Indice dei contenuti per 2021-07-07 in Cape Times

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za ANGLOGOLD Ashanti yesterday shot up 3.5 percent in intra-day trade after the miner named Alberto Calderon as its new chief executive. Calderon is a seasoned mining executive who served as chief executive at Australian-based commercial explosives maker Orica from 2015 until he stepped down in February this year. He was previously a senior executive at BHP, the global mining and metals giant, and was also chief executive of Colombia’s Cerrejón Coal Company. AngloGold said Calderon would assume the position in September. AngloGold’s chairperson, Maria Ramos, said the appointment followed a comprehensive global search in which it considered several excellent candidates. “We are confident that, in Alberto, we have the right person to lead this company forward and realise its outstanding potential, drawing on his huge leadership…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za THE Presidency has come under criticism from the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) for pulling out of the meeting to deal with the Digital Vibes report after it was finalised by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU). Scopa chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said yesterday that acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni had pulled out because she had to attend the meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC). But Ntshavheni had before the Scopa meeting started communicated to Hlengwa that they could not discuss the SIU reports as they were not final reports. The Digital Vibes scandal has dogged the government for months and Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has taken a leave of absence. Hlengwa said they had sent correspondence indicating the SIU reports, including Digital Vibes,…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za THE families of victims who lost their lives in the Struggle for liberation have accused apartheid president FW de Klerk of apartheid denialism. This was after the De Klerk Foundation released a statement stating that “amnesty was, from the outset, a sine qua non (an essential condition) for the negotiations between the ANC and the National Party government”, in response to the recent announcement by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Hawks of plans to reopen outstanding cases of apartheid atrocities. The Apartheid Family Victims Group (AFVG), which consists of families of freedom fighters including Imam Abdullah Haron, Ashley Kriel, Anton Frans, Steve Biko and Robert Waterwitch, said they would like to remind De Klerk of an “inconvenient truth”. “It appears from this statement that Mr…

Ingredients Method ¾ cup white sugar 2 tbs butter softened 2 eggs beaten 1 cup desiccated coconut 1 cup self raising flour For the chocolate sauce 2 tbs cocoa 1 cup icing sugar 3 tbs boiling water 1 tbs butter melted For the sponge Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Cream together the sugar and butter. Add in the self-raising flour and eggs, and mix into a thick cake batter. Pour batter into a large square baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden on top. Test with a wooden skewer and if it comes out clean, it’s ready. Allow the sponge to cool on a baking tray before cutting into squares or rectangles For the chocolate sauce Mix together the icing sugar, cocoa, melted butter and…

Staff writer A STUDY led by a University of Pretoria (UP) master’s student, using South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope, has led to the discovery of a group of 20 galaxies. It is the first time this group has been identified, despite being in a very well-studied area of space, and is likely the most neutral hydrogen gas-rich group ever discovered. The research was led by Shilpa Ranchod, an MSc student at UP’s Department of Physics, supervised by Professor Roger Deane, founder of the UP Radio Astronomy Research Group. “The distribution of neutral hydrogen gas in these galaxies has revealed interesting, disturbed morphologies suggesting that these galaxies are group members and are being influenced by their cosmic neighbours in the group. “For example, we found an interacting pair of galaxies that will…

Lisa Isaacs lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za THE public protector is investigating a complaint over the City’s payment of criminally accused councillor Nora Grose’s legal bills. This as the City, accused of also covering the costs of personal protection for Grose, yesterday said the embattled councillor had received threats in May and the matter was reported to police as well as the City’s VIP Unit. The public protector’s investigation follows a complaint from Good Party secretary-general Brett Herron, who said the DA-led City had to explain paying both legal and bodyguard costs to defend Grose, despite the DA previously challenging the government for paying former president Jacob Zuma’s legal bills. The subcouncil chairperson of Atlantis is currently out on R10 000 bail for allegations of misappropriation of funds involving R171 778 that she is…

ANA Reporter THE National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has categorised recovered Covid-19 patients who continue to show symptoms for 28 days or more after the infection as having long-Covid syndrome. According to a statement released by the NICD, the common symptoms that persist include fatigue, cough, headaches and loss of smell. A study in the UK reported that prolonged symptoms were present in 13% of its patients at one month, 5% of patients at month two and 2% at three months. “The severity of the initial disease is also predictive of long Covid, with hospitalised patients and those with abnormal chest auscultation at presentation being more likely to have persistent symptoms at days 30 and 60,” read the NICD statement. It further stated that some symptoms may only start…

THE SAPS should be commended for having exercised restraint and avoiding a potential bloodbath outside former president Jacob Zuma’s homestead at Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, over the weekend. Some of Zuma’s supporters clearly broke the law. They gathered outside his home beyond the minimum number of people allowed, failed to wear masks, in violation of the country’s alert level 4 lockdown regulations, and allegedly discharged firearms in public. Legitimately so, the police have been criticised, mocked and accused in some quarters of exercising a selective application of the law. In response to the criticism, Police Minister Bheki Cele said they had decided to exercise restraint to save lives, despite provocation by some of Zuma’s supporters. He said that at least 100 people among the crowd, mobilised from hostels, were heavily armed and…

LEBANON is a few days away from a social explosion, caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab warned yesterday, calling on the international community to save a country in deep economic crisis. The World Bank has called Lebanon’s crisis one of the worst depressions of modern history. The currency has lost more than 90% of its value and more than half of the population has been propelled into poverty. Anger over fuel shortages has spilled into fights at petrol stations and the prime minister appeared to be warning of more unrest. “Lebanon is a few days away from the social explosion. The Lebanese are facing this dark fate alone,” Diab said in a speech at a meeting with ambassadors and representatives of diplomatic missions in Beirut. Diab has been serving in a…

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump grew concerned with the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell at the end of his presidential term, fearing she might somehow embroil him in the scandal related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, a new book by Michael Wolff claims. “Has she said anything about me?”, Wolff claims Trump asked at the time. Wolff’s book, Landslide, claims Trump considered including Maxwell on his list of presidential pardons but she didn’t receive it. Epstein, accused of sex trafficking, was also on good terms with Bill Gates and ex-president Bill Clinton. He killed himself in prison.…

London: Appeal court judges in London yesterday overturned the convictions of three black men for attempting to rob a corrupt police officer nearly half a century ago. This followed a referral by a criminal cases review commission. The three men, all aged between 17 and 20 at the time, and three friends were accused of trying to rob Detective Sergeant Derek Ridgewell in 1972 on the London Underground. All bar one of “The Stockwell Six” were convicted, largely on the word of Ridgewell, who died of a heart attack in prison in 1982. The accused said he’d lied. The two remaining members who were convicted have not yet been traced.…

Manila: Philippine security forces have retrieved the cockpit voice and flight data recorders of a military aircraft that crashed in a coconut grove and killed 53 people, a top commander said yesterday. The C-130 Hercules transport plane was carrying 96 people, mostly army graduates, when it overshot the runway on Sunday on landing on Jolo island in the southern Sulu province. Witnesses and survivors told investigators the plane landed “hard” and then bounced twice before taking off again, said Lieutenant General Corleto Vinluan, chief of the Western Mindanao Command.…

WORLD number one Ashleigh Barty outclassed compatriot Ajla Tomljanovic 6-1 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals on Friday and set up a meeting with 2018 champion Angelique Kerber. In the first all-Australian women's grand slam quarter-final since the 1980 Wimbledon championships, the 25-year-old Barty produced a calm and composed display on Centre Court. Tomljanovic, who battled past British wildcard Emma Raducanu the night before to reach her first grand slam quarter-final, was nowhere to be seen in a one-sided first set. But the 28-year-old did make more of a match of it in the second, breaking the Barty serve twice. Barty always had another level though and ended Tomljanovic's resistance in little over an hour. In an earlier match, former Wimbledon champion Kerber of Germany put in a strong show…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za THE government’s Covid-19 temporary employer/employee relief scheme (Ters) will resume later this month for workers negatively affected by the level four restrictions put in place a week ago. Parties at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) have agreed to resuscitate Ters in principle, according to Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla. He told Independent Media that Ters would be revived to focus on restricted sectors such as vulnerable workers in the liquor, tourism, hospitality, restaurant and travel industries. “This principled agreement is going to the Cabinet and the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) for final approval in the next few days,” Pamla said. He added that applications should start on July 19 and payments on July 26. ”We’ve asked them to see if they can’t bring this…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za SEXUAL assault-accused traffic chief Farrel Payne will face no disciplinary action and will remain in his position after an internal investigation into the allegations against him. The provincial Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) found that there was “no prima facie evidence” against him. This, while Payne is currently out on bail of R5 000, facing criminal charges of sexual assault, crimen injuria and an attempt to commit a sexual act. He is expected to again appear in the Cape Town Regional Court on July 27. DPWI spokesperson Jandré Bakker said: “The DPWI, having carefully considered all the relevant facts, evidence and information relating to the allegations against a senior employee, concluded that there is no prima facie case to institute formal disciplinary action.” Bakker added…

Zanele Mvana zanele.mvana@inl.co.za A CLEANER society is a safer society, says the Gugulethu Igunya Neighbourhood Watch Federation. Yesterday, the organisation initiated a Mandela Month clean-up campaign. The federation represents more than 15 accredited neighbourhood watch groups and, in partnership with construction company Boon Africa, yesterday morning took it upon itself to pick up litter strewn across the area that has become a health hazard. Cleaning was started in Sections 1, 2 and 4 of the area, and is set to continue in other areas within the Gugulethu precinct. Community Policing Forum (CPF) chairperson Thembinkosi Mjuza said the initiative was influenced by Mandela Month and reviving the culture of people working together. “We have decided to do this clean-up project because these places have become dangerous to vulnerable children and the…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za THE DA-led City of Cape Town has defended the decision by its media office to include an old image of party leader John Steenhuisen at a City councillor sponsored event. Ahead of the October 27 municipal elections, opposition parties said this exposed the DA’s hypocrisy as its provincial chief whip, Mireille Wenger, recently complained about the ANC using its politicians in government radio messaging. “Now, the City of Cape Town has profiled DA leader John Steenhuisen in a City government communication,” said Good Party secretary-general Brett Herron. The City’s media office this week distributed a photograph of Steenhuisen alongside Mayco member for community and health services Zahid Badroodien, which was attached to a press release relating to the Culemborg Safe Space, marking a three-year milestone. The City…

Q: WE HAVE noted that many leaders from the political parties and the government in South Africa attended the celebrations of the centenary of the founding of the CPC (Chinese Communist Party) held by the Chinese Embassy in South Africa. Many of them fondly recalled and thanked the CPC for its support to South Africa’s national liberation movement. In the mid-20th century, the CPC gave strong support to Africa and other developing countries in their struggle for national liberation and independence. What do you think is the significance of this special friendship to the future development of China- Africa relations? A: The CPC strives for the well- being of the Chinese people and human progress. The Chinese and African peoples have supported and co-operated with each other in our respective…

Jakarta: Indonesia said yesterday it was importing emergency oxygen from neighbouring Singapore as hospitals crumbled under the weight of Covid-19, with the Delta variant continuing to wreak havoc around the globe. Faced with the threat of this highly infectious strain which continues to exact a heavy toll in human tragedies and disrupt sports events worldwide, the global vaccination drive is heating up. Yesterday, the US began sending Vietnam two million doses, part of a first batch of 80 million doses that President Joe Biden has pledged to allocate to countries struggling to tame the pandemic. Vaccines are seen as the main hope of breaking a cycle of economy-busting lockdowns in a pandemic that has killed close to four million people, according to an AFP compilation of official data. But concerns…

The public will be urged not to line the route of the Olympic marathon over fears crowds of fans could spread the coronavirus, Tokyo 2020 organisers said yesterday. With less than three weeks before the pandemic-postponed Games begin, concern is growing over a rebound in virus cases in Japan. “In view of the current Covid-19 situation, it will be necessary to reduce the risk of infection by restricting the movement of members of the public,” organisers said about the marathon and race walk events. “It has therefore been decided to ask the public to refrain from spectating along the course.” The marathon was at the centre of controversy in the original build-up to the 2020 Games, when it was moved to northern Sapporo from Tokyo to avoid the capital’s summer…

Washington: Seems like American singer-actor Jennifer Lopez is on cloud nine as she released Cambia el Paso, her new track with Rauw Alejandro, the title of which translates to “Change the Step”. In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, the 51-year-old singer discussed her latest single with Rauw, revealing that she feels she’s in the “best time of my life”, reported People magazine. “I’m super happy. I know people are always wondering ‘How are you? What’s going on? Are you okay?’ This is it. I’ve never been better,” said Lopez, who split from Alex Rodriguez earlier this year and is now dating ex-beau Ben Affleck. “I want my people who care about me – because I care about them so much – to know I’ve really gotten to a…

SINGAPORE: A Singapore court has tightened bail conditions for a businessman accused of involvement in a bogus, billion-dollar nickel trading scheme after the prosecution said plans were afoot to help him flee. Ng Yu Zhi, a former MD of trading companies Envy Global Trading and an inactive firm, Envy Asset Management, has been implicated by authorities in a scheme that raised at least S$1.5 billion (R21.4bn) from investors. Police had uncovered a plot involving at least three people to help Ng escape the city-state by land or sea, although the investigations did not show the extent of Ng’s involvement.…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za Being Quinton de Kock must be a tough existence. Everyday people look at him hoping that someone else will emerge. That the realisation that he’s been blessed with so much talent will manifest into some form of responsibility. That he won’t take things for granted. That he will ponder about life’s issues a bit more, give greater thought about a topic before commenting, and heaven forbid, be more socially aware. Fortunately, De Kock is smart enough to know that the people feeling that way are inadvertently projecting their own issues onto him. The same way he approaches his batting is the way he takes on life too. He keeps things simple. And this should not be interpreted as stupid. There’s a fundamental difference. When recently asked in…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za The Proteas have suffered a setback ahead of their maiden limited-overs tour of Ireland after fast bowler Sisanda Magala was ruled out through injury. Magala hurt his left ankle during the team's preparations in Grenada ahead of the departure to Ireland. Magala's withdrawal has opened the way for West Province's left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks to be retained in the squad for the Ireland tour. The 30-year-old will spend at least three to four weeks on the sidelines recovering. Magala's loss is a severe blow to the Proteas as he would most likely have come into the reckoning for either the three ODI's or three T20s against the Irish to played in Dublin and Belfast respectively. First-choice fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi are in…

Aishah Cassiem aishah.cassiem@inl VITOL has declared a force majeure to end operations at Sunrise Energy’s import terminal at Saldanha in the Western Cape as a result of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) shortages. Vitol said in a letter to its customers on June 28 that “it is with great regret that, due to unfavourable weather conditions in the port of Saldanha and at the MBM (multibuoy mooring system), our vessels that are scheduled to replenish stock at the import terminal have been delayed and that we were unable to replenish on LPG stock in tank at the facility.” Vitol’s Mariska de Jongh said the development forced the company to declare a force majeure since performances of the contract had been greatly affected by the weather conditions. Last August, Sunrise Energy’s facility…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za CRICKET SA Independent Director Norman Arendse has appealed to the CSA’s Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) project to provide a platform for ex-players who participated prior to unity to also have their experiences heard. Arendse, who is also a former CSA President and Lead Director, was speaking on the second day of CSA’s bid to tackle systemic issues around discrimination‚ racism and transformation within the sport. “I’ve played with great cricketers that have never had the opportunity to represent their country. The most recent one, who is my age, is Vincent Barnes. But some of the older players like Lefty Adams, Rushdie Magiet, the late Saait Magiet, Coetie Neethling, Archie Sonn, and so many more,” Arendse said at the live public hearing aired via YouTube. “They…

Kailene Pillay and Zelda Venter FORMER president Jacob Zuma is a repetitive, recalcitrant law-breaker whose application before the Pietermaritzburg High Court to further break the law should be rejected. That was the argument by advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, who represented the Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, in opposing Zuma’s bid to interdict the police from arresting him until his other urgent application to the Constitutional Court to rescind its contempt of court judgment is heard next week. Before the proceeding yesterday, it emerged that the SAPS had approached Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo to request guidance as to what to do, in light of the two legal challenges by Zuma not to be jailed. Acting on the instructions of Police Minister Bheki Cele and national police commissioner General…

Zanele Mvana zanele.mvana@inl.co.za REFORMED Mitchells Plain gangster Mark Jeneker continues using art to inspire learners at Portland Primary School. Principal Eleanor Braaf said his role in helping to identify at-risk children has became invaluable. “He’s doing art therapy with them,” Braaf said. “If I notice that a child is not okay emotionally we send them to him and he asks them to do a drawing, and based on the type of drawing and colours the pupil uses he will be able to distinguish what the problem is with pupil.” Jeneker said he loves what he does, having turned his life around more than a decade ago. “When I was released from prison in 1998, after being arrested for armed robbery and sentenced to five years, I decided to change my…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za AXED Western Cape head of detectives Major-General Jeremy Vearey has launched an urgent application at the Western Cape High Court to have his security re-instated with immediate effect as he fears for his safety. Hospitalised with Covid complications, Vearey said the urgency of the matter was due to his life being “in real danger” should he be discharged from hospital this week. Security for Vearey had been removed following his dismissal on grounds of misconduct for posts he made on social media. In his affidavit, Vearey has asked for the decision by provincial commissioner Thembisile Patekile to remove the security on June 24 to be reviewed and set aside. “Should the relief not be granted, it is highly probable that my life will be in danger as…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za DESPITE the growing number of informal taxi ranks owing to outdated ones, the City said it could not provide proposed new facilities at present. The issue came to light after Goodwood and Kensington residents became the latest to complain about an informal rank on the corners of Voortrekker Road and Jakes Gerwel Drive. In response to the complaints, the City said its Transport Enforcement unit had been deployed 16 times, issuing a total of 3 001 fines and impounding a total of 124 taxis without success. Taxi associations, however, said new and innovative facilities were needed to accommodate growing populations and modern commuter habits. City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said: “Prasa/Metrorail has indicated recently that new train sets – matching the passenger capacity there was before the rail…

2006. Ashwell Adriaan, a friend through the ages, suggested we write a book on black rugby in Makhanda. I was keen but kept wondering how we would go about writing this story. And then Ashwell showed me a scattering of five or six photographs. They just blew my mind. For there before my eyes was a history that stretched into the late 19th century. As photographs met memories, the barest outlines of past generations came to life. To think I had walked the streets of Joza and Ghost Town in the 1980s and never knew this history. It is no wonder that Barthes tells us 'photography has something to do with resurrection'. 2010. I was back at Rhodes University. How do you build an archive when your subjects are not…

Tropical Storm Elsa was moving past the Florida Keys yesterday heading towards the west coast of the state, where it was expected to make landfall today after dumping heavy rain over Cuba. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the centre of Elsa was about 104km west-northwest of Key West and moving in a north-northwest direction at 17km/h, with maximum sustained winds of 95km/h. A hurricane watch was in effect from Egmont Key, in the Tampa Bay region, to the Steinhatchee River some 290km north along the Gulf Coast. “Elsa could be near hurricane strength before it makes landfall in Florida,” the Miami-based weather forecaster said. After landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast, the storm is forecast to move north-northeastward across the southeast of the US until tomorrow, dropping 5-10cm of…

Hundreds of thousands of people who were victims of a volcanic eruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) North Kivu province in May, remain in urgent need, international aid and development agency Caritas Australia said yesterday. The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo on May 22 in Goma in the eastern DRC killed at least 32 people, displaced over 400 000 and destroyed more than 3 600 houses, as well as schools, markets and water infrastructure. “We’re supporting those displaced by the volcano with essential household items, food and shelter,” Bernice Sarpong, Caritas Australia’s programme co-ordinator for humanitarian emergencies, said in a state- ment. “We’re working with local government and our partners on the ground, with a focus on getting people back into their homes as soon as possible and…

MOSCOW: Activists of the Exploratory Movement of Russia have discovered the grave of civilians, who were killed by the Nazi soldiers in the city of Salsk, Rostov Region, during World War II. The remains of more than 30 people, including women and children, were found with traces of fractures and gunshot wounds. On Monday, the regional branch of the Federal Security Service (FSB) declassified materials testifying to the murders of Soviet citizens in Salsk, which was under Nazi control from July 31, 1942, to January 21, 1943. According to one of the documents, “systematic mass executions of civilians were carried out” in Salsk.…

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia yesterday said it rejected “unwelcome meddling” by the Arab League in a long-running dispute with Egypt and Sudan over a mega-dam on a tributary of the Nile River. This came as Egypt slammed the renewed filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and as the UN Security Council prepared to revisit the row tomorrow. The GERD, on the Blue Nile – and set to be Africa’s largest hydroelectric project – has sparked an almost decade-long diplomatic stand-off between Addis Ababa, Egypt and Sudan. Ethiopia says the project is key to its development, but Cairo and Khartoum fear it could shrink their water flow.…

MIHLALI BALEKA mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za SOUTH AFRICA(0)(1) Malinga 68’ BOTSWANA(0)(0) IT wasn’t pretty, even though there were moments of some eye-catching passing, but Bafana Bafana will take some positives from their Cosafa Cup opening performance after defeating neighbours Botswana 1-0 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium yesterday. In the opening game of the tournament in Gqeberha, Eswatini defeated neighbours Lesotho 3-1 as they climbed to the top of Group A. But a narrow win for Bafana ensured that the host nation started on a high note as well. Bafana are yet to recover from their epic failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations next year. But by winning the Cosafa Cup, they would show their intentions of turning over a new leaf. What is clear at this point is that…

Former Mariztburg United goalkeeper Bongani Mpandle is delighted to reunite with his former coach Eric Tinkler at Cape Town City. The Citizens announced the arrival of Mpandle just a day after also securing the services of former Bafana Bafana No 1 Darren Keet. City have needed to overhaul their goalkeeping department due to Peter Leeuwenburgh moving back home to the Netherlands to join Eredivisie side FC Groningen. They still do, though, also have Marc Anderson, who played out last season in Leeuwenburgh’s absence, on the club’s books. “I happy to be part of Cape Town City. I know coach Eric. I know his style of football that he likes to play. I think I can help the team achieve,” Mpandle said. The 28-year-old will most likely be City’s…