Sommaire pour 2023-05-22 de Cape Times

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has come to the defence of the ministerial handbook, saying it was necessary to set parameters related to administrative and support assistance provided to members of the executive. “The guide for members of the executive seeks to limit the extent to which the State would provide resources and enabling facilities (tools of trade) to members to ensure that the members perform their duties effectively, efficiently and prudently. “The guide seeks to ensure that all departments and accounting officers apply consistent measures to ensure that expenditure does not exceed the prescribed limits and conditions,” Ramaphosa said. He was responding in writing to parliamentary questions from DA MP Leon Schreiber, who asked whether he had commissioned a formal costing exercise to determine the total cost to the taxpayer of…

Offers to provide 9 789MW of energy welcomed but experts say it won’t stop load shedding WHILE applications for 9 789 megawatts of renewable energy have been welcomed, experts agree it won’t stop load shedding. Department of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) Minister Barbara Creecy delivered her budget vote speech on Friday, announcing that Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) applications for 9 789MW of renewable energy were being processed by her department. In addition, 15 applications relating to transmission and distribution infrastructure were being prioritised, she said. “This is made up of 2 899MW for Solar PV, 6 890 for wind energy facilities and many of these applications include battery energy storage systems and associated transmission and distribution infrastructure. We are working hard to cut the red…

ANALYSING data from over 35 000 animal species, including mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, corals, fish, whales and plankton from every continent and ocean basin, a new “Nature Ecology and Evolution” study predicts when and where climate change is likely to expose species across the globe to potentially dangerous temperatures. Researchers from the University of Cape Town (UCT), the University College London (UCL), the University of Connecticut and the University at Buffalo investigated when areas within each species’ geographical range would cross a threshold of thermal exposure, defined as the first five consecutive years where temperatures consistently exceed the most extreme monthly temperature experienced by a species across its geographic range over recent history (1850–2014). The researchers found that the extent of global warming made a difference: if the planet warmed…

THE Pacaltsdorp community in George is still reeling following the arrest of a mother and stepfather for the murder of a 9-year-old boy last week. Police said they were called to the residence last Saturday, and upon arrival, found 9-year-old Juwayne Domingo already in an ambulance. He had multiple bruises on his body, head and legs. It is believed he was beaten to death with a sjambok and a steel pipe. Southern Cape police spokesperson, Christopher Spies, said Juwayne was declared dead on the scene by paramedics. “The mother and stepfather, 31 and 32, ... were later arrested in connection with the incident. “They are facing a murder charge each. An autopsy to determine the cause of death was conducted during the week. “The awaited report forms part of the…

THE Western Cape High Court has decided that the State be allowed to cross-examine a key witness in a shooting incident at a party in Khayelitsha in 2020. The issue before the court was whether Thobelani Tofile was to be impeached following conflicting statements he had made to police. On March 8, 2020, in a bloody weekend, at least seven people were killed and seven others wounded when gunmen opened fire at a house in Khayelitsha. Tofile’s version was that he was detained at Philippi police station for unlawful possession of a firearm. He was then called to the office of the investigating officer in that case, and made an offer that he should “incriminate the accused in exchange for the charges of unlawful possession and another two charges of…

AFRICAN leaders should formulate an effective peace plan that could bring an end to the ongoing conflict in Sudan. In a statement released last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that South Africa would lead a team of six heads of state that will travel to Moscow and Kyiv to bring their leaders to the negotiating table. It is hoped that the African-led peace mission will go a long way toward ending the Ukraine/Russian war that has claimed the lives of many innocent people. Ramaphosa said both President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine welcomed the initiative – which includes Egypt, Zambia, Senegal, Uganda and the Republic of Congo. Ramaphosa’s announcement makes South Africa the latest in a string of outsiders aiming to step in as a…

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in South Korea yesterday for talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol after attending the G7 summit in Hiroshima. Scholz, the first German chancellor to visit Seoul for a bilateral meeting in 30 years, will travel to the Demilitarised Zone dividing North and South Korea ahead of his summit with Yoon. The two leaders held a joint news conference before Scholz flew out late last night. The summit agenda was set to range widely from climate change to security policy in the Indo-Pacific region, with the two leaders also expected discuss the war in Ukraine, German officials said in a briefing last week. South Korea, the world’s ninth-largest arms exporter, has sent humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and has also sold tanks and howitzers to Poland. However,…

Türkiye’s presidential election is being anxiously watched by Kurds in Syria and Iraq as economic interests compete with fears of a regional military escalation against some Kurdish groups. The long-running and deadly conflict between Ankara and militant groups from the ethnic Kurdish minority has spilled across the borders of both Iraq and Syria. But Türkiye is also a major economic partner, especially for northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish province which has long exported oil through a pipeline that runs through Türkiye and has trade ties worth billions. Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, having governed for 20 years, has fostered key strategic links with Iraqi Kurdistan’s President Nechirvan Barzani, in power for three decades. After the first round of elections, as votes were still being counted, Barzani called Erdogan, the Turkish “reis”…

Ulaanbaatar: Emmanuel Macron arrived in Mongolia yesterday for a symbolic visit, the first by a French president to the country nestled between China and Russia that is of growing strategic interest in the West. The French head of state landed in the capital Ulaanbaatar at around 6.30pm local time after participating at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was the star guest at the G7, where he addressed key Western allies but also leaders of non-aligned nations like Brazil and India. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, France has stepped up its efforts to speak with countries who have not explicitly condemned it. | AFP…

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday faced questions over interior minister Suella Braverman after reports that she asked civil servants to arrange for her penalty driving course for speeding to be done in private. Sunak said he did not know the “full details” of the case, but a spokesperson for his Downing Street office later said he “of course” had confidence in his controversial minister. The Sunday Times reported that Braverman asked Home Office officials to help set up a one-to-one driving awareness course. This, after she was caught speeding last year. Her request was refused. | AFP…

The 2023 Currie Cup began in the shadow of the United Rugby Championship but after the tournament’s final this Saturday between the Stormers and Munster, expect the good old Currie Cup to explode into life and command the attention of rugby lovers. It has started happening already. At the weekend, the Sharks dismantled the Free State Cheetahs in an absorbing top-of-the-table contest, while the derby between the Lions and Blue Bulls was a fantastic game. Cheetahs coach, Hawies Fourie, two months ago predicting that the last month of the Currie Cup would be hotly contested as it became kthe main focus and he was right. The Bulls and Lions are fielding the strongest teams they can — bearing in mind the Springboks are not available — and the Sharks have…

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba vowed yesterday to give his all to return next season at his best after a trying time both on and off the pitch. The French 2018 World Cup winner hobbled off in the first half last Sunday on his first competitive Serie A start of the campaign. Tests revealed a thigh problem, an unwelcome new medical issue after injury to his right knee in pre-season training forced him to miss a huge chunk of games on his return to Juve from Manchester United. Off the pitch, he has had to contend with a multi-million euro blackmail plot involving one of his brothers, Mathias. “The year has been very, very complicated with the problems outside football and on the pitch,” he reflected on Instagram. “I tried to…

THE Department of Correctional Services has blamed the delays in filling outstanding vacancies on its 52 parole boards on processes outside its control, such as the vetting of candidates by other departments. Briefing the justice and correctional services portfolio committee, chief deputy commissioner Kenneth Mthombeni said there were 46 vacancies on the Correctional Supervision Parole Boards. Mothombeni said there were nine vacant chairperson posts, 12 for vice-chairperson positions and 25 for community members on the boards in management areas throughout the country. The Western Cape has two vacant posts for chairpersons, three for vice-chairpersons and eight posts for community members on its Correctional Supervision Parole Boards. A presentation made to the committee showed that all contracts for chairperson posts have expired and the officials who were filling the posts were…

CLINICIANS across the country have been urged to be on high alert for diphtheria, to notify suspected cases and to send specimens for testing. This follows the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NCID) reporting of two laboratory-confirmed cases of toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheria in April - one in the Western Cape in a child and the other in an adult in KwaZulu-Natal. The NICD said vaccines were in short supply. “These cases are a reminder that a drop in vaccine coverage (likely due to the pandemic) may lead to more cases and that corynebacterium diphtheria may be circulating undetected in other provinces. “Diphtheria antitoxin is in short supply globally; the World Health Organisation is working to secure additional supplies of antitoxin. “Treatment in the absence of anti-toxin is appropriate antibiotics…

THE distraught mother of four-year-old Nakane Lizane, from Gqebera, has appealed for his safe return. It’s been almost two weeks since the child was last seen playing outside his home in Wells Estate with his brother on May 11. Nakane’s mother, Zukiswa, said she had not slept a wink, praying that he walked through the door. “I sometimes stare at the door hoping he will walk in. “Each time there’s a knock I jump. I just want my baby home. He is a beautiful baby boy who is always smiling, he loves everyone. I am just pleading with anyone who has information or has seen him, to assist. “I just want him home, the past week has been a mother’s worst nightmare, no mother should have to go through it,”…

President’s star has waned dramatically ONE OF the conspicuous absentees at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, over the past few days, was President Cyril Ramaphosa. In the recent past G7 summits, Ramaphosa was the go-to African leader who was high on the guest list of invitees – a prerogative of the summit host. Not so any more. The South African leader’s star has waned dramatically thanks to a mix, inter alia, of alleged corruption-linked scandals, foreign policy awkwardness, which has seen the Ramaphosa administration reluctant to condemn Russia for its invasion of and ongoing attack on Ukraine to the chagrin of the industrialised economies; and an economy teetering on the brink of collapse thanks to seemingly never-ending power cuts. The symbolism of Hiroshima as the host city can never…

Leaders of the world’s richest democracies said yesterday they would not back down from supporting Ukraine, in a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin as he claimed to have taken the eastern city of Bakhmut, something Kyiv denied. The Group of Seven (G7) summit in the Japanese city of Hiroshima was electrified this weekend by the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who arrived on a French government plane to canvass for greater support against Russia’s invasion. Zelenskiy told reporters on the sidelines of the summit that the battered eastern city of Bakhmut, the focus of fighting in recent months, was destroyed. “It is tragedy,” Zelenskiy said. “There is nothing on this place” – what remained was “a lot of dead Russians”. There was confusion over whether he had been…

HIROSHIMA: UN secretary-general António Guterres said yesterday it was time to reform both the Security Council and the Bretton Woods Agreement to align with the “realities of today’s world”. Speaking at a press conference in Hiroshima, Japan, where the Group of Seven summit meeting had been held, Guterres said both institutions reflected the power relations of 1945 and needed to be updated. “The global financial architecture became outdated, dysfunctional and unfair. In the face of the economic shocks from the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has failed to fulfil its core function as a global safety net,” he said. | Reuters…

Sporadic fighting between Sudan’s warring factions could be heard in the capital, Khartoum, yesterday, residents said, after a Saudi and US-brokered deal for a week-long ceasefire raised hopes of some let-up in the five-week conflict. The ceasefire deal, signed by the army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after talks in the Saudi city of Jeddah, is due to come into effect this evening with an internationally supported monitoring mechanism. It also allows for the delivery of humanitarian aid. Repeated ceasefire announcements since the conflict started on April 15 have failed to stop the fighting, but the Jeddah deal marks the first time the sides have signed a truce agreement after negotiations. Analysts say it is unclear whether army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan or RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan…

Voters in East Timor flocked to polling stations yesterday to cast their ballots in parliamentary elections, hoping for an end to years of political deadlock in Asia’s youngest country. This is the fifth parliamentary poll since East Timor gained independence from Indonesia in 2002 after a 24-year occupation, with 65 national lawmakers to be elected to a five-year mandate. Voters formed long queues, carrying umbrellas for shade as they patiently waited for their turn until polling stations closed at 3pm. “All people came to give their voices, because one voice can make a change,” 61-year-old Cesar dos Santos de Carvalho told AFP at a polling station in the capital Dili. | AFP…

Manchester City celebrated their Premier League title success yesterday, beating Chelsea 1-0 with an early goal by Julian Alvarez in the team’s home finale at a sun-drenched Etihad Stadium. Treble-chasing City, who wrapped up the title when second-placed Arsenal were beaten at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, have won 12 successive games in the top flight. They have 88 points from 36 matches, seven more than Arsenal who have just one match remaining. Frank Lampard’s struggling Chelsea team are languishing in 12th spot with 43 points. Alvarez scored in the 12th minute for a largely second-string City side, slipping the ball under goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from a pass by Kyle Walker. He also had another goal chalked off for a handball in the build-up. Alvarez’s winner meant City had scored 100…

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has made a final call for late applications for the 2024 school year. Late applications close on Thursday at midnight. Education MEC David Maynier said the WCED had already received late applications for 21 659 learners. This includeed 2 006 Grade 1 and 11 388 Grade 8 applications. “This is in addition to the on-time applications for 155 330 learners received before 14 April 2023,” Maynier said. “While any new applications currently being received are considered late applications, it is crucial that parents apply as soon as possible. “The earlier we know how many learners are seeking placement, and where they are located, the better our planning will be to provide places for all learners. “If we only receive applications at the end of…

AIMED at those looking to live and enjoy a more conscious lifestyle, “The Plant Powered Show” will host Masterclasses that feature chefs and award-winning mixologists in interactive, hands-on food and drink workshops. “The Plant Powered Show” – Africa’s biggest plant-based food, drink and conscious-living event, will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from Friday, May 26, to Sunday, May 28. The Masterclasses cost R145 per person and are available to only 20 premium ticket holders per class. Ticket holders can attend as many as they like on any day, as long as they are also in possession of a general admission ticket. A soupçon of the line-up includes: • Mediterranean broth bowl and Mediterranean tacos with Damian Jardim • Avocado, lemon and basil pasta and lemon and…

TOUCHING on the lyrics of the late reggae legend Peter Tosh’s song Pick myself up, it’s time for the governing ANC to pick itself up, dust itself off and start all over again. With the nation going to the polls next year, speculation is rife that the ANC might see itself entering into marriages of convenience with rival parties to form a coalition government at national level. In the interest of national stability, we would like to see the ANC not getting into coalitions with other parties in all levels of governance. Despite the financial shenanigans that prominent leaders in the ANC-led government are, and have been, engaged in as well as its own internal power struggles, the ANC is still a strong political brand. Nevertheless, that won’t be…

At least 12 people died and an unspecified number were injured in a stampede at a soccer stadium in El Salvador on Saturday, the Central American country’s government said. Alianza FC and Club Deportivo FAS were playing the second leg of their playoff quarter-final game at the Cuscatlan stadium in San Salvador, the country’s capital, when play was suspended after a stampede broke out in the general section. The venue is one of the largest stadiums in Central America and has an official capacity of more than 44 000 fans. The Salvadoran Football Federation tweeted it “deeply regrets the events at the Cuscatlan Stadium” and would immediately request a report on the incident while also suspending the tournament after Saturday’s events, calling for a meeting with the Security Commission…

Martin Amis, whose dark and wry dissections of modern culture and its excesses helped redefine the British literary scene with sharp-edged prose and a self-crafted image as a truth-telling provocateur, died on May 19 at his home in Lake Worth, Florida, in the US. He was 73. The death was confirmed by his agent, Andrew Wylie. Amis had been treated for esophageal cancer. Amis’s heavy doses of cultural criticism and misanthropic bite drew comparisons to the style of his father, Kingsley Amis, who won the Booker prize in 1986 for his novel The Old Devils. The younger Amis found his voice as a savage reviewer of what he saw as modern society’s self-destructive tendencies and bottomless absurdities. Three books – Money: A Suicide Note (1984), London Fields (1989) and…

TBILISI: The founder of Georgia’s national airline Georgian Airways has banned the country’s president from using its services after she said she would boycott the airline over its resumption of flights to Russia, Russia’s TASS news agency reported yesterday. Russia announced this month it was lifting a four-year-old ban on direct flights with Georgia and removing a decades-old visa requirement for Georgians travelling to Russia. President Salome Zourabichvili urged Georgian authorities to thwart the Russian initiative, an appeal they ignored. Tamaz Gaiashvili, the founder of privately owned Georgian Airways, said Zourabichvili was now “persona non grata” and would be banned until she “apologises”. | Reuters…

JERUSALEM: Israel’s hard-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir yesterday visited a site in Jerusalem holy to both Muslims and Jews and declared Israel was “in charge”, drawing condemnation from Palestinians after months of escalating tension and violence. The comments, during an early morning visit to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, sacred to both Muslims and Jews, who know it as Temple Mount, came days after groups of Jewish youths scuffled with Palestinians and chanted racist slogans during a march through the Old City. In 2021, tensions around Al-Aqsa helped set off a 10-day war with the Islamist Hamas warning repeatedly that it would react to what it sees as Jewish incursions on the site. | Reuters…

Arthur Zwane has been in football long enough to know that he had to develop a thick skin to weather the abuse thrown at him. Zwane also knows that he’s skating on thin ice after enduring a tough maiden season with Kaizer Chiefs as they ended the season trophyless – for the eighth year in a row – and without a top three finish as they laboured to fifth position. It was a campaign that intensely scrutinised the appointment of Zwane as head coach as things didn’t go according to plan, with Zwane making more mistakes than victories, including guiding the team to a record 12th loss in a single league season. As the dark clouds gathered, a handful of fans didn’t take kindly to the impending calamity. They threw…