Table of contents for 2024-04-16 in Cape Times

from page 1 as a result of the failure to give them notice in terms of rule 46A, because there is no allegation that any buyer of the property or successive owner will evict the farmworkers from the property. And that, in any event, any such buyer or successive owner will be obliged to comply with the law before any eviction may take place, specifically regarding those farmworkers who enjoy the protection by the Extension of Security of Tenure Act (Esta). Ultimately, Judge Zukisa Tshiqi, in a unanimous judgment, found: “The property in this matter had mixed characteristics and use. The farm is a business enterprise but the residential premises are used as residential immovable property. “The premises occupied by the trustees, the beneficiaries and the farmworkers are thus residential…

Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has once again poured cold water on calls for him to resign, saying the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) grew to a R50 billion operation because of him. Political parties, student organisations and some civil organisations have called for heads to roll, including Nzimande’s, over the beleaguered entity which has repeatedly delayed payment of student allowances and faced corruption allegations. “Minister must resign, who is saying that? If it’s the DA, EFF and this new entity called the MK Party, thankfully I was not appointed by them. They are saying I must resign for actually growing the scheme to a R50 billion operation today. “I have done many things to extend NSFAS and grow the post-school education and training sector in this country. They…

A SLIP and fall on a wet toilet floor at school which caused a then 9-year-old boy to sustain head injuries after he hit his head on the side of a urinal is to cost the Northern Cape education MEC dearly. The court has found it liable for the damages suffered by the child. The boy’s father turned to the Northern Cape High Court sitting in Kimberley to claim damages, as he felt his son’s fall was due to the negligence of the school where he was a learner at the time. The child’s father said it was the school’s duty to ensure that the toilet floor was cleaned regularly, so that the wet floor did not pose a danger to his son and other children. The education department on…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC government may be on a sliding popularity trajectory if we believe the latest poll by the Social Research Foundation on April 10, which projects a slump in the party’s popular vote to 37% leading up to the general election on May 29 with the DA at 25% and former president Jacob Zuma’s new uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party at 13%. Polls of course can be notoriously misleading and erroneous. Those pertaining to South Africa’s prevailing electoral landscape characterised by a beauty parade of fragmented factions, dysfunctional parties, dodgy donors, and bad actors, are no exceptions. One metric though which is a cause for some relief for Ramaphosa, irrespective of the pollsters, is the thaw in Pretoria’s relations with the Biden administration, especially in the vital areas…

Donald Trump arrived yesterday at the New York courthouse where he was set to become the first ex-president in US history to stand criminal trial, a seismic moment in the already explosive 2024 presidential campaign. Trump was driven by motorcade to the gritty Manhattan courthouse from his Trump Tower apartment building shortly before the start of jury selection. The scandal-plagued 77-year-old is accused of falsifying business records in a scheme to cover up an alleged sexual encounter with adult film actress Stormy Daniels to shield his 2016 election campaign from a last-minute upheaval. The so-called hush money affair is only one of four criminal cases hanging over Trump, including historic prosecutions against the Republican’s alleged attempts to subvert the 2020 election and prevent the winner, Joe Biden, from taking office.…

An investigation of five fur farms in China housing foxes, raccoon dogs and mink found a high risk of diseases developing that could jump from animals to humans, said animal protection group Humane Society International (HSI) who conducted the study at the end of 2023. The farms in China’s northern Hebei and Liaoning provinces each held between 2 000 and 4 000 animals in intensive conditions, including in close proximity to poultry, HSI said. Alastair MacMillan, a visiting professor at Surrey University’s Veterinary School, said the high stocking density of the animals facilitates the rapid spread of viruses on droplets from one to another, and potentially to humans. Data from the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic briefly uploaded to a database by Chinese scientists last year suggested raccoon dogs…

ABUJA: Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency has recovered $28.88 million (R549m) after launching an investigation into alleged fraud at a government ministry responsible for tackling poverty. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, was suspended in January less than six months after her appointment by President Bola Tinubu, who came to power last year. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said the probe had uncovered an “intricate web of fraudulent practices”. So far, billions of naira had been recovered during the investigation into the activities of past and suspended ministry officials, it said. | Reuters…

London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing for a fresh round of parliamentary wrangling over his bill to save his government’s stalled Rwanda deportation scheme, as MPs head back to Westminster this week. The House of Commons returned from Easter recess yesterday, with the legislation high on the agenda after a minister insisted flights carrying asylum seekers to Kigali should be taking off “within weeks”. Sunday was the busiest day for Channel crossings so far this year after more than 500 migrants arrived in the UK in a single day. About 6 000 people have made the journey in 2024, with more than 75 000 arrivals recorded two years on from the deal being signed. | IANS…

Once in a generation there comes a trailblazer, a record-breaker and record-setter. Laura Wolvaardt is easily among that selected few, a set of talented individuals that push the envelope beyond what many think possible. At 24 years old, Wolvaardt has the most runs in One Day Internationals for South Africa, surpassing Mignon du Preez’s tally of 3 760 by four runs and she did so in 48 fewer innings. Wolvaardt does not only have the most ODI centuries for South Africa, but is also the second-youngest player to have six, behind Australia’s Meg Lanning. Ongama Gcwabe looks back to some of Wolvaardt’s memorable ODI centuries. 105 v Ireland in August 2016 This is the century that got the world to take note of Wolvaardt’s talent and hunger for big…

From April 18 to 24, communities will come together to mark Fibroid Awareness Week, a significant time dedicated to supporting women battling fibroids. This annual event aims to shine a spotlight on a common yet under-discussed health issue that impacts between 20% and 80% of women at some point in their lives. Kiko Vitals, a company offering holistic wellness solutions, is focusing on Uterine Fibroid Awareness Month to equip women with the knowledge they need to identify, diagnose, and tackle uterine fibroids head-on. Uterine fibroids, also known as leiomyomas or myomas, are non-cancerous lumps that form in the muscle layers of the uterus. They are most frequently found in women of childbearing age. However, the condition often flies under the radar due to the absence of noticeable symptoms in many…

WHILE the wheels of justice at the Constitutional Court are grinding slowly, an important application involving a claim by a family against the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) for the payment of R1.35 trillion is still on hold. The family instituted a claim against the PIC and the Absa Group for payment of the repatriated funds deposited into holding accounts, of which the PIC is the Administrator and the Absa Group the custodian. The plaintiffs – Rehana Surtie Tayob and Edward Jeffrey Koorbanally, a financial and forensic expert instructed by the family to assist them in instituting the claim – encountered a legal hurdle when the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, upheld two exceptions against their claim. This is after the PIC argued that the pleading did not sustain a cause…

from page 1 (FOR SA) executive director Michael Swain said the toolkit contradicted the department’s view. “It states that ‘both sex and gender exist across a continuum of possibilities’ on page 5. “It says that state-trained teachers must ‘ask’ learners from a young age for their preferred name and pronoun and to use ‘they’ and ‘them’. “This is to ‘let children know that we cannot assume someone’s gender identity just by looking at them, on page 39. “It also says that teachers should ensure that ‘children have access to toilet facilities that correspond with their gender identity’, which is on page 17,” said Swain. The Governing Body Foundation (GBF) national CEO Dr Anthea Cerese said the DBE claimed to have consulted widely, but they were aware of stakeholders, including GBF,…

The Land Claims Commission has revised its annual targets aimed at settling land claims for this financial year due to the decrease in the department’s budget. Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza said her department had put strategies and plans in place to address the R34.41 million reductions in the department’s budget for food security, land reform and restitution programme. “Due to the declining budget, the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights reduced its annual performance plan targets from 355 claims settled in 2022-23 financial year to 349 in the 2023-24 financial year, and 319 for the 2024-25 financial year. “Taking cognisance of the increased value of settlements and the declining budget, the commission has aligned the settlement and finalisation targets with the allocated budget,” Didiza said.…

THE Western Cape High Court sitting in George has sentenced child murderer Timothy Michael Ova to two life terms for the murders of 9-year-old friends Sharon Arries and Jacorene Vaaltyn. The court further sentenced Ova to two months’ direct imprisonment for illegal possession of ammunition, five months’ direct imprisonment for attempting to defeat the administration of justice and six months’ imprisonment for indecent assault of his niece which he committed 24 years ago, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently effectively sentencing Ova, 54, to life imprisonment. On February 27, the court convicted Ova on two counts of murder, illegal possession of ammunition and attempting to defeat the administration of justice. His conviction and sentence follows senior State advocate Lenro Badenhorst’s meticulous…

Parents concerned about the future of their children amid the reported cutting of contract posts by the Western Cape Education Department protested outside Rocklands High School yesterday, calling for the department to “bring our teachers back”. This follows a circular by the provincial department about the need to implement various “cost-containment” measures, including not renewing the contracts of teachers. Parent Munier Hendricks said the teacher shortage was having a direct impact on the quality of education received by pupils. “Regarding Rocklands High, we are short of five educators. This means students are missing out on three or four hours per subject. Today, my daughter had open periods. If we don't advocate for our children and teachers, it will hinder their chances of going to university and excelling in subjects like…

Last week’s announcement by Minister of Higher Education Dr Blade Nzimande regarding the disbandment of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) board and the appointment of an administrator, Sithembiso Freeman Nomvalo, underscores a deepening crisis in the education sector. The NSFAS, tasked with supporting the education of deserving but financially disadvantaged students, has failed miserably, leaving thousands of hopefuls in despair. The responsibility for this failure lies squarely at the doorstep of Nzimande and his department, the primary shareholder of NSFAS. The abysmal oversight by Nzimande has allowed the scheme to falter on its core mandate, betraying the aspirations of countless students who depend on it for their educational pursuits. The dire state of NSFAS not only jeopardises individual futures but also undermines the country’s prospects for socio-economic progress.…

France and its allies yesterday sought to drum up hundreds of millions in aid for Sudan a year since its civil war erupted, sparking one of the world’s worst and most underfunded humanitarian crises. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and 8.5 million more have been forced to flee their homes since fighting broke out on April 15 last year between rival generals. Sudan is experiencing “one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory”, with more people displaced inside the country than anywhere else in the world and a fast-growing hunger crisis, the UN says. At the international conference in Paris, France is seeking contributions from the international community, and attention to a crisis that officials say is being crowded out of the global conversation by ongoing…

Sydney: Four people are being treated for “non-life threatening injuries” after a stabbing at a church service in Sydney yesterday, emergency services said. Australian police said they had arrested one man. The incident came two days after a knife-wielding man killed six people at a shopping mall in east Sydney. A video stream showed yesterday’s gruesome attack at an Assyrian church unfold. The video showed a man dressed in black approaching a bishop at the dais, raising his right arm and slashing at the cleric with a knife. The incident took place in Sydney’s western suburb of Wakeley, which is is a hub for Sydney’s small Christian Assyrian community, many of whom fled wars in Iraq and Syria. | AFP…

London: Liz Truss, prime minister for just 49 days before being ousted over her disastrous tax-cutting mini-budget, yesterday refused to rule out putting herself forward again to lead Britain’s Conservative Party. Truss’s economic agenda spooked the markets and took the UK to the brink of financial meltdown, losing her the support of her own party in October 2022. Ahead of the publication of her book, Ten Years to Save The West, she said she believed a return to frontline politics could still be a possibility. “I definitely have unfinished business,” she said. She has urged the government to slash taxes, abandon some net-zero commitments and increase the retirement age. | AFP…

Borussia Dortmund host Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie today looking for inspiration from their Westfalenstadion fortress to overturn a 2-1 deficit. Winners in 1997 and finalists in 2013, Dortmund are somehow still in with a shot at returning to the semi-finals despite a terrible start in Madrid, with Edin Terzic’s overawed side trailing by two goals after 30 minutes. Dortmund composed themselves and were arguably the better side for the remaining 60 minutes but, despite a Sebastien Haller goal, will rue two defensive mistakes which gave Atletico the upper hand. As it often is, Dortmund’s trump card is their 80 000-strong Westfalenstadion – Germany’s biggest stadium and one of the largest in European football. The club have not lost there since November 2021,…

Sirius Real Estate expected like-for-like rent roll growth of more than 5% for the 10th consecutive year, with similar levels of growth reported across its UK and Germany operations. The group, which operates branded business and industrial parks and which has a listing on the JSE and in London, said in a trading update yesterday that cash collection for the year to March 31, 2024, had remained robust at above 98%, on a rolling 12-month basis. “The group expects to deliver full-year results in line with market expectations,” its directors said. “We continue to see attractive acquisition opportunities that meet our acquisitions criteria in the UK and Germany, alongside opportunities to sell mature or non-core assets with the aim to do so at or above book value,” directors said. The…

Preliminary figures from the first three months of the four-month peak summer tourism season indicate the arrival of 466 469 international terminal passengers at Cape Town International Airport, supporting just over 9 300 jobs across the Western Cape. This included direct, indirect, induced and tourism catalytic employment opportunities in the air transport sector. “We know, based on calculations by the Western Cape government’s tourism, trade and investment promotion agency, Wesgro, that with the arrival of every 100 international terminal passengers, two jobs are supported. This means the total number of jobs supported by arrivals at the international terminal alone, is just over 9 300,” said finance and economic opportunities MEC Mireille Wenger. The province is home to some of the best brandy, wines, food and olive oil in the world,…

Constitutional Court dismisses application to prevent the sale of wine farm THE Constitutional Court has given the trustees of the Goede Hoop Trust a tongue-lashing for having “improper motives” and using farmworkers as a means to frustrate the execution of sale of a wine estate to recover money owed to Nedbank. The application concerned the interpretation and applicability of rule 46A of the Uniform Rules of Court. The rule applies whenever a creditor who is owed money wants to take away or sell the house or land of the person who owes them money, and sets out the conditions or steps in this regard. In this case, it related to the rights of people living on the property, including the farmworkers. The property in question is owned by the trust.…

Living legend and cultural ambassador for South Africa and the Ndebele people, Dr Esther Mahlangu, will be awarded an honorary doctorate by Unisa in recognition of her mathematical prowess today. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (honoris causa) will be awarded at a graduation ceremony to be held at the Unisa Muckleneuk Campus in Pretoria. A self-taught artist with no academic qualifications, Mahlangu is known for her bold large-scale contemporary paintings that reference her Ndebele heritage. She has not only created original and innovative artworks reflecting this heritage, but also shares her knowledge and skills with the younger generation and wider public. Mahlangu has established an art school in her home village, where she teaches the traditional Ndebele style of painting and beadwork to both children and adults.…

The SAPS has come under fire for the more than 2.5 million “undetected” case dockets in the past three financial years. Police Minister Bheki Cele revealed the figure in a parliamentary response to Freedom Front Plus (FFP) leader Dr Pieter Groenewald, who enquired about the number and percentage of all serious crimes in respect of detection rate and those closed as undetected since 2020/21. According to Cele, when a docket was closed as undetected, it meant that the investigation had not yielded enough evidence to positively identify the suspects involved. Cele said a total of 2 550 173 dockets were closed as undetected – 812 094 in 2020/21; 814 879 the following year; and 923 500 in 2022/23. “All available information and leads were exhausted during the investigation in an…

Israel’s European allies urged it yesterday to show restraint over Iran’s weekend missile and drone attack, calling on Israeli leaders to step away from “the edge of the cliff” of escalation in the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, which is empowered to decide on the country’s response, was set to convene yesterday, a government source said. Israeli officials said the war cabinet favoured retaliation but was divided over the timing and scale of any such response. With the danger of open warfare erupting between Israel and Iran, and tension high over the war in Gaza, President Joe Biden has told Netanyahu the US will not participate in any Israeli counter-offensive against Iran, US officials said. Britain, France, Germany and the EU’s foreign policy chief all joined…

Swathes of northern Kazakhstan and Russia’s Urals region were flooded yesterday as melt waters swelled the tributaries of the world’s seventh longest river system, forcing more than 125 000 people to flee their homes. Russia’s southern Ural region and northern Kazakhstan have been grappling with the worst flooding in living memory after very large snow falls melted swiftly amid heavy rain over land already waterlogged before winter. That has swelled the tributaries of the Ob, which rises in the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia and empties into the Arctic Ocean, beyond bursting point, leaving some cities in Russia and Kazakhstan under water. A Reuters journalist said several districts of the northern Kazakh city of Petropavlovsk were completely flooded. The city sits on the Ishim River, a tributary of the Irtysh,…

MYAWADDY: Myanmar resistance fighters yesterday burned the flag used by the military government and raised their own banner at a newly captured army base, as a senior rebel commander vowed they would hold the strategic area near the Thai border. The celebrations by fighters linked to the armed ethnic Karen National Union came less than a week after the capture of Myawaddy, a key trading town on Thailand’s western border. Myawaddy’s fall marked another battle loss for the military regime that seized control in 2021 from an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. | Reuters…

Madrid: A forest fire that started in abnormally hot temperatures has burned through more than 500ha of land in eastern Spain and forced 180 people to flee their homes, officials said yesterday. The fire began on Sunday near Tarbena in the Valencia region as temperatures reached 30°C, which is unusually high for the season. Heat, wind and low humidity fuelled the blaze which media reports said may have started with an agricultural fire. “The fire is still active” after a “complicated” night for firefighters, emergency services said, adding that the blaze had destroyed “more than 500ha” of land. Temperatures rose above 30°C in more than 65 areas across Spain over the weekend. | AFP…

FORMER SuperSport United player Clayton Daniels fought hard to keep the tears welling up in his eyes from falling down his cheeks as spoke about his decision to run the TotalSports Two Oceans Marathon at the weekend. The versatile player, who has also donned the colours of Ajax Cape Town, Mamelodi Sundowns, Bloemontein Celtic, Maritzburg United and recently Cape Town Spurs, ran an emotional half-marathon on Sunday. “You know what happened with (Fleurs), I just ran in his memory,” Daniels said on the fields of the University of Cape Town where many runners, delighted to have completed their race, mingled. Fleurs, the Kaizer Chiefs player who was murdered during a car hijacking in Johannesburg a little over a week ago, also played for SuperSport where Daniels was his senior. Such…

The Cricket SA T20 Challenge is nearing the knockout stages, which are scheduled to take place next week. Ongama Gcwabe picks five top performers from the last week’s action. David Wiese Wiese has played only five games for the Titans in this season’s T20 Challenge and has already put himself in the top three wicket-takers’ list with a tally of 15 wickets. Ten of those wickets came in the Titans’ three fixtures. The experienced campaigner recorded his first T20 five-wicket haul at Kingsmead in Durban despite the Titans losing by three runs on DLS method. The 38-year-old then returned figures of 2-9 (vs Rocks) and 3-21 (vs Tuskers) in Centurion to conclude what was a successful week for himself and the Titans. Matthew Breetzke Breetzke has been a consistent performer…