Sommaire pour 2022-10-14 de Cape Times

Calls are growing for Parliament to be in charge of oversight of the Ministerial Handbook and for transparency after “secret changes” were made, meaning taxpayers must pay for all the power and water bills for ministers and their deputies at official residences. This week it emerged that President Cyril Ramaphosa had made changes to the handbook which had removed the R5 000 cap on utilities for members of the executive. The cap had meant that only bills up to R5 000 had to be footed by the taxpayers and the excess was to be paid by the ministers and deputies but this had fallen away. Civil society and opposition parties have slammed the move, saying millions of South Africans struggle to eke out a living while ministers earn in excess…

EASTERN Cape police say the attack on a Transnet bus by four men wearing balaclavas in New Brighton yesterday could be linked to the ongoing strike over wages. Police spokesperson Priscilla Naidu said the bus was collecting employees at about 5.50am in Railwayflats when it came under attack. She said the suspects flanked the bus as it was about to enter the premises before they opened fire. “One female was injured on the foot. When the driver drove into the premises, the suspects ran away. There were 10 people (including the driver) in the bus at the time. No other injuries. It is suspected that the incident is linked to the current Transnet strike. Allegations are that two permanent employees were in the bus going to work and they were…

On the eve of their opening of the Italian comedy opera L’elisir d’amore at Theatre on the Bay, Cape Town Opera celebrated two awards at the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport 2022 Cultural Affairs Awards held at Artscape on Wednesday. The company’s head of youth development and education, Madré Loubser, was awarded the prize in the category After School Programme: After School Arts and Culture Coaching Excellence, and the company won the Neville Alexander Award for an Outstanding Contribution towards the Promotion of Multilingualism in the Language category. Managing director of Cape Town Opera, Alex Gabriel, said: “Cape Town Opera is proud of our work addressing the educational challenges facing our incredibly talented Western Cape youth (our future opera stars) and also of our work enabling arts…

Stellenbosch: Murder Town Two decades of shocking murders Julian Jansen (R215) Tafelberg Stellenbosch – the Boland town, world renowned for its superb wines, scenery, and beautiful people. Home to university students, successful businessmen and respected professors. But the town has another side – well publicised crimes that rocked the community, country and even beyond our borders. The last two decades have seen the front pages of newspapers splashed with the details of the murders of Inge Lotz, Hannah Cornelius, Susan Rohde and the Van Breda family. Jansen’s book includes lesser known victims, such as Felicity Cilliers, the farm worker whose murder has been forgotten by all but her family. Victims and murderers described come from all walks of life, bringing home that the harsh reality of crime seeps into all…

A Kensington family has demanded an incident report from Somerset Hospital in Green Point, alleging that frail Afia Phillips was being abused and neglected after she sustained a broken arm and a gash to her head which needed stitches. The provincial Health Department, however, has denied the allegations of abuse and neglect, saying the patient’s injuries were as a result of her medical condition. Phillips, 86, was admitted to the hospital on Monday after she suffered a fit and needed medical care and tests performed. Her family yesterday said they were concerned for her wellbeing after hospital staff informed them of her injuries. Ruwayda Gierdien, Phillips’ niece, said hospital staff told them “not to be alarmed” but that Phillips had suffered injuries. “She was admitted to hospital on Monday after…

CONVICTED Robertson rapists, Edmund Plaatjies and Elvin Jantjies, have been sentenced to three life terms each after they were found guilty of repeatedly raping a woman who was known to them in the community. State prosecutor, Elton Willemse, told the court the two found the 19-year-old woman standing outside while attending a social gathering in Silverstrand, Robertson in 2017. She was standing with friends and her child when they dragged her to the vineyards where they took turns raping her. They restrained her by slapping and hitting her, and she was left with multiple abrasions on her face, arms, and hands, lacerations on her lower lip and bruises. The victim impact report compiled by Estelle Adams showed that she was left shocked as she knew both men, and did not…

DAMASCUS: At least 18 soldiers were killed and 20 wounded yesterday when an explosive device detonated on a military bus in the Damascus countryside, local outlet Sham FM said. It represents one of the deadliest attacks in months against Syrian government troops not on an active front line. Bus attacks in particular have been on the rise, including in the Damascus countryside. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and no comment from Syrian authorities. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor that counts casualties and covers military developments in the 11-year-old conflict, said that 17 soldiers were killed in the blast. | Reuters…

Saudi Arabia responded yesterday to a barrage of criticism from the US over a decision by the Saudi-led oil producing cartel and its allies to cut production, saying the decision was based solely on “economic considerations” while denying it was “politically motivated” against the US. The statement came after the White House and members of congress condemned the kingdom for a decision by Opec Plus last week to cut its oil output by 2 million barrels a day, a move that could boost oil prices in the US and worldwide. The cuts were widely seen as a political blow to President Joe Biden ahead of a tough winter and a month before midterm elections. | The Washington Post…

China’s 20th Communist Party Congress, which begins on Sunday, is expected to deliver President Xi Jinping a historic third term. Should everything go to plan, by the end of the twice-in-a-decade meeting, the 69-year-old will be reconfirmed as the party’s general secretary, cementing his position as China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. Security has been stepped up around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, where on Sunday almost 2 300 delegates from every province in China will gather at the Great Hall of the People. And as Xi insists the country stick to its policy of containing and eliminating the coronavirus within its borders, the Congress will take place under strict health protocols. The participants will pick members of the party’s around 200-member Central Committee, which in turn selects the 25-person…

Malawi is asking the UN for more cholera vaccines, fearing heavy rains could worsen an outbreak of the water-borne disease that has so far claimed 128 lives. The impoverished southern African country has recorded 4 420 cases since March, one of its highest tallies in a decade. “We have requested for more vaccines,” said Storm Kabuluzi, the director of preventive health services at the ministry of health. The extra doses are needed for the central and northern regions, where the disease has spread from “traditionally cholera-prone” areas in the south, Kabuluzi said. The number of cases has almost tripled since August, according to government figures, and 24 out of 28 districts are now affected. “What is important is to contain the cholera outbreak today,” said Kabuluzi. “The good thing with…

THE African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) has lodged several complaints with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) against the DA for alleged contravention of the Municipal Electoral Act and the Electoral Code of Conduct. The complaints were lodged a day before the crucial City of Cape Town by-election in Ward 5 on Wednesday. The DA won the by-election by 5 271 votes, while the ACDP received 426 votes. The first complaint related to a DA candidate who allegedly campaigned during special voting home visits. The candidate, according to the ACDP, did not identify her credentials when she arrived at a retirement village during the special votes. “She actively engaged with voters waiting to vote, and the voters reacted to her full knowing her as the candidate. In doing so…

GIVEN the current state of the economy, how is it that a union in South Africa can demand a 12-13% increase when most, if not all, other businesses are still at a 3-5% increases – at best? They are asking for a 5-6% increase above inflation. Name one other business or sector that is demanding such an increase! And surely with the state of our SOEs, these unions cannot claim to be delivering stellar service or huge profit margins – which would then justify a decent increase. I would respect unions more if they had a credible case for their request. Someone needs to talk sense to the unions and have them consider the world and country we live in. Otherwise, they are driving this country on a downward road…

I ALWAYS enjoy Brian Ingpen’s Port Pourri column which this week deals with the Transnet strike and I am sorry that he is not the minister that handles our hopelessly inefficient harbours and ports because then he would get something done about the hopeless situation, especially in Cape Town. We are waiting for a shipment from Europe that has already been on the water for about eight weeks. We were told the vessel was going to bypass Cape Town, because of the very slow service there, and go on to Durban and then off-load in Cape Town on its way back, when I assume there are fewer containers to offload. Now we have been told that it will bypass Cape Town because of the strike and offload the container in…

The Impatient Djaili Amadou Amal Loot.co.za (R540) Harpervia A powerful, heart-rending and insightful novel of a trio of women in Cameroon who dare to rebel against oppressive, long-held cultural traditions such as polygamy and domestic abuse that define and limit their lives. Three women, three stories, three linked destinies. In North Cameroon, well-to-do young Ramla is torn from her true love and wed to a manipulative older man. Safira, her co-wife, juggles envy and empathy for the new bride with disappointment in the husband she desperately loves. Like her elder sister, Ramla, Hindou is married off to a man she does not know or want, a distant cousin whose instability and violence terrifies her. From an early age, the women were raised to submit to men, or risk shame and…

THE South African Medical Research Council(SAMRC) has reported a sharp increase in the concentrations of SARS-Cov-2-RNA in several wastewater treatment plants in the City and several towns in the Western Cape. SAMRC president, Professor Glenda Gray, said the spike coincided with the increase of Covid-19 positive cases, reported by National Institute For Communicable Diseases (NICD). The most recent data indicated that reinfections remained consistent with the level expected based on prior experience with the Omicron variant, according to the NICD. “Over the past week the SAMRC Wastewater Surveillance team has measured concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Cape Town and parts of the Western Cape (De Doorns, Rawsonville and Worcester), that have not been observed for many months. “The increase in SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in our wastewater programme coincides with an…

CHERYL Roberts fell in love with tennis at the age of 11. When she first picked up a tennis racket at that age, she could not have imagined the impact she would make in the lives of poor young girls in the country. She also would not have imagined that her courage and resolve would lead to being described as a champion and icon of the sport. At the time, the odds were stacked against her as a black woman in a sport seen to be for whites only. But today, Roberts represents a true hero, whose dedication to transformation can be seen in her work with poor communities. Roberts represented South Africa as a Table Tennis player in the South African team at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.…

Karachi: At least 18 Pakistanis, including 12 children, were killed in a bus fire as they journeyed home after fleeing catastrophic monsoon flooding, officials and rescue workers said yesterday. Pakistan has been hit by unprecedented monsoon rains this year, putting a third of the nation under water, displacing eight million people, and causing $28 billion worth of devastation. As the waters slowly recede, thousands of the displaced are travelling back to their sodden homes to remake their lives. Police said the passengers died when flames broke out overnight on a northbound bus outside the city of Karachi. | AFP…

The football that was at the feet – and hand – of Diego Maradona as he shocked the world with acts of both brazen gamesmanship and breathtaking skill in Mexico 36 years ago has been put up for auction and is expected to sell for at least 2.5 million pounds (about R51m). The ball in question is from the 1986 World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and England, in which Maradona scored six minutes into the second half by sneakily punching the ball over England goalkeeper Peter Shilton into the net. He said afterwards that in scoring the ever-controversial goal had been helped by the “Hand of God”. | Reuters…

Iraq’s parliament yesterday elected Kurdish politician Abdul Latif Rashid as president, according to two lawmakers, paving the way for the formation of a new government and ending a year of deadlock. Rashid, 78, is a British-educated engineer and was the Iraqi minister of water resources from 2003-2010. He has 15 days to invite a nominee from the largest parliamentary bloc to form a government. Earlier, nine rockets landed around the Iraqi capital’s Green Zone, home to government buildings and foreign missions, the military said. Several members of the security forces were injured in the attack. Similar attacks took place last month as the parliament was holding a vote to confirm its speaker. A Reuters witness and parliament sources said that they saw at least three rockets landing. There was no…

Los Angeles: Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is being held in appalling conditions in a cell as he awaits his daily trial sessions in Los Angeles, his lawyer said. The Shakespeare in Love producer, who once dominated Hollywood, is on trial for multiple counts of sexual assault against five women between 2004 and 2013. If convicted of the crimes, which he denies, he could be jailed for more than 100 years, in addition to the 23 years he is already serving for sex crimes committed in New York. Lawyer Mark Werksman said conditions in the holding cell were “unsanitary, fetid.” | AFP…

AMIDST the furore of Temba Bavuma’s omission from the six SA20 League franchises, the further exclusion of a number of highly-promising South African talent went almost unnoticed. Among this group was new Western Province captain Tony de Zorzi. The 24-year-old is a former SA U19 captain and has long been touted to take the step up to the next level. However, De Zorzi has yet to fulfil his immense potential despite a promising four-day series for South Africa A against India A last year, where he struck a century in the second “Test”. Equally, the stylish left-hander delivered solid but not spectacular performances in last year’s CSA T20 Challenge in Gqeberha where he averaged 24.33 at a strike-rate of 125.96 in six matches. It was not sufficient to get De…

Independent Media’s Editor-in-Chief Aziz Hartley has described News24’s so-called exclusive report on a leaked document detailing Independent Media’s plan on how the organisation is going to cover the upcoming ANC elections, as a sensational piece of misdirection. Hartley said yesterday the News24 article, EXCLUSIVE | Inside ‘Operation Hlanza’: Independent Media’s plan to topple Ramaphosa, was pure conjecture, highly divisive, and meant to deliberately mislead the South African public and the country’s executive. Hartley said this was not a “secret” plan, as it had been shared widely in September within the Independent Media Group as a proposal inviting input. “I am sure News24 and every other media house in the country has done likewise. “We would like to remind News24 that Indy is not a delegate at the conference. “It has…

FRESHWATER species’ populations have suffered an 83% fall, while in tropical regions wildlife populations are plummeting at a staggering rate. Monitored wildlife populations – mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish – have seen a 69% decline on average since 1970. These statistics are according to WWF’s Living Planet Report (LPR) 2022, which provides an on the general state of nature. WWF has now urgently warned governments, businesses and the public to take transformative action to reverse the destruction of biodiversity. “With its biggest dataset yet, featuring almost 32 000 populations of 5 230 species, the Living Planet Index (LPI), provided within the report by ZSL (Zoological Society of London), shows it is within tropical regions that monitored vertebrate wildlife populations are plummeting at a particularly staggering rate. “WWF is extremely…

TOURISM authorities in Mpumalanga have welcomed the position taken by the Minister Lindiwe Sisulu on the proposed closure of the Numbi access point to tourists flocking to the iconic Kruger National Park via Hazyview. This follows a statement from Sisulu’s office clarifying media reports that quoted her telling parliamentarians that the closure of the gate was being considered. On Tuesday, the select committee on trade and industry, economic development, small business development, tourism, employment and labour wanted Sisulu to explain how her ministry was dealing with crime in tourism. German tourist Jörg Schnarr, 67, was fatally wounded during a botched hijacking along the R538 road toward the Kruger National Park According to her spokesperson Steve Motale, the minister needed to set the record straight because her response that the proposed…

Gqimm Shelele - The Robert Marawa Story Mandy Wiener Loot.co.za (R240) Release Date: October 28, 2022 Pan Macmillan AS a young, soccer-mad boy living in rural KwaZulu-Natal, Robert Marawa listened to the commentary of local football derbies on a small, crackling FM radio. As a teenager, he spent hours practising his presenting skills on his family’s home video recorder, reading from newspaper clippings his mother had carefully kept for him while he was at boarding school in Hilton. Marawa’s dream was to be a sportscaster who would be beamed into the homes of South Africa’s footballing fans. Robert Marawa’s career has exceeded his wildest imagination. “Madluphuthu” has become arguably South Africa’s most popular and most recognisable sports broadcaster. With his quick turn of phrase, his baritone voice and his direct,…

AS THE country grappled with high numbers of sexual assault cases, officers in blue, whose duty was to protect the public, were also found to have been alleged perpetrators of gender violence. Rape allegations made by civilians against the police were among the crimes reported to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate. A total of 5 295 criminal cases were opened against police officers during the 2021/22 financial year. The majority of the cases were from Gauteng, with 984 complaints against police officers, followed by the Western Cape with 963, and KwaZulu-Natal with 628. Of the various offences committed, assault was in the lead with 3 407 incidents, followed by complaints about the discharge of official firearms numbering 744, and deaths as a result of police action at 410. About 99…

Robotics and coding will form part of the curriculum at public schools in South Africa to ensure that children can take part in the economy and meet the needs of global markets. The challenge now for Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga is to bring teachers up to speed to impart skills for the 21st century. Reforming the school curriculum is an essential and long-overdue aspect of ensuring that South Africa keeps up with the changing demands of the local and global labour market. Many question the relevance of certain subjects, but it is essential to ensure that children have choices and that what they are taught is relevant and gives them an edge in the world after school. Seven young people out of every 10 are unemployed, some with National…

Acute malnutrition is surging among children displaced by drought and conflict in a part of central Somalia teetering on the edge of famine, according to a survey conducted by humanitarian agencies. The UN warned at the beginning of September that two districts were projected to face famine between October and December. More than half a million children in Somalia are at risk of dying from malnutrition. A screening conducted from September 19-24 by UN agencies and other humanitarian groups in camps for internally displaced people in the Baidoa district found the situation quickly deteriorating. | Reuters…

The US reaffirmed its commitment to defend “every inch” of Nato territory ahead of talks among defence ministers from the alliance yesterday that will include closed-door discussions by its Nuclear Planning Group. US defence secretary Lloyd Austin made the remarks affirming America’s commitment to Nato collective defence following repeated nuclear threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin amid battlefield setbacks in his nearly eight-month-long invasion of Ukraine. “We are committed to defending every inch of Nato’s territory – if and when it comes to that,” Austin said. Austin spoke shortly before attending a meeting by Nato’s senior body on nuclear matters, which handles policy issues associated with the alliance’s nuclear forces. Nato has not given details of the nuclear discussions which took place yesterday. The alliance said its nuclear policy was…

US President Joe Biden’s approval ratings may be faltering, but his Democratic Party can still count on him for one thing ahead of the crucial midterm elections: money. As the November 8 vote approaches, the 79-year-old is criss-crossing the country to meet wealthy supporters to fill the coffers of his party, which hopes to at least maintain its hold on the senate, one of the two houses in congress. Attendees at the invite-only fundraisers can expect bold, sometimes shocking statements. On October 6, in the New York apartment of James Murdoch – son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch – Biden warned that the world was at risk of nuclear “Armageddon” for the first time since 1962. In late August, Biden also accused supporters of his predecessor, Donald Trump, of embracing…

BERLIN: German police have arrested a woman suspected of having been involved in a plot to kidnap health minister Karl Lauterbach earlier this year, federal prosecutors told the media yesterday. The woman, a German national identified by police only as Elisabeth R is suspected of having been ringleader of a radical group that plotted to kidnap Lauterbach and destroy power facilities to cause a nationwide power outage, the prosecutors said in a statement. Following the foiled kidnapping in April, prosecutors had detained four other suspects, who they said were affiliated with groups that opposed Covid-19 restrictions and with the far-right “Reichsbuerger” movement, which denies the existence of the modern German state. Prosecutors said on Thursday that Elisabeth R was involved in co-ordinating the radical group’s plot, in efforts to procure…

DESPITE it looking unlikely that Cape Town City will progress beyond the second preliminary round of the Caf Champions League, Taariq Fielies has urged his teammates to not give up. City lost the first leg 3-0 against Petro de Luanda at Cape Town Stadium last weekend, and it will be a major upset if they manage to mount an unlikely comeback in Angola tomorrow. “We have a big test ahead of us in Angola. We have the feeling that we can’t give up yet because it’s not in our nature to lay down. We are obviously disappointed to have conceded three goals at home, but we are confident that we can score four goals if we have the right mindset. In the second leg, we will be fearless and have…