Indice dei contenuti per 2022-10-21 in Cape Times

DEPUTY President David Mabuza yesterday said it was up to the Eskom board to act against CEO Andre de Ruyter and his executives after evaluating their performance. “It is up to the newly-appointed board to re-evaluate the performance of Eskom CEO and other members of Eskom management and, if indeed they find that there is poor performance, I think it is up to the board to act,” Mabuza said. He was responding to oral questions in the National Council of Provinces from EFF MP Mmabatho Mokause on why De Ruyter had not been removed from office despite failing to ensure that there was reliable and affordable electricity. Mokause also asked whether Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan had provided the newly-elected board with a clear mandate regarding the level of capability…

WHILE trade union Solidarity forges ahead with its litigation against Dis-Chem over their moratorium on employment and promotion of whites across all levels, the pharmaceutical giant has received the backing of the Department of Labour’s Commission for Employment Equity (CEE), which said its transformation plan was compliant. “We should also concede that the elimination of unfair discrimination alone will not remedy this, but policies, programmes and other positive actions such as affirmative action, which are designed to redress the imbalances of the past are therefore needed,” said CEE chairperson Tabea Kabinde. Earlier this week, Dis-Chem stood by its transformation plan despite withdrawing the “poorly worded” original memorandum sent to staff. A moratorium on external and internal appointments and promotion of white individuals remained in place. Kabinde said the message communicated…

The 68th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Portoroz, Slovenia, was thrown into chaos yesterday after pro-whaling nations refused to appear at the meeting to prevent a vote being taken that likely would have approved the establishment of a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) said. The proposal, put forward by Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, aimed to provide a comprehensive approach to conservation of cetaceans, involving the management of all threats to whales in the region, not just the threat of whaling. Realising that they did not have the votes required to block the proposal, pro-whaling nations left the meeting to break the quorum required for decision-making, Ifaw said. Matt Collis, deputy vice-president for Conservation and leading Ifaw’s delegation to the IWC,…

ONE Jamie Oliver Loot.co.za (R349) MICHAEL JOSEPH His latest cookbook is simply called “ONE”. “I want to position this book as one that is absolutely dedicated to the art of minimal washing up – you cook each recipe in just one pan or tray. It’s about making your life easier.” The recipes are grouped under: Frying Pan Pasta; Veggie Delights; Celebrating Chicken; The Joy of Eggs; Burgers and Toasties; Fabulous Fish; Appreciating Meat; Batch Cooking; and finally, Puds and Cakes. I only started cooking quite late in life and at the moment try and add at least one dish a week to my burgeoning but simple repertoire. Jamie’s “ONE” could not have come at a better time. I read the book through and highlighted recipes that are sure to expand…

Walking down Prince Alfred Road, in the city now called Makhanda, one spring morning in 2016, a black worker was painting over the name of Steve Biko which had been sprayed on one of the building walls of Rhodes University. The symbolism of that act, by that black worker, could not have made a greater impact on me. In the aftermath of the #FeesMustFall protests on our university campuses across the country, and its overarching call for decolonialisation, the message that the management of Rhodes University was sending to poor and working-class black students, the black worker as well as the black academic walking past was clear: the name of Steven Bantu Biko had no place at this university. At least, if it does emerge, then only on our terms.…

Shops, offices and schools were closed across the occupied West Bank yesterday as Palestinians went on strike to protest against the killing of a man suspected of a deadly attack against Israeli forces. Udai Tamimi, who had been on the run since the fatal shooting this month of military policewoman Noa Lazar at a checkpoint in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, was killed late Wednesday after he fired at Israelis on the edge of a settlement. With the West Bank largely shut down, the Palestinian health ministry also confirmed that Mohammad Fadi Nuri, 16, died from a gunshot wound sustained during clashes with Israeli forces near Ramallah last month. Omar Abed al-Latif Omar, a resident of the West Bank city of Tulkarem, told AFP the strike had been intended as “a message”…

LONDON: British actress Judi Dench has called on Netflix to add a disclaimer to royal drama The Crown, joining a chorus of voices criticising the series’ fictionalised storylines. In a letter to The Times yesterday, the 87-year-old veteran said as the award-winning show approached present times “the more freely it seems willing to blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism”. “While many will recognise The Crown for the brilliant but fictionalised account of events that it is, I fear that a significant number of viewers, particularly overseas, may take its version of history as being wholly true.” | Reuters…

Precious gem miner Gemfields Group has stopped operations at its Montepuez ruby mine in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province after an attack was reported at a nearby facility, it said yesterday. “This morning, an attack attributed to insurgent activity has been reported at the neighbouring ruby mine belonging to Gemrock, about 12km south-east of the operations in which Gemfields holds a 75% interest,” Gemfields said. Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province has seen an Islamic State-linked insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives since it broke out in 2017, disrupting multibillion-dollar natural gas and mining projects. | Reuters…

BANGUI: The head of Central African Republic’s (CAR’s) top court, which has stymied a push to enable President Faustin-Archange Touadera to keep running for office, has defied a government order to retire. The Constitutional Court last month annulled a commission for proposed reforms that would let Touadera, 65, stand for a third presidential poll in line with a trend in parts of Africa that opponents see as creeping autocracy. The already twice-elected Touadera’s government earlier this month issued a decree telling 28 higher education officials born between 1946 and 1955 to retire from December 31. On the list was Constitutional Court president Daniele Darlan. | Reuters…

DELEGATES attending the fifth General Assembly of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) international conference said that a multi-faceted and inclusive approach was needed in order to mitigate the risks presented to democracy and the integrity of elections. The four-day conference hosted by the Electoral Commission was attended by 275 delegates from over 60 election management bodies (EMBs) at the Cape Town International Convention Centre and concluded yesterday. A-WEB is the only global association of election management bodies. It was formed in 2013 and its General Assembly convenes every two years. It was the first time the meetings have been held on the continent. Addressing delegates, former President Thabo Mbeki said the vision and objective that the people shall govern, should be re-inforced. “The focus must be on the…

The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) is adamant it wants to continue wage negotiation talks with Transnet after announcing that they have not reached a wage agreement. Referring to the three-year-wage agreement reached with majority union, United National Transport Union (Untu), Satawu confirmed the industrial action had been called off and members had been urged to return to productive activities as of 6am yesterday. However, Satawu said a “series of consultative meetings with our constituencies were convened to critically analyse the implications of such an agreement”. The union said it was mandated by members not to sign or be party to the collective agreement and that the negotiating team should continue to engage with the Transnet Bargaining Council “on critical issues such as organisational restructuring (retrenchments) and…

Ella Mills Loot.co.za (R240) Yellow Kite Despite the increasing number of people moving towards a plant-based diet, there are no clear, evidence-based mainstream books to help anyone looking to adopt this way of eating – either for themselves, or for their family. It can be overwhelming to switch to a plant-based diet, and you may have no idea where to start. Thankfully Ella Mills and her team at Deliciously Ella have done all the research for you. This book demystifies going plant-based, making it as easy, clear and delicious as possible, and features 100 new recipes to get you started on your plant-based journey. How to Go Plant-Based is not just filled with recipes, it’s also a guide incorporating Mills’s own journey, alongside scientific research and data, plus insights and…

All the Broken Places John Boyne Loot.co.za (R240) Doubleday (Penguin) JOHN Boyne is known for a number of brilliant novels that have earned the Irish author critical acclaim and delighted millions of readers. Perhaps best known generally for his novel The Boy in The Striped Pajamas, it tells the story of a young boy named Bruno who moves with his family out of the city to an isolated place. There he meets a young Jewish boy, Shmuel, who he takes food to across the fence. That novel was a cross-over teen to adult book, and dealt with the harrowing lives of Jews in concentration camps. In All the Broken Places, Boyne takes the reader into the sequel of what happened to Bruno’s sister after she and her mother fled Germany…

British Prime Minister Liz Truss yesterday dramatically announced her resignation just six weeks after taking office. Truss bowed to the inevitable after her right-wing platform of tax cuts disintegrated and as many MPs among the ruling Conservatives revolted. Speaking in Downing Street, Truss said she would stay on as prime minister until a successor is chosen to serve as Tory leader. “We’ve agreed that there will be a leadership election to be completed within the next week,” she said, after senior backbench MP Graham Brady told her the game was up. “This will ensure that we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plan and maintain our country’s economic stability and national security. “I will remain as prime minister until a successor has been chosen.” Labour leader Keir Starmer,…

Ukrainians conserved electricity and some went without running water to try to ease pressure on the grid and give engineers a chance to rebuild infrastructure destroyed by Russian strikes as Kyiv’s forces advanced towards the city of Kherson. Although Ukraine is successfully prosecuting counter-offensives against Russian forces in the east and the south, it is struggling to protect power generating facilities and other utilities from Russian air and drone strikes designed to disrupt lives and demoralise people as winter approaches. The Ukrainian government yesterday placed restrictions on electricity usage nationwide for the first time since Russia’s February 24 invasion following a barrage of attacks which President Volodymr Zelenskiy said had struck a third of all power plants. Under the new energy-saving regime, power supply across Ukraine was yesterday restricted between…

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office said yesterday he would launch a drive this weekend to give government jobs to 1 million people, starting with 75 000 immediate appointments, as he tries to tackle criticism of widespread unemployment. Joblessness in the country of 1.4 billion people has stayed around 7% for months – something the opposition has regularly pointed out in the run-up to elections in several states starting next month. Modi’s office said the 75 000 new recruits would join 38 ministries or departments of the federal government at various levels of seniority. “As per the directions of the prime minister, all ministries and departments are working towards filling existing vacancies against sanctioned posts in mission mode,” it said. It was not immediately clear if…

LONDON: Child sex abuse is an epidemic in Britain, affecting millions of victims, with vile and horrific acts hidden away for decades as institutions and politicians prioritised reputations over the welfare of young people, a public inquiry said yesterday. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, one of the largest and most expensive investigations of its kind ever undertaken in Britain, said it was a global crisis, where children would be at risk unless urgent action was taken. “The nature and scale of the abuse we encountered was shocking and deeply disturbing,” Alexis Jay, a social care expert who led the inquiry, told reporters. “This is not just a historical aberration.” | Reuters…

VUNANI Capital Partners (VCP), the black-owned financial services company listed on the Equity Express Security Exchange, said yesterday that taxed profit increased strongly to R806 million in the six months to August 31 from R21.6m at the same time a year before. A 38c per share interim dividend was declared, well up on last year’s 3c interim payout. Directors said the improvement was largely been due to a strong performance from the resources and energy division and the Africa-focused businesses. Chief executive Mark Anderson said in a statement: “Although VCP is affected by challenging global and domestic economic conditions, the group has performed well, demonstrating a resilient investment portfolio and positive growth owed largely to the more than 50% increase in energy prices which impacted positively on…

THE Section 194 Committee yesterday accepted the decision by evidence leader Advocate Nazreen Bawa not to recuse herself from the inquiry into the fitness of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to hold office. The inquiry received a recusal application for Bawa last week from UDM leader Bantu Holomisa and Godrich Gardee Attorneys, acting on behalf of chairperson of Black People’s National Crisis Committee, Chumani Maxwele. In his letter, Holomisa said it had come to his party’s attention that Bawa was implicated in legal proceedings that called her conduct into question. In a separate letter, Gardee said Maxwele was aware of proceedings in the Western Cape High Court where allegations were made against Bawa in June 2020, but were not substantively addressed by the legal Practice Council and the Cape Bar Counsel.…

The National Assembly yesterday shot down a request to seek an extension from the Constitutional Court for more time to propose more amendments to the bill that will allow independent candidates to contest elections in Parliament and provincial legislatures. This after IFP chief whip Narend Singh yesterday asked the programme committee to make the application because the home affairs portfolio committee did not get enough time to consider the Electoral Amendment Bill. Singh made the request hours before the National Assembly voted to pass the bill to be sent to the National Council of Provinces for concurrence. He noted that the bill was introduced by the executive in January, six months before the court’s deadline. ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina said the proposal was made to the chief whips forum…

MISS Wheelchair SA is getting ready to jet off to represent the country at the international Miss Wheelchair World competition in Mexico. Tamelyn Bock, 26, from the Northern Cape, wears the inaugural crown for South Africa, and aims to participate in the international competition to inspire women who share her vision of inclusivity. Bock departed from Cape Town International Airport last night at 11.30pm. Born with spinal atrophy, a genetic condition that affects the nerves and weakens the muscles, Bock has used a wheelchair since age eight. For her, the opportunity to compete in the Miss Wheelchair World 2022 competition is a dream come true. She said it gave her a chance to showcase that beauty has no barriers, and change the perceptions and narrative for disabled women in Southern…

Our Missing Hearts Celeste Ng Loot.co.za (R235) Little, Brown Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father, a former linguist who now shelves books in Harvard’s library. He knows not to ask too many questions, stand out too much, stray too far. For a decade, their lives have been governed by laws written to preserve “American culture” in the wake of years of economic instability and violence. To keep the peace and restore prosperity, the authorities are now allowed to relocate children of dissidents, especially those of Asian origin, and libraries have been forced to remove books seen as unpatriotic – including the work of Bird’s mother, Margaret, a Chinese-American poet who left the family when he was 9 years old. Bird has grown up…

Ramaphosa has finally filled the vacancy – but premised on what considerations? For a party that has developed a reputation for indecisiveness over the past five years, President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC MPs still have a habit of delaying the inevitable. In Parliament and the Union Buildings, politicians often say that politics drives the timing of decisions. But last Friday’s Electoral Commission (IEC) chairperson appointment by Ramaphosa is just the opposite. The timing is driving the politics. After six months without an IEC chairperson, Ramaphosa has finally filled the vacancy by naming Mosotho Moepya and acceded to counsel by political parties not to reappoint the previous chairperson, Glen Mashinini. The IEC limped on for six months after Mashinini’s first seven-year term as commissioner ended on April 15. He is…

Türkiye’s defence ministry and top government officials yesterday firmly rejected allegations that the Turkish Armed Forces had used chemical weapons in their operations against Kurdish militants. Media close to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group published videos this week which it said showed chemical weapons being used by the army against the PKK in northern Iraq. Separately, an international medical groups’ federation published a report this month seeking independent investigation of possible violations of the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention. “Allegations that ‘the Turkish Armed Forces used chemical weapons’ are completely baseless and untrue,” the defence ministry said in a statement. “All these disinformation efforts are the futile struggles of the terrorist organisation and its allies,” it said. The PKK is designated a terrorist group by Türkiye, the EU and…

The Ethiopian government said yester- day that it would participate in peace talks next week led by the AU to try to resolve the nearly two-year war in Tigray. International calls for a halt to violence in northern Ethiopia have mounted since an AU bid failed earlier this month to bring the warring sides to the negotiating table. “AUC (the AU Commission) has informed us that the Peace Talks are set for October 24, to be held in South Africa. We have reconfirmed our commitment to participate,” Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s national security adviser Redwan Hussein posted on Twitter. Asked by AFP if they would attend the talks, Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) spokesperson Getachew Reda said in a message: “We have already announced that we will take part in…

LAGOS: Police fired several rounds of tear gas at demonstrators marching at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos yesterday to mark the second anniversary of peaceful protests against police brutality that ended in a hail of gunfire. Reuters witnesses saw police fire five rounds of tear gas in an effort to disperse around 200 people marching at the gate, some waving Nigerian flags and singing “solidarity forever”. Police also arrested two people, according to a Reuters witness. Neither a Lagos state spokesperson or a police spokesperson immediately responded to a request for comment. On October 20, 2020 security forces opened fire on peaceful protesters demanding an end to what they said was endemic police brutality. | Reuters…

The Hague: Dutch health authorities said yesterday they had culled around 300 000 chickens after the largest outbreak of highly contagious bird flu this year, saying almost six million birds have been killed so far in the ongoing epidemic. The latest outbreak of a highly contagious H5 strain of the virus hit a chicken farm at Heythuysen in the southern Limburg province, the Dutch food security agency NVWA said. “We have immediately instituted a ban on transport” of all poultry products, it said. Authorities said they have culled some 5.8 million birds including chickens, turkeys and aquatic birds at 98 locations since the outbreak of the new strain of avian flu was first detected in October last year. | AFP…