Tabla de contenidos para 2022-01-26 en Cape Times

Philippa Larkin philippa.larkin@inl.co.za SASOL said yesterday that things were looking up for the petrochemicals giant as it posted a 31 percent rise in revenue in the six months to December 30 on higher crude oil prices and increased demand following the easing of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions globally. The group generated revenue of $4.86 billion (R773.9bn) compared with $3.7bn for the comparative period last year. Its financial performance was also underpinned by a favourable macroeconomic environment, refining margins and chemicals prices. Sasol’s share price leapt more than 4 percent to R304.95 at intra-day trade, with the share having risen 86.55 percent in a year. In its energy business, Sasol said it was realising higher gross margins and a 3 percent increase in sales volumes. Gas production…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za January is the month when most people take a break from alcohol to focus on their New Year’s resolutions. Others use it to plan and budget for the long year ahead. If you’re a wine lover, you’re probably wondering which trends will be introduced this year. James Pietersen, chief executive of WineCellar.co.za, says wine lovers are in for a treat this year, as more trends are expected to bloom. Here are the top five wine trends to watch out for: Proudly South African South Africa’s fine wine image is still exquisite, with international commentators continuously commending the great value that proudly South African wines have to offer. Rosé my way Rosé continues its rise! This year, look out for rosé wines made in Provençal style – with…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za THE Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has attributed the dip in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) pass rates at Cape Winelands and West Coast schools to severe Covid-19 disruptions. The standing committee on education in the legislature expressed concern about the districts yesterday, and said they were planning an oversight visit to the Cape Winelands, which saw a 2.15% decrease in the pass rate, while the West Coast saw a 1.54% decrease. WCED deputy director-general Archie Lewis said many schools in these areas were often closed for decontamination. “The Cape Winelands district was severely hampered and disrupted last year by Covid-19. We saw a mixed bag of results there, because our top three candidates also came from there. Another matter is that the district is steadily changing…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za FIRST it was found to be a potential health hazard where the risk for Covid-19 or TB transmission was high due to gross overcrowding – now the DA-led City’s procurement process to establish the controversial Strandfontein homeless shelter resulted in staggering irregular expenditure of more than R42 million. This is contained in a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) final report that President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised to be released yesterday. This report comes after the SIU investigated procurement of goods, works and services associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. The temporary shelter had housed homeless people who were removed from Cape Town’s streets to apparently limit their exposure to the coronavirus. A 36-year-old man was arrested in connection with the rape of an 18-year-old at the shelter, while the City…

Agi Orfanos | Blouberg IT IS with dismay that we hear again of proposed name changes. South Africa is a unique country forged from people from all over the world. Together we built this beautiful country. Names were established and became profound and easily recognisable around the world. There are so many little towns and even cities the world over that none of us will ever recall or identify with. It is ludicrous that we wish to eliminate any chance of being recognised, associated with and recalled by tourists, business people, even politicians or any visitors at all. We once embraced Bishop Tutu’s “Rainbow Nation” of goodwill and reconciliation but now are adamant in obscuring or annihilating any history and heritage we may have built up over the…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za A MAGISTRATE’S attempt to appeal against his sentence and conviction for fraud has been dismissed by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA). Azwifaneli Mphanama – who is also a senior magistrate and the judicial head of the Magistrate’s Court of Dzanani in Limpopo – was found guilty on five charges relating to fraud and corruption after ultimately defrauding the Department of Justice. Mphanama had made false claims in terms of a motor vehicle benefit scheme for travelling costs and was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, which was suspended for three years. According to court documents, Mphanama had declined to testify in the case after the State found he had a prima facie case to answer to and in the absence of his testimony under oath, he had…

IN WHAT we believe is a victory for gender-based violence (GBV) victims and survivors, we commend the Kannaland Municipality officials in the Western Cape for having enough courage to remove a convicted rapist from his position as mayor and a convicted fraudster who was his deputy from his position. While their party, the Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa (Icosa), may claim that axed mayor Jeffrey Donson and his deputy Werner Meshoa were elected by voters, that argument holds no water as it does not absolve them of being convicts. After all, the party had enough time to act against the two, but failed to do so. Donson was convicted of statutory rape and indecent assault in 2008. His victim was 15 years old. After lodging an appeal in the…

The Yasser Arafat Museum said yesterday it had removed artwork depicting the iconic Palestinian leader that exaggerated his facial features after accusations they were insulting to the late president. The 35-piece exhibit at the museum in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, faced immediate backlash after it was installed on Sunday. Shehab News Agency published a picture of the caricatures showing a smiling Arafat in his trademark keffiyeh headdress with his nose and mouth oversized and slightly distorted. Supporters of Arafat, who died in 2004, took to Twitter posting photographs with the caption: “This is the icon we know”. Activists from Fatah, the Palestinian movement Arafat founded, demanded an investigation into how the images came to be displayed. The museum insisted the images were merely artistic impressions of a revered…

PHILIPPINE presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr has made it clear he will not discuss the past, after dismissing media questions about his father’s dictatorial rule and overthrow in a popular uprising 35 years ago. Marcos, 64, the early frontrunner in 2022 surveys, has been dodging questions about a brutal era of martial law that started seven years into his father’s 1965-1986 rule, touting instead a message of unity. “What questions are going to be asked that have not been asked? And how many answers do you have to give that have not been given before?”, Marcos told One News television, appearing exasperated by an interview question. His critics argue his family has neither apologised for, nor properly addressed events of the past, however, and say the presidency would be the…

LONDON: The City Police chief yesterday said her officers were investigating several parties that took place at Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office and government departments during Covid lockdowns. Allegations that a string of parties were held at Downing Street while the rest of the country was in lockdown have shaken Johnson’s government in recent weeks, prompting calls for him to quit. The latest revelations came on Monday night and saw claims that Johnson broke lockdown rules by having a birthday party at Downing Street on June 19, 2020. Up to 30 people were present, ITV News alleged.…

ZAAHIER ADAMS zaahier.adams@inl.co.za The BCCI in India have been labelled many things. Often it is of an unsavoury nature. “Bullies”. “Money-grabber”". “Egotistical”. And these are just the ones that are allowed to be published in this publication. But while they have even been portrayed as the prime villain in that most intriguing Netflix documentary Death of a Gentleman, directed by the brilliant Jarrod Kimber, Sam Collins and Johnny Blank, the BCCI does deserve special credit for allowing both their India A and senior men’s team to tour South Africa when the entire western world was turning their back on SA due to the Covid-19 Omicron variant. Both England and Australia have withdrawn and abandoned tours in South Africa for much less, which had the potential to financially cripple the game…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za MARK Boucher and his legal representatives will meet with the chairperson of the disciplinary hearing, Adv Terry Motau today, to thrash out the timetable for the legal proceedings. With the South African side travelling to New Zealand next Wednesday, ahead of the two match Test series with the World Test Champions, it is likely the proceedings will only take place upon the team’s return in March. As per New Zealand’s strict pandemic measures, all incoming travellers must serve a 10-day “managed isolation and quarantine” period before venturing in the country. The first Test with New Zealand starts on February 17. South Africa is due to face Bangladesh in a three-match One-Day series in March and thereafter have a few months off before heading to England in July,…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za BUSINESS activity in South Africa ticked up in November as the composite leading business cycle indicator climbed to a three-month high on further easing of lockdown restrictions. The SA Reserve Bank (SARB) yesterday said that the composite leading business cycle indicator increased by 0.6 percent in November 2021, accelerating from a 0.1 percent rise in October. This was the second consecutive month of positive reading and the most in three months as six of the 10 available component time series increased, while three fell and one remained unchanged. This followed a general downward movement since reaching a low-base-induced peak in May 2021 which was related to the onset of the Covid-19 third wave. Lockdown restrictions dropped from level 4 in July to level 2 by…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za REINET Investments’ compound asset value growth came to 8.8 percent in euro terms per annum by the end of the quarter to December 31, 2021, since March 2009 and including dividends paid, the company said yesterday. Net asset value (NAV) at the end of the quarter for the Luxembourg and JSE-listed investment firm increased by €375 million (R6.46 billion), or 7.8 percent, compared with at the end of September 30, 2021. The increase in NAV during the quarter reflected dividends from British American Tobacco (BAT), together with increases in the estimated fair value of other investments including BAT, other listed investments, Pension Insurance Corporation Group, Trilantic Capital Partners, TruArc Partners, Prescient China funds, Asia Partners and Diamond interests. Offsetting these increases were decreases…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za President Cyril Ramaphosa has asked the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to “diligently and expeditiously” prosecute all those individuals and companies implicated by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) in acts of fraud and corruption in personal protective equipment (PPE) tenders. Ramaphosa made the request yesterday after he released the SIU report into fraud and corruption of Covid-19 funds to the public. The 737-page report paints a picture of widespread looting and the collusion of senior government officials who awarded PPE tenders to their friends and relatives. In the report, the SIU also gives detailed accounts of how they had to approach the Special Tribunal to set aside the R266 million in tenders allocated to Digital Vibes and R172m PPE tenders awarded to controversial businessman Hamilton Ndlovu by the…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za INSTEAD of celebrating her matric achievements, Sisipho Mayile’s family are living a nightmare as they grapple with the young woman’s murder. Mayile’s decomposed body was discovered on Friday in the bushes near Camphill bridge in Hermanus. The family of the Qhayiya Secondary School matriculant had celebrated her 21st birthday on January 6. She was last seen by her friends on January 14. Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said cases of arson were opened for investigation after angry community members protested and set alight three houses on Monday night, following the discovery of Mayile’s body. “Police forces are on the ground and will remain in the affected area until we are satisfied that calm has been restored,” said Twigg. He said a post-mortem and DNA test would be conducted…

Lynn Harding | Noordhoek IN RESPONSE to an excellent article by Lindiwe Mazubuko in the Sunday Times, headed “Why celebrate when a million kids don’t even make it to matric every year?”, I’d like to add the following comments: Firstly, if we could only persuade the masses to stop producing so many children, then the over-population in the classrooms wouldn’t be such a problem. No child in a class of 30 or more can get any individual attention, let alone the quiet needed to concentrate. Many of today’s classes are of 50-plus kids – hopeless. Secondly, how qualified are today’s teachers to actually take on the honourable task of educating? From all accounts most of them aren’t qualified at all. I know there are the exceptions – wonderful…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za FIVE suspects arrested by Cambridge police in the Eastern Cape after an ANC councillor was manhandled and dragged from her office by security, have been released on R500 bail each. A video of the incident involving councillor Nanziwe Rulashe from the Amathole District Municipality (ADM) has gone viral on social media. In the video, a woman with three men identifying themselves as security guards claim to have been sent by the “MM” to forcefully remove the councillor out of her office. When they are informed that this is illegal and police would be called, the woman claiming to be head of security is heard saying that no one will stop them. Eastern Cape police spokesperson, Thembinkosi Kinana said: “Cambridge police are investigating a case of common assault,…

There is much to admire and learn from the unparalleled potency of China’s anti-corruption campaign. It is unequalled by any country in numbers and speed. Since Chinese President Xi Jinping ascended to power in 2012, 1.5 million government bureaucrats have been punished and more than 900 000 members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) have been expelled. What informs this effective anti-graft campaign led by the CPC’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI)? On January 18 this year, President Xi was unequivocal in maintaining executive political resolve to “take out tigers”, “swat flies” and “hunt down foxes” legally found to be involved in acts of malfeasance and corruption. This resolve stems from a simple realisation. As he said in 2014 to justify this campaign: “People hate corruption the most,…

DAMASCUS: US-backed Kurdish forces tightened the noose around armed jihadists hunkering down inside a Syrian prison yesterday, with both sides facing a bloodbath or talks to end the five-day-old standoff. Around 100 Islamic State group fighters attacked Ghwayran prison in the northeastern city of Hasakeh on January 20, in their biggest military operation since their “caliphate” was defeated in 2019. The ensuing clashes with the Kurdish forces running northeastern Syria have left more than 160 people dead, including 45 in Kurdish ranks, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Some of the estimated 3 500 IS prisoners inside the facility have already been bused out to other detention centres in recent hours but it was unclear how many remained holed up inside Ghwayran. Some of the hundreds of…

MOSCOW: Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and a handful of his allies were added yesterday to an official list of “terrorists and extremists”, the latest in a series of moves by Russian authorities to stamp out their opposition to President Vladimir Putin. News agencies reported separately that the federal prison service had demanded that Navalny’s brother Oleg be given a real jail term in place of a one-year suspended sentence handed to him last year. Navalny, an anti-corruption campaigner and a thorn in Putin’s side for the past decade, survived being poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020 and was jailed last year on parole violations related to an earlier fraud case he says was trumped up. His political network was banned as “extremist” last year. Navalny’s brother Oleg was…

ISLAMABAD: A teacher drowned while 33 children were rescued when the boat carrying them overturned in Pakistan’s north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province yesterday, local media reports said. The teacher and the pupils were on a school trip to the Khanpur dam, some 47km north-west of the national capital Islamabad. The accident happened during their boating in the lake. Some of the kids including four who were in critical condition were shifted to a nearby hospital. The Khanpur dam is a famous tourist site where people go sightseeing and for activities including boating, jet-skiing and cliff jumping.…

NEW DELHI: About 300 lakes in the capital of the Indian state of Telangana, Hyderabad, are officially untraceable. The Times of India daily report said the state’s irrigation department has been unable to locate the lakes. “There are 3 532 lakes in seven districts under Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), city civic body jurisdiction. But about 300 lakes are non-existent,” the report stated. The lakes’ protection committee said the main reason for the lakes found “missing” is that hundreds of colonies have sprung up around them the past two decades. We have data on he lakes. Physical verifi- cation is being taken up.”…

THE Proteas enjoyed a summer for the ages by dispatching India in both the Test and One-Day International formats. Although they remain a team without “superstars” there were some wonderful individual performances that came to the fore. IOL Sport’s Zaahier Adams, who covered the Western Cape leg of the tour, picks five players who stole the show. 1. Rassie van der Dussen “Mr Dependable” remains the rock in the Proteas middle-order. Although his Test numbers can improve, especially batting in the crucial No 4 position, he played a leading role in both successful second innings run chases that ultimately won the series for the Proteas. However, its in the ODI format that Van der Dussen has no peer where he averages a mind-boggling 74.52. He certainly was superb in this…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za THE authors cited in a Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) statement about mandatory vaccinations and its possible effects on women, say their research should not prevent people from getting vaccinated. This as the CGE was slammed by professional medical and scientific insti- tutions including the SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the SA Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (SASOG), for citing the research which they said could fuel anti-vaccination sentiment in a recent statement on vaccine mandates. In the statement titled “Warning Against Imposing Mandatory Covid-19 Vaccination on Employees and Students”, the CGE cited research on the association between menstrual cycle length and Covid vaccination published in the American Obstetrics Gynaecology medical journal on January 5. The CGE’s statement read: “When scientists establish a connection be- tween…

MICHAEL BAGRAIM | Highlands Estate YOUR January 24 edition “The changing of hard-hit SA wine industry” refers: The government-induced lockdown has not been kind to many industries. However, it is understood that our wine industry in the Western Cape is extremely competitive with the rest of the world, and certainly adds fantastic value to the economy of the Western Cape. There is a very interesting gap in the market, and that is the Halaal-compliant grape juices. This part of the industry is growing and can be exploited a lot more. We have a competent Muslim Judicial Council which is recognised worldwide and can be at the forefront of no-alcohol production grape juice. These beautifully packaged sparkling grape juices could easily become a firm favourite in South Africa too.…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za EMPLOYMENT and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has issued a stern warning to employers that refusing labour department inspectors access to their establishments would be heavily dealt with by the law. The department is running a week-long mega-blitz of inspections in the province to ensure compliance with occupational health and safety standards, the national minimum wage and the Unemployment Insurance Fund in the hospitality sector. Inspections started on Monday in Camps Bay and Bloubergstrand, and yesterday Nxesi joined the teams in Sea Point, where the Protea Hotel was inspected. “We urge employers to co-operate with our employees and inspectors. All matters where inspectors are refused access to establishments will be referred to the police for them to be dealt with,” Nxesi said. “Refusing to allow inspectors to do…

Covid-19 put paid to Mandela’s red line not to go to these institutions with a begging bowl THE World Bank’s latest $750 million (R11.5 billion) development policy loan (DPL) to South Africa approved by its board of executive directors on Friday once again puts the spotlight on the governing ANC government’s relationship with the IMF/World Bank Group. The fact that the loan was at the request of the National Treasury, ostensibly to “support the government’s efforts to accelerate its Covid-19 response aimed at protecting the poor and vulnerable from the adverse socio-economic impacts of the pandemic and supporting a resilient and sustainable economic recovery”, is as revealing in its policy implications as it is in its generalities as to the use of the proceeds. No doubt, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana…

Tropical storm Ana has killed at least 34 people in Madagascar and three people in Mozambique, while knocking out power in Malawi, authorities in the three countries said yesterday. The storm, which formed over the east coast of Madagascar, has brought heavy rains, causing flooding and mudslides in the capital Antananarivo. Madagascar’s disaster management agency said yesterday that 34 people had died and nearly 65 000 left homeless since last week. Several low-lying districts of the capital remain under high alert and emergency evacuations were launched overnight. The storm made landfall on mainland Africa on Monday, bringing heavy rains and strong winds in Mozambique’s central and northern districts. Mozambican officials said yesterday that three people were killed, with at least 66 others injured. More than 3 800 people have been…

ROME: Italy’s parties resumed talks yesterday to try to find a mutually acceptable head of state and avoid the threat of political instability after a first round of voting among lawmakers ended in stalemate. Prime Minister Mario Draghi remains the most likely contender, but worries that his promotion to president might shatter his coalition government and trigger early national elections have complicated his prospects. As a result, the race for the prestigious seven-year role is wide open, with each political group cagily promoting candidates in behind-the-scenes negotiations. A second round of voting was to begin at 2pm after a majority of the 1 008 lawmakers and regional delegates cast blank ballots on Monday, a way of playing for time while negotiations continue. The president has a powerful role. He has…

NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said yesterday after the putsch in Burkina Faso that military coups were “unacceptable”, calling on West African armies to defend their people rather than fight for power. Guterres appealed for armies to re-establish democratic institutions; and not to attack their governments before a Security Council meeting on protecting civilians in war zones. In Monday’s coup, army officers in Burkina Faso detained President Roch Marc Kabore amid anger over his handling of a jihadist insurgency. Several hundred people gathered yesterday in the capital Ouagadougou in a show of support for the junta.…

Strasbourg: The European Court of Human Rights yesterday ordered Turkey to pay damages in excess of ¤12 300 (R209 000) to a German-Turkish journalist, ruling that his rights were violated by a year-long detention. Deniz Yucel was detained over 2017 to 2018 over his reporting for conservative German daily Die Welt on Turkey’s attempted military coup in 2016, and the repression that followed. He was accused of crimes including propaganda for terrorism and incitement to hatred, especially for his reporting on Turkey’s Kurdish minority and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za Maritzburg United have added five new players to their roster. Tawanda Macheke, Genino Palace, Lucky Baloyi, Steven Pereira and Friday Samu have joined the Team of Choice for the second half of the season. Ernst Middendorp’s side will start the latter half of their campaign just two points clear of the relegation zone and they will be hoping that the new signings can help them avoid the drop. This has been a busy transfer window for the KwaZulu-Natal based club. They lost talented attacker Bongokuhle Hlongwane who joined American club Minnesota United while Jose Ali Meza was released. A striker by trade, Macheke joined as a free-agent having last been on the books of Zimbabwean club Black Rhinos. Defensive midfielder Palace (23) will be looking to kick-start…

RIOTING and stampedes at African stadiums have taken a deadly toll over the decades with a recurring pattern of incidents, culminating in the latest disaster in Cameroon on Monday. At least eight people were killed in a stampede as spectators – many suspected to be without tickets – avoided slack controls in attempting to enter Yaounde’s Olembe Stadium to watch the home team in the Africa Cup of Nations. It is the first such disaster at the tournament, Africa’s biggest sports event which has suffered another blow in its already tatty reputation for organisation. Africa’s worst disaster was in Ghana in 2001 when 127 people died in a stampede at the Accra Sports Stadium after police fired tear gas into the stands to quell rowdy fans at a high-profile league…