Table of contents for 2024-02-27 in Cape Times

THE ANNOUNCEMENT by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, in the 2024 National Budget, of the introduction of a Global Minimum Tax Bill comes as no surprise, but raises broader questions about the roles, responsibilities and future operations of multinational corporations operating in South Africa. Efforts to tackle multinational profit shifting from high to low tax jurisdictions and stem the race to the bottom of effective tax rates dates from 1992, but has been endorsed by some 135 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and EU countries from 2021. In this regard, South Africa will be falling in line with the Global Anti-Base Erosion (GloBE) model, which aims to ensure that multinationals with an annual revenue exceeding €750 million (R15.35 billion) pay a minimum 15% level of tax on…

ESKOM has experienced a total of 44 043 electrical infrastructure theft incidents from the 2018-19 financial year to date. This was revealed by Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan. Responding to parliamentary questions from DA MP Jacques Smalle, who asked about the theft of transformers and sabotage of electrical infrastructure between the 2019-20 and 2022-23 financial years. Gordhan’s response showed that KwaZulu-Natal recorded the most electrical infrastructure theft incidents at 8 598 over the six-year period, followed by the Eastern Cape with 7 129 and Gauteng 7 030. Limpopo recorded 4 691 incidents, North West 4 522, Mpumalanga 4 433, the Free State 3 345 and the Northern Cape 2 544. The Western Cape recorded the lowest number of theft incidents at 1 751. Gordhan said there were 232 transformer theft…

I WRITE in response to a piece by Mr Cameron Dugmore, titled “Winde must address gross inequalities”. I addressed many of Dugmore’s grossest inaccuracies in my State of the Province address and response, but it is important to set the record straight for your readers. Mr Dugmore alleged that only 3% of agricultural land in the Western Cape is owned by coloured, African and Indian residents. This is incorrect, and fails to acknowledge that the Western Cape has the highest land reform success rate, standing at 83%. In stark contrast, the ANC-led national government has a land reform success rate of 10%. Additionally, according to the 2018 General Household Survey, 55.2% of households in the Western Cape were black or coloured-owned. This is a significant increase from the 2001 survey,…

A TEAM based at UCT will design the technical specifications and business case for a proton therapy centre to be established in Cape Town, near the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and Groote Schuur Hospital. Proton therapy is a form of radiation therapy for cancer that utilises a beam of energetic protons from a cyclotron – a machine that accelerates charged particles to speeds approaching the speed of light. The unique characteristics of this proton beam allow a type of radiotherapy treatment that is highly effective for a wide range of tumours and significantly reduces the late side effects of radiation therapy. In children in particular, proton beam therapy is now recognised as superior to conventional radiotherapy techniques with less damage to normal tissue and reduced risk of secondary…

NEARLY three weeks into the university academic year, some students in the province remain homeless while others have been temporarily housed at private spaces. Students were seen sleeping outside and in halls and offices at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and Stellenbosch University (SU). National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) delays in the evaluation process that would lead to funding, delays in result outcomes and university-owned and leased residences reaching full capacity were some of the challenges that led to accommodation woes at higher learning institutions. A group of about 30 SU students has been housed at an Early Childhood Development facility in Kayamandi after being removed from the university’s emergency accommodation. Student Representative Council (SRC) president Phiwokuhle Qabaka said: “Students received eviction notices from the emergency accommodation on…

RECENTLY, cruising has surged in popularity worldwide, capitalising on the rebound of tourism following the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Western Cape has emerged as a notable contributor to the trend, standing out as a key destination for cruise enthusiasts. An economic impact study, recently conducted by Wesgro, revealed the remarkable injection of R1.2 billion into the provincial economy between November 2022 and May 2023. This success story unfolded with 70 cruise ships carrying 145 000 passengers and 42 000 crew members, marking the most successful cruise season for the Cape Town Cruise Terminal to date. The study underscored that for every 30 cruise passengers, one full-time job was created, resulting in 1 864 jobs during the 2022/23 season. The port of Mossel Bay also shone, welcoming 14 ship…

Trade ministers from nearly every country in the world gathered in Abu Dhabi yesterday for a World Trade Organization meeting that aims to set new global commerce rules, but even its ambitious chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala sought to curb expectations. The almost 30-year-old global watchdog, whose rules underpin 75% of global commerce, tries to strike deals by consensus, but such efforts are becoming more difficult amid signs that the global economy is fragmenting into separate blocs. “Let’s not pretend that any of this will be easy,” Okonjo-Iweala said in her opening speech, describing the atmosphere as “tougher” than the WTO’s last 2022 meeting, citing wars, tensions and elections and signs that trade growth will undershoot the body’s own estimate. She called on ministers to “roll up their sleeves” and complete negotiations,…

More than 2 million animals have died in Mongolia so far this winter, a government official said yesterday, as the country endures extreme cold and snow. The landlocked country is no stranger to severe weather from December to March, when temperatures plummet as low as -50°C in some areas. But this winter has been more severe than usual, with lower than normal temperatures and very heavy snowfall, the UN said in a report. As of yesterday, 2.1 million head of livestock had died from starvation and exhaustion, Gantulga Batsaikhan of the country’s agriculture ministry said. Mongolia had 64.7 million such animals, including sheep, goats, horses and cows, at the end of 2023, official statistics show. The extreme weather is known as “dzud” and typically results in the deaths of huge…

Port Moresby: An Australian helicopter pilot and two local contractors kidnapped at gunpoint in Papua New Guinea’s restive highlands escaped unharmed yesterday, police and an aviation company spokesperson said. The trio were captured by a group of men yesterday near Mount Sisa, while working at a remote telecommunications tower. After being “detained for several hours by armed locals”, a spokesperson for the pilot’s employer Hevilift Aviation said, the three were now “safe”. Just before being taken, the Australian pilot had used a satellite phone to contact his employers, who contacted authorities. The captors fled. | AFP…

Warsaw: The team of late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny said yesterday that a deal to free him as part of a prisoner swop had nearly been reached when he died in prison. The 47-year-old Kremlin critic died on February 16 after spending more than three years behind bars, prompting outrage from Western leaders and his supporters. Russian President Vladimir Putin “was offered to exchange FSB officer and killer Vadim Krasikov, who is serving time for murder in Berlin, for two American citizens and Alexei Navalny,” ally Maria Pevchikh said. | AFP…

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said yesterday the release of the election timetable should not come as a surprise to political parties wanting to contest the May elections. The electoral body said the targets set out in the election timetable were cast in stone. “Anyone who is preparing to contest the elections should know that once an election date is proclaimed, the train starts moving because we have an election timetable. “It is almost like a moving train, you can’t stop it,” commissioner Nomsa Masuku said. She made the comment during an IEC briefing on its state of readiness for the upcoming 2024 general elections. There have been reports that some parties are unhappy with the signature requirement to contest elections. In terms of the legislation, independent candidates…

3 onions, finely chopped Vegetable oil 1 tsp garlic, grated 1 tsp ginger, grated ½ green and red pepper, finely chopped 5 allspice 3 pieces stick cinnamon 3 bay leaves 3 green chillies, slit 5 cardamom pods 1 tsp whole fennel/bariship seeds 1½ tsp cumin seeds 1½ tsp whole coriander seeds 1 tsp salt 2 tsp leaf masala/roasted masala 1 tsp tumeric 1 kg beef steak, cut in small pieces 2 ripe tomatoes, grated 1 tsp tomato paste 4 curry leaves Potatoes (optional) Braise the onion in the oil until slightly brown. Add the garlic, ginger, green and red pepper and braise for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cardamom, allspice, stick cinnamon and bay leaves. In another hot pan, take all the whole spices, fennel, cumin and…

A motorist accused of speeding and who was thrown into a filthy police cell, without beimng issued with a speeding ticket or the cops using functioning equipment to measure his speed, is set to receive R300 000 in damages. Jean-Pierre Egerer instituted a damages claim in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, against both the police and the Ekurhuleni metro police. His first claim is for unlawful arrest and detention and his second claim is for defamation, after the officers apparently belittled him in front of the public and his family. While the SAPS and the Ekurhuleni Metro Council were issued with a summons regarding this case, neither of them pitched at court to defend the matter. Acting Judge ENW Khwinana remarked that the law enforcement authorities did not enter an…

Municipal managers or business directors could be held accountable and personally liable for failure to deliver quality water to residents. This provision could be the new reality that senior municipal officials will have to contend with if the envisaged changes to the National Water Act (NWA) and Water Services Act (WSA) are passed into law. The proposed legislation was discussed at a public consultation workshop in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, yesterday. Business and civil society groups attended the consultative workshop regarding amendments to the acts that would allow Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu to intervene in municipalities that are failing to address the decline of water services. Several delegates raised the issue of accessibility to the workshop, especially for those who are bearing the brunt of water shortages or…

The government has a crucial role to play in judicial transformation by prioritising the hiring of Black lawyers. The recent discussion on the employment of Black lawyers by the government stems from questions asked by Judge Mandlenkosi Motha of the Pretoria High Court. Judge Motha questioned an all-white legal team about the absence of Black representation. In a case related to black economic empowerment, Judge Motha requested both legal teams to present on the lack of diversity among the lawyers involved, citing a violation of Section 9.2 of the Constitution. While Judge Motha’s actions have garnered support from the Black Lawyers Association, they have faced criticism from the DA, who view it as judicial overreach and beyond the case’s scope. Despite these criticisms, we argue that Judge Motha was justified…

An attack on a mosque in eastern Burkina Faso has killed dozens of Muslims on the same day as another deadly attack on Catholics attending mass, local and security sources said yesterday. The two attacks struck on Sunday in different regions of the junta-ruled country caught for several years in a spiral of jihadist violence. “Armed individuals attacked a mosque in Natiaboani on Sunday around 5am, resulting in several dozen being killed,” a security source said. “The victims were all Muslims, most of them men” who had come for morning prayers, a local resident said by telephone. Another local source said: “The terrorists entered the town early morning. They surrounded the mosque and shot at the faithful, who were gathered there for the first prayer of the day. “Several of…

JERUSALEM: The top Israeli court heard challenges yesterday to exemptions granted to ultra-Orthodox Jews from military conscription, a source of friction with secular citizens amid the Gaza war. The Supreme Court in 2018 voided a law waiving the draft for ultra-Orthodox men. A government-issued stay on their mandatory conscription expires next month. The ultra-Orthodox – 13% of the population – claim the right to study in seminaries instead of serving in uniform for 3 years. With fighting against Hamas in Gaza and violence on the Lebanese border exacting high military casualties, many Israelis resent them being spared the risk. | Reuters…

Dublin: Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has blasted the “debacle” at US manufacturer Boeing, and said the low-cost carrier will seek compensation for flight cancellations caused by quality problems and production delays. O’Leary said a recent incident at Boeing, when a door blew out from a plane, has led to production delays that are affecting deliveries to airlines, including Ryanair. Last month a door blew out from the cabin of a Boeing 737 MAX 9 on an Alaska Airlines flight. The incident resulted in a few minor injuries. The US Federal Aviation Administration suspended flights of 171 from 218 737 MAX 9 aircraft already delivered. | AFP…

Beuran Hendricks claims the secret behind Western Province’s transformation this season is that they have “shut out the outside noise”. After eight barren seasons down at Newlands that coincided with the stadium and team losing its title sponsor, plunging the embattled union into a financial crisis, Province have seemingly turned the corner. WP are on the cusp of doing the domestic double with Kyle Verreyenne’s team facing the Lions in the CSA 4-Day Series final at the Wanderers starting tomorrow. Verreynne has already led Province to the 1-Day Cup trophy this season to begin the rehabilitation process. Furthermore, the Western Province Cricket Association announced a headline sponsor last week with the return of World Sports Betting to Newlands after a four-year hiatus. Throughout this tumultuous period, Hendricks believes the key…

STOCKS on the JSE began the week on a weaker footing and the rand moderated slowly from the four-month lows it ended Friday on as the US dollar was still strengthened by signs of delayed rates cut in the US. The JSE All Share index fell more than 1% to below 73 400 points yesterday, mainly pressured by resource-linked stocks. Sasol led the losses, down nearly 6%, after the chemical and energy giant reported that its net profit for the first half of its 2024 fiscal year ending December 31, 2023, fell by 34%, underscoring the difficulties confronting the energy industry in the face of economic strains. Meanwhile, investors looked ahead to the latest reading of the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) preferred inflation gauge this week as well as several…

Natasha Joubert will soon go from Miss to Mrs after long-time boyfriend, Enrico Vermaak, popped the question during the month of love. Joubert and Vermaak have been dating for close to nine years. Creating a memorable evening, Vermaak recently popped the question during a romantic sunset yacht cruise at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. In a statement sent to media, a semi-suspecting Joubert said she knew her man had something up his sleeve but didn’t know when it was going to happen. “I thought it might take place at a wine farm on Saturday but Enrico decided to switch things around and propose during a Friday evening cruise. “There were other people on board and I didn’t see any of my family or friends so I didn’t suspect…

Opposition parties and community activists have described Police Minister Bheki Cele’s handover of a house to a family in Delft as blatant electioneering while the community continues to suffer violent crimes. Cele, police commissioner General Fannie Masemola and other SAPS officials yesterday officiated at the handover of the newly built home to a sibling-headed household. The SAPS said they identified the family headed by a 22-year-old woman taking care of her 17-year-old brother after they lost both their parents and now survive on social grants. SAPS said the home refurbishment started at the beginning of January and that, annually, the SAPS goes out of its way to build and donate homes to victims of crime. “The youth around this home … I am asking you (to) take responsibility of the…

THE City has paid more than R25.8 million to Cape Town businesses and households under its Cash for Power programme since the start of the 2022/23 financial year. This after the City became the first metro to buy excess solar PV power from small-scale generators in exchan- ge for municipal bill credits and cash. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said key policy changes have enabled power sellers to earn credits against their total municipal bill, and to go beyond that to receive cash for power fed back into the grid. Previously, sellers could only be credited against their electricity bill up to a zero balance. As of February 1, there were 1 461 sellers benefiting from Cape Town’s Cash for Power scheme. Of these sellers, 869 were residential and 592 commercial/industrial sellers.…

How can Godongwana talk about growth when his fiscal deficit grew by 1%? “THE government is making the most out of very limited resources. We continue to support economic growth; reduce the growth of government debt and the cost of debt; and allocate more funds for core services, provide for the social wage and preserve infrastructure budgets,” is the self-styled takeaway message of Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in his pre-election National Budget delivered to his 61 million compatriots. While the message will give succour to the 19 million or so South Africans receiving increased permanent social grants – perhaps at R387.3 billion one of the most generous in the world and inflation-linked to boot, to the majority of his compatriots there is not much relief or hope as if the…

Israel said yesterday that its army had readied a plan to evacuate Gazans ahead of a feared invasion of far-southern Rafah, leading the UN chief to warn a ground attack would “put the final nail in the coffin” of its aid operations. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Rafah – where 1.4 million Palestinians live in crowded shelters near the Egyptian border – is also “the core of the humanitarian aid operation” in besieged Gaza. In another shock impact of the almost five-month-old war, Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh in the occupied West Bank handed in his government’s resignation to the head of the Palestinian Authority, president Mahmud Abbas. Shtayyeh cited “developments related to the aggression against the Gaza Strip and the escalation in the West Bank and Jerusalem” where violence…

Guinea’s capital came to a standstill yesterday on the first day of an open-ended general strike in a key test for the junta that seized power in 2021 and banned demonstrations while muzzling critics. A confederation of the main unions has urged public and private sectors to strike for the release of a prominent media activist, lower food prices and an end to media censorship. Schools, shops, markets and roads were empty early yesterday in Conakry and hospitals only offered skeletal services as youths set up barricades on arterial thoroughfares. It comes a week after the military junta unexpectedly dissolved the transitional government, which had been in office since July 2022, without providing a reason. The junta also ordered government members’ passports to be seized and their bank accounts frozen.…

BRUSSELS: Farmers set fire to piles of tyres in Brussels yesterday in a protest to demand EU action on issues ranging from cheap supermarket prices to free trade deals, as agricultural ministers met to discuss the crisis in the sector. Riot police fired water cannon to put out flames. Over 100 tractors were parked around the EU institutions’ headquarters, jamming parts of Brussels, a short distance from the cordoned off area where ministers were meeting to debate a new set of EU proposals to ease the pressure on farmers. Farmers across Europe have been protesting for weeks to demand action from policymakers on pressures the sector is under. | Reuters…

DAR ES SALAAM: Tanzania has switched on the first turbine of a new hydroelectric plant set to double power generation capacity but which has drawn stiff opposition from conservationists because of its location in a UN-designated World Heritage Site park. Doto Biteko, energy minister and deputy prime minister, said while visiting the 2 115MW Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant on Sunday that the turbine, with a capacity of 235MW, was now contributing power to the grid. He said the turbine would help reduce months-long power rationing, adding that rationing would end when the second turbine of the nine-turbine plant joins the grid. | Reuters…

Desiree Ellis has urged her team to be professional when they meet Tanzania in the second leg of the Olympic qualifiers tonight, despite leading 3-0 in the tie. Ellis’s Banyana Banyana have one foot in the last and final round of the Olympic qualifiers, having trounced Tanzania 3-0 in Dar es Salaam in the first leg. But such has been Banyana’s heartbreak in the last qualifiers and high expectations, they do not have room to leave anything to chance. The South Africans missed out on the Tokyo finals four years ago after losing to neighbours Botswana in the qualifiers on home soil. And having done well recently, winning the African crown and qualifying for back-to-back World Cups, Banyana are compelled to win at all times. So, it is for those…