Table of contents for 2023-12-28 in Cape Times

PUBLIC health facilities nationwide welcomed 1 708 healthy babies on Christmas Day this year, a significant increase from the 1 414 deliveries recorded in 2022. Statistics from the health department showed 840 baby boys and 868 baby girls were born on December 25. The 1 708 births also included more than 145 teen mothers. “The Department of Health extends its heartfelt congratulations to the dedicated health workers, particularly the midwives, for their tireless efforts in ensuring the safe delivery of these precious bundles of joy. Special wishes go out to all parents, including more than 145 teenage mothers, as they embark on the rewarding journey of parenthood. “The department is scaling up human milk banking for survival and healthy growth for babies born to mothers who are unable to breastfeed…

More than 700 people have died on South Africa’s roads since the beginning of the month. The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said yesterday that more than 4 000 motorists were arrested for drunk-driving and other infractions across the country. Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga voiced concerns about many issues that contribute to fatalities, including driving under the influence, speeding, driving cars not fit for the road, and driving without a legal licence. Gauteng recorded the most crashes with 148, KwaZulu-Natal had 138, the Eastern Cape 99, Mpumalanga 77, and the Free State 63. Limpopo had 59 crashes, the Western Cape 57, the North West 50, and the Northern Cape 25. The RTMC revealed that it has been glaringly obvious that those fatal crashes start increasing after hours, from 7pm…

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) Minister Barbara Creecy says the department has fulfilled its commitment to finalise all Fishing Right Allocation Process 2020/2021 (FRAP 2021) appeals before the 2024 fishing season. This after Creecy recently issued her decisions on appeals in relation to the Small Pelagic: Anchovy and Small Pelagic: Sardine sectors. During February 2022, DFFE completed the FRAP 2021/22. The department received 169 appeals in the sardine sector and 230 appeals in the anchovy sector across various categories of applicants. Those applicants who held rights in the fishery for which they were reapplying during the period 2006 to 2020 were considered as category A applicants. Applicants who held rights in sectors other than the fishery they were applying for during the period 2006 to 2020 were considered as…

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has issued a warning to bathers, boaters and those who plan to visit beaches of stronger than normal rip currents due to the spring tide reaching its peak. Already a number of drowning incidents have been reported and at Klein Brak Beach on the outskirts of Mossel Bay, a 66-year-old man who was swimming with a friend drowned when he got caught in a rip current on Monday. NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said two lifeguards who were in the water preparing for duty noticed a man running and people carrying someone out of the surf onto the beach. He said it appeared the man and a female friend had been swimming together and were caught in rip currents.…

As we bask in the joy of the festive season, it is heartening to celebrate the safe delivery of 1 708 healthy babies on Christmas Day this year. This remarkable achievement, an increase from the 1 414 deliveries last year, is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our health-care professionals, particularly the midwives who play a crucial role in ensuring the well-being of the mothers and their children. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the health workers involved and wish all parents, including the more than 145 teen mothers, the very best on their parenting journey. The work of these health-care heroes is indispensable, especially within the public health sector where challenges abound. The safe delivery of babies represents not only a medical triumph but also a…

Hundreds of university students in Indonesia’s westernmost province stormed a temporary shelter for more than 100 Rohingya refugees yesterday, forcing them to leave in the latest rejection of the persecuted Myanmar minority. More than 1 500 Rohingya refugees have arrived on the shores of Aceh province since mid-November in what the UN says is the biggest influx for eight years. Some of their boats have faced rejection by locals and in some cases have been returned to sea. The students, many wearing jackets with different universities’ insignias, entered a government function hall in the capital Banda Aceh where 137 Rohingya refugees were staying. The students demanded they be moved to a local immigration office so they could be deported, according to footage seen by AFP. It showed students chanting…

Barranquilla: Colombian superstar Shakira’s Caribbean home city of Barranquilla unveiled a 6.5m hip-swaying statue made of bronze and aluminium in her honour this week. “Hips that do not lie, a unique talent, a voice that moves masses,” reads the inscription at the base of the sculpture unveiled on the banks of the Magdalena River. The singer thanked sculptor Yino Marquez and his art student collaborators for “this example of the enormous artistic talent of the people of my country”. | AFP…

Bangkok: Floods in southern Thailand have killed at least six people and affected tens of thousands of households, authorities said yesterday. The floods, which began on December 22, have hit more than 70 000 homes across the provinces of Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, regional officials said. Six people including an 89-year old woman and a toddler were killed in Narathiwat. Another person was still missing following days of intense rain, which sparked floodwaters that reached around 3m in height in some places. Streets were submerged by the muddy deluge with residents taking refuge on rooftops. | AFP…

Tokyo: In prim and proper Japan, all it took to prompt a prestigious department store chain into a public apology in the aftermath of Christmas were complaints over mangled $40 (R738) cakes. “Cake collapse” has dominated headlines for days in Japan after irate consumers took to social media at the weekend to post pictures of crumbled Christmas cakes delivered to their doorsteps. Sold online by major chain Takashimaya, the strawberry-topped cakes, meant to be immaculately decorated, arrived to some customers flattened and fragmented. Out of the nearly 3 000 frozen cakes sold, more than 800 were confirmed to have been marred. The firm said customers may be reimbursed. | AFP…

Here some of the best plays of the day between the Proteas and India in Centurion yesterday... Shot 1: India’s “Man for a Crisis” KL Rahul was magnificent in shepherding the visitors’ tail, putting together partnerships of 43, 27 and 47 for the seventh, eighth and ninth wicket respectively. He was deserving of a century, and brought it up in the most emphatic manner by clearing his front leg to smash it over deep mid-wicket. Shot 2: David Bedingham’s road to international cricket has been a winding one, but the former Wynberg Boys High School prodigy certainly did not look out of his depth on his Test debut. His pull shot off Prasidh Krishna that sailed on to the grassbanks certainly showed he belonged at this level. For good measure,…

THE Centre for Applied Legal Studies has a new deputy director – a lawyer with a passion for practising law for a greater cause. Busisiwe Kamolane-Kgadima is a practising attorney, researcher, advocacy specialist and activist. She joined the Centre for Applied Legal Studies in 2019. Kamolane-Kgadima said she was honoured to be appointed deputy director of the oldest and one of the most reputable public interest law organisations in South Africa. She said she was proud to be part of an organisation that excelled at representing clients in crucial and landmark cases. She said the centre produced quality research reports and worked closely with social movements, communities and grass-roots organisations to advance their causes in the achievement of social justice. Kamolane-Kgadima, 30, was born in Pietermaritzburg and raised in the…

from page 1 that level or intensity of load shedding again. “Yes, there will definitely be load shedding in 2024, but not as severe as in 2023,” Mashele said. Civil nuclear engineer Hugo Kruger said: “Eskom has to find a way to do maintenance and extend the lifetime of the plants. The government has been dragging its feet regarding it, but if we continue to pretend that we don’t have a coal fleet then load shedding will continue. What we need is for Eskom’s leadership to commit in law to fix the coal fleet, to overhaul it. “If we fix only 10% of the installed capacity then load shedding will be a thing of the past. South Africa didn’t have load shedding in 2009 to 2013 and in 2016 to…

FUEL prices are expected to go down in January. Experts said the decrease in price was expected due to a drop in the price of Brent crude oil for most of December. Layton Beard, spokesperson for the AA, said South African motorists can expect significant fuel price reductions to kick off 2024. “According to the data, ULP93 will decrease by around 68 cents/litre, and ULP95 will decrease by 82 cents a litre. “Diesel is set to decrease considerably by around R1.50/litre with illuminating paraffin also decreasing by around R1.42/litre. The forecast reductions in the wholesale price of diesel will bring this fuel cost down to around R20.32/litre inland, a price lower than the same time last year.” Beard added that the expected reductions can be attributed to the significantly lower…

Cumulatively 335 days of blackouts; billions spent on diesel to run gas turbines, costing the economy R1.2 trillion South Africans experienced rolling blackouts almost every day this year, with more than 6 700 hours of load shedding recorded over 335 days. This year was worse than the 15 previous years, cumulatively, according to experts, as UPS units and other back-up power supplies such as generators became essential for residents and businesses – and the economy continues to count the costs. Insights from the load-shedding monitoring app EskomSePush indicate that the country spent 45 days in Stage 6 load shedding and experienced 408 390 minutes without electricity this year. According to Eskom, there were 335 days and 6 778 hours of load shedding in 2023. “From April 1 to December 18,…

The World Trade Organization (WTO) launched its Trade Policy Tools for Climate Action during the COP28 conference. Will the new Trade Policy Tools benefit Africa? What are the WTO’s new Trade Policy Tools? The new tools offer opportunities for countries to mitigate the climate change effect of their trade practices. The tools align with the Paris Agreement, the 2015 legally binding UN Treaty on Climate Change. However, the global contribution of African states to climate change remains low: 4%. African states’ contribution to global trade stands at 3%. There are socio-economic inequalities between African states and their Western counterparts. The wider historical context of the inequalities means that the WTO’s Trade Policy Tools for Climate Action will have different impacts on developing and developed countries. Notwithstanding Africa’s low contribution to…

The Hamas-run Gaza Strip’s health ministry said yesterday that the death toll from the war with Israel had surged above 21 000, about two thirds of them women and children. Israel again pounded Gaza with air strikes and shelling after its armed forces chief warned the war raging with Hamas since the October 7 attacks will last “many more months”. Explosions lit the sky over the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis – a focus of heavy urban combat since the Israeli army said it had largely gained operational control over Gaza’s north. Heavy firefights however also raged again around Gaza City in the north, while an air strike wounded 11 near Rafah, a far-southern city crowded with internally displaced people, witnesses said. Gaza’s spiralling humanitarian crisis has amplified calls…

Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, prevented protesters from assembling yesterday after a demonstration against recent elections was banned in the fragile central African state. Leading opposition politicians in impoverished but mineral-rich DRC called for the demonstration after rejecting last week’s vote, which was marred by severe delays and bureaucratic disarray. Congolese interior minister Peter Kazadi said the government had banned the protest because it “aims to harm the electoral process”. The opposition nevertheless had urged supporters to gather near the national assembly in Kinshasa and march to the headquarters of the country’s electoral commission. Dozens of riot police were stationed in the area yesterday. They fired canisters of tear gas at supporters of opposition politician Martin Fayulu, who were grouped in front of his party’s headquarters.…

Seoul: South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, best known for his role in the Oscar-winning film Parasite, was found dead yesterday, police said. He was 48. The actor was found inside a vehicle parked on the street in Seoul’s mid-northern Seongbuk district, police said . South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported, citing police, that Lee had left a “note that reads like a will”. Lee had been under police investigation over his alleged use of marijuana and other drugs. Once celebrated for his wholesome image, the actor was being dropped from various projects following the scandal. South Korea has extremely tough laws on illegal drugs, with Koreans who take drugs legally abroad risking prosecution on returning to their home country. Lee is survived by his wife, actress Jeon Hye-jin, and…

Paris: The Eiffel Tower, one of the world’s prime tourist attractions, was closed yesterday after staff went on strike, the tower’s operator said. The strike on the 100th anniversary of the death of engineer Gustave Eiffel, who built the tower, was to protest “the current way it is managed”, the hard-left CGT union said. The tower’s operator, SETE, was “headed for disaster”, it said. SETE apologised to visitors, advising those with electronic tickets for yesterday “to check their email”. The Eiffel Tower, Paris’s most famous landmark, attracts nearly seven million visitors a year, around three-quarters of them foreigners. | AFP…

Joel Smith and his father Martin recently covered 252km over the Lesotho mountains in an effort to raise R100 000 for King’s Children’s Home in the Eastern Cape. King’s Children’s Home just outside East London is a safe house that provides a temporary home and place of safety for abused and abandoned babies and young children. Founded in 2008 by Tracy and Jonathan King, who run the local Crossways church in the area, King’s Children’s Home has positively impacted the lives of many children in the Eastern Cape. Touched by the plight of these children when the family relocated to the East Coast, Smith who matriculated from Selborne College last year, pledged his support and instead of an 18th birthday party, he tackled the famous 100km Amatola Mountain trail in…

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has ordered several state-owned enterprises (SOEs) falling in his portfolio to formulate and implement turnaround plans as part of his department’s solutions to address mismanagement of the entities. “I have directed the boards of several SOEs in my portfolio to formulate and implement turnaround plans. These plans aim to enhance operational efficiency and significantly improve the overall performance of the respective companies,” Gordhan said, when responding to parliamentary questions from IFP MP Mzamo Buthelezi. Buthelezi asked whether Gordhan’s department has any short-term step-by-step solutions to address the mismanagement of SOEs. According to Gordhan, Eskom was making strides towards ensuring energy stability and sustainability. “The generation recovery plan has already recovered 1 535 megawatts between April and September 2023, contributing to Eskom’s goal of achieving an…

THE ANC in the eThekwini region has started a process of identifying members who have joined the newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party after it was endorsed by former president Jacob Zuma. The ANC’s biggest region in the country by membership, eThekwini has been a traditional stronghold of the party in KwaZulu-Natal. Regional secretary Musa Nciki on Tuesday sent a letter to all branches calling for an assessment of the impact of the MK Party. The assessment will be presented to chairperson Sboniso Duma and provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo, next month. “With the emergence of the MK Party, all ANC BECs (branch executive committees) are instructed to convene special BEC meetings to make assessment of the MK Party impact on our branches. Reports emanating from those special BEC meetings are…

Five public infrastructure projects have stalled due to interference by construction mafia syndicates since 2019 for periods ranging from a few days to four months at a time, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala said. “There have been a total of five public infrastructure projects that have been halted due to interference by the construction mafia since 2019, one in Gauteng and four in KwaZulu-Natal,” Zikalala said. He was responding to questions from DA MP Sello Seitlholo about the total number of public infrastructure projects across the country that have been suspended and stopped due to interference by construction mafia in the last five years, as well as the total cumulative costs of the disruptions to the economy. Independent Media reported in June that Zikalala said there had been…

Gift of the Givers negotiator Mohamed Yehia Dicko has been hailed as “leaving no stone unturned” in efforts to reunite South African Gerco van Deventer, who was held hostage in Mali for just over six years, with his family. In a statement, the humanitarian organisation thanked the multiple intermediaries in Mali, Morocco, Mauritania and Niger for their “incredible support” in securing an unconditional release for Van Deventer, who has finally been reunited with his family. “We thank Algerian State Security for accepting Gerco, it wasn’t possible through two other countries. We thank SA State Security who have been extremely helpful and co-operative in the entire process, we met personally on several occasions. “Our greatest thanks go to the real hero without whom the release would never have been possible, Mohamed…

THE movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever rewrote Hollywood’s script for superhero movies. I was recently involved in an academic roundtable that offered a critical conversation about it and another film set in an African kingdom, The Woman King. As big-budget productions with black female heroes, The Woman King and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever invite discussion and debate about Hollywood representations of Africa and the kinds of roles women and girls can and should play. They lend themselves to discussing topics ranging from the importance of historical accuracy to the power of imagining alternative histories and fantastical futures. One of my primary research areas is the representation of black women in literature and popular culture. My 2018 book, Where No Black Woman Has Gone Before: Subversive portrayals in speculative film and…

Kim Jong-un presided over a major policy-setting meeting this week with renewed power owing to advances by North Korea’s military and economy that will allow him to rebuff US pressure to wind down his nuclear arms programmes. Kim’s ruling Workers’ Party of Korea held a plenary session of its Central Committee on Tuesday where it layed out a path for 2024, state media reported. Kim is arguably at the peak of his power since he took office about a dozen years ago, with arms transfers to Russia in recent months likely boosting his sanctions-hit economy. His weapons programme has also made significant gains that included the test this month of a new missile designed to deliver a warhead to the US mainland and the apparent commission of a long-stalled nuclear…

The UK government said yesterday that it had dropped its plan to start selling in imperial measures after a consultation revealed 99% support for keeping the metric system. Ministers had looked at changing the law after the UK’s departure from the EU in 2020 to allow traders to use Britain’s traditional weighing system – which measures in pounds and pints – only alongside the metric one. But they decided against the move after 98.7% of the 100 938 respondents to an official consultation said they were happy using metric units when buying or selling a product. Distances in Britain are still measured in miles, while beers and milk are also sold in pints. The department of business and trade also announced that rules would be altered to allow a 568ml…

MOSCOW: A Tesla engineer was attacked by a robot and left with an open wound on his left hand while programming two other disabled Tesla robots, UK newspaper Daily Mail reported this week, citing a workplace injury report. The engineer was attacked by the robot designed to grab and move freshly cast aluminium car parts at Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas near Austin due to a malfunction. It forced two fellow employee who saw the engineer leaving a “trail of blood” to hit the emergency shutdown button. The robot reportedly pinned down the engineer and sank its metal claws into the worker’s back and arm. Tesla said the engineer’s wounds required “zero” days off from work for recovery. | Sputnik…

MOSCOW: Veteran German politician Wolfgang Schauble, a key figure behind the country’s unification in 1990, has died aged 81, German tabloid Bild reported yesterday. A prominent member of the Christian Democratic Union party, Schauble died in his sleep yesterday. In 1990, then-Interior Minister Schauble, on behalf of West Germany, and State Secretary Gunther Krause on behalf of East Germany, signed the Unification Treaty, which ended the post-World War II partition of the German nation into two states. Schauble also served as a finance minister in ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government. | Sputnik…