Table of contents for 2023-11-23 in Cape Times

South African songstress Belinda Davids returns to Cape Town with her acclaimed Whitney Houston tribute show The Greatest Love of All starring Belinda Davids for one night only on December 2 at the Grand Arena, GrandWest. Since her last visit to Cape Town, marquee singer Davids’ star has continued to rise, with her making her mark on the international television scene with appearances on Britain’s Got Talent, Steve Harvey’s Showtime at the Apollo, the BBC’s Even Better Than the Real Thing and, most recently, being awarded the Golden Buzzer in Europe’s Got Talent All Stars contest. Despite her busy international touring schedule, Davids said she was thrilled to return to her home in Cape Town. “I’m looking forward to reconnecting with the people of Cape Town. There’s nothing better than…

The Robben Island Museum (RIM) has expressed its frustration to Parliament over delays in tackling some challenges due to the lack of participation of departments, and has now called for the devolution of powers in terms of maintenance. RIM top brass briefed the portfolio committee on public works and infrastructure yesterday over the implementation of recommendations to deal with challenges that were identified during an oversight visit in May. The problems included water availability, progress on partnerships with other state entities to address unfunded mandates and expected outcomes and a maintenance backlog. Chief executive Abigail Thulare, providing a progress report, said with the current interim management arrangement, they logged calls to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI). They had made 708 calls for building maintenance, plumbing and other…

THE National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has come under fire for struggling to prosecute high-profile corruption cases – in particular those related to state capture. This after a fraud and corruption case involving former Eskom chief executive Matshela Koko was struck off the roll by the Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Mpumalanga this week. Koko maintains his innocence and says the NPA singled him out for persecution to settle scores against him and his family by charging him with fraud and corruption involving R2.2 billion related to the Kusile power station. The charges emanated from the Zondo state capture commission report published in January 2022 which, along with its findings, made several recommendations for investigations into individuals, companies and government contracts, among others, with a view for the NPA to…

THE Tuesday edition “Schooling suffers as classrooms and facilities deteriorate, equal education study shows” refers. Thirty years after the demise of apartheid it is wrong to try and lay the blame elsewhere. Our schooling is completely broken and it is absolutely clear that the Basic Department of Education is completely rotten. Every year we read about fruitless and wasteful expenditure and every year we hear from the Auditor-General, how monies have gone missing and contracts have been dysfunctional. In other words, the taxpayers’ money which was to be spent on education, has either been stolen or wasted. At this rate, if an ANC government continues, the schooling system will deteriorate even further after 60 years. It is in fact not a surprise that inequalities in the schooling system have been…

PARLIAMENTARIANS have expressed their displeasure with the report by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) matters. This was after the deputy national director of public prosecutions, Rodney de Kock, made a presentation on the work done by the prosecuting body in collaboration with the Hawks. “The plan we put in place is that there is a close relationship between the prosecutors and investigators. We follow a prosecution-guided model of investigation as far as TRC cases are concerned,” De Kock said. He also said there was a TRC section in the NPA and explained how it was handling the cases with the Hawks. A national special director had been assigned to work on the TRC matters with administrative personnel to assist. There was regular contact with…

POLICE unions have condemned corruption among officers and called for the law to take its course after a 26-year-old police constable allegedly aided a detainee to escape for R1 000 payment. Cheslyn Heckrath appeared in Bellville Magistrate’s Court yesterday charged with corruption and alternative fraud. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the accused was released on R2 000 bail and the case postponed to January 30. Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said: “According to reports, a 22-year-old man was arrested on Friday, November 17, on a charge of fraud. While in detention he was approached by the SAPS member who requested him to pay an amount of R1 000 in exchange to be assisted to escape. The suspect made arrangements and received the cash via e-wallet. “The constable then…

BY NOW, the Israeli government should have produced overwhelming evidence of the Hamas tunnels it claims are located under the hospitals it has targeted, resulting in thousands of innocent civilians including children and doctors being killed in Palestine. But none has been forthcoming thus far, yet hospitals housing the most vulnerable have been the daily targets of Israeli bombardments, leading to calls for its leaders to be held accountable for genocide. It’s becoming impossible to justify the killing of civilians when the Israeli side has produced no evidence of the tunnels it claims Hamas was using to keep the hostages it abducted when it launched a surprise attack on October 7. Those responsible for that attack which is said to have claimed the lives of about 1 200 civilians in…

Israel and Hamas agreed yesterday to a ceasefire in Gaza for at least four days, to let in aid and release at least 50 hostages captured by militants in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians jailed in Israel. The first truce in a brutal near seven- week-old war, reached after mediation by Qatar, was hailed around the world as a sign of progress that could ease the suffering of Gaza’s civilians and bring more Israeli hostages home. Israel said the ceasefire could be extended further, as long as more hostages were freed. Hamas and allied groups captured around 240 hostages when gunmen rampaged through southern Israeli towns on October 7. Previously, Hamas had released just four. The truce was not expected to begin until this morning. A statement by Israeli…

Nearly 95% of all internet users are now on various social media platforms, 4% more than last year, a report showed yesterday. As of October, there were 5.3 billion internet users worldwide, or 65.7% of the global population. It means that Internet users have grown by 189 million, or 3.7% year-over-year, according to data presented by OnlyAccounts.io. Of this, 4.95 billion, or 61.4% of the world’s population, were social media users. Statistics show social media users have grown faster than the global internet population. Since last year, the number of social media users has increased by 4.5% with around 215 million people joining the social media space. Since 2019, an average of 350 million people have joined social media platforms each year, pushing the total user count to all-time highs.…

NEW DELHI: Indian rescuers had drilled two-thirds of the way through debris towards 41 workers trapped in a collapsed road tunnel, officials said yesterday, warning that the next 24 hours could be critical. Engineers are working to drive a steel pipe through at least 57m of the tons of earth, concrete and rubble that has divided the men from freedom since a portion of the under-construction tunnel in the northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand collapsed 11 days ago. Workers welded metal tube sections together, with the site busy as excavators and trucks brought in equipment. Rescue efforts have been slow, complicated by falling debris and breakdowns of machines. | AFP…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court accepted yesterday a bail application from detained former prime minister Imran Khan, his lawyer said, a day after another court declared illegal his trial on charges of leaking state secrets. The former cricket star is fighting various legal battles in the hope of securing release from jail and leading his party in a campaign for a February 8 general election, which his arch rival, another former prime minister, is hoping to win. Khan, 71, was jailed on August 5 for three years for unlawfully selling state gifts during his tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. He was forced from office in 2022 after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament, saying the military was trying to sideline him after he fell out with the generals…

THE SOUTH African Future Trust has vowed to launch a new and im- proved second version of financial and non- financial support to thousands of small businesses in a bid to accelerate growth and job creation in the small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMME) sector. In March 2020, the SA Future Trust was established with a R1 billion donation from the Oppenheimer Generations Foundation to support small businesses through the Covid-19 crisis. The SA Future Trust extended direct financial support to businesses so that their employees could continue to receive an income through the lockdown period. This was done by providing interest-free loans to more than 10 000 qualifying SMMEs through a partnership with six South African banks which facilitated the process. SA Future Trust founder Jonathan Oppenheimer said…

The highly anticipated 2023 DStv Kyknet Mitchells Plain Festival is back and promises to be a spectacular celebration of culture, talent, and community unity. In a weekend of non-stop family entertainment from Friday, December 1, to Sunday, December 3, at the Westridge Gardens in Mitchells Plain, the festival will this year commemorate its fifteenth anniversary. The key objectives of the event include celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the Cape Flats, creating at least 1000 part-time jobs to boost local employment, showcasing the raw and natural talents of Cape Flats artists and providing them an opportunity to earn an income, and a platform for local entrepreneurs and SMMEs. “Over one hundred local entrepreneurs and SMMEs will utilise this platform to present and promote their goods and services to an expected…

JULIUS Malema and five other EFF MPs will be barred from the State of the Nation Address (Sona) in Parliament next year. Yesterday, the powers and privileges committee imposed suspension for a month without remuneration from February 1 to 29 on Malema, Floyd Shivambu, Marshall Dlamini, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, Vuyani Pambo and Sinawo Thambo for disrupting Sona earlier this year. The committee also wants Malema and the fellow MPs to apologise to Parliament, National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, President Cyril Ramaphosa and South Africans. The sanctions were imposed despite Malema submitting a joint written representation pleading that they be found not guilty. This was a sequel to a letter their lawyers wrote to the committee indicating they would submit before the end of business on Tuesday after they walked out of…

The justice and correctional services portfolio committee resolved yesterday to recommend to the National Assembly the impeachment of judges Nkola Motata and John Hlophe. The two judges were asked to make written representations of extenuating circumstances to be considered. The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) had found them guilty of gross misconduct. Hlophe’s woes date back to 2008 when he was accused by Constitutional Court justices of improperly attempting to influence the apex court’s impending judgment in the Zuma-Thint matters. In the case of Motata, he instructed his lawyer to inform the court that he was not drunk at the scene of a motor accident. Yesterday, committee chairperson Bulelani Magwanishe said Motata had submitted his written submission and raised issues about jurisdiction and double jeopardy as he had been fined R1…

FOR the past number of years, you have graciously honoured my family and the 195 individuals who were killed on the Helderberg, by being memorialised in your newspaper. You have seen fit to print letters from me on the date of the aircraft’s destruction under the PW Botha government’s instruction. It goes without saying how appreciated your printing of what follows would be by the families of those killed. On November 28, 1987, SAA Boeing 747 Combi Flight 295 took off from Taipei bound for Johannesburg. The aircraft carried 159 people, crew and passengers, none of them aware, other perhaps than 1st pilot Captain Nel, that the cargo included unstable rocket fuel to be used by the South African Air Force in Angola. Carrying such material in a civil aircraft…

Not too long ago I penned an opinion letter in support of our Proteas cricket side and in particular the selectors’ choice in retaining Temba Bavuma as an opener and captain of the team. In that opinion letter I compared him to the late Peter van der Merwe (former captain of South Africa) who batted lower down the order, seldom bowled and was a reasonably good fielder. I did say that if they insisted Bavuma remain as captain and thus be in the side on the field of play, let him bat at number 11 and not bowl and rely on the senior players in the team to lend their advice. What other international cricket selectors would insist that a player (whether he be captain or not) be included in…

POLICE are investigating a case of culpable homicide after pit bulls attacked a 47-year-old man in Lutzville. Johannes Lewis, affectionately known as “Bam”, had a mental disability. His family said the brutal attack had left them in shock. Lewis’s brother-in-law, Gert Flink, said: “He always woke up early and took a walk around the house. On Sunday he woke up early and walked around the outside of the house as is his habit. “Before they bit another two men, the one guy ran through the neighbour’s backyard and into our property. What we think happened is that the man tried to escape the dogs (but) when he came around the back of the yard they caught up and they attacked Bam in front of the door before he could get…

THE Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a complex and deeply rooted geo- political issue that has endured for more than seven decades. Despite its longevity and the countless lives affected, the Western world, particularly the US, has been accused of turning a blind eye to Israeli atrocities against Palestinians. The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be traced to the early 20th century when Jewish immigration to Palestine, then part of the Ottoman Empire, began in earnest. The migration was primarily driven by the Zionist movement, which sought to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The Balfour Declaration of 1917, issued by the British government, expressed support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine. Following the atrocities of World War II, the UN took up the…

Tokyo’s well-kept streets may not be the most obvious place to do it, but competitive litter-hunters yesterday sifted through the Japanese capital in their first world championship. The Spogomi World Cup saw 21 countries battle it out to collect the most rubbish within a set time limit, scouring the streets in search of plastic, cigarette butts and other trash. Spogomi founder Kenichi Mamitsuka started to pick up litter on his morning runs and realised that setting targets could turn it into a fun activity. He organised his first competition 15 years ago, taking the title from the words “sport” and “gomi” – Japanese for rubbish. He said watching the event’s maiden world championship was “like a dream”, but he optimistically believes it can grow to an even bigger scale. “If…

Numbering around 725 000, Indians form the third largest population of illegal immigrants in the US after thos from Mexico and El Salvador, according to new Pew Research Center estimates. As of 2021, the country’s 10.5 million unauthorised immigrants represented about 3% of the total US population and 22% of the foreign-born population, the research said. Mexico, which accounted for 39% of the nation’s unauthorised immigrants in 2021, numbering around 4.1 million, was followed by El Salvador (800 000); India (725 000); and Guatemala (700 000). While the number from Mexico dropped by 900 000 from 2017 to 2021, the number of illegal immigrants from other countries grew rapidly. In 2021, this population was 6.4 million. US officials say an unprecedented number of undocumented Indian…

THE HAGUE: Dutch voters headed to the polls yesterday for a nail-biting election that will transform the country’s political landscape after Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s record 13 years in power. Opinion polls have fluctuated in the run-up to election day, with four candidates – including one from the far-right – seen as having a shot at taking the helm of the EU’s fifth-biggest economy. Polls showed a huge percentage of voters remained undecided right up to election day, making for a tense and unpredictable vote. Following Rutte’s premiership, tainted by scandals, the Dutch are looking for a change in governing style, say experts. | AFP…

San Francisco: OpenAI said this week that its co-founder, Sam Altman, will return as CEO, days after he was fired by the board. OpenAI’s board sacked Altman last week, with Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella saying he was hiring Altman to run a new artificial intelligence research team. But Altman said he had the support of Nadella for his return as OpenAI’s CEO. Hundreds of staff threatened to quit. OpenAI had appointed Emmett Shear, from Amazon’s streaming platform Twitch, as its new CEO. | AFP…

HIGHER Education Minister Blade Nzimande believes the arrest of University of Fort Hare’s (UFH) head of investigations and vetting services may be an indication that challenges at the institution were deeper than meets the eye. Isaac Plaatjies became the 10th suspect identified in connection with the murder and attempted murders of senior staff that caused panic and fear at the university. Plaatjies made his second appearance on Tuesday joining other accused in the Alice Magistrate’s Court. Before making his way to the dock, he claimed he was “looking forward” to the proceedings. “I know… I was wronged. I knew I’m going to be a victim.” He was arrested and charged on November 17. Deputy Minister of Police Cassel Mathale and national police commissioner Fannie Masemola were present in court, where…

World health bodies outraged by killing of 3 doctors on eve of ceasefire deal AS THE four-day truce between Israel and Hamas was expected to begin this morning, three doctors were killed and more health workers wounded in an attack on the eve of the ceasefire agreement which will enable aid in the besieged Gaza and the release of at least 50 Hamas hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinians jailed in Israel. The agreement reached after mediation by Qatar, has received mixed reactions around the world, with some seeing it as a sign of progress that could ease the suffering of civilians in Gaza and bring more Israeli hostages home. Qatar said the International Committee of the Red Cross will work in Gaza to facilitate the release of the hostages.…

As a survivor of the racially oppressive apartheid regime now residing in Australia, I fully support the South African government’s call for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and for the ICC to investigate whether war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Gaza. For 75 years the Palestinians have been subjected to apartheid-like conditions and sanity can only be restored by sane heads getting together to negotiate a viable two-state solution.…

RESEARCHERS from the Desmond Tutu TB Centre at Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) believe the antibiotic levofloxacin will safely protect children when an adult in the household has multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) disease. The antibiotic safely reduced the risk of MDR-TB disease in children by 56%, according to the centre. The Unitaid-funded trial also showed that levofloxacin given daily to children over six months was extremely safe. While there have been many advancements in the science around preventing drug-susceptible TB, there has been very little rigorous data on preventing drug-resistant TB, according to Professor Anneke Hesseling, Director of the Desmond Tutu TB Centre (DTTC) and Principal Investigator of the TB-CHAMP trial at Stellenbosch University. “We have now found a way to safely protect children when…

AN AXE-WIELDING man who killed four people in the greater Durban area by hacking them to death and decapitating three of them will have to remain behind bars for life after his appeal against his conviction and sentence failed. The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) concluded that Phindile Ntshongwana was a dangerous criminal who had acted with flagrant disregard for the sanctity of human life and individual physical integrity and that jail was the best place for him. Apart from the four people he hacked to death, he had also attempted to kill two others. The victims were all men, walking alone at night. The injuries inflicted and cause of death were similar – hack wounds to the head and neck. On further investigation, he was linked to two more…

30ml butter 200g (about 2 cups) leeks, sliced 8 extra-large eggs Small bunch of baby spinach leaves (about 20g) Small bunch of parsley (about 20g) Small bunch of dill (about 20g,) with extra for garnish Salt and pepper, to taste 250g thick sour cream 1 ripe avocado, sliced At least 100g cold-smoked trout/salmon ribbons Fresh lemon wedges, to serve Preheat the oven to 220°C. In a 23cm iron skillet, heat half the butter and fry the leeks until soft but not too brown. Transfer to a blender, adding the eggs, spinach, parsley, dill and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Process into a thick, green batter. In the same pan, add the rest of the butter over high heat. Add the green mixture, using a spatula to stir it…

THE settlement agreement reached by Standard Chartered Bank and the Competition Commission of South Africa is an important mantelpiece in dealing with the currency manipulation case. Under the agreement, Standard Chartered Bank admitted liability for its part in the case. This vindicates the allegations of the Competition Commission which in 2015, had instituted a complaint against several financial entities, including Standard Chartered Bank for rand currency manipulation. The initial complaint centred on allegations of price fixing by the “currency cartel”, in violation of S 4(1)(b)(i) of the Competition Act 89 of 1998. The conduct in question pertained to an alleged manipulation of the USD/ZAR currency pair through the fixing of bids, offers, bid-offer spreads, the spot exchange rate; and the exchange rate at the FIX. The complaint was subsequently amended…

A programme using artificial intelligence (AI) to test inmates in a high- security Mozambican jail for tuberculosis has spawned hope that the new tech can help eradicate the disease. Teeming prisons are a hotbed of TB, the world’s second-deadliest communicable disease after Covid, according to the World Health Organization. Mozambique, a country of 32 million people, recorded about 120 000 infections last year. Caused by a bacterium that most often affects the lungs, it infected more than 10 million people in 2022 and killed 1.3 million, according to WHO. Almost one in four infections last year occurred in Africa. In the sprawling courtyard of the maximum security jail in the Mozambican capital, Maputo, an inmate in an orange T-shirt stood before a tripod with a wide, white tablet. Behind him,…

Manila: At least one person was killed and tens of thousands were forced to flee their homes after heavy downpours triggered flooding across the central Philippines, authorities said yesterday. Rescuers used inflatable boats and ropes to reach people stranded in their houses in Northern Samar, one of the hardest hit provinces, where villages and towns have been inundated after a week of rain. The provincial capital Catarman received more than a month’s rainfall in the 24 hours to Tuesday, with muddy water turning streets into rivers and flooding shopping malls, houses and buildings. More than 43 000 people had been forced to leave their homes, the national disaster agency said. | AFP…

Moscow: The Kremlin said yesterday that it had not changed its policy of pardoning prisoners in exchange for fighting in Ukraine, after local media reported a “satanist” killer had been released. Nikolai Ogolobyak, 33, was sentenced to 20 years for the murder of four teenagers in 2008. He was freed this month after fighting in Ukraine. Ogolobyak and six other members of a self-proclaimed cult were handed jail terms for the murders. He would have been jailed until 2030 but was drafted into one of Russia’s battalions for convicts. “After being wounded, he is disabled,” Ogolobyak’s father said. | AFP…

NEW YORK: More Americans are travelling this Thanksgiving weekend than at any time since the pandemic, but many were having to endure storms yesterday before reaching their destinations, where a day of family, feasting and football awaits. The US holiday is today, with the Wednesday and Sunday of the Thanksgiving weekend traditionally the busiest travel days of the year. The American Automobile Association projects 55.4 million travellers will have headed at least 80km away from home from yesterday to Sunday. Thunderstorms threaten much of the southern half of the East Coast, and rain soaking the north-east. Heavy snow is likely in Montana and Wyoming. | Reuters…

It was not so long ago when a 22-year-old fast bowler from KwaZulu-Natal took a leap of faith to go to the Western Cape to seek playing opportunities. Having represented KZN Coastal at the under-19 level and the South Africa Under-19 side in two ODIs, Tshepo Moreki never received a contract at the KZN-based Dolphins. That’s when the fast bowler travelled to Cape Town to join the Cape Cobras (now Western Province) during the 2015/16 season. Despite having got the contract, Moreki faced another challenge. The Cobras had Wayne Parnell, Rory Kleinveldt and Vernon Philander leading the attack, meaning the youngster had to wait his turn. After the odd match here and there, Moreki packed his bags and moved up-country to join the Titans in Pretoria in 2018. Under head…