Indice dei contenuti per 2022-11-15 in Cape Times

From page 1 “I’m sorry to the family for what they had to go through…I met Haron’s grandson and I could not tell him everything because it was kept quiet. I want to assist the family here today. I said what I saw,” said Burger. Burger painted a picture to the court that he “did not worry with SB officers”. “They were there and I was doing only as I was instructed.” Asked whether he viewed the SB unit as a “feared or elite unit”, Burger said: “Dis darem diep. Ek kan nie dit antwoord nie (That is quite deep. I can’t answer that).” Earlier in the day, Jeremy Cronin, also a former political detainee and anti-apartheid activist, told how he had been kept in detention at Maitland and was…

THE EFF has been commended for taking a bold step to ensure that women are not left behind in its top decision-making structures. University of Mpumalanga political analyst, Dr John Molepo, welcomed the decision of the party’s “war council” to restructure the top five positions in its Eastern Cape provincial command team as a clear demonstration that the party was “not all talk” on gender issues. On Sunday, the party announced it had replaced two members of the all-male provincial top structure with women. An all-male top five were selected. “The war council resolved that the females who contested for provincial deputy chairperson, fighter Nokuthula Mlokoti, and provincial deputy secretary, fighter Zikhona Njoli, will now assume the roles of provincial deputy chairperson and provincial deputy secretary respectively,” it said.…

A POSSIBLE petrol and paraffin hike on the horizon may mean a bleak holiday season for already hard-stretched motorists and other consumers. The Central Energy Fund’s (CEF) latest data projection indicates that petrol users might have to dig deeper in their pockets this December, with figures showing an under-recovery for petrol which, for the month so far, averages R1.14 for 95 unleaded and R1.03 for 93 unleaded. The CEF also projects paraffin will increase by about 43 cents per litre. A slight decrease of 22c is projected for 500ppm diesel. Official petrol price adjustments are expected to be announced by the Department of Energy at the end of the month and will come into effect on December 7. Tracey-Lee Solomon, an economist from Stellenbosch University’s Bureau for Economic Research, said…

FRAUDSTERS posing as City health officials to score free meals had their efforts thwarted in all three reported cases in Kalk Bay, Muizenberg and Bergvliet. The fraudsters apparently do this by attempting to force businesses to renew their Health Certification, claiming that a Certificate of Acceptability (COA) issued to a business preparing food expires every two years. In all three cases, the local Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) who service the areas are well-known, and the business owners showed the criminals the door and reported the matter to the City. The persons who claim to be working for the Western Cape Provincial Health Department Head Office threaten to close premises down and demand free meals from restaurants. “Criminals are finding more inventive ways to scam people out of their money…

MORE than 800 rhinos have been poached in South Africa in the last three years. This came to light in a parliamentary response from Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy to a question by EFF MP Andrew Arnolds. Arnolds wanted to know how many rhinos and elephants were poached in 2020/21 and 2021/22 and what interventions the government had put in place to curb poaching. According to Creecy in 2020/21, 404 rhinos had been poached while in 2021/22, 469 rhinos were poached. Twenty-five elephants were poached between 2020 and 2022. “During 2020, seven Integrated Wildlife Zones were introduced across South Africa to facilitate better co- ordination in order to enhance the protection of the country’s rhino population. “Over the last year conservation and anti-poaching efforts have intensified countrywide, as…

FOR football fans across South Africa, the words “World Cup” conjure images of the 2010 Fifa World Cup and the dazzle of skill and flair. As the 2022 Federation of International Football Association’s (Fifa) World Cup is just a week away, no one doubts football can be a route to achieving goals. But it’s been 12 years since South Africa hosted the prestigious tournament. This begs the question: what has the country gained? The 2022 World Cup will take place in Qatar from November 20 to December 18. On numerous fronts, the question of a Fifa World Cup legacy is a pertinent one, especially considering the amount of money spent on hosting one. With the hosting of the 2010 showpiece, the government promised the people that social and…

US President Joe Biden yesterday told Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping they were both responsible for preventing their superpower competition from turning into conflict, in rare talks aimed at thawing ties that are at their worst in decades. Ahead of their first in-person talks since Biden became president, the two leaders smiled and shook hands warmly in front of their national flags at a luxury hotel on Indonesia’s Bali island, a day before a Group of 20 (G20) summit set to be fraught with tension over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “It’s just great to see you,” Biden told Xi, as he put an arm around him, before a meeting of three hours. However, Biden brought up a number of difficult topics, according to a White House readout, including raising US objections…

Britain and France yesterday signed an agreement worth 72.2 million euros over the coming year to ramp up efforts to stop illegal migrants from making perilous journeys across the Channel. So far this year more than 40 000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats, up from 28 526 last year, putting pressure on new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and interior minister Suella Braverman to do more to stem the flow. “This new arrangement will mean we can significantly increase the number of French gendarmes patrolling the beaches in northern France and ensure UK and French officers are working hand-in-hand to stop the people smugglers,” Braverman said, after meeting French interior minister Gerald Darmanin in Paris yesterday. Darmanin tweeted to say France and Britain were, with…

Ljubljana: Natasa Pirc Musar, a Slovenian lawyer who was hired by former US first lady Melania Trump in 2016 for a case, has been elected as Slovenia’s first female president. Musar will take office on December 23 when the second mandate of the incumbent President Borut Pahor expires. According to preliminary results, Musar received 54% of the ballots against 46% going to her rival Anze Logar, who is a former foreign minister and a member of the opposition centre-right Slovenian Democratic Party. Musar, 54, is a lawyer, former journalist and a former national information commissioner. She ran as an independent candidate but was in the second round supported by Prime Minister Robert Golob’s centre-left Freedom Movement and one of its coalition partners, the Social Democrats. In 2016, Musar and her…

Sydney: Rescuers plucked more than 100 people from their roofs yesterday after a flash flood swamped a small Australian town and sent residents scurrying for safety. A weekend downpour over much of the already-sodden eastern state of New South Wales sent waters rising overnight, isolating some towns and communities. Australia’s east coast has been swept by heavy rainfall in the past two years, driven by back-to-back La Nina cycles. Many people in the town of Eugowra, with a population of about 800 people lying 350km west of Sydney, scrambled to their roofs to flee the latest flood. Stranded residents were taken to safety by boat and helicopter. | AFP…

SPRINGBOK flank Pieter-Steph du Toit was a picture of remorse as he watched his team tackle France without him for nearly 70 minutes and this morning he will hope his contrition has an impact on a Word Rugby disciplinary panel. Du Toit would love nothing more than to get the green light to play Italy on Saturday after he saw red for accidentally making head contact with French centre Jonathan Danty in the 11th minute of the Boks’ 30-26 defeat. Du Toit has an exemplary disciplinary record and he will also argue that he was propelled into Danty by teammate Damian de Allende. Bok forwards coach Deon Davids says they will plan the selection of the pack around Du Toit’s availability. “Pieter-Steph's hearing is on Tuesday and if we get…

PURPLE Group’s headline earnings a share fell by 74.3% to 1.14 cents in the year to August 31, after operating expenses increased 38.1% as it grew the business. The increase in overall costs was even though the cost to serve clients reduced by 16%. Group operating expenses came to R213 million. Chief executive Charles Savage said in a letter the costs included about R20m to integrate new partners such as Discovery Bank, Telkom and the new Southeast Asia partner. New clients onboarded were not yet profitable to the group, and accounted for around R31m of operating costs, while know your client (KYC) and associated onboarding costs, plus the consolidation of EasyCrypto, accounted for R9m of costs. All clients onboarded since launch in 2014 turned profitable in year two…

From page 1 increased, the burden was always mostly felt by the working class. She said with the rolling blackouts, the approaching holidays would be devastating, especially for the unemployed. “The cost of living is already difficult for many and if petrol increases it means the poor middle class will be squeezed further because it usually affects everything. Some people rely on paraffin, especially now with load shedding. “This will be a bleak festive season and will be worse for unemployed people. A lot of people are currently suffering from food insecurity. Salaries are not increasing, but everything else is. “There is no willingness by the government to provide a basic income grant so people can survive these harsh economic conditions. When January hits, people will be more indebted because…

Police are questioning several individuals with a view to apprehending the perpetrators of the crime after they made a breakthrough in the kidnapping of eight-year-old Abirah Dekhta in Rylands on November 4. In a statement last night police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said SAPS members from various specialised units and City of Cape Town’s law enforcement officials utilising state of the art technology located her in a shack in Town Two, Khayelitsha. “The intelligence-led integrated operation saw forces descending on the township where the young girl was found. “She has since been sent to a doctor for a medical assessment. The child will be united with her family after the medical assessment has been finalised,” he said. The Rylands Primary School pupil was abducted on the morning of…

LESS than half of people living with diabetes in Africa know their status. This raises the risk of severe illness and death and potentially worsening the situation in the region. The continent already has the world’s highest mortality rates due to the disease, according to a new analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO). While globally, 55% of people with diabetes know they have diabetes, only 46% in Africa know their status. In Africa, lack of testing facilities and equipment, too few trained health personnel, poor access to health facilities and lack of awareness about diabetes are some of the barriers to diabetes testing. Currently, 24 million adults are living with diabetes in Africa. The figure is projected to rise by 129% to 55 million by 2045.…

THE case against four men allegedly involved in mass shootings and extortion-related crimes gripping Cape Town communities will head to the Western Cape High Court for trial. Yanga Nyalara, dubbed the “Western Cape's Most Wanted ”, joined co-accused Wandile Tofile, Manelisi Ngumla and Lundi Zweni in a brief appearance in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court yesterday. The matter was postponed to November 29 to draft an indictment and summary of facts which will be served to the accused, and for consultation with witnesses. As the accused made their way into the dock, they blew kisses and waved at their supporters inside a packed courtroom which was heavily guarded by police. Ngumla and Zweni were remanded to Pollsmoor, while Nyalara and Tofile are at Drakenstein and Goodwood prisons respectively. During an…

GROOTE SCHUUR Hospital has dismissed allegations that a service provider contracted by the hospital is only hiring illegal foreign nationals, saying their staff is predominantly South Africans. Operation Dudula in the Western Cape alleged that the service provider was prioritising illegal foreign nationals and the hospital had turned a blind eye to complaints about the issue. Operation Dudula members marched to the hospital on Saturday to hand over a memorandum of demands. Nkululeko Watermeyer of the group said they were made aware of the allegations after they launched an investigation and spoke to former workers who were retrenched earlier this year. “We went to the hospital on Saturday to hand over a memorandum because we found out that the service provider is hiring illegal immigrants and foreign nationals, and that…

‘It is indispensable for political parties of all countries to seek common ground’ ON THE occasion of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), the eyes of the world once again fall on China and the CPC. All communities in South Africa also paid great attention to this congress. A number of political leaders and dignitaries, including President Cyril Ramaphosa, former president Thabo Mbeki, former president Kgalema Motlanthe and the SACP’s general secretary Solly Mapaila have sent messages of support to warmly congratulate China on the success of the congress. They congratulated General Secretary Xi Jinping on his re-election and expressed readiness to deepen exchanges and co-operation with the CPC. This fully reflects the special bond of comrades plus brothers and the high level of China-South Africa’s…

Türkiye yesterday accused a Syrian woman of planting a bomb that killed six people in Istanbul, blaming the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) of carrying out the attack. Two girls, aged nine and 15, were among those killed when the bomb exploded on Sunday in Istiklal Avenue, home to smart boutiques and European consulates. More than 80 other people were wounded. The PKK, blacklisted as a terrorist group by Ankara and its Western allies, has waged a deadly insurgency for Kurdish self-rule in south-eastern Türkiye since the 1980s. It denied any role in the latest attack. “Our people and the democratic public know closely that we are not related to this incident, that we will not directly target civilians and that we do not accept actions targeting civilians,” the group…

The main opposition parties in the breakaway Somali region of Somaliland say they will no longer recognise the territory’s president after elections were postponed and his term extended. President Muse Bihi Abdi’s term of office has been extended to 2024 by the Guurti, a non-elected gathering of elders drawn from traditional tribes that is also the upper house of parliament. Elections should have taken place on Sunday, a month before Bihi was due to leave office, but were postponed by Somaliland’s electoral commission in September. The two parties, Waddani and the Justice and Welfare Party (UCID), urged supporters to show “restraint and calm”. The move has not been recognised by the international community. The Guurti announced on October 1 that Bihi’s tenure would be extended, despite opposition parties warning they…

BAGHDAD: At least one person was killed and 10 others were wounded yesterday after rockets hit the headquarters of an Iranian Kurdish party in the city of Koye, near the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region Erbil. Iran’s semi-official Fars news said the country’s Revolutionary Guards had targeted the bases of “terrorist groups” in the Kurdish region of Iraq with missiles and drones. The Revolutionary Guards have launched attacks on Iranian Kurdish militant opposition bases in the Kurdish region since the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on September 16 triggered nationwide unrest. | Reuters…

RICHMOND: Police were searching the University of Virginia campus and the area around the school yesterday for an “armed and dangerous” suspect who was wanted in a shooting that left three people dead and two wounded. University police identified student Christopher Darnell Jones as the suspect in the shooting that unfolded late on Sunday at the school in Charlottesville, Virginia, attended by 25 000 students. Yesterday, law enforcement teams conducted a search on and around the campus for the suspect, University of Virginia police said, telling students and staff to shelter in place until further notice. | Reuters…

THE Department of Defence is set to spend about R1.8 billion on severance packages for soldiers as part of its efforts to reduce expenditure on employees. This was revealed by Minister Thandi Modise during her response to parliamentary questions from ANC MP Cyril Xaba. Xaba said over-expenditure on compensation of employees remained the largest contributor to irregular expenditure in the department. He noted that the department previously indicated to Parliament that it intended to bring the expenditure under control by 2024-25 financial year through a number of interventions. Xaba asked whether Modise had found that the Department of Defence was on track with implementation of the “mobility exit mechanism” for 2022-23 and whether over-expenditure on compensation would be under control by the 2024-25 financial year. The department said earlier this…

THE LAST living apartheid policeman who was stationed at Maitland in 1969, when late Imam Abdullah Haron’s body was found, was labelled “evasive” as the reopened inquest into the Struggle icon’s death continued yesterday. Johannes Hanekom Burger told the court he had interacted with Haron on the day of his death, September 27 1969, when he noticed Haron “wasn’t walking well” during his daily exercise. However, when probed about his knowledge of political detainees being tortured by the specialised Security Branch, Burger appeared to side-step the question by Webber Wentzel attorney for the family, Howard Varney. “I did not notice any external bruises on Haron while he was detained at the Maitland SAPS… he was always fully clothed and neat. I was aware at that stage that he was a…

THE survival of many animals hangs in the balance as world governments gathered at the 19th Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which began yesterday in Panama City. In the first CITES meeting hosted in Latin America in 20 years, experts from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) are on-site recommending greater protection from international trade for a range of threatened species, from elephants, rhinos and sharks to tiny glass frogs. The protection and conservation of many animals traded for their parts or as live specimens will be affected by decisions taken by government representatives of 183 member countries and the EU at CITES, IFAW said. “CITES is a critical opportunity that only comes around…

A KOREAN shipping company is suing the South African Weather Service for not issuing a warning severe weather in time. The bad weather resulted in the company’s vessel breaking loose from where it was moored at Durban harbour and colliding with another vessel. In papers issued in the Durban High Court, the Korea Shipping Corporation is claiming millions in damages, following the damage to both vessels. It was in 2017 when there was severe weather in the Port of Durban and the vessel, SM New York, broke free of her mooring at her berth at the container terminal. The other vessel, MSC Ines, also broke free of its mooring, and the ships collided. The plaintiffs are Korea Shipping Corporation, the bareboat charterer of SM New York and the owner of…

STUDENT Representative Council (SRC) elections went ahead at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) yesterday, after an urgent application by student leaders to halt the elections during exams was dismissed. Students, including those from the Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania (Pasma) and the South African Students Congress (Sasco) launched an urgent interdict in the Western Cape High Court following a dispute between student leaders and management over the timing of the elections. Pasma chairperson at CPUT in Bellville, Aphiwe Simelela, said the “premature” decision to hold the elections during this period may affect the turn-out as well as students’ academic performance. “After the announcement of the second arranged date of the SRC elections, all affiliated structures were called to submit their delegations that will constitute an Electoral Commission…

THE proposal by the Department of Basic Education that encourages schools to install unisex toilets fails to recognise that the priority for the majority of impoverished schools is to eliminate pit toilets. In an attempt to be more inclusive and move away from gender norms in order to accommodate transgender and non-binary children, the Education Department has made a controversial proposal that calls, among other things, for the building of “genderless or unisex toilets and change rooms”. The guidelines are not restricted to unisex toilets as they also seek to encourage teachers to avoid gender segregating, by splitting classes, lines, or groups into “boys and girls”. The department has also called for the provision of gender-neutral uniforms for all pupils who require them. There is no doubt that the proposals…

Democrats in the US Congress aim to pass bills protecting same-sex marriage, clarifying lawmakers’ role in certifying presidential elections and raising the nation’s debt ceiling as they returned from the campaign trail yesterday. US President Joe Biden’s party got a boost at the weekend when it learnt it would keep control of the Senate for the next two years, while control of the House of Representatives is still up in the air as votes are counted after last week’s midterm election. But Democrats will look to make the most they can of their current thin majorities in both chambers before the new Congress is sworn in on January 3, a period known as the “lame duck” session. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen both signalled that addressing…

LONDON: Britain’s King Charles celebrated his 74th birthday yesterday, with the occasion marked by him replacing his late father as The Ranger of Great Windsor Park, a position which dates back more than four centuries. Charles was to enjoy his first birthday as king in private with no public engagements planned. The role of Ranger dates back to 1559. Queen Victoria is among other royals to have held the role which involves providing oversight and guidance to the deputy ranger and his team in the daily running of one of the country’s oldest landed estates, the Palace said. | Reuters…

CAIRO: Jailed British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah has written he is “doing well” and is taking liquids after fears rose for his health amid a months-long hunger strike. Abdel Fattah, who consumed “only 100 calories a day” for seven months, escalated his strike to all food and water last week. His lawyer Khaled Ali, a former presidential candidate, was denied access when trying to visit Abdel Fattah in jail. He and Abdel Fattah’s mother Laila Soueif were handed the letter yesterday at the prison. Abdel Fattah, a key figure in the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, is serving five years in jail for “spreading false news” by sharing a Facebook post about police brutality. | AFP…

Paris: The Paris home of an heir of the Louis Vuitton luxury empire was burgled at the weekend, sources said yesterday, with thieves taking high-end watches, jewellery and bags. Benoit-Louis Vuitton, a sixth generation descendant of the fashion house’s founder, lives in the swanky seventh district of the capital. The pieces were worth at least several hundreds of thousands of euros (dollars), the sources said. An investigation is under way. Louis Vuitton founded his namesake luxury house in 1854. In 1987, the company merged with champagne maker Moet et Chandon and cognac brand Hennessy to create LVMH – the world’s biggest luxury company. | AFP…

THE timing of Cristiano Ronaldo’s outburst against Manchester United suggests that it is a strategic ploy to force a move away from the club after the World Cup. Furthermore, Ronaldo made the comments to Piers Morgan, a journalist for the controversial British tabloid The Sun, which is known for stirring controversy and its sensationalism. During his interview with Morgan, Ronaldo implied that he has no respect for United coach Erik en Hag whom he feels does not respect him. The 37-year-old is having arguably the worst season of his career this term with United. He has been a bit-part player under Ten Hag and has only scored once from 10 games in the Premier League. This is not the type of form that Ronaldo would have hoped to carry…