Table of contents for 2024-10-03 in Cape Times

Trade and Investment KZN (TIKZN) has reassured tourism stakeholders that the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Cable Way project remains on track. TIKZN was commenting after announcing this week that it was cancelling the bids for project management solutions for key studies required to prove the initiative’s viability. TIKZN CEO Sihle Ngcamu said the cancellation was motivated by budget constraints and the organisation will have to prioritise studies that are precursors to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The cable car project was first announced more than a decade ago by then Economic Development and Tourism (Edtea) MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu, who said a 7km cable car route would ferry passengers to the top of the Drakensberg mountain range. Mabuyakhulu had released an 80-page feasibility study on the project and stated he was convinced it…

Israel declared UN chief Antonio Guterres “persona non grata” yesterday, accusing him of failing to specifically condemn Iran’s missile attack on Israel. “Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil,” said Foreign Minister Israel Katz. “This is an anti-Israelsecretary-general who lends support to terrorists, rapists, and murderers.” Katz added that Guterres, who he said supported the “murderers of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and now Iran, the mothership of global terror, will be remembered as a stain on the history of the UN for generations to come”. Following Iran’s missile attack on Israel late Tuesday, Guterres condemned the “broadening conflict in the Middle East”, slamming “escalation after escalation” in the region. “This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire,” said…

THE Border Management Authority (BMA) has suspended an immigration officer stationed at Beitbridge Port of Entry in Musina, Limpopo over corruption allegations. The 52-year-old was arrested along with six foreign nationals on Sunday during a sting operation. According to Limpopo police spokesperson Hlulani Mashaba, at about 6.30am, while members of Operation Vala Umgodi were conducting an operation focused on addressing corruption among officials, a complainant observed an individual approaching the immigration officer, leading to an exchange of money. Mashaba said following an investigation the officer was indeed found in possession of money which she could not account for as well as six passports belonging to foreign nationals. “The owners of these passports were traced and located on buses arriving from Malawi, awaiting processing at the port of entry. All individuals,…

Have you ever attended an event and suddenly, out of nowhere, you are gripped by a “I should be married, at home, sitting in front of the heater, moaning about the neighbour’s yapping dog instead!” feeling? No? Okay, maybe it’s just me because this is how I felt during a beautiful ComUnity Heritage Day event held on September 23. Sorry for the delay. Blame that feeling of being old. The commemorative ComUnity inner-city festival is put together by Cape Town’s dynamic entertainment duo, Vincent Manzini and Loyiso Mdebuka. Both born in Khayelitsha, they have managed to open up their own home-away-from-home restaurant in Gardens, called Therapy. My first encounter with Sir Vincent and DJ Lloyd was way back in 2010 when they were kickstarting a concept called iKasi Experience which…

Media organisations must use their voice instead of mimicking practices of the West Quick question: what do these titles have in common? A Dark Continent Seeking Light; Sure, Ebola is Bad. Africa has Worse, or; Magic and Cannibalism in the African Jungle. You guessed it – they’re all about Africa. But the most relevant answer is they’re all headlines that have appeared in the New York Times. They’re just some examples of the ways that many traditional news outlets in the West have historically reported about Africa. Today news reporting that reinforces negative perceptions, stereotyping and racial misrepresentation is declining. But the harms inflicted on the continent and its communities remain unresolved. US media scholar Meredith Clark predicted that 2021 would be the “year journalism starts paying reparations”. She coined…

The two candidates for US president offer starkly different visions of the world, with November’s election carrying the potential to dramatically change policy toward Ukraine and other partners. Vice-President Kamala Harris largely offers continuity with President Joe Biden, though she has sought more nuance on the Middle East in particular, while a return of Donald Trump would likely mean a sharp rupture from current US foreign policy. Few issues divide the two candidates as much as Ukraine. Trump has scoffed at the billions of dollars in US aid to Ukraine, saying that Russia, which invaded its smaller neighbour in February 2022, is destined to win. The Republican has in the past voiced admiration for Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, comments seized upon by Harris, who in their September debate said, “If…

Kenyan MPs this week initiated a motion to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in an unprecedented political move portending an acrimonious fallout within the ruling party. The east African country’s politics has been in turmoil since March, following deadly protests over a spiralling cost-of-living crisis and deeply unpopular tax hikes. Gachagua is accused of undermining the government, being involved in corruption, insubordination, and practising ethnically divisive politics, among a slew of other charges. About 291 MPs appended their signatures to support the motion, well beyond the 117 minimum. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula said the motion – filed by Mutuse Eckomas Mwengi, a legislator from the ruling coalition – met the requisite constitutional threshold. It lists 11 grounds for impeachment, including accusing Gachagua of amassing wealth estimated at 5.2 billion…

Wellington: A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck near the Pacific nation of Tonga yesterday, the US Geological Survey said, but there was no threat of a tsunami. The quake struck from a depth of about 10km, according to the USGS, and was centred in an ocean area about 321km north-east of Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa. There were no immediate reports of damage in Tonga and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said “there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake”. Earthquakes are common in Tonga, a low-lying archipelago home to around 100 000 people that straddles the seismic Ring of Fire. | AFP…

Kigali: Five more people in Rwanda have died of the deadly Ebola-like Marburg disease, bringing the number of fatalities to 11, the health ministry said on Tuesday. About 29 people have been confirmed to have contracted the disease since the start of the outbreak on September 27, Rwanda’s health ministry said. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said that most of the cases were of health-care workers and more than 290 contacts had been traced. Rwanda has ruled out enforcing a lockdown to fight the virus. Instead people have been urged to avoid body contact. | AFP…

Group B kicks off the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 tomorrow as Scotland become the 12th team to play in the tournament. They face a burgeoning Bangladesh in Sharjah (2pm start) before stern tests come against the only two teams other than Australia to have lifted the trophy in this format. Bangladesh The original hosts of the 2024 edition, Bangladesh arrive in the UAE on the back of a sprinkling of fine results. The Tigers recorded only their third-ever T20I series win against Pakistan last year, with their spinners earning them two victories in the three-match series. Spin is expected to be key in this World Cup, with captain Nigar Sultana Joty able to call on five spinners, including all-rounder Shorna Akter, who at 17 is a star for…

from page 1 “She urges this court to enquire into the legality of three interlocutory rulings, made during the inquiry by the Section 194 Committee and she asks for those rulings to be set aside and substituted.” He added that Mkhwebane’s non-renewable seven-year term has run its course. “There can hardly be a challenge to any of those decisions now, given that her fixed term of office would in any event have ended in mid-October 2023, had she not been removed. Restoration to office is thus constitutionally and factually impossible.” Judge Ponnan also noted that unmeritorious appeals, such as Mkhwebane’s, impacted not just the immediate parties and the court but also other litigants whose matters were truly deserving of the attention of the court. “Those litigants have to wait in…

Union lambastes party on stance The DA’s opposition to the proposed increase of the national minimum wage (NMW) is an assault on six million farm, domestic, construction and security workers, says Cosatu. In its submission to the National Minimum Wage Commission on the cut-off date of September 30, the DA said the existing R27.58 per hour minimum wage should be retained. The NMW Commission is conducting an investigation into possible adjustments to the minimum wage as it is required to do so by the National Minimum Wage Act. Yesterday, DA spokesperson on employment and labour Michael Bagraim said while his party recognised the good intentions behind raising the minimum wage, they believed it will serve only to worsen the country’s already extremely high unemployment rate. “The DA suggests keeping the…

A Cape Town writer’s battle against Cell C over alleged unfair international roaming charges is being heard at the Consumer Tribunal. The case, involving an R11 265 bill for a few hours' usage in France, was postponed on Friday following a request by Cell C to submit new information. The matter concerns alleged Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (the CPA) violations as complainant Julie Williams said she was slapped with the bill despite Cell C allegedly agreeing on a monthly bill limit of R3785 for international roaming prior to her departure. Cell C allegedly did not honour this based on a proviso in their fine print. However Williams argues this proviso is unfair, unreasonable, unjust and invalid according to the CPA. It was also not drawn to her attention…

Celebrating 53 years of the annual Youth Classical Concert during the 30th year of South Africa’s Democracy is a significant milestone in the careers of a group of exceptionally accomplished young classical music instrumentalists and singers. The 13 successfully auditioned to perform with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) at Artscape on Saturday at 7.30pm. The prestigious annual event will be conducted by the distinguished principal guest conductor of the CPO Maestro Bernhard Gueller. Since the inception of the programme in 1971, over 600 young musicians have had the opportunity of performing for the first time with the CPO on the Artscape stage. Many are currently performing internationally, are members of philharmonic orchestras and opera companies or have prominent positions in the music industry in South Africa. The emphasis of…

Taxes are important. They’re a primary way in which governments fund essential services like health care, education, infrastructure and social protection programmes. They are vital to the economic development of countries. In sub-Saharan African countries, the need for public services is great and fiscal resources are often scarce. Getting the public to pay their taxes is essential. However, structural and governance challenges have made it difficult to effectively mobilise revenue. Recent tax protests in Kenya illustrate the growing tension between taxpayers and the government. The protests underscore the importance of designing tax policies that not only raise revenue but also distribute the tax burden fairly across income groups. If governments don’t address the issues, they risk eroding public trust and increasing tax resistance. The logistical difficulties of tax collection are…

Police in Denmark and Sweden said yesterday that they were probing explosions and gunfire around Israeli embassies in their capitals which took place amid spiralling Middle East tensions. In Denmark, police said three Swedish nationals had been arrested after two blasts, likely from hand grenades, in the “immediate proximity” of the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen early yesterday. Swedish police said the Israeli embassy in Stockholm had been targeted in a shooting on Tuesday. No injuries were reported from the incidents but both came amid heightened international fears as Iran fired missiles at Israel which has vowed to respond to the attack. “Two explosions occurred at 3.20am at the Israeli embassy. It is our preliminary assessment that it was due to two hand grenades,” Jens Jespersen of Copenhagen police said. He…

A record 2.5 million jobs were created in the renewable energy sector in 2023, primarily in China, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency and International Labour Organization. Nearly two-thirds of the world’s new solar and wind power capacity was installed in China, adding 1.84 million jobs. Global employment in the industry rose to 16.2 million, despite concerns about an “uneven global picture”, with China accounting for 7.4 million jobs, or 46% of the total. Employment figures include 1.8 million in the EU and nearly a million in the US and India, while Africa only created 324 000 jobs. The report highlights solar photovoltaics as the biggest employer globally, employing 7.2 million people. | AFP…

New York: Wall Street stocks fell on Tuesday as markets weighed the latest flare-up in tensions between Iran and Israel and debated the effects of a major US port strike. Stocks were in the red the whole session and the uncertainty pushed both the Dow and S&P 500 back from Monday’s record closes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished at 42 156.97, down 0.4% but about 200 points above its session lows. The broad-based S&P 500 fell 0.9% to 5 708.75, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 1.5% to 17 910.36. Analysts also cited worries about a potential reignition of inflation after US dockworkers went on strike, shuttering ports on the East and Gulf Coasts. | AFP…

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping this week congratulated new Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and welcomed the opportunity to build a “constructive and stable” relationship. Beijing and Tokyo have had diplomatic relations for more than 50 years but friction has been building as China asserts its military presence around disputed territories in the region, and Japan boosts security ties with the US and its allies. Xi said he hoped the “neighbours separated by a strip of water” could find common ground to “build a constructive and stable” relationship. Japan’s new Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said yesterday that Tokyo also wanted a constructive relationship with China based on common interests. But “what we need to assert will be asserted,” he said.…

Brimstone Investment Corporation yesterday announced the disposal of its shareholding in Stadio Holdings, a South African higher education group listed on the JSE, for R257 million cash, equivalent to R5.90 per share. The share sale was met with optimism by both Brimstone and Stadio’s investors. Stadio’s share price increased 5.22% to R6.25. Brimstone Investment Corporation’s share price increased 3.7% to R5.60. Brimstone has undertaken a strategic review of its investment portfolio to dispose of certain of its assets at acceptable valuations. The investment company said in a statement yesterday that proceeds of the Stadio disposal would be used to partially settle debt in the near to medium-term. Brimstone had acquired 78% of the sale shares as part of STADIO's broad-based black economic empowerment private placement in 2017, with a…

from page 1 “This is a very careless way of dispensing land but also callous…This is an insult to the integrity of the affected communities. There should be a moratorium placed on the City selling properties in affluent areas without having meaningful participation processes,” said Jenkins. Mayco member for economic growth, James Vos, said the auction was delayed but went well. “The auction went well today and the City thanks the private sector for participating. Now due legislative processes will need to be followed to finalise the results,” said Vos. Vos told the Cape Times the properties were “surplus to the City’s needs” and the “money generated will be reinvested into service delivery”. City Law Enforcement spokesperson, Wayne Dyason said: “SAPS, City Law Enforcement and metro police departments were on…

Ingredients 1 packet Royco® Chicken A La King Dry Cook-In Sauce (38g), 6 skinless deboned chicken breasts, 30ml vegetable oil, 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed, 250ml water, 250ml milk, 180ml cream, 10ml dried mixed herbs, 80ml finely grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese, 125ml sundried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped, 1 x 100g pack baby spinach leaves, fresh lemon juice, black pepper, to taste Method Empty the sachet of Royco® Chicken A La King Dry Cook-In Sauce onto a plate. Lightly dust both sides of the chicken breasts with the powder (don’t throw away the rest – you’ll use it later). Heat the oil in a big frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the chicken on both sides (about 2½ minutes per side) until golden brown, but not…

AN interim investigation report provided to the National Consumer Commission (NCC) by Shoprite Checkers following the recall of the Deli Hummus range manufactured by BM Foods, has pointed to areas of concern on product handling at the manufacturing level. The NCC said Shoprite Checkers notified them of a product recall on September 16, following the detection of Listeria Monocytogenes, a species of foodborne bacteria. The affected Deli Hummus products are: Traditional Hummus (125g and 300g); Reduced Fat Hummus (125g); Zataar Hummus (125g and 300g); Red Pepper Hummus (125g and 300g); and Caramelised Onion Hummus (125g). The respective sell-by dates of the products are September 10, 2024 to October 8, 2024. “Subsequent to the product recall notification, and in line with Section 60 of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008,…

RECLAIM the City has accused the provincial government of shifting blame on the issue of delays in the delivery of affordable housing. This after Infrastructure MEC Tertuis Simmers accused housing activist groups of actively encouraging and taking part in illegal invasions which delayed projects and was costly. “Illegal invasion of public property has been a major obstruction in the Western Cape Government’s path to building communities that enable residents to prosper. But our efforts, especially in Cape Town, are being heavily hindered. Illegal invasions do not only take up physical space and prevent us from actually building houses, it has a much wider impact. “Due to illegal invasions our budgets are reduced, funds that we have earmarked for more housing developments are re-allocated for either securing our projects or defending…

Darling’s very own First Lady, Evita Bezuidenhout, makes her Voorkamerfest debut this year. As the 15th jam-packed Voorkamerfest weekend approaches on October 19 and 20, organisers have announced the dynamic performer line-up. Joining the lineup for the first time will be Tannie Evita alongside other notable talents including actor Philip Moolman and solo singer-songwriters Tim Parr, Hannah Ray, John Conrad, Loren Ehlers, Eugene Grobler and Giuliette Price. Performers such as burlesque comic Irit Noble, rapper and storyteller Jitsvinger, comedian Kagiso Mokgadi, magician Stuart Lightbody, and the AfroTropica Steel band will make a welcome return to the picturesque town of Darling located an hour from Cape Town. Small ensembles include percussionist and vocal duo Lungiswa Plaatjies with Kim Masala, the Delicious Monsters punk and rock band, and the Voices of Afrika…

THE Department of Employment and Labour’s commitment to increase the number of labour inspectors bodes well for the Constitution’s provision that everyone has the right to fair labour practices. On Tuesday, Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth announced that her department would increase the number of labour inspectors from 2 000 to 20 000 over the next three years to enhance their ability to conduct thorough audits and inspections across the country. The announcement was made after weeks of compliance enforcement raids in restaurants across the country. The inspections, the department said, revealed instances of non-compliance, including underpayment of wages, unlawful deductions and inadequate health and safety measures. A staggering R10 million in monetary corrections were enforced on non-compliant employers and compliance orders and prohibition notices were also issued. Now,…

Claudia Sheinbaum was sworn in this week as Mexico’s first woman president, inheriting a country beset by gang violence and economic uncertainty over controversial reforms passed by her powerful ruling party. To cries of “Long live Claudia! Long live Mexico!”, the 62-year-old former Mexico City mayor took the oath of office and received the presidential sash in Congress, with foreign dignitaries looking on – including US First Lady Jill Biden. Sheinbaum told cheering lawmakers that, for the first time, “women have arrived to shape the destiny of our beautiful nation”, where around 10 women or girls are murdered every day. Supporters began gathering at dawn to celebrate the inauguration of the new leader of the world’s most populous Spanish-speaking country, home to 129 million people, which has had 65 male…

LONDON: A UK regulator yesterday said it had fined start-up Starling Bank £29 million (R669.7m) for “shockingly lax” controls that “left the financial system wide open to criminals and those subject to sanctions”. The Financial Conduct Authority fined Starling, an online challenger bank taking on established lenders in the world of fintech, the equivalent of $39m for failings linked to the bank’s automated screening of customers. Founded by veteran banker Anne Boden in 2014 ahead of receiving its banking licence from the Bank of England, Starling serves more than four million accounts, according to its website. | AFP…

MALABO: Equatorial Guinea has urged the ICJ to dismiss Gabon’s claim to several islands located in the oil-rich waters of the Gulf of Guinea. Both nations have brought the matter to the UN’s top court to resolve a dispute over the island of Mbanie, which is less than a kilometre long and lies off Gabon’s coast in the oil-rich waters. “Gabon’s position is factually and legally untenable,” said Equatorial Guinea’s representative at the court, Domingo Mba Esono. The conflict began in 1972 when Gabon’s military expelled Equatorial Guinean soldiers from Mbanie. Since then, Gabon has maintained a military presence on the largely uninhabited island. | Sputnik…

TBILISI: Georgia’s President Salome Zurabishvili has refused to sign into law a controversial bill denounced by rights groups and Brussels as curbing the rights of LGBTQ people, officials said yesterday. The ruling Georgian Dream party approved the measures, dubbed the “family values” bill, last month, in a vote boycotted by the opposition and that fuelled tensions ahead of crucial October 26 parliamentary elections. The pro-EU Zurabishvili holds limited powers in the country’s political system.…