Table of contents for 2021-08-10 in Cape Times

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za IN HER bid to bring awareness to the plight of rape victims, Reverend June Dolley-Major completed a 20km walk for prayer and justice on Women’s Day ahead of her return to the Diocesan Tribunal today. The matter of Dolley-Major’s alleged rape by a clergyman is being heard before the Anglican Church of South Africa while a parallel matter is before court in which the accused sought an interim interdict from the Western Cape High Court which prohibits Dolley- Major from naming him on social media and publicly. “On my journey I was practically alone for many years and it’s only recently that a tribe of women have come on board with me and are journeying alongside me. This walk (was) for all victim survivors of rape –…

Thabo Makwakwa and Mashudu Sadike THE Communications Workers’ Union has called for the immediate withdrawal of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members deployed at the SABC buildings in Durban and Gauteng, saying this curtailed media freedom. The union’s secretary Aubrey Tshabalala said it was concerning to see soldiers there. The soldiers were also deployed to guard President Cyril Ramaphosa’s official residences in Pretoria and Cape Town, the SANDF confirmed yesterday. An SABC employee said the army presence on the perimeters of the broadcaster’s headquarters had left employees divided. Tshabalala said: “This decision must be reversed completely. If they do not do that then we will do what we did last week and approach the portfolio committee. The third thing that we need to see, even if they do…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za IT’S been three years since the momentous #TotalShutdown march to Parliament and while powerful scenes of that day still replay in my head, the stark reality of women still fighting the same demons rips the wind from the sails. The landscape of fighting for justice has changed in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic where marches of that magnitude are prohibited as we adhere to safety protocols and adjust to the new normal. The crimes remain the same and feel even more intensified when you are confined to your home and processing how women and children are still brutally raped and murdered. I am suddenly isolated. A new mom, thrown into lockdown with so many fears. Fears which are now heightened as criminals continue to violate your…

S Maresky | Gardens I WOULD like to draw attention to anyone who uses the undercover parking at Checkers Sea Point. We all know if you spend a certain amount at Checkers you get free parking for one hour. Not so, I learnt. I was with a elderly lady with a walker, and she bought some groceries, and then she had a cup of coffee. We couldn’t have been more than three-quarters of an hour and when we proceeded to go out, I went to sort out the parking only to see on the screen that the bar code from Checkers only paid for R10. I had to cough up a fiver. Bloody cheek, if you ask me. One hour free parking is one hour free. I'd really…

Bill Constantine | Oranjezicht I WRITE in reference to the “Comment” piece by Lindiwe Sisulu, former Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation: “Unrest was fuelled by much deeper causes” (Cape Times, August 3). In my opinion, these three words represent the substance of Minister Sisulu’s article about the recent rioting and looting in KZN and Gauteng: “Self-serving pap!” The minister must have taken a page from the Donald Trump playbook, for by my count her piece contains the word “I” in 18 places, referencing, “I did this; I did that; I went here; I went there”. In its totality, a “too little, too late” and pitifully shallow demonstration of her personal concern and that of her ANC-led government, for those so seriously affected by the recent rioting,…

Urgent need to develop effective vaccine education to counter misinformation INITIALLY, it was understood that the only reason South Africa was struggling to vaccinate its population was due to a lack of vaccines. Over the past month, the vaccine roll-out drive has improved immensely, owing to good collaboration between government and various business sectors in administering vaccinations. The government has also managed to acquire more vaccines, like the 5.8 million doses recently received from Pfizer USA, and improved its vaccine management and administration. In his first address, new Minister of Health Dr Joe Phaahla also told the nation that 20 million new vaccine deliveries would be made over August. In all, the government’s assumption has been that more vaccines will lead to more vaccinations – this, however, is…

EU countries are stepping up help to Greece to fight forest fires devastating its mainland and some islands, the European Commission said yesterday as it co-ordinated the aid. There are now nine planes, 1 000 firefighters and 200 vehicles deployed by EU states, a statement said. France, Germany, Poland, Austria and Slovakia added resources and were sending extra fire fighting units, adding to ones already in Greece from France and other EU nations. In addition, EU help has gone to battle fires in Italy as well as in non-EU countries North Macedonia, Albania and Turkey, the commission said. “We are mobilising one of Europe’s biggest ever common firefighting operations as multiple fires affect several countries simultaneously,” the EU commission for crisis management’s Janez Lenarcic said. “I am very thankful to…

BEIJING: Four people were killed and seven others injured after the top floor of an office building in Harbin City, capital of north-east China’s Heilongjiang Province, collapsed, local authorities said yesterday. The accident took place around 3.10pm when the seventh floor – the topmost floor of the building – collapsed while workers were carrying out waterproofing work, leaving 11 people trapped. The injured are being treated in hospital. The building belongs to a local investment company. Further investigation into the accident was under way, local authorities said.…

LAGOS: South-eastern Nigerian city centres were deserted yesterday as many people stayed at home to show solidarity with a detained separatist leader and to express broader grievances about how the country is run, residents said. The stay-at-home protest was called by the banned group Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), whose leader Nnamdi Kanu was brought back to Nigeria in June after years on the run and is in custody pending a trial on 11 charges. Residents of south-eastern centres including the trading hub Onitsha and the cities of Enugu, Awka and Owerri said usually busy markets were quiet.…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za PARENTS have a responsibility to their children to allow the law to take its course and not to attempt to resolve their disputes by resorting to “self-help”. Any attempt to do so inevitably increases the tension between the parents, and that regrettably adds to the suffering of the children. This is according to the Supreme Court of Appeal, which once again warned that the country’s courts were bound by the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. Only in extreme cases, where it was clear that the lives of children would be in danger if returned to the country where they lived, would a court intervene. The best interests of a child who has been removed from the jurisdiction of a court in the…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za AN OFF-DUTY police officer shot and killed two of four alleged carjackers during a shoot-out in Philippi at the weekend. The officer, who was wounded in the incident, was travelling with his family on Saturday in Bristol Road, Browns Farm when they came under fire at about 1.30pm. Police spokesperson André Traut said the circumstances leading to the incident were being investigated. The officer was approached by four armed suspects who attempted to hijack his vehicle. “Shots were exchanged and in the process the police officer was wounded and two of the suspects sustained fatal gunshot wounds. The other two managed to escape,” he said. According to Browns Farm community leader Nontsikelelo Feni, carjacking in the area is a daily occurrence. “The area is plagued with murders…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za A MOTHER is one of God’s strongest creations and this pandemic has shown this to be true in more ways than one in my personal life. It was the start of lockdown, I was eight months pregnant, already a mom of a 9-year-old. All of a sudden it was home-schooling while tired. Running around to find a babysitter just to go to the store for food because most retailers would not allow children. Tired feet in long lines, no sympathy from the next person because the anxiety of being so close to a deadly virus made everyone want to get what they need and get out quickly. The economic effect of the pandemic was felt in my household with the temporary loss of an income because my…

Lisa Isaacs lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za WHEN the women of the Cape Times last penned their thoughts and experiences for Women’s Day in a historic 2018 edition, we had taken part in the countrywide #totalshutdown protests. It was an exciting day, and not on the sidelines as usual we joined hands with hundreds of women and marched to Parliament. We consoled each other as we spoke out about our experiences of harassment, assault, and discrimination, and we felt like we were heard and believed. Men were also forced to confront their behaviour and attitudes toward women. It's ironic that the world is now indeed shut down in many respects. And not much has changed in the fight for gender equality and respect for the lives of women. We cannot console each other now,…

Zubeida Jaffer | Journalist, author and activist WE HAVE walked such a long road to secure a just and fair South Africa where women can stand confidently alongside men as equal partners. On Women’s Day, we salute those who have gone the extra mile in the past and are doing so in the present so that our boys and girls will co-exist with greater freedom and joy. Both Covid-19 and the unrest have placed enormous pressures on us. This is indeed a very challenging time in the history of our country. And yet through all the darkness, the beauty shines through again and again. Let us commit to grow that which is beautiful and good and support men and women to bring balance within the life of the…

DESPITE the devastating health and socio-economic consequences the Covid-19 pandemic has had across the world, including major disruptions in global trade, investment and supply chains, South African trade has shown remarkable resilience during the peak of the pandemic in 2020. The trend is projected to continue in 2021 and beyond. According to the latest edition of the flagship annual World Trade Statistical Review 2021 recently released by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in co-operation with the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the International Trade Centre and UN Statistical Division, South Africa was the 37th largest exporter at $85.84 billion (about R1.3 trillion) and the 39th largest importer at $84.1bn in the world in 2020. The stark reality is the country accounted for a mere 0.5% of global exports and…

Sri Lanka has begun mass cremations to clear a backlog of dead bodies from Covid-19 as cases surge across the island, officials said yesterday. Daily virus infections in the country have doubled in a month to more than 2 500 with nearly 100 deaths, putting a huge strain on hospitals. On Sunday, Colombo Municipality began mass cremations, disposing of 15 corpses at the Colombo General Cemetery after the island’s main hospital said it had no more freezer space. It was the first mass cremation since December when the government overruled religious objections and cremated 15 members of the Muslim minority, including a 20-day-old baby. Following local and international protests, the government then allowed Muslims to be buried in a remote corner of the island’s east, in accordance with Islamic traditions.…

CARACAS: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says contacts between his government and the opposition led by Juan Guaido are going well – the date and venue of talks will be decided soon. “We have resumed dialogue with the G4 (political parties Popular Will, Justice First, Democratic Action and A New Era). It has resulted in a document with seven topics,” Maduro told the nation. The statement comes after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador confirmed on August 5 that the country will host the talks. Among the government’s conditions to enter talks with the opposition are the immediate lifting of all sanctions.…

new york: The United Nations panel on climate change yesterday told the world global warming was dangerously close to being out of control – and that humans were “unequivocally” to blame. Already, greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere are high enough to guarantee climate disruption for decades if not centuries, the report from the scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned. In other words, the deadly heat waves, gargantuan hurricanes and other weather extremes which are already happening will only become more severe. UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the report as a “code red for humanity”. “The alarm bells are deafening,” he said. “This report must sound a death knell for coal and fossil fuels, before they destroy our planet.” In three months’ time, the UN COP26…

Joining OnlyFans has been “life changing” for Jessica Alves. The 37-year-old reality TV star says the X-rated subscription site has been a surprise as it has shown her how popular she is and she is hoping to find a hot date among her subscribers. She told MailOnline: “OnlyFans has been a life-changing platform for me. I never knew that I had so many adoring male fans.” Alves previously explained that she set up the account because she had been inundated with messages on her other social media profiles. And the transgender star explained that the platform was helpful for those who are curious about her sex change surgery. She said: “I’ve set up an OnlyFans account due to the high volume of emails and direct messages on Instagram. “I get…

Staff writer AS AFRICAN penguin numbers continue to decline, the fishing and conservation industries are planning a high-level meeting this week to finalise an urgent conservation plan. The species has declined drastically from around 52 000 pairs in 2004 to 13 200 pairs in 2019, with experts noting that if current population trajectories continue, African penguins could be functionally extinct within 15 years. The African penguin was classified as Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2010. Earlier this year, Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy set up a joint task team from the department and SANParks to determine management options for the African penguin based on available evidence. The team provided a synthesis of scientific information on African penguins, fisheries and island closures.…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa says the government has made strides in meeting the pillars contained in the national strategic plan aimed at tackling gender-based violence (GBV). The president said women faced multiple challenges from an economic perspective and societal challenges, compounded by GBV. He acknowledged that the pandemic had hit women the hardest because they have found it harder to recover than their male counterparts. He said to deal with this the government would ensure that women received greater benefit from the economic relief measures announced. Ramaphosa said work was under way to develop a financial inclusion policy to help break the barriers faced by women who want to make a career in the business sector. The president also focused on the successes in meeting the goals set…

Francesca Villette francesca.villette@inl.co.za THROUGHOUT the ages, women have carried villages on their backs. It’s been no different during the Covid-19 pandemic. For naturally assuming roles of comforters and guardians during tumultuous times of change, we owe our mothers, aunts, neighbours and teachers a lot. Poet Maya Angelou says it best: Woman Work I've got the children to tend The clothes to mend The floor to mop The food to shop Then the chicken to fry The baby to dry I got company to feed The garden to weed I've got shirts to press The tots to dress The can to be cut I gotta clean up this hut Then see about the sick And the cotton to pick. Shine on me, sunshine Rain on me, rain Fall softly, dewdrops And…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za SLEEPLESS nights owing to uncertainties about tomorrow. This was the everyday anxiety of women in the workplace, including the hard-hit media industry, as a result of the pandemic. Many women have reported economic hardships, especially those in over-represented industries which experienced the greatest declines because of the pandemic, including in the hospitality and retail sectors. Poverty, inequality, abuse, and a high female unemployment rate were among the issues I have to cover as a storyteller daily. In the media industry, the financial strain of the lockdown saw magazines and newspapers closed, retrenchments and salary cuts. As a young woman who is trying to break the generational cycle of illiteracy and unemployment it is scary to one day wake up to the possibility of being jobless. As a…

Bill Harding | Noordhoek NEW Zealand has a population of about 5 million, less than that of the Western Cape. Yet their Olympic team won 7 gold, 6 silver and 7 bronze. Team SA managed the princely sum of 1 gold and 2 silver, our worst performance ever. There is therefore something radically wrong within our sports’ administration which needs to be completely overhauled, starting with the removal of the minister concerned. We surely have talented people but they need to be identified and developed within structures properly managed and financed. As a country, we take pride in our international sporting achievements over many years which makes it very difficult to accept that we came so short in Tokyo.…

The Basic Education Department needs to send a strong message to school principals that the temporary closure of schools due to Covid-19 infections should not mean an abrupt stop of the learning process. Every week, schools all over the country are forced to close their doors due to the ever increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases. In KwaZulu-Natal, six schools had to be closed due to Covid-19 last week. The Department of Education in KZN confirmed 10 Covid-19 cases had been detected, prompting the closure of the schools. While the infections have not led to the death of learners, it is causing serious disruption to teaching and learning, especially in township and rural schools. In order to ensure that these learners are not sent home to twiddle their thumbs, principals and…

Southern African countries yesterday inaugurated a regional military mission to help Mozambique take back control of its gas-rich northern province from jihadists that have been rampaging across towns and villages for nearly four years. Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi and Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi launched the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) at an event in Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado province. “We reaffirm our joint commitment to fight against violent extremism together with the Rwandan forces,” said Nyusi. He mentioned “news in recent days of the success of Rwanda’s mission and our forces,” referring to the recapture of Awasse and Mocimboa da Praia towns from the insurgents, just weeks after the East African troops arrived. Mozambican forces, backed by Rwandan troops, on Sunday said they had…

OUAGADOUGOU: Twelve soldiers were killed in an ambush in northeast Burkina Faso, communication minister Ousseni Tamboura said yesterday. The ambush targeted a joint military group, including land forces, near the village of Dounkou, Toeni Commune, in the Boucle du Mouhoun region, he said. “Provisional toll stands at 12 soldiers killed and three injured. Seven are missing,” it said. There were reports that the seven missing soldiers were found. Security in Burkina Faso has worsened since 2015, with terrorist attacks killing more than 1 000 people and displacing over 1 million others.…

Dhaka: Bangladesh police have arrested a social media star for shooting a dance video with a woman at a mosque, officials said yesterday. The clip triggered online anger in the Muslim-majority nation, police said, and 20-year-old Yasin was arrested at his home in Daudkandi, some 60 kilometres from Dhaka. Police said they are also hunting the woman in the video. Yasin shot the clip last month and uploaded it to his account on the Likee video sharing site. He was seen in the video dancing with a woman on the stairs of the Daudkandi Model Mosque, one of 50 Muslim places of worship built recently by the government.…