Indice dei contenuti per 2022-07-21 in Cape Times

WHILE it was not likely that Eskom would secure a 32.7% tariff increase from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), any increase would bring more pain for consumers already under financial strain, according to economists. While Nersa still needs to publish Eskom’s tariff increase application for public comment and the amount being sought has not been confirmed, it has been widely noted that the power utility will seek an increase of about 32.7%. Analysts said the double-digit increase demonstrated the poor management of Eskom. The country has been experiencing one of its worst rounds of power cuts over the past few weeks which Eskom attributed to a workers strike and a number of units failing. Professor Bonke Dumisa, an independent economic analyst, said that Eskom’s application for a…

OPPOSITION parties have described the Department of Home Affairs’ refusal to disclose alleged Farmgate mastermind Imanuwela David’s nationality as suspicious. After weeks of keeping mum, Home Affairs spokesperson, Siya Qoza finally responded to requests for comment on reports that David was the only South African among the gang of five suspects who allegedly broke in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm before stealing about $4m concealed in furniture. The men, who are believed to have spent their loot on luxury cars and jewellery in Cape Town, were apparently tipped-off about the money by Ramaphosa’s domestic worker. David was arrested in an upmarket Namibian hotel a day after he had entered that country illegally. A probe by Namibian officials revealed that he was a South African citizen and had apparently worked…

LAW enforcement: “the activity of making certain that the laws of an area are obeyed”. So says the Cambridge Dictionary. However, the following incident suggests that the “making certain” aspect in the Cape Metropole is selectively applied, like so many of the idealistically conceived structures in South Africa. On May 6, the plaintiff, after many months of suffering her next door neighbour’s infractions of various by-laws which are gazetted for the preservation of everyone’s peace and safety, was obliged to escalate for her own safety a call for help to the CCC Law Enforcement after it became evident that the local private security had no real authority to enforce the law. After phoning SAPS she was informed that it was the job of Law Enforcement to respond. A reference number…

THE Western Cape High Court has granted convicted murderer Fazlin Abduraghman a further bail extension while she proceeds with her application to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) for special leave against her conviction. The State had opposed the application after Abduraghman’s inaction in pursuing her previous two applications to the SCA for special leave to appeal. According to the high court judgment, Abduraghman was convicted in 2013 for a murder she committed in 2008, and was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment in 2013. On appeal against both conviction and sentence in 2016, the high court confirmed the conviction, and altered the sentence and imposed 10 years’ imprisonment. Abduraghman was twice previously granted bail by the high court, pending the outcome of her SCA application due to her bail periods…

THE appointment of the two curator principals at Heathfield High School will cost the Western Cape Education (WCED) more than R700 000 for seven months. Their appointments came after former principal Wesley Neumann turned down a demotion offer by the department and was subsequently dismissed. Neumann was dismissed after he refused to reopen the school amid the Covid-19 infection peak in 2020. Education MEC David Maynier revealed the salaries in a written reply after ANC provincial education spokesperson Khalid Sayed questioned whether the appointment of the acting principals was formally communicated to the school and the School Governing Body (SGB). According to Maynier the combined remuneration of R718 329 was based on the prescribed salary determinations as per the Personnel Administration Measures for Educators, as well as a Post…

THE arrests of a Gauteng farmer and 97 illegal miners – Lesotho nationals – by the police is a step in the right direction in the fight against organised crime and lawlessness in the country. Last week, an SAPS multi-disciplinary team pounced on the group on a farm in Heidelberg. They seized mining equipment and implements. Spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe said the illegal miners had been operating from the farm. “The team also discovered that all the suspects – between the ages of 18 and 35 – are Lesotho nationals, and the majority of them were in the country illegally. Three unlicensed firearms and 570 rounds of ammunition were also seized. The firearms have been taken in for ballistic testing to determine if they were utilised in any other crimes,”…

Amnesty International has called on the Nigerian authorities to probe the death of seven young men in the country’s restive southeast, where separatist tensions are on the rise. Operatives of a government-backed security unit called Ebubeagu are alleged to have killed the seven on Sunday in the Oru area of Imo state, Amnesty said in a statement this week. The watchdog said the victims had gone to attend a wedding and were returning from the ceremony when they were shot dead. “It is horrifying that unarmed young men who clearly posed no threat to anyone were gunned down, in utter disdain for the right to life,” said Osai Ojigho, director of Amnesty International Nigeria. “Such killings cannot be justified under any circumstances whatsoever.” Amnesty called for an investigation, prosecution of…

LOS ANGELES: Priscilla Presley has rejected the idea that Elvis was “racist”, citing the influence of African-American musicians in his music. The 77-year-old businesswoman, who was married to the King of Rock ’n’ Roll for six years until their divorce in 1973, has defended her late ex-husband against the idea he was “prejudiced”. Appearing on Piers Morgan Uncensored, she said: “He was not a racist. He’s never been a racist. Elvis had friends, black friends, friends from all over. He loved their music. He loved their style … He loved being around blacks … He was just not prejudiced in any way. And not racist in any way.” | Bang Showbiz…

MADRID: The death of a Madrid street-sweeper from heat stroke has prompted companies providing the service in the Spanish capital to adopt measures including halting work during heatwaves. José Antonio Gonzalez, 60, died on Saturday after collapsing at work the previous day. Emergency services said his body temperature was close to 42°C and he died in hospital from heat stroke. The man’s son, Miguel Angel Gonzalez, said his father was hoping to have a one-month contract extended and was working that afternoon because he had swopped shifts with a colleague. The death prompted municipal worker unions to call for a change in working conditions. | Reuters…

Washington: The US House of Representatives passed a bill on marriage equality in a 267-157 vote, with 47 Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting the measure. The Respect for Marriage Act, which calls for the repeal of the Defence of Marriage Act, will face an battle in the evenly divided Senate. Signed into law in 1996, the Defence of Marriage Act defines marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman and allows states to refuse to recognise same-sex marriages granted under the laws of other states. The White House said the bill “would enshrine the right to federal recognition of marriage for same-sex and interracial couples.” | IANS…

SOME MPs have pushed for the parliamentary inquiry into the fitness of suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to hold office, to refrain from asking her questions in-between testimonies before she takes an oath and gives her evidence. This emerged when the Section 194 Committee met yesterday to consider progress made in the hearings, and correspondence from her legal counsel, Advocate Dali Mpofu SC. There were calls for fairness and the need to ensure the inquiry was not delayed. DA MP Kevin Mileham said he was concerned with the directive that provided for questions to be asked directly to Mkhwebane. “I don’t think it serves the interests of this committee, or fairness,” he said. ANC MP Gijimani Jim Skosana said questions arising from witnesses’ testimonies should be asked when Mkhwebane was…

THE Constitutional Court has dismissed an appeal by the Social Justice Coalition (SJC) over discrimination in the allocation of policing resources disparately impacting poor communities in the Western Cape. The matter emanated from a ruling by the Equality Court in December 2018, which found and declared that the allocation of police human resources, and the system used by SAPS, unfairly discriminated against black and poor people “based on the grounds of race and poverty”. The hearing on what relief should be granted to remedy the discrimination was postponed “to a date which shall be arranged with the parties”. In April 2021, after numerous requests to convene the hearing to finalise the remedy went unanswered, the Legal Resource Centre (LRC) representing the SJC - approached the apex court, seeking leave to…

1 x Royco Roast Meat Gravy 30ml olive oil 600g lamb cubes Salt Pepper 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced 1 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp turmeric powder 1 stick cinnamon 1 Tbsp tomato paste Juice & zest of 1 orange 1 Tbsp honey 1 bay leaf 1 cup light chicken stock 1 cup water 100g dried apricots, halved 50g flaked almonds, toasted Mint leaves Couscous, cooked Start by making up the Royco Roast Meat Gravy according to package instructions, put aside. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based pot over a high heat. Generously season the lamb pieces with salt and pepper and add them to the pot. Allow the lamb to colour all over, then remove from the heat. Turn the heat down to low and…

AS WE know, the inequality in our country is getting worse and worse. Can some of your readers tell me why all the wine farms in the Constantia valley are owned by foreigners? No South African can get a look in as far as this is concerned. This is huge, especially because people of colour do not get a chance to develop their talents as wine farmers or own property in one of the most beautiful valleys in the country. Is this fair? I realise these wine farms are valuable in money terms, but when will it ever change? Only when our people get so dissatisfied that we have a revolution and the foreigners will run back to Europe. Does nobody really care that the rich get richer and…

Goods and services attached to children’s rights must be made immediately available SOMEONE is missing from the month-long Mandela Day celebrations as ordinary people spend 67 minutes of their time in service to others in need. At first, I thought I had no idea who they were or exactly what their way of remembering Tata Nelson Mandela in our economically struggling nation and bulging number of needy households would be. But, as we near the climax point of this year’s celebrations, their absence becomes all the more glaring. They are the government and absentee parents. Children are increasingly becoming vulnerable due to lack of safety and security, lack of access to essential health-care services, and the double burden of under-nutrition compromising their cognitive development, education and employment prospects. Also, over-nutrition…

Sri Lankan MPs voted in acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new president yesterday, hoping his long experience in government would help pull the country out of a crippling economic and political crisis. The six-time prime minister garnered 134 votes in the 225-member parliament, despite public anger with the ruling elite after months of severe shortages of fuel, food and medicines. “Our country is facing massive challenges and we have to work on a new strategy to fulfil the aspirations of the people,” the 73-year-old leader said after his victory. “Now everyone must come together.” The response of protesters was broadly muted, with just about 100 people gathered on the steps of the presidential secretariat, but some vowed to turn their focus to dislodging Wickremesinghe. “We’re shocked. He’s a person…

Tehran gave assurances yesterday that its nuclear policy was unchanged and that it still adhered to a fatwa banning weapons of mass destruction, after an Iranian official said the country was able to make atomic bombs. It is the second time in the past 18 months that Iran has reiterated its opposition to nuclear weapons following comments by an official. “In regard to the topic of weapons of mass destruction, we have the fatwa”, or religious edict, by Iran’s supreme leader that prohibits the manufacture of such weapons, said foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani. The fatwa declares the use of atomic bombs and other weapons of mass destruction to be “haram”, or forbidden by Islam, and it is often cited by Iranian authorities as a guarantee of Tehran’s good intentions.…

London: To one last round of cheers from his recently mutinous MPs, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson bowed out of parliament yesterday, signing off by saying: “Hasta la vista, baby!” Johnson defended his three years in office, from Brexit and Covid-19 vaccines to Ukraine, and praised the candidates battling to succeed him, as he fended off opposition attacks at his last session of Prime Minister’s Questions. The House of Commons breaks for its summer recess today, and the new leader is to be announced when it reconvenes on September 5. Labour leader Keir Starmer quoted bitter attacks hurled against each other and their own government’s record by the three remaining Conservative candidates: Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt. Johnson’s Downing Street operation is accusing ex-finance minister Sunak of orchestrating…

New York: Vaccinations may not be enough to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus and the variants. But using nasal spray as boosters may help keep the majority of the population free from serious illness from the disease, suggests research. Published this week in the journal Science Immunology, the research documents for the first time the underperforming immune response in the airways of people with Covid-19 vaccinations compared to those with natural infection. The research validates scientists’ suspicion that greater immunity to the coronavirus can be developed starting where the virus first takes root, the mucus membranes of the nose. | IANS…

THE relevant ANC structures are set to process a memorandum from some of the governing party's aggrieved members, who are demanding that President Cyril Ramaphosa be expelled from the organisation and as head of state. The members, who handed in their memorandum at Luthuli House in Johannesburg last Friday, have told the Cape Times sister newspaper the Pretoria News that they plan to organise mass action across the country if their demands are not met. According to the chief organiser of the march, Senzo Nkabinde, they had extended their earlier 48-hour deadline for Luthuli House to act against Ramaphosa. "The ANC has now been given until the end of Thursday (today) to ensure that Comrade Cyril Ramaphosa is expelled as head of the party. We also want him to be…

The largest magnetite consignment in the Richards Bay Bulk Terminal’s history was recently loaded, as the 300m MV Seacon Africa sailed for China a day ahead of schedule. The operational team had averaged a loading rate of 1 699 tons per hour throughout the vessel’s five days – 54% above the normal loading rate. Newly appointed managing executive at the Richards Bay Terminals Kwazi Mabaso said: “We loaded MV Seacon Africa consistently and with few delays, thanks to the leadership of the terminal manager and his team as well as the co-operation between ourselves and the Palabora Mining Company team we have executed with.” A total of 39 magnetite trains pulling 80 wagons each were offloaded at a cycle of 18 wagons per hour through the terminal’s Tippler 2 that…

UNIVERSITY of Pretoria (UP) academics are playing a leading role in driving the reintroduction of wild cheetahs into India as part of efforts to ensure the survival of the species. With the global cheetah population in decline, the Project Cheetah initiative is part of a long-term plan to increase the numbers of free-ranging (wild) cheetahs. Despite significant efforts thus far, the global authority on the status of the natural world, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, estimates that there are fewer than 7 000 wild cheetahs in the world. “There is growing concern about finding new export opportunities to ensure that the free-ranging cheetah population grows in a sustainable, manageable manner,” said veterinary wildlife specialist Professor Adrian Tordiffe, of UP’s Faculty of Veterinary Science. “Very few new reserves can…

THE Women’s Legal Centre Trust has headed to court to defend the rights of two mothers from “unlawful interference” by the Department of Social Development, after the women were allegedly being persuaded to keep their biological children whom they gave up for adoption. According to the Trust, both minor children have been in the uninterrupted care of their prospective adoptive parents for more than three years, and “have been thriving”. In both cases, the Children’s Court found the adoptions to be in the childrens’ best interests. However, the Trust yesterday argued in virtual hearing the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg that the provincial department has continued to undermine the womens’ rights. They were 23 and 27 years old respectively, and both full-time students at the time of exercising their…

THE month of July is traditionally an opportunity for us as South Africans to get involved in making a real positive difference in our society – in the spirit of selfless giving, exemplified by our esteemed former president, Nelson Mandela. But there is only so much an individual or individual organisations can do. We are living in a time of increasingly complex social challenges, and in order to address them, it has become essential to join forces with others across a wide range of sectors and disciplines to find effective, lasting solutions. With the ongoing massification of higher education and the accompanying diversification of student bodies in many parts of the world, universities around the globe have in recent years increasingly been investing finances and resources towards student support mechanisms…

The European Commission yesterday urged EU countries to reduce demand for natural gas by 15% over the coming months to secure winter stocks and defeat Russian “blackmail”. Announcing an emergency plan, EU commissioners also asked member states to give Brussels special powers to impose compulsory energy rationing if Russia cuts off Europe’s gas lifeline. A total shutdown of imports or a sharp reduction in the east to west flow could have a catastrophic effect on the European economy, shutting factories and forcing households to turn down the heat. Last year, Russia represented 40% of the EU’s total gas imports and any further disruption to supply would also push consumer prices higher and raise the risk of a deep recession. “Russia is blackmailing us,” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen…

A British firm says it has produced the world’s first bioplastic vinyl record, which it hopes will reduce the need for highly toxic PVC. Bioplastics are derived from sources such as sugars and starches, rather than oil or gas, and do not create any toxic waste in their production. The new bioplastic vinyl by UK firm Evolution has been endorsed by NGO Music Declares Emergency, a climate change campaign group set up in 2019 by artists and music industry professionals. “If Evolution can deliver an alternative guilt-free vinyl, it could get rid of one of the key polluting elements of the music industry completely,” said the NGO’s co-founder Lewis Jamieson. All vinyl records are made from Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, described by Greenpeace as “the most environmentally damaging plastic”, whose…

Lahore: The death toll from a boat that capsized while carrying a wedding party in Pakistan earlier this week is presumed to have surpassed 50 after officials said yesterday there was no hope of finding more survivors. The overcrowded vessel was carrying around 100 passengers when it capsized on Monday on the storm-swollen Indus River in Sadiqabad, central Punjab province. Twenty-six bodies, mostly women and children, have been recovered, but a similar number of people are missing and presumed dead, officials said. Most of the survivors were men who managed to swim ashore. Women are not encouraged to learn how to swim in Pakistan. | AFP…

TASHKENT: More than 4 000 Uzbekistan residents were admitted to hospital because of the abnormal heatwave this week, the Uzbek Ministry of Health said yesterday. In Uzbekistan, the hottest period of the year is from June 25 to August 5. During the day, the air in Tashkent warms up to 40-43°C, in the south of the country – up to 45°C. “From July 17 to date, July 20, the republic’s ambulance service received 130 115 calls,” the head of emergency service said. Over 23 400 people contacted the ambulance service with complaints of high blood pressure, shortness of breath, asthma attacks and other chronic diseases, with 4 215 of them hospitalised. | IANS…