Inhaltsverzeichnis für 2022-07-01 in Cape Times

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has coughed up a whopping R19 billion to buy land for restitution purposes as at the end of March. This was revealed by Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza when she was responding to parliamentary questions from EFF MP Sam Matiase. Matiase asked about the extent of the land that has been redistributed to black people as a result of the land redistribution programme, and the amount it has cost the department since April 1994. “Since 27 April 1994, an amount of R 19 809 billion has cost the department to buy land for redistribution,” Didiza said. She also said a total of 5 198 594 hectares has been redistributed to black people as at March 31. The…

THE mysterious deaths of 21 teenagers, including a 13-year-old, at an East London tavern this week have opened old wounds for a Cape Town family who lost their teenage daughter in similar circumstances, seven years ago to the week, when a Khayelitsha tavern partially collapsed, causing a stampede. “I was with my wife and family when we saw the East London incident on TV. My wife immediately burst into tears and to be honest my heart was sore because I was thinking about the pain the families of those children are going through. It’s what we went through too, and it’s what we are going through now,” said Mzuvumile Mbono. In 2015, tragedy struck the community of Makhaza in Khayelitsha when Mbono’s daughter, Vuyolwethu Mbono, 17, was among eight young…

A FINALISED report by police watchdog, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), has found that the murder of top cop Charl Kinnear “ should not have happened” if members of SAPS, including a so-called Rogue Unit, and others implicated in the report, had carried out their core functions as mandated by the Constitution. According to the finalised report by Ipid, members of SAPS had “dropped the proverbial ball” and must individually and collectively take responsibility for their colleague’s death as the investigation uncovered evidence pointing to the possible “criminal conduct of defeating or obstructing the course of justice” leading to Kinnear’s murder. The report stated that SAPS management had ample time and enough credible information to ensure the prioritisation of the Threats and Risk Assessments on the life of Kinnear…

“I KNOW something went wrong, I know you not a murderer.” These were the words of the emotional mother of former cop Jean-Paul Malgas, accused of killing a Sea Point constable and two patients at New Somerset hospital. Malgas, wearing a grey jacket and red hoodie, made a brief appearance at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court yesterday via Audio Visual Remand (AVR) system. He revealed that the medication he was taking was assisting him. This follows claims that he was suicidal. The 39-year-old is in Pollsmoor prison. Malgas faces three charges of murder, a charge of illegal possession of a firearm, a charge of illegal possession of ammunition and robbery. The robbery charge stems from when he allegedly disarmed Constable Donay Phillips, who had been at the hospital safeguarding a…

Somewhere In Between Niki Malherbe Loot.co.za (R228) Protea Books The self-righteous, headstrong lawyering mother has a new and greater challenge. No longer seeking the approval of her successful mother, one of South Africa’s first women judges, Niki is out to find that elusive concept of the “work/life” balance and some real, sustainable solutions. Her journey takes her deep into feminist philosophies as she struggles to understand the unfolding media-driven drama of the Oscar Pistorius trial while researching issues of ethics in the legal profession. But in between life and children, Niki is also determined to navigate her own way around the new world of print and publishing and connect with her own identity as a writer. How is she going to survive all this? Somewhere In Between is a light-hearted…

The Boy Who Got Accidentally Famous David Baddiel, Illustrated by Steven Lenton Loot.co.za (R164) HarperCollins (Ages 8-14) A LAUGH-out-loud story for readers of 8 and up that takes you on a roller-coaster ride of fame and friendship. Nothing extraordinary has ever happened to Billy Smith. In fact, every single thing about him is ordinary, including his name. But when a documentary crew turns up at Billy's school to film the new TV series School Daze, everything changes. Billy shouldn’t stand out: all the other kids are much more interesting than him. But when remixes of his boring class presentation go viral, Billy finds himself accidentally an overnight star. With his friends Bo and Rinor by his side, his life turns into a whirlwind of red carpets, TV shows, albums and…

Russian forces say they have withdrawn from Ukraine’s Snake Island, a highly contested island in the Black Sea they captured soon after the start of the war – presenting a small but strategic win for Ukraine yesterday. Russia’s Defence Ministry framed the move as a “gesture of goodwill” and an effort to create a humanitarian corridor for the export of agricultural products such as grain from Ukraine. However, officials in the nearby southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa said Russian troops had evacuated only after protracted missile and artillery strikes by Ukrainian forces. Snake Island, also known as Zmiinyi Island, is about 40km off the southern coast and is a critical outpost for controlling shipping lanes for the export of Ukrainian grain and accessing the key port of Odessa. “On…

Gunmen have attacked a mine in central Nigeria, killing some security personnel and kidnapping four Chinese nationals and other workers, a state security official said yesterday. Kidnapping for ransom has become a major problem in north-west and central Nigeria, where heavily-armed criminal gangs known as bandits target communities, schools and businesses for abductions. Chinese employees working on mines and large infrastructure projects in remote areas are often targeted for kidnapping, and usually released after a short period in captivity. Gunmen attacked the mine in Ajata Aboki village in Shiroro region of Niger state on Wednesday afternoon, the local commissioner for security, Emmanuel Umar, said in a statement. “A yet to be ascertained number of workers in the mining site, including four Chinese nationals, were reported to have been abducted,” the…

Washington: Sonny Barger, a founding member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club who spent decades as the public face of the notorious biker gang, has died at the age of 83. With their leather vests and the roar of their engines as they cruised in packs on the open road, for many years the Hells Angels were a symbol of counterculture living. Barger was a founding member of the international motorcycle club’s original group, based out of Oakland, California in 1957. Barger acted as a de-facto spokesperson, defending their outlaw lifestyle. He was present at a notorious 1969 Rolling Stones concert in California, for which the Hells Angels had been hired as security, using their bikes as a barrier in front of the stage. For various gun and weapons charges,…

OTJIWARONGO: Oshikoto governor Penda Ya Ndakolo on Wednesday expressed concern to see thousands of people in rural Oshikoto, Namibia, surviving on dirty water. Ya Ndakolo said this at his 2022 annual State of the Region Address at Omuthiya where he said thousands of people in rural Nehale Lya Mpingana, Eengodi, Okankolo and Olukonda constituencies still drink saline and dirty water daily. “We know they are in dire need of safe water. Water is a critical resource and due to the financial challenges we face, our people in deep villages of these constituencies continue to drink saline and dirty water drawn from their traditionally dug wells,” he said. | Nampa…

ONE year on from a painful crash, Max Verstappen returns to Silverstone as clear favourite to register his first British Grand Prix win and increase his lead in the title race. The 24-year-old Dutchman and his Red Bull team are on the crest of a wave after six consecutive victories; one from teammate Sergio Perez in Monaco and the rest by the world champion. But he may be wary of home hero and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton mounting more of a challenge at the open and high-speed track in central England. After 10 races without a win, the 37-year-old Mercedes driver is seeking to avoid the longest winless sequence in his Formula One career. Despite the shortcomings of his capricious bouncing Mercedes, Hamilton finished third in Canada two weekends ago.…

SIBANYE-Stillwater has followed up on chief executive Neal Froneman’s stated strategy to make a big play in electric battery metals after announcing plans to raise its interest in Finland-based Keliber, a battery metals and chemicals company. Keliber owns a lithium hydroxide project in the Kaustinen region of Finland. The project is gearing up production of battery grade lithium hydroxide from its own ore. After an initial 30.2 percent investment into Keliber last year, Sibanye has now revealed plans to ramp up its interests in the Finnish battery metals company to 50 percent by way “of a phased equity investment”, the company said. The new investment is subject to approvals from the South African Reserve Bank and minority shareholders in the Finnish company. In March this year, Froneman said…

Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola says the Independent Directorate of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is busy finalising the extradition request for the Gupta brothers, Atul and Rajesh, to face the law in South Africa. In a reply to a parliamentary question, Lamola said the extradition request still had to be be translated into Arabic before being sent to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) via diplomatic channels. He revealed this when responding to parliamentary questions from DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach, who asked the current position regarding the extradition of the Gupta brothers after their arrest in Dubai. Breytenbach also enquired whether the extradition treaty with the UAE had been finalised. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services confirmed it received information from law enforcement authorities…

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) claims Eskom is using workers as an excuse for Stage 6 load shedding, while it shuts down units at power stations around the country. This after the power utility announced yesterday that it will extend Stage 6 power cuts until midnight on Friday, owing to illegal industrial action and intimidation. According to Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha, high levels of staff absenteeism continue and employees who have decided to report for duty are working under “extremely challenging conditions due to threats”. “This has made it difficult to conduct routine maintenance and other operational requirements, which will further impact the reliability of generation units. “Due to the unlawful and unprotected strike, which has caused widespread disruption to Eskom’s power plants, Eskom is still unable to…

Robert Hardman Loot.co.za (R437) MACMILLAN CAN there ever have been a person more documented, filmed, photographed, admired and respected, than Queen Elizabeth II? Particularly now during her Platinum Jubilee, there is much to read about her extraordinary life and reign. Some may think that so much has been written about her that a new biography is unlikely to offer anything new. I have, over the years, happily read many books and magazine articles about British royalty, and in particular, about Queen Elizabeth. But any hesitancy about treading on too familiar ground was dispelled early in my read of a new work about her. To mark the queen’s jubilee, writer and documentary maker Robert Hardman brings us his fourth book on the British royal family, Queen of Our Times. Hardman says…

The humanitarian damage caused by America’s stance cannot be measured LIKE ALL countries, Cuba is going through a difficult economic situation, influenced by the global crisis, the prices of fuel, food and transportation, in addition to the effects of more than two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. The attempts to establish opinion in the media that Cuba is facing a massive humanitarian crisis are unfounded. Falsehoods, fictitious legends and their propagation in the media are used to internationally generate the image of a country that is socially unstable and in political crisis. An attempt is being made to fabricate the pretext for humanitarian intervention, like what was tried in 2021. The media is spreading a campaign of political destabilisation to discredit Cuba with the use of millions of dollars and…

A quarter of all climate change- related legal cases since the 1980s were filed in the last two years, according to new research yesterday showing surging litigation targeting governments, fossil fuel firms and a growing array of other companies. The report, which underscores the rising importance of the courts in climate action, comes on the same day the US Supreme Court ruled that the government’s key environmental agency cannot issue broad limits on greenhouse gases, in a blow to climate policy and environment protections. From legal efforts to steer governments to do more to curb emissions, to court action over companies’ misleading green claims, the number, scope and ambitions of climate litigation is expanding, say experts from the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics. Their report found…

Formula One’s Alpine team said that physical ability was no barrier for women to compete in the sport as they launched a programme to have a female driver in the next eight years. Only two women have ever started world championship Grand Prix races, the Italian pair of Maria Teresa de Filippis, in 1958, and Lella Lombardi, between 1974 and 1976. There has since been a belief that physical strength was a drawback to the progress of women in the sport. Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi, however, rejected that notion as the team launched a programme to mentor women drivers. “It’s something that society wanted to peddle for years, and is one of the cliches that needs to be eradicated,” he added. “There are women who fly fighter jets, who are…

Tel Aviv: Israeli MPs yesterday unanimously voted to dissolve Parliament, after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s fragile coalition government collapsed, triggering the fifth general election in less than four years. The 120-member Knesset (Parliament) voted 92-0 to dissolve and to hold the election on November 1. Bennett is expected to hand power to Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, under the power-sharing deal they agreed upon following inconclusive elections in 2021. Lapid will officially become the caretaker Prime Minister today and will hold the position until the next government is formed. | IANS…

WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court sided with President Joe Biden yesterday as he seeks to end a hardline immigration policy begun under his predecessor Donald Trump that forced tens of thousands of migrants to stay in Mexico to await US hearings on their asylum claims. The justices, in a 5-4 ruling authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, overturned a federal appeals court decision requiring Biden to restart Trump’s “remain in Mexico” policy after the Republican-led states of Texas and Missouri sued to maintain the programme. The ruling is a victory for Biden, who appealed the lower court’s decision, and his plan to implement a more “humane” approach at the border. | Reuters…

WILLIE le Roux will be in the bombsquad.com, yo. Le Roux – a veteran of 72 Test caps – has been selected on the bench for the first Test against Wales at Loftus Versfeld tomorrow (kick-off 5pm), making way for Damian Willemse to get only his fifth start for the Boks this weekend. It was arguably the biggest surprise this past week when head coach Jacques Nienbaber announced his matchday 23, and Le Roux will have an important duty to fulfil as he, along with the only other back on the bench – Herschel Jantjies – will be expected to cover multiple positions. The 32-year-old, however, admitted yesterday that hewas ready for any eventuality. “I am in the bombsquad, and I do have a new role there,” said Le Roux.…

Under President Cyril Ramaphosa, the central core and philosophy of the ANC is quickly eroding, which – instead of uniting against poverty and being people-focused – has seen its leaders at each other’s throats, jostling for top lucrative positions which can derive them the most benefit, according to businessman Dr Iqbal Survé. In a hard-hitting interview with Independent Media, Sekunjalo Chairman Survé touched on the idea of forming a new youth-led social democratic movement for anyone interested in putting South Africa first. Survé’s statement echoes other rumblings that are growing louder from within the ANC, the party he joined in the 1980s to fight against the oppressive apartheid regime. “There are many who are going to be angry with me for breaking ranks – so to speak – with the…

INDEPENDENT Civic Organisation of South Africa (Icosa) councillor in the Drakeinstein Municipality, Rodney Nell is accused of threatening to send the 28s gang to residents who have raised concerns about his relationship with a young woman. A petition has since been launched calling for Nell, 52, to be removed as a councillor through a motion of no confidence. But Nell has rejected the allegation that he had threatened some residents, calling the claims a “witchhunt and a personal attack against me”. Nell recently started a relationship with a 20-year-old. This was not easy for the community to accept, according to the petition. “The young lady just turned 20 in December 2021. The relationship has been going on for three months. At the same time, the councillor was also involved in…

Civic organisation, Equal Education (EE), joined by pupils in their numbers, marched to parliament yesterday in protest against proposed new changes to the school infrastructure law. They said their biggest concern was a proposal by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga to remove deadlines currently imposed on government to fix schools. “The most scary change that Minister Motshekga wants to make to the school infrastructure law is to totally remove the deadlines that put the responsibility on the government to get rid of pit toilets – and provide basics such as water, electricity, classrooms, libraries, etc – by specific dates. Her proposed changes, if passed, will mean that learners and teachers will wait for many more years for safe and proper school infrastructure,” EE said in a statement. “Basic Education Minister…

Hands Off Our Grants – Defending the Constitutional Right to Social Protection Black Sash Loot.co.za (R289) BestRed THIS book examines the root causes of unauthorised, fraudulent and allegedly unlawful deductions from the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa)-branded bank accounts into which monthly welfare grants were paid for South Africa’s poorest citizens. South Africa has one of the largest social assistance systems in the world. Today, the livelihoods of millions of poor people, particularly those living in rural and peri-urban areas, are dependent on it and it has been lauded as one of the important achievements of the post-apartheid government. However, for seven years, from 2012 when Sassa awarded the tender to Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) for countrywide distribution of social grants, this welfare system came under attack. This was…

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow Gabrielle Zevin Loot.co.za (R557) Knopf TOMORROW, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is actually a novel about friendship – particularly that rare, miraculous friend who may drift away for long periods of time but always rises again with the vigour of Sonic the Hedgehog. The story begins at the end of the 20th century as Americans fret about Y2K and squint expectantly at MagicEye posters. Two college students – Sam Mazer (Harvard) and Sadie Green (MIT) – bump into each other in Cambridge. They haven’t seen each other since they were kids in the hospital. Back in that previous life, Sam was recovering from a grievous car accident that crushed his foot, and Sadie was visiting her sister being treated for cancer. With loads of time on…

The aberration and othering of fellow Africans in the South African migration and immigration discourse is the manifestation of the state (un)-holy trinity; market libidinal desire of Africa’s cheap labour, state docility to the market desires, and populist migration and immigration public discourse. All three factors combine and intersect in an undistinguishable factor that fuels violent attacks on migrants that has been conceptualised to be xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks. Since the discovery of mineral resources in South Africa in the 1800s, the market colluded with the then “state” to source cheap African labour throughout the country and from the southern African region for circular migration work in the mining industry. The then “state” was complicit with the mining industry sourcing migrant labourers. The silence was informed by the then “state’s”…

Researchers in Italy who were first to identify the presence of monkeypox in semen are broadening their testing, saying early results suggest sperm can be a vehicle for infection. A team at Rome’s Spallanzani Hospital, which specialises in infectious diseases, revealed in a study published on June 2 that the virus DNA was detected in semen of three out of four men diagnosed with monkeypox. They have since expanded their work, according to director Francesco Vaia, who said researchers have found presence of monkeypox in the sperm of 14 infected men out of 16 studied. “This finding tells us the presence of the virus in sperm is not a rare or random occurrence,” Vaia told AFP. “The infection can be transmitted during sexual intercourse by direct contact with skin lesions,…

NEW YORK: R Kelly was sentenced this week to 30 years in prison, following the multi-platinum R&B singer’s conviction for exploiting his stardom to lure women and underaged girls into his orbit for sex. The sentence was imposed nine months after Kelly, 55, was convicted of racketeering and sex crimes in a trial that amplified accusations that had dogged the singer of the Grammy-winning hit I Believe I Can Fly for two decades. The Brooklyn federal court said the evidence reflected Kelly’s “sheer brutality” toward his victims. Kelly’s his lawyer said the singer was “devastated” by the sentence but that he would appeal. | Reuters…

Kabul: Two gunmen were shot dead in the Afghan capital yesterday near the site of a gathering by thousands of religious scholars called to endorse the Taliban’s hardline Islamist rule. Officials said the two started firing from a rooftop near where the meeting was taking place, but were “eliminated by Mujahideen”. A Taliban source said criticism of the regime would be allowed at the three-day jirga, and thorny issues such as the education for girls would be discussed. But women would not be allowed to attend the gathering, with deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi saying there was no need because they would be represented by male relatives. | AFP…

Brussels: Production has been halted in the world’s biggest chocolate plant, run by Swiss giant Barry Callebaut in the Belgian town of Wieze, after salmonella contaminations was found, the firm said yesterday. A company spokesperson said production had been protectively halted at the factory, which produces liquid chocolate in wholesale batches for 73 clients making confectionaries. There have been no reports so far of any chocolate consumers infected by the salmonella, which causes salmonellosis, a disease that cause diarrhoea and fever but is only dangerous in the most extreme cases. | AFP…