Sommaire pour 2024-05-27 de Cape Times

RESEARCH by the Centre for Social Development in Africa on factors determining voter choice anticipates that the youth vote will play a big role in the outcome of the upcoming elections. Of the 27.7 million registered voters for the 2024 election, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has recorded an increase in young voters as they make up 42% – 11.7 million – of registered voters. A sample of 3 511 participants were interviewed in a nationally representative survey to understand why they chose a particular party, and 51% of these participants fell into the youth age category of 18-34 years old. According to the researchers, a high voter turn-out of youth will favour opposition parties, which may particularly benefit the EFF, whose major support comes from the youth.…

I AM involved with a political party, and despite this, I believe that campaigning at the workplace is not acceptable. As a labour lawyer, I’ve now had a few complaints with arguments at the workplace. Tensions are running high and during this last week of campaigning it is very unfortunate that some individuals insist on wearing political party regalia and even go so far as to try and put pressure on fellow staff members, or even subordinates at the workplace. Some of these complaints will lead to disciplinary enquiries and could lead to dismissal in due course. It is not acceptable to create an atmosphere of negative tension. The employer owes a duty of care to all employees to ensure that no one is bullied or cajoled into any type…

SOME were agitated when DA leader John Steenhuisen labelled opposition parties contesting in the Western Cape as “mercenaries” of the ANC. We can discuss his choice of words, but he may have a point. Rise Mzansi’s Western Cape premier candidate, Axolile Notywala, was quoted at a recent march profiling Premier Winde, Mayor Hill-Lewis, Cllr Smith and Steenhuisen for having failed residents as they are “white men”. What does their race have to do with their track record for residents? Having moved from the Eastern Cape, I will tell you – I moved here for a job. I couldn’t care less about a leader’s race. The Western Cape is the only province in South Africa with job growth. Is it perfect? No. But it is better. I’m staying with the DA.…

I SEE we are set to introduce mother-tongue bilingual education from Grade 4 next year. Now, one understands we have a problem in our schools, in that kids cannot read or write with any meaning. So we have to start exploring better systems. But this is one that I fear will not work! We are the only country in the world that has 12 official languages and many unofficial ones. It’s practically impossible to set up schools to teach in all these languages. Where will they get the teachers, especially those efficient in the various subjects children have to learn to pass matric? Will apartheid come back into the schools as presumably if you are Xhosa, you won’t go to a Zulu school and vice versa? So there will be…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law two bills aimed at fighting gender-based violence and investigating state capture corruption. Ramaphosa signed the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Bill and the National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill in a public ceremony held at the Union Buildings last week. Speaking at the event, he said the two bills gave effect to two undertakings made by his administration when it took office to capacitate and strengthen law enforcement agencies and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the fight against corruption as well as working with civil society, communities and other sectors to end GBVF. However, Ramaphosa hoped there would be no same flurry of opposition experienced when the National Health Insurance Bill was enacted. “We have previously held public signing ceremonies for…

SIX months after Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala identified Elwyn Court in Keizersgracht Road to be among the properties that it will attempt to claim back, the City has formally declared it as a “problem building”. The municipality says it issued fines to the national department for the hijacked building and another property on 1 Jan Smuts Drive, Maitland. According to mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, this was after long-term efforts to get conditions addressed at the two sites. A big sign in red has been erected informing the public and occupants of the action being taken by the City in response to what it said was ongoing drug and crime complaints from the public. “These properties are a source of drugs and crime complaints from the public, and I…

It is completely wrong and ill-considered for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education to close 3 754 schools for the election week. The decision to utilise schools as voting stations, thereby disrupting teaching and learning, should be revisited as it will have detrimental effects on the education of thousands of learners. It is unacceptable that learners whose schools have been classified as voting stations will be languishing at home between May 27 and May 31, potentially missing out on valuable educational opportunities. The impact of this decision will be particularly devastating for learners in crucial years, such as matrics preparing for their exams. These learners cannot afford to miss valuable class time, especially considering the challenges they already face in accessing quality education, particularly in rural areas and townships. Closing schools…

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te extended goodwill towards and offered co-operation with China yesterday following two days of Chinese war games near the island, as a group of US lawmakers arrived in Taipei. China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, carried out the military drills last week, calling them “punishment” after Lai’s inauguration speech last Monday which Beijing called another push for the island’s formal independence. China has repeatedly lambasted Lai as a “separatist”. Lai rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future. He has repeatedly offered talks but has been rebuffed. Speaking at a meeting of his ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Tainan, Lai called on China to “share the heavy responsibility of regional stability with Taiwan”, according to comments provided…

BERLIN: French President Emanuel Macron landed in Germany yesterday for a three-day state visit followed by a bilateral cabinet meeting as the EU’s two biggest powers seek to show unity ahead of next month’s EU parliamentary elections. Macron’s trip to the capital Berlin, Dresden and Muenster is the first French presidential state visit to Germany in 24 years. Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have publicly clashed on issues from defence to nuclear energy since the latter took power in late 2021. However, they have reached compromises on various fronts of late, , allowing the EU to strike deals, and put on a united front. | Reuters…

Yerevan: Thousands of Armenians staged an anti-government protest yesterday, demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation over territorial concessions to arch foe neighbour Azerbaijan. Protests erupted in the Caucasus nation after the government agreed to hand over to Baku territory it had controlled since the 1990s. The ceded territory is important for landlocked Armenia because it controls sections of a vital highway to Georgia. Armenian residents of nearby settlements say the move cuts them off from the rest of the country and accuse Pashinyan of giving away territory. Pashinyan defended the territorial concessions as aimed at securing peace with Baku. | AFP…

The Hague: A concert by US rapper Nicki Minaj in Britain was called off at the last minute on Saturday, after she was detained at Amsterdam’s main airport on suspicion of possessing dagga. She was due to perform in Manchester but posted on X that authorities “said they found weed” in her luggage. Minaj said that this belonged to her security guard and that her bags had been searched “without consent”. Without naming her, officials said that the suspect had been released after the payment of a “reasonable” fine. | AFP…

ELECTIONS are an opportunity to reflect on the successes of the outgoing administration and to spell out priorities for the incoming administration. The challenges facing South Africa are complex and at times daunting. They require partnerships between the government, led by the ANC, and business, labour and society. It is important that the right foundations are put in place. All too often politics is treated as a zero-sum game at great cost to the poor and working class. Most peculiarly we have seen the DA, ActionSA and other parties, preaching the way to grow the economy is to slash the meagre wages of workers and scrap the protections and rights that they enjoy. Of course, they don’t apply this philosophy of austerity to the wealthy. Cosatu has seen that…

FORMER president Jacob Zuma has spoken out about his imprisonment, saying he handed himself over to the prison authorities to prevent a bloodbath outside his home. To avoid a deadly clash between the police, the army and those who had come to defend him, he decided to hand himself over to the prison authorities despite every fibre of his being against it, he said. Zuma spoke in detail of what he sees as the wrong things that occurred leading up to his incarceration, describing the process as deeply flawed, undemocratic and a violation of his rights. Speaking in a TV interview, Zuma alluded to a conspiracy against him. “I have been very clear all the time that there was a particular attitude towards me, arising from different quarters, some big…

THE SABC said yesterday that it was consulting over a decision handed down by communications regulator Icasa on the public broadcaster’s decision to ban a DA political advert. The Independent Communications Authority of SA ordered the broadcaster to resume flighting the advert and it recommended that the SABC be fined R500 000 for banning the ad from its public service television channels due to “prejudice caused to the DA”. The DA advert shows the SA flag in the background, and it is titled “This election is about survival”. As the flag burns in the background, a voice says: “The ANC will lose the majority vote for the first time in 30 years but will do anything to stay in power.” As the flag is engulfed by flames, the voice says…

IN RECENT weeks, some have criticised the DA for taking aim at smaller parties. It is true that we have frequently warned that many parties intend to sell their vote to the ANC, and have allowed themselves to be used as mere proxies in this election. But these warnings are not without warrant. Tuesday’s sitting in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament proved this beyond doubt. While speaking in the House, MPP Ghalil Brinkhuis of Al Jama-ah said: “I have prayed… that the ANC will win this upcoming election nationally and provincially.” In the same sitting, Brinkhuis expressed his wish that the ANC would stay in power nationally, and “keep up the good work”. Given that the ANC has decimated our economy and stolen billions in public funds, it is not…

I RECENTLY read a press release by Glynnis Breytenbach, that the DA anti-corruption bill is open for public comment. I have been following this Bill intently and am surprised by the lack of media on the bill. Paul Hoffman, from Accountability Now, writing an opinion for Daily Maverick, called out the media for their lack of coverage of this good news. His piece is thought-provoking, and places the next steps in political parties’ hands, that if parties do not support this bill, they are not serious about corruption. This is the first time, in our democratic history, that we are sitting with a bill which will tackle corruption, and the only reason it exists is because of the DA and its members like Breytenbach. This bill is vital…

I HAVE a very reliable and competent ex-worker, Sinethemba Qongqo who lives in Lwandle, unfortunately close to the breadline. Last Saturday he became seriously ill, unable to hold any food and showing signs of intestinal bleeding. His neighbour phoned the Hottentots-Holland Hospital and around 4.30pm he was picked up by an ambulance. However, at the casualty section of the hospital he received no attention and remained in a chair until Monday morning. The doctor who saw him suggested that he had a bleeding ulcer, but said they didn’t have any medicine for his condition, although they had ordered some. It was suggested that he see a private doctor, then ask the private doctor to phone the examining doctor to obtain the details of the suggested medicine. I took him to…

AHEAD of celebrating their 45th year anniversary, Molo Songololo and other children’s rights organisations say they are struggling to stay afloat due to hefty budget cuts and financial constraints Molo Songololo director Patric Solomons said they were “struggling to maintain services” which had been offered for more than four decades. “Molo Songololo is struggling to maintain services it provides for children in need of care and protection. The recent funding cuts by the Department of Social Development (DSD) further jeopardise our ability to maintain these essential services for the child victims / survivors of sexual violence – (such as) sexual assault, rape, statutory rape, sexual exploitation, and trafficking in children – we support and empower work,” said Solomons. The organisation has now called on past and present board and staff…

Millions of voters seem to be flapping around in the same miserable circles FOR the first time in my life, I am genuinely unsure how to vote in these elections. But I will vote for many good reasons. I am officially an undecided voter: a massive jelly of doubt quivering unsteadily from side to side. This state is somewhat embarrassing, given that firstly, it is primarily my responsibility to have an opinion, and secondly that I have spent the last six months traipsing to the reading of 21 manifestos cover to cover, crisscrossing the country conducting voter education and conflict resolution training, interviewing candidates and voters to discover trends. Which is why the Kagiso Trust, the KwaZulu-Natal Christian Council, the KwaZulu-Natal Religious Leaders Forum, the Election Monitoring Network and others…

Hamas said it launched missiles at Tel Aviv yesterday, prompting sirens to sound in the Israeli city for the first time in four months as the Palestinian group sought to show military strength despite Israel’s Gaza offensive. The Israeli military said eight projectiles were identified crossing from the area of Rafah, the southern tip of the Gaza Strip where Israel kept up operations despite a ruling by the top UN court ordering it to stop attacking the city. The Israeli military said a number of the projectiles were intercepted. Israeli emergency services said they had received no reports of casualties. The Hamas al-Qassam Brigades said the rockets were launched in response to “Zionist massacres against civilians”. Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV said the rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip. Rafah is…

More than 670 people are believed to be dead after a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea (PNG), a UN official said yesterday as aid workers and villagers braved perilous conditions in their search for survivors. The once-bustling hillside village in Enga province was almost completely obliterated when the landslide struck in the early hours on Friday, burying scores of homes and people sleeping inside them. “There are an estimated 150-plus houses buried,” said UN migration agency representative Serhan Aktoprak, adding that “670-plus people are assumed dead”. “The situation is terrible with the land still sliding. The water is running and this is creating a massive risk for everyone,” added Aktoprak, who oversees teams of emergency workers from Port Moresby. The unforgiving terrain, damaged roads and an outbreak of tribal…

LONDON: Twelve people were injured during turbulence on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Ireland that landed safely yesterday, Dublin airport authorities said. The incident comes a week after a passenger died and dozens were injured when a Singapore Airlines flight from London hit severe turbulence and was diverted to Bangkok. Six passengers and six crew members suffered injuries in the latest incident, when Qatar Airways flight QR017 endured turbulence over Türkiye, Dublin airport said. “The flight landed as scheduled just before 1pm yesterday. The aircraft was met by emergency services, including police and our fire and rescue department.” | AFP…

LONDON: Britain’s Conservative Party will introduce mandatory national service for 18 year olds if it wins the national election on July 4, comprising military or community participation, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said yesterday. Young adults will be able to choose between spending one weekend a month volunteering for a year, or take up one of 30 000 spaces to spend a year in the armed forces. The announcement followed Labour Party leader Keir Starmer’s comments that he favoured allowing 16 and 17 year olds to vote. Interior minister James Cleverly said there are no criminal sanctions for skipping mandatory service but people will be compelled to do it. | Reuters…

TWO-time defending world champion Francesco Bagnaia snatched victory in the Catalunya MotoGP race yesterday to edge closer to championship leader Jorge Martin. Bagnaia, on his factory Ducati, reeled in race leader Martin before the Italian passed him on lap 20 at turn five, where he crashed out of the sprint race on Saturday, to claim his third victory of the season. Martin couldn’t respond and Bagnaia won by nearly two seconds to cut the gap on the Spaniard to 39 points. Home favourite Marc Marquez came third ahead of Aleix Espargaro, who announced earlier in the week that he is retiring at the end of the season. Marquez is third in the standings, 41 points behind compatriot Martin. “Honestly, I was very angry about yesterday (his crash in the sprint…

AFTER two weeks of strong bullish movements in most financial markets across the globe, uncertainty has crept in since the middle of last week. This was mostly in reaction to the release by the US Federal Reserve of the minutes of its Federal Open Market Committee meeting, held April 30 to May 1, 2024. “Participants observed that while inflation had eased over the past year, in recent months there had been a lack of further progress toward the committee’s 2% objective,” the summary stated. The words that the equity, bond and emerging economies foreign exchange markets did not want to hear, were: “Various participants mentioned a willingness to tighten policy further, should risks to inflation materialise in a way that such an action became appropriate.” This after various data over…

IT IS crunch time for political parties as many hosted their final rallies over the weekend in an effort to woo over 20 million eligible voters to vote for them on Wednesday. Political parties registered to contest the general elections campaigned until the cut-off time, which was midnight, in their final electioneering quest. The high unemployment rate, corruption, load shedding, high crime levels, gender-based violence and femicide, and service delivery were high on the priority list of the political parties. Yesterday, the DA held its “rescue South Africa rally” in Benoni, Ekurhuleni, where party leader John Steenhuisen said the ANC would lose the outright majority which had been abused for decades. “This new chapter will not be written by the ANC or its President Cyril Ramaphosa of the rotten people…

Commission dismisses allegations made on social media videos, saying they showed planned logistical arrangements THE Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says additional measures have been implemented to secure various storage sites across the country. This comes amid social media videos of ballot boxes at its storage sites in Chesterville and Hammarsdale in what some uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party supporters claimed to be rigging of the elections in KwaZulu-Natal. Accusations were made that the election material was in the possession of a person wearing an ANC T-shirt. However, the IEC said that the individuals seen in the videos had entered the warehouse without authorisation and filmed their “unauthorised activities”, which depicted the person criticising why ballot papers had already been delivered two days before the elections. The IEC…

2 tbsp butter, plus extra for greasing the tin 2 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped Handful fresh thyme sprigs 2-3 rosemary stalks 4 cloves garlic, minced 350g arborio rice 1 litre mushroom or vegetable stock 3 tbsp olive oil 500g mixed cultivated mushrooms, sliced 2xl eggs 80g parmesan cheese, grated, plus extra for serving 150g smooth ricotta cheese Salt and pepper, to taste Heat olive oil and butter in a medium Dutch oven or deep frying pan. Cook the onion with the thyme and rosemary until tender. Do not brown. Add the garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant. Stir in the rice and coat it well in the olive oil and butter. Toast the rice for a minute until the edges are translucent. Add the…

AS WE prepare on Wednesday for the most crucial general elections in our lifetime, the most pivotal issue that will direct the fate of our country will be the situation of abject poverty in our poverty-stricken land. Ten percent of South Africans live in opulence, while 35% are ranked as middle class and more than 50% live in abject poverty. The biggest ticking time bomb we have in our imbalance is massive poverty involving over 50 million people. Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction that could set this country ablaze until and unless it is eliminated. It was poverty that served as a catalyst during the chaos in July 2021 that came so close to decimating the entire country. The major cause of all the unrest in our rainbow…

IN a testament of endurance and faith, a group of South African women came together to successfully complete the English Way of the Camino de Santiago, a 118km pilgrimage route from Ferrol to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Bridge of Hope Wines chief executive, Rosemary Mosia was joined by librarian at Unisa Mercy Mokgele from Limpopo, and Johannesburg residents Hepsy Mkhungo a tech startup founder, Zintle Ngogodo a notary, treasury fund evaluator at Transnet Nosipho Tshongweni and Hantsi Matseke to complete the route. Mosia last year also completed a challenging five-day Fish River Canyon hike in Namibia in commemoration of Women’s Month. The English Way of the Camino de Santiago is known as originally being used by pilgrims arriving to Spain by boat from Northern Europe. The group completed the…

IN TODAY’S interconnected world, the idea of shared humanity and global unity has never been more pertinent. I am deeply inspired by fostering a global community where humanity transcends borders. President Xi Jinping’s vision of a “human community with a shared future” is not merely an ideal, it’s a necessity for sustainable global progress. Xi’s emphasis on mutual respect, equity, and co-operation aligns seamlessly with South Africa’s journey towards unity and reconciliation. Our principles of Ubuntu encapsulate the essence of interconnectedness and mutual support. This philosophy is crucial to address global challenges. One of the most compelling aspects of Xi’s vision is the commitment to multilateralism and peaceful coexistence. China has consistently advocated international co-operation on climate change, public health and economic development. This approach is particularly relevant for Africa,…

An intense cyclone smashed into the low-lying coast of Bangladesh yesterday, with nearly a million people fleeing inland for concrete storm shelters away from howling gales and crashing waves. “The severe Cyclone Remal has started crossing the Bangladesh coast,” Bangladesh Meteorological Department director Azizur Rahman told AFP, adding the raging storm could continue hammering the coast until at least the early hours of today. “We have so far recorded maximum wind speeds of 90km/h but the wind speed may pick up more pace.” Forecasters predicted gusts of up to 130km/h with heavy rain and winds also lashing neighbouring India. Authorities have raised the danger signal to its highest level. Cyclones have killed hundreds of thousands of people in Bangladesh in recent decades, but the number of superstorms hitting its densely…

Six newborn babies have died after a fire tore through a children’s hospital in the Indian capital, with people charging into the flames to rescue the infants, police said yesterday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the fire and deaths “heart-rending” in a post on social media. The fire department was called after flames tore through the hospital in Delhi late on Saturday evening. But in the crucial first minutes, it was bystanders who spotted the fire and braved the blaze to rescue the newborns. “All the 12 newborn babies were rescued from the hospital with the help of other people,” senior police officer Surendra Choudhary said, but added that by the time they reached medical attention, six were dead. The blaze broke out hours after a separate fire at…

KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping yesterday to attend his peace summit as Ukraine struggles to stave off unrelenting attacks by Russia in its 27-month-old invasion. Ukraine hopes to host as many countries as possible at Kyiv-led talks in Switzerland next month aimed at uniting global opinion on how to halt the war and piling pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has not been invited. Zelenskiy spoke in a video recorded in Kharkiv, inside the charred remains of a printing house destroyed last week in a Russian missile strike. He said more than 80 countries would attend. A US official said the US would attend the summit. | Reuters…

WASHINGTON: Presidential candidate Donald Trump was booed and heckled by many in a raucous audience at the Libertarian National Convention at the weekend. Libertarians, who believe in limited government and individual freedom, blame Trump, a Republican, for rushing through the creation of a Covid-19 vaccine when he was president and for not doing more to stop public health restrictions on the unvaccinated during the pandemic. Trump mentioned the 88 felony charges he faces in four federal and state prosecutions. “If I wasn’t a libertarian I am now,” he said. He denounced the administration of President Joe Biden as being part of a “rise in left-wing fascism”. Libertarians garnered only 1.2% of the national vote in 2020, but November’s election could be decided by just tens of thousands of votes in…

If Manchester United’s thrilling and surprise FA Cup victory over Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday was manager Erik ten Hag’s final game as their manager, then what a send-off it was. Teenagers Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo scored to lead United to a 2-1 upset of the holders and Premier League champions as speculation swirled about Ten Hag’s future. Although the 54-year-old Dutchman told ITV he had no doubt he would be back and has said he has received the backing of the club’s owners all season, he was less confident in his post-game press conference. “I don’t think about this,” Ten Hag said when asked about his future. “I'm in a project and we are exactly where we want to be. We’re constructing a team. When I took…