Indice dei contenuti per 2021-09-09 in Cape Times

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za CONSTRUCTION sector activity was up a solid 4 percent in the second quarter over the first three months of 2021, and rebounded swiftly and in a big way over the same quarter in 2020 due to the Covid-induced low base effect, renowned economist Dr Roelof Botha said yesterday. Speaking at the release of the Afrimat Construction Index (ACI), and on behalf of Afrimat, he said the ACI came to 110.3 points in the second half of 2021, a rebound of 55 percent compared to the same quarter last year. The construction industry continues to improve, he said in a telephone interview. The quarter-on-quarter improvement was fuelled by strong increases in construction sector employment, as well as building material sales. Some 156 000 jobs…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za South African designers are bagging international wins, and we’re loving it. It was in March this year when Cape Town-based designer Lukhanyo Mdingi was announced as one of the top 20 finalists for the coveted LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) Prize of 2021. This year’s jury, includes top designers like Virgil Abloh, Stella McCartney, Kim Jones and Marc Jacobs. Fast-forward to this month, when he has been named joint winner of the special Karl Lagerfeld Prize. It is no surprise that he is one of the winners of the eighth edition of the LVMH Prize. His work is, after all, of international standards. The designer, known for creating meticulously made pieces and collaborating with artisans, shares the prize with KidSuper and China’s Rui Zhou. It’s the first…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke says municipalities are still incurring irregular expenditure, with an audit showing that R26 billion has been lost because of it. Maluleke also said there had not been significant improvement in how municipalities managed their finances and added she was alarmed by municipalities that had spent R1 billion on consultants. Most of those that had spent on consultants were poorly performing municipalities. Maluleke said this money was spent despite municipalities hiring people in the finance department at a cost of R4.5bn. She said the municipalities had nothing to show for the R1bn spent on consultants as their finances were in a state of disarray. “The story about consultants is one we have raised over many years,” said Maluleke. “We are also raising a concern…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za A BOTRIVIER primary school teacher has been sacked after being found guilty of misconduct for allegedly sexually assaulting a Grade 6 pupil. Logan Klaasen was also found to be unsuitable to ever work again with children, in terms of the Children’s Act. He allegedly touched the learner’s thighs, breasts and other parts of her body, while whispering in her ears, despite the pupil asking him to stop and saying that she wanted to go home. He would often ask her to stay behind after school while others went home. Klaasen pleaded not guilty and denied the accusations before the Education Labour Relations Council. The pupil had testified before the council that Klaasen would find excuses to ensure that she stayed late at school, claiming she needed to…

Staff Writer THE meningitis outbreak declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been identified as the Neisseria meningitidis – one of the most frequent types of bacterial meningitis with the potential to cause large epidemics. It was declared in the north- eastern Tshopo Province where 261 suspected cases and 129 deaths – a high case fatality ratio of 50% – have been reported. Tshopo lies in the African meningitis belt that runs across the continent from Senegal to Ethiopia and comprises 26 countries. The African meningitis belt is the most vulnerable globally to recurrent outbreaks. More than 100 patients are already receiving treatment at home and in health centres in Banalia. Meningitis is transmitted through droplets of respiratory or throat secretions from infected people. Close and…

MULTIPLE losses, anxieties and complications in the grieving process are affecting mental well-being worldwide as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Globally, awareness of mental ill-health has become more prevalent, and there is a better understanding of what it entails and the effect it has on individuals and societies. However, the understanding and conceptualisation of mental health and ill-health are generally deeply rooted in Western culture. As a result, the intersectionality of race, culture, gender and class from less economically developed countries (the Global South) is often ignored. According to Dr Suman Fernando, an expert on transcultural mental health approaches and an honorary professor at London Metropolitan University, the prioritisation of Western biomedicine and the way the richest and most industrialised countries inform how mental health and ill-health are perceived in the…

MEXICO CITY: Seventeen people died after a flood blacked out a Covid-19 hospital in the central Mexican state of Hidalgo and disrupted oxygen supply there, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said. “I am very saddened by the death of 17 patients at the IMSS hospital due to the Tula River flood in Hidalgo. There has been a lot of rainfall throughout the Mexico City Valley and the rain will continue. Residents of low-lying areas should move to shelters or high ground, to the family or friends,” Obrador wrote on Telegram. The state was hit by torrential rains late on Monday, which led to a flood.…

Irvine: Scientists have claimed a strong solar storm could see the internet go down for days or even months. A new study – which comes from Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi, an assistant professor at the University of California, Irvine – has explored how a strong enough storm with less than a day’s notice could wipe out internet access for entire continents. Jyothi noted that undersea cables are vulnerable to a huge solar flare similar to those which hit the Earth in both the 1800s and early 1990s. She said: “Our infrastructure is not prepared for a large-scale solar event. We have very limited understanding of what the extent of the damage would be.”…

A FIRE killed 41 inmates in an overcrowded prison block in Indonesia’s Banten province yesterday, a government minister said, injuring scores more in a blaze that police said may have been caused by an electrical fault. The fire, the country’s most deadly since 47 perished in a firework factory disaster in 2017, broke out at 1.45am local time in a Tangerang Prison block, said Indonesian law and human rights minister Yasonna Laoly, after visiting the scene. “We’re working together with the authorities to look into the causes of the fire and formulating prevention strategies so that severe catastrophes like this won’t happen again,” the minister said in a statement. The minister said two of the dead were foreign nationals, one each from South Africa and Portugal, and confirmed the prison…

MILAN: A Milan court on Wednesday ordered an expert opinion on Silvio Berlusconi’s health as the former Italian prime minister’s trial on bribery charges has been repeatedly delayed due to his hospital visits. The trial began in 2017, with 84-year old Berlusconi charged with bribing witnesses in a previous case where he was accused of paying for sex with a minor, in which he was finally acquitted. He has pleaded not guilty. Berlusconi, who served four terms as prime minister, has been in and out of hospital this year after contracting Covid-19 and speculation has mounted over a serious deterioration of his health. He has been hospitalised twice in the last two weeks. On Tuesday Berlusconi’s lawyer filed a motion to suspend the trial due to his client’s heart problems…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za THE US Open has been an absolute treat. Perhaps because, in the absence of Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, many had thought it could lose some of its lustre. However, the quality of play, level of drama and the emergence of new faces have made it one of the most enjoyable sports events of the year. And as boorish as American sports fans can be, their presence has added to the enjoyment, even through the TV screen. Some of that enjoyment has been tempered by what players have to face once a match is over. It was Sloane Stephens and later her compatriot Shelby Rogers who shone a spotlight on one of the ugliest parts of modern sport – online abuse. It’s such a…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa needs to recalibrate its debt management strategy as the finance costs on the government’s more than R400 billion debt are steadily gathering momentum, SA Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago said yesterday. At a discussion on South Africa’s inflation targeting strategy, Kganyago said the State had this far only been able to adequately manage its debt servicing strategy due to low inflation costs, but the horse was fast bolting, with inflation ticking up. “Over the past 12 months or so, we have noticed that National Treasury borrowed over the short end of the yield cap, and because South Africa has such a steep yield cap, we have benefited from borrowing over the short end of the yield cap, but that must be telling us something…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za After surging by 15 points to 50 points in the second quarter, the RMB/BER Business Confidence Index (BCI) retreated to 43 points in the third quarter and is back in net negative terrain, where respondents unsatisfied with business conditions outnumber those that are satisfied. Given the variety of negative factors that affected sentiment in the quarter, this outcome is unsurprising. But things could easily have turned out worse. Although it is not unusual for the RMB/BER BCI to decline after a strong surge, several confidence-sapping developments did aggravate the third-quarter decline. Standouts included the third wave of Covid-19 infections and resultant stricter lockdown restrictions, as well as the unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng. Additionally, respondents had to deal with transport disruptions, first…

DFFE faces piling lawsuits amounting to R100k Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za A TOURIST from Israel who was on holiday in the city in 2019, is suing the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) for over R3 million after a rock crushed her foot while hiking on Lions’ Head. This is among the 24 legal claims facing the DFFE with a value greater than R100 000, as revealed in a recent response to a parliamentary question from Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) chief whip Narend Singh. In another claim, a man is suing the department for more than R800 000 after a leopard allegedly attacked him and his livestock after it escaped from a national park. DFFE said one claim had recently been settled and the others were being defended. Twenty-five-year-old…

Staff Writer THE Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) has announced the declaration of the first official vulture safe zone (VSZ) in the Karoo. A VSZ is an area in which landowners and communities work collaboratively to implement targeted conservation measures to address critical local threats to vultures, such as poisoning. Through extensive engagement and collaboration with the EWT, the Rupert Nature Foundation, South African National Parks (SANParks), the Mountain Zebra Camdeboo Protected Environment (MZCPE), SANParks Honorary Rangers, Karoo farmers and other landowners have created an extensive VSZ in the Great Karoo that spans about 23 000km², encapsulating three major protected areas: the Camdeboo, Karoo and Mountain Zebra National Parks, as well as the MZCPE. By linking these key protected areas through a VSZ, the long-term goal is to encourage Cape…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za POLICE allegedly presented Sithobele Qebe, the man charged with the murder of his girlfriend Siphokazi Booi, as harmless and calm before releasing him on bail on another charge. He had been arrested and charged with assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after allegedly attacking Booi, causing severe injuries, including to her eye, which was to be operated on. White City residents in Mbekweni discovered the charred body of 27-year-old Booi at a dumping site in Paarl on Sunday. Her friends last saw her early Saturday morning apparently arguing with Qebe in his shack. Irate residents demolished his home and set his car alight. Qebe appeared on a murder charge at the Paarl Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The case was postponed to September 13. The court heard…

African News Agency THE African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) will mark this month by celebrating the recovery of heritage sites affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, including the removal of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Salonga National Park from the danger list. The pandemic had not made things easy for the heritage sector, said AWHF. “So many great outcomes have been achieved despite the challenges that face us in relation to the pandemic, where many of the World Heritage Sites were affected due to the lockdown closures. However, slowly but surely we are witnessing the recovery as many of the sites have resumed office again,” the organisation said. “The successes include the removal of Salonga National Park in DRC from the danger list and the inscription of two other African…

Now let’s all work together to deliver free and fair elections THE infinite ticking of a clock can go from a soothing background noise to a terrifying reminder of your situation; especially if you are an unregistered voter, an unregistered candidate, or a hesitant election management body. But the latter may be more helpful for all in our democracy as the Novemeber 1 election deadline draws closer. Now that the Constitutional Court has dismissed the application for election postponement and opened another window for voter and candidate registration, everyone is urging people not to miss the voter registration deadline on September 19. But why so much enthusiasm at the last minute when it has always been as important to aggressively register voters in a year in which millions of…

NAIROBI: Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday declared drought, which is ravaging several parts of the country, a national disaster. Kenyatta directed relevant agencies to spearhead government efforts to assist affected households, including water and relief food distribution. “The decision follows today’s meeting between the head of state and 85 leaders from Kenya’s Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASAL),” the presidency said. Relief agencies say more than 2.1 million people in the ASAL of Kenya are severely food insecure, following two consecutive poor rainy seasons that have hampered crop production.…

PARIS: Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving member of the group that carried out the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, said during a trial yesterday that he was “a soldier of the Islamic State” (a terrorist group, banned in Russia), BFMTV reported. The landmark trial began in a special criminal court in Paris earlier in the day. Of 20 people indicted for involvement in the series of terrorist attacks in November 2015, 14, including Abdeslam, will be present in court, while the other six will be judged in absentia. Abdeslam, 31, son of Moroccan immigrants, is blamed for transporting the two terrorists who detonated explosive belts at Stade de France. | Sputnik…

SUDAN summoned Ethiopia’s ambassador to Khartoum to inform him that 29 corpses found on the banks of a river abutting Ethiopia were those of Ethiopian citizens from the Tigray ethnic group, Sudan’s foreign ministry said. It said in a statement late on Tuesday that the ambassador had been summoned on August 30 and was told that the bodies had been found between July 26 and August 8 on the Sudanese side of the Setit River, known in Ethiopia as the Tekeze. The corpses were identified by Ethiopians residing in the Wad al Hulaywah area of eastern Sudan, it said. The statement did not say how the people died. Dina Mufti, spokesperson for the Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Ministry, did not immediately respond to a request for comment The river is the…

A new Taliban interim government drawn exclusively from loyalist ranks formally began work yesterday, with established hardliners in all key posts and no women -– despite previous promises to form an inclusive administration for all Afghans. As they transition from militant force to governing power, the Taliban are already facing opposition to their rule, with scattered protests, many with women at the forefront, breaking out in cities across the country. A small rally in the capital yesterday was quickly dispersed by armed Taliban security, while Afghan media reported a protest in the north-eastern city of Faizabad was also broken up. Hundreds protested on Tuesday, both in the capital and in the city of Herat, where two people at the demonstration site were shot dead. The announcement of a government on…

Joshua Jackson endured a “raft of anxieties” when he became a parent for the first time during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Dawson’s Creek alumnus and his wife Jodie Turner-Smith welcomed their daughter, Janie, into the world in April 2020, marking the first time either of them had become parents. And Joshua has now said that while his “worries” about fatherhood were “magnified” by the pandemic, he was also “thankful” to have had the chance to slow down while the world was in lockdown. “First-time parenting is a raft of anxieties you never knew existed. During a pandemic those worries are magnified. “But lockdown also forced me to stop and be with my family. I haven’t taken a six-month break in the last 30 years, but I spent every day with…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za CONTROVERSIAL Cape Town pastor Oscar Bougardt continues to preach against homosexuality despite the court finding him guilty for making statements that discriminate and incite hatred against homosexuals in 2018. “Homosexuality according to my religious beliefs is a sin and I keep on preaching against this abomination until I am called home by God,” he said. Bougardt came under fire over homophobic remarks he made a few years ago, including “homosexuality equals to crime” and “homosexuals must be prosecuted” and “jailed for their homosexual activity”. He was later found guilty of hate speech by a Cape Town court for repeatedly making homophobic comments. But Bougardt maintain that he is not homophobic. He recently came under the spotlight after a poster about him running for mayor of the City…

Staff writer SOUTH Africa generates an annual 41kg of plastic waste per capita, significantly higher than the global average of 29kg per annum. There is also evidence of an increase in marine plastic debris from land-based sources, suggesting this problem is likely to grow. These are among the findings of a WWF International commissioned report released this week, titled “Plastics: The cost to society, environment and the economy”. The release of the report coincides with discussions taking place at the IUCN World Conservation Congress over the importance of a global solution to tackle the plastic pollution crisis. In a case study of South Africa, the report found that the country had a weak and strained waste management system that is supported by a growing but marginalised informal waste sector. In…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za THE family of Sergeant Faizel Adams, who was shot dead in a Parow driveway, said they were struggling to cope as they laid their loved one to rest yesterday. Adams, an officer from Mitchells Plain stationed at Parliament, was buried according to Muslim rites, his sister, Fariedah Dinnie, said. The Hawks confirmed they were investigating the case and that arrests were yet to be made. Several police members had rushed to the scene of the crime in Victoria Road, Parow, on Tuesday afternoon, where a getaway car reportedly drove off with gunmen inside. A voice note of a family member, calling out for help, went viral – prompting Dinnie to rush to the scene. The motive for the killing of the 41-year-old has yet to be…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za POLICE in the province say they have identified hotspots for mob justice attacks and have started to engage with relevant role players in the affected communities. This after eight people were killed in two mob justice attacks in three days in informal settlements in Mfuleni and Samora Machel. Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said: “Through existing community structures such as CPFs, plans are afoot to convene an interactive session where means to deal with mob justice attacks will be tabled. “The SAPS also intends running mob justice awareness initiatives to sensitise communities against these criminal acts. “On the operational front, every endeavour is made to catch the perpetrators and bring them to book.” Samora Machel community police forum spokesperson Bongani Maqungwana said the affected families would co-operate with…

COMMEMORATING and celebrating this Heritage Month is rather difficult, especially in light of the disgraceful manner in which the government has treated our artists struggling from the impact of the lockdown. As if the closure of some of our iconic arts facilities, including theatres, was not enough, the Department of Arts and Culture under Minister Nathi Mthethwa should hang its head in shame that artists are still fighting for financial assistance. Arts forms part of our rich heritage and has proven over and over again to be key in healing the divisions of the past. It is the arts sector that most of us turn to in times of great difficulty. When this industry struggles, there is no social cohesion. Remember how the music of legendary Hugh Masekela, mama Miriam…

Amman: Energy ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon yesterday agreed on a plan to bring gas and electricity to crisis-hit Lebanon at a meeting in Amman. Egypt’s minister for oil and mines Tarek al-Molla said that his country would “be ready to transfer gas (to Lebanon) as soon as possible” via the transnational Arab Gas Pipeline. But damage to the pipeline and electricity lines during the decade of civil war in Syria means that energy supplies cannot start flowing before repairs are carried out. To help revive the Lebanese economy, the US has given rare approval for the Arab neighbours to escape punishment under sanctions targeting the Syrian regime.…

Marseille: Plastic packaging and discarded fishing nets bob in the tranquil waters of the Mediterranean, signs of the choking pollution that has stirred strong feelings at the world conservation congress in the French port city of Marseille this week. “The Mediterranean is the most beautiful sea in the world... and one of the most polluted,” said Danielle Milon, vice-president of the Calanques National Park on the edge of the city, where the International Union for Conservation of Nature is holding its congress. While the quantity of rubbish in the sea is well documented – the IUCN released a report on the issue last year entitled “Mare plasticum” – it is driving growing alarm among countries whose economies rely on tourism drawn to pristine beaches and sparkling waters. At the opening…

Los Angeles: Britney Spears’ father has filed a petition to end his daughter’s court-ordered conservatorship, US media reported yesterday. The filing comes weeks after Jamie Spears said he was prepared to step back from his role as conservator, and after repeated requests from the pop star to remove him from what she and her supporters say is a cruel and exploitative arrangement. Jamie Spears’ removal has been a longstanding demand of devoted global fans campaigning under the #FreeBritney slogan.…

In a new twist in the so-called Cod War, 14 fishing companies from the EU and the UK have filed a lawsuit against Norway over reduced fishing quotas in the Svalbard zone in the Arctic Sea, the trade newspaper Fiskeribladet reported. Earlier, in the aftermath of Brexit, Norway cut the quota for EU vessels to around 19 000 tons, while the EU continued to operate under the previous quota of 29 000 tons despite Norway being formally responsible for managing the fishing quotas in the protection zone around Svalbard. Torben Foss, of the law and consulting firm PwC Bergen, which assists ENAFA, cited the massive job losses due to slashed quotas. “Taking 10 000 tons of cod from someone, it leads to people losing their jobs.…

ZAAHIER ADAMS zaahier.adams@inl.co.za THE Proteas women’s team’s accomplished start to the one-day international series has put a spring in their step. If they can fashion a second win against the West Indies tomorrow they will be one step closer to breaking down yet another barrier this year. Hilton Moreeng’s team have already climbed their Mount Everest when they beat a strong Indian side in their own conditions for the first time earlier this year, but they are now battling the heat and humidity of the Caribbean for a maiden series win there too. “The team is in a very good place at the moment, but the conditions really are something else. Last night was one of the toughest experiences I’ve had on the field. The pitches were a bit low,…