Table of contents for 2024-02-02 in Cape Times

THE Sekunjalo Group and its chairman, Dr Iqbal Survé, have maintained they “haven’t swapped horses” by bringing an interlocutory application for the banks to produce documents which directed their decisions to close the black-owned group’s accounts. Arguing for the group in its application for the documents to be produced, Vuyani Ngalwana SC said the High Court had inherent power to order such documents to be produced, despite this not being sought in its main application. Meanwhile, Mercantile Bank had been excluded from the interlocutory application proceedings as the group conceded it had no case against the party in terms of Rules 35 (12) and 35 (14) on which Sekunjalo relies for its sought relief. Ngalwana argued that the banks made their decisions to have the group’s bank accounts closed, in…

AS pressure continues to mount on Israel to stop its indiscriminate attacks in Gaza, its ally US President Joe Biden issued an executive order last night to punish Jewish settlers who attack Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Here at home, international relations experts backed International Relations and Co-operation Minister Naledi Pandor’s call that Global South countries should try to provide humanitarian support to the UN Relief and Works Agency in Palestine. Biden's order, announced almost a week after the International Court of Justice directed Israel to take all measures to prevent genocidal acts, establishes a system for imposing financial sanctions and visa restrictions against individuals found to have attacked or intimidated Palestinians or seized their property, said White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan in a statement. “Today’s actions…

THE Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) in the Western Cape said it was all systems go for voter registration to be conducted at the weekend. Provincial electoral officer Michael Hendrickse said the IEC in the province was confident that with 1572 voting stations, including 26 temporary structures, the registration would run smoothly. Hendrickse also said 4 668 staff members would man the voting stations across the province. He added that police would be on standby to make sure that the voter registration ran without incident at the voting stations. “I am pleased that, as it stands now, the Western Cape voters roll is at 3 219 875. It’s a great achievement and I am hoping we can build on that this coming weekend with the voter registration,” he said.…

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI Arthur Goldstuck Pan Macmillan Artificial intelligence (AI) sounds like something out of science fiction, a tangle of algorithms and robot jargon that leaves most of us feeling as bewildered as tourists in Silicon Valley without a guide. This book is Your Friendly Guide to Artificial Intelligence. Here comes Arthur Goldstuck with The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI, a helpful guide that acts as a friendly interpreter in this digital jungle and is a nice diversion from techno-confusion. Put away the boring lectures and thick textbooks. With a playful tour of the AI cosmos, Goldstuck breaks down difficult ideas into digestible chunks that your brain can truly process. He moves through the boundaries of this rapidly evolving topic with ease, demonstrating practical uses that highlight the magic…

Hero Thomas Perry Loot.co.za (R693) Mysterious Press A private security agent finds that being branded the City of Angels’ latest hero could also make her its next victim … Justine Poole provides security for wealthy and high-profile Hollywood stars, but that all changes when a job puts her in the limelight. When she prevents a brazen robbery at the Beverly Hills home of two of her clients – killing two of the five armed robbers in the process – she is initially lauded in the media as a local hero. But the spotlight soon puts her in the cross-hairs of the crime kingpin behind the burglaries. Unable to stand the embarrassment of his lackeys having been defeated by a lone woman, Mr Conger puts in a call to the one…

VLADIMIR Ilyich Ulyanov, better known by his pen name Lenin, is one of the world-renowned revolutionaries and communists. It is unfortunate that some people, especially those who are responsible for tormenting, exploitation, and oppression, expect people they wrong to seek their validation as to who must be and not be written about. It is natural to differ with a person on ideology, system, and approach, but that does not mean it must not be written about, especially if you are or claim to be an historian. But it is understandable if you were an historian that was part of the poisonous propaganda machine of the racist white minority apartheid regime or the bigger master from the West. Perhaps that is how you obtained your PhD and got awarded a professorship.…

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with protesting farmers in Brussels, Belgium, before a special European Council meeting on Ukraine yesterday, in support of what he called the “voice of the people”. “The voice of the people of the streets is not taken seriously by the leaders. It’s a democratic deficit,” said the nationalist leader in a video posted on his Facebook page. “There’s a European election in June. We need a new European Parliament. We have to find new leaders who really represent the people,” he said. Protesting farmers blocked roads around an EU summit with about 1 000 tractors yesterday. Earlier this week, Orban called on the European Commission to “defend European interests against the Ukrainians, not Ukrainian interests against European farmers”. “Imports of Ukrainian products must be…

London: Environmental activist Greta Thunberg appeared in a London court yesterday charged with public order offences linked to a demonstration against the energy industry. The 21-year-old Swedish activist is expected to appear for the opening of her two-day trial. She pleaded not guilty to the charges at an initial hearing in November, as did four other activists who appeared with her. Thunberg, who faces a maximum fine of £2 500 (about R59 000), was arrested by police officers outside the Energy Intelligence Forum. She was one of dozens of activists arrested for disrupting access to the conference, which brought together major oil and gas companies at a luxury hotel in the British capital on October 17. Released on bail, she then took part in another demonstration in front of the…

London: UK police hunted yesterday for a man who allegedly threw a suspected corrosive substance at a woman and two young children in south London. The victims were taken to hospital along with three members of the public who are believed to have been injured when they went to their aid. The Metropolitan Police said three officers who responded to the incident in Clapham on Wednesday night also suffered minor injuries. Acid attacks in the UK had been declining following a peak of 941 cases recorded in 2017, but cases spiked again in 2022, according to the charity Acid Survivors Trust International. |…

Yangon: Myanmar entered its fourth year yesterday since a coup ended a short-lived dance with democracy, with the embattled junta warning it will do “whatever it takes” to crush opposition to its rule. The junta extended a state of emergency by six months on the eve of the anniversary, once again delaying promised elections as it struggles to quash growing resistance to its rule. Streets in Yangon were quieter than usual yesterday morning as opponents of the military called for people to stay indoors in a “silent strike” against the coup. Buses usually packed for the morning rush hour were almost empty. |…

A SCOPING study of Southern Palla- dium’s 70%-owned Bengwenyama Project has shown “very attractive economics”, the platinum group metals company said yesterday. The results justified a prefeasibility study for a platinum mine in South Africa’s Bushveld Complex that will cost an estimated $403 million (about R7.54 billion). The study had already started, it said in a notice Managing director Johan Odendaal said: “The recently concluded scoping study represents a pivotal moment for our company, made possible by the A$19m (R232m) raised in June 2022 for the drilling programme and associated study work. “The Bengwenyama Project, now recognised to be of world class stature, has been systematically evaluated and successfully delivered on schedule.“ The life of mine on the UG2 reef only was estimated at 36 years, with a…

JUDGES John Hlophe and Nkola Motata will know in 20 days’ time – the same day Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tables the 2024 Budget – whether or not they will be impeached, if Parliament is not interdicted on the same day. The vote on the fate of the two judges by MPs will take place late in the afternoon, after Godongwana has delivered his Budget speech This emerged yesterday when the National Assembly programme committee heard that Godongwana would table his Budget at a physical sitting in the Cape Town City Hall at 2pm. After this, the House would adjourn to resume at 4pm for MPs to individually cast their votes via a roll call. In November, Parliament decided to vote on the removal of judges Hlophe and Motata before…

ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has confirmed that the party will not announce its premier candidates until after the elections. Mbalula said the Western Cape would be the only exception to the rule because the party does not govern in that province. He said the president’s face would appear on the ballot instead of premier candidates. Mbalula said the Western Cape wanted to stop the DA from turning the Western Cape into an independent country, following the Provincial Powers Bill launched by the DA last year. Mbalula was addressing members of the media on yesterday following the outcomes of the recent ANC NEC meeting at the Birchwood Hotel, Boksburg, this week. “Premiers are not announced by the president, but by the ANC, and the ANC has taken a decision that…

WHILE the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) works to place late applications, activists say nearly two weeks after schools reopened it is also yet to place some children who applied on time. According to WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond, although the department was waiting for the number of pupils in the process of placement to be verified, progress has been made. She said additional places were opening up at some schools. At the last count on January 11, the department said it had received 609 new applications in the first 10 days and had to place about 2 636 Grade 1 and Grade 8 pupils. “When a learner has not arrived within 10 school days without a valid prior reason, that space can then be offered to another child. We have…

Whispers in the Sand Barbara Erskine Loot.co.za (R141) HarperCollins Past and present collide on a richly mysterious Nile cruise … Recently divorced Anna Fox decides to cheer herself up by retracing a journey her great-grandmother Louisa made in the mid-nineteenth century – a Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan. Anna carries with her two of Louisa’s possessions: an ancient Egyptian scent bottle and an illustrated diary of the original cruise that has lain unread for over a hundred years. As she follows in Louisa’s footsteps, Anna discovers in the diary a wonderful Victorian love story – and the chilling secret of the little glass bottle. Meanwhile, two men from the tour party develop an unfriendly rivalry for her attention, while showing a disturbing interest in Louisa’s mementoes. Most frightening of…

Naomi Osaka - Her Journey to Finding Her Power and Her Voice Ben Rothenberg Loot.co.za (R692) Dutton WHAT happens when an athlete achieves her dream (or that of her parents) – a number 1 ranking in her sport, titles, financial security for her family – only to find that none of it has brought her happiness? Between 2018 and 2021, Naomi Osaka won four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and in January 2019, she reached the No 1 ranking. She was the world’s highest-paid female athlete between 2020 and 2022. As Serena Williams’s career began winding down, commentators and fans thought they had found in Osaka – the younger daughter of a Haitian-born black father and a Japanese mother – the cheerful new global face and dominant force of women’s tennis…

When Evidence Makgopa scored the opening goal for Bafana Bafana against Morocco on Tuesday night, the big striker first turned around to look at the referee. We as fans may have done the same thing, because it is seldom that things go Bafana’s way in recent years. But Makgopa was rewarded for his fine finish as the goal stood, and suddenly South Africa were leading against the best team on the continent. Teboho Mokoena’s world-class free-kick in stoppage time sealed Bafana’s passage to the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals, where they will take on Cape Verde tomorrow in Yamoussoukro. It has been a remarkable turnaround for coach Hugo Broos’s team from their opening 2-0 defeat to Mali. Despite enjoying a 12-game unbeaten run before last November’s 2-0 World Cup qualifier…

BRUSSELS: European Union leaders stressed an “urgent need” to accelerate the delivery of ammunition and missiles to Ukraine yesterday after unanimously agreeing to extend E50 billion (about R1 trillion) in new aid to Kyiv. In a statement issued at an EU summit in Belgium, the leaders also said they were determined to continue providing timely, predictable and sustainable military support to Ukraine. However, the statement stopped short of endorsing a call by some member states and the EU’s diplomatic service to inject E5bn for Ukraine aid – which would be separate from the E50 bn already agreed upon – into a broader military assistance fund, the European Peace Facility (EPF). EU leaders agreeing to extend aid to Ukraine sends a good message to the United States, Germany’s Olaf…

A massive Finnish strike started yesterday, grounding most air traffic and closing workplaces in a protest against proposed government labour reforms that include social benefit cuts. Like its Nordic neighbours, Finland is known for its generous welfare model, which offers strong protection and benefits for employees. However, Conservative Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s coalition government has argued that the country needs an “export-driven labour market model” to “boost Finland’s long-term competitiveness”. The overhaul has infuriated labour unions, that have vowed to paralyse the country to force the government to back down. Unions plan to shut down Finnish air traffic, leading the national carrier Finnair to cancel 550 flights, affecting 60 000 passengers. Trains across the country and metros, buses and trams in the capital will also grind to a halt today,…

Port Moresby: Australia will plough millions more dollars into Papua New Guinea’s police force under a four-year deal designed to underscore a “traditional” security partnership in the face of growing Chinese influence. Canberra will spend about US$25 million (about R470m) on renovating and expanding police barracks and housing, according to the deal revealed late on Wednesday. The investment represents a bid to help the police force, while cementing security ties that appear fragile. The announcement comes just days after it emerged that China had offered to train and equip Papua New Guinea’s thinly stretched police force. |…

Frankfurt: Tens of thousands of passengers were grounded yesterday as airport security staff across Germany staged a walkout. At least 1 100 flights were cancelled in 11 airports, said the federation of German airports, ADV. At Frankfurt airport, at least 310 out of 1 120 flights were scrapped, a spokesperson from operator Fraport said. Berlin airport said there would be no flights departing from the terminals, which usually serve about 50 000 passengers on average daily. Other airports affected by the strike called by union Verdi included Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover, Cologne, Duesseldorf, Leipzig, Dresden, Erfurt and Stuttgart. |…

After scrambling to put a together a squad for the New Zealand Test tour due to the majority of South Africa’s contracted players being involved in the SA20, coach Shukri Conrad now faces a major dilemma in how his starting XI is going to shape up at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Sunday. The Proteas have yet to play a Test in the coastal town of Tauranga on the North Island, with only England (twice), Pakistan and Bangladesh having visited there previously. Conrad is therefore hoping to assess the conditions during the two training sessions scheduled in the build-up before announcing his starting XI. The Test coach, unlike former captain Dean Elgar, is a firm favourite of announcing his team ahead of time, but he may have to…

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton could be about to make a surprise switch to Ferrari for the 2025 Formula One season, according to several reports yesterday. The Italian team want the 39-year-old Briton to partner current driver Charles Leclerc, according to the BBC, Sky, Autosport, Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport and other media. The BBC reported that Mercedes team members were called to a briefing with boss Toto Wolff yesterday at which it was likely he would announce Hamilton was leaving. It would be a surprise move, given that Hamilton has signed a two-year contract with his current team Mercedes for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, but the deal reportedly contains a clause allowing him to leave after one season. Hamilton won the last of his world titles in 2020,…

After almost four months since the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, gave the “green light“ for the commencement of a trial-within-a-trial in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, the State has finally announced its last witness to take the stand. Following the completion of the cross-examination of Pretoria Moot police station commander Colonel Karel Swanepoel yesterday, the State announced that it would be calling its last witness, a dentist, to take the stand. Swanepoel was called by the State to give insight into two of the accused men’s claims of torture at the hands of members of the police following their arrests during 2020. The reason for this was due to the allegation by Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, the first accused, and Bongani Ntanzi, the second accused, that they were assaulted, tortured and electrocuted…

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has irregularly paid more than R150 million to deceased former social grant beneficiaries over the past three years. This was revealed by Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu who confirmed that at least 74 636 such irregular payments had been made. “There are instances where deceased social grant recipients have been wrongly paid. This happens when a grant beneficiary dies after proof of life is confirmed by the Department of Home Affairs, and when the payment run is released to the beneficiary’s bank account,” Zulu said. She was responding to parliamentary questions from DA MP Jacques Smalle who asked about systems in place to verify and prohibit deceased former social grant recipients or card holders from getting paid and whether there had been instances…

DISCRIMINATION based on sex and gender no longer has a place in our constitutional democracy, a judge said in turning down an application where the eldest brother of a deceased man said he had the final say as to where his brother should be buried. The brother (the applicant) turned urgently to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, to interdict the widow from burying her husband in Centurion. The brother said in terms of the Xhosa tradition, his brother had to be buried in the Eastern Cape. The brother said the widow, as a woman, did not have any say over where her husband should be buried. In the opening to this judgment, Acting Judge M R Phooko remarked that “ it is generally accepted that ‘the dead should be treated…

The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria has sentenced a cheating married woman from Soshanguve, in Tshwane, her 62-year-old boyfriend and a community policing forum (CPF) member – who was on probation for rape – for the premeditated murder of the woman’s husband. Farai Ndebele was shot dead after his wife of 25 years, Marriod Ndebele, and her lover, Tlowaye Monyai, ordered a hit on him and staged a robbery by removing some of his personal belongings from the house. The Ndebeles had two children during their 25 years of marriage. Ndebele was shot dead by Soshanguve CPF member Tshepo Frans Kekana, 40, and Monyai’s grandson, 24-year-old Piet Monyai. National Prosecuting Authority (NP) Gauteng regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said all three were handed life sentences for the contract killing. The wife, Marriod,…

Hunting The Seven - How The Gugulethu Seven Assassins Were Exposed Beverley Roos-Muller Loot.co.za (R215) Jonathan Ball Never have seven people been so hunted. By assassins. By journalists in search of the truth and TRC investigators wanting justice for the victims’ families. In 1986, seven young men were shot and killed by police in Gugulethu in Cape Town. The nation was told they were a “terrorist” MK cell. An inquest followed, then a dramatic trial in 1987 and another inquest in 1989. Finally, the fact that Eugene de Kock’s Vlakplaas unit plotted and drove the operation was revealed at the Truth and Reconciliation hearings 10 years after the murders but Vlakplaas’s real agenda remained shrouded in mystery. Hunting the Seven tells the story of the hunt for the truth of…

Innovative and market-orientated approach has resulted in well-managed utilities SOUTH Africa and Australia, both arid countries with historical ties to the British Empire, face significant water management challenges. Despite common legal and parliamentary systems, the two nations diverge in their approaches to water sector governance, leading to markedly different outcomes in economic prosperity. In examining the disparities, it becomes evident that contemporary South Africa is grappling with a scenario resembling a failed state, particularly evident in the breakdown of the electricity and water services sector. This raises a fundamental question – why is the South African water sector faltering while its Australian counterpart thrives? Why is the South African water sector collapsing? Addressing the collapse of the South African water sector requires a nuanced understanding rooted in historical context. The…

The leader of Hamas was expected in Cairo yesterday for talks on a proposed truce in Gaza, as Israel kept up its offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory. Hamas was reviewing a proposal for a six-week truce in its war with Israel, a source said, after mediators gathered in Paris, with international efforts towards a new pause in the devastating war gathering pace. In Gaza, there was no let-up in fighting or aerial bombardment, with the focus of combat in the southern city of Khan Yunis, where Israel claims leading Hamas militants are hiding. Overnight, witnesses said several Israeli air strikes hit the city, while aid and health workers have reported heavy fighting, particularly around two hospitals. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, 119 people were killed in…

Paris: A small Paris building used by double Nobel winner Marie Curie will be moved rather than torn down, French Culture Minister Rachida Dati said this week, hoping to put an end to a months-long row. The Pavillon des Sources “will not be destroyed” but “moved a few metres ... brick by brick”, Dati told broadcaster France Inter. A hi-tech cancer research centre is planned by the Institut Curie at the site in Paris’s touristy Latin Quarter. But history buffs had protested at the demolition of a building. |…

US President Joe Biden will tap senior adviser John Podesta as US special climate envoy once John Kerry steps down, Podesta and other White House officials have confirmed to The Washington Post. Podesta, a senior adviser on clean energy and a veteran Democratic strategist, will remain at the White House rather than move to the State Department in his new role, which has not previously been reported. His new title will be senior adviser to the president for international climate policy. Podesta oversees the implementation of Biden’s signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act. The law devoted billions of dollars to accelerating the nation’s transition to wind, solar and other sources of clean energy. Podesta also played a critical role in brokering the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement as a counsellor…

Tokyo: The wing tips of two passenger jets “scratched” each other at a Japanese airport yesterday, an airport operator said. Reports said no one was injured in the incident involving the two All Nippon Airways aircraft at Osaka’s Itami airport for domestic flights. No passengers or crew were injured, local media said, just weeks after plane-related woes made headlines in Japan and abroad. All 379 people on board an Airbus escaped death in a near-catastrophic collision at Haneda airport between the Japan Airlines aircraft and a smaller coast guard plane on January 2. However, five of the six people on the smaller aircraft died. |…

THERE are many talking points from the Africa Cup of Nations after three weeks of intrigue and heaps of drama across the board. There have been thrills throughout since the start in mid-January, and after several upsets, this Afcon has turned out to be one of the most unpredictable editions of the tournament ... The 24-team tournament Afcon was expanded from a 16-team tournament to a 24-team event in 2019. This is the third edition to have 24 teams participating. At the time of the expansion, it was feared that the extra teams would weaken the competition, and that could result in lopsided matches. However, after the group and round of 16 stages, it has turned out to be one of the most exciting tournaments in history. The guardians of…