Indice dei contenuti per 2023-01-03 in Cape Times

BRUSSELS – Hair stylists across Belgium are sweeping up and bagging hair clipped from their clients, and handing it to a NGO that recycles it to protect the environment. The Hair Recycle project feeds locks and tresses into a machine that turns them into matted squares that can be used to absorb oil and other hydro- carbons polluting the environment, or made into bio-composite bags. Project co-founder Patrick Janssen, explaining that 1kg of hair can absorb 7-8 litres of oil and hydrocarbons, said the mats can be placed in drains to soak up pollution in water before it reaches a river. “Our products are all the more ethical as they are manufactured locally ... they are not imported from the other side of the planet,” he told Reuters. “They…

The huge price drops for petrol and diesel, which will be implemented tomorrow, have been widely welcomed. Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe announced on Friday that there would be decreases in the prices of both grades of petrol, as well as diesel. The price of petrol (both 93 and 95 ULP & LRP) will drop by R2.06c/litre while the price of diesel (0.05% sulphur) will drop by R2.68c/litre and diesel (0.005% sulphur) will drop by R2.80c/litre. The AA, economists, SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) and Road Freight Association (RFA) all welcomed the announcement. Gavin Kelly, RFA CEO, said there had been big spikes in 2022 and the drop in the diesel price was welcome news.“The decreases are very good news, both for the consumer directly and indirectly and for the…

THERE are three letters in every newspaper making my blood boil: ANC. Mandela talked about freedom and hope for people in South Africa. If he could see what has been achieved so far, he would turn in his grave. The ANC has achieved only chaos and destruction since then. Years with Zuma and his cronies have done nothing but damage. The top elite steal and wheel, filling their pockets with taxpayers’ money. Protecting each other’s doings, whistle-blowers getting removed or even killed; Zuma has done lots of wrongs, but with his buddy lawyers worming him out of it all. Court procedures take years to be solved, even “watered down” or forgotten. In the meantime serious crimes happen daily and pile up like debris on a dumping site. But here comes…

CRIME fighters have welcomed the arrest of three suspects for kidnapping, extortion and murder following the discovery of the body of a 48-year-old Chinese national in Khayelitsha on the Day of Goodwill. Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said preliminary investigations suggested that two brothers, aged 52 and 48, were abducted in Mowbray on December 22 by unknown assailants. Pojie said the suspects later contacted relatives and demanded cash for their safe return. “They were instructed not to talk to authorities as that would have put their loved ones directly in harm’s way. “However, police immediately activated a multi-disciplinary team to probe the disappearance of the brothers. Their resilience paid off when they arrested the trio and took them in for interrogation,” he said. Pojie said the body of the 48-year-old was…

LOOKING back, 2022 was a challenging year for education in South Africa and the continent. It began on a sad note for South Africa’s matriculants as many faced the prospect of a bleak future after being spewed out of a school system that continues to fail millions of pupils. On the flip side, private schools have continued to get a lousy rap amid stubborn silence from the Independent Schools Association of SA (Isasa) on various issues affecting its members. Some 45% of parents struggled to keep up with the exorbitant fees for their children at private schools. At the same time, Isasa’s leadership allows its members to escape without transforming; their silence on bullying at several schools over the past year is shocking, along with other unsavoury practices that have…

Ukraine said yesterday it had shot down all Russian drones in a massive wave of attacks, after Moscow launched an unprecedented third straight night of airstrikes against civilian targets, intensifying its air war for the New Year holiday. Russian officials, meanwhile, were reeling from reports that high numbers of freshly mobilised Russian troops had been killed in a strike on a college converted to a barracks in occupied Ukraine, where soldiers were housed with an ammunition dump. A source close to the Russian-installed authorities said dozens had died. Russia has seen in the new year with nightly attacks on Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, hundreds of kilometres from the front lines. That marks a change in tactics after months in which Moscow usually spaced such strikes around a week apart. After…

Metro and bus traffic in Tunisia’s capital ground to a halt yesterday after employees of state transport company Transtu held a strike over delays in payment of wages and bonuses. The strike in Tunis highlights the financial problems faced by public companies on the verge of bankruptcy while President Kais Saied’s government contends with its worst financial crisis. The union, with 1 million members, has approved a two-day strike by air, land and sea transport workers on January 25 and 26 to protest against “the government’s marginalisation of public companies”. Hundreds of Transtu workers staged a protest in Kasbah Square, near the prime minister’s office, demanding payment. The travel chaos provoked an angry response from the thousands struggling to move around the capital. In the poor Intilaka area, people blocked…

KAFR-DAN: Israeli forces killed a Hamas militant and another Palestinian during clashes near the occupied West Bank city of Jenin yesterday that were set off when the army came to demolish the homes of two slain gunmen, Palestinian sources said. The Israeli army confirmed carrying out the raid to raze the homes of two Palestinians who killed one of its commanders in the West Bank last year before they were shot dead. Troops shot at Palestinians in Kafr-Dan who attacked them with gunfire, rocks and firebombs, the army said. . Hamas has vowed to “pursue resistance and confront the terrorism and fascism of the new (Israeli) Occupation government”. | Reuters…

Hanoi: Hundreds of rescuers in Vietnam yesterday battled to free a 10-year-old boy who fell into a 35m-deep hole at a construction site two days ago. The boy, Thai Ly Hao Nam, fell into the shaft of a hollow concrete pillar just 25cm wide, sunk as part of a new bridge, apparently while looking for scrap metal. Rescuers had tried drilling and softening the surrounding soil to try to pull the pillar up. Authorities said the boy had stopped interacting with rescuers, though oxygen had been pumped into the hole. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked federal-level rescuers to join efforts by local authorities to save the boy. | AFP…

THE Cape Town CBD was showered with seas of glitter and colour as the traditional Tweede Nuwe Jaar minstrel parade kick-started the New Year yesterday. About 30 minstrel troupes entertained a crowd of thousands who lined inner city streets, eagerly awaiting the sounds and colours of the Hollywoodbets Cape Town Street Parade. After a forced hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, spectators were eager to welcome back the cultural festival and waited in the sweltering heat – some having camped out for days – as the march proceeded from Hanover Street through Adderley before proceeding to the Bo-Kaap. Acting mayor Eddie Andrews said the event celebrated the culture of Cape Town. “We are very excited to have the event back. Pre-Covid just more than 100 000 people attended and we…

THE 50th celebration of the iconic cross-Atlantic Cape2Rio yacht race took off yesterday, with 16 teams competing in the iconic 3 300 nautical mile (around 6 000km) race, dubbed the “adventure of a lifetime”. Crew members hailing from Masiphumelele, Khayelitsha, Grassy Park and Athlone, who were trained by the Royal Cape Yacht Club’s (RCYC) Sailing Academy, were among those who set sail. The Alexforbes ArchAngel team is made of Skipper Sibusiso Sizatu 30, first mate Daniel Agulhas 29, Renaldo Tshepo Mohale 29, Azile Arosi 22 and Justin Peters, 21. “It’s the day we have all been waiting for – the most exciting moment of my life. Our game plan is to stay more south on the Atlantic, closer to the coast to keep the wind with us. After Namibia we…

ON December 26, I had a terrible experience of not receiving any assistance from a police constable in Queenstown. I know she was a constable because it showed on her badge. The time was 1.15pm when I went to Queenstown police station. I first went to the door that was marked “For affidavits” but I discovered that they were closed, so I went up the road. I got inside an open door and proceeded down the passage to another open door. I saw four police officers who were all sitting down, but the constable in front asked me in a very unfriendly voice why I was standing there, like “umeleni apha emnyango?” I explained to her that I was there to make an affidavit. She barked at me that…

OUR Proteas (Test) captain has appealed to Cricket South Africa to arrange more matches. What good is that likely to do when there are obvious problems with our batters’ basic technical skills? South Africa should suspend all international fixtures for 12 months and employ the very best coaches from England, Australia and anywhere else to hold a series of intensive appraisals of every top 20 player and sort out their problems, getting them firmly back on track. The bowlers also need to be “examined” after letting Australia score nearly 600 runs in their 2nd Test innings. They are not as good as they might think they are. There are critical issues in our cricket that need to be dealt with, and I would not exclude the present coaching staff and…

The City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement Liquor Enforcement Unit has expressed concern that the amount of alcohol confiscated on beaches during the festive season had increased by “quite a stretch” when compared to 2019 statistics. City safety and security Mayco member JP Smith said the unit took receipt of 14 088 bottles of confiscated alcohol, amounting to 7 043 litres between October 18 and December 18. “Sadly, these statistics trump the 2019 figures by quite a stretch – back then we were on just over 4 000 litres, and half the number of bottles confiscated thus far this year. “We remind the public yet again that alcohol is prohibited in public open spaces, including all of the City’s beaches. “Anyone caught flouting the rules will be fined and…

We owe it to our people to create better opportunities for them to lead better lives SINCE the dawn of democracy, South Africa, at various stages, has faced the problem of people migrating to cities, towns and hamlets in increasing numbers in search of better opportunities for livelihoods. The problem of shacks/land now covers every inch of the soil in the urban and peri-urban landscape to such an extent that for its resolution, it calls to mind two mega-plans developed in the world to resolve mega-problems such as the one facing South Africa today. The first one is what is called the Marshall Plan/European Recovery Programme, which was a US programme provided to Western Europe following the devastation of World War II. It was enacted in 1948 and…

About a dozen countries have slapped fresh travel regulations on travellers from China, as the world’s most populous nation faces a surge in Covid-19 cases following its decision to relax strict virus restrictions. As of Thursday, the US will require negative Covid-19 tests taken within two days of departure – or documentation proving passengers have recovered from the virus within the last 90 days – for all entries from China. Acceptable tests include “a PCR test or an antigen self-test administered and monitored by a telehealth service or a licensed provider”, according to the US Centers for Disease Control. The rules include those travelling from Hong Kong and Macau. Starting on Thursday, all those arriving in France from China must present a negative PCR test result, or a rapid antigen…

NEVADA: Actor Jeremy Renner, who played Hawkeye in the Marvel Avengers movies, was in “critical but stable” condition in a hospital in Nevada yesterday after suffering a “traumatic injury” ploughing snow, his publicist and local officials said. Renner, 51, owns a home in Washoe County, Nevada. That area in northern Nevada received heavy snowfall on New Year’s Eve. Last month, Renner shared updates on social media when the area received large amounts of snow. “Lake Tahoe snowfall is no joke,” Renner tweeted, with the post showing a vehicle covered in snow. | Reuters…

Kampala: Ugandan police said yesterday they had arrested a concert promoter after a stampede at a New Year’s Eve party in the capital, Kampala, that left 10 people, including children, dead. The partygoers were killed at Freedom City mall in Kampala as revellers thronged a single exit to watch a midnight fireworks show. Police said four other exits had been ordered shut by the promoters and investigators were looking at whether “negligence” was to blame for the loss of life. Most of the victims were aged between 10 and 20, police said. The promoter is well-known in Kampala for staging major festivals. | AFP…

Srinagar: Ten people have been killed within six days in a sudden uptick in violence in the usually more peaceful Hindu south of disputed Indian-administered Kashmir, officials said yesterday. Two gunmen suspected to be anti-India rebels opened fire on houses in the remote village of Dangri on Sunday, leaving four residents dead and five injured, a police official said. Yesterday a seven-year-old child and another person were killed in an explosion near a house, another police officer said. The deaths followed a firefight between government forces and suspected rebels at a checkpoint in Jammu city last Wednesday in which four suspected rebels died. | AFP…

THE heatwave in Cape Town did not stop spectators of the Tweede Nuwe Jaar parade from enjoying the festivities yesterday. Their excitement followed a two-year absence from the parade due to Covid-19. From early yesterday morning, spectators were camped under gazebos along the Grand Parade and around the barricaded streets of Cape Town. A former Klopse dancer who was in the golden circle, Gadija Murray, from Heideveld, enthusiastically spoke about her dancing days in the Klopse. “I feel very excited; every year I’m in the coons (Klopse). I am very excited and waiting for the coons to come in. “I came here at 9.25am, which is very late for me, because every year I am dancing with the coons, but now I’m sitting here because my team is closed,”…

A GRIM sight awaits hundreds of Phola Park informal settlement residents in Philippi whose shacks were ravaged by a fire that claimed the life of a 32-year-old woman at the weekend. When most of them return from their holiday destinations to prepare for their children’s return to school, they will have to rebuild from scratch, including applying for new ID documents and birth certificates. The Phola Park fire destroyed 247 shacks, affecting 760 people on Sunday. It came just hours after three people were killed and 79 affected when 34 shacks were destroyed in Sobukwe Road in Masiphumelele at about 2am on Saturday. Hours before that fire, 233 people were left destitute when 106 shacks were gutted in a Dunoon fire on Friday. The causes of the three fires…

UPON waiting for my turn in a queue at a franchise shop at a new mall in Plumstead, being just before the festive season it was understandably busy. I noticed a mother with two daughters in front of me. The mother had put her purchases on the conveyor and then crossed her arms and stood stock still, only speaking to snap at her two young daughters to pack the trolley. The young cashier was struggling to keep up with scanning and packing so, as I have done many times in the past as well as having people do it for me too, I offered to pack, let the girls load the trolley and the cashier could scan items less frantically. All was fine and we finished it all in less…

AS SCORES of people anticipated receiving their social grants this week, the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) has assured beneficiaries it is on track to disburse the January 2023 grant payments, starting today. This comes after Sassa was beset with payment issues in 2022, including technical issues, gold cards not working, administrative challenges and Sassa office closures. Sassa has also been failing to meet payment deadlines for the R350 Covid-19 social relief of distress grant. Today, older person grants were expected to be paid first, followed by disability grants tomorrow and child support grants on Thursday. Western Cape acting regional executive manager Annelize Bester said all Sassa offices in the province would be operational from today. “Payment teams will be monitoring payments at post offices and refer clients to the…

Tens of thousands of people paid their respects yesterday to former pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, at the start of three days of lying-in-state at St Peter’s Basilica before his funeral. They began queueing before dawn to view the German theologian’s body, which was transferred early yesterday from the monastery in the Vatican grounds where he died on Saturday aged 95. “I arrived at 6am, it seemed normal to come and pay homage to him after all he did for the church,” said an Italian nun, sister Anna-Maria, near the front of the queue that snaked around the edge of the vast St Peter’s Square. Benedict led the Catholic Church for eight years before becoming the first pope in six centuries to step down in 2013, citing his…

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office this week for a third term as Brazil’s president, vowing to fight for the poor and the environment and “rebuild the country” after far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro’s divisive administration. The 77-year-old veteran leftist, who previously led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, took the oath of office before Congress, capping a remarkable political comeback for the metalworker-turned-president less than five years after he was jailed on controversial, since-quashed corruption charges. Lula was driven through the ultra-modern capital in a black convertible Rolls-Royce, accompanied by First Lady Rosangela “Janja” da Silva and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin. Giving a blistering overview of the past four years under Bolsonaro, who snubbed the ceremony, Lula said his government would work to undo a legacy of economic decline, surging…

LONDON: Britain’s Prince Harry said his troubled relationship with the royal family “never needed to be this way” and he wants to get his father King Charles and his brother “back”, in an excerpt from an interview with broadcaster ITV released yesterday “It never needed to be this way,” he said. “They’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile,” he said. “I would like to get my father back; I would like to have my brother back.” Harry and his wife, Meghan, officially known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, stepped down from royal duties in March 2020, saying they wanted to forge new lives in the US. They have since criticised how they were treated as members of the royal family, including an accusation by Harry that his brother…

Ciudad Juárez: Gunmen attacked a prison in the northern Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez at the weekend, leaving 14 people dead and allowing 24 inmates to escape, the Chihuahua state prosecutors’ office said. An unknown number of gunmen aboard armoured vehicles took part in the attack, and the dead included 10 prison guards and security agents, the office said. About five hours after the dawn incursion began, security forces managed to control the situation, which had also erupted into fighting between inmates within the sprawling state prison, near Mexico’s border with the US. Prosecutors said the violence at the prison also left 13 people injured. Four people were detained. | AFP…

The festive season is over and the league is back in full swing and stuttering Cape Town City will be looking to get into the top eight when they meet revived SuperSport United at the Cape Town Stadium today (5pm kick-off). Matsatsantsa have been much-improved this season under the guidance of veteran coach Gavin Hunt and are third in the league. The team from Tshwane are seven points adrift of league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns and are in the hunt for the title. Also today (7.30pm kick-off) Royal AM (11th) host eighth place TS Galaxy at the Chatsworth Stadium. The Rockets will be looking to get better at converting draws into wins as they have only lost three league games this season but have drawn seven which is the joint…