Table of contents for 2024-11-15 in Cape Times

Life often presents situations where one must grant another person authority to act on their behalf. These scenarios may include physical incapacity due to illness, extended travel abroad, or delegating property management to an agent. A general power of attorney, as the term suggests, empowers the appointed agent to perform a broad range of legal actions on behalf of the principal. This includes opening bank accounts, entering into contracts, overseeing business affairs, and ensuring seamless management during the principal’s absence or incapacity. In South Africa, there is no standardised form for a power of attorney, making it crucial to seek expert guidance to ensure the document accurately reflects the powers you intend to grant. The power of attorney must identify both the principal and the agent and explicitly outline the…

A TIP-OFF led authorities to an unlicensed food manufacturing operation in the Mfuleni area, processing and packing sausages in unhygienic conditions. The discovery comes as authorities are cracking down on food safety amid pesticide related deaths. Safety and Security mayco member, JP Smith said: “After receiving a tip, the authorities launched a joint operation involving SAPS Crime Intelligence, city officials, and City Health staff, along with investigators from the City's Strategic Information Management Service. Upon inspecting the premises on November 13, they discovered sausage being processed and packaged in unsanitary conditions. “The facility was processing and packaging sausages in unhygienic conditions, posing a significant health risk to consumers. The premises has been declared a crime scene, and forensics experts are processing the contents and confiscating food samples for further testing.”…

BEING the role model she never had is what inspired 24-year-old Jessica van der Merwe to write the book “Broken and Beautiful” about her experience living with cerebral palsy. In South Africa, around 3.3 million individuals have been identified as persons with disabilities. This year’s Disability Rights Awareness Month (DRAM) is celebrated under the theme “Celebrating 30 Years of Democracy: Creating a Disability-Inclusive Society for a Better Quality of Life and Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.” Van der Merwe, a Stellenbosch university student from Somerset West, said the book came about as an outlet during a long hospital stay last year. She was 18-months-old when she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. “I have spastic cerebral palsy and I am hemiplegic on one side of my body, my…

At least 19 people currently housed in the Riverlands POP Centre following the devastation of three dams collapsing in the Swartland municipality, must vacate the space by the end of this month. This after they were served with a notice to vacate the centre for a social development department inspection for a feeding scheme to continue operating there. The Swartland municipality says materials will be made available to the affected people by month end. Riverlands Steering Committee spokesperson, Ralph Burger, said residents were unable to start picking up the pieces of their lives and had not received any materials to rebuild their homes. “The social development department needs to come do an inspection at the centre for the feeding scheme to continue. The owners of the building need to prepare…

Ten years after the last Spud book, John van de Ruit has given fans what they have been waiting for – a look at Spud Milton in adulthood. Spud: The Reunion takes readers back into the world of the bumbling character, now facing the challenges of adult life. Instead readers find a 28-year-old Spud confronting a “one-third” life crisis, grappling with a stalled theatre career, romantic misfires and the embarrassment of moving back with his family. The story kicks off with a reunion invitation, reigniting memories for Spud and revealing just how far he hasn’t come. Still without a girlfriend, a steady income, or any real direction, Spud finds himself reluctantly thrown back into the company of the Crazy Eight. But adulthood has put distance between them and Spud’s hesitance…

It has been a difficult week for South African sport. Despite the Springboks beating Scotland by 17 points in Edinburgh last Sunday, they received criticism from the British press for daring to use their famous “Bomb Squad” tactic. Then Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos said if they didn’t qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations, he would be on the first flight back to his native Belgium. To add to the pressure on local football, Safa president Danny Jordaan – along with CFO Gronie Hluyo and businessman Trevor Neethling – appeared in court on Wednesday on charges of fraud and theft amounting to R1.3 million. Later that day, it was the Proteas’ turn to feel the heat. After beating India in Gqeberha on Sunday, they were smashed to all…

India’s government banned non-essential construction in New Delhi, the world’s most polluted capital, and urged residents to avoid burning coal for heating, to combat worsening air quality that has disrupted flights and obscured the Taj Mahal. The new measures, which include sprinkling water with dust suppressants on roads, as well as mechanised sweeping that would help settle dust, will come into effect from today. Delhi’s Chief Minister Atishi, who uses only one name, also directed all primary schools to shift to online classes. They also include a ban on non-essential construction and an appeal to citizens to use more public transport and avoid using coal and wood for heating, a government release said yesterday, without saying how long the measures would be in place. Air quality in Northern India has…

BAKU: A task force led by France, Kenya, and Barbados proposes taxing plastics and cryptocurrencies to boost climate finance for developing countries. Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley stated at the UN’s COP29 climate talks that “Global Solidarity Levies” could generate hundreds of billions of dollars from polluting industries. The report suggests levies on private jet fuel, frequent flyers, and windfall fossil fuel profits. It estimates that a cryptocurrency levy could raise $5.2 billion due to high energy demands from crypto mining. Additionally, a tax on plastics could yield $25bn to $35bn annually, aiding efforts to combat plastic pollution. | AFP…

BEIRUT: A senior Lebanese official has signalled that Hezbollah is ready to pull its forces away from the Lebanese-Israeli border in any ceasefire, while rejecting Israel’s demand for freedom to act against the Iran-backed group in the future. Pressing its offensive against Hezbollah yesterday, Israel launched airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs for a third consecutive day, levelling more buildings in the area controlled by the group. Ali Hassan Khalil said Lebanon was ready to “precisely” implement a UN Security Council resolution that ended a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, but said “no Lebanese … would accept Israel having freedom of movement in Lebanon”. | Reuters…

London: London mayor Sadiq Khan has accused US President-elect Donald Trump of criticising him because of his “ethnicity” and Muslim faith. The pair became embroiled in a war of words during Trump’s first presidency, initially sparked by Khan speaking out against a US travel ban on people from certain Muslim countries. Trump then accused Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital when he was elected in 2016, of doing a “very bad job on terrorism” and called him a “loser” and “very dumb”. The mayor then allowed a blimp of Trump dressed as a baby in a nappy to fly above protests in London during a 2018 UK visit. “If I wasn’t this colour skin, if I wasn’t a practising Muslim, he wouldn’t have come for me,” Khan…

South Africa was greylisted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in February 2023 for failing to meet international standards on money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing. The FATF is an intergovernmental body that assesses countries’ ability to combat illicit financial activity. Remaining on the FATF’s greylist would negatively impact all South Africans, both reputationally and economically. The government is, therefore, making a concerted effort to exit the greylist in early 2025, two years after we have been greylisted. One of the outstanding action items that must be addressed for the last scheduled reporting cycle, concluding in February 2025, is timely access to beneficial ownership information concerning companies and trusts. Government’s reaction to greylisting reaping benefits for South Africans Although many South Africans (including trustees and trust service providers)…

THE Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) failure to comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act last year means the matric class of 2024 will not see their National Senior Certificate (NSC) results published in newspapers. According to the Information Regulator of South Africa (IR), an Infringement Notice and an Enforcement Notice were issued to the department on November 4. This is after the regulator’s assessment found that the department was in breach of the conditions for the lawful processing of personal information by failing to obtain consent for the publication of matric results from the learners or that of parents and guardians of the grade 12s that sat for the 2023 NSC exams. “The IR found that no legal justification existed for the DBE to continue with the publication…

Government blamed for causing illegal mining crisis through poor policies AS five illegal miners resurfaced yesterday and a partly decomposed body brought out of an old mine in Stilfontein, North West, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) confirmed it had received a complaint over the ongoing Operation Vala Umgodi. According to the Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa, Operation Vala Umgodi, while effective in combating illegal mining, the treatment of migrants, often victims of abuse, has sparked controversy. “Critics argue that instead of criminalising irregular migrant workers in informal mining, the state should help them in exiting their condition of vulnerability,” stated the organisation. National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said circumstances leading to the death of the illegal miner were under investigation. “A third illegal miner resurfaced just…

All Dhal’d Up Kamini Pather Loot.co.za (R319) Penguin Random House Kamini Pather first made her mark on the South African culinary scene as a participant and winner of the second series of MasterChef South Africa. Since then, her life and cuisine journey has taken her down various paths, and although she always remains grounded and grateful to her heritage, she is not solely defined by it. As Kamini herself says, “All Dhal’d Up is a collection of ancestrally-derived recipes that have been updated through ingredients and techniques – the old world has been given some fancy.” The concept of good-mood food leans gently into health, while ‘Indian-ish’ is a perfect nod to her ancestry, but fused with other cultures and their influence on the food she likes to eat. So…

Excitement mounts as we count down to the best reunion yet. The author of the popular Spud series, John van de Ruit, will launch Spud: The Reunion at Exclusive Books, V&A Waterfront, next week Wednesday at 6.30pm. We caught up with Van de Ruit to chat about what readers can look forward to in his latest edition. Q: It has been a decade since we last caught up with Spud Milton and the Crazy Eight. What inspired you to revisit these characters and their stories after so many years? A: It’s a good question and there’s more than one answer. Creatively, the idea had been ticking over since Covid times, but it only became a concrete reality in May last year. The reason I had been mulling a return…

The petition against Chris Brown’s concert has ignited a debate on women’s rights WOMEN For Change has created a very important petition, calling for the cancellation of the upcoming Chris Brown concert. Chris Brown has been accused of violence against women several times, with the 2009 abuse of Rihanna being the most notable example. The Women for Change petition has been polarising, with some celebrating the activism and support for women, even when it seems “unpopular” to do so. Others have rushed to social media to defend the American singer, sharing their excitement about attending the concert. The sad reality is the Women For Change campaign is unlikely to succeed given that the concert tickets sold out in a matter of hours. South Africa prioritises profit over everything, over social…

Citrus growers in South Africa are among the businesses most nervous that duty- and quota-free exports to the US could be scrapped next year when Donald Trump returns to the White House. The fruits are among 1 800 products across 32 African countries benefiting from preferential market access under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), with companies in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana reaping the most dollars in profits. But with US president-elect Trump having vowed to impose at least a 10% tariff on all imports to the US, there is no certainty that Agoa will be renewed. Analysts say the legislation, passed in 2000 and set to expire next year, could be modified if not withdrawn altogether, with potential negative ramifications for companies and jobs across Africa.…

Senegal will vote in legislative elections on Sunday that will determine whether the new president and government can gain control over the national assembly and push through their agenda for reforms. The high stakes in the election are threatening to spark renewed unrest following a period of calm. The run-up to the presidential election in March saw some of the worst violence in the country’s recent history. Campaigning has grown heated in recent days and comes at a precarious time for the new government, which is navigating a spiralling fiscal crisis that could undermine its ability to deliver on promises to boost the economy and create jobs. Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said this week that his supporters had come under attack and urged them to take revenge. He has also…

Nairobi: The AU’s health watchdog said yesterday that it had endorsed an mpox test from Morocco, hailing it as a “major milestone” to help combat the outbreak on the continent. The announcement comes three months after the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency. The CDC said yesterday that it has recommended what it described as the first locally produced real-time PCR test for mpox from Morocco. It said the test quickly detects pathogen DNA in blood, saliva or tissue, and that the CDC approval underscored its “reliability and efficacy”. | AFP…

ANKARA: Türkiye was offered partner country status by the BRICS group of nations, Trade Minister Omer Bolat said, as Ankara continues what it calls its efforts to balance its Eastern and Western ties. Türkiye, a Nato member, has in recent months voiced interest in joining the BRICS group of emerging economies, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. Ankara sees the BRICS group as an opportunity to further economic co-operation with member states. Turkish officials have said potential membership of BRICS would not affect Türkiye’s responsibilities to the Western military alliance. | Reuters…

Astral Foods announced yesterday that its chief operating officer Gary Arnold would be appointed CEO from February 1, 2025 following the retirement of Chris Schutte from the position on January 30, 2025, at the annual general meeting (AGM). The board announced Schutte’s retirement on August 8, 2024, and that a successor was being sought. “Following the completion of a robust replacement process by the Nomination Committee, the board is pleased to announce the appointment of Gary Arnold as Astral’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 February 2025,” the integrated poultry producing group said in a JSE regulatory notice. Arnold is currently serving as the group COO, as well as an executive director since 2012, and has worked alongside Schutte for many years. He started his career in 1997 as animal…

PROVINCIAL and national government departments owe municipalities a whopping R29.4 billion in rates and services, says Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa. “All departments should pay what is due to municipalities. “How do we expect municipalities to be able to pay Eskom and water boards if the government both at provincial and national levels is not paying what is due to municipalities,” Hlabisa said. He was responding to an oral question from ANC MP Phumelele Ndamase, who asked what his department intended to do to support the National Treasury and the Water and Sanitation Department to resolve the debt municipalities owed to water boards. “This is a vicious cycle. The municipalities are owed by departments, nationally and provincially. If you want municipalities to pay for water, departments must…

1 coil Championship Boerewors Thick Boerewors 2 x 400g ready rolled puff pastry 250g sweet chilli cream cheese 2 cups chakalaka (homemade or store-bought) 1 cup grated cheddar cheese 1 egg; whisked Divide boerewors into four equal pieces, then roll to form mini boerie coils, use a wooden skewer to secure. Cook boerewors on the braai or as desired. Set aside to cool. Cut four circles out of each pastry sheet, save off cuts for decorating later. Spread cream cheese (leaving a space around the edge) onto four of the circles, top with chakalaka, then wors, then cheese. Brush edge with egg wash, then top with the other pastry. Crimp edges with a fork to seal, then brush the top with egg wash. Decorate as desired with the pastry off…

Braai Reuben Riffel Loot.co.za (R359) Quivertree Reuben Riffel shares his secrets on how to get to flavour quicker, without the fuss. I think every chef has a dream of how they’d cook for people in an ideal world… for me my dream scenario is definitely cooking with fire. There’s a happiness that goes with cooking on a fire, a freedom and festive feel to it, that is what I love about it. This book is about flavours first, the simplicity of cooking over fire. “It’s not about how to braai, the technical stuff… rather just to share my enjoyment of cooking, and to encourage you to play and experiment with cooking over fire. You don’t have to be an expert braaimaster and slave over hot coals for hours. I like…

AS THE 29th Conference of the Parties (COP 29) under the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), got under way in Baku, Azerbaijan, earlier this week, it is difficult not to be cynical about a process which has been evolving for three decades since its governing treaty came into force in 1994. The COP process has come under intense scrutiny over the past four conferences in Glasgow, Sharm El Sheikh, Dubai and now Baku, with Belem to follow in 2025 – all in countries with large fossil fuel dependent economies and development agendas, which has raised questions about their suitability and efficacy to host such global events convened to tackle some of the most defining challenges facing humanity. Lest we get bogged down by the…

Typhoon Usagi slammed into the Philippines’ already disaster-ravaged north yesterday, as authorities rushed to evacuate thousands of people from flood-prone areas. The fifth storm to strike the country in just three weeks, Usagi made landfall in the town of Baggao in Cagayan province, packing winds of 175km/h the national weather service said. The brutal wave of weather disasters has already killed 159 people and prompted the UN to request $32.9 million (R600m) in aid for the worst-affected regions. The national weather agency had initially raised its highest storm alert, but downgraded to its second-highest as Usagi made landfall. It weakened to 165km/h as it ploughed north to the municipality of Gonzaga and open waters beyond it. Baggao police said no casualties or substantial damage were immediately reported, while 28 residents…

Ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s said in a lawsuit filed yesterday that parent company Unilever had silenced its attempts to express support for Palestinian refugees and threatened to dismantle its board and sue its members over the issue. The lawsuit is the latest sign of the long-simmering tensions between Ben & Jerry’s and consumer products maker Unilever. A rift erupted between the two in 2021 after Ben & Jerry’s said it would stop selling its products in the Israeli-occupied West Bank because it was inconsistent with its values, a move that led some investors to divest Unilever shares. The ice cream maker then sued Unilever for selling its business in Israel to its licensee there, which allowed marketing in the West Bank and Israel to continue. That lawsuit…

Rome: Investigators have broken up a mafia-linked crime ring carrying out VAT fraud in Europe, issuing around 40 arrest warrants and seizing goods worth €520 million, Italian prosecutors said yesterday. A judge in Milan ordered the crackdown on the ring for cross-border VAT fraud via the sale of computer and IT equipment, and for laundering the profits. Those responsible had issued false bills totalling €1.3 billion. Police in several European countries as well as the United Arab Emirates are also carrying out raids and seizing goods in connection with the case.The judge accused the leaders of the network of “favouring association with criminal mafia groups”. | AFP…

LIMA: US President Joe Biden headed to South America yesterday for a curtain call with global leaders, but incoming US President Donald Trump was likely to be the focus of many meetings. Biden was to hold private meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the heads of Japan, South Korea and Brazil during the summits of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) in Peru and the Group of 20 leading economies, or G20, in Brazil. The meetings are not expected to yield any major new agreements. | Reuters…

Following South Africa’s 11-run defeat in Centurion on Wednesday night, India currently lead the four-match series 2-1 heading into today’s final T20 International at the Wanderers in Johannesburg (5pm start). Cricket writer Ongama Gcwabe highlights three things the Proteas need to do to win the match and level the series at the Bullring... Top-order runs The elephant in the room has been addressed at length throughout the week: the Proteas top-order has been quiet all series. Apart from Tristan Stubbs, who bats at No 4, the rest of the top-order have had a horrid series, a situation that has led to South Africa being on the edge of falling to their fifth T20I series loss. Despite the starts that openers Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks have had, they are yet…