Índice para 2021-11-17 em Cape Times

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za AFRICA is positioning itself as the next hub for the multibillion-dollar automotive industry as a number of countries look to start implementing the continental free-trade agreement. The secretary general of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Wamkele Mene yesterday urged African countries to show strong political commitment to the agreement. Speaking during the Automotive Forum at the second day of the Intra-Africa Trade Fair (IATF 2021) yesterday, Mene said the successful implementation of the AfCFTA would significantly reduce costs for business and make continental companies more competitive. Currently, South Africa is host to the largest multinationals assembly plants in the continent. “We should not forget that the automotive industry is a hyper competitive global industry which strives on efficiency and the elimination of waste,” Mene said.…

Siphokazi Vuso and Sihle Mavuso A SPEAKER in the Knysna Council may be elected by a coin toss as political parties had reached a “deadlock” in elections, the DA said yesterday. Parties were locked in talks with their political rivals to form coalition governments following the municipal elections. DA constituency head in Knysna Dion George said a deadlock arose in the election of a Speaker at a council meeting yesterday. He said in the event that it happened again at the next council meeting on Thursday, a Speaker would be elected by a toss of a coin, as per the legislation. “The DA has attempted to find a way forward by engaging with other parties to form a sustainable coalition for good governance. We regret that we were…

Marsha Dean marsha.dean@inl.co.za A NEWLANDS Cricket High School pupil may be the answer to the Proteas’ batting woes in the future following his brilliant innings that saw him score an impressive 230 not out off just 106 balls. Moosa Gabriels kept the scoreboard ticking when he helped his team finish with 334/4 off 35 overs. This proved to be a tough ask for their opponents, Table View High School which only managed 52 all out. Speaking to the Cape Times yesterday the 14-year-old Grade 8 pupil from Vanguard Estate said his love for cricket started at the age of five. Then he was a member at the Ottomans Cricket Club in Surrey Estate. He has since been playing cricket for nine years and now credits former Proteas batsman, Hasim Amla…

INGREDIENTS METHOD 3 x 400g rolls puff pastry Filling: 250ml full cream milk 250ml cornflour 125ml custard powder 375ml castor sugar Pinch of salt 500ml cream 625ml full cream milk 45ml choice butter 4 extra large eggs 5ml vanilla essence 250ml icing sugar 10 – 15 ml boiling water Preheat the oven to 200°C. Unroll the three rolls of puff pastry. Place each on a baking tray that has been lined with foil. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown. Lift off the baking tray using the foil. Place the first piece into a rectangular dish about 22cm x 30cm. For the filling: Mix the 250ml milk, cornflour, custard powder, castor sugar and salt together. Heat the cream and 625ml milk in a saucepan until hot.…

MOHAMED SAEED | Pietermaritzburg REFLECTING on some of the hateful comments made after the death of the last president of apartheid South Africa, FW de Klerk, it seems the great forgiveness and healing has not really taken place. Although for the better part of his political life, De Klerk imposed and defended apartheid until the international sanctions and boycotts began to take effect, he is credited with releasing Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners from prison, unbanning the ANC and other liberation movements and helping steer the country away from the brutal repressive rule. Through a series of negotiations and owing to measures taken by the De Klerk government, the transition to freedom was peacefully achieved. The violations of human rights and blatant abuses committed by the National…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za TOP management of police oversight body the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) has ordered the “urgent appointment of a forensic investigation firm” following the “porous” and continuous leaking of information. This comes after the leaking of information regarding an investigation into SAPS members who allegedly failed to act on Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) reports. Ipid had investigated complaints which showed “the possible criminal conduct of defeating or obstructing the course of justice involving the death of Lieutenant-Colonel (Charl) Kinnear”. The report made recommendations for disciplinary action to be taken against a number of police officers. The widow of the slain officer, Nicolette Kinnear, said learning of the report through the media was “difficult” for the family. “We have not had time to sit down together…

Lisa Isaacs lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za A HAZMAT (hazardous materials) response team continues to stabilise the cargo aboard bulk carrier NS Qingdao, anchored in St Helena Bay, which had been releasing toxic fumes. The SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) said it was managing the salvage operation on the NS Qingdao which had been discharging cargo in the port of Durban last week when it came into contact with rain water and started releasing toxic fumes.Samsa said the vessel remained safely anchored in St Helena Bay on Monday and posed no immediate threat to the environment or people in the area. “As per the approved salvage plan the cargo is being stabilised by a hazmat team. The team is loading it into skips and covering the skips with stabilising sand. Even though this is…

THE recent statements by Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa and his political party, the ANC, and others calling on Miss SA Lalela Mswane to withdraw, for political reasons, from the Miss Universe pageant, amount to bullying. They are also using her as a political pawn in our murky or non-existent foreign policy on Israel. Like her predecessors, Mswane is scheduled to compete against her peers for the coveted title at a ceremony in Israel next month. However, Mthethwa, the governing party, Cosatu and pressure group Africa4Palestine suddenly demanded her withdrawal, for moral and political reasons. For his part, and after failing to convince Miss SA organisers to withdraw Mswane’s candidacy, Mthethwa withdrew the government’s “support and that of South Africa for the Miss South Africa pageant following the…

The Taliban have arrested a man for allegedly selling dozens of women in northern Afghanistan after duping them into believing they would be marrying into money, officials said. The man was arrested in northern Jawzjan province late on Monday, said Damullah Seraj, the Taliban provincial police chief. “We are still in our initial stages of the investigation. We hope to find out more about this case later”. Mohammad Sardar Mubariz, a district police chief in Jawzjan, said the man would target desperate poor women. After saying he would find them a wealthy husband, he would move them to a different province where they were instead sold into servitude. He allegedly trafficked around 130 women this way. Crime, nepotism and corruption are not new in Afghanistan but rising poverty is undermining…

Cuban authorities foiled a planned nationwide protest on Monday, arresting some dissidents, trapping others inside their homes and flooding the streets with security forces to prevent a repeat of the spontaneous demonstrations that stunned the communist government last year. A group of artists and young activists had called for the Civic March for Change to demand more political freedoms and the release of political prisoners. The group, which organised through a Facebook forum called Archipiélago, had hoped to galvanise citizens’ frustrations over an economic crisis and one-party rule. Those grievances boiled over in July in the biggest demonstrations in six decades. But the government rejected a permit for the latest march and launched a media campaign to discredit the organisers. On Monday, the protest route in Old Havana was largely…

ISTANBUL: Authorities in Turkey’s biggest city, Istanbul, have arrested a man considered a suspect in the investigation of the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, local media reported yesterday. The Hurriyet Daily News said court officials issued 40-day temporary custody for Samir Handal, wanted on an Interpol notice, at the request of the Turkish Justice Ministry. Handal was detained at Istanbul Airport by the airport police on Monday, as he was flying in transit from the US to Jordan. He is now in the Maltepe Prison. Moise was shot dead at his residence during a raid conducted by a group of gunmen in July.…

SEOUL: The head of South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission has apologised for a leak of private data of 181 petitioners in the Facebook breach case, South Korean media reported yesterday. The commission, which has served as a mediator between the petitioners and Facebook over the platform’s unauthorised leak of their personal data, mistakenly sent private data of all 181 petitioners to 19 of them, early this month, Yonhap said. “For the information leak committed by the agency, I deeply apologise to the victims and the public,” Yoon Jong-in, head of the commission, said.…

Paris Hilton enjoyed a third night of wedding celebrations on Saturday. The 40-year-old socialite tied the knot with Carter Reum, also 40, on Thursday and the pair have enjoyed a lavish few days of partying since exchanging their vows, capping off their nuptials with a star-studded bash at her family’s Bel Air estate over the weekend. Hilton, who donned a dress adorned with stars for the occasion, and Reum were joined on Saturday by family members and celebrity friends, among them Kim Kardashian West, Kate Beckinsale, and Nicole Richie, for dinner and dancing. The couple had married at the family home on Thursday. On Friday, the pair held a bash on Santa Monica Pier with a neon-theme and Diplo spinning the decks. Hilton and Reum sported co-ordinated bubble-gum pink looks…

Siphokazi Vuso, Baldwin Ndaba and Ntombi Nkosi AN EFF councillor in the Matzikama Municipality has landed in hot water for voting for the DA and Freedom Front Plus during a Council meeting on Monday. Xolani Tshetu, who is the party’s ward 3 councillor, confirmed he voted for members of other parties. However, he refused to answer any further questions. The Patriotic Alliance (PA), Freedom Front Plus and the EFF attended the meeting, where the parties voted for the positions of mayor, deputy mayor and Speaker, with the DA winning all three positions. Tshetu said he had been advised not to speak to the media as yet, but would be able to issue a statement tomorrow. Speaking at a press conference yesterday, EFF leader Julius Malema said: “I am told…

Owen Simons | Retreat POST-LGE2021, municipalities are set to convene their first Council sessions. In Cape Town, this is set for Thursday, November 18. We can all agree that the buzzwords before and during the elections were "accountability" and "service delivery". This is certainly true, post-elections. The media, municipal authorities, ward councillors, NGOs , political parties, community activists especially, must work towards educating communities about the role and responsibilities of the ward councillor. This is a paid position, with benefits rarely granted by many formal employers. The role of the ward councillor needs to be demystified. The legislation and the guidelines are there. Our City Fathers meant well when they wrote these policies and guidelines.They then give their ward councillors free reign to do as they like. We have…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za JUDGMENT has been reserved in the City’s appeal of an interim interdict granted by the Western Cape High Court last year, which prevents it from conducting evictions and demolitions of occupied and unoccupied structures during the National State of Disaster. The matter before the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) stems from the public eviction of a naked Bulelani Qolani from his Khayelitsha home in July 2020. The Legal Resources Centre (LRC), representing the respondents in the matter who include the SA Human Rights Commission, the Housing Assembly and Qolani together with Mfuleni residents and the EFF, said: “Our clients opposed the application. Their position has mainly been that the interdict was appropriately granted by the Western Cape High Court as the facts and circumstances warranted the application.”…

All brinkmanship and self-interest, but nature will have the last laugh IF BRINKMANSHIP and self-interest are the best human beings can offer to effect climate action, albeit tempered with a plethora of pledges and posturing, then Mother Nature always has the last laugh. What hubris, what arrogance, what insanity, she must be pondering! Whether humanity is so perverse in thinking that it has a greater capacity to endure disasters through technology devoid of its behaviour and consumption than to prevent them, as some diehards on the loony fringe of climate deniers already do, the reality is that the Glasgow Climate Pact “agreed” on Saturday is yet another example of human attrition. That negotiations spilt over from the official end of COP26 on Friday may have given the false impression that…

KAMPALA: A triple suicide bombing killed at least six people in the heart of Uganda’s capital yesterday, sending members of parliament and others rushing for cover as cars burst into flames in the latest in a wave of bomb attacks. The blasts in Kampala shocked a nation that is known as a bulwark against violent Islamist militants in East Africa, and whose leader has spent years cultivating Western security support. At least 33 people were being treated in hospital, including five who were in critical condition, police spokesperson Fred Enanga said. The death toll including the three bombers was six, Enanga said. A diplomat said two police officials were among the victims. Enanga confirmed the death toll included police but declined to give further details. There was no immediate claim…

PYONGYANG: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a new city being built near the border with China and a sacred mountain revered by his family, state media reported yesterday, in his first public appearance in more than a month. The northern alpine town of Samjiyon is being transformed into a massive economic hub, called a “socialist utopia” by officials, equipped with new apartments, hotels, a ski resort and commercial, cultural and medical facilities. The city is near Mount Paektu, the holy mountain where Kim’s family claims its roots.…

Sri Lanka has temporarily shut its only oil refinery as part of efforts to manage dwindling foreign exchange reserves, the energy minister said yesterday, triggering long queues at petrol stations. The 51-year old Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery, which has a capacity of 50 000 barrels a day, was closed on Monday, the minister, Udaya Gammanpila, said at the weekly Cabinet briefing. “The refinery will be closed for about 50 days. Sri Lanka has very limited foreign exchange reserves at the moment and we need it more for essentials like food and medicine,” he said. “The long lines at fuel stations will stop in a couple of days when the public realises there is no need to panic.” Gammanpila said fuel imports would resume once the government was able to raise sufficient…

Riyadh: Saudi authorities this week released Abdullah al-Zaher, a citizen from the Shia minority whose death sentence was commuted to a jail term, after years in prison for participating in anti-government protests, human rights groups said. He was arrested as a minor in 2012 on terrorism-related charges after he took part in the demonstrations during the Arab Spring uprisings. “Abdullah al-Zaher was released yesterday following the expiry of his sentence,” ALQST for Human Rights said on Twitter on Monday. Amnesty International has welcomed Zaher’s release, calling also for that of Dawood al-Marhoon, who was arrested in 2012. |…

Liam Karabo Joyce liam.joyce@inl.co.za Media personality Somizi Mhlongo has revealed that he is pansexual. The star, who has identified himself as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, made the revelation on The Braai Show with Cassper Nyovest. Mhlongo was a guest on the show where the duo, who are good friends, prepared a meal together and chatted about life. Nyovest and Mhlongo discussed the effects of the lockdown on their careers, the early days of Mhlongo’s career and fatherhood. Their conversation turned to the public’s interest in his sexuality. The former Idols SA judge told Nyovest that he was tired of the public’s curiosity. When Nyovest asked Mhlongo how he, as a gay man, had fathered a child, Mhlongo said he was not gay. “Even the baby mama knows that…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za THE government’s handling of the July unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng that led to a R32.8 billion fiscal relief package and poor economic growth came in for criticism from opposition parties yesterday. This happened when the National Assembly passed the Second Special Appropriation Bill for businesses affected by the July unrest and the continuation of the R350 Covid-19 special grant until March 2022. Tabling the report of the appropriation committee, chairperson Sfiso Buthelezi said the bill came in the wake of an announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa to help businesses that were hard hit by the unrest. Buthelezi said the bill was a clear demonstration that the ANC-led government would never forsake South Africans experiencing hardship. In his report to the National Assembly, the funding was listed…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za IN JUST six months about 200 000 learners dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, Covid-19 anxiety and weak foundations, among other reasons. This emerged when Basic Education Deputy Minister Reginah Mhaule briefed the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on school drop-out management and prevention plans yesterday. She also told MPs that every year about 120 000 pupils fell pregnant, and only a third returned to school. Mhaule said between November last year and April 2021 there was a decline in school attendance of about 200 000. “The number is 200 000 who did not return to school, not 500 000. I had to check my records here. “Despite risk factors like teenage pregnancy, females are less likely to drop out of school than…

Pohl de Villiers | Hermanus MAY I compliment and thank the editor of the Cape Times for publishing the very cynical and thought-provoking article by the ambassador of the Russian Federation Ilya Rogachev (Alternative Viewpoint, Thursday, November 4)? As none of your regular contributors has commented on the sardonic and nefarious exposure of Russia as the “ultimate scarecrow” in the West, perhaps your publishing my contribution (even considering republishing the entire article), could prompt more discussion? We are exposed, on a daily basis, to the Western media’s constant criticism of all that is bad in Russia. Indoctrination is unfortunately part of life so, perhaps, this article provides the necessary perspective? With all recent attention focused on the Glasgow Conference and our own elections, the Russian ambassador’s contribution might sadly…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za A MAN who confessed to stealing just over R1 000 worth of sirloin steaks from Food Lovers Market in Pinehurst, Kraaifontein, has received a different sentence after the high court found the magistrate’s approach “problematic”. The man was sentenced in the Kuilsriver Magistrate’s Court in July this year to a fine of R4 000, or four months’ imprisonment suspended for four months on condition that he was not found guilty of theft, attempted theft, fraud or robbery again. The high court ordered that the sentence be corrected to be suspended for a period of five years, and that the conditions only include theft or attempted theft, and to not acquire or be in possession of stolen goods. Following discrepancies over the period of suspension, the high court…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za THE City has been dealt a blow by the South African Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC) which dismissed its bid to avoid salary increases for workers. It was further instructed to pay the salaries and wage increases backdated to July 2021. The application was heard on November 5 and the arbitrator made the award on Monday. City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said the City was studying the panel’s outcome. The municipality approached the SALGBC and applied to be exempted from the recently concluded salary and wage collective agreement, denying workers their salary increases as per the collective agreement. It wanted to be excluded from paying workers a 3.5% salary increase which has been effective from July 1, 2021, and valid for three years. The City argued that salary…

IN his last days, Mr FW de Klerk appears to have been poorly advised by those around him. His statement has disturbed the psyche of our nation. Instead of bringing closure, it has unleashed memories that are difficult to process. It required a monumental effort from many to stop apartheid. And it still requires a monumental effort to undo the damage. When the news came of his death, the feelings were muted and there was a sense of a customary respect for the dead. He had died taking apartheid’s secrets with him. I expected there to be muted politeness with outbursts of anger here and there. Mandla Mandela set the tone when he sent his sympathies to the family and tried his best to give emphasis to Madiba’s positive statements…

Polish security forces turned water cannon on migrants who threw rocks from across the Belarusian border, where thousands have gathered in chaotic attempts to reach the EU, video footage shared by authorities showed yesterday. The crisis has led the EU to prepare further sanctions against Belarus, which it accuses of attempting to destabilise the bloc by pushing migrants across the border illegally. Footage shared by a Polish government spokesperson and the Ministry of Defence showed a further escalation of the crisis at the border, where migrants have assembled in growing numbers on the Belarusian side in the last week. “Attention, attention, if you don’t follow orders, force will be used against you,” said a loudspeaker message directed at migrants throwing objects, according to the footage. Migrants were also shown throwing…

Monaco: Princess Charlene of Monaco, the wife of Prince Albert II, will miss the principality’s national holiday this week due to severe fatigue, the palace said yesterday, in a statement fuelling new concern over her health. Charlene, 43, only returned to Monaco last week after several months away in her native South Africa where she underwent surgery during a prolonged absence that sparked renewed speculation about the couple’s marriage. The statement from the palace said that “in order to protect the comfort and privacy essential to her recovery, the Princess’ location will remain strictly confidential”. “Due to this situation, the Princely Couple regrets to announce that Princess Charlene will be unable to attend this year’s National Day celebrations,” it added. The statement said that the couple had decided a “period…

Nairobi: The husband of Kenyan distance running star Agnes Tirop was on Tuesday charged with her murder, a day after he was found fit to stand trial. Ibrahim Rotich, commonly known as Emmanuel, denied the charges when he appeared before the high court in the Rift Valley town of Eldoret. Tirop’s body was found with stab wounds at her home in the nearby town of Iten, a high-altitude training hub for top runners in western Kenya, on October 13. According to the charge sheet, Rotich is alleged to have killed the 25-year-old the day before her body was found. The court will rule on December 1 on a bid to release Rotich on bail.…

Sydney: A family of four stranded for four days in the harsh Australian outback was airlifted to safety yesterday, police said, after floods stalled initial rescue efforts. The family – identified as Perth couple Ori and Lindsey Zavros and their two young children – was travelling through the Simpson Desert in central Australia when their campervan got stuck after torrential rain. They activated an emergency beacon, alerting the Australian Maritime Safety Authority to their location on Friday. After waiting for days in the desert, police confirmed the family had been winched to safety by a helicopter.…