Table of contents for 2023-11-15 in Cape Times

THE PRESIDENTIAL Climate Commission (PCC) views the just transition as a pathway to ensure a quality life for all South Africans. The perspective is grounded in several key objectives. First, it emphasises the need to increase our ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change. Second, it focuses on fostering climate resilience and last, it aims to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, a target set in alignment with the best available science. The Just Transition Framework envisions a resilient economy powered by equitable energy mix, access to resources and sustainable land use and livelihoods, all while upholding social justice, creating decent employment opportunities and eradicating poverty. The vision is informed by an understanding of a just transition whereby social justice is intricately linked to addressing climate,…

Cape Town’s stellar restaurant scene gives foodies something to be excited about at any time of year. And as the temperatures continue to rise, so too does the standard of new seasonal offerings that are popping up at restaurants around the country. With summer and the festive season on the horizon, eateries are pulling out all the stops with a host of new menus that offer delicious dishes made with seasonal ingredients. From beef tartare to ox tongue, there is something for just about everyone. Upper Union At Upper Union, chef Amori Burger has updated her menu in line with her seasonally led, locally sourced approach to cooking. As always, Burger has drawn inspiration from around the globe, creating a series of vibrant, flavourful and utterly more-ish dishes. From the…

THE Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) told MPs yesterday that the offline function of the voter management devices has been optimised to allow the machines to operate even without connectivity throughout the day. Briefing the home affairs portfolio committee on the weekend voter registration, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Masego Sheburi said they have upgraded the operating system of the voter management devices to Android and enhanced applications they developed in-house. “Offline mode will allow for the machine to operate without connectivity or poor connectivity,” he said. Sheburi also said the applications were optimised to default to offline in cases where connection could not be established with databases for whatever reason. “In offline mode, the data is stored on the device and only transmitted when a stable connection has been established to…

UCT’s Council has been accused of undermining university stakeholders and suggestions of the higher education portfolio committee as it forges ahead to implement recommendations by the independent panel that probed governance issues at the institution. In a briefing to the portfolio committee on higher education last week, UCT heard strong calls from MPs for an independent assessor as they expressed no confidence in the outcome of the panel’s investigation. The panel, headed by retired Supreme Court of Appeal president, Judge Lex Mpati, investigated governance issues from 2018 to 2022, the period when the university was under the leadership of former vice-chancellor, professor Mamokgethi Phakeng. The 179-page report released last month found “serious governance failures” by Phakeng and council chair Babalwa Ngonyama who had gone “rogue”. Both have rejected the findings…

After a 34-day voyage, with a bunkering call at Dakar, Senegal, the new harbour tug Ludwig Wiener arrived in Cape Town 110 years ago on Saturday to much acclaim as the world’s most powerful tug, and South Africa’s first large, powerful tug. Her deep draught, long piston stroke and large twin screws were useful in handling larger ships in the harbour, while her power was essential in towing disabled ships to port or to pull grounded vessels from the shore. The sophisticated, powerful vessel would serve South African harbours for 48 years, her design forming the prototype of the general arrangement of later South African steam tugs. During World War 1, the tug was fitted with two guns abaft the funnel, was renamed HMS Afrikander, and went to Simon’s Town…

THE widow of former politician and activist Loyiso Nkohla has described the second arrest made in connection with the murder of her husband as bittersweet. Mziyanda Mdlungu briefly appeared at the Pretoria Central Magistrate's Court yesterday. According to the Gauteng Division Regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana the 38-year-old accused faces charges of murder and conspiracy to murder in connection with Nkohla’s killing. “The matter was transferred to the Athlone Magistrate’s Court, where he will appear on November 20,” said Mahanjana. The Serious Organised Crime Investigation team based in Bellville made the breakthrough on Monday, nabbing the accused in Katlehong. Hawks spokesperson Siyabulela Vukubi said Mdlungu’s arrest emanates from the April 17 incident where Nkohla was killed in a hail of bullets during a community leaders’ meeting at the Philippi railway…

The concept of a “two-state solution” has been proposed as a means to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The proposal for creating Jewish and Arab states in the British Mandate of Palestine can be traced back to the Peel Commission report of 1937. However, this proposal is fundamentally flawed as it stems from historical injustices, particularly European imperialism, civilisation and racism. The British government established the Peel Commission to investigate the Arab-Jewish conflict in Palestine and recommend its resolution. Its recommendations set the stage for the later UN partition plan in 1947, which eventually led to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The birth of Israel contributed to the ongoing disputes and tensions in the region. Israel came about in response to the global Zionist movement, a political…

Orphaned during a coup in his homeland Guinea, teenager Moussa Camara took to sea in a wooden boat with 240 other migrants, enduring an 11-day voyage, half of it without food and fresh water, before reaching the Canary Islands. Twenty people died en route, their bodies dropped in the sea, the travellers said, more victims of one of the world’s most perilous migrant routes. Yet when Camara made it last month exhausted, famished and nursing sores from the sun, another problem beset him – police registered him as an adult and he was not allowed into a centre for minors with the better opportunities available. “We are children … they betrayed us,” he said with a friend also classed as an adult at an old military base in Tenerife’s mountains,…

LONDON: Britain’s King Charles marked his 75th birthday yesterday with the launch of the Coronation Food Project, which seeks to bridge the gap between food waste and food need across the nation. The monarch also hosted a reception for 400 NHS nurses and midwives at Buckingham Palace, while gun salutes marked the day. Highlighting the Coronation Food Project in an article in the Big Issue magazine, the king said: “Food need is as real and urgent a problem as food waste.” The project aims to create distribution hubs to feed 14 million people in need. | IANS…

Geneva: One in three children, or 739 million worldwide, already live in areas exposed to high water scarcity, with climate change threatening to make this worse, according to a new Unicef report. The report said the greatest share of children were exposed in the Middle East and North Africa and South Asia regions, places with limited water resources and high levels of variability, ground water table decline or drought risk. As many as 436 million children face high or very high water scarcity and low or very low drinking water service levels. Those most affected live in sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Southern Asia, and Eastern and South-Eastern Asia. | IANS…

Bafana Bafana suffered a cruel blow before their 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifying Group C game against Benin at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday. Safa announced yesterday that the Sundowns fullbacks Thapelo Maseko and Grant Kekana have withdrawn from the squad because of injury. This was the third withdrawal in three days after the France-based Lebo Mothiba withdrew 24 hours earlier. Striker Evidence Makgopa, the hero for Orlando Pirates in Saturday’s Soweto derby, comes in for Mothiba. Elias Mokwana of Sekhukhune United and Pirates skipper Thapelo Xoki are the replacements called up yesterday. Meanwhile, Percy Tau, popularly known as the “Lion of Judah”, has a career littered with accolades that include two highly sought-after CAF Champions League winners’ medals. But the Al Ahly marksman says he has yet…

Historical, cultural and marketing factors are to blame for cigarettes’ popularity. In the early to mid-20th century, tobacco companies heavily marketed cigarettes as symbols of sophistication, glamour and social acceptance. They employed powerful advertising campaigns that appealed to people's desires to fit in, be stylish, and feel rebellious. These marketing efforts played a significant role in making smoking socially desirable and acceptable. Not only do cigarettes contain nicotine, but they are a highly addictive substance. When people smoke, nicotine reaches the brain quickly, resulting in feelings of pleasure and temporarily reducing stress and anxiety. This addictive nature of nicotine contributed to the continued use and popularity of cigarettes among smokers. For some, smoking is often considered a way to cope with stress, anxiety, and other emotional challenges. In recent years,…

HIGHER education expert and former Universities South Africa (USAf) chief executive Professor Ahmed Bawa believes the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) needs to be re-imagined in order to improve the embattled entity’s systems and operations. Bawa was reacting to the NSFAS turnaround strategy where consequence management was implemented and new appointments were made in some troubled departments, including IT and communications. Parliament’s portfolio committee on higher education had bemoaned the challenges at these departments and advised that they be dealt with urgently. On Monday, NSFAS announced that Minister Blade Nzimande’s spokesperson, Ishmael Mnisi, will become its new head of communications starting on December 1. Mnisi is expected to serve as a senior manager of corporate communication and will also take the reins as NSFAS spokesperson. The board hailed Mnisi’s…

Institutions accused of engaging in conduct considered most egregious in competition law SEVERAL parts of the country’s economy, including imports and exports; foreign direct investment; public and private debt and company balance sheets, were among the hardest hit when 28 South African and international banks allegedly colluded to manipulate the rand/dollar currency. This is according to the Competition Commission which has set its sights on having Absa, Standard Bank, Nedbank, FirstRand, Investec, Standard Americas, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, Commerz Bank (Germany), Macquarie Bank Limited (Australia), Barclays, Bank of America, HSBC Bank, Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner and Smith, JP Morgan Chase, Credit Suisse Securities (US), among others, answer for the alleged collusion between 2007 and 2013. This legal battle is before Competition Appeal Court (CAC) and is set to…

As the globe commemorated World Diabetes Day yesterday, the Healthy Living Alliance (Heala) has intensified its call for the government to increase the Health Promotion Levy (HPL), also known as the sugar tax. It is reported that more than 4 million South Africans are living with the life-altering illness diabetes, half of those being undiagnosed. In 2018, it was estimated that the public sector costs of undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes were R2.7 billion, and when considering the undiagnosed, that number shoots up to a staggering R21.bn. This week, Heala’s programme manager Nzama Mbalati revealed that delays in increasing the HPL are a danger to South Africans. He said an increase in sugar tax to the recommended 20% to reduce the overconsumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and decrease the incidence of…

THE silly season is upon us – and so are cash heist gangs. Six cash-in-transit heist suspects were today scheduled to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court after they were arrested following a robbery on Monday in Bloemfontein. Yesterday morning, also in the Free State, three security guards were disarmed and money was taken after their vehicle was rammed by another vehicle at the corner of Mill and Vooruitsig streets. In another incident on Tuesday, a security guard was wounded in a suspected cash-in-transit heist in Perseverance, Nelson Mandela Bay. In Limpopo, a car accident led to the arrest of a 33-year-old cash-in-transit robbery suspect who had been on the run since an attack on a G4S Cash Solutions van at the Mvusuludzo Mall in Thohoyandou in March 2019. A…

Afghanistan urged Pakistan yesterday to release thousands of containers of imports it said were stuck at Karachi port since Islamabad clamped down on transnational cargo. Pakistan authorities say they have lost millions of dollars in taxes because goods are being sent duty-free from its ports to land-locked Afghanistan, and then smuggled back across the border. Afghan authorities say Pakistan has stopped more than 3 000 Afghanistan-bound containers at Karachi port while demanding more tax and duty payments, causing millions of dollars in losses to traders. The issue was raised yesterday by Nooruddin Azizi, Afghanistan’s minister of industry and commerce, in a meeting with Jalil Abbas Jilani, Pakistan’s caretaker minister of foreign affairs. They spoke about “the transit problems” the Afghan embassy said. The trade row is one of several thorny…

Paris: More than 1 500 anti-Semitic acts and comments have been recorded in France – which is home to large Jewish and Muslim communities – since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said yesterday. “There have been 1 518 anti-Semitic acts or remarks,” said Darmanin. This was a more than three-fold increase compared to the whole of 2022. Assaults and injuries had resulted in 571 arrests, the ministry said. Darmanin said there had also been anti-Muslim incidents “but they are not on the scale of what we are seeing in terms of anti-Semitism”. A total of 330 investigations have been opened. | AFP…

MOSCOW: A man convicted over the 2006 murder of the Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, best known for reporting on abuses in Russia’s war in Chechnya early in Vladimir Putin’s presidency, has been pardoned in return for fighting in Ukraine, reports said yesterday. Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, a former law-enforcement officer, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2014 for organising the killing. His lawyer, Alexei Mikhalchik, yesterday said he had last year taken advantage of a scheme, known to have been used principally by the Wagner mercenary force, to sign up from prison to fight in Ukraine. | Reuters…

Mamelodi Sundowns have become the undisputed flag-bearers of South African football – and for good reason. In the domestic arena, Sundowns have won six consecutive Premiership titles and 16 overall. Five times they finished as runners-up. In the MTN8, rebranded Knockout Cup tournaments and Nedbank Cup competitions, the Brazilians have won 14 titles and were runners-up 16 times. In continental competitions, Sundowns won the CAF Champions League, CAF Super Cup and African Football League. They have played in the Champions League 16 times. This is a staggering list of achievements. It is the result of running a club with sound governance structures in place, starting with the appointment of a sporting director who oversees the day-to-day running of the club. A few years ago, Sundowns brought in Spaniard José Ramón…

Pizza is one of the most universally loved dishes. From Neapolitan to Greek pizza, there are multiple options available. But the question arises: Where does one find the best pizza? Well, if you are a true pizza lover, you will be glad to know that South Africa’s best pizza restaurants have been identified all thanks to local pizza lovers who voted in The Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge, which aims to identify South Africa’s favourite pizzeria, as voted by the consumer. At this year’s challenge, Johannesburg restaurants Gino’s and Osteria Rossa claimed the top two positions, with Gino’s of Stellenbosch taking the third spot and Ferdinando’s Pizza in Cape Town coming in fourth. Here are the top 10 restaurants in this year’s Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge: Gino’s (Robertsham, Johannesburg) Osteria…

The number of murders in South Africa has risen by an alarming 77% since the 2011/2012 period. This is according to statistics released by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) at a briefing yesterday. The stats showed that murders increased from 15 554 incidents in 2011/2012 to 27 494 in 2022/2023. The ISS stats further revealed that four provinces – Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Gauteng – recorded the highest number of murders in the country. David Bruce, an independent researcher on policing and consultant to the ISS, said that from 1994/1995 to 2011/2012 the murder rate fell by more than 57%. “This is equivalent to the per-capita murder rate decreasing from 69 per 100 000 to 29.5 per 100 000. Since then the rate has increased every…

Deputy Chief Electoral Commissioner Masego Sheburi has denied that the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) was hiring only members of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) to work during the registration weekend and elections. This was after the EFF accused the IEC of only hiring Sadtu members. The EFF repeated its claim yesterday, and called on its members to guard against members of the union during the registration weekend. It said Sadtu was an alliance partner of the ANC and supports the ANC. But Sheburi told members of the portfolio committee on home affairs yesterday that they did not hire Sadtu members only, but people from across sectors. He said the IEC does submit names of people working for it at voting stations to the local and national…

PUBLIC Protector Kholeka Gcaleka said yesterday that her office has submitted proposals to the Justice Department recommending legislative reforms to empower the institution and improve its effectiveness. Gcaleka told the Cape Town Press Club that one proposed amendment would criminalise the failure to implement remedial action prescribed in the public protector’s reports. “We are calling for the criminalisation of the non-implementation of the public protector’s remedial action. The courts, our Constitution is clear that we are not merely making recommendations but we are taking remedial actions, and that they should be implemented,” she said. Gcaleka also said reforms should be made for the protection of whistle-blowers as the Protected Disclosures Act gave her office power to investigate protected disclosures. “We don’t have power to call for protection or direct or…

A widow, whose application to appeal her deceased husband’s “unlawful and malicious detention”, failed at the Constitutional Court this week. The deceased man, Robert Groves, wrongfully identified as his alleged drug dealing brother, was arrested in 2016 during an undercover operation. His arrest was part of a larger operation in which a number of suspects were to be apprehended. His widow, wrapping up his estate, became the applicant in the matter as Groves died while the case was pending in the Constitutional Court. Groves was arrested after an undercover cop was thought to have bought mandrax pills from him at a tuckshop window. According to the investigating team, they identified Groves as the man from which they bought drugs but after viewing “bad quality” video footage, “(the investigating officer) determined…

Public transport systems are an important gateway to access essential opportunities. However, the risk of violence and harassment can reduce women and girls’ freedom of movement and equal access to markets and services. Gender-based violence (GBV) is a pervasive issue in South Africa, affecting various sectors, including the e-hailing industry. While e-hailing services have brought convenience to the lives of many South Africans, they have also exposed drivers and passengers to unique challenges, making them vulnerable to Gender-Based Violence. The majority of people in South Africa use public transport as their main mode of transport. Investments in safe and well-designed transport infrastructure can increase economic empowerment by improving mobility and access to better-paid work, education and healthcare. Gender-based violence in public transport has become a common occurrence with Incidents ranging…

Palestinians trapped inside Gaza’s biggest hospital were digging a mass grave yesterday to bury patients who died under Israeli encirclement, and said no plan was in place to evacuate babies despite Israel announcing an offer to send portable incubators. Israeli forces have surrounded Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which they say sits atop an underground headquarters of Hamas militants. Hamas, Gaza’s ruling Islamist group, denies fighters are present and says 650 patients and 5 000-7 000 other displaced civilians are trapped inside the hospital grounds, under constant fire from snipers and drones. It says 40 patients have died in recent days, including three premature babies whose incubators were knocked out. Five weeks after Israel swore to destroy Hamas in retaliation for a cross-border assault by militants, the fate of…

Rescue workers yesterday battled to reach 40 Indian workers trapped inside a collapsed Himalayan highway tunnel for almost 60 hours, drilling through debris to fix a wide steel pipe they hope can be used to pull the men out. The trapped men are safe and healthy, authorities said, and are being supplied food, water and oxygen through a pipe. The 4.5km tunnel, built in Uttarakhand state on a national highway that is part of the Char Dham Hindu pilgrimage route, caved in on Sunday. There were about 50-60 workers on the night shift and those near the exit of the tunnel got out, while the 40 who were deeper inside were trapped. The debris covered an area of 40m and the 40 men were stuck in an area of about…

New Delhi: More than 2 000 people fleeing Myanmar have crossed into neighbouring northeastern India as an offensive against the military widens, reports said yesterday. More than 2 000 Myanmar citizens from western Chin state had crossed into India’s Mizoram state since yesterday, with at least 17 people taken to hospital for their wounds. Almost 50 000 people have been displaced by fighting in northern Myanmar after an alliance of ethnic armed groups launched an offensive against the junta two weeks ago, according to the UN. Mizoram was already home to more than 30 000 Myanmar nationals. | AFP…

MONROVIA: Liberians voted yesterday in a run-off election between President George Weah and former vice-president Joseph Boakai, in what is expected to be a closely fought vote between the two rivals. Former soccer star Weah, 57, won 7 000 more votes than Boakai in the October poll, and he failed to reach the 50% needed to secure an outright victory. Weah’s first term has been dogged by graft scandals and poverty in Africa’s oldest independent republic. Boakai, 78, has campaigned on the need to rescue the nation from what he calls mismanagement by Weah’s administration. More than 80% of the population still face food insecurity. | Reuters…

Just days after Mamelodi Sundowns sent Moroccan heavyweights Wydad AC packing in the AFL final, South African football fans are braced for another conquest over the north Africans. Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies will be playing AS FAR in their CAF Women’s Champions League semi-final at the 20 000-seater Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo, Ivory Coast, this evening. Sundowns were the inaugural winners in 2021 and AS FAR, one of the most widely supported women’s teams in Africa, are the defending champions. The Moroccans walloped Sundowns 4-0 in last season’s final in Rabat and that defeat still lingers in the minds of Banyana Ba Style. AS FAR had a nervy start to the competition but have found their rhythm as they worked their way through the group stages. After Sundowns Ladies…