Tabla de contenidos para 2021-09-02 en Cape Times

Samkelo Mtshali samkelo.thulasizwe@inl.co.za AT THE reopened inquest into the 1977 death of dentist Dr Hoosen Haffejee while in police custody, yet another forensic pathologist has told the Pietermaritzburg High Court that police claims that Haffejee committed suicide can reasonably be excluded. During her virtual testimony before Judge ZP Nkosi yesterday, Dr Shakeera Holland told the court the initial evidence of the cause of death as “consistent with hanging” was incorrect. Holland holds a specialist qualification in forensic pathology from the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa and a Master’s of medicine in forensic pathology from Wits University. She is one of the forensic pathologists that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has tasked with re-examining the initial medical evidence in the immediate aftermath of Haffejee’s death. Holland told the court that…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za THE Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has found that there were indeed irregularities in the procurement processes of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the Cederberg and Matzikama municipalities along the West Coast. Both municipalities were at the centre of an SIU probe that was initiated last year. Briefing the Standing Committee on Public Accounts yesterday, the SIU said it received several allegations relating to the Cederberg Municipality, regarding funds totalling R529 838. In one instance it was alleged that the service provider of two contracts for liquid soap, sanitisers and dispensers worth R21 149 was a former employee and the spouse of a senior manager at the municipality. The SIU found that there was a potential conflict of interest, and the procurement process was therefore irregular. In another…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za SOME 900 vaccinations against rabies, as announced by the provincial Department of Agriculture, may not be enough to curb the spread of the viral disease, animal clinic SA.Mast said. Until August 11, when a woman in Khayelitsha reported to the Mdzananda Animal Clinic that her dog had been vomiting for two days, there had been no detection of rabies in the Western Cape since 1994. On August 16, a second case was presented. The department on Tuesday announced that just over 900 dogs and 10 cats had been vaccinated within a 1km radius of where two confirmed cases were reported in Khayelitsha. The SA.Mast team had assisted the department with vaccinations in the Makhaya area, and noted that while the vaccines, needles and syringes for the outreach…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za KHAYELITSHA residents came out in their numbers yesterday to get vaccinated against Covid-19, as Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo launched the #JabsB4Jol campaign in the area. The campaign was launched at Rands Bar and Grill to encourage youths to get inoculated. In the latest surveillance report, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) noted an increase in new cases among people under the age of 20. Mbombo said more than two million people have been vaccinated in the province. They vaccinated 197 people at Rands yesterday. Speaking about the campaign, she said: “It’s about being innovative, bringing the vaccination to the people. There is more socialising and the restrictions will be adjusted. “Also we are in the month of spring, and summer will follow. That means there…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za AFTER almost nine years of battling to have her turbo 4x4 fixed properly or replaced, or the purchase amount paid back to her, the owner of the car is a step closer to receiving justice. Wilhelmina Barnado, owner of a GWM Steed 5 2.5 4x4 – a four-wheel drive turbo – was very excited when she bought her dream car for R215 000 at a dealership in 2012. But the dream turned into the start of an extended nightmare. The vehicle would not turbo as it should, it had oil leaks, smoke poured out of the engine, and the mounting that carried the vehicle was cracking, among many other problems. Barnado took it back to the dealership on at least eight occasions but, as one or two…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za AFTER facing possible closure at the end of the month, Oudtshoorn Children and Youth Care Centre (CYCC), at ACVV Huis Triomf, will remain open – after a Good Samaritan swooped in at the last hour. ACVV national manager Nicolette van der Walt confirmed that the CYCC had been struggling to stay ahead of a financial crisis, but will now have support until the end of the year, after money was received from Joburg-based The Barn Christian Fellowship, as well as a contribution from the ACVV head office. “Member of Parliament for the ACDP Marie Suckers, serving on the Social Development Committee, responded to requests by concerned community members. “She contacted the ACVV and DSD, and then brought the CYCC in touch with The Barn Christian Fellowship, who…

IT HAS not taken long for the impact of the Digital Vibes scandal to be felt by South Africans, judging by the vaccine hesitancy that continues to be a major stumbling block. The scandal has not only cost the country financially, but the company’s failure to communicate the government’s message on the pandemic, especially on vaccines, has become evident since more jabs have arrived. First, there were vaccine shortages, and now that issue has largely been addressed, the roll-out has been marred by scepticism and a rise in disinformation and misinformation. In all, the government’s assumption has been that more vaccines will lead to more vaccinations – this, however, is proving to be inaccurate, according to our regular contributor and political economist Siseko Maposa in his opinion piece. He aptly…

A senior board member of Afghanistan’s central bank is urging the US treasury and the International Monetary Fund to take steps to provide the Taliban-led government limited access to the country’s reserves or risk economic disaster. The Taliban took over Afghanistan with astonishing speed, but it appears unlikely that the militants will get quick access to most of the roughly $10 billion in assets held by Da Afghanistan Bank, which are mostly outside of the country. US president Joe Biden’s administration has said any central bank assets the Afghan government has in the US will not be made available to the Taliban, and the IMF has said the country will not have access to the lender’s resources. Shah Mehrabi, an economics professor at Montgomery College in Maryland and a member…

California firefighters battled gusty winds yesterday to keep a raging wildfire out of the resort town of South Lake Tahoe as evacuation orders spread into Nevada. Crews were mostly able to steer the Caldor Fire away from homes and cabins nestled along the southern shore of the lakeside paradise that thousands had fled just a day before. “We don’t have any tools out there to stop the fire so we resorted to herding the the fire away from structures and away from people,” said Eric Schwab, a division chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, during a public briefing. The blaze had damaged some structures on the outskirts of South Lake Tahoe, he said. Officials braced for another difficult day with gusty winds, but said firefighters should…

KIGALI: Rwandan President Paul Kagame appointed Jean Damascene Bizimana in the newly created Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement, according to the prime minister’s office. Until Tuesday Bizimana was the executive secretary of the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide (CNLG), where he was appointed in 2015. The new ministry created in July is to focus on national unity, preservation of historical memory, and promoting citizenship education. The unity of Rwandans has been a focus of the government since the stopping of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.…

Vatican City: Pope Francis said the idea of resigning following his surgery earlier this year “didn’t even cross my mind”, in an interview broadcast yesterday. Rumours that the 84-year-old pontiff was considering stepping down were recently reported in Italian media, seemingly sparked by his hospitalisation following an operation on his colon in July. “I don’t know where they got it from last week that I was going to resign!” he told Spanish radio Cope in a lengthy interview, saying that “it didn’t even cross my mind”. Francis underwent an operation on July 4 after suffering from a type of diverticulitis.…

THE 2021 edition of the Netball League has officially been confirmed by Netball South Africa. The league, famous for producing players for the national team, is in its eighth year. This year’s edition will be played over two legs split between Pretoria from 5 -12 September and Rustenburg between 9-17 October. Due to Covid-19 and current SA government regulations, the tournament will be staged in a bio-secure environment with no spectators allowed. All 13 teams will be checked into a bio bubble on Friday. Telkom, who is the headline sponsor of the league confirmed last year that they have extended their partnership with Netball SA and will continue to sponsor the league this year. “Our goal of turning netball professional is edging closer and closer with every tournament we host…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za THE IMMEDIATE outlook for listed property remained uncertain as new variants of the Covid-19 virus were being identified, with possible further waves of the pandemic potentially leading to stricter lockdowns, Rebosis Property Fund said yesterday. Recovery remained dependent on an expedient roll-out of vaccines, the property fund that invests in early stage regional dominant shopping centres and large, single-tenanted office buildings in South Africa said in a pre-close update. The company is burdened with a relatively high level of debt with loan-to-value (LTV) at 72.2 percent at the end of February – generally, the market is comfortable LTVs of 50-40 percent – but in April it announced negotiations were under way with undisclosed, local and offshore parties on a potential transaction that could take LTV to…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za AS IT came to light that some schools were allegedly “hiding” Covid-19 cases, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has been urged to find measures that ensure transparency in reporting infections. About 10 allegations of schools not reporting infections were brought to the attention of the department since the academic year started. Of the 10 complaints, seven were found to be inaccurate. Responding to oral questions at the Western Cape legislature on Friday, Education MEC Debbie Schäfer said that schools reported cases daily to their district office which is then sent to head office. “We rely on schools to report learner cases. “The department is also aware that when a school reports that a learner has tested positive, this does not necessarily mean the learner acquired the…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za RETIRED Western Cape High Court Judge Siraj Desai has submitted that the SA Zionist Federation’s (SAZF) complaint against him to the Judicial Conduct Committee (JCC) is “without merit and falls to be dismissed”. Through his spokesperson Usuf Chikte, Desai yesterday responded to the complaint after being granted an extension in July. The SAZF in their complaint claimed Desai breached the Judicial Service Commission Act and Code of Judicial Conduct between 2009 and 2020. One of their arguments is that “Judge Desai also made several other shocking remarks regarding foreign policy, including referring to the United States, an important trade and diplomatic partner of South Africa, as the ’Great Satan’”. Chikte said: “Since the 10th of June 2021, many South Africans from all walks of life have…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za FORMER Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize may have committed criminal acts before he stepped down as a minister. This emerged when Special Investigating Unit (SIU) head Andy Mothibi briefed the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) yesterday, saying that they were sure that Mkhize resigned before action was taken against him. However, he said they were in a process of ensuring that accounting authorities and executive authorities were held to account where the corruption-busting unit found irregularities. Mkhize stepped down after being implicated in the irregular awarding of a contract to Digital Vibes that was linked to people with whom he worked in his department, the ANC and the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department. In his resignation letter, he said he wanted time to deal with…

Staff writer IN SHOWCASING the talents of young people, the Artscape Theatre’s 50th celebrations will continue with one of its annual flagship projects, the Youth Jazz Festival, to be held from September 10 to 13. Funded by the City, this year’s event, themed Youth to Masters Jazz Festival, will kick off with seven young, aspiring Western Cape-based jazz musicians and instrumentalists who have made the cut following auditions held earlier this year. Comprising scholars and informal music students not older than 27, the jazz band members are Nick Ford (bass), Damian Kamineth (drums), Melisizwe Plaatjie (piano), Shandy Sarantos (guitar), Jed Petersen (Saxophone), Jodie Fredericks (vocals) and Robin Castle (vocals). They have been mentored by the likes of Amanda Tiffin (director, vocalist mentor), Mandisi Dyantyis (song writing and musical director), Kevin…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za FOLLOWING a failed marriage of 24 years and a pending divorce, a father has to cough up and ensure that while he is still living in comfort, his estranged spouse and children also still enjoy their comforts. The wife took her husband to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria to ensure that he continued to maintain their two children at university, and that he increased her maintenance, as her expenses a month ran up to R111 096.00. The wife said this left her with a shortfall of R56 628.13 each month. She complained that her husband continued to live in luxury all by himself in their four-bedroom matrimonial home, with a full-time domestic worker and gardener. These are all luxuries that she and the children do not enjoy,…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za SOUTH Point student accommodation employees, represented by the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (Giwusa), downed tools yesterday in a nationwide strike over long-standing issues with the organisation, including payment disputes and an end to outsourcing. The union represents 185 permanent employees across the country, South Point confirmed. “This strike is an escalation of the battle for a living wage of R12 500 a month and for an end to outsourcing of security guards and cleaners, accompanied by a resolute demand for their insourcing, which South Point agreed to in 2018,” Giwusa’s Mametlwe Sebei said. “While the bosses of South Point are lining their pockets with profits and emptying the coffers of the student financial aid, South Point workers live in poverty and are working under…

Programme to focus on water resource infrastructure and job creation OVER the past few weeks, I have been visiting various infrastructure projects across the country which were gazetted as strategic integrated projects (Sips) on July 24 last year, in line with the Infrastructure Development Act. I have been conducting the oversight visits in line with my duties as Public Works and Infrastructure minister and chairperson of the residential Infrastructure Co-ordinating Commission Secretariat. I will be giving feedback on my oversight visit to the new Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu. The gazetting of infrastructure projects as Sips sees the project following an expedited path with all three spheres of government and implementing agents working closer together to ensure successful implementation of projects. The Clanwilliam Dam project forms part of…

Geneva: Weather-related disasters have rocketed over the past half-century, causing far more damage even as better warning systems have meant fewer deaths, the UN said yesterday. A report from the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) examined mortality and economic losses from weather, climate and water extremes between 1970 and 2019. It found that such disasters have increased fivefold during that period, driven largely by a warming planet, and warned the upward trend would continue. “The number of weather, climate and water extremes are increasing and will become more frequent and severe in many parts of the world as a result of climate change,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. In total, there were more than 11 000 disasters attributed to these hazards globally since 1970, causing more than 2 million deaths…

Rio de Janeiro: Football legend Pele has reassured fans he is fine after being taken to hospital in Brazil. The 80-year-old’s wellbeing was the subject of speculation on Tuesday after it was revealed he had been admitted to the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo. “Guys, I didn’t faint and I’m in very good health. I went for my routine exams, which I had not been able to do before because of the pandemic,” Pele said on Twitter. The three-time World Cup winner has rarely been seen in public since undergoing hip replacement surgery in 2012, Xinhua reports. |…

Singapore’s high court ordered two bloggers to pay Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong a combined S$160 000 (R1.7 million) in damages yesterday, over an article about the home of his late father and the city-state’s modern-day founder, Lee Kuan Yew. The premier sued writer Rubaashini Shunmuganathan and editor Xu Yuan Chen, also known as Terry Xu, over an August 2019 article on The Online Citizen (TOC) that included references to a Lee family disagreement about what to do with the property. Judge Audrey Lim said the article “impugned Lee’s reputation and character” by alleging that he was dishonest. “This struck at the heart of Lee’s personal integrity and could severely undermine his credibility, not just personally but also as the prime minister, and call into question his fitness to govern…

Bijnor (India): A convict who has been released early for good behaviour continues to languish in jail because his family is not willing to take him back. The family has refused to furnish a “guarantee” for him. Sanjay Kumar, Bijnor district probation officer, said that a guarantee is a signed affidavit given by kin which acknowledges handover of the inmate and vouches to inform the probation officer in case of any wrongdoing. Inmate, Keshav Sharan, 62, has served 15 years in prison. He is unmarried and has two brothers in Bijnor but both have refused to take him in as his release will have a bad influence on their children.…

MIKE GREENAWAY mike.greenaway@inl.co.za SPRINGBOK coach Jacques Nienaber says that playing the All Blacks and Wallabies without having warmed up against their players in Super Rugby will make no difference to his team’s chances of beating the Antipodean sides. When Super Rugby was paused in March last year as the world went into lockdown, it ultimately meant the end of the competition in the format that had run since its inception in 1996, with South Africa aligning with the northern hemisphere for its future provincial competitions, and New Zealand and Australia doing their own things. Nienaber said from Brisbane —where the Boks are preparing to play the Wallabies next Sunday — that it is of little consequence that his players have had no interaction at provincial level with their counterparts from…

PARIS Saint-Germain got Lionel Messi, but that has somehow turned out not to be the most remarkable moment of the transfer window for them. There can hardly be a bigger statement from the Qatar-owned club than turning their noses up at an offer understood to be worth €180million from Real Madrid for Kylian Mbappe with the France striker in the final year of his contract. Real are understood to have made two bids for Mbappe last week - and there were reports on Tuesday they were prepared to go to €200m - but PSG decided they would rather not sell, and risk losing the France forward for free at the end of the season. “He is one of the best, one of the most important players in the world today…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za INDUSTRIAL activity in the South African manufacturing sector returned to strong growth in August following a record single-month decline in July. The Absa Purchasing Manufacturers Index (PMI) more than recovered from last month’s steep decline, rising to 57.9 points in August from a very low 43.5 points in July. In July, the PMI reading fell to the lowest level since May 2020 as the manufacturing sector suffered severe supply chain disruptions due to civil unrest and lockdown restrictions. Absa said both the output and new orders sub-indices recorded solid improvements during the month. Absa senior economist Miyelani Maluleke said the recovery was always on the cards in August due to normalisation of demand and output for businesses affected by July’s looting, and a further boost…

Simone Biles isn’t sure she is “ready” to be “the face” of promoting mental health in sports. The 24-year-old gymnast – who pulled out of four finals at the recent Tokyo Olympics due to her own struggles – has promised to support others in similar situations but only when she’s feeling comfortable and has dealt with her own issues. She told People magazine: “Sometimes when we speak on these things, then we become the face of it. I’m not sure if I’m completely ready for that aspect of it. “Obviously, once I am a little bit more open about it, I’d love to help other people going through these things because it is very relatable to know that they are not alone with it. “I think maybe one day but…

Staff writer THERE’S a 99% probability that the Western Cape has passed the peak of the third Covid-19 wave, Premier Alan Winde said yesterday. According to data, new cases, hospitalisations and deaths had shown consistent declines in the past few weeks. Data from health authorities in the province shows that the proportion of positive Covid-19 tests has decreased from 42% at the highest point on July 26 this year, to 26% this week. There has been a decrease in new hospital admissions and deaths, with an average of 286 new admissions and 80 deaths each day. This is down from 362 new admissions and around 122 deaths at its highest point on August 1 and July 30 respectively. The Cape Town metro had a week-on-week decrease of 19% with all…

Staff writer AFTER being stabbed and left to die in Philippi, a female goat is defying fate and will be put up for adoption soon. The Animal Welfare Society SA (AWS) said the Saanen goat, a breed that is internationally known for its calm temperament and exceptional mothering instincts, was rescued by a farmworker from a nearby vegetable farm. She had been repeatedly stabbed in the chest and abdomen before being tied to a tree with a length of nylon cord in the Siqalo informal settlement. The knife wounds were badly infected, AWS said, and the smell of putrefying flesh led veterinarians to suspect that she had been left to suffer for several days. “We have managed to determine the origin of the goat that comes from a well-known goat’s…

Staff writer GENDER-based violence and cyberbullying cases spiked during Women’s Month, statistics from the country’s official citizen-government engagement platform showed. Set up to improve engagement between citizens and the government, GovChat reported a total of 532 cases during August, with the highest cases being 98 of domestic violence, 80 cases of emotional abuse, 78 cases of abandoned children, 40 of physical abuse, and 34 cases of verbal abuse and intimidation. In addition, 38 cases of cyberbullying were reported with the top three being physical bullying, emotional bullying and verbal bullying. Most cases were reported in Gauteng, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. In March this year and as part of International Women’s Day, the South African Women in ICT Forum and GovChat launched an Online Gender-Based Violence Interactive Engagement…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-Leigh.Solomons@iinl.co.za COSATU and the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) have come out in support of the proposed comprehensive social security and retirement system by the Department of Social Development. The controversial Green Paper, which was gazetted on August 18, was withdrawn by Minister Lindiwe Zulu this week. The department yesterday confirmed it would be gazetted again once it had been revised. Department spokesperson Lumka Oliphant said there had been widespread commentary on the key recommendations. The implementation of the Green Paper would mean that all South Africans earning above a certain income level would have to pay between 8% and 12% of their salaries into the fund, which would be used to pay social and pension grants. “Some of the technical aspects of the…

Lisa Isaacs lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za THE families of five teenagers aged between 16 and 19 are demanding justice after an off-duty Clanwilliam police officer allegedly assaulted them with a hockey stick. According to the mother of one of the assaulted boys, the off-duty officer had jumped a fence at around 2am on August 22 into a yard, where he hit her son over the leg with the hockey stick, breaking his leg. She said the off-duty officer assaulted four others with the stick as well. “The first boy walked past his house to go to his friends house, and my son was with them at the house in the yard. The man (officer) just jumped over the fence. “The policeman came into the yard and just hit him over the leg. My…

Venezuela’s main opposition parties announced an end to their three-year boycott of elections organised by the government of President Nicolás Maduro, abandoning one of the main tactics of their long struggle to oust the authoritarian socialist. The opposition, whose candidates in past elections have been harassed and banned by Maduro’s government, has acknowledged the likelihood that the local and regional elections in November would again be rigged against them. They portrayed the decision to field candidates as a last-ditch effort to restore democracy to the beleaguered South American nation. Maduro’s government has sought for months to cajole opposition candidates to run, seeing their participation as key to rebuilding international legitimacy. Opposition officials now say joining the elections could lay the groundwork for future presidential and legislative elections, as well as…

LONDON: Piers Morgan has been cleared of any wrongdoing in his comments about the duchess of Sussex on Good Morning Britain. Broadcast watchdog Ofcom branded attempts to silence the 56-year-old presenter a “chilling restriction on freedom of expression” after it received over 57 000 complaints, including from Meghan herself, when he said he “didn’t believe a word” the former Suits star had said in her controversial interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year. Ofcom said Morgan was entitled to “rigorously challenge” comments made by Meghan and Prince Harry in the interview, including that the duchess felt suicidal and questions had been raised by an unnamed royal about the colour of their unborn baby’s skin. It ruled: “Mr Morgan was entitled to say he disbelieved the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s…

Beirut: The UN said its humanitarian funds had allocated Lebanon $10 million (R148m) to help the cash-strapped nation buy vital fuel to power hospitals and water stations. “Lebanon faces profound uncertainty. “The humanitarian community, though, is resolved to assist all vulnerable populations, whether Lebanese, refugees or migrants,” UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths tweeted yesterday during a visit to Beirut. Lebanon’s economic collapse has stripped the national currency of most of its value and left four out of five inhabitants below the poverty line.…

Dubai: Human Rights Watch has called on Saudi Arabia to stop laying off Yemeni employees, warning that this could force them to return to the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country. Yemen has been embroiled in conflict between the government, which is backed by a Saudi-led military coalition, and the Iran-allied Huthi rebels since 2014, creating what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Saudi authorities in July began “to terminate or not renew contracts of Yemeni professionals”, HRW said. “Saudi authorities should suspend this decision and allow Yemenis to remain in Saudi Arabia,” said the group.…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za THE Sri Lankan and South African teams could do with the distraction of playing an actual match today. Both teams have been beset by controversy off the field. A break from that - and the strict bio bubble - would be nice, but how much play is possible in today’s opening one-day international at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo is in the hands of Mother Nature. At best it appears that the first match will be a fractured affair, because of the weather. Rain has been forecast for most of today in the Sri Lankan capital, and whatever breaks there will be, are likely to be brief. Enough time for a match? That remains to be seen. Preparation has not been easy. The Covid-19 restrictions in place…