Table of contents for 2022-06-30 in Cape Times

From page 1 “The SAPS management in the Eastern Cape has expressed concerns about circulating rumours and media reports speculating on the cause of death in the tavern tragedy incident. “As clearly articulated in the statement issued on Monday regarding the ongoing investigations, SAPS forensic investigators are still continuing with the investigation. Until such time that the work of the forensic laboratory is concluded, any informal and unofficial information which is not released by the South African Police Service, must be regarded as falsehood and misleading to the public and the affected deceased families,“ he said. ANCYL Regional Treasurer and resident Aseza Somagaca said the community had on numerous occasions expressed its frustrations with the tavern owner about underage drinking on the premises. “The tavern has been here for years.…

THE ANC in the province has called for Premier Alan Winde to come clean about details of the 12th annual year-end live-stream event hosted by the Friends of United Jewish Campaign at his official residence at Leeuwenhof in December, 2020. The main focus of the event was to raise funds for the David Susman Community Foundation (DSCF) and to celebrate Jewish life in the Mother City, according to media reports. But in a written response to ANC legislature chief whip Pat Lekker, Winde said it was not a fund-raising event and there were no costs involved. Lekker had questioned whether the event was aimed at raising money and, if so, how much was raised. Lekker accused Winde of “ducking questions” about the event, saying they await a response on the…

Eskom says the recovery progress at power stations remains slow due to many workers still refusing to return to work. A high level of staff absenteeism, including many involved in operations at power plants, was reported yesterday. This is despite the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) urging their members on Tuesday to return to work after Eskom management returned to the negotiation table, with talks headed to the Central Bargaining Forum (CBF) tomorrow. NUM national spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu said they could confirm from reports received by the union across the country that their members were back to work at five power stations, including Medupi, and the situation had returned to normal. “We are facing challenges at a couple of power plants…

A VREDENBURG businessman who defrauded the SA Revenue Service (Sars) of millions of rand has been sentenced to three years’ house arrest with community service. Flip Roger Lambert was also fined R256 000 by the Cape Town Regional Court following his conviction on more than a thousand counts of contravention of the Value Added Tax Act – failing to pay VAT to Sars, failure to provide VAT 201 returns within the prescribed period to Sars and failure to pay VAT collected to Sars. The value of the collected VAT that was not paid to Sars was R17.36 million. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said Lambert received fines or prison sentences suspended for five years, on condition that he was not convicted for the same offences during the period of…

THE possibility of more arrests has not been ruled out, police said, as one man is today expected in court in connection with the mass shooting which left four people dead and one wounded in Tulbagh. A 29-year-old undocumented Lesotho national was arrested on Tuesday and is set to appear in the Tulbagh Magistrate’s court. Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said the investigation of the mass murder was still underway and the possibility of more arrests was not excluded. “The meticulous investigation into the circumstances that left four male victims killed and another one injured on Saturday evening in Tulbagh led to the arrest of a suspect. Detectives attached to the Western Cape Serious and Violent Crime Investigation Unit pursued all avenues and conducted their search for a known drug dealer…

Rigid labour market system potentially stalls progress WE CLOSE Youth Month on a sad note. Twenty-one young people lost their lives at Enyobeni Tavern in East London. Events like this remind us how at-risk our young people are, often from themselves. The unbridled war of our times suggests a need to keep a watch and help especially young people. The outlook is not so good, despite the rallying cry for intensifying concerted efforts to assist young people. The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey from Statistics South Africa shows an increase in youth unemployment. So unstable is the situation that oscillations are evident. For instance, in the Eastern Cape, where I am based, figures from the Socio-Economic Consultative Council Quarterly Labour Force Survey reveal a noted decrease to 45% in terms…

The US vowed yesterday to shore up Europe’s defences in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as Nato declared Moscow the West’s greatest threat. Meeting in Madrid, alliance leaders said Russia “is the most significant and direct threat to allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area”. This came as Nato welcomed Sweden and Finland as invitees to join the alliance, and US President Joe Biden announced new deployments of US troops, ships and planes. Biden boasted the US announcement was exactly what President Vladimir Putin “didn’t want”, and Moscow, facing fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces equipped with Western arms, reacted with predictable fury. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov denounced the US military build-up, and warned Nato members that the shifting balance of power “would lead…

Fearing outbreaks of religious violence, police in the Indian state of Rajasthan banned public gatherings and suspended internet services a day after two Muslims posted a video claiming responsibility for slaying a Hindu tailor in the city of Udaipur. Two suspects were being interrogated by federal investigators yesterday, while state police were on guard against any unrest in the state. Brandishing a meat cleaver, two bearded men said in the video they were avenging an insult to Prophet Mohammad caused by the victim. They also alluded to Nupur Sharma, a former spokesperson for the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whose remarks about the Prophet earlier this month triggered domestic and international outrage. India’s Home Ministry said federal police have taken over the investigation into “the brutal murder” of…

NEW YORK: Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison this week for helping sex offender and globetrotting financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls, in what a judge called a “horrific scheme” that inflicted “incalculable” harm on victims. The British socialite, 60, was convicted in December of sex trafficking a minor, for recruiting and grooming four girls to have sexual encounters with Epstein, then her boyfriend, between 1994 and 2004. Maxwell called Epstein a “manipulative, cunning and controlling man” who fooled everyone in his orbit. She said she was “sorry” for the pain that his victims experienced. Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 at age 66 while awaiting his own sex trafficking trial. US Circuit Judge Alison Nathan said Maxwell did not appear to…

TRIPOLI: Migrants detained in Libya face horrific abuse, with women especially facing sexual violence, and often forced to submit to rape in exchange for food, UN investigators said yesterday. The Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya reiterated that the worst crimes under international law were likely being committed in the war-ravaged country, with migrant women suffering the worst abuse. Migrants are routinely detained by authorities, human traffickers and others in Libya, a key departure point for tens of thousands of people mainly from sub-Saharan Africa hoping to reach Europe. The investigators said migrants in detention face “acts of murder”. | AFP…

LONDON: Prince Charles would not now accept large sums of cash handed over to him for his charities, a senior royal source said, after a newspaper reported an ex-Qatari prime minister had given him 3 million euros ($3.2 million), some of it in shopping bags. The heir to the British throne had been personally given three lots of cash by Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani between 2011 and 2015. Charles’s office said the money was handed over to one of his charities who carried out appropriate governance and gave assurances that all processes were followed. But anti-monarchy campaign group Republic demanded that Britain’s Charity Commission investigate. | Reuters…

FOREIGN nationals whose applications for asylum in South Africa were rejected do not automatically have the right in law to reapply. If they did, this would create a never-ending cycle of asylum applications, according to a judgment by the Western Cape High Court. This followed an application by three Burundian nationals, who applied for asylum in South Africa. Their applications were rejected as being manifestly unfounded in terms of the Refugees Act. The refusal was automatically reviewed by the Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs, which confirmed the finding. The women subsequently turned to court to obtain an order directing the Department of Home Affairs and its various arms dealing with asylum issues, to accept a second asylum application by each of them. Their objective in seeking to remain in South…

Four men accused of the murder of Igshaan Philander at the Synergy Rehabiliitation and Upliftment Centre will be back in the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court in August, after the case was postponed again. Yesterday’s court date had been due to a prior postponement which called for further investigation. All accused have been denied bail. Philander, 36, was a patient at the illegal , unregistered rehabilitation centre which operated out of a residence in Louis Botha Street, Ruyterwacht. According to reports, when Philander’s family enquired about him, he could not be found and he was subsequently reported missing in November last year. When police visited the centre, a number of residents had made claims of abuse. National Prosecuting Authority, Eric Ntabazalila said the case against Zaid Isaacs, Moegamat Ismail Jones, Moegamat…

A TOTAL of R3.4 billion has been voluntarily returned to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) by employers who benefited from the Covid-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (Covid-19 TERS). The figure was revealed by UIF Commissioner Teboho Maruping during a media briefing in Cape Town yesterday. Maruping said as a result of media headlines about employers being arrested and appearing in court for Covid-19 TERS-related fraud, more employers were now returning monies to the UIF of their own accord. “As we anticipate more arrests and convictions through our investigative partnerships with law enforcement agencies and ‘follow the money’ project. We expect more employers will pay back money to the Fund,” he said. UIF deputy director: governance Smiso Nkosi told journalists that at least R14.1bn that was disbursed through Covid-19 TERS had…

South Africa is one of the most progressive countries in advancing the rights of sexual and gender minorities in Africa, and our Constitution is the first in the world to prohibit unfair discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. But even though the Constitution guarantees all citizens’ rights, many factors still conspire to make trans- gender and gender-diverse persons particularly vulnerable to life-threatening marginalisation, oppression, violence, and exclusion. These factors include access to education, socio-economic status, health status, stigma, housing and discrimination. As a result, universities must develop policies and tactics to combat transphobia and transcend the gender binary. University communities around the world have seen an increase in the number of persons who identify as transgender, gender-diverse and non-binary. However, it appears that universities are not comprehensively ready to…

At least 51 migrants have died after being trapped inside a tractor-trailer truck found abandoned in Texas, authorities said this week, as two Mexican nationals tied to the smuggling tragedy were charged in US federal court. The deceased migrants, 39 men and 12 women, most of them citizens of Mexico, were found on Monday in an industrial area on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas, about 250km north of the US-Mexico border. The incident marked the greatest loss of life on record from a human trafficking attempt in the US, according to Craig Larrabee, an acting special agent in charge with the investigative arm of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Local authorities described finding the rear door to the trailer open with “stacks of bodies” inside, while others were…

Two Indian women were arrested at a Bangkok airport this week after more than 100 live animals were found in their luggage, Thai officials said, amid an uptick in wildlife trafficking as pandemic travel restrictions are relaxed worldwide. Officials detected suspicious objects in the women’s luggage during an X-ray scan at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Authorities conducted a search and found 50 lizards, 35 turtles and two porcupines, among other animals. At least two of the animals were dead and many were dehydrated. Among the animals were the yellow-spotted river turtle, which is native to the Amazon and on an international vulnerable species list, and the Peter’s banded skink, which is sold as a pet in the US. The two women were charged with violating Thailand’s customs and public health laws,…

From page 1 are in progress. Due to the unlawful and unprotected labour action, which has caused widespread disruption to Eskom’s power plants, Eskom is unable to return some generators to service. “This has compelled Eskom to continue taking precautionary measures to conserve emergency generation capacity and safeguard plants from damage. Eskom continues to closely monitor the system and will implement any changes as may be necessary,” said Mantshantsha. He said there remained a risk that the load shedding stage may have to change at any time, depending on the state of the plant. According to Mantshantsha, the power utility had 3 161 megawatts (MW) on planned maintenance, while another 17 395MW was lost due to system breakdowns. “Eskom would also like to pay tribute and thank those many employees…

Experts have warned consumers to prepare for another steep fuel price increase next week. The Automobile Association (AA) has warned that consumers can expect an increase of close to R2 in the price of petrol. Layton Beard, spokesperson for the Automobile Association, said unaudited fuel price data from the Central Energy Fund showed a possible increase of R1.80 in the price of petrol, and an increase of R1.60 in the price of diesel. “The important thing to remember is that the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy jointly announced that the General Fuel Levy was reduced by R1.50 from March to June. For July, the General Fuel Levy will decrease by just 75 cents. “In effect, that 75 cents that is being added back to…

THE arrest of two Mozambicans along with two South Africans for the kidnapping of businessman and Good Hope Construction founder Ismail Rajah has fuelled suspicions that a Mozambican kidnapping syndicate is targeting prominent local business owners. Rajah, 69, who was kidnapped outside his business premises in Parow on March 9, was reunited with his family yesterday after a “midnight take-down operation” to rescue him from his captors at a house in Khayelitsha, said police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe. Although a ransom was requested soon after his kidnapping, no money was paid during his 111 days in captivity. “Following his kidnapping, a ransom demand was made to his family. It is reported that the family were already en route to Dubai to expedite the ransom payment when the SAPS National Anti-Kidnapping Task…

It was a celebratory week at the National Arts Festival (NAF) with the welcome news that South Africans were no longer required to wear masks. Traders on the Village Green reported a robust start to the festival as rain cleared and the sun came out over the weekend. Not even load shedding could dampen the mood at the festival hub, the Monument, as generators kept the lights on for more than 900 fans who packed the Guy Butler Theatre for a once-off Ringo Madlingozi concert on Saturday. Previously capped at 50% capacity, the show sold an additional 400 tickets in less than 24 hours when venue capacity restrictions were lifted. 2021 Standard Bank Visual Artist Buhlebezwe Siwani opened her three exhibitions inspired by the artist’s deep relationship with the natural…

Delft, Harare, Mfuleni and Gugulethu police stations reported the most sexual offences per station in the Western Cape between January 2021 and March 2022. In a written reply to the ANC’s Gladys Bakubaku-Vos, Western Cape Community Safety MEC Reagan Allen said the department was in the process of monitoring the level of compliance of SAPS specialised units dealing with sexual offence cases, namely the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) units. The latest crime stats, released in early June, showed an increase in murder and rape cases between January and March, 2022. Murder increased by 22.2% from 4 976 in the same period last year to 6 083 in 2022. Rape also shot up by 13.7% to 10 818 during the first three months of this year. The…

IN THE third aircraft accident in a month, the two injured pilots who landed in Luzuko, Lower Crossroads on Tuesday evening, were robbed of their belongings, including headsets, after the crash. The light aircraft took off from Swellendam and intended to land at Cape Town International Airport. The accident occurred on approach. This follows the deaths of two people who were killed after the light aircraft they were travelling in crashed on a farm in Kinkelbos, Gqeberha, on Saturday night. Two men were also injured on June 1 after their light aircraft crashed on the R44 between Stellenbosch and Strand. Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said the police were probing the circumstances leading to the latest incident. “This office confirms that it came to the attention of the Saps that the…

THE scrapping of the last Covid-19 curbs, including wearing masks indoors and doing away with restrictions on gatherings, shouldn’t make South Africans lose sight of a possible monkeypox outbreak. That it took so long for the country to detect and identify the first case, should be cause for concern. The case was confirmed last week in a press briefing when Health Minister Joe Phaahla told the nation that the 30-year-old patient from Joburg had no recent travel history. On Tuesday the Health Ministry called for vigilance as South Africa recorded another case – a 32-year-old Cape Town man, also with no travel history. More worrying is the fact that these cases suggest there is a high possibility of local transmission. The source and linkage of cases remain under investigation, and…

Regional leaders voiced alarm yesterday over escalating tensions between Ethiopia and Sudan in a disputed border area and appealed for dialogue to stem the crisis. The calls by the AU and another regional grouping followed claims by Khartoum that the Ethiopian army had executed seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian during a clash in the volatile Al-Fashaqa area last week, allegations denied by Addis Ababa. Sudan announced it would recall its ambassador to Addis Ababa over the incident in Al-Fashaqa, a fertile strip of land that has long been a source of friction between the two states. AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat “is following with deep concern the escalating military tension between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Republic of Sudan and deeply regrets the loss of…

ROME: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic and vocal supporter of abortion rights, received the Holy Communion yesterday during a papal Mass in St Peter’s Basilica, according to a witness. The ceremony at the Vatican was a marked contrast to the decision by conservative San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone to ban her from receiving it in his own diocese because of her stance on abortion. Pope Francis has said, “I have never refused the Eucharist to anyone,” although he has reiterated that abortion is “murder”. Before the Mass, Pelosi had a greeting with the Pope where she received a blessing. | Washington Post…

TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign ministry said indirect, EU-mediated talks between Tehran and Washington in Doha, Qatar were proceeding in a “serious” atmosphere, denying an earlier report that they had ended. The talks are aimed at overcoming differences over how to salvage a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and world powers. They started on Tuesday, with negotiators trying to break a months-long impasse that has put on ice negotiations in Vienna to reinstate the pact. Talks between Tehran and major powers stalled in March over Tehran’s insistence that the US remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps from its foreign terrorist organisation list. | Reuters…

Sydney: More than 6 million bees were euthanised across Australia’s east coast this week, an official said yesterday, in an attempt to eliminate a devastating parasite which has continued to spread despite a lockdown of hives. Six hundred hives have been destroyed since the “Varroa destructor” mite was detected. Bee ecologist Jay Iwasaki of the University of Adelaide described the tiny red-brown mites as “little vampires” that feed on larval honey bees. They can also spread “some very serious viruses” through honey-bee colonies. Australia is the only major honey-producing country where the mite is not already endemic. | AFP…

BRUSSELS: The European Commission proposed yesterday to ban the sale in the EU of flavoured heated tobacco products after a big rise in their consumption. “By removing flavoured heated tobacco from the market we are taking yet another step towards realising our vision under Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan to create a “Tobacco Free Generation” with less than 5% of the population using tobacco by 2040,” EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said. The proposed ban would be in force if EU governments and EU lawmakers do not oppose it. Even if approved EU-wide, governments will have months to adapt their legislation. | Reuters…