Table of contents for 2022-03-01 in Cape Times

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za JUDGMENT has been reserved in the Western Cape High Court in the legal battle between residents of Singabalapha informal settlement in Observatory and the City. Singabalapha residents occupied an abandoned home for the aged called Arcadia Place in 2019, but were evicted on October 2 that year. They then moved to a grassy area in front of the vacant building, living in tents and other structures. After months of living on the pavement, the City made various attempts to remove the residents, also issuing them with fines for contravening its by-laws. However, the residents then approached the court and in 2020 were granted an interdict which blocks the City from evicting them, confiscating property, harassing or abusing the community. The City’s appeal of the interdict was heard…

Ingredients Method 600g mutton/lamb, pieces washed and drained 2 tsp cooking oil 2 onions, peeled and chopped 1 tsp salt 1-2 green chillies, chopped 2 pieces stick cinnamon 1 large cauliflower floret, cut off and broken into pieces 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and fry the onions until golden brown. Add meat and cinnamon. Brown the meat, ensuring it is well browned, not burnt. Add a little water, cover and reduce the heat. Simmer until meat is nearly tender. Add cauliflower, potatoes, chillies, salt to taste and simmer until potatoes are tender. Chef’s tip: Add carrots for variation. |…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za SOME young Clifton Lifesaving Club lifeguards have come out to share their trauma following a drowning incident where their seniors were allegedly nowhere to be found and an oxygen cylinder was empty. The teenagers, who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation, spoke out following calls for the club to take accountability and for the incident, where a young medical student from Mozambique drowned on February 13, to be probed. “We saw people calling for help and at the scene it was just us juniors. We looked for the squad leader but no one could find him and the other one, because we have two (squad leaders), was in the boat shed sleeping. “None of us knew what to do, we are all under the…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa is a president on probation with his own party. His stop-start approach towards combating corruption through bold action to remove predatory individuals from positions of power as well as strengthening the criminal justice system through timely appointment of the chief justice and other judicial officials has been scorned, including by previously supportive ANC veterans. Following the conclusion of the State of the Nation Address (Sona) debate, he has spent time getting briefed and on the phone to government leaders to deliberate on things he should have decisively acted on a long time ago but failed. These include Parliament’s standing committee on public accounts decision not to call him to answer questions about his knowledge of the use of state funds for ANC campaigns, the damning latest crime…

Myanmar’s military government complained of biased coverage by foreign media, which it said was misreporting events in the country, and being swayed by distorted information from “terrorists” determined to create instability. The State Administrative Council, as the junta is known, said it was a friend to the media and international community, but they were misrepresenting its efforts to ensure peace and protect its citizens. Its information ministry said: “What we find troubling is the clear and persistent bias of certain foreign media towards terrorist groups. But these media are doing so without fully ascertaining the facts.” | Reuters…

NAIROBI: UN negotiators have agreed a roadmap for a global plastic treaty that would address plastic production and design, according to a draft resolution, in what delegates said was a key step to agreeing an ambitious deal. UN member states are meeting this week in Nairobi to agree plans for the first global agreement to tackle plastic pollution, a soaring environmental crisis that is destroying marine habitats and contaminating the food chain. They hope to agree a full treaty within the next two years. If the draft is approved, it would be a setback for oil and chemicals companies that manufacture plastics. | Reuters…

Western parties had yet to make “political decisions” to conclude talks aimed at restoring the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran said yesterday after its chief negotiator returned to Vienna. All sides to the negotiations had signalled progress in the talks being held in the Austrian capital, but added they were at a critical stage. Iran had repeatedly emphasised the need for the West to make certain “decisions”. “Unfortunately, Western sides and the US haven’t still made their political decisions on several remaining issues,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said. These issues are “in the fields of removal of sanctions, guarantees and some political claims about Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme”, he said. Parties to the 2015 deal saw it as the best way to stop the Islamic republic from building a nuclear…

Milan: Italy’s foreign minister visited Algeria yesterday for talks on increasing gas supplies from the country to compensate for a possible drop in Russian supplies over the Ukraine conflict. Luigi di Maio tweeted that he would meet with his Algerian counterpart and top officials to “discuss strengthening bilateral co-operation, in particular to address European energy security needs, in light of the conflict in Ukraine”. Algerian state energy giant Sonatrach said on Sunday it was ready to increase gas supplies to Europe, notably via the Transmed pipeline linking Algeria to Italy. | AFP…

There are a host of women ready to shine over the coming weeks. Here, Zaahier Adams picks five players to keep an eye on when the tournament starts on Friday. Mithali Raj - India The leading run-scorer in the history of women’s cricket with over 7 500 one-day international runs, Raj has seen and done almost everything in the game. The one prize that, however, still eludes the veteran is a World Cup winner’s medal. She has come close on two occasions having previously led India to the final in 2005 and 2017. The 2017 defeat was particularly heart-breaking as India went down by just nine runs in a thriller to hosts England at Lord’s. At 39, this will undoubtedly be her last attempt at emulating India’s male legends Kapil…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za The objective for Brad Binder is quite clear for both his supporters, team and himself: Challenge the top three as often as possible, where possible and when possible. That is not merely an educated guess, or a pie-in-the-sky aspiration drummed up by those who have followed his career, but rather the frank assessment from the Red Bull KTM rider himself. Binder expressed this view yesterday while speaking to Independent Media; and while he revealed this particular ambition, he also expressed confidence that he now has the package to attack the 2022 MotoGP season, more so than last year. “It was good to see that the pre-season testing was positive,” Binder said. “We made some small steps forward from last season so I am going to (the season-opening…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za ONE of trade union federation Cosatu’s affiliates – the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) – labelled yesterday’s unanimous Constitutional Court ruling, dismissing the application to enforce the 2018 wage agree- ment, as a sad moment for collective bargaining. Popcru and other Cosatu affiliates, the National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA and the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union, failed in their bid to overturn the Labour Appeal Court ruling dismissing their application to force the government to implement salary increases that were due in 2020. The Public Serants’ Association (PSA), the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers’ Union, the SA Policing Union, the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA, the Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za CALLS have been made for the DA to take strong action against a councillor implicated in the irregular investment of R30 million of public funds by the George Municipality with Old Mutual. Public Protector advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane at a briefing in Pretoria yesterday, said a probe had found in favour of GOOD party leader Patricia de Lille that the R30m invested by the George Municipality with Old Mutual was irregular. De Lille lodged a complaint in her capacity as the party’s leader regarding allegations of improper conduct and maladministration by the municipality in 2019. The investment was made with Old Mutual more than four years ago by George DA councillor Stag Cronjé, when his son was employed as an agent for the institution’s broker distribution. The choice…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za A MAN has been convicted for instructing the murder of his wife after he hired two men who were to participate in a staged robbery at their home and promised R30 000. Thabo Lehloibi was convicted for the murder of his wife, Matumelo Lehloibi – who was strangled to death – while his co-accused, Kwenamore Thabang, was acquitted of a murder charge but convicted for assault for the incident on October 10, 2019 at the Leihlobi residence in Soweto. Charges against a third accused, Thabo Sibisi, were withdrawn after he turned state witness in the matter heard at the Gauteng High Court. Sibisi was approached by Lehloibi who then asked him to recruit another person to carry out the staged robbery and he then recruited his…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za A THEMBALETHU family in George says they live in fear daily as the illegal electricity connection that has electrified a fence running past their home which killed their son, 4, and injured his grandmother, is yet to be stopped. Little Ophayo Tukushe had touched the fence that connects to a nearby informal settlement and was electrocuted to death on January 22. His grandmother, Nomvuselelo Tukushe, was electrocuted the following day while hanging towels on the washing line. Ophayo’s grandfather, Ntsikelelo Tukushe, said the family were living in fear as a result of the continuing illegal power connection in their yard. “The municipality never came to us and got the full information of how this happened and how they are going to fix this illegal power connection. The…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa needs to remove Police Minister Bheki Cele from his position if he wants the public to believe that he is serious about holding incompetent senior government officials accountable. Last week, the Presidency announced that Ramaphosa had terminated National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sitole’s employment by mutual agreement with effect from March 31. A statement on Friday said Ramaphosa and Sitole had agreed that the early termination of the commissioner’s contract was in the best interests of the country. Sitole joins a long list of national police commissioners who have failed to finish their term in office since the dawn of democracy. Ramaphosa’s action is commendable and demonstrates his commitment to holding politicians and senior government officials to account. However, for members of the public to believe…

BENI: Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 20 civilians in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a local resident and an activist who criticised the failure of Congolese and Ugandan forces to stop the repeated massacres. The attack on Sunday evening in the village of Kikura was attribued to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan militia. Congolese and Ugandan troops launched joint operations against the ADF in November but attacks by the group, which has pledged allegiance to IS, have continued. The assailants struck at about 9pm with machetes and also burnt down houses, said Odette Zawadi, the president of a local activist organisation. | Reuters…

Russia and Ukraine met yesterday for their first talks since the outbreak of war last week, with Kyiv demanding an “immediate ceasefire” as the number of refugees fleeing the country hit more than 500 000. As the delegations arrived for talks on the border between Belarus and Ukraine on day five of Moscow’s invasion, the Ukrainian presidency demanded the ceasefire “and the withdrawal of troops” – which Moscow is almost certain to reject. “I do not really believe in the outcome of this meeting, but let them try,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said. Severe financial sanctions imposed by the West on Moscow showed their impact on financial markets yesterday morning, with the Russian ruble collapsing to a record low and the Russian central bank more than doubling interest rates…

Hong Kong may impose a hard lockdown that confines people to their homes, authorities signalled yesterday, with the city’s zero-Covid-19 strategy in tatters and bodies piling up in hospitals. Two years of strict zero-Covid-19 policies kept the coronavirus largely at bay but a breakthrough of the highly transmissible Omicron variant exposed how little authorities had done to prepare for a mass outbreak. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam previously ruled out a citywide lockdown and instead has ordered all 7.4 million residents to be tested this month. But in a U-turn, health secretary Sophia Chan confirmed yesterday that it was still an option. Asked whether a lockdown was still ruled out she replied: “No. We are still discussing.” “From a public health perspective, to bring out the best effect of…

MILAN: Russian Valery Gergiev will not conduct the orchestra at Milan’s La Scala this week after he failed to condemn the invasion of Ukraine, the city mayor said yesterday. Gergiev – the general director of the St Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre and regarded as close to Russian President Vladimir Putin – conducted The Queen of Spades, an opera based on Alexander Pushkin’s novel, at La Scala on February 23. The show will run until March 15 and the next performance will be on Saturday. “I don’t think he will be there, I think at this point we can rule it out,” Giuseppe Sala, La Scala theatre board chairperson and mayor of Milan, told reporters yesterday. “The Maestro did not reply to us,” he added. Mayor Sala and La Scala artistic director…

Herman Gibbs The Orlando Pirates versus Kaizer Chiefs showdown was first played in Soweto in January 1970, when the teams featured in a curtain-raiser on the occasion of the Rogue Beer Cup third-place playoff, which the Bucs won 6-4. No one then would have foreseen that these two clubs would grow in stature to the extent that over the next decade they would attract fans from near and far. The 1970 Rogue Beer Cup final was played between Moroka Swallows and Pimville United Brothers (Pubs). Before 1970, these two teams ruled Soweto, with Pirates rising to prominence thereafter after they had attracted only the finest players. One of those players was Kaizer Motaung. In 1969, Motaung tried to settle a dispute with the club after Pirates punished their players for…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za THE BIDVEST Group, having recently built one of the biggest LPG (liquid petroleum gas) facilities in the world at Richards Bay, is to spend another R500 million to establish an inland LPG terminal in Isando, Ekurhuleni, chief executive Mpumi Madisa said. “This is twice the size of our original ambitions, and we anticipate commissioning towards the end of 2025,” she said in a phoneinterview at the release of the group’s results for the six months to December 31, 2021, yesterday. Madisa said the decision to build the Richards Bay facility was at a time of a shortage of LPG gas in SA, and even then the facility was not big enough. The group now expected demand for its LPG facilities to also increase with the closure…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za LOCAL fishers say they are concerned that the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) finalisation of allocations under the Fishing Rights Allocation Process (Frap) without any word on allocations to the small-scale sector, was another step toward eliminating small-scale in favour of big business. DFFE yesterday announced it had concluded the 2021/22 Frap in nine commercial fishing sectors that were due for reallocation. These included Hake Deep-Sea Trawl, Hake Longline, South Coast Rock Lobster, Small Pelagic (sardine and anchovy), KwaZulu-Natal Crustacean Trawl, Demersal Shark Longline, Squid, Tuna Pole-Line and Traditional Linefish. The department will also be finalising the allocations of rights in the abalone sector, which could not be concluded in 2015. The department said that in all 2 473 applications were received and adjudicated.…

Siyavuya Mzantsi and Thabo Makwakwa THE AU has described reports that Africans on the Ukrainian side of the border were being refused the right to cross to safety, as shockingly racist and in breach of international law. AU chair and President of the Republic of Senegal, Macky Sall, and AU Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said they were closely monitoring the developments in Ukraine, and were particularly disturbed by reports that Africans were being singled out for unacceptable dissimilar treatment as they attempted to flee to safety. This comes as Russian artillery allegedly bombarded residential districts of Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv yesterday, killing possibly dozens of people, according to Ukrainian officials, as Moscow’s invading forces met stiff resistance from Ukrainians on a fifth day of conflict. Russia has maintained…

Staff writer A NUMBER of acclaimed international guest artists are set to join Cape Town City Ballet for Maina Gielgud’s Giselle. Giselle will be presented from March 18 to April 9 at the Artscape Opera House. International guest artists, principal of The Royal Ballet, Vadim Muntagirov; principal at Hungarian National Ballet, Tatiana Melnik; and principal at Birmingham Royal Ballet, Brandon Lawrence, will join the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Brandon Phillips, alongside the dancers of Cape Town City Ballet at select performances. “It is fitting that we are able to mark the start of a new, post-pandemic era by bringing international guest artists to Cape Town,” said Cape Town City Ballet chief executive Debbie Turner. “We are honoured to once again be presenting some of the…

EVER since man was created the seed for peaceful co-existence for all humanity was there for all to enjoy a happy and prosperous life. But how did the evil seed for creation’s total destruction come about? This is the eternal question that no one could answer and unfortunately never will. Other equally worrisome questions are: How did nations come about and get strong, with weaker ones on the other hand? Why must there be enemies and wars? However the cleverest among us attempt to answer these questions, there do not seem to be satisfactory answers. Recorded scriptures do throw some light on some of them. We know for instance that in recent history the Roman Empire and others tried to enslave all the smaller nations around them, eventually destroying themselves…

Japanese automaker Toyota said yesterday it was halting operations at all its domestic plants for a day after a reported cyberattack on a parts supplier. “Due to a system failure at a supplier in Japan, we have decided to suspend the operation of 28 lines at all 14 domestic plants on March 1 (for both 1st and 2nd shift),” the world’s top-selling automaker said. The Nikkei newspaper reported that the decision came after a suspected cyberattack hit a parts manufacturer supplying Toyota, but a spokesperson declined to comment. She said the stoppage, which for now will last a day, would affect production of 13 000 vehicles. | AFP…

Home rental company Airbnb said yesterday its non-profit arm, Airbnb.org, would offer free housing for up to 100 000 refugees fleeing Ukraine. Letters have been sent to the leaders of Poland, Romania, Germany and Hungary offering help to house the refugees. The countries share borders with Ukraine. At least 500 000 Ukrainian refugees had entered the EU so far after Russia’s invasion of the country, and the bloc needed to prepare for millions more, EU and French officials said. Airbnb.org, which provides temporary stays for people during crisis, will work with the governments to help address needs including longer-term stays. | Reuters…

Near the rusting remains of a smelter, barefoot men and women scratch at the ground in the quest for cassiterite – the tin oxide ore that generations ago gave the town of Manono a brief taste of the good life. Manono, a town in Tanganyika province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is almost a textbook case of a mining town that went from boom to bust. But hopes are rising that the impoverished town could be magically transformed. The big news is that a large deposit of lithium – the metal used to make rechargeable batteries in phones and electric cars – has been found nearby. After several years’ exploration, Australian company AVZ Minerals, which owns a majority stake in a joint venture with Congolese firm La Cominiere,…

After decades of talking tough on global warming while greenhouse gas emissions rose, the world and its leaders were confronted yesterday by a horrifying “atlas of human suffering”, and the promise of far worse to come. Nearly half the planet’s population are highly vulnerable to a devastating array of climate impacts, according to a landmark UN report that said time had very nearly run out to ensure a “liveable future” for all. Species extinction, ecosystem collapse, insect-borne disease, deadly heatwaves and megastorms, water shortages, reduced crop yields – all are measurably worse due to rising temperatures, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said. Just in the last year, the world has seen a cascade of unprecedented floods, heatwaves and wildfires across four continents. All these impacts will accelerate in…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za By various accounts, there was no panic in the Proteas ranks after they had lost the first Test. There certainly was more than one reason to hit the red button and outside of the team bubble, there was understandably criticism of a performance that saw South Africa suffer their second worst innings defeat, in a match that lasted just seven sessions. One week later, there has been two hundreds, a “five-for”, wickets for the frontline spinner and lots of smiles and chirps on the players’ faces again. It does lead to the question: Why was SA so bad only a week ago? The answer seems to be: The players still don’t know. The best offer in answering that question came from Kyle Verreynne yesterday. “We saw the…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za Kaizer Chiefs’ sporting director Kaizer Motaung jr has said that the club have some exciting implementations which are set to occur in the near future. “For me, assuming the role of sporting director is exciting because it is the core of building long term sustainable plans for the organization,” Motaung is quoted as saying. “There are different touch points on my side which are not just focused on the football side of the business. “What’s important is that it’s given me the last couple of months to do a proper assessment, you are inheriting a squad, seven years of certain strategies that clearly aren’t working and it’s being true and honest to the process and saying, ‘what are the ways to bring proper change?’.” After many years…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za The Rocks have painted the South African cricket landscape pink and purple again after their T20 Challenge triumph in Gqeberha, but captain Pieter Malan believes the best is yet to come. The Rocks are a new addition to the South African first-class system after the six-team franchise system was disbanded at the end of last season when the domestic structure was reverted to provincial unions. The six major provinces were included in Division 1 along with the Rocks (Boland) and North West in the expanded eight team league. The (Paarl) Rocks were formerly only a T20 franchise that competed in the Mzansi Super League, while Boland was a semi-professional union. But due to the success the Paarl Rocks achieved by winning the last MSL title in 2019,…