Table of contents for 2023-06-29 in Cape Times

SOUTH African small businesses can help turn the country’s unemployment status and economy around, but to achieve that, promising entrepreneurs and youth will need far more mentorship than what they are currently getting. This is according to Mitchan Adams, the founder and CEO of local venture builder Aions Creative Technology and a serial entrepreneur. Adams is no stranger to the world of small business and entrepreneurship, having previously co-founded instant EFT and online payments fintech Ozow with Lyle Eckstein and Thomas Pays. From start-up seven years ago, Ozow last year procured a $48 million (R889m) series B investment round led by Tencent. Adams and his company, Aions Creative Technology, in May, launched a micro-investment platform that will allow the person in the street to invest in rapidly growing start-ups…

from page 1 “Any woman can consent to have an abortion. They can go to a designated health facility that offers abortion services for free in the public health sector. There are also facilities in the private sector, such as Marie Stopes, that offer safe abortion services at a price. Any pregnant girl or woman, regardless of age, can consent to an abortion. A minor may be advised by her health-care provider to consult her parents or guardian. However, the ultimate decision to terminate remains the right of the pregnant girl or woman,” Mphahlele said. Dr Margit Endler, a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and an adjunct senior researcher at UCT’s School of Public Health, said the right to abortion was a fundamental part…

SOUTH Africa’s National Special Olympics Team returned home to a hero’s welcome after scooping 49 medals at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, Germany. The Games, held from June 17 to 25 for people with intellectual disabilities, partnered with 190 countries which competed in 26 sports. Team SA amassed 22 gold, 20 silver, and 7 bronze medals, placing them among the top contenders. Special Olympics South Africa chairperson, Mathews Phosa, said the nation was proud of the team’s success. “Our athletes’ remarkable achievements have ignited a sense of pride and unity throughout South Africa. “By showcasing their abilities, they have shattered misconceptions surrounding intellectual disabilities and fostered a more inclusive society. “This outstanding medal tally not only celebrates their sporting achievements but also serves as a powerful symbol of…

Young woman details harrowing experience of terminating pregnancy at local hospital WHILE sitting and queuing for hours to have a legal abortion, she felt scared and confused. Some girls were crying, some left the facility because they felt alone, and the staff didn’t care about their feelings or stories. It was “just another abortion”. This was the experience of a young woman who underwent an abortion at a local hospital this year. She asked to remain anonymous for her safety. “I first had to go to the clinic, and they did an HIV test. The clinic will ask if you are sure but you sit there for a long time, like half a day, they don't do much – they just confirm you are pregnant, give you a referral letter,…

THE hemp and cannabis sector has welcomed recent engagements with the government, where plans were discussed to work towards realising a thriving and inclusive domestic cannabis economy. The sector is one of 14 priority sectors that have been defined in government’s Country Investment Strategy as holding significant potential to secure investment, job creation and support for sustainable rural livelihoods, in recognition of people’s rights. Given the need for urgent implementation, under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development, together with the Presidency, the government convened the Cannabis and Hemp Phakisa Action Lab recently. Legal expert and chief executive of Onlyfarms.app – a marketplace and investment platform – Shaad Vayej said the engagement was progressive and he was “impressed” with the solution-driven gathering where various key…

THE Cape Academy of Maths, Science and Technology principal, Angie Naidu, says she has sent a response to the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) concerning a slew of allegations that have been publicly levelled against her. This comes as an online petition, purportedly drafted by members of the school community, was published at the weekend. The petition speaks of an alleged “toxic environment” at the school, and accused Naidu of “favouritism towards certain staff members who have personal connections with her”, among others. Naidu denied the allegations and said none of the staff had approached her with complaints. “I have sent my response to the WCED. I am not aware of anything, no one has come to my office, whoever the anonymous sources are they have never come to me,…

IT’S all systems go for the R4.5 billion River Club development, with the City yesterday saying it had accepted a settlement offer by the Observatory Civil Association (OCA) for the complete and final cessation of legal action. The OCA challenged the development, which would have Amazon as its anchor tenant, arguing along with the Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin Indigenous Traditional Council, that the development would happen on sacred indigenous land. The OCA was expected to respond in due course. The City said in terms of the settlement, the OCA would make a contribution to the legal costs of the City. “The City is pleased with this outcome and the clear message it conveys – that the City will always vigorously defend planning decisions taken correctly, and will act to protect Cape…

The two should form correct perception of each other’s domestic and foreign policies WHEN Chinese President Xi Jinping met with US secretary of state Antony Blinken in Beijing, he pointed out that the world is developing and the times are changing. The world needs a generally stable China-US relationship. Whether the two countries can find the right way to get along bears on the future and destiny of humanity. China-US relations are at their lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic ties. The root cause of the difficulties is the wrong perception of China by the US. The US views China as its “primary rival” and “the most consequential geopolitical challenge”. This is a major strategic misjudgment. There is competition between the two countries in areas such as economy…

The EU yesterday took its first significant step towards launching a digital version of the euro, a controversial project that has been questioned by politicians and banks. From China to the US, Jamaica to Japan, more than 100 central banks worldwide are exploring or preparing to put in place digital currencies as electronic payments grow, changing the way people spend their money. The move to create a digital version of the single currency began in 2020 when European Central Bank (ECB) president Christine Lagarde suggested the idea and her Frankfurt-based body launched a public consultation. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, published a proposal yesterday that will be the legal foundation on which the ECB could launch a digital euro. The currency would be available to individuals living in…

London: Oscar-winning Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey, 63, was due in a London court yesterday to stand trial for a dozen sexual offences which allegedly occurred more than a decade ago. The actor is facing a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court in south London. Spacey has been on unconditional bail since first appearing in court in Britain last year. The actor’s career has been halted by large numbers of allegations of sexual offences. Last year he appeared at London’s Old Bailey court to plead not guilty to five offences against three men. They allegedly took place in 2005 and 2008 in London, and in 2013 in Gloucestershire, western England. Last year, prosecutors announced seven additional charges involving another man, taking the total number of counts Spacey faces in the UK…

New York: A 49-year-old Indian-American man was sentenced to more than three years in prison for illegally bringing hundreds of Indian nationals across the border from Canada and then to locations in the midwest and beyond, using Uber. Rajinder Pal Singh was sentenced this week at the District Court in Seattle. Singh pleaded guilty in February, admitting that he took in more than $500 000 as a key member of a smuggling ring. Acting US Attorney Tessa M Gorman said that Singh’s actions saddled those smuggled with crushing debt of as much as $70 000. Records detail how Uber trips from the border would be split between different rides. | IANS…

IN 2013, Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky pulled off one of the greatest Wimbledon shocks when he demolished Roger Federer on Centre Court. Ten years on, Stakhovsky has exchanged his tennis whites for army fatigues as he fights with the Ukraine military against the Russian invaders. The sporting fallout from the conflict will likely be reflected in the tranquil surroundings of the All England Club in leafy south-west London when Wimbledon gets underway on Monday. Twelve months ago, players from Russia and close ally Belarus were banned from Wimbledon, the only one of the four grand slam events to adopt such a hard-line response to the war. They have been allowed to return this year although there is uncertainty as to how they will be greeted on court. “We cannot control it,”…

JERMAINE Seoposenwe firmly believes there’s no such thing as an unbeatable team and thus foresees Banyana Banyana making it past the group stages of the Fifa World Cup in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20. The Mexico-based forward is one of the senior players in Desiree Ellis’ team that will attempt to reach the knockout stages for the first time, South Africa having lost all their three matches in their maiden participation at the global showpiece back in 2019. Banyana are in Group G where they will face Sweden (July 23), Argentina (July 28) and Italy (August 2) for a place in the top two and thus earn a spot in the next round. It is a tall ask with the other teams ranked much…

from page 1 discriminated against. It appears that his journey contributed to a greater awareness of his culture on the part of his employer. I fully expect he will continue to educate those he interacts with on his calling and the use of cannabis in relation thereto. I therefore make the following order that the applicant’s claims are dismissed.” Director for the African National Healers Association, Willem Bronkhorst, said the matter of using cannabis at work was a tricky subject. “My question would be whether or not he knew of the permitted limit.” PetroSA did not respond to requests for comment by deadline yesterday.…

A PETROSA telecoms technician who was suspended after cannabis was detected in his blood when he returned from a traditional healer training programme, has lost his bid to have the state-owned company’s alcohol and substance abuse policy reviewed. Mfundo Marasi, who works at the oil giant’s Mossel Bay plant, argued that the use of dagga was an African custom as he approached the Labour Court seeking an order that PetroSA unfairly discriminated against him. He also wanted three months’ compensation for the period he was allegedly suspended without pay; damages in the amount of R250 000 for the impairment of his dignity, past medical expenses and emotional distress; and an order that the alcohol and substance abuse policy be reviewed. PetroSA had informed Marasi that in accordance with its policy,…

AN ARTICLE published in a Swedish magazine about the working conditions of farmworkers at a Western Cape winery, in which a picture appeared of a worker holding up her payslip, had dire consequences for her. Claudine van Wyk, who lost her job as a result of the article, turned to the CCMA to get her job back, with back pay. The arbitrator, however, found her dismissal to be both procedurally and substantively fair. But the Labour Court sitting in Cape Town said this was a gross misdirection by the arbitrator, and overturned his findings, referring the matter back to the CCMA so that another arbitrator could hear the matter afresh. This ruling followed after the Commercial Stevedoring Agricultural and Allied Workers Union turned to the Labour Court on behalf of…

IF INDEED Parliament has covered a lot of ground in implementing Chief Justice Raymond Zondo’s state capture recommendations, it should not take exception to his criticism that it would be found wanting when another attempt at capturing the state is made. In fact, Parliament’s tongue lashing of Justice Zondo is short-sighted at best and borders on censorship at worst. That is why their meeting with him yesterday should have preceded all this drama. After all, he chaired and subsequently produced a damning report that Parliament was sleeping behind the wheel when the Guptas literally ran the country. Expecting him to keep quiet about a process that not only has so much public interest but cost the taxpayer billions of rand is rather naive of Parliament. There was nothing stopping Justice…

France braced for more angry protests yesterday after the killing of a teenager by police during a traffic stop that President Emmanuel Macron called “unforgivable”. The government said it would deploy 2 000 riot police to deal with any unrest, a day after a 17-year-old was shot in the chest by a police officer who then appeared to lie about the circumstances of the killing. The shooting had already sparked unrest in several Paris suburbs overnight. Celebrities and politicians expressed outrage and grief at the death of the teenager, with Macron calling it “inexplicable” and “unforgivable”. The teenager, named only as Nael M, was pulled over by two policemen on Tuesday for breaking traffic rules, prosecutors said. Police initially reported that one officer shot at the teenager because he was…

HundredS gathered in the Sudanese capital Khartoum yesterday to pray for peace on the first day of the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday, but gunfire shattered the brief respite, residents said. Witnesses in the capital’s twin city of Omdurman reported air strikes and anti-aircraft fire, despite separate unilateral truces announced by the warring generals for the holiday. “The country can’t take any more of this,” Khartoum resident Kazem Abdel Baqi said. Nearly 2 800 people have been killed and more than 2.8 million displaced in the war between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy-turned rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Burhan had called for Sudanese “youth and all those able to defend” to take up arms with the military. His appeal echoed…

NATO will monitor the movement of the Wagner Group paramilitary organisation in Belarus to maintain the security of the member states of the alliance, Nato Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday. “It’s too early to make a final judgement about the consequences of the fact that (Wagner Group head) Yevgeny Prigozhin has moved to Belarus and that, most likely, also some of his forces will also be located in Belarus”. Wagner seized a Russian army headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don last week in a mutiny. Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to de-escalate the situation and Prigozhin has been stationed in Belarus. | Sputnik…

SYDNEY: Australian researchers have developed a new drug that could help long Covid-19 symptoms including fatigue, breathlessness and brain fog, affecting between 10% and 20% of the millions infected with Covid-19. The drug, NACE2i, is a potential treatment for long Covid that will relieve those debilitating symptoms and revive immune function, said the team from QIMR Berghofer in Brisbane. The study showed that the drug prevented that and repaired damaged lung tissue. NACE2i also showed potential to protect against reinfection any variant. The team said the drug reprogrammes the hijacked ACE2 receptor which stops the virus replicating. | IANS…

THE planned takeover of the Boland Rugby Union by business tycoons Johann Rupert and Patrice Motsepe has nothing to do with the Cavaliers becoming a feeder union to the Bulls and everything to do with them becoming rivals to the Stormers. Rupert and Motsepe have the controlling share at the Bulls and the immediate reaction to the news of their planned investment in Boland is that there will be a plundering of resources for the benefit of the Bulls. But a spokesperson for the duo told a media group that nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, there is a bold plan to build Boland into a franchise worthy of the United Rugby Championship, and more of a foe to the Bulls than a friend. “We specifically see a…

FROM wanting to retire last year November to winning an Indian Premier League medal with Chennai Super Kings, Sisanda Magala has an inspirational story to tell and its only the beginning. The 2022/23 domestic season opener was staged in Potchefstroom where all Division One teams gathered to contest for the Cricket South Africa T20 Challenge. Among the teams was the Joburg-based Lions, a highly successful team, and as per usual, the expectations were high. One of the reasons for the high expectations was the fact that the team had superstars in their squad and one of those superstars was fast bowler Magala. To everyone’s surprise Magala did not show up in the playing XI when the Lions started their campaign and news spread quickly that the fast bowler had fallen…

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important at every stage of life, especially for men who are notorious for neglecting their health until there’s a crisis. To mark Men’s Health Month and Youth Month, Dr Micheal Mol discusses the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle to avoid or manage health conditions that come with age. Opening up about health-related issues can be difficult for many men. Various factors could contribute to this, including fear, uncertainty, and the perceived notion that they should “man up” – seeing vulnerability as a weakness. According to a Cleveland Clinic survey, 72% of men declared they would rather clean their homes than visit the doctor, while 65% claimed they put off visiting the doctor as long as possible. Even more alarming, 20% admitted they didn’t always…

The more than 178 000 holders of Zimbabwean Exemption Permits (ZEPs), which were due to expire tomorrow, have been given a temporary lifeline by the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. Judges ruled that the existing ZEPs shall be deemed to remain valid for another year. A Full Bench (three judges) remitted the matter back to the Minister of Home Affairs for reconsideration during this time, “following a fair process that complies with the requirements”. It was further ordered that during the next 12 months, existing ZEPs should be deemed to remain valid. ZEP holders will continue to enjoy the protections afforded by Immigration Directive 1 of 2021, which means that no holder of the exemption may be arrested, ordered to depart, or be detained for purposes of deportation or deported…

THE NATIONAL Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has made decisions to prosecute only 53 cases that were referred to it by police watchdog, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), in the financial year ending in March. Ipid, which is mandated to probe criminal offences allegedly committed by SAPS officers and metro police, made 2 093 referrals to the NPA in 2022/23. This was revealed by Police Minister Bheki Cele when he was responding to parliamentary questions from EFF MP Henry Andries Shembeni. Cele said the 53 cases represented 3% of referrals. “It can be observed that 1 347 of referrals to NPA, the Ipid is still waiting for responses,” he said. Cele also said the prosecuting body declined to prosecute 684 referrals, and that nine cases were withdrawn. Cele’s response showed that…

Ingredients 750g lamb mince 10ml garlic, crushed 5ml ginger, crushed 5ml cumin 5ml coriander 10ml cinnamon 15ml barbecue spice 15ml olive oil 3 carrots, grated 65ml raisins 60ml fresh mint, chopped 100g flaked almonds 45ml butter 300g phyllo pastry Method Preheat the oven to 200°C. Fry the mince, garlic, ginger and spices in oil. Add the carrots, raisins, mint and most of the almonds, leaving a few for garnishing. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool. Melt the butter. Brush a loose-bottomed flan tin with the butter, then layer eight sheets of phyllo pastry at different angles in the tin, brushing each piece with butter. Allow the pastry to fall over the edge. Add the mince on top of the pastry base, then bring the pastry…

While Airbnb visits in the country continued to be on the increase, the Department of Tourism says it has no plans concerning regulating the sector. The department was responding to the Cape Times on the progress of the government in regulating Airbnbs. In April, the Tourism Amendment Bill read that short-term home rentals would be legislated under the Tourism Act, empowering the Minister of Tourism to determine the threshold regarding the short-term home rentals. “Please note that the Department of Tourism has no policy proposals or regulations planned for Airbnb specifically,” the department said. StatsSA recently released data showing that income from tourist accommodation increased by 30.9% year-on-year in April 2023. According to StatsSA, hotels made up 31.3% of the increase, while “other” accommodation contributed 33.7%. Airbnb, meanwhile, has…

THE family of a girl allegedly sexually molested by a peer at her Grassy Park primary school were joined by gender-based violence activists who handed over a memorandum of demands to the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) yesterday. The memorandum demanded the department take steps to protect the girl while her alleged perpetrator was still at the school. “We would like the WCED to account for their lack of action towards the nine-year-old victim in ensuring her safety as set out in the Bill of Rights of our Constitution. “We request that the 11-year-old perpetrator be assessed for two reasons, namely, to test his accountability as defined in the Criminal Procedure Act in the sections dealing with offenders the ages of 7 and 14 years, and to address and…

THE momentum needs to be kept up, showing the poor efforts by the government on the shockIng statistics of teen pregnancies. As I’ve written for years, the fault lies in the clinics who turn these vulnerable girls away. Health Department spokesperson Mark van der Heever conceded that not all health workers were willing to help in these abortion clinics. As I’ve said ad nauseam these nurses shouldn’t be at these clinics if they are not willing to carry out the procedures they are paid to do. Inspectors need to come unannounced and undercover to see how all these clinics are run and if they are found to be wanting the personnel need to be fired. We cannot carry on like this anymore. Maybe Lynn Harding is…

Vast crowds of robed worshippers hurled pebbles in the “stoning of the devil” ritual yesterday as the biggest hajj pilgrimage since the start of the pandemic draws to a close in intense Saudi Arabian heat. From dawn in Mina, hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims began pelting three concrete monoliths representing Satan, and heading to Mecca for a final “tawaf” – walking in circles around the Kaaba, the giant black cube at the Grand Mosque. More than 1.8 million people are taking part in the first unrestricted hajj since Covid struck in 2020. About 2.5 million, the most on record, joined the pilgrimage in pre-pandemic 2019. As well as crowds at every turn, the visitors have had to contend with ferocious temperatures at the hajj, which currently coincides with the…

New Delhi: Tech billionaire Elon Musk, owner of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter, celebrated his 52nd birthday yesterday as he prepared for a cage fight with Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Musk recently tweeted that he would be “up for a cage match” with Zuckerberg, who replied: “Send me location”. Lex Fridman, a research scientist, shared pictures on Twitter of a training session with Musk and said: “I’m extremely impressed with his strength, power, and skill on the feet and on the ground. It was epic.” A video of Zuckerberg’s Jiu-Jitsu training recently went viral. | IANS…

Brasília: One of seven judges in Jair Bolsonaro’s abuse of power trial has voted to bar the former Brazilian president from running in the 2026 elections, as the country held its breath for other judges to deliver their rulings later this week. The Superior Electoral Tribunal is trying the far-right former leader over a televised meeting he held with foreign diplomats in July 2022 – three months before his election defeat to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva – at which Bolsonaro made allegations of security flaws in Brazil’s electronic voting system. If found guilty, Bolsonaro could be sidelined from the 2026 vote. Insiders say the court is likely to convict him. | AFP…

Siena: An earthquake in the Italian region of Tuscany sparked the brief evacuation of the cathedral and closure of museums yesterday in the tourist hot spot of Siena. The 3.7 magnitude quake, with the epicentre in Poggibonsi near Siena, was also felt in Florence and Empoli, and struck after the region tested an emergency alert system. The tremor sent people rushing into the streets in Siena, famous for its artistic heritage. The cathedral was evacuated for about an hour, officials said. The quake caused bits of plaster to fall off the famous monument. Quakes in Italy in 2009 and 2016 killed about 300 people in each. | AFP…