Table of contents for 2024-07-15 in Cape Times

IN A COUNTRY already on edge, the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump has enraged his supporters, paused the Democratic campaign and raised fears of further political violence in the run-up to November's election. The incident has also put the US Secret Service under intense scrutiny for failing to prevent the attempted killing. Trump's Republican allies painted him as a hero in the aftermath, seizing on the image of him with his ear bloodied and fist raised, appearing to mouth the words "Fight! Fight! Fight!". Whereas Trump has regularly used violent language with his followers, advisers and allies of the former president flipped the script on his Democratic opponent President Joe Biden, saying it was the demonisation of the Republican presidential candidate that led to the assassination attempt. "Today…

WHILE the Holocaust which cost the lives of 6 million Jews at the hands of Nazi Germany is common knowledge, how many people know about the Holodomor which was Russia’s genocide against the Ukrainian people in 1932 under Joseph Stalin? Stalin’s deliberate destruction of Ukraine’s grain industry and the subsequent starvation and death of more than 5 million Ukrainians is a little known historical fact. Ninety years later Vladimir Putin has picked up the baton and is following in Stalin’s footsteps by once again attempting to punish Ukraine for leaving the Soviet bloc and making a success as a free independent democratic state recognised by the UN. Ukrainian grain production was among the highest in the world until Putin's unwarranted and illegal invasion. History will show that Vladimir Putin is…

I REFER to your July 9 article: “Municipal debt could collapse Eskom – Minister”. The heading and even the statement by the minister is absolutely tragic and could sow enormous panic in the business community. With the advent of the GNU and the positivity running through the business community, one hopes and prays that nothing of the sort will indeed happen. Eskom, like it or otherwise, is the lifeblood of business in South Africa. Without energy for long periods of time, our entire economy will collapse. The ongoing load shedding over the past five years very much contributed to the massive unemployment in South Africa. Every few months we have all experienced massive retrenchments across the country. We have been fortunate, or maybe not, that we haven’t had load…

THE UK Labour Party’s landslide victory over the Conservatives has ended many years of Tory abuse. However, the election win was not only for the Labour Party. Voters from all walks of life sent a strong message to Labour by also electing many independent candidates. A substantial number of British voters voted for independent candidates, most likely due to the genocide in Gaza, as evidenced from the number of pro-Palestine candidates to win seats. This voting pattern shows the desire for political transformation and change and a substitute to the war-mongering parliamentarians like the former prime minister Tony Blair, who together with the former president of the US George Bush, fully participated in the illegal invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. Labour’s decisive victory does not mean it will be smooth…

AN 82-year-old Kraaifontein woman has detailed the trauma of taking her grandson under her wing only to be assaulted and left fearing for her life. Sindiwe Ngqaza, grandmother of Luvo Ngqaza, was temporarily discharged from Karl Bremmer hospital on Friday as she took the witness stand to testify in the Kuils River Magistrate’s Court asking that bail be denied. Luvo was arrested on July 3 for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and contravention of the Older Persons Act. This came after a cellphone recording of the assault trended on social media and caused public uproar. Police later revealed that the incident happened in June and the grandmother had initially refused to open a case. National Prosecution Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said Sindiwe Ngqaza testified that her…

MINISTER in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni’s justification that the bloated Cabinet of the Government of National Unity (GNU) should be blamed on the electorate is nothing short of insulting South Africans whose tax will fund the lavish lifestyle of this increased Cabinet. “The size of the national executive is a result of our electoral outcome, with the need to be inclusive. In addition, the constitution of the national executive had to be cognisant of other national interests such as demographics, geographic spread, youth and gender representation,” Ntshavheni stated. It’s an excuse that attempts to shield his boss President Cyril Ramaphosa from being asked questions about his failure to live up to his promise of reducing the size of the executive in line with the prevailing fiscus challenges. Just as…

Britain’s Keir Starmer could hardly have asked for a better first week as prime minister, from hobnobbing with fellow world leaders to England’s run to the final of the European football championships. But a rebellion brewing within his ruling Labour Party over child welfare payments and a prisons overcrowding crisis forcing the early release of offenders means the honeymoon is unlikely to last. Starmer hit the ground running on entering Downing Street on Friday as Labour returned to power after 14 years following a landslide general election victory over Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives. In his first few days, he made bold ministerial appointments, held a press conference at his official residence and delivered his first speech in parliament as premier. Starmer then jetted off to Washington for a fortuitously timed Nato…

Seoul: The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un slammed South Korean “scum” yesterday for launching anti-regime propaganda leaflets across the border via balloon, warning they would pay “a very high price”. The Korean peninsula has seen tit-for-tat balloon campaigns recently, with Pyongyang floating trash-filled balloons southward in protest at ones carrying propaganda leaflets sent northward by South Korean activists. Kim Yo Jong said North Korean military personnel were investigating the matter. Pyongyang has sent more than 1 000 balloons carrying rubbish southward in retaliation for balloons carrying propaganda against Kim Jong Un. | AFP…

MOSCOW: The southern Russian city of Novorossiisk on the Black Sea declared a state of emergency yesterday as forest fires spread across an area of 22ha, its mayor said. Intense heat, strong winds and dry thunderstorms have caused forest fires across Russia in recent weeks, from the remote Siberian region of Tuva to the Republic of Sakha, also known as Yakutia, in the Far East. Firefighters battled blazes and vast expanses of scorched earth and trees.Buses had been prepared to evacuate around 200 people from risk areas and helicopters were extinguishing the blazes. Fires have spread across the region where many Russians holiday in the summer. | Reuters…

The best Springbok on show at the Shark Tank at the weekend, Ox Nche, has put into words the feelings of most Bok supporters after Ireland prevailed 25-24 to square the series 1-1. Nche was the Player of the Match and if his teammates had collectively scaled his level of performance, it would not be a blue Monday for South Africans. Nche said the Boks kicked too much. “I think we should have backed ourselves more with the ball instead of kicking a lot of possession away. I think that’s where we lost it,” the roly-poly prop said. “It is disappointing. “The boys gave it their all, but a few small things cost us the game. We still have a long way to go and plenty to work on. “We…

TEST captain Temba Bavuma will be alongside Wiaan Mulder, Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, Lungi Ngidi, Kyle Verreynne, Dane Paterson and Tristan Stubbs at Kingsmead Stadium in Durban this week as the first day of the pre-Caribbean tour camp gets under way. While seven other squad members are in the US competing in the Major League Cricket tournament, Bavuma and Co will be getting together for the first time since the New Year’s Test at Newlands. Coming on the back of a lot of white-ball cricket recently, the objectives of the camp will be for the players to polish their red-ball skills, and remind themselves of the team’s philosophy. Despite the Proteas’ 2-0 Test series victory during their last visit to the Caribbean three years ago and the West Indies’…

Key to growing the economy is for South Africa to tackle our stubborn levels of inequality and poverty. The most effective way is to create decent jobs and pay workers a living wage. While many condemned the slave wages the apartheid regime paid black workers, these same voices fall silent when these patterns continue in the democratic dispensation by the private sector. Today we are told by the private sector and some political parties that employers cannot afford to pay a living wage, that we must benchmark what we pay workers with far poorer countries in Asia and Africa. Yet this same economic logic mysteriously disappears when it comes to the exorbitant pay packages of executives, where CEOs of mining companies can make R300 million a year, but quibble with…

Amapiano star Uncle Waffles has been the talk of town after the announcement of her Toronto show. The eSwatini-born star announced on social media that she will perform in Toronto, Canada, on August 1. For the poster, the Wadibusa hitmaker channelled the “uncle” in her and recreated Drake’s For All The Dogs album cover. Many people were wondering who managed to achieve her seamless beard look, and it’s Patrick Missile, a Congolese wig maker. Casually known as “Pat”, the owner of Pat Perfect Beauty Palace is a celebrity hairstylist who makes wigs for women and men. The Joburg-based stylist has made wigs for Bonang Matheba, Kelly Khumalo and Blue Mbombo. He also does hair extensions. “As a wig designer, I design wigs from scratch. Anything regarding hair I design. I…

Speaking during the budget vote for his department, Buthelezi reminded parliamentarians about a statement made by former president Nelson Mandela about moving away from pessimism, division, limited opportunities, turmoil and conflict after casting his vote in 1994. “It is true that in 2024, 30 years after that, we have got people who are left before 1994 who can stand here on this podium and tell the people of this country that this government shall never work, but it does not concern us,” he said. “We are not worried and we are not going to be shaken. This country is going to be taken forward. We have a commitment to our people. We have got a commitment to our constituencies,” he said to heckling from the EFF and MK Party MPs.…

THE City has distanced itself from the eviction of residents in a Kensington informal settlement whose homes were reportedly demolished and materials confiscated while people affected by the inclement weather attempted to rebuild their damaged structures. Gate 7 informal settlement residents near the Maitland cemetery were among about 50 000 people in the Western Cape who were affected by the heavy rain and gale-force wind. City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said this was a private eviction. “The City was not involved in the eviction,” he said. Resident Funeka Mayongo said the structures were affected by Thursday’s wind, and on Friday people were attempting to rebuild when “officials”came. “We identified that they were from the municipality because of the navy work overalls written COCT. They demolished about four houses that were…

YES, we lost the final in the T20 Cricket World Cup by a mere seven runs, but my congratulations to our chaps for getting to the final and almost clinching it. Once again, there were dubious decisions that went against us, as well as the fact that we were one of the teams with the highest travelling distances in the initial rounds. I understand as well that our flight to the final was delayed by some nine hours. That’s nine hours of lost practice time before the final. In addition, India were privy to information as to what ground they would play on should they reach the knockout stages. No other side had this information. That “catch” on the boundary to dismiss Millar should have received more attention from…

THE combative former judge-president of the Western Cape, John Hlope, seems set on a new arena of strife – the National Assembly. His period of presiding over the courts was not exactly free of rancour and conflict, and one wonders what success his “black unity policy” will have in Parliament. As parliamentary party leader of uMkhonto weSizwe, Hlope’s plan is to cosy up to Jacob Zuma, the high priest of tribal politicking, and attempt the impossible – long-term political cohesion between Xhosa and Zulu. This is going to require more than band-aid if these two historic opponents are to seek common cause. His call for black unity surely flies in the face of most everything Madiba taught us, the people of South Africa. Continuing to vilify the white colonial oppressors…

TWO surf-skiers were rescued in what the NSRI described as an extremely challenging rescue operation amid fading light and gusting gale force winds near Simon’s Town. The surf-skiers were spotted by a concerned resident on Thursday at about 4.43pm, said Simon’s Town duty coxswain, Andrew de Kock. De Kock said the resident provided information that a surf-skier appeared to be in trouble approximately 200 meters off-shore of Froggy Pond, between Simon’s Town and Millers Point. The NSRI Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) received an emergency activation on the NSRI SafeTrx from a double surf-ski in that area. “They reported one man was able to remain on the surf-ski, but that the other man had fallen off, was unable to remount and was now in the water, hanging onto the back of…

Thanks to a healthy dose of public vigilance, we have something to celebrate FOR some time, members of the National Assembly knew there was an issue with their uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) colleague, Dr John Hlophe. But, most hesitated to publicly criticise or oppose a nomination of one of their own to represent Parliament in the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). This person is a legend in national politics, after all, someone with a storied legacy as a seasoned judge and legal scholar who, despite his impeachment as a judge for previous conduct involving a questionable conversation with other judges about his corruption-accused party leader, reappeared in service of his party leader as the MKP’s public face in Parliament. He is determined not to go anywhere voluntarily, not ever, even as…

A senior Hamas official said yesterday that the Islamist group had not withdrawn from ceasefire talks with Israel after this weekend’s deadly attacks in Gaza that Israel said had targeted the group’s military leader Mohammed Deif. But Izzat El-Reshiq, a member of the political office of Hamas, accused Israel of trying to derail efforts by Arab mediators and the US to reach a ceasefire deal by stepping up its attacks in the enclave. Saturday’s strike in the Khan Younis area of Gaza, in which at least 90 Palestinians were killed according to local health authorities, has put the ceasefire talks in doubt. There had been hopeful signs recently that a deal could be reached to halt fighting and return hostages held in Gaza. Two Egyptian security sources at ceasefire talks…

Nepali search teams retrieved more bodies yesterday of 50 people missing after a landslide triggered by torrential rains swept two buses into a fast-flowing river. Over 300 officers, including divers, were scouring the river for passengers and the two buses themselves, said Kumar Neupane, spokesperson for Nepal’s armed police unit.Other teams on boats were using sensor equipment to search the murky water. The force of Friday’s landslide in central Chitwan district pushed the vehicles over concrete crash barriers and down a steep embankment, at least 30m from the road. “One body has been found about 5km from the accident site,” police said. In total, five bodies had been retrieved. District official Khimananda Bhusal said that about 50 people were swept away on the buses, revising down the number from…

BAGHDAD: Iraqi authorities have removed the remains of 139 people from a large pit believed to contain victims of the Islamic State group (IS), an official said yesterday. The Alo Antar hole, a natural desert feature turned into a mass grave by IS jihadists, is in Tal Afar, 70km west of Mosul in northern Iraq. It is not known how many bodies were dumped there, and a search is ongoing for other victims. “They include women and men,” said Dia Karim, director of the mass graves department at the Foundation of Martyrs. Karim added that “according to testimonies, the victims date back to IS rule” or before, when al-Qaeda was present in the area. | AFP…

CAIRO: Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said yesterday that it had made a “giant” oil discovery in the Al-Nokhatha field east of the Kuwaiti island of Failaka, with oil reserves estimated at 3.2 billion barrels. KPC’s chief executive Sheikh Nawaf Saud Nasir Al-Sabah said the new discovery’s reserves were equivalent to the country’s entire production in three years. The initial estimated area of the newly discovered oil well is around 96 square km.Preliminary estimates of the hydrocarbon reserves present were at 2.1 billion barrels of light oil, and 5.1 trillion standard cubic feet of gas, which correspond to 3.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent. | Reuters…

WHAT COMES to mind when towns such as oThongathi in KwaZulu-Natal and Malelane in Mpumalanga are mentioned? The common denominator/factor is the sugar industry. These towns were developed mainly as the result of the cane-growing and milling activities in these regions. Over the years, the industry has proven beyond doubt that it is a catalyst for socio-economic development in some of the deeply rural and job-starved areas of KwaZulu-Natal. The industry is the beacon of hope for many rural communities, especially for thousands of black small-scale growers spread across the two provinces. It is an industry that creates 65 000 direct and 270 000 indirect jobs, with at least one million people dependent on the sugar cane-growing and milling sectors. KwaZulu-Natal is synonymous with sugar cane farming. Anyone who grew…

In the whirlwind of early mornings as we scramble to get ourselves and our kids out the door, breakfast often falls by the wayside. Skipping this critical meal can lead to sluggishness, decreased concentration, and an irresistible urge to overeat later in the day. Instead of succumbing to the morning rush, here are some quick, easy and nutritious breakfast options that require minimal prep time and are perfect for on-the-go mornings. Overnight oats: Before you go to bed, mix rolled oats with milk (dairy or any plant-based alternative), a dollop of yoghurt and some chia seeds in a jar. Throw in berries or slices of banana, and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Protein-packed morning bites: Egg muffins are like mini frittatas that you can customise with your favourite…

THE Department of Health plans to introduce a phased development of electronic medical records for primary health services with a minimum focus on HIV and TB patients. Deputy director-general for primary health Jeanette Hunter said the electronic medical record will enable the department to know how each person has been diagnosed, what treatment they get, whether they come for treatment and if the treatment was effective. “It is in a process that is being developed. It is to be a game-changer for health in terms of stepping up clinical quality and how well the health system is doing,” she said. Deputy director-general for NHI Nicholas Crisp said the testing for the electronic medical records has been completed. “The focus is on the TB and HIV portions of that record. By…

Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) Minister Ronald Lamola has highlighted challenges faced by Dirco with a budget for the 2024/25 financial year reduced from R6.9 billion in 2023/24 to R6.57 billion. Addressing the financial constraints, Lamola said the department was facing critical staff shortages exacerbated by managing exchange rate volatility, which impacted 60% of expenditures allocated to missions abroad. "Strategic cost management in this area is essential to safeguarding our financial stability," Lamola said. The minister lamented that due to budget constraints, Dirco could only fill critical vacancies at its head office, resulting in a "very high vacancy rate negatively impacting the department's operations and service delivery”. “The Department can still not fill all the critical vacancies with the available funds, and operations continue to be negatively affected.…

MY ATTENTION was drawn to notes that appeared in the local press regarding the deliberate attack on a children’s hospital in Kyiv by the Russian armed forces. These articles are basically reprints from Western news agencies such as Reuters and AFP, so one cannot expect a truly fact-based assessment of the situation from them. I would like to stress the following: in the video published by (what is important) the Ukrainian media, you can clearly see the warhead of an allegedly Russian missile that hit the hospital. The screen shot shows that this is a Nasams (ground-based air defence system) missile, which is confirmed by the presence of a so-called “skirt” in the middle, as well as by the shape of the “tail”. However, this fact does not confuse the…

AT LONG last, a glimmer of hope now that former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu and former head of Gauteng mental health Dr Makgabo Manamela were found liable for the deaths of patients in the Life Esidimeni tragedy. It has taken eight long years! Now obviously we want to see that they pay for their negligence and ignorance, but I have to say that the NGOs who accepted the patients should also have to pay in some form. A lot of the patients died from starvation and dehydration, apart from bedsores and gross neglect. Poor, poor people. I hope that all these unlicensed NGOs were closed down. But one wonders what sort of people were in charge of these facilities. How does anyone with a bit of grey matter let…

Seven people have been jailed for life after they were convicted of the murder of two women they accused of witchcraft. The convicted murderers – Lwandiso Mzaza, 29, Lufefe Mzaza, 28, Zithini Rhayisa, 34, Yamkela Nonjojo, 31, Odwa Nonjojo, 34, Anelisiwe Nonjojo, 32, and Mkhonzeni Ngcabangcosi, 24 – were recently sentenced in the High Court ‘s Eastern Cape Division, Mthatha, sitting in Ntabankulu. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Luxolo Tyali, said the court found the accused guilty of two counts of murder and arson for which they were sentenced to two life terms and 10 years, respectively. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently. “The Mzazas and Nonjojos are biological brothers while all the convicted persons are from the Ngonyama Administrative Area in the district of EmaXesibeni (formerly Mount Ayliff),…

Julius Malema, the Commander- In-Chief of the EFF, must take the blame for the poor performance of his party. The party revolves around him, and he is a demagogue presented by his party as a demigod whose colleagues carry water and other stuff for him. When attacking President Cyril Ramaphosa for consulting his party for collective decision-making, he said he does not do collective decision-making, but makes a decision alone as a leader. Then, the question is, what is the meaning of leadership or a leadership collective? At times there is a difference between being the leader of a party and being the leader of the government. In government or state, you are not compelled to consult, but when it comes to the party, you have to. In fact, even…

Kenya’s under-fire police pledged yesterday a “transparent” investigation following the discovery of eight female bodies dumped in a Nairobi garbage site. Police chiefs said they were pursuing possible links to cults, serial killers or rogue medical practitioners in their investigation into the macabre saga, which has horrified and angered the nation. The mutilated and dismembered bodies, trussed up in plastic bags, were hauled out of a sea of floating rubbish in an abandoned quarry in Mukuru, a slum area in the south of the Kenyan capital. The discoveries have thrown another spotlight on Kenyan police and added more pressure on President William Ruto, who is struggling to contain a crisis over widespread anti-government protests that saw dozens of demonstrators killed. Acting national police chief Douglas Kanja said six corpses were…

An alliance of Myanmar ethnic minority armed groups said yesterday that it had agreed a four-day ceasefire with the junta in northern Shan state following clashes in which its fighters seized territory from the military along a strategic highway to China. The area has been rocked by fighting since last month, when the so-called Three Brotherhood Alliance renewed an offensive against junta troops along the road to China’s Yunnan province. The clashes shredded a previous Beijing-brokered truce that in January halted an earlier push by the alliance – made up of the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and Ta’ang National Liberation Army. Dozens of civilians have been killed in the recent fighting. Myanmar’s borderlands are home to ethnic armed groups who have battled the military since independence…

NIAMEY: A large number of the prisoners who escaped yesterday from the high-security Koutoukale prison, about 50km northwest of the capital Niamey, have been captured and some “neutralised” by the Nigerian Defence and Security Forces (FDS), the army said on Saturday evening in its information bulletin. The army said this escape followed a mutiny that had broken out in the remand centre, and several dozen inmates managed to escape. But thanks to the “rapid and effective” intervention of alerted security units, a large number were apprehended, said the army. A unit on patrol in the Gorou sector managed to locate and “neutralise” three armed terrorists wanted after the escape, the army said. | Xinhua…

DUBAI: Dubai Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum yesterday announced that he appointed his son, the emirate’s crown prince, as defence minister of the United Arab Emirates in a cabinet reshuffle. Sheikh Hamdan, 41, is the second son of Sheikh Mohammed and has held the title of crown prince of Dubai since 2008. The royal graduated in 2001 from Britain’s elite Sandhurst military college and became chairperson of the Executive Council of Dubai, charged with strategic development plans. His father, Sheikh Mohammed, has been defence minister since the founding of the UAE in 1971. | AFP…

Stellenbosch FC’s recruitment campaign moved into overdrive with the signing of the highly rated 20-year-old Omega Mdaka, a free agent since last year following a disciplinary issue at Kaizer Chiefs. Mdaka has come through the development ranks at Chiefs but famously, along with other members of the club’s Diski squad, refused to be a ball boy in the Carling Knockout Cup match against AmaZulu FC in October last year. Mdaka was eventually issued with a clearance that contained a clause requiring a fee of R1.5 million to be paid to Chiefs by any club signing him. This was to compensate Chiefs for their role in developing the player at their academy. Putting pen to paper at the Winelands club means Mdaka, a defender, has landed his first professional contract. “We…