Sommaire pour 2022-11-11 de Cape Times

THE conduct of the evidence leader in the Parliamentary enquiry into suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office has once again come under scrutiny – this time advocate Nazreen Bawa SC being accused of “perpetuating a stereotype against black people”. Bawa last week led evidence, publishing what she claimed was the public protector’s legal fees that were the subject of testimony. These fees included large amounts of money being paid mostly to black firms and legal representatives. Addressing the committee yesterday, advocate Muzi Sikhakhane SC, who took issue with his name being flashed out during Bawa’s presentation, accused her of being selective in highlighting the fees of black advocates, while white advocates were paid the same amounts or more under the previous public protector, Thuli Madonsela. He added…

A GENERAL practitioner running a private practice in Khayelitsha, who was charged with 11 counts of unprofessional conduct has been granted temporary relief, as the Western Cape High Court put her sanction on hold pending the outcome of an internal appeal. After many delays, a hearing went ahead in her absence and on July 14 she was informed that she had been convicted on six of the 11 counts and sentenced to six months’ suspension. The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) had found her guilty of counts ranging from failing to keep proper clinical notes of her patients to issuing a medical certificate to a patient without examination, and issuing a medical certificate that does not comply with ethical rules. She was also found guilty of unprofessional…

A SENIOR DA official at the Hessequa Municipality has been suspended following allegations that he stole prepaid electricity amounting to thousands of rand. In the allegations first brought forward by a whistle-blower, Louw Saayman, head of the revenue department at the municipality, is alleged to have signed pre-paid electricity over to his account. Saayman is a DA member and said to be ranking at the top in the management of municipal affairs. The municipality confirmed his suspension yesterday, adding an investigation into the allegations was under way. “Mr Saayman has been suspended as a precautionary measure pending the outcome of an investigation into pre-paid transactions. No additional information can be provided at this time as the allegations are being investigated,” the municipality said. The municipality also dismissed claims that it…

US President Joe Biden started a week-long trip to Egypt and Asia yesterday to grapple with some of the US’s thorniest foreign policy issues, boosted by a better-than-expected showing by Democrats in the midterm elections. Biden hops from an international climate summit in Egypt today to an Asean meeting and the East Asia Summit in Cambodia tomorrow and on Sunday to the annual gathering of the G20, or Group of 20 industrialised nations, in Indonesia from November 14-16. He’ll hold his first face-to-face meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G20, where he hopes to explore Xi’s “red lines”, talk to allies about punishing Russia for its Ukraine invasion and discuss containing North Korea after a barrage of missile tests. Biden said this week that his goal was to…

The family of Egypt’s jailed dissident Alaa Abdel Fattah, who has been refusing food and water, said yesterday that prison authorities had told them he is “under medical intervention”. The family have demanded information on the health of the British- Egyptian activist amid what they said were “rumours of force-feeding”. His mother Laila Soueif, at the Wadi al-Natroun prison north of Cairo, was informed that “medical intervention was taken” with Abdel Fattah “with the knowledge of judicial entities”, his sister Mona Seif wrote on Twitter. International concern has mounted since Abdel Fattah, 40, escalated his months-long hunger strike by also declining liquids since Sunday, the start of the UN climate summit COP27 hosted by Egypt. Abdel Fattah, a veteran pro-democracy and rights campaigner, is serving a five-year prison sentence for…

NAIROBI: Elizabeth Wathuti channelled her frustration and sadness over the damage to natural habitats, including Kenyan forests close to her childhood home, into a life of activism, founding the Green Generation Initiative to raise awareness through tree growing. Six years after starting the environmental advocacy group, Wathuti is one of Kenya’s most ardent voices in the struggle against climate change, a voice she is hoping will be heard by world leaders gathered in Egypt for the COP27 climate summit. Wathuti was one of the young people calling for urgent action as the UN climate conference marked its traditional Young and Future Generations Day yesterday. “We have to ensure that there is a great representation and participation of voices across the African continent, and not just the participation but it has…

Paris: Commuters in London and Paris scrambled for alternatives yesterday as public transport workers went on strike for higher pay, the latest industrial action seeking relief from soaring prices in Europe. In Paris, public transport operator RATP said nearly every Metro line would be shut down or operating with only limited rush-hour service, and urged people to postpone trips. Frequency of bus services was likely to drop by a third, while tram operations were expected to be at near-normal levels, the RATP said. Officials in London said the Underground system was “severely disrupted”, with limited or no services running. Buses were packed to capacity. | AFP…

Report found that there were 782 fossil fuel projects in operation or under construction in Africa between 2016 and 2021 DEVELOPMENT Finance Institutions (DFIs) in southern Africa are pouring significant amounts of money into fossil fuels exploration more than they are financing renewable energy. This goes against the Paris Agreement as climate change requires financial institutions to stop funding fossil fuels and to fund a swift, just transition to renewable energy. These are the findings contained in a report released by the Fair Finance Coalition of Southern Africa (FFCSA) yesterday on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference, or COP27, in Egypt. COP27 has already been marred by controversy as activists said that there were more fossil fuel lobbyists at the gathering than representatives of the 10 countries most…

Stellenbosch University (SU) students living in residences say they are prevented from reporting issues of discrimination due to the fear of being treated differently in their living environments. This is according to evidence from staff members and student leaders contained in the Khampepe report. The report by retired Constitutional Court Justice Sisi Khampepe was released this week following a request by the leadership of the university to probe alleged racism at the institution in May. A large part of the report found that black students and staff at the institution still felt unwelcomed and excluded. An SU employee who spoke to the Cape Times on the basis of anonymity said some residences had made strides in transformation, but others have fallen behind. “Overall and definitely a combination of structures are…

Serving the guests of Allah: Hajji Faried Galant celebrates his 40th anniversary as Matouf. Hajj and Umrah is a sacred journey of a lifetime in which pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia to undertake one of the five pillars of Islam, which must be done at least once in a lifetime by each Muslim if personal circumstances allow it. Millions of people make their way each year. They celebrate the feast of Al-Adha, or what Cape residents refer to as Labarang Ghajji, and visit the area’s many historical sites during their stay. The Mother City is known for its beautiful and unique culture, history and traditions, preserved by those before us. For 40 years, a former Claremont resident, Hajji Faried Galant, has served the honourable guests of Allah. A celebration was…

AN INDEPENDENT initiator has been appointed in the disciplinary hearing against former water and sanitation Mayco member, Zahid Badroodien. According to a source in the disciplinary committee, the hearing, which is closed to the public, was officially held on Wednesday. The case was presented by the initiator and the first three witnesses testified against Badroodien. “Councillor Zahid Badroodien faces three charges: breach of Cape Town electricity supply by law; breach of code of conduct for councillors; and, gross misconduct of the breach of code of conduct for councillors,” according to the initiator. The matter was postponed and the next appearance is expected to be on November 21 and 22, where Badroodien and his witnesses are expected to testify. Responding to the matter yesterday, Badroodien said: “Yes I’m aware of the…

RED INK Angela Makholwa Loot.co.za (R 170) Pan Macmillan RED Ink is a gripping thriller, originally released in 2013. Set in present-day Johannesburg, it has a distinctly local flavour and brings the city to life through all its contrasts and contradictions. When public relations consultant and ex-journalist Lucy Khambule – young, beautiful and ambitious – receives an unexpected call from Napoleon Dingiswayo – a convicted serial killer, nicknamed The Butcher by the media – her life takes a dramatic turn. Dingiswayo wants Lucy to tell his story. Intrigued by Dingiswayo’s approach, Lucy decides to take this opportunity to fulfil her life-long dream of writing a book, but it comes at a cost she could never have imagined. After their initial contact, Dingiswayo becomes an all-too-obliging subject and Lucy soon discovers…

Bamboozled Melinda Ferguson Loot.co.za (R229) Melinda Ferguson Whereas much of the content of those earlier works might have caused the reader’s eyelashes to veer upwards in shock, surprise, disapproval, Bamboozled will give eyebrows substantially less work to do. Ferguson started writing this book five year ago. “And then I stopped. Blocked. Distracted. Diverted. Death smirked at us when we awoke and masked ourselves, adhered to curfews, Covid tests, Covid jabs, PCR swabs, as we watched endlessly ticking numbers and stats dipping and climbing, were told of new variants, travel bans quarantines. Time took on a new meaning, with ever-changing calendars of lockdown levels, restrictions, and viral waves.” “Bamboozled”, unlike the other three volumes that looked back on a lifestyle previously led, looks glaringly at the present and the future. There…

SOUTH African cricket needs to simplify its goals and settle on getting one thing right – ensuring one or all of the national teams wins a World Cup. There are actually several chances to do so over the next eight years, thanks to the International Cricket Council slotting a limited overs tournament into the calendar every year until 2031. There’s the 50-over World Cup next year in India – although the Proteas are in a tricky position of their own doing and will most likely need to play a qualifying event to reach that tournament. In 2025 there’s the Champions Trophy, in 2026 the next T20 World Cup, in 2027 the 50-over World Cup will be hosted in South Africa, the year after that another T20 World Cup, in 2029…

France said yesterday that it would allow a rescue ship carrying more than 200 migrants to dock on its southern coast and disembark its passengers, harshly criticising Italy for failing to take them in. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the Ocean Viking, whose passengers include 57 children, would be granted access to the military port of Toulon after a deepening standoff with Italy over whose responsibility it was to take them in. Darmanin called its stance “incomprehensible”. The ship “is located without any doubt in Italy’s search and rescue zone”, he said, adding that “it was Italy’s job to immediately designate a port to welcome this ship”. The French-Italian tensions are the latest episode in a European stand-off over where to disembark migrants picked up after trying to reach Europe…

Seven people have been killed in fighting between the Philippine military and Muslim rebels in the country’s south, authorities said yesterday, in one of the deadliest clashes since a peace pact was signed in 2014. The ongoing fighting broke out following what the military said was a “miscommunication” between its soldiers and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Milf). For decades the Catholic-majority Philippines has been plagued by violent insurgencies, including a Muslim- led separatist uprising that has killed 100 000 people. A peace deal with the Milf, the largest of the rebel groups, was sealed in 2014. Its leaders now head a self-ruled area in the former battlefields that include Basilan, as the process of disarming the Milf’s 40 000 fighters drags on. Government officials and former rebels…

NAIROBI: A Kenyan court yesterday allowed a request by public prosecutors to withdraw a 7.4 billion shillings ($60 million) corruption case against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, citing insufficient evidence. Gachagua and his co-accused were charged with corruption in July last year. He has denied any wrongdoing. There was no challenge to the prosecutor’s request to drop the case in court. In a separate ruling in July, a court ordered Gachagua to repay 202 million shillings which it determined were the proceeds of corruption. | Reuters…

MIAMI: Tropical storm Nicole slowed after making landfall in the US state of Florida, meteorologists said yesterday, with high winds raising concerns that a long-delayed Nasa rocket launch could be disrupted. The storm sparked evacuation orders just weeks after Florida was battered by Hurricane Ian. But an hour after Nicole made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane it was downgraded. The NHC said Nicole was packing sustained maximum winds of up to 110km/h. The storm had passed over the Bahamas on Wednesday, with the level of destruction not immediately clear. Nasa said it would leave the 98m SLS rocket on the launch pad, where it had been placed days before. | AFP…

DEPUTY President David Mabuza yesterday pleaded with military veterans to exercise patience while the government tackled obstacles that had delayed the processes that would enable them to access benefits. Mabuza was addressing military veterans at an event aimed to give them an update on the progress on facilitating access to services and benefits in Cape Town. Mabuza said that the presidential task team’s visit to the province was an opportunity for them to reflect on the obstacles that might delay the process to enable veterans’ access to benefits such as pension, housing, health services and education. “The biggest obstacle that we need to finalise and resolve is management of the Department of Military Veterans database of all our military veterans. That must be concluded without delay,” he said. Mabuza…

THERE wasn’t a dry eye in the Western Cape High Court yesterday as the children of late Imam Abdullah Haron took the stand, recollecting memories of their slain father. Day four of the reopened inquest into Haron’s death in detention saw Shamela Haron-Shamis, the eldest of the three siblings, take the stand. She told the court it was a day the family had anticipated. “We waited for a long time to come to court. So far it’s been an ordeal for us but we are managing. “My mom died three years ago and she didn’t get the closure she wanted while she was alive,” said Haron-Shamis. She described the late Imam endearingly as someone who was “jovial, kind, a prankster and always approachable with a listening ear… he had no…

AS A person who went to school until obtaining a degree, sister (nun) Aidan Quinlan could have followed other careers but chose to be a caregiver. She chose to serve the disadvantaged communities. It would be a fallacy to think that there were incentives. She was rendering service to people regarded as less human, that is if they were regarded as human beings at all. Who would go and serve poor black people with no sufficient facilities, including being understaffed? Generally, there is a lot of sacrifice by the nurses with no comfort, but it is worse for a privileged person who chose to work under “abnormal” conditions, leaving behind the “normal” one. Imagine being white, the strain of working in a township hospital. This is not to downplay the…

Vredenburg former cop Jean- Paul Malgas, accused of being the gun-toting man who killed three people at New Somerset Hospital earlier this year, is facing 10 criminal charges. Malgas, 39, returned to the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court yesterday where he was expected to appear in person and receive an indictment and summary of facts. However, State prosecutor Adnaan Gelderbloem advised the court that because of security risks and the courtroom having only one police officer, Malgas should not enter the courtroom. “Due to the nature of the case and the interests of public safety, we request the postponement be done in his absence,” Gelderbloem said. Malgas’s attorney, Shagan Shaun Balram, opposed this, but it was ruled that the accused would not be allowed in the courtroom. Balram then withdrew from…

Look Both Ways Linwood Barclay Loot.co.za (R214) William Morrow Inspired by his decades-long love of cars, international author Linwood Barclay envisions a world in which automotive technology outpaces our wildest dreams— and our darkest nightmares—in a gripping new novel of action and suspense. The media have descended on Garrett Island, a small, isolated community that is the setting of a visionary experiment. All the residents’ cars were sent to the mainland and for the past month the islanders have been “driving” the Arrival, a revolutionary autonomous vehicle. With a simple voice command, an Arrival will take you wherever you want to go and, because the fleet is networked and aware of one another, car travel is now 100% safe. The future, it seems, has arrived. As the excitement reaches a…

AS THE City of Cape Town grapples with overflowing sewerage drains, blocked storm water drains and sanitation, refuse collection is increasingly becoming an additional problem in townships largely inhabited by black and poor families. Refuse removal occurs almost every Wednesday at K, L and M-Sections of Site B in Khayelitsha. As of November 2 it was not collected. I am triggered to reduce this occurrence into an article on the basis that it has been an occurrence on multiple occasions. Geordin Hill-Lewis, the mayor, had a public engagement in sub-council 9 on October 3, a tick box exercise and an ongoing campaign to exercise control over the police service, boasting about a huge number of C-3 notifications as though C-3 notifications address problems and arrogantly dodging questions about land availability…

Iran has built a hypersonic ballistic missile, the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted the Revolutionary Guards’ aerospace commander as saying, in remarks likely to heighten concerns about Iranian missile capabilities. “This missile has a high speed and can manoeuvre in and out of the atmosphere. It will target the enemy’s advanced anti-missile systems and is a big generational leap in the field of missiles,” commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh was quoted as saying. Hypersonic missiles can fly at least five times faster than the speed of sound and on a complex trajectory, which makes them difficult to intercept. However, there have been no reports of such a missile being tested by Iran and, while the Islamic Republic has developed a large domestic arms industry in the face of international sanctions and…

SAN FRANCISCO: Twitter owner Elon Musk yesterday launched a survey about changes in the content of the social network. Musk asked his followers on Twitter to answer “yes” or “no” to the question “Are you seeing far fewer bots/scams/spam?” According to the poll, 52.1% of respondents said yes, while 47.9% said no. The poll has already surveyed more than 700 000 people. Musk said in an email to employees that remote work would no longer be allowed and that they would be expected to be in office for at least 40 hours a week. He also told them that he wanted to see subscriptions account for half of Twitter’s revenue. | Sputnik, Reuters…

Tel Aviv: Religious and far-right politicians, who have compared gay people to animals and demanded an end to Pride rallies, are poised to enter the next Israeli government, sparking fear among the LGBTQ community. After veteran leader Benjamin Netanyahu topped the polls earlier this month, he is expected to form a coalition with two ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties and the extreme-right Religious Zionism alliance. Religious Zionism leaders Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich once organised a “beast march” which saw opponents of the Pride parade walk alongside donkeys in Jerusalem. Likud party leader Netanyahu has a broadly progressive record on LGBTQ policy issues. | AFP…

MALE: At least 10 people were killed when a fire swept through cramped lodgings of foreign workers in Male, the capital city of Maldives, yesterday, local media reported. The bodies were recovered from the upper floor of a building that houses migrant workers. It said that the fire appears to have originated from a garage on the ground floor of the burned structure. Police said the workers were from Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. Fire and Rescue Services said that it took several hours to put out the blaze. Fire and Rescue Services said 28 people were evacuated, while 10 were reported killed. | Xinhua…

IT’S two Springboks chasing an All Black as Branden Grace and Justin Walters led the South African challenge after the first round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club yesterday, and with New Zealand’s Ryan Fox top of the leaderboard. Grace and Walters opened with rounds of two-under-par 70. At the top of the leaderboard, Fox signed for a sublime eight-under-par 64 to lead the field by one stroke. His nearest challenger is European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald who shot a 65. Grace was delighted to be contending after a difficult start on the front nine where he was two over through the first three holes. “I don’t know what it is with that front nine. “I’m always a little on the back foot and…