Sommaire pour 2022-01-21 de Cape Times

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za ON THE second day of the Western Cape High Court hearing into the River Club redevelopment, the first respondents, the Liesbeek Leisure Properties Trust (LLPT) presented arguments opposing a halt to the project. The 15-hectare parcel of ancestral indigenous land in question is envisaged for Amazon’s new African headquarters. The applicants, the Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin Indigenous Traditional Council and the Observatory Civic Association seek to restrain the LLPT from carrying out any further works in relation to the development at the River Club site, pending review of the relevant environmental and land use authorisations. On Wednesday Heritage Western Cape advised the LLPT that its Second Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), with its supplement, did not meet the requirements of section 38(3) of the National Heritage Resources Act, which…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za CRICKET South Africa (CSA) have appointed respected senior counsel, advocate Terry Motau, to chair the disciplinary hearing into the conduct of Proteas head coach Mark Boucher, who was fingered in the Social Justice and Nation (SJN) Building report. Boucher, who was handed a charge sheet earlier this week containing allegations made against him, was strongly criticised in the final SJN report for trying to excuse or give reasons for calling his former teammate Paul Adams, “brown sh**”, as part of team song when the pair were in the SA side in the late 1990s. The Transformation Ombudsman, advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza, said in Boucher’s case it appeared - if he had undergone diversity and transformation training - that he was “apathetic” toward diversity and transformation. In addition, CSA…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za HAVING a job is what middle-aged women, who have been locked in gangs and drugs for over a decade, hope will be the key to their freedom and independence. Two women from Manenberg, an area notorious for its gang culture and crime, share their story as a plea for an opportunity to take their lives in a new direction. In a tale of love and war, Najuwa Isaacs, a 42-year-old mother of three, was only 19 when she had a crush on a guy who presented an entry into a world she is now desperate to leave behind. “I was crazy about him back then, not knowing he is a gangster, we got involved. “We always used to sit at a pub in the backyard, always with…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za THE education of over 100 Uluntu Centre children and 12 employees in Gugulethu hangs in the balance after the crèche, on private company land, was nearly demolished. NY 108 residents and some parents protested on Wednesday against the eviction of the facility, which has been in the community for nearly 40 years, and turned away a demolition truck. Police fired rubber bullets and used stun grenades on the crowd that barricaded the road with burning tyres and rubble. “Public Order Police used action to disperse the crowd. Our members will stay in the area to monitor the situation,” said police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi. According to the crèche principal, Nombulelo Mzimkulu, the eviction was not supposed to happen, owing to a pending court case that is scheduled for…

Bones and Bodies | OWN Correspondent Alan G. Morris Loot.co.za (R265) Wits University Press Bones and Bodies is a highly accessible account of the establishment of the scientific discipline of biological anthropology. Alan G Morris takes us over the past century of anthropological discovery in South Africa and uncovers the stories of individual scientists and researchers who played a significant role in shaping perceptions of how the peoples of southern Africa, ancient and modern, came to be viewed and categorised in the public imagination, and scientific literature. Morris reveals how much of the earlier anthropological studies were tainted with race science. He evaluates the works of famous anthropologists and archaeologists such as Raymond Dart, Thomas Dreyer, Matthew Drennan and Robert Broom, and demonstrates through a wide array of sources how…

OTHER than for its monetary benefits, sport is largely valued for the entertainment it provides, bringing together friend and foe and uniting fragmented communities. But sport can also be a divisive tool between people. It was, therefore, a welcome relief to finally have some tennis being played at the Melbourne Park courts following a chaotic and controversial build-up dominated by the visa saga that engulfed world men’s No 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic. The unvaccinated Serbian is not at this year’s Major to defend his title after his last-gasp court bid to stay in the country failed on the eve of the first Grand Slam of the year. There is no doubt that Djokovic will continue to cast a dark shadow over the tournament even though the players were…

Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak says Houthi attacks against civilian targets in Gulf states will continue as the rebel movement pursues its agenda to destabilise security and stability in the region. On Monday, Houthi drones targeted the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi, including the construction site of a new airport and fuel tankers near depots of oil company Adnoc, killing three people and injuring six. “The Houthis’ bombardment of the Abu Dhabi airport is the ordinary behaviour of rebels not interested in peace. The Houthis’ actions on civilian and economic targets in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, or the United Arab Emirates are not the first and won’t be the last with armed Houthi militia outside the state,” bin Mubarak said. The Abu Dhabi airport attack is in line with…

A Kenyan entrepreneur who began a nutritious instant meal company during the Covid-19 pandemic says she is determined to take her products to the next level and target a mass market. Tei Mukunya Oundo is CEO and co-founder of NatureLock, a Nairobi- based instant meal company started in 2020. She studied at Cornell University, New York, and has an MBA in Strategic Management from the United States International University. Oundo says her company is looking to address the gap in the market for quick, healthy food at a price point affordable to the mass market. NatureLock processes 100% field-fresh produce into nutritious products. Her company was awarded the Africa Food Industry Excellence Award for best product 2021, Naturelock StewsDay, instant Ndengu stew. After winning, Oundo said: “We want to feed…

PYONGYANG: North Korea has decided to grant convicted people amnesty, effective later this month, on the occasion of major birth anniversary celebrations of its late leaders, Pyongyang’s state media said yesterday. The pardons will be granted to those who were convicted of “crimes against the country and people” to commemorate the 110th and 80th birth anniversaries of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il respectively in a decision made by the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported. The amnesty appears to be part of efforts to promote social unity amid economic hardships.…

Bogota: A Colombian court has ruled the government cannot conduct anti-drug fumigation without the consent of rural communities, a blow to plans to resume aerial assault on coca. The Constitutional Court ruled in favour of rural, black and indigenous communities who sought judicial relief against government plans to renew spraying with the controversial glyphosate herbicide. They claim the chemical causes disease, destroys traditional crops and pollutes the water. The court, in an order obtained Wednesday, ordered authorities to consult residents before doing so.…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za THE ANC caucus in Parliament has taken action against its MP, Mervyn Dirks, after his letter to Parliament’s finance watchdog, the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa). Dirks had initially been called by the ANC to withdraw his letter to Scopa and was given a deadline early this week. He confirmed yesterday that he had been suspended by the party, pending action against him. “I can confirm that I did receive a letter of precautionary suspension,” said Dirks without commenting further. Dirks had written to Scopa urging it to call President Cyril Ramaphosa to account over his comments in a party meeting on the abuse of public funds during ANC campaigns. ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina told Dirks in a letter yesterday that they would act against…

Staff writer THE Presidency says Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu conceded that her words towards the country’s judiciary were inappropriate and has apologised following a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa over her recent article, “Hi Mzansi, have we seen justice?” But Sisulu has distanced herself from this and stands by her comments. The two met in Cape Town earlier this week, where Ramaphosa ‘admonished’ Sisulu about the article. In a statement last night, the Presidency said Ramaphosa specifically admonished Sisulu about her “attack’’ on the judiciary when she said: “Today, in the high echelons of our judicial system are those mentally colonised Africans, who have settled with the worldview and mindset of those who have dispossessed their ancestors. They are only too happy to lick the spittle of those who falsely…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za ENVIRONMENTALISTS who are up in arms over the planned seismic survey along the West Coast are set to picket at Muizenberg Beach on Sunday. Planned by various groupings and supported by, among others, the South African United Fishing Front (SAUFF), the Sentinel Ocean Alliance, Oceaneers and Coastal Links, the demonstration is expected to start at 10am. This comes after it emerged that Searcher Seismic, an Australian geoscience data service provider, was agranted permission by Petroleum Agency SA (Pasa) to undertake a survey programme. A seismic survey involves firing high-powered compressed air guns towards the seabed, and assessing oil and gas deposits beneath by measuring the reflected sound. SAUFF chairperson Pedro Garcia expressed concern on behalf of the fishing communities. “The uncertainties with regards to the impact on…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za SHRINKING budgets are hampering the delivery of efficient services at Khayelitsha District Hospital (KDH), with this year starting on a zero budget. This emerged when some ANC provincial leaders visited the hospital yesterday to engage with the management and conduct an oversight visit. This follows the Cape Times exposé of the horrific conditions at the hopsital where sick patients, including the elderly, huddled together on the floor, using blankets to keep warm while being strapped to ventilators in the hospital’s asthma room. KDH chief executive David Binza said yesterday: “Khayelitsha constitutes most of the low social-economic factors and that is evident as one comes into Khayelitsha. There is a high unemployment rate, poverty, and the illiteracy level is very high. “A lot of services in Khayelitsha are…

THE STORYTELLER Dave Grohl Loot.co.za (R284) SIMON & SCHUSTER UNTIL his appearance on The Graham Norton Show last October, I must confess that I had never heard of Dave Grohl, but I liked what I saw of him then and my interest was piqued. So, when I saw that he had penned a memoir, The Storyteller, I decided to explore unknown territory. For those of you who also registered a question mark at the mention of his name, Grohl is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was the drummer for the rock band Nirvana, and he founded the band Foo Fighters, for whom he sings, plays the guitar, and writes the songs. Grohl says of himself and the book: “Miraculously, my memory has remained relatively intact. Since I was…

Mouth to Mouth Antoine Wilson Loot.co.za (R402) Simon & Schuster THE unnamed narrator of Antoine Wilson’s Mouth to Mouth doesn’t spend much time talking about himself. In the rush of the novel’s opening pages, he lets on that he is a middle-aged father of two, an alumnus of UCLA, a little-known author with possible cult status in Germany and stuck in the purgatory of JFK airport awaiting a delayed flight. At least he was. The story the man is telling took place at some point in the past – Wilson suggests 2010 – and holds within it yet another incident that occurred about 20 years earlier. That second story isn’t even about him. It concerns Jeff Cook, a former classmate the man barely knew but who, he admits, “was one…

Perception wields such power, and that is why perception must always be crushed by fact. The fact in this matter, aimed as a hammer blow to the temple of perception, is Temba Bavuma’s ODI record. The South African captain, just 13 innings and 14 matches into his international white-ball career, scores 50-plus every third time he walks to the crease, and converts a start into a century every six times he takes guard. That is some record. Bavuma averages 55.36 at a strike rate of 85.65. Those are some powerful numbers. Even more powerful are the ODI numbers of Rassie van der Dussen. He has played 30 matches for the Proteas, and gone past 50 on 11 occasions. His average, albeit boosted by eight not outs, is a remarkable 73.62…

Washington: The Supreme Court has rejected a bid by former president Donald Trump to block the release, to a congressional committee, of documents related to the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Trump, citing executive privilege, had sought to prevent the documents held by the National Archives from being given to the committee investigating the assault on Congress by Trump supporters. Trump has been accused of fomenting the assault on the Capitol. The Supreme Court, in an 8-1 vote, refused to issue a stay.…

A 57-year-old Tongan man who said he swam around 27 hours after getting swept out to sea during Saturday’s devastating tsunami has been hailed a ‘real life Aquaman’. The eruption of the Hunga Tonga- Hunga Ha’apai volcano on Saturday killed at least three people, sent tsunami waves rolling across the archipelago, damaging villages, resorts and many buildings and knocked out communications for the nation of about 105 000 people. Lisala Folau, who lived on the small, isolated island of Atata which has a population of about 60 people, was swept out to sea when the waves hit land at about 7pm on Saturday, he said in a radio interview to Tongan media agency Broadcom Broadcasting. Folau said he was painting his home when he was alerted about the tsunami by…

MOSCOW: The 2018 murder of three Russian journalists in the Central African Republic (CAR) was likely committed by the 3R illegal armed unit, new Russian ambassador Alexander Bikantov to the CAR said. The ambassador stressed that the journalists were moving on the Dekoa-Sibut road without guards. “According to preliminary data they were stopped and killed by militants of the 3R illegal armed unit,” Bikantov said. Kirill Radchenko, Alexander Rastorguev and Orkhan Dzhemal were found dead in July 2018. They were sent to the CAR by the Investigations Management Center of Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky.…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was left upbeat by the prospect of a peaceful settlement of the armed conflict in northern Ethiopia. In a statement, Guterres said he held a telephone conversation with Olusegun Obasanjo, the AU high representative for the Horn of Africa, to exchange views on the conflict in Ethiopia following the latter’s latest visit to Addis Ababa and Mekelle, the capital of the regional state of Tigray, Xinhua news agency reported. Obasanjo briefed him on the efforts being made by the government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front to move toward a resolution of the violent conflict ravaging the region. Obasanjo expressed optimism that there is now a real opportunity for a political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict, said Guterres. “I am delighted…

From page 1 in three provinces – four each from the Free State and Gauteng; and two from the Western Cape. Motshekga described the matric class of 2021 top’s 33 learners as belonging to a “class of their own.” These top 33 learners were among almost 1 million part-time and full-time pupils who sat for the 2021 matric exams. She said they triumphed despite the turbulence and uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which started while they were in Grade 11, saying “you have made it. You survived.” “It is a huge gesture to celebrate a top learner in a public school. This breakfast provides a rare opportunity to celebrate excellence. It is not child’s play to become a top learner in the system. It is a big achievement.…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za THE new Walking Tour offered at Robben Island Museum (RIM) will pilot for a year before a price review is done. RIM council chairperson Khensani Maluleke said they would be giving the tour “at least 12 months in order to evaluate its effectiveness, and to assess against RIM’s overall operational programme”. Maluleke said a number of factors would influence the adjustment of pricing after the pilot phase. “The number of bookings received, popularity among visitors, public sentiment and feedback from visitors who have experienced the tour, operational costs, revenue to date as well as revenue forecasts, are some of the elements that will influence the pricing strategy going forward,” said Maluleke. The tour came under the spotlight for its price of R1 000 for South African…

Francesca Villette and Okuhle Hlati THE Western Cape’s Matric Class of 2021 made strides in their National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams, not only recording a 81.2% pass rate, an improvement of 1.3% from 2020, but producing the top-performing pupil in the country. Of the 211 725 national passes with distinctions, the province contributed 29 542 after Gauteng with 47 399, and KwaZulu-Natal that produced the most with 61 887 distinctions. Three districts in the province made it into the country’s top 10 district level performances. Metro North, with 86.2% clinched to the fifth place, while Eden and Central Karoo, obtained 84.4%. Last night, while announcing the matric pass rate, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said even though they were the most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,…

Marsha Dean marsha.dean@inl.co.za A DELFT mother has called for the driver who knocked over her daughter in an alleged hit-and-run accident to come forward. Seven-year-old Jade Abrahams was injured while walking on the pavement on her way home in The Hague last Friday. Her mother, Anastacia Abrahams, who was at work at the time of the incident, said her daughter complained about constant headaches and body aches. “She is not sleeping at all. She would sleep for a while, then jump up and start crying, or she would just start shaking. “Seeing my child in this state is heartbreaking. When I remove the bandage off her face, it’s unpleasant. “I feel hurt at the fact that the driver drove away and showed a middle finger that shows he does not…

Staff writer KHAYELITSHA and Mitchells Plain MyCiTi bus commuters can finally breathe a sigh of relief as the City has signed a new operating contract with the N2 Company, paving the way for the return of the stalled N2 Express by February, if all goes as planned, according to the City. The N2 Company is equally owned by Lisekhonikamva (Codeta) from Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain Rapid Transit (Route Six from Mitchells Plain), and Golden Arrow Bus Service. Yesterday, mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis described the signing of the contract as a critical milestone. The service has been halted for almost three years after the previous contract lapsed and the Dan Plato-led administration failed to successfully negotiate a new deal. Now more than 6 000 commuters from Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha are expected to…

Doctors Without Borders sounded the alarm this week about the escalating conflict in the eastern Congo – just one MSF field hospital in Ituri is attending to 65 000 people. But the real story behind this crisis is that the conflict in Ituri province is being fuelled by the race to exploit the region’s rich oil reserves. The suspicion being that violence is a cheap way to rid the land of its inhabitants without paying to relocate them. At least that is what many local inhabitants believe, as well as several archbishops in the region who constantly refer to the “invisible hands” that help organise attacks and provide money and communications equipment. In a statement issued by the archbishops, they warn of powerful forces trying to “pit ethnic communities…

WASHINGTON: The University of Michigan said it had agreed to pay $490 million (R7.48 billion) to settle claims from more than 1 000 people who said a long-time sports doctor on its staff sexually abused them over many years. The development punctuates a series of scandals that have sent the prestigious school reeling. The settlement will resolve claims and lawsuits from about 1 050 people, including former football players, who say Robert Anderson molested them during physical exams. The complaints of fondling and unnecessary rectal and genital exams span decades. The announcement comes as the state flagship university of 47 000 students, regarded as one of the top public schools in the country, is also confronting additional accusations that have taken down its top leaders. On…

TEHRAN: An 87-year-old man in Iran has left scientists and researchers amused as they found him healthy despite not having taken a bath for over 67 years and eating roadkill. According to media reports published yesterday, Amou Jaji, a resident of Dejgah Village in Iran’s Kermanshah Province, gave up bathing more than six decades ago due to a fear of water. He believes he may fall sick if he takes a bath. Reports of “the world’s dirtiest man” also said that he doesn’t take regular meals and his diet consists of roadkill such as porcupines and rabbits, and water from puddles. Jaji also loves smoking. But not tobacco. He rather prefers to smoke animal faeces out of a rusty pipe. During his youth, the octogenarian had suffered some emotional setbacks…

Miami: A Haitian wanted in the assassination of the country’s president was arrested in Miami on Wednesday after he was extradited from the Dominican Republic, a US Justice Department official said. Rodolphe Jaar will be the second person to stand trial in the US over the killing of Jovenel Moise in July last year, after a retired Colombian soldier was charged on January 4 for his alleged role in the murder. Jaar fled from Haiti after the attack at the presidential palace and was arrested in the neighbouring Dominican Republic on January 7. Jaar was to make an initial court appearance on Thursday to hear the charges against him, the Justice Department official said.…

PARIS: Scientists have discovered a pristine, 3km long reef of giant rose-shaped corals off the coast of Tahiti, in waters thought to be deep enough to protect it from the bleaching effects of the warming ocean. The reef lies at depths of more than 30 metres. Some of the rose-shaped corals measure more than 2m in diameter. “It was magical to witness giant, beautiful rose corals which stretch for as far as the eye can see. It was like a work of art,” said French photographer Alexis Rosenfeld, who made the discovery. The reef off Tahiti lies in the “twilight zone” 30m to 120m below the surface where there is still enough light for coral to grow.…