Sommaire pour 2022-06-10 de Cape Times

Experts have weighed in on Europe’s largest airline Ryanair’s controversial decision requiring South Africans to pass an Afrikaans test in order to travel to the UK, saying the move bordered on racism. Officials at the Dublin-based airline say they are using the test to avoid transporting passengers to the UK on fake passports. But some South Africans have criticised the policy, saying that the nation officially recognises 11 languages and that many in the country do not speak Afrikaans. The UK High Commission in South Africa tweeted on Friday that the test “is not a UK Government requirement”. The airline does not operate flights to South Africa. South African language authorities have also denounced the questionnaire. Anne-Maria Makhulu, an associate professor of cultural anthropology and African and African-American studies at…

Rajesh and Atul Gupta deny any wrongdoing, believing they are the victims of a political witch-hunt in South Africa and are planning to fight the application of the Red Notices issued by Interpol. Dubai newspaper The National has reported that the Gupta brothers are planning on fighting any attempts to extradite them to South Africa, while also revealing the lavish lifestyle enjoyed by the family in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Dubai police arrested the brothers this week after Interpol issued Red Notices against Atul Gupta and his wife, Chetali; Rajesh Gupta and his wife, Arti; former Nulane Investment Bank of Baroda account signatory Ankit Jain; director of Wone Management Ravindra Nath; and the directors of Pragat Investments, Ramesh Bhat and Jagdish Parekh. The extradition process between South Africa and…

OPPOSITION parties piled pressure on under-fire President Cyril Ramaphosa to come clean on the theft of US dollars “concealed” on his farm before allegedly being stolen, saying that by invoking the so-called sub-judice rule, he was fuelling the narrative that there was something to hide. “By offering a credible explanation for these events the president would both defend his own integrity, and that of the country. “It feels like the key role-players in the criminal justice system have ceded their power to investigate and prosecute alleged criminals – and to absolve those who are innocent of charges – to opposition politicians, inside and outside the ruling party, and to public opinion,” said Good Party MP Brett Herron. In what resembled a scene from ex-president Jacob Zuma’s reign, Ramaphosa was forced…

THE destruction caused to Parliament had cost arsonist-accused and alleged terrorist Zandile Mafe a mere R10. This forms part of the summary of facts after Mafe’s case was transferred to the Western Cape High Court yesterday. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, said the matter was transferred after the receipt of all outstanding reports, an authorization certificate and handing over of an indictment to Mafe. “Senior state advocate Mervyn Menigo said during Mafe’s brief appearance at Cape Town Magistrate’s Court, that the outstanding damage and arson reports have been received, and an authorization certificate which is needed to charge an accused with terrorism was received from the Office of the National Director of Public Prosecutions. “Menigo then served the accused with an indictment and summary of facts, and the…

A 17-YEAR-OLD uMlazi mother is grieving the death of a baby she never knew after she was told at Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital that the healthy baby she took home wasn’t hers and the baby believed to be hers had died in hospital. Andiswa Hlongwane gave birth on Friday, May 6 just after 1am. Andiswa’s mother, Phumzile Hlongwane, said there were no complications and she picked up her daughter and the newborn on Monday after they spent the weekend in hospital. Phumzile said that after four days of being at home, she received a call from the hospital requesting that Andiswa and the baby come in for a regular check-up and vaccines. “I sent Andiswa and the baby to the hospital the following day. I received another call from the…

Burchell’s Travels – The Life, Art and Journeys of William John Burchell | 1781–1863 Susan Buchanan Loot.co.za (R256) PENGUIN Just over 200 years ago, in 1810, a 30-year-old Englishman named William Burchell landed in Cape Town after a four-year stint as a naturalist on St Helena island. The following year he embarked on an epic, four-year journey throughout the Cape Colony, during which he covered 7 000km, mainly through unexplored terrain, and collected more than 50 000 plant and animal specimens, and built up a vast collection of sketches and paintings. He went on to travel in Brazil and, after many years back in Britain, he committed suicide aged 82. Burchell’s Travels tells the story of his journeys, bringing to life an important figure who has faded into…

VERY BAD PEOPLE Patrick Alley Loot.co.za (R240) MONORAY GLOBAL Witness, an international NGO, was established in 1993 with the mission of “breaking the links between natural resource exploitation, conflict, poverty, corruption, and human rights abuses worldwide”. In his catchily titled book Very Bad People, Global Witness co-founder Patrick Alley brings us the inside story of their work. This book is dedicated to those people around the world who daily risk their freedom, and sometimes their lives, standing up to the “very bad people” this book is about. I hope it contributes something to the cause, even if that’s only giving people some idea of what we are up against. As the book’s title suggests, it took a lot of planning, nous and tremendous courage for Global Witness to tackle the…

The UN atomic energy watchdog said yesterday that Iran was removing 27 surveillance cameras at its nuclear facilities, warning this could be a “fatal blow” to negotiations to revive a landmark deal. Talks began in April last year to bring the US back to the 2015 accord, lifting sanctions, and Iran back into compliance, limiting its nuclear activities. But negotiations have stalled since March, and raising tensions, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) members on Wednesday passed a resolution censuring Iran over its lack of co-operation with the watchdog. Iran has condemned the motion as “unconstructive”, announcing this week that it had disconnected some IAEA cameras monitoring its nuclear sites. Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation stressed that the cameras it had disconnected were not part of its safeguard agreement with the UN…

FossiliSed bones discovered on a rocky seashore on England’s Isle of Wight are the remains of a meat-eating dinosaur that may be larger than any other known from Europe, a beast that was a cousin of the biggest carnivorous dinosaur species on record. Palaeontologists said yesterday they have found parts of the skeleton of the dinosaur, which lived about 125 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period, including bones of the back, hips and tail, some limb fragments but no skull or teeth. Based on the partial remains, they estimated that the dinosaur exceeded 10m in length and perhaps reached much more. Based in part on a series of small grooves on the top of the tail vertebra, they concluded that it belonged to a group of dinosaurs called spinosaurs…

LONDON: Britain’s government sent Queen Elizabeth a specially commissioned musical box to mark her platinum jubilee, depicting on its lid the black front door of the prime minister’s Number 10 Downing Street office. The monarch, 96, celebrated 70 years on the British throne with an extended public holiday and a series of events that culminated last weekend in an appearance on the balcony of her palace after a colourful and eccentric pageant in London. The government marked the occasion with a gift – a platinum mounted, enamel-on-copper musical box also featured portraits of the 14 British prime ministers she has met during her reign. When opens, it plays Handel’s Hallelujah. On the inside lid, an inscription includes the names of the cabinet. Meanwhile, the queen will miss the Commonwealth Games…

BANGKOK: Thailand legalised the growing of marijuana and its consumption in food and drinks yesterday, the first Asian country to do so, with the aim of boosting its agriculture and tourism sectors, but smoking “pot” is still against the law. Thailand, which has a tradition of using cannabis to relieve pain, legalised medicinal marijuana in 2018. But authorities aim to head off an explosion of recreational use by limiting the strength of the products on offer. The possession and sale of cannabis extracts containing more than 0.2% of the plant’s psychoactive ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol is not allowed. Those who break the law can still face jail and fines. | Reuters…

WITH authorities on high alert following threats of a national shutdown today, Golden Arrow and the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) say they will be operating according to their usual schedules. This comes after messages and posters circulated on various social media platforms calling for a national shutdown over the fuel price increase. Police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe said a National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints) is monitoring the situation closely. “Those behind these messages are warned and reminded that prohibiting people's freedom of movement is a criminal offence. Members of the public are therefore cautioned against spreading such messages that seek to mobilise communities to respond to the shutdown. “The Natjoints is calling on all people in South Africa to work together with law enforcement…

FAMILY and friends of Emmanuel Moeurs remembered him during a memorial service yesterday, after he was stabbed to death in Kraaifontein, allegedly after “refusing to use the women’s toilets” because he was gay. The 24-year-old from Wallacedene was “ordered” by his attacker to leave a male toilet at a local tavern on May 29 because of his sexual orientation. It is believed that this is when the suspect got into a physical fight with Moeurs, who was stabbed several times. Police spokesperson FC Van Wyk said: “The circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation but preliminary information suggests that a previous homophobic comment might be the motive for the attack. “The victim is a 24-year-old male resident of Wallacedene, Kraaifontein. Investigations continue,” said Van Wyk. Moeurs’ relative, Susan Pienaar…

The mysterious death of seven-year-old Eljay Wallen Meyer has ripped at the heart of the Witteklip community in Vredenburg after his lifeless body was found in an area he had not frequented. A pupil at Eden Primary School, Eljay had gone missing on Sunday afternoon after he had been playing with friends and allegedly wandered off with two boys. Speaking to the Cape Times yesterday, Eljay’s aunt, Anne-Maré Mentoor, said they were “deeply saddened” by his sudden and senseless death. “He went missing on Sunday afternoon after he spent the night at family friends close to our home after attending a funeral on Saturday. He was last seen playing near the Weskus TVET College when my son had asked him when he would be going home and Eljay said he…

CONVICTED killer Vusumzi Pothelwa who put his biological eight-month-old daughter through “hell” by burning her alive in a communal toilet was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Western Cape High Court yesterday. Pothelwa received a life term for premeditated murder of baby Kwezi Mtshengu; four years for attempted murder of his girlfriend Sivuyisive Mtshengu; and six months for assault and one year for arson. The sentences will run concurrently with the life term. In April this year the 35-year-old father was convicted on the four charges. He only pleaded guilty to assault and not guilty to the remaining charges. Pothelwa was in a relationship with Mtshengu and had two minor children with her, Kwezi being the youngest. They lived in Dunoon, near Milnerton, in a back room of Pothelwa’s sister’s…

The Treadstone Transgression Joshua Hood Loot.co.za (R225) Head of Zeus A BLOWN mission and a dead team leave Adam Hayes the last loose thread in a tapestry of betrayal in this latest high stakes international thriller from the world of Robert Ludlum. The most pressing issue on Adam Hayes’ mind is planning his son’s upcoming 5th birthday party. After years of operating for Treadstone in the world’s most dangerous spots, he’s ready to call it quits, but the feeling isn’t mutual. Levi Shaw, Treadstone’s director, calls Hayes back for one more mission. “It’s a walk in the park. You don’t even have to go in with the strike team. I just need you to set up the safe house. You’ll be home in time to pick up the birthday cake.”…

Inefficient public-sector operations, governance deficiencies hampered Treasury’s efforts WHEN it comes to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) engagement with South Africa, the devil is in the detail. Beyond the headline observations by fund staff and executive directors, there remains a fundamental divergence with the South African government, perhaps not in policy options per se, but in the commitment, depth and urgency with which policies are adopted and implemented. This divergence is most marked in the structural reforms the fund has been urging successive finance ministers to adopt and implement to put the economy on the required GDP growth and recovery trajectory. This has been festering since before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of the Ukraine conflict and its global shocks, including high inflation, steep price rises…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the fate of the whole Donbas region hinges on the “very fierce” battle with Russian troops for the flashpoint eastern city of Severodonetsk. Moscow’s forces are concentrating their firepower on the key industrial hub as part of efforts to capture a swathe of eastern Ukraine. As shelling and air strikes killed another 11 people around the country, Ukraine said yesterday that the Western long-range artillery it has been begging for would end the fight for Severodonetsk in days. Zelenskyy said the battle for the city was “probably one of the most difficult throughout this war. In many ways, the fate of our Donbas is being decided there”. Following days of raging street battles, Ukrainian officials conceded that Russian troops control a large part of Severodonetsk…

Indonesian naval officers have asked for $375 000 (about R5.7m) to release a fuel tanker they detained last week, accusing it of anchoring illegally in Indonesian waters off Singapore, two people involved in negotiations over the unofficial payment said. The incident comes after a report of a dozen similar detentions last year. In those cases, the ship owners made unofficial payments of about $300 000 each and the vessels detained by the Indonesian navy east of Singapore were released. The Nord Joy fuel tanker was boarded by armed navy personnel on May 30 while anchored in Indonesian waters to the east of the Singapore Strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, the sources said. Asked to comment on whether naval officers had asked for $375 000 to release the…

Yaoundé: Seven people were missing after a motorised canoe sank on a waterway in central Cameroon, the region’s top administrator said. “A canoe with 12 people on board sank on Tuesday. There are five survivors but we have no news of seven people,” said Peter Ntieh Nde, prefect of the Nyong and Kele region. The boat sank on the Nyong River near the village of Malombo, about 650km northeast of the capital Yaounde, he said. Local people had organised a search, he said. At least 17 people died in August 2019 when a passenger boat capsized on a sandbar in the Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of Cameroon. | AFP…

BEIJING: Taikonauts of the Shenzhou-14 crew will carry out 24 in-orbit medical experiments during their six-month stay in China’s space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency yesterday. These space medical experiments are mainly designed to study how the weightless environment and spaceflights affect taikonauts, said Li Yinghui, deputy chief designer of China’s manned space programme. The Shenzhou-14 will collect body fluid samples, including taikonauts’ blood, urine, and saliva. The trio will also use non-invasive optical methods to measure muscle loss and analyse urine metabolites. China launched the Shenzhou-14 mission, the third crew for the country’s space project. | Xinhua…

WERNER Visser was the unlikely hero at the African athletics championships for Team South Africa yesterday as Akani Simbine just missed out on defending his 100m title. Discus thrower Visser was expected to play second fiddle to his experienced SA teammate Victor Hogan in Mauritius, but instead, the 24-year-old turned the tables on the defending champion to snatch the gold medal with a final-round throw of 61.80m – which was just 19cm short of his personal best of 61.99m. Visser, though, could enjoy his last throw as he had already won the title at that point with his fourth-round effort of 60.42m, as Hogan threw before him and could only muster a best effort of 58.95m in his fifth round. Visser was the only gold medallist among the nine South…

THE IMPACT of Comair’s liquidation was a significant loss to the nation, and sub-Saharan Africa, and would likely impact not only business and private trips, but the industry and those who supply the failed firm, Kevin Storie, the acting chief executive of Commercial Aviation Association of Southern Africa (Caasa) said yesterday. Storie said that there was the possibility of a significant increase in ticket prices due to availability. Caasa promotes and protect the commercial interest of the general aviation industry in southern Africa. Its member companies include airport operators, non-scheduled operators, business aircraft operators, flying training organisations, aircraft maintenance companies and companies offering a whole range of supporting and retail services. Storie said while the organisation did not represent scheduled operators such as Comair, the liquidation of the airliner was…

THE court has delivered a groundbreaking judgment which opens the door for foreigners working in South Africa who have children born on local soil. Previously, they had to leave the country after breaking up with their spouses. In terms of sections of the Immigration Act, foreigners’ spouse visas terminated once their relationship with their South African spouses ended. This meant that they either had to leave the country, even if it meant leaving their children behind, or they had to reapply for a visa to remain in the country. However, they could only do this from outside the country. Various applicants, who come from countries such as France, Switzerland, Germany and Zimbabwe, turned to the Western Cape High Court to have the relevant sections of the act declared unconstitutional. They…

From page 1 Executive Members’ Ethics Act No 82 of 1998 (EMEA) against Ramaphosa for allegedly breaching the Executive Code of Ethics. Mkhwebane said: “The complaint, which relates to President Ramaphosa’s alleged conduct in respect of allegations of criminal activities at one of his properties, was received last Friday from Mr Vuyo Zungula, MP, President of the African Transformation Movement (ATM). The ATM is a political party represented in Parliament. “Due to the silence of the EMEA when it comes to the appropriate recipient of the report, in case the complaint is against the President, the Public Protector has previously had to improvise and send it to the Speaker of the National Assembly. “The investigation concerning Mr Zungula’s complaint has commenced, with allegations and letters already written to sources of…

THE National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) says it is meeting with its members and legal counsel to chart a way forward as hundreds of employees were affected by Comair’s planned liquidation. Embattled airline operator Comair yesterday announced that its business rescue practitioners had lodged a court application to convert the business rescue proceedings into a liquidation process. British Airways and kulula.com flights are operated by Comair under a licence agreement. Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said it was a blow to their members. “This is not the outcome we had hoped for but it is what it is and we will have to work with it. “We will be meeting with our members and legal counsel in order to map a way forward. Our greatest concern at the…

CONVICTED sex pest, Frederick Botha’s attempt to appeal his cumulative 36 year imprisonment sentence for nine counts of indecent and sexual assault has failed in the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA). Botha also further received three life term imprisonment sentences for three counts of rape against a minor boy. Botha was sentenced in the Gauteng High Court after it was found that he had, over a period of five years, sexually abused his minor victim – the complainant in the matter. The sexual abuse started when the complainant was only 6 years old. It had taken place at the home of the boy’s paternal grandmother. A threat by Botha that he would do the same to the boy’s younger sibling “as soon as he turned a year old” was what…

TWO inspirational Western Cape Schools have been shortlisted in the Top 10 for the World’s Best School Prizes in the category Overcoming Adversity. Pinelands North Primary School and West End Primary School in Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain, have been nominated and will now compete with eight other schools in their category from Australia, Malaysia, India, Uganda, Brazil, Jamaica, Kenya and Nigeria, for the US$50 000(R763 285) prize. They will also have the opportunity to showcase, on a global platform, their best practices and innovative approaches on how to overcome adversity. Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Education MEC David Maynier visited both schools yesterday to announce the wonderful news. “I am very proud of both schools and of the way in which their school communities have come together to overcome adversity.…

The Silent Child J.G. Kelly Loot.co.za (R240) Hodder & Stoughton A HAUNTING and thought-provoking dual time frame historical novel about a woman attempting to find her family after they were separated at a concentration camp. 1944. Leo Stern arrives in the camp of Borek with his wife Irena and their two daughters. The Sterns are briefly spared from the chambers when they are witnesses to a horrifying incident, but in a place that humanity has deserted, Leo is forced to make unimaginable choices to keep his family alive. 1961. For 17 years, Hanna has been unable to remember her name, or how she was separated from her family at the end of the war, until the discovery of an anonymous letter among her late uncle’s possessions reveals her real identity…

Here’s the Thing Haji Mohamed Dawjee Loot.co.za (R229) Pan Macmillan IF THERE’S any writer who has displayed an honest and candid approach to the conversation about the complexities of racial struggles in this country, it has to be Haji Mohamed Dawjee. In her new book, Here’s the Thing, she offers a collection of thought-provoking essays. Filled with stories and insights that are at turns contemplative, comedic and controversial, there is a touching letter to her father, a piece on the honest truth about the pain in the arse that is parenting, as well as ponderings over struggles with the vicissitudes of a modern world filled with cancel culture. There is also a serving of the many lessons the game of tennis has to offer, as well as hilarious insights into…

POST-APARTHEID South African higher education witnessed unprecedented nationwide student protests. Central to the protests was a call for free-fee, decolonised, Afro-centric and inter-sectional higher education. The #FeesMustFall protests received public condemnation for the destruction of property and arson. Destruction of property and arson de-legitimised the #FeesMustFall, particularly to certain quarters that (were) resistant to the transformation of higher education. Moreover, the university’s management and the state subtly connived and co-operated to quell the #FeesMustFall clarion call, i.e. decolonisation of higher education. To dissuade the students’ clarion call embodied in the #FeesMustFall movement, economic reasoning and rationality were uncritically brought to the fore to discourage students from their call to decolisise higher education. Largely, the economic reasons that were brought to the fore upheld neo-liberalism ethos austerity measures. The proposed austerity…

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s army this week accused neighbouring Rwanda of deploying 500 special forces troops on its soil, as tensions flare between the two central African states. The accusation comes amid a sharp deterioration of relations between the countries over the recent resurgence of the M23 militia in the DRC’s volatile east. The DRC has accused Rwanda of backing the rebel group and last month said it had detained two Rwandan soldiers in its eastern region, holding this as proof of the country’s involvement. Rwanda has repeatedly denied backing the M23. The DRC’s army spokesperson in eastern North Kivu province, General Sylvain Ekenge, accused Rwanda of fielding hundreds of troops beyond its borders. “Rwanda has changed the uniform of its soldiers to conceal its presence in Congolese territory…

Baroda: Gujarat woman Kshama Bindu, who grabbed the headlines and hit the eye of the storm after she expressed her intention to marry herself, has solemnised her marriage in a private function at her residence. Kshama, 24, performed mehandi, haldi ceremonies and got married this week in the presence of 10 people, including her friends and colleagues. She shared her wedding pictures on Instagram. Her marriage had to be solemnised at home on June 8 instead of temple on June 11 as the priest who had agreed to get Kshama married to herself backed out after opposition from local politicians. | IANS…

Berlin: German national carrier Lufthansa said yesterday it was cancelling hundreds of flights during the summer holidays because of staff shortages as the industry attempts to bounce back from the pandemic. The company said in a statement it had seen a “jump in demand” as the Covid-19 outbreak has eased, which “after the most severe crisis in aviation is good news”. However, it said that “infrastructure has not fully recovered”, leading to “bottlenecks and staff shortages” in Europe, hitting airports, ground services, air traffic control and airlines. As a result Lufthansa said it had scrapped 900 German and European flights for July at its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. | AFP…

Paris: The Paris prosecutor’s office said yesterday that it had opened a preliminary inquiry into dozens of cases of salmonella poisoning in popular Kinder sweets during the key Easter holiday season. Chocolate products from the company’s factory in Belgium were found to contain salmonella bacteria, resulting in 150 cases in Europe. As of June 2, the Sante Publique France health agency counted 118 cases in France, of which 22 required hospital admission. Following a complaint by the Foodwatch group, prosecutors began a probe into suspected reckless endangerment by Ferrero, the Italian confectionery giant that owns Kinder, Paris prosecutors said. | AFP…