Sommaire pour 2021-07-01 de Cape Times

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za PRIVATE sector loans continued to remain in contractionary territory for the third month in May as corporates and households reduced taking credit on Covid-19-induced activity. Data from the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) yesterday showed that private sector credit fell 0.42 percent year-on-year in May, following a deep decline of 1.76 percent in April. This decline was better than market expectations of 0.9 percent. SARB said the ease was primarily due to corporate credit, which contracted 5 percent year-on-year in May following a sharp 6.7 percent slump in April. South African businesses have remained reluctant to take on more credit as uncertainties over the economic outlook remain due to rising Covid-19 cases and lockdown restrictions. In contrast, household credit extension continued an upward trend, growing by a…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za Acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane has come to the defence of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority after it came under attack from the EFF. This was after the EFF marched on the Sahpra offices last Friday, where it demanded that Sputnik and Sinovac be registered. The party accused chairperson of Sahpra Professor Helen Rees of a conflict of interest and that she was behind the delay by Sahpra to register the vaccines from Russia and China. But Kubayi-Ngubane yesterday denied the allegations and said she had looked into the matter. She said it was not useful to personalise issues at Sahpra when decisions were not taken by individuals. Kubayi-Ngubane said Sahpra was doing its work in the manner that it was supposed to do. Deputy…

From page 1 since it started hearing evidence related to state capture in August 2018. The commission has spent almost R1 billion to conduct its work, heard 418 days of oral evidence, recorded over 71 000 pages of transcripts and interacted with about 339 witnesses to date. “The importance of the work by the commission cannot be measured in rands and cents. It’s about strengthening our democracy and accountability. “The amount has been used reasonably and for important and necessary work,” Justice Zondo said.…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za THE Gauteng Finance and e-Government Department must institute disciplinary proceedings against two senior officials for the irregular awarding of a R30 million cybersecurity contract. Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has ordered Cyril Baloyi, the head of the department, to discipline acting information and communications technology deputy director-general Khuliso Muthivhi and supply chain management director Noma-Afrika Koyana for their role in the debacle that saw the request for quotations (RFQ) advertised after 5pm on March 25 last year, inviting responses by 10am the following day. Disciplinary action against Muthivhi and Koyana must be taken within 30 days, Mkhwebane ordered yesterday. The contract was then awarded to In2IT Technologies on March 30, 2020, just after 10am and the company was informed through an e-mail from Muthivhi, who…

Nicola Daniels and Samkelo Mtshali AS THE families of apartheid-era victims welcomed the move to reopen investigations into security police crimes, they have demanded a transparent process for the appointment of investigators. Following the Supreme Court of Appeal’s dismissal of an attempt by apartheid-era police officer Joao Rodrigues to avoid a criminal trial for the murder of Ahmed Timol, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) announced that it would move ahead to prosecute Rodrigues and other perpetrators “where there is sufficient evidence, and where prosecutions have not taken place for various reasons”. There are a total of 112 cases nationally – 59 of which are newly identified. The Hawks said, at this stage, they don’t want to announce which cases they are. The…

Lisa Isaacs lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za RESCUED sea turtles Bob and Harry are making steady progress on their road to recovery at the Two Oceans Aquarium. Visitors to the I&J Ocean Exhibit will know long-time resident Bob, an endangered green sea turtle that was rescued in 2014, who has been recovering from brain damage following an infection as a result of ingested plastic and is on the path to eventual release back into the wild. Harry, also an endangered green sea turtle, was rescued on Stilbaai beach in October last year, and is now in long-term recovery at the facility. Harry has overcome a severe carapace infection called “shell rot” and has survived intestinal troubles associated with ingesting large pieces of plastic pollution. When rescued in 2014, Bob was in a bad state,…

Lisa Isaacs lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za THE Western Cape Education Department (WCED) is under fire for its lack of action against two Golden Grove Primary school staff members implicated in financial mismanagement, after the employees had retired. In response to a question from Member of Provincial Legislature (MPL) Khalid Sayed on whether the WCED had concluded a forensic investigation into financial challenges at the Rondebosch school, Education MEC Debbie Schäfer said the investigation was complete. Parents and school governing body (SGB) members had in 2017 reported irregularities and suspicions of financial mismanagement to the tune of R1.3million. “The department referred a complaint to the Provincial Forensic Services detailing allegations of financial irregularities and a conflict of interest in respect of a governor who had business dealings with the school. From the investigation, there…

Without the blockade its economy would have grown at a rate of 10% in the past decade LAST year on June 23, the UN General Assembly, for the 29th consecutive year, approved a resolution demanding the end of the criminal economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the US government against Cuba in violation of the UN Charter and international law. A total of 184 states voted in favour of the resolution. Only the US and Israel voted against it. Once again it was demonstrated that the blockade has no international support. In its obsession to isolate Cuba, the US has isolated itself. The blockade imposed on Cuba for more than six decades is the most severe and longest-enduring system of unilateral sanctions ever applied against any country. The…

Israel’s top diplomat Yair Lapid said yesterday that more cooperation deals with the UAE were on the horizon, during a landmark visit to the Gulf nation. The United Arab Emirates and Israel normalised ties in September, paving the way for a raft of deals ranging from tourism and aviation to financial services. “We’re going sign more agreements in July,” he said. “The vision is that it moves from governments to business to people.” Lapid opened an Israeli consulate in the commercial hub of Dubai, a day after opening the country’s first Gulf embassy in UAE capital Abu Dhabi. “What we are opening here today isn’t only a consulate. It’s a centre of co-operation. A place that symbolises our ability to think together, to develop together, to change the world together,”…

The slump in tourism caused by Covid-19 will cost the global economy more than $4 trillion for 2020 and 2021, much worse than anticipated, as an uneven vaccination roll-out crushes developing countries that are highly dependent on international visitors. The losses this year alone could amount to $1.7 trillion to $2.4 trillion, even as international tourism rebounds in the second half in countries like the US, UK and France, which have higher vaccination rates, the UN Conference on Trade and Development said in a report. Developing countries may account for as much as 60% of the estimated losses to global gross domestic product. The report also shows that the world may not see a return to pre-pandemic arrivals of international tourists until 2023. Countries such as Thailand and Turkey, which…

Rome: The head of the UN’s World Food Programme warned yesterday there could be “unprecedented famine of biblical proportions” in dozens of countries without further action to address food shortages. Speaking at a G20 event on humanitarian aid in Brindisi, Italy, WFP chief David Beasley said: “We thought Covid would be in our rearview mirror by the end of 2020, only to see it recycled.” The WFP is appealing for $6 billion (roughly R85bn) to help 41 million people it says are on the edge of famine in 43 countries. It says famine-like conditions already exist in Ethiopia, Madagascar, South Sudan and Yemen.. | AFP…

Brussels: EU ambassadors yesterday gave the green light to setting up a military mission in Mozambique to help train its armed forces battling jihadists in the north of the country, diplomats said. A deadly insurgency by militants linked to the Islamic State group has ravaged the gas-rich Cabo Delgado province since late 2017, claiming some 3 000 lives and displacing 800 000 people. Former colonial master Portugal is already providing training for Mozambican troops and Lisbon’s military instructors on the ground will make up half of the new EU mission. | AFP…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za OUTSIDE of the team bubble there may be questions about the Proteas’ batting and how they can get more out of themselves, but within the group, there’s an awareness that building confidence is just as important. South Africa’s T20 record since Mark Boucher became head coach is dreadful. Of the 16 matches played before the series in the Caribbean, they’d won just four, and lost every series. A change in captaincy earlier this year didn’t bring immediate success, because that captain, Temba Bavuma, was out injured against Pakistan. The West Indies, with all their depth, power and experience is a significant challenge, but South Africa, despite the problems with the batting, find themselves on the brink of truly significant triumph, if they can win one of…

WYNONA LOUW wynona.louw@inl.co.za Western Province 32 Sharks 31 WESTERN Province overcame the Sharks by one point in an entertaining Currie Cup clash at Cape Town Stadium last night. Province made sure to turn up in their first Currie Cup game at their new home against a Sharks outfit that was eager to put in the work. Flyhalf Tim Swiel’s boot was one of the stand-outs as he contributed 19 points, slotting five penalties and converting their two tries. Scrumhalf Paul de Wet showed just why he’s just as comfortable on the wing when he picked up a loose ball, sniped down touch and beat the Sharks defence to score the opening try after an early Swiel penalty. Shortly afterwards, from an attacking line-out the Sharks mauled their way close…

YOUTH month has come and gone. It is thus compelling to reflect on the challenges facing South Africa’s youth – top of which is unemployment. According to Statistics South Africa’s (StatsSA) Quarterly Labour Force for the first quarter of 2021, South Africa’s unemployment rate stood at 32.6 percent. This rate was 46.3 percent among young people aged 15 to 34 years, implying that almost one in every two young people in the labour force did not have a job in the first quarter of 2021. About a quarter, 24.4 percent, of the youth have jobs, and 45.3 percent participate in the labour market. Within the youth, those aged 15 to 24 are more vulnerable in the labour market with an unemployment rate of more than…

Sihle Mavuso and Kailene Pillay POLICE have downplayed the drama that unfolded at the entrance of former President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla home yesterday, which led to a patrol van being turned away. This took place a day after the Constitutional Court found Zuma guilty of contempt of court, sentencing him to 15 months’ imprisonment. He was given five days to hand himself over to officers to begin his sentence. When the police van drove in, people identifying themselves as MKVA members, sporting their army regalia, sprang into action and stopped it, while others went to speak to the officer in the driver’s seat. Other people, who were a distance away, came and surrounded the vehicle while some had a verbal exchange with the driver. The other three officers remained seated…

From page 1 “It has enabled us ordinary people to achieve happiness in our lives,” said Fu, 27, as she posed for photos in front of large anniversary-themed flower arrangements along Changan Avenue, the city’s main thoroughfare. Despite the party’s achievements, not everyone appreciates its pervasive presence. “I recently came to realise that everything we see and the education we receive is related to the party, and has subtly transformed the state of our lives,” said a 21-year-old undergraduate surnamed Liu. In Hong Kong, the city’s No 2 official, John Lee, will attend a flag-raising ceremony to mark the 24th anniversary of the former British colony’s return to Chinese rule. It has also been a year since Beijing dramatically tightened its grip on the territory with a new National Security…

OWN Correspondent TO TACKLE the plight of impoverished girls who often miss school during their menstrual cycles due to the lack of sanitary pads, the Dis-Chem Foundation is running its Million Comforts campaign in collaboration with the Imbumba Foundations Caring4Girls project for the seventh year. According to research conducted by the foundation, teenage girls between the ages of 12 and 18 living in poverty in urban and rural areas can lose up to a fifth of their high school education because they do not have access to feminine hygiene products. The Million Comforts initiative seeks to empower schoolgirls and give them the opportunity to continue their education without the burden of hygiene risks, discomfort, embarrassment, or the loss of dignity. Last year just under 9 million sanitary pads were…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za IN THE wake of publicly made sexual assault allegations against one of its students, UCT said its executive was treating the matter with the urgency and seriousness it demanded. Students on Tuesday marched to the Kopano Residence, where they escorted a student to the Mowbray police station to hand him over to police. But police spokesperson FC van Wyk said that no criminal case had been registered. The student representative council (SRC), of which the person was a member, said in a statement yesterday that the person resigned during a special meeting that was called after two SRC members stepped down due to academic pressures they were experiencing. He also claimed the same reasons for his resignation. “Following our announcement of the resignations on Twitter, allegations against…

THANDISIZWE MGUDLWA THE debate on whether the world should choose between nationalism or globalisation needs more scrutiny. if not well researched and attended to, the subject can make or break countries, regions, continents and, ultimately, the world. Surely the rise of nationalism throughout the world must raise concerns about why it is growing across the globe? In certain circles, nationalism has been the alternative to globalisation. Therein lies the real global challenge for economic development and equality for all. Globalisation has become the enemy of proponents of nationalism. In fact, the champions of nationalism see globalisation, capitalism and democracy as one and the same. They will tell you that these are imperialists/colonialists-born, -controlled and -managed programmes that continue with their exploitation of the global masses and poor countries. They…

Gert Grobler I RECENTLY had the opportunity to visit Nanhu Lake in the city of Jiaxing in the dynamic Zhenjiang Province. For the Chinese nation, the picturesque city is far more than just a scenic attraction. It is the birthplace of the Red Boat spirit and of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC ) Early in August 1921, the first national congress of the CPC was held on a modest tourist boat on the Southlake of Jiaxing City. Here the birth of the CPC was proclaimed. The Red Boat strongly reflects the inspiration and symbol of China’s revolution. No wonder so many of China’s great leaders travelled to the birthplace of the CPC, over the years urging the Chinese people to “forge valiantly ahead along the revolutionary road opened up…

New York City’s first attempt at ranked-choice voting descended into confusion this week, after the elections board abruptly removed updated vote totals from its website hours after posting them due to what it called a “discrepancy” in the numbers. The primary election to choose the next leader of America’s largest city was held a week ago, when preliminary results showed Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, with a significant but not insurmountable 10-point lead in the vote. That lead appeared to shrink to two points when voters’ second, third, fourth and fifth choices were factored in under a ranked-voting system being used for the first time in a mayoral contest. Final results were not expected until mid-July. But the tabulation showed an additional 140 000 ballots since Election Day, prompting…

London: Emilio Flores Marquez from Puerto Rico was the world’s oldest living man at an age of 112 years and 326 days old, Guinness World Records said yesterday. Marquez, who was born east of San Juan in 1908, said the secret to his advanced years lay in compassion. The second oldest child of 11 siblings, Marquez worked on the family’s sugar cane farm and received three years of formal schooling. He wife of 75 years, Andrea Pérez De Flores, with whom he had four children, died in 2010. The previous oldest living man was Romania’s Dumitru Comanescu, who was 111 years 219 days. | AFP…

Yangon: Myanmar authorities released more than 2 000 anti-coup protesters from prisons across the country yesterday, including local journalists jailed after reporting critically on the junta’s bloody crackdown. Myanmar has been rocked by massive protests and a brutal military response since the February coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi and her government. More than 880 civilians had been killed in a crackdown by the State Administration Council, as the junta calls itself, and almost 6 500 arrested, according to a local monitoring group. By yesterday evening a total of 2 296 protesters had been released, the junta’s information team said in a statement. | AFP…

AMSTERDAM: Europol, the European police co-ordinating agency, said yesterday that police in Europe, the US and Canada had seized the domains and servers of “DoubleVPN”, a network used by criminals to hide their identity during cyber attacks. The company’s website yesterday showed a warning from law enforcement officials saying they had seized the domain, along with information about its customers. Europol said customers had received access for $25 (R356) to a VPN, or virtual private network, that allowed hackers to shield their real identity while they broke into networks around the world. | Reuters…

MIKE GREENAWAY mike.greenaway@inl.co.za IT was the inimitable Eddie Jones who once said that “babies in Georgia are born with beards”, when he was asked about the scrumming challenge posed by the eastern European team. That was when Jones was coaching Japan and his tongue-in-cheek chirp was a compliment to Georgia, with Jones adding: “They have a massive scrum, the biggest, ugliest pack in the world.” It is also why Jones invited the Georgian pack to scrum against his England men during a break in the 2018 Six Nations but he got more than be bargained for and a video of the Georgians scrumming the Red Rose pack backward at a rate of knots went viral on social media. If this doesn’t convince you of their toughness, consider that Soviet Russia…

Staff writer NEITHER being male, nor increased body mass index (BMI) are associated with increased mortality in Covid-19 inpatients admitted into intensive care units (ICU). These are the findings of a new study that is in contrast to some previous research, led by Professor Bruce M Biccard, professor and second chair in the Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine at UCT. Published in the journal Anaesthesia, the study provided an analysis of 58 studies involving 44 305 patients. UCT said patients with Covid-19 in ICU were 40% more likely to die with a history of smoking, 54% more likely with high blood pressure, 41% more likely with diabetes, 75% more likely with respiratory disease, around twice as likely with cardiovascular disease or cancer and 2.4 times more likely to die…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za NON-profit company Vinpro, which represents around 2 600 local wine producers, is expected to head to court after lodging an urgent interim interdict application, to lift the blanket ban on alcohol sales in the Western Cape. The organisation, alongside industry partners, launched the application – following the country’s move to adjusted lockdown level 4. South African Breweries (SAB) announced it would also join the urgent legal challenge, to protect jobs and livelihoods. The lockdown was put in place for 14 days and restrictions include the prohibition of alcohol sales, for both on-site and off-site consumption. Vinpro spokesperson Wanda Augustyn said the application was submitted to the Western Cape High Court, but a definite hearing date is yet to be confirmed. Vinpro managing director Rico Basson said the…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za OPPOSITION parties have come out strongly against Cape Town mayor Dan Plato, accusing him of defying lockdown regulations by hosting the Mayoral Community Service Awards at the Civic Centre Banqueting Hall on Tuesday. But Plato’s spokesperson, Greg Wagner, refuted the claims, saying the physical event was cancelled and recipients collected their awards, adding that there was no sit-down portion. Good Party secretary-general Brett Herron said there were photos all over social media of satellite events that took place despite the disaster regulations that prohibit all gatherings, including social and political. “The fact that the mayor says the dinner parties were cancelled and attendees were given the meals as takeaways simply confirms that these illegal events, constituting either social or political gatherings, took place and that is blatant…

Staff writer FLOODED settlements and power outages are among the damages the inclement weather caused across the province this week. The local government department has indicated that the greatest damage was felt in the Garden Route. Several houses and structures were damaged with multiple reports of roofs blown off in Sedgefield, George and Mossel Bay and structural damages reported as far afield as Oudtshoorn and Hessequa. Across the same region there were reports of power outages and large numbers of trees blew over. “There have been no reports of injuries or evacuations and no roads are closed. All the damages are being managed by local municipalities at this stage. “Road users should be aware of rubble and trees that may be lying in roads across the province. They are urged…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za THOUSANDS of fines and hundreds of taxi impoundments have not managed to stop an illegal taxi rank on the corners of Voortrekker Road and Jakes Gerwel Drive that have left residents fuming. They have called on the City to urgently do more to address the matter that has been ongoing for months. Community activist Junaid Abbas said: “It happened out of nowhere and it is a problem. Residents have complained, law enforcement comes and the next day the taxis are back. “People are forced to take these taxis, they fight over the people and intimidate you when you try to take another taxi passing by or an Uber. Then there is also the fear of taxi violence that can happen at any moment.” Residents also complained about…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za THE expected 32c a litre price increase in illuminating paraffin set to kick in today has been described as an attack on the poor and vulnerable. The AA, which was commenting on unaudited, month-end fuel price data released by the Central Energy Fund, said petrol looked set to increase by around 23c/l, diesel by 38c and illuminating paraffin by 32c. “This increase is going to be very difficult for those who use paraffin for cooking, lighting, and especially heating as South Africa heads into the heart of winter” the AA said. Twenty-two-year-old Anezwa Magudugudu, who has just lost her job as a waitress due to the level 4 restrictions, said the increase does not favour the poor. “Times are tough now, nothing seems to be going…

TODAY, July 1, marks the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), the largest political party in the world and the party behind the successful transformation of China from a poor agrarian country to a modern and moderately prosperous economy. Those who read this title regularly will have noted excerpts from the People’s Daily, outlining some of the successful projects China has undertaken in its quest to pursue success for the Chinese nation and happiness for its people. The CPC started small in 1921 at a time when China had been reduced to a “semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, having suffered the invasion of Western powers”, according to its ambassador to South Africa, Chen Xiaodong. It has been a tumultuous century for the party which today has more than 91 million…

| AFP Millions of people in western Canada and the northwestern US were under heat alerts yesterday as the region baked in record-breaking temperatures and police reported scores of deaths likely linked to the scorching conditions. The heat wave has stretched emergency services, with at least 134 people dying suddenly since Friday in the Vancouver area, according to Canadian police. In the northwest US city of Seattle, doctors reported a flood of heatstroke victims, and at least two patients – aged 65 and 68 – died of hyperthermia as their bodies overheated. Soaring temperatures in California’s valley, mountain and desert areas raised fears of wildfires amid windy dry conditions. The US National Weather Service warned of “a possibility of dry lightning strikes ... creating the potential for lightning-sparked fires.”…

Hundreds of Sudanese protesters took to the streets of major cities yesterday to demand the government’s resignation over IMF-backed economic reforms seen as too harsh. The protests erupted a day after the International Monetary Fund approved a $2.5 billion loan and debt relief deal that will see Sudan’s external debt reduced by some $50bn. Public discontent has mounted over the reforms that slashed subsidies on petrol and diesel, more than doubling their price. The protesters outside the presidential palace in Khartoum burnt tyres and brandished banners that read “Bread for the poor”, before they were dispersed by police who fired tear gas. Security forces also used tear gas on protesters in Omdurman, the capital’s twin city across the Nile, who attempted to join the demonstrations in Khartoum. In Kassala, in…

WESLACO: Donald Trump visited the US-Mexico border yesterday as he seeks to reclaim the spotlight, riding a wave of Republican attacks on Democratic US President Joe Biden over the rise in migrants caught entering the US. The trip with Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott to an unfinished section of border wall near Weslaco at the southern tip of Texas is the second public appearance this week by the Republican former president, who lost to Biden in November’s election. Trump pilloried Biden at a recent rally in Ohio, accusing him of having “dismantled America’s border defences and incited a flood of illegal migrants”. Under Biden, arrests at the south-west border have risen to the highest monthly levels in two decades. Trump’s visit comes as a criminal investigation into his business empire…

BRUSSELS: Tension over a weeks-long hunger strike by hundreds of undocumented migrants in Belgium’s capital has mounted after four of them stitched their lips shut to stress their demands for legal recognition and access to work and social services. Aid workers say that more than 400 migrants, holed up at two universities and a church in Brussels, stopped eating on May 23 and their health is deteriorating. The government will not agree to regularise the status of the 150 000 undocumented migrants living in Belgium, but was willing to hold talks with the strikers regarding their plight. | Reuters…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za “ASK Goolam, he’ll help you out.” That was a refrain from players, coaches, other members of the South African team management and older journalists, who had travelled more regularly with the Proteas. It was November 2005, and the SA team was in Mumbai, playing against India in a five match one-day international series. Graeme Smith’s team was up 2-1 in the series. The final match was a day/night affair at Wankhede Stadium. Mixed in with all the work was the concern for myself, then Beeld sports writer, Jaco van der Merwe and the late Duif du Toit, one of South Africa’s best sports photographers, that we had to hustle to the airport to make a 2am flight back to SA. The game was scheduled to finish at…

TOP seed Novak Djokovic clinically dispatched big-serving South African Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 yesterday to glide ominously into the Wimbledon third round. Defending champion Djokovic, bidding for a sixth Wimbledon and record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title, was imperious during a grasscourt masterclass on Centre Court. In a repeat of the 2018 final, the Serbian broke Anderson's serve once in each set and offered up only five unforced errors. His only minor concern were a couple of tumbles to the turf on the lush grass, but he remained unruffled. Twice Grand Slam runner-up Anderson, who is battling back after knee problems, did not play a bad match but Djokovic was at his ruthless best as he won in an hour and 41 minutes. "It was almost flawless today, I hope…