Índex per 2022-04-19 a Cape Times

I needed to double check the date of this pronouncement, as it could have been April Fool’s Day joke, but alas, it was not. “The government is currently working on a programme to ensure that education and training programmes are directly linked to the jobs needed in South Africa,” said Ramaphosa. How, where and when, I ask? The reality is that in just five years, South Africa has borrowed R1.8 trillion from investors. Also, in April 2021, it was announced that South Africa would get a $1 billion (R14.5bn at the time) loan from the New Development Bank (NDB) to bolster its coffers. The NDB is a development finance institution established by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa as part of the BRICS grouping. South Africa’s…

THE Fusion Centre is investigating a total of 5 812 civil servants who fraudulently applied for the R350 social relief distress grants. A majority of these were on short-term contracts when they applied for the grants. This emerged when Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu responded to parliamentary questions from DA MP Mimmy Gondwe. Gondwe enquired about the number of civil servants being investigated, their positions and breakdown for national and provincial departments. She also wanted to know about the number of investigations that had been concluded. In her written reply, Zulu said the multi stakeholder forum comprising the police, National Prosecution Authority, Financial Intelligence Centre and the Department of Public Service and Administration’s discipline management unit was investigating 5 812 cases. She said the number of civil servants under investigation…

AFTER making history at the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon (TTOM) at the weekend, Olympian Gerda Steyn says she will use a portion of her prize money to contribute to the development of young athletes. Steyn became the first athlete in 22 years to win three consecutive titles, and smashed a 33-year-old record in the Ultra Marathon on Sunday. Thirty-two-year-old Steyn completed the race in 3:29:42, beating Frith van der Merwe’s long-standing record of 3:30:36 in 1989. “My goal coming into the race from the beginning was to defend my title. That was what I trained for and what I prepared for mentally and physically. To set a new record means a lot to me, I am very happy, but it wasn’t my main goal, of course it was at the…

WITH daily Covid-19 infections soaring out of control in Shanghai and the entire city suffering from a totally repressive and disruptive lockdown, how then can it be relevant or even reasonable for the Chinese Consul-General in Cape Town, Lin Jing, to produce an opinion piece trashing America’s handling of the Covid-19 Pandemic, while also blasting the US legal system and human rights record? (“US a democracy corroding from the inside out”; Cape Times, April 13 2022.) A typically Chinese “deflection”; making comments critical of the US while totally disregarding their own erratic, mismanaged and often-secretive handling of Covid-19, as well as the country’s abysmally oppressive restrictions on human rights and the media. In his “comment” piece, Consul-General Lin writes, “Only citizens of a particular country can legitimately determine whether…

YOUR April 14 edition, “Sibanye Stillwater stands firm on wage deal” refers: It is unbelievable that an employer would settle a strike with two unions in February 2022, but the other two unions believe they can hold out for a greater wage increase. Clearly management cannot settle on a higher rate thereby destroying its relationship with the first two unions. Over and above the fact that management has clearly stated to pay more would be unaffordable. In essence everyone loses. The government loses as they don’t collect the PAYE and nor do they receive tax on the profits that would have been generated. The union loses as their membership is dwindling on a daily basis as employees lose faith in their leadership. The employers lose as production is heavily compromised…

TWO convicts who escaped from different prisons remain at large as the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) continues its manhunt. A search has been launched by DCS who said they were working with SAPS to re-arrest inmate, Amos Shabangu Mashaba, 46, who had escaped from Barberton Correctional Facility on April 14. DCS also said it was executing a joint 72-hour activation operation by various law enforcement agencies in its search for alleged murderer, Juneal Jacobs who had escaped from Malmesbury Correctional Facility, on April 13 at about 8pm. DCS spokesperson Sechaba Mphahlele said Mashaba, a murder convict from Bushbuckridge, Cunningmore, was serving a life sentence at Barberton Medium B. “Mashaba was convicted for rape, theft, murder and robbery. The Department is appealing to the public to assist with information…

IT is encouraging and heart-warming to see chapter nine institutions announcing their intentions to exercise oversight in the allocation of funds meant to repair infrastructure damaged by the floods in KwaZulu-Natal. Since the devastating floods lashed the province last week, the national government, wealthy South Africans such as billionaire Patrice Motsepe, relief organisations and even ordinary South Africans have come out to donate funds to assist with the rebuilding efforts. However, ordinary people have made it abundantly clear that they have little trust in the provincial and local governments’ ability to manage and utilise these funds for the purpose for which they were intended. The looting of billions of rand meant for Covid-19, including the distribution of personal protective equipment by politicians and their greedy tenderpreneur associates, is still very…

Ukrainian authorities said a Russian missile attack killed seven people in Lviv yesterday, the first civilian victims in the western city, while its forces were preventing Russia from taking full control of the port city of Mariupol in the east where the situation was “extremely difficult”. Lviv governor Maksym Kozytskyy said preliminary reports suggested four hits on Lviv, which is just 60km from the Polish border – three strikes on warehouses that are not being used by the military, and another on a car service station. “It was a barbaric strike at a service station, it’s a completely civilian facility,” he said. Andriy Sadoviy, mayor of Lviv, said the youngest victim among the seven killed was aged 30. The blast also wounded 11 and shattered windows of a hotel housing…

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen traded barbs yesterday as they returned to campaigning for the French presidency before a prime-time debate that is likely to prove decisive ahead of Sunday’s second-round run-off. The two rivals held low-key events after a brief Easter pause before tomorrow’s face-off, when the centrist Macron will defend his record over the past five years against his far-right rival. It will be a rematch of their 2017 debate when the same two clashed at the same stage of the campaign, but which most analysts say was skillfully won by Macron, who was making his first-ever attempt at public office. Le Pen, in her third run for the presidency, insists she is better prepared this time. “I think I’m going to win,” she said. The latest…

TEHRAN: Iran’s armed forces would target Israel’s heart if it made “the slightest move” against the Islamic Republic, President Ebrahim Raisi told a military parade yesterday, amid stalled talks between Tehran and world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear pact. Israel, widely believed to have the Middle East’s only atomic arsenal, says it will not be bound by any Iran nuclear deal and could eventually take unilateral action against Iranian nuclear sites. “The Zionist regime (Israel), you should know that … if you take the slightest move against our nation, our armed forces will target the heart of the Zionist regime” Raisi said in a speech at a parade. | Reuters…

Bamako: Mali’s ruling junta yesterday announced the delivery of two more combat helicopters and surveillance radars from Russia as the West African nation tackles a bloody jihadist insurgency. Photographs of the equipment being unloaded from a Russian cargo flight at Bamako international airport were posted on the official Twitter account of Mali’s presidency. The delivery brings to eight the known number of helicopters that Moscow has provided under closer ties forged by rebel colonels who seized power in 2020. Russia has also supplied “military instructors”, personnel who France and the US say are operatives from Russia’s Wagner security group. | AFP…

From page 1 mismanagement or fraud of any sort,” he said. Meanwhile, Chapter Nine institutions including the Office of the Public Protector and South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) remain on high alert on how the KwaZulu-Natal government spends disaster relief funds in the wake of last week’s devastating floods. A number the organisations are set to meet today to discuss their oversight role in the disbursement of funds following the devastating floods which claimed the lives of nearly 450 people, displacing thousands of residents. Public protector’s spokesperson, Oupa Segalwe confirmed the meeting, saying: “The public protector chairs the Forum for Institutions Supporting Democracy, which consists of institutions established in terms of chapters 9, 10 and 13 of the Constitution. The aim of the meeting is to co-ordinate the activities…

THE police have backlogs totalling more than 310 000 at forensic science laboratories across the country as of March. The backlogs are in addition to the approximately 57 000 fingerprints that have yet to be verified at the Criminal Record Centre as of February. This emerged in written replies from Police Minister Bheki Cele in response to parliamentary questions. EEF MP Henry Andries Shembeni wrote to Cele about the current state of backlogs at the SAPS forensic science laboratories, and interventions made to ensure faster turn-around time. In his written reply, Cele said there was a backlog of 310 022 at the forensic science laboratories as at March 18. Cele gave the breakdown per backlogs as follows: • Ballistics - 20 621; • Biology - 163 159; • Chemistry -…

IN WHAT has been described as a humanitarian disaster that calls for a massive relief effort, the government has declared a State of National Disaster in response to the deadly floods in KwaZulu-Natal that resulted in the deaths of nearly 450 people while 48 were still missing, and about 40 000 displaced. Addressing the nation last night, President Cyril Ramaphosa said with heavy rains and flooding and indications from the South African Weather Service that North West and Free State may also be affected by bad weather, it is clear that there are other areas of the country that need emergency intervention. While Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will gazette the declaration, Ramaphosa said Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has indicated the availability of R1 billion to…

AT A recent debate in Cape Town, this is what a very brave woman told Julius Malema: “Khoisan is the only authoritative voice” that can talk about it (land). Then she told Malema that “your ancestors and the white ancestors found us here. Only we can talk about the land.” To this, Malema replied: “I’m not from Europe. My ancestors are not from Europe. This Africa belongs to Africans, and that’s what the Khoisan are.” Therefore, so Malema’s logic goes, he and his party have every right to direct harmful, random labels such as land thieves and the progeny of colonisers at white people. Then, the EFF added that the problems of South Africa started when Jan van Riebeek, described as the ancestor of land thieves, arrived…

THE article by Thembile Ndabeni in Thursday’s Cape Times was so racist. For a former educator, his diatribe was a disgrace. He certainly has no idea how to debate. So many of his statements were just plain rubbish. And how dare he write that Zille is a subtle Hitler? To quote: “Zille possesses the number one feature of a Hitler. A supreme leader and a supreme race” “ Zille and white people equals Hitler and the Germans. I am surprised the Cape Times allowed this disgraceful article to be published. Surely, they are better than that?…

THE family of Shitino van Wyngaard say they are desperately awaiting feedback on whether the charred remains found on a Hartmansleegte farm in Ladismith are those of the seven-year-old. While police said investigations indicated the body was Shitino’s, the family yesterday told the Cape Times that DNA confirming the identity and autopsy results to determine the possible cause of death were delaying them in arranging a funeral. Human remains, burnt beyond recognition, were found by a passerby in a shallow grave on the farm in Hoeko on April 5. Shitino was reported missing on April 4 when he did not return home following a visit to his father for the weekend. A 16-year-old boy is in custody at a juvenile facility after being arrested in connection with the discovery of…

Zandile Gumede’s election nullifies ANC’s step-aside rule ANC politicians, who know full well that the election into senior leadership positions of corruption-accused politicians is inconsistent with the message of renewal that the party is punting, tell themselves that they are performing a service when they bite their tongues. They recognise the danger of the insistence otherwise by different factions in the party. They have not spoken out against those who orchestrated the election at recently held conferences of corruption-accused eThekwini regional chairperson Zandile Gumede, murder-accused Mpumalanga provincial treasurer Mandla Msibi, and several others before them. Yet, they call themselves heroes and bearers of hope for the prosperity of our constitutional democracy. Their thinking goes something like this: if they speak the truth and curse the king-makers and the kingpins, they…

Uproar and serious clashes have broken out since last week in Sweden on the fringes of rallies by a far-right and anti-Islam Danish group, which planned to burn Qur’ans in several towns. The police said three people were injured at the weekend after being hit by police bullets during a clash. Danish-Swedish extremist Rasmus Paludan in 2017 established the Danish far-right Stram Kurs, or Hard Line, movement, which trumpets a strong anti-immigrant and anti-Islam agenda. Last week, the party live-streamed a video of Paludan burning the Qur’an in different Swedish cities. Paludan is known for staging such burnings. During recent demonstrations, protesters and counter-protesters clashed in the central city of Orebro. Clashes occurred in the south-western city of Malmö, which the Swedish police described as a “messy night” with…

LOS ANGELES: Elon Musk tweeted Love Me Tender, an Elvis Presley song, a day after Twitter adopted a “poison pill” to protect itself from the billionaire’s $43 billion cash offer to buy the social media company. Musk has hinted at the possibility of a hostile bid in which he would bypass Twitter’s board and put the offer directly to its shareholders, tweeting: “It would be utterly indefensible not to put this offer to a shareholder vote.” In another tweet Musk, a self-described “free speech absolutist” who has been critical of Twitter and its policies, replied to a post of his from 2017 where he had asked “How much is it (Twitter)?” with an upside down smiley. Musk, who is also the CEO of electric-vehicle maker Tesla, has amassed a…

NEW DELHI: At least 88 people have been arrested in India in connection with violence against the police after a comment insulting Muslims went viral on social media, the police said yesterday. A mob attacked police and vandalised public property on Saturday night in Hubli, 480km north of Bengaluru, after the derogatory message spread on WhatsApp. Twelve police officials were injured in the violence, even though the person who posted the message had already been arrested. “The mob pelted stones at the police, tried to enter the police station and damaged police vehicles,” said Labhu Ram, a senior police official. | Reuters…

TRIPOLI: Libya’s oil production has fallen by more than half a million barrels a day as a wave of political demonstrations engulfs the Opec member’s energy industry. The Sharara field in the west of the country, which could pump 300 000 barrels a day, was closed after protesters gathered at the site demanding Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah quit, said officials. That came after the nearby El Feel deposit, with a daily capacity of 65 000 barrels, was halted for the same reason. The country’s output was down by 535 000 barrels a day, officials said. The shutdowns are the latest in a series of disruptions to hit Libya’s energy sector amid the worsening political crisis. | Reuters…

TRADE conditions remained restrained and deteriorated further into the contractionary territory in February and March, due to lower export volumes as a result of a number of issues. The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) said last week that trade conditions were hampered by logistical issues at ports, supply chain disruptions, higher inflation, and rising interest rates. Sacci said sluggish economic growth had a significant impact on the trade environment, while lower export volumes led to cautionary and selective spending by businesses and households. As a result, trade conditions became restrained after bordering on positive territory in January. Sacci’s Trade Activity Index fell from 48.1 index points in the fourth quarter of 2021 to 43.1 index points in the first quarter of 2022. Sacci economist Richard…

THERE are definite indications that global economic growth is slowing. The first indications availed themselves as the yields on some longer-dated bonds dropped below the yields of shorter-dated bonds – yes, inverted or flat yield curves. But where lie the opportunities? The end of the bear market in developed market bonds is in sight. Bonds as measured by the FTSE G7 Government Bond Index which is tracked by the iShares Global Gov. Bond UCITS ETF USD (Distr) lost 17 percent since December 2020 as bond yields climbed. Firstly as a result of the global economy recovering from the coronavirus and its mutants and secondly, the onset of the Russian/Ukrainian conflict. The massive sanctions against Russia saw the US Federal Reserve and other central banks hiking their official lending rates…

From page 1 material, which is damaged but reusable. “Some only have two or three zincs that are reusable so there is a shortage. “Those who can afford to buy are starting to rebuild. Many individuals and organisations have been assisting with food. We have not seen anything tangible that the City or Province has offered so far besides the firefighters assisting,” said Nyamakazi. He added that some of the affected residents were among those who had been waiting for housing opportunities in the N2 Gateway Housing Project and others received houses but allegedly rented them out and went back to the community to rebuild shacks. “As new councillors we don’t know yet how many people from here received houses and how many didn’t, or what is stalling the project.”…

THE OWNERS of a Johannesburg business premises who kicked out a sangoma, along with some the “tools of her trade”, from the office she was renting was ordered by the court to immediately allow her back. The tools of her trade included live animals including a rabbit and a tortoise. Hazel Gumbi turned to the Gauteng High Court, Joburg, after the owners of Ralstan Investments Ltd locked her out of the office she was renting at a business premises in Malvern, Johannesburg. It was claimed she was in arrears with her rent. Ruling in Gumbi’s favour, Judge Leicester Adams said the company couldn’t take the law into its own hands and decide to evict her. The judge made it clear that eviction could only follow after a court order. The…

WHILE I am aware that measures need to be in place to protect us all against Covid and other potential pandemics, I strongly oppose the proposed National Health Act in its present form for the following reasons: The danger from Covid-19 has passed, as reflected in the significant drop in the number of new cases, hospitalisations, deaths, and the fact that newer variants are becoming ever milder. The proposed National Health Act: 1 Is a direct threat to our freedoms as enshrined in our Constitution. 2 Is unnecessary, as should there be a resurgence of Covid, the National State of Disaster can easily be re-introduced. 3 Will result in continued crippling of business, worsen unemployment and hardship, especially for the poor. 4 Is not based on science and logic but…

THE war in Ukraine does not seem likely to be ending any time soon, at least not until Putin has accomplished the recolonisation of parts of Ukraine [which is a sovereign state ] that he says will be forever Russia, and belongs to Russia by virtue that the people there speak Russian. He has stated that he also wants the small Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Estonia to again be part of the Russian federation, which means recolonisation for them. They too are sovereign states and very fortunately are NATO members. So if Mr Putin really wants these countries, he will have to take on NATO. It is reported that he thinks that NATO is weak and will not take up arms to protect these Baltic states. This…

AS the court battle over the River Club development site in Observatory continues, the Liesbeek Action Campaign says its efforts towards conciliation with opposing parties have been rejected by developers, the City and province. Judge Patricia Goliath on Thursday heard four applications for leave to appeal the interdict she granted on March 18 to stop the construction at the River Club, where tech giant Amazon is an anchor tenant. Judgement in the matter was reserved. In March she had awarded the interdict, citing evidence of irreparable harm to the culture and heritage of First Nations People should the construction be allowed to continue. The interdict would remain in place pending a review of the relevant environmental and land use authorisations by the City and the provincial Department of Environmental Affairs…

THE National Treasury’s latest foray into the international debt market raising $3 billion (about R43.9bn) through a two-tranche bond issuance last Tuesday comes at a time when several gatekeepers of the international financial system are warning of a “dangerous global debt burden” amid renewed uncertainty of the energy and commodity price impact of the war in Ukraine, stagflation in several major economies, and a persistent pandemic now in its third year. Public debt was already high before Covid-19, but the pandemic unleashed unprecedented levels of public borrowing only to be exacerbated by events in Ukraine and inflationary pressures in most economies. A day before the Treasury’s bond issuance, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a “Johnny come lately” blog called for the urgent need for authorities to undertake reforms,…

A global summit to chart an end to the Covid-19 crisis and plan for future upheavals will take place on May 12, the White House said yesterday, as US President Joe Biden struggles to get vital pandemic funding from Congress. The virtual gathering will be co-chaired by the US, along with current G7 president Germany, G20 president Indonesia, AU chair Senegal, and Belize, the current chair of the Caricom Caribbean grouping. “The summit will redouble our collective efforts to end the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future health threats,” the countries said in a joint statement. This will be the second global huddle on the pandemic, which has killed more than 6 million people and triggered profound disruption to leading economies and trading patterns in the…

THE HAGUE: Meghan Markle shared that she was missing her children while attending the Invictus Games. She and her husband Prince Harry, left their children Archie, 2, and 10-month-old Lilibet in California while they made a brief trip to the Netherlands. Meghan sat in on a private reading to a group of 12 children and told British army veteran James Stride that it made her feel closer to her own kids. James read from the book Hairy Maclary in a tent hosted by the British Embassy and said: “Meghan told me she was familiar with the book and it was one that she read to her own children.” | Bang Showbiz…

SEOUL: The US and South Korea would maintain the “strongest possible joint deterrent” over North Korea’s “escalatory actions”, the US envoy on North Korea said yesterday, amid concerns that Pyongyang was preparing to resume nuclear testing. US Special Representative Sung Kim met South Korean officials in Seoul yesterday. “It is extremely important for the UN Security Council to send a clear signal to the DPRK that we will not accept its escalatory tests as normal,” Kim said. The allies would “respond responsibly and decisively to provocative behaviour,” Kim said, underlining his willingness to engage with North Korea “anywhere without any conditions”. | Reuters…