Tabla de contenidos para 2021-08-25 en Cape Times

From page 1 “Key to addressing this challenge will be the speedy implementation of government economic policies to address the bottlenecks in the economy, with an investment drive to key sectors of the economy, such as manufacturing,” Mhango said. The Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) said the figures were a strong indicator of socio-economic disparities between men and women. “One of the biggest drivers of inequality between women and men in South Africa is inequitable access to education and training opportunities,” said Fedusa. The data confirms that women constitute the majority of the poor, the unemployed, and the dispossessed, said Colleen Morna of Gender Links. “The Covid-19 pandemic is salt to this wound. South Africa is one of the only countries in the world in which women constitute…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za Political parties made a failed bid to convince the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to extend the registration date for candidates to contest the upcoming local government elections on October 27. Despite the denial, IEC chief executive Sy Mamabolo assured these parties that more candidates could be added to political party and independent candidate lists if the Constitutional Court rules in favour of the IEC’s application to postpone the polls until February. Mamabolo was reacting to media questions on whether the electoral body was ready for the October 27 elections if the apex court ruled against it. In his reply, Mamabolo said the IEC was ready but expressed concern that the October 27 elections would not meet constitutional standards due to the impact on the Covid-19…

Lisa Isaacs lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za WITH the highest unemployment rate in the world, efforts to reverse the impact of Covid-19 on the country’s economy and employment will continue to be an uphill battle unless there is a focus on government policy implementation. This was the reaction of unions, experts and civil society following the announcement by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) that the number of unemployed persons increased by 584 000, to 7.8 million compared to the first quarter of 2021. The results of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), for the second quarter of 2021, show that the number of employed persons decreased by 54 000 in the second quarter of 2021 to 14.9 million. These changes resulted in the official unemployment rate increasing by 1.8% from 32.6% in the first…

INGREDIENTS METHOD 2kg lamb knuckles (trimmed of excess fat) 300ml tomato sauce 3 onions, chopped 1 large chilli, chopped 50ml olive oil 400ml red wine 2 tsp chicken or veg stock powder 2 sprigs fresh rosemary 2 bay leaves 500g baby potatoes, peeled and cut in half 6 cloves garlic cut into long slivers 6 large carrots, peeled and cut into thin rings 1 red and 1 yellow pepper deseeded and cut into thick strips 1 aubergine, cubed Half cup chopped parsley 250g large brown mushrooms, quartered Salt and black pepper Coat the knuckles in the tomato sauce and marinade overnight in fridge. Remove from fridge and ensure meat is at room temperature before you start cooking. Light fire an hour before cooking the potjie. Use potjie pot number three.…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za IN COMMEMORATING the second year since the killing of UCT student Uyinene Mrwetyana, friends, family and fellow students tied ribbons, flowers and signs on the railings outside the Clareinch post office in her memory yesterday. It’s been two years since her murder, but the “bubbly and brave” Mrwetyana has remained in the hearts of millions of South Africans. Then 19-year-old Mrwetyana had gone to fetch a parcel at the post office on August 24, 2019, but was told by post office attendant Luyanda Botha that her parcel was not ready for collection and she should come back later in the afternoon. When she returned, Botha locked her up in the office before killing her. He was found guilty on four counts, including rape, murder and obstructing the…

THE selling of Bloemfontein Celtic Football Club’s status is yet another indication of how the Beautiful Game is ruined in South Africa. How is a 52-year-old brand like Celtic, which is the Pride of the Free State province, allowed to be sold out of the province without exhausting all the possible avenues within the Free State? The selling of Celtic may seem to be a provincial issue, but in the bigger scheme of things, it is a blow to football across the country. What Celtic did in the Free State was a model for other provinces to follow, and in this, the game and the country stood to benefit in monumental ways. Celtic, for example, is arguably the only club that matches, if not surpasses, the Big Three clubs –…

YAOUNDE: At least two people were killed in an attack by suspected members of terror group Boko Haram last night in Cameroon’s Far North region, sources told Xinhua. Armed militants invaded Malika, a locality in the region, firing indiscriminately when the villagers were asleep, killing two civilians, wounding several others and stealing cattle in the process, local sources said. The villagers have fled and were taking refuge in the bushes, according to local authorities. Nighttime incursions by Boko Haram have become recurrent in the region, according to security reports.…

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis has sent more than €350 000 (about R6.2 million) in charity funds at his personal disposal to help with emergency relief in Haiti, Bangladesh and Vietnam, the Vatican said yesterday. A statement said €200 000 was going to Haiti to help in the aftermath of the August 14 earthquake that killed more than 2 000 people. About $70 000 was sent to Bangldesh for recovery from Cyclone Yaas, which left tens of thousands of people homeless last May, and about €100 000 to Vietnam, where food supplies have been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.…

The UN human rights chief said yesterday she had received credible reports of serious violations committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, including “summary executions” of civilians and Afghan security forces who had surrendered. Michelle Bachelet gave no details of the killings in her speech to the Human Rights Council, but urged the Geneva forum to set up a mechanism to monitor Taliban actions. The Taliban treatment of women and girls would be “a fundamental red line”, she told the council’s emergency session, held at the request of Pakistan and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC). Afghanistan’s diverse ethnic and religious minorities were also at risk of violence and repression, she said, citing reports of killings and targeted attacks in recent months, and Nasir Ahmad Andisha, a senior Afghan diplomat from…

Dakar: Former Chadian president Hissene Habre, who was serving a life term in Senegal for war crimes and crimes against humanity, has died, Senegalese Justice Minister Malick Sall said yesterday. He was 79. “Habre is in his Lord’s hands,” Sall told the television channel TFM. Local media said he had died of Covid-19. Habre seized power in Chad in 1982, fleeing to Senegal in 1990 after he was in turn overthrown. The former leader was jailed in Senegal’s capital Dakar in 2016 after an AU-backed trial over abuses committed during years of iron-fisted rule in Chad. Some 40 000 people are estimated to have been killed under Habre’s leadership of the semi-desert country. Reed Brody, a lawyer who represented Habre’s victims, said in a statement yesterday that Habre would…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za South Africa’s sovereign debt costs rose immediately through the civil unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng last month as the buyers of South Africa’s bonds demanded higher interest rates for the additional risk. This was said by the National Treasury deputy director-general for economic policy Duncan Pieterse yesterday in a presentation to Parliament’s select committee on finance. He said that while the interest rates on South Africa’s long-term bonds had reduced slightly since then, the unrest would undoubtedly have an effect on how much the government pays on interest in future, its fiscal stance, and how it spends the funds that are available to it. He said the interest rate on South Africa’s 10-year bonds stood at 9.06 percent on July 9, but this rose to 9.16…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za DIS-CHEM’S founding Saltzman family yesterday announced three major transactions that will substantially reduce their control of the pharmaceutical store chain. The group said the family planned to sell 7.5 percent of their shareholding in the group through its investment vehicle Ivlyn Local Investment Holdings, via an accelerated bookbuild. The divestment involved the sale of 64.51 million Dis-Chem shares. In addition to the bookbuild, family said it would sell up to 32.25 million Dis-Chem shares, representing 3.75 percent of the share capital, to a select number of senior executives. Included in this group was chief financial officer Rui Morais, who had also been approved by the nomination committee as successor to chief executive Ivan Saltzman. The management retention scheme would be vendor-financed by the family at no…

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za The humble pea. Many look at it as nothing more than “steak decoration”. But they are wrong! Peas deserve more recognition – much more. Sceptical? Green peas provide amazing health benefits. One of the first cultivated foods, peas date back thousands of years to Central Asia and the Middle East. As a staple food, the pea enjoys storied fame from nursery rhymes and fairy tales to global cuisines. This legume is literally pea-sized and packed with powerful nutrients. Health benefits of peas: May help manage blood sugar and diabetes. Health experts say green peas contain complex carbohydrates that are good for managing blood sugar levels. Peas are rich in starch and fibre, and have a low glycemic index that help release the sugar into the blood slowly.…

From page 1 In some instances an Officer Commanding had used his own personal funds just to provide his troops with a meal for the day, according to the union. “The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that deployed troops in Gauteng under the same operation have had ample access to rations and/or meal allowances to sustain them during deployment. This anomalous situation is being circulated among troops and ranks deployed everywhere. “Sandu have for the past four days attempted to engage higher level command structures in an attempt to resolve this unacceptable situation. However, no official could provide Sandu with any proposed solution or plan of action. “In the meantime, hundreds of troops are being prejudiced to the extreme while their Officers Commanding are placed in a precarious…

Samkelo Mtshali samkelo.thulasizwe@inl.co.za THE reopened inquest into the August 1977 death of Pietermaritzburg-born dentist Dr Hoosen Haffejee is today expected to hear testimony from three character witnesses, two of them internationally-based. Haffejee was found hanging from the grille door of cell number 2 of the Brighton Beach police station on August 3, 1977, after he had been arrested on August 1 by Security Branch members, including the late Lieutenant James Taylor and Captain Petrus du Toit, with a 1978 inquest into his death, led by magistrate Trevor Blunden, declaring his death a suicide. The inquest is now into its second week and has already seen Haffejee’s two remaining siblings, Ismail Haffejee and Sarah Bibi Lall, who testified before the Pietermaritzburg High Court, where the inquest is being heard. The two…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za FORMER Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini has remained mum on a decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Gauteng to prosecute her for perjury following statements to the Constitutional Court and before a section 38 inquiry. A spokesperson for Dlamini yesterday said the former minister would not comment on the statement. The ANC yesterday, meanwhile, said it had received news that the now National Executive Committee member and Women's League President has tested positive for Covid-19 and has been hospitalised. The Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) noted that Dlamini had been summoned to appear in the Johannesburg Regional Court on September 21, after the DPP decided to move ahead with perjury charges. They said in a statement that the charges relate to her testimony…

Staff writer IN HONOURING her family and descendants, Berene Sauls has marshalled all available resources and is now embarking on land ownership and having her own vineyards and cellar. From Tesselaarsdal, a quiet community of almost 2 000 people, Sauls, under mentorship from Emul Ross, launched her Maiden Vintage in 2015. High in the mountains of the Western Cape’s Overberg region, Tesselaarsdal is barely on the map and is so hidden that 230 years of South African history have completely passed it by. The community developed from nine original families who received the land after the death of Johannes and Aaltje Tesselaar. Under the terms of the Tesselaars’ joint will, the farm, Hartebeest Rivier, was left to their former servants and their descendants. In remembering her benefactors, Sauls named her…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za MPs were left fuming after the Police Ministry told the portfolio committee on police that there were only three new personnel and five promoted members at the embattled Central Firearm Registry (CFR), which faces backlogs in the processing of firearm licence applications and amnesties. Police top brass including Police Minister Bheki Cele virtually briefed the committee yesterday on progress made from May to date in dealing with backlogs regarding firearm amnesty capturing and other processes. About 165 715 firearms were surrendered, and 14 419 firing tests have been conducted. Of the 123 199 specimens received at Forensic Science Laboratories for analysis, 54 507 were finalised and 68 692 are still being processed. A total of 75 363 firearms have been surrendered for licence application and only…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za THE Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has approached the Provincial Forensic Services to advise on further action that could be taken in the case of alleged financial mismanagement at Rhodes High School in Mowbray. The Public Service Commission (PSC) briefed the Standing Committee on Education yesterday about startling findings of a joint investigation they conducted with the department. Allegations of mismanagement and nepotism surfaced against a retired principal after a former parent who served as a school governing body (SGB) member, reported that the principal had unduly benefited from a school trust fund. It also emerged that the principal allegedly appointed his son as an IT technician who was later the security officer of the school; and a friend was appointed as IT technician when his son…

Dr ZHU Ming SINCE the beginning of this month, the US is finally beginning to provide its donation of Covid-19 vaccines to South Africa and other African nations. Acting US ambassador to South Africa, Todd Haskell, said that was part of President Joe Biden’s promise to give 500 million vaccines to the world by the end of next year. As of June 21, the US announced its plans to distribute the first 80 million Covid-19 vaccine doses donated by the US from its domestic supply to support global Covid-19 vaccination efforts. Of the 80 million doses, the US has allocated 15 million for African countries, selected in co-ordination with the AU. Additional doses will be allocated to Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, etc. The charitable behaviour deserves applause. But it…

Nashville: The weekend flooding in Tennessee that killed at least 21 people was more destructive than originally estimated, with about 120 homes washed off foundations, destroyed or simply “gone”, officials said yesterday. The scope of the damage came into sharper focus in hardest hit Humphreys County, as rescue teams continue to search house to house with trained dogs for dozens believed still missing. “Well over 100-120 houses have been moved, or are gone, no longer exist,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told NPR in an interview yesterday. The storm brought 43cm of rain in just three hours.…

LONDON: Lebanese lawyers have filed a lawsuit with London High Court against UK-registered chemical company Savaro, demanding compensation for the consequences of the 2020 Beirut harbour explosion, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The lawsuit reportedly said that the chemical company had failed to properly store and utilise 2 750 tons of ammonium nitrate that caused the explosion. The amount of the damage requested in the suit was not specified in the report, but the blast is estimated to have cost Lebanon some $4 billion. The huge explosion killed 280 people and injured over 6 000 last August.…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered that pensioners receive $135 (R2 031) in a bid to drum up support ahead of parliamentary elections next month that could see the unpopular ruling party, United Russia, struggle. The cash handouts come as part of a litany of social spending sweeteners Putin has proposed ahead of September’s lower house State Duma polls, with United Russia’s ratings dented by rising prices and falling wages. A Kremlin statement said the one-off payment of 10 000 rubles ($135) will be handed out in September, doubling the monthly state pension. In a meeting with United Russia officials on Sunday, Putin said pensioners had been hit hardest by this year’s soaring inflation (6.5%). Putin also proposed giving 15 000-ruble bonuses to military staff. Russia’s economy has been stagnating,…

THE US is using “rules-based global order” rhetoric in order to maintain its “bullying” and “hegemonic behaviour”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in a statement yesterday. “In order to defend ‘America first’, the US can arbitrarily smear, suppress, coerce, and bully other countries without paying any price. This is the order the US wants … But who will believe them now?” Wang asked. He additionally touched upon the ongoing US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan as an example of Washington’s “selfish” foreign policy. The pull-out led to the Taliban significantly increasing its military activities in the country, which culminated in the insurgents seizing the capital Kabul on August 15 and declaring “the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” shortly thereafter. Wang’s statement comes after US Vice President Kamala Harris lashed out…

HAS Mark Boucher’s role as Proteas coach become untenable after he admitted to participating in racist conduct in the South African team as a player? The former wicket-keeper responded in a lengthy statement this week to ex-teammate Paul Adams’ submission at the Cricket SA Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) commission hearings recently. The left-arm wrist-spinner spoke about his experiences during his playing career in the national team, and made mention of the fact that Boucher was among the players who sang a song that described him as a “brown sh*t”. Adams told the SJN commission that one way of dealing with the matter would be for Boucher and other players to apologise to him and other players of colour who felt discriminated against and marginalised within the team. But…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za THE Public Investment Corporation (PIC) is distancing itself from being the stumbling block that led to the suspension of alternative stock exchange ZAR X. In a statement yesterday, the PIC, which holds a 24.14 percent stake on behalf of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF), said there are no protracted internal issues and governance processes within the PIC. “The PIC subjects investment proposals, including reinvestment proposals, to a thorough investment process for the benefit of clients on whose behalf it invests,” it said. This followed the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) this week suspending the exchange licence of ZAR X, for its non-compliance with the Financial Markets Act (FMA) and FMA regulations relating to an exchange’s liquidity and capital adequacy requirements. The suspension remains effective until…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE NATIONAL Treasury has rejected a number of proposals in the Pension Fund Amendment Bill 2020 that could allow workers to access a portion of their retirement savings immediately. Parliament yesterday presented a collective of written submissions made by political parties, retirement funds, trade unions, civil society groups and the Treasury on the bill. Presenting a summary of the submissions to the standing committee on finance, Parliament’s legal adviser, Noluthando Ntlokwana, said the retirement funds industry was against the bill. However, Ntlokwana said there was general sympathy towards the objectives of the bill of providing relief to those members of pension funds who were in financial difficulties because of the Covid-9 pandemic. “Cosatu and Fedusa support the provision for pension funds to be utilised as surety for…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za THE government yesterday warned that it would have to impose a special tax, start printing money and cause a social catastrophe to meet public servants’ demands for salary increases it failed to implement last year. Jeremy Gauntlett SC QC, representing the National Treasury, told the Constitutional Court that the Labour Appeal Court’s (LAC) December 2020 judgment was right to declare the implementation of the final leg of the 3-year wage agreement signed in 2018 unlawful and in contravention of the Constitution. The apex court heard oral arguments in the application for leave to appeal the LAC’s ruling by several unions representing state employees. Gauntlett said the LAC was correct in finding that clause 3.3 of the agreement conflicted with regulations 78 and 79 of the Public Service…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za ACCUSED IT fraudster Riccardo Spagni – who fled South Africa, evading a criminal trial – has been denied bail in the US ahead of his extradition hearing. The cryptocurrency entrepreneur argued in his bail application that he is “likely to defeat extradition” and further argued that he would be at risk of contracting Covid-19 if he was to be detained. But the US courts ordered that he be detained pending further extradition hearings, and that his detention is subject to strict time limits. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said they are in the process of submitting paperwork, within the stipulated time lines, for Spagni’s extradition back to South Africa. “The NPA will submit a request for extradition, as per our undertaking to do so within the…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za AWARD-WINNING film-maker and performance artist Weaam Williams has scooped another prize, this time for Best Lead Actress at the West Europe International Film Festival, Brussels Edition, for her film Two Hues, a fictional drama. Co-directed with Dominique Roxanne Josie, Two Hues was Williams’s first fiction directorial project, and first on-screen acting role. The accolade was its fourth international prize, awarded at the festival’s virtual award ceremony on Saturday. “I am truly honoured for this recognition and was encouraged by my husband, director of photography Nafia Kocks, to play the part, as deep inside, it’s what I really wanted to do. There was great support from my friends and support cast – Khalil Kathrada and Abdu Adams, both seasoned actors, offered words of encouragement. And co-director Dominique…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za THE City has come under fire for evicting and issuing fines to 21 people who had been living in tents and informal structures on a piece of vacant land next to the Green Point tennis court for over a year. The evicted group, now represented by the Ndifuna Ukwazi Law Centre (NULC), said they were in the process of approaching the Western Cape High Court for an order directing the City to return their belongings. The matter also comes on the back of homeless people lodging applications with the high court and the Equality Court, arguing that the City’s by-laws were unconstitutional and discriminated against them. “During the inhumane eviction, law enforcement officers forced occupiers out of their homes and ordered them to remove their possessions before…

The murder of Babita Deokaran, a whistle-blower on irregularities in the purchasing of personal protective equipment (PPE) in Gauteng, has raised questions about the failure of law enforcement agencies to protect corruption-busters. Deokaran, the Gauteng Department of Health’s chief director for financial accounting, was shot outside her home in Johannesburg on Monday shortly after dropping off her child at school. She died in hospital. “The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) is at a loss for words at this brutal and tragic passing. Ms Babita Deokaran was an invaluable member of the Gauteng Health team; she rose up the ranks in the public service in the last three decades after she joined as an accounting clerk. She went on to become chief director: financial accounting at the GDoH and at times…

Country is surrounded by forces of corrupt private and corporate interests FRIENDS keep asking me to sign petitions urging President Cyril Ramaphosa to change his mind about swopping Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula with Thandi Modise as Speaker of the National Assembly and the defence minister in the Cabinet. They all agree that the ANC has a right to deploy its elected representatives to any office but this, they say, is not the time or the manner to do so: the president has no business in swopping a head of the legislative body with a member of the executive, the doctrine of separation of powers has been violated, and the constitutional gains of the past 20 years to separate the party from the state are in jeopardy. I have not signed any of…

EDINBURGH: A large fire broke out on Edinburgh’s George IV Bridge. Several fire crews have been working at the scene, assisted by the Scottish police. Authorities have urged people to avoid the area. According to reports, the fire started in the kitchen of the Patisserie Valerie café on the bridge. Rented flats above the café have been evacuated. Chambers Street has also been closed because of security concerns. Operations control deployed nine appliances and two cherry picker trucks at the scene, where firefighters were tackling the blaze, a Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson was quoted as saying by the BBC.…

Lusaka: Zambia’s newly elected president, Hakainde Hichilema, yesterday promised to rebuild the ailing economy and alleviate poverty as he was sworn in following an election hailed as a milestone for African opposition movements. “We will grow our economy so we can lift more people out of poverty than ever before,” 59-year-old Hichilema told thousands of jubilant supporters – sporting the red and yellow colours of his United Party for National Development – in the Heroes Stadium in Lusaka. Hichilema also vowed to restore respect for human rights and liberties that had been eroded under his predecessor. In his sixth bid for the presidency, Hichilema defeated the incumbent Edgar Lungu, 64, by almost one million votes – a landslide spurred by economic hardship and restricted freedoms under the previous regime. The…

LOS ANGELES: Hugh Jackman is delighted with the resurgence in popularity for Real Steel. The 52-year-old actor starred in Shawn Levy’s 2011 movie that saw an absent father bond with his son over the sport of robot boxing. It became one of the most-watched films on Netflix during lockdown. “A lot of people come up to me in the street and tell me that they love that movie,” he said. Levy recently revealed that he had discussed the possibility of making a sequel with Hugh but that no projects were in the pipeline yet.…

A Japanese court said it had sentenced a yakuza Mafia boss to death yesterday after he ordered a murder and attacks on three other citizens. Satoru Nomura, the 74-year-old head of the “Kudo-kai” crime syndicate in southwest Japan, denied accusations he had masterminded the violent assaults on ordinary people. Fukuoka District Court confirmed it had sentenced Nomura to death, while Japanese media said the verdict came despite a lack of evidence directly linking him to the crimes. “I asked for a fair decision ... You will regret this for the rest of your life,” Nomura told the judge after his sentencing, according to the Nishinippon Shimbun. The yakuza Mafia were long tolerated in Japan as a necessary evil for ensuring order on the streets and getting things done quickly, however…