Indice dei contenuti per 2023-10-06 in Cape Times

DATATEC, the information technology group, said it continued to see good demand for its technology solutions and services across the world in the six months to August 31. “The group’s operations remain well-positioned to service customers in their respective markets as we continue to actively manage supply chain challenges,” the group said in a regulatory notice to the JSE yesterday. The company expects to release its interim results on or about October 23, 2023. It said that all its divisions delivered improved financial performance in the first half of the 2024 financial year compared with a year earlier. “Westcon delivered another excellent performance and Logicalis International had a strong result. Logicalis Latin America had a much-improved performance (compared to the same time last year), but regional macro-economic pressures remain with…

THE Western Cape has recorded the highest number of cases reported to the police watchdog, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) in the financial year ending in March 2023. This was contained in the entity’s annual report that was recently tabled in Parliament for the 2022-23 financial year. “A total of 5 274 cases were registered by Ipid during the period under review. It can be observed that Western Cape reported the highest intake of 1 038, followed by Gauteng 976 and KwaZulu-Natal 644,” executive director Jennifer Ntlatseng said in her report. Other provinces fared as follows: • Free State 609 • Eastern Cape 501 • Mpumalanga 513 • Limpopo 387 • North West 329; • Northern Cape 263 • National Specialised Investigation Team 14 An analysis of the…

THE Springboks may be on a Rugby World Cup break this weekend, but that only means all eyes will be on Temba Bavuma’s Proteas team in their ICC Cricket World Cup opener against Sri Lanka in New Delhi tomorrow. The Proteas have had a chequered history at World Cups since their first attempt all the way back in 1992. Over the years, the teams have been stacked with superstars such as AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn, Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini, who were unable to bring home the elusive trophy. Although Bavuma and his Class of 2023 may not possess the overall individual star quality of previous generations, they are determined to rewrite history over the course of the next six weeks in India. “The boys…

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison Sipho Hlomuka says a multiparty political intervention committee will meet on Monday to discuss the political violence taking place in the province. Speaking during a briefing yesterday, Hlomuka said reports by the Inter-Ministerial Committee indicated that 321 dockets of political violence had been investigated. “This figure includes 134 cases reported from 2011 to June 2018, before the commencement of the work of the task team. The breakdown of cases being investigated includes 155 cases of murder, 51 attempted murder, 77 cases of intimidation and 12 cases of conspiracy to commit murder.” Hlomuka added that worrying incidents were taking place in Nongoma, northern KZN. “The first incident happened in August when NFP councillor Ntombenhle Mchunu was killed. Last month a suspect was arrested…

The woman at the wheel Penny Haw Loot.co.za (R249) Sourcebooks Landmark Carl Benz may be known as the “father of the automobile”, but Bertha Benz was the woman behind the wheel driving the world into a new era. The Woman at the Wheel is a historical fiction novel that takes a peek under the hood, examining the life of a fascinating woman who refused to let men hit the brakes on her revolutionary machine. An inspiring historical fiction based on the real life of Bertha, whose husband built the first prototype automobile, which eventually evolved into the Mercedes-Benz marque. From a young age, Cäcilie Bertha Ringer is fascinated by her father’s work as a master builder in Pforzheim, Germany. But those five words, which he wrote next to her name…

Pearl of the Sea Anthony Silverston, Illustrated by Willem Samuel, Raffaella Delle Donne Loot.co.za (R240) Catalyst Since her mother left, Pearl has spent more and more time in the ocean, fishing to help her father pay the bills. But when she gets mixed up with a group of illegal abalone poachers and starts diving near a restricted wreck, Pearl meets an ancient sea monster named Otto – who isn’t quite as monstrous as she thought. And when Otto’s enemies come back to finish what they started, Pearl is the only one who can save him, but only if she has the courage to let go of her past and open up to others – including the girl from class she’s got a crush on. With her one-eyed pup sidekick and…

AS THE 2024 South African general elections loom on the horizon, political analysts and citizens alike are anticipating a potentially groundbreaking outcome – the possibility of a hung Parliament. This scenario, in which no single political party holds an absolute majority in the legislature, has never occurred in South Africa’s democratic history. One of the primary reasons driving the prospect of a hung Parliament is the increasing fragmentation of South Africa’s political landscape. Traditionally, the ANC has dominated the political scene, securing comfortable majorities in previous elections. However, in recent years the ANC’s popularity has waned, giving rise to a host of smaller parties vying for power. This fragmentation is likely to dilute the vote share of larger parties and make it harder for any one party to secure an…

The British government will try next week to persuade judges at the country’s top court to overturn a ruling which declared unlawful its divisive plan to deport to Rwanda asylum seekers who arrive in small boats across the Channel. In a blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government and his pledge to “stop the boats”, London’s Court of Appeal ruled in June that the scheme to send tens of thousands of migrants more than 6 400km to East Africa was not lawful, saying Rwanda could not be treated as a safe third country. On Monday, government lawyers will argue at the Supreme Court that this ruling was wrong, while those representing migrants from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam and Sudan want the judges to conclude the scheme itself is flawed. The…

Elon Musk’s social media platform X has stripped headlines from news articles shared by users, in a move likely to further worsen relations with media groups. The tycoon has long railed against the “legacy media” and claims X, formerly Twitter, is a better source of information. However, he said the latest change was for “aesthetic” reasons – news and other links now appear only as pictures with no accompanying text. Musk took over Twitter last year in a $44 billion (R859bn) deal and renamed it X, sacked thousands of staff and drawn criticism for allowing banned conspiracy theorists and extremists back on the platform, sending advertisers fleeing. Instead of seeing a headline along with a picture, users now see only a picture with a small watermark.…

WASHINGTON: The US would build additional barriers and roads in a Texas border area that has seen a large number of migrants crossing the border from Mexico, the government said yesterday. The Department of Homeland Security said it needed to waive a number of laws “to ensure the expeditious construction of barriers and roads in the vicinity of the international land border in Starr County, Texas”. The US Border Patrol had encountered more than 245 000 people entering the US in the Rio Grande Valley Sector this fiscal year, Homeland Security said. The increase put strain on cities at the border and further north. | Reuters…

Kampala: Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine said yesterday that he was under house arrest after being seized by security officials on his return home from a trip abroad. Wine, a pop star-turned-politician who ran against veteran President Yoweri Museveni in Uganda’s last election in 2021, has been arrested numerous times. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, also said that 300 of his supporters had been arrested. Police denied Wine had been arrested, saying they had “escorted” the 41-year-old from Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport to his home. “The NUP president, Honourable Kyagulanyi Robert, was successfully escorted by our security team from Entebbe to his home in Magere,” the Uganda Police Force said on X. Wine’s supporters had planned to accompany him to his home, but police had said such a…

Having suffered a T20I series whitewash in Pakistan, the Proteas Women will look to play positive cricket when they take on New Zealand in the five-match series that starts tonight at Buffalo Park in East London (6pm). The ODI series against the Kiwis was a success for South Africa after they won it 2-1, losing only the final game of the series in Durban last weekend. The tour now switches to T20 cricket, a format in which the hosts have had difficulties after reaching the T20 World Cup final in February on home soil. After that historic final at Newlands, South Africa have played three T20I’s and have lost all three as they were beaten by Pakistan Women, a team ranked eighth in the world. “It was our first time…

THE Sekunjalo Group (Sekunjalo), which includes Independent Media and 30 other companies, yesterday asked the Competition Tribunal to consider a further extension to the current interim relief it granted the group, or there could be catastrophic consequences. The extension is being opposed by Standard Bank, FirstRand, Access Bank, Mercantile Bank and Nedbank. The interim order, granted on September 16, 2022 and extended in March this year, came after several of the country’s banks closed transactional facilities for each of the companies within the Sekunjalo Group. The interim relief ordered that the bank accounts that had been closed be reopened with the same terms and conditions as before the closure, and prevented the banks involved from closing any Sekunjalo accounts for six months, or until the investigation being conducted by the…

“ALL we prayed for was the safety of the children, and luckily everyone was checking on each other and we were safe, but the aftermath is unbearable.” These were the words of Rawsonville resident Matheko Mohobo, a 53-year-old mother of three, who said her family and community lost most of their possessions when their homes were flooded during the recent bad weather that caused damage across the province. Mohobo said the aftermath was far-reaching and the affected families were trying to rebuild their lives. Recalling the weekend of the floods, Mahobo said she was woken by a loud knock at her door in the morning. “I was sleeping and a guy who is a neighbour woke me up to alert me to what was happening outside. He wanted to borrow…

THE Portfolio Committee on Higher Education was left unimpressed by the presentations of the four service providers contracted by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) about operational challenges which led to the failure to disburse student allowances. The fintech companies Tenet Technology, eZaga Holdings, Noracco Corporation and Coinvest Africa were hauled before the committee where they made virtual presentations yesterday. Tenet Technology project executive Ryan Passmore said they had 181 054 students on board at 13 TVET colleges and six universities. “Delayed NSFAS beneficiary funding approval placed a strain on Tenet’s support centre and operational teams. The reason for the strain on resources is because students call and visit Tenet for updates on their funding statuses,” said Passmore. Coinvest Africa’s project manager Thami Mazibuko said they had 120 354…

Many Things Under A Rock - The Mysteries Of Octopuses David Scheel Loot.co.za (R289) Hodder & Stoughton The octopus is a highly intelligent and deeply mysterious creature. It can change colour as quickly as it can move, “think” with its tentacles, and communicate in sophisticated ways. Marine biologist Dr David Scheel’s lifelong preoccupation with these animals has led to a career of groundbreaking research – from finding previously unknown species to the discovery of signalling communication. In Many Things Under a Rock, Scheel shares his deep scientific understanding of octopuses and recounts his intrepid adventures with these mysterious, charismatic creatures. He investigates four major mysteries about octopuses: what can we know about such elusive and camouflaged creatures? Why are they so extraordinarily resilient? How do their bodies work? And what…

Mandela: In Honor of an Extraordinary Life Dr. Phumla Makaziwe Mandela Rizzoli New York and SG Distributors South Africa This year sees the 10th anniversary of the passing of one of the world’s greatest icons: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. To mark this milestone comes an extraordinarily comprehensive and intimate portrait by Dr Phumla Makaziwe Mandela, the eldest daughter of Nelson and Evelyn Mandela. This is not only what can best be called a definitive portrait but a celebration of the man revered by millions globally. Here is a book that has been exhaustively researched, and that offers both intimate photographs of Mandela, along with many of the pictures that have been published worldwide of this world legend. The family man and the politician, Mandela spent 27 years of his life…

There was a funny moment at the captain’s press conference in India this week ahead of the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup. South African skipper Temba Bavuma had just arrived in the country after travelling home last week for family reasons. So, it was no surprise when Bavuma took a quick nap during proceedings, which was pounced on by England’s famous Barmy Army group on X (formerly Twitter) as they posted a photo of the right-handed batter with his eyes closed. Bavuma responded to the pic in good spirit, saying, “I blame the camera angle, I wasn’t sleeping”, along with a can’t-watch-face emoji. It is that cool demeanour that will hopefully rub off on the Proteas when they begin their campaign to finally end their World Cup hoodoo…

An Iranian rights group said that security forces yesterday arrested the mother of a teenage girl who was in a coma in hospital after a confrontation with agents in the Tehran metro for not wearing the hijab. Iran’s judiciary denied the report by the Iranian-Kurdish rights group Hengaw on the X social media platform. Iranian authorities also deny reports by rights activists that the 16-year-old girl, Armita Geravand, was injured on Sunday in a confrontation with officers enforcing the country’s Islamic dress code, which requires women to wear a head covering. Hengaw said security forces arrested Geravand’s mother Shahin Ahmadi yesterday near the hospital where her daughter was taken after the incident. State news agency IRNA reported that the judiciary denied any arrest having taken place. It said that unidentified…

Madrid: Spain’s military deployed yesterday to help battle a wildfire on the holiday island of Tenerife, which reignited amid scorching temperatures in Tenerife after ravaging thousands of hectares of land in August, officials said. About 120 people were battling the blaze in the north-east of the island, including 60 members of the army’s Military Emergency Unit and 26 army vehicles, the unit wrote on the social media network X. The regional government of Tenerife asked the army to assist as strong winds fanned the flames. The fire forced the evacuation of some 3 000 people from the town of Santa Ursula, and another 200 from La Orotava, the regional government said. | AFP…

PORT-LOUIS: The Supreme Court of Mauritius has struck out a colonial-era law criminalising same-sex relations, bucking a trend elsewhere in Africa where a string of countries have passed or proposed anti-LGBT legislation. In a ruling on two cases brought by members of the gay community in the Indian Ocean island nation, the court said section 250 of the Mauritian criminal code, which dated back to 1898 during British colonial rule, was unconstitutional. UNAIDS, the UN agency in charge of combating the HIV/Aids pandemic, said the ruling was an important step forward for public health and towards equal rights and respect. | Reuters…

WASHINGTON: Former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani has filed a defamation lawsuit against US President Joe Biden for calling him a “Russian pawn” during the final presidential debate in October 2020, according to a court filing. There had been allegations of Russian foreign interference in the US election, which Russia has denied. The lawsuit lists Biden, his campaign, and various fund-raising committee as defendants, alleging the statements “falsely claimed and depicted [Giuliani] to our nation as a liar.” | Sputnik…

DELTA Property Fund yesterday appointed Sibongile (Bongi) Masinga as the CEO of the firm for a period of three years with effect from October 4. Masinga was appointed interim CEO in December after Siyabonga Mbanjwa resigned as CEO and from the board of Delta Property Fund last year, citing personal reasons. “Masinga, who has extensive corporate experience as demon- strated in her appointments as interim CEO from August 25, 2020, to January 31, 2022, and December 2, 2022, to October 3, 2023, extensive progress in driving the restructuring of the Delta portfolio and has made strides in improving relations with our tenants and in securing improved funding terms. The board believes that this permanent appointment will further accelerate the execution of Delta’s strate- gy to unlock shareholder value and pro-…

‘It was a wasteful expenditure of taxpayer money’ PREMIER Alan Winde’s office has refused to disclose the exact details relating to the cost of his trip to the US for which the taxpayer had to fork out R1.6 million. This was after Winde told ANC MPL Cameron Dugmore in a parliamentary answer that: • R535 885.00 was spent on hotels, • R454 183.78 on airfares which saw Winde and director-general Harry Malila travel business class while three other officials from the department travelled economy class • R525 449.00 for transportation, • R140 318.78 for food and drinks and • R11 239.33 for other receipts or claims. Asked for further details on the costs and what was achieved by the trip, Winde’s spokesperson Regan Thaw would only say: “This matter was…

ELECTRICITY Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa believes the long queues for grid connections at a global level demonstrate the appetite and financial potential related to transforming the energy system. He was speaking at the Windaba conference at the Cape Town Convention Centre, where he emphasised the importance of expanding the grid capacity to accommodate renewable energy projects. He said the embedded generation task team supported more than 100 projects to clear regulatory hurdles and enter construction as quickly as possible. “A survey of project developers conducted by Eskom and the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA), and the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) shows that 66 GW of wind and solar projects are in development across the country. This demonstrates a robust pipeline of private sector investment in new-generation capacity.…

Police have opened an inquest into the death of Leah Pockpas whose body was retrieved from the Olifants River in Oudtshoorn. It is believed the 42-year-old from Welbedacht fell into the water while walking home after visiting friends on Saturday evening. She was reported missing to police on Sunday. Community activist, Leon Campher, said they were saddened by another loss to the community. “A rescue team went to the area on Sunday but they couldn’t find her. They continued on Monday and they found her. We are saddened by yet another loss in our community. We are asking for prayers for the family as they plan to lay Leah to rest next weekend,” he said. Police spokesperson Christopher Spies said an autopsy to determine the cause of death would be…

The Library of Broken Worlds Alaya Dawn Johnson Loot.co.za (R265) Magpie A girl matches wits with a war god in this kaleidoscopic, epic tale of oppression and the cost of peace, where stories hide within other stories, and narrative has the power to heal or to burn everything in its path. In the winding underground tunnels of the Library, the great celestial peacekeeper of the three systems, a terrible secret lies buried. As the daughter of a Library god, Freida has spent her whole life exploring the Library’s ever-changing tunnels and communing with the gods. Her unparalleled access makes her unique – and dangerous. When Freida meets Joshua, a mortal boy desperate to save his people, and Nergüi, a Disciple from a persecuted religious minority, Freida is compelled to break…

He prioritised being a Zulu over being an African or South African THE REFLECTION on the life of KwaPhindangene Prince and Buthelezi clan chief Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthe- lezi’s “legacy” reminded me of the assertions by Mabogo Percy More that what constitutes a hero is subjective. A hero to one person might not be a hero to the next. Accordingly, politicians made adulations, making their own way to KwaPhindangene, praising Buthelezi as a hero and statesman. Politics aside, Buthelezi was and shall never be a hero. He was a divisive and deceitful propagandist of note and a self-centred politician willing to sacrifice his own people for self-glory. Buthelezi’s rise to power was built on slaying his own people; therefore, nothing about his life resembles or reflects that of a statesman.…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned European leaders yesterday that Russia could rebuild its military capabilities and attack other countries within five years if the continent were to waver in its support for Kyiv. Zelenskiy, attending a summit of the European Political Community in Spain, also said he remained confident of continued US and European financial aid in spite of “political storms” in Washington and elsewhere. In an emotional speech, Zelenskiy described how Ukrainian children in the eastern city of Kharkiv were learning remotely or attending classes in subway stations because of air raids. “Until there is a fully effective air defence system, children cannot attend school,” he told the gathering in the city of Granada, 4 000km west of Kharkiv. Underlining the horrors of war, a Russian attack on a…

Indian rescue teams searched yesterday for 102 people missing after a devastating flash flood triggered by a high-altitude glacial lake burst killed at least 14, officials said. Violent flooding from glacier lakes dammed by loose rock has become more frequent as global temperatures rise and ice melts, with climate scientists warning it poses an increasing danger across the wider Himalayan mountain range. “The number of human lives lost is 14 so far, and the number of missing is 102,” Prabhakar Rai, director of the Sikkim state disaster management authority, said a day after a wall of water rushed down the mountainous valley in northeastern India. The army was working to reestablish telephone connections and provide “medical aid to tourists and locals stranded”, it said in a statement. The water surge…

GENEVA: The UN said yesterday it was struggling to reach 18 million people in need in Sudan to fend off a humanitarian disaster, hampered by insecurity, interference from the warring parties and a lack of international support. Conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted in mid-April, sparking a humanitarian crisis and pushing the country to the brink of civil war. More than 4.2 million have fled their homes, and nearly 1.2 million have crossed to neighbouring countries. Red tape was hampering the distribution of aid, and a $2.6bn (R58bn) humanitarian appeal to the global community was one-third funded. | AFP…

London: The UK government is facing calls to crack down on the backyard breeders of XL bully dogs, and even to cull the breed, following a string of horrifying attacks. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to ban the dogs but stopped short of saying they should be euthanised. The dogs, which have huge, powerful jaws and can weigh over 60kg, have risen in popularity since the Covid-19 lockdowns, which saw dog ownership soar. Under Sunak’s plan, owners will have to register their dogs and muzzle them in public places. They will also be required to neuter them so that the dog type dies out within a decade. | AFP…