Índice para 2023-10-12 em Cape Times

Damage caused by infrastructure bottlenecks, load shedding and poor municipal service SOUTH Africa’s consumer goods industry has warned that the economy can no longer withstand the damage being caused by infrastructure bottlenecks, load shedding and poor municipal service delivery. The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) yesterday said the government needed to do the right things to fix the economy before the country runs out of runway. CGCSA co-chairpersons Gareth Ackerman and Johann Vorster sepa- rately said the cost of doing business had gone up as companies battle with a tough economic environment, which was affecting their ability to operate profitably, create value and invest for growth and employment creation. Ackerman, who is the chairperson of Pick n Pay Stores, said the government was failing to do…

Selected from 49 957 entries from 95 countries, the winners of the Natural History Museum’s prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition were revealed at an awards ceremony in South Kensington, London, this week. The flagship exhibition featuring the awarded images will open tomorrow at the Natural History Museum. French underwater photographer and marine biologist Laurent Ballesta was awarded Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023 for The golden horseshoe, described as an otherworldly image of a tri-spine horseshoe crab accompanied by a trio of golden trevallies. The crab has survived for more than 100 million years but now faces habitat destruction and overfishing for food and its blue blood, used in the development of vaccines. But, in the protected waters of Pangatalan Island in the Philippines, there is hope for…

Criminal experts say crime is startlingly high at the moment and historically an increase has been seen in certain crimes ahead of the festive season. Chad Thomas, organised and financial crime investigator from IRS Forensic Investigations, said SAPS had many crime battles on many fronts and its resources were stretched thin. Thomas said the police had to contend with violent zama zamas, as well as armed cash-in-transit gangs, and other well-equipped crime syndicates. Over the weekend in Gauteng, two violent CIT heists occurred but the one that set tongues wagging was on the N12 south of Joburg, where brazen criminals hijacked over four cars in about 30 minutes. The gang, filmed by civilians using cellphones, were armed to the teeth. This left SAPS and the Gauteng premier concerned. “It would…

Latest Census shows rising inequality among South Africa’s more than 62 million people ... and counting WHILE the black African population constituted the largest proportion in the country, accounting for 81.4% in the Census 2022, the high unemployment rate among this group, at 36.8%, has been described as a ticking time bomb in a country with a rapidly growing population. South Africa’s population increased from 51.7 million in 2011 to more than 62 million in 2022. After black Africans, coloureds made up the second-highest population group, at 8.2%, with whites declining to 7.3%, in 2022 from 8.9% in 2011, while Indians/Asians increased slightly from 2.5% in 2011 to 2.7% in 2022. Compared to their black African counterparts, the unemployment rate among white South Africans was 7.4% in the second…

The families of the two boys aged 4 and 6 who died after allegedly eating poisonous biscuits bought from a local spaza shop have slammed health authorities for depriving them closure. This is because, more than a week following the death of Leon Jele, 6, and Neo Khang, 4, their families are still unclear of the real cause of death. The Gauteng Department of Health said it was awaiting lab results which would indicate the real cause of death of the two boys. “The police are still investigating the matter and you may want to engage with them on the matter. On the general, samples that our team took are still outstanding as we are still waiting for the results,” the department said. Speaking during the funeral service held at…

SIYAHLALA informal settlement shack dwellers living along the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) central railway line in Langa will be relocated in February 2025. According to the Housing Development Agency (HDA), this was due to fund scarcity as the overall funding for the relocation plan would cost more than R117.6 million, excluding contingencies. This was reported to the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) yesterday during a virtual, joint presentation by Prasa, HDA, the City and the departments of Transport and Human Settlements. The meeting was to report on the progress made regarding the implementation of relocation plans for residents living on railway tracks in Langa, Philippi and Khayelitsha. The central line, once Cape Town’s busiest railway corridor, has not been operational since 2019 following vandalism and occupations. “There…

THE auditor-general’s work inspires hope, especially when the government of President Cyril Ramaphosa has given us every reason to feel like nothing seems to be functioning. While this may sound like applauding the fish for swimming, Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke’s team deserves recognition for shining the spotlight on how taxpayers’ hard-earned cash is spent. They do this every year without fail and with so much enthusiasm despite the many challenges they encounter in obtaining financial records from various government departments. A quick glance at her reports shows that the usual suspects have performed worse, instead of getting their house in order. Take for example what she had to say about the SABC and South African Post Office (Sapo), starting with the public broadcaster. Its finances were in such a mess that…

Republicans in the US House of Representatives met yesterday to choose between two candidates – Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan – to lead their narrow majority a week after a small group of dissidents ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy. As lawmakers gathered for the closed-door vote, neither candidate appeared to hold a clear advantage. Scalise, who is No 2 on the leadership ladder, has drawn the support of many veteran and establishment Republican lawmakers, while Jordan, an outspoken leader of the party’s right wing, had the backing of many conservatives. McCarthy could be in the mix as well, as he has not discouraged talk of a comeback, as could Patrick McHenry, the acting speaker. The secret-ballot vote is the start of what could be a long and messy process to…

The US Coast Guard has said that remaining debris and presumed human remains from the Titan submersible which imploded on an ill-fated trip to the Titanic in June, have been recovered by its engineers. The Coast Guard said that engineers “transferred Titan submersible debris and evidence from the North Atlantic Ocean seafloor on October 4”. “Additional presumed human remains were carefully recovered from within Titan’s debris and transported for analysis by US medical professionals,” a statement said. The Titan submersible and its five passengers began their descent to the 111-year-old wreckage of the Titanic on June 18. But about an hour and 45 minutes into its dive, the cramped vessel lost contact with its mother ship and did not surface as expected, kicking off a massive search and rescue operation.…

BRUSSELS: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy yesterday asked Nato allies for more weapons and air defences to tide his country through another wartime winter as it braces for a barrage of Russian attacks on power stations and other infrastructure. Amid the crisis in Israel, Zelenskiy made comparisons between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, and said Western military aid was crucial. The US announced a new $200 million (about R3.7 billion) defence package for Ukraine. Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Putin was “preparing once again to use winter as a weapon of war”. | Reuters…

NEW DELHI: The Booker prize-winning author Arundhati Roy faced prosecution in India for a speech about Kashmir she gave 13 years ago after a top official approved the move, reports said yesterday. A social activist from Kashmir filed a police complaint in 2010 following speeches by Roy and three others at a conference organised by a rights group, the reports said. Roy, a critic of India’s policy in Kashmir, is accused of saying that the disputed Himalayan territory was not an integral part of India. | Reuters…

I have been there, I have walked those roads, spied the alleys, seen the signs, felt the chill on cheekbones and nose, smelt the anticipation, heard words of challenge, spoken the rebuttal, experienced the cauldron with goosebumps standing at attention. And let me tell you, Sunday night is going to be extremely difficult. Indeed, I would go so far to argue that on a scale of accomplishments, beating France at the Stade de France might rank higher than the Springboks beating England in the Rugby World Cup final in Japan four years ago. That triumph had the advantage of being on neutral ground, where silencing the opposition’s support was set as a goal and accomplished. There will be no such quickening should the Boks have the upper hand during this…

MAKING a comeback next month after a pandemic hiatus, public art festival Infecting the City will once again give artists the opportunity to interact with their environment in a blend of visuals, sound and technology experiences. The free-of-charge festival musters the collaborative strengths of UCT’s Institute for the Creative Arts (ICA) with venues, institutes and organisations across the city. Curated by Professor Jay Pather, Nkgopoleng Moloi, Maganthrie Pillay and Themba Stewart, it will run for two weeks from November 15-19, and November 22-26. Pather, ICA director, said: “Infecting the City Public Art Festival has always been a modest, tentative, yet powerful looking-glass into a state of nation. Artists take up with great enthusiasm and rigour the possibility of interacting directly with an open space and an unpredictable audience. Consequently, the…

Energy experts say Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan needs to urgently address the leadership issues at Eskom so the power utility can tackle the load-shedding crisis in the country. They were commenting after the surprise announcement on Monday that Mpho Makwana, Eskom’s board chairperson, had stepped down. He will step down at the annual general meeting at the end of this month after a year on the job. The Department of Public Enterprises announced that Mteto Nyati would be appointed as chairperson. Eskom’s acting CEO Calib Cassim’s term ends in December which would leave the power utility without a permanent CEO. Energy expert Chris Yelland said the fact that there had been so many leadership changes at Eskom meant the power utility had major issues. “Eskom is at a…

THE criminal trial against accused fraudster and ex-fugitive, Riccardo Spagni, went ahead in the Cape Town Regional Court yesterday, where the court heard cross-examination of the Cape Cookies former finance manager, Dekker Keuler. Keuler, a State witness was questioned about documents he had furnished to the police investigating officer during 2018. It was Keuler’s submissions that the documents he had submitted related to invoices that were issued before he started working at the company, and when a request was made for the documents, he compiled a "short schedule" that was to assist in the criminal investigation. Spagni’s legal team grilled Keuler on whether the invoices he had given to the investigation officer were "originals" or copies of the originals. Keuler maintained that it was his opinion, due to specific markings…

It is going to be a battle of egos when South Africa meets Australia in their crunch ICC World Cup clash in Lucknow today, according to Proteas star batter Quinton de Kock. The Proteas and Australia share a storied rivalry, even more so at World Cups, with the Aussies holding sway in two semi-finals back in 1999 and 2007. But more recently, it has been the Proteas that have held the upper hand, winning the 2019 World Cup tie in Manchester, and being victorious in 15 of the 20 bilateral ODIs the teams have contested over the past few years. There is certainly not much love lost between the two sides, though, especially after the infamous ‘Sandpapergate’ scandal that broke out during the Newlands Test in 2018 – when three…

CHILD protection organisation Molo Songololo has welcomed the sentence imposed on a child groomer and convicted rapist after he committed crimes on children between 7 and 12 years old. The 49-year-old father of three daughters, who claims to be a born-again Christian and has been married for 14 years, targeted children who visited his daughter. He was sentenced to 30 years’ direct imprisonment by the Vredenburg Regional Court. Molo Songololo director Patric Solomons said the conviction and sentence were a step in the right direction. “We are pleased that the courts are taking offences against children seriously. “Grooming is an offence that is serious in our communities and needs to be rooted out. “Children are being groomed and we are pleased that the courts are starting to wake up and…

Recognising the selfless sacrifice of dedicated activist against gender-based violence and crime, Roegshanda Pascoe, a colleague has started a BackaBuddy campaign to raise funds in aid of securing a safe haven for the mother of three and her family. From Manenberg, Pascoe explained that she has been living across the province since 2019 in rented homes and B&Bs among others, for her safety, with the financial support of an international organisation. This comes after she had testified in the criminal trial of an alleged gang leader and his co-accused. She had to leave her home a day before the trial was set to start after it came under fire from gunmen. At the time, she had not applied for witness protection from the state, citing the long process, and that…

There is an urgent need to put in place a solid system of health to allow African populations better access to care. But, there are barriers to health-care in Africa. Marginalised and vulnerable and groups may experience problems accessing health care. The main barriers are related to the shortage of health-care professionals, access to transport, underfunded health-care systems, lack of health insurance, financial constraints, language barriers, disabilities, stigma linked to diseases such as TB and HIV/Aids, high disease burden, high rural density with limited resources, etc. Limited access to health services impacts the health outcomes of individuals and communities in Africa. Lack of health insurance can impact health outcomes. This method of financing is only accessible to a limited proportion of citizens who can afford it. Chronic illnesses (non-communicable diseases)…

Niger’s post-coup military regime has ordered the UN co-ordinator in the country to leave within 72 hours, blaming “obstacles” by the world body to its international recognition. It comes a day after the US cut off more than $500 million (R9.4 billion) in assistance to Niger and as France begins withdrawing troops after they were also ordered out of the country. The Nigerien foreign ministry said in a statement, seen by AFP yesterday but dated on Tuesday, that the government was expelling Louise Aubin, the UN’s resident and humanitarian co-ordinator, stating she should “take all necessary measures to leave Niamey within 72 hours”. The regime pointed to “obstacles” which it said were presented by UN Secretary-General António Guterres “with a view to thwarting the full and complete participation of Niger”…

KABUL: A strong earthquake rattled Afghanistan’s western province of Herat yesterday, forcing authorities to redeploy relief and rescue teams already in the field following a series of deadly quakes on Saturday. One person has been confirmed dead and 116 injured. Provincial officials said hundreds of homes had been destroyed. The office of Herat’s governor said some areas had suffered “huge losses”. Saturday’s tremors killed at least 2 400 people and injured more than 2 000, the Taliban-run government said. The German Research Centre for Geosciences said the latest quake was a magnitude 6.3, and occurred at a depth of 10km. In the central district of Rubat Sangi, at least 200 homes were destroyed. | Reuters…

Helsinki: It will take at least five months to repair a Finland-Estonia gas pipeline, its operator said yesterday, which will leave Finland totally dependent on liquefied natural gas imports for the winter. The repair estimate came a day after Finnish authorities said they suspected the leak that caused the weekend shutdown of the Balticconnector pipeline was caused by “external” activity, although they added it seemed unlikely that explosives were the cause. Last year a series of underwater blasts ruptured three pipelines that carried natural gas from Russia to Western Europe, at a time of high geopolitical tensions as Moscow cut gas supplies to Europe. | AFP…

Nairobi: Britain’s King Charles III faced calls yesterday to apologise for colonial-era atrocities in Kenya when he visits the country later this month. Buckingham Palace said Charles and his wife Queen Camilla will visit the East African nation from October 31 to November 3, his first trip to a Commonwealth country since becoming king last year, and his fourth official visit to Kenya. Buckingham Palace said the visit was aimed at celebrating the “warm relationship” between the two countries as Kenya prepares to mark the 60th anniversary of independence from Britain in December. Britain agreed in 2013 to compensate more than 5 000 Kenyans who had suffered abuse during a 1952-1960, revolt, in a deal worth nearly £20 million. | AFP…

FROM a humble contemporary dance studio in Longmarket Street in 1973 to a dynamic company that has left an indelible mark on the contemporary dance landscape, the Jazzart Dance Theatre’s 50 Years of Dance Celebratory Festival comes to a close this week. The festival showcases a host of national and international guest companies and artists, featuring Jazzart’s young, energetic and ambitious students and professional company of dancers, along with specially invited guests from around the country. Week two of the festival this week features a final collaboration between Jazzart, Cape Town Opera, the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and the Phoenix Dance Theatre, performing the new critically acclaimed five-star production of Requiem: Journeys of the Soul, which has been choreographed and directed by Jazzart’s artistic director, Dane Hurst, with music by…

CONVICTED killer and rapist Thabo Bester claimed Advocate Dali Mpofu SC and Advocate Zandile Mshololo were part of his legal team. Mpofu has been representing high-profile cases such as former president Jacob Zuma and former public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane. Mshololo is currently representing accused number 5 in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial. Bester’s case has been transferred to the Bloemfontein High Court, and that trial is expected to start on February 21. Bester’s lawyer Kabelo Matee alleged that telephonic conversations between attorneys and clients are being recorded, apparently by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), while attorney client privilege stipulates that this is not allowed. Bester said some of the information that he shared with his attorneys is quite private, and it is information that has to do with this…

PARLIAMENT has acceded to the SABC board’s request to present in a closed session its short-term strategy to overcome its financial challenges. The public broadcaster appeared before the communications and digital portfolio committee yesterday to account on its 2022/23 annual report, its R3.2 billion bailout and the turnaround plan implemented since 2019. Committee chairperson Boyce Maneli said the board wanted to take the committee into confidence on matters that have “commercial sensitive information”. He said there was nothing untoward about it. “Given the challenges in the SABC, this committee has said itself that everything else has to be done to give support to the SABC so that it does not collapse on our hands. “You need a stronger SABC to deliver on its mandate, so one regards this request for…

The murder of two men in Nyanga has brought the number of reported killings to 12 people in just four days in separate incidents across the city this week. In the most recent incident, two men aged 29 and 31 were shot and killed in Hani Crescent, Unathi. It is alleged that a vehicle stopped in front of a premises and the occupants charged straight at the victims, firing multiple gunshots. This followed a spate of shootings in which four people were shot and killed in Hout Bay on Saturday, and two triple murders in Heinz Park on Saturday. Nyanga Community Police Forum (CPF) secretary Dumisani Qwebe said residents were still in shock. “The police have assured us that they will follow all leads and ensure that all those responsible…

A MANHUNT was launched last night for five awaiting trial prisoners who overpowered and disarmed a police official at Athlone Magistrate’s Court, before escaping on foot. Six suspects were being transferred back to prison just before 2pm yesterday when they managed to flee. Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said one of the six escapees was rearrested, while the others, who were still at large, were deemed armed and dangerous, having been charged with murder, attempted murder, assault, aggravated robberies and possession of stolen property. “The Anti-Gang Unit is spearheading a search for (five) awaiting trial prisoners who escaped from the Athlone Magistrate’s Court holding cells (yesterday) as they were about to be transported to a correctional holding facility following their respective court appearances earlier,” Pojie said. “Preliminary investigation suggests that the…

The way out of chaos is preservation of the rule of law in the face of criminality THE unprotected and violent strike in the City of Tshwane raises an important question for the rest of the country: do democratically elected leaders still have a chance to make the difficult decisions that are necessary in order to turn around troubled institutions? Or will they be vetoed by powerful interest groups such as public sector unions? Seen in this light, the labour dispute in Tshwane, characterised by armed attacks on staff, the burning of refuse trucks, and the sabotage of services and infrastructure, is not simply about salary increases, but is rather about the rule of law and the ability of governments to carry out a democratic mandate. Salary increases are not…

As Israel kept bombing Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a political rival announced an emergency government for the duration of the conflict. The veteran right-wing leader was joined by the centrist Benny Gantz, a former defence minister, in the govern- ment and war cabinet as both put aside bitter political divisions that have roiled the country and sparked mass protests. Their joint announcement came after Israeli soldiers sweeping battle- torn southern towns said they had found 1 200 victims five days after the Islamist militants’ onslaught, the worst attack in Israel’s 75-year history. Gaza officials reported more than 1 000 people were killed in Israel’s withering campaign of air and artillery strikes on the crowded Palestinian enclave, where black smoke billowed into the…

BRITISH businesses are seeking government help as shops suffer an unprecedented number of thefts and violence by criminal gangs, addicts and people struggling with a cost-of-living crisis. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) says shoplifting is up 27% this year in 10 of the country’s largest cities, a phenomenon also affecting the US and France, which suffered a 15% rise in 2022. The situation in Britain has caused the BRC to demand that police and local mayors do more to protect retail workers. Following this, 88 bosses of UK retailers, including the heads of supermarket giant Tesco, Boots pharmacy chain and stationery business WHSmith, jointly wrote to the government, demanding measures to tackle the fallout. “We are writing to ask you to take action to support our colleagues, who continue to…

Frankfurt: Germany’s federal anti-discrimination agency (Fada) said yesterday that it was quitting X, formerly Twitter, because of “an enormous rise” in hate speech. Hateful comments and disinformation had “increased particularly” since Elon Musk took over ownership of the platform last year, Fada wrote on X. Previously blocked far-right accounts have been reactivated and the option to buy verification ticks has allowed “troll factories” to increase their reach and spread propaganda, Fada added. More than 160 rabbis, artists and leaders of Jewish organisations also recently called out the growing anti-Semitic discourse on X, Fada noted. | AFP…

HOUSTON: Nasa was yesterday to provide a first peek for the public at what scientists found inside a tightly sealed canister that was returned to Earth last month carrying the largest soil sample ever scooped up from the surface of an asteroid. The material collected by the OSRIS-REx spacecraft three years ago from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu was to be unveiled at Nasa’s Johnston Space Center in Houston, a little more than two weeks after it was parachuted into the Utah desert. The landing of the return capsule capped a six-year mission of the US space agency and University of Arizona. It was only the third asteroid sample, and the biggest, ever returned to Earth. | Reuters…

Kenya’s freshly-minted marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum says he has “no plan” to try and run under the mythical two-hour mark. Kiptum was speaking in Nairobi on Tuesday, back home 48 hours after slicing 34 seconds off the previous best time set by compatriot Eliud Kipchoge. Only 23 and competing in just his third marathon, Kiptum lit up the streets of Chicago on Sunday to clock 2hr 35sec. “I’ve got no plan to run under two hours, but only to improve my own record,” said Kiptum, who had won on his debut over the 42.195km distance last December in Valencia, doubling up in London in April. Kiptum was tearing up the marathon record books one month after Kipchoge celebrated his fifth win in the Berlin Marathon, where he had established…