Sommaire pour 2021-11-23 de Cape Times

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa remained the destination for the most foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in 2020 in spite of the sharp fall in FDI in the continent due to the impact of the Covid-19. The EY Africa Attractiveness Report released yesterday showed that South Africa received the most projects in the continent in 2020, followed by Morocco and Nigeria. On a country basis, South Africa had the highest FDI score of 31.1 points, followed by Morocco at 17.7 points and Nigeria at 17.5 points. Though South Africa attracted more projects, Nigeria received the highest capital investment, with FDI valued at $6.6 billion (R103.7 bn) in 2020. The EY report showed that FDI in South Africa remained buoyant owing to the country’s diversified economy,…

Christian Dior is the latest international fashion brand to face criticism in China over a photo that state media said was “smearing Asian women”. The photo depicts an Asian woman dressed in traditional costume with a Dior bag. It drew ire in an editorial published by the state-owned Beijing Daily headlined: “Is this the Asian woman in Dior’s eyes?” Shot by a Chinese photographer, it said, it features “spooky eyes, gloomy face, and Qing Dynasty-styled nail armour”. Social media posts by Dior, newspapers and the photographer all drew angry responses from the public, but there’s no talk of a boycott. The publication added: “For years, Asian women have appeared with small eyes and freckles from the Western perspective, but the Chinese way to appreciate art and beauty can’t be distorted…

Goitsemang Tlhabye goitsemang.tlhabye@inl.co.za THE Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) has slapped Centurion doctor Stephen Grieve with an effective three-year suspension from practising medicine, for unprofessional conduct. The regulatory body said the sanction was announced by its professional conduct committee yesterday, following a deliberation of the charges of unprofessional conduct he faced dating back to 2014. Grieve was charged with contravening the norms and standards of his profession and bringing the good name of his profession into disrepute by persuading some of his patients and former patients to invest in a company of which he was a director. This, it was said, while he knew that the company was in financial distress. Other charges related to him transferring funds invested in his company into his private bank account, and…

Loyiso Sidimban and Siyabonga Mkhwanazi THE ANC emerged as the biggest losers last night after opposition parties voted as a block and took charge of the Gauteng metros, further prising the governing party from the levers of power. This comes after opposition parties, including the EFF and ActionSA, voted for DA mayor Tania Campbell and Speaker Raymond Dlamini in Ekurhuleni. DA’s Mpho Phalatse was elected City of Joburg mayor, and Vasco Da Gama Speaker. It is unclear whether the EFF voluntarily voted for DA candidates in both Ekurhuleni and Joburg, or whether the two bitter rivals buried the hatchet, but DA federal chairperson Helen Zille told the media last night no deal existed between her party and Julius Malema’s red berets. Campbell defeated ANC candidate Mzwandile Masina, who was seeking…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za SEVERAL problem buildings in Goodwood have residents up in arms as they say while the City has the power to help, they are dragging their feet. The Goodwood Ratepayers and Residents Association said they have lodged more than 200 complaints with the City over the past four years, and have “had enough” as the buildings have become a haven for criminal activity. “Some of these buildings have been flagged as far back as 2018/2019,” association chairperson, Faizel Petersen said. “Some were resolved but there are still five properties that need to be addressed. “While some properties are privately owned, law enforcement can still act because they have the authority to make sure the owners get the building into shape,” he said. The “Problem Building” by-law defines a…

Sinazo Alungile Novukela | Pretoria THE recent delivery of the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement by the Minister of Finance, particularly the part where he spoke about the agricultural spin-offs, gave cues to the citizens that agriculture is the saviour. The speech clearly indicated that agriculture has boosted the economic outlook of the country, expanding by 8.3% in the first half of 2021 compared with the same period in 2020, and it is set to grow for a second consecutive year. If agriculture can boost the economy, it can also boost your household spending. The rise of petrol prices indicates that commodity prices will inflate, and that includes food, and this will have a ripple effect on all households, particularly for low-income South Africans. Furthermore, the scourge of Covid-19…

Uncovering past hurtful truths can be painful, but will heal wounds in the long run NOW that Cape Town has elected a young, energetic mayor, it may be the right and opportune time to take stock of all the derogatory street and other names all over the city, and maybe the province, that still cause so much pain to so many citizens. Having embarked on sniffing out where these names are still there for all to see, my first encounter with such a name happened way back in 2015 when taking part in a 10km race not far from where I stay. This will be my fifth attempt in trying to bring this matter to the attention of the public and local authorities. The name of the street is Drie…

The problem of financial and bank payment systems in Afghanistan, which are currently “in disarray”, must be resolved quickly to minimise negative impacts on the population, according to a new situation report published by the UN Development Programme yesterday. “Afghanistan’s financial and bank payment systems are in disarray. The bank-run problem must be resolved quickly to improve Afghanistan’s limited production capacity and prevent the banking system from collapsing. Furthermore, protecting, at a minimum, some of the commercial banking system is also critical to continue the humanitarian and other basic human needs programmes, supported by the UN, NGOs, and bilateral partners,” the report said. According to the document, in case of failure, the country will face far-reaching negative social and economic consequences. “The longer the delay in the full restoration of…

LONDON: Queen Elizabeth II attended the christenings of her latest two great-grandsons on Sunday, her second appearance in less than a week that follows several cancelled engagements over the past month for health reasons. The 95-year-old monarch was pictured in a lime green jacket and hat seated inside a Range Rover as she came and went from the double royal christening at All Saints Chapel in Windsor, south-west of London. It comes days after she held a face-to-face audience on Wednesday with Britain’s highest-ranking military officer, a first public appearance in weeks following a string of health setbacks. The queen did not attend the annual Remembrance Sunday event honouring Britain’s war dead the prior weekend, due to a “sprained back”. Palace officials have blamed the the need for an enforced…

PHNOM PENH: Three Cambodian refugees deported by Thailand have been jailed on charges of conspiracy and incitement, police said, as pressure grows on Thailand to protect activists at risk of persecution at home. The pre-trial detention of the three members of Cambodia’s disbanded opposition party comes amid a broad crackdown that started in the run-up to a 2018 general election and has been condemned by the UN and the West. Veourn Veasna and Voeung Samnang were refugees under UN protection and returned earlier this month. Thavry Lanh, a former commune chief, was sent back to Cambodia on Saturday.…

Dhaka: Bangladesh police fired tear gas and around 20 people were injured yesterday as thousands of opposition demonstrators demanded the government allow ailing ex-premier Khaleda Zia to fly abroad for treatment. Zia, 76, arch-rival of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was admitted to the critical care unit of a Dhaka hospital early this month after her health worsened. She is barred by a court from travelling overseas after being convicted on graft charges in 2018. Organisers said the protest drew more than 15 000 activists and supporters of Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party, but police put the number at around 7 000.…

Marchelle Abrahams marchelle.abrahams@inl.co.za LOCAL actress and media personality Khanyi Mbau has found herself back in Dubai to celebrate her bae’s birthday. Not long after arriving in the Emirates, Mbau treated boyfriend Kudzai Mushonga to an impromptu birthday celebration, including a visit to Tasha’s Cafe. Judging from her IG Stories, Mushonga’s birthday was one for the books. Lucky for us, the Happiness Ever After star documented their shenanigans. But what got her more than 2.9 million Instagram followers hot under the collar were two posts. Mbau is known for posting the occasional thirst trap pic, and this time she didn’t disappoint. In one post, wearing just a black swimsuit and sunglasses, Mbau is seen posing on a bed. At age 36, the hot mama’s still got it. And it didn’t take…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-Leigh.Solomons@iinl.co.za FORMER minister of defence and military veterans and current Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, pointed out a lack of co-operation between police and her department during the violent unrest that broke out in Kwa-Zulu Natal in July. During her testimony before the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) yesterday, Mapisa-Nqakula said that at the time of the crisis KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi went on paternity leave. The failed violent insurrection, as President Cyril Ramaphosa referred to it, claimed the lives of 350 people and caused R50 billion in damages. The purpose of yesterday’s hearing was to look into the role played by law enforcement agencies before, during and after the unrest. Mapisa-Nqakula further alleged that Mkhwanazi was disrespectful and reluctant to share information…

Sithandiwe Velaphi sithandiwe.velaphi@inl.co.za ONE of the three Bhisho High School learners accused of bullying fellow pupil Lathitha Nako, who committed suicide in the Eastern Cape, was recently “shielded” by a teacher after being found to have bullied another learner at the school. Lathitha, 16, a Grade 10 pupil committed suicide after allegedly being bullied at the school. They apparently accused her of practising witchcraft when in fact she had publicly told learners and some teachers she had a spiritual gift (intwaso). But the three learners reportedly laughed at her and sometimes accused her of disrupting the class. When the matter was brought to the attention of some teachers, it is alleged they failed to act, siding with the alleged bullies. In a WhatsApp voice note sent by Lathitha to a…

Staff writer Almost 12 years since Kurt Abrahams’ life changed forever after a motorbike accident, he is trying his best to remain positive but the safety of his family weighs heavily on him. Now thanks to a local security company his fears for his family’s safety are being addressed. The 54-year-old resident from Kensington says he cannot remember much of what happened on the day of the accident in December 2009. He had pulled to the side of the road to answer a phone call, and when he regained consciousness it was in a hospital after being in a medically induced coma for a month and a half. “Doctors literally had to put me back together. I was in ICU for four months and spent another four months in the…

MOHAMED SAEED | Pietermaritzburg WE ARE living through the most serious challenges of recent times. All sorts of social problems – crime, economic and political instability, unemployment, drug and alcohol addiction, family break-ups, and Covid-19 are stressing people. People are trying to make sense of the happenings around their day-to-day activities and lives. In addition to all these social ills, there seems to be a rise in kidnappings, including of schoolchildren. Recently, news headlines have been buzzing with alleged kidnapping incidents. Crimes such as kidnapping, especially of children, put inexpressible fear into people. Both kidnappings and abductions are unlawful in South Africa. The rate at which crime is increasing is disturbing. The fact that these criminal activities are being committed in broad daylight makes them even more terrifying.…

WE’RE at a critical juncture when it comes to the future of our young people. Like many African countries, we have, on average, a young population, and it is critical that we ensure a growing economy that creates opportunities for them. They cannot be left behind. To do so, we need to be responsive and agile and ensure that our youth have the skills they need to succeed and prosper. Our economy has, however, been hard hit by the pandemic, which has impacted the livelihoods of our residents. This is demonstrated by the most recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey. The survey shows that the Western Cape had an expanded unemployment rate of 29.1% between April and June 2021. While we have the lowest unemployment rate in the country by some…

OUR ability to attain a competitive advantage in the global space economy requires the necessary resources, innovation, infrastructure, and most importantly, compliance with internationally accepted norms and frameworks that govern space activities. The International Astronautical Congress held in Dubai from October 25-29 convened space players representing governments and industry players from across the globe. South Africa participated under the leadership of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the SA National Space Agency, the entity responsible for the implementation of our national space programme. From government-led to commercially viable space activities generally, investing economic capital in space activities has traditionally been the role of governments across the globe, whether as the adopters, users, customers, or regulators of space activities. These activities have mainly been driven by the…

Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said yesterday that maintaining economic gains from the past two years was among the reasons he has decided to return to his post, under a deal with the military nearly a month after he was removed in a coup. Prominent political parties and Sudan’s powerful protest movement have opposed Hamdok’s decision to sign the agreement with the military on Sunday, with some saying it provided political cover for the October 25 coup. “Among the reasons for my return is preserving the economic gains and the economic opening to the world,” Hamdok said. “We will continue our contacts with international financial institutions, and the new budget that will begin in January will proceed on the path of economic reform.” He said a technocratic government could help…

Venezuela’s socialist ruling party claimed sweeping victories on Sunday in the first elections to include the country’s top opposition parties in nearly four years, a low-turnout vote critics say was rigged from the start. Political allies of President Nicolás Maduro won 20 out of 23 gubernatorial offices across the country, according to preliminary results from the electoral council. With a turnout of just 41.8%, one of the country’s lowest rates in the past two decades, the vote reflected an electorate apathetic toward its leadership options in the crumbling socialist state. “We have the whole map already, clear and drawn,” Maduro said in a speech yesterday, calling his party “a determining force in the history of this beautiful country called Venezuela”. The opposition chose to participate in the elections, abandoning a…

MOSCOW: Russia handed over to Lebanon satellite images related to the 2020 explosion of the port of Beirut, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said yesterday. “At the request of the Lebanese government, we handed over satellite images prepared by Roscosmos today. We hope it will help in investigating the causes of this incident,” the Russian foreign minister said at a press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bouhabib. The Lebanese foreign minister, for his part, expressed gratitude to Russia for providing satellite images, and said the data would allow it to conduct a fair investigation of the case.…

WASHINGTON: A suspect behind the deadly car-ramming in the city of Waukesha, Wisconsin, may have been fleeing a separate crime, an internal briefing for law enforcement from the US Department of Homeland Security, obtained by ABC News, revealed yesterday. Earlier in the day, police confirmed that five people were killed and more than 40 injured after a car ploughed into the Waukesha Christmas Parade in Wisconsin on Sunday. Investigators believe “the driver may have been fleeing from a previous crime,” the bulletin said, adding that “police have one subject in custody,” while “one remains at large”.…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za The South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) has asked the public to make comments on the matrimonial property law. In a notice, the commission said it had published a supplementary issue paper on the Review of Aspects of Matrimonial Property Law, which replaced one that was published on August 28. “The revision is necessary in light of recent case law since the issue paper was published, as well as statutory and common law changes,” it said. The commission said there were new issues that have been added in the supplementary paper. These include religious marriages in light of recent case law and developments in single marriage statutes and inclusion of unmarried life partnerships. “While customary marriages were originally partly included, the commission has had to grapple more…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za BUSINESSMAN Thabo Simbini, the sole director of a company called Impossible Services (PTY) Ltd, who allegedly defrauded the Department of Employment and Labour of over R10 million had to have complicit staff working for the UIF, labour lawyer Michael Bagraim has said. Impossible Services (PTY) Ltd had allegedly submitted over 6 000 Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Covid-19 Temporary Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) claims to the tune of R111 million using duplicated ID numbers. The claims for various ‘employees’ were made using the online claim process of the Department of Employment and Labour. He now faces criminal charges, according to the Special Investigative Unit (SIU). “To go to such an extent there had to be staff making payments to the business fraudster. The real issue is to…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za CIVIL organisations and political parties have expressed concern over the re-election of JP Smith and Malusi Booi into their mayoral committee (mayco) portfolios, saying it meant the “poor stay oppressed”. The two long-serving councillors were joined by some new faces as Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis announced his team at the City Council yesterday. Xanthea Limberg, who faced her fair share of controversy over allegedly misrepresenting her qualifications while serving as mayco member for Water and Waste, did not make the cut, along with Marian Nieuwoudt in the Spatial Planning and Environment portfolio, Phindile Maxiti from Energy, Sharon Cottle in Corporate Services and Ian Neilson, mayco member for finance. Lewis-Hill said while the selection process included the outcomes of service delivery, Limberg’s omission was due to the incomplete…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za RELIEF was sent to the southern Cape yesterday after torrential rains caused havoc in the region, forcing schools to close and leaving families trapped in their homes. Towns including George, Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn and Knysna were heavily impacted by the downpour. George municipality spokesperson Athane Scholtz said the flooding caused road closures across the town. The Garden Route District Municipality’s (GRDM) Fire and Rescue Services were dispatched to help a family that was trapped in their Merriman Street home. “The GRDM urges residents to follow tips during the flooding such as not to attempt to cross flowing water in your car, and not to walk through flooded areas. “As little as 20cm depth of moving water can knock you off your feet,” it said. In the Greater…

Barbie Sandler | Constantia I SAW in the leader in the Cape Times yesterday, you say almost two years after the virus appeared, there is a growing frustration with what people perceive to be draconian measures imposed on them. The trouble is we are damned if we do and damned if we don’t. Now what I don’t understand is that when we had a world polio epidemic and a smallpox epidemic the world made vaccines compulsory as the only way to save lives. It worked and we eradicated these diseases. We now have another global epidemic on our hands and being the world we are today, we are not enforcing compulsory vaccination. Instead we are making it extremely difficult to travel and talking of banning the non-vaccinated from…

THE National Department of Health should urgently finalise its investigation into the deaths of five children who allegedly died after eating noodles. Any delay is likely to put the lives of our children at risk. Last week, 9-year-old Thato and Keamogetswe Makofane, 13, died after allegedly eating instant noodles before school, while three Eastern Cape children perished, allegedly after eating noodles earlier this month. The department also announced that it was investigating an incident in Gauteng, but did not elaborate further. Department spokesperson Foster Mohale said the department had yet to confirm what had caused the children’s deaths. He added that the department was still waiting for laboratory results and toxicology reports. We respect the department’s decision to adopt a cautious approach when it comes to this matter. We also…

Marseille: On a tour of a fine-food trade show, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen admits that the start of campaigning for next year’s presidential election has given her indigestion. “It’s been Zemmour for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” she complained. Eric Zemmour, a media pundit and best-selling author whose rhetoric on Muslims and immigrants is more extreme than Le Pen’s, has made a dramatic entrance into French politics since September. “It’s been incredible. The way he has monopolised the media is absolutely extraordinary,” she said during a weekend trip to Marseille. For the first time in early October, polls showed Le Pen failing to qualify for the second round of next April’s polls, eclipsed by her new rival whose face was on TV screens and newspaper stands around the country.…

MANILA: Philippine Nobel Prize- winning journalist Maria Ressa yesterday ruled out going into exile over legal challenges she faces, and her lawyers urged the government of President Rodrigo Duterte to drop all charges against her. Ressa, the first Nobel laureate from the Philippines, shared the Peace Prize with Russian investigative journalist Dmitry Muratov, a move widely seen as intended as an endorsement of free speech rights under fire worldwide. Ressa’s news site, Rappler, had its licence suspended and she has faced legal action.…

Beyond killing millions and ravaging economies and health systems, the coronavirus pandemic has taken a devastating socio-economic toll with women and migrants among the most affected, the Red Cross said yesterday. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warned in a new report that the secondary effects of the crisis had disproportionately impacted already vulnerable groups. The pandemic has pushed many out of work, leading to widespread income loss, it said, pointing to data gathered by its 192 national societies. The crisis also increased food insecurities, cut access to education and to protections against violence while exacerbating mental health issues. “Our research shows what we have long suspected and feared – the destructive secondary impacts of this pandemic have damaged the fabric of society and will be…

Nairobi: Kenya has launched a murder investigation into the death of a BBC staff member in a Nairobi hotel room, the city’s police chief said yesterday. The body of Kate Mitchell, a British national who had worked for BBC Media Action, the broadcaster’s international charity, for 14 years, was found on Friday after an emergency alarm was activated in her room, police said. Her eighth-floor room’s window was broken and the body of a man she had been with earlier was found on the ground outside the hotel. “So far it is apparent the man jumped (out of) the window after killing her,” said Nairobi police chief Augustine Thumbi.…