Table of contents for 2024-04-19 in Cape Times

THE CONSTITUTIONAL Court’s ruling in favour of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) to retrench 400 employees has made a precedence-setting judgment, giving merged entities some leeway to lay off workers post merger proceedings. This comes after the Concourt on Wednesday handed down judgment in an application for leave to appeal against the order and judgment of the Competition Appeal Court which had ruled against CCBA. CCBA had been taken to task by the Competition Commission for retrenching the nearly 400 employees, allegedly in breach of merger conditions. This as the Competition Tribunal in 2016 approved the merger of four bottling firms in South Africa into CCBA, subject to conditions such as maintenance of a certain number of employees for a certain period as well as a prohibition of certain retrenchments. However,…

CANAL+, the France-based global broadcasting group, said yesterday it had acquired a further 3.65 million MultiChoice shares as its cash buyout of the African broadcast group continued. On April 6, Canal+ and Multi- Choice Group jointly announced the terms of a mandatory offer by Canal+ to acquire all of the shares of Multi- Choice not already owned by Canal+. from shareholders of MultiChoice, to further the France-based broadcaster’s aims of becoming a major African and global broadcaster. Canal+ said that last Friday that it acquired 1.82 million MultiChoice shares in transactions for an average of R117.50 per MultiChoice share. On Monday, it acquired 810 391 MultiChoice shares at an average R115.99 per MultiChoice share. On Tuesday, it acquired 1.01 million MultiChoice shares at an average…

From Page 1 gunfire detection in the area so that we can respond,” said Engel. Probed about how Cameron was invited to a round-table discussion, in the absence of other long-standing anti-crime activists, the City’s Eckardt Winks said: “Cameron has a reputation for being critical of community safety and has an extended record of identifying areas of policing requiring specific or improved action, besides his obvious passion of tackling GBV. Our Public Emergency Contact Centre has recorded a constant increase to call outs relating to assault and domestic violence.” On whether a follow-up meeting would be held with the affected communities or any similar briefing with community activists, Winks said a “first meeting” should be scheduled. “Before a follow-up meeting can be scheduled, a ‘first meeting’ will need to be…

THE countdown is on to the return of Africa’s grandest gathering, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) which has also announced the welcomed return of its free concert at Greenmarket Square, on May 2. The line-up includes Matt Bianco, Judith Sephuma, Kujenga, Micaela Kleinsmith, Jerome Rex, DJ Eazy and Sophia. From the infectious beats of DJ Eazy and Sophia, who at 11 years old is showing the promise of the city, to the mesmerising melodies of Rex, every note will resonate with the vibrant spirit of the Mother City, which is the main festival’s official host partner. Joining these artists for the free concert are the incomparable talents of Kleinsmith, whose vocals will enchant listeners, and the dynamic fusion of Kujenga, delivering a sonic experience that transcends boundaries and…

Local author Zibu Sithole hails from Jozi, she is a published ghost writer of many romance novels. Sithole’s debut novel, ‘The thing with Zola’ sold hundreds of copies. The Cape Times recently got in touch with Zibu Sithole to find out what brings out the magic in her novels. Q: What inspired the setting of your latest novel, I Do ... Don’t I?’ and how did it influence the development of the storyline? A: Zola leaving home again and how she behaves while she’s away from home; this time she lets the readers know that she has grown, how she has grown and what is important to her now. Although she is still ambitious and driven, she is no longer running away from home. The choice of Kigali was a…

Limitless Jim Kwik Loot.co.za (R461) Hay House Do you ever feel like you’re not reaching your full potential? Jim Kwik, a world-renowned brain performance expert, says you’re not alone. Drawing from his own experiences and expertise, Kwik breaks down the key components of personal growth: mindset, motivation, and method. He doesn’t just focus on theoretical concepts, but offers real-world strategies to navigate the challenges of the digital age, such as information overload and digital distractions. In his powerful book, Limitless, he offers a roadmap to unlocking your exceptional life by upgrading your brain, learning faster, and shattering limiting beliefs. Kwik introduces his core framework, breaking down how to overcome limitations in Mindset (what you believe), Motivation (why you do it), and Method (how you do it). Conquer the Digital Demons:…

Israel launched more deadly strikes on besieged Gaza yesterday as world powers watched nervously whether the country would retaliate against a weekend attack by its arch enemy Iran. The Israeli army said it had bombed dozens of targets in the Palestinian coastal territory of 2.4 million people, more than six months into the bloodiest ever Gaza war. Weeks of talks towards an Israel-Hamas truce and hostage release deal have stalled, according to Qatar’s prime minister who said the Gulf emirate was now “reassessing our role as mediator”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to destroy Hamas over its October 7 attack on Israel, also stressed that Israel “reserves the right to protect itself” against Iran. The Islamic republic last weekend carried out its first attack to directly target…

Indonesia shut a provincial airport and evacuated hundreds of people from the vicinity of the Mount Ruang volcano after it belched explosive plumes of lava, rocks and ash, officials said yesterday, declaring the highest alert. Wednesday’s dramatic eruption of the volcano on a remote island in the province of North Sulawesi threw a fiery-red column of lava, incandescent rock and ash as much as 3km into the sky. Purple flashes of lightning rent the sky above the erupting volcano. More than 800 people were evacuated from the area, with authorities widening the evacuation zone further after the volcanology agency raised the alert status. The agency had also received reports that falling rocks and ash damaged homes and forced a nearby hospital to evacuate, an official said. Officials have cordoned off…

London: A global law enforcement operation has disrupted a website used by criminals to try to defraud tens of thousands of victims, British police said yesterday. Officers working with large technology firms infiltrated the LabHost website and then raided 70 premises, arresting 37 suspects in the UK and elsewhere since Sunday, said London’s Metropolitan Police. Four of those held in the UK following the 22-month probe are thought to be the operators and creators of the platform, Europol said. LabHost, set up in 2021, has received nearly £1 million (R23.8m) from its users, while 70 000 potential UK victims have entered their details into one of the fake sites. | AFP…

WASHINGTON: More than 15 members of the Kennedy political family endorsed US President Joe Biden at a Philadelphia campaign event yesterday in a rebuke of Robert F Kennedy jr’s independent bid for office. Biden, a Democrat, faces Republican Donald Trump in a November rematch of the 2020 election. But members of both parties have bristled over the possibility that the candidacy of Kennedy, a prominent anti-vaccine activist, could spoil their chances. Kennedy, son of the slain US senator and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, was an environmental lawyer before becoming known as an anti-vaccine advocate, and has an eclectic mix of political views. | Reuters…

SOUTH Africa will use future drawdowns of its Gold and Foreign Exchange Contingency Reserve Account to curb its debt burden, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said, adding that he was pondering tax hikes and expenditure cuts in the next post-election budget. Africa’s most industrialised nation is grappling with an ailing economy and high debt ahead of a general election on May 29 that could see the governing ANC party lose its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of apartheid 30 years ago. Earlier this year, the government announced a change to the framework governing the so-called GFECRA account that captures gains and losses to foreign currency reserve transactions, allowing for a drawdown of R150 billion rand over the next three years. “Eskom is out, or Transnet,” Godongwana…

DIVERSIFIED resource firm BHP has said its joint venture in Australia now has a more focused operational footprint, as it decides on the future of its nickel business in Western Australia after a nine-month period to March in which iron ore production sagged. Earlier this month, BHP and its joint venture (JV) partner in BMA restructured the Australian coal venture through divestment of BHP Mitsubishi Alliance’s (BMA) Blackwater and Daunia mines to Whitehaven Coal. The JV has earned $4.1 billion (R77.6bn) from the disposal. “We successfully completed the sale of the Blackwater and Daunia mines on April 2 for a total of up to $4.1bn,” said BHP CEO, Mike Henry. “At our BMA metallurgical coal operations in Queensland, significant wet weather including the impact of two tropical cyclones…

POLITICAL parties in the Western Cape signed the Electoral Code of Conduct Pledge yesterday to ensure that the May 29 national and provincial elections are free and fair. The pledge was signed at Dulcie September Hall in Athlone with representatives of parties and an independent candidates committing their parties and supporters to be bound by the code. Independent candidate Zachie Achmat was the first to sign the pledge, followed by a host of other party representatives who, unlike in other pledges, were not given a speaking time. Central to the code is the promotion of conditions that are conducive to free and fair elections, including tolerance of democratic activity, free campaigning and open public debate. The code provides for fines or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 10 years if…

FOLLOWING a war of words which lasted almost all of yesterday, the urgent legal bid by former public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane for the office of the public protector to pay the R10 million gratuity she claims she is entitled to, will only be heard in about a month’s time. The parties head back to the Gauteng High Court yesterday, after the matter stood down earlier in the week to pave the way forward for the application. Advocate Dali Mpofu, acting for Mkhwebane, told Judge Colleen Collis that in his view, none of the respondents, which include the office of the public protector and its head, Kholeka Gcaleka, followed the correct legal procedures in opposing the application. He said the first option would be if the court heard the matter as…

Judgment was reserved in the Western Cape High court sitting as the Equality Court this week over jurisdiction to hear a damages claim involving a former Sans Souci teacher who slapped a pupil. Arguments were heard before Judge Judith Cloete over two days following the 2019 incident in which former Afrikaans teacher Clarissa Venter was filmed slapping a 16-year-old Grade 9 learner in class. Tensions allegedly began over a textbook, and escalated after Venter confiscated the pupil’s phone. The learner was filmed pushing a desk at the teacher, pushing her. Venter then allegedly slapped her. Venter was sanctioned with a fine, a final warning, and ordered to attend anger management sessions by the School Governing Body. The learner later transferred to another high school after being suspended for about 14…

A panel of international judges has shortlisted 23 exceptional stories for the world’s most prestigious literary award. South African writer Jayne Bauling, 70, has been shortlisted for the third time. Her story, A Song Sung in Secret, tells of a chance encounter between two estranged former friends as they queue for their pensions. Across continents and decades, the shortlisted writers hail from 13 countries across the Commonwealth. Most of the stories are told from the perspective of children – about their parents splitting up, about school and about their sometimes perplexing relationships with adults. The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded annually for the best piece of unpublished short fiction from any of the Commonwealth’s 56 member states. This year, 414 entries were submitted in languages other than English. The…

The Exclusive Books Recommends list for April is a varied smorgasbord of reading treats – every kind of fiction from book club page-turners and cosy crime to thrillers and inspiration, and non-fiction that delves into money-management, fresh cooking, South African biography and political comment. But three stand-out titles scream for extra spotlight – all for their power to shift our thinking through words, ideas and stories. This month’s non-fiction hero title must be Robin Sharma’s The Wealth Money Can’t Buy, the much-awaited next instalment of wisdom and invaluable life-guidance from the monk who sold his Ferrari. Sharma’s 5am Club is one of the perennial best-sellers that have topped the charts here and abroad since Covid-19. The popularity of the genre – self-development and inspiration – shows no signs of cooling.…

Late on Wednesday, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture’s press release landed to announce the nominees for the South African Sports Awards. The theme for the 17th edition of the event, which will take place on Sunday, May 5 at the Sun City Superbowl, is “Celebrating 30 years of freedom through sporting excellence”. Of course, there have been a number of memorable moments since unity in sport was achieved from 1991 onwards. The South African men’s cricket team toured India in late 1991, Elana Meyer won a silver medal in the 10 000m at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and then the Springboks claimed the Rugby World Cup title in 1995. Bafana Bafana followed it up with the Africa Cup of Nations trophy in 1996. Josia Thugwane and Penny Heyns…

A Colt .45 Peacemaker revolver, a symbol of the American Wild West, is at the centre of actor Alec Baldwin’s fight to avoid criminal prosecution for the 2021 fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on a New Mexico movie set. Baldwin’s 15-month battle with New Mexico state prosecutors is heading towards a July 10 climax when the actor is scheduled to face trial for involuntary manslaughter over Hollywood’s first on-set shooting with a live-round in modern times. The movie’s weapons handler Hannah Gutierrez was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment on Monday for Hutchins’ death. Baldwin’s legal team is trying to have his indictment thrown out. His lawyers could seek a plea bargain if that fails. But should the charge hold, Baldwin’s trial is likely to focus on whether he…

Kano: A vehicle transporting local traders hit an improvised landmine killing at least 10 people and wounding 23 in an area of north-east Nigeria battling a long-running jihadist conflict, three paramilitary sources said yesterday. The convoy of farmers and fishermen left the garrison town of Monguno on their way to Lake Chad when their flat-bed vehicle ran over a mine believed to have been planted by IS-linked Islamic State West Africa Province jihadists, the sources said. Militants have been driven back from territory they controlled a few years ago in Nigeria’s Borno state but still carry out ambushes and target convoys travelling out of towns protected by army garrisons. | Reuters…

MOSCOW: Russia accused Ukrainian forces of shelling medical facilities in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine with Western weapons yesterday and said the West and the World Health Organization (WHO) had turned a blind eye to the attacks. Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of war crimes. Both deny each other’s allegations. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Ukrainian forces had targeted medical facilities and doctors in four Ukrainian regions which Moscow says it has annexed. Zakharova listed the dates and locations of the attacks. “Doctors are dying from shelling by Kyiv,” she said. | Reuters…

KENYA will host an Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Africa (Apra) Investment Forum in Nairobi in September to foster a conducive policy environment for energy development and facilitate investment. This was announced yesterday at the14th Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) . Apra, which was founded at the Africa Climate Summit in September 2023 by Kenya, Ethiopia, Namibia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe, with support from Denmark, Germany, the UAE and Irena, aims to accelerate energy transitions in respective countries. Davis Chirchir, the cabinet secretary in charge of Energy and Petroleum in Kenya, spoke about why Apra was important to Africa and called it “an agent of change”. This as all countries, including Apra, need to triple renewable capacity by…

PSG FINANCIAL Services did well to lift recurring headline earnings per share by 11% to 81.1 cents in the year to February 29, despite the depressed economic activity and the fact that the JSE only managed a 6% return last year, chief financial officer Mike Smith said. He said low economic growth was a challenge, but the group had relatively small market shares and with good services and returns, and continuing investment in the business aligned with their long-term advice-led strategy, it was able to pick up market share. The dividend was lifted 17% to 42c per share. Assets under management increased 15% to R406.9 billion. Gross written premiums were up 13% to R7bn. The number of advisers increased 1% to 953, while fixed remuneration to staff increased…

ORION Minerals requested that an immediate trading halt be placed on its securities yesterday as it was anticipating to make a material announcement in relation to exploration results at its Okiep Copper Project in the Northern Cape. The trading halt was requested until the commencement of trade on Monday, or such earlier time as Orion makes an announcement to update the market in relation to the exploration results. Orion managing director and CEO Errol Smart will host a live investor webinar to provide an update on recent progress at the company’s two copper development assets, the Prieska Copper Zinc Mine (PCZM) and Okiep Copper Project, both located in the Northern Cape province. The Australian-based miner has signed addenda to agreements for acquiring a controlling interest in the Okiep Copper Project.…

THE South African Medical Association (Sama) has confirmed the continued office bearing suspension of Cape Western branch council members for alleged breach of the Sama members code of conduct. This included finance policies and other internal processes and procedures. While Sama would not divulge details of the complaint, according to a report by Medical Brief the matter relates to “improper use of Sama funds” in obtaining a legal opinion concerning the constitution of the Sama board. This comes after one of the board members had approached the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) around allegations of Sama’s board having acted inconsistently with the Companies Act, and for infringement of his rights under that act as well as Sama’s memorandum of incorporation (MOI). Following an investigation, the CIPC found that Sama’s…

Police said the search for missing 6-year-old Joshlin Smith continues, despite community speculation that the SAPS was “not following up leads”., Recently, the search for Joshlin had reached international shores and this week police had again returned to the Middelpos community in Saldanha amid their investigation. According to reports, this week, the community clashed with authorities as they believed police were unresponsive to information shared with them. Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie, however, said Public Order Police were deployed to the area on Wednesday to conduct a search. “The investigating team are still pursuing all leads to trace missing Joshlin Smith. “The presence of POP members in Saldanha was merely to protect the outer perimeter to allow the investigation team to conduct a search based on information received. “Their presence was…

A suspect wanted for the murder of West Coast Sergeant Adrian Mahoney was shot and killed after he allegedly fired at police who found him in a hideout. Preliminary information suggests that at about 12.45pm on Wednesday, 44-year-old police officer Mohoney along with his partner were dispatched to attend to a domestic violence complaint in Klapmuts Street, Mamre. According to Western Cape police spokesperson Novela Potelwa, the suspect in the domestic violence incident attacked the cops. “Upon arrival at the address, the suspect allegedly during a scuffle, took the service pistol of the deceased police official and fatally shot him. “The suspect also opened fire on the partner of the sergeant where after he fled the scene on foot. “The partner of the sergeant was not hurt,” said Potelwa, adding…

Dedicated to her four children, Joan Van Gogh's memoir Painting a life in Africa takes readers on a journey through the life of an artist on the African continent. Her memoir portrays her journey through the land teeming with natural beauty and some challenges. As a botanist and an artist, Van Gogh humorously shares pieces of her childhood – from frequent visits to the emergency children’s hospital to a healthy teen and adult. She contracted Blue measles, underwent a kidney operation and the removal of her tonsils, all forming part of her childhood memories shared. As Van Gogh grew older, all she wanted to do was paint and read. She joined a mountain club and immediately felt at home. Mountain climbing, dirt tracks, cliff slides and trees is where her…

Eid al-Fitr is one of the three major Islamic festivals, celebrated by Muslims of China’s Uyghur, Hui, Kazakh and Kirgiz ethnic minorities. Early in the morning of Eid al-Fitr on April 10 this year, ethnic minority residents in various parts of Xinjiang came to local mosques for prayer services. After the services, people visited friends and relatives, enjoyed group meals, or gathered in squares to sing and dance, having quality time with family members. On that day, the government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region held an exchange event with foreign diplomats in Beijing. During his speech, Siyabonga Cwele, Ambassador of South Africa to China, sent his wishes to the people of Xinjiang and reviewed his visit to Xinjiang in 2023. The ambassador noted that Xinjiang has eradicated absolute poverty, allowing…

Development agencies gathering in Washington this week face one of their toughest battles in years – getting a rich world worried about wars abroad and elections at home to commit more cash to the world’s poorest countries. The poor world’s development is backsliding at an historic rate amid debt crises, higher-for-longer global interest rates and mounting investment needs. At the same time, it needs trillions more per year to meet climate spending goals alone. At the last round of IMF and World Bank meetings in October, global leaders expected rich-world inflation to ease more quickly than it has, and thus for interest rate cuts to take pressure off financing costs. Since then, an expanding conflict in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine have thrown up additional funding…

India was preparing yesterday for the world’s largest general election, as polling officers clambered up hills, travelled deep into areas riven by violent insurgencies and crossed rivers to reach millions of voters across the sprawling nation. The first vote in the seven-phase election will be cast today, with results set for June 4, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks set to win a historic third term in the face of a straggling opposition challenge. The Election Commission has to set up more than 1 million polling stations for the nearly two-month duration, with 15 million officials and security personnel fanning out for the task. Commission official W Moning Belgit led a small crew that trekked for hours yesterday to reach 139 voters in a remote, hilly village in the eastern…

NEW YORK: A juror was excused yesterday from Donald Trump’s criminal trial after saying she felt intimidated because some aspects of her identity had been made public, the judge overseeing the case said. The juror told the court that people had contacted her after deducing through press accounts that she was on the jury. Justice Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the case, told news outlets not to report where prospective jurors said they worked. Six jurors remained. Trump, the Republican presidential candidate in the US’s November 5 election, says that the trial is part of an effort by opponents to hobble his candidacy. | Reuters…

GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) and about 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air to avoid the confusion experienced during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic that cost lives. The WHO released a technical document on the topic yesterday which concludes that the descriptor “through the air” can be used for infectious diseases where the main type of transmission involves the pathogen travelling by air or being suspended in the air, in line with other terms such as “waterborne” diseases. Almost 500 experts contributed to the definition. | Reuters…