Inhaltsverzeichnis für 2022-04-04 in Cape Times

A MODERNISATION programme, administration improvements and efficiency gains boost tax revenue by 25 percent, buoyed by personal income tax, VAT and company tax. The SA Revenue Service (Sars) has vowed to further strengthen tax administration after preventing nearly R210 billion revenue leakage in the 2021/22 financial year. Sars Commissioner Edward Kieswetter said on Friday the efficacy of the taxman’s administrative efforts had resulted in additional tax revenues being collected which prevented revenue leakages from impermissible transactions. Kieswetter said that these efforts contributed R209.7bn for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, including R137.5bn of additional revenue and preventing impermissible refunds and leakages worth R72.2bn from leaving the National Revenue Fund. “Our increased focus on revenue collection efforts is yielding pleasing results. This year I can report that just…

INFORMAL traders are calling on easing of red tape in government programmes as the Auditor-General on Friday told Par- liament there had only been a 10 percent uptake of a R175 million fund meant to provide relief to spaza shop owners. Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development were told by Senior Manager for Small Business Aphendule Mantinyane that only about R17m of the fund meant to provide relief to spaza shop owners had been taken up while another development fund was farmed out to Nedbank as informal traders showed lacklustre interest. “We need to increase the footprint for these funds because there is very low uptake. The debt relief programme could not assist all applicants and it was then transferred to Nedbank for management purposes,” Mantinyane…

THERE was a “noticeable” increase in optimism about the future strengthening in sales activity in all three property classes, industrial, offices and retail, during the first three months of 2022, the latest FNB Property Broker Survey showed. “The respondents are most optimistic about industrial property market activity’s direction in the near term, returning a positive reading to the tune of +38.46 points,” FNB Commercial Property Finance Property Sector strategist John Loos said on Friday. Commercial property brokers in and around the six major metros were surveyed – the broker respondents all deal in owner-serviced properties and some in the developer or investor markets as well and in the listed sector. Loos said the improvement in optimism in all three property classes was in spite of interest rate hiking…

from page 1 “Upon my arrival, the house was on fire and people were struggling to open the burglar barred door because it was locked. I had to use all my power to open it. “I managed to take out three people but the third one, an infant, died just after I rescued her. “What broke my heart was the fact that I could not rescue the granny and children, but I tried my best. “The smoke was too much, it was all over the house and I could not see at all. “The father of the children fainted and he was coughing a lot. “What I saw was horrible. The incident is still in my head and it will take time to forget about it. “I know the family…

CALLS have grown for an overhaul of the Department of Home Affairs after a cable breakage shut down services across the country. The breakage, which is linked to the State Information Technology Agency (SITA), caused the department’s services to come to a standstill on Friday. It only managed to restore its online service yesterday afternoon. Home Affairs Ministry spokesperson Siya Qoza said the department would be extending operating hours today to compensate for the time lost. Due to the network outage, Qoza said the department ran limited services which included passport collections, and handwritten death certificates for burial purposes. Computerised certificates would be issued from today. “The Department of Home Affairs and the State Information Technology Agency have been able to fix the cable breakage that impacted service delivery on…

KHAYELITSHA resident Monwabisi Ntenyani was on his way home from work when he heard cries for help in Makhaza. He rushed to where the shouts were coming from, only to find his friends trapped in a burning house. Four people including two infants died during the fire on Saturday morning. They were believed to have been Zimbabwean nationals. Ntenyani, a family friend of the deceased, managed to rescue two people. It’s unclear what caused the fire. Speaking to the Cape Times yesterday, Ntenyani described the scene as horrible. “I was coming from work when I heard people screaming just as I was about to get into my house.” See page 2…

I AGREE with Michael Bagraim’s comments that targeting of foreign workers is an incorrect policy. I had objected to the apartheid policy for all of my 84 years – my parents were subjected to similar restrictive apartheid laws in Poland and Russia and emigrated to South Africa in 1930 without being able to speak one word of English or Afrikaans. They, like friends from Eastern Europe, worked hard and made successful careers and lives. Many of the foreign workers are better educated and have superior skills compared with 50% of our local workers who suffer from the inferior education system offered by the SA authorities who are guilty of many injustices in the application of the present SA laws.…

A BISHOP Lavis murderer who argued that his right to a fair trial was infringed will continue serving his 29-year jail term after his appeal against his conviction and sentence failed in the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA). Waylan Abdullah was convicted on September 15, 2020, of the murder of Gregory Carelse who was shot multiple times on October 18, 2018. Carelse was a senior security officer in the Community Safety Department at the City of Cape Town. He was also an eyewitness and prospective State witness in a gang-related drive-by shooting that took place in 2017, in which three people were murdered. Prezano Holland, who sustained a gunshot wound to the head, was shot and killed during the same shooting but due to there being no witnesses to his…

ENGAGEMENTS between the City and the Muslim Judicial Council SA (MJC) to amend the noise nuisance bylaw to make provision for the athaan (Muslim call to prayer) are set to resume later this month. This while the Good Party insists that the City has been lax for the past three years in amending the by-law to exclude the athaan from the definition of “noise disturbance”, saying that “this amendment has not yet been made”. In efforts to force the City to amend the bylaw conditions for noise disturbance, Good Party councillor Suzette Little submitted what the amendment should read and called on the City to stop dragging its feet in having the by-law amendment passed. The City had not responded to questions by deadline yesterday. Second deputy president of the…

THE World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) strategy around the different scenarios that could take place regarding Covid-19 this year reveals the unpredictable nature of the virus, and how mild to severe cases need to be factored in. It also reveals that while research and vaccination take place, there is significant room for uncertainty as the world battles a virus that has far too many unknowns for anyone to confidently predict when it will be over. The updated “Strategic Preparedness, Readiness and Response Plan” around Covid-19 reveals three possible scenarios for how Covid-19 could evolve this year. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general for WHO, the UN agency responsible for international public health, last week expressed hope that this plan could, and should, be the last. “It lays out three possible scenarios for…

At least six people were killed and 10 wounded in a shooting in the California state capital of Sacramento early yesterday, police said. A video posted online showed people scuffling in the street, then starting to run as gunfire is heard. AFP could not verify the footage. Police said no arrests had been made and the scene remained active. “It was just horrific,” said community activist Barry Accius, who arrived minutes after the shooting. “Just as soon as I walked up you saw a chaotic scene, police all over the place, victims with blood all over their bodies, folks screaming, folks crying, people going, ‘Where is my brother?’ Mothers crying and trying to identify who their child was,” he told local broadcaster KXTV. The shooting happened at 2am local time…

Sydney: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday rejected claims he launched his political career by vilifying a rival over his Lebanese heritage and stoking rumours he was a Muslim. Two members of Morrison’s party signed legal declarations stating that he told them in 2007 that his competitor in a local election, Michael Towke, was too risky for the Liberals to back as their candidate. This was due to his ethnic background, the pair claimed, and “a strong rumour” the Lebanese Christian was actually Muslim, according to local media reports. “I could not reject this more fundamentally,” Morrison told reporters yesterday, adding that close to an election people “make all sorts of things up, because they have other motivations”. Morrison is expected to call an election within days, seeking to capitalise…

KABUL: Afghanistan’s largest money exchange market, in Kabul, was hit by an explosion yesterday, witnesses said. “A blast rocked Sarai-Shahzada in Kabul,” one witness said, adding that a number of people were injured. The Interior Ministry said on social media that a would-be robber had hurled a grenade at the market, and that 10 people had been injured. The ministry said it had opened an investigation and a manhunt was under way to catch the suspect. The explosion came when dozens of customers and moneychangers were going to enter the market, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. A “thief threw a hand grenade at (the) people”.…

TRIPOLI: An activist of the Libyan Red Crescent abducted nearly a year ago has finally been released, the Libyan Al-Wasat newspaper reports. Mansour Atti al-Maghrabi, the head of the Red Crescent office in the town of Ajdabiya in Libya’s northeastern Al Wahat District, was kidnapped in June, 2021. According to the Red Crescent, an armed individual attacked Atti’s car and abducted him. According to Al-Wasat, Atti has been finally released after 10 months of disappearance. The newspaper said on Saturday that a photo has been circulating online, which shows the activist standing next to the head of his tribe.…

Mduduzi Mdantsane haunted his former team, scoring a brace and was later dismissed as Cape Town City earned an entertaining 5-1 win over Baroka FC at the Cape Town Stadium yesterday. Baroka took the lead in the 35th minute as Dan Ndhlovu picked up a pass from Sipho Maluluke before finishing from close range. City got their equalizer early in the second half as Khanyisa Mayo made a good connection with the ball after receiving a pass from captain Thamsanqa Mkhize. City were then handed a penalty in the 55th minute as Mayo was fouled in the box by Baroka’s makeshift fullback Thami Masiya. Mdantsane converted the spot-kick, leaving Baroka keeper Oscarine Masuluke dumbfounded. Less than 10 minutes later, Mdantsane scored again, this time with a well-timed header. Craig Martin…

THE PUBLIC Investment Corporation (PIC) has requested an urgent meeting with the Absa Group board following the appointment of a white man, Arrie Rautenbach, as its new chief executive. On Friday, the PIC voiced its disappointment with the appointment, saying that the appointment of a black person could have promoted transformation in the group. The PIC said in its correspondence with the board, that the appointment was a missed opportunity for the board to publicly demonstrate its commitment to “purposefully transform the banking group and advance diversity, inclusivity, and racial and gender equity, at the most senior levels of organisation”. “As a significant shareholder, the PIC had previously recorded its disappointment to the board about the apparent instability at the executive level following the departure of its former chief executive…

AN INTERNATIONAL study has suggested the government’s plans to develop an extensive gas-to-power sector could likely negatively impact the economy and climate. A study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), entitled Gas Pressure: Exploring the case for gas-fired power in South Africa, said that developing an extensive gas-to-power sector in South Africa from scratch would involve significant investment in both gas supply infrastructure and power plants. The institute said that to introduce the first 3 000 megawatts of gas capacity and gas supply by 2030 could cost at least R47 billion – money that could ultimately be wasted, as gas was likely to be squeezed out of the market by cheaper, low-carbon alternatives. To artificially stimulate local demand for gas, South Africa’s Department of Mineral…

CREDIT bureaus are governed by the provisions of the National Credit Act, 34 of 2005 (NCA), and the regulations pursuant thereto, and are regulated by the National Credit Regulator (NCR). They gather and amass information around the credit and spending habits of consumers/companies on behalf of third parties (banks and financing institutions) to help them determine whether to lend credit or not to the person/company concerned. That’s a lot of information and control over us mere mortals, and in the wrong hands can be a potential disaster, blackmail, and a weapon of note. TransUnion, a US-based global consumer credit-checking agency, was alerted on Friday by a group calling itself, N4ughtySec – bad actors (hackers) apparently based in Brazil – claiming to be responsible for breaching cybersecurity at TransUnion South Africa,…

A SENIOR manager in the City of Tshwane has been expelled by the council almost a year after he was accused of sexually harassing two female colleagues. The Pretoria News has it on good authority that the council resolved during the in-committee meeting on Thursday to fire the implicated official. Acting city manager Mmaseabata Mutlaneng was previously authorised by the council to appoint external investigators to further probe the sexual harassment complaints lodged by the two female subordinates. Part of the findings of the inquiry into the matter said: “The City of Tshwane has discharged the proof on a balance of probabilities that the official is guilty as charged as contained in the charge sheet in that he made unwelcome and unacceptable remarks towards the complainant (which was) tantamount to…

Experts have welcomed the reduction in the fuel levy, but say fuel prices might still go up this month, due to the ongoing Russia/Ukraine conflict and the high price of Brent crude oil. In a statement issued by the National Treasury on Thursday, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe announced a temporary reduction in the general fuel levy. The reduction is to be funded by a liquidation of a portion of the government’s strategic crude oil reserves. The general fuel levy for petrol and diesel is to be reduced by R1.50 per litre from April 6 to May 31, 2022, the statement said. Layton Beard, of the Automobile Association (AA), said they welcomed the decrease of the fuel levy announced by the National Treasury.…

WATCHING the Women Proteas’ performance against England, I thought April Fool’s Day had arrived early. A complete capitulation! They were rudderless and lacked motivation. There were no exceptions. Management must be brought to account. The players were completely overawed by the occasion, and clueless. My impressions: • On batting, both world-class openers failed to score. Shots were attempted twice off one knee, resulting in dismissals. No batter exceeded 30 runs.They all looked scared stiff. • Even dropped catches. Most of England’s runs were scored on the leg side left poorly defended. • The bowling was exceptionally poor.Too many short balls. • And the players looked lethargic. But don’t despair, things can’t get worse. I’m sorry I missed so much sleep.…

INDIGENOUS Khoi and San activists said they would continue to keep a close eye on attempts to move ahead with plans to expand the Brass Bell restaurant. More than 100 people staged a protest outside the restaurant on Saturday to object against the planned construction that would further restrict access to a tidal pool – a move that community activist Faez Poggenpoel said would be an affront to indigenous history. “It is a horrible situation where we believe that the public space has been privatised,” said Poggenpoel. “We want the national government to get involved and give assurances, in black and white, that certain structures will be removed so that families can enjoy the space which is multicultural and multi religious. This, without being surrounded by alcohol consumption. We’ve had…

‘Ukuthwala’ practice undermining the rights of women and girls ONE of the major tasks ahead of us as a nation is to act swiftly on the recent recommendations of the South African Law Reform Commission to criminalise forced marriages. Following years of advocacy and lamentation, the commission last week finally handed over four reports to Justice Minister Ronald Lamola, one of which recommends new legislation on the abuse of the ukuthwala custom that makes forced and child marriages criminal offences. The commission researches all branches of the law to make recommendations to the government for the development, improvement, modernisation, or reform of the law. Because it investigates matters that have been pre-approved by the justice minister, it has struggled to get the necessary approval to prioritise the abuse of the…

Police fired tear gas at hundreds of protesting students in central Sri Lanka yesterday, a federal lawmaker said, as soldiers manned checkpoints in the capital to enforce a curfew imposed to curb public outrage triggered by an economic crisis. Lakshman Kiriella, MP from the second-largest city, Kandy, said police used tear gas to scatter students protesting against the government near the University of Peradeniya. “These students have come out in defiance of the curfew and police have fired tear gas to disperse them,” said Kiriella, from the opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya party. The university is on the outskirts of Kandy, where the students had been held back by police, he said. Police officials in Kandy did not respond to calls from Reuters seeking comment. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state…

Sky-high fuel prices are sparking waves of anger and frustration throughout the ranks of truckers and food delivery drivers in Asia, causing concerns over potential disruptions that could add to supply-chain risks. South Korea’s average diesel price last week jumped 44% from a year earlier to the highest since 2008, while petrol surged more than 30%, according to data from Korea National Oil Corp. The fuel costs are rising at a time when freight rates and delivery fees have remained unchanged, directly impacting workers’ wages, union groups that represent the drivers said. “The spike in petrol prices is a huge burden on us,” Gu Gyo-hyeon, a director at Rider Union, which represents 1 000 food delivery drivers in South Korea, said by phone. “Unlike other industries, we get zero subsidies…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan asked the president yesterday to dissolve the parliament after its deputy speaker rejected a motion of no confidence in Khan as unconstitutional. “The Prime Minister has advised the president to dissolve the National Assembly under Article 58 of the Constitution,” Information Minister Fawad Hussain said on social media. Hussain said the cabinet had been dissolved. Prime Minister Khan will continue his duties under Article 224 of the basic law. A snap parliamentary election will be held within 90 days. Khan said the opposition’s motion was an attempt by foreign powers to depose him.…

BELGRADE: Voters cast ballots in polling stations in Serbia for presidential, parliamentary and local elections yesterday. About 6.5 million registered voters cast ballots at 8 255 polling stations in Serbia and abroad, choosing from eight presidential candidates and 19 political parties or coalitions for the parliament. Additionally, people are voting to choose the leadership of the capital of Belgrade, the City of Bor, and 12 more municipalities. The winner of the presidential elections needs to gather more than 50% of the votes, or otherwise defeat the second-ranked candidate in the second round of voting.…

MOODY’s Investors Service has changed SA’s credit ratings outlook to stable from negative, which has been welcomed by the government as affirmation of its structural reforms programme. Moody’s on Friday affirmed South Africa’s Ba2 long-term local and foreign currency issuer, and senior unsecured-debt ratings. SA’s ratings status was downgraded to Ba2 with a negative outlook by Moody’s in November, 2020 after the economy entered a deep recession as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and lockdown restrictions. Moody’s lead analyst for South Africa, Lucie Villa, said the government had shown it was able to re-prioritise its spending over the past two fiscal years while staying committed to fiscal consolidation. Villa said the decision to affirm South Africa’s ratings at Ba2 reflected the country’s long-standing credit strengths, including a sound financial…

THE relief in the fuel price has been welcomed as a much-needed step to help hard-hit consumers keep their heads above water. The government last week announced a reduction in the basic fuel levy by R1.50 for two months, while pursuing a more permanent and sustainable restructuring measure of the fuel price. The R1.50 adjustment should reduce the general levy for petrol from R3.85 a litre to R2.35 a litre, and reduce the levy on diesel from R3.70 a litre to R2.20 a litre, until the end of May. Spokesperson for trade union Uasa, Abigail Moyo, on Friday said they were pleased with the government’s fuel price intervention and welcomed the possibility of added interventions once the two-month period has lapsed. “The temporary decrease of R1.50 per litre in the…

from page 1 on the impact on the party’s renewal process of the election of leaders who were facing criminal charges. Ramaphosa further lamented the poor state of ANC-controlled municipalities across the country, saying in most cases this was due to the infighting that had consumed the party. “You were divided. You have elected a leadership that is meant to unite you. You must back the spirit of renewal in the ANC. All of you in this conference agreed to unite and rally behind all those that were elected,” Ramaphosa said. For his part, Ndlovu came out in support of Ramaphosa, asking his supporters to desist from associating themselves with the factional groupings they supported before the provincial conference. “There will no longer be Focus, Ngqi 7 and RMT. Those…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has taken issue with the election of ANC leaders who are facing criminal charges, saying such endorsements by delegates undermined the governing party’s renewal project. A seemingly disappointed Ramaphosa was reacting to the election of Mandla Msibi as Mpumalanga ANC treasurer during the 13th provincial conference at Emalahleni at the weekend. Msibi is currently out on bail after being charged with murder following a shooting in Mbombela last year. The former agriculture MEC was forced to step aside from his duties in the ANC and government pending the outcome of his case. He has denied any involvement in the case. In Limpopo, party treasurer Danny Msiza has had to step aside after being indicted by the National Prosecution Authority for his alleged role in the looting…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has warned his party that it will lose the 2024 general elections if members continue to fight over power and access to resources to serve their personal interests. Insisting that the governing party was “a house on fire”, the president implored members to focus on “putting out fires of corruption” and the “fire of everything that is going wrong” in the ANC, rather than on squabbles for public resources. Ramaphosa issued the warning while delivering his closing address at the ANC’s 13th Mpumalanga provincial elective conference, which concluded at Witbank Dam, Emalahleni, yesterday. Ramaphosa also took issue with delegates for electing murder-accused Mandla Msibi as the provincial treasurer, saying they needed to “reflect” on the impact of their choices on ANC renewal efforts. In a speech filled…

480g flour 2x10g instant yeast sachets 100g brown sugar ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp nutmeg salt to taste ½ tsp baking powder ½tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 lemon, zested 1 ¼ cup of milk 3 Tbsp butter 2 free-range eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 135g sultanas and raisins For the flour paste: 125g flour 5 Tbsp water For the glaze: 65ml golden syrup 65ml boiling water Preheat the oven to 180°C. Combine flour, yeast, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, lemon zest and dried fruit in a large bowl. Place milk and butter in a saucepan and heat gently until butter has melted. Lightly whisk eggs and vanilla and add to dry ingredients, with milk-and-butter mixture. Gently mix the dough using your hands or a wooden…

HOW is it that in the 21st century, Cape Town can take money from McLaren’s Circus (currently situated along the shores of Zandvlei, Muizenberg) that not only transports wild animals and dogs (imagine the terror, the noise, the rattling), holds them in confined conditions, and then makes them perform for screaming humans? Further, the SPCA was called out to inspect and is “disappointed” (News24, Twitter, April 2) that CoCT has reinstated the permit. How long will it be before money will no longer be the guiding principle in transactions such as this, that belittle every human being in the implementation, as we trample across Animal Rights and the Rights of Nature?…

THE football gods were in no mood for jesting! On April Fool’s Day, the 2022 Fifa World Cup draw in Doha, the capital of the host nation Qatar, was subdued despite the desert bling and diversity of the proceedings, hosted by ex-England star Jermaine Jenas. The fireworks were set off the previous night in a public spat between Hassan Al-Thawadi, the secretary-general of the Orwellian-sounding Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, and Lise Klaveness, the president of the Norwegian Football Federation, over workers’ rights, compensation and Fifa’s future as a socio-football role model. For an absolute monarchy, the Norwegian’s call on Fifa to promote “the core interests of football – human rights, equality and democracy”, was an “insult” too far. The draw was bereft of the excitement of a…

Kyiv: Explosions rocked the strategic Ukrainian port city of Odessa yesterday, as a top UN official headed to Moscow to try to secure a “humanitarian ceasefire” after evidence emerged of possible civilian killings around Kyiv. Smoke rose from several areas of the historic Black Sea port, after air strikes shook the city at about 6am. The Ukrainian army said no one was killed.Russia’s defence ministry confirmed the attack, saying “high-precision sea and air-based missiles destroyed an oil refinery and three storage facilities for fuel and lubricants”. The ministry claimed the targets were supplying fuel to Ukrainian troops. Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister, said: “Some of the missiles were shot down by air defence.” The strikes came with Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias expected in the city…

LOSS ANGELES: Jane Seymour has “no inclination” to retire. The 71-year-old actress is busy with various acting and producing ventures, as well as her work as an artist, sculptor and jewellery designer, and she’s still passionate about her career. She said: “I’m working more now than I ever have in my life. I’ve no inclination to retire. Why would I do less of something I love?” The actress insisted she has never undergone any cosmetic procedures because she loves the fact she is able to play people who are younger or older than her years.…

Morocco’s village of Inzerki is proud to claim it has the world’s oldest and largest collective beehive, but instead of buzzing with springtime activity, the colonies have collapsed amid crippling drought. Beekeeper Brahim Chatoui says he has lost almost a third of his hives in just two months – and he is not alone. “At this time of year, this area would normally be buzzing with bees,” said Chatoui, sweating under a blazing springtime sun. “Today, they’re dying at a terrifying rate.” The North African kingdom has seen a dramatic spike in mass die-offs of the critical pollinators, a phenomenon called “colony collapse disorder”. Worldwide, experts say such sudden mass deaths of bees are often linked to the destruction of nature and the rampant use of pesticides. But authorities say…

Tehran: More than 250 women working in Iran’s film industry have signed a statement condemning what they call “systematic” sexual harassment, demanding that a committee address the issue. People in power in Iranian cinema are known to exploit their positions “to bully, threaten, insult, humiliate and assault women”, they charged. “Acts of violence are systematic,” said the statement signed by some of Iran’s most prominent actresses, film directors and producers. “We condemn any violence and sexual harassment in the workplace, and to end it, we call for serious legal consequences for the violators.”…