Sommaire pour 2023-07-12 de Cape Times

PRESCIENT Investment Management announced this week that it has con- cluded a deal with H1 Holdings to provide R220 million to fund the latter’s invest- ment in three Grootfontein 75MW (each) solar PV farms located in Touws River in the Western Cape. This was done through Prescient’s Clean Energy Fund. The projects were awarded as part of the fifth bidding round of the Department of Mineral Resources’ Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procure- ment Programme to deliver much-needed renewable energy as part of a 20-year power purchase agreement. On comple- tion, the projects are expected to power some 100 000 households daily in the surrounding communities and reduce approximately 630 000 tons of CO2 emis- sions annually. Prescient portfolio manager and credit structuring specialist, Luzuko Nomjana said…

Long-haul flights can be a challenging experience, but with the right preparation and mindset, they can also be an opportunity for personal growth, relaxation, and productivity. Whether you're a frequent traveller or embarking on your first long-haul journey, here are ten tips to help you transform your next flight into a more enjoyable and comfortable experience. Choose your seat wisely Selecting the right seat can make a significant difference in your long-haul flight experience. If you prefer more legroom, opt for an exit row or bulkhead seat. If you value uninterrupted sleep, consider a window seat away from high-traffic areas. Utilise online seat maps during the check-in process to make an informed decision. Dress comfortably Aeroplane cabins can be quite dehydrating due to low humidity levels. Drink a lot of…

FORMER National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) second deputy president Ruth Ntlokotse has lost her appeal against her expulsion. This follows a special central committee (SCC) meeting where it was unanimously resolved that her expulsion would be upheld. Ntlokotse was found guilty in May of three counts of misconduct including gross insubordination in relation to failing to return work valuables, violating the principle of democratic centralism and undermining organisational discipline. She was also charged for allegedly sowing dissent and division in the union. The union’s national executive committee (NEC) recommended that she be expelled. At the appeal hearing, held at the Birchwood Hotel in Ekurhuleni on Friday, Ntlokotse was represented by three attorneys as well as special counsel. The SCC resolved that her legal counsel was allowed to sit…

Olympic star was not afforded correct safeguards SOUTH Africa’s middle-distance Olympic champion Caster Semenya was discriminated against after not being afforded “sufficient procedural safeguards” when challenging World Athletics regulations that effectively forced her off the running track. There had also been a violation of the prohibition of discrimination taken together with the right to respect for private life, as well as a violation of the right to an effective remedy. This is contained in a precedent-setting judgment by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) where Semenya had challenged the regulations issued by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which required her to lower her natural testosterone levels through hormone treatment in order to be eligible to compete as a woman in international sporting events. When she refused to…

I CONCUR wholeheartedly with the sentiments expressed by Phillip Engelen (Letters, July 10) regarding the use of Athlone Stadium. As the home of nonracial sport (Sacos) since the seventies it has hosted many big events. It is a multifaceted venue suitable for most codes. More importantly, it proved on Sunday that notwithstanding the heavy rains on the day, the underfoot conditions were surprisingly firm when the late game started. It all points to an excellent drainage system. I agree with the writer that given the poor conditions of the turf at the Cape Town Stadium perhaps Athlone Stadium can host future Stormers and WP fixtures. Why on earth they opt to play at the Danie Craven Stadium defies logic. Unless of course there are other sinister reasons. Its location…

YOUR Monday edition “Google not always your best friend, judge tells magistrate in criminal case” refers. I am a practising attorney and I find it absolutely uncanny how powerful Google and Chat GPT have become. As an exercise I asked Chat GPT to give me an outline of a very complicated and rather esoteric piece of labour law. This was then sent through to me almost word perfect. I checked it against the actual law and once again it was almost perfect. Secondly, I then asked Chat GPT to translate the opinion which was supplied to me earlier into Afrikaans. This was done and again almost word perfect. It is scary, but unfortunately realistic. It must be understood that our labour law is completely different to labour legislation…

A SERIAL rapist who brought terror to Beaufort West, attacking two women while on bail for another rape, has been sentenced to two life terms and five years’ imprisonment. The Beaufort West Regional Court also declared Silindile April unfit to possess a firearm. This after his conviction on two counts of rape and assault with grievous bodily harm. He committed the crimes between 2017 and 2019. “April’s reign of terror against women started in Prince Valley, Beaufort West, in 2017 when he broke into the house of a 20-year-old woman, raped her, and stole her goods. He was arrested and later granted bail,” said NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila. In November the same year, he entered the house of a 26-year-old woman and raped and assaulted her. According to Ntabazalila, on…

Zulu nationalism has to be understood from its colonial context A few years after Mangosuthu Buthelezi led the African natives in the Colony of Natal to a quasi- independent state called KwaZulu, the coastal province descended into a low-scale civil war that pitted his Inkatha Ye Nkululeko Yesizwe (now the IFP) and the then-exiled African National Congress (ANC) against one another. This war claimed many lives, displaced millions, and burdened the already suffering Africans with poverty, almost-permanent violence, diseases, and other social ills. The KwaZulu homeland was formed as one of the Bantustans by the white minority government as part of its segregationist, apartness (apartheid) policies. What is often not said is that Buthelezi skilfully enmeshed this apartheid creation with the defunct Zulu empire. He expropriated all its symbols and…

Human Rights Watch yesterday called on the International Criminal Court to investigate possible war crimes in Sudan’s Darfur region where fighting has intensified despite calls for an end to the conflict. The New York-based group charged that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Arab militias “summarily executed” at least 28 members of the Massalit ethnic minority when they ransacked and torched much of the town of Misterei in May. Efforts to broker an end to the violence have continued, and the east African regional bloc IGAD on Monday led a renewed push, calling on the warring parties to “sign an unconditional ceasefire”. The Sudanese army boycotted the gathering in Addis Ababa, dampening hopes for an end to the nearly three-month-old conflict with the RSF. Air strikes again shook the…

Tunisia has moved hundreds of migrants to shelters in two towns, a local rights group said yesterday, after criticism of conditions in a desolate Sahara military area on the border with Libya, where the government transferred them last week. Struggling with high numbers of mainly sub-Saharan African migrants seeking to leave the north African country for Europe, President Kais Saied has responded with measures local and international rights groups say are endangering lives. The government moved the migrants to the site at the Libyan border after an outbreak of violence in the coastal city of Sfax earlier this month, rights groups said, where travellers and residents clashed. The disturbances between migrants and residents in Sfax lasted a week and one Tunisian was killed. Residents complained of disorderly behaviour by migrants…

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s coast guard said yesterday it had seized an Iranian-flagged supertanker suspected of involvement in the illegal trans-shipment of crude oil. The MT Arman 114 was carrying 272 569 metric tons of light crude oil, valued at 4.6 trillion rupia, when it was seized last week, the Indonesian authorities said. The supertanker was captured after being seen in Indonesia’s North Natuna Sea, carrying out a ship-to-ship oil transfer with the Cameroon-flagged MT S Tinos on Friday. The authorities also detained the Arman’s Egyptian captain, 28 crew and three passengers, who were the family of a security officer on board, the agency said. | Reuters…

Seoul: Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, yesterday warned that spy jets would face a “very critical flight” in the case of a repeated illegal intrusion into the Pyongyang’s exclusive economic zone, threatening to take military action. The warning came hours after she alleged that a US spy aircraft entered the economic zone earlier in the day. The North’s Defence Ministry also accused the US spy aircraft of intruding into its airspace recently, threatening that the aircraft could be shot down. | IANS…

AS THE WORLD grapples with the urgent need for sustainable energy, Scatec, a key player in the renewable energy landscape, is making significant strides in the field of energy storage. Our recent achievements and innovative approach to integrating cutting-edge storage technologies into renewable energy projects are helping to shape the future of this burgeoning industry. The initiation of our three Kenhardt projects in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, under the auspices of the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, exemplifies this innovative spirit. These ambitious projects, involving a total capital expenditure approaching a staggering $1 billion (R18.84bn), represent one of the most extensive photovoltaic endeavours globally. Their unique design, incorporating a total solar capacity of 540MW and a battery storage capacity of 225MW/1 140MW/h, is…

July is World Guacamole Month, a celebration initiated by the World Avocado Organisation. The holiday celebrates the delicious Mexican side dish or dip made of avocados. Usually eaten as a side dish, guacamole has been a part of traditional Mexican cuisine since the time of the Aztecs. Today, the dip, whose name comes from an Aztec dialect of Nahuatl and means guacamole sauce, is a popular side dish, salad addition, and party dip all around the world. The South African Avocado Growers’ Association notes that in SA, guacamole is perfect for braais and shisanyama in the winter sunshine, as a kota topper, as a Gatsby filler, mixed with salsa on the side for bunny chow or stuffed inside amagwinya with chakalaka. And it replaces tartar sauce for your fish,…

Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe has “strongly” condemned a domestic violence incident in which a 27-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly killed his 59-year-old mother, his 19-year-old sister, and his 10-year-old nephew. Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the “shocking” incident happened on Monday at Breda village, in Gilead, outside Mokopane. “Police responded to the complaint at about 11am after community members alerted them about the domestic violence taking place at the house where a son allegedly hacked his own mother with an axe, then went after his sister and nephew,” Ledwaba said. “Upon arrival at the scene, the three victims were certified dead by the paramedics. The suspect was arrested shortly, near his home.” The police have opened three counts of murder. “The motive is still…

MICHAEL Bagraim's idea of approaching the CCMA makes little sense ( Lecturers should take wage dispute to CCM, Cape Times July 10). This is because the part-time lecturers who work at College of Cape Town’s City Campus (under my life-partner, (Meryl Fleischer) have not been paid since December of last year (due to a pay dispute) and hence are highly unlikely to continue working for the college next semester. This means that their Department - Adult Education - is almost certain to close its doors permanently before the start of the next intake (at the beginning of October), which is exceedingly bad news for about 100 students who joined the course in October of last year, as well as for approximately 100 new students who are due to start the…

A SECOND outbreak of the deadly Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus2 (RHDV2) has been confirmed. This after the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) received several reports confirming that the disease has re-emerged following widespread mortalities of wild hares and domestic rabbits across the Northern Cape, Western Cape and parts of the Eastern Cape between October last year and February. Bonnie Schumann of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s (EWT) Drylands Conservation Programme said the most recent reports indicated the disease was active in the Knysna area in the Western Cape and Langkloof in the Eastern Cape. “The disease is specific to rabbits and hares (lagomorphs) and cannot be transmitted to people and other animals. However, between lagomorphs, it is highly contagious and easily transmitted, normally through direct contact, but may also be carried by…

CASTER Semenya, you proudly South African beauty. In winning her appeal against the rules forcing her and other female athletes born with differences of sexual development to lower testosterone levels in order to compete, the double Olympic 800m champion displayed resilience second to none. The 32-year-old has been in a long-running dispute with World Athletics since the regulations were introduced in 2018. She twice failed in legal battles to overturn the decision. Semenya ran in the 5 000m at last year’s World Championships. She did not qualify for the final and said afterwards that the testosterone-reducing medication could endanger her health and prevent her from relying on her natural ability. During her time in limbo she has been focusing on her running project that boasts 30 athletes in Pretoria,…

Rome prosecutors investigating the disappearance of a teenager 40 years ago are looking afresh at the possible involvement of her uncle following information supplied by the Vatican, Italian media reported yesterday, a move relatives rejected as a diversionary tactic. Emanuela Orlandi, the 15-year-old daughter of a Vatican employee, was last seen leaving a music class in Rome on June 22, 1983. Decades of speculation followed over what happened to her, with suggestions that mobsters, the secret services or a Vatican conspiracy were to blame, theories which sparked a hit Netflix series. The Vatican has been accused of obstructing investigation efforts over the decades, but eventually launched an inquiry into its most famous cold case in January. Rome prosecutors in May then opened their own fresh probe, the third so far.…

Le Vernet: Dozens of French police and soldiers backed by helicopters searched the terrain around a tiny hamlet in the French Alps yesterday, saying they still hoped to find a toddler who has been missing for three days. Emile, who is two and a half, was staying with his grandparents when he went missing on Saturday. He was last seen by two neighbours walking alone on a street of Haut-Vernet, a tiny village of 25 inhabitants at an altitude of around 1 200m. After 48 hours of combing through the area without success, the search was becoming “more targeted”, officials said. The terrain in the search zone is hilly and craggy with many streams. | AFP…

WASHINGTON: Former US president Donald Trump and his aide, Walt Nauta, have asked a federal court in Florida to postpone their criminal trial in a classified documents case, saying Trump’s busy presidential campaign schedule before the 2024 election would make the trial schedule “untenable”. Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, pleaded not guilty in a federal court in June in Miami to charges that he had unlawfully kept classified national security documents when he left office in 2021, and had tried to obstruct justice when the federal government made a bid to retrieve them. | Reuters…

London: Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson has become a father again, his wife Carrie said yesterday, with the couple’s third child, and the ex-leader’s eighth, born on July 5. “Welcome to the world Frank Alfred Odysseus Johnson,” Carrie Johnson wrote on her Instagram page, accompanied by a picture of her holding her new baby. She joked “can you guess which name my husband chose?!” in reference to Johnson’s well-known love of ancient Greek myths. Their first son Wilfred was born in April 2020, not long after Johnson was treated in hospital intensive care for Covid-19. Daughter Romy then arrived in December 2021, when Johnson was still prime minister. Johnson, who has been married three times, has four children from his second marriage to the lawyer Marina Wheeler. The ex-leader…

ALUMINIUM semi-fabricator Hulamin faces an indefinite strike at its KwaZulu-Natal operations as its 1 800 workers downed tools. Workers want an increase in the company’s medical aid contribution and for contributions to the Pension Fund to be equalised and to be settled separate from salary negotiations. The medical aid contributions are currently capped at 40% by the employer with the workers contributing the balance. The National Union of Metal Workers South Africa (Numsa), which represents 1 050 of the workers, said it would sustain the strike with production being interrupted until a meaningful offer was put on the table. Numsa’s head of communications, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, said: “Management is resisting and they have not tabled an offer. They say they want to combine these issues with wage negotiations. “However,…

A WOMAN has taken her stepmother to court, saying her stepmother had never been married to her father, who is now deceased, as the “bride was never handed over” to his family. The daughter, identified as ZK, asked the high court in the Eastern Cape, sitting in Mthatha, to declare a declaratory that the customary marriage entered into between the deceased and her stepmother was invalid on the grounds of non-compliance with the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act. Apart from the bride never being handed over, the daughter said the lobola negotiations were conducted by emissaries who were not members of her family. The stepmother, on the other hand, said she was legally married to the deceased and her marriage had complied with all the requirements for a valid customary…

THE provincial health and wellness department has launched an investigation into allegations that an elderly woman had to wait 10 hours for an ambulance to Eerste River hospital despite needing urgent medical care. The investigation follows a complaint by ActionSA who wrote to Health and Wellness MEC Dr Nomafrench Mbombo requesting her to investigate the response times of ambulances, waiting periods for patient transport and waiting times for patients to be attended to by hospital staff at Eerste Rivier Hospital, following the incident. Antoinette Loff said her aunt stays about 3km from the hospital. “My aunt is 78 years old. On Monday (July 3) she started bleeding but there was no one to drive her to hospital so my sister-in-law called the ambulance. “She had to call six times from…

For the stew: Vegetable oil 6 uncooked chicken thighs 1 onion, finely chopped 1 packet (600g) chopped chunky mixed vegetables 1 tbs garlic 1 tbs medium curry powder 1 tbs tomato paste 1 tsp each salt and pepper, optional 1 cup chicken stock, warm For the dumplings: 1 cup self-raising flour, sifted ¼ cup plain yoghurt ½ tin cream-style sweetcorn For the stew: Heat the vegetable oil in a medium-sized pot on high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and fry until crispy, about 7 to 10 minutes. When crispy, lower the temperature to medium heat and remove the chicken and set aside. Add the onions, vegetable mix, garlic, medium curry powder, tomato paste and salt and pepper, if using. Sauté until fragrant or until the onions are translucent, about…

FOOD prices are increasing at an alarming rate making it extremely difficult for most citizens of this country to make ends meet. Even us pensioners are caught up in this discomfort, with no end in sight soon. One can only imagine how the poor/unemployed are battling with the ever-rising cost of feeding their families. The time has arrived for supermarkets to place a cap on increases of items priced out of people’s reach. What happened when suppliers’ price structures on items were deemed way too expensive, supermarkets would refuse to stock them, forcing suppliers to lower prices to benefit consumers. Not today. It looks as if they are out to fleece suppliers and consumers. Remember to have your goods listed at supermarket level is of great cost to the supplier,…

MURDER-ACCUSED Charles Appolis is expected back in court next month for for allegedly killing his partner of 14 years and mother to his three children, Nadia Lotz. The case was postponed to August 14 at the Strand Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Appolis is accused of stabbing Lotz in the neck and of slitting her throat, in March. The 32-year-old and Appolis had been together for fourteen years and had three children together, aged 1, 7 and 8. Appolis is reported to have handed himself over to the police the same day of the incident. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the matter was postponed to August 14 for a regional court decision. Lotz’ family, who travelled from Malmesbury, gathered outside the court yesterday. Lotz’ emotional cousin, Silva Scheepers said…

NATO leaders yesterday dashed Ukrainian leader Volodymr Zelenskiy’s hopes for a clear timeline to join the alliance, saying they would offer an invite to become a member only when “conditions are met”. At a summit in Vilnius of the 31 Nato nations, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg insisted the alliance had never used “stronger language” to back Ukraine in its bitter fight to defeat the Russian invasion. Nato leaders pledged that “Ukraine’s future is in Nato” and shortened the eventual process Kyiv would have to go through to enter the alliance. “We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance when allies agree and conditions are met,” a statement said. But the failure to go much beyond a 2008 vow on future membership appeared…

Thousands of protesters blockaded Israel’s main airport and major highways yesterday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition pressed ahead with a justice bill that has opened the deepest splits seen in the country in decades. A day after parliament passed a key element in the bill, which aims to curb the power of the Supreme Court, crowds of flag-waving protesters stopped morning traffic in major intersections and on highways nationwide. Some lay down on roads, while others threw flares. Police on horseback deployed among hundreds of demonstrators in Israel’s business hub, Tel Aviv. At the entrance to Jerusalem, officers used a water cannon to disperse some protesters and dragged others away by force. At least 66 people were arrested, police said. Around 1 000 police were deployed at Ben…

New Delhi: The world of cryptocurrency may be tumbling amid regulatory crackdowns, but 19 individuals in the world achieved the title of a billionaire through it. One cryptocurrency that has led to investors amassing impressive returns is Bitcoin. Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym for the creator of Bitcoin, is widely assumed to have the most Bitcoin wealth. Estimates predict he has a wallet containing around 1.1 million BTC. This would convert to around $25 billion. Looking at BTC investing across countries, the US takes the lead, with 46 million holders. India is in second place with 27 million and Pakistan 26 million. The most Bitcoin owned is distributed between four wallets which hold a collective 663 306 BTC. | IANS…

TOKYO: Japan’s Supreme Court ruled yesterday that restricting a transgender woman’s use of toilets at her workplace was “unacceptable”, a decision that may help promote LGBT rights in the only G7 nation without legal protection for same-sex unions. The ruling comes after a law to promote understanding of the LGBT community. An official at the economy ministry who was assigned male at birth sued because she was only allowed to use women’s toilets several floors away from her office. A Tokyo District Court ruled in 2019 that these restrictions were unlawful, but the decision was reversed in 2021 by the Tokyo High Court. | Reuters…