Sommaire pour 2022-05-04 de Cape Times

HILLARY Gardee, daughter of former EFF secretary-general and lawyer Godrich Gardee was yesterday found dead after she went missing last week. She was found abandoned outside Nelspruit in Mpumalanga after being last seen on Friday at a supermarket in Mbombela. She was with a 3-year-old who was found roaming in town at the time of her disappearance. A R100 000 reward for information had been offered for the safe return of the 28-year-old. Mpumalanga SAPS spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli said police in Mbombela were called and informed by some members of the community who were on their way to work about the body of a woman. He said she had some wounds to her head. “Upon their arrival, they found the body of a lady, and she has now been…

IN THE coming days, I expect to see published in the Cape Times and other newspapers, chest-thumping, self-congratulatory articles from Russia’s diplomatic officials, touting the Red Army’s glorious WW II victory over Nazi Germany, ending with the final surrender of German forces on May 8, 1945. Historically, May 8, 1945 has been commonly known as “VE-Day”, (Victory in Europe), since Germany’s surrender to Red Army forces that day officially marked the end of hostilities in the European Theatre of Operations. However, the Russians have always preferred to call it, “The Great Patriotic War Victory Day”. Of the many USSR/Russia commemorations of “Victory Day” I have noted over the years, I often thought it strange that scant credit had been afforded the US or the other Allied nations, despite each having…

THE City will now shift its focus to investigating interventions that will improve the safety of Sea Point Promenade users after it was forced to abandon its plan to ban cyclists from the prominent recreational space. The majority of those who commented on the proposal regarding the use of the promenade expressed support for cycling. The City said it had concluded a preliminary assessment of the 1 953 comments received, with the majority indicating that bicycles should be allowed on the promenade. Mayco member for Urban Mobility Rob Quintas said: “Although the majority of the respondents support cycling on the promenade, many have raised concerns about pedestrian safety and the potential danger and risk posed by cyclists. Given the preliminary outcome, I want to confirm the proposal to ban cyclists…

FOUR people including a police officer were wounded during an exchange of gunfire between officers and robbers at the Eerste River post office yesterday. The gunmen stormed the building, demanding cash, before a shootout with police ensued. Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said Kleinvlei police were investigating cases of attempted murder, an attack on police, and business robbery. “Police members from Kleinvlei Crime Prevention Unit responded to a complaint of a business robbery in Eerste River, in Strand Road, at about 12.45pm. According to reports, unknown males entered the post office, demanding cash. When the police officers arrived at the scene, a shootout between the suspects and the police followed,” said Swartbooi. He said the robbers fled the scene and were yet to be arrested. “Two males aged 76 and 40…

LAST Thursday’s Hollywood-style arrest of advocate Malesela Teffo, who represents four of the accused in Senzo Meyiwa’s murder trial – was so bizarre that it left questions hanging over whether our justice system is insulated from the forms of meddling used to advance the nefarious interests of the connected few. There is no time frame attached to the execution of an arrest warrant against any individual once it has been authorised and issued by a court. However, to effect an arrest of any accused while inside the court not only amounts to contempt of court, but is a deliberate intention to embarrass and intimidate the court officer into submission. I would not be surprised if that pompous investigating officer who arrested Mr Teffo is offered a promotion tomorrow for…

Russia launched an assault on the encircled Azovstal steel works in Mariupol, Ukraine’s last redoubt in the port city, after a ceasefire broke down yesterday with some 200 civilians trapped underground despite a UN-brokered evacuation. Russian rockets pounded other parts of eastern and southern Ukraine and targeted dumps of advanced Western military hardware, and Britain said Ukraine’s Western-backed government would defeat Russia’s invasion and secure its freedom. Russia has turned its fire power on Ukraine’s east and south after failing to take the capital of Kiev in March. The offensive has been met with commitments by Western powers for tougher sanctions as well as supplies of heavier weapons to Ukraine. The European Commission was finalising a ban on buying Russian oil. The US Congress is considering a $33 billion (R521bn)…

Donald Trump’s family business and his 2017 US presidential inaugural committee will pay $750 000 (R12 million) to settle a lawsuit by Washington, DC’s attorney general claiming that the committee funneled excessive amounts of charitable funds to the Trump International Hotel. The payment is nearly three- quarters of the $1.03m that Attorney General Karl Racine said the non-profit inaugural committee “dramatically” overpaid to rent event space at the hotel, including for a private party for Trump’s adult children on the night Trump became president. The Trump Organization and the committee denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle the January 2020 lawsuit. Trump was not a defendant. His family is expecting soon to sell the hotel, located several blocks southeast of the White House, to Miami investment company CGI Merchant Group. The…

MOGADISHU: Somalia’s al-Shabaab group attacked an AU mission troop camp in the Shabelle region in the centre of the country, a local elder and the group said yesterday, and another resident said three civilians had died in the crossfire. The resident, who lives in a village near the scene, later said he saw two helicopters flying by and gunfire coming from them. Al-Shabaab, which has been fighting for years to topple the central government and establish its own rule based on its strict interpretation of Islam’s sharia law, claimed responsibility for the attack. Al Shabaab frequently carries out bombings and gun attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere. | AFP…

JUSTICE and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola came in for stringent criticism for daring to state that the Investigative Directorate (ID) would be enrolling more high-profile cases for prosecution within the next six months. The official opposition took a swipe at Lamola’s comments that the past years were spent laying a foundation for the ID, saying high-profile cases were not made case-ready for prosecution despite the Zondo Commission being in existence. This happened when Lamola delivered his political overview on the ministry’s annual performance plans in Parliament. He said the foundation of the ID was established and the transition from its former head, Hermione Cronje, to Andrea Johnson has been seamless. He noted that the directorate has declared 82 investigations and enrolled 20 cases with 65 accused. “It has also…

The use of mandrax may contribute to HIV risk among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), according to new research published by the South African Medical Journal. The study titled: “Mandrax use, sexual risk, and opportunities for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among out-of-school adolescent girls and young women in Cape Town, South Africa” sought to examine the role of mandrax in sexual behaviours and the extent to which this group of women who use the drug were aware of and willing to initiate PrEP. The research was conducted by Courtney Bonner from the Research Triangle Institute and experts in child health, psychology, psychiatry and behavioural sciences and drug research from the SA Medical Research Council, University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University and Duke University School of Medicine. Baseline and…

YOUR April 28 edition “French warships visit Cape Town” refers: It is interesting to see a visit from a warship from a rather nervous Europe. I strongly believe that the attack on Ukraine has woken up the entire European jurisdiction and even Germany is now dusting off their military capability. This could at least be some good news for South Africa as we can get our locals to start selling supplies, oil and even repairs. It is pretty sad, however, to read that we are doing very little to attract ship owners to South Africa. Keep up the good work Brian Ingpen!…

Long-distance bus company Intercape believes attacks on its vehicles and drivers have escalated since it started speaking out about the alleged extortion by “rogue taxi associations”. The latest killing is that of driver and Lower Crossroads resident Bangikhaya Machana, who died days after the attack. His memorial service was held yesterday. Machana’s death is one of several traumatic incidents to have hit the coach company recently, including about 150 recorded attacks on its drivers and vehicles. Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said Machana, 33, was leaving the Airport Industria depot on April 25 when assailants shot at him at 6.30pm, wounding him in the arm and waist. “The shooting on the corner of Montreal and Morris Close, Airport Industria, where a 33-year-old male was shot and wounded, is under investigation.…

THE Portfolio Committee on Basic Education has expressed its dissatisfaction over the Western Cape Education Department’s (WCED) motives for closing Seekoegat Vgk Primary School in the Central Karoo region. The committee has now called the department of basic education to outline its Rural Education Policy, saying the closure of the school attributed mainly to the dwindling number of pupils was not enough. This is after ACDP MP Marie Sukers, who has supported the community against the closure, started a petition calling for the rural education policy to be developed and for increased oversight of the process. Seekoegat is a deep rural community. The nearest roads to the isolated farms are 55km away and the nearest alternate school where pupils are expected to be placed is in Beaufort West, about 90km…

IT IS November 2020. As the ward councillor of ward 96 in Pretoria, I am engaging newly elected mayor Randall Williams – Pretoria’s third DA mayor in four years after a period under provincial administration. The matter at hand is the award of a contract for the upgrade of the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Plant. The plant is critical. Its incapacity has been the origin of the pollution of the water system in surrounding communities since 2004, to the point that it is unsafe for human or animal consumption. It is a human rights disaster that has continued since 2004. Property prices have fallen because of the smell of raw sewage, farmers have had to change to less profitable crops and people are getting sick. With over 40% of the City’s…

Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the IRA, is on course to become the biggest party in Northern Ireland’s government after tomorrow’s election, a milestone in its quest for a united Ireland. The one-time political pariah has an 8-point advantage ahead of the May 5 election for the Northern Ireland Assembly, an opinion poll showed yesterday. An Irish nationalist party coming out on top for the first time in the British-run province would represent a historic shift 24 years after the Good Friday peace accord ended three decades of sectarian bloodshed. It also moves Sinn Fein closer to becoming the lead party in government on both sides of the Irish border. Though a referendum that could result in unity with the neighbouring Republic of Ireland is likely to be…

London: Sex Pistols’ punk-rock classic God Save The Queen is to get another airing to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s coming Platinum Jubilee, 45 years after it first scandalised the pop charts. The anti-royalist anthem was released in 1977 as the queen celebrated her silver jubilee for 25 years on the throne. Thousands of physical copies of the song are to be re-pressed for release on May 27. “One of the most sought-after vinyl records in history returns to the shelves. Get your hands on a repress of both the A&M & Virgin God Save The Queen 7” vinyl, limited copies available,” the band’s official account tweeted. | AFP…

Canberra: More than half a million Australian houses will be vulnerable to climate change and become uninsurable by 2030, a report published yesterday warned. The report by the Climate Council found that one in 25 houses, or 521 000 total properties, will be effectively uninsurable by 2030. In the 10 areas most vulnerable to climate change, five of which are in Queensland, the proportion of high-risk properties rises as high as 27%. A property becomes “effectively uninsurable” when the premiums are so high as to be unaffordable to average homeowners. The Climate Council launched a tool with the report that shows Australians the threat of fires and floods. | IANS…

London: British energy giant BP said its decision to pull out of Russia as a result of the war in Ukraine pushed it deep into the red in the first three months of this year. BP said in it booked its biggest quarterly net loss of $20.4 billion (about R404bn) from January to March, compared with profit of $4.7bn a year earlier. Revenue jumped 40% to $51bn in three months as the war fuelled a rise in oil and gas prices. There have been calls for a windfall tax on energy majors as consumers endure the highest rate of inflation in decades. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson ruled out taxes on companies like BP and Shell, arguing it would derail efforts to meet climate goals. | AFP…

THE SOUTH African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) is throwing the book at its acting chief executive, Sobantu Tilayi, who was suspended in April last year, and now faces a list of charges after a forensic investigation report was recently released. In a more than 160-page report, accountancy and auditing firm Morar Incorporated outlined numerous issues including allegations that Tilayi, overstepped his position and was implicit in corruption and cronyism, which risked the organisation’s stability and reputation. The report noted there was a lack of clarity on his qualifications, the interference with the business of independent contractor South African Marine Fuels (Samf), facilitating payment for pals and improper appointment of executives amongst other things. In a brief response yesterday, Tilayi said he was applying his mind to the matter. “It…

AHEAD of the much-anticipated ANC Eastern Cape elective conference at the weekend, the party was left reeling after a Nelson Mandela Bay councillor and his assistant were killed in a hail of bullets in KwaNobuhle, Kariega. Ward 43 councillor Andile Andries was coming out of his house with his secretary Lubabalo Keso when they came under fire from suspects in a Quantum minibus on Monday, according to police. The attackers fled the scene and are yet to be arrested. Speaking to the Cape Times yesterday, Nelson Mandela Bay executive mayor Eugene Johnson said this was the second death of a councillor in the municipality since the new council was elected in November 2021. “I received the unfortunate news of the passing away of councillor Andile Andres and his assistant…

IT WOULD come as no surprise to hear that Mr Zuma is sick after the latest revelations of state capture from the Zondo Commission. But so are the majority of citizens of the republic sick of his legal side-stepping of having his longed-for day in court. And, because of these revelations, many feel that the ANC is beyond renewal and that the time is ripe for a completely new political formation to emerge to represent the superb people of our country in the legislature.…

MARIUPOL has been wiped from the face of the Earth and 20 000 innocent citizens have been murdered. In this day and age, the Russian invasion and following atrocities were not anticipated. Shame on you, Vladimir Putin. What a disgrace! Putin has lost the Ukrainian people forever, in fact the whole world. Under Putin's leadership, Russia is a kleptocracy and therefore corruption is endemic. Sad to say the ANC has followed in the Russians’ footsteps. Here, Jacob Zuma and Ace Magashule come to mind. Men without integrity or conscience. As a dictator, Putin hates democratic rule and therefore he effectively destroyed his own opposition. The men Putin fears most, Alexei Navalny and Vladimir Kara-Murza, have been poisoned and are in jail. There are similarities between our beloved Nelson Mandela and…

FAST food outlet chain Nando’s said it would respect the Labour Court ruling overturning the dismissal of its kitchen worker who ate two slices of carrot. “We respect the findings in concluding this matter. We will manage further correspondence with the former employee and discuss the verdict of reinstatement,” Nando’s spokesperson Cheryl Reddy said. Ntokozo Gwala was fired four years ago from Nando’s Scottsville branch in Pietermaritzburg for eating the two slices of carrot. He was a front griller and a community forum representative at the time. He explained that he took two slices of carrot from the pan of hot water and ate them as he wanted to taste before it was served to customers. According to him, the carrots were still frozen in the middle and he…

THERE has been much meaningful transformation in South Africa, and for that, we are truly grateful. We no longer need to carry the dreaded dompas, leave the leafy suburbs before sundown (or if you were Indian, leave the whole province of the Free State before sundown), or step off the pavement when a white person approaches. We are now a constitutional democracy, glued together by a constitution that, in its essence, accepts all of us as equals and promises that the injustices of the past will never be allowed to breathe again. The transformation of our motherland has taken many forms. We can now see the many shades of people represented in every corner of our land, from office spaces to entertainment areas. Street names, public buildings and even town…

The US Supreme Court is poised to strike down the right to abortion, according to a bombshell leaked draft of a majority opinion that has sparked protests in the country and swift condemnation from leading Democrats. The draft opinion that would shred nearly 50 years of constitutional protections was written by Justice Samuel Alito and has been circulating inside the conservative-dominated court since February, news outlet Politico reported. The leak of a draft opinion while a case is still pending is an extraordinary breach. The 98-page draft majority opinion calls the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision enshrining the right to abortion “egregiously wrong from the start. We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Alito writes in the document, labelled as the “Opinion of the Court” and published…

New research shows that rats and other city-dwelling animals are less likely to cause the next pandemic than previously thought. Researchers at Georgetown University in Washington DC studied data on about nearly 3 000 mammals, expecting to find that those living in urban environments hosted more viruses that could be caught by humans. They found that urban animals did carry 10 times as many kinds of disease, but also that more than 100 times as many studies had been published about them. But researchers found that rats were no more likely to be the source of a new human disease than other animals. However, “it’s still not a good idea to get too close and friendly to urban wildlife”, said Greg Albery, a disease ecologist who led the study published…

London: The parents of British toddler Madeleine McCann said yesterday that finding the truth about her disappearance while on holiday in Portugal was “essential”, 15 years after the “horrific crime”. “This year we mark 15 years since we last saw Maddie. It feels no harder than any other but no easier either. It’s a very long time,” Kate and Gerry McCann said in a statement on their website. Madeleine McCann went missing from Portugal’s Praia da Luz seaside resort on May 3, 2007 when she was 3 years old. Her disappearance sparked a huge manhunt and an international media frenzy. While Portuguese authorities did not name the suspect, it is understood to be Christian B, the same person German prosecutors are investigating on suspicion of murdering the little girl. No…

Jakarta: Three children in Indonesia have died from a mysterious liver disease, the country’s health ministry said, raising to at least four the global death toll of an ailment that is puzzling doctors from the UK and the US to Asia. This strain of acute hepatitis has been identified in nearly 230 children in 20 countries, the World Health Organization said yesterday. The pathogen called adenovirus 41 is known to cause gastroenteritis, but “it is not usually known as a cause of hepatitis in otherwise healthy children”. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting and pain before their livers showed signs of inflammation. | AFP…

LA PAZ: Inmates in Bolivia’s overcrowded prisons can now reduce their jail time by reading books in a new programme influenced by one in Brazil that aims to spread literacy. The state programme, “Books behind bars” offers detainees a chance to get out of jail days or weeks in advance of their release date. Bolivia does not have a life sentence or death penalty, but pre-trial detention can last for years due to a slow judicial system. The programme is now in 47 prisons that do not have resources to pay for education, reintegration or social assistance programmes for prisoners. So far, 865 inmates are improving their skills. | Reuters…

Mamelodi Sundowns, the reigning Premiership champions, ground out a workmanlike 2-0 win over Sekhukhune United at Ellis Park yesterday. Sundowns’ win opened up a 16-point gap between themselves and second-placed Royal AM. Sekhukhune will move into 10th position and it looks like a top eight berth is out of reach for them. Sundowns enjoyed an overwhelming 70% possession in the first half, but had to settle for a lone goal which will rank among the best goals of the season. It was a ripsnorter from fullback Aubrey Modiba whose shot from about 40m out whistled past Sekhukhune goalkeeper Toaster Nsabata in the 28th minute. It was Modiba's first league goal this season and his second in two matches after he scored against Royal AM in the Nedbank Cup semi-final over…