Table of contents for 2024-01-29 in Cape Times

Cosatu welcomes the government’s announcement that the long-awaited Extension of Security of Tenure Amendment Act will come into effect from April 1. However, we must register our deep disappointment that this progressive law has been delayed for so long. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development must now move with speed and efficiency to ensure it is fully implemented as a matter of urgency by national, provincial and local government. While most of the onus for its implementation rests with the department as well as its counterparts in local government and the courts in particular, employers in the agricultural sector too have a critical role to play. If the law is to meet its progressive objectives, reach ordinary farmworkers and residents and help promote labour market stability in…

Unions have expressed mixed reactions to the leave of absence of Transnet National Ports of Authority (TNPA) CEO Pepi Silinga amid an investigation into corruption allegations. Union federation Cosatu welcomed the news, while the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) questioned why Transnet did not take action by suspending Silinga. Satawu had called for action following allegations that close allies were appointed “in his office who did not even meet the minimum requirements for those top positions at the entity”. Transnet has faced a number of challenges which its board after 100 days in office mentioned included external issues and internal issues. Externally, it included the economic impact of the Covid-19 lockdown, extensive damage from floods in KwaZulu-Natal, climate change, and a cyberattack on the company’s IT systems.…

SAGARMATHA Technologies is suing President Cyril Ramaphosa and various organs of state and regulatory bodies for R50 billion ($3bn). Sagarmatha is the second company in the Sekunjalo Group to claim for damages from various organs of state and regulatory bodies for allegedly deliberately withholding permission to list on a foreign exchange. In a statement yesterday, Sekunjalo Investment Holdings said Sagarmatha has complied with terms of section 3(1) and (2) of the Institution of Legal Proceedings Against Certain Organs of State Act No 40 of 2002 (“the Institution Act”), by giving the various respondents six months’ notice. These include the president of the Republic of South Africa; Dr Leila Fourie, group chief executive officer of JSE Limited; Justice Minister Ronald Lamola; the National Treasury; Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and the State…

I KEEP writing about the fact that we need to limit our numbers if we are ever to play catch-up. In Friday’s edition, Stellenbosch University (SU) said they can enrol about 5 600 first-year students. SU received 88 085 applications from first-year undergraduates and 21 000 applications from postgraduates! Anyone with half a brain can see this is an impossible situation. UCT received 92 841 applications for about 8 200 positions. One has to take into account accommodation as well. NSFAS has received more than a million applications for funding and this figure is set to rise. It’s like trying to squeeze a camel through the eye of a needle. Why did we close all nursing and teaching colleges? I see students are being warned about fake colleges that…

DURING the 2010 Soccer World Cup, both the City of Cape Town and the City of Johannesburg introduced bus services – MyCiti and Rea Vaya, respectively. However, the present state of these services reflects the divergent priorities of the (DA and ANC) governments. Rea Vaya in the City of Johannesburg has faced financial distress, entering business rescue, and currently its buses are scarcely operational, leaving residents with severely limited transport options. In stark contrast, MyCiti in the City of Cape Town is investing a substantial R5.2 billion to expand its services over the next three years. The expansion aims to accommodate an additional 1.5 million commuters, extending into areas such as Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, Nyanga, Philippi, Ottery, Hanover Park, Wynberg and Claremont. This expansion not only promises safe,…

ON THE eve of National Police Day, an off-duty police officer was killed in a hail of bullets along with his friend in Khayelitsha. The 39-year-old cop came under attack in Solomon Tshuku Street at Site C on Friday night at about 8.30pm. Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said Khayelitsha police had opened a double murder case. “Khayelitsha police are investigating the circumstances leading to the death of two men in their mid-thirties, of whom one is reported to be a police official. “Both succumbed to gunshot wounds to their bodies in hospital. The motive for these killings is subject to ongoing investigation,” said Pojie. According to police oversight and community safety MEC Reagen Allen, the 39-year-old was attached to the Cape Town Central police station and also worked at the…

Earth observation can be used for the sustainable management of natural resources THE recently held Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Week and Ministerial Summit from November 6 to 10 in Cape Town shone a spotlight on the importance of Earth observation and its benefit to humankind. Defined by the GEO as the gathering of information about planet Earth’s physical, chemical and biological systems, Earth observation (EO) involves monitoring and assessing the status of, and changes in, the natural and man-made environment. It can be used for exploiting new opportunities, such as the sustainable management of natural resources. GEO is a global network of over 100 national governments and institutions. Its aim is to improve the availability and use of EO for sustainable development and sound environmental management. In the…

US Republican front-runner Donald Trump said he wants to be held responsible for blocking a bipartisan border security bill in the works in the Senate as President Joe Biden seeks emergency authority to rein in a record surge of unauthorised border crossings. “There is zero chance I will support this horrible open borders betrayal of America,” Trump told a rowdy crowd of supporters at a rally in Las Vegas on Saturday, ahead of the state’s presidential caucus on February 8. “I’ll fight it all the way. A lot of the senators are trying to say, respectfully, they’re blaming it on me. I say, that’s okay. Please blame it on me. Please.” Trump’s opposition follows Biden’s statement on Friday praising the deal and pledging to use its new authorities to “shut…

One man died after armed assailants opened fire in an Italian church in Istanbul during Sunday mass in an apparent assassination attempt that was swiftly condemned by Pope Francis. The attack occurred at the Santa Maria church in the Sariyer district of Istanbul on the European side and was carried out by two masked men, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on social media. Turkish officials said the attack looked like a targeted attack against one person rather than against the Catholic church. The minister said an individual identified only as CT – who was among those attending Sunday’s service – was the target of the gun attack and lost his life. An investigation had been launched to find the attackers, Yerlikaya added, who fled the scene after the shooting. Local…

Austin: Thousands marched on Saturday in an anti-abortion rally in Texas, demanding providers of the procedure “stay away” from the conservative US state. “Pro-life” activists gathered outside the state Capitol in Austin, carrying signs with slogans reading “Abortion hurts women” and “Pray to end abortion.” The topic is a constant hot-button issue in American politics – and even more so in an election year. A 2022 Supreme Court decision ending the federal right to the procedure was a huge win for the anti-abortion movement. Many states have tightened their laws, but the anti-abortion movement has suffered setbacks. | AFP…

Paris: Two protesters yesterday hurled soup at the bullet-proof glass protecting Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in Paris, demanding the right to “healthy and sustainable food”, an AFP journalist saw. Two women threw red and orange soup onto the glass protecting the smiling lady to gasps from the crowd in the French capital’s Louvre museum. The action comes as French farmers have been protesting for days to demand better pay, taxes and regulations. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Friday announced several measures, but road blockages have continued in different parts of the country. | AFP…

COACHLESS and lucky to still be around, host nation Ivory Coast go into their Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 clash against defending champions Senegal at the Charles Konan Stadium tonight (10pm) resembling sheep being led to the slaughter. The Elephants were so bitterly disappointing in the round robin phase of the tournament – during which they won a single match and lost the other two – that they even needed an armed escort when leaving the pitch after their shock 4-0 defeat by Equatorial Guinea. Senegal, on the other hand, were the star performers of the group stage – the Lions of Teranga being the only team with a 100% record from their three matches. Cue defeat for the Ivory Coast, right? After all, how can a team…

EQUITY markets on the JSE turned around last week after a strong downward trend during the first three weeks of the year. The news that South Africa’s inflation rate was 5.1% year-on-year (y/y) in December, and 6% for 2023, better than expectations of 5.3% for December and 6.1% for 2023, came as good news for markets. Food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 8.5% (y/y). This is the third month in a row that it has increased at a lower rate. Transport (including fuel) had increased by only 2.6% on the previous December, as fuel itself decreased by -2.5% (y/y). The producer price inflation rate (PPI) increased by 4% in December (y/y). This is also much lower than the 4.5% rate in November and better than the expected rate of 4.3%.…

Hours before the Border Management Authority (BMA) unpacked the 2023/24 festive season statistics, police halted a vehicle that was transporting 23 Ethiopian nationals who were smuggled into the country from Zimbabwe. The Limpopo provincial tracking team working with two private security companies were tipped off on Saturday about a white Toyota Quantum that was driving along the R81 road from Beitbridge en route to Polokwane. “It is reported that the operational team has successfully spotted the Quantum at a filling station on the R81 in Sebayeng and upon checking they discovered that 23 Ethiopian male nationals aged between 20 and 38 in a 15-seater passenger minibus (beinrg driven by) a 44-year-old male South African. “It is reported that the driver was found in possession of a licensed firearm, and it…

THE old African proverb that when two elephants tussle, it’s the grass that suffers, has forever stood the test of time. That the International Court of Justice (ICJ) stopped short of pronouncing on an immediate ceasefire in Gaza speaks volumes, and must suggest that the events of October 7 did warrant repercussions and revenge by Israel. One can, however, lament on the aggression. War is futile, amoral, immoral and unethical, and the loss of life of the vulnerable is regrettable, no matter what the initial provocation. But that is another conversation. Maybe being a pedant allows me to have some slight variants to the pronouncements of the ICJ. The ICJ unequivocally stated there is prima facie evidence of genocide committed by Israel. That allowed for rejoicing by the South African…

I have a few questions for the leader of the Referendum Party, Phil Craig, who hopes to take about 10 % of the vote away from the DA in the 2024 provincial election in order to force it to hold a referendum on the issue of Western Cape independence: 1) How will an independent Western Cape prevent ANC supporters – who already constitute about 30% of the WC population – from crossing the border, gaining a majority and voting to reunite with the rest of South Africa? Will the WC spend billions of rand on building a wall that stretches, like the Great Wall of China, for hundreds of kilometres? If not, how will it know whether (black) ‘’immigrants’’ from the Eastern Cape entered its territory before, or after, independence…

THE Western Cape has been identified as among the top three provinces with the highest incidents involving mass killings. David Bruce, independent researcher and Institute for Security Studies consultant said the number of incidents in which three or more people were killed in 2022 was 140% higher than in 2019/20. “Together with major increases in the murder rate, these killings highlight a significant shift in violent crime, characterised by the rise of firearm use and entrenched organised crime, particularly in some provinces.” He was commenting after five members of a Pietermaritzburg family were killed last Wednesday. The family including a 85-year-old woman, her 45-year-old daughter and her three children, 11-year-old twins and a nine-year-old were murdered with an axe. Two men were arrested. Bruce added that the provinces where multiple…

THIS year’s elections will leave opposition parties yearning for more than they could get from the results when the ANC emerges victorious. Among the many factors that will make the ANC win is the lack of coherent and substantive opposition, and popular politics, ie, the now-vague anti-corruption campaign, with no concrete plans on how to arrest graft. Out of 15 863 558 voters in 2004, the ANC won 10 880 915 (69.7%), leaving the opposition parties to scramble with 30.3% of the votes. This was a decisive victory for the party and confidence in President Thabo Mbeki, notwithstanding popular claims that the second administration was aloof. An important lesson from the 2004 victory is that South Africans are people of substance as far as politics is concerned. That is why…

Heavy fighting raged in Gaza yesterday amid a fierce row over the UN agency for Palestinian refugees that has called its future into question. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on donor states to guarantee the flow of vital aid to Gaza after several halted funding to the agency, UNRWA, over Israeli claims that some of its staff participated in the October 7 attacks. The Israeli army said special forces were continuing to engage in “intensive battles” in Gaza’s main southern city of Khan Yunis, where it said troops eliminated “terrorists and located large quantities of weapons”. Strikes were also carried out in central and northern Gaza, it added. As heavy fighting sent more people fleeing south towards the Egyptian border, the row over the UNRWA aid agency for Palestinian…

The far-right AfD party faced its first electoral test yesterday after huge protests swept across Germany against the anti-immigration group over revelations of debates about mass expulsions of foreigners. Over a million people marched in cities from Hamburg to Dresden to Stuttgart in protest at the Alternative for Germany party during recent days and tens of thousands poured into the streets again on Saturday. Yesterday’s run-off vote in eastern Thuringia for a district administrator is the first election since the Potsdam meeting. The vote in the Saale-Orla district – in a state that is one of the AfD’s strongholds – pits the party’s Uwe Thrum against the conservative CDU’s Christian Herrgott. Thrum came in top with 45.7% while Herrgott obtained only 33.3% in the first round. If Thrum prevails,…

Tehran: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards yesterday seized a foreign oil tanker carrying 2 million litres of “smuggled fuel” near the country’s southern coast, reports said. The ship “was seized in accordance with a court order”, the agency said, quoting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Haidar Honaryan. Fourteen crew members were also arrested, he noted, saying they were nationals of “two Asian countries”, without specifying which. Iran, a major oil producer, has among the cheapest petrol prices in the world, which encourages fuel trafficking. Iranian forces regularly target tankers illegally transporting fuel in the Gulf. | AFP…

Colombo: Suspected Somali pirates have boarded and hijacked a Sri Lankan fishing trawler with six crew in the latest attack against shipping in the Indian Ocean, Colombo’s navy said yesterday. “Our information is they were captured by Somali pirates,” said Sri Lankan navy spokesperson Gayan Wickramasuriya, adding the Lorenzo Putha-4 was seized on Saturday 840 nautical miles southeast of the Somali capital Mogadishu. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have launched attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden targeting Israeli-linked vessels in response to the Gaza war. Naval forces have been diverted north from the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea, sparking fears of resurgent pirate attacks. | AFP…

JUSTICE and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola has provisionally suspended Pietermaritzburg senior magistrate Ashin Singh pending confirmation of his suspension by Parliament. Lamola revealed Singh’s provisional suspension in a letter to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. “Having received a number of complaints against him, the Magistrates Commission on the prima facie evidence at its disposal resolved to summarily charge him with misconduct. “A charge sheet, dated 27 September 2023, containing four counts of misconduct, was duly served on Mr Singh,” Lamola wrote in his letter dated December 18, 2023. He said it was alleged that Singh sent inappropriate, concerning and threatening WhatsApp messages to journalists in July last year following publication of a story with a headline calling on the Magistrates Commission to probe KZN’s alleged murky immersion in spying…

No basis for Israeli claims that actions in compliance with international law, maintains SA THE landmark International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling showed the overwhelming evidence brought by South Africa in its case of genocide against Israel could not be ignored, a legal expert explained, as several countries called for adherence to international law at the weekend. The ICJ on Friday issued a ruling in South Africa's request for provisional measures against Israel. The ICJ ruled that Israel must, “in accordance with its obligations under the Genocide Convention, in relation to Palestinians in Gaza, take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of this convention, in particular: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to…

THE SA Social Services Agency (Sassa) has been embroiled in controversies involving significant systemic failures in the administration of payments, and allegations of fraud and corruption. We were barely two weeks into 2024 and the agency was already making headlines in the worst way – once again for letting down our most vulnerable citizens. These are citizens for whom grants are crucial to their survival. More than 150 000 beneficiaries did not receive their January payments due to yet another “glitch”, as Sassa could not “verify their banking details, provided when beneficiaries were applying for grants or changing their methods of payments”. This is, however, nothing new and has been an ongoing issue for years – with technical glitches plaguing the agency – and it seems to be a never-ending…

THE International Criminal Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza. The world’s highest court, using careful but at the same time damning language, agreed unequivocally that the warning signs of genocide are dominant. The ICJ’s ruling will correctly be read as a condemning judgment, not only for apartheid Israel, but also for its alliance partners like the US, UK, France, and Germany on whose financial, economic and military support the Israeli regime justifies and defends the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the occupation of Palestine. As predicted, the ICJ judges tried their best to follow a “middle path” and play a balancing act. While on the one hand acknowledging, repeating and endorsing the entire case that South Africa presented, the judges, on the…

Two fishermen were killed while a third survived when their small fishing boat capsized on a shallow bank at Grootvlei, Lamberts Bay. NSRI Lamberts Bay station commander Avril Mocke said duty crew were activated. This followed reports from police of a boat that had capsized with three local fishermen on board on Friday morning. Police, Disaster Risk Management, EMS and an NSRI rescue craft, among others, responded to the scene. “On arrival on the scene it was determined that a Kreefte Bakkie (small open fishing boat) had capsized. “This happened close inshore on a shallow bank while the men were fishing. “All three men had been thrown into the water. “The crew on a fellow fishing boat was able to rescue one man from the water. “They then raised the…

South Africa’s historic victory at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has raised hopes and rekindled the international community’s commitment to the Palestinian cause. The court’s measures, although falling short of a call for a ceasefire, offers significant progress in addressing the plight of the Palestinian people. South Africa’s win, which was celebrated across the world, serves as a crucial stepping stone towards justice, peace and stability in Gaza. One of the most important benefits of South Africa’s triumph is the potential for enhanced humanitarian support and relief efforts for the people of Palestine. The court’s decision paves the way for increased humanitarian assistance, facilitating vital aid to reach those most affected by the ongoing conflict. The measures imposed by the court encourage states and the international community to bolster…

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal was visiting a cattle farm yesterday, his office said, as agricultural unions prepare to mount a “siege” on the French capital to pressure the government into meeting their demands on pay, tax and regulations. The leaders of two of France’s largest farming unions said Saturday that members from the regions around Paris “will begin an indefinite siege of the capital”. “All the major roads leading to the capital will be occupied by farmers,” they added. Farmers from the Lot-et-Garonne region, one of the hotspots of the protest movement in southern France, had already announced their intention to “go to Paris” on Monday. They intend to blockade the massive Rungis wholesale food market south of the capital. French farmers are furious at what they say is…

New Delhi: Afghan men have limited options when visiting the barbershop if they do not want to be accused of walking away looking like a trendy Westerner or a North Korean dictator, reports said. No haircuts that make them look like an “infidel” are allowed. No trimmed eyebrows. And no shaved faces or beards shorter than the optimal length, the report said. Any of those styles are considered a fashion sin, according to new rules for barbers issued by the Taliban. The rules appeared to single out the hairstyle of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, whose head is shaved on the sides and back, and topped with longer hair. | IANS…

Karachi: Pakistani police detained at least two dozen supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan yesterday as they tried to rally in the country’s biggest city ahead of elections next month. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has been severely hamstrung ahead of the February 8 poll, with rallies banned, its party symbol taken away, and dozens of candidates rejected from eligibility to stand. Yesterday, PTI officials urged supporters to rally despite police withdrawing or declining permission for the gatherings. Around 2 000 gathered in Karachi, where AFP correspondents saw about two dozen PTI supporters detained by police and taken away in trucks. | AFP…