Sommaire pour 2023-07-11 de Cape Times

MORE than 54 international political parties are set to attend the 2023 BRICS Political Party Plus Dialogue under the theme “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Growth” to be hosted by South Africa before the Brics Summit next month. This was announced by ANC (first) deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane, who addressed the media at the Birchwood Hotel in Ekurhuleni yesterday. Mokonyane said the dialogue set for next week would focus on key areas including global peace and security. Among the guests to arrive for the summit in Joburg, starting July 18 at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, are Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique, Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Sam Nujoma of Namibia and Laurent Gbagbo of Ivory Coast. Mokonyane said in spite of reservations about the…

A TOTAL of 71 infrastructure projects, valued at R4.4 billion and managed by the Public Works and Infrastructure Department, have stalled for periods exceeding a year. This was revealed by Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala when he was responding to parliamentary questions from EFF MP Sinawo Thambo. Thambo wrote to Zikalala enquiring about projects that have stalled for a period exceeding 12 months due to construction company incapacities in the past five years. In his response, Zikalala said: “The department has approximately 71 stalled projects for a period exceeding 12 months due to construction companies’ incapability to complete the various contracts.” Zikalala’s responses showed that the tender for the demolition of a workshop and upgrading of buildings in his department’s head office in Pretoria was cancelled in February,…

Widespread corruption in the form of complicity by officials has been identified as a key challenge in addressing all transnational crime, including human trafficking. At least two NPA prosecutors, police officers and an acting judge have been implicated in related crimes. This is according to this year’s Trafficking in Persons Report by the US Department of State, which provides a comprehensive overview of the state of human trafficking around the world and the tools being used to stop it. The department prepared the report using information from US embassies, government officials, non-governmental and international organisations, published reports, news articles, academic studies, consultations with authorities and organisations in every region of the world, along with information submitted to tipreport@state.gov. The report found that traffickers recruit victims from neighbouring countries and rural…

UCT has refuted allegations of nepotism after it came to light that interim Vice-Chancellor Professor Daya Reddy was the brother-in-law of Registrar Royston Pillay. Reddy was appointed in March following former Vice-Chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng's departure from the university. However, the institution says this was declared upfront and had no influence on his appointment, which was based on his academic standing and the strong leadership qualities. “It must be noted that Emeritus Professor Reddy was identified for consideration as Vice-Chancellor (interim) by the former Chair of Council, and that in considering his appointment, his familial relationship to the Registrar was made completely transparent; and appropriate arrangements made for dealing with areas which might give rise to potential conflicts of interest. “Professor Reddy’s appointment was overwhelmingly supported and approved at Council, following…

MAITLAND Crematorium’s second cremator, which has been out of service since April for maintenance, is back in operation. The cremator received the necessary authorisation from the air quality control authorities and passed the required stack tests that measure air quality emissions. The City said it owns one crematorium, the Maitland Crematorium, which is now fully operational and has been granted permission to operate 24 hours, seven days a week to assist in this period of high demand. “We are aware of the backlogs and have worked hard to ensure the second cremator came online again as soon as possible. We are working on expanding our cremator capacity in the future,” said mayoral committe member for community services and health, Patricia van der Ross. With both of the City’s cremators fully…

IF THE course of Struggle had been recorded for us to watch now, it would be very interesting. This is no way suggesting that the Struggle for freedom and liberation in South Africa was like hide-and-seek between the oppressor and the oppressed. We watch movies even if they are sad. The difference between the movie and what we would be watching is that there could be two or more people in the very forefront, but there was no single starring role. Bishop Trevor “Makhaliphile” Huddleston would have featured because he was white and a priest. That was a good combination because both factors, colour and church (priesthood), played a role. The oppressor was white; therefore, his involvement automatically opened the eyes of white people inside and outside the country (more).…

Hundreds of people gathered yesterday to mark the five-year anniversary of the dramatic rescue against impossible odds of 12 young footballers from a flooded cave in northern Thailand. Now in their late teens, the boys and their coach, Ekkapol Chantawong, descended into the spotlit chambers of the Tham Luang cave complex to pay tribute to the thousands of people who worked for 18 days and nights to get them out. The Wild Boars team had entered the caves in June 2018 and were trapped when rains flooded the complex, emerging after a daring international rescue operation to global acclaim. “If it weren’t for these people we wouldn’t have survived, and wouldn’t have been alive this day,” Ekkapol said. “I’d like to say thank you to all of you from the…

MADRID: Spain’s coastguard said yesterday that it had rescued 86 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa from a boat off the Canary Islands that had been seen earlier in the day by a rescue plane. Rescuers with Salvamento Maritimo had initially estimated “it could have around 200 people on board” but later said the estimate was incorrect. Among those rescued were 80 men and six women, who would be taken to Arguineguin port on Gran Canaria, the coastguard said. The boat had been spotted about 71 nautical miles south of Gran Canaria with the coastguard saying it was located “in an area where (the plane was) looking for a vessel that left Senegal two weeks ago”. | AFP…

Athens: Greek police minister Notis Mitarachi said yesterday that officers would be retrained and start wearing body cameras after a migrant was shot and killed in a police pursuit. The death is the latest in a series of controversial shootings involving the Greek police. “No use of violence on the part of Greek police is acceptable ... I have already ordered staff retraining in 2023 on engagement protocols,” Mitarachi said. He said the “aim is to have the proper cameras on officers and in police vehicles, as in most advanced democracies”. The announcement came after a 20-year-old Syrian migrant was fatally shot over the weekend after allegedly stealing a truck. | AFP…

Paris: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, guest of honour at France’s Bastille Day celebration, will dine with President Emmanuel Macron at the Louvre museum on Friday, Macron’s office said. More than 200 guests will join the two leaders on France’s national holiday for the dinner in Modi’s honour at the world’s biggest museum, and are to be treated to a special viewing of a number of iconic works, the presidency said. Modi arrived yesterday. The traditional Bastille Day military parade will feature a sizable Indian contingent this year. | AFP…

Maritzburg United Chairman Farook Kadodia’s scathing postseason statement appears to have left a bad taste in the players’ mouths. Following the club’s relegation to the Motsepe Foundation Champion, Kadodia revealed the feelings of the Team of Choice board of directors at the time. The experienced club owner’s views appear to have not gone down well with the playing personnel. Rowan Human, who was the shining light in an otherwise dismal season for Maritzburg, opened up about the players’ feelings towards the incident. “Although we haven’t spoken too much about it with the guys, a lot of the players weren’t happy about it,” he told Independent Media. “They felt that it’s not good for their image that they sold games so we didn’t take it too nicely but I feel like…

The Israeli Premier League outfit Maccabi Petah Tikva has unveiled Ibraheem Jabaar as their latest signing after he accepted a three-year contract with the club. The 20-year-old former Nigerian junior international was signed from Stellenbosch FC after a two-year stay with the Winelands club He made 70 appearances for Stellies and won their Young Player of the Year award last year. Just before Petah Tikva made the announcement, Jabaar, a quality midfielder, penned a heartfelt farewell to the Stellies fans. “Dear Stellies, I came here as a boy in 2021 searching for greener pastures and the opportunity to play regular football at a competitive level following the conclusion of the Under-17 World Cup. “Now I am leaving as a young man. “I found a family that nurtured my growth and…

THE long-running battle between Eskom and the Emfuleni Municipality, which owes the power utility billions in electricity debts, has come to a head in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. A full Bench (three judges) has now ordered that consumers in this municipality can pay Eskom directly for the power they use. The court also gave the municipality six months to draw up a new settlement to pay off its R3.5 billion debt. Eskom has been battling since 2018 to get this municipality to pay its debts. Emfuleni is paid by the consumers, but it is not paying its debts to Eskom. The power utility turned to court to hold the municipality and its municipal manager in contempt of the full court’s November 2018 order. Eskom successfully argued that end-users in…

POLICE have arrested the driver of the bakkie in which five children were killed and several others injured when their vehicle rolled on the R300 in Brackenfell on Sunday. The children aged between one and 10 years were declared dead on the scene, said ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring. “Our officials, however, were able to assist six other patients, including children who had injuries ranging from minor to critical,” Meiring said. The Titanium Securitas Medical Response team, who were first on the scene, said they received multiple calls regarding the accident. The medical response spokesperson, Kobus Kotze, said it is believed that the driver lost control of his vehicle which resulted in it driving into the barrier. Police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk, said a culpable homicide case was opened for…

IF EVER there was an athlete who proved how a great showing at the Netball World Cup could change a career, it would be Felisitus Kwangwa. The Zimbabwe captain was a stand-out player of the 2019 tournament, impressing on defence and earning three Player of the Match accolades in her nation’s first Netball World Cup. Her outstanding performances caught the eye of the team management at Surrey Storm and, after the Covid-19 pandemic and some admin issues were dealt with, Kwangwa became the first Zimbabwean to play in the UK’s Netball Super League, where she continued to stand out for her defensive prowess. Now, the 28-year-old goal defence is determined for her side to once again leave their mark when they take on the world at the Netball World Cup…

A TRIAL mobile app to speed up the process of reporting child sexual and related offence cases, is one of the innovative ways the NGO collective End GBVF aims to end the violence. The app allows social workers to be assigned to all child sexual and related cases at first reporting in the Garden Route District area. The trial app is part of the NGO’s End GBVF (Gender-Based Violence and Femicide) 100-Day Challenges initiative. Its representative, Sixolile Ngcobo, said: “South Africa cannot continue like this; with women and children living in fear and then not having sufficient crisis response, support and healing services should they experience sexual assault or rape. “One of our aims for the End GBVF 100-Day Challenges this year is to increase the capacity of service providers…

Municipalities across the country, particularly those struggling to maintain stability, should prioritise service delivery and refrain from involving themselves in sponsorship matters, which should be left to the private sector. Recently, it came to light that the Msunduzi Municipality in Pietermaritzburg, which has been under administration for over two years due to poor governance and inefficient service delivery, intends to allocate funds to sponsor another Premier Soccer League (PSL) team. This decision follows the termination of the City’s agreement with Maritzburg United after their relegation from the top-tier league. In response, the Msunduzi Association of Residents, Ratepayers and Civics (MARRC) expressed strong disapproval and threatened legal action against the municipality if it proceeds with sponsoring another PSL club. We fully support MARRC’s actions as we consider the municipality’s recent move…

A key hurdle to Ukraine’s membership of Nato was lifted yesterday, as leaders of the bloc gathered for a summit in Lithuania and Kyiv claimed it had made advances near Bakhmut. A Western official said that the allies “are set” to drop the Membership Action Plan (MAP) required for Ukraine’s application to join the alliance. The breakthrough comes amid rare glimmers of disunity over Washington’s controversial decision to supply cluster bombs to Kyiv. Ukraine’s foreign minister said the diplomatic move – which Moscow said would have serious consequences for European security – would shorten Kyiv’s path to Nato membership, even though Ukraine must still undertake reforms before joining. “Nato allies have reached consensus on removing MAP from Ukraine’s path to membership,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter. It…

A jury yesterday retired to consider its verdicts in the case of a British nurse accused of killing seven babies at the hospital maternity unit where she worked. The panel of 12 was sent out to deliberate on whether Lucy Letby, 33, murdered the children at the Countess of Chester Hospital in north-west England. Letby is also accused of attempting to kill another 10 babies in the neo- natal unit. In all, she faces 22 charges – seven of murder and 15 of attempted murder, as she allegedly tried to kill some children more than once. Trial judge James Goss told the jury of eight women and four men to deliberate in a “fair, calm, objective and analytical way”. Jurors in the trial, which began in October last year, were…

New Delhi: Days of intense monsoon rains across northern India have left at least 29 people dead, rendering many areas inaccessible with bridges smashed and roads blocked, officials said yesterday. Television footage showed flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain washing away vehicles, demolishing buildings and ripping down bridges in the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh, the worst affected area. Authorities were waiting for a break in the rains to send helicopter missions to rescue about 300 stranded people in Himachal Pradesh’s areas of Lahaul-Spiti and Kullu, with more rains forecast across India’s north in coming days. | AFP…

Addis Ababa: Sudan’s government yesterday refused to participate in a regional meeting to resolve the crisis in the conflict-wracked nation, accusing Kenya, which chaired the talks, of favouring rival forces. Around 3 000 people have been killed since mid-April when fighting erupted between Sudan’s rival generals. The east African regional bloc IGAD had invited the foes – Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – to a meeting in Ethiopia’s capital yesterday. Neither attended the talks personally, although the RSF sent a representative. | AFP…

The Springboks will not have the element of surprise when they play the All Blacks in Auckland on Saturday. The rugby world has taken notice of their magnificent start to the World Cup year against Australia and New Zealand is gearing itself up for a “big one”, as Ian Foster calls it. Perhaps the biggest surprise at Loftus Versfeld was the meekness of the Wallabies. So much more was expected of an Aussie side that was going to “rip” into the Boks according to co-captain Michael Hooper. Bok assistant coach Deon Davids says it will be a completely different ball game at the Mount Smart Stadium. Davids was among the 21-strong group that departed Johannesburg on Sunday night to join the advance party of 13 players that have been in…

SOUTHERN Palladium has seen a 34% jump in total mineral resources since drilling began at its Bengwenyama Platinum Group Metal project, located on the Eastern Limb of the world class Bushveld Complex, South Africa. Southern Palladium Limited is a dual-listed PGM company developing the advanced Bengwenyama PGM project, particularly rich in palladium/rhodium, in South Africa. In its update to investors released yesterday, the group said the total mineral resource, indicated, and inferred, for the project had now increased from a 3PGE+AuInferred resource of 18.80Moz (million ounces) to a 6PGE+Au indicated and inferred resource of 25.12Moz, comprising 5.11Moz indicated and 20.01Moz inferred – an overall increase of 34% since drilling began. It said combined PGE mineral resource now totalled 25.1Moz (7E basis). Southern Palladium managing director Johan Odendaal said: “We are…

from page 1 to find a lasting solution that South Africa proved to the world can be found.” Orlando Pirates said the club’s core functioning was “governed by rules”. “It is to the rules that Orlando Pirates went when confronted with calls to withdraw from playing Maccabi Tel Aviv. There is no cultural boycott or boycott of any form by either the South African government, Fifa or the host country that Orlando Pirates can base its refusal to play against Maccabi Tel Aviv on. Heeding a call from any other body would create a conflict within Orlando Pirates that would undermine the club’s values and history irreparably,” the club said. In response, SABDS Coalition representative Ronnie Kasrils said the club’s statement outlined how they stood against segregated sport in apartheid…

MPs slam Minister Zikalala for insensitive ‘networking event’ amid tough economic times THE Public Works and Infrastructure Department has come under fire for splashing out R132 000 to dine guests after Minister Sihle Zikalala delivered his maiden budget speech in the National Assembly. The department has defended the event, saying stakeholder engagement was a key competency component of the department and was in its annual performance plan. However, opposition MPs who were at the dinner saw nothing that justified so much money being spent from the public purse. Among them was IFP MP Sanele Zondo, who left after the speeches. “The gala dinner, as an example of spending so much public money with nothing to provide the people, is just one way of sucking up public funds.” He said his…

YESTERDAY was the coldest day in South Africa so far this year, with some parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal experiencing snowfall. A cold front caused a significant drop in temperatures, with maximum temperatures forecast to reach 13°C in the northern areas of the country, and minimum temperatures recorded to have met the criteria for snowy conditions. According to the South African Weather Services (Saws), snow was observed over areas in Soweto, Alberton and Roodepoort. “Some of the areas that observed snow include the eastern areas of Gauteng, Heidelberg and parts of Vosloorus. Most of the snow that was observed since morning was over Heidelberg. Light snowfall and sleet are still possible over the highveld and the escarpment of Mpumalanga (today) where expected temperatures for areas such as Dullstroom, Belfast, Roossenekal,…

Catholic Archbishop of Cape Town, Stephen Brislin, is among 21 church leaders elevated to the high rank of new cardinals from across the world. Pope Francis made the list of names on Sunday during his Angelus prayer from the window of the Apostolic Palace on Saint Peter’s Square. The name of his successor would also come from among these cardinals if he were to resign or die. An upcoming assembly of cardinals, known as a consistory, is expected on September 30, where the elected will be formally installed. For 86-year-old Pope Francis, this will be his ninth consistory, as he became pope a decade ago. “Let us pray for the new cardinals so that, confirming their adhesion to Christ, the merciful and faithful High Priest, they might help me in…

At least two people were killed in torrential rain in southwest Japan yesterday, with fears the toll could rise, as tens of thousands of residents were told to evacuate their homes. Downpours after a week of steady rain have caused rivers to burst their banks and sodden earth to collapse in deadly landslides, including one that killed a 77-year-old woman. The woman’s home was engulfed overnight in Saga region. Her husband was recovered conscious and taken to hospital. A landslide in Kurume city, Fukuoka region, engulfed 10 people. Nine of them survived, but a local man in his 70s was confirmed dead. Local media put the death toll even higher, with at least five deaths late yesterday. An additional male body was discovered in Kurume, next to rice fields near…

North Korea yesterday threatened to shoot down any US spy planes violating its airspace and condemned Washington’s plans to deploy a nuclear missile submarine near the Korean peninsula. A spokesperson for the North’s Ministry of National Defence said the US has “intensified espionage activities beyond wartime level”, with “provocative” flights by US spy aircraft over eight straight days this month, and one reconnaissance plane intruding into its airspace over the East Sea “several times”. “There is no guarantee that such shocking accident as downing of the US Air Force strategic reconnaissance plane will not happen,” he said. Citing past incidents when Pyongyang shot down US aircraft, he warned the US would pay for its air espionage. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong said a US…

London: A teenage boy was yesterday arrested after a teacher at a school in western England was stabbed, police said, as the UK battles a surge in knife crime. The school was locked down and police called after the incident, headteacher of the Tewkesbury School Kathleen McGillycuddy said. Police said the casualty had been taken to hospital “with a suspected stab wound”. The UK has seen a hike in the number of stabbings reported in recent years, although the violence is more commonly associated with inner-city areas. In England and Wales, there were around 45 000 crimes involving a knife or sharp instrument in the year to the end of March 2022. | AFP…

LONDON: US President Joe Biden dropped in for tea and climate change talks with King Charles III yesterday, after a garden meeting with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before a Nato leaders’ summit on Ukraine. It was Biden’s first meeting with Charles since he was officially crowned king in May. Charles, 74, is a lifelong environmentalist and Biden considers him a “clarion voice” on climate change, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Sunday. Top financiers and philanthropists are also meeting in Windsor to discuss climate finance to boost support for developing nations to cut carbon emissions. The UK government said more than $1 trillion (R18 trillion)is needed by 2030 to help developing economies get on track to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. |…

African champions South Africa will be relying heavily on a core group of players as they set out to improve on their disastrous Fifa Women’s World Cup debut in 2019 when they lost all three group stage matches. There was one moment at the 2019 showpiece when South Africa’s national women’s team Banyana Banyana stole the limelight, but it was short-lived. Against all odds, Banyana Banyana scored a 25th-minute goal through Thembi ‘Pikinini’ Kgatlana against Spain. Banyana Banyana seemed to be heading for an upset win but Spain were awarded a penalty in the 69th minute. That marked the beginning of the end for Banyana Banyana who went down 3-1. Now it would seem the target would be to claim their first win at a World Cup. Banyana Banyana will…

According to Bafana Bafana head coach Morena Ramoreboli, he and his technical team are plotting a ‘Gung-Ho’ approach to their final group stage match. The South African side will welcome neighbours Eswatini to the Princess Magogo Stadium today (6pm kick-off). The hosts head into this encounter as the group leaders with four points, followed by Botswana and Eswatini who both have three points while Namibia props up the table with a solitary point to show for their efforts so far. A victory for Bafana would ensure they advance to the semi-finals while a draw could be enough if Namibia beat Botswana in the other game on the day. However, Ramoreboli feels if his side finishes anything short of a victory it would hamper their mentality for the rest of the…