Table of contents for 2021-12-07 in Cape Times

From page 1 “At that time, the NPA was not in a position to make a decision because there was not sufficient evidence to justify the prosecution of any individual in relation to those unfortunate killings,” he said. “There is a long and complex history to this particular case including the initial phases of the prosecutors and investigators having to reconstruct the docket in this case. “A lot of work has been done over the last few months to bring this matter to a point where prosecutors are able to make a decision,” De Kock said. Unfortunately, even with the best intentions in the world, the NPA has been unable to make the decision whether or not to prosecute simply because the prosecutors are indicating that there are still aspects…

Staff Reporter SAFETY at ATMs in the CBD is among the priorities for the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID), which announced it was increasing its security contingent on the ground to prevent petty crimes during the festive season. “We are increasing the number of safety officers who are deployed 24/7 in town to target opportunistic crime – especially ATM fraud – before visitors arrive for their year-end holiday,” Muneeb Hendricks, CCID safety and security manager, said. Other petty crimes that will be targeted include pickpocketing, cellphone theft and theft out of motor vehicles.…

Siyavuya Mzantsi siyavuya.mzantsi@inl.co.za THE bus accident which claimed the lives of three netball players and an official, leaving 25 injured while travelling from the Eastern Cape to take part in the 2021 Spar National Championships in Bellville, speaks to the need to professionalise netball in South Africa, says Parliament’s portfolio committee on sports, arts and culture chairperson, Beauty Dlulane. Those killed have been confirmed as coach Nocamagu Mvunyiswa and players Phelo Charles, Indiphile Mfengu and Thabisile Maxikika. The accident happened in Aberdeen, a small town in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality of the Eastern Cape, at around 4am on Sunday. The bus carrying 34 occupants, including a driver and his assistant, was transporting two teams and officials to Cape Town for the 2021 Spar National Championships, which kicked off in…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za THE SUPREME Court of Appeal (SCA) has granted the appeal by the Clicks Group against a decision of the Western Cape High Court which found the company’s corporate structure contravenes regulation 6 of the Pharmacy Act. The decision by the high court was made on the basis that entities within the Clicks Group owned community (retail) pharmacies and at the same time have a beneficial interest in a manufacturing company. This after the Independent Community Pharmacy Association (ICPA) lodged a complaint with the Department of Health against the Clicks Group where they had sought that the manufacturing pharmacy licence of Unicorn Pharmaceuticals be revoked. Unicorn Pharmaceuticals is a manufacturing pharmacy and a holder of 39 generic medicines under the regulatory regimes that apply to the sale…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za VANGATE Mall management says it is aware of an “ongoing dispute” between minibus taxis and e-hailing cabs operating near the centre and will do what it can to help facilitate a peaceful resolution. This as a number of e-hailing drivers operating in Athlone alleged they had been “intimidated and chased away” by taxi drivers while operating at the mall. A driver who asked to remain anonymous for fear of victimisation alleged he was recently attacked twice at the mall. “They allowed me to go to the parking area. They waited until I picked up the rider and then they blocked the exits with their vans.” “The second time I got called in at the mall, I messaged the rider to ask if it was safe to pick…

Building this country together is the key to progress and success THE eighth anniversary of the death on December 5, 2013, of our icon, the greatest South African this soil had ever produced, Nelson Mandela, is a good time to reflect where we as a nation should have been after the noble sacrifices he and so many others of all races made to lay a solid foundation for our nation building. The decisions hastily taken at the Codesa negotiations after the assassination of Chris Hani in 1993 may have been mistaken and underestimated when things could go miserably wrong, as they did, unfortunately, and how to correct them. To have come out unscathed after so many years of Struggle, with some people being sent to the overworked Pretoria gallows, and…

Africa stands “little chance” of overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic and could become a “perfect incubator for variants” without a massive step-up in vaccination rates and a fair vaccine access, a report said yesterday. “Unless it can vaccinate 70% of its population by the end of 2022, Africa stands little chance of overcoming the pandemic,” the Ibrahim Index of African Governance published by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation warned. The report said that, as of November 18, just 6.8% of the continent’s population had been fully vaccinated. Only five African countries are predicted to meet the World Health Organization target of vaccinating 40% of their population by the end of 2021. “An un-vaccinated Africa could become a perfect incubator for variants,” chairman Mo Ibrahim said. The Sudanese billionaire said the detection of…

From butterfly kicks to power jabs, a group of children in rebel-held northern Syria are honing martial arts techniques under the instruction of an unlikely trainer: amputee kung fu master Fadel Othman. The 24-year-old runs a small martial arts school in the rebel-held town of Abzimu in Aleppo province. His 100 students include orphans and children who lost their fathers to Syria’s decade-old war. “This is the first team I train after my injury,” he told AFP from an open field where he often gives kung fu lessons. “I strongly believe they will one day grow up to become world champions,” he said, referring to his students. Othman was hit by an artillery shell in 2015, during fighting between rebels and government forces in Aleppo. He became one of the…

MALE: The Maldives has received a fine of $10 million (R160m) from a company whose ship ran aground on the Rasfari reef at Kaafu Atoll in August, local media reported yesterday. Investigations by the Environment Protection Agency revealed the Panama-flagged cargo ship, MV Navios Amaryllis, ran aground while travelling from India to South Africa because its engine had been shut off due to overheating and further due to negligence by the captain. The fine was deposited into an account of the Maldives Monetary Authority, the country’s central bank. The ship, which was detained following the incident, has now been allowed to leave.…

MOSCOW: Apple has started legal proceedings against Russia’s anti-monopoly regulator in a dispute concerning alternative payment options on its App Store platform, the RIA news agency reported. Russia opened an antitrust case against Apple in October, accusing it of failing to allow app developers to tell customers about alternative payment options when using its App Store. It said Apple could face a fine based if found guilty. The Court listed Apple as a claimant and Russia’s Federal Anti-monopoly Service as a defendant in “economic disputes over administrative legal relations.”…

Hitmaker Cardi B took to social media with news which will see her become the first person to be creative director in residence of the Playboy brand, reports femalefirst.co.uk. Sharing the news on Instagram, she said: “Introducing the first ever creative Director In Residence at the legendary @playboy, it’s ME!!! Joining the @playboy family is a dream and I know y’all are going to love what we put together. “I’m startin this party right as the Founding Creative Director and a founding member of Centerfold the new creator-led platform from Playboy coming soon!! We’e going to have soooooo much fun” (sic). According to a press release obtained by People magazine, Cardi’s role will involve providing “artistic direction” across the Playboy brand. The release stated: “Cardi will provide artistic direction across…

Noni Mokati noni.mokati@inl.co.za Tributes continue to pour in for late Struggle veteran and former deputy minister of DIRCO Ebrahim Ebrahim, who died yesterday morning following a long illness. He was 84. The South African Communist Party (SACP) conveyed its condolences to the family of one of its most revered Struggle stalwarts, “a paragon of human courage and resilience in the Struggle for justice and social emancipation". “The SACP also conveys its condolences to the ANC, the entire liberation movement as well as the people of South Africa for the loss of a cadre who selflessly and diligently served the nation,” it said. “As a child, Comrade Ebrahim twice witnessed his father's arrest and deportation from the Transvaal for crossing the provincial border into Natal without a permit. This would have…

From page 1 Give it another week to see.” The province has more than 20 000 deaths related to Covid-19. “With previous waves the rise in deaths happened a month-and-a-half or two months after the start of the wave. Maybe a week from now we should have a sense of whether there is a lower rise in deaths or not. “What seems to be happening with Omicron is that the trajectory of mutation is driven by evading immunity. New mutations seem to be the ones giving the virus an opportunity to evade someone that has some immunity,” he said. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) spokesperson, Lindokuhle Yengo said its doctors and nurses worked in Covid-19 wards in hospitals in three South African provinces during the third wave. “In assessing whether…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za WHILE President Cyril Ramaphosa hinted at a review of the country’s current lockdown in his weekly newsletter, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases recorded 6 381 new Covid-19 cases. This brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed infections to 3 038 075 – a 26.4% spike in the national positivity rate. Covid-19-related deaths now stand at 89 975, after nine were recorded yesterday. “We will soon be convening a meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council to review the state of the pandemic. This will enable us to take whatever further measures are needed to keep people safe and healthy. “While we do not yet know what impact the Omicron variant will have on hospital admissions, we have been preparing hospitals to admit more patients. We are investigating…

OWN Correspondent STELLENBOSCH University (SU) researchers have been involved in the first-ever paper published containing practical guidelines and a suggested ethical protocol on how to cause as little as possible disturbance to elephants when flying over them with drones. Published in the journal KOEDOE, the African Protected Area Conservation and Science paper was authored by Wesley Hartmann, a recent MSc student in Conservation Ecology at SU, Dr Vicky Fishlock of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants in Kenya and the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter in the UK, and wildlife management expert Professor Alison Leslie of the Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology at SU. The study was conducted across two national parks in Malawi: Majete Wildlife Reserve, and Liwonde National Park. As part of his…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za THE sentencing procedures of the parents convicted of assaulting their 5-month-old daughter have been postponed after the father complained about the contents of a social worker report regarding him. The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria earlier convicted the 22-year-old mother and 24-year-old father and called for a social worker’s report and several others before considering their sentence. Counsel for the father told Judge Hennie de Vos yesterday that the mother had the opportunity to look at the report and to rectify what she considered to be incorrect facts, but the father never had such. The court was told that the father did not agree with everything stated by the social worker in the report, nor did he agree with the findings and recommendations. It was said…

A picture published by this newspaper’s sister publication The Mercury showing thousands of holidaymakers enjoying themselves at the Durban beachfront on Sunday sparked a debate on national TV news channels yesterday morning. Both eNCA and Newzroom Afrika questioned the picture, saying it was an old image because the holidaymakers were not wearing masks. Even on online news platforms, readers accused us of using an old picture, charging that it was taken in 2016. While a separate process is already under way to get the two TV news channels to correct these claims, we want to set the record straight to the readers of The Mercury and those of several Independent Media titles across the country. We will not stand aside and keep quiet when our competitors on national TV seek…

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s Mount Semeru spewed more ash yesterday, hampering the search for survivors as aerial images showed the extent of the devastation unleashed by the volcano’s deadly weekend eruption. The biggest mountain on the island of Java thundered to life on Saturday, ejecting a mushroom of volcanic ash high into the sky and raining hot mud as thousands of panicked people fled their homes. At least 15 were killed. Aerial photos showed entire streets filled with grey volcanic ash and mud, which had swallowed many homes and vehicles, including whole trucks. Indonesia’s national disaster agency said 27 people were still missing. “I’m still hoping my son will be found. Every time I hear victims have been found, I hope it is my son,” said Maskur Suhri of Sumberwuluh village, who…

VIENNA: Austria’s third conservative chancellor in two months, Karl Nehammer, took office yesterday seeking to bring the coalition government out of months of scandal-tainted turmoil and guide the country out of its coronavirus lockdown. Nehammer, 49, was set to be sworn in by President Alexander van der Bellen. As interior minister since last year, he was the enforcer of former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s hard line on immigration. He will now be the first head of government of the post-Kurz era.…

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is contemplating further weakening the court system’s power to overrule ministers’ decisions via judicial review (JR), The Times has revealed. Judicial review in the UK is a court case during which a person asks a judge to examine whether a minister, official, or public body broke the law when it came to their decision-making. According to The Times, Johnson wants to curtail the courts’ authority and to allow ministers to effectively throw out any legal rulings they oppose. The newspaper quoted unnamed Whitehall sources as saying that Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has been ordered to toughen plans to reform the powers of judges to rule on the legality of ministers’ decisions. The intended goal was to reinforce parliament’s sovereignty over the unelected judiciary, the sources…

BANJUL: Gambian President Adama Barrow has comfortably won re-election, the electoral commission said on Sunday, though he may face a legal challenge from opposition candidates who rejected the results because of unspecified irregularities. The vote was the first in 27 years without disgraced former president Yahya Jammeh, forced into exile in Equatorial Guinea after refusing to accept defeat to Barrow in 2016. Jammeh’s despotic 22-year rule over the nation of 2.5 million people, which began with a 1994 coup, was characterised by killings and torture of political opponents. Barrow’s won 53% of the vote, and his nearest rival, Ousainou Darboe, 28%.…

Herman Gibbs herman.gibbs@africannewsagency.com The Western Cape teams dominated the opening day of the Spar National Netball Championships at the DF Academy yesterday. Because of prevailing circumstances, the elite A Section was robbed of three teams, including title-holders Tshwane, Mangaung and Kenneth Kaunda (North-West province). As a result, Cape Town A, Nelson Mandela Bay, Cape Winelands A, Johannesburg A, Buffalo City and eThekwini (KZN) will battle it out for the 2021 crown. Cape Winelands A saw off Johannesburg A 64 -58 in the opener. Johannesburg were at their best in the second and third quarters, but the Cape side closed out strongly to secure victory. The experienced Winelands coach Marchelle Maroun said the draw was kind to her team because it was an advantage to go up against a strong team…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za THUNGELA Resources, the coal producer that debuted on the JSE in June, surged by 15.01 percent on the JSE to close at R80.99 a share in anticipation of additional shareholder returns on the back of strong cash generation in the year to date. Thungela, which is valued at R9.5 billion, told shareholders in a trading statement for the year ended December yesterday that its cash position was R8bn at the end of November after riding the wave of strong coal prices. “Cash flow generation has been robust on the back of strong benchmark export coal prices and narrower discounts, albeit in a context of lower export sales volumes,” the company said. Thungela said it might declare additional returns above the targeted minimum pay-out ratio of…

Sacha van Niekerk sacha.vanniekerk@inl.co.za Grieving the loss of a loved one during the holiday season is extra difficult, as it’s typically a time filled with joyous family reunions. From wrapping presents for one less person to enjoying wholesome home-made meals with an empty seat at the table, when the family are all together for the holidays, the absence of a loved one’s presence is often that much greater. Sharing insight on the subject, counselling psychologist Rakhi Beekrum said that she is used to witnessing grief within her profession. “However, I have witnessed more grief in 2021 than I have in all my years of practice combined (that’s 12 long years).” There’s also the matter of people who are grieving their “old-selves” and are coming to terms with the loss of…

From page 1 “I told my comrades that I can’t lead with Tolofane. It amazes me that an organisation that is against Gender Based Violence, cannot take this matter seriously when it is one of us. Some of the members told me that I should resign if I don’t want him to be part of the structure. I was working at the ANC caucus and I was bullied about this. Some women in the structure are quiet about this because they fear losing their positions in the organisation,” said Maponopono. ANC provincial convenor Lerumo Kalako said they had not yet formally received a complaint from the ANCYL. “(When) we receive the letter officially and formally we will attend to it and we don’t want to comment on rumours. It might…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za THE National Consumer Commission (NCC) is closely monitoring the recall of certain batches of the peanuts and raisins and cashew nut products sold by Pioneer Foods under its Safari brand in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia following the discovery of traces of salmonella. “The supplier has isolated 92% of the affected products thus far and has informed the National Consumer Commission of their intention to recall the affected product. The process of informing the supplier’s trade customers is on-going,” NCC spokesperson, Phetho Ntaba said. “Consumers are advised not to consume the products in question but return them to any point of purchase for a full refund.” Salmonella is a group of bacteria that causes a wide spectrum of diseases. Salmonella Typhimurium causes gastroenteritis, leading to diarrhoea, vomiting,…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za DEPUTY National Director of Public Prosecutions Rodney de Kock has been appointed to head the team of prosecutors and investigators to tackle criminal cases of atrocities committed under apartheid. National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi yesterday said the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) recognised and appreciated that the apartheid-era cases have taken a very long time to be addressed, hence the decision to appoint De Kock to lead a specific team to deal with the outstanding matters. Batohi said the NPA would hire prosecutors on contract for three years dealing exclusively with unresolved matters relating to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). She has assured the country and the families of victims that the prosecuting authority has put in place structures to achieve this. “We will ensure…

Ingredients Method 500–600g frozen calamari 400g linguine 1 kale (Tuscan if available) bunch, washed and trimmed (remove the ribs) ½ cup olive oil, plus extra for frying 6 garlic cloves, crushed Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 15g Italian parsley, finely chopped Lemon wedges, for serving Thaw the calamari in the fridge overnight in a colander placed over a bowl. Before using, dry well and bring to room temperature. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Steam the kale over the boiling pasta water until just limp. Shred finely. Cook gently, covered, in 2–3 T olive oil for 5 minutes, or until just cooked. Season lightly. Drain the pasta, reserving the water. Preheat the oven to as hot as it can go: 230–250°C. Heat…

Staff writer SOUTH African-born entrepreneur Michelle Milnes is helping to bring the stories of her Huguenot ancestors to the world through the VR-technology she pioneered in Scotland. Milnes set up the multiaward-winning proptech company, Property Studios, offering photo-realistic, 3D and virtual-reality tours, CGIs, virtual staging, and computer-generated makeovers, in Scotland eight years ago. Milnes said she had been tracing her Huguenot great-grandfather from Wellington. He had studied medicine at Edinburgh University, and remained in Scotland after falling in love with its rich cultural heritage. Milnes and her team have now created a VR exploration of the Huguenot Memorial Museum in Franschhoek in the Cape Winelands. The technology allows people across the world to virtually visit the museum in 3D, view the exhibits and listen to the curator talking about the…

Staff writer A NYANGA police officer has been suspended, pending his appearance in court today on charges that he raped a 29-year-old in the back of an SAPS van. This as the Portfolio Committee on Police yesterday condemned the alleged incident, and welcomed the officer’s arrest and suspension. Provincial police yesterday said that management had summarily suspended the officer who was charged over the weekend. “The arrest follows an Ipid (Independent Police Investigative Directorate) investigation into allegations that the police constable had raped the man who was in a police van. “Due to the seriousness of the allegations against the 31-year-old police constable, an expeditious internal disciplinary process into the fitness of the member to be in the SAPS has been initiated,” police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said. Western Cape provincial…

Kenya is to impose restrictions on access to public spaces for those who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19, from December 21. This, along with the opening of the Covid-19 vaccination to people over 15, is an attempt by the government to meet its national target of 10 million vaccinated before the new year. Catherine Kyobutungi weighs in on the pros and cons of Kenya’s vaccination strategy. Is Kenya’s decision on mandatory vaccinations the right move? Vaccination mandates are premature. The country has struggled for many months to have adequate and freely available vaccine doses. The supply of vaccines has dramatically improved in the past few weeks and more doses are expected before the end of the year. But even with this improved supply, it is not easy for anyone…

Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s sentence was yesterday reduced from four years to two years after a partial pardon by the chief of the military-appointed government, the country’s state TV reported. A Myanmar court had earlier found Suu Kyi guilty of charges including inciting public unrest and sentenced her to four years in prison – the first in a series of verdicts that could keep the 76-year-old Nobel laureate detained for the rest of her life. The trial in Naypyidaw, the capital, highlights the punitive treatment that the ruling junta is imposing on Suu Kyi, whom the military previously held under house arrest for almost two decades. After her release in 2010, she led her party to successive victories in quasi-democratic elections in 2015 and 2020, before the…

LOS ANGELES: Alec Baldwin has deleted his Twitter account after facing backlash following his controversial tell-all interview about the fatal Rust shooting. The actor used to have two Twitter accounts, and one, @alecbaldwin, where he issued statements about the shooting, is no longer active. The other – @AlecBaldwln – still exists, however, he rarely tweets there. During the tell-all interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos last week, Baldwin said he didn’t pull the trigger and didn’t feel guilty over the accident that led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza on the set of the Western Rust. “No, no, no, no, no. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them ... I might have killed myself if I thought…

Nice: About 100 dead cats were found in the home of a retired man in southern France, animal protection associations said yesterday. The volunteers were alerted by the niece of the 81-year-old who entered his house on Sunday after he was taken to hospital in Nice on the French Riviera to discover the lifeless pets. Most of the dead cats were stored in sealed plastic or wooden containers, the regional daily Nice-Matin reported. In addition to the cats, there were remains of squirrels and rats and a dog’s jaw. More than 20 severely undernourished cats were rescued from the house alive and handed over to veterinarians or placed in foster homes.…

The Hague: The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor has defended omitting the US from a probe in Afghanistan, saying the “worst crimes” were committed by the Taliban and Islamic State group. Rights groups criticised Karim Khan’s decision in September to “deprioritise” the investigation into American forces, and focus instead on Afghanistan’s new rulers and the rival IS-Khorasan outfit. “I made a decision, based upon the evidence. The worst crimes in terms of gravity and scale and extent seem to be committed by the so-called Islamic State Khorasan and also the Taliban,” Khan said. The ICC’s Afghan probe into US crimes had long enraged Washington.…