Tabla de contenidos para 2022-02-02 en Cape Times

Dieketseng Maleke dieketseng.maleke@inl.co.za MINERAL Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe yesterday called on the coal sector to take the bull by the horns in clarifying the national development trajectory in South Africa’s energy transition. Mantashe, delivering the opening remarks ahead of discussions with South African coal producers at the Council for Geoscience, held yesterday in Pretoria, said the combination of green technologies was the future and right option for South Africa. The producers needed to be included in the conversation around the call for coal to be downscaled, the move from coal to renewables and calls for the country to exit coal. “A combination of all those technologies is the future. For example, I believe that the power stations that Eskom wants to decommission can be repurposed from…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons Tarryn-Leigh.Solomons@iinl.co.za THE Presidency under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa has not implemented any of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) recommendations in the 81 final reports it has received since he assumed office in 2019. This emerged when Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele’s office briefed the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) on the final SIU report in respect of the National State of Disaster under Proclamation R23 of 2020 and progress on the disciplinary matter against the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure director-general Advocate Sam Vukela. “The committee notes there is agree- ment with the Presidency that the lapses currently at play should not have happened to the extent to which corrective interventions are now required which may prove to be complex in nature when…

Siyavuya Mzantsi and Zelda Venter THE sidelining of black legal practitioners by South African banks and transformation in the country came under the spotlight when chief justice nominee Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga took the hot seat at the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) yesterday. He was asked by Commissioner Mvuzo Notyesi whether he would agree that banks and big businesses “advocate for racism, they hate black practitioners. Would I be correct to make that conclusion? They are the ones that do not want to brief black practitioners and women in all their cases. Is that not racism or how best can we describe it?” In response Madlanga said: “The reality is that … take the Mthatha (division) for example, there are banks there and, the only bank that briefed black advocates was…

MICHAEL BAGRAIM | Highlands Estate YOUR Monday edition “Prasa board member accused of meddling” refers: The appointment of any employee in South Africa is subject to our labour laws. When an employee is preferred above others and that employee is not suitably qualified, then those who don’t get the job have a claim in terms of our Employment Equity Legislation. It is recommended that the applicants should take action against Prasa. If indeed the incumbent did not meet the minimum requirements, then the appointment must be judged accordingly. This is the very real problem that South Africa faces when we read the minutes of the Cadre Deployment system implemented by the ANC.…

Staff writer THE century-old beach revetment (retaining barricade) built in Fish Hoek in 1930 and at first thought to be a railway track, was exposed at the coast this week. The remnants, first thought to be a temporary spur line built in 1929, but now considered to be remains of the revetment – which has been buried in the sand for more than 90 years – was seen during low tide on Monday. The City said its Coastal Management Branch spent most of Monday morning trying to uncover the line and to ascertain what it was. It said there were no plans yet to have the line removed. Deputy Mayco member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews, said they were still trying to establish the facts. “Early on we…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za THE Department of Local Government is liaising with the Bitou Municipality to put alternative arrangements in place following the abrupt resignation of acting municipal manager Richard Bosman. The municipality said Bosman resigned unexpectedly last Tuesday and had not been contactable since. It is alleged that Bosman did not come to work and claimed he was working from home, but then sent in his resignation letter on Tuesday and has since avoided communication with staff and the municipality. Bosman, who did not respond to Cape Times questions yesterday, had previously served as director of safety and security in the City of Cape Town and handed in a letter of “early retirement” last year. Bitou Municipality mayor Dave Swart said Bosman resigned and had been uncontactable since. “This will…

Russia is in the spotlight of the Western mainstream media’s attention again. The reason being: the draft documents on legal security guarantees from the US and Nato which have been given to the US party on December 15, 2021, during a meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry. The US party was also given detailed explanations regarding the logic of the Russian approach, as well as the relevant arguments behind this step. Nonetheless, as usual, the Western media decided to “follow their own path” and started inventing their own explanations of Russia’s actions. Russia is “threatening” the West again and is “planning to invade Ukraine”: “Amid fears Russia will invade Ukraine, Putin points finger at US and Nato in a marathon news conference” (Washington Post), “Vladimir Putin threatens ‘military-technical’ reaction…

A fire at a fertiliser plant on Monday night has prompted a North Carolina city to ask people living in a 1.6-kilometre vicinity to evacuate their homes because of the risk of explosion due to large quantities of potentially combustible chemical compounds stored at the plant. “The fire is still active, and there is still the potential for an explosion,” a fire chief in Winston-Salem, Patrick Grubbs, said yesterday, urging the more than 6 000 people living in the vicinty of the Weaver Fertiliser plant to immediately evacuate their homes. At least 90 firefighters had tried to contain the blaze, supported by “close to 150 personnel”, Grubbs said. Firefighters had left the scene after about two hours because of the risk of explosion tied to large quantities of ammonium…

The Taliban have arrested two Afghan journalists working for a local news channel, rights groups and the UN said yesterday, weeks after two women activists went missing. Since seizing power in August, the hardline Islamists have cracked down on dissent by detaining critics and forcefully dispersing protests against their regime. Several Afghan journalists have also been beaten while covering rallies not approved by authorities. The Afghan Media Association – a newly formed journalists’ rights group -– said Ariana TV reporters Waris Hasrat and Aslam Hijab were picked up by the Taliban on Monday “and taken to an unknown location”. Without naming the Taliban, an official at Ariana told AFP the reporters were seized by masked gunmen in front of the channel’s office as they went out for lunch. But he…

Colombo: Sri Lanka’s navy says it has arrested 21 Indian fishermen after a confrontation with two trawlers poaching in the island’s territorial waters. A fast attack craft was damaged in the clashes on Monday night, the navy said in a statement. “As the Indian trawlers were attempting to evade naval units with their aggressive manoeuvres, they also caused damages to the SLN Fast Attack Craft,” the statement said. It did not say if there were casualties, but said the navy seized equipment used by the Indians for “bottom-trawling”, a fishing method banned in Sri Lanka that snares maritime creatures on the ocean floor.…

OSLO: British nature broadcaster David Attenborough, the World Health Organization and Belarusian dissident Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya are among the nominees for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, after being backed by Norwegian lawmakers who have a track record of picking the winner. Among the other nominees are jailed Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, the International Criminal Court in the Hague, WikiLeaks and Chelsea Manning, NATO, aid organisation CARE and the Iranian human rights activist Masih Alinejad. The 2022 laureate will be announced in October.…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za INDUSTRIAL activity in the South African manufacturing sector returned to strong growth in January following a loss of momentum at the end of last year, but rising fuel prices and electricity supply challenges could reverse gains. The seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose by 3 index points to 57.1 points in January from a dip of 54.1 points in December 2021. This pointed to a faster expansion and reflected a strong start to the year for the manufacturing sector as the industry ramped up in production after a Christmas break. Absa said yesterday that the January PMI print was supported by a strong pick-up in business activity and new export sales orders. The business activity index moved back into expansionary territory, rising…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za COMPARED to adults, children were almost five times more likely to be hospitalised in the fourth wave of the coronavirus compared to the first, research by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases of South Africa (NICD) shows. As of January 15, children and adolescents under 18 years old made up 11.4% (405 837/3 559 931) of Covid-19 cases, 5.5% (24 550/445 295) of Covid-19 associated hospital admissions and 0.7% (703/23 276) of Covid-19 associated deaths. “The latest resurgence in cases started in week 48 of 2021, with the highest peak in percentage testing positive – 40% – among children aged 13-18 years, and highest peak in Covid-19-associated admissions rate among children under 1 year – 30 admissions per 1 million population,” the NICD said. However, since week…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za UCT IS investigating sexual assault allegations levelled against the Student Representative Council (SRC) president, Mila Zibi. This follows posts on social media accusing Zibi of sexual assault and rape in October last year. The victim alleged that she was raped by Zibi on campus. A number of students yesterday held a protest from Graca Lawns to the Sports Centre calling for justice for the victim. UCT spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala said the university had noted a post on social media by a student who claimed to have been sexually assaulted and raped by a fellow student. “All matters relating to sexual and gender-based violence are treated with urgency and are taken extremely seriously by UCT,” she said. “We are now actively investigating this allegation. UCT maintains a survivor-centred…

David Wantling | Mowbray I AM not the least bit surprised that Game Stores are in financial trouble after my recent shopping experience there. I went to the Wynberg store to try to buy a small folding table that I had seen listed on their website only to find that it was almost impossible to find someone to help me because many of them were huddled in groups near the back of the store looking at something on the cellphone of one in the group. When I eventually managed to pull someone away from the group they just said that they did not think they had any stock and went back to the cellphone. Anyway, I decided to look around on my own and eventually found what I…

Kevin Meineke | Hout Bay I REFER to the article “Mixed reaction to welcoming of Israeli envoy by Ramaphosa” (Cape Times January 28). People object to the acceptance of an ambassador from Israel due to the so-called occupation of Palestine. However, no one objects to the ambassador from Equatorial Guinea (EG) arriving. Why is that? Why the silence? EG has an appalling human rights record which includes human trafficking, torture of prisoners, incommunicado detention, judicial corruption, discrimination against ethnic minorities, flawed elections, the disappearance of political opponents, arbitrary arrests, restrictions on the freedom of speech, discrimination against women, child labour, etc. How can it be that those who object to the presence of a democratic country like Israel, welcome a non-democratic country with blood on their hands,…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za THE return of traditional daily attendance of pupils in all schools across the country from Monday has been widely hailed. Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga met the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) yesterday and agreed that this will be the last week of rotational timetabling. The meeting comes after Cabinet approved changes to Alert Level 1, including the scrapping of rotational learning and the social distancing of 1m for pupils in schools. “A series of meetings have been scheduled with stakeholders to inform them of the decision. In the meantime the sector would prepare for the full return of learners. The minister will gazette new directions in the coming days to reflect the Cabinet decision and to also provide guidance ahead of the resumption of traditional time-…

Marsha Dean marsha.dean@inl.co.za MORE than 1 800 passionate birders recently flocked to the Prince Edward Islands as part of a campaign to raise funds to rid Marion Island of mice, which pose a threat to endangered birds. Birdlife South Africa and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment have collaborated to get rid of the mice on Marion Island in an initiative named “Mouse-free Marion”. Marion Island, one of the Prince Edward Islands about 2 000 kilometres from Cape Town, is home to around 250 000 endangered seabirds. The mice were unnaturally introduced in the 1950s. The presence of the mice on Marion Island is a huge threat to the seabirds because the mice eat seabird eggs and the birds themselves. The birders aboard the MSC Orchestra departed on…

Jasper Knight Snowfall in a hot desert may seem a contradiction, but snow has been recorded several times in the Sahara Desert over the last decades, most recently last month. Thus, snowfall may be unusual but is not unprecedented in the region. For snow to form, two weather properties are needed: cold temperatures and moist air. The presence of snow reflects a special combination of air circulation in the atmosphere and the nature of the land surface upon which the snow falls. Although the Sahara commonly experiences very high temperatures (more than 50°C), low temperatures are also recorded (in particular at night) because of the bare land surface and the cloudless skies. A temperature of -14°C was recorded in Algeria in January 2005. The Sahara is the world’s largest hot…

Six people were feared dead in Mozambique yesterday after they tried to cross rivers swollen by floodwaters in dugout canoes, police said. The drownings on the Zambezi and Revuboe rivers came in the wake of Tropical Storm Ana, which pummelled the region last week, leaving 86 dead in Mozambique, Madagascar and Malawi. Heavy seasonal rains have continued in central Mozambique, leaving rivers raging days after Ana dissipated. On the Revuboe River, the floodwater washed away a key bridge, forcing people to cross by boat. One canoe carrying 12 people capsized at the weekend. Eight people were rescued, but the rest are feared dead, including a three-year-old child, said police spokesperson Feliciano da Camara. Two others were feared dead after a canoe sank on the Zambezi River, he added. Another tropical…

Progressive reduction of fossil fuel-based plastics is crucial to tackling climate change, the EU’s top environmental official said, ahead of a UN meeting to launch talks on a world-first treaty to combat plastic pollution. Plastics production is becoming a key growth area for the oil industry as countries seek to shift away from polluting energy sources, but plastic waste is piling up in the world’s oceans and urban waterways and choking its wildlife. Last month a study of ice cores revealed traces of nanoplastics in both polar regions for the first time. “The biggest topic is at the end of the day oil use for plastic production,” said EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius amid preparations for the UN Environment Assembly summit starting in Nairobi on February 28. “If we want…

SYDNEY: Australian researchers have developed a new software to check for potentially serious health problems in vulnerable babies and infants. Details of the medical breakthrough, published in the IEEE Xplore Digital Library, show that it can be used with digital stethoscopes to gain advanced screening of hearts and lungs to enable a more accurate diagnosis of cardio-respiratory complications. The researchers from Monash University said their invention can be used in hospitals or by parents at home and may also be particularly beneficial in developing countries or remote regions with limited health resources.…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za AYABONGA Khaka generally plays second fiddle to the dynamic new-ball duo of Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail, but on the eve of the World Cup, she’s underlying her value to the Proteas. Even skipper Sune Luus was surprised that Khaka’s 5/23 in the second One-Day International against the West Indies on Monday was her first international ‘five-for’. Khaka, who’s played 71 ODIs, doesn’t have the pace and thunderous personality of Ismail and the all-round force of Kapp, but she’s a gritty and skilful seam bowler. The 29-year-old dragged the Proteas back into that second match on Monday after Deandra Dottin had pummelled the new ball. Having set the West Indies back by taking two top-order wickets – including Dottin – Khaka removed the dangerous Hayley Matthews and…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za FINANCE Minister Enoch Godongwana has given an indication of what is contained in his Budget to be delivered in Parliament on February 23. Godongwana, who was briefing the standing committee on finance yesterday, said he would present a Budget that would say South Africa would be able to meet its financial obligations despite the spiralling debt. He said that was one positive element of his Budget but, going forward, whether this would continue would depend on whether South Africa could contain its debt. South Africa’s debt was approaching 80% of the GDP and it is one of the largest expenditure items in the Budget after education, health and the security cluster. Godongwana also told MPs that he would speak strongly against corruption, saying it was a serious…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za FORMER public enterprises minister Malusi Gigaba, Gupta associate Salim Essa and former Eskom and Transnet bosses Anoj Singh and Brian Molefe must be criminally charged, according to the second part of the state capture commission report. Chairperson Justice Raymond Zondo has recommended criminal charges against several politicians and former executives of the state-owned rail, logistics, port and pipeline company and its subsidiaries. Justice Zondo asked law enforcement agencies to investigate several former Transnet executives for possible prosecution for malfeasance over several years. According to the second part of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture report, Essa, Singh and former Transnet executives Phetolo Ramosebudi and Garry Pita must face the music. Justice Zondo has also asked that another Gupta associate, Eric Wood, be investigated for possible prosecution…

Edwin Davies | Lansdowne WE HAVE a problem plot in our area that the owner wishes to develop at some time or other. The plot has stood vacant for two-plus years without any major or unsightly dumping on it. The owner had the plot cleared in September 2021, saying building would start within two weeks and the rubbish they cleared would be removed the following day. Nothing happened and very soon others started dumping on the plot, including the guys with trolleys. The plot is a mess and an eyesore in the neighbourhood. Since October, neighbours have engaged with the owner and we have engaged with various City departments. Between three neighbours we have nine reference numbers and still absolutely nothing has happened. Solid Waste assured us before…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za THE public protector has directed the Knysna municipality to provide pensioner Lydia Bosman with a house within 120 days, after a subsidy was approved for her in 2009 but a house was not built for her – despite other applicants receiving their homes. “We found that it was true that the municipality failed to provide Ms Bosman with the house after having approved it. On several occasions, Bosman engaged with the municipality, unsuccessfully requesting that her house be built,” Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane said in her report into the matter released this week. “The municipality conceded she had applied for the house and a subsidy was approved in that regard on March 26, 2009. She has been prejudiced as no house has been built for her despite…

THE process that began yesterday to identify former chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng’s replacement offers a rare opportunity to appoint the country’s first female head of the judiciary. The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has to pick and recommend the best candidate to President Cyril Ramaphosa for appointment. The shortlisted candidates include Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, Gauteng Judge President Dunstan Mlambo and the president of the Supreme Court of Appeal, Mandisa Maya, the only woman candidate. Given our country’s shameful history of patriarchy and lack of gender parity, the current process offers Ramaphosa an opportunity to appoint Judge Maya should she perform well during the interview and lay down a solid vision for the judiciary. Judge Maya already has all the necessary attributes, and her track record speaks…

Copenhagen: Denmark waved goodbye to facemasks and health passes yesterday as it became the first EU country to lift all of its domestic Covid curbs despite record numbers of cases of the milder Omicron variant. Only a few restrictions remain in place at the country’s borders for unvaccinated travellers arriving from non-Schengen countries. After a first attempt at lifting restrictions between September and November, the Scandinavian country again ditched its Covid checks and limited opening hours for bars and restaurants. “For me, the best part is that we don’t need to wear masks anymore. “At least now we have a choice if we want to protect ourselves or we want to feel free,” Natalia Chechetkina, a receptionist in Copenhagen, told AFP. Marie Touflet, a 23-year-old French student in the capital,…

MEXICO CITY: The US is putting pressure on Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to call off his visit to Moscow in February saying it may be interpreted as taking sides amid tensions on the Russian-Ukrainian border, the Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported, citing diplomatic sources. “During a Sunday phone call with Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Franca, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concerns again that the president’s visit might be interpreted as a sign that Brazil takes a side in the conflict,” sources in the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said. Washington does not explicitly request a change to the agenda of the talks but makes it clear that the US is working to have the trip cancelled or at least postponed, according to the report. However, the Brazilian government…

WASHINGTON: Former US president Donald Trump had a bigger involvement than previously known in exploring proposals to use federal security agencies to confiscate voting machines in US states in a bid to prove electoral fraud in 2020, The New York Times reported, citing three people in the know. The accounts emerged after his rally in Texas on Saturday, when the politician said that if he joined the next presidential race and was re-elected, he would pardon Capitol rioters charged with crimes related to the storming more than a year ago. After the rally, Trump said that his vice-president, Mike Pence, could have “overturned the election”.…

PARIS: France will launch a series of investigations into care homes group Orpea, which is at the centre of allegations of malpractice it has repeatedly denied, minister Brigitte Bourguignon said yesterday. Orpea, one of Europe’s biggest for-profit care home groups alongside French rival Korian, has lost nearly 53% of its market value since the first extracts of a book alleging malpractices in its care homes were published on January 24. The government is very concerned by the allegations in the book by independent journalist Victor Castanet, Bourguignon said after meeting Orpea’s bosses. “(The allegations) bring shame to an entire sector …” she said.…

IT would be silly of me to state that women’s cricket has come a long way – that has been clear for some time now. But the fact that it is a thoroughly entertaining product to view on television is another. Maybe again it has been the case for a while too, but television broadcasters were just too prejudiced to actually put some money behind it for it to be beamed into our lounges. Either way, there should be no turning back now after this week, where two matches – across contrasting formats – in different parts of the world were thoroughly engaging and filled with high drama. Women’s cricket is primarily reduced to one-day internationals and T20s, but Australia and England produced a thrilling Test match in Canberra last…