Table of contents for 2021-10-29 in Cape Times

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za CONSUMERS will continue forking out a bit more for goods as prices remained elevated at a five-year high in September after upside risks to producer inflation materialised. Data by Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) yesterday showed that annual headline producer price inflation (PPI) for final manufactured goods jumped to 7.8 percent in September, from 7.2 percent in August. This was the largest annual rise in headline PPI since February 2016 when the rate was 8.1 percent. StatsSA said this PPI reading was influenced mainly by prices of petroleum-related products. Chief economist for the Don Consultancy Group, Chifi Mhango, said the rising PPI rate was reflective of cost pressures of industrial activity in the global economy amid supply chain bottlenecks and rising energy costs, to an…

Adri Senekal De Wet adri.senekaldewet@inl.co.za Business Report (BR) is investigating a loan by the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) into Sunrise Energy via the Mogs Mining Services Group (Mogs). The PIC’s loan to Mogs is over R1 billion – indirectly to Sunrise Energy. This loan has not been serviced in over five years, according to sources. Mogs is a black-owned provider of value-added services and products. PIC spokesperson Sekgoela Sekgoela said the loan was serviced, but could not provide any evidence by close of business yesterday on how it was serviced. Sunrise Energy has also been in receipt of a loan from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to the amount of R1bn in 2011. BR questions why Sunrise Energy was not part of the Mpati Commission of Inquiry, when it…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za AN ASSISTANT cleaner at the Saldanha Bay Municipality has lodged an intimidation complaint against DA constituency head Erik Marais, alleging that he threatened her to vote DA or lose her job. Delecia Bouers, who has worked as an assistant cleaner and tea lady at the municipality for over nine years, said in an affidavit that Marais approached her on October 22, when he “informed me to vote for the Democratic Alliance or I will lose my job as a tea girl in the municipality.” Marais has denied threatening or intimidating anyone. Bouers, a mother of four, said she felt the “threat” from Marais was “inappropriate, discriminatory and heartless”. “I belong to Uni-Faith Ministries and I'm part of the worship team. On Thursday we performed at a gathering…

Nicola Daniels & Chevon Booysen WITH just two days before the much-anticipated local government elections on Monday, questions have been raised about struggling Eskom’s ability to provide electricity during this crucial period in the country’s democracy. However, the IEC and Eskom have moved to assure South Africans that power cuts will not negatively impact the elections. There are 3.1 million registered voters in the province, 1 577 voting stations, 18 700 electoral staff, 96 political parties, 12 400 candidates and 85 independent candidates. “Eskom (and) the Commission have been engaged in high level discussions aimed at ensuring that load shedding will not take place in a 48-hour period as from Monday to Tuesday,” the IEC said. “Intensive consultations through the Provincial Joint Operations Command (Provjoc) have been taking place over the…

| Julian Richfield THE MASTER Christopher Clarey Loot.co.za (R321) JOHN MURRAY NO TENNIS fan would hesitate to label Roger Federer one of the greatest tennis players of all time, some may even elevate the status to the greatest. With Federer reaching the twilight hours of his long and illustrious career, a book devoted to this astonishing tennis player is well timed. Called The Master, it is written by Christopher Clarey who is the tennis correspondent for the New York Times. Clarey has written about Federer since the beginning of his career as a professional tennis player. Roger Federer has always been a joy to watch and is the epitome of elegant sportsmanship and, like all people at the top of their craft, he makes it look so easy. “Though…

| The Washington Post HOOKED - HOW CRAFTING SAVED MY LIFE Sutton Foster Loot.co.za (R475) GRAND CENTRAL SUTTON Foster understands the power of time-consuming hobbies, especially those that yield tactile results. In her charming memoir, she shows how projects involving coloured pencils, epoxy glue and – chiefly – yarn have helped her cope with heartbreak and stress, including backstage spitefulness, tabloid voyeurism and a painful relationship with her agoraphobic mother. “My crafts have helped hold me together and given me a place to pour all of my love or sadness into,” she writes in Hooked, a book that comes with a subtitle that will seem less hyperbolic by the time you turn the last page: “How Crafting Saved My Life.” Foster structures her memoir around projects that reflect chapters…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za DISGRUNTLED fishing communities marched to Parliament yesterday to express their dissatisfaction over the South African marine fisheries sector. Fishers United, an organisation representing anglers and fishing communities across the province, as well as in the Northern Cape, handed over a memorandum of demands to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, calling for the West Coast Rock Lobster Total Allowable Catch to be reviewed and finalised. “The levels of poverty in our fishing communities, combined with its associated social ills, continue to rip through our communities with the devastating effects of a wildfire, and in its wake our fishers and their families are the smouldering embers of a failed system,” read their letter of demand. Fishing communities have been at loggerheads with the department over the reduced…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za GARETH Morgan, the director of Resilience in the City of Cape Town, is set to replace outgoing executive director for Corporate Services, Craig Kesson, whose appointment as a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has raised eyebrows over a possible conflict of interest in relation to contracts awarded to the firm. Morgan is the Director of Resilience within the Corporate Services Directorate. Of his qualifications, City spokesperson, Luthando Tyhalibongo said: “Gareth Morgan has been an employee of the City of Cape Town since mid-2015. He holds two Master’s degrees from the University of Oxford, and a Bachelor of Commerce and an Honours degree from the University of Natal. “Given his current position and experience within the City since 2015, his prior experience and extensive qualifications at a postgraduate level,…

Tony Vomberg | Sea Point ANYONE who knows and understands the concept of jurisprudence will also know that applicants and respondents are guided by their legal teams. The more high-profile the case, the more influential the input from senior counsel. So when the media reports that Jacob Zuma is asking the court to remove advocate Billy Downer from the prosecution team for his belated corruption trial, you can be sure it's his senior counsel who is pulling the strings – in this case advocate Dali Mpofu. He wants Downer removed at all costs. Why? The answer is complex, but in a nutshell it all comes down to ego. Downer is a brilliant legal practitioner who shuns the limelight. He has been likened to a bulldog – once he…

Ilse Haas | Bothasig MALEMA really wants to misinterpret history. In the meantime, nothing has changed, today’s politics with all wrong doings becomes tomorrow’s unchangeable history. Nothing of all actions will fetch gold medals. Politics has been, and is still a dirty business. Worst of all, nothing has ever been learnt from previous mistakes, just adding new ones. Stellenbosch is not the only, previously beautiful and historical city now dirty, surrounded with rubble and shacks. Who is to blame for overcrowding resulting in poverty? (Not everyone can have five wives and 30 children, like Zuma, well all living on taxpayers’ money.) Malema, why don’t you and your “red Armee” roll up your sleeves and clean up, instead of all this talking and blaming. You might even score…

Even apartheid judges would listen to him as they found him honest and reliable Those who are quiet by nature and refuse to grab the limelight so often end up underappreciated and recognised for the immense contribution they made to our liberation. Denis Kuny was one of those quiet but extremely effective Struggle lawyers, who for over three decades took on political cases few others would. In the wake of Kuny’s death this week at the age of 89, we have to ask ourselves why some advocates in our Struggle have been put on a pedestal while others, like Kuny, have remained in virtual obscurity despite having done more than probably anyone else. Kuny was one of 120 members of the Johannesburg Bar in 1961, but one of the very…

Bangkok: Laotian police have netted Asia’s biggest-ever single seizure of illegal drugs, finding 55 million methamphetamine pills in the back of a beer truck, a UN official confirmed yesterday. The 55.6 million meth tablets and 1.5 tons of crystal meth seized late on Wednesday is a record for a single seizure in the region, UN Office of Drugs and Crime regional representative Jeremy Douglas said. “It is three times the meth tablets that Laos seized all last year, and close to a third of the crystal meth,” Douglas said. Authorities arrested the driver of the beer truck in Bokeo province, which is part of the so-called Golden Triangle – a notorious drug smuggling zone at the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. | AFP…

Pfizer and BioNTech SE said yesterday that they expected to deliver 50 million more doses of their Covid-19 vaccine to the US government by April-end, as the country prepared to vaccinate children. The move comes after a panel of outside advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration voted on Tuesday to recommend its authorisation for the vaccine in children aged 5 to 11. The agency’s decision on the vaccine for the age group is awaited. If authorised and subsequently recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advisory panel, the companies said they expected to then begin shipping the vaccine, in 10 microgram pediatric doses, as directed by the US. | Reuters…

Four police officers were killed and hundreds injured after armed members of a hardline Islamist group clashed with Pakistani security forces on Wednesday near the north-eastern city of Lahore during a protest over a French newspaper’s publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. The violence occurred during a demonstration led by the outlawed Islamist group Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistan outside the capital city of Punjab province, as they prepared to march on the national capital, Islamabad. More than 250 people were injured. The Islamists fired on security forces, police said. It is the latest of several deadly protests organised by the group in Pakistan since French President Emmanuel Macron honoured a teacher who was beheaded last year in France after he showed a class cartoons depicting the Prophet. French satirical newspaper Charlie…

Russia reported record numbers of daily coronavirus cases and deaths yesterday as Moscow shut down non-essential services for 11 days to combat the surge in infections. The country hardest-hit in Europe by the pandemic, Russia has struggled with low vaccination rates despite developing several of its own jabs. Recent weeks have seen daily numbers of cases and deaths hit the highest of the pandemic, with the official government tally yesterday reporting new records of 40 096 infections and 1 159 fatalities. Authorities have shied away from the kind of severe lockdowns imposed in many countries, but have shut down all non-essential services in Moscow from yesterday until November 7. Retail outlets, restaurants and sporting and entertainment venues are all closed, along with schools and kindergartens. Only shops selling…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za I am on a journey with Siya Kolisi at the moment. After nearly a month, I finally got my hands on the Springbok captain’s autobiography, Rise, and so far I am appreciating the level of honesty and frankness within the book. It should come as no surprise that Kolisi has become something of a cult hero to many, and I admit unashamedly, that I am one of his fans. So, as I turn every page of his book and explore the revelations of his professional and personal life, I find myself humanising him more and respecting the man behind the jersey even moreso. This got me thinking about the other captains of the “Big 3” sports that South Africans simply cannot get enough of. Earlier this year,…

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer received yet another vote of confidence this week as speculation swirled about his position but the spotlight remains fixed on the Norwegian ahead of tomorrow’s visit to Tottenham Hotspur. Unlike Barcelona, who sacked former player Ronald Koeman on Wednesday, United’s hierarchy have resisted calls to send Solskjaer packing after last weekend's unthinkable 5-0 home thrashing by arch-rivals Liverpool in the Premier League. But goodwill shown to a former favourite on the pitch can only last so long and defeat by Tottenham in north London will surely push Solskjaer ever closer to the trapdoor, especially with a derby against Manchester City the following week. Condemnation rained down on United’s players after an Old Trafford debacle described as an “embarrassment” by forward Marcus Rashford - a…

Former Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas sees no reason why his old club cannot quickly emerge from their slump but says choosing Ronald Koeman's replacement as manager carefully is the key. Dutchman Koeman was sacked late on Wednesday after a 1-0 defeat by Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga, their fourth defeat in six games in all competitions including last weekend’s El Clasico reverse. Barcelona named ’B’ team coach Sergi Barjuan as interim manager yesterday although former midfielder Xavi heads the list of favourites for the permanent role. Fabregas, who came through Barcelona’s youth ranks before joining Arsenal and later returned to the Nou Camp, believes things can quickly turn around for his old club. “Football is changing very fast. There are many examples and some very recent ones of how a new…

OWN Correspondent MAX, a blue and gold macaw from a bird sanctuary in the Western Cape has received a fully functional 3D-printed prosthetic beak after getting into two scuffles with other macaws. His beak was first damaged, then it ripped off but thanks to a University of Pretoria team led by Professor Gerhard Steenkamp, a veterinary specialist in dentistry and maxillofacial surgery at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Max has been given a new lease of life. “Max is doing well, and no complications have been seen with the beak so far,” Steenkamp said. The macaw’s owner, Trevor Glover, who established the Hyacinth Haven Bird Sanctuary in Plettenberg Bay, said that within a day of surgery, Max was eating solid pieces of food. “This is quite a change from…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za YEARS of broken promises and living in squalor while the local municipality decides what is best for the residents of Stellenbosch have dampened enthusiasm around the upcoming election. As the country prepares to head to the polls on Monday, informal dwellers in Kayamandi and Watergang settlements in Stellenbosch said they were disinterested in making their mark as they still lived in homes that were supposedly for “temporary living” while they wait for homes of their own. Living in a vibracrete-type structure since 2005, Ntomboxolo Mafilika said she was hopeless that her living conditions in the Watergang informal settlement would change. She said she would not be voting on Monday. “I have been living here since my son, who is now 16-years-old, was crawling. “I was moved to…

| OWN Correspondent Black Lion – Alive In The Wilderness Sicelo Mbatha, Bridget Pitt Loot.co.za (R189) Jonathan Ball WILDERNESS guide Sicelo Mbatha shares lessons learnt from a lifetime’s intimate association with Africa’s wildest nature. Black Lion begins in rural South Africa where a deeply traumatic childhood experience – he witnessed his cousin being dragged away by a crocodile – should have turned Sicelo against the surrounding wilderness. Instead, he was irresistibly drawn to it. As a volunteer at Imfolozi Nature Reserve, close encounters with buffalo, lion, elephant and other animals taught him to “see” with his heart and thus began a spiritual awakening. Drawing from his Zulu culture and his own yearning to better understand human’s relationship to nature, Sicelo has forged a new path, disrupting the conventional approach…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za COMMUTER safety has been brought into the spotlight once again after brazen criminals entered the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association’s (Cata) regional office in Nyanga on Wednesday and killed an administrator at point-blank range. Mlamleli Cetyena was declared dead when medics arrived at the scene, while two others were wounded and are recovering in hospital. Cetyane was with two other taxi owners when two unknown suspects stormed in and shot at everyone who was in the office. Police spokesperson Frederick van Wyk said the suspects fled the scene. “The circumstances surrounding a shooting incident at the Nyanga taxi rank where an adult male was shot and fatally wounded and two males aged 30 and 41 shot and wounded are under investigation. “Nyanga police were called to the crime…

Staff writer A WORKING initiative to solve one of the planet’s greatest environmental challenges – preserving coral reefs – has scooped one of the most prestigious environmental awards in history. The Earthshot Revive our Oceans award was presented to entrepreneurs Gator Halpern and Sam Teicher, who co-founded Coral Vita. Coral Vita creates high-tech coral farms – the coral is grown in tanks at a rate 50 times faster than it grows in nature, before it is outplanted into degraded reefs. “Coral reefs are the first major ecosystem around the world where we’re seeing collapse due to climate change. We’ve already lost half of the world’s coral reefs. The latest scientific projections predict that over 95% of the reefs on Earth will be dead by 2050,” said Halpern. “Despite only covering…

IN TERMS of architecture, enabling legislation, products and depth, Sub-saharan African (SSA) capital markets are, at best, ‘a work in progress’. In a post-Covid-19 recovery era, governments across Africa, hard hit by the impact of the pandemic, are in no position to finance much-needed infrastructure, let alone other socio-economic demands from national budgets. Hence, a reliance on scarce inward FDI flows and efforts in mobilising domestic savings, especially pension funds, towards investment in productive assets. Jeff Gable, Chief Economist and Head of Fixed Income Research at Absa Group, firmly believes that “open, transparent financial markets across Africa are the best way to ensure that the continent can attract foreign or domestic capital. This could translate into governments providing better opportunities for all Africans.” Capital market development, he adds, can play…

Stan Sandler | Constantia UNLESS there is concrete evidence to the contrary, not for one moment do I believe that Quinton de Kock is racist. Refer back to a similar situation, when Hashim Amla refused to wear the logo of Cricket South Africa’s commercial partner, Castle Lager. CSA’s CEO Haroon Lorgat and SA Breweries accepted Amla’s decision for reasons given, with Lorgat saying CSA would meet its obligations to its commercial partner through the other players. End of story. Until we hear Quinton’s side, there should be no unfair criticism levelled at him.…

John Welsford | Durbanville THE refusal of South African national team cricketer Quinton de Kock to perform the “bend a knee” gesture associated with the anti-racism Black Lives Matter campaign is bound to cause debate and controversy. While many might argue that it is imperative that he should perform this gesture as an indication of public support for anti-racism, particularly in the light of the sentiments being expressed at the SJN hearing and the ongoing need for continued transformation, it does seem somewhat hypocritical given the dynamics within our country. The simple reality is that in South Africa black lives don’t matter. Take a trip from comfortable environs of the city metropolis and the neatly cared for suburbs and go to the ramshackle sea of sprawling shacks surrounded…

IF we were to have a discussion about development, progress and governance over the past 50 to 60 years, there would be a handful, if any, stories that are comparable to the story of the People’s Republic of China. A story of how a country can move, collectively – with vision and leadership – from poverty to prosperity, and with the determination and vision that China has, is remarkable. The story of China is, undoubtedly, the story of how each and every country can move from rags to riches, by investing in strong governance and having an unrelenting focus on the factors that underpin a development path suited to the specific national conditions of that country. This development path has made China a dominant global force and a factor that…

Baghdad: Residents of an Iraqi village have killed 11 people in retaliation for a deadly attack claimed by the Islamic State group, an Iraqi security official said. The inhabitants of the majority Shiite village of Al-Rashad in the eastern Diyala province killed 11 people on Wednesday in the predominantly Sunni neighbouring hamlet of Nahr al-Imam, said a security official who preferred to remain anonymous. The assailants accused the residents of Nahr al-Imam of being behind an attack on Al-Rashad the day before in which 15 people were killed. This was an increase from an initially reported toll of 11. | AFP…

LONDON: A British teenager who murdered two sisters in a London park as part of a pact he believed he had made with demonic forces to kill women every six months in exchange for a future lottery win has been jailed for a minimum of 35 years. Danyal Hussein, now 19, stabbed to death Bibaa Henry, 46, and Nicole Smallman, 27, in a savage attack in a country park in north-west London in June last year. Hussein had carried out the murders to fulfil his side of a “contract” with the demon “Mighty King Lucifuge Rofocale”, promising to “perform a minimum of six sacrifices every six months for as long as I am free and physically capable”. | Reuters…

France is ready to hold talks with Britain to resolve a dispute over fishing rights as long as London meets its obligations under post-Brexit agreements, Prime Minister Jean Castex said yesterday. France has threatened to disrupt trade with Britain from next week if its boats are not granted more access to British waters. But Castex said his country was “always open to talks, morning, noon and night”, so long as Britain “honours its commitments”. On Wednesday, France fined two British fishing vessels during checks, with Maritime Minister Annick Girardin saying they were made against “the backdrop of the tightening of controls in the Channel, in the context of discussions on licences with the United Kingdom and the European Commission”. Castex’s statement came shortly after Britain’s environment secretary George Eustice told…

London: The businessman who organised the 2019 flight that crashed, killing Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala, was yesterday found guilty of endangering the safety of an aircraft. David Henderson, 67, was convicted by a majority verdict of 10 to two over the death of the player by a jury at Cardiff Crown Court. The plane carrying 28-year-old Sala crashed into the English Channel in January 2019, killing the striker and pilot David Ibbotson, 59. Henderson faces maximum sentences of five years’ imprisonment for endangering the aircraft and two years for attempting to discharge a passenger without valid permission. | AFP…

From page 1 Delft residents had their electricity cut up to three times a day, she said. “Sometimes the electricity doesn’t even come back on when it is scheduled to do so. It is very frustrating because it affects your planning,” said Van der Rheede. Tuckshop owner Sumaya Petersen said she has run stock losses since last week. “It is already a struggle just keeping your head above water to keep your business going now you have to compete with load shedding. Our stock in fridges is damaged due to load shedding happening more than once a day. And who will recover those losses for us? Eskom just shrugs its shoulders,” said Petersen. Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Jacques Moolman said the impact of load shedding on…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za DESPITE the challenges and financial implications, 85 independent candidates have heeded calls from their communities and will be running as candidates in Monday’s municipal elections. Sixty-two-year-old businessman and community activist Hanif Loonat said “independent candidates are the way to go”. He will vying for Sybrand Park, Garlandale, Rondebosch East, Kenwyn, Lansdowne-Corridor and Lansdowne. “The needs of each area differ so I have two manifestos for my seven voting districts. “For 27 years our people have been neglected by the big parties, be it the ANC or DA. Once they are in, they only look after the leafy previously advantaged areas. “Our previously disadvantaged people continue to be disadvantaged. “Support for the DA comes mainly from so called-coloured people, yet coloured people remain marginalised, they keep us drunk,…

Reviewer: Orielle Berry The Happiest Man on Earth The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor Eddie Jaku Loot.co.za (R321) Pan MacMillan MANY books and accounts have been written about the Holocaust, but for every book that has been written we need more. Because for every atrocity and genocide that has taken ever place we need to say: “Lest we forget”. We need to remind and jog memories. Eddie Jaku, at the age of 100, has documented his experiences of surviving the Nazi Holocaust. His book may be harrowing for the most part but is also so heart-warming – demonstrating man’s remarkable resilience and, in his case, the incredible gift of remaining positive and grateful despite the indelible scars he still bears. Jaku always considered himself a German first and then…

| OWN Correspondent Expensive Poverty – Why Aid Fails And How It Can Work Greg Mills Loot.co.za (R265) Picador AFRICA has received $1.2 trillion (roughly R 17 trillion) in development assistance since 1990. Even though donors have spent more than $1 000 per person over these 30 years, the average income of sub-Saharan Africans has increased by just $350. The continent has very little to show for this money, some of which has been consumed by the donors themselves, much of it by local governments and elites. There must be a better way to address the poverty pandemic.Expensive Poverty is focused on answering the trillion-dollar question: why have decades of spending had such a small impact on improving the lives of the poor? Whatever the area of aid expenditure…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za FAMILIES of Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) explosion victims have demanded that the Department of Labour immediately suspend all explosive activity at the plant. The Macassar community, supported by labour federation Cosatu, are today expected to picket in front of RDM in Somerset West, supporting the demand to have associated licences suspended. This comes after expert witness testimony given at the section 32 inquiry last week revealed that the “design of the building did not meet industry standards for explosive manufacturing, mixing and/or blending” at the time when the explosion occurred on September 3, 2018. The explosion claimed the lives of eight employees, leaving several others injured. In the letter of demand, commissioned by Sam & Nicholas Attorneys, the families of the victims said: “On Friday, October…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za THE Western Cape High Court has dismissed a legal attempt by a Blouberg family challenging the rejection of their daughter’s Grade R placement at Sunningdale Primary School. The family, from West Beach, approached the court on an urgent basis to review a SGB decision taken on July 1 last year that rejected their daughter’s admission for the 2021 school year. According to court papers the family was successful in enrolling their daughter in Grade R for 2021 at another school close to their home. They initially argued in their application in March 2021 that the school’s SGB admission policy was “invalid, unlawful and inconsistent” with the Constitution. The family had described Sunninghill as “inhabited mainly by rich and white people”, implying in their evidence that the refusal…

Colin Bosman | Newlands INVESTIGATIONS driven by Independent Media’s Dr Iqbal Survé into the disappearance of the 10 babies allegedly born in a state hospital are to be applauded. That the Health Department under which the state hospital falls is instituting a legal challenge against Independent Media (IM) for its allegations/investigation is ominous. Logically, the Health Department involved should have joined IM in their investigation instead of going into defence mode as they’ve done. The question is why? It is crystal clear to all but the brain dead that something is clearly very wrong. It is illogical that there are no records, no doctors examination reports, no X-rays of a pregnant woman who bears recent scars of a Caesarean section. Three cheers to Independent Media for stepping up…

Nyaniso Qwesha | Wynberg I FIND myself asking this question, does it matter who wins the forthcoming local government elections? In my view, I do think it matters who wins these coming elections. I am saying this because whoever wins will represent you for the next five years. So, your vote is your voice. Furthermore, is it ironic that the matriculants are starting their exams this week, the same as the local elections? Can we expect all matric students to predict a positive outcome even if they were not preparing diligently throughout the year? It can’t be right; you need to prepare diligently throughout the year and consistency is important to achieve the desired results. What is different now, as we are approaching the local elections? There…

I NEVER liked clowns and I never liked the circus, which could explain my disdain for Cricket South Africa’s administration and those imposters parading as a leadership. Cricket South Africa’s administration, old and new, were and are an embarrassment. Who has 18 months in which to discuss, debate and settle on a team ethos when it comes to a united front on the Black Lives Matter symbolism of taking a knee, and then orders the team to do so two hours before their most crucial T20 World Cup league match? Cricket South Africa’s leadership, that is who. What a joke! Quinton de Kock, South Africa’s most prolific T20 cricketer, refused the order to take a knee and withdrew from the match. He was well within his rights to resist this,…

QUINTON de Kock will kneel. He will abide by a directive from his bosses at Cricket South Africa. He will not do so voluntarily or because he has educated himself about why Black Lives Matter. He will do so because he is being forced to. There are other white players who chose not to kneel. They chose not to kneel in the West Indies and Sri Lanka. There were photos of them standing, but Cricket SA chose not to act then. And while Cricket SA’s Board says it chose to act now because it cares about the team making a unified stance against racism, don’t be fooled, Cricket SA’s Board did this because the optics were bad. That picture from last Saturday’s opening World Cup match looked bad. But the…

BEIRUT: The judge heading Lebanon’s investigation into the devastating Beirut port explosion suspended the interrogation of former prime minister Hassan Diab yesterday after Diab filed a suit questioning the judge’s authority, a legal source said. The suit, filed on Wednesday, is the latest in a series of cases that have derailed Judge Tarek Bitar’s attempts to question top officials over last year’s blast that killed more than 215 people, injured thousands and destroyed large swathes of the city. The row over the probe has paralysed the cabinet with Prime Minister Najib Mikati suspending sessions until a solution to the stand-off is found. | Reuters…

Sudan’s army launched a new wave of arrests of opponents to Monday’s coup, activists said, shrugging off AU and World Bank suspensions and pressure from the US as it looked to consolidate control. Cities countrywide were rocked by protests, strikes and civil disobedience on Wednesday, as Sudanese challenged the military’s seizure of power, a step that’s thrown the North African nation’s democratic transition into chaos two years after long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir was ousted. At least 12 people have been killed and 150 injured in the unrest, doctors say. Detained Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, whose case was raised by the UN, was allowed to return home late on Tuesday under guard, however, security forces have wasted little time in seizing other deposed members of his cabinet. More than 40 activists,…

Berlin: Olaf Scholz, the German finance minister and likely next chancellor, will join Angela Merkel in her bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome, government sources said yesterday. The joint meetings with leaders, including US President Joe Biden, are intended to send a “special signal” and to show “a great deal of continuity in the G20 process”, the sources said. Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) narrowly won last month’s election in Germany, beating Merkel’s conservatives into second place with their worst result since World War II as she prepares to retire after 16 years as chancellor. The SPD has since been in talks with the Greens and the liberal FDP, who came third and fourth respectively, to form a potential coalition. The parties last week unveiled an…

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden is expected to offer an update on negotiations about his domestic spending plans and speak with Democrats before heading to Europe later yesterday for meetings with world leaders, a person familiar with the plans said. Biden was scheduled to deliver public remarks at 11.30am local time at the White House, hours after House Democrats met on Capitol Hill at 9am.as talks continue over provisions and costs in the plan. The president plans to announce Democrats have agreed on a revised framework for his social spending plan that he expects will gain the support of all Democrats, the Washington Post reported. NBC News and Fox News also reported the planned announcement. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. It remains unclear whether Biden…