Table of contents for 2024-03-19 in Cape Times

Baskets are ready as Easter is just around the corner! But how can you commemorate the Easter weekend if you had decided to live a vegan lifestyle and follow a vegan diet? Fear not, as we have put together inspirational advice for how you can celebrate a vegan Easter! Bring vegan alternatives to traditional dishes to gatherings Let’s face it. Some Easter traditions are downright disturbing. The idea of killing and eating a gorgeous, innocent lamb jumping about in a field is repulsive to vegans, and the casual enthusiasm about eating such baby animals can be tough. However, you do not have to go to a gathering of omnivore friends and family members without offering them delectable alternatives to animal-based dishes. With a bit of research, you can find vegan…

JUSTICE and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola has outlined the impact of budget cuts on programmes run by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development as well as other institutions reporting to him. Lamola said the cuts would affect administration of the courts, the handling of complex cases by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and investigations carried out by the Special Investigating Unit, among others. “The budget cuts are expected to impact the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development substantially,” Lamola said in response to a parliamentary question from IFP MP Themba Msimang. According to National Treasury’s budget review document, the Cabinet has approved slashing the funds available to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development by R5 billion over the next three years. “Total expenditure is expected to increase…

With fuel prices expected to increase again, trade union federation Cosatu says the government should invest more in public transport and Transnet to cushion the poor from the rising cost of living. This comes as the AA expected a slight increase petrol prices in April based on unaudited data from the Central Energy Fund (CEF). They added that the data also pointed to a marginal decrease to diesel prices and illuminating paraffin. ULP95 petrol is expected to climb by around 10c/litre, and ULP93 by around 9c/litre. The wholesale price of diesel is expected to decrease by between 34c/litre and 38c/litre while the cost of illuminating paraffin is slated to come down by around 47c/litre. “The decrease in diesel and paraffin prices is certainly good news; diesel is a big input…

WITH lessons learned from the brink of “Day Zero”, drought and energy procurement plans, the City has partnered with a global research centre to launch a new research lab. The Water, Air and Energy (WAE) Lab launched by the municipality, the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and the Community Jameel is expected to co-generate evidence and inform policies that effectively improve access to clean air, water and reliable energy for Capetonians. The evidence generated will also be relevant to growing urban centres in the rest of South Africa and low- and middle-income countries globally. Policymakers, researchers from across the world and distinguished speakers, including Nobel Prize laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee, were among those in attendance at the launch in the Banquet Hall, Civic Centre, recently. “As…

Police are investigating a case of concealment of birth after two babies were found buried in a shallow grave at a house in Hammanskraal, north of Tshwane. Community members notified the authorities that a woman had given birth at home and had not registered her baby with the Department of Home Affairs. Police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said preliminary investigations revealed that a 32-year-old woman had given birth to triplets at her home on March 8. “It is reported that one of the babies was stillborn while the other died after two days. “Upon giving birth, the woman, allegedly with assistance from her 51-year-old mother, buried the stillborn baby in a shallow grave in their yard,” she said. “Two days later the second baby died and was also buried in…

WHEN Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, the hyperactive chairman and CEO of DP World, the giant Dubai-owned Global Ports, Logistics and Supply Chain Operator and Solutions Provider, visited Maputo in January this year, he had a clear and present message which should have sent shivers down the spine of the Ramaphosa administration and Transnet executives. The Mozambique Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr Mateus Magala, supported by the Maputo Port Development Company CEO Mr Osorio Lucas, on behalf of the Mozambique government, had extended the concession to run the Port of Maputo to DP World and its partners, including the JSE-listed Grindrod Ltd, by 25 years ending in 2058. The deal included DP World investing $2 billion (about R37.6bn) on expanding the Port’s infrastructure that will further draw cargoes away…

As a US campaign to sever TikTok from its Chinese parent heads to the Senate, analysts say Beijing’s response to a forced sale of the app – and its “secret sauce” algorithm – will be clear: hands off. Under new legislation that passed in the House of Representatives last week, TikTok could be banned in the US if it does not cut all ties with Chinese tech giant ByteDance. But in the battle over TikTok’s future in the US, what strikes many as a contradiction has emerged: while the company tries to convince Congress of its independence from Beijing, China has come out swinging in its defence. Beijing does not want a precedent to be set where a Chinese company is strong-armed into selling one of its most valuable assets,…

LONDON: London mayor Sadiq Khan, who launched his re-election campaign for a third term yesterday, pledged to build 40 000 new council homes by the end of the decade to address a housing shortage in the city. Khan faces voters on May 2 and has called for the “greatest council homebuilding drive in a generation”, like opposition leader Keir Starmer. Both Labour, the party Khan belongs to, and the ruling Conservative Party have made housing a key battleground before national elections due by January 2025. The government has struggled to meet its target of delivering 300 000 homes annually across the UK even as the crisis worsens on rising demand. | The Washington Post…

Paris: A photographer went on trial in France yesterday, accused of raping 17 women he lured on dating apps with a promise of taking their picture. Salim Berrada, nicknamed the “Tinder rapist”, invited women he found online in 2015 and 2016 to modelling photo shoots and assaulted them during the encounters, according to the prosecution. The defendant, 38, said the sexual relations were all consensual. Using detailed steps laid out on Excel sheets, he promised the women photo sessions. The spreadsheets included lists of key phrases he used to attract, compliment and proposition them. | AFP…

There was another action-packed round of CSA T20 Challenge fixtures with a couple of tense finishes, especially in both matches involving the Lions at the Wanderers. The Warriors, however, proved to be the form team as they maintained their 100% start to the competition with another couple of bonus point victories. Here, Independent Newspapers have chosen five players that starred for their respective teams over the weekend. Beyers Swanepoel – Warriors After missing the first couple of matches of the competition due to the availability of the Proteas, Swanepoel made a big impact with the ball on Sunday against the helpless Rocks. The all-rounder claimed excellent figures of 4/16 to entrench the Warriors’ top spot on the log. He was particularly devastating with the new ball, claiming both Malan brothers…

The Springbok Women’s path towards qualifying for the Rugby World Cup begins this weekend in Valladolid, where they will take on Spain later this week. Off the back of training sessions against Wales and Scotland, the Bok Women will play two Tests over the next two weekends, starting with Las Leonas on Saturday. The US are their other opponent at the end of the month, after which the national side will know exactly where they stand in terms of their readiness for the World Cup qualifiers. The Rugby Africa Championship – the qualifier for the 2025 World Cup in England, starts in May in Madagascar, where the Bok Women will attempt to qualify for a second successive tournament, after playing in New Zealand a couple of years ago. Stalwart Lindelwa…

Healthy, bronzed skin plump with hydration, with a hint of shimmer, is how most people describe the holiday glow. It’s the look that one would have after spending a few weeks relaxing on a lounger on the shores of a distant island somewhere. Experts explain that for some individuals, the pursuit of clear and glowing skin may be a coping mechanism to gain a sense of control in a world that often feels unpredictable. The ritualistic nature of skincare routines may provide a structured and calming activity, offering a temporary escape from the stresses of life. What most of us want from these ingredients is protection from the sun and other elements, pore minimisation, blemish and pigmentation reduction, hydration, care for the cells beneath our skin’s outer surface and, most…

A KwaZulu-Natal taxi owner accused of murdering Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane claims he was assaulted by the police after his arrest. Lindani Zenzele Ndimande, 35, yesterday handed in an affidavit in support of his bail application to the Durban Magistrate’s Court. Five accused appeared in court yesterday. Thabani Mkhwanazi and Siyanda Eddie Myeza submitted affidavits in support of their bail applications last week. Ndimande – whose affidavit was read into the court record by his advocate, Joe Wolmarans – said he had been arrested in respect of another matter in October last year and brought to Durban. “I was arrested near my home in Empangeni and brought to Durban, where I was assaulted by police and forced to confess to my involvement in the murders of well-known…

High court finds minister to be liable for the conduct of two officers POLICE Minister Bheki Cele’s office will now have to fork out nearly R94-million to cover the losses incurred during a cash heist involving two police officers nearly a decade ago. The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, found the minister to be vicariously liable for the conduct of the two officers. This was based on a previous Constitutional Court judgment where it was held that when intentional criminal deviant conduct of the police is closely connected to the minister's business, he may be held vicariously liable in a delictual claim for damages. Now former police officers, Lekele Rekson Lekola and Tamsanqa Gladstone Khubeka, were among a group who during the late evening of April 27, 2014, participated in…

Western Cape police have bolstered deployments at identified hot spots in light of recent shooting incidents on some parts of the Cape Flats. Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said the additional deployments in the form of members from the Anti-Gang Unit, Tactical Response Teams, Operation Lockdown II, Operation Restore and Public Order Police have descended on identified locations where they will execute operations, search and seizures, stop and search operations, roadblocks, raids and tracing operations. “The intervention follows incidents where murder and attempted murders cases registered indicate a spike in shooting incidents that saw a significant number of individuals shot in Mitchells Plain, Bishop Lavis, Philippi, Ravensmead and Elsies River,” Pojie said. With other law enforcement agencies, including metro police, LEAP officials and scores of community volunteers, the SAPS is on…

The spectre of political intolerance has loomed large in recent days with political leaders making incendiary and inflammatory comments that suggest that the days leading up to the May 29 elections will be fraught with tension. It is understandable that the upcoming elections will be highly competitive and there is a majority consensus that this is good for democracy. However, the pain of violence and conflict, especially in KwaZulu-Natal during the 1980s and the early ’90s, is still fresh and the onus is on contemporary politicians to temper their emotions with responsibility and understanding of how their comments can add to the volatile nature of an election campaign. Recent events in Zululand reveal that maturity is needed, especially when displays of petulance can have far graver consequences than intended. It…

The Kremlin hailed President Vladimir Putin’s election win as “exceptional” yesterday, after the ex-spy won over 87% of the vote in a 3-day ballot blasted as illegitimate by Western powers. Moscow has presented the weekend presidential election as proof that Russians have rallied around Putin more than two years into the Ukraine offensive. Putin’s victory is widely expected to further tighten his grip on Russia, where dissent is no longer tolerated under fast-accelerating repression. In power since the last day of 1999, he is now on course to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than two centuries. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the result showed Russians were consolidating “around his (Putin’s) path.” All of the 71-year-old’s major opponents are dead, in prison or in exile and voting took place…

Chinese military and state-run media have accused the US of threatening global security, days after a report which found Elon Musk’s SpaceX was building hundreds of spy satellites for a US intelligence agency. SpaceX’s Starshield unit is developing the satellite network under a classified $1.8 billion (R34bn) contract with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), Reuters reported on Friday, citing five sources familiar with the project. A social media account run by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said the SpaceX programme exposed the US’s “shamelessness and double standards” as Washington accuses Chinese tech companies of threatening US security. “All countries worldwide should be vigilant and protect against new and even bigger security threats created by the US government,” Junzhengping, an account run by the PLA, posted on social media platform…

KABUL: Afghanistan’s Taliban said yesterday that Pakistan carried out two air strikes on its territory, killing five women and three children, and it fired heavy weapons at Pakistani forces along the border in retaliation. The neighbouring countries have traded blame over who is responsible for a recent spate of Islamist militant attacks in Pakistan. Pakistan says the attacks were launched from Afghan soil. The Pakistani foreign office said Pakistan had carried out “intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations in the border regions inside Afghanistan”. The Afghan Taliban has denied that it allows its territory to be used by militant groups. | Reuters…

COPENHAGEN: A volcano in Iceland that erupted on Saturday for the fourth time since December was still spewing smoke and bright orange lava into the air yesterday, although infrastructure and a nearby fishing town were safe for now, officials said. Magma had been accumulating underground on the Reykjanes peninsula near Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, since the last eruption in February, prompting authorities to warn of an imminent eruption. The warning time late on Saturday was 15 minutes before fountains of molten rock began soaring from a 3km-long fissure. Man-made barriers have been successful in steering the lava away from infrastructure. | Reuters…

The arrival of defender Maxim Gullit at Stellenbosch FC has been a talking point in Cape soccer circles. The 22-year-old Gullit is the son of Dutch legend Ruud Gullit and a former youth international for the Netherlands. He previously played for the Dutch second-tier club Sportclub Cambuur FC and is presently a free agent. Stellenbosch CEO Rob Benadie confirmed Gullit’s presence at the club. “Yes, we provided Maxim an opportunity to train with our first team for two to three weeks, and that stint has now ended,” said Benadie. The final decision on Gullit will probably be the responsibility of coach Steve Barker. If he wins Barker’s approval, Stellenbosch will have to revisit their foreign player quota which stands at five with Andre De Jong (New Zealand), Ismaël Olivier (Ivory…

Thembinkosi Lorch is fast becoming an immense figure in Mamelodi Sundowns’ set-up, but his coach Rulani Mokwena is still demanding more of him. Lorch has been the subject of fierce debate in recent weeks after leaving Orlando Pirates for Sundowns in the January transfer window and whether he was going to fit in at the champions, having been a key figure in the Sea Robbers set-up over the years. After all, Sundowns haven’t lacked quality players over the years as the team has been dominated the local front, winning six DStv Premiership titles in a row. But after playing eight games for the Brazilians in all competitions, Lorch has been finding his form, rather than being overwhelmed by expectations. His best game in Sundowns’ colours came on Sunday night, as…

A NEW study has found that 33% of young adolescents in the Western Cape reported experiencing symptoms of depression, while 21% reported symptoms of anxiety. The groundbreaking study by the Alan J. Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health at UCT has shed light on the mental health landscape faced by adolescents aged 10 to 14 in the province. The study conducted by Mirriam Mkhize, Associate Professor Claire van der Westhuizen and Professor Katherine Sorsdahl forms part of a larger programme funded by the Sue Struengmann Initiative dedicated to addressing the mental health needs of young adolescents in school settings. The study, titled “Prevalence and factors associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety among young school-going adolescents in the Western Cape Province of South Africa”, was published in Comprehensive Psychiatry. Mkhize…

About 235 South African Post Office (Sapo) branches are set to be closed, leading to employees being retrenched, after the conclusion of the section 189 process conducted by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). Among these branches, 104 are in the Central region (Free State and North West) 41 in the Northern region (North Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West), 28 in the Western region (Western Cape and Northern Cape), 24 in the Eastern Cape, 21 in KwaZulu-Natal and 17 in Gauteng (most of Gauteng and the Vaal Triangle). However, Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele could not say which Post Office branches would be closed. He could also not give the exact number of employees to be retrenched. The embattled public entity is currently undergoing a…

Free speech and unhindered political activity are essential for democracy EVERYONE knows free speech and unhindered political activity are under attack in South Africa as politicians scramble for votes ahead of the May 29 national and provincial elections. Revelling in their self-created victimhood, incumbent politicians at municipal and provincial levels not only refuse to invite their opponents to speak at government-organised public meetings or to debate ideas they disagree with, but actively seek to silence them verbally and physically. The latest incident took place at KwaCeza last Saturday at a KwaZulu- Natal government event to honour late Zulu king Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo, when Economic Development MEC Siboniso Duma abruptly grabbed the microphone from the recently appointed Zulu traditional prime minister and senior IFP leader, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, while he was introducing King…

Israeli troops raided the compound of Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital early yesterday in an operation that Palestinian health authorities said caused multiple casualties and set off a fierce fire in one of the buildings. The Israeli military said soldiers had conducted a “precise operation” based on intelligence that the hospital was being used by senior Hamas leaders, and were fired upon when they entered the compound. “The troops responded with live fire and hits were identified. Our troops are continuing to operate in the area of the hospital,” it said. Al-Shifa, the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital before the war, is now one of the only health-care facilities that is even partially operational in the north of the territory, and is also housing hundreds of displaced civilians. “Suddenly, we started to hear…

Somali police and international navies were preparing yesterday to attack a commercial ship that was hijacked by pirates last week, the Puntland region’s police force said, two days after Indian commandos rescued another cargo vessel held by pirates. The MV Abdullah was hijacked off the coast of Somalia last week, the latest of more than 20 attacks since November by Somali pirates who had laid dormant for nearly a decade. On Saturday, the Indian navy rescued another cargo vessel, the Maltese- flagged MV Ruen, which had been seized in December, freeing its 17 crew members and arresting 35 pirates. The police from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, a base for many pirate gangs, said it was on high alert and prepared to participate in an operation against the pirates holding…

BOGOTA: Colombian police said yesterday that they had seized more than 7 million gallons (26.5m litres) of crude oil in raids on illegal refineries, in an operation targeting production of bootleg fuel in Norte de Santander province. The fuel is refined from crude oil stolen from pipelines by criminal gangs and is a key ingredient in cocaine production. It can also be mixed with gasoline or diesel and used to run machinery, police say. The operation took place in Tibu, an area in Norte de Santander close to Colombia’s border with Venezuela. The bootleg fuel is a major problem in Colombia, where thousands of barrels of oil are stolen each day. | Reuters…

Seoul: Seoul’s Unification Ministry yesterday added its voice to growing speculation around Kim Jong Un’s succession plans, saying they have not “ruled out” that his daughter could be next in line to lead North Korea. Pyongyang state media at the weekend referred to Kim’s teenage daughter as a “great person of guidance” (“hyangdo” in Korean) a term typically reserved for top leaders and successors. Analysts said it was the first time Kim’s daughter – identified as Ju Ae by South Korean intelligence – had been described as such by the North. It has redoubled speculation that the teen, who often appears next to her father at key public events, could have been chosen as the next leader of the nuclear-armed North, for a third hereditary succession. | AFP…