Table of contents for CT-2021-03-25 in Cape Times

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE COUNTRY’S inflation decelerated in February, confirming an all-but accepted consensus on the market that the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) will keep interest rates on hold for the foreseeable future as the print fell below bank’s mid-tier range of between 3 and 6 percent. Data from Statistics SA (StatsSA) yesterday showed that the annual headline inflation rate slowed to 2.9 percent in February from 3.2 percent in January – the lowest reading since June last year, when the rate was 2.2 percent amid a slowdown in prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages. StatsSA said that several medical insurance providers did not implement annual price increases this year as a significant change in health-care consumption patterns last year resulted in an increase in their cash reserves.…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@in.co.za THE RAND firmed against the dollar yesterday, gaining 0.11 percent to R14.86 after latest data showed consumer inflation rate slowed to an eight-month low in February. Inflation fell to 2.9 percent from 3.2 percent in January, dipping below the central bank's target range of 3 to 6 percent just a day before the SA Reserve Bank’s monetary policy decision. The central bank’s monetary policy meeting is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged at 3.5 percent after cutting rates aggressively last year to shore up the economy. The prime lending rate has been at a level of 7 percent since July last year following a cumulative 300 basis points reduction in support of the pandemic-hit economy. Analysts last week indicated expectations…

VISUAL International Holdings yesterday warned its shareholders that it expects its losses to widen further in the year to end December 2020. The group has been suspended by the JSE pending the release of its 2020 financial results. And yesterday the group released a trading statement in regards to its 2020 results and said it expects its headline loss per share to reflect a loss of 11.53 cents a share, being a decline of 303 percent compared to the headline loss of 2.86c reported in 2019. Its basic loss per share is expected to decline by 236 percent to a loss of 9.74c compared to a loss of 2.90c reported in 2019. | Sandile Mchunu…

From page 1 “We had gathered the community to assist in the search and he was found lying in a dam, and it doesn’t look like he drowned. It’s as if he was just dumped there. The people who found the body identified him as Akhimbali. “We are shattered and want answers, it’s extremely heartbreaking. I can’t begin to put into words how the community is taking this because we can’t understand how (this happened),” Somtsewu said. Gender-based violence (GBV) activists were shocked at the discovery and called for a thorough police investigation. Ilitha Labantu spokesperson Siyabulela Monakali said: “It’s sad and we need to work together to rectify such issues because no one seems to be taking this seriously.”…

Athandile Siyo athandile.siyo@inl.co.za POLICE have yet to confirm whether the body of a baby found in a dam in Kraaifontein is that of missing 11-month-old Akhimbali Mafentile. The baby found was wearing the same onesie that Akhimbali was reportedly wearing at the time of his disappearance. A frantic search by residents for him led to the discovery of a body yesterday, sparking outrage. Akhimbali was reported missing on Sunday night. His 20-year-old mother, Xola, allegedly left him alone at home in Bigaba Street in Marikana informal settlement. Residents and community leaders demanded answers after the mother was taken away by the police before anyone could speak to her. But police spokesperson Andrè Traut could not confirm whether the mother was taken in by police. “Due to the sensitive nature of…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za THE Western Cape Education Department (WCED) is appealing to communities to assist in reporting suspicious activity or the sale of goods obtained at schools after criminals broke into Parkfields Primary School in Hanover Park for the second time. They gained entry to the school’s Grade R classroom through a window and made off with stationery, sanitisers, wet wipes and tissues on Sunday. This comes as parents say they are concerned about their children’s safety after criminals stole the entrance gates of the school earlier this month. School governing body member Nazley Cottle said she received a call from the caretaker that a classroom had been broken into. “All stationery was stolen along with sanitisers for the year. Costumes worth lots of money were taken and she (the…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za FOUR police officers were treated for injuries after their vehicle veered off the road before ploughing into shacks during a protest in Wallacedene yesterday. A 28-year-old Wallacedene pedestrian who fled the protest was knocked down by a truck, according to police. The protest over lack of service delivery saw a number of vehicles torched and stoned, with a number of roads barricaded by rubble and burning tyres. Two people were arrested on charges of public violence The move, led by the Intlungu yaseMatyotyombeni Movement (the pain of people living in informal settlements), began on Tuesday in Khayelitsha, Mfuleni and Eerste River. A Golden Arrow bus driver is also being treated for shock after his bus was set alight in Mfuleni during a protest. In Kraaifontein, Old Paarl,…

Although the further lapse of time will place the Covid-19 experience in context, after one year it surely is time to consider the worth of certain Covid-related measures that have been made mandatory and to declare that masks must fall. The wearing of masks and social distancing is not practised by the majority who queue to collect their grants nor was it apparent among those who participated in King Goodwill Zwelithini’s funeral procession. According to the US Center for Disease Control, wearing a mask has neither slowed nor stopped the spread of Covid-19. That view is endorsed by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. It contends that there is evidence that mask wearing does more harm than good. A year ago, the great medical scientist, Dr (Anthony) Fauci, denounced…

On Tuesday morning, the Ever Given sailed into the placid waters of the Suez Canal, the 193km-long link on its journey from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean as it carried thousands of tons of cargo bound for the Netherlands. Then something went wrong. By midmorning, the massive ship – one of the largest in the world at more than 396m long, more than twice the height of the Washington Monument – was wedged sideways across the canal. Dozens of boats piled up into a marine traffic jam on the crucial shipping lane as tugboats and diggers tried to free the vessel. “Ship in front of us ran aground while going through the canal and is now stuck sideways,” Julianne Cora, an engineer on the Maersk Denver, wrote on an…

A volcano in Iceland spewing lava into the sky since it erupted last week could continue its spectacular display for years, potentially becoming a new tourist attraction on the island known for its natural wonders. Thousands of Icelanders have flocked to the site of the eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula, 30km southwest of the capital, hoping to be awed by the rare lava fountains and even to cook a meal on the crust of magma. To cope with the hoard of visitors, authorities set up a 3.5km hiking trail to the site and are patrolling the area to prevent onlookers from venturing into hazardous areas polluted by volcanic gasses. Since the initial eruption, lava has seeped out of the volcano at a rate of between 5 to 10m³ per second,…

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis has ordered cardinals to take a 10% pay cut and reduced the salaries of other clerics working in the Vatican in order to save jobs of employees as the coronavirus pandemic has hit the Holy See’s income. The Vatican said yesterday that Francis issued a decree introducing proportional cuts starting on April 1. A spokesperson said lower-level lay employees would not be affected by the cuts. Francis has often insisted that he does not want to fire people. Cardinals who work at the Vatican and live there or in Rome are believed to get monthly salaries of about 4 000-5 000 euros (R70 000 to R90 000), many in large apartments at well below market rents. | Reuters…

LONDON: A bond designed to raise funds to grow the population of endangered black rhinos in South Africa will be sold by the World Bank this year. The five-year, R670 million security will be the world’s first wildlife conservation bond and the aim is to sell it in the middle of the year. Returns for investors will be determined by the rate of growth of the populations of the animals in two South African reserves, according to the Rhino Impact Investment Project, an initiative started by the Zoological Society of London. The programme could be expanded to protect black rhino populations in Kenya and species such as lions. | Washington Post…

THE FNB/BER Civil Confidence Index gained five points to register a level of 21 points in the first three months of this year, the third consecutive increase in the quarterly index. However, although better, the index level meant close to 80 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with prevailing business conditions, FNB senior economist Siphamandla Mkhwanazi said yesterday. Sentiment received a boost from higher activity. According to Statistics South Africa, the real value of construction works contracted by 17.6 percent year-on-year in the last three months of 2020, after declining by 22.1 percent in the third quarter of that year. Despite the uptick in activity, profitability deteriorated, and the pipeline for new work remains thin, Mkhwanazi said. “Despite some anecdotal evidence to the contrary, too many civil contractors are…

STANDARD Bank Group said yesterday that it had been named the Best Bank in Africa in Global Finance’s 28th annual awards for the World’s Best Banks. Also, Standard Bank South Africa and Stanbic Bank Uganda were named best banks in their respective markets. The awards come at a time when the banking industry has played a supportive role in assisting clients and societies through the Covid-19 crisis. The winners of this year’s awards were banks that attended carefully to their customers’ needs in difficult markets and accomplished strong results while laying the foundations for future success, according to Global Finance, which has a circulation of 50 000 and readers in 189 countries. “Banks are playing a key role in economic recovery around the world. Our Best Bank awards highlight…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za HOMECHOICE International said yesterday that it had experienced a huge surge of its digital sales during the year to end December, despite the negative impact of the Covid-19 outbreak. The group said that the digital sales shot up by 69.7 percent during the period against an 8.1 percent fall in overall retail sales. The largest home-shopping retailer in southern Africa said the digital sales now accounted for 25 percent of its overall mechandise. But it said general retail sales declined 8.1 percent to R1.8 billion during the period as a result of Covid-19. Executive chairperson Shirley Maltz said the Covid-19 challenges were evident in the group performance. “I believe the decisive action taken in mid-March to cut loan disbursements by R700…

THE PROTRACTED impact of the Covid-19 pandemic could result in more businesses filing for liquidation and insolvency as activity flounders a year after the country went into lockdown. Data from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) on Tuesday showed that the total number of liquidations increased by 8.5 percent in February compared with the same month a year ago. StatsSA said liquidations of companies increased by 10 cases and liquidations of close corporations increased by four cases. In the three months to the end of February, liquidations increased by 7.1 percent compared with the same period last year. The largest number of liquidations in the period from December 2020 to February 2021 occurred in the finance sector, with 146 cases, followed by the trade sector, with 86 cases. StatsSA said…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za Thebe Magugu stays winning and we’re loving it. The winner of the LVMH Prize 2019 just bagged another collaboration with The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Costume Institute has a collection of more than 33 000 objects from seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the 15th century to the present. And they have asked to feature Magugu’s dress in their collection. The “Girl Seeks Girl” dress from A/W18’s Home Economics collection, in collaboration with Phathu Nembwili, will soon be making its way to New York, where it will remain for many years to come. The Kimberly-born designer wrote on Instagram: “Proud to announce that The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi Siyabonga.Mkhwanazi@inl.co.za Francesca Villette Francesca.Villette@inl.co.za THE SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) has called on the country to prepare for a third wave of Covid-19, with experts to closely monitor infection rates around the Easter weekend. SAMRC president Professor Glenda Gray said this period could see the emergence of a third wave. “In terms of the third wave, yes, I think we are all worried about the third wave particularly after the April weekend, the Easter holidays as we go into winter – and as we spend more time indoors, the third wave is imminent,” said Gray. She said excess deaths must be looked out for following an increase in weekly mortality rates. In relation to the study of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, Gray said they wanted to vaccinate…

Ntombi Nkosi ntombi.nkosi@inl.co.za President Cyril Ramaphosa’s appearance at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture next month is likely to delve into the corruption that has occurred in the government over the past few years. Yesterday, the commission’s chairperson, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, announced that Ramaphosa would appear from April 22-29. “The president will give evidence in his capacity as president and former deputy president of the republic, and as president and former deputy president of the ANC,” Ramaphosa’s office confirmed in a statement. It is unclear at this stage what Ramaphosa will be questioned on as the country waits to hear how corruption manifested during his tenure as the country's deputy president alongside former president Jacob Zuma. Meanwhile, it also remains to be seen how Zondo intends to…

OWN Correspondent THEY walked in single file through the narrow alleyways winding away from their tin shack in Cape Town towards the health centre. Keitu – just 11 years old – carried her baby brother on her back since their mother was too frail and could barely manage on her own. Keitu kept a close eye on her young brothers as well. They had been acting out since their father died of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) several months earlier, and they were grumpy after not having eaten anything but porridge in the last three days. The nurse working in the health centre had begged them to come in. Keitu’s mother had been diagnosed with DR-TB as well and, since the family all breathed the same air within their one-room dwelling, there…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za AN ATTORNEY has been jailed for eight years after he was convicted for defrauding clients out of Road Accident Fund (RAF) payments amounting to over R6 million. Eslin Meyer, 63, the owner of Eslin Meyer Attorneys, with offices in Mitchells Plain and Gordon’s Bay, representing clients in RAF matters and administration of deceased estates, was sentenced at the Bellville Specialised Crime Court earlier this week. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the conviction followed a lengthy trial where Meyer faced charges of theft and failure to keep proper accounting records of funds received by an attorney in trust accounts. “He operated three trust accounts and two business accounts. His clients made claims against the RAF, filled in forms supplied to them by Meyer and submitted…

IF POLICE Minister Bheki Cele and Commissioner Khehla Sitole could use the same energy and time spent fighting each other to address the inefficiency and the appalling conduct by some officers, citizens could rest assured that the SAPS was headed in the right direction. The two have been embroiled in a conflict which saw Cele writing to President Cyril Ramaphosa, requesting an inquiry into Sitole’s fitness to hold office. On the other hand, Sitole has pleaded for his job, asking to be given the opportunity to clear his name. The continued instability in the country’s top police brass does very little in addressing the safety issues that so many of us are confronted with. While their boardroom politics continue in the public domain, the trust gap between police and citizens…

The Legislative Council will be more representative The Fourth Session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) of China has voted to adopt the decision of the National People's Congress on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) with a high vote. This is a landmark step to uphold and improve the system and institutions of "One country, Two systems" and safeguard enduring stability and security in Hong Kong. The decision made by the top legislature of China to modify and improve the electoral system of the HKSAR marks a significant move to ensure that HKSAR is administered by patriots. However, it does not mean that Hong Kong's political life will not tolerate different views and voices. Patriots in the opposition camp can…

An Arab party and a technology millionaire more hawkish than Benjamin Netanyahu are emerging as must-have partners for the Israeli prime minister as he manoeuvres to hang on to his job after another inconclusive election. Preying on anti-Arab sentiment was a hallmark of Netanyahu’s past election campaigns. This cycle, he changed tack and promised to address long-standing problems besetting the Arab minority that makes up a fifth of Israel’s population. The tactic drove a wedge through a unified Arab bloc of parties and left a small Islamist faction open to cultivation. Final results aren’t in yet from Tuesday’s cliffhanger vote, but they tentatively give that breakaway faction, the United Arab List, known by its Hebrew acronym Ra’am, five of parliament’s 120 seats. With Netanyahu and declared allies nine seats short…

LONDON: Capitalism and greed gave Britain its success in vaccinating its population, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told MPs in a closed meeting, a remark that could rile up Brussels as Britain faces an EU threat to block vaccine imports. Johnson asked MPs to “forget I said that”. The European Commission yesterday moved to extend powers to block exports, which could hit vaccine supply to Britain. The comment was apparently a joke about a cabinet colleague who was gobbling a sandwich at the time. Home Secretary Priti Patel said Johnson was alluding to companies in developing a vaccine in record time. | Reuters…

SYDNEY: The bodies of two men were found in Australia yesterday in cars trapped in floodwaters, the first deaths linked to wild weather in recent days that has submerged houses, swept away livestock and cut off towns. More than 40 000 people have been forced to flee their homes as torrential rain sparked dangerous flash floods. Authorities issued new evacuation orders for residents of Sydney’s western regions. Gladys Berejiklian, premier of New South Wales, warned that water levels would keep rising in some areas as major dams and dams overflowed. Thousands of people are on evacuation watch. | Reuters…

MAPUTO: Total will restart construction at its $20 billion (R297bn) liquefied natural gas development in Mozambique after the government increased security, the French energy firm said yesterday. In January, Total withdrew most of its workforce from the site in Mozambique’s northernmost province of Cabo Delgado, where there had been an insurgency, now linked to Islamic State, since 2017, after an attack nearby. The company had asked the government for additional security measures, including a 25km secure buffer zone around the site. | Reuters…

The Proteas Women’s team created history on their tour in India over the past few weeks by winning both the ODI and T20 series. Zaahier Adams picks his five standout performers in what was a superb team effort. 1. Lizelle Lee The powerhouse opener has always been integral to her side's success through the explosive starts she provides, but Lee took it to a different level in India. Her career-best 132 not out in the third ODI was arguably the best innings ever played by a Proteas Women's cricketer. That fact that it spearheaded a successful run chase made it even more memorable. Her cumulative total of 288 runs at an average of 144 in the series was monumental, which propelled Lee to the World No 1 ranking on the…

The BRICS Manufacturing Conference, which kicks off in Sandton tomorrow, will give local manufacturers the opportunity to reflect on how they can grow using new technologies. Organised by the BRICS Manufacturing Working Group (MWG), the conference, which takes place at the IDC Conference Centre, aims to help local manufacturers to leverage off South Africa’s membership of BRICS by taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the grouping, a statement said yester- day. The MWG facilitates trade and invest- ment in manufacturing between South Africa and its fellow member countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China – and encourages co-operation on projects where there is potential for collaboration or complementarity. BRICS MWG chair- person Kaizer Nyatsumba said while access to markets is critical for growth, the manufacturing industry needed to…

DANISH toymaker Lego yesterday won the backing of Europe's second-highest court in its fight to secure design rights for its colourful snap-together plastic building bricks familiar to millions of children worldwide. The Luxembourg-based General Court threw out a 2019 decision by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) that sided with German toy and hardware maker Delta Sport Handelskontor which had sought to declare Lego's design invalid. Lego challenged that ruling at the court, which yesterday disagreed with the trademark agency's assessment. "EUIPO erroneously declared invalid a design of a brick of a Lego toy building set," judges said. "EUIPO failed to examine the relevance of the application of the exception relied on by Lego and failed to take into consideration all the features of appearance of the brick," they…

Francesca Villette francesca.villette@inl.co.za THE Covid-19 pandemic has interrupted the global fight against tuberculosis with an estimated 1.4 million fewer people from 80 countries receiving care in 2020 than in 2019. The World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday, in marking World TB Day, ranked South Africa among the countries with the biggest relative gap in care-receiving, at 41%. Indonesia, the WHO announced from preliminary data, showed a gap of 42%, the Philippines at 37%, and India 25%. Deputy President David Mabuza, in his capacity as chairperson of the South African National Aids Council received a Memorandum of Demands from the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) noting that the WHO further ranked South Africa as one of the top 20 countries in terms of TB burden over the past two decades. “In accepting…

ingredients Method 1 onion, finely chopped 500g lean beef mince 30ml butter or margarine 1 x tomato and olive pasta sauce 3 large brinjals, sliced sunflower oil for frying WHITE SAUCE 30g butter 60ml cake flour 400ml milk salt and pepper to taste 250ml grated Cheddar cheese 1 egg Preheat oven to 180ºC. Fry the finely chopped onion in margarine until transparent and then add the mince and brown. Stir in the pasta sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Slice the brinjal and fry in hot oil until browned. Arrange the fried brinjal and mince in alternating layers in a greased casserole dish. Make a white sauce by melting the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk, using a…

Staff writer THE launch of TB HealthCheck by the National Department of Health puts a self-screening app at the public’s fingertips, allowing individuals to screen for tuberculosis (TB) risk and symptoms. The WhatsApp and USSD-based system was launched by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize along with the results of South Africa’s first TB Prevalence Survey, ahead of World TB Day today, which marks the date in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes TB. South Africa’s first TB Prevalence Survey estimated that there were 390 000 people with TB nationally; almost 40% of them are either not diagnosed or not treated. Mkhize said that addressing the TB epidemic will require a shift in proactive health-seeking behaviour. “Previously, we focused on symptomatic patients and…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za NEXT week is the deadline for the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) to clear the temporary disability grants backlog. Earlier this month Sassa’s general manager, Sibusiso Nhlangothi, said the agency was confident that the 31 458 clients who were waiting to be assessed by doctors would be assisted by March 31. He said virtual medical assessments were being used to speed up the process. However, the provincial legislature’s standing committee on social development said that to date there were still many outstanding assessments. About 53 000 applications had lapsed in the Western Cape alone, and while most offices in the Cape Metro had been flooded with affected clients since January 2021, Athlone, Bellville, Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Mitchells Plain and Eerste River were regarded as hot spots. Standing committee…

Nkosikhulule Nyembezi THE faction-ridden ANC doesn’t seem to recognise the notion that a democratic government should be open to continuous scrutiny, or that accountability offers the opportunity for improvement. It’s as if the role of the inquiry to probe Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office is to write history on the party failures in the government rather than contribute to good government. This attitude of defensive introspection has been at the heart of widening divisions in the ANC recently evident when the secretary-general Ace Magashule’s stance was at odds with that of the national chair Gwede Mantashe. Despite early rhetoric about “the ANC (that) cannot change its character, the ANC (that) cannot sleep with the enemy”, the ANC has in fact not been guided by principles on…

India has detected a new “double mutant variant” of Covid-19, the health ministry said yesterday. Genome sequencing and analysis of samples from Maharashtra state found mutations in the virus that do not match previously catalogued “variants of concern” (VOC), the ministry said in a statement. Maharashtra is one of India’s worst-affected states but the ministry said it was not clear if the new variant was causing an upsurge there or in other states. “Though VOCs and a new double mutant variant have been found in India, these have not been detected in numbers sufficient to either establish a direct relationship or explain the rapid increase in cases in some states,” the ministry said in a statement. India has already reported several cases of a variant first detected in Britain, as…

The security minister of a Somali regional administration said yesterday he had defected along with hundreds of troops and allied himself to President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who faces calls by rivals to quit after his term as national leader ended. Abdirashid Janan, security minister of the semi-autonomous Jubbaland state, said he had defected together with 400 troops, potentially bolstering the position of the president. Mohamed is facing pressure to resign, including from Jubbaland and another semi-autonomous state, Puntland. Somalia’s remaining three regional governments back him. The stand-off has stoked tensions in the nation, that was ripped apart by civil war and is still battling an insurgency by Islamist group al-Shabaab. Jubbaland leader Ahmed Mohamed Islam Madobe said he had sacked Janan for conducting talks with the president. Officials in Jubbaland…

WASHINGTON: US women’s national soccer team star Megan Rapinoe renewed her call for gender pay equity yesterday, appearing before a congressional panel and pledging to “carry this torch” alongside her teammates. Rapinoe told the House Committee on Oversight and Reform that the World Cup winners had exceeded the accomplishments of their male counterparts but received inadequate compensation and playing conditions, two years after she and her teammates filed a landmark gender discrimination lawsuit against US Soccer. It argued in 2019 that the women’s team had been compensated more than the men’s over the last decade. “The women’s national team has won four World Cup championships and four Olympic gold medals on behalf of our country. We have filled stadiums, broken viewing records, and sold out jerseys, all popular metrics by…

WASHINGTON: Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg laid out steps yesterday to reform internet rules, saying that companies should have immunity from liability only if they follow best practices for removing damaging material from their platforms. In testimony prepared for a hearing before House Energy and Commerce subcommittees today, Zuckerberg acknowledged the calls for changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which gives companies like Facebook immunity from liability for content posted by users. Facebook has been under fire for hosting misinformation on its platform. | Reuters…

Wynona Louw If the discussions around the British & Irish Lions tour go to “Plan B”, the series could take place in Gauteng exclusively, with all games possibly played in empty stadiums. Reports from England have emerged stating that if spectators are not allowed, the tour may take place only in Johannesburg and Pretoria to ensure that teams maintain a safe bio-bubble environment amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Until now, a number avenues have been considered to ensure the tour goes ahead this year. As part of a revised schedule, all eight matches - including the warm-up games and the three Tests against the Springboks - being played in Joburg and Pretoria is another option after an agreement was finally reached that the tour should proceed to South Africa after…

Three of Africa’s top netball nations – South Africa, Uganda and Namibia – will be fighting it out for top honours in the SPAR Challenge International Tri-Nations series at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from today until Wednesday. The SPAR Proteas are ranked fifth in the world, the Uganda She-Cranes are seventh and the Namibian Debmarine Desert Jewels are 23rd. The tournament is very important for all three nations, who will all be seeking to boost their world ranking and gain very important international experience after a year in which the Covid-19 pandemic played havoc with preparations for next year’s Commonwealth Games and the World Cup in Cape Town in 2023. The SPAR Baby Proteas and the President’s XII will also be taking the court during the tournament. Proteas…