Tabla de contenidos para 2022-01-06 en Cape Times

Liam Karabo Joyce liam.joyce@inl.co.za FASTER than the firefighters trying to put out the flames at Parliament in Cape Town, media personality Anga “NaakMusiq” Makubalo wasted no time in addressing rumours he was engaged. The musician and actor trended this week on social media after an entertainment blogger announced that NaakMusiq was engaged to his girlfriend, Robyn Leigh. After the tweet caught the attention of the former Generations star, he hit back, saying it was fake news. Last week, NaakMusiq also trended, but this time it was for news that was true. He and hip hop heavyweight Cassper Nyovest confirmed that they would meet in the boxing ring for a celebrity boxing match. “Weird fight between Tsibip and Slik talk last night. Anyway … 8 April Sun City! I’m not…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za WHILE it has been about eight months since judgment was reserved in the application by “Please Call Me” inventor Nkosana Makate to get what he claimed was owed to him, Makate said he was still waiting patiently for the verdict. Makate said he understood the delay by Judge Wendy Hughes to deliver the judgment, as she had meanwhile been appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeal and was thus obviously extremely busy. “I have been patient and will continue to be so. “I understand that Judge Hughes, after hearing my matter, was also promoted to the SCA and that this might impact on the delay in the judgment. “But I am patient and will continue to be,” he said. It is understood that the deputy judge…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za AFTER being honoured for their courageous efforts during the devastating Parliament precinct fire, the ANC has called on the City to meet the demands of its firefighters for better working conditions. The firefighters received a special visit from Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Premier Alan Winde yesterday, where they were lauded for their selfless service. The ANC Caucus in a statement urged the City to meet the demands of its gallant firefighters who through their union, the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU), have asked for discussions with the City in a Mutual Interest Dispute Adjudication ahead of a meeting with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) on January 26. “Up for discussion will be their demands for an end to working 24-hour shifts,…

Lisa Isaacs and Odwa Mkentane FORMER Transport and Public Works MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela could soon find himself occupying a senior government position in the DA-led provincial government in what has been described as a “disgraceful example of jobs-for-pals”. He is being considered for the post of special adviser to Premier Alan Winde who had suspended him before Madikizela resigned when it emerged that he had lied about having a degree. This was when Madikizela had made his intentions of becoming City mayor known ahead of the November 1 elections. At the time, he believed that this saga was being used to dent his chances of occupying the City’s highest office. Winde’s office in a statement yesterday said the premier intended to appoint Madikizela as a special adviser, providing him with…

Chaim Myerson | Vredehoek I AM one person (and I am pretty sure that there are many) who is not grieving for Desmond Tutu. I am a Jew and Tutu was an outspoken anti-Semite. So frankly, I’m not sorry to see him go. There have been many recorded instances of Tutu’s anti-Semitism (just go on to Google), so I am not going to list them here. Anyway, the newspaper would not allow such a long letter. What I do find rather strange, though, is that an anti-Semitic religious Christian leader has spent his life praying to Jesus Christ, a Jew.…

Grace Smith | Woodside Village FOR many months, I have been puzzled by the generous space offered by the Cape Times to members of the Chinese Consulate on the op-ed page in its daily newspaper. However, the December 23 piece has motivated me to ask: What is the agenda of your newspaper in promoting China? Mr Lin Jing, the Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China, has denigrated America’s democratic system and promoted that of China as a shining example of pristine democratic values. Nothing is mentioned about: “Human rights groups believe China has detained more than one million Uyghurs against their will over the past few years in a large network of what the state calls ’re-education camps’, and sentenced hundreds of thousands to prison terms. “There…

Len Walker | Somerset West YOU must have had the double jab vaccinations, and preferably the booster jab as well, and then you need to contract the Omicron variant of Covid-19. Once you are certain that you have the symptoms, do not get tested, thereby saving R150 to R500, but do practise isolation and take a dose of Panado for three days. Then socialise and hug others so that you can pass on the virus with the instructions that they follow the same rules and procedures. This procedure will ensure that your immunity levels and your antibodies are sufficiently raised to ensure that you will never again contract Covid-19.…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za A NON-profit organisation has asked the Constitutional Court to determine whether the implementation of mandatory Covid-19 vaccines is ultra vires (beyond the powers of) and derogates non-derogable constitutional rights. The National Black Consumer Council (NBCC), which says it is not anti-vaccine but pro-choice, has filed an urgent application at the apex court and has also issued a stern warning to companies forcing employees to get vaccinated. In the application, served on the Presidency’s legal and executive services unit on Monday, NBCC secretary-general Dr Raynauld Russon told the Constitutional Court that the urgency of the matter was based on the fact that certain employers were introducing mandatory vaccinations from January 1, 2022. President Cyril Ramaphosa is cited as an interested party. The NBCC wants the apex court to…

Howard S Armistead Pregnancy is a special time for a woman. It can also be a difficult and dangerous time. When a woman is pregnant, her body’s selenium resources are redirected away from maintaining immune vigilance against invading microbes, and towards facilitating the rapid development and growth of new foetal cells. Every new foetal cell requires selenium. The immune system evidently sacrifices to provide part of the extra selenium the unborn child needs. Thus, a pregnant woman has a slightly higher need for selenium. A pregnant woman’s immune system is so delicately sensitive that if the foetus is not developing correctly, is malformed or has a genetic defect, it triggers a spontaneous abortion – a miscarriage. The hypersensitive maternal immune response may also hold a key to understanding autoimmune disease…

Doctors in Ethiopia’s war-hit Tigray region say patients are needlessly dying of treatable conditions because a de facto blockade is preventing medicines and other life-saving supplies from reaching stricken hospitals. A dire shortage of oxygen, intravenous fluids and other critical equipment had made surgery and essential procedures almost impossible over the past six months, according to doctors from Tigray’s biggest hospital. “As a result, children who needed shunt surgeries are left to die, those with treatable cancers are denied their rights and those with fractures are forced to wait while being immobilised,” said a statement from doctors at Ayder Referral Hospital on Tuesday. “Those who could easily have been saved with haemodialysis are dying. Patients who have had dialysis for years at our hospital are…

A detained Ugandan satirical novelist and critic of President Yoweri Museveni and his son has been tortured by his captors, his lawyer said yesterday. Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was arrested on December 28 and has yet to be charged in any court, despite a campaign by local and international rights activists and Ugandan opposition parties for him to be brought to court or be freed from jail. His lawyer, Eron Kiiza, told Reuters that Rukirabashaija displayed signs of being tortured when security personnel took the writer to his home on Monday to search for evidence. “He appeared vomiting, he was urinating blood, there were torture marks on his legs and feet, he was crying that his buttocks are rotting, he was in deep pain,” Kiiza said. Police spokesperson Fred Enanga’s phone was…

MELBOURNE: Australia and Japan are set to sign a treaty to beef up defence and security co-operation at a virtual summit today in the latest move to strengthen ties amid China’s rising military power and economic clout in the Indo-Pacific region. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the two leaders would sign a Reciprocal Access Agreement, which would set out a framework for the two countries’ defence forces to co-operate with each other. “This treaty will state our two nations’ commitment to work together in meeting the shared strategic security challenges we face and to contribute to a secure and stable Indo-Pacific,” Morrison said.…

KARACHI: The International Civil Aviation Organization said Pakistan’s civil aviation regulator had resolved significant safety concerns that arose from a 2020 scandal over fake pilot licences, Pakistani authorities said yesterday. Pakistan grounded 262 airline pilots in June 2020 after they were suspected of cheating on mandatory licence tests. “It has withdrawn its objection on significant safety concerns,” a spokesperson for Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority said. Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority has said it hoped it could resume licensing pilots next month.…

Sihle Mavuso, Jehran Naidoo and Mashudu Sadike | SEE PAGE 6 THE ANC has started swarming the city of Polokwane and the entire Limpopo province to charm various structures of society ahead of its 110 birthday rally to be held on Saturday. Yesterday the governing party sent out its president, Cyril Ramaphosa, deputy president David Mabuza, national chairperson Gwede Mantashe and treasurer-general Paul Mashatile to speak to traditional leaders. However, the charm offensive did not quite go as planned as Ramaphosa was dressed down by unhappy traditional leaders in Sekhukhune who accused him of telling lies and making empty promises to them. Speaking on behalf of the other traditional leaders before Ramaphosa's main address for the day, Kgoshi Kagoshi Phaahla said one of the promises made to them…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za TO tackle the rise in pupil numbers, which leads to placement challenges and crammed classrooms, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has set a target to complete 46 new mobile classrooms this month. The classrooms are expected to be allocated to 17 schools where demand is at its highest. According to the schools calendar, schools in coastal provinces, including the Western Cape, will reopen on January 19. Inland province schools such as Gauteng, will reopen on January 12. Basic Department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said last-minute placements, especially of new pupils, remained a challenge at the start of the school year. “That creates a problem in the system and the provinces are not able to handle that. Admission begins much earlier in the year to make sure that…

Darrell Mackriel | Moderature of the Calvyn Protestant Church of SA THE Calvin Protestant Church of South Africa wishes to express its heartfelt condolences to the family of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu (1931-2021) on his passing on December 26. We mourn with his widow, Mam' Leah Tutu, their children, together with the Church of the Province of Southern Africa and the worldwide Anglican Community. Archbishop Tutu played a pivotal role in the fight against apartheid and other forms of injustice. His many lists of accomplishments include being the general secretary of the South African Council of Churches, the first Black Archbishop of Cape Town, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, and the chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He fulfilled these roles with courage and wisdom…

MOHAMED SAEED | Pietermaritzburg I WISH to express my disappointment at Queen Elizabeth of England’s decision to ennoble former Prime Minister Tony Blair with a Knighthood and awarding him the Most Noble Order of the Garter, which is the oldest and the highest-ranking British Order of Chivalry. May I ask: what outstanding bravery, public service, or achievement did Blair accomplish? Blair is not an eligible person for any public honour. His untruths about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and the illegal war and invasion of Iraq, a sovereign country, is unforgivable. The Chilcot report into the Iraq War in 2016, the most scathing official finding given on any modern British prime minister, found that “there was no imminent threat from Saddam Hussein”. It is incomprehensible how the…

Bernard Reisner | Cape Labour and Industrial Consultants, Gardens THE Department of Employment and Labour can confirm that the National Minimum Wage Commission issued a request for written representations on the new proposed minimum wage for South Africa for 2022. The closing date for submissions is January 14, 2022. The National Minimum Wage Act stipulates that the National Minimum Wage Commission should annually assess and review the minimum wage. The Minister of Employment and Labour determines the adjustment based on these recommendations. As it stands currently, the proposed National Minimum Wage for 2022 has not been officially gazetted. Currently domestic workers earn R19.09 per hour, approximately R152.72 per day, R763.60 per week and R3 308.68 per month. These amounts equate to an employee who works 8 ordinary hours…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za THE sharp increase of Parvovirus cases, resulting in the deaths of several dogs, has been attributed to pet owners not vaccinating their dogs or doing so too rarely. Over the festive season about 80 puppies and dogs tested positive for the highly contagious virus. The majority of these died due to being seriously sick, the Animal Welfare of SA said. According to the organisation’s spokesperson Allan Perrins, since the start of the new year they have been seeing more cases. “We evaluated the reasons for this worrying increase and concluded that it is due to pet owners not vaccinating their pets, either at all or on an infrequent basis. “Last year we vaccinated a mere 4 443 pets, 3 092 of them dogs and puppies. “This represents…

It would be a mistake for the continent to abandon its abundant natural resources NJ Ayuk For more than a year, the African Energy Chamber has been pushing back against steadily mounting pressure to halt new foreign investments in Africa’s oil and gas industry. To prevent catastrophic climate change, environmental organisations, financial bodies and governments across Europe and North America have insisted that developing nations, including those in Africa, must immediately transition from fossil fuel production and usage to renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydrogen. Mind you, the majority of those making these demands are based in industrialised nations that were built on fossil fuels – oil and gas fuelled their economic engines – yet they are unwilling to allow less developed nations to use fossil fuels to…

TORONTO: Canadian officials said Tuesday they have reached $31.5 billion (about R500bn) in agreements in principle with Indigenous groups to compensate First Nations children who were unnecessarily taken from their homes and put into the child welfare system, a major development in a dispute that has long been a sticking point in Ottawa’s efforts to advance reconciliation with Indigenous people. Under the agreements, half of the money would go to children and families harmed by an underfunded and discriminatory child welfare system on First Nations reserves and in the Yukon, while the rest would be earmarked over five years for long-term reforms, the Indigenous services ministry said in a statement. Final details are to be settled between the government and Indigenous advocates over the coming months. A final agreement will…

LONDON: English actress Emma Watson, 31, took to social media to express her solidarity with Palestinians. Israeli officials, including a current and former ambassador to the UN, have criticised her for being anti-Semitic on social media due to her support of a pro-Palestinian rally. Since its Monday posting, Watson’s image has 1.2 million likes and more than 100 000 comments. “Fiction may work in Harry Potter but it does not work in reality”, tweeted Gilad Erdanm, Israel’s current ambassador to the UN.…

The buyer of a $145 000 (about R2.3m) tuna at Tokyo’s traditional New Year auction said yesterday he hoped the purchase would “brighten” a Covid-hit 2022. The top price paid for a tuna at the first auction of the year at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market fell for the third year running, with demand hit by the pandemic. The 16.88 million yen shelled out jointly by a restaurant operator and a wholesaler for the huge bluefin tuna was far below the 2019 record of 333.6 million yen. The first tuna auction of the year at Toyosu market is a closely watched tradition that draws a horde of fish wholesalers every year. Bidders sometimes shell out an enormous amount to win the top-priced tuna, which is seen as bringing good luck, as…

Madrid: After a divorce, who keeps the family cat or dog? Spain has ruled that, as with children, parents should in some cases share custody. A law that came into effect yesterday, recognises pets as “living, sentient beings” for the first time, not mere objects. As a result, family courts must consider the animal’s welfare, not the family’s needs, when deciding who looks after the pets. Spain is the latest European country to recognise animals as sentient beings, joining a group that includes France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Portugal. The legislation was drafted by the ruling Socialists and their leftist coalition partners, Podemos.…

Rapula Moatshe rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za THE Department of Transport has come under fire from the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) for keeping the public in the dark about the time frame for repairing a printing machine for drivers’ licence cards since it broke down in November last year. The machine breakdown has reportedly caused a massive backlog of 383 000 licence cards as of December 1 last year. Outa chief executive Wayne Duvenage expressed shock at the manner in which the department failed to avoid the backlog of licence renewals by securing a back-up machine. “To think that we have one machine that makes licence cards in this country and then that machine breaks down and three months later it is still not fixed. This is serious,” he said. He also questioned…

Chevon Booysen and Nomonde Zondi CLOVER says investigations are underway after one of its trucks was burnt yesterday in Durban Central amid an ongoing strike at the company. This as the striking employees received a boost in the form of support from the Media Review Network (MRN), which said it stoodin solidarity with the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) and the General Industries Workers Unions of South Africa (Giwusa) “to gain justice for employees adversely affected” by the takeover of Clover by Israeli company, Milco. Clover has been hit by a strike since November, with workers protesting over wage cuts, retrenchments and corporate restructuring. Ethekwini Fire Department divisional commander Nkulumo Dube said they responded to a complaint of a truck burning in Monty Naicker (Pine) Street at around 8am…

Baldwin Ndaba and Loyiso Sidimba THE ball now falls in the court of the Hawks and National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) to act against those fingered in malfeasance by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, in his first report on state capture in the country. Justice Zondo – who chaired the Judicial commission on allegations of state capture – made damning allegations against former president Jacob Zuma, former SAA board chairperson Dudu Myeni, former Sars national commissioner Tom Moyane, as well as former Transnet boss Brian Molefe. Molefe’s alleged conduct has been referred to law enforcement agencies to conduct further investigations, with a view to possible prosecution for fraud and/or contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). Justice Zondo found that Molefe had made a misrepresentation when he claimed that some…

Barbie Sandler | Constantia THERE are certain things that catch the eye when reading articles in the paper. One of the articles was about the Mpumalanga mother who, for years, tried to get justice for her baby who was oxygen deprived at birth and left with cerebral palsy. The mother struggled for years to try and get her daughter’s hospital file. You would think it is an easy task but in this country obviously not. Even the lawyers couldn’t get the file. She didn’t give up, however, and in 2016, according to the article, a Good Samaritan on duty found the elusive file. How come after all these years could not one of the people on duty find that file? Were they told not to hand it over,…

FAROUK ARAIE | Gauteng THE profound statement by Bollywood icon Naseeruddin Shah about the possibility of a fully fledged civil war in India must not be ignored. Hate speeches continue to dominate the Indian political landscape as events spin and spiral out of control. It is indeed tragic and sad that after 74 years of democracy, many still harbour hatred among their people. Hate speeches must be relegated to the dustbins of history. India must remember that many Indians of all races sacrificed their lives for her democracy so that as a nation India could gain the courage of her convictions as free men and women today regardless of race and religion. We must remember that those who attack others because of their religion do not…

Owen Simons | Retreat IT’S the beginning of the new year. Increased job-hunting across the country usually happens, as new entrants come on to the job market and people change jobs. Also, attrition leads to companies and the various spheres of governments putting out advertisements offering positions. We know that government positions advertised always indicate remuneration. Many private companies across the spectrum do not state the remuneration upfront in their ads. My personal position is that companies should do this, for the main reason of transparency at the start of a potential working relationship. In the event that applicants are asked to state their current salary, I propose that it stops. Yes, your company is asking upfront. However, that one applicant sends out multiple CVs, most probably not…

Boniface Manjeya | Parklands DEAR South Africans, On behalf of some of my fellow Zimbabweans, I would like to express our deepest gratitude for the opportunity that you and your government afforded us during the greatest time of need, when our own government failed us. You gave us what our own government failed to give us. It is so amazing and at the same time disturbing that someone would have the audacity to challenge the government of South Africa in their own land for reversing a decision that was based purely on humanitarian grounds, accusing it of an injustice to humanity; an injustice that was perpetrated on the same people by their own government, consequently forcing them to leave their own country. It really boggles the mind and…

Staff Reporter A HEALTHY baby girl made her unexpected arrival at Camps Bay beach on Sunday with the assistance of City staff and volunteers. The City said at about 11.15am, an Identikidz staff member asked for assistance with a young woman in labour. City Disaster Risk Management Centre (DRM) volunteers Marylin Afrika, Rahdee Salie, Judith Henn and Aaliyah Anthony assessed the situation and found the baby was already crowning. The team then assisted the mother with the delivery of the baby and ensured both could wait undisturbed until paramedics arrived. “Our teams are on duty every day over the holiday season for any emergency and to assist beach goers,” safety and security mayco member JP Smith said. “This new year surprise has provided a little extra festive cheer. We commend…

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the party’s January 8 statement on Saturday, knowing all too well that this organisation resembles a sinking ship that is its own worst enemy. He will once again highlight “achievements”, well aware that the ANC has done very little if anything considering the promises made during his previous address. In fact, the ANC heads to this weekend’s 110th birthday celebrations more divided than ever before and is still recovering from the huge nosebleed it suffered following the November 1 elections. No amount of spinning or rhetoric can change that. The fact that the party has yet to resolve the issues with its Secretary-General Ace Magashule is an indictment that Ramaphosa’s much-hyped renewal project has failed. Just look at the tainted individuals occupying his Cabinet,…

An Indonesian court has sentenced two former heads of state insurer Asabri to 20 years in jail for graft after blaming them for causing 22.7 trillion rupiah (R25 trillion) of losses to the state, the Antara news agency reported. A panel of judges on Tuesday also ordered Adam Rachmat Damiri and Sonny Widjaja, who were chief executives at Asabri between 2012 and 2020, to repay the state a total of 82.47 billion rupiah and pay fines. Prosecutors at the special corruption court in Jakarta had sought a 10-year jail term and fines, accusing the two of being involved in high-risk investment decisions that turned sour. Priyagus Widodo, Sonny’s lawyer, said the sentence was too harsh and his client was considering an appeal. Adam’s legal counsel could not immediately…

Lima: Peruvian prosecutors said that they would investigate President Pedro Castillo when his term ends for the alleged crimes of influence peddling, collusion and illegal sponsorship. Attorney general Zoraida Avalos Rivera “opened a preliminary investigation” into the president “for allegedly committing the crimes” of aggravated influence peddling, as perpetrator, and collusion, as participant, the agency said in a statement. The proceedings will be suspended until Castillo’s five-year term ends in 2026, as the president has “absolute immunity that transcends the scope of criminal proceedings” in Peru. The investigations will focus on several cases. In the first, Castillo is accused of allegedly having “intervened” in a public bidding process for the construction of a bridge over the Huallaga River. In the second, the body is investigating him for allegedly having intervened…

PANAMANIAN authorities have handed over to US officials a former Colombian military officer implicated in the July 7 assassination of then Haitian president Jovenel Moise in Port-au-Prince. Mario Antonio Palacios, who was handed over to the US officials on Tuesday, was detained on Monday night at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, after his deportation flight from Jamaica to Colombia made a stopover. His arrest obeyed an Interpol warrant, apparently requested by the US. Sources said that on arriving in Panama, the suspect indicated his willingness to surrender to the authorities, Xinhua news agency reported.…

RIO DE JANEIRO: The city of Rio de Janeiro has cancelled its famous carnival parade for a second year due to the spread of the Omicron variant in the country, but will allow Rio’s samba schools parade to go on, Mayor Eduardo Paes said. The carnival traditionally takes place in February and includes competitions at the Sambadrome exhibition place, with street processions attracting millions of spectators. According to the mayor, a parade of Rio’s samba schools will happen this year at the Sambadrome. He said it was impossible to establish effective epidemiological control in a street carnival, which is necessary given the spread of the Omicron variant.…