Tabla de contenidos para 2023-03-20 en Cape Times

SOME BIG businesses have cautiously caved in to the pressure exerted by calls for the “National Shutdown” and have voluntarily closed until Wednesday, in spite of assurances by the government that Monday is a normal operating day. The National Shutdown is a nationwide protest called by South Africa’s third largest political party, the EFF, supported by a variety of civil society and organised labour to demand the resignation of President Ramaphosa and to highlight the scourge of load shedding, unemployment, crime, high cost of living, among other issues. The protest is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of disgruntled citizens to the streets and fears of violent looting similar to July 2021 riots have escalated. The protest is likely to bring economic activity and movement to a halt by blocking…

MORE THAN 100 years ago, a group of Afrikaner men met in Stellenbosch to form a publishing entity that would support their cause. After many years of operating as a publishing company it transitioned into being a technology company. Throughout the process of operating as a publishing company it committed many sins for which it later apologised. As part of an apology process the company committed to do good and correct some wrongs of the past. When Phuti Mahanyele, the CEO of the company, announced during the Presidential Investment Summit, a technology fund (Naspers Foundry) she was partly paying for sins of the past. She was also paying for a new sin that the company had committed (more on that later). This week the company announced that Foundry would close…

Crime experts believe South Africa is fast becoming a country with the highest rate of assassinations, amid reports that prominent people have been killed in suspected hits. Gauteng police are investigating a double murder after Gupta and Bosasa liquidator Cloete Murray and his son Tom Murray were shot and killed in a suspected hit in Midrand, north of Johannesburg, over the weekend. Murray, a professional insolvency practitioner who is reported to have been working on high-profile cases, and his son, a legal adviser, were travelling together when their vehicle was shot at on Saturday afternoon. Tom died at the scene, while his father was transferred to a hospital after being shot twice in the head. Murray died in the hospital yesterday morning. Crime activist Yusuf Abramjee said the two were…

THOUSANDS of soldiers were already on the ground at the weekend protecting national key points, including the Cape Town International Airport, ahead of the anticipated EFF national shutdown today. National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and National Council of Provinces chairperson Amos Masondo confirmed they had been informed by President Cyril Ramaphosa about the deployment of 3 474 soldiers, effective from last Friday until April 17, 2023. The government was expected to spend more than R166 million on the deployment, in cooperation with police, under Operation Prosper for the prevention and combating of crime and preservation of law and order. “The President’s letter will be brought to the attention of the members of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces through Parliament’s official papers, the Announcements, Tablings and Committee…

THE party that identifies itself as one for “freedom fighters” is, in fact, a minority political party evidently against the very idea of freedom and liberty. Similar to all such political entities, it relies on violence and various forms of dictatorships to coerce society into its forever- changing political whims. If this party was really standing for what it claims it is, namely freedom, then it would simply demand a national referendum or legitimately call for early elections, without limiting anyone’s political rights. But since they know that the majority of the country’s citizens are rational and logical human beings, the EFF, like the tyrants before them, always opts to try to coerce all of us into its politically bankrupt abyss. The party is actually a party of…

THE Women’s Legal Centre Trust (WLCT) has expressed disappointment that the Western Cape High Court found it was not persuaded at this stage that the common law should be developed to permit unmarried couples in life partnerships to claim maintenance from one another in the event of separation. The court recently dismissed a woman’s application for interim financial relief pending further court proceedings. Judges Judith Cloete and Hayley Slingers found: “We are not persuaded, given the approach adopted by the applicant in this matter, that we are in a position to make a properly informed decision about whether the common law development she seeks is required. “Nor are we persuaded that development of the common law in the manner proposed by her is necessary or appropriate. The applicant already has…

ALL eyes will be on the DA’s provincial executive committee (PEC) over steps it will propose against its member Malusi Booi whose office was raided in a fraud and corruption investigation. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis suspended Booi from his position as mayco member for human settlements on Thursday after police raided his office on Wednesday afternoon. Police seized his phone, along with that of his PA and another person who works in his portfolio. Documents were also taken. Hill-Lewis said there was a meeting scheduled with the police in the hope of being briefed about the allegations faced by Booi as he had not yet been charged. He explained that the decision to suspend him was taken because the probe was “potentially serious”. “The SAPS informed me (Thursday) morning that the…

North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile yesterday, Seoul’s military said, the fourth show of force in a week as South Korea and the US stage major military drills. Seoul and Washington have ramped up defence co-operations in the face of growing military and nuclear threats from the North, which has conducted a series of increasingly provocative banned weapons tests in recent months. South Korea and the US are in the middle of 11 days of joint drills known as Freedom Shield, their largest in five years. North Korea views all such exercises as rehearsals for invasion and has repeatedly warned it would take “overwhelming” action in response. “Our military detected one short-range ballistic missile fired from around the Tongchang-ri area in North Pyongan province at 11.05 am local time…

Vote counting was under way in Nigeria yesterday following local elections marred by reports of violence, bribery and signs of low turnout. Saturday’s election for more than 900 state assembly lawmakers and 28 governors in Africa’s most populous country took place three weeks after the governing party won a presidential race that opposition groups branded rigged. With President Muhammadu Buhari stepping down in May after two terms, many hoping for change were disappointed in the way the voting was conducted on February 25, a sentiment that could have affected the local contests. Both the Labour Party (LP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenged the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC), claiming that technical mishaps allowed for ballot manipulation, which the electoral commission has denied. After observing Saturday’s vote,…

DUBAI: Syrian President Bashar al Assad arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) yesterday for an official visit, accompanied by his wife Asma al Assad, at a time when more Arab states have signalled openness to easing the isolation of Damascus. The visit was marked with more ceremony than his previous trip to the UAE last year – his first to an Arab state since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, when Gulf states including the UAE backed rebels fighting to overthrow Assad. State media said he was met by President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan on arrival in Abu Dhabi. The UAE, a US ally, has led a shift in the Middle East towards reviving ties with Assad. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and, to a lesser extent the UAE,…

New Delhi: A manhunt for a radical Sikh preacher in India yesterday entered its second day, after authorities shut the internet in the Punjab state and arrested 78 of his supporters. Amritpal Singh rose to prominence in recent months demanding the creation of Khalistan, a separate Sikh homeland, and with his hardline interpretation of Sikhism at rallies in rural pockets of the northern state of 30 million people. Last month Singh, 30, and his supporters armed with swords, knives and guns raided a police station after one of his aides was arrested for alleged assault and attempted kidnapping. The brazen raid in the outskirts of Amritsar left several police injured and put pressure on authorities to act. | AFP…

SuperSport United coach Gavin Hunt was “very disappointed” that his team conceded via a penalty in their 1-0 loss to Orlando Pirates at Orlando Stadium on Saturday. The result deals a blow to Matsatsantsa’s hopes of finishing the season in second place and qualifying for next season’s Caf Champions League. It leaves them just two points ahead of Pirates in third place. who are now on a two-match winning run in the Premiership. Hunt though felt that his team played well in the game and he remains confident that they will secure second place, which will see them making a return to Africa’s premier club competition. “I’m very disappointed, but that’s football,” said Hunt, who appeared to have cut a very reserved figure in his post-match press conference, using short…

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning long-range free kick but handed the task of converting the winning penalty to a teammate as a gesture of respect, as Al-Nassr came from behind to beat Abha 2-1 in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday. The Portuguese forward, who has now scored nine goals in his first season in Saudi Arabia, handed the ball to Brazilian Anderson Talisca, who had just returned from injury. Talisca converted the 86th-minute spot kick for his 14th goal of the season and celebrated with Ronaldo as Al-Nassr kept up the pressure on Al-Ittihad, who lead the league by one point with nine games remaining. “This is mutual respect and we are one team and we act like a family,” Talisca told the Saudi Sports Company TV through an…

THE SPEAKER of Tshwane council, Mncedi Ndzwanana, is expected to convene another special meeting to elect a new mayor this week. This comes after Friday’s council sitting collapsed, after councillors from a multiparty coalition bloc staged a walkout after Ndzwanana refused to obtain a legal opinion on the legitimacy of two axed ActionSA councillors and a recalled Cope councillor to take part in council proceedings. Ndzwanana adjourned the meeting because it didn’t form a quorum as there were only 106 councillors left behind and short of at least two councillors to make 108 for the required quorum. The Friday council sitting was characterised by drama when ActionSA expelled two of its councillors – Mandla Mhlana and Mpho Baloyi – while they were already inside the council chamber. The pair were…

THE electricity crisis is set to take centre stage in the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria today, as opposition and other interested parties take on the Department of Mineral and Energy Resources (DMRE), the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), and the government over Eskom’s failure to provide South Africa with a stable energy supply. The court case by UDM, ActionSA, and 17 others seeks to declare the ANC-led government’s response to load shedding unconstitutional and in breach of numerous fundamental human rights, and further seek that certain sectors, such as educational and healthcare facilities, be exempted from load shedding. “After almost 15 years of load shedding it is clear that the ANC government lacks the will to resolve the crisis, leaving South Africans in the dark. It is our belief…

Mushtak Parker EVEN before the spurious call to action by the radical minority opposition party EFF for a national shutdown today takes place or not, its potential disruptive impact on the South African body politic and psyche was already evident a few days before. Is this the High Noon of South African politics pitting the ruling ANC and the state against an ultra-radical desperate socialist upstart seeking to overthrow a democratically elected government it has no mandate nor any chance of ousting, perhaps only through extra-parliamentary means, disruption and civil unrest? Or will it muster the capacity to degenerate into the Gunfight at the People’s Corral with the hope that thousands of compatriots, frustrated and fed up with endless power cuts, rising cost of living, high crime rates and endemic…

Residents and alumni of Hoërskool Framesby, where missing 26-year-old Riana Pretorius matriculated in 2015, held a prayer meeting for her safe return yesterday. Pretorius, a biokineticist, was kidnapped by men and forced into a vehicle, believed to be a white Toyota Corolla, outside a medical facility in Newton Park in Gqeberha at around 8am on Thursday. Shortly after, police nabbed a suspect and recovered the vehicle and a firearm. On Friday, police reported that a second suspect had also been arrested and that they were searching for a third accomplice who is suspected to know her whereabouts. At a prayer meeting on Sunday in Pickering Street, attendees wanted to show support for Pretorius’ family and lit candles as a symbol of their thoughts and prayers for her safety. The Newton…

Middle-class liberals in South Africa – a predominantly white group in the colonial and apartheid periods – have for a long time, even as far back as the period of the defiance campaigns when the Freedom Charter was drafted in the 1950s, interposed themselves as those best placed to articulate black struggles. It could be argued that this racialised bourgeois gaze persists in the treatment of the poorest people by the state long after the negotiated settlement of 1994. One may even argue that contemporary liberals are enabled by blacks masquerading as progressives who still imagine that white people must be consulted and considered in strategising against the oppression of black people in the later apartheid period. And now, in the post-apartheid period, this is mirrored by the insertion of…

Israeli and Palestinian officials met in Egypt yesterday for talks aimed at calming surging violence that has stoked fears of further escalation once the Muslim holy month of Ramadaan begins this week. The meeting follows a February 26 US-brokered conference in Aqaba, Jordan that secured Israeli and Palestinian pledges to de-escalate but was challenged by factions on both sides and failed to halt violence on the ground. The meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh “aims to support dialogue between the Palestinian and Israeli sides to work to stop unilateral actions and escalation, and break the existing cycle of violence and achieve calm”, a statement from Egypt’s foreign ministry said. This could “facilitate the creation of a climate suitable for the resumption of the peace process”, it added. In previous years, clashes have…

A day after being accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court, President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, scene of some of the worst devastation of his year-old invasion. State television showed extended footage of Putin being shown around the city on Saturday night, meeting rehoused residents and being briefed on reconstruction efforts by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin. The port city of Mariupol became known around the world as a byword for death and destruction as much of it was reduced to ruins in the first months of the war, eventually falling to Russian forces in May. Hundreds were killed in the bombing of a theatre where families with children were sheltering. The Organization for Security and Cooperation and Europe…

Podgorica: Montenegrins cast ballots yesterday in a presidential contest pitting the Adriatic nation’s longest serving leader Milo Djukanovic against a range of rivals hoping to shake up the country’s political scene. The election follows months of deadlock after the government was hit with a no-confidence vote in August but continued to rule, kicking off a wave of protests and calls for snap polls for the parliament. Elections were called for June 11 by Djukanovic on Friday after he had dissolved parliament as a three-month deadline expired for the prime minister-designate to form a new government. A loss at the polls for Djukanovic would signal a new era for the country as it pursues EU membership. | AFP…

Dhaka: At least 19 people were killed and up to 25 injured yesterday in Bangladesh after a bus smashed through a highway fence and plunged into a roadside ditch. Police suspected the driver lost control at 8am local time and hit the railing of a recently built major expressway, sending the bus tumbling 9m into the ditch. “The death toll has risen to 19. At least 12 people were critically injured. They have been sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in the capital,” said police chief Masud Alam after the crash in the southern district of Shibchar. The Bangladeshi passengers’ welfare association said a record 9 951 people were killed in road accidents in Bangladesh last year. | AFP…

Kaizer Chiefs’ three-pronged attack of Ashley du Preez, Keagan Dolly and Congolese striker Christian Saile Basomboli strengthened their team’s winning claims as Maritzburg United’s gallant fightback to came to no avail at a packed Harry Gwala Stadium on Saturday. Dolly and Saile made a huge impact at the start, and each managed a goal in the opening 10 minutes for an early 2-0 lead. Against all expectations, Maritzburg drew level before halftime. However, Dolly and Du Preez’s runs down the flanks caused problems all evening for Maritzburg’s fullbacks. Late in the match, Du Preez wormed his way into the opposition’s penalty area after some deft footwork and was brought down. From the resultant penalty, midfielder Yusuf Maart scored the eventual match-winner. Du Preez was the provider for Dolly’s goal, but…

THE South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) says it will be engaging with the SAPS following a complaint from the DA about the decision by the provincial police to record complainants’ statements in English only. SAHRC commissioner Andre Gaum said: “I can confirm that the commission received the complaint and will send an allegation letter to South African Police Service this coming week.” The DA’s police spokesperson, Okkie Terblanche, said that the party would fight the “latest attack” on the language. “The SAHRC has now confirmed that they received our complaint and that they will be launching an investigation. We will fight this latest attack with the same vigour as we have fought previous battles. To force a victim of a crime to give a statement in a language that…

lavender hill resident Nazrudeen Adams dreamt of being a gang leader. But his aspirations were cut short when his friend was stabbed to death- a tragedy that ignited a deep connection and love for animals. The 26-year-old is now the founder of Youth Pet Care, a non-profit that tends to animals in need and treats cats and dogs on the Cape Flats for ticks and fleas. “I have always wanted to be a gang leader. Growing up, I always watched how the gang leaders lived and I used to be inspired by that. So around 2013, I started my own small gang called the Rude Oka Boys and we used to cause trouble and fight with other gangs with knives, stones and stuff. Being part of a gang felt cool…

POLITICAL parties garner the support of the electorate to serve in government either as the ruling party or within the opposition, all making the same promise that they are there to “strive for a better life for all”. Responsible leaders, in the process of rebuilding a country with a fractured past will maintain social cohesion as the underlying theme in all areas of economic, social and political progress, to ensure that nation building triumphs in every sphere, that unity, harmony and love are the key principles in our prosperity or difficulty. The example was set by the late President Nelson Mandela and leaders like the late Walter Sisulu, whose success lied in their humility, compassion, pragmatism, humanity and service above self. Any political party, association, grouping, and the like that…

Despite a spoliation order to have basic services reconnected at their farm residence, a Hopefield family says they continue to live in the dark while the farmowner continues to make their lives unbearable with alleged harassment and intimidation. The Western Cape High Court had ordered farm owner Francois Turner to reconnect basic services of electricity and water - of which he had been suspected of disrupting himself to make the living situation of couple Christine Ntintelo and Victor Macingwane uncomfortable so that they would leave the farm. Turner’s appeal against the spoliation order was unsuccessful and he was further ordered to have the services reconnected within five days after the order was handed down on March 8. Ntintelo told the Cape Times that their services had still not been reconnected.…

GRADE 5 pupil, Andrea Lewaks, has set her sights on becoming a grandmaster after recently achieving top spot at the West Coast Schools Prestige Chess Championship. The West Coast Primary Schools Chess Championships took place in Van Rhynsdorp on Saturday where Andrea won the under-11 girls’ championship. Andrea, from Vredendal and who has played the sport since the tender age of five, walked away with the title and will now move on to represent her grade in the Western Cape Schools Championship to take place in the Eden District in May later this year. Andrea said the win was important because chess is one of the sports she has played competitively since she was very young. The grandmaster hopeful said she was proud of herself for the achievement and will…

Reinvigorating the struggle for self-determination in Africa’s last colony As we celebrate Human Rights day tomorrow, it is an opportunity to express our solidarity with the people of Western Sahara who continue their struggle for self-determination and liberation from illegal occupation. Western Sahara has become known as the last remaining colony in Africa, and the world can no longer turn a blind eye to the suffering of its people. Despite several UN resolutions calling for a referendum on self-determination, Western Sahara has continued to be illegally occupied by Morocco since 1975. The UN-sponsored process of negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front – the movement that seeks self-determination for Western Sahara – remains stalled. A ceasefire deal in 1991 between Morocco and the Polisario Front was meant to lead to…

President Emanuel Macron faces a critical moment today when the National Assembly is due to vote on no-confidence motions filed after his government bypassed parliament on Thursday to push through an unpopular rise in the state pension age. The move, which followed weeks of protests against the pension overhaul, triggered three nights of unrest and demonstrations in Paris and throughout the country, reminiscent of the Yellow Vest protests that erupted in late 2018 over high fuel prices. Today’s votes may put on display anger at Macron’s government, but they are unlikely to bring it down. Opposition MPs filed two motions of no-confidence in parliament on Friday. Centrist group Liot proposed a multiparty no-confidence motion, co-signed by the far-left Nupes alliance. France’s far-right National Rally party, which has 88 National Assembly…

Mexico City: Mexico’s popular president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador rallied more than 100 000 supporters on Saturday in Mexico City, attacking the country’s right, its “oligarchs” and the US. The rally marked the 85th anniversary of the nationalisation of the oil industry. Denouncing US Republican lawmakers’ push to send the US military to battle Mexican drug cartels, he said: “Co-operation yes, submission, no! Mexico is not a colony of the US.” He also accused the opposition conservative PAN party of being born out of “criticising the nationalisation of the oil industry”. | AFP…

Kuwait City: Kuwait’s constitutional court yesterday nullified last year’s legislative elections and ruled in favour of reinstating the previous parliament, state media said, as a political crisis roils the oil-rich Gulf state. The September polls gave opposition members a parliamentary majority. The vote marked a victory for opposition figures, many of whom had stayed out of elections in the past decade. This was over what they saw as alleged meddling by the executive authorities over parliament. “The Kuwaiti Constitutional Court issued a verdit yesterday annulling the results of the 2022 National Assembly elections,” the official KUNA news agency said. | AFP…

Qatar’s former finance minister Ali Sherif al-Emadi will face a criminal trial following his 2021 arrest over embezzlement allegations. Emadi and an unspecified number of others face charges of bribery, abuse of position and power, damage to public funds and money laundering, Qatar News Agency reported. Emadi was arrested in May 2021, stripped of his ministerial duties and removed from the boards of the Qatar Investment Agency and Qatar National Bank. He was finance minister from 2013 until his arrest and sat on the board of its $300 billion sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority that owns 50% of Qatar National Bank. | Reuters…