Inhoudsopgave van 2022-06-24 - Cape Times

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo said it was unfair that banks can simply give a client reasonable notice of termination before shutting down accounts. This was a recommendation in the final part of the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector. His recommendation follows the landmark ruling made by the Equality Court that granted Sekunjalo Group an urgent interdict, with costs, barring Nedbank from closing any of the companies’ accounts, protection to clients could soon be offered in the form of new laws. The commission recommended that existing laws need to be amended, or new laws should be enforced, allowing clients an opportunity to defend themselves, before a bank in South Africa can shut down a person’s account. The…

WESTERN Cape Judge President John Hlophe’s legal team said they were vindicated by the ruling of the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, which has granted him leave to appeal against his potential impeachment. Barnabus Xulu SC said they were confident the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) would come to a different ruling, but that they also intended taking the Minister of Justice to court for prejudicial treatment relating to costs not being awarded. “We are vindicated by this ruling. We believe, for reasons advanced in our application that the SCA will come to a different decision, which eventually will clear our client and give clarity to this long outstanding matter. The shocking thing is that our client legal team have been refused their fees, whereas the Concourt judges’ legal team…

TOURISM Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has boldly repeated her stance that the judiciary has become a tool for politicians and individuals with deep pockets. Not backing down on the oped that she penned back in January, Sisulu recently went on to say that while judges may have come from the working class, their consciousness had changed. The minister, who is also a member of the national executive of the governing ANC, was giving a keynote address at a Youth Day celebration event held at Unisa this week, where she was invited to explain her January article. “This piece elucidated divergent views and caused a political tsunami. Press conferences, articles and media appearances by professors, ex-judges, media personalities, politicians, ANC veterans, commentators and men and women of letters. Even the president of…

THE scrapping of Covid-19 curbs on gatherings and travelling may be just what the National Arts Festival in Makhanda needed as it prepares to welcome back visitors for the cultural feast following the disappointment of two years without its annual flagship event. With June 23 to July 3 set for the festival, the mood is one of excitement, but also anticipation, as the arts gathering enters a new chapter, in a new time. The festival has, in previous years, brought around R90 million into the Eastern Cape city. For some, it’s a festive celebration but for many, there is an opportunity for income generation, either directly with the festival or in surrounding businesses. “If enthusiasm is a yardstick, this is going to be a great festival, but on the ground…

No Less the Devil Stuart MacBride Loot.co.za (R229) Bantam It’s been seventeen months since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and Operation Maypole is still no nearer to catching him. The media is whipping up a storm, the top brass are demanding results, but the investigation is sinking fast. Now isn’t the time to get distracted with other cases, but Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh doesn't have much choice. When Benedict Strachan was just 11, he hunted down and killed a homeless man. No one’s ever worked out why Benedict did it, but now, after sixteen years, he's back on the streets again - battered, frightened, convinced a shadowy “They” are out to get him, and begging Lucy for help. It sounds like paranoia, but what if he's right? What…

The Price Of Mercy: A Fight For The Right To Die With Dignity Sean Davison Loot.co.za (R229) Melinda Ferguson Professor Sean Davison signed out his three-year house arrest sentence at the Western Cape High Court and spoke for the first time since his arrest on three counts of premeditated murder in September 2018. In September 2018, Professor Sean Davison’s peaceful life in the leafy suburbs of Pinelands, Cape Town is shattered. Arrested for the murder of Dr Anrich Burger, a once-fit athlete turned quadriplegic who begged Davison to assist him to end his life in 2015, the unassuming academic and father of three now finds himself locked up in a prison cell. Under investigation led by the Hawks, an additional two murders are added to the case for which he…

Many questions arise in relation to the cash stolen from his farm OUR rudderless President Cyril Ramaphosa has been exposed not only for his lack of leadership, but also for his gross misunderstanding of the country’s Constitution. We all know that he was a victim of alleged theft, but it is the origin of the vast amount of US dollars in his possession that has aroused suspicion of criminal wrongdoing. Additionally, Ramaphosa’s non-compliance with the Constitution and other anti-corruption laws has unleashed a chorus of condemnation and vociferous calls for him to be investigated for corruption. Ramaphosa’s failure to report the theft of large sums of money in foreign currency in accordance with the law arouses suspicion that the money he squirrelled away in furniture on his farm emanated from…

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended his controversial migrant deal with Rwanda on a visit to the country yesterday, telling critics to “keep an open mind”. On the first day of a trip to Kigali, which is hosting a Commonwealth summit this week, he also heaped praise on Rwandan President Paul Kagame and the achievements of the east African country, despite widespread concerns about its human rights record. The UK-Rwanda scheme, which involves Britain deporting asylum seekers to the country located thousands of miles away, has provoked a storm of outrage. “Rwanda has undergone an absolute transformation in the last couple of decades,” said the British leader. He held talks with Kagame about the deal and other issues, including the war in Ukraine, his office said. Rights groups, church leaders…

US Vice-President Kamala Harris met a group of seven Democratic attorneys-general yesterday, a White House official said, to discuss the defence to a major ruling that could dramatically curtail abortion rights in the country. The conservative-majority US Supreme Court was to issue a decision in coming days to overturn Roe v Wade, which guaranteed the right to an abortion, potentially paving the way to about half of the 50 US states banning or restricting the procedure. The White House meeting included attorneys-general of Wisconsin, Nevada, Illinois, California, Delaware, New York and Washington state. State attorneys-general have considerable influence over rules, and Democrat AGs have pledged to hold the line if Roe falls. They will form the first line of defence for the Biden administration to preserve abortion rights at the…

WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court yesterday struck down as unconstitutional New York state’s limits on carrying concealed handguns in public, handing a victory to gun rights advocates in a nation deeply divided over how to address firearm violence. The 6-3 ruling, with the court’s conservative justices in the majority and liberal justices in dissent, found that the state’s law, enacted in 1913, violated a person’s right to “keep and bear arms” under the US Constitution’s Second Amendment. The ruling could lead to many more people securing licences to carry concealed handguns in the state, and undermine similar restrictions in other states. | Reuters…

GAYAN: Aid began arriving yesterday in a remote part of Afghanistan where a magnitude 6.1 earthquake killed 1 000 people, with Taliban officials telling the UN that the rescue operation was almost complete. It was Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquake in two decades, according to US data. More than 3 000 houses were destroyed. Poor communications and a lack of proper roads were hampering relief efforts in a country grappling with a humanitarian crisis that has worsened since the Taliban took over last year. About 1 000 people had been rescued yesterday the health ministry said, adding that aid had arrived in the area but that more was needed. | Reuters…

UNTIL the last weekend of the Currie Cup pool stages it appeared that the Free State Cheetahs were the champions-elect and that the final would be in Bloemfontein but instead, it is their cousins from Kimberley that are hosting the final and it is the Pumas that will be their opponents tomorrow afternoon (3pm kickoff). The Cheetahs had led the standings from day one and only lost their unbeaten status late in the tournament, and even in the semi-final, they seemed to have the Pumas well beaten only for the men from Nelspruit to fashion a miraculous comeback. Likewise, Griquas shocked the Blue Bulls at Loftus after the team from Pretoria had long seemed destined to be finalists with the Cheetahs. The semi-finals were indeed a mad scramble and the…

ORLANDO Pirates is a name revered throughout the continent. The first South African club to capture the ‘star’ on top of their skull and crossbones badge. Also the first club to attain the tag of Double Treble Winners in the local game. The next club to attain both these titles in recent years is Mamelodi Sundowns, the current benchmark of the local game that has clubs like Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs scrambling this transfer window in efforts to mount any challenge for their crown next season. While the Buccaneers have made some movements in terms of exits and recruitments thus far, IOL Sport’s Smiso Msomi highlights five problem areas the club should address. Find Ncikazi Assistance First things first, the Sea Robbers must identify and pin down an individual befitting…

A SMALL group of actors, together with collaborators inside and outside of the state, were central in conspiring to redirect the country’s resources from the state for their own gain by showering politicians with gifts, home upgrades and even buying them luxury furniture. In his final report, made public on Wednesday night, state capture commission chair Justice Raymond Zondo painted a picture of how some of the country’s state-owned entities (SOE) were used to cement the ties between politicians and the private actors. His report also details how politicians received gratification to influence decision-making structures of the state. This, he said, happened at several SOEs and government departments where the Guptas and Bosasa were awarded contracts. Zondo said state capture was a manifestation of a conflict of interest. “Private…

FOR the first time since the Farmgate saga made global headlines, President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Namibian counterpart Hage Geingob are expected to share the same platform and preside over the signing of several bilateral agreements during the third session of the Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Windhoek. The meeting, to take place from June 28 to July 1, comes amid mounting pressure on both presidents to reveal details of the theft of about $4 million (more than R61m at the time) “concealed” in furniture at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in February 2020, by a gang of Namibian nationals, assisted by Ramaphosa’s domestic worker. The men, including the alleged mastermind, Imanuela David, allegedly fled to Namibia where they spent their loot buying properties including guest houses, among other things. Ramaphosa is…

Two convicted rapists and robbers have had their life imprisonment sentences shortened, and will now each serve 25 years behind bars instead. One of the factors Western Cape High Court Judge Anton van Zyl considered during Siyabulela Yose and Masithobe Mrwetyana’s sentence appeals was that the case dragged on for 13 years before they were sentenced. During that time, the pair had been incarcerated for nine years. According to the court trial record, which had to be reconstructed in part, Yose and Mrwetyana each faced a charge of robbery with aggravated circumstances, four charges of kidnapping and five charges of rape before the Khayelitsha Regional Court. Details relating to their crimes were that four men had accosted their victims when they were walking home. One of the men took out…

THE legal team representing Stellenbosch University student Babalo Ndwayana, whose belongings were urinated on by white fellow student Theuns du Toit, has said there were elements of bias in the disciplinary hearing over the incident. Ndwayana and his legal team walked out of the disciplinary hearing on Wednesday, citing lack of objectivity. His father, Mkhuseli Kaduka, said they believed the process was “flawed”. “I don’t think the outcome of this will be just. “As you might have heard, Babalo was denied (permission) to have his team of people there to support him and observe the process. “Meanwhile, Du Toit was supported by his father and an attorney. That is why Babalo walked out of the hearing,” he said. Stellenbosch University spokesperson Martin Viljoen said the Central Disciplinary Committee (CDC) was…

LOCAL horticulturist and conservationist have made a breakthrough in a first successful rooting of South Africa’s critically endangered Mutavhatsindi, also known as the yellow peeling plain tree, that is highly sought after for its medicinal bark and roots. Thanks to the SA National Biodiversity Instutute (Sanbi) and conservation horticulturist and tree expert Mpendulo Gabayi from Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, horticulturist Mpho Mathalauga from KwaZulu-Natal National Botanical Garden, and seed collector Ntsakisi Masia from Thohoyandou National Botanical Garden, these saplings of propagated trees will be used to establish ex situ collections and more propagation research trials at Cape Town’s Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, as well as Limpopo’s Thohoyandou National Botanical Garden. Their overall successful project contributes to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, making 20% of threatened plant species available for…

New History of South Africa Hermann Giliomee, Bernard Mbenga, and Bill Nasson Loot.co.za (R299) TAFELBERG For many (myself included), it is likely that the last time they read a book about the history of this country was at school. So, it was with much interest and curiosity that I approached a new book, New History of South Africa, a collaborative work under the editorship of Herman Giliomee, Bernard Mbenga and Bill Nasson and a diverse and weighty group of contributors. “We hope that this collective effort to present a coherent South African past and an intelligible present will help readers, wherever they may be, to come to grips with a complex, difficult, exasperating, bewildering and intriguing country.” This general history of South Africa begins with a chapter headed From the…

Three terrific books for your walk or drive – or for drowning out the sounds of kids home from school for the holidays. One Day I Shall Astonish the World Nina Stibbe Loot.co.za (R500) Audio time: 10 hours Best known for her novel Man at the Helm, Stibbe again shows her tart comic touch in this charmer of a story about an unreliable friendship. While working at a sewing shop in an English university town, Susan Warren meets Norma Pavlou, an ambitious young woman who sews her own clothes – badly. The two become precarious friends, with Norma forever seizing the main chance, often to Susan’s detriment. Still, Susan does herself no favours by dropping out of college when she gets pregnant and marries Roy, whose main interest is golf.…

AS THE 46th anniversary of June 16, 1976 was marked last week, blacks and whites in this country were crossing my mind as I tried to put a perspective on the meaning of this day. In my mind is a picture of where Hector Pietersen, had he lived, could be today. Featured in the frame of that picture is Seth Mazibuko who was marking his 15th birthday on the eve of the nation’s revolt against the system of black oppression. History proudly records that Mazibuko was one of the student leaders at the helm of the Soweto Students Representative Council (SSRC), one of the black consciousness organisations banned by apartheid era Justice Minister Jimmy Kruger on October 19, 1977. Not missing in the picture is Helen Zille. Born in 1951,…

When the Taliban seized power in August last year, the online marketplace Aseel quickly pivoted from selling handmade crafts to accepting donations of cryptocurrency to buy emergency aid for Afghans. The e-commerce platform is one of a growing number of charities using crypto to support those who cannot access traditional banking systems and who continue to rely on the digital coins, even though their value has slumped. “We cannot give cash payments because of the sanctions,” said Aseel’s technical lead Mohammad Nasir, referring to international sanctions targeting the Taliban. Aseel takes donations in crypto, as well as official currencies, which it converts into digital coins to buy supplies such as food and first aid. It is also raising funds for victims of this week’s earthquake in Afghanistan that killed about…

LONDON: A new portrait of Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate was released yesterday, the first official artwork to feature the couple destined to be king and queen. The painting, by artist Jamie Coreth, shows William, second in line to the throne behind his father Prince Charles, in a dark suit and Kate wearing a long, emerald dress. “I wanted the image to evoke a feeling of balance between their public and private lives,” Coreth said. William and Kate were able to view the portrait yesterday during a visit to Cambridge where it is on show to the public. It will also be briefly loaned to the National Portrait Gallery next year. | Reuters…

LONDON: Polio has been detected in sewage samples in the British capital, the first sign since the 1980s that the virus could be spreading in the country, but no cases have been found, authorities said. The risk of infection from the disease, which causes paralysis in children in under 1% of cases, was also low because of high vaccination rates, the UK Health Security Agency said. Polio is spread mainly through contamination by faecal matter. There is no cure, but vaccination brought the world close to ending the disease. The agency said the detections occurred when an individual vaccinated overseas with the live oral polio vaccine returned or travelled to the country. | Reuters…

LONDON: Two Nigerians have been charged with plotting to have a child brought into the UK in order to harvest the child’s organs, London police said yesterday. Police said they had been alerted to the alleged plan following reports made of possible offences under modern slavery legislation. Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, 55, and Ike Ekweremadu, 60, were both charged with conspiracy to arrange travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting. They appeared at Uxbridge Magistrate’s Court. A child has been safeguarded and work was under way to provide additional support, police said.…

THE country’s overstretched health-care system could be in for another disease outbreak after a monkeypox case was confirmed in a 30-year-old Joburg man with no recent travel history. The first case was made public yesterday at the time the government scrapped the remaining Covid-19 curbs, including the wearing of masks, restricted gatherings and international travel. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed that contact tracing had started to identify any additional linked cases of monkeypox in South Africa. NICD spokesperson Sinenhlanhla Jimoh said: “Monkeypox is a rare viral infection in humans. “Since May 2022, monkeypox has been reported in more than 3 000 individuals from several European countries, the US, Canada, Australia, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. “This is the first multi-country outbreak of monkeypox and is…

THE SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) has weighed in on the controversial River Club development, saying developers, the Liesbeek Leisure Property Trust (LLPT), must not “lay the blame of its failures” at the feet of the Khoi, San, environmental and civic activists who opposed the project. This after they say some 750 construction workers had their short-term contracts suspended when the Western Cape High Court halted the development. Western Cape High Deputy Judge President Patricia Goliath interdicted construction on the site pending review proceedings, saying the fact the development had economic benefits could never override the fundamental rights of the First Nations People – which was under threat if the development was allowed to proceed. Earlier this month, the LLPT filed an urgent application for leave to appeal in…

STILL mourning the killing of his close friend who was shot dead allegedly by a 22-year-old Law Enforcement officer, Christopher Caesar believes that the City’s failure to suspend the officer was further proof that the lives of homeless people were undervalued. Instead, the City changed officer Luvolwethu Kati’s tasks while charged with murder of Dumisani Joxo, a homeless man in Rondebosch. Joxo, 48, was shot dead in January while trying to intervene in a scuffle between another friend and Kati, in Rondebosch. Joxo’s friend allegedly refused to extinguish a small cooking fire when ordered to do so by the Law Enforcement officials, which resulted in the tussle. Kati is out on R1 000 bail and is expected to appear in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on July 29 after his case…

The Island Adrian McKinty Loot.co.za (R220) Orion It was just supposed to be a family holiday. A terrible accident changed everything. You don’t know what you’re capable of until they come for your family. After moving from a small country town to Seattle, Heather Baxter marries Tom, a widowed doctor with a young son and teenage daughter. A working trip overseas seems like the perfect way to bring the new family together, but once they’re deep in the Australian outback, the jet-lagged and exhausted kids are so over their new mom. When they discover a remote Dutch Island, off-limits to outside visitors, the family talk their way on to the ferry. But as soon as they set foot on the island, which is run by a tightly knit clan of…

Fast Pitch Nic Stone Ages 8 to 12 Twelve-year-old Shenice Lockwood comes from a long line of talented baseball players. Nicknamed “Lightning,” she is carrying on the tradition with her softball skills. Shenice is the catcher and captain of the Fulton Firebirds, the first all-Black team in the predominantly white Dixie Youth Softball Association. She’s determined to lead her teammates through tournament season, maybe even to the league championship. Part of her wants to do this for her dad, who walks with a cane because he badly hurt his knee while stealing home during a college baseball game. The narrator of “Fast Pitch,” Shenice is funny and honest about how she feels about herself and those around her. She thinks Drake, her younger brother, is annoying. She tells how her…

EU leaders met yesterday to discuss Ukraine’s long-sought bid to join the bloc, even as tensions between Brussels and Moscow deepened over gas supplies and Russia closed in on key cities in the embattled Donbas region. “This is a decisive moment for the European Union. A choice must be made today that will determine the future of the union, our stability, our security and our prosperity,” EU council president Charles Michel said. “We are waiting for the green light, Ukraine has earned candidate status,” the head of the Ukrainian presidency Andriy Yermak said. But joining the EU is still years away, and the potential consequences for Ukraine’s allies loomed large over the talks, and ahead of the G7 and Nato meetings in the following days. Western officials denounced Moscow’s “weaponising”…

Sri Lanka’s parliament has cancelled its remaining sittings for the week to save fuel, officials said yesterday, with a disastrous economic crisis rapidly depleting the island nation’s already scarce petrol supplies. A foreign currency shortage has prevented the import of food, oil and medicines, while runaway inflation and regular blackouts have made life miserable for Sri Lanka’s 22 million population. The energy ministry said a gasoline shipment that was due had been delayed. Motorists were already waiting in line for days to top up their tanks. Neighbouring India, which has offered several credit lines for Sri Lanka to import essentials, sent a team of experts yesterday to assess the island’s deteriorating economic situation. The Indian High Commission in Colombo said New Delhi had already extended $3.5 billion worth of assistance…

NEW YORK: Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and actress Jerry Hall are getting a divorce, the New York Times reported this week, citing two people familiar with the matter. Murdoch got married to Hall, 65, in a low-key ceremony in central London in March 2016. The Fox Corp chairperson and his former supermodel wife were frequent fodder for the tabloids, which chronicled their marriage at Spencer House and the festivities surrounding the elder Murdoch’s 90th birthday celebration last year in New York. Murdoch’s divorce, his fourth, is unlikely to alter the ownership structure of businesses he holds stakes in, which include Fox Corp, the parent company of Fox News Channel, and News Corp, publisher of the Wall Street Journal. Murdoch, 91, controls News Corp and Fox Corp through a family…

KANO: A Nigerian court yesterday reserved judgment on a challenge against sharia law in the mostly Muslim northern state of Kano in a case that will test the authority of Islamic religious law in the country. Nigeria’s constitution is neutral on religion. The country is divided between the largely Christian south and mostly Muslim north. Kano is one of the foremost states that enforces sharia law. In 2020, a 22-year-old singer, Yahaya Aminu Sharif, was sentenced to death by Kano Sharia Court over accusations of blasphemy. The secular branch of the state’s high court ordered a retrial for Sharif. Three judges said a ruling would come before October. | Reuters…