Indice dei contenuti per 2023-06-22 in Cape Times

For his debut collection at Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams drew his global audience to the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris, kicking off his tenure as creative director of menswear with a celebrity-packed outdoor show. In a show that further anchored the LVMH-owned label in popular culture, models strode across the gold-painted runway to live music. They paraded pearl-embellished tracksuits, furry outerwear and sparkling jackets with the label’s signature check pattern, in all colours and sizes, including camouflage. Crowds gathered along the Seine River, craning for a glimpse of the looks, which continued LV’s approach of mixing street style with luxury. “I’m the second black man to ever experience this on the planet, the biggest fashion house in the world,” Williams said in an interview before the show. Best known…

TEACHERS’ unions have raised concern over a lack of understanding of the proposed draft Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) bill. This, amid growing debate among parents and other stakeholders, who have publicly expressed dismay over clause 41, which reads “Clause 41 seeks to amend section 61 of the SASA to extend the powers of the minister to make regulations on the management of learner pregnancy”. The parents and stakeholders have expressed that the clause seeks to promote comprehensive sexual education to young children, which they found to be inappropriate. National Professional Teachers' Organisation of SA (Naptosa) executive director, Basil Manuel, said among the complaints related to “half truths peddled by misinterpretation and misunderstanding" “We are part of the due consultations. The Bela bill doesn’t speak about sexual education as an…

A MANENBERG family has accused the police of being unhelpful in a rape case involving their intellectually disabled daughter who they suspect was also beaten and dumped on a field. The 25-year-old has apparently not received counselling since the near-death incident on June 11, and continued to suffer sleepless nights. Speaking on behalf of the family, Masieja Norton, said: “On the Sunday around 5.30pm, we realised she was missing. We were looking for her everywhere but could not find her so we called the police to report a missing person. “They sent one van and the one police officer told us it’s our business because she’s not even missing 48 hours. “We then decided to walk, dodging bullets because they (gangs) were shooting. We went door to door, knocking on…

(Serves 4-6, cooking/prep time: 1h 30min) • 45ml olive oil • 12 mixed chicken pieces, about 1-1.2kg (legs, thighs, etc.) • salt & pepper • 1 onion, cut into thin wedges • 125g streaky bacon, sliced • 3 - 4 sprigs thyme • 250g button/portobellini mushrooms (keep small ones whole, slice large ones in half) • 15ml tomato paste • 25ml cake flour • 1/2 bottle red wine • chopped Italian parsley, to serve In a wide heavy-based pot/casserole, heat the oil over medium heat and fry the chicken pieces in 2 batches on the skin-side until golden, seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove the chicken with tongs and set aside. Now add the onion, bacon and thyme to the pot and fry, stirring, until the onion starts to soften…

A NEW data programme that is expected to assist the government, businesses and civil society leaders in making important policy decisions has been launched. The Spatial Economic Activity Data – South Africa (Sead-SA), an initiative led by the National Treasury and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), was introduced on Monday. The programme seeks to address the data gap around the performance of cities and the wider economic geography of the country by leveraging tax and other administrative data sources. According to the Sead-SA report, for the first time, granular spatial data existed to help inform vital policy, planning and research questions about urbanisation, uneven development, territorial disparities and productivity and economic conditions of municipalities, cities, towns and suburbs and wards. Research specialist at the HSRC, Dr Justin Visagie, said…

FORMER Heathfield High School principal Wesley Neumann is considering appealing an Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) award that ruled against his reinstatement. Arbitrator Jonathan Gruss issued the outcome on Monday, finding that Neumann’s dismissal was both procedurally and substantively fair. The former principal was also not entitled to any relief. Neumann had approached the ELRC to challenge the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), that dismissed him on May 20 last year. This, after he rejected an offer from the department to accept a demotion as departmental head at one of three schools. Neumann faced six charges, including insubordination and misconduct for allegedly going against the WCED’s decision to have children back at school at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Neumann yesterday said he was disappointed at the…

A FORMER police officer whose finger was amputated after he was bitten by a suspect while on duty, received the go-ahead to continue with his claim against a medical group and several doctors. Molalose Ishmael claimed more than R2 million from the Meredale Medical Centre, based on alleged negligence and breach of legal duty. He blamed the doctors who had treated him for the fact that his finger had to be amputated. The hospital group and the doctors, however, earlier asked the court to reject his claim, as it was instituted outside the time frame in which he was allowed to claim damages. The Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, granted the application, which meant that Ishmael could not continue with his claim. However, he has successfully appealed against that ruling and…

IF THERE was one report that should keep South Africans awake at night, it’s Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke’s alarming findings pointing not only to incompetence but lack of care in the provincial government’s response to the devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of the Eastern Cape last April. It reads like a script from a horror movie or a never-ending nightmare about dead people, and others with invalid ID numbers, emerging as beneficiaries of disaster relief aid in eThekwini Municipality. While this sounds like something we have heard about before, especially within the South African Social Security Agency at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, little to no change has taken place, judging by Maluleke’s findings. But perhaps more concerning was the fact that KZN had spent less than a tenth…

A military base in Somalia came under attack by al-Shabaab jihadists yesterday, police and witnesses said, just as the AU announced it was beginning a drawdown of troops in the violence-wracked nation. Almost simultaneous suicide bomb blasts targeted the base in the southern city of Baardhere, which hosts both Ethiopian and Somali troops, triggering heavy gunfire, the sources said. There was no immediate information about any casualties from the attack, which was claimed by al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda affiliated group that has been waging a bloody insurgency against the fragile central government for more than 15 years. “The first explosion which is presumed to have been carried by a suicide bomber targeted the entrance of the ADC military base in Baardhere where Ethiopian forces are station and train Somali troops,” local…

New Delhi: Twitter owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk said yesterday he discussed “significant investments” in India after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the US. Musk said Modi was “pushing us to make significant investments in India, which is something that we intend to do, and are trying to figure out the right timing”. “We had multifaceted conversations on issues ranging from energy to spirituality,” Modi said. Musk said: “India has more promise than any large country in the world.” | AFP…

Turmus‘ayya: A Palestinian man was killed yesterday in an occupied West Bank village as Israelis attacked residents and property in escalating violence. The reprisals came hours after mourners held a funeral for a teenager killed in a Palestinian shooting targeting Israelis nearby, while Palestinians buried a girl killed in an Israeli raid. Lafi Adeeb, Turmus Ayya mayor, said that 35 houses were damaged, around 50 cars torched and farmland set ablaze. The Israeli military said security forces entered Turmus Ayya “to extinguish the fires, prevent clashes and to collect evidence” after “Israeli civilians burned vehicles and possessions belonging to Palestinians.” Twelve people were wounded in Turmus Ayya. | AFP…

Tehran: Fifteen people died of alcohol poisoning and 180 people have been poisoned and admitted to hosptital in Iran after consuming bootleg booze, state media reported yesterday, as the number of similar deaths increases across the country. Most of those in hospitals had since been discharged, officials said, but some had gone blind, while others were undergoing dialysis. Iran banned the production and consumption of alcoholic beverages after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Ever since, smuggled and unregulated alcohol has proliferated on the black market, with methanol often added to drinks as a cheaper alternative to ethanol. | AFP…

South Africa A endured a tough day at the office as they let slip any advantage they may have held in the second unofficial Test against Sri Lanka A in Colombo yesterday. The tourists began the third day just three runs in arrears of Sri Lanka’s A first innings total of 290 with four wickets still remaining. Proteas Test batter Kyle Verreynne was the overnight batter and he would have hoped for some support from the lower-order to build a healthy lead. But it did not go according to plan for Shukri Conrad’s team as SA A only managed to add a further seven runs for the loss of their remaining wickets to be bundled out for 294. Verreynne was left stranded on 38 not out. Tristan Stubbs had top-scored…

Percy Tau’s terrific form for Al Ahly has prompted the Egyptian giants to present the South African with a new improved contract. Although Al Ahly are yet to make an announcement, the well-known Egyptian football journalist Mohamed Shabana shared the information during a Cairo TV broadcast on Monday night. Tau’s contract expires at the end of next season and the club are keen to add another year’s extension. Tau has proved to be one of Al Ahly’s most valuable players. Now that he has shaken off injuries he is on top of his game. He played a massive role in guiding Al Ahly to the Caf Champions League title, scoring five goals and providing five assists in 12 games. After two seasons with the Red Devils, Tau’s honours list includes…

THE ANCs 2024 election performance in the Western Cape rested on the shoulders of “quality leaders”, the party said, ahead of its 9th elective provincial conference at the weekend. The provincial leadership yesterday released four discussion documents with a set of proposals that will serve as a blueprint for the new Provincial Executive Committee (PEC). The documents are titled: The Potential and Pitfalls of the Political Economy of the Western Cape Province; Patterns of WCape voter and its meaning for the NDR project; Women mainstreaming through gender lens for the empowerment/emancipation of women; and For the sake of the movement: The demon of money must be buried and forgotten in ANC electoral processes. Nominations from branches were stored in security boxes in the six regional offices. They were brought to…

‘Rising interest rate adds to the pain’ MORE South Africans are being hauled before the courts for failing to honour the debts they incurred from borrowing money to keep up with the rising cost of living. Stats SA recently found the number of civil summonses issued for debt increased by 0.3% by the end of April compared to the same month last year. The data agency conducts monthly samples survey of civil cases and civil summonses for debt issued in South Africa. “The largest positive contributors to the 0.3% increase in civil summonses issued were: ‘other’ debts (contributing 4.7 percentage points); and services (contributing 0.7 of a percentage point). “Money lent was the largest negative contributor,” it said. Don Consultancy Group chief economist, Chifi Mhango said banks and credit providers…

LAND reform has the exciting potential to secure the Philippi Horticultural Area (PHA) foodlands’ future and make the city’s climate resilient, but yet again that future is in the hands of those who make decisions about land use. In 2020 when Cape Town and the country were shaken to the core by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns, travel and food supply chain disruptions and rising food prices, the PHA foodland achieved two significant milestones. First, in February 2020 the Western Cape High Court recognised that land use above the aquifer would be central to its survival; it also recognised that climate change would be a crucial factor in whether the breadbasket could continue to feed the city in the future. Second, the 94ha Exclusive Trading development withdrew its high court…

WITH a waiting period of up to eight weeks, funeral parlours and undertakers in the Western Cape have appealed for intervention amid a backlog causing delays in cremation processes. The backlog, caused by insufficient capacity and exacerbated by load shedding, has reportedly forced undertakers to use cremation chambers in Gqeberha and George, at an extra cost. This, as the Drakenstein Crematorium in Paarl has been shut for the past couple of months, and crematoriums in Maitland, Worcester and Durbanville were reported to be operating at 50% capacity. Chairperson of the Funeral Industry Reformed Association, Johan Rousseau, said delays in cremating bodies were a serious concern for the industry. “The capacity of Cape Town is not sufficient to assist the funeral industry. Bodies are piling up and we understand the waiting…

AN ATLANTIS woman who hopes to represent South Africa along with her brother at an international pageant in the US, is challenging stereotypes and finding her niche as a person living with disabilities. “The aim is to break the stigma or stereotype against people living with disabilities. “We can also do a lot of things that able-bodied persons do and for me this is important because I was in a dark and hopeless place once. “This is to show other people whether in a wheelchair, using some sort of stick or crutches, that they can also do whatever they set their mind to,” said 21-year-old Nikita Scott, whose life took a drastic change in 2019 when the vehicle she was in was hit by another car in Kraaifontein. The accident…

Rescue workers raced to beat a rapidly closing oxygen window yesterday as they hunt for a missing submersible near the wreck of the Titanic, after noises detected by sonar raised hopes the five people onboard are still alive. Extra ships, specialised salvage equipment and US Navy experts arrived in the vast search area in the North Atlantic, with the passengers of the small sub estimated to have less than 24 hours of oxygen left. Rescuers, who have received help from around the world, were concentrating efforts on trying to figure out the source of “underwater noises” detected late Tuesday by a Canadian aircraft, US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger told CBS. “It’s something, it’s a target, it’s a focus for us to look at,” he said. “As long as…

Heavy clashes broke out between rival military factions in several parts of Sudan’s capital yesterday, as a 72-hour ceasefire that saw several reports of violations expired, witnesses said. Soon before the truce ended , fighting was reported in all three of the cities that make up the wider capital around the confluence of the Nile: Khartoum, Bahri and Omdurman. Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been battling each other for more than two months, triggering widespread violence in the western region of Darfur and causing more than 2.5 million people to flee their homes. Witnesses said army aircraft carried out air strikes in Bahri and the RSF responded with anti-aircraft fire. They reported artillery fire and heavy clashes in Omdurman and ground fighting in southern Khartoum.…

BEIJING: China hit back yesterday after US President Joe Biden referred to President Xi Jinping as a “dictator”, saying the remarks were absurd and a provocation. Biden made his comments just a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing to stabilise relations that China says are at their lowest point since formal ties were established. At a fundraiser in California, Biden said Xi was very embarrassed when a suspected Chinese spy balloon was blown off course over US airspace early this year. Blinken had said on Monday the chapter should be closed. “That’s a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didn’t know what happened,” Biden said. The Chinese foreign ministry said Biden’s remarks were “irresponsible”. Blinken and Xi agreed in a meeting this week to stabilise the…

STOCKHOLM: A Swedish appeals court yesterday convicted Italian surgeon Paolo Macchiarini of gross assault for implanting artificial tracheas in three patients who later died, sentencing him to two-and-a-half years in prison. The former surgeon at Karolinska University Hospital, which is linked to the institute that awards the Nobel Prize for Medicine, was charged over the experimental procedure carried out in 2011-12. Last year a lower court had found him not guilty of aggravated assault in all three cases of death, and guilty of causing grievous bodily harm in a fourth case, handing down a suspended sentence | Reuters…

The Pumas had to get to the Currie Cup final through the back door, with gritty away victories over Griquas and the Sharks in the last fortnight, but coach Jimmy Stonehouse says they are saving the best for last. The defending champions are best described as “workmanlike” in how they go about their business but the veteran coach believes something extra will be needed to beat the Cheetahs in Saturday’s final. “We are working on a few things,” the wily old campaigner said. “You have to bring a little something new to a final. Every guy has something up their sleeve …” But before any new tricks can be sprung on the Free Staters, the basics have to be done and the Pumas were exposed by the Sharks in the…

The Proteas women’s team calendar is set to be action-packed this coming season with New Zealand set to tour South Africa in late September. This is fresh off the announcement of the Proteas’ historic tour to Pakistan just prior to New Zealand arriving in SA. The Proteas are also due to head Down Under to face all-format world champions Australia early next year. The home series against the White Ferns will consist of three one-day internationals and five T20s, to be played across five cities from September 24 to October 15. “We are thrilled to welcome New Zealand for this highly-anticipated tour, and we extend our warmest wishes to both teams,” said Cricket SA chief executive Pholetsi Moseki. “We eagerly look forward to witnessing some exhilarating cricket and wish them…

For the second consecutive year, African Fashion International (AFI), in partnership with Gemelli, will host another fashion experience at this year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July. Hollywoodbets Durban July is one of the biggest horse racing events in Africa where sports fanatics, fashion enthusiasts and lovers of fine things gather to celebrate the things they enjoy most. Since fashion is a big part of the Durban July, AFI, known for producing spectacular fashion shows in Africa, decided to join the club and be part of the experience. They will spoil guests with a fashion show for up-and-coming designers. As part of the Fastrack 2023 Cohort challenge, the AFI Fastrack finalists will participate in the public fashion competition by showcasing their garments inspired by the Durban July theme "Out of this World." They…

AN “ILLEGAL” council meeting, which saw the election of a new mayor, deputy mayor and a speaker in the Witzenberg Municipality yesterday, has caused an upset in the Winelands region. The DA said it would challenge the meeting, where the party’s mayor Hennie Smit and speaker, Elizabeth Sidego were removed. Good party councillor Katriena Robyn was elected as the new mayor, Jannie Cloete of the Patriotic Alliance (PA) as her deputy, and Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa (Icosa) councillor Petrus Heradien was elected the Speaker. DA constituency head for Witzenberg, Wendy Philander, said they would challenge the outcomes of the meeting. “The Speaker of the council notified all members that a scheduled meeting for (Wednesday) had been postponed due to circumstances beyond the Council's control, including the closure of…

ENVIRONMENTALISTS using research and science to raise awareness of the endangered Cape parrot and securing critical habitat for the benefit of ecosystems, have been celebrated during Youth Month. The Wild Bird Trust said those involved in the Cape Parrot Project (CPP) were doing inspiring work. Siyabulela Sonjani, 35, from Khayalethu in Hogsback, started working for the CPP in 2016 as a field staff member. “I monitor and collect data from different sites that are currently under the CPP management. I gather data from planted trees using a variety of measurements. I also collect sound data by setting up Passive Acoustic Monitors (PAM) in the forest where they record data over several days,” he said. Sonjani wished to create a better habitat for the wildlife in the Hogsback community. Tara Naeser,…

COURTS and municipalities across the country have partnered with an NGO to set ambitious targets to address gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). The End GBVF Collective has managed to get 25 courts and 20 municipalities signed up before the 100-Day Challenge, to launch on Women’s Day, August 9. The challenge will see the NGO assist the justice system in finalising GBVF-related cases; reducing the backlog of GBVF cases; and using technology to speed up processes and improve access to justice. End GBVF Collective representative Sixolile Ngcobo said: “A 4.35% decrease in sexual offences in quarter four is a shift in the right direction. However, with the more than 10 000 rape cases reported, the work done to address GBVF needs to accelerate rapidly. We are very excited to be working…

A chief director within the Department of Health accused of corruption linked to a multimillion-rand tender awarded to Digital Vibes has been granted bail by the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court (SCC). Popo Maja, the chief director of communications within the Department of Health in Pretoria, appeared in court yesterday on corruption charges. State prosecutor Phumla Dwane-Alpman said Maja was facing a schedule one offence and was charged with two counts of corruption for his alleged role in awarding a contract worth more than R140 million to Digital Vibes. The company was awarded the tender to provide communication services to the department for the National Health Insurance campaign and vital public communications around the Covid-19 pandemic. Dwane-Alpman said it was alleged that Maja, who was as part of the bid evaluation…

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a celebration of International Yoga Day at the UN in New York yesterday and called on people “to join hands together to realise the goal of one Earth, one family, one future”. The UN in 2014 declared June 21 the International Day of Yoga, adopting a measure proposed by Modi. “Let us use the power of yoga, not only to be healthy, happy, but also to be kind to ourselves and to each other,” Modi told a gathering of yoga devotees seated on yellow mats on the north lawn of UN headquarters by New York’s East River. “Let us use the power of yoga to build bridges of friendship, a peaceful world, and a cleaner, greener and sustainable future,” he said. Modi is in…

The DEATH toll from a riot at a women’s prison in Honduras rose to 46, a government spokesperson said yesterday, as relatives queued at the capital’s public morgue for information about incarcerated family members. The number of victims ticked up as authorities identified more prisoners’ remains, many of which were “charred or reduced to ash”, according to Yuri Mora, spokesperson for the public prosecutor’s office. Tuesday’s violent incident at the 900-person prison 20km from capital Tegucigalpa had been planned by gang members with guards’ knowledge, Honduran President Xiomara Castro said. The clash took place when armed members of the Barrio 18 gang held back guards and attacked members of the rival Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), police said. The gangs, which both have roots in Los Angeles, have long battled for control…

KAMPALA: The Ugandan military rescued three of the six pupils who were kidnapped by Islamist fighters when they stormed a school in the west of the country last week and massacred 42 people, mostly pupils, the army said yesterday. A woman with two children who had been kidnapped outside the school was also rescued, with her children, while two militants were killed and two guns captured. ADF, formerly a Ugandan rebel group, operates in the jungles of eastern Congo and has been blamed for killings of civilians there over the past two decades. They also carried out attacks in Uganda, including bombings at a police station and near the parliament building in the Ugandan capital in 2021. | Reuters…

NEW DELHI: India was investing in new supercomputers, high-resolution radar systems and automated weather observatories to improve cyclone forecasting efforts over the next five years, officials said. The most dramatic overhaul comes after early warnings and timely evacuations this month helped India avert major casualties after cyclone Biparjoy hit its west coast near neighbouring Pakistan. Improvements cover detection or identification of the formation of cyclones, and accuracy of critical elements. The weather service aims to deploy 62 radars, up from 37, and triple the speed of its supercomputers to enable quicker processing of weather-related data. | Reuters…

England veteran defender Geva Mentor believes the Netball World Cup taking place in South Africa for the first time next month, will have a great impact on the growth of the sport on the whole African continent. “The African nations are on the rise, we’re seeing the impact they’re having in the top domestic leagues and in turn the performances they’re putting out against other nations,” said Mentor, who will be retiring after appearing in her sixth World Cup at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from July 28 to August 6. “To be able to showcase all the best netballers in the world on African soil is another opportunity to keep growing the sport and we all know the Africans will create a vibrant, loud and entertaining event.” Mentor,…

Michael Leask smashed a brilliant 91 not out to lead Scotland to a dramatic one-wicket victory over Ireland off the final ball at the World Cup Qualifier yesterday. Scotland were reeling at 152/7 in the 34th over, chasing 287 to win in Bulawayo, but Leask struck 91 from 61 balls to clinch a win to start their campaign. Ireland, though, are on the brink of failing to reach a second straight World Cup after suffering a second successive Group B defeat after their opening loss to Oman. Two teams from the 10-nation event in Zimbabwe will qualify for the main tournament to be held in India in October and November. "We've had a few tough games against Ireland, so to get this against them is even more special," said Leask,…