dubbed a “final before the final” given their form in the Premiership. And they lived up to expectations in the first leg all right - with the only missing piece being goals, as they played put to a pulsating 0-0 draw. Sundowns came into the match as clear favourites, considering they are also the defending champions and have huge depth in their squad. But they…

ACTING Public Protector advocate Kholeka Gcaleka has made scathing findings against the then DA-led Knysna Municipality. She said the municipality’s actions constituted maladministration when awarding an almost R3 million integrated strategic development framework (ISDF) tender to a local consortium who had not scored the highest points or bid the lowest price during the tender evaluation process. Gcaleka issued the municipality with an intervention letter relating to the awarding of the tender in 2013, saying it was issued not in accordance with the relevant laws and prescripts that regulate the procurement of goods and services by the municipality. “The conduct of the municipality in this regard was therefore improper conduct and constituted maladministration, resulting in irregular expenditure,” Gcaleka said. The tender had been part of a 30-year plan to rejuvenate the…

COMMUNITY activists have urged the City and the SAPS to strengthen their fight against the kidnappings and extortion currently gripping Cape Town, the latest victim being Ukrainian Anichka Penev (35). She is the wife of Simeon Penev, owner of Nioro Plastics, and her kidnappers have reportedly issued a ransom following her abduction outside Nioro Plastics in Blackheath on Thursday. Leaked CCTV footage shows her surrounded by two vehicles and then forced out of her yellow sports car by a group of men who then shove her into a getaway car. The incident happened the same day that the family of 8-year-old Lukhololwam Mkontwana confirmed that the body found behind Isiqalo informal settlement near Mitchells Plain last week was his. The child went missing about a week ago while playing…

A SENIOR Oudtshoorn municipal official is expected to appear in the town’s magistrate’s court today for allegedly sexual assaulting a colleague whom he apparently promised a higher post. Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said the Oudtshoorn Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) was investigating after the 37-year-old employee approached the police. “It is alleged the suspect accosted the victim in his office at about 9am on Tuesday, September 27, promising her a higher position and touched the complainant inappropriately. “The investigation led to the arrest of a 40-year-old suspect. He remains in custody and is expected to make his first court appearance in the Oudtshoorn Magistrate’s Court on October 3 (today) on the charge.” Oudtshoorn Municipality did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.…

THE government needs to come up with a workable solution in order to prevent the looming public service strike from going ahead. It is very clear for everyone to see that any strike action is likely to have a negative impact on the country’s already crippled economic outlook. Government workers believe that the 3% increase tabled by the employer is an “insult” considering how the cost of living has rocketed in recent years. Tomorrow could prove to be a decisive day in the government workers’ wage negotiations, as some unions have threatened to go on strike if their demands are not met. The 12 unions representing those employed by the state are expected to make their stance known to the Public Service Bargaining Council. It is true that the cost…

BRASILIA: Brazilian leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, pictured, maintained a solid lead going into the presidential race against far-right incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro and appeared within sight of an outright victory, a fresh poll showed on Saturday. Brazil’s most polarised election in decades will decide whether to return to power a former president who spent time in jail for corruption, a conviction which was later quashed, or a right-wing populist who has attacked the voting system and threatened to contest defeat. A CNT/MDA poll said Lula would win 48.3% of the votes, putting him statistically within reach of taking half of the votes, which would avoid a run-off. If no one among the 11 candidates gets more than 50% of the votes, excluding blank and spoiled ballots, the…

DOHA: The government of Kuwait tendered its resignation to Emir Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah following the results of the snap parliamentary elections, the Kuna news agency reported on Saturday. On Friday, the electoral commission announced the results of Thursday’s vote, which was meant to break the gridlock between the government and the 50-member National Assembly. Only 12 lawmakers managed to retain their seats in the new parliament. Since September 2020, the oil-rich country has seen the resignation of four governments because of disputes between ministers and lawmakers. |…

NEW DELHI: Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, on Saturday launched 5G services in the country. Users will be able to enjoy 5G services in a couple of weeks. The network will not only offer faster internet speed to users but also help offer support to the federal and state governments in disaster management and agriculture, among others. Modi said that it was a historic day for 21st century India. “5G technology will revolutionise the telecom sector. 5G is a knock on the doors of a new era in the country.” He also said that the cost of internet data in India was among the lowest in the world. |…

THE 175 000 surgical backlogs across South Africa’s healthcare facilities has meant that cancer patients requiring mastectomies and related operations could wait up to two years for their life-saving surgeries. As the Western Cape Department of Health is leading with a 77 139 surgical backlog, it has procured two surgical robots at a cost of R80 million in efforts to reduce the recovery time and allow patients to be discharged earlier. Provincial health spokesperson Mark van der Heever said their department recognised the need to reduce the elective surgery backlog and have allocated an additional R20 million from internal prioritisation of funds to deal with the backlogs. Van der Heever said they had also increased day surgery activities as far as possible. “In June 2022, the Western Cape reported a…

WESTERN Cape health MEC Professor Nomafrench Mbombo has accused Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla of leaving the province behind in his announcement of hospitals to be exempted from load shedding. The hospitals included in Phaahla’s list are: the Red Cross War Memorial Hospital, Groote Schuur Hospital, and Tygerberg Hospital yet none of these were submitted by the provincial team, according to Mbombo. These hospitals have had exemptions in place for up to Stage 6, as part of an agreement with the City, which has been placed for at least four years. Mbombo held an urgent media briefing on Friday afternoon to discuss the impact of what was called the “virtually non-exemption of hospitals in the Western Cape”. She said there was a request for 10 healthcare facilities including the large…

SOUTH Africa’s re-election as a member of the governing council following the plenary vote at the 41st International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Assembly on Saturday is not only a victory for the country but for the continent as well, as the position means the country will continue to lead, support, and execute the objectives and mandates as set by the ICAO statutes. This is according to Transport Deputy Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga who is leading the South African delegation in Montreal, Canada, after the country garnered 151 votes, the fourth highest in Part II of the voting to retain the council seat first gained in 2003. Chikunga said: “Our contribution to the world in the sector speaks volumes just as the voting showed. “South Africa will continue playing a role…

IN A major victory for under-attack bus company Intercape, the Eastern Cape High Court has found that former MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe “acted unlawfully” when she directed the company to enter into negotiations with the minibus taxi industry, and suspend its services in certain towns in the province pending the outcome of these negotiations. The bus company had hauled the Eastern Cape government and Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula to the high court in Makhanda, having been subjected to brutal attacks, including the killing of one of its drivers to try to force it into giving in to the demands of the taxi industry. They wanted an urgent intervention to compel the government to act to stop the ongoing campaign of violence directed at Intercape and other long-distance coach companies by…

Through activism they must find the tools to disrupt the dominant narrative I TAKE my academic stance and inspiration from the late UCT Professor Bongani Mayosi, who said: “There is no point in publishing papers if they cannot be translated into better treatments, better survival, better quality of life and longer life for the people of South Africa.” My intention is not to present yet another conference paper that will collect dust. But rather to put forward five governance implementation questions. You see, the problem in our country is not policy. Our problem is implementation. Political commentator Justice Malala said: “We are a nation of talkers, not doers, of politicians, not entrepreneurs. We analyse problems brilliantly; we solve them poorly. We are a nation of great policies, but of little…

Deadly Hurricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms to hit the US, continued dumping rain on parts of the country on Saturday, but was beginning to wind down yesterday after walloping Florida. The National Hurricane Centre said Ian made landfall on Friday afternoon near Georgetown, South Carolina, as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds 140km/h. It was later downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone as it passed through North Carolina. As for storm-ravaged Florida, President Joe Biden said: “We’re just beginning to see the scale of the destruction.” “It’s likely to rank among the worst in the nation’s history,” he said of Ian, which barrelled into Florida’s southwest coast on Wednesday as a Category 4 storm, a tick shy of the most powerful on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale.…

Lebanon said on Saturday that it had received a letter from US envoy Amos Hochstein containing an “offer” on a maritime border deal with Israel that could settle competing claims over offshore gas fields. Prime Minister Najib Mikati met with US ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea “who delivered a written offer from the US mediator”, the premier’s office said, without elaborating. President Michel Aoun contacted Mikati and parliament speaker Nabih Berri to discuss ways to follow up on the “offer” and deliver Lebanon’s response “as quickly as possible”, the presidency said. Lebanon and Israel, whose border is UN-patrolled, have no diplomatic relations. They had resumed maritime border negotiations in 2020, but the process was stalled by Beirut’s claim that the map used by the UN in the talks needed modifying.…

The Hague: Equatorial Guinea is in a battle with France at the UN’s top court over a confiscated Paris mansion and other assets, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said. France’s top appeals court upheld the conviction last year of the West African nation’s vice president, Teodorin Obiang, and the confiscation of luxury properties allegedly accumulated with illegally obtained funds. One of the seized properties is a building on the upscale Avenue Foch in Paris, which the ICJ had ruled in 2020 was not diplomatic property and therefore eligible to be confiscated by France. But Equatorial Guinea has now lodged a new case to reclaim the property. |…

Sarajevo: With ethnic divisions growing deeper, Bosnia held general elections yesterday amid secession threats and fears of fresh political turmoil nearly three decades after war ravaged the Balkan nation. The country is torn between secessionist Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats demanding greater autonomy and Muslim Bosniaks who want a more egalitarian state. For more than two decades, the impoverished Balkan state has been governed by a dysfunctional administrative system born out of the 1995 Dayton Agreement. And while the accords may have succeeded in ending the war in the 1990s, the country has withered amid political paralysis ever since. |…

India 237/3 (Yadav 61, Rahul 57, Kohli 49*, Sharma 43, Maharaj 2/23) South Africa 221/3 (Miller 106*, De Kock 69*, Markram 33) India won by 16 runs and win three-match T20I series 2-0 The Proteas arrived in India as genuine contenders for the ICC T20 World Cup championship belt that will be up for grabs in Australia later this month. Coach Mark Boucher pushed out his chest prior to the series about how his team boasted the best win percentage in T20I cricket for the past two years, and that selecting the best XI from a power-packed squad was his biggest conundrum. But after going two rounds with Rohit Sharma’s heavyweights, the Proteas have been left with a nosebleed. David Miller, who became the South Africa’s highest-ever T20I run-scorer,…