Table of contents for 2024-01-16 in Cape Times

McDONALD’S plans to launch 10 000 new restaurants by 2027, equating to an opening approximately every four-and-a-half hours. More than 7 000 of these establishments will be situated in expanding markets such as China, India, Japan and Brazil. If McDonald’s fast food chain is to open 10 000 new restaurants globally by 2027, it will be its fastest-ever period of growth. South Africa alone has more than 200 stores spread across the country. McDonald’s has remained largely unaffected by unstable consumer spending, thanks to affordable menu items and aggressive marketing campaigns. Last month, McDonald’s Corporation announced its ambitious new growth targets to advance its Accelerating the Arches strategy. McDonald’s President and CEO, Chris Kempczinski, said: “As I’ve said before, there has never been a better time to…

Bafana Bafana have to pull out all the stops in Ivory Coast if they are to emulate the Class of 1996 and win the Africa Cup of Nations. For decades, South Africa has largely referred to itself as a footballing nation. However, such is its minimal success that the last time the country came together to celebrate a footballing achievement was at the 1996 Afcon. A lot has happened since then – now 27 years ago – with coaches and players trying their shot at redemption with no success. But the current crop have ample reason to believe that they can rewrite their history. Bafana are coached by Hugo Broos, who won Afcon with Cameroon in 2017. The 71-year-old Belgian’s stint has been controversial at times, dividing South Africa…

Sekunjalo Investment Holdings (Sekunjalo) has given notice that it intends suing President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Presidency and other State organs for R75 billion for loss of earnings. In a statement Sekunjalo said the notice in terms of section 3(1) and (2) of the Institution of Legal Proceedings Against Certain Organs of State Act No 40 of 2002, reflected its intention to sue and claim damages amounting to $4 Billion (R75 billion), the calculated loss of earnings the group has suffered due to actions against it by various South African organs of state, including the Presidency. In terms of the act, the affected parties have six months to mount a defence or conclude a settlement. Sekunjalo said it had delivered notices to Ramaphosa, the National Treasury, the Minister of Finance, and…

WITH only a few days left for the official South African school calendar to start, the matter of the pricing of school uniforms has again become a hot topic, with stakeholders asking why it has been allowed to drag on for so long. Parents, who are forced to buy uniforms from selected suppliers appointed by schools, have been joined by political parties, individuals, and others in calling on the Competition Commission and the government to step in and regulate what has been an issue for years now. Every year at the start of the academic year, the issue around the exorbitant cost of uniforms comes up. Many schools, both public and private, inform parents of preferred suppliers from where they should buy school uniform or direct them to buy only…

ON THE first day of the National State of Emergency, on March 27, 2020, with the most stringent lockdown measures in effect, an exchange took place on a WhatsApp group of residents in a complex which resulted in legal action after one called the other “a racist”. A resident was ratting on two fellow residents who did not adhere to the harsh lockdown rules in 2020 by taking a walk around the complex in a bid to exercise. A somewhat heated exchange followed on the social media group of Ambiance Estate in Fourways, Johannesburg north. Subsequently, the resident labelled a racist instituted a R500 000 defamation claim against the other in the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg. Hellen Phaleng-Podile, a board member of the trustees of the complex at the…

ABANDONED railway lines in rural areas are having a negative impact on roads as people have now moved to transporting goods via trucks. This was according to trade union federation Cosatu after a parliamentary response by Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan showed a total of 3 636km of freight railway track were no longer in use from April 1994 until the end of November 2023. The minister also noted that Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) had lost 4 633km of copper cable through theft from the 2019/20 financial year to October 2023. Cosatu parliamentary co-ordinator Matthew Parks said the “crisis” at Transnet was among key challenges that needed to be solved to grow the economy. “The government has done well to impose the temporary ban on the export…

The failure of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education to provide study materials for impoverished learners in the province is an egregious dereliction of duty that will perpetuate the cycle of inequality in our education system. As the backbone of our nation’s future, education should be a beacon of hope and opportunity for all, regardless of socio-economic status. However, the department’s incompetence is depriving underprivileged children of the chance to better themselves, further entrenching the disparity that plagues our education sector. It is indisputable that children from impoverished backgrounds already face monumental challenges in accessing quality education. Lack of study materials only exacerbates their plight, denying them tools to excel academically. A disadvantage that inhibits their ability to reach their full potential. This is not just an oversight; it is a…

Hundreds of thousands of people on France’s Indian Ocean island of Reunion hunkered down in their homes under a strict lockdown yesterday as a devastating storm that has already left one dead ripped along its north coast. Cyclone Belal hit Reunion, one of France’s overseas territories that span the globe from the Caribbean to the Pacific, moving in from the northwest packing “extreme winds”, according to France’s national weather service, Meteo-France. “The eye of the storm is passing along the northern and northeastern coast this afternoon,” it said in its latest public bulletin. Belal was not, however, expected to become an intense tropical cyclone, or cause devastation further inland, contrary to earlier fears. “We’re by no means done with this storm, but it’s not reaching cataclysmic levels,” said prefect Jerome…

Ghazi Hamad, a top Hamas leader considered to be one of the masterminds of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, has fled Lebanon where he had been hiding in fear of a possible assassination attempt. Highly-placed sources in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said Hamad has left for Qatar. Many other senior Hamas leaders fled Lebanon and have taken asylum in Türkiye, Syria, Iran and Qatar. The development comes weeks after the Israeli assassination of Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in Lebanon on January 2. Al-Arouri and six other Hamas members were killed in an Israeli drone attack on an office of the Hamas in southern Beirut. Qatar, one of the main mediators between Israel and Hamas for hostage release, has already told Israel not to undertake any killing in…

Yangon: An armed ethnic minority group in Myanmar has said it captured a town and several junta outposts near the border with Bangladesh and India, in the latest setback for the embattled military. Clashes have rocked Myanmar’s western Rakhine and Chin states since the Arakan Army (AA) attacked security forces in November, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since the junta’s 2021 coup. The AA is one of a dozen armed ethnic minority groups in Myanmar’s border regions, many of whom have battled the military since independence from Britain in 1948 over autonomy and control of lucrative resources. | AFP…

HARARE: Amid forecasts of an El Niño-induced drought, the Zimbabwean government has advised farmers to stop planting crops for the summer rainfall season, warning that the country is likely to experience a short and sharp farming season. According to the country’s Meteorological Services Department, Zimbabwe is likely to experience normal to below-normal rainfall in the 2023-24 agricultural season due to the El Niño phenomenon that may also affect southern Africa. Zimbabwe’s main rainfall season normally runs from October to March, but due to the El Niño phenomenon, rains were delayed by about five weeks. | Xinhua…

Coach Hugo Broos has outlined the importance of defeating the highly fancied Mali in today’s opening Africa Cup of Nations Group E tie in Korhogo, Ivory Coast (kick-off 10pm). “We are aware that we have a tough opponent in Mali tonight,” said the 71-year-old Belgium mentor who will be the oldest coach at the 2023 Afcon. “I hope we will be at our best level so that we can achieve a win because it is very important at this level that we start with a win.” In an address at the pre-match presser, Broos said that on the eve of the match, everyone was happy with the way the preparations had gone. “One day before the game the players are looking forward to the game,” said Broos. “On the other…

MPHO Molopyane has taken the reins as chief economist at Alexforbes, a company that is valued at R8.7 billion. The appointment became effective on December 1. Alexforbes said yesterday that Molo- pyane would be responsible for formulating the macroeconomic strategy for the business, identifying significant economic opportunities to positively influence the business, benefit their clients, and enhance their investment processes. Molopyane would also play a pivotal role in executing strategic objectives that align with the group’s vision and intent to impact, the investment group said in a statement. Unpacking Molopyane’s career, Alexforbes said she brought with her a wealth of experience and expertise acquired through her extensive career in both the finance and public sectors. “She joins Alexforbes from Absa, where she held the position of senior economist, overseeing…

Education is crucial to give every child the necessary tools to succeed in life. People have an inherent need to learn. However, everyone is unique and they don’t learn in the same way (Grosser & De Waal, 2006). In recent years, the challenge of overcrowding in public schools has reached alarming levels, leaving many schools and provinces struggling and often unable to accommodate the influx of Grade 8 student applications. Parents are consumed by the stress of finding a school for their children, as public schools struggle with severe overcrowding. The issue has left many Grade 8 students in limbo, awaiting placement in educational institutions that are bursting at the seams. Steve Mabona, spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Education, highlighted the department's current ordeal in a recent interview. “We've…

More than 317 000 two-way international passengers travelled through Cape Town International Airport’s international terminal in December, the highest monthly total ever recorded in the history of the airport. The latest figures top the previous high of 290 000 passengers processed in January 2020, according to Cape Town Air Access and Wesgro. It is also estimated that foreign passengers arriving at the international terminal over the December period injected almost R1.9 billion in direct tourism spend into the Western Cape economy. Cape Town International Airport Cluster regional general manager Mark Maclean said: “We are very pleased with the passenger growth because of the positive impact on tourism and trade, the economy and job creation. “I thank all passengers and visitors for their co-operation and support when visiting the airport. We…

Despite a self-imposed January 15 deadline, the scheme was still ‘concluding’ the process The embattled National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) was still “concluding” the process of clearing the 20 000 outstanding 2023 allowance disbursements yesterday despite its self-imposed deadline of January 15. “NSFAS will issue an update tomorrow (today) as we are concluding the process,” NSFAS spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi said. NSFAS committed last month that by January 15 all of the students it failed to pay allowances would have received payment to ensure that the 2023 bursary allowances do not affect students returning for the 2024 academic year. These allowances, according to the entity, were not concluded due to changes in registration data which required further input and consultation with institutions. The delays in allowances saw thousands of students…

Across South Africa, matric learners and their parents or guardians will be anxiously waiting for final exam results, scheduled to be released this week. The uncertainty and waiting make it an uneasy time for all but it is essential for learners to know that they are not alone in how they feel and there is very little benefit in overthinking the situation, as nothing can now be done to change the outcome of the results. It is equally important to take a moment to acknowledge 13 years of education and to be proud of what has been achieved, no matter the outcome. To the learners who do not get the results that they had hoped for, now is not the time to panic. Once you have confirmed your official result,…

A WEANING calf who had escaped from his enclosure and was killed by a car on a tar road cost its owner dearly as the motorist, who was injured in the accident, has succeeded in his damages claim against the farmer. Around midnight on October 12, 2018, Luther King Armstrong Ralikonyana was driving his Opel Corsa when he collided with the calf that had strayed onto the road. The incident occurred on the N8 road between Bloemfontein and Petrusburg, about 45km from Bloemfontein. Ralikonyana, 56, suffered injuries as a result. He turned to the Bloemfontein High Court to claim damages from the owner of the calf, Louis de Villiers. Ralikonyana argued that the calf was the property of, and under the control of, De Villiers. De Villiers thus had a…

The abalone poaching trade took a knock in two separate operations at the weekend. In one of the incidents, a suspect was arrested in the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) following a high-speed chase. SA National Parks spokesperson Lauren Clayton said TMNP and Sea, Air and Mountain (SEAM) special operations rangers successfully intercepted the suspect’s vehicle during a counter-poaching operation. “The SEAM team pursued a vehicle of suspected abalone poachers in a high-speed car chase, which ended with the suspects crashing their vehicle. Four suspects emerged and ran away in different directions. SEAM pursued one suspect on foot, while other members secured the vehicle. “The highly skilled K9 Hailey apprehended the suspect, who was subsequently arrested. Three of the suspects escaped.” On inspection of the vehicle, it was discovered to…

POLITICIANS can engage in politics but they must also learn to condemn what is wrong, especially fundamental issues like tribalism and racism. Instead of doing that, they become opportunistic and protective by explaining or justifying them to get the support of the perpetrators. It is worse to be supporting not just a controversial person but a person who is a danger to society. Yet such people are expecting to be elected president of a country one day. Testifying before the SA Human Rights Commission about the July 2021 unrest, President Cyril Ramaphosa said tribalism utterances were made against him: “iVenda alime kancane thina bantu bangempela sisalungisa izindaba zethu (The Venda must wait a bit while we, real people, fix our issues)” and “Thina angeke sibuswe nge Venda (We won’t…

The front-runner party for Pakistan’s delayed elections began campaigning yesterday, after a weekend court decision effectively sealed the opposition party of ex-prime minister Imran Khan out of the race. Pakistan’s vote next month has been marred by claims of pre-poll rigging, analysts saying the army establishment is orchestrating Khan’s exclusion while backing three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Yesterday, Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party kicked off campaigning in the eastern city of Okara, where thousands of supporters thronged for speeches by senior leaders. “Those who love this country can’t vote for anyone else but Nawaz Sharif,” said his daughter, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, a vice-president of the PML-N party. Meanwhile Khan – the nation’s most popular politician – is languishing in jail and barred from standing as a result of cases…

New York: Hours before the Iowa caucuses kick-start the Republican presidential nomination process, Indian-American presidential aspirant Nikki Haley has said she is not keen on playing second fiddle to former boss Donald Trump. Pushing across Iowa and hoping for a strong finish in the state, the lone woman in the 2024 presidential race remains confident about her election as the next US president. “I’m not interested in being vice-president. I’m running to be president,” Haley said. While Trump still leads the Republican pack, it is Haley who right now holds a bigger lead over US President Joe Biden than either Trump or Florida governor Ron DeSantis in potential head-to-head match-ups, according to a poll. | IANS…

Ouagadougou: Burkina Faso’s former chief of staff of the gendarmerie (police force) who was sacked in October has been abducted from his home by unidentified “armed individuals”, sources close to him said yesterday. Lieutenant-Colonel Evrard Somda was taken on Sunday from his home in the capital, Ouagadougou, a source said. Somda was sacked a week after four police officers were detained on suspicion of involvement in a “plot against state security” which the ruling military regime said they had foiled. A respected officer, Somda had been in the post since February 2022 but saw his position weakened by the arrest of the four officers. | AFP…

Cricket South Africa announced a 15-player squad for the white-ball leg of the Proteas Women’s multi-format tour to Australia yesterday. A quick glance at the squad will reveal one notable omission, that of top-order batter Lara Goodall. The 27-year-old has been dropped from the team after a poor run of form during the tour to Pakistan at the beginning of the season, and here in South Africa when New Zealand and Bangladesh visited. She returned an average of 13 in nine innings in the green and gold. Tumi Sekhukhune and Annerie Dercksen will also miss the white-ball leg of the tour. As a set of senior players exit, a set of youngsters will break into the team. Nineteen-year-old fast bowler Ayanda Hlubi, having debuted in Kimberley during the T20 series…

Everton and Nottingham Forest were referred to an independent commission by the Premier League yesterday after admitting to breaches of financial rules. The alleged breaches of the league’s profitability and sustainability rules relate to the 2022/23 season and leave both clubs facing the threat of a points deduction. With Everton and Forest currently embroiled in a relegation battle, that would plunge their top-flight status into severe doubt. Everton have already been deducted 10 points this season for exceeding the allowable loss thresholds at the end of the 2021/22 campaign. The Merseyside club are appealing against that sanction, which ranks as the biggest points sanction in Premier League history. “Everton FC and Nottingham Forest FC have each confirmed to the Premier League that they are in breach of the league’s profitability…

from page 1 such an action has been brought against any government in the country’s history and underscores the seriousness of the repercussions on Sekunjalo and its holdings. “The case has been thoroughly constructed over a period of more than 18 months, during which time, the Group has amassed hard evidence, including whistle-blowers’ reports, to support its claims.” Sekunjalo said the purpose of the legal action is to not only claim damages of $4 billion but to clear “the companies’ names – once and for all”. “It is also, especially important in this election year, to demonstrate to the people of South Africa, that their vote for government is accountable to the people, in which the current dispensation is sadly lacking.” The Sekunjalo Group has been in existence for more…

ALL nine EFF members hauled before the powers and privileges committee for charges related to allegedly disrupting the proceedings of the budget vote in June last year, have pleaded not guilty. This as the hearing into allegations of misconduct and contempt of Parliament continued before the committee yesterday. The accused EFF MPs include Natasha Ntlangwini, Anthony Matumba, Isaac Mafanya, Babalwa Mathulelwa, Paulnita Marais, Naledi Nokukhanya Chirwa, Sinawo Tambo, Yoliswa Nomampondomise Yako and Khosi Mkhonto. Each member was recognised and asked to plead. They were given three minutes to give a plea explanation but no one took up the offer, instead saying: “I do not wish to make an explanation now at this point. I do reserved my right to make it at a later stage.” The charges include “contraven(ing) Section…

WHILE irregularities associated with the previous cycle of exams are yet to be resolved, at least 945 candidates were involved in cheating incidents during the 2023 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams. In spite of the exam irregularities and printing errors in questions, the quality-assurance body, Umalusi gave the green light for the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to release the results on Thursday for public schools. According to Umalusi, the irregularities identified were not systemic and therefore did not compromise the overall credibility and integrity of the exams which 898 520 full-time and part-time candidates sat for. Umalusi CEO Mafu Rakometsi, joined by fellow senior colleagues, made the announcement during a media briefing yesterday. According to Rakometsi, cheating incidents were rife in KwaZulu-Natal which reported 763 cases, followed by 164…

2½ cups self-raising flour 1½ cups plain yoghurt ½ tin cream style sweetcorn 1 cup broccoli, finely chopped 1½ cups grated cheddar cheese 1 tin Lucky Star Light Meat Tuna Chunks, drained Serving suggestion: Chopped parsley Preheat the oven to 170°C, add a light layer of non-stick spray and muffin liners to a 12-hole muffin tin. Sieve the self-raising flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the yoghurt and cream style sweetcorn and stir lightly until just combined. Stir in the broccoli and 1 cup of grated cheese. Gently fold in the Lucky Star Light Meat Tuna Chunks. Spoon the mixture into the lined muffin tin. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. *Chef’s Tip: Use an ice cream scoop with a lever to evenly portion out the batter! Bake…

South Africa has 12 official languages – Afrikaans, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Tswana, English, Swati, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu, and South African Sign Language (SASL). Each requires their own culturally appropriate linguistic tools for assessing language development. “There are very few tools available in our languages, and those that are available, are for older children,” said Professor Heather Brookes of the Department of General Linguistics at Stellenbosch University (SU). The solution is not as easy as it may seem. “Translating English instruments to use in other languages is problematic, given the lexical and grammatical differences between languages,” Brookes said in SU’s latest research report. The lack of reliable assessment tools means that speech language therapists often do not have any objective, empirical measures of a child’s language ability. Early assessments of…

The Forum’s star has waned thanks to its inherent contradictions and moral ambivalence IT COULD not be more glaring and dichotomous! On the day a top-notch legal team representing the South African government was filing a case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague last Thursday to investigate Israel “for committing genocidal acts (against the Palestinian civilian population) in Gaza,” Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana was hosting “a Pre-World Economic Forum (WEF) Breakfast with Business Leaders”, in the salubrious surroundings of the Sandton Hilton Hotel “to collectively prepare” for that hubristic annual jamboree in the winter playground of the rich, powerful and famous in the Swiss enclave of Davos-Klosters, renowned as the ski resort of choice for royalty and the mega rich. At a time when South Africa,…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli officials during a visit in November last year that they were losing the moral high ground in their war with Hamas. As they began to shift their scorched-earth offensive from northern Gaza to the southern part of the enclave, he said, it was imperative that civilian deaths go down and humanitarian aid sharply increase. The Israelis listened, Blinken reported back to Washington. He and other senior officials visiting Tel Aviv at the time had pressed for a transition to a “low intensity” war by the end of December, replacing a hyperaggressive bombing and ground assault with strategic targeting of top Hamas officials. But six weeks later, the intensity of Israel’s offensive has not significantly abated. Drops in civilian casualties and any expansion…

The world’s wealthiest five men have more than doubled their fortune since 2020, the charity Oxfam said yesterday, as it called on nations to resist the ultra-rich’s influence over tax policy. A report from the charity, published as the global elite hobnob at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, said their wealth rose from $405 billion (about R7.5 trillion) in 2020 to $869 billion last year. Yet since 2020, nearly 5 billion people worldwide had grown poorer, Oxfam said. Billionaires are today $3.3 trillion richer than they were in 2020, despite many crises devastating the world’s economy since this decade began, including the Covid pandemic. Oxfam’s yearly report on inequality worldwide is traditionally released just before the forum opened yesterday in the Swiss Alpine resort.…

BOGOTA: The death toll from recent landslides in north-western Colombia rose to 36, according to an official tally, as rescuers continued to look for at least seven people. Earlier, officials had put the toll from Friday’s landslides, which hit a road linking the cities of Medellin and Quibdo, at 23 dead. Rescuers, using sniffer dogs and bulldozers, have been racing against the clock to find survivors. Videos shared on social media showed part of a mountain breaking loose and crashing down onto a line of cars, as screams broke out. The landslides in Colombia’s Choco department, which lies on the Pacific Ocean, followed more than 24 hours of intense rain. | AFP…

Sydney: A group of Indigenous Australians lost a courtroom battle yesterday to block a major gas pipeline which could soon resume construction. Fuel producer Santos – one of Australia’s largest energy companies – is planning to lay an underwater pipeline to pump gas. Tiwi Islands traditional owner Simon Munkara last year secured a temporary injunction halting the project, arguing Santos had not considered how it might damage cherished heritage areas. But Australia’s Federal Court yesterday ruled in favour of Santos, the company told the Australian stock exchange, clearing a hurdle for construction to resume. | AFP…

MI CAPE Town coach Robin Peterson is hoping his side can build on their winning momentum against Sunrisers Eastern Cape at Newlands today. It will be the first time this SA20 season that MI Cape Town will be running out at their home ground after two matches on the road. It’s been a mixed bag in terms of results with MICT falling short by 11 runs on the DLS method against Durban’s Super Giants at Kingsmead before bouncing back in style against the Joburg Super Kings with a resounding 98-run bonus-point win at the Wanderers. The Men in Blue have, however, rectified their batting woes of last season with totals in excess of 200 in both matches. In fact, in-form openers Ryan Rickelton and Rassie van der Dussen shattered the…