Table of contents for 2023-04-13 in Cape Times

THE GOOD party has suspended Witzenberg deputy mayor and member Felicity Klazen from all party activities pending the finalisation of internal disciplinary processes over allegations of misconduct levelled against her. GOOD party secretary-general and MP, Brett Herron said this follows an independent investigation and the recent finding of a disciplinary hearing that Klazen was guilty of breaching the party’s constitution and code of conduct. “This is a suspension pending the finalisation of the internal disciplinary processes which have not yet concluded. “Klazen’s rights, in terms of the GOOD constitution and our disciplinary processes, are not affected by this suspension,” he said. As part of her suspension, Klazen is barred from contacting any party member for any purposes whatsoever, of attending party meetings or events; and of representing the party at…

The ANC’s bid in Gauteng to reclaim control of major municipalities appears to be paying dividends for it, except in Tshwane, following the party’s recent embarrassing loss of control after fielding disgraced and fraud-accused Dr Murunwa Makwerela as mayoral candidate in the capital. Despite the loss, Gauteng ANC chairperson Panyaza Lesufi said the party is well on its way to snatch the DA-led Mogale City Local Municipality. This follows campaigns by the ANC and EFF for motions of no confidence against mayor Tyrone Gray, Speaker Jacqueline Pannal and chief whip Lesego Lekoto. The parties last night were still discussing the reinstatement of 41 councillors of the EFF and ANC, fired by Pannal for allegedly failing to attend council meetings. The developments in Mogale came just days after the DA suffered…

MPs left fuming by security firm’s contradictory information PARLIAMENTARIANS described a report by security company G4S on the escape of prisoner Thabo Bester from the Mangaung prison as a “white wash” and accused the company of not taking any responsibility. The directors of the company appeared before the justice and correctional services portfolio yesterday to account on the circumstances that lead to Bester’s escape. The company failed to appear before the committee last week and asked to be summoned after the Easter weekend. Briefing the committee, Mangaung Correctional Centre head Joseph Monyante said Bester made an application requesting to be transferred to a single cell for his own safety on April 30, 2022. Monyante said a fire was discovered in Bester’s single cell at 4am on May 3 and it…

Ten years ago, Mduduzi Vura Khumalo felt something was missing in his life. Today he is a man with a mission and excited by the success of his venture – the establishment of Phantane Athletics Club, which promises to make waves at the 2023 Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon. Overweight and past 40, Mduduzi Khumalo felt his health and fitness were not optimal, so he started running to trim down. Soon he was enjoying the increased energy that came with a stronger body, but still, he wasn’t satisfied. Being a people-person, Khumalo wanted running mates to share his new passion with so he decided to start an athletics club to get more members of the community active and give them a message of hope through running. “I think my interest and…

A convicted criminal’s bizarre and continued “vexatious litigation” campaign against a National Freedom Party (NFP) member has been halted by the Western Cape High Court. Granville Carson, a convicted murderer and robber representing himself in the matter, had tried to get NFP member and parliamentary leader Ahmed Emam to pay him R300 million for allegedly defaming and stopping him (Carson) from becoming a party member. Emam took the matter to court and averred that Carson’s conduct over recent years had necessitated the application to stop him from persistently “launching and continuing with ill-founded, irresponsible, and vexatious litigation”. According to the judgment, Emam is not the only victim of vexatious litigation brought on by Carson as the convict has also set his sights on other parties for legal battles such as…

Many see homosexuality as being a result of Western influence and against their culture In recent years, homosexuality in Uganda has become an increasingly volatile political and social issue. The country’s Anti-Homosexuality Act was passed in 2014 and, in March 2023, lawmakers passed a bill that proposes tough penalties for sexual minorities. For instance, it criminalises those who identify as LGBTQI. The legislation was supported by nearly all the 389 members of parliament who were present, and will become law if signed by President Yoweri Museveni. The bill, which has public support in Uganda, aims to counter what it calls “threats to the traditional, heterosexual family”. As an anthropologist, I wanted to understand what contributed to the rising tension concerning homosexuality in Uganda and why it endures as a politically…

Fresh clashes with M23 rebels erupted yesterday near the eastern DR Congo city of Goma, according to officials, rupturing weeks of relative calm in the troubled region. A Tutsi-led group, the M23 has won a string of victories against the army and enemy militias since re-emerging from dormancy in late 2021, capturing swathes of North Kivu province. The group also triggered a vast humanitarian crisis as it closed in on the provincial capital Goma, a trade hub of more than one million people. Yesterday, armed men claiming to be Congolese patriots attacked M23 positions near Kibumba, about 20km north of Goma, the army said. M23 fighters repulsed the attack and the army later arrested the assailants. A precarious calm had reigned for several weeks prior to the attack, with troops…

Amsterdam: Dutch police arrested two protesters who ran towards French President Emmanuel Macron outside Amsterdam University yesterday, police said. The arrests came a day after demonstrators against Macron’s controversial pension reforms heckled him during a speech in The Hague. The incident happened just after the French president had got out of a limousine with Dutch King Willem-Alexander and was being greeted by Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema. It was the second such disruption in two days after protesters heckled Macron as he gave a speech on European sovereignty in The Hague on Tuesday. | AFP…

MILAN: Italian prosecutors yesterday identified the bear responsible for killing a runner in the Alps last week as one that had previously attacked two other people. Local authorities have asked for the animal to be put down. They had applied for the bear to be euthanised in 2020, when it attacked a father and son near the same area. A court ruling overturned the decision at that time. Prosecutors said DNA samples taken after the latest attack matched a 17-year-old female bear identified as “JJ4”. It wears a GPS-equipped radio collar. The incident has reopened a debate on human-wildflife conflict in an area that was repopulated with bears from 1999 under an EU programme. | Reuters…

A 32-year-old Oudtshoorn Municipality employee named as a suspect in the gruesome murder of Almay Hurling, has died while under police guard at the George Provincial Hospital. Hurling, 21, was found dead in her home with multiple stab wounds on Monday last week. Suspect Allister Wanie apparently attempted to end his life on Saturday, the same day as Hurling’s funeral, by consuming a poisonous substance prior to his arrest. Police spokesperson said Wanie who was admitted to hospital on Saturday was declared dead by medical personnel on Tuesday. “George police opened an inquest docket following the death of a 32-year-old man, Allister Wanie, at the George Provincial Hospital on Tuesday, 11 April, 2023 at about 2.50pm. “Preliminary investigation reveals the man, a suspect in a murder case, was admitted for…

AN eyewitness has described how three men stormed out of a white VW Polo, forcefully entering an Ocean View house where they shot and killed five people, with the 6th declared dead in hospital yesterday. Five men were killed at the scene, and a sixth injured person was declared dead on arrival at hospital, said police spokesperson Novela Potelwa. The incident occurred at around 10.50am. “Crime scene experts are still combing the scene where six men were shot. “Detectives from the provincial Anti-Gang Unit are investigating six counts of murder, and the motive for the shooting is suspected to be gang-related, with no arrests affected as yet,” she said. Residents gathered at the scene in shock yesterday. Community Policing Forum (CPF) chair Mansoer Ismail said: “Residents are reeling in shock…

ANTI-crime activist Hanif Loonat yesterday lodged another criminal complaint with police in relation to a City tender, this time involving the Safety and Security portfolio. Loonat, accompanied by the leader of the Cape Coloured Congress (CCC), Fadiel Adams lodged charges of fraud yesterday morning, alleging more than R50 million was allegedly taken and paid out for housing tenders. This is in connection with alleged fraudulent tenders 301Q/2018/19 and payments to three parties. Loonat alleged that from the period December 17, 2019 mayco member for Safety and Security JP Smith’s portfolio allegedly paid more than R50m for support, this was for, including maintenance and construction of building and structures for the city. While Smith dismissed the claims as false allegations threatening legal action for reputational damage, police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said…

Pieter Toerien presents a new full-scale stage production of the hit rock ’n’ roll jukebox musical, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, live on stage at the Artscape Opera House. Directed by the West End’s Nick Winston (Fame, Cats, Chess, Annie), this tribute musical follows the incredible journey of Buddy’s meteoric rise to the top of the record charts during the golden days of rock ’n’ roll, bigger and better than ever seen before in South Africa. Set and costume designs are by Fleur du Cap winner Niall Griffin (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) and musical direction by Wessel Odendaal (The Phantom Of The Opera, Here’s To You – The Simon And Garfunkel Songbook, Avenue Q). Leading an all-South African cast is singer-songwriter…

THE Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has been urged to ‘exert its energies’ in facilitating the safe release of a South African held hostage in Mali for five years. Gift of the Givers has recently confirmed that a negotiator was on the ground pleading for his release. While working as a paramedic, Gerco van Deventer, 47, was kidnapped in Libya on November 3, 2017. Eight months later he was sold to al-Qaeda terrorists in Mali, who demanded a US$3 million (R55m) ransom for his release, which the family did not have. According to Gift of the Givers founder, Imtiaaz Sooliman, Van Deventer was currently the only South African known to be held hostage abroad. “We started the case for Gerco in 2019, making contact with intermediaries.…

What do we talk about when we talk about China? Some might say it is the second-largest economy with tremendous political and economic sway. After decades of rapid economic growth, some people started to believe China is more of a developed country than a developing country. For these people, here are some facts that might bring a new perspective. Baisha is a small county in Hainan, a tropical island province of China. The county has rich and precious ecological resources. Yet its large areas of tropical forests and mountains also cut it off from the outside world. Before 2020, it had long remained the only deeply impoverished county in the province. After years of relentless effort, a sustainable natural rubber industry was finally built up in Baisha, and the county…

THE UN said that it is undeterred from its role in Sudan after a man threatened to kill its Secretary-General’s special representative in the north African nation. It said it was concerned by a video circulating featuring a man requesting a fatwa at a public event in Khartoum to allow him to assassinate Volker Perthes, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan. A fatwa is a ruling by a recognised authority on a point of Islamic law. The UN said the language of incitement and violence would only deepen divisions on the ground. It said that the Sudanese government had a duty to ensure the safety and security of the UN mission and its members, citing provisions of the 2021 agreement between the UN and the government. Perthes remained…

LONDON: The Scottish National Party (SNP) has contacted Britain’s Electoral Commission watchdog about its difficulties in finding an auditor to approve its annual accounts by July amid a police probe into the party’s finances. The husband of former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon was held by police last week as part of a probe into the funding of the pro-independence SNP, which runs Scotland’s semi-autonomous government, before being released without charge. Police are looking into what happened to £600 000 raised by Scottish independence campaigners in 2017, which was to have been ring-fenced but may have been used for other purposes. | Reuters…

January to March 2023 was the deadliest first quarter for migrants crossing the central Mediterranean since 2017, the UN said yesterday, with 441 lives lost attempting to reach Europe. The UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said delays in state-led search-and-rescue (SAR) operations were a factor in several fatal incidents in the perilous crossing from north Africa. And the IOM said the 441 known deaths in the first three months of the year was likely an undercount of the true number. “The persisting humanitarian crisis in the central Mediterranean is intolerable,” said IOM chief Antonio Vitorino. “With more than 20 000 deaths recorded on this route since 2014, I fear that these deaths have been normalised. States must respond.” The IOM said delays in such rescues were a factor in…

MARCUS Rashford will miss Manchester United's Europa League quarter-final first-leg clash with Sevilla after suffering a muscle injury that is likely to keep him out for "a few games", the club announced yesterday. The 25-year-old, who has scored 28 goals for Erik ten Hag's side this season, limped out of the 2-0 Premier League win over Everton on Saturday. "Marcus Rashford will be unavailable for Thursday's Uefa Europa League quarter-final game against Sevilla because of a muscle injury," United said in a statement. "The forward was withdrawn in the 80th minute of Saturday's 2-0 Premier League win over Everton at Old Trafford and immediately headed to the dressing room for treatment. "Subsequent assessment of the injury suggested that Marcus will be unavailable for a few games, but is expected to…

The trio found guilty of defrauding the JSE have been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment each. Prudence Ramakgole, 34, Seatile Pauline Senoamadi, 44, and Motsiri Peter Ramahlarerwa, 58, appeared before the Mokopane Regional Court yesterday. The trio were accused of siphoning R190 million. During the trial, the court heard how the syndicate operated in their capacity as Absa employees in Limpopo and Gauteng when they accessed the portfolios of JSE Trustees and Samancor Foundation without authorisation. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mashudu Malabo- Dzhangi said they had misrepresented Absa and Samancor. “On July 26, 2019, near Lephalale, the accused unlawfully, falsely and with intent to defraud and misrepresent to Samancor Foundation or Absa that they were authorised to transfer an amount of R2.9m, made changes to the JSE’s banking portfolio…

Load shedding could be expected every day this winter, likely to fluctuate between stage 4 and stage 6, if all goes “according to plan”. This is according to experts who said South Africans should brace for a dark winter, as high stages of load shedding are anticipated while Eskom continues to battle to keep up with demand amid generation capacity challenges. The nation was again plunged into stage 6 load shedding yesterday. On Sunday night electricity pylons collapsed on the N4 highway in Tshwane resulting in large parts of Pretoria being without electricity. At the site, Electricity Minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa reportedly came clean that the power utility needed about 66 000 megawatts to fill its demand-supply gap. Eskom would not respond to questions around the winter outlook or its plans…

In this interview, the Cape Times seeks to understand what the Russian state-owned energy company Rosatom proposes as solutions to the energy crisis currently facing South Africa. CEO of Rosatom Central and Southern Africa, Ryan Collyer answered a few questions: Q: Is Russia and its state-owned energy companies ready to assist South Africa with its energy problems? What are the solutions that come to mind, that South Africa can explore? A: Rosatom is a very strong proponent of a diversified energy mix. We strongly believe that the country should use all available assets and energy sources to provide the most efficient, stable and sustainable energy mix to grow the economy. South Africa for instance is blessed with an abundance of natural resources that should be utilized in solving the energy…

TWO Egyptian nationals are expected in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court today in connection with the disappearance and subsequent murder of their former business partner. According to the police, the pair allegedly abducted and killed the victim, Saeed Mansour, who is also Egyptian, in Grabouw last month. The accused pair, aged 33 and 34, made their first court appearance in the Grabouw Magistrate’s Court on Monday following their arrest last week in Grabouw and Queenstown respectively. The case was transferred to Mitchells Plain on Monday. Police spokesperson, Malcolm Pojie said preliminary investigation by an integrated team of detectives, suggests that the suspects visited Mansour on March 31 where they confronted him about a substantial amount of money he allegedly took without consent. “They then forced him into their car and…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa must see the failed extradition of the state capture-accused Gupta brothers as yet another major blow to his government’s efforts to get to the bottom of the serious allegations against the fugitives. The failure to have them testify and give their side of the story during the costly Zondo commission of inquiry should have compelled the government to go the extra mile in having them brought back to the country to account for the corruption allegations against them. South Africa’s request to extradite Atul and Rajesh Gupta was recently dismissed, with a United Arab Emirates (UAE) court ruling that it had jurisdiction to prosecute the Guptas for money laundering offences allegedly committed in the UAE and South Africa. To this, Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola…

US President Joe Biden urged Northern Irish political leaders to restore their powersharing government with the promise that scores of US corporations were ready to invest in the region as he marked the 25th anniversary of peace in Belfast. Biden, who is fiercely proud of his Irish heritage, spent just over half a day in the UK region, where he met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, before travelling south to the Irish Republic for two-and-a-half days of speeches and meetings with officials and distant relatives. The brief Belfast stop comes against the backdrop of the latest political stalemate in which the devolved power- sharing government, a key part of the 1998 peace deal, has not met for more than a year due to a row about post-Brexit trade arrangements. “It…

TEHRAN: An Iranian technical delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday to prepare for the reopening of Tehran’s embassy there, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said, under a deal to re-establish ties. Both countries’ foreign ministers met in Beijing earlier this month for the first formal gathering of their top diplomats in more than seven years, after China brokered the agreement to restore relations between the top regional powers. The detente between the Sunni kingdom and the revolutionary Shia theocracy could help stabilise the Middle East, where the two sides have supported sectarian proxy forces that are either at daggers drawn or openly at war. | Reuters…

Paris: Solar and wind energy surged to make a record 12% of the world’s electricity in 2022, a climate think tank calculated in a report yesterday, although coal remained the leading source globally. The report provides the latest gauge of renewable energy growth as countries scramble to meet emissions targets to curb climate change and secure alternative power sources. “Record growth in wind and solar drove the emissions intensity of the world’s electricity to its lowest ever level in 2022,” said climate and energy think tank Ember. Power from wind turbines and solar panels was up to 12% from 10% in 2021 and 5% in 2015. | AFP…

London: Scores of British Pakistanis wrote letters to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to complain about “racist, unacceptable” comments made by Home Secretary Suella Braverman against Pakistani men. Doctors, health-care workers, entrepreneurs, CEOs and founders wrote letters signed by dozens of associations and individuals to Sunak, demanding an apology. Last week, Braverman came under fire after she spoke about “the predominance of British-Pakistani males who hold cultural values totally at odds with British values”. She said that British Pakistani men “see women in a demeaned, illegitimate way”. She also said that “vulnerable white girls are being targeted by British Pakistani grooming gangs”. | IANS…