Indice dei contenuti per 2023-04-11 in Cape Times

DURING the last week of March the prominent European Patent Office (EPO) issued its annual Patent Index of 2022. Since the registration of new patents generally provides an early insight into the latest innovation and inventions, the index offers some interesting information regarding the innovation performance of countries. One of the main benefits of patent registration is that it provides legal protection for new inventions and ideas, allowing inventors and businesses to protect their intellectual property and commercialise their innovations. It is this protection that often encourages entrepreneurs and investors to invest in research and development, as it provides a mechanism for companies to recoup their costs and profit from their inventions. Patents further facilitate the dissemination of knowledge and technology, as they require inventors to disclose the details of…

It’s time to get out and enjoy an exhilarating ride through two decades of non-stop hits. The 1990s bring you songs from Shania Twain, West Life, Celine Dion and Maria Carey. The 2000s bring you songs from Coldplay, Christina Aguilera, Black Eyed Peas, Maroon Five, Pink, Lady Gaga and more. Featuring in both decades are songs from Def Leppard, Santana, Bon Jovi and Kings of Leon. The cast of Nineties vs Noughties are vibrant and entertaining, showcasing the incredible local talent South Africa has to offer. Janine Cornelius is a power-house vocalist, who has become well recognised on the Barnyard stage. Riyaan Cornelius is gifted with pitch-perfect vocals and has the ability to change from Rock to R&B, making every song a show stopper. Courtney Jonas is versatile and sassy,…

On the night of April 11 last year, the Gumbi family were asleep when a mass of mud, water and huge rocks came crashing on to their Ngcolosi home, west of Durban. Three young cousins, Lubanzi Gumbi, 8, Slindokuhle Gumbi, 13, and Asanda Cele, 13, were swept away. Their bodies have not been recovered. The family moved to uMlazi days after their home was devastated. Speaking to The Mercury before the one-year anniversary of the April floods, grandmother Nokuthula Gumbi said everything happened so fast that night. She said there was a large pipe behind their home that overflowed with water, destroying the back of the house. She said all three children were sleeping on the floor when the water came rushing in and she attempted to save Lubanzi, who…

The Cape Milers Club and Endurocad are teaming up to host three middle-distance World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger track meetings at Greenpoint stadium this month. The three events take place on April 14, 17 and 24, under the auspices of Western Province Athletics and Athletics South Africa. All three meetings will have a pre-meet programme for junior and club athletes to test their fitness and speed, starting at 4pm, while the World Athletics Continental Challenger programme begins at 5.30pm. Participants will stand a chance to win their share of prize-money of R240 000 over the three events, sponsored by Gallo Images, TKR Operations, The Thatch House Boutique Hotel Hermanus, and the Nimble Group. The Cape Milers Club, founded by Bruce Stewart and Francois van Rensburg, is a registered non-profit organisation…

WITH the City’s final eviction order on people living on the streets of the CBD expected to be heard soon, the metro has detailed plans to open a new facility on Ebenezer Road, Green Point, to accommodate hundreds of homeless people. The planning application for the proposed space under the fly-over bridge is open for public comment until May 8. According to the City, the facility will offer 300 beds to people living on the streets of the CBD and the Atlantic Seaboard. “City Safe Spaces offers dignified transitional shelter to help people get off the streets, coupled with programmes to promote reintegration into society or reunification with their families. Addiction treatment, referrals for psychiatric treatment, personal development planning and employment opportunities are also on offer. “Accepting social assistance to…

THE eThekwini Municipality should make sure that any tourist facility that replaces the more than 70-year-old iconic Funworld Amusement Park, at the Durban beachfront, is not an elitist project that will be out of reach of ordinary people who frequent the Golden Mile. The news about the permanent closure of Funworld went viral on social media platforms last week. It was greeted with shock and disbelief throughout the country. While most people were sad to hear of the ultimate demise of Funworld, saying it brought back happy childhood memories, Durban residents saw the closure as indicative of the deteriorating state of the beachfront and the Durban CBD. We agree with Nic Steyn, the owner of the amusement park, that the closure will indeed be a sad day for Durban, especially…

A plan by the Ethiopian government to disarm regional forces has sparked protests and a deadly clash in the northern Amhara region after some residents said they feared disarmament might force them to give up territory that Amhara now controls or leave them vulnerable to ethnic attacks. At least four people, including two Ethiopian aid workers, were killed in the town of Kobo after the federal military clashed with a volunteer civilian Amhara militia known as Fano. One resident said members of the uniformed Amhara force did not take part in the fighting but that many left town to avoid being disarmed. The Ethiopian military spokesperson, government spokesperon and regional spokesperon for Amhara did not return calls seeking comment. The confrontations come at a delicate time for Prime Minister Abiy…

A number of masked people attacked a police vehicle with petrol bombs and other objects at a parade opposing the Good Friday peace accord in Londonderry, police said yesterday, a day before US President Joe Biden visits Belfast. A photograph showed four young people in the mainly Irish nationalist area of Creggan throwing petrol bombs at an armoured police vehicle, which was covered in flames on one side. The crowd dispersed afterwards and police said nobody was injured. Yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement that largely ended three decades of sectarian bloodshed in Northern Ireland. There is still some sporadic violence by small groups opposed to peace. Britain’s MI5 intelligence agency late last month increased the threat level in Northern Ireland from domestic…

NEW DELHI: The Dalai Lama, the Tibetans’ 87-year-old spiritual leader, apologised yesterday after footage showed him asking a young boy to “suck my tongue” at a public event. “A video clip has been circulating that shows a recent meeting when a young boy asked his Holiness the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug,” said a statement on the exiled leader’s Twitter account, which has 19 million followers. “His Holiness wishes to apologise to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused.” The statement said the Dalai Lama leader “often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way … He regrets the incident”. The video, which has 1 million views on Twitter,…

TAIPEI: China ended three days of military drills around Taiwan yesterday, saying they had tested integrated military capabilities under actual combat conditions, having practised precision strikes and blockading the island that Beijing views as its own. Taiwan said it would “never relax” its efforts to strengthen combat readiness and would closely monitor China’s missile forces and movements of the Shandong aircraft carrier. Beijing began the drills on Saturday after Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen returned to Taipei following a meeting in Los Angeles with US House of Representatives speaker Kevin McCarthy. | Reuters…

ARCELORMITTAL South Africa’s new chairperson Bonang Mohale has called for the stabilisation of State-owned enterprises (SOE) in order for South Africa to not become “yet another failed African state”. In ArcelorMittal’s 2022 integrated annual report, Mohale who was appointed in May 2022, said behind the woeful state of the SOEs, there was “a sinister, thieving hand of State capture”. “The intent of those calling them- selves our leaders has been not about the service delivery as they profess, but to brazenly plunder the resour- ces and institutions that rightfully belong to us, the people … For the 28 years that we have been free, more than half of it has been spent in the dark. So, we have a euphemism for blackouts, which we call load shedding. Now…

Limpho Hani takes swipe at Zondo STRUGGLE icon Chris Hani’s widow Limpho used the commemoration of her husband’s assassination to highlight the pain caused by the release of his killer, Polish immigrant Janusz Walus last year, saying they were “re-traumatised” by the democratic court system. Addressing the 30th anniversary of the commemoration of the assassination of the uMkhonto weSizwe chief of staff and SACP general secretary, Limpho said the Constitutional Court had made reference to “a sorry letter” from Walus she had not responded to when it ordered the release of the murderer on parole. “I never received a letter from Walus nor from the chief justice. I don’t know what letter they were talking about,” she said. Limpho said Justice Raymond Zondo, who delivered the unanimous judgment in…

BOXER Athletics Club athlete, Elroy Gelant, has come a long way since his early days as a junior athlete in his Southern Cape hometown of George. He will line up in the Totalsports Two Oceans Half Marathon on Sunday as a strong favourite to take his second title and a fifth gold medal at the event. Gelant, 36, has excelled on the track, in cross-country, and on the road, and has achieved world-class performances from 800m on the track to 42km on the road marathon. The double Olympian and national record holder in the 5000m (13:04:88 set in Holland in 2016) is one of the most consistent Two Oceans Half Marathoners ever, never having dropped below second position in four starts since he began his ‘Oceans Voyage’ in 2015, with…

BONTEHEUWEL crime-fighters, following a recent incident where a suspect fired shots at police, say they are fed up with criminal elements endangering the lives of authorities and innocent residents. Bishop Lavis CPF chairperson Graham Lindhorst said they condemned the incident and called on the community to join hands with SAPS to curb the lawlessness that had occurred on more than one occasion. Police spokesperson, Wesley Twigg, confirmed the April 9 incident. “(We) can confirm that a 31-year-old male was arrested in Taaibos Street, Bonteheuwel on Sunday ... at about 6.46pm after he shot at police. The suspect faces charges of attempted murder and the possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. This office can confirm that no injuries were reported. The suspect will appear in the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s Court…

DELFT residents have welcomed what they described as heightened police visibility amid shooting incidents, the most recent claiming the lives of two and wounding two others at a N2 Gateway housing unit. A manhunt is underway after the body of a 25-year-old man and another was found in a building in Erongo Street, N2 Gateway at about 11.15pm on Saturday. Two other men were also shot and wounded. Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said circumstances leading to the incident were under investigation. “Delft police responded to a complaint of a shooting incident where they found the victims with gunshot wounds to their bodies. “Two males were declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel, while the other two victims were taken to a medical facility for treatment. “Murder and attempted murder…

Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) have huge potential to sustain cattle during droughts. With the high frequency and intensity of droughts that have befallen southern Africa, it is essential to look for sustainable interventions that provide sufficient water for cattle during droughts. Cattle losses deepen poverty levels, food insecurity and cause emotional trauma among households in communal production systems. Most rural communities face water challenges from the drying out of water sources or dilapidated water infrastructure. Communities have been keeping cattle for centuries and have gained experience from centuries of droughts. Our communities, therefore, have the information, skills and techniques to mitigate and adapt to droughts. It is vital to tap into this. A collaborative study by the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), University of Venda and Water Research Commission to explore…

Israeli forces killed a Palestinian teenager and injured two other people in a raid on a refugee camp near Jericho in the occupied West Bank yesterday, the Palestinian health ministry said. It comes amid surging violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in recent days, coinciding with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadaan, Jewish Passover and Christian Easter. Mohammed Fayez Balhan, 15, was killed after being shot “with live occupation (Israeli) bullets in the head, chest and abdomen”, the ministry said yesterday. An earlier statement said two people were injured by “occupation (Israeli) bullets”. The Israeli army said its forces were operating in the Aqabat Jaber camp near Jericho, without providing further details. Separately, the Palestinian Red Crescent said it had transferred one person to hospital with a bullet wound to the…

The US is assessing how the apparent leak of a trove of highly classified documents could impact national security, the Pentagon said this week. The breach, which is being investigated by the Justice Department, appears to include assessments and secret intelligence reports that touch not only on Ukraine and Russia, but also highly sensitive analyses of US allies. While the Defense Department is still reviewing the validity of photographed documents circulating online, they “appear to contain sensitive and highly classified material,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said. “An interagency effort has been stood up, focused on assessing the impact these photographed documents could have on US national security and on our allies and partners,” Singh said. The Justice Department said that it had opened an investigation. A steady…

MARSEILLE: French rescue workers have found four bodies in the rubble of buildings in the southern city of Marseille that collapsed after an explosion, police said yesterday. Officials had said earlier that they had identified eight people missing in the wake of yesterday’s explosion, which destroyed two residential buildings and caused a third to partially collapse. The cause of the blast is still unknown. Five people were taken to hospital with serious injuries. Rescue operations were continuing with “care and determination” and 40 buildings near the site have been evacuated, housing minister Olivier Klein said. The collapse caused a fire which has complicated rescue efforts and which continued to burn yesterday. | Reuters…

LAHORE: At least four people were killed and 15 injured by a bomb blast in Pakistan’s south-western province of Balochistan, officials said. The bomb, yesterday, targeted a police vehicle in a busy market in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, home to several separatist and Islamist insurgencies. Police said a probe suggested the explosion was caused by an improvised device planted on a motorcycle. Pakistan has been battling a years-long insurgency by militants in Balochistan who are demanding a bigger share of the province’s wealth, as well as attacks by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Pakistan Taliban. No group has yet claimed responsibility foe the attack. | AFP…

Golden Arrows must be savouring the prospect of meeting newly-crowned Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns at a time when they are firing blanks. Arrows host a vulnerable Sundowns tomorrow in a Premiership fixture at the Princess Magogo Stadium. On Sunday, lowly Swallows FC came away with a valuable point from a 0-0 draw against the Brazilians. It was a terrific result for the embattled Swallows because the relegation axe has been looming overhead for some time. Days prior to the clash against Swallows, Sundowns were also held to a 0-0 draw by 10-man Cape Town City. This must be very encouraging for the seventh-placed Arrows, whose objective is to cement a top eight berth. Swallows have been languishing in the league doldrums all season and they shocked all and sundry by…

The search for the whopping R7million winner’s purse starts in earnest this weekend when the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals are played. The action kicks off on Saturday when giant-killers Dondol Stars host two-time Nedbank Cup champions Orlando Pirates at Peter Mokaba Stadium. Stars, the Gauteng ABC Motsepe League side, have seen off two Premiership teams in this year’s competition. They defeated SuperSport United 2-1 in the last 32 and edged AmaZulu on penalties in the last 16. Dondol Stars midfielder Relebogile Molefe is the team’s dangerman. He scored against SuperSport and has the physical attributes to cause Pirates problems. What he might lack in technique he makes up for in physicality and will give the Buccaneers a bruising afternoon. Dondol Stars is the third team from the Safa structures to reach…

Moti has big plans for African Chrome Fields, ‘his baby’, and a hi-tech aluminothermic factory as a cash cow BUSINESS tycoon Zunaid Moti, the founder of the Moti Group, may have recently stepped away from the group’s multi-billion-rand helm to allow for fresh leadership and growth, but he has a double-pronged strategy to generate further wealth. The Moti Group is a private family- owned investment group of roughly 250 companies, with interests in a wide range of industries such as property development, car financing, aviation, mining and beneficiation. While Mikaeel Moti, the executive chairperson, and the former director-general of the National Treasury, Dondo Mogajane, the CEO of the Moti Group, restructure the family-owned business and beef up corporate governance, Moti is doubling down on African Chrome Fields, one of…

HARMONY Gold and its partner Newcrest Mining have signed a framework Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the independent state of Papua New Guinea (PNG) for the joint multi- billion dollar Wafi-Golpu project. In a statement, Harmony said the MOU was an affirmation of their intent to proceed with the Tier 1 Wafi-Golpu Project, subject to the finalisation of the permit process, and approval by both the Harmony and Newcrest boards. Harmony and Newcrest each own 50% of the project through their respective subsidiary WGJV (Wafi-Golpu Joint Venture) participant companies. Harmony Gold CEO Peter Steenkamp said the MOU was important to progress with the permitting of the Tier 1 Wafi-Golpu Project, one of the world’s premier, undeveloped copper-gold deposits. “I wish to thank Prime Minister James Marape and his government for…

THE Labour Court in Johannesburg voiced its dismay at the “now familiar and habitual abuse of the urgent court by employees, especially those who occupy senior positions in all spheres of government, particularly in municipalities”. “These employees, after being placed on prolonged periods of precautionary suspensions and when called upon to answer to the charges of misconduct, will take all means necessary in order to avoid the conclusion of those inquiries,” Judge Edwin Tlhotlhalemaje said. This was during a judgment following an application by a senior officer at the Maquassi Hills Municipality in the North West. The officer, who is not named as he is still facing charges of severe misconduct and dishonesty, turned to court urgently to have the disciplinary proceedings against him overturned. Judge Tlhotlhalemaje said applications such…

THE late chairperson of AYO Technology Solutions, Dr Wallace Mgoqi, was described at a moving memorial service held at the Every Nation Church at N1 City yesterday as a gentle soul whose faith in humanity never wavered. Mgoqi’s widow of over 50 years, Dolly, long-time friends and business partners attended the service, in a room filled with flowers and candles. Mgoqi, a retired advocate, attorney, businessman and activist, who joined the AYO board in 2018 and was a champion of AYO’s broad-based black economic empowerment mandate to transform the South African ICT sector, died last Monday. His niece, Nolwandle said Mgoqi was driven to make the world a better place. “The loss of my uncle is a wound that remains open. “He was a gentle soul, an energetic visionary, father…

EXCITEMENT is building in the Mother City with just days to the 53rd Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon. Cape Town will be a hive of activity as it hosts the most scenic road race in the world, which passes the Indian and Atlantic oceans and features a 56km full marathon route on Saturday and a 21.1km half-marathon on Sunday. About 20 000 local and international participants will begin the race in Newlands and head to Noordhoek, followed by the majestic sea view from Chapman’s Peak, before the big climb up Suikerbossie Pass and the push through to the finish line at UCT’s rugby fields. Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said the City was proud to be hosting the annual event. “This event has such global appeal, and…

AN OUDTSHOORN municipality employee, arrested in connection with the murder of 21-year-old Almay Hurling, is under police guard in hospital following a suicide attempt. According to an official, the 32-year-old man attempted to end his life on Saturday, the same day as Hurling’s funeral. Hurling was found dead in her home with multiple stab wounds on Monday last week. Police spokesperson Christopher Spies said the motive for the murder was unknown at this stage. “Oudtshoorn detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a 21-year-old woman on Monday, April 3, 2023 at about 3:40pm. “Police were dispatched to the scene after a member of the public made the gruesome discovery. Upon arrival police found the body of the victim with multiple stab wounds. The victim was later declared dead…

Worshippers are writing a new chapter of the national story TO the pleasant surprise of many people of faith, Easter in South Africa is still the great Christian festival of hope and rebirth. Improved church attendance in most denominations offers faith-based leaders several reasons to be cheerful about the future. This trend is consistent with the observation that thousands of churches have been experiencing significant attendance fluctuations since the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. These low church attendance numbers register at a time when the nation seriously needs a new crop of people of faith, to sustain the moral regeneration efforts that continue to hold together our broken and wounded people. Remarkably, amid fluctuations in church attendance numbers, however, a religious success story is changing the shape and enriching the…

Russian forces pressed attacks on front line cities in eastern Ukraine yesterday, while Ukrainian officials played down a report that Kyiv had had to amend some military plans ahead of a counter-offensive due to a leak of classified US documents. The Russians were pounding Ukrainian positions around besieged Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region and other cities and towns with air strikes and artillery barrages, Kyiv said. The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces said the Russians were destroying buildings and positions in Bakhmut in “scorched-earth” tactics. Russia’s assault on Bakhmut, a small city on the edge of a chunk of Russian-controlled territory in Donetsk, has for months been the focus of the biggest battle of the war, now in its second year. The Ukrainian military said fighting was heaviest along…

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis said yesterday he was praying that the Good Friday agreement signed 25 years ago that largely ended violence in Northern Ireland can be “consolidated” to benefit the people of all of Ireland. Francis made the comment about the 1998 agreement, which has come under strain following Britain’s exit from the EU, in his address on Easter Monday to tens of thousands of people in St Peter’s Square. This week’s commemorations will be attended by US President Joe Biden, reflecting the vital role the US played in brokering the agreement. | Reuters…

Rome: Italy’s coast guard said it was trying yesterday to rescue 1 200 more migrants aboard two boats on the Mediterranean after saving about 2 000 already over the weekend. The rescue of about 800 migrants aboard an overloaded fishing boat was ongoing, it said. The boat was located in Italian waters more than 190km south-east of Syracuse, in Sicily. The the operation involving three patrol boats and a merchant ship was described as “complex”. A second fishing vessel carrying 400 migrants and also in Italian waters had been intercepted by the coast guard at the southernmost tip of Sicily, after sailing from North Africa. | AFP…

Washington: Five people were killed and at least six others hospitalised following a shooting targeting a bank yesterday in downtown Louisville, in the US state of Kentucky, according to police who said the assailant had been neutralised. The incident triggered a massive police deployment outside the Old National bank building. CNN reported that some people took refuge in the bank vault, contacting police from inside. Yesterday’s mass shooting in Louisville was the 146th of the year according to data from the Gun Violence Archive, defined as incidents in which four or more people were shot or killed. | AFP…

Banyana Banyana fought hard to come back from 3-0 down but lost 3-2 to Serbia in an international friendly in Stara Pazova yesterday. Serbia, ranked 35th in the world, made a fast start and were three goals to the good after only 22 minutes. Defender Violeta Slović scored the opening goal in the eighth minute, and Milica Mijatović, who plays for Italian Serie A club Fiorentina, made it 2-0 in the 16th minute. In the 22nd minute Jovana Damnjanović, a striker for Bayern Munich in the German Frauen-Bundesliga, scored. This stung Bayana into all-out action and they managed to undo Serbia's vice-like grip on the match. Some smart inter-play between Hildah Magaia and Jermaine Seoposenwe found an opening in the opposition defence but the latter was fractionally wide of…