Table of contents for 2024-12-05 in Cape Times

CFI Financial Group, a global leader in online trading, yesterday officially launched its operations in South Africa. CFI said this expansion reflects commitment to bringing innovative and secure online trading services to the African market. It also aligns with the company’s vision to empower traders and investors worldwide with cutting-edge financial solutions. The launch follows the successful acquisition of a Category 1 Financial Service Provider (FSP) licence from the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) earlier this year, enabling CFI Financial, the group’s South African subsidiary, to begin offering a broad range of advanced trading technologies and financial products to local traders. A key part of this expansion is the appointment of Zihaad Israfil as CEO of CFI South Africa. With nearly 20 years of experience in the financial markets, Israfil…

FORMER ANC treasurer-general and Mpumalanga premier Mathews Phosa believes President Cyril Ramaphosa Phala Phala farm scandal will remain a stain that will haunt him. “From where I sit I never thought Phala Phala will go away because Parliament voted the way it did. Even after the court decision, if the court decision goes in favour of the President, Phala Phala will still not die.” He made the remarks as the Constitutional Court recently reserved judgment where the EFF and ATM had challenged the National Assembly’s decision to not establish a committee to look into a finding that Ramaphosa may have violated his oath of office over the Phala Phala scandal. A section 89 panel led by retired chief justice Sandile Ngcobo concluded that Ramaphosa may have a case to answer…

Theft of trust funds by practitioners results in untold hardship for the victims – Judges DISGRACED lawyer Zuko Nonxuba has been struck off the roll of attorneys following allegations that he misappropriated hundreds of millions of rand due to his former clients, mostly minor children related to medical negligence cases in the Eastern Cape. The case before the Western Cape High Court was brought by the Legal Practice Council (LPC) following several complaints relating to Nonxuba’s alleged conduct. The court outcome means that he will not be allowed to practise as an attorney any longer, and the funds from his former clients were handed over to the Legal Practice Fidelity Funds (LPFF) who are assisting the beneficiaries to be compensated. The LPC also took control of the last remaining R100…

NKOSIKHULULE Nyembezi's article: "Bela Act: Children must come first, not politics" (Cape Times, December 4) is totally correct about the priority, but he makes a huge mistake in saying that the problems will persist "Until the language and admission policies are standardised". Different schools and SGBs try different approaches to try and evolve best practices, and standardising them removes the whole evolutionary intent. And no school can afford to provide a teacher for each official language (especially when the National Treasury cuts funding for contract teacher posts). Successful schools' approaches to the level of involvement of SGBs should guide the law, but there seems to be a resentment against success, and a self-destructive desire to bring everybody down to the same level as the Soweto school described in Barbie Sandler's…

THE Western Cape Education Department (WCED) wishes to address a report into alleged irregularities in a State Information Technology Agency (SITA) procurement process. In accordance with the State Information and Technology Agency Act 88 of 1998, the procurement of “non-mandatory” services is attended to by SITA, which acts as the procurement agent for any government department. The WCED required the supply of school Local Area Networks services for a period of five years, and accordingly requested SITA to undertake the procurement of such services. Following an extensive procurement process, which was run and administered by SITA, SITA made a recommendation to the WCED to award the tender for Local Area Network services at WCED schools to a service provider. This recommendation was made in March 2023, and the WCED executed…

WHILE food is said to be now slowly trickling underground for the miners at Buffelsfontein goldmine in Stilfontein, the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, on Tuesday night found that the police were in breach of the court order which allowed the community, volunteers, and charitable organisations to provide essentials such as food and water to the miners. This is after a community-based organisation, the Mining Affected Community in Action (Macua), again approached the court following Sunday’s ruling that the SAPS must for now allow miners at Stilfontein to immediately be supplied with food, water, and medication from the community and charitable organisations. Macua, in an affidavit handed to court, said in spite of the SAPS being served with the court order, officials stationed at the Stilfontein Gold Mine refused to comply…

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent decision to redeploy his beleaguered Justice Minister, Thembi Simelane, to the human settlements portfolio is emblematic of the troubling status quo within his administration. Announced on Tuesday, this mini-Cabinet reshuffle not only raises questions about the integrity of Ramaphosa’s anti-corruption agenda but also reveals a glaring inconsistency in how political accountability is applied. Simelane is accused of receiving a R500 000 “loan” from Gundo Wealth Solutions, which facilitated unlawful investments by the Polokwane local municipality in the now-defunct VBS Mutual Bank in 2016, while she was mayor of the city. While it is commendable that Ramaphosa has finally removed Simelane from the Justice Ministry – a department that has faced significant criticism under her leadership – this move appears more like a tactical retreat than a…

Public frustration over Ghana’s economic travails, including high prices and a dearth of jobs, has dominated the run-up to Saturday’s general election, which will likely test the nation’s long-standing democratic credentials. Support for outgoing president Nana Akufo-Addo and his ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) party has sunk in his second term amid the West African nation’s worst economic crisis in a generation, along with cost-of-living protests and turmoil in its vital cocoa and gold industries. Indeed, the clamour for change has tipped the presidential and legislative race firmly in favour of opposition leader John Dramani Mahama and his National Democratic Congress party, polls show, though voter patience with the political process is running low. “The country is ruined. I will vote but I don’t think it will change anything,” said…

HONG KONG: China is urging colleges and universities to provide “love education” to emphasise positive views on marriage, love, fertility and family, in a bid to boost the country’s flagging birth rate. Beijing has been promoting various measures to try to make having children more attractive to young couples after China posted a second consecutive year of population decline in 2023. China has the second-biggest population in the world – 1.4 billion, but it is ageing quickly, which will increase the demands on government spending in the future. College students, the biggest driver of fertility have changed their views on marriage and love, according to China Population News. | Reuters…

ALGIERS: The Algerian Foreign Ministry said this week that the country was in solidarity with Syria in its “fight against terrorist threats”. Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh thanked his Algerian counterpart, Ahmed Attaf, and called for the inclusion of Syria’s case in the Arab League emergency ministerial meeting scheduled for Sunday. A surprise rebel offensive launched last week in the western countryside of north-western Syria’s Aleppo has stretched deeper into the country still being bruised by a 13-year-long civil war. After wresting control of most of Aleppo over the weekend, rebel militants are now advancing southward. | Xinhua…

The Proteas Women produced a golden performance at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley yesterday as they thumped England by six wickets in the first One-Day International. Laura Wolvaardt’s patient half-century eased South Africa to their win with 70 balls to spare, and they now take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The Proteas, under the new leadership of former Titans coach Mandla Mashimbyi, produced a perfect response following their recent 3-0 mauling in the T20 series. South Africa welcomed the experienced duo of Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka back into the side after they were rested for the T20 series. Kapp immediately made her presence felt, and she was right on the mark and on target early in her bowling spell. Sophia Dunkley (four), Tamsin Beaumont (11), and Nat…

THE reoccurrence of inconsistencies or unverifiable financial statements between the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and tertiary institutions was among issues that led to the entity receiving an adverse audit opinion for its 2022/2023 financial report. NSFAS embarked on a close out process to ensure amounts were accounted for and budgets utilised accordingly. However data inconsistencies including claim amounts and student fee statements were identified. Briefing the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education in Parliament, Auditor-General of South Africa’s (AGSA) Thomas Mamogwe said the qualified amounts in the financial annual report owed to institutions by the entity was R10 billion and R11 billion was owed by institutions to NSFAS. “Misstatements identified reoccurred, however decreased from the prior year. Another reason for the adverse audit outcome related to information we could…

After 1 000 units if mageu were lowered down the disused mineshaft at Stilfontein, where an unknown number of illegal miners have been holed up, the miners have requested a supply of beef. On Tuesday, a message written in blue ink on a white piece of paper was hoisted from the underground by community members and volunteers assisting the illegal miners, colloquially referred to as zama zamas. The message read: "We apologise to tell u that those sick people, they ask us to tell u that they want something like beef so that they can be tight and also instant porridge they will be thankful (sic)." IOL reported on Tuesday that an eleventh body was retrieved from the Stilfontein mine in the North West. The body was retrieved by community…

THE cost of living is rapidly increasing. The gap between the rich and the poor is growing day by day. The poor continues to live in abject poverty while in contrast the rich continues to live in the most outrageous luxurious lifestyles. The proverbial saying that something is worlds apart really rings true in this instance. The title of the 1859 novel by Charles Dickens, The Tale of Two Cities' also aptly describes the current context of inequality. As a people of faith we reject and protest against this horrendous normalisation of inhumanity where economic injustice has become naturalised. I am reminded of the anti-apartheid slogan of no normal sport in an abnormal society. The Calvyn Protestant church of South Africa and Namibia robustly protests for action against this evil…

THE CITY’s installation of a sewerage pipeline constructed over a Hout Bay property was declared unlawful in the Western Cape High Court this week. The high court has ordered that the current sewer line which crosses the property, and is described by land owner Rosevean Investments as an “unsightly pipe”, is to be removed within 15 months. According to the judgment handed down by Acting Judge Paul Farlam, the sewer line located on the slope of a mountain was installed during 2020 due to the disposal of sewerage from its location being “difficult”. The City’s Mayco member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, said the City’s legal team was studying the judgment. The judgment detailed that in October 2020, the City installed a sewerage pipeline over the Rosevean property, which…

The Baxter’s festive season line-up for 2024 features comedy, music and dance, culminating in a New Year’s Eve party on December 31. Celebrated comedians, Alfred Adriaan and Marc Lottering, join forces to bring Cape Town audiences their best material as performed over the last few years in Alfred and Marc, at the Baxter Concert Hall until January 11, 2025. This follows their extensive and sold-out tour locally and abroad, where the two household names in comedy have been packing out theatres to hilarious effect. Loukmaan Adams’ Joltyd – Through The Ages of Music, in the Pam Golding Theatre at The Baxter until January 4, 2025 is perfect entertainment for the family. The exhilarating theatrical journey celebrates the vibrant evolution of music and dance across the decades. The upbeat production, which…

SA can leverage Brazil’s experience to address climate finance and inequality challenges South Africa has taken over the presidency of the world’s premier economic forum, the G20, from Brazil. The G20 presidency operates on a troika system made up of the current, previous and next holders. The three members co-operate with one another in preparing for an annual summit. This means that South Africa will be working with Brazil and the US (2026 presidency). The G20 members – 19 countries plus the European Union and the African Union – account for about 80% of global GDP, 75% of global exports and 60% of the world’s population. How did Brazil connect its domestic policy discussions to the G20 agenda? First, Brazil managed to connect the climate agenda to the inequality agenda…

Thousands of protesters marched on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office in the South Korean capital yesterday, joining a push by the country’s opposition to impeach the leader after his extraordinary but short-lived imposition of martial law. Yoon’s shock bid to suspend civilian rule for the first time in over four decades – before being overturned by lawmakers in a night of drama –plunged South Korea into deep turmoil and alarmed its close allies. The future of Yoon, a conservative politician and former star public prosecutor who was elected president in 2022, is now highly uncertain. Live feed video showed thousands of protesters marching towards Yoon’s office in central Seoul after staging a rally in Gwanghwamun Square. South Korea’s opposition parties – whose lawmakers jumped fences and tussled with security forces…

Taiwan’s top China policymaker yesterday said Chinese military threats would only drive the two sides further apart, as state media in the island’s giant neighbour warned of a strong response to a US visit by Taiwan’s president. China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has expressed anger at President Lai Ching-te’s weekend trip to Hawaii on his way to three countries in the Pacific that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taipei. Lai, who is also due to spend one night in the US territory of Guam yesterday, is making what are formally only stopovers. However, he spent two days in Hawaii where he met the governor, gave speeches and visited a World War II memorial. Security sources have said that China could stage new war games around…

KINSHASA: At least 79 people died from “a disease of still unknown origin” that is raging in south-western Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Kwango province, health authorities said yesterday. A specialised response team had been sent to the field to identify the nature of the disease, urging the public to avoid mass gatherings. The disease often causes symptoms including fever, headache, breathing difficulty, and anaemia. Remy Saki, the province’s vice-governor, was quoted by local media as saying that between 67 and 143 deaths had been recorded as of Tuesday. | Xinhua…

MOSCOW: US conservative media personality Tucker Carlson said yesterday that he was back in Russia to interview Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Carlson, a supporter of US President-elect Donald Trump, said yesterday that he would ask Lavrov whether the US and Russia were heading towards a potentially nuclear conflict, and whether Moscow thought Trump will end the war in Ukraine. He said the interview with Lavrov, which had been pre-recorded, had proved to be “absolutely fascinating,” and would be aired “very soon”. Carlson said that the US embassy in Kyiv had forbidden Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy from giving him an interview. | Reuters and Sputnik…

Lewis Hamilton will bring down the curtain on his Mercedes career in Abu Dhabi on Sunday as his past and future Formula One teams, McLaren and Ferrari, fight for a constructors’ title to end years of waiting. Even if Red Bull’s Max Verstappen secured his fourth successive championship last month in Las Vegas, eras will end with the final chequered flag of the season under the Yas Marina floodlights. McLaren, who took Hamilton to his first title in 2008 but were last champions in 1998, are 21 points clear of Ferrari, the sport’s oldest and most successful team chasing a first crown since 2008. Whoever comes out on top will end a 15-year run where only Red Bull and Mercedes have won championships. Hamilton, the most successful driver in the…

The youth were key to developing the African Critical Minerals sector Dr Milka Madahana, a senior lecturer at the School of Mining Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand told the second African Minerals Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre this week. “Africa’s potential to become a global leader in the critical minerals industry depends on empowering its youth,” she said. She suggested that some of the ways that the youth could be empowered would be for the government to invest in education and infrastructure to build a capable workforce by developing youth-focused employment schemes and apprenticeships. The government should also encourage local content policies to ensure young Africans benefit from mineral resources, so that the youth are well-prepared for the critical minerals industry through education, skills development, and career…

With sheer grit and determination, the founder and CEO of Imbizo Shisanyama has managed to reopen her busineses after shutting down for a period after being battered by the Covid-19 pandemic. Rita Zwane was recently celebrated with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Township Economy Awards in Tembisa, hosted by the Township Entrepreneurs Alliance on 23 November 2024. Over the past few years, she faced formidable challenges, yet, Rita refused to fade into the background. Her fierce resilience shone through as she triumphantly reopened the Imbizo Shisanyama at the Mall of Thembisa on September 20 after closing it for just over a year due to the negative impact of the Covid -19 pandemic, marking yet another comeback in her remarkable journey. Since its grand reopening, the outlet has experienced…

THE “toxic environment” within the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) in the Western Cape emanates from staff being opposed to the appointment of Zena Nair as the institution’s provincial manager. This is according to the justice and constitutional development portfolio committee following a meeting with the management and employees of the SAHRC at the Cape Town office as part of their oversight function yesterday. The visit follows a meeting the committee held recently after the suspension of the commission’s CEO Vusumuzi Mkhize and the complaints levelled against the commission’s chairperson Chris Nissen and commissioner Philile Ntuli. SAHRC staff, some of whom described low staff morale and a rigid management style, recently told the committee that it was difficult for them to come to work every day. Other staff members…

A 42-year-old man accused of having illegally made a fire on Paarl Mountain which caused damage to the area’s fauna and flora, is expected back in court next week. The man appeared in the Paarl Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday and will make his second appearance next Tuesday on charges relating to the Veld and Forestry Fire Act. According to a Drakensten Municipality statement, the man was arrested in connection with the devastating fire which raged on the slopes of the mountain on Saturday. He was arrested by Drakenstein Municipality’s Law Enforcement division and police. The municipality said: “The fire raged from around midday on Saturday, and at one stage, firefighting crews and vehicles of no less than five municipalities were involved in battling the blaze. Drakenstein Municipality’s Fire and Rescue…

WELL-KNOWN to South Africans for her role as fan favourite Paula in the long-running soap opera, 7de Laan and her performances in many local films and series, Diaan Lawrenson has been appointed CEO of AFDA, The School for the Creative Economy. Lawrenson has served as the Dean of AFDA Cape Town for five and a half years. She is an alumna of the institution and has been lecturing at AFDA since 2016. Lawrenson said her work at AFDA has provided her with invaluable insights into every facet of the institution’s operations, equipping her with the knowledge and skills to contribute meaningfully. “As CEO, my role will contribute to steering the growth and evolution of our institution, ensuring its continued relevance and impact within the creative economy. “This includes encouraging the…

Changes in South Africa’s political, economic and social situations have shifted boundaries between government, business and civil organisations to the extent that not one of these role-players in democracy and development can survive without accommodating the expectations of the others. The political and economic elites seemed to have used their powers to encroach the social space to the detriment of cultural power. The fast-growing influence of business in the country’s political space has either intended or unintended damages to the integrity of the Constitution, independence of donations’ recipient political parties and development of the masses. What should be given priority by business in the name of strengthening democracy between political funding and community donations? The huge donations to political parties have been accompanied by statements from business that suggest the…

As Ukraine’s military struggles to find enough troops, particularly infantry, to hold off Russia’s much larger army, some units are giving a second chance to those who have absconded from service. Data from the prosecutor’s office shows nearly 95 000 criminal cases have been opened since 2022 against soldiers going “absent without leave” (Awol) and for the more serious crime of battlefield desertion. The number of cases has risen steeply with each year of the war: almost two-thirds of the total are from 2024. With many tens of thousands of troops killed or wounded, it is a depletion that Ukraine can ill afford. Now, some units are replenishing their ranks by accepting soldiers previously declared Awol. One of them is Ukraine’s elite 47th Brigade, which published a social media post…

LUSAKA: A conference on China’s experience in the development of renewable energy was held in Zambia this week as part of efforts to help the African continent diversify its energy mix. The conference brought together participants from academia, industry practitioners and policymakers to exchange views on the development of renewable energy, while also involving participants from Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa who followed the proceedings virtually. Zambia’s Ministry of Energy said the country stood ready to harness opportunities offered by China, noting that the country’s energy sector was facing challenges due to a decline in hydroelectricity generation caused by poor rains. | Xinhua…

Hong Kong: China and Hong Kong stocks weakened on Wednesday as slower services sector growth and escalating trade frictions with the US dampened investor sentiment. At the close, the Shanghai Composite index (SSEC) was down 0.42% at 3 364.65. The blue-chip index dropped 0.54%, with the consumer staples sector slipping 0.67% and the real estate index losing 2.39%. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index weakened 0.02% at 19 742.46. China’s Caixin/S&P Global services purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 51.5 from 52.0 in October, as the economy braces for a rocky ride of more US tariffs under a Trump administration. | Reuters…

Namibia made history by electing the country’s first female president, 72-year-old Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah from the ruling South West Africa People’s Organization (Swapo) party. Nearly 1.45 million eligible voters were registered, with presidential votes at 1 099 582 and National Assembly votes at 1 092 685. Nandi-Ndaitwah, the country’s fifth president since independence in 1990, won by 57.31%, followed by Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change with 25.50%. “The Namibian nation has voted for peace and stability, you have voted for unity and diversity, natural resources beneficiation, and youth empowerment for sustainable development. And this you will do through economic transformation,” said Nandi-Ndaitwah. In the National Assembly elections, the Swapo Party won 51 seats, while the Independent Patriots for Change party got 20 seats. | Xinhua…