Table of contents for 2024-12-02 in Cape Times

Fairvest on Friday said that it beat its guidance after reporting an annual distribution of 138.34 cents per A share and 43.29 cents per B share for the year to September 30. Fairvest has a strategy to grow by acquisition towards becoming a retail-only Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) of market-appropriate size, and so it recently issued about R1 billion in equity to acquire an additional investment in Dipula, increasing its stake to 26.3% from 5%.. Fairvest is the largest exclusively South African-focused property fund, with a portfolio worth R12.3bn comprising 128 properties—72 retail, 29 office, and 27 industrial properties. “Fairvest has made pleasing headway in restructuring its portfolio in the past three years towards becoming a retail-only REIT servicing low-income communities in South Africa by disposing of non-core assets…

Eight people including six children en route from E Cape to W Cape killed on the N1 IN a horrific start to the new month, eight people including six children were killed on the N1 outside Worcester in the Boland after the long-distance bus they were travelling in overturned. The incident happened at about 7.15am yesterday near Roux Park. Reports indicate that the bus was travelling from the Eastern Cape to Cape Town. Preliminary reports confirmed eight fatalities and multiple passengers sustaining injuries ranging from serious to minor. Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said Worcester police were investigating a case of culpable homicide. Due to the severity of the incident, the road had to be closed to ensure the safety of responders and to facilitate the necessary operations. Motorists were re-directed…

COLIN Bosman (Cape Times, November 25) will have us believe that it is Vladimir Putin who is responsible for bringing the world to the brink of WWIII, and he complains that "no effort is being made to keep Putin in check". Mr Bosman is entitled to his opinions, but not to his own version of the facts. A good place for Mr Bosman to start with understanding the counter-narrative would be Gillian Schutte's article on the subject in IOL entitled "Suspending Disbelief". I would go further than Gillian. The West has not only shown themselves to be duplicitous and having negotiated with the Russians in bad faith, but they have thrown everything they had into trying to defeat Russia in Ukraine and have failed miserably. The Russian army is strong,…

AS THE unholy war in Gaza rages on so the Western world is awakening like a hibernating bear to the atrocities, inhumanity and destruction taking place in the region. Efforts by the IDF to remove Palestinians from the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights which is their rightful home, in order to make way for more Jewish immigrants is now being recognised for what it is ... Greed, land theft, bullying and the illegal destruction of legitimate Palestinian farms and homes. The problem is not with the Israeli people who want peace but with the Knesset which is the Israeli legislature which is dominated by an arrogant rightwing group of hardline fundamentalists who call all the shots and make all the rules. What is needed is the installation…

The party’s actions reveal a troubling trend of neglect towards black communities IN THE 1960’s and 70’s when the apartheid government was implementing a strategy of centralising steel production from the Vaal Triangle, it chose a town in KwaZulu-Natal, Newcastle. With this strategy it assisted “poor” whites. The then State steel producer Iscor, now Arcelor-Mittal, “provided its employees with cheap housing, generous pensions as well as access to medical services”. This is just one of the many cases that are available on how the apartheid government uplifted poor whites. Many examples are available on how others were moved from the middle class to become the multimillionaires they are today. As for the ANC that has been at the helm for three decades now, the so-called vanguard of black people, the…

US President Joe Biden set off for Angola yesterday on a trip that will deliver on a promise to visit Africa during his presidency and focus on a major, US-backed railway project that aims to divert critical minerals away from China. The project, partly funded with a US loan, links the resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia to the Angolan port of Lobito on the Atlantic Ocean, offering a fast and efficient route for exports to the West. At stake are vast supplies of minerals like copper and cobalt, which are found in Congo and are a key component of batteries and other electronics. China is the top player in Congo, which has become an increasing concern to Washington. China signed an agreement with Tanzania and Zambia in…

Kenya’s Ministry of Health has urged citizens to strictly adhere to mpox preventive measures as the number of cases continues to rise, with children being particularly vulnerable. Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health Mary Muthoni said over the weekend that five new mpox cases have been confirmed in north-west, coastal, and central Kenya in the past week, bringing the total to 23. “We call on all Kenyans to remain vigilant,” Muthoni said. The new cases had been confirmed in Nakuru, some 160km northwest of the capital, and the coastal city of Mombasa and Kiambu, on the outskirts of Nairobi, she said. “To date, 156 contacts have been identified with 117 completing the required 21-day follow up. Five of these contacts have tested positive for mpox and 34 remain under…

BANGKOK: Thailand protested an incident involving Myanmar’s navy firing on Thai fishing vessels, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said yesterday, after one fisherman drowned, two were injured and dozens were detained from one of the boats. Shinawatra questioned claims that the fishing boats had intruded into Myanmar’s territorial waters when Myanmar’s navy opened fire on the vessels on Saturday. Myanmar has been in crisis since 2021 when the military seized power, toppling an elected government and sparking an armed rebellion by crushing protests with lethal force. | Reuters…

BUSAN: Delegates seeking the world’s first deal to curb plastic pollution began openly advocating for an extension of talks yesterday, accusing a handful of nations of obstructing an ambitious agreement. Nearly 200 nations are in South Korea’s Busan for negotiations.But a week of talks has failed to resolve divisions between “high-ambition” countries seeking a globally binding agreement to limit production and phase out harmful chemicals, and “like-minded” nations who want to focus on waste. Environmental groups have pushed ambitious countries to call a vote. But observers say this risks alienating some countries in favour of a strong treaty. | AFP…

The Stormers are in desperation mode in the United Rugby Championship (URC) after yet another loss, this time a first-ever to the Sharks in the tournament. It took a cancelled try after an earlier knock-on by replacement flyhalf Manie Libbok at a ruck for the Sharks to secure the 22-17 win at Kings Park in Durban. While the Cape side was their worst enemy, squandering chance upon chance in the first half, two crucial breakdown calls by referee Marius van der Westhuizen saw the Sharks claim seven points and seven points cancelled for the visitors. Stormers director of rugby admitted his side made life difficult for themselves with the errors. He was left a bit baffled by the try of Sharks centre Andre Esterhuizen after captain Siya Kolisi was laying…

AYO Technology Solutions’ did well to cut its loss to 72.02 cents per share for the year to end-August 31, 2024 compared with a loss per share of 180.53 cents per share for the previous year to end-August 31. “The past year has been one of considerable change and challenge, but we look forward to further capital preservation, supporting subsidiary growth and continued commitment to serving customers, positively impacting the communities in which we operate and creating value for stakeholders,” AYO’s directors said. Revenue decreased by 17% to R1.9 billion from R2.3bn. The pre-tax loss decreased by 65% to R229m from R653m in the prior financial year. The headline loss per share per share decreased by 59.31% from 176.46 cents per share. No dividend was declared. The decline in group…

Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority (Inseta), which is tasked with a skills mandate, 56 out of its 58 performance indicators, achieving an overall performance rate of 97% - a remarkable 6% increase from the previous financial year, it said in its annual report for the period April 1, 2023 to March 31 2024. The institution highlighted how good leadership and robust corporate governance had aided this outcome. Lizelle van der Merwe, the chairperson of Inseta, said it received eight local and international accolades for its contribution towards skills development. Among others, the institution was honoured as the Best Training Institute, and its CEO, Gugu Mkhize, was named the Standard Bank Public Sector Leader for 2023 and the Institute of People Management Business Leader of the Year for 2023,…

PBT Group’s taxed profit fell marginally by 2.2% to R46.9 million in the six months to September 30 after its data, analytics and software engineering consultancy operations remained resilient. Continuing operations increased revenue 0.3% to R549m. Gross profit fell 2% to R129.3m. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation increased by 1.4% to R67m. Normalised headline earnings fell 0.8% to R32.6m, with normalised headline earnings a share increasing by 0.9% to 31.7 cents. “The business remains sound and continues to generate healthy cash flows,” the directors said. The interim distribution of 27 cents a share was 3.8% higher than the prior period. “We are optimistic South Africa’s improving economic and business conditions will have a positive impact on our group's performance in the coming years,” the group said.…

A THINLY veiled attempt to preserve culture at the expense of transformation. That is how Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane described the “settlement” by the Solidarity Movement and Basic Education Department over the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act clauses with the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac). The Solidarity Movement, which includes Solidarity and AfriForum, initiated a dispute through Nedlac to seek authorisation to undertake a protected protest to express opposition to clauses 4 and 5 of the act. President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Bela Act into law in September but delayed implementing the disputed sections that deal with language and admission policies at public schools. Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube and the Presidency were cited as respondents. According to the Solidarity Movement, in terms of the settlement,…

THE letter from Brian Austin “Mr Ramaphosa, you can’t have it both ways” in your November 25 edition refers. Mr Austin says that South Africa did nothing when international criminal Bashir came to South Africa for a visit and he was welcomed and given safe passage. In essence the government did a lot as opposed to nothing. They aided and abetted Bashir and despite requests from the Western Province to do something they very actively allowed Bashir to visit and to leave safely. Hypocrisy knows no bounds.…

THE primary problem with Affirmative Action is that CEOs who are underqualified and struggling to cope are almost certain to appoint senior managers who – due to being similarly underqualified – represent little threat to them and support them loyally out of a fear of being retrenched or overlooked for promotion by a new CEO. In addition, these senior managers invariably fall victim to their own insecurities and the poison quickly spreads, frequently resulting in the organisation making less profit and paying less tax, which has the potential to negatively impact the government’s ability to increase social welfare grants and maintain infrastructure etc. Simply put, Affirmative Action is a recipe for disaster if it is implemented too high up the management chain.…

A FAMILY who alleged that they were injured during a get-together when a tin cup containing ethanol gel – which they used to heat their food with – exploded and injured them, is suing the manufacturer and the distributor of the product for damages. Johannes and Michale Pieterse turned to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, where they maintained that the defendants – Organis Synthesis Ltd, the manufacturer, and Steel King Centre Ltd, the distributor, should be held liable for their injuries. The first and second plaintiffs (the Pieterses) and their wives were, on the day of the incident, having a family meal together. They wanted to heat up their food, which was in little three-legged pots, by using ethanol gel – to which they referred to as Flaz Gel. The…

ONLY two of the nine provinces are using a system the government spent close to R2 million rand on to help provincial health departments with the case management of medico-legal claims. This was according to a parliamentary reply from the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi following questions by DA MP, Michele Clarke. Clarke wanted to know the cost of the case management system and how widely it had been implemented. The minister said they paid R 1 826 455.25 million for the development and maintenance of the case management system. He noted that the system picks up the possible duplication of fraudulent medico-legal cases, the number of cases per hospital, and notifications on cases coming to trial each month, among other things. However, he said of the nine provinces…

AT THE centre of referring or defining politics at face value by ordinary people is the word, “game”. It will simply go further “politics is a dirty game”. Others will in a way, maybe at a higher level, apply a “sophisticated” word, “chess”. As a result, would refer to other politicians as “master of a chess game”. But Helen Zille as a person in control of the second-largest party in the country claiming to be concerned about saving the country should be very careful. It is understandable that indeed as much as there is no “game” or “gamble” in the orthodox definition of democracy, ordinary people are correct by saying it is a game or gamble. Zille’s attitude towards politics could be likened to Adolf Hitler. In the process of…

Israeli military strikes killed at least 15 Palestinians in Gaza yesterday, medics said, as Israeli forces kept up bombardments across the enclave and blew up houses on its northern edge. As fighting raged almost 14 months into the war, the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said it had to halt aid deliveries through one crossing a day after armed gangs inside Gaza seized food from a convoy of trucks. “This difficult decision comes at a time hunger is rapidly deepening,” UNRWA’s Philippe Lazzarini said in a post on X. In the central Gaza camp of Nuseirat, an Israeli airstrike killed six people in a house, and another attack killed three in a home in Gaza City, medics said. Two children were killed when a missile hit a…

Iraq’s parliament was expected to review contentious legal amendments yesterday, including a reworked family law bill that has sparked civil society outrage over fears of a resurgence in underage marriages. The proposed amendments would let people choose between religious or state regulations for family matters, such as marriage, inheritance, divorce and child custody. Critics fear the move could erode protections for Muslim women by lowering the legal age for marriage – currently set at 18, or 15 with the consent of legal guardians and a judge – and pave the way for the adoption of Islamic jurisprudence that could allow marriages for those as young as nine years old. A revised version of the bill sets the minimum age at 15 with court approval and retains “current conditions”, according to…

NEW DELHI: Cyclone Fengal killed at least 19 people in India and Sri Lanka and caused flooding in Tamil Nadu state and the Puducherry region after crossing India’s southern coast from the Bay of Bengal on Saturday. Puducherry had been hit by the heaviest 24-hour rainfall in 30 years, India’s weather office said yesterday. The cyclone left parts of the southern city of Chennai inundated. The Indian army was running relief operations in Puducherry for people in the eye of the storm, while rainfall eased in Chennai. In Sri Lanka, 16 people were killed, with heavy rains affecting a total of 138 944 families, officials said. | Reuters…

Washington: Elon Musk has again asked a US court to stop ChatGPT-maker OpenAI from converting into a for-profit enterprise, reports have said. Attorneys representing the billionaire and his AI startup, xAI, filed the injunction on Friday. The injunction also requests that OpenAI be stopped from allegedly barring its investors from funding competing companies. Musk has alleged that OpenAI bars its investors from making investments in rivals – which would put his own start-up at a disadvantage in a sector where billions of dollars are at stake. OpenAI was founded as a non-profit and has since switched to a “capped” for-profit enterprise. It is seeking to become a for-profit public benefit corporation, which could attract more investment. | AFP…

The miners at Stilfontein are now able to receive vital supplies, including food, water, and medication from community and charitable organisations, following an urgent court application. The situation has become critical, with reports of several miners already dead underground and those still alive struggling to survive on minimal resources, including toothpaste, vinegar, and salt. The Mining Affected Community in Action (Macua) successfully pushed for the government to provide immediate humanitarian aid, with the interim order ensuring miners can now receive critical resources while awaiting further court proceedings. Judge Nicolene van Nieuwenhuizen granted an interim order yesterday, allowing the miners to receive humanitarian assistance until Thursday, when the case will be fully argued in court. This urgent application comes after a similar one by the Society for the Protection of Our…

150g plain flour 2 tbsp cocoa powder ½ tsp salt 2 tsp baking powder 2 tbsp malted milk powder (Horlicks) 50g dark brown sugar 50g ground almonds 130g unsalted butter, melted, plus 10g extra for greasing the dish 100g full cream milk 75g crème fraîche 3 tbsp maple syrup 1 egg 150g dried soft figs, roughly chopped 50g dark chocolate, roughly chopped 100g dark brown sugar 1 tbsp malted milk powder 1⁄8 tsp salt 25g unsalted butter, 200ml water 150g double cream 100g crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream 3 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted 2 tbsp maple syrup Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Butter a 26cm round shallow ovenproof casserole or baking dish and set aside. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and malted milk powder…

IN AN article in February 1941, George Orwell, despaired of finding “objective truth” in the mass media. AFP reports concerning the recent COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan are wilfully devoid of objective truth, the one in the Cape Times of November 25 being a typical example. If it were not for the economy-killing indebtedness amounting to hundreds of billions to transition to the fallacy of decarbonised energy to which leaders are condemning their countries, the COP 29 summit could be written off as a Mad Hatter’s Tea party. In any event, certain peculiarities Lewis Carroll brings to the fore in the story aptly reflect the prevailing nature among the participants in COP 29. Personality disorder, confusion and chaos were symptoms hatters experienced from inhaling mercury vapours – hence the expression…

GOOD leader in last Monday’s Cape Times. However, I have to say we have been writing about GBVF for years! We have been doing campaigns for years which all have failed. We need to start thinking outside the box. We all remember the Charlize Theron campaign where she said “where are all the real men out there”. We obviously never found them! Nothing came of that. We have people writing long missives about reasons but no solutions. We all know SA is a very patriarchal country and frankly it’s too late to try and get at the men. It is entrenched in many who think that women are second class citizens and deserve to be klapped or worse. We all know children are like blotting paper and learn from…

Gauteng police prevented a cash-in-transit robbery in Kwa-Thema, Ekurhuleni, on Saturday, leading to the deaths of three suspects in a shoot-out. Authorities confirmed the arrest of three more suspects, along with the recovery of two rifles, a pistol, and ammunition-loaded magazines. According to Gauteng Provincial SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo, crime intelligence had received information about a group planning to commit a cash-in-transit robbery. The suspects were reportedly meeting at a safe house in Kwa-Thema. A multi-agency team, including the SAPS Gauteng Tactical Response Team, Anti-Gang Unit, Crime Detection, Counter Intelligence, and others, was activated to intercept the suspects. As the team closed in on the safe house, the suspects opened fire, triggering a shoot-out. Two suspects were fatally shot at the scene, and a third was killed a…

THE EFF’s third national people’s assembly later this month will determine whether the party survives the fate that has befallen similar ANC breakaway political organisations. For the first time since its establishment in 2013, the EFF goes to its elective conference on the back foot having lost electoral support to a newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe Party. The resignations by some senior party members, including its deputy Floyd Shivambu and national chairperson Dali Mpofu, mean that the EFF will have to navigate a tumultuous terrain that could make or break it. A party that was key in removing a state president in Jacob Zuma and was within a touching distance of being part of South Africa’s government now finds itself having to discuss its survival. Julius Malema, and other senior members…

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said in the US over the weekend that we have to “fight together to prevent war”, as he kicked off a week-long tour of the Pacific that has sparked fiery rhetoric from Beijing. Taiwan faces the constant threat of a military attack by China, which it considers part of its territory and regularly deploys fighter jets and warships around the self-ruled island to press its claims. Washington is Taipei’s most important partner and biggest provider of weapons, but maintains a “strategic ambiguity” when it comes to putting boots on the ground to defend the island from China. Speaking at a dinner in the US island state of Hawaii on Saturday, Lai said there were “no winners” from conflict and “we have to fight, fight together to…

BERLIN: Volkswagen workers will go on warning strikes today at plants across Germany, labour union IG Metall said, marking the first large-scale walkouts at Volkswagen’s domestic operations since 2018. This marks a further escalation of a dispute between Europe’s top carmaker and its workers over mass layoffs, pay cuts and possible plant closures in the face of Chinese competition and cooling consumer demand. Volkswagen has demanded a 10% wage cut. Labour representatives and management will meet again on December 9 over a new labour agreement for workers, with unions vowing to resist any proposals that do not provide a long-term plan for every VW plant. | Reuters…

Faizabad: More than 100 people have been arrested for growing poppy in north-eastern Afghanistan, police said yesterday, in an area that has previously resisted a Taliban government ban on the crop. The Taliban authorities, on the orders of its Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, banned poppy production in 2022 across Afghanistan – which at the time was the world’s top-producing country. The ban sparked a 95% drop in poppy harvests in 2023, but farmers have not been able to reap the same profits from alternative crops. Up to 80% of the population depends on agriculture in Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world. | AFP…

Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump aims to make loyalist Kash Patel the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, he said on Saturday. Trump announced the former advisor and Pentagon official, who has been critical of the bureau, as his choice for the post. The FBI’s current director, Christopher Wray, was appointed to a 10-year term in 2017, so he would either need to step down or be fired. Patel served in several posts during Trump’s first term including as a national security advisor. | AFP…

The Proteas' struggles in bilateral series continued this past week, as they suffered yet another T20I series whitewash against England but they can ill afford to wallow in defeat as they prepare for an ODI series against the same opponents later this week. The T20I series didn’t live up to expectations, at least from a South African point of view, especially with their recent achievements against Pakistan in September and also after reaching their second T20 World Cup final in a row earlier this year. Their 2-1 win against Pakistan was their first in seven attempts. Although they went on to do well in the global showpiece afterwards, the latest result against the English – particularly the last two matches where they were outplayed with both bat and ball –…