Weekend Argus Saturday Saturday, September 5, 2020

SECURITY PREENING The ‘price’ of CBD protection Gangsters now extorting coffee houses, restaurants WEEKEND ARGUS REPORTER BRENDAN MAGAAR African News Agency (ANA) LEON LESTRADE African News Agency (ANA) RESTAURANTS, cafes and hotels are the latest targets of an alleged protection racket in the Cape Town CBD. They have been told to “pay up or else”. Business owners believe the strong-arm tactics are an attempt by underworld bosses to make up cash lost from nightclubs which were closed during lockdown. Randolf Jorberg, chairperson of the Long Street Association and owner of Beerhouse, has issued a rallying call to other business owners in the nightlife district to band together against what he calls extortion, intimidation and racketeering. While nightclubs and party destinations in the CBD have long been paying “protection fees”, for the…

METRO Kataza wanders Tokai streets KEAGAN MITCHELL HENK KRUGER African News Agency (ANA) KOMMETJIE’S most loved baboon is still on the run and seems determined to find his own way back home. Kataza was recently removed from his home in Kommetjie by the Human and Wildlife Solutions (HWS) team and was re-homed in Tokai, which upset animal activists and residents. Yesterday there was a commotion on the streets of Tokai as the lone wanderer was spotted there and in Constantia. He was seen at the Forest Glade Shopping Complex and looked comfortable walking past cars and people. Founder of the Baboon Matters Trust, Jenni Trethowan, said: “Based on inaccurate data and information the City’s biodiversity department were told that Kataza was a repeat raider and splitting the troop. “He is…

Lockdown leaves family stuck in SA AN AUSTRALIAN family stuck in South Africa are desperately trying to return home so their nine-month-old daughter can have surgery for a heart defect. The family have had several flights back to Australia cancelled, because of renewed Covid-19 restrictions. Bill and Cristal Tsouvalas were living in South Africa when the Australian government urged citizens to come home at the end of March, the Daily Mail reported. At the time the Tsouvalas could not return home, as they said they needed time to pack up their lives. Initially the family were granted a repatriation flight, but were turned away when they arrived in Pretoria. One of the cancelled flights cost them $23 000 (R276 000). Tsouvalas has criticised what he called the “unfair caps” placed…

CORRUPTION ‘It’s time to bring crooks to book’ SIYABONGA MKHWANAZI AG says law enforcement agencies must act on those found to have looted Covid-19 funds and inflated PPE deals AUDITOR-General (AG) Kimi Makwetu wants law enforcement agencies to go after people implicated in the looting of the Covid-19 funds after his team made damning findings. Makwetu told the standing committee on the auditor-general in parliament yesterday it was now up to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Hawks to follow up on some of the cases. He said of the R500 billion set aside to deal with Covid-19, they were looking at the misuse of R147bn. In one investigation the AG found that R800000 of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) was paid out to…

NATION Booze-related trauma declining KARISHMA DIPA karishma.dipa@inl.co.za AS COVID-19 cases have steadily decreased, there is optimism that the unbanning of alcohol has not yet led to a second wave of infections. Experts partially attribute this to the nationwide curfew, night clubs still remaining closed and a limit on the sale of alcohol after hours and over the weekend. But they insist South Africa is not completely out of Covid-19 danger and that alcohol has wreaked havoc on the country’s roads and contributed to a spike in domestic violence cases. At least 50% are probably heavy drinkers in South AfricaCharles Parry South African Medical Research Council Professor Charles Parry, director of the alcohol, tobacco and other drug research unit at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), who was also part…

COLD FACT COVID-19 40% who seek medical care test positive A STUDY at the province’s health facilities showed that 40% of people who sought medical attention for non-Covid-19-related conditions ended up testing positive for the virus. The seroprevalence study found that nearly half of respondents had antibodies against the coronavirus. The data was anonymously collected by the Western Cape Health Department (WCDH) which hopes the data will help prepare it better should the country be hit by a second wave of the virus. The department said the antibody tests for Covid-19 could help researchers and health professionals better prepare and work out just who is vulnerable to the disease. In a webinar this week, WCDH and the National Health Laboratory Service launched the antibody surveillance as part of the ongoing monitoring…