Indice dei contenuti per 2023-06-28 in Cape Times

THE SOUTH African government has taken another step in the future energy security direction with a commitment to co-operate with Germany on green hydrogen projects. Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, and German Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, yesterday signed a joint declaration of intent to establish the South African German Hydrogen Task Force. The signing took place virtually during a bi-national commission between South Africa and Germany. Green hydrogen, which is made by splitting water using renewable energy, is one of three ways South Africa is aiming to shift its economy away from a reliance on coal for its electricity generation. The Joint Declaration of Intent is not legally binding nor does it have financial implications for South Africa,…

THE SOUTH African Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) yesterday lifted its forecast for the 2023 harvest to 16 354 million tons – the second largest on record. Improved yield in both yellow and white maize had led to the ongoing upgrade, it said. Wandile Sihlobo, the chief economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) said yesterday that the CEC’s lifting of the country’s 2022/23 commercial maize production estimate by 1% from last month was not surprising. He said this crop was 6% more than the 2021/22 season and the second-largest harvest on record. “The expected ample harvest is primarily on the back of large yields, as the area planted is slightly down from the 2021/22 season. About 8.64 million tons is white maize, with 7.71 million tons being…

South Africa is frequently promoted to travellers as a “sunny” holiday spot. And yes, the country offers a perfect setting for beach stays with its mild summers and frequent bright skies. However, it can experience extremely harsh winters, particularly in the high Drakensberg-Maloti and Cape Fold mountains, as well as in cities like Sutherland in the Northern Cape province. Winter has unquestionably arrived because of the large amounts of rain and snow that have been falling, or are expected, in many of our provinces. The South African Weather Service predicts that winter will linger through the last day of August. According to a study by Wits University, being exposed to cold temperatures can raise the risk of hypothermia, frostbite and other cold-related disorders like cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Those…

THE UDM and the African Transformation Movement (ATM) said they had not submitted written questions to (suspended) Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane during the inquiry into her fitness to hold office, because there were still issues around her legal representation. The inquiry on Monday announced that it had sent more than 600 written questions to Mkhwebane on the evidence led so far, in order for her to respond in writing or orally by July 6. Only the ANC, DA, ACDP, Freedom Front Plus and Good Party complied, while parties sympathetic to Mkhwebane – the EFF, UDM and ATM – have not done so. Yesterday, UDM president Bantu Holomisa confirmed his party did not submit written questions because there were still outstanding matters on the legal representation of Mkhwebane and the recusal…

SUSPENDED DA MPL in the Eastern Cape, Nqaba Bhanga, said he had been instructed not to speak about racism allegations he made against the party’s Federal Council chairperson, Helen Zille, or his suspension, with the media. This, after the DA yesterday resolved to suspend him from all party activities. Commenting to the Cape Times yesterday, Bhanga said the letter “instructed him to not comment at this point”. The DA said the decision to suspend Bhanga was unanimously taken by the party’s Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) in the Eastern Cape. Provincial leader Andrew Whitfield said the notice of intention to suspend was delivered to Bhanga by the sheriff of the court, and via email, on Monday. “Bhanga made written representations as to why he should not be suspended after making use…

THE National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has been ordered to reinstate Vuyo Lufele as its Western Cape regional secretary with effect from Friday. This, after CCMA Commissioner Jacques Buitendag found that Lufele’s precautionary suspension was invalid and unfair. It was also ruled that he had to report for duty on July 3. Lufele sought relief at the CCMA after the decision to suspend him was made in September, when he allegedly raised questions concerning the National Manufacturing Workers Investment Trust. Other leaders were allegedly also suspended by the union after they raised similar concerns about the controversial 3Sixty Life, a funeral insurance company owned by Numsa’s investment trust. According to the arbitration papers, the hearing took place earlier this month where Lufele was represented by an attorney, while…

THE City has made public a proposal that would allow owners and developers to alter, improve and demolish buildings older than 60 years without prior approval. The move would exempt development areas within Airport Industria, Atlantis, Flamingo, Kuils River, Mitchells Plain’s Town Centre, Ottery/Lansdowne and the Voortrekker Road Corridor from heritage protection; and allow for the consolidation of three or more properties that fall within these areas. According to the City, this would reduce heritage red tape in these areas. Deputy Mayor and Spatial Planning and Environment Mayco member, Eddie Andrews, said reducing development-related red tape would assist with economic growth. “As Cape Town is ageing, many buildings in our city are turning 60 years and older by default. Any person who wants to alter or demolish a structure older…

FROM sexual harassment and quality of qualifications to maladministration, Unisa has had all sorts of scandals in recent years. Amid these controversies, the university put its best foot forward on Monday to pull off a celebration fit for a 150-year-old institution. But when an entity finds itself in the news for all the wrong reasons, fingers will always point to the person at the helm. Therefore, it is not surprising that vice-chancellor and principal, Professor Puleng LenkaBula, has been under fire for the situation Unisa finds itself in. Last month, a report by Professor Themba Mosia, commissioned by Minister Dr Blade Nzimande, found the university was collapsing under LenkaBula. It also blasted the university’s council for failing to fulfil its fiduciary responsibilities. The council was found to have failed to…

The UK’s controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda will cost £169 000 (roughly R4m) per person, according to an impact assessment published yesterday, although the government insisted it would recoup most of the costs. The UK’s Conservative government has made tackling immigration a priority, and it was a key promise as the country left the EU. It wants to outlaw asylum claims by all irregular arrivals and transfer them to “safe” third countries, such as Rwanda, to stop thousands of migrants from crossing the Channel on small boats. The government said up to £165 000 could be recouped due to saved costs from reduced asylum support. London also hopes the programme will act as a deterrent. The government has highlighted the cost of housing asylum seekers while…

Israel has approved plans to construct more than 5 600 homes in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. In Eli, where two Palestinian gunmen killed four Israelis last week, 1 057 homes were approved. The plan was announced last week by Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, who described it as “a response” to the attack. The other units are planned for various settlements in the West Bank. Peace Now, an Israeli settlement watchdog, said this year was the highest year on record in terms of approval of construction. It said that since January, more than 13 000 housing units were advanced in the settlements. Last year, 4 427 housing units were advanced. The move is expected to further escalate tensions between Israel and the Palestinians. A US national security spokesperson…

LONDON: Britain’s leading nursing union yesterday said it had failed to secure a new mandate for strike action in England after a ballot of members fell short of the legal minimum turnout threshold. The Royal College of Nurses (RCN) said more than 100 000 – about 85% – of its members voted in favour of strike action, but the turnout was only 43%, below the 50% required for a strike. The RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, Pat Cullen, said she was meeting Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to discuss a plan for the National Health Service workforce. Tens of thousands of nurses have taken part in several waves of strikes action since December. | Reuters…

LONDON: Prince Harry should receive a maximum of just £500 in damages for one admitted instance of unlawful information gathering, lawyers representing a British tabloid newspaper group told London’s High Court yesterday. Prince Harry is one of more than 100 people suing Mirror Group Newspapers over phone-hacking and unlawful information gathering between 1991 and 2011. The publisher argued that Harry “has failed to identify any evidence of voicemail interception against him, or any other evidence of unlawful information gathering.” | Reuters…

A strong field of women contenders will line-up at the start of the Absa Run Your City Durban 10km race on Sunday, July 9. Alongside the thrilling prospect of Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw, the current women’s World Record holder in the 10km mixed race with an impressive time of 29:14, the race will boast an exceptionally strong elite women’s field with the inclusion of South Africa’s Glenrose Xaba - the third fastest South African over 10km, Kenya’s Edith Jepchumba as well as Uganda’s Stella Chesang and Lesotho’s Neheng Khatala. Xaba, who has already shattered her 10km personal best three times this year, earned her place among the illustrious sub-32-minute club with a remarkable time of 31:55 this past weekend. Xaba ran 32:25 at the inaugural Absa Run Your City Gqeberha 10km…

TEMBA Bavuma is “humbled” and “excited” by the thought and reality of leading the Proteas to a maiden World Cup trophy. The excitement in the cricket world is at an all-time high as the 13th edition of the one-day international World Cup is right around the corner. The 2023 edition will be hosted in India, a country with the biggest audience of the sport. It certainly promises to be a World Cup like no other; with a bit of added pressure almost guaranteed for all the players and fans around the world who will be glued on their television screens hoping the cricket Gods favour their own country. For South Africa’s captain Bavuma, it will be his first taste of the event. Yes, Bavuma has two T20 World Cups under…

Your grocery shopping habits can determine the outcome of your weight loss efforts. It would help if you learned some tips and tricks for grocery shopping because losing weight is more about making changes to your lifestyle than getting caught up in fad diets. Write a list of what you need Try to leave off the wants (well, no one’s going to judge if you sneak in that extra chocolate bar, we all need to treat ourselves sometimes). Writing a list keeps you focused and will make your shop time so much quicker. Never shop hungry Your hunger can absolutely take over your brain and dictate your decisions, so don’t let the hunger pangs tell you what goes in your cart and then into your pantry, and eventually into your…

THE City of Joburg must pay more than R7.8 million to a then heavily pregnant teenager who fell into an open manhole while walking along a street in Eldorado Park at night. The then 16-year-old, who was in Grade 10, presumably bumped her head against a sharp object inside the manhole, and suffered severe head injuries. She now suffers from bilateral blindness, constant headaches and seizures. She turned to the South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, where she claimed more than R9m in damages from the Joburg Metro. She blamed it for the incident and it was argued on her behalf that the metro had a duty to cover the manhole or at least warn the public about the danger. Acting Judge AM Van der Merwe totally agreed and found…

AS THE DA federal council yesterday endorsed the Western Cape Provincial Powers Bill, Police Minister Bheki Cele poured cold water on conducting a feasibility study to devolve policing function to provincial governments. Cele made his stance known while responding to DA MP Andrew Whitfield, when he enquired whether he would devolve the policing function. Whitfield’s question came against the backdrop of the DA’s push for certain powers that reside with the national government, such as policing and railway functions, be devolved to provinces and metros. The debate on the devolution of police function has been ongoing.. Cele and President Cyril Ramaphosa have repeatedly said the police service was was the national government’s competency. Unfazed by their responses, Whitfield wrote to Cele asking if he would do a feasibility study,…

MISSING manhole covers have been flagged as a safety risk for residents and pedestrians as roads continued to flood during the inclement weather. The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate said with winter in full swing and more rain expected, the missing manhole covers were a problem. “Unfortunately, sewer drain covers are often stolen or broken, putting our roads and residents at risk. “The combined impact of rain that enters the sewer pipes via open drains or illegal stormwater to sewer connections, plus illegal dumping into the pipes which causes blockages, all contribute to sewer overflows. “This is because waste that gets into the system, via flushing or pouring down drains and sinks, already reduces the capacity of the sewer pipes to convey wastewater and damages infrastructure like pump stations, resulting…

It has taken no meaningful action beyond enabling arrogant banks The implications of South African Reserve Bank (SARB) decisions on workers and black South Africans are significant, considering the history of financial exclusion and discrimination that has affected the majority black population in South Africa. The lingering effects of apartheid-era policies continue to impede the economic advancement of black individuals and businesses. Of particular concern is the indifference of the central bank towards the plight of marginalised communities. On May 25, the SARB’s monetary policy committee (MPC) raised the repo rate for the tenth consecutive time, resulting in the repo rate reaching 8.25%, while the prime lending rate stood at 11.75%. This decision not only caused the rand to hit its all-time low of R19.74 to the dollar but…

I REFER to Barbie Sandler’s letter on childhood pregnancies in Monday’s paper, and also the editorial column. Barbie, you and I speak with the same voice. The rate of teen-and-younger pregnancies in this country should be of major concern to all of us, not only the government. As if it’s not tragic enough that such immature children are producing babies that they cannot care for, the reverberations of all these extra births will affect almost every sphere of our country, in so many respects. Over-population is one of the greatest tragedies of humankind, bringing children into a world already battling to feed its populations in so many countries, predominantly the poorest of the poor. Out of over-population will come lack of schooling, as no funds are available for education when…

Twenty-six Ugandans yesterday sued French oil giant TotalEnergies in Paris for reparations over alleged human rights violations at its massive mega- projects in the country, as climate protesters targeted its UK headquarters. Joined by five Ugandan and French aid groups, people from the affected communities say the energy company caused “serious harm”, especially to their rights to land and food. “What we’re asking of the tribunal is to recognise Total’s civil responsibility and sentence the company to compensate the people affected by violations,” said Friends of the Earth France spokesperson Juliette Renaud. At the heart of their complaint at the Paris court are two vast TotalEnergies developments: the Tilenga exploration of 419 oil wells, one-third of them in Uganda’s largest national park Murchison Falls, and EACOP, a 1 500km pipeline…

Copenhagen: The World Health Organization’s European office warned that the risk of Covid-19 had not gone away. It was still responsible for nearly 1 000 deaths a week in the region. On May 5, the global health body announced that the pandemic was no longer deemed a “global health emergency”. WHO regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said: “However, Covid-19 has not gone away.” The WHO’s European region comprises 53 countries. Kluge urged authorities to ensure vaccination coverage of at least 70% for vulnerable groups. He said estimates showed that one in 30 people in the region had experienced “long Covid” in the past three years. | AFP…

DARFUR: The Sudan conflict is worsening to “alarming levels” in Darfur and taking on a worrying ethnic dimension, the UN said yesterday. Darfur, a vast western region bordering Chad, has witnessed the deadliest violence since the conflict between rival armed forces broke out on April 15. Darfur was scarred by civil war in the 2000s. That conflict pitted ethnic minority rebels who complained of discrimination against the Arab-dominated government. The UNHCR said the number of refugees fleeing the fighting in Sudan had now topped 560 000. Egypt has received the most, followed by Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic. | AFP…

Marseille: French President Emmanuel Macron faced accusations of minimising the problems of unemployment yesterday after he told the mother of a jobseeker that her son could easily find work. During a visit to the southern city of Marseille, Macron told the woman her son could pick up to “10 offers” if he walked around the city’s historic Vieux Port area, which is home to dozens of cafes and eateries. What does your son want to work in?” he asked the woman after she said her son, 33, could not find work and was in arrears with his rent. “Anything!” she replied. Macron told her: “You are not going to persuade me that, if he is really looking for a job in Marseille… that there is no job as a…

IGA Swiatek will attempt to add the Wimbledon title to the US and French Open crowns she already possesses when the third major of the season gets under way on Monday. There will also be focus on the continuing bitter fall-out from the decision to allow Russian players to return after a 2022 ban while all women players are at least united on one point - a welcome change to the tournament’s strict all-white playing gear rule. AFP Sport looks at three talking points at Wimbledon 2023. Swiatek desperate to crack code With three French Open titles and a US Open already secured, world No 1 Swiatek now tries to crack the Wimbledon code which has left her baffled in three visits so far. A first round exit in 2019…

THE PRUDENTIAL Authority (PA) has been monitoring the levels of exposures by the banks to South Africa’s sovereign debt, following a notable increase in the banking industry’s overall exposure and concentration to government securities in the period since 2020. CEO of the Prudential Authority Nomfundo Tshazibana said in the PA’s latest annual report that: “The PA continues to encourage banks to actively manage, monitor and report such exposures to their appropriate internal governance structures to ensure that exposures remain within approved internal risk appetite metrices.” She said that while government securities were frequently utilised in banks’ risk mitigation strategies, exposures to these securities also needed to be appropriately balanced against credit extension to the real economy. Meanwhile PA chairperson Lesetja Kganyago said two non-systemic banks were placed under curatorship…

THE Pension Funds Adjudicator (PFA) has set aside a decision by the Alexander Forbes Retirement Fund to allocate a larger percentage of a death benefit to a life partner, taking from a portion of what would remain for the father’s two sons. “The fund cannot merely rely on a calculator that predetermines entitlements to portions of a salary depending on a beneficiary’s status,” said adjudicator Muvhango Lukhaimane. This comes after two brothers complained about the allocation and distribution of the death benefit, in which a lump sum of R662 122.97 became available for distribution to his beneficiaries. The board of management of the fund resolved to allocate each of the two sons 21.5%, and the dead man’s partner, 57%. The brothers averred that the life partner did not qualify as…

from page 1 seen by a trained professional nurse for counselling, an HIV test and an ultrasound to determine the period of gestation. If the teenager is 12 or less weeks pregnant, the professional nurse will explain the procedure as well as the consent form. After the termination of pregnancy, the client will be seen for a follow-up assessment, counselling and the administration of a contraceptive method of their choice. “If the teenager is more than 12 weeks pregnant, she is referred to the Khayelitsha District Hospital for a second trimester termination of pregnancy. The City is mindful of the fact that many young people may find it daunting to visit a family planning clinic. This is one of the key reasons why, in the past decade, the department has…

In Khayelitsha’s Site C facility, only 45 terminations between January and May THE number of abortions compared with the high number of deliveries for children aged 10 to 19 has raised questions about the experiences of young women trying to access reproductive services. The Western Cape Health Department last year recorded 2 347 termination of pregnancies in the 10-19 year-old-age group, while in 2023 to date, 1 028 terminations were performed. There were just 45 terminations of pregnancy in this age group between January and May at the one City facility that offered the service – the Site C Youth Clinic, while 141 were recorded at the clinic for the year 2022, according to community services and health Mayco member Patricia van der Ross. Compared with births, nearly…

AN INVESTIGATION into possible human rights abuse concerning the water quality and safety in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is under way. This, after residents raised the alarm that a cancer-causing by-product was found during tests conducted in the water earlier this year. The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) said an investigation was pending into the water quality in the municipality, after it received complaints from civic movements. Eastern Cape SAHRC provincial manager, Eileen Carter, said the complaints were consolidated. Carter said meetings have since been held with representatives of the NMB Water Crisis Committee. “We had series of meetings with the office of the then mayor and the management of the metro. We requested and obtained audit reports of the Waste Water Treatment Plans and water tests from the…

THE family of a girl who was allegedly sexually molested at a Grassy Park primary school by another learner who is two years older, claims the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has failed to protect their daughter. According to the family, the department has refused to transfer the boy to another school, while their daughter was still traumatised by the incident that happened in April. However the department has said risk assessment findings did not justify the district to recommend removal or transfer of any learner from the school. The child’s aunt said the girl was returning from the bathroom when the boy approached her and requested a hug. “When she started walking away after the hug he pulled her, lifted ther dress and grabbed her buttock. “He further requested…

IT IS still Youth Month in South Africa, a time when we commemorate the youth of 1976 for their boldness and active confrontation of the Apartheid regime. Though there has been significant progress in a post-apartheid South Africa, there is still an insufficient amount of representation of young people in the structural governance of South Africa. This makes one ponder on the role of the youth in shaping and influencing the future of the country. For this critical piece, I apply the theory of the production of space by French philosopher Henri Lefebvre to gauge the positionality of young people, particularly in the political sphere presently. We define the production of space as a social product (based on societal meaning and values) which influences social practices and perceptions. This means…

As Russian President Vladimir Putin extolled the nation’s “unity and patriotism” and attempted to project a military consolidated behind him after a failed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries, Russians yesterday continued to confront jarring questions about divisions in the security forces and how the president allowed the country to reach a risk of civil war. The Kremlin yesterday went into overdrive to try to project unity and reassert Putin’s strength while moving to diminish Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the former Putin ally who led the rebellion. But the official explanations for why Prigozhin was allowed to escape without punishment looked unusually thin, highlighting new doubts about Putin’s strength and competence in a crisis. Putin yesterday met with a group of military and security officers, whom he praised for preventing a civil war, following…

Former US president Donald Trump can be heard discussing secret documents he had apparently held on to and acknowledging he had not declassified them in an audio recording aired by CNN. The two-minute recording comes from an interview Trump gave at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club in July 2021 for people working on a memoir by his former chief of staff Mark Meadows. Parts of a transcript of the recording were cited as evidence in special counsel Jack Smith’s 49-page indictment of Trump on charges he had mishandled classified documents after leaving office. The audio file includes a moment when Trump seems to indicate he is holding a secret Pentagon document with plans to attack Iran. “These are the papers,” Trump says, a quote that was not included in…

Niamey: Annual cocaine seizures in the Sahel surged from 13kg in 2020 to 863kg just two years later as armed groups sought to profit from the illicit trade, the UN drug agency said in its 2023 report. The largest seizures of the drug in the region last year were in Burkina Faso (488kg), Niger (213kg) and Mali (160kg), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, among the poorest countries in the world, have been struggling for years to contain armed insurgency groups, including jihadists linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. Working alongside trafficking networks, the groups charge “taxes” in exchange for safe passage. | AFP…

ROME: A fresco that depicts what might be an ancestor of the Italian pizza has been found on the wall of a house in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, Italy’s Culture Ministry said yesterday. Archaeologists presume the flat bread depicted may have been eaten with fruits such as pomegranates or dates, or dressed with spices and a type of pesto sauce, the ministry said. While it cannot technically be considered a pizza, since it lacks classic ingredients such as tomato and mozzarella, what was found in Pompeii “may be a distant relative of the modern dish”, a statement said. The fresco was discovered in the hall of a house that had a bakery attached to it. | Reuters…

THE clock is slowly ticking down as the Netball World Cup grows closer with just one month to go until the tournament begins. It’s been a busy year for the Spar Proteas, who were involved in the Quad Series and a few camps as they prepare for the showpiece that starts on July 28. The locally-based players are also getting some much-needed game-time in the Telkom Netball League in a bid to be at their best to impress the home crowd in Cape Town. Their past World Cup results don’t make for happy reading, since 1995 they only managed one medal. They also picked up a bronze in Perth, but that was in 1967 during the height of apartheid. For this tournament the Proteas will be relying on the experience…

CO-HOSTS Australia will play their opening game of next month’s Women’s World Cup in front of a full house, a senior Fifa official told AFP yesterday Dave Beeche, chief executive of the Women’s World Cup, said the Matildas’ opener against Ireland on July 20 has sold out at Sydney’s Stadium Australia, which can hold around 80 000 fans. “There is currently nothing available,” he said. Beeche also expects a capacity crowd the same day in Auckland where tournament co-hosts New Zealand - the “Football Ferns” - open their campaign against Norway. “It’s going to be a massive day for women's football,” he said of the double-header either side of the Tasman Sea. With less than 25 days until kick off, the tournament boss says only a “few thousand” tickets…