Indice dei contenuti per 2021-07-27 in Cape Times

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za TIGER Brands, the company whose polony factories were responsible for the highest listeriosis outbreaks four years ago, yesterday recalled 20 million canned vegetable products due to “an extremely small number of defective cans” from a packaging supplier. The recall was as a result of a weld defect that could lead to a leak and would likely be concluded in 120 days, the group said. It also estimated that the impact would be up to R650 million, including the cost of the potentially affected stock that may be written off, transport and storage costs, and the loss of margin on the returned stock. “Tiger Brands has product recall insurance for the logistics of recalling the products. The company’s claim under the contract with the third-party supplier…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE RAND FELL to a four-month low yesterday as investors continued to worry about the global economic recovery amid the ongoing waves of Covid-19. The rand galloped to the psychologically significant mark of R15 to the dollar, continuing last week’s slippery slope, in spite of the easing of the lockdown restrictions, before recovering by 0.8 percent to R14.82 by just after 5pm. The rand also ignored recent factors positive for the currency, such as the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) keeping interest rates on hold last week, as well as the ramping up of the vaccine roll-out by the government. Analysts said dovish comments from the SARB last week continued to weigh on the rand, while President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of the move to level 3 failed…

From page 1 Codeta spokesperson Andile Khanyi said the association had hoped that the meeting would be successful and operations would be fully back to normal for both taxi associations. Instead their members came back reporting to have escaped a hail of bullets on the N2 highway, he said. “The meeting came out very late at night and we were updated about the proposals that might assist. However, we were shocked that our members were attacked by unknown people, just after joining the N2. “Fortunately, no one was injured. It has been agreed that, moving forward, the meetings will be conducted virtually for safety reasons,” said Khanyi. The meeting is to find an interim solution that can ensure the safe return of operations for affiliates not affected by closed ranks…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-leigh.solomons@inl.co.za UDM leader Bantu Holomisa says that if the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) decides to investigate the 51% sale of SAA to Takatso Consortium, the party suggests that the entire deal be held in abeyance and that the process of finding a strategic equity partner (SEP) be started from scratch. Holomisa has raised various concerns since Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan announced that the consortium has been chosen as the preferred partner. In June, Gordhan announced that Takatso would inject more than R3 billion into the deal. SAA had been in business rescue since December 2019, and the business rescue practitioners ended the process in April. Before writing to Scopa to request that the committee investigate the validity of the deal, Holomisa wanted to challenge the…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za THE SA Scholar Transporters Association (Sasta), which transports thousands of pupils across the Western Cape, has suspended operations for this week due to alleged threats of extortion by taxi drivers. This because no agreement has been reached between the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta) and Cape Taxi Amalgamated Association (Cata) despite informal engagements also introduced from Sunday and amid an arbitration process that started yesterday. Transport MEC Daylin Mitchell closed the contested B97 minibus taxi (MBT) route between Mbekweni and Bellville and other affected routes for two months, starting yesterday. A high police presence, supported by the army, has since been visible. Police Minister Bheki Cele also visited Nyanga, Site C in Khayelitsha, and Bellville, to oversee the operations. Sasta provincial chairperson Simphiwe Bathembu said their…

Staff writer IN GEARING up to celebrate the inaugural Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day in Africa, a competition’s been organised for photographers of all ages and skill levels to show-off their creative images. The MPA Day Alliance, with partners including the Two Oceans Aquarium Trust, Dyer Island Conservation Trust, and Wild Oceans, will mark the day on August 1. Participating photographers will have a chance to win prizes in one of three categories: • Scenery - photos of beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and other scenic shots. These can be above or below the water; • Creatures - photos of marine and estuary wildlife large and small above or below the water and; • Activities - photos of friends and family enjoying activities in MPAs – hiking, surfing, diving, snorkelling, kayaking etc…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za A PARKWOOD mother, Aretha Minnies, and her two children, aged 5 and 10, are without a home after a fire burned down their three-roomed backyard dwelling and destroyed all their belongings. Fire officials said they responded to the blaze at 11.15pm on Sunday. The 41-year-old Minnies was struggling to cope, and had not been able to eat, talk or sleep since the incident, said her mother, Abigail, speaking on her behalf. “We are very sad. Every time people ask me how I feel, I can’t hold back my tears,” she said. “My daughter has not been able to sleep or eat since last (Sunday) night. She also does not want to talk to anybody. “My daughter is partially deaf, so she doesn’t work and her children both…

The time has come for President Cyril Ramaphosa to be decisive by releasing the long-awaited SIU report into allegations of corruption involving Digital Vibes and Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. The SIU conducted its investigation and handed the report to the president early this month. The Presidency subsequently confirmed receiving the document, and promised “to keep the public abreast of developments in this matter”. Four weeks later, we are still waiting. Make no mistake, the public health-care sector is facing an unprecedented crisis. The third wave of the coronavirus is claiming thousands of lives and the government’s vaccination drive is not operating at full throttle. It is puzzling why Ramaphosa has allowed the Health Department to continue to operate with an interim minister, who happens to have her own responsibilities, when…

| Reuters Israel’s new government is looking to take advantage of a rare political opportunity to push more ultra- Orthodox Jewish men into the workforce to boost the economy, a measure that could pit powerful religious leaders against politicians. By 2065, Israel’s “haredi” community is expected to make up 32% of Israel’s population, up from 12% now, according to official estimates. Only about 50% of ultra-Orthodox men work. The other half study religious texts in seminaries, and the Bank of Israel and economic leaders have warned of long-term strains on the budget if they are not integrated into the workforce. “Raising the employment and labour productivity rates of the ultra-Orthodox population, especially men, are issues of strategic importance to per capita GDP, labour productivity, and reducing income disparities between…

MOSCOW: Russian Internet watchdog Roskomnadzor has blocked jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s website, navalny.com, as well as 48 websites of people and organisations affiliated with him, Navalny’s team said yesterday. The move comes weeks ahead of a September parliamentary election. Close Navalny ally Leonid Volkov said the team would soon explain how it plans to sidestep the blocking. Navalny is serving a 2½-year jail sentence for parole violations he says were trumped up. His team is promoting a “smart voting” strategy to back the ruling United Russia party’s strongest opponents in every constituency | Reuters…

Kano: An envoy who delivered a ransom payment for the release of more than 100 Nigerian children abducted in May had himself been kidnapped, the headteacher of their Islamic school said yesterday. Northwest and central Nigeria are a hotbed of cattle thieves and kidnappers who raid villages, killing and abducting residents after looting and burning homes. On July 20, parents and school officials sent Kassim Tegina, 60, to deliver $73 000 (R1.08 million) to the kidnappers, but the bandits seized him after collecting the money. “They were angry that the ransom was too small,” said Abubakar Alhassan, the headteacher of Salihu Tanko Islamic School. | AFP…

LONDON: Tobacco group Philip Morris International will stop selling Marlboro cigarettes in Britain within a decade, in line with the country’s ambition to stamp out smoking by 2030, its chief executive said. Jacek Olczak said the Marlboro brand “will disappear” from British store shelves along with its other brands. Olczak has embarked on a more aggressive strategy to diversify the company away from cigarettes. Philip Morris has launched a bid for British asthma drug-maker Vectura that would see it get more than 50% of its revenue from smoke-free products and at least $1 billion (R20.5bn) from products beyond nicotine by 2025. | Reuters…

Wynona Louw wynona.louw@inl.co.za Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids says injury was the reason for the starting front-row’s halftime substitution. The Boks suffered a 22-17 defeat in the first game of the three-Test series against the British & Irish Lions, piling on the pressure as they now have to win both remaining games to take the series. One of the big talking points after Saturday’s first Test has been not only the performance of the starting front row of Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi and Trevor Nyakane (it was a surprising selection considering first-choice props Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe were available), but their substitution at halftime despite producing a top first-half performance. It naturally led some to questioning the decision and whether it was pre-planned. In the build-up to the first…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE BUSINESS sector has welcomed the government’s support package to get the economy moving again following the destruction left by civil unrest and the lockdown restrictions. President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday announced a range of measures to support economic recovery and provide relief to the poor. These include the reinstatement of the R350 a month Social Relief of Distress Grant until March next year, and R400 million for the Humanitarian Crisis Relief Fund to assist communities affected by the unrest. “This has been made possible by the slight improvement we have seen in our revenue collection,” Ramaphosa said. South Africa, one of the world’s largest exporters of commodities, has enjoyed a healthy trade balance this year on a tide of rallying commodity prices buoyed by rising global…

From page 1 Even if there were areas where the concept of commonality was perhaps stretched, this would not be a reason to refuse certification. “Such issues, as may well be found to be lacking in communality, can be dealt with in due course through the directions of the trial judge and the judicial manager appointed to oversee the class action. “The appropriateness of the certification is confirmed by the fact that the class is a large one and the claims relatively small – some so low that they might conceivably be recoverable in the small claims courts. “The claims are spread over a multitude of geographical jurisdictions which would not only place strain on the litigants but the courts as well, where there is the risk of multiple findings…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za WONDERBOOM National Airport has been non-profitable for years, resulting in the metro having to fork out for the deficit, the City of Tshwane has said. The city still has about a week in which to decide whether to grant a financial reprieve to flight-training schools based at the airport. However, in a synopsis of the impact of the aircrew flight-training structure and the financial viability of the airport, it emerged the city had suffered a 224% loss this year alone in having to finance the airport. The expenditure of the airport for this year so far was R58 630 766.36, with the revenue generated being R18 096 526.40. It has emerged that the experienced net loss margins imply that operations at Wonderboom Airport were heavily subsidised by…

Lisa Isaacs lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za IN the first successful class action certification brought by a South African university law clinic, the Western Cape High Court has ruled that Stellenbosch University’s Law Clinic can proceed against a local loan-application operation, after they received hundreds of complaints from irate consumers. In his judgment recently, Judge Patrick Gamble gave a legal thumbs-up to the clinic’s bid, in which it and eight clients seek permission to institute a class action on behalf of thousands of allegedly defrauded consumers from across the country. It is only the 10th South African class action that has been successfully certified, and it is the first consumer law class action in which the court was required to deliver a certification judgment. The SU Law Clinic filed the certification application in September…

Staff writer The Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital (Ovah) at the University of Pretoria has aquired its own top-of- the-range magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, and will no longer have to depend on hospitals for MRI scans. The use of MRIs for diagnostic purposes is limited to small animals, and most MRI scans are done in human facilities by special arrangement,” said Dr Paul van Dam, director of the Ovah. “An MRI scan takes 45 minutes or longer, which limits the number of cases that can be referred. With our own MRI scanner, we can now do scans at any time of the day, on site, without the additional time to travel to another facility. “An added advantage is that our MRI scanner will be the only high-field MRI in…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za An internal investigation is being launched to determine how a re-arrested convict escaped from Goodwood Correctional Centre at the weekend. Ashwin Malan, 30, from Bonteheuwel, made a brazen escape from the facility on Sunday afternoon while conducting clean-up duties at the premises, said Department of Correctional Services (DCS) spokesperson Candice van Reenen. “The offender was part of a collective implementing garden maintenance, including grass-cutting activities, on the terrain of Correctional Services. This is one of the department’s interventions aimed at instilling responsibility, structure and neatness. An internal investigation will be launched in an attempt to gain further clarity into the matter,” said Van Reenen. Malan, who is serving a three-year sentence for housebreaking and theft, was re-arrested hours after his escape. “(We) can confirm that the offender…

KOERT MEYER JULY 23 was a joyous day for anti-death penalty activists all over our globe. A news item on radio announced that West African country Sierra Leone became the latest state to abolish it, following closely on the heels of Malawi. When the Netherlands took this groundbreaking step way back in 1870, after its bloody occupation of colonies such as our own country since 1652, it became the first of the modern states to set the tone for abolition of the death penalty. Today it is one of the most progressive, prosperous and democratic nations. Because colonial powers benefited tremendously from slavery and colonialism, they dragged their feet to follow suit. Only after World War II did more states embark on this noble course. Britain did so in…

Nearly 200 nations started online negotiations yesterday to validate a UN science report that will anchor autumn summits charged with preventing climate catastrophe on a planetary scale. “The report to be finalised is going to be very important worldwide,” World Meteorological Organization head Petteri Taalas told 700 delegates by Zoom. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment “is critical for the success of the Glasgow climate conference in November”, he said. Record-smashing heatwaves, floods and drought across three continents in recent weeks – all amplified by global warming – have added pressure for decisive action. “For years we warned that all of this was possible, that all of this was coming,” the UN’s climate chief, Patricia Espinosa, said in a statement. A key G20 summit with climate on the…

Thousands of US firefighters are battling a blaze in California that has grown so big it is generating its own weather system, with authorities warning conditions could worsen yesterday. The flames have grown so large that they have created clouds that can cause lightning and high winds, which in turn can serve to fuel the fire. Around 5 400 firefighters were struggling to contain the inferno. The Dixie Fire has been raging in the forests of northern California since mid-July, part of a climate crisis that has brought sweltering heat and an alarming drought. Wildfires are common in the state but this summer has been particularly incendiary. Fires have already ravaged three times more vegetation this year than they had at this time in 2020, the worst fire year in…

LONDON: A 19-year-old is paving the way for girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) by setting the record for the youngest woman to fly solo around the world next month. Belgian-British Zara Rutherford sets off on her 51 000km journey in her bespoke Shark ultralight plane, the world’s fastest microlight, on August 11. Once complete, Rutherford will be the youngest person to fly a microlight around the world and the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. The current world record for the latter is held by Shaesta Waiz who completed the journey aged 30. Rutherford hopes she will pave the way for girls and women in STEM and inspire others to follow in her footsteps. “My goal is to bring the records closer and then hopefully…

WASHINGTON: The World Bank and the Covax global vaccine distribution programme has unveiled a financing mechanism to speed up the supply of doses to developing countries, where Covid-19. The mechanism allows Covax to make advance purchases, at more competitive prices, from vaccine manufacturers based on aggregated demand across countries, using financing from the World Bank. The agreement will help low- and middle-income countries access additional doses, on top of the subsidised doses they are already receiving. Covax plans to make available up to 430 million additional doses from late this year to mid-2022. | Reuters…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za IT became a bit of a “dog-fight” against Kenya, but now that the Blitzboks have made it through to the quarter-finals of the Tokyo Olympics, they will feel much more confident of their medal chances. Assistant coach Renfred Dazel said following the 14-5 victory over Kenya yesterday that the players were “really disappointed” with their performance in the second match of the day, after beating Ireland 33-14 earlier. After running up a 14-0 lead through tries by Selvyn Davids and captain Siviwe Soyizwapi, a flurry of sloppy tackles, poor handling and line-out errors allowed the east Africans back into the game, and Kenya took full advantage through a try by Collins Injera. The Springbok Sevens side had to scramble in the second half to keep the…

Loose forward Evan Roos has been the best feature in Western Province’s Currie Cup campaign so far. As far as performances go, Province have been satisfactory at times, but there have also been disappointing displays from John Dobson’s charges. They have won just three of their six games, a stat that can never be considered good enough for a union with the talent pool and rich Currie Cup history Province has. And while there have been some issues, one thing that has been impossible to miss is Roos. The big No 8 has wreaked havoc since touching down in Cape Town from Durban. The 21-year-old made his Currie Cup debut for the Sharks back in 2019, and while he was a standout in the Sharks’ SuperHero Sunday fixture last year…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za South Africa's premier tech stocks, Naspers and Prosus, took a broadside on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) yesterday as China’s clampdown regulations filtered down, resulting in the portfolios losing up to 7.5 percent of value in intraday trade. “It started in April and the Chinese government has given the companies more than 100 items of compliance requirements covering many aspects, antitrust, data, advertisement, pricing, and lots of things,” a legal analyst who declined to be named said yesterday. Naspers, a global internet and entertainment group and technology investor operating in more than 120 countries and markets with long-term growth potential lost up to 7.3 percent to R2 748.01, while Prosus, a consumer internet group operating across a variety of platforms and geographies, primarily in China,…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za SUPPORTERS of incarcerated former president Jacob Zuma are patiently pressing on with their campaign to free him from jail, with the latest upcoming protest march taking the heated political battle to Luthuli House, the national headquarters of the ruling party in central Johannesburg. The Luthuli House-bound march is billed for Friday morning and the spokesperson of the organisers, Mxolisi Ngobese, said that it would be a two-pronged march and they would not give up until the former president was freed from Estcourt prison in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, where he is serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court. The march comes as the country waits for the Constitutional Court to hand down a ruling after Zuma approached it crying foul that he was jailed without a trial,…

Lisa Isaacs lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za RETAILERS across the country have begun removing millions of KOO and Hugo’s canned vegetable products from their shelves following a recall issued by Tiger Brands yesterday. The group recalled certain canned products produced from May 1 2019 to May 5 this year due to a number of defective cans supplied by a packaging company. The cans may have a defective side seam weld that could cause the can to leak, Tiger Brands said, after identifying the issue as part of their internal quality assurance processes. Products from the KOO and Hugo’s canned vegetable range included baked beans, cream-style sweetcorn and garden peas in brine. Shoprite yesterday said its stores were working to remove identified products from shelves as soon as possible. “Consumers are urged to check their…

INGREDIENTS METHOD 4 cloves garlic 2.5cm piece of ginger 1 green cardamom 2 cloves 1/2 tsp fennel seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 1– 2 Indian green chillies 1.25cm stick cinnamon For fish masala blend all spices 2 tbs avocado oil 3 tomatoes, finely chopped 2 tbs tomato paste 1/2 tsp salt 1/3 tsp turmeric powder 1/4 tsp red chilli powder 1 tsp coriander powder 1 cup water 1/2 tsp garam masala garnish with fresh coriander leaves 1 tsp spicy masala 1kg kingklip Using a coffee grinder, grind the dry spices with the ginger and garlic. This is your masala. Chop the tomatoes and set them aside. Heat the pan on medium heat, once hot, add avocado oil. Add the masala mixture. Sauté for 30 seconds, make sure the garlic doesn't…

Staff writer ERICA Croxford is happy to report that the pressure in her baby boy’s eye has stabilised. It’s been a long road for Croxford, whose son Anthony, or AJ, was diagnosed with a rare skin condition, juvenile xanthogranuloma, which resulted in a growth developing inside his left eye. Croxford was told AJ needed sight-saving surgery at the age of just nine months. According to Dr Hamzah Mustak, an ocular oncology and oculoplastics specialist practising at UCT Private Academic Hospital, the condition most often presents itself as a benign lump or bump on the skin and is not usually cause for concern. However, more than one lesion on the skin can also be accompanied by a lesion in the eye, which can be serious. In AJ’s case, it had resulted…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za COMMUNITIES have been urged to show the same unity they have against looting towards schools after a security guard was killed while allegedly confronting brazen vandals. Many schools, including Sivile Primary School in Khayelitsha and Beauvallon Secondary School in Valhalla Park, reported break-ins as schools reopened for the third term yesterday. Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said at about 4am on Sunday Khayelitsha police were called out to a business burglary where a 29-year-old suspect was caught at Sivile Primary School. “On their arrival at the primary school in Kwezi Park, the security guard, who is the complainant, informed police that while he was doing his rounds at the school, he noticed movement in one of the classrooms. “Further inspection (showed) a man hiding under the table…

To serve others and protect lives an ideal credo to heal and rebuild after destruction THANDISIZWE MGUDLWA IN THE wake of the current challenges facing our society, it is naturally tempting to look for positive and inspirational developments around us. Africa’s obstacles to a best life for all its people, are well documented. Maybe possible answers to our ills could just as well be better communicated and understood by all. Rich in mineral resources, Africa still has the lowest life expectancy rate among its global counterparts; with various incurable diseases, dictators and despots, wars and general political instability and lack of justice among other ills. These woes are unacceptably still the norm rather than the exception. As the world has come to a standstill, mostly economically, due to the…

Tunisia faced its worst crisis in a decade of democracy yesterday after President Kais Saied ousted the government and froze parliament with help from the army in a move denounced as a coup by the main parties including Islamists. It follows months of deadlock and disputes pitting Saied, a political independent, against Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and a fragmented parliament as Tunisia has descended deeper into an economic crisis exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi, the head of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party which has played a role in successive coalitions, decried it as an assault on democracy and called on Tunisians to take to the streets in opposition. Supporters and opponents of the president threw stones at each other outside parliament yesterday morning leading to injuries…

Rescue teams in India were digging through thick sludge and debris yesterday to find more than 60 people trapped in landslides caused by torrential monsoon rains that have so far claimed more than 160 lives in four days. The western states of Maharashtra and Goa, as well as Karnataka and Telangana in the south, are the most affected by heavy rains that have flooded croplands over thousands of hectares and forced authorities to move more than 230 000 people to safer places. In Maharashtra, 149 people have died mainly in landslides and other monsoon-related accidents, while another 64 are still missing, the state government said. In Karnataka and Telangana, more than a dozen people died because of floods but waters in the main Krishna and Godavari rivers are receding, authorities…

BEIRUT: Leading Lebanese businessman Najib Mikati secured enough votes in parliamentary consultations yesterday to be designated the next prime minister, raising hopes for a viable government to tackle a crippling financial crisis. Mikati, who has been prime minister twice before, now faces major challenges in navigating Lebanon’s sectarian, power-sharing structure to secure agreement on a cabinet. He said he would work to form a government and implement a French plan to save the country from its financial crisis. France’s plan includes a government of specialists capable of initiating enough reforms to attract foreign aid. | Reuters…

SAN FRANCISCO: The biggest US tech companies, including Facebook and Microsoft, have said they will extend the type of extremist content they are sharing with the database of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), reports said yesterday. In the next few months, they will add manifestos from outlawed organisations, and other publications flagged by the UN Initiative Tech Against Terrorism, to the database. In the past, the GIFCT focused mainly on content by Islamic extremists. Now they are going to use information shared by intelligence group Five Eyes and add groups and web links. | Sputnik…