Indice dei contenuti per 2023-05-08 in Cape Times

THE delay in appointing the board of the SABC has come back to haunt the public broadcaster as the entity could not finalise and submit its corporate plan to Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele in time for submission to Parliament. It has now emerged that Gungubele wrote to Parliament requesting to be granted an extension to submit the corporate plan and annual performance plan for the broadcaster. Gungubele made the request in a letter to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and National Council of Provinces chairperson Amos Masondo. In terms of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), the SABC board is required to submit its corporate plan and budget for the years 2023-24 to 2025-26 to Gungubele and National Treasury at least one month before the start of…

KATLEGO Mpholo was described as a loving and vibrant soul during his funeral at the Lesley Monnyane Hall in Bloemfontein yesterday. The 32-year-old father of two’s body was used as a decoy in the prison escape of convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester in May last year. It is alleged that several suspects worked together with disgraced doctor Nandipha Magudumana to ensure that Mpholo’s body landed in Cell 35 in the Mangaung Correctional Centre to aid Bester’s escape. Mpholo’s family, including his inconsolable mother and friends, gathered to bid their final farewell to him. In a heartfelt tribute to her son, Katlego’s mother, Monica Matsie said after all that she and the family had done to try to find him, she never thought that he could have died in such…

This recipe sounds unusual. Adding prunes to a stew? Well, it’s Morocan. 1 1/2 kg beef cut into chunks 1 1/2 cups of onion 500g button mushrooms 1 cup of carrots , chopped 5 prunes , cut into a few pieces 1 cup of red wine 2 1/2 cups of beef stock 1 tablespoon of oil for cooking 2 cloves of garlic , chopped 1 tablespoon of tomato paste 1 teaspoon of cumin 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon of ginger 1 tablespoon of flour (optional) Parsley for garnish Salt and Pepper Heat up oil in a heavy pot Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown the meat on either side Once browned remove meat from the pot Add spices to the pot:…

IMPLEMENTATION plans by the Department of Home Affairs to finalise requirements for remote working visas has been welcomed by the local business and tourism community. The department last week confirmed that they are working to meet a deadline at the end of June to announce requirements for such visas during a presentation to the Western Cape Standing Committee on Finance, Economic Opportunities and Tourism. This process is underway with the State Law Advisor approval process also in the pipeline. Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, Jacques Moolman, said they support the remote working visa which aligns with global trends and would contribute to economic development. “We believe the Western Cape is well suited to remote working, and the proposed visa would be a drawcard for digital nomads who bring…

The mother of a Grade R learner who said her child fell into an open pit toilet during school hours, not only lost her damages claim against the North West Education MEC, but was also ordered to pay the legal costs. In a pit toilet saga with a twist, the unemployed mother, who cannot be identified as her son is a minor, turned to the North West Division of the High Court, sitting in Mafikeng, as she was adamant that her son was injured when as he fell into the pit toilet. The headmaster of the school, which was not named in the judgment, teachers and even the gardener who the child claimed had pulled him out of the toilet, denied the events. While the child was not called as…

MORE than a year after the deadly April floods, a Durban family who were left devastated when they lost 10 relatives in the storm is still waiting to bury four of their loved ones due to a delay in DNA testing. The Mdlalose family from the Pola Mission, near Inanda township, north of Durban say they feel let down by the government. The family lost 10 relatives and while they were able to bury six of them, the remaining relatives have yet to be positively identified through DNA tests in order to allow their burials. Since being recovered, the remains of the four have been kept at a government mortuary. Among those the Mdlalose family are still waiting to bury are: Thobeka, 25, Kholeka, 18, Lusanda, 16, and six-year-old Manelisi.…

THE Gauteng High Court, Pretoria has ordered the government to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to all government hospitals, clinics, schools and police stations. This followed an application brought by the UDM and other political and civic organisations, which argued the government and power utility Eskom has violated basic human rights by implementing load shedding that has knocked critical areas of the economy such as hospitals. Their application hinged on the provision of electricity to 85 police stations, 93 hospitals, and 23 000 schools badly affected by load shedding. On Friday, a full bench gave Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan 60 days to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to these facilities. Judge Norman Davis, who wrote the judgment, said in cases where sites could not be isolated from the grid to…

THE more than R146 million deployment of about 900 SANDF members to combat threats to and safeguard a number of Eskom power stations has been met with mixed reactions. President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised the deployment of the soldiers, who are expected to assist the police in protecting Eskom’s power stations, where sabotage, theft and other crimes may threaten their functioning and the supply of electricity in the country. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said the president had informed Parliament of the move. “The president has informed Speaker of the National Assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and National Council of Provinces chairperson Amos Masondo in writing of the employment of SANDF personnel in co-operation with the SAPS for the prevention and combating of crime and maintenance and preservation of law and order in South…

Country’s people can decide who they want to lead them without shenanigans of media ON SUNDAY May 14, over 60 million eligible voters will have the chance to go to the polls in Türkiye in the 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections, probably one of the most important elections in recent history given the country’s strategic geopolitical location, juxtapositioned between Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and its perennial spats with the US, UK and the EU over a number of political, trade and socio-cultural issues. In recent years Türkiye has also been forging a rapprochement with Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), using its soft power of largely trade and investment and increasing its presence in the rising continent. Türkiye was the first country to recognize the new government in conflict-torn Somalia followed…

AFTER failing to meet the Luthuli House directive to convene a conference no later than April 8, the ANC in the Western Cape is now set to hold its provincial conference on the first weekend in June. Indications are that the interim provincial committee (IPC) is “closer” to meeting the 70% of qualifying branches to attend the conference. The conference will be convened in line with the ANC national executive committee (NEC) directive that the soon-to-be elected provincial leadership should take the Dullar Omar and Southern Cape regions to their regional conferences. The failure by the two regions to convene the conferences had contributed to several postponements of the provincial conference last year. IPC coordinator Thandi Makasi wrote to the regions and branches last week, notifying them about the latest…

Brazen syndicates a law unto themselves COMMUNITIES continue to bear the brunt of extortion-related crimes, with garbage collection services temporarily halted in Samora Machel following the murder of a contract worker, and now resumed under a heavy law enforcement escort. This follows allegations of brazen extortion syndicates targeting solid waste subcontractors in the community. The EFF in the Cape Metro said the City had refused to collect garbage in Samora Machel over the past few weeks. EFF Cape Metro chairperson Ntsikelelo Tyandela said: “Solid waste management in the DA-led City of Cape Town, as the custodian and responsible for garbage collection and eradication of illegal dumping sites, must never blame its subcontractors and the subsequent claims of extortion for not providing service delivery for the people of Samora. “The City…

THE shooting of a Nyanga police Vispol head at the weekend has demonstrated how brazen criminals continue to plague Brown’s Farm, the Community Policing Forum (CPF) said. The victim, a colonel, aged 51, was conducting crime prevention patrols in Brown’s Farm with three colleagues when they were alerted to an armed robbery in progress. Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said the team responded and found that a beverage delivery truck had been targeted. “Upon arrival at the crime scene, the suspects fled on foot with police in pursuit. One of the suspects opened fire at the police members, and wounded the colonel in the leg. “This suspect was further pursued by the colonel’s colleagues until he was arrested and disarmed. “The other suspects managed to evade arrest and are being sought.…

The KWAZULU-NATAL government has to move with speed to establish its own version of Crime Wardens to assist the police to fight the high rate of crime in the province. The ambitious Gauteng crime-prevention warden programme was launched amid much fanfare by Premier Panyaza Lesufi last week. The 4 000 crime-prevention wardens, who graduated after three months of training, will join the SAPS, metro police and Gauteng Traffic Police to fight crime in areas such as Krugersdorp, Tembisa, Wedela in Carletonville, Pretoria and Westonaria. The programme has elicited strong reaction from members of the public who raised concerns about the quality of the training, the R450 million price tag and duration of the training. However, there is no doubt that the programme can go a long way towards reducing the…

Arsenal kept the Premier League title race alive as Martin Odegaard's strike and Fabian Schar's own goal beat Newcastle 2-0 yesterday to close to within one point of leaders Manchester City. City have a game in hand on top of their slender lead, but the Gunners are refusing to give up the fight in their hunt for a first league title in 19 years. Newcastle's second home defeat of the season slows the Magpies' charge towards Uefa Champions League football next season as their lead over fifth-placed Liverpool remains three points. Arsenal held an eight-point lead just a month ago but had won just one of their last five league games to let the destiny of the title slip out of their hands. Mikel Arteta's men, though, showcased their improvement…