Cape Times 2023-12-20

COMMUNICATIONS and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele has come to the defence of the SABC Bill being processed by Parliament. Gungubele said the bill was geared at addressing the challenges faced by the public broadcaster and ensuring its sustainability. DA MP Natasha Mazzone had submitted a parliamentary question asking how the bill would resolve the SABC’s financial shortfalls. Mazzone noted that the proposed legislation would mandate the minister and their finance counterpart with a new funding model, but not the board of directors. In reply, Gungubele said: “One key aspect of the bill is to provide the SABC with greater flexibility in television content procurement that will enable it to compete more effectively and offer a wider range of entertainment options. “Through the commercial subsidiary with exclusive commercial licence…

A REGISTERED psychiatrist charged with unprofessional conduct for allegedly failing to attend to a patient in an emergency, after which the patient had died by suicide, turned to court as she does not want to be forced to testify before a body looking into her conduct. The psychiatrist, referred to as Dr MT, turned to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, to have a decision of the Professional Conduct Committee of the Health Professions Council of South Africa overturned. After the committee had presented its case against the doctor, it was her turn to present her defence. That meant she was required to testify about what had happened. The psychiatrist made it clear that she wanted to remain silent. Her legal team asked the committee for her discharge, meaning she would…

A cellphone location has placed a murder-accused at George Lea Park in Sandton on the morning Kirsten Kluyts was raped and murdered. According to evidence presented by the State in the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court yesterday, the murder-accused was at the location in Sandton at 7.35am on October 29. The evidence was revealed at the bail application of the student, 21, accused of killing the Sandton teacher. This evidence contradicts his version of events, where he claims he only arrived at the scene after 9am. Kluyts, 34, a teacher at Delta Park High, was found murdered at the George Lea Recreational Park in Parkmore, Sandton, on October 29. She had participated in an athletic event on the day. It was also revealed in court that she was 14 weeks pregnant at…

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has ruled out the possibility of the National Treasury writing off consumers’ debt owed to municipalities and Eskom, saying it was up to the power utility and councils to do so. Godongwana made his stance known in reply to written parliamentary questions from EFF MP Eugene Mthethwa who enquired if the minister had considered writing off debt for poor people who were deeply indebted to municipalities to such an extent that some have lived for long periods without electricity because of the confiscated Eskom transformers in their areas. Mthethwa noted that Godongwana pronounced to write off Eskom electricity bills of indebted municipalities. Earlier this year, the government invited municipalities to apply for debt relief for arrears debt to Eskom. The plan was to write off the…

ActionSA claims agreement was signed with company that was among council’s top debtors The Knysna Municipality has been hauled to the Office of the Public Protector over alleged maladministration relating to the approval of a lease agreement with a business that apparently already owed it R28 million. ActionSA lodged a complaint with the public protector, requesting urgent intervention to look into alleged misconduct. The investigation comes as reports emerged recently that the municipality faces an unprecedented financial crisis that’s been affecting service delivery. However, the municipality maintained that its finances were not in trouble. In the request for urgent intervention, ActionSA’s constituency head in Knysna, Julie Seton, said their complaint pertained to potential misconduct by the municipal manager, Ombali Sebola. “Despite continuous appeals from ActionSA, the Western Cape provincial government…

Congratulations to Paull Lawrence of Pinelands who won last week’s competition. The correct answers to the questions were: Photograph 1: B Pretoria Castle was the vessel shown and later became SA Oranje. Photograph 2: C SAS Tafelberg was originally East Asiatic Company’s Annam. Photograph 3: A Queen Mary 2 undertook her maiden trans-Atlantic voyage in 2004. Photograph 4: A MSC Splendida is operating in South African waters. Photograph 5: D Five oil-fired steam harbour tugs entered service in South African ports between 1951 and 1961 – FT Bates (Cape Town); AM Campbell (Durban); Danie Hugo (Cape Town); FC Sturrock and JR More (Durban). All were built in Ferguson Brothers’ Clydeside shipyard. Photograph 6: C Verge was one of 11 Unicorn vessels built in Durban. The only prize I have won…