Table of contents for 2023-10-19 in Cape Times

THE Zip Zap Circus’s adrenaline-fuelled showcase VOOMA! has a fresh line-up of acts, sure to thrill the entire family. The celebration of circus, at the Zip Zap Dome adjacent to Artscape, will run from December 7 to 17. It features emerging talents who have honed their craft through Zip Zap’s advanced Zappers and Dare2Dream training. Brent van Rensburg, co-founder and artistic director at Zip Zap, couldn’t contain his excitement, saying: “VOOMA! takes me back to my circus school years in the 70s. The energy, the camaraderie, the fun and the daring. Not all will become stars of the sawdust ring, but the lessons learnt will last long after lessons from textbooks are forgotten.” Institutions interested in fundraising opportunities, specially tailored discount packages, can contact events@zip-zap.org…

from page 1 another letter from a parent of two learners who described the use of Dr DF Malan’s name as insensitive in its association with the apartheid leadership. Again, in June 2020, the SGB received a letter from a group campaigning under the name “DF Malan Must Fall”, demanding that the school change its name. In addition to writing the letter, the “DF Malan Must Fall” campaign gained social media traction. On June 22, 2020 the SGB addressed a letter to all parents, learners, alumni and school staff on its database, advising them of the SGB’s decision to embark on the process to ultimately arrive at a decision in respect of the name change. On August 5, 2021 the SGB invited all interested parties to propose potential new names.…

EZAGA Holdings (eZaga) has refuted any past association with National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) CEO Andile Nongogo after a Werksmans Attorneys report suggested there was a possible relationship. The report further found there seemed to have been a conflict of interest in the appointment of the four fin-tech service providers, including Coinvest Africa, Tenet Technology and Noracco Corporation, appointed to handle the direct payment of student allowances. NSFAS board chairperson Ernest Khosa, joined by other board members and acting CEO Masike Ramorwesi, shared some of the outcomes of the report at a media briefing yesterday. Legal heavyweights advocate Tembeka Ngukaitobi SC and Sandile July from Werkmans Attorneys led an investigation into tender irregularity allegations against Nongogo and to review procurement systems and processes. Nongogo has since been on special…

Grassy Park sailing champion Amir Yaghya said it still felt unreal that he held the national championship title after winning big at the SA420 sailing class in Langebaan recently. Yaghya, 23, became the toast of his sailing club when he won the title with 18-year-old Renton Geduld in a double-handed race in which Yaghya was the skipper. Pouring his passion for sailing into his work as a sailing coach at the Little Optimist Sailing Academy at Zeekoevlei, Yaghya said the title was his biggest achievement yet. “It still feels so unreal, but it’s also great to know that the hard work that was put in had paid off. “The title is also a win for all of us at the academy because a win for one is a win for…

A GIRL who was raped by a relative has been recognised for her bravery during testimony that helped to secure a life sentence against the convicted rapist. The Mitchells Plain Sexual Offences Court sentenced the relative, who is also a traditional healer, after he sexually assaulted and raped the minor he was supposed to heal. The State did not name the accused to avoid indirectly naming the child. The court heard that the child’s family invited the accused into their home as a traditional healer after suspecting something was wrong with her. In “his quest to heal her”, he would wake her up at night while the rest of the family was asleep, and rape her. The child escaped and reported her ordeal to her mother in the other room.…

Uganda said yesterday it was hunting down the attackers who killed a honeymooning couple and their guide on safari in one of the country’s famed national parks. President Yoweri Museveni condemned what he described as a “cowardly act”, and vowed the assailants would pay with their lives. Police said a Briton, a South African and their Ugandan guide were killed in Tuesday’s attack, and blamed a feared armed militia based in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The trio were targeted by gunmen in Queen Elizabeth National Park, in south-western Uganda, and their vehicle set ablaze, police and park officials said. “It was a cowardly act on the part of the terrorists, attacking innocent civilians, and tragic for the couple who were newlyweds and visiting Uganda on their honeymoon,”…

Paris: Airports across France were evacuated yesterday after emailed “threats of attack”, a police source said, the latest in a series of similar alerts. The evacuations at Lille, Lyon, Nantes, Nice, Toulouse and Beauvais airport near Paris would allow the authorities to “clear up any doubts” whether the threats were real, the source said. The Palace of Versailles outside Paris was evacuated for the third time since Saturday for bomb disposal teams to check the site. France is on high alert following Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel and Friday’s fatal stabbing of a teacher in the northern city of Arras by a man claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group. | AFP…

London: UK police yesterday charged Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg with a public order offence, following her detention at a protest outside an annual gathering of energy industry figures in London. The 20-year-old activist was among 26 people charged by the capital’s Metropolitan Police, after she was held at Tuesday’s protest which criticised “closed door” deals between politicians and the oil and gas industry representatives. Thunberg was charged with “failing to comply with a condition” imposed under Britain’s Public Order Act dealing with public assemblies and released on bail. She is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 15. | AFP…

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis deplored the “desperate” situation in Gaza yesterday as he urged the faithful to take “only one side” in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the side “of peace”. During his weekly audience in St Peter’s Square, Francis did not mention the deadly Gaza hospital strike, for which Israelis and Palestinians are blaming each other. The pope pleaded for all possible efforts “to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe”, and announced special prayers for peace in St Peter’s Basilica. | Reuter…

LOOKING forward to performing to a diverse audience in Cape Town, five-time Grammy Award-winning South African band Ladysmith Black Mambazo is bringing its nationwide tour to the Artscape next month. The SA Legacy Tour started in May at the Joburg Theatre, and will arrive at the Artscape on November 17 and 18. The final tour leg will be at Pretoria’s State Theatre on December 16 and 17. “It’s been four years since we performed in Cape Town,” said group member Sibongiseni Shabalala. “We always have packed theatres and there’s a diverse crowd there, so we are looking forward to returning.” Four years ago, Ladysmith Black Mambazo launched the Ladysmith Black Mambazo Mobile Academy, where they discover and develop young aspiring groups who sing isicathamiya and indigenous music. Through this…

IN AN effort to re-imagine the painful histories of the enslaved communities at the site of the former Slave Quarters at the historic Leeuwenhof Estate, Between Shadows emerges as the fifth and final exhibition in a series curated by the Association for Visual Arts (AVA). The exhibition hopes to get viewers to think about the legacies of slavery in spaces that extend beyond Leeuwenhof – into the tough neighbourhoods of the Cape Flats, the emptying garment factories of Salt River, the ruinous housing projects of the apartheid government, the dilapidated former slave trading post in Guinea, and the site of the first concentration camp in Namibia. “It also highlights how personal stories captured in family photo albums, tenderly collected shards of china and carefully stitched textiles are in themselves small…

THE justice and correctional services portfolio committee yesterday resolved to proceed to consider whether two judges should be impeached, unless there was a court interdict. “Anybody who would want to ask us to delay or not to proceed, I think, would have to interdict the process. The process cannot stop now,” committee chairperson Bulelani Magwanishe said. Magwanishe’s sentiments were echoed by DA MP Werner Horn and ANC MP Qubudile Dyantyi. “We have no legal impediment from proceeding with our work. I would really agree to that,” Dyantyi said. The committee met to consider the written responses from Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe and Judge Nkola Motata, after the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) found them guilty of misconduct. The committee had decided at its last meeting to request a presentation…

45ml cooking or olive oil 125g rindless streaky bacon, chopped 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 2 celery sticks, coarsely chopped 125g button mushrooms, sliced 250ml grated cheddar cheese 5ml mustard powder 30ml chopped fresh mixed herbs or 10ml dried 300ml milk 60ml Snowflake cake flour 2 extra-large eggs 1ml salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Heat oil in a large heavy-based frying pan. Add bacon and fry lightly. Add onion, celery and mushrooms and sauté for a few minutes until soft. Remove from heat. Add cheese, mustard powder, herbs and seasoning and spoon into a greased 22cm ovenproof pie dish. Whisk eggs, milk and flour together and pour over mixture in dish. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 30 minutes, or until set and golden…

THE latest technological developments and offerings in sustainable recycling and bio-degradable packaging solutions will be on show at this year’s Propak Cape exhibition. Taking place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from October 24 to 26, event organisers said mitigating climate change was an important global agenda. “According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report 2023, the top four global risks for the next decade are all directly linked to the natural environment. “The number one risk humankind will be grappling with for the next decade is the risk of failure to mitigate climate change,” they said. Highlighting the provincial government’s climate change targets, including plans to divert 100% of organic waste away from landfill sites by 2027, the organisers said sorting and recycling machines as well…

THE family of Candice Robertson, who was allegedly strangled at a guest house in Green Point, have been dealt an emotional blow as the matter was provisionally struck from the court roll this week. The 38-year-old mother died on April 30 last year, and her family were informed several days later of her death. It is alleged that her boyfriend phoned the owner of the guest house and said that Robertson had committed suicide. Robertson’s sister, Meagan Croats, said she was “highly disappointed” that the matter was struck off the roll. “We are angry and disappointed. It was a tiring, long and frustrating day for us. We really hoped that the case would continue, and would get a court date where at least there will be some sort of movement,…

Thornton Wilder reminds us that “The highest tribute to the (departed) is not grief but gratitude”. Dear Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Thank you! On Saturday, September 9, I woke up to the one phone call I had dreaded for a lifetime. While I knew one day it would come, I still hoped it never would. It is a day that will live in infamy; a day when I lost a mentor and role model, and South Africa lost a statesman par excellence whose entire life had been dedicated to service to the people. A voice of reason was silenced. We have lost a freedom fighter who was committed to peace, freedom, democracy and development. Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s highest value proposition was his love of country and her people, and in the…

Israel and its staunch ally the US were targets of rage, condemnation and protest that surged across the Middle East on Tuesday into yesterday, blamed by protesters and regional governments alike for a deadly blast at a hospital in Gaza that killed hundreds of people. Protesters took to the streets from Morocco to Iran, in angry marches held in front of Israeli or US diplomatic mis- sions or those of other Western allies of Israel, like Britain and France. The blast at the hospital in Gaza City, which Palestinian officials blamed on an Israeli airstrike, was branded an outrage and a war crime. Israel said it had evidence that the strike was the result of a misfired rocket launched by a Palestinian militant group. In the midst of it all,…

The leaders of Belgium and Sweden and the EU’s chief executive promised yesterday to tighten border security and step up repatriations after a failed asylum seeker from Tunisia shot dead two Swedish football fans in Brussels. They spoke after paying tribute to the victims of Monday’s attack in the Belgian capital. The shooting has highlighted the EU’s persistent difficulties in managing asylum and migration, including security gaps and failures to return people deemed not to have the right to stay in the 27-nation bloc. Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Europe’s open-border Schengen zone would not survive unless the EU’s external frontiers were better protected from unwanted immigration. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the EU also needed a more effective system of returning unauthorised immigrants. The 45-year-old gunman…

LONDON: A man who British police say ran an operation involved in smuggling 10 000 people to the UK as part of a pan-European network has been jailed for 11 years in Belgium, Britain’s National Crime Agency said yesterday. Hewa Rahimpur, 30, from Iran, ran the network from his home in Ilford, east London, from where he sourced small boats from Türkiye and had them delivered to Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. His network would then ship them to the northern French coast to smuggle migrants to England. A UK court ordered his extradition to Belgium. Another 19 people were also convicted and jailed for 30 months and eight years. | Reuters…

LONDON: The British Museum said yesterday it planned to digitise its entire collection, citing the need to secure public access to its vast catalogue after it reported in August that 2 000 artefacts had been stolen or were missing. The museum, one of the most visited in the world, has been dealing with the aftermath of the thefts, which highlighted internal failings and led to the exit of its director. Museum chairperson George Osborne estimated that about 350 artefacts were in the process of being returned. The museum sacked a member of staff over the thefts, which are also being investigated by London’s Metropolitan Police. | Reuters…

“AND Then …”, the latest iteration in an award-winning dance series, opens at the Artscape on November 29. jackï job (who takes no capitals in her name) is an accomplished artist known for raising the bar of contemporary dance performance. Her dance series “And Then …” began in 2018, and has taken many forms, each one planting the seed for the next – including a film that aired during lockdown in 2020. The production was nominated for a Naledi Theatre Award and won the UCT Meritorious Award for Creative Works in 2022. In concert with her long-standing collaborator José Dias, she intricately weaves set movement and structured improvisation techniques, creating unusual synergy and connection. Dias brings the piano to life, and it becomes the third performer. “jackï job approaches her…

AN INTEREST rate hike looks likely in November after a huge increase in inflation from 4.8% in August to 5.4% in September. Economists said the increase in inflation could be attributed to higher food prices and two major fuel price hikes last month and this month. Professor Bonke Dumisa, an independent economic analyst, said the rise in inflation was bad news for consumers. “The fact that inflation has gone up so significantly means it’s almost certain that we will see an interest rate hike in November. I was hoping that inflation would be just above 5% and if the fuel price decrease does happen in November they would leave interest rates unchanged, but 5.4% is too high “The Reserve Bank has to keep to its target of having inflation between…

Investigation finds systems and maintenance failures led to breach, failure to contain blaze A PROBE into the fire that gutted Parliament last year has found that minimum physical standards of security measures were not adhered to, and that enabled Parliament to be breached without detection. Briefing the media on the internal investigation’s findings yesterday, secretary to Parliament Xolile George said the minimum security standards directly contributed to the security breaches on the day of the devastating fire that damaged the Old Assembly and New Assembly buildings. “Those issues allowed a person to gain unauthorised access. Not only that but he enjoyed unrestricted movement within Parliament without being detected for a number of hours beyond a day,” George said. He was referring to Zandile Christmas Mafe, who was charged and appeared…

GOING to work while awaiting the results of his Covid-19 test and allegedly spitting at a nurse, had cost a tow truck driver dearly after he was fired following a disciplinary hearing and the Labour Court sitting in Gqebera confirmed that his dismissal was fair. It was reasoned by the court that Thembalukhe Diamond knew that his employer, DHL Supply Chain, had a policy in place during 2020 that employees who had Covid or suspected that they had it, should isolate themselves at home. The company also presented training in this regard – sessions which Diamond had attended. DHL argued that he thus very well knew that the company was committed to keeping other employees safe by not allowing someone who has Covid or may have it, back at work…

THE Khayelitsha Development Forum (KDF) has called on residents to protect and guard the local library as a recent spate of crimes, including rampant gang-related shootings, forced its daily closure. The City of Cape Town said it recorded an increase in violence that has resulted in several libraries being affected across the metro. KDF chairperson Ndithini Tyhido said the attacks on libraries are an attack on the education of young children. “Crime is devastating, every aspect of life in Khayelitsha is impacted. We are calling for a collaborative effort between residents and the government, national and provincial. All of us have a role to play. Ourselves as community leadership also have a role to play because the futures of our children are at stake. If they are now targeting facilities…

A SINGLE murder of a councillor or a municipal official should have been enough to trigger the Portfolio Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs to develop an action plan. But alas, it only came after 23 attacks in which councillors and municipal officials were killed across the country since the 2021 municipal elections. Not that the committee’s plan would have had a huge impact in curbing the killings, but it would have gone a long way in sending a message that at least MPs are taking some action to address this worrying trend, which poses a risk to the country’s democratic project. The action plan announced this week following a meeting with the South African Local Government Association would have also added to the many others that Police Minister…

Russian leader Vladimir Putin said yesterday that world conflicts “strengthen” his country’s relations with China, after talks with Xi Jinping that celebrated their nations’ deepening political and economic ties. Putin, on his first trip to a major global power since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, met his “old friend” Xi in Beijing on the sidelines of a major forum in an event overshadowed by conflict in the Middle East. Putin said that global turmoil served to bring China and Russia even closer together. “All these outside factors are common threats and they strengthen Russian-Chinese co-operation,” he said. The Russian leader also said he had “optimism” for the future of the relationship. Xi, too, said that “political mutual trust between the two countries is continuously deepening”, according to Xinhua news agency, hailing…

The Zimbabwean government has come up with measures to ensure that the cholera outbreak, which has so far resulted in 32 confirmed and 112 suspected cholera deaths, is contained before more people succumb to the water-borne disease. The government ordered that all deaths be recorded and burials supervised, officials said. As of this week, the country had recorded 5 123 suspected cases, 965 confirmed cases, 4 901 recoveries and 78 people in hospital, according to the latest situation report. All the country’s 10 provinces have been affected by cholera, with Manicaland being the most affected since the outbreak began in February. It has recorded 2 421 suspected cases, 618 confirmed cases, 22 confirmed deaths and 63 suspected cholera deaths. Harare has recorded 1 648 suspected cases, 125 confirmed ones, one…

Pyongyang: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Pyongyang yesterday for meetings seen as setting the stage for a visit by President Vladimir Putin, who has stepped up co-operation with politically isolated North Korea. Lavrov’s two-day visit comes a month after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a rare trip to Russia, during which he invited Putin to Pyongyang and discussed military co-operation, including over North Korea’s satellite programme and the war in Ukraine. Putin’s foreign minister will hold talks with his North Korean counterpart. Courting Kim allows Putin to needle Washington and its Asian allies. | Reuters…

WASHINGTON: The leadership crisis paralysing the US House of Representatives dragged into a 15th day yesterday with feuding Republicans failing to unite around a speaker and no clear resolution. Jim Jordan, the far-right’s choice to replace ousted Kevin McCarthy, lost 20 Republicans on the first speaker ballot in the lower chamber of Congress on Tuesday, falling well short of the 217 votes required. Jordan’s allies had also expected a concerted pressure campaign to turn around his critics, and Jordan said the House would elect a speaker this week no matter how long it took.But the effort to whip up the 17 extra votes he needs appears to have irritated his centrist colleagues and he was forced to postpone a second attempt. Party strategists worry that Jordan going backwards could herald…

Proteas coach Rob Walter has admitted “mental errors” played a role in his team’s embarrassing 34-run defeat to the Netherlands at the ICC World Cup. Walter was left helpless on the sidelines as he watched his team initially lose their way with the ball and in the field during the final 10 overs of the Dutch innings, which saw them score 245/8 off 43 overs, before the much-vaunted Proteas batting unit came unstuck in Dharamshala to be bowled out for 207 on Tuesday. “Getting out in batting comes down to either mental error, a technical error or the bowler’s skill. So, you’ll always be placing it in one of those,” Walter said. “I don’t think that they’ll all sit in one category. I think there was some good bowling skill…