Table of contents for 2023-07-21 in Cape Times

MINISTER in the Presidency for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma believes the SA banking system was one of most concentrated in the world, forcing many to “kneel before five banks”. She made the remarks when delivering the keynote address at the 9th BRICS Youth Summit in Durban, saying South Africa and the global south in general urgently needed an alternative public banking system. “We currently have a structural problem of a banking industry that is not only greatly concentrated and monopolised, but also in many ways does not serve our interests. “For example, in South Africa we are forced to kneel before five banks. This represents some of the most concentrated banking systems in the world. The greater concentration of banking to the big five…

Expert claims foreign policy unclear because of political divide in the country The SOUTH African government consulted with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and BRICS before a mutual agreement was reached with Russian President Vladimir that he would not attend the group’s summit in Johannesburg next month. Putin is expected to attend the summit virtually and the Presidency said on Wednesday that the Russian Federation would be represented in person by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Professor Anil Sooklal, the ambassador at large: Asia and BRICS, at the Department of International Relations, said South Africa would fulfil its international obligations fully and respect its international obligations, in terms of the treaties that the country had signed. The ICC, of which South Africa is a full member, issued a warrant of arrest…

GUGULETHU residents and sport councils have vowed to fight the City’s plans to remove the Gugulethu Sport and Development Trust from the premises it operates on, claiming it failed to respond to a request for a lease extension. According to some disgruntled residents, the City has sold the land and no public consultation process was conducted. United Aces chairperson, Vasi Nyakaza, said the trust was established in 2004, formed by United Aces Football Club and other stakeholders with the aim of developing sport in the community. “The City was approached in 2006 to enter into a lease agreement for the vacant land. The lease agreement came to an end in 2017, according to the City. However, it was mentioned in the agreement that a lessee may apply for renewal prior…

No One Prayed Over Their Graves Khaled Khalifa translated by Leri Loot.co.za (R369) Farrar As Khalifa was writing his new novel, No One Prayed Over Their Graves, during the height of the Syrian war, Aleppo suffered damage from which it has yet to recover – so it is no surprise that witnessing disasters is central in this latest work. The novel is anchored around two friends, Zakariya and Hanna, who survive a 1907 flood that wipes out their village. They have “kept each other’s secrets, swapping roles and faces when necessary” throughout their mischievous childhood. Since they came into their fathers’ fortunes, their wealth has transformed them into a pair of infamous minor gods. The loss of Hanna’s wife and child in that event sets him on a path of…

A Line in the Sand Kevin Powers Loot.co.za (R265) Sceptre As he is taking his daily swim, Arman Bajalan – formerly an interpreter in Iraq – discovers a dead body. After surviving an assassination attempt that killed his wife and child, Arman has been given lonely sanctuary in the US. Now, sure that the murder is connected to his past, he knows he’s still not safe. Seasoned detective Catherine Wheel and her fresh-off-the-beat partner have little to go on beyond a bus ticket in the man’s pocket. It leads them to Sally Ewell, a local journalist as grief-stricken as Arman by the Iraq war, who is investigating a nefarious corporation: one on the cusp of landing a multibillion-dollar government defence contract. As victims mount around Arman, taking the team down…

I FEEL compelled to write this article to provide basic facts and scientific data with regard to the article entitled “Nuclear waste discharge extremely irresponsible” written by Mr Chen Xiadong, Chinese Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, on July 13. The Government of Japan will never discharge “nuclear waste” nor “nuclear-contaminated water” that exceeds regulatory standards into the sea. The water to be discharged is “ALPS treated water” that has been sufficiently purified until the concentration of radioactive materials other than tritium is below the regulatory standard, and will be further diluted. After the dilution, the concentration of tritium will be 1/40 of the regulatory standard and 1/7 of the WHO drinking water standard, and the concentration of radioactive materials other than tritium will be less than 1/100 of…

Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador yesterday in protest at a planned burning of the Qu’ran in Stockholm that had prompted hundreds of protesters to storm and set alight the Swedish embassy in Baghdad. An Iraqi government statement said Baghdad had also recalled its charge d’affaires in Sweden, and Iraq’s state news agency reported that Iraq had suspended the working permit of Sweden’s Ericsson on Iraqi soil. Anti-Islam protesters, one of whom is an Iraqi immigrant to Sweden that burned the Qu’ran outside a Stockholm mosque in June, had applied for and received permission from Swedish police to burn the Qu’ran outside the Iraqi embassy yesterday. In the event, the protesters kicked and partially destroyed a book they said was the Qu’ran but left the area after one hour without setting…

US soldier Travis King was being escorted to Seoul’s airport this week, due to fly to Texas, after a drunken bar brawl, an altercation with police, and a stint in South Korean jail. But instead of getting on the plane to face disciplinary hearings at Fort Bliss, King slipped away, joined a tourist tour of the Demilitarised Zone, and fled across the border. He is believed to be in North Korean custody. His family say they are “shocked” by his actions, which they have described as out of character. They said King, 23, had struggled with being far from home and was grief-stricken after the death of a cousin this year. But Seoul police said King had a history of run-ins with the law. Released from prison on July 10,…

Barcelona: A Spanish court said yesterday it had opened a new probe into Colombian music superstar Shakira for alleged income tax fraud. The 46-year-old Hips Don’t Lie singer is already due to stand trial at the end of the year in Spain for allegedly failing to pay E14.5 million in taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014. Now a court in the north-eastern town of Esplugues de Llobregat, near Barcelona, said it had agreed with prosecutors to investigate two possible cases of tax fraud by Shakira from 2018. Prosecutors have asked for an eight-year sentence and fine of E24m in the first case after Shakira rejected a plea deal over the accusations of tax evasion. That case centres on where the singer lived between 2012 and 2014. Prosecutors…

Mumbai: At least 10 people were killed after a landslide triggered by heavy rains smashed into their village in India’s Maharashtra state, with dozens more feared trapped, officials said yesterday. Rescue teams were battling lashing rain in the remote, hilly Raigad district, with people scrambling at mounds of earth and rubble. Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister, said 10 people had died in the landslide, which overwhelmed the village overnight. Police said that nearly 50 people were feared still buried under the debris. India has been battered by rains since the start of the annual monsoon season in June. | AFP…

South African amateur Christo Lamprecht left his mentor and former champion Louis Oosthuizen in the shade as he enjoyed a dream opening round to top the Open Championship leaderboard yesterday. The towering 22-year-old looked as cool as a cucumber around the sunny Royal Liverpool links with seven birdies and only a couple of dropped shots in a five-under-par round of 66. Oosthuizen, a surprise winner at St Andrews in 2010, has helped his compatriot Lamprecht since he was a teenager through his Louis57 Foundation, and while he struggled with a round of 74, he took great pride in his young apprentice. Lamprecht, who at 2.03m is one of the tallest players ever to play the Open, gazed at the leaderboard on the 18th green, then popped in a birdie putt…

THE DA and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) have snatched three wards from the GOOD Party in by-elections held in George this week. The hotly-contested by-elections saw the DA winning Ward 16 and Ward 27, and the PA winning Ward 20. The vacancies in the wards were a result of the resignation of two councillors, all from the GOOD Party. DA provincial leader Tertuis Simmers said the party prevailed despite attempts by opposition parties to “derail their campaign”. “The voters of New Dawn Park, Pacaltsdorp and surrounds, held fast and were impervious to undue influence and fake news by the opposition. “Residents chose to vote for good governance and service delivery. These wards are now in the capable hands of Theresa Jeyi and Marchell Kleynhans, and we are confident that they…

At least eight of the more than 40 victims of the Joburg CBD blast remain in hospital, with four of them said to be in critical condition. This was the latest report given by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, who addressed members of the media following Wednesday’s explosion in the Joburg CBD, that resulted in the death of one person. Lesufi said that reports of a gas explosion in Braamfischerville, Soweto, were not connected to or similar to the Joburg CBD explosion. He said this incident was a domestic incident that was due to a stove and not a gas leak, as suggested by reports. Lesufi said ongoing investigations by various stakeholders and government departments have also confirmed that most of the victims of the explosion, including patients and vehicle owners,…

RECIDIVISM – the tendency of a convicted criminal to re-offend – continues to drive fear following the release of convicted child killer and notorious “Station Strangler” Norman Afzal Simons, after he spent 28 years in jail for the kidnapping and murder of 10-year-old Elroy van Rooyen in 1994. While Simons will be under house arrest for the rest of his life – living with his cousin in Parow – a lack of trust in the justice system fills the community with doubts around the safety of their children, and whether or not he has been rehabilitated. Commission for Gender Equality spokesperson, Javu Baloyi, said the community’s fears were justified, “looking at the statistics of parolees that re-offend”. Examples of such incidents include the kidnapping, rape and murder of Tazné van…

The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has upheld, in part, an appeal concerning the value of a salvage reward involving a robotic submarine. The SCA reduced a salvage reward of over R5 million, claimed by marine contractor Harry Dilley (Pty) Ltd, to R80 000, for the efforts of its charter boat in the salvage operation. The matter involved De Beers Marine (Pty) Ltd, which owns an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), or robotic submarine, used to map the seabed in mining operations. Court papers said De Beers had an agreement with Harry Dilley to charter a work boat, the Nkwaza, to assist it in conducting sea trials in False Bay, to commission new equipment installed on the AUV. On October 27, 2017, the AUV was launched for the sea trials, but…

The Final Lap Ian Laxton Price: R350 Guide Book Publications Well-known South African sports commentator and journalist Ian Laxton has worked both locally and internationally on events ranging from track and field meetings to road races, the Comrades Marathon and the Olympic Games. He now brings his lifetime experience of top-level athletics to his fine debut novel, The Final Lap. The narrative is centred on the highly competitive world of track athletics and the women’s mile in particular. The book is plot-driven and one finds that the path to winning international track events isn’t as obvious or linear as might seem normal. The lead character is Abby Dennison, a top South African track runner whose goal is to be the best in the world over the 1 500m. She is…

The Traitor Beside Her Mary Anna Evans Loot.co.za (R260) Poisoned Pen Press Justine Byrne can’t trust the people working beside her. She can’t trust the women who live down the hall. She can’t even trust the man in front of her, and she just might love him. Inside the walls of Arlington Hall, a former women’s college in Virginia that has been taken over by the United States Army, hundreds of men and women sit, bent over stacks of paper. Pencils in hand, they labour to decode countless pieces of communication coming from the Axis powers. Justine works among them, handling the most sensitive secrets of World War II. But she isn’t there to decipher German codes. She’s there to find a traitor. It’s difficult for Justine to imagine any…

They’ve been unwavering in their advocacy for paying royalties to artists THE EFF is celebrating 10 years of “unbroken struggle” having been formed on July 26, the anniversary of the movement that sparked the Cuban revolution. This was after the expulsion of then leader of the ANC Youth League, Julius Malema, and the suspension of his colleagues. While many believed the EFF didn’t have what it takes to establish themselves as a key roleplayer in South African politics, positing that the hype around the party’s formation will eventually wear off and disperse, they replaced the Congress of the People (COPE) – another ANC breakaway – as the third biggest party in South Africa and, unlike COPE, who had a strong showing at their first elections only to shrink almost to…

Russian missiles and drones hit the Ukrainian port of Odesa for a third “hellish” night in a row as Crimean authorities said a teenager had been killed in a drone strike in Kyiv’s latest attack on the peninsula. Russian forces also targeted Mykolaiv, another Black Sea port through which Ukrainian grain is exported, after Moscow’s exit from a key deal giving ships safe passage. At least two people died and more than 20 people were wounded after strikes on the port cities, officials said. The Chinese consulate in Odesa was also damaged, they said. Russia pounded Odesa and Mykolaiv with 19 cruise missiles and 19 drones, the Ukrainian air force said, after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to exact revenge after an attack on a bridge linking Crimea to Russia.…

Protests in Kenyan cities against tax hikes and high living costs largely subsided yesterday as police maintained a heavy presence, although the opposition hoped to rally its supporters anew in the afternoon. The Wednesday-to-Friday demonstrations are the third round of protests that the opposition has called this month. Protests this year have cost the economy more than $20 million per day. Several people were reported shot, some possibly fatally, in clashes with police, and at least 300 people have been arrested, including several senior opposition leaders. Apart from minor skirmishes between about 500 protesters and police in Kibera, a vast shantytown in the south-west of Nairobi, yesterday most residents were going about their daily business. Many shops in the city’s central business district reopened. Schools also reopened in Nairobi, the…

SEOUL: North Korea said yesterday that the deployment of US weapons like aircraft carriers, bombers or missile submarines in South Korea could meet the conditions for its use of nuclear weapons, the defence ministry said. The comments raise the stakes as each side steps up displays of military force in a stand-off over the isolated country’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. The ministry also accused the US and South Korea of escalating tensions in the region while criticising the first meeting by their nuclear consultative group. Last year, the reclusive state codified a new, expansive nuclear law declaring its status as a nuclear-armed state “irreversible”. | Reuters…

BEN SHEMEN: Hundreds of Israelis opposed to the government’s judicial overhaul plans are trekking under a scorching summer sun on the main highway to Jerusalem in hope of drumming up support ahead of a reform vote next week. The protesters set off from Tel Aviv on Saturday for the uphill 66km walk along the three-lane Road 1, turning off for overnight camping in nearby parks or farmlands. They plan to reach Jerusalem and rally outside Parliament as it begins ratifying a bill that would limit Supreme Court powers to void decisions by the executive – and which critics see as a curb on judicial independence. The planned reforms have dented the economy. | Reuters…

PEOPLE who were fined for infringement of the Covid-19 State of Disaster regulations will soon have their criminal records expunged – once amending legislation was passed by Parliament and then signed into law. This was according to Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola in response to parliamentary questions from IFP MP Themba Msimang. Msimang asked by what date the criminal records would be wiped out, as tens of thousands of people who were fined for infringements of disaster regulations were restricted from continuing with several aspects of their lives. Lamola said the Judicial Matters Amendment Bill was currently under deliberation by the National Assembly committee on justice and correctional services. The bill was approved by Cabinet for introduction to Parliament. It was also referred to the committee on March…

AN AD-HOC committee that will conduct a report on the Western Cape Provincial Powers Bill and make recommendations to the legislature has been established. This comes after a motion was passed with no objections during a House sitting yesterday. The Committee consists of members from the political parties represented in the legislature, who will oversee the legislative process. It comprises six DA members, two from the ANC, one EFF member, and also one member each from the GOOD Party, ACDP, Freedom Front Plus, and Al Jama-ah. Their names were expected to be made known soon. The bill was introduced by the Standing Committee on the Premier and Constitutional Matters in May, as it hopes for the formal transfer of powers. This comes as the DA government seeks devolution in policing,…

HUNDREDS of fed-up residents from at least 12 informal settlements in Khayelitsha yesterday marched to the community training centre to hand over a memorandum of demands calling for their refuse to be collected. The residents said they were living in filth as their waste had not been collected in two months. Site C resident Lukhanyo Mfuleni said they marched to demand better service delivery. “I am a resident of D section, in an informal settlement called Shukushukuma, and that place is like a pigsty due to the waste not being collected. If I’m correct, it’s two months or close to two months now,” he said. “You can imagine, the biggest township with that many people and waste not being collected, it’s a disaster. We feel that the City doesn’t care…

An Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) inspector is expected to be dispatched to a biscuit factory in Kortsen after Gqeberha border police discovered alleged environmental and health issues while following up on tips of possible suspicious activity. Border police members descended on the biscuit firm on Tuesday at about 11am. Police spokesperson Priscilla Naidu said on entering the premises, the owner was very co-operative and allowed the police to search the premises. “Although nothing illegal was found to be taking place on the premises, the police were concerned about the unhygienic and health conditions in the way the factory was working. Immediately, the Environmental Health Department as well as the brand agents were contacted. “The factory was closed by the relevant authorities under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act 54/1972…

The Whispers Ashley Audrain Loot.co.za (R400) Michael Joseph One morning on Harlow Lane, four families’ lives are changed forever. Whitney Loverly can only sit by her son's hospital bed after he falls from his bedroom window in the middle of the night. She refuses to speak to anyone. Back at home, the Loverlys' neighbours must reckon with their own roles in the tragedy - their selfless best friends who live across the street, the ambitious Goldsteins who desperately want a family of their own, and the quiet elderly couple who spend their days people watching on the front porch. But what happens next, when over the course of a week, the hidden and explosive truths that connect these families must come out? Exploring envy, motherhood and the intuitions that we…

The Half Moon Mary Beth Keane Loot.co.za (R260) Michael Joseph There are two sides to every story – and every marriage in crisis … Malcolm, bartender at the Half Moon, has always dreamed of owning a bar, and when his boss finally retires, he seizes his chance. His wife, Jess, has devoted herself to her law career, but after years of trying for a baby, she’s struggling to accept the idea that motherhood might not be in her future. She finds herself slipping away from both her career and her marriage. The bar is Malcolm’s dream, and as she feels her youth start to fade, she wonders how to reshape her own life. When a blizzard hits their upstate New York town on the same day that Malcolm learns some…

New Zealand kicked off the Fifa Women’s World Cup in fine style by clinching a surprise 1-0 victory over Norway at Eden Park in Auckland yesterday, and soon it will be the turn of African champions Banyana Banyana to grace the biggest stage of their sport. The South African team have been hard at work in Wellington this week before their tournament opener against Sweden on Sunday morning, 7am South African time. Coach Desiree Ellis’ side go into the event in a confident mood after they beat fellow World Cup qualifiers Costa Rica 2-0 in a friendly in Christchurch, New Zealand, last Saturday. That result was a relief for Banyana fans, as the squad left South Africa under a cloud because of a pay dispute with the SA Football Association.…

THE “Geneva patient” is the latest person with HIV to be declared in long-term remission. However he did not receive a transplant with a virus-blocking gene mutation like previous cases, researchers said yesterday. But they stopped short of saying the man was “cured” of HIV, warning there was still a chance the virus could return. Five people have previously been declared cured of HIV: the Berlin, London, Duesseldorf, New York and City of Hope, California patients. All had bone-marrow transplants to treat serious cases of cancer, receiving stem cells from a donor with a mutation of the CCR5 gene. This mutation is known to block HIV from entering the body’s cells. In 2018, the Geneva patient received a stem-cell transplant to treat a particularly aggressive form of leukaemia. This time…

HONG KONG: Fans from Hong Kong and around the world gathered at the feet of a Bruce Lee statue yesterday to pay tribute to the late kung fu legend on the 50th anniversary of his untimely death. Standing in front of the life-size bronze statue with Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour behind them, a stream of fans snapped pictures, bowed and laid down flowers. Those who travelled to Hong Kong for the anniversary included people from mainland China, Asia and Europe. Lee passed away at the age of 32 on July 20 in 1973 from a brain swelling. | Reuters…

London: Voters headed to the polls yesterday in three by-elections across England, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s ruling Conservatives braced for defeat in each as inflation-battered Britain’s economic woes bite. The Tories are defending hefty majorities in the seats in London, Yorkshire in northern England and Somerset in the south-west, but appear to be haemorrhaging support as the scandals of recent years and dire economic conditions take their toll. Results are expected early today. The contests come ahead of a general election due next year, with the main opposition Labour party enjoying poll leads of around 20% and poised to retake power. | AFP…

LONDON: The British government said yesterday it would cut the proportion of funds going to the royal family from the Crown Estate next year, after King Charles said he wanted bumper windfarm profits to go to the “wider public good”. Each year, the royals receive a “Sovereign Grant” to cover the costs of running their households and for official travel expenses, which is based on surplus revenue of the Crown Estate, a property portfolio belonging to the monarchy but which is independently run with its profits going to the Treasury. Deals for offshore wind farms struck in January are expected to see Crown Estate profits surge by £900 million (R20 billion) a year. | Reuters…