Indice dei contenuti per 2021-11-09 in Cape Times

LAST WEEK I mentioned that Business Report (BR) is investigating a loan by the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) into Sunrise Energy via the Mogs group. The PIC’s loan to Mogs is more than R1 billion – indirectly to Sunrise Energy – this loan has not been serviced over a period of five years, according to sources. Mr Sekgoela, PIC media spokesperson, told BR the loan was serviced, but could not provide any evidence by close of business yesterday “on how the loan was serviced”. Sources confirmed that this is not the case. Sunrise Energy also received a loan from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to the amount of R1bn in 2011. BR queries why Sunrise Energy was not part of the Mpati Commission of Inquiry, even though it is…

• Additional reporting by Yogashen Pillay From page 1 He said they were looking at precisely what was happening and how it was being handled. “I know you would want me to fire the chief executive. We don’t work like that. It is a major problem affecting the economy as well. It has other adverse effects. It is the biggest risk, as we have said in the past. We are looking at the best ways to handle it. It’s a combination of a whole range of challenges,” Ramaphosa said. The crisis also came as matric pupils wrote maths yesterday and will also write economics, business studies, physical sciences, history, geography, and engineering graphics and design this week. General secretary of the National Association of School Governing Bodies Matakanye Matakanya…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za THE City has warned that political parties that fail to remove their posters within 10 days after the election may face a fine of R128 per poster. City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said: “The string or plastic fasteners must be removed as well. Posters that are not removed within this deadline will be removed by the City at the said political party’s cost at R128 per poster.” Political parties said they were in the process of removing their posters. EFF Western Cape spokesperson Wandile Kasibe said they started removing their posters a day after the election. “The EFF has given instructions to its ground forces to remove all its election posters and banners. We are almost done in the Cape Metro,” he said. African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP)…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za WITHOUT disclosing his location, whistle-blower, acclaimed author and academic Athol Williams has confirmed that he is safe but feeling a mix of emotions after fleeing the country last Monday in fear of his life. Williams yesterday told the Cape Times that he might be back in South Africa in the future but only when he felt safe. “I feel safe where I am. I feel a range of mixed emotions – self-doubt about whether I’ve done the right thing, regret for the stress this is causing my family, but mostly I feel sadness that after all my years of working for a better South Africa, I have now been forced to leave because I stood up for truth and justice,” he said. Williams added he would be…

Francesca Villette francesca.villette@inl.co.za EDUCATION and human rights authorities are expected to meet soon to discuss full-time classes at schools in the new year. The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) said yesterday that large numbers of primary schools around the country have continued on rotational timetables, and they have applied to rotate in 2022 as well. The commission said it was of the view that rotational learning has a long-lasting negative impact on learning outcomes for children. “The Co-operative Government and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) directive compromises the ability of primary schools (where the very foundation of learning takes place) to return to normal teaching and learning, notwithstanding reduced transmission and virus acquisition rates among teachers and learners in these schools as the majority of educators have been vaccinated and due to…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za A TEACHER who refused to teach mathematics literacy to three classes because he claimed he was qualified to only teach “pure” mathematics and life sciences has lost his bid to have his dismissal overturned. Apart from his refusal, Samuel Kekana also allegedly sprayed a labour relations officer from the Department of Education in the face with “a substance”. While the official maintained he was sprayed with pepper spray, Kekana insisted it was a can of deodorant which he took out of his pocket. He also allegedly threatened to spray the school principal with the same substance. Kekana, who has been a teacher for more than 30 years, tried in vain for four years to have his dismissal overturned. In his latest bid to return to the classroom,…

ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za A Johannesburg bus driver, who was dismissed five years ago from service when a commuter fell out of the bus and was crushed to death by the bus, will not get his job back. Lucky Choene turned to the Labour Court to set aside an arbitration award which earlier upheld his dismissal. The Johannesburg Metro Bus Services fired Choene in 2016 after a disciplinary hearing where it was found that he was responsible for the commuter’s death. This was primarily on the basis that he drove off when the doors of the bus had not closed. The arbitrator made a finding on Choene’s version, and relied in particular on his evidence that he did not notice the passenger running down the stairs of the double decker bus…

POLITICAL parties holding coalition or partnership talks this week should set aside their differences and prioritise the needs of the electorate, who are crying out for improved service delivery. As a result of last week’s watershed local government elections, the ANC failed to receive an overwhelming majority from the voters in 66 municipalities across the country. The municipalities include some of the most important councils such as eThekwini and Tshwane municipalities, and the Nelson Mandela Bay and Johannesburg metros. Various political parties have made their views known on how they would approach coalition talks. The DA has made it clear that it will not be working with the EFF and the ANC. Herman Mashaba has been telling everyone willing to listen that Action SA will not enter into coalition talks…

Former US president Barack Obama has called on the UN climate conference in Glasgow to address the risks island nations face from rising sea levels. Obama said their tales at the 2015 climate talks had been crucial, resulting the Paris Agreement, which commits countries to holding the rise in the average global temperature to “well below” 2ºC above pre-industrial levels. “I have been shaped by my experience growing up in Hawaii,” Obama said. “We have to act now to help with adaptation and resilience.” Leaders of island nations at the COP26 summit pressed Obama about the failure of the US and other Western countries to meet pledges to provide $100 billion a year in climate finance. “The US falls woefully short of paying its fair share of climate finance,”…

The US reopened its land and air borders yesterday to foreign visitors fully vaccinated against Covid-19, ending 20 months of travel restrictions that separated families, hobbled tourism and strained diplomatic ties. The ban, imposed by former president Donald Trump early last year and upheld by his successor Joe Biden, has been widely criticised and become emblematic of the upheavals caused by the pandemic. At airports in Europe, passengers queued excitedly to board planes bound for the US east coast, while long lines of masked people, cars and motor homes were seen before dawn at the borders with Mexico and Canada. The US closed its borders after March 2020 to travellers from many parts of the world, including the EU, Britain and China, India and Brazil, in an effort to slow…

Singapore: A court here put the execution of a Malaysian man in a drug trafficking case on hold yesterday after a last-ditch legal challenge, his lawyer said, following criticism from campaigners who say he is mentally disabled. Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam was arrested in 2009 for carrying 43g – about three tablespoons – of heroin into the city-state, which has some of the world’s toughest anti-drugs laws. He was sentenced to death the following year and was due to be hanged tomorrow after losing several appeals, despite claims his intellectual disability means he can’t make rational decisions.…

Beirut: The Arab League yesterday pressed for an easing of tensions between Lebanon and Gulf Arab states over a Lebanese minister’s comments on the Yemen war. “We do not want this situation to continue. We want a breakthrough, a détente in this relationship,” the league’s assistant secretary general, Hossam Zaki, said from Beirut where he is on an official visit. “We hope the starting point for that will begin here,” he said following a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. The rift threatens to plunge Lebanon deeper into meltdown and has prompted Saudi Arabia and some allies to recall ambassadors and block imports from Lebanon.…

Bafana Bafana are currently on top of Group G in Caf 2022 World Cup qualification with two games to play. Hugo Broos’ team have 10 points from their four games so far and are one point ahead of Ghana who are in second place. Third-placed Ethiopia and fourth-placed Zimbabwe, meanwhile, are out of the running. The winner of Group G will advance to the third and final round of qualification, which will be a home and away playoff with the winner advancing to the World Cup in Qatar. For Bafana to qualify for the next round, the following permutations apply: 1. If Bafana beat both Zimbabwe and Ghana in their upcoming matches, they will qualify irrespective of the outcomes of other games; 2. If Bafana draw against Zimbabwe and Ghana…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za DELTA Property Fund, which came out of suspension on the JSE in July, saw its share price rise by more than 24 percent at one stage yesterday after it reported progress to reduce its debt in the six months to August 31. The company lifted its distribution 15.57 percent to 24.86 cents per share in the interim period, but decided not to declare an interim dividend while it continued to reduce its loan-to-value ratio. The share price closed 19.35 percent higher at R0.74 yesterday on the JSE. Interim chief executive Bongi Masinga said Delta had made signifi- cant traction with its debt reduction programme. Four properties were being sold for R176.5 million, the proceeds from which would be to reduce debt. The…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za ANGLOGOLD Ashanti yesterday said that it had prioritised reductions in all costs and the implementation of a new operating model after its latest production forecast saw its share price by 12 percent. In August, the gold bullion producer reduced its production guidance for 2021 to between 2.45 million ounces and 2.6 million ounces and hiked its cost estimates to a total cash cost of up to $950 (R14 252) an ounce amid safety concerns at its Obuasi mine, in Ghana. In its market update report for the three-month period ended September 30, 2021, yesterday, AngloGold said production and costs for 2021 were expected to be in line with revised guidance. The year-on-year performance was impacted by the voluntary suspension of underground mining activities…

From page 1 He said IEC results showed that the ANC performed dismally in the areas they came from. ANCYL spokesperson Mesuli Kama said the ANCYL in the province also reiterated its calls for immediate suspension of all individuals responsible for the “manipulation” of lists across all municipalities and the immediate implementation of the recommendations of the National Electoral Committee Report. Kama said it was disheartening and discouraging to witness the decline of the ANC in the province, however it was unsurprising. Regional executive committee member and outgoing city councillor Khaya Yozi said as the leadership they have failed the party and communities. “I was not surprised with the outcome of the elections because the present issues add to past problems that were never resolved. All the sentiments that…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za THE Constitutional Court (Concourt) heard yesterday that Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane did not require full legal representation in an inquiry into her fitness to hold office. This was the argument advanced by National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s advocate when arguing an urgent and direct appeal to the Concourt. The Western Cape High Court had found that the National Assembly’s rule that empowered the Speaker to appoint a judge to an independent panel to assess charges of incompetence, incapacity and misconduct, inconsistent with the Constitution. The court also ruled against the limitation of legal representatives’ participation to merely give legal advice. The DA also is appealing against the ruling, while Mkhwebane is cross-appealing both the DA and Mapisa-Nqakula’s appeals. During yesterday’s proceedings, Justice Nonkosi Mhlantla enquired why there…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za CALLS are growing for the ANC’s Dullah Omar Regional Executive Committee (REC) to be disbanded and that the Proportional Representational (PR) councillor list be reversed. This after disgruntled ANC members, including representatives from all 12 Khayelitsha branches, held an ANC members election assessment meeting on Sunday night at the Khayelitsha Training Centre, where an agreement to call for dissolution was made. The members claim Dullah Omar Regional (DOR) leaders failed to provide leadership in the election and positioned themselves as REC members on the party’s PR list despite the majority of the votes coming from Khayelitsha. This follows the Western Cape ANC Youth League’s (ANCYL) call for immediate change in the leadership and for the establishment of a youthful Regional Task Team. ANC ward 89 branch chairperson…

Staff writer THE statue of Afrikaner mogul and philanthropist Jannie Marais on Stellenbosch University’s Rooiplein, placed there as “a reminder of hegemonic, authoritarian whiteness”, was among issues under the spotlight at a frank panel discussion during a webinar hosted by the Stellenbosch University Museum. During the discussion, titled, Memorials beyond apartheid at South African universities, professor of visual studies at the university, Lize van Robbroeck, spoke of the Jannie Marais statue. Mining magnate Johannes Henoch (Jannie) Marais co-founded media conglomerate Naspers, and donated £100 000 towards establishing Stellenbosch University upon his death in 1915. “The sculpture of Jannie Marais on our Rooiplein; most students don’t actually recognise him or know what role he played. But the visual semiotic is certainly one of white male authority,” Van Robbroeck said. “The size…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za XOLANI Dimba, the bus passenger accused of drug dealing after allegedly being found in possession of drugs worth R2.2 million, will return to the Beaufort West Magistrate’s Court today. The 37-year-old made a second appearance yesterday where his case was rolled over to today. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the Legal Aid attorney did not come on record but a private attorney would come on record if Dimba had the financial means. “The case is postponed for legal representation and to arrange a date for a formal bail application,” said Ntabazalila. The man from Durban had indicated during his first appearance last Friday that he needed legal aid and the case was also postponed for the State to check whether he had any prior convictions.…

IF THE distribution of power as a result of the outcome of the November 1 local government elections, which produced 66 hung municipalities, set out a strong outline, the task for next month is to fill in as many details as possible. My involvement in advising potential coalition partners on the application of the constitutional and local government framework in the process has proved much more encouraging this time, given the willingness of politicians to genuinely engage. The long-term ambition of a multiparty democracy in which layers of coalition governments across the country geared towards providing a conducive environment for the realisation of the constitutionally defined objects of local government now being negotiated would have been hard to imagine in the early years of our democracy, where single-party dominance…

Managua: International opprobrium rained down yesterday on Nicaragua’s longtime leader Daniel Ortega after he won a fourth straight presidential term in what critics described as a “farce” election with his political opponents jailed or exiled. With Ortega’s victory in Sunday’s poll a foregone conclusion, the US and Europe led fierce criticism of the 75-year-old former guerrilla, accusing him of dictatorial tactics and of crushing dissent. By early yesterday, ballots had been counted in 49% of polling stations, with Ortega and wife Rosario Murillo, his vice-president, securing 75% of votes, according to official partial results from the country’s Supreme Electoral Council. Nicaragua is now fully “an autocratic regime” after the deeply deficient elections handed Ortega his fifth overall presidential term, the EU said. The polls “lack legitimacy” after Ortega “eliminated all…

AUCKLAND: The mass shooter who killed 51 and injured at least 50 people at two New Zealand mosques in 2019 is expected to appeal against his convictions, Stuff.co.nz reports. Brenton Tarrant, who had live-streamed the carnage he unleashed at Al Noor Mosque and at the Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch on Facebook, says he pleaded guilty last year because of his inhumane, degrading treatment while awaiting trial. His lawyer, Tony Ellis, said this could be a breach of the Bill of Rights and “prevented a fair trial”. Tarrant is serving a life term without parole.…

Gunmen seized at least two villages overnight in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo near the border with Uganda and Rwanda, a local official and an activist group said yesterday. Lieutenant-Colonel Muhindo Luanzo, assistant to the administrator of Rutshuru territory, blamed fighters from the M23, a rebel group that seized large swathes of territory in 2012 and 2013. The two villages, Tshanzu and Runyoni, were the last redoubts of the M23 before they were chased by Congolese and UN forces into Uganda and Rwanda in 2013. Since then, there have been regional efforts to demobilise the fighters, but the group has complained about the slow pace at which a peace accord has been implemented, and some have returned to Congo. It was not immediately possible to confirm the identity…

ROME: The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned of an approaching hunger catastrophe as the number of people on the verge of famine has risen to 45 million in 43 countries. “The number of people teetering on the edge of famine has risen as acute hunger spikes around the world. This number has risen from 42 million earlier in the year and 27 million in 2019,” it said. WFP executive director David Beasley said conflict, climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic are worsening hunger situation globally. “Fuel costs are up, food prices are soaring … all of this feeds into new crises in Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria,” Beasley added.…

Herman Gibbs herman.gibbs@africannewsagency.com Bafana Bafana’s youthful upstarts have reached the point of no return ahead of this week’s final World Cup Group G qualifiers and coach Hugo Broos warned “there is no way back” at yesterday’s press conference in Dobsonville. No one would have foreseen that six months ago when Broos was appointed the national team’s coach that Bafana would have a realistic chance of reaching the final qualifying round after topping Group G with two games remaining. Broos himself was surprised at how well things have gone, considering he started out the qualifying campaign with a group of mainly greenhorns. The team are undefeated after four matches and have two outstanding Group G games against Zimbabwe (Thursday, at home) and Ghana (Sunday, away). “We have two very important games,…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za South Africa’s foreign exchange liquidity could enter a slump in spite of gross reserves rising marginally in October as the US tapering threatens to put brakes on large capital inflows. This could mean that finance minister Enoch Godongwana should carefully balance South Africa’s future spending priorities against declining reserves when he tables his maiden Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) on Thursday. The SA Reserve Bank (SARB) yesterday said foreign exchange reserves position rose by $46 million (R690m) , or 0.8 percent, to $57.52 billion, after declining by 1.35 percent in August. The SARB said the international liquidity position also increased by $42m to $55.43bn. The bank said the changes were mainly due to the increase in the US dollar gold price, the depreciation of US dollar…

In the summer, the fashion designer, animal rights activist, and environmentalism’s eponymous fashion label joined forces with ​Humane Society to campaign to end the use of fur for fashion. And as COP26 got underway in Glasgow, McCartney opened the ‘Future of Fashion: An innovation conversation with Stella McCartney’ exhibit at the Scottish city’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum this week, which she attended to call for legislation to be created to stop animals being culled for fashion. Speaking to Forbes magazine at the launch, Sir Paul McCartney’s daughter said: “I’m here today because I’m begging for policy to be put in place for the fashion industry.” McCartney also called on fast-fashion retailers to cut their produce to help flatten their carbon footprint, and she insisted it’s still possible to have…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za GOOD Party leader Patricia de Lille made some tough choices by staying away from coalitions in favour of preserving party unity and leadership coherence. This is according to policy analyst and human rights activist, Nkosikhulule Nyembezi, following the GOOD Party’s announcement it would not enter into any local government coalitions across the 19 municipalities and and five districts in which it will be represented. Nyembezi said the party could be commended for its transparency “in declaring timeously that it has assessed the situation and decided not to enter into any coalition agreements”. “Hopefully, the door remains open for GOOD to consider entering into a coalition should subsequent by-elections in any relevant hung municipality shift the balance of power and necessitate reconstitution of the council leadership,” he said.…

Noni Mokati, Kailene Pillay and Kamogelo Moichela ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa says the ANC is not desperate and will not enter into coalition talks “at all costs”. “So comrades, let it be clear – we will not enter into a coalition at all costs,” he said to resounding applause at the party’s “Thank You” rally, held at the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto campus yesterday. Ramaphosa, who earlier admitted that voters had punished the ANC during this year's election, as it only clinched 46.04% of the votes nationally, added that despite several small political parties indicating that they would only form a partnership based on certain terms, the ANC would not beg for coalitions. “A number of parties are going around boastfully saying: ‘We are not going to work with the…

Francesca Villette francesca.villette@inl.co.za “YOU think what is happening is serious? Wait until we get into February next year when the Koberg unit is off because of the replacement of the steam generator. Die poppe gaan dans!” So warned former Eskom chief executive and group executive for technology Matshela Koko, as the country was yet again plunged into Stage 4 load shedding yesterday. Ongoing generation capacity shortages resulted in the disruption to all sectors of society, while Eskom said the blackouts were “necessary to ration the remaining emergency generation reserves, which have been utilised extensively”. Stage 4 will remain until 5am on Friday and, thereafter, Stage 2 load shedding will continue until Saturday. But things will get worse, Koko told the Cape Times. “It’s an unmitigated disaster. Let me tell you…

Staff writer IN A South African first, a spy “pen gun” once owned by anti-apartheid icon and former ANC president Oliver Tambo has been tokenised into a non-fungible token (NFT) to be auctioned later this week. The spy pen gun is believed to have been a gift to Tambo from the East Germans to help protect him from any would-be assassins during the mid-1980s. It is due to be auctioned at a live NFT auction on Thursday in Cape Town. Hosted by NFT exchange Momint, the event will host high net worth individuals from around the world at an auction of unique assets. Blockchain company Virtual Nation Builders has tokenised the spy pen NFT and its uniqueness has been independently certified with a crypto asset number. All net proceeds of…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za THE DA has confirmed that councillor Nora Grose who is accused of fraud and money laundering, will be among the newly elected councillors who will be sworn in this month. This despite criticism from opposition parties who accused the DA of “double standards” after Grose was included in the party’s proportional representation (PR) councillor’s list for the local government elections. Grose and Reuben Swartz appeared at the Bellville Commercial Crimes Court last month, on charges of fraud and money laundering relating to allegations of misappropriating City of Cape Town funds intended for food relief. They are out on R10 000 bail each. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the case against Grose had been postponed to November 16 for the outcome of her representations.…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za NATIONAL and provincial water authorities kicked off a compliance and enforcement blitz in the Gouritz Region following allegations of illegal water use in recent months. This included the alleged diversion of rivers, illegal abstraction and other unlawful activities. During a briefing yesterday, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) said authorities would conduct the blitz throughout the week within the Gouritz Catchment. DWS Acting Provincial Head Boniswa Hene said the compliance and enforcement blitz was aimed at curbing illegal water use activities that had been reported since the prolonged drought in the Klein Karoo region. “The Breede-Gouritz Catchment Management Agency (BGCMA) received several allegations of illegal water use within the Gouritz region, and these include diversion of rivers, illegal abstraction, and other unlawful activities. “Over the next…

IN OUR country’s modern history since 1910, there were several opportunities for changing course for a better life for all its inhabitants, and therefore to be the best on the continent, and a shining example and beacon of hope to all on our planet. We know little of what happened before 1652 when the first white colonisers landed in our country, and recorded history written by colonisers dominated. Our history since 1652 is one of bloodshed, wars, mistrust, non-co-operation, exclusivity, oppression, minority rule, civil unrest, and after several wasted centuries eventually the dawn of democracy in 1994, something that so many had hoped would happen in their lifetime, but were no longer here to enjoy its fruits when it finally arrived. The coming to power of the scare-mongering National Party…

METEROLOGICAL authorities in several north and northeast China provincial-level regions have issued blizzard alerts as sweeping snowstorms hit road and air traffic and disrupt normal life. Tongliao City in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been walloped by the strongest snowstorm ever recorded, with five local meteorological stations reporting the maximum daily snowfall in decades, local authorities said. From 8pm on November 5 to 7am yesterday, 24 local weather stations had logged precipitation of more than 30mm and the maximum snowfall in the city exceeded 50cm. In the next three days, the snowstorms are expected to gradually weaken in Tongliao, said local meteorological authorities. The sudden snowstorms also weigh heavily in China’s northernmost province of Heilongjiang. The airport in Harbin, its capital city, was closed from 9am yesterday due…

LOS ANGELES: Vin Diesel has urged Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to return to the Fast & Furious franchise. The 54-year-old actor has taken to Instagram to encourage Dwayne to “fulfil” his destiny by reprising the role of Luke Hobbs in the money-spinning film series. Vin – who plays Dominic Toretto – wrote on the photo he shared: “My little brother Dwayne... the time has come. The world awaits the finale of Fast 10. As you know, my children refer to you as Uncle Dwayne in my house. There is not a holiday that goes by that they and you don’t send well wishes... but the time has come. Legacy awaits. (sic)” The pair have been known to exchange barbs in the media, leading fans to believe they won’t work with…

ADDIS ABABA: A rebel leader fighting Ethiopia’s government says his troops are near the capital and preparing another attack, predicting the war would end “soon” as diplomats rush to negotiate a ceasefire. Jaal Marroo, commander of the Oromo Liberation Army, warned Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed that pro-government fighters were defecting and the rebels were close to victory. “What I am sure (of) is that it is going to end very soon,” Jaal, whose real name is Kumsa Diriba, told AFP in an interview on Sunday. “We are preparing to push for another launch, and for another attack. The government is just trying to buy time.”…

Phnom Penh: Seven inmates yesterday broke out of the Stung Treng Provincial Prison in Cambodia, a top police official confirmed. The seven were serving their terms, ranging from four years to life imprisonment, for drug trafficking and theft, Major General Aun Sivutha, police chief of Stung Treng province, told Xinhua news agency. “They first escaped from their prison cell and then, they used tools and sticks taken from a workshop to make a hole in the prison’s concrete wall and escaped shortly after 3am,” Sivutha said. “When our guards saw them escaping, they gave chase and fired warning shots, but could not stop them. Currently, our authorities are hunting for them.”…