Indice dei contenuti per 2024-05-06 in Cape Times

From page 1 responsibility or lack of oversight conduced to bring about the disaster that was Usindiso. “The accounting officers of the city’s entities namely the Johannesburg Property Company, Johannesburg Water, City Power, Pikitup must be subjected to disciplinary processes where there is evidence of contraventions of their duties which if they would have been performed, would have prevented the Usindiso building tragedy,” said Khampepe. As to liability and responsibility, the report finds that the City of Joburg and its entities including the Johannesburg Property Company must bear the responsibility in part for what ultimately became the tragedy on August 31 2023.…

A REPORT by Tshisevhe Attorneys Incorporated (TGR) on fraud and corruption allegations by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has reportedly cleared former NSFAS board chairperson Ernest Khosa. The report, dated March 28, was prepared by advocate William Mokhare SC who was briefed by TGR on allegations over a series of leaked recordings and transcripts of two meetings allegedly held between Khosa and National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) service providers. The allegations suggest that he purportedly received financial benefits from these service providers, implying a quid-pro-quo arrangement for facilitating appointments. Additionally, it is alleged that Khosa made decisions in collaboration with service providers. In a statement, NSFAS said administrator Freeman Nomvalo received the report and it “found no evidence to substantiate allegations made in the Outa report”. “The…

THE City says systems are in place to ensure that security at a number of council sites continues without interruption after the Appeal Authority decision to revoke a security services tender. A total of 27 appeals were made against a tender awarded in December 2023 and January 2024 over the provision of security services at various council facilities, patrol routes and adhoc sites. Among the security service companies that lodged an internal appeal was Sechaba Protection Services Western Cape (Pty) Ltd which was not recommended for the award based on pricing ranking. In a letter seen by the Cape Times, attorney for Sechaba, Mark Hess had called for the decision to award the tender be set aside. “The tender submissions of the other successful companies were illegally under-priced. “The private…

Baboon and animal rights activists have embarked on legal action against authorities for their alleged failure to implement a plan to protect the wellbeing of baboons and humans which they claimed has “resulted in the mistreatment, criminalisation, harm and death of baboons”. Main applicant in the court action, Ryno Engelbrecht, said the “long-awaited” legal action against authorities - including the City, SANParks, Table Mountain National Park, Western Cape Nature Conservation Board, the South African Navy and the Minister of Environmental Affairs - all cited as respondents in the litigation. Engelbrecht, together with Baboon Matters NPO, Beauty without Cruelty NPO and Jo-Anne Bosman alleged the authorities had failed to implement agreed-upon strategies to address human-baboon conflict in the Cape Peninsula. “Decades of tensions between humans and baboons have been a continual…

SOUTH Africa’s fight against corruption becomes a mockery when big international companies at the centre of milking the state-owned entities (SOEs) are let off the hook with meagre fines. Complex as these crimes are, the public expects and demands to see those implicated in crippling the country’s SOEs, including global firms, answering to charges against them. It is all well and good that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has recovered some of the more than R227 billion that was lost due to corruption, fraud and bribery at Eskom, South African Airways and Transnet in the past five years. Soon-to-retire Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has recently disclosed a R500m agreement between Eskom and Systems Applications Products (SAP) over a R1.1bn claim by the power utility. In another matter involving…

Three bodies recovered from a cliff-top shaft in Mexico’s crime-hit Baja California state are very likely those of two Australian brothers and an American who disappeared on a surfing trip, local investigators have said. The bodies were in an “advanced state of decomposition” when they were hoisted out of a shaft a few steps from the edge of the Pacific Ocean cliff, said state prosecutor Maria Elena Andrade. But “given their clothing, long hair and specific physical descriptions, we have high probability” that the bodies are those of the three missing men, she said. Another body found at the site had been there longer and was unconnected to the latest disappearances, officials said. Andrade said one line of inquiry is whether the deaths resulted from an attempt to steal the…

SAO PAULO: The death toll from heavy rains that have inundated Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande do Sul has risen to at least 66, local authorities said yesterday. The number of people still missing rose to 101 and more than 80 000 had been displaced, according to the state civil defence authority. It was investigating whether another six deaths were related to the storms. Storms have affected about two thirds of the nearly 500 towns and cities in the state, which borders Uruguay and Argentina. Floods have destroyed roads and bridges in several areas. The rains have also triggered landslides and the partial collapse of a dam at a hydroelectric power plant. | Reuters…

Tokyo: More than 400 residents in northern Japan were urged to evacuate yetersday over fears that a forest fire that had been blazing for two days could spread to residential areas. Helicopters poured water for hours on the mountains around Nanyo city in Yamagata prefecture to douse the flames, but the operation was called off after dark with the fire still burning. Footage from public broadcaster NHK showed white smoke rising from the mountains. The northern city has been sweltering under higher-than-average temperatures and saw the mercury rise past 31°C yesterday, according to private weather forecaster Weather News. | AFP…

Rio De Janeiro: Pop idol Madonna, 65, gave it all as she looked back on her four-decade career before throngs of joyful fans jammed on to Brazil’s famed Copacabana Beach on Saturday night. The show marked the final stop on her “Celebration Tour” noting her 40 years topping the pop charts, in a free event that drew upward of 1.6 million fans. It blended music and dance with cabaret. Madonna’s concert should provide an economic boost to Rio, which contributed 20 million reales (R74m) toward the $12m production cost. | AFP…

THERE are many statistical skeletons of statisticians strewn around at the hands of politicians. One remarkable example is the Greek statistician – my brother and friend – Andreas Georgiou, about whom I have written no less than six articles over the 14 years since his persecution began. You may recall the plight of this persecuted chief statistician of the Greek statistics office. Statistics is a conduit of trust. Only those who are trusted can acquit themselves well in this calling. Georgiou had written to us that the Greek Supreme Court had decided, in spring 2023, to accept his request to annul the conviction decision of the Civil Appeals Court in the case of “simple slander” for his defending the corrected fiscal statistics of 2006 to 2009. Simple slander means making…

From Page 1 and fellow festival lovers. There is no doubt the CTIJF is back and it means business,” said Henderson. Chairperson of the Sekunjalo Group, Dr Iqbal Survé, said since owning the festival in 2007, they have funded 80 schools, teachers and instruments, while also having sent a number of young aspiring musicians on music scholarships. He added that this was a philanthropic endeavour to give back to the arts. In a post on social media following her performances at the free concert at Green Market Square on Thursday and the festival’s Kippies stage on Friday, Judith Sephuma, said: “South Africa Cape Town, you were just amazing. What an amazing weekend we had at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Absolutely beautiful. The love is so real.” Of their…

THE SAPS has closed more than 5.4 million case dockets and investigations due to a lack of results and leads in the past five years. This was revealed by Police Minister Bheki Cele when he responded to parliamentary questions from DA MP Okkie Terblanche. Terblanche enquired about open case dockets that were lost and stolen in each province in the last five years, and from March 2023 to March this year. In his written response, Cele said 5 428 631 case dockets had been closed without results due to lack of leads at the time in the past five years. The number of dockets closed in each financial year were as follows: • There were 1 215 394 dockets in 2018-19. • A total of 1 166 681 were recorded…

1kg lamb chops or lamb on the bone, fat trimmed 1.5 tsp salt to taste 2tsp pepper 1 heaped tbsp green masala 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, diced Many sprigs of thyme 2 bay leaves 3 potatoes, quartered 2-3 carrots, chopped 500ml vegetable stock 1/4 cup peas 2-3 chillies Marinate the lamb chops with salt, pepper and green masala In a pot over medium-high heat add olive oil and pan fry the marinated chops with thyme until browned. Fry in batches to prevent steaming. Remove and set aside To the same pan, add diced onions, thyme and bay leaves. Fry until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in carrots, potatoes, fried lamb chops, vegetable stock. Cook until meat and veggies are tender. Season with…

A PENSIONER who was scammed by fraudsters who obtained control over her bank account urgently turned to court for the banks to hold the money on ice. The fraudsters paid an amount of R960 960 – in 23 different transactions on the same day – into bank accounts of a part-time cryptocurrency trader at Capitec and Absa. Dirkie Wessels, 67, received the money as part of an inheritance from farmland which was sold. But unbeknown to her, she fell victim to cyber scammers. The two banks placed a precautionary hold on the accounts of Rowen Petrus, a part time cryptocurrency trader on the Binance platform. Petrus, however, maintained in this application in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, that he is an innocent party in all of this. The banks meanwhile…

Seizure of land in Palestine and South Africa at the source of present poverty and pain The unfolding genocide in Palestine has brought into sharp focus the violent and brutal seizure of land as the driving force of the Zionist regime’s ongoing occupation. The unwavering support for the genocide has also exposed its sponsors and local supporters as those who believe in and continue to advance the cause of settler colonialism. Genocidal land-grabbing is unfolding everywhere in Occupied Palestine. While the blood of thousands of Palestinians continues to flow, Zionists are brazenly and unashamedly holding presentations to promote a future Gaza with Israeli settlements. Settler colonialism is best explained by the martyred spokesperson of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Ghassan Kanafani, who said: “They steal your…

Prospects for a Gaza ceasefire appeared slim yesterday as Hamas reiterated its demand for an end to the war in exchange for the freeing of hostages, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flatly ruled that out. The two sides blamed each other for the impasse. In their second day of truce talks in Cairo with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, Hamas negotiators maintained their stance that any truce agreement must end the war, Palestinian officials said. Israeli officials have not travelled to Cairo to take part in indirect diplomacy, but yesterday Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s aim since the start of the war nearly seven months ago: to disarm and dismantle the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas for good or else endanger Israel’s future security. The prime minister said Israel was willing to pause…

In the seven months following Hamas’s shocking attack on Israel, the world has seen the worst outbreak of anti-Semitism since World War II, an annual report released yesterday said. If this trend continues, Jews in many countries will no longer be able to live their identity in safety and freedom. This is according to the report by the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in the US. Last year, for example, there was an average of around three bomb threats per day against synagogues and Jewish institutions in the US. “The year is not 1938, not even 1933,” said Professor Uriya Shavit. “Yet if current trends continue, the curtain will descend on the ability to lead Jewish lives in…

WASHINGTON: Former US president Donald Trump’s election campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) said on Saturday that they raised more than $76 million in April, over half of it from small donors. The monthly fundraising haul exceeded the $65.6 million raised in March by Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, and the RNC. Democrat Joe Biden’s re-election campaign has routinely surpassed Trump’s in fundraising ahead of the November 5 election. Saturday’s announcement came as Trump and the RNC hosted a retreat in Florida for donors and high-profile politicians including vice-presidential hopefuls. | Reuters…

Berlin: A 17-year-old has turned himself in to police in Germany after an attack on a lawmaker that the country’s leaders decried as a threat to democracy. The teenager reported to police in Dresden yesterday and said he “had knocked down the SPD politician”. Matthias Ecke, 41, European parliament lawmaker for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), was set upon by four attackers as he put up EU election posters on Friday night, police said. Ecke was “seriously injured” and required an operation after the attack. Ecke, who is head of the SPD’s European election list in the Saxony region, was the latest political target to be attacked in Germany. | AFP…

THE DA’s PROPOSALS to scrap the Minimum Wage is a recipe for labour market chaos. Cosatu and millions of workers were horrified by the DA’s proposals last week that seek to overturn every single labour right, protection and benefit that generations of South African workers struggled to achieve over many decades and that have been enshrined in law since 1994 under the ANC led government. In essence, the DA, which likes to portray itself as a friend of the poor and the unemployed (at least at election time) is proposing to grow the economy by imposing a wage freeze on the minimum wage that 6 million farm, domestic, cleaning, security, hospitality amongst other sectors’ workers earn. The DA believes allowing the minimum wage to be collapsed by inflation is…

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has issued a warning that South Africa is not open to illicit business practices and any attempt to break the law will result in arrest, after a German man was apprehended at OR Tambo International Airport for attempting to traffic two women to Croatia recently. Joachim Will, 56, was arrested by a joint police team led by the West Rand Hawks' Serious Organised Crime Investigation, working with Interpol, Crime Intelligence and Gauteng's Provincial Border Policing. He was intercepted while trying to board a flight to Croatia with the two Madagascan women, aged 32 and 29, ACSA said. The women were allegedly recruited through a dating site and lured with a promise of employment. They were found in possession of fraudulent Italian passports. ACSA said…

POLICE Minister Bheki Cele says the National Prosecuting Authority and SAPS prioritising DNA backlog matters has resulted in no cases being withdrawn due to lack of DNA reports. “A total of 41 855 gender-based violence and femicide related (cases) have been successfully enrolled in the 2023/24 financial year,” Cele said. He said the number of prioritised cases enrolled successfully were 7 611 in 2021/22, 20 492 the following year and 28 103 in 2023/24. Cele was responding to DA MP Andrew Whitfield who had asked about the current backlog for DNA samples collected in 2022/23 and from March 2023 to date. The SAPS has been saddled with a backlog of DNA samples and case exhibits over the past few years and earlier this year, Cele had claimed that the backlog…

EVERY year on May 5, the world celebrates the International Day of the Midwife, honouring the vital role midwives play in ensuring safe childbirth, and maternal and newborn health. This year, as we commemorated this significant day, it’s imperative to recognise midwives not only as guardians of life but also as crucial actors in combating the existential threat that climate change poses to Mother Earth. This year’s theme, “Midwives: A Vital Climate Solution”, highlights how midwives in Africa are at the forefront of climate resilience efforts, safeguarding communities and fostering sustainable health-care practices. Midwifery is often misconstrued as merely a branch of nursing. However, it embodies a distinct profession, rooted in expertise and specialised skills focused on maternal and newborn care. In Africa, where access to comprehensive health care remains…

Kenya said yesterday that the death toll from weeks of devastating rains and floods had risen to at least 228 and warned that there was no sign of a let-up in the crisis. While Kenya and neighbouring Tanzania escaped major damage from a tropical cyclone that weakened after making landfall on Saturday, the government in Nairobi said the country continued to endure torrential downpours and the risk of further floods and landslides. In western Kenya, the River Nyando burst its banks in the early hours of yesterday, engulfing a police station, school, hospital and market in the town of Ahero in Kisumu County, police said. There were no immediate reports of casualties but local police said water levels were still rising and that the main bridge outside Kisumu on the…

Afghanistan’s top diplomat in India resigned days after she was caught by airport authorities smuggling nearly $2 million (R37m) worth of gold into the country. Zakia Wardak, the Afghan Consul-General in India’s financial capital Mumbai, announced her resignation in a statement posted on social media platform X. Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi shut down in November, more than two years after the Taliban returned to power in Kabul following the collapse of the Western-backed government. Indian media reports said Wardak was last month stopped by financial intelligence authorities at Mumbai airport on arrival from Dubai, along with her son, carrying 25kg of gold. She was not arrested because of her diplomatic immunity, but the gold, worth around $1.9 million, was confiscated. | AFP…

KARACHI: An International Monetary Fund mission is set to visit Pakistan this month to discuss a new programme, the lender said yesterday ahead of Islamabad beginning its annual budget-making process for the next financial year. Pakistan last month completed a short-term $3 billion (about $55bn) programme, which helped stave off sovereign default, but the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stressed the need for a fresh, longer-term programme. Pakistan narrowly averted default last summer, and its $350bn economy has stabilised, with inflation coming down to around 17% in April from a record high 38% last May. | Reuters…

PARIS: President Xi Jinping lauded China’s ties with France as an international model yesterday as he arrived in Paris for a rare visit against a backdrop of mounting trade disputes with the EU. French President Emmanuel Macron is set to urge Xi to reduce trade imbalances and to use his influence with Russia over the war in Ukraine. China’s president is due to meet Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen today. France is backing an EU probe into Chinese electric vehicle exports, and in January, Beijing opened an investigation into mostly French-made imports of brandy, a move widely seen as a tit-for-tat retaliation for EU probes. France will seek to make progress on opening the Chinese market to its agricultural exports. China may announce an order for…