Table of contents for 2023-12-21 in Cape Times

The Helderberg Night Market is set to transform Strand Square, located at the corner of Main Road and Fagan Street, into a bustling hub of entertainment, culinary delights and artisan treasures today and tomorrow. It’s an annual event that brings together the community to celebrate local talent, cuisine and craftsmanship. With a focus on creating a vibrant and inclusive atmosphere, the market aims to showcase the unique spirit of the Helderberg region. Attendees will be captivated by live performances from local musicians, dancers and artists. They can indulge their taste buds in a gastronomic adventure with a diverse array of foods from various cultures, including street food and gourmet treats, and get to stroll through the market and discover an eclectic mix of arts, handcrafts, gifts and accessories. They can…

CONCERNS continue to grow over the situation in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden as reports this week emerged that Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels have repeatedly fired missiles and drones at vessels using the shipping lanes that they say are linked to Israel in a show of support for Palestinians. The US this week started to build a multinational naval task force to protect the waterway leading to the Suez Canal through which more than 10% of global trade transits. Maersk, accounting for a substantial percentage of global container freight, said it remained “deeply concerned” about the situation. As of Tuesday, Maersk said it had about 20 vessels that had paused transits, out of which half were waiting east of Gulf of Aden and the rest waiting south…

The KwaZulu-Natal High Court, sitting in Durban, had to grapple with the question of whether confidential medical reports pertaining to a woman’s psychological and medical condition should be disclosed as part of a bitter battle over custody of her children. The husband and wife are embroiled in divorce proceedings and the husband turned to the court to ask that the clinic which is treating his wife make records regarding her condition available. He said this is needed to assess whether the wife is able to take care of their children. The information he wanted included all her medical records relating to her treatment, including the results of any drug tests, psychological or psychometric testing. The parties, who are separated, are engaged in litigation relating to the primary residence of their…

The national Health Department says it is working with the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra), the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the manufacturer of a suspected contaminated medical product called Lubri-A, to ensure the product is no longer used and is recalled with immediate effect. The department said it was also working to ensure that all unopened lubricant sachets or batches are returned through the usual distribution channels. Sahpra announced a recall of Lubri-A, otherwise known as Sterile Lubricating Jelly. An independent outbreak investigation conducted by the Western Cape government had revealed earlier this year that clusters of cases at two Cape Town hospitals may have been linked to the use of contaminated batches of lubricating jelly sachets. “This product has been used in public and…

The leader of Hamas travelled to Egypt yesterday as hopes grew that Israel and the Palestinian militant group may be inching toward another truce and hostage release deal in the Gaza war. The Qatar-based Hamas chief, Ismail Haniyeh, arrived in Cairo for discussions on the “aggression in the Gaza Strip and other matters”, the group said in a statement. He was due to meet Egypt’s spy chief for talks on “stopping the aggression and the war to prepare an agreement for the release of prisoners”, a source close to the group told AFP. Haniyeh – who earlier met Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Qatar – was heading a “high-level delegation” to Egypt, a frequent mediator between Israel and the Palestinians, the source said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had…

Hospital doctors in England hit out yesterday at a perceived “brain drain” from the country’s state-funded National Health Service (NHS) as they began their longest strike action yet in a protracted pay battle. Junior doctors started joining picket lines as part of an initial 72-hour walkout to be followed by a further six-day strike from January 3. The total nine-day action is aimed at pressuring health bosses and the government to offer a better deal by severely limiting services at the busiest time of year. The doctors say they have been forced to maintain their industrial action, which began earlier this year, over a failure to address a host of issues, mostly related to years of below-inflation pay. Britain has been hit by walkouts across various sectors as decades-high inflation…

Beijing: The death toll from Monday’s powerful earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale that jolted China’s Gansu and Qinghai provinces increased to 134 yesterday, while the number of injured persons stood at 1 000, authorities said. The China Earthquake Networks Centre said the quake had a focal depth of 10km. This was China’s deadliest earthquake in recent years. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered thousands of rescue crew to the region, among the poorest and most diverse in China. Footage on state TV showed entire villages split by the quake, as well as collapsed buildings and houses. | IANS…

Brussels: The European Commission said yesterday that it wanted to change the protection status of wolves, allowing them to be hunted. After bouncing back from near extinction, “the concentration of wolf packs in some European regions has become a real danger, especially for livestock,” commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said. She lost her beloved elderly pony Dolly in September to a wolf who crept into its enclosure in northern Germany. Her commission is asking EU member countries to revise the protection status for wolves, taking it from “strictly protected” to just “protected”, which would authorise hunting under strict regulation. | AFP…

South Africa was open to exploring different avenues on where and how proposed mediation and conflict resolution in the Middle East would take place. The country was also open to playing a supportive role to regional states regarding mediation and conflict resolution, as well as the mediation and conflict resolution work led by the US, EU and Russia. “The mediation process could be held in South Africa, Israel, Palestine or in any country in the Middle East region,” said International Relations and Co-operation Minister Naledi Pandor. In October, Pandor said in her executive statement in Parliament that South Africa was calling for an immediate ceasefire of hostilities in the Middle East. At the time she had called for restraint and peace between Israel and Palestine, and extended an offer for…

Frustrated passengers detail how prolonged delays have severely impacted their schedules INTERCAPE passengers have expressed their frustration over the maintenance of long-distance buses due to the number of breakdowns during their journeys with some alleging that they were compensated with KFC meals for delays. Some of the passengers who have called the company to get “its fleets in order” said they experienced delays of about six hours in duration. In its defence, Intercape said the breakdowns were sometimes beyond its control and the KFC provided was not compensation but a way of looking after passengers who were stuck. The company was also grappling with ongoing violent attacks including shootings, especially in the Eastern Cape. Detailing his ordeal, Unathi Kondile said the bus he was meant to travel on was delayed…

LONGYUAN South Africa Renewables, a subsidiary of China Energy, unveiled its Social Responsibility and Think Tank report in Cape Town on Tuesday. Ambassador Anil Sooklal of BRICS Sherpa, SA BRICS Think Tank, said the report offered a profound glimpse into the Longyuan South Africa De Aar wind power project, coupled with corporate social investment initiatives spearheaded by Longyuan SA. “This project holds a pivotal role in our collective pursuit of sustainable development. The Longyuan South Africa De Aar Wind Power Project marks a historic milestone as the first wind power endeavour on the African continent, boasting an impressive total installed capacity of 244 500 kilowatts. “This initiative proudly bears the distinction of being the largest operational wind power project in South Africa,” said Sooklal. Longyuan SA Renewables emerged triumphant in…

POLICE have confirmed an internal disciplinary investigation is under way over the conduct of the two police officials who allegedly allowed high- profile taxi boss Bonke Makalala to drive a police vehicle assigned to them. The officers appeared at the Simon’s Town Magistrate’s Court along with Makalala yesterday. This followed their arrest on Tuesday evening, which was part of an investigation into alleged illicit activities involving Makalala. According to Western Cape police spokesperson Novela Potelwa, the probe led to the officers being charged in terms of sections 56 and 59 of the Police Act. “The pair, aged 31 and 25, based at the Nyanga police station, are alleged to have allowed a member of the public to make unauthorised use of a state vehicle. Scenes were captured in a video…

International co-operation and commitment to alleviating poverty was on display in the village of Kgomo-Kgomo in the North West this week. South Africa and China are two partners in what is now an expanded BRICS partnership, with both countries committing themselves to mutually accelerated growth, sustainable development and inclusive multilateralism. This friendship was recently commemorated with the two countries celebrating 25 years of diplomatic relations. With these recent commemorations of a quarter century of diplomatic relations fresh in the memory, Chen Xiaodong, the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to South Africa, and Lindiwe Zulu MP, Minister of Social Development, held a joint visit to Kgomo-Kgomo yesterday. The primary agenda of the visit was a donation ceremony that formed a vital part of ongoing efforts to advance a poverty…

People in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were voting yesterday in a high-stakes general election, pitting the incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi against a fragmented opposition, while much of the east of the impoverished but mineral-rich country is mired in conflict. But many polling booths in the capital, Kinshasa and the cities of Goma, Bukavu, Beni, Lubumbashi and Tshikapa faced delays, chaos or other problems, AFP journalists saw. “It’s a big disappointment. There’s terrible disorder in the organisation,” teacher Jean Claude Nzine Cokola, grumbled, having still not cast his ballot after waiting for four hours in South Kivu province. In the city of Beni in North Kivu province, Lucie Zawadi, a 42-year-old farmer, said she was pleased to be able to “fulfil (her) duty”. “These elections are going to bring…

Bodies of 87 people killed during bitter ethnic violence over the past eight months in India’s Manipur state were buried in a mass ceremony yesterday, a community leader said. At least 200 people have been killed in the north-eastern state since fighting broke out in May between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community. Tensions between the two communities have revolved around competition for land and public jobs, with rights activists accusing local leaders of exacerbating ethnic divisions for political gain. The far-flung state has fractured along ethnic lines, with rival militias setting up blockades to keep out members of the opposing community. The remains of the victims had been lying in morgues in the state capital Imphal, considered a mainly Meitei-dominated area. |…

Paris: Iran yesterday hanged a woman convicted of murdering her husband, whom she married while still a child, a human rights group said, defying an international campaign for clemency. Samira Sabzian, who had been in prison for the past decade, was executed at dawn in Ghezel Hesar prison in the Tehran satellite city of Karaj, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group said. It said she was a “child bride” who had married her husband at the age of 15 and had been a victim of domestic violence, relatives said. She was arrested 10 years ago when she was aged 19 on charges of murdering her husband and then sentenced to death, it said. She had two children. | AFP…

Yangon: Myanmar’s military had called in air strikes and naval bombardments against an ethnic minority armed group on an island hosting a planned billion-dollar China-backed deep sea port, the group and local media said. Clashes have rocked Rakhine state since last month after the Arakan Army launched attacks on security forces, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since the military seized power in 2021. The attacks opened another front for the military as it battles an alliance of ethnic minority fighters in the north of the country. Construction on the port and a special economic zone has been stalled amid the unrest. | AFP…

Nandré Burger has 1.1 million reasons to smile. Not only did the Proteas fast bowler claim his first ODI wickets in a blistering spell of 3-30 to set in motion an eight-wicket victory over India at St George’s Park in Gqeberha, but he also signed a first Indian Premier League deal with the Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday. The left-arm speedster, who also plays for the Joburg Super Kings in the Betway SA20 and Jaffna Kings in the Sri Lanka Premier League, will now form part of a Royals pace attack that also boasts the likes of New Zealander Trent Boult and Indian duo Navdeep Saini and Prasidh Krishna. His Proteas and Western Province teammate Tony de Zorzi, who also scored an unbeaten 119, was certainly excited for his roommate’s new…

TRANSPORT Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga has once again urged motorists and road users to be safe on the roads as she led yet another festive season Road Safety Awareness Campaign. The minister’s message comes just when Arrive Alive confirmed an incident in which a truck driver reportedly fell unconscious after choking from inhaling smoke after cooking with a gas stove while driving on the N3. Reports indicate that the driver was rescued by community members who removed him from the truck. It is reported that the driver is in a critical condition following suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. Yesterday Chikunga took the safety campaign to Heidelburg’s Weighbridge on the N3 near Johannesburg, where she urged road users to exercise caution on the country’s roads as carnage continues to rise. Western Cape traffic…

Agriculture MEC Ivan Meyer has condemned the murder of farmer Willem van der Westhuizen and the assault on his wife, Christine, in an attack on their farm outside VanRyhynsdorp. “I extend my most heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and the community of VanRynsdorp. “The senseless, violent attacks on our producers and agri-workers must be condemned. This horrific act of violence comes at a time when many South Africans are preparing to spend time with their loved ones and extending a hand of peace and friendship to friends and their communities,” Meyer said. “Sadly, for the family, friends and community of VanRynsdorp, this cowardly act has brought great pain and is a grim reminder that we must remain vigilant,” added Meyer. The agricultural sector plays a key role in job…

A fleet of small modular reactors could be easily installed at most coal-fired power stations The original South African Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2010) identified and approved a massive generating capacity expansion for South Africa. The plan envisaged adding just over 38GW, to basically double the capacity installed in 2014. The 2010 expansion plan envisaged installing “a nuclear fleet of 9.6GW (8 to 9 nuclear power plants); 6.3GW of coal; 11.4GW of renewables; and 11GW of other generation sources”. The 2019 Revised IRP (Government Gazette No 42784 of Oct 18, 2019, p 95) lowered the planned nuclear expansion to a mere 2.5GW, taking into account that it can only be added “at a pace and scale the country can afford” (Gazette par. 5.3.6). It increased the planned contribution of renewables…

The EU reached a landmark preliminary agreement yesterday to reform its laws on asylum-seekers and irregular migrants. Here are the main changes, agreed after lengthy negotiations between EU member countries and the European Parliament that still must be formally adopted: Border filtering: The new EU Asylum and Migration Pact will see migrants irregularly entering the EU undergo identity, health and security checks, and have biometric readings of their faces and fingerprints recorded. The procedure aims to determine which migrants should receive an accelerated or normal asylum application process, and which ones should be sent back to their country of origin or transit. Streamlined vetting: Asylum-seekers with lower chances of receiving protection status – defined as those coming from countries whose nationals’ asylum applications are, on average, rejected in at least…

Washington: Indian-American presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has pledged to withdraw his name from the Colorado primary ballot unless former president Donald Trump is reinstated. Ramaswamy’s move comes after the Colorado Supreme Court this week barred Trump from running in the state’s presidential primary, ruling he had engaged in “insurrection” on January 6, 2021. Ramaswamy said: “In an un-American, unconstitutional, and unprecedented decision, a cabal of Democrat judges are barring Trump from the ballot in Colorado.” He also urged fellow Republican presidential aspirants to do the same “immediately”. | IANS…

Reykjavik: A volcanic eruption that rocked Iceland this week diminished in intensity for a second day yesterday, though media reports said a nearby evacuated fishing village would remain off limits for at least another week. The eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula has produced spectacular lava flows, though they were now constrained to two craters, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. The eruption opened a fissure in the ground about 4km long, only 3km from the evacuated fishing port of Grindavik. Entry to Grindavik will remain blocked until at least December 28 while a new risk assessment is carried out, officials said. | AFP…