Inhaltsverzeichnis für 2023-08-24 in Cape Times

Anyone who has felt hangry (angry as a result of hunger) or has missed a meal and felt down can attest to the fact that food plays a pivotal role in emotions. The correlation between food and mood is well documented, but not all food can improve one’s mood. That’s why Tetley’s partner dietitian, Mbali Mapholi, has provided a list of her top mood-boosting foods to incorporate into a daily diet. Hungry + anger equals hangry as our brains rely heavily on glucose as an energy source. When our blood sugar levels dip, the “hanger” switch levels. As a result, our mood-regulating brain signals like serotonin, dopamine and other neurons start to misfire, giving rise to a melange of emotions that make us behave in a way we wouldn’t ordinarily.…

of law and access to justice should be common to all,” Ntsewa said, adding that there should not only be equality before the law, but it should be seen. Ntsewa, who is the chairperson of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme Independent Appeal Tribunal, said he would explore the mechanism where departments investigated by the institution paid for the probe, as was the case with the auditor-general. Former Competition Tribunal chief operating officer Oliver Josie said amending the legislation to make departments comply with remedial actions of the Office of the Public Protector should be considered in future. Josie said there was 13% compliance with the public protector’s remedial action, with 65% not being implemented. The court ruled about a decade ago that remedial action of the public protector…

250g sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 50g sweet potatoes, thinly sliced 1 tin coconut cream 500ml vegetable stock Olive oil Salt and pepper Thai green curry paste 4 cloves of garlic 2 red onions 7cm piece of fresh ginger 2 lemon grass stalks 2 bird’s eye chillies 2 tsp ground cumin 20g fresh coriander 10g fresh basil 2 tbsp fish sauce Juice of 1 lime 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp sesame oil Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Place sweet potatoes on a tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for an hour or until soft. Remove from the oven, place in a blender, and purée or mash. Combine all paste ingredients in a blender and purée until incorporated and smooth. Add small amounts of water if the mixture is…

A pensioner and former South African Post Office (Sapo) employee has had to fork out just under R50 000 to reinstate his medical aid benefits, while the state-owned entity (SOE), which was placed under business rescue, continued to default on contributions. Billy Baatjes, 83, said with no communication from Sapo since it underwent business rescue and in continued litigation regarding the payment of medical aid contributions that formed part of a retirement package, pensioners “remained in the dark”. “We have had absolutely no communication. It is a very desperate situation as the medical aid contributions covered myself and my wife who are on chronic medication. “I have had to pay R49 000 with a remaining balance just so our benefits could be reinstated. “I had to pay it because we…

LOBBY groups and a union have urged that the next Western Cape Metrorail regional manager be a person not only with integrity, but with the drive to get the train service back on track for the working class. The Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) was expected to advertise the managerial position shortly, after former boss Richard Walker was fired in June. Walker, who has yet to speak out about his dismissal, faced a number of allegations, including fruitless and wasteful expenditure. The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) expressed worry over the deterioration of the commuter services in the region during Walker’s tenure. According to Satawu spokesperson Amanda Tshemese, they were the first to call for Walker's suspension in 2020, pending the allegations he faced. “We definitely…

ON WOMEN’S Day, the women of Concordia, a small town in Namakwaland, Northern Cape, fondly called “Dorpie”, led a peaceful protest at the entrance to the Jubilee mine, which Copper 360 says it has the right to mine. The women of Concordia, who grow food and rear sheep on their communal land as their primary livelihood, together with those men who are not working away, decided to protest the company’s presence and the assumed extraction of copper on their communal land without their consent. Twenty-nine community leaders were arrested, many of them women as well as elders from the community, with charges of attempted murder, malicious damage to property, public violence and incitement brought against them. Held over two days, they were later released on a warning from the Springbok…

Board and Higher Education Minister Nzimande cannot be isolated from controversy THE DECISION by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) board to place its CEO Andile Nongogo on special leave pending an investigation into possible “unacceptable conduct in the awarding of bids”, is a step in the right direction. However, the board and Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande cannot be isolated from this “direct payment” controversy. In as much as there are serious allegations against Nongogo, supported by the findings of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa), we must place Nzimande and the NSFAS board in particular under the same scrutiny as they are equally to blame for this mess. Since the outcry by its beneficiaries against this new system, NSFAS, its board and Nzimande continuously denounced the experiences…

Zimbabweans lined up to vote yesterday, saying they were hungry for change from relentless economic chaos but analysts were sceptical that the ruling Zanu-PF party would allow a credible election or any loosening of its stranglehold on power. President Emmerson Mnangagwa is seeking re-election after a first term during which runaway inflation, currency shortages and sky-high unemployment left many Zimbabweans reliant on dollar remittances from relatives abroad to make ends meet. “I am expecting change. We are struggling and hungry,” said Mabel Fambi, 67, who cares for five of her grandchildren because their parents cannot find jobs. She was waiting to cast her ballot in the Kuwadzana constituency in the capital, Harare. In Mbare, a densely populated low-income suburb of Harare, first-time voter Gladys Msipa, 23, was among large numbers…

South Korea’s majority opposition party and civic groups around the country stepped up protests yesterday against Japan’s plan to release water from the Fukushima nuclear plant a day ahead of the planned start of the discharge. Conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol’s government has come under criticism as it defended the position that its own assessment found no problems with the scientific and technical aspects of Japan’s plan. Opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung called Japan’s plan to discharge water from the Fukushima plant an act of terror. Public concern remains high in South Korea over the plan to release more than 1 million metric tons of treated radioactive water starting today, with a majority of people expressing worry over seafood and ocean contamination, according to surveys. In a July public…

Bangkok: Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, 74, was moved from a Bangkok prison to a hospital yesterday after he complained of chest pain and hypertension. Thaksin was transferred to Bangkok’s police hospital as he had several diseases that needed to be monitored, and the prison ward is not well equipped to treat his condition, the corrections department said. Thaksin returned to the country this week after years of self-exile. He was jailed for eight years due to several convicted charges. | IANS…

NEW DELHI: India is expected to ban mills from exporting sugar in the next season beginning October, halting shipments for the first time in seven years as a lack of rain has cut cane yields, three government sources said. India’s absence from the world market would be likely to increase benchmark prices in New York and London, triggering fears of further inflation on global food markets. Monsoon rains in the top cane growing districts of Maharashtra and Karnataka have been as much as 50% below average this year, data showed. Patchy rains would cut sugar output in the 2023/24 season and reduce planting for the 2024/25 season, an industry official said. | Reuters…

Leah Jones has her own dreams of representing the Proteas Women’s cricket team in the future. But during the T20 Women’s World Cup held in South Africa earlier this year, the Western Province Women’s captain joined the stadium volunteer group to be close to the action. Jones (21) was one of the fortunate few able to give some of her time due to being a third-year Law student at the University of Western Cape, whilst on a Cricket SA High Performance contract. Most of her WP teammates were not that lucky, with many of them holding down regular jobs in addition to playing senior provincial cricket. Such is the situation for the majority of provincial women cricketers. But that will change this coming 2023/24 season after the launch of the…

Newly promoted Cape Town Spurs appear to be in desperate need of reinforcements all over the pitch as they occupy the bottom spot of the league. The Urban Warriors have received a massive dose of reality following their arrival in the top flight, suffering three consecutive defeats, leaving them without a point to their name in the DStv Premiership. Head coach Shaun Bartlett pointed to the importance of ‘signing smartly’ in their first season back in the elite division with an abundance of talented youngsters at their disposal. The arrival of midfielder Keagan Buchanan was the biggest of nine signings made by the club ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. However, even with the likes of Clayton Daniels, Nazeer Allie and Micheal Morton bringing experience, Spurs look incredibly short of players…

LAND and housing movement representatives descended in their masses on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state home in Rondebosch yesterday, demanding the government intervene in the ongoing plight of the poor by releasing much-needed land to alleviate the growing housing crisis. The eight social movements – Indibano Yabahlali, Intlungu YaseMatyotyombeni, Reclaim the City, Housing Assembly, Surplus People’s Project, Barney Malokoena Section, Abahlali baseMjondolo (KZN) and Inner City Federation (JHB) – collectively submitted 26 applications to the Presidency for the donation of 32 parcels of vacant land to communities living with insecure tenure. With placards in hand, accompanied by traffic officials and police, they marched from Liesbeek Road in Mowbray to Ramaphosa’s Genadendal residence, arriving at about 1.30pm. On arrival, applications for donations of land were handed over by Reclaim the City leader…

WITH days to go before the five-year anniversary of the Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) explosion that killed eight employees on September 3 is marked, the families have been shocked by the Director of Public Prosecution’s (DPP) decision not to criminally prosecute. The decision comes despite the recommendations made by the Department of Labour following a Section 32 inquiry, that found grounds to criminally prosecute. The DPP’s decision, sent to all parties (in a letter) dated August 22, read: “After a consideration of your representations, representations received from Messrs Webber Wentzel on behalf of the employer and the available evidence contained in the docket, I have decided not to institute any prosecution in the matter.” Probed about the factors that influenced the decision not to prosecute, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Eric…

A MAN who falsely accused a police general of having an affair with his wife, a constable, will have to pay the general R230 000 in damages for defamation. The general, who was not identified as the allegations against him were sexual in nature, turned to the North West Division of the High Court, sitting in Mahikeng, where he initially claimed R1.5 million in damages from the husband. While the Sheriff of the court attached the initial summons relating to the claim on a door to the home of the husband, the latter never defended the matter. The general subsequently launched an application for a default judgment, in which Judge Samkelo Gura awarded him the damages. The husband landed in hot water after he had sent an email to a…

FIVE of the six Emergency Medical Services (EMS) officials who were arrested on Monday for allegedly defrauding the Eastern Cape Department of Health with fake matric certificates are still employed by the department. The group was arrested by the Hawks over allegations of fraud, forgery and uttering. The accused, between the ages of 42 and 54, made a brief appearance in the Zwelitsha Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. Provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, said their arrest followed investigations into fraudulent matric certificates. “On December 10, 2014, the Eastern Cape Department of Health advertised 730 positions for EMS officers in all eight districts of the Eastern Cape. “The requirements for the positions were inter alia Grade 12 or equivalent certificate. “The six officials applied, were shortlisted, interviewed and employed. They…

GANG-related crimes have gripped the Western Cape over the past three months, with most murders happening in the province, and children not spared the bloodbath. At least 939 people were murdered in the province between April and June – 166 of these were gang-related, contributing to 17.9% of those killed. There were also gang-linked attempted murders of 225 people. The murder rate of children aged 0 to 17 years increased with 43 killed. This was 17 more children compared to the same period last year, with attempted murder also spiking at 78. Provincial police commissioner, Thembisile Patekile, joined by Premier Alan Winde and Safety and Police Oversight MEC Reagan Allen, shared the first quarter of the 2023/24 crime statistics for the province yesterday. The briefing came amid rival gang flare-ups…

Euphemisms of hate must be laid bare IN 2013, Ruchir Sharma, as chief global strategist and head of emerging markets at Morgan Stanley, said at the BRICS conference in Durban that South Africa is maximum in government but minimum in governance. That was 10 years ago. What has changed, I have to ask? MANY leaders in our war-torn world continue to utter comments that if left unchecked could serve as a catalyst for racial and religious conflict on an epic scale. Today people of prejudice have learned how to camouflage their racism and hate in various codes and convoluted euphemisms. These disgusting remarks should not be whitewashed. They need to be properly, accurately, and verbatim catalogued in our hall of shame and made available to future generations. These outbursts indicate…

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to South Africa for the 15th BRICS Summit reinvigorates the historic bilateral and Struggle relationship shared between the two countries. This year marks 30 years of diplomatic relations between India and South Africa. India was the first country to apply to the UN to impose sanctions against the apartheid government and its oppressive regime. In those 30 years, India has transformed significantly and the transformation has been most transparent under the leadership of Modi. Today, India stands on the cusp of being in the top three of the world’s leading economies, it is a world leader in technology and innovation, it is making strides in eliminating poverty and it views its status as the most populous country on the planet as an opportunity rather…

India became the first nation to land a craft on the moon’s South Pole yesterday, the latest milestone in a renewed push for lunar exploration that has drawn in both the world’s top space powers and new players. New Delhi’s attempt came days after the crash-landing on the moon of Russia’s Luna-25 probe. Chandrayaan-3, which means “Mooncraft” in Sanskrit, follows India’s successful launch of a probe into lunar orbit in 2008, and a failed lunar landing in 2019. The mission launched in mid-July and orbited Earth several times to build up the necessary speed for its journey. After yesterday’s landing, a solar-powered rover will explore the surface of the relatively unmapped lunar South Pole and transmit data to Earth over its two-week lifespan. The mission is the latest milestone in…

A grieving widow has sued Tesla in the US after her husband died in a 2020 crash involving a Model 3 vehicle. Jyung Woo Hahn, 46, died on March 12, 2022, when his Tesla malfunctioned and collided with a tree and burst into flames in New York. He allegedly survived the initial crash but was trapped in the burning vehicle. Now, the plaintiff Jiyoung Yoon has sued Tesla in the US District Court, Southern District of New York, for its role in designing, manufacturing, distributing, and selling the vehicle “in its defective and unreasonably dangerous condition and for causing Hahn’s horrific injuries, suffering, and death”. The lawsuit came as the electric car-maker’s engineers reportedly admitted that Musk-run Tesla did not fix the Autopilot system after a crash in the US…

Athens: Greek firefighters yesterday struggled to contain uncontrolled fires throughout the country for a fifth day, several of them bordering an acrid, smoke-filled Athens. A fire ripped through the foothills of Mount Parnitha, the largest forest adjoining the capital, and was threatening to spread to its national park. Evacuations were ordered for three more settlements in the suburb Menidi, including nursing homes. Unfounded rumours have also been spreading rapidly on social media that blame migrants for the outbreak of the fires. Over 40 000ha were destroyed in wildfires from August 19 to 21. The very hot and dry conditions which increase the fire risk will persist until Friday, say meteorologists. | AFP…

Washington: A key witness against former US president Donald Trump in the Mar-a-Lago documents case, has retracted his testimony, local media reported. In a new court filing this week, special counsel Jack Smith’s office said, Yuscil Taveras, the director of information technology at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s club in Palm Beach, Florida, retracted from his previous testimony after he switched from a lawyer paid for by Trump’s Save America PAC to a public defender. In March, Taveras had claimed not to recall any contacts or conversations about the security footage at Mar-a-Lago. Taveras provided prosecutors with new information. | IANS…

guidelines. Among them, we see a need to increase the role of our states in the international monetary and financial system, the development of interbank co-operation, the expansion of the use of national currencies and the deepening of co-operation between tax, customs, and anti-monopoly authorities.” President Cyril Ramaphosa said while firmly committed to advancing the interests of the Global South, BRICS stood ready to collaborate with all countries that aspired to create a more inclusive international order. “We are concerned that global financial and payments systems are increasingly being used as instruments of geopolitical contestation. Global economic recovery relies on predictable global payment systems and the smooth operation of banking, supply chains, trade, tourism and financial flows. We will continue discussions on practical measures to facilitate trade and investment flows…

SECTION 194 inquiry chairperson Qubudile Dyantyi heaped praise on fellow members for conducting the inquiry into the fitness of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to hold office in an unbiased and transparent manner. “Members worked diligently, without any fear or favour and without any preconceived outcome in mind, with just the evidence placed before them to reach a conclusion,” Dyantyi said yesterday. Speaking to the media on the steps of the National Assembly, Dyantyi said Mkhwebane had “from the word go” referred to the inquiry as an illegal, unlawful, irrational and invalid process. On Tuesday, the inquiry sent its final report for submission to the National Assembly, recommending Mkhwebane’s removal from office, after it found her guilty of misconduct and incompetence. The report was adopted without Mkhwebane submitting her written response,…

THE BRICS countries have agreed to mechanisms for considering new members, which paves the way for dozens of interested candidate nations to make their case for joining the bloc that champions the development of the Global South. More than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS, and 22 – with Iran, Venezuela and Algeria among them – have formally asked to be admitted. Speaking to Ubuntu Radio as the BRICS Summit continued at the Sandton Convention Centre in Joburg yesterday, International Relations and Co-operation Minister Naledi Pandor said: “We have agreed on the matter of expansion. We have a document that we’ve adopted which sets out guidelines and principles, processes for considering countries that wish to become members of BRICS … That’s very positive.” She said the bloc’s leaders…

INFORMAL beach traders who operate at Clifton and Camps Bay say they have been unable to trade for months as they wait for their permits from the City. The traders sell ice cream, cool drinks and rent out deck chairs to visitors, with some having traded in the area for decades. Vincent Cedras, 62, from Strandfontein, said they applied for the trading permits at the Civic Centre in April. “We have not received communication from the City since. We don’t know what the hold up is. “I am sitting at home, anxious to get back to work to make a living. “We do not have permits to trade at the moment. My wife is on medication, and the situation is difficult as she is unemployed,” he said. Cedras said they…

THE father of disgraced Stellenbosch University (SU) student Theuns du Toit has come out in defence of his son who was dismissed by the instituion after racism findings against him, enlisting a forensic audio engineer who found Du Toit apparently did not say the word “boy”, but “oi”. A video of Du Toit urinating in fellow student Babalo Ndwayana’s room, and on his belongings, went viral in May last year, leading to his expulsion after an investigation by the university’s Central Disciplinary Committee found him guilty of racism. Du Toit’s father, Rudi du Toit, said they approached a forensic sound engineer from Traxtudio Forensics to examine the video and claims that his son said “it’s a white boy thing’’ after the urination. “Babalo submitted his first affidavit, saying Theuns…

THE strength of our democratic institutions lies in serving all South Africans, no matter their status, and doing so transparently. Secrecy is a demon that poses an existential threat to institutions and could be detrimental to the country’s young democracy. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) should have kept this in mind when deciding to keep its full report into the Phala Phala investigation secret. Simple logic dictates that anything, especially of this magnitude, that’s shrouded in secrecy gives rise to suspicion. Ordinarily, where there’s smoke, there must be fire and this can only be dispelled or addressed by revealing the full details of the decision. The public interest in the matter far outweighs any other concerns. The SARB’s findings, which appear to clear President Cyril Ramapahosa of any wrongdoing,…

As scientists look at the emergence of BA.2.86 Covid-19 variant as a reminiscence of Omicron virus, they are in a huddle to find out if the new highly-mutated coronavirus variant will be a global concern or not. The new variant has been linked to six cases in four countries – Israel, Denmark, the UK and the US – and the World Health Organization has designated BA.2.86 as a variant under monitoring. The lineage seems to be descended from an Omicron sub-variant called BA.2, which caused large case spikes in early 2022. In India, amid the detection of certain new variants of Sars-CoV-2 virus, senior officials of the Prime Minister’s Office earlier this week held a review meeting to take stock of the situation. According to a Nature report, although…

LOS ANGELES: Serena Williams has given birth to her second daughter, her husband said this week, adding that both were “happy and healthy”. Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian posted on Instagram a photograph of himself with a beaming Williams hugging both her daughters. Addressing his wife, 41, he told her she had “given me another incomparable gift – you’re the GMOAT (Greatest Of All Time).” The new baby was named Adira River Ohanian, he added. In 2017 Williams, one of the greatest players in history, won the Australian Open while she was pregnant with the couple’s first child, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. But months later she nearly died after she developed a blood clot in her lung after giving birth to Olympia via emergency C-section. Williams retired from tennis last year.…

LONDON: A teenage member of the Lapsus$ hacking group was yesterday found by a London jury to have hacked Uber and fintech firm Revolut, and then blackmailed the developers of best-selling videogame Grand Theft Auto. Arion Kurtaj, 18, embarked on a solo-cybercrime spree in September last year, first targeting Revolut and then Uber two days later. He then hacked Rockstar Games and threatened to release the source code for the planned Grand Theft Auto sequel in a Slack message sent to all Rockstar staff. The jury yesterday found Kurtaj committed 12 offences, including three of blackmail, two of fraud and six charges under the Computer Misuse Act. | Reuters…

BERLIN: Germany is to cut the red tape involved in changing gender after the cabinet yesterday approved draft legislation to reform the rules, in a move welcomed by LGBT rights campaigners but criticised by the conservative opposition. Germany’s centre-left coalition plans to reform the current system, which is based on the 1980 Transexual Law that requires people to undergo a medical examination as well as a costly and often lengthy court process to change gender. Under the reform, transgender, intersex and non-binary individuals would be able to change their details in future simply with a visit to the local civil registry office. There is no general age restriction. | Reuters…

Laura Wolvaardt is set to be named the new Proteas women’s captain for their upcoming Tour to Pakistan later today. Independent Media understands Cricket South Africa have been involved in a heated debate behind closed doors for the past week after the squad to tour Pakistan was named without a captain last week. Former skipper Sune Luus stepped down from the role ahead of the Pakistan tour to officially “focus on her cricket”, although she has been at the forefront of pushing for a change of head coach. The all-rounder is the only Proteas captain - male or female - to lead a senior SA team to an ICC final in February. CSA has, however, extended long-serving head coach Hilton Moreeng’s contract until December 31, which is believed to…