Índice para 2022-07-04 em Cape Times

JUNE 2022 new vehicle sales were “inspiring” considering the ever-increasing challenges in market conditions, but further strong sales in the next few months looks less promising. National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) data released Friday showed June domestic new vehicle sales increasing 7.6 percent to 41 019 units from 38 131 vehicles sold in June 2021. Export sales also increased 18 percent, to 33 054 units compared to 28 010 vehicles exported in June 2021. “As consumers start to feel the pinch of rising food and fuel prices, with higher interest rates on their cost of living, the spill-over effect of reduced disposable income will result in lower demand for non-essentials.” Stage 6 load shedding would also cost the economy dearly…

A WESBANK mother has been left devastated after losing her three children in a fire that engulfed their home on Saturday morning. Lentonita Mckwena, who lost her children Leana, 9, Luciano, 4 and the youngest Bruce, just days away from his first birthday, said they tried but could not save her children. “We tried to save everybody but we couldn’t. My life will never be the same, my life will never be the same without my babies. Bruce was going to turn one year old on Friday; it was going to be his birthday. “I can’t tell you how I feel. I am trying to cope but I can’t,” said the emotional mother. City Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said they were alerted at 2.15am that there was…

WITH an enthusiastic 35 000 strong crowd to guide him home, S’manga Khumalo wrapped up a second Hollywoodbets Durban July title when he rode Sparkling Water to victory at Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse on Saturday. The Mike de Kock trained filly showed power and speed down the final straight to win the 2 200 metre showdown in fine style in front of fans for the first time since 2019. It was a second Hollywoodbets Durban July title for Khumalo who won back in 2013 aboard Heavy Metal while De Kock saddled his fifth winner of the prestigious title. The R5 million race saw Sparkling Water finish ahead of Jet Dark in second while the pre-race favourite Safe Passage ended in third. The highlight of the vibrant fashion programme was the Hollywoodbets…

THE DELFT community are reeling after another police officer was shot and killed in the area while sitting in his vehicle. The incident comes just days after policewoman, Shamiela Arendse, was shot and killed outside her home in the same community and weeks after railway police officer, Siyakubonga Mphakathi from Mfuleni, was gunned down in Philippi while driving his vehicle. Delft CPF chairperson Charles George has called on the police minister to bring the perpetrators to book. “The Delft CPF would like to express our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of (the officer). “We are shocked that another police officer is gunned down in Delft within a space of 10 days. We ask the minister of police to assist our local police station and make all necessary…

Infringing on rights domestically undermines its claims of being beacon of democracy THE US’s democracy is based on its constitution that was drafted in 1776 in an era when black people were deemed as 3/5 of a person, and women had no recognition under it. Many amendments to the constitution have been made to try to repair and address issues that the founders had omitted, including race and gender. Some of the US constitution’s principles include liberty, self-determination, and the right to privacy. The US became a global superpower due to its military power during World War II. The establishment of the Bretton Woods institutions further established the US as a global power. The US has deemed itself as a global champion, saviour and protector of democracy. It has pledged…

Pope Francis has said he was “greatly disappointed” he could not make a planned visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan at the weekend. The 85-year-old pontiff is suffering with chronic arthritis in his knee, and has cancelled a string of events. ‘The Lord knows how greatly disappointed I am to have had to postpone this long-awaited and much-desired visit,’ the pope said in a video message released by the Vatican on Saturday. The Vatican had postponed the pope’s trip to South Sudan and the DRC on June 10 “at the request of his doctors”. In his video message, the pope offered a “heartfelt blessing” to the two countries he was set to visit. “Dear Congolese and South Sudanese friends, at this time words are insufficient…

Luanda: Angola’s ailing former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, 79, is in a “critical and delicate” condition after suffering a cardiac arrest last week, his family said. In their first statement since news broke a week ago about, the family revealed at the weekend that he had suffered a “cardiorespiratory arrest” on June 23. He was taken to a Barcelona hospital where he is in the intensive care unit. “His clinical condition is critical and delicate,” said the family. Dos Santos was president for 38 years, until he stepped down in September 2017. |…

Abuja: Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari welcomed the successful berthing of the first ship at the Lekki Deep Seaport, the country’s first deep seaport under construction in the economic hub of Lagos. The vessel, Zhen Hua 28 from Hong Kong berthed at the weekend, delivering three ship-to-shore cranes and 10 rubber-tyred gantry cranes that will help in the evacuation of cargoes from vessels to the shore, Buhari said in a statement. Buhari congratulated the maritime sector on the feat, saying that his approval of four new seaports, including the Lekki Deep Seaport, was hinged on growing the economy. |…

MEMBERS of the newly-formed ANC Women’s League National Task Team (NTT) have chosen to remain mum on the exclusion of its president and former social development minister Bathabile Dlamini following the disbandment of the organisation in April. The ANC’s highest decision-making body, the national executive committee (NEC), disbanded the structure after it failed to hold an elective conference and replaced it with the NTT led by former Speaker of Parliament Baleka Mbete as convernor. A letter penned by ANC treasurer-general, Paul Mashatile, stated that the 43-member team was to ensure that all structures were in good standing, and that conferences are held at branches, regions and provinces to ensure that the ANCWL national conference is convened within a year and ensure that processes were accurate so that the standing of…

Despite Eskom plunging the country into unprecedented stages of power cuts, and costing the country’s ailing economy billions of rand, under-fire Eskom chief executive Andre de Ruyter and COO Jan Oberholzer are performing well beyond their performance agreements. This is according to Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan who further claimed that De Ruyter and other management knew what they were doing in turning generation performance around. However under their leadership Eskom has burnt diesel to the tune of R5.3 billion to keep the lights on since January. This is 27 times the amount of diesel it used in the whole 2016-2017 financial year when former executive Matshela Koko was at the helm. In a recent reply to parliamentary questions from EFF MP Omphile Maotwe, Gordhan said under De Ruyter and…

200g coconut biscuits or digestive biscuits 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 x tin caramel 4 small bananas, sliced 250ml cream 1 icing sugar 43g milk chocolate, grated Grease a 23cm loose bottomed tart tin with butter, oil or cooking spray. Place the biscuits in a resealable plastic bag and crush into fine crumbs with a rolling pin. Mix the biscuits with the melted butter until well combined. Pour the mixture into the tart tin and spread evenly over the base. Push down with the back of a spoon to smooth the surface and chill in the fridge for an hour. In a bowl, beat the caramel to loosen. Spread it out evenly onto the biscuit base using the back of a spoon or palette knife. Gently place the chopped banana…

IN WHAT many have hailed as an inspiring journey as a UCT student rising up the academic ranks to professor, now Elelwani Ramugondo has taken the leading role as a deputy vice-chancellor (DVC). Professor Ramugondo, known as a transformation expert in South Africa and abroad, commenced her tenure on July 1 as UCT’s DVC for Transformation, Student Affairs and Social Responsiveness. She was among two Leadership Lekgotla appointments that were approved by Council late last year. Ramugondo emerged as the candidate for the position, and she received more than 73% of votes from the university’s Senate and 80% from its council. Many people took to social media at the weekend to congratulate her. “This is by far one of the most inspiring and important appointments I have seen in a…

ESKOM is expecting to return Unit 2 of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station to service in two weeks’ time, despite allegedly not addressing the initial reason for the shutdown. After more than a year of uninterrupted operation the power plant in Cape Town was shut down on January 18 for a regular refuelling and maintenance outage scheduled for about 5 months. The scope of work included the replacement of the three steam generators on the unit, which was allegedly not done. It is reported that when the contractors from a French company arrived to work on the steam generators they asked questions about where the building was to house the old radioactive steam generators. Eskom allegedly overlooked safety measures, which led to delays. The power utility has since been criticised…

THIS Thursday, AU member states and the continent’s 55 separate economies will mark Africa Integration Day 2022, first proclaimed as such by the AU heads of state in 2019. After a week-long series of events to drive the African integration agenda leading up to the big day, proceedings will culminate in a traditional Boma of Africa on Friday to explore global socio- economic shifts and continental developments shaping Africa’s quest to be “a global force for good by 2063”. The 21st century was billed to be “Africa’s Century”, and the world’s hottest new frontier market with its 1.4 billion people, spearheaded by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), aspired to be “the most innovative, most inclusive and most integrative trade liberalisation scheme in world history”. The reality is that…

The New York state legislature passed new gun-control legislation and started the process of protecting abortion rights in the state constitution, in an extraordinary session that ended on Friday. Governor Kathy Hochul recalled lawmakers to Albany in response to US Supreme Court rulings last week that expanded gun rights – striking down a New York law that put sharp limits on carrying concealed weapons – and overturned Roe v Wade, eliminating a nearly 50-year right to seek abortion. The new firearms legislation restricts people from carrying handguns in public, prohibiting them in locations including schools, libraries and parks. It also bars bringing concealed firearms into private businesses, unless the business expressly agrees. Conceal-carry permit applicants must also pass firearm training courses, a requirement that was previously only in place in…

BRITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to the UK from an overseas tour straight into a new crisis after another senior Conservative was forced to quit his scandal-hit government. The embattled leader found his ruling Tories mired in more controversy about sexual impropriety shortly after he landed back in Britain after the Nato summit in Spain. In a letter to Johnson, Conservative MP Chris Pincher announced he was quitting as deputy chief whip after admitting he drank “far too much” and “embarrassed myself and other people” on Wednesday evening. Reports said he was accused of groping two men in front of others at the exclusive Carlton Club in London, prompting complaints to the Conservatives. His departure from its whips’ office – charged with enforcing party discipline and standards – marks…

Quito: Ecuador’s government has reduced fuel prices as part of a deal that ended more than two weeks of protests paralysing the country. The reduction came after some 10 000 indigenous protesters, from the Andean and Amazon regions, left the capital Quito after their leaders signed the agreement with the government on Friday to end 18 days of cost-of-living demonstrations. The government agreed to drop fuel prices by 15 cents. Five civilians and a soldier died in the protests that started on June 13, hundreds were injured on both sides, and some 150 people were arrested. |…

KYIV: The Ukrainia capital Kyiv has declared “victory in the borshch war” after the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation put Ukraine’s beetroot soup on its list of endangered cultural heritage. Needless to say, it didn’t go down well in Moscow. Several countries including Poland claim the soup as theirs, and Moscow immediately accused Kyiv of appropriation. “Borshch (beetroot soup) has no nationality! Just like bread, potatoes and cabbage,” said an outraged Moscow pensioner. “This is xenophobia,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswperson Maria Zakharova said, fearful that Chicken Kiev could soon become Chicken Kyiv. |…

INFILTRATING NGOs, trade unions and universities to spread disinformation that could lead to a social movement’s demise or stop planned marches, were among the tactics detailed in a report on the spying activities of the State Security Agency (SSA). Civil society organisations released the declassified report from the Zondo Commission into State Capture which details some of the rogue spying activities undertaken by the SSA from January 2016 to February 2017. The organisations are calling for full disclosure into the workings of these operations. The report stated: “Active monitoring of the South Africa First, Right to Know, SaveSA, Casac (Council for the Advancement of the SA Constitution) and Greenpeace was done due to the penetration ability of the group. “A team was penetrated and became ‘activist’ for these NGOs. Through…

THE ATM is expected to receive a legal opinion today on whether to challenge acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka’s decision to grant President Cyril Ramaphosa an extension to answer questions in connection with the Farmgate scandal. It emerged on Friday that Ramaphosa asked for an extension after he did not meet the June 22 deadline to answer 31 questions initially posed by now suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane. Yesterday, ATM spokesperson Sibusiso Mncwabe confirmed that they had sought legal advice. “It is us who filed a complaint with the Public Protector. We expected to be informed as a complainant when the president asked for an extension,” Mncwabe said. ATM leader Vuyo Zungula lodged a complaint with the Public Protector asking Mkhwebane to institute an investigation into possible breach of the…

The South African Men’s and Women’s table tennis teams walked away triumphant at the prestigious Southern African Regional Table Tennis Championships recently. The national teams competed at the Brixton Multipurpose Sports Centre, in Johannesburg, and already have their eyes set on competing at the World Table Tennis Championships next year. The winning men’s team of Theo Cogill, Shaun Jones, Chetan Nathoo and Kershwin Steyn, coached by Simon Gologolo, beat a determined Angolan team of Domingos Manuel, Edvane Neto, Hermenegildo Sebastiao and Antonio Lemos, coached by Manuel Pimenta, 3-0, in what proved to be an exciting final. In a mirror of the men’s final, the Women’s Team final also featured South Africa and Angola, with the same scoreline. The scores, however, did not represent the drama that unfolded where SA players…

A JOINT parliamentary committee found that the minimum wage was not paid on some farms during an oversight visit in North West on Saturday. The portfolio committee on agriculture, land reform and rural development and the employment and labour committee jointly visited farms in Matlosana Municipality to assess the living and working conditions of farmworkers, farm dwellers and labour tenants. They found Bona Bona Game Farm was allegedly non-compliant with some legislation. “The areas of non-compliance included the non-payment of the standard minimum wage, and they (workers) were not compensated at the correct rate for overtime worked on a Saturday or Sunday,” the joint committee said. The farm was also not compliant with payment towards the UIF. The farm was given 14 days to rectify the areas of…

THE recent recognition of Muslim marriages by the Constitutional Court marks a new chapter for millions of women whose rights were for the longest time not protected based on their religion. That it has taken more than 20 years under the country’s democracy to correct these defects in our Constitution is something that all caring South Africans should be concerned about. Last week the Constitutional Court confirmed that the Marriage and Divorces acts were inconsistent with a number of sections of the Constitution, insofar as they failed to recognise Muslim marriages. The court ruled that the acts failed to recognise marriages solemnised in accordance with sharia (law) that have not been registered as civil marriages, as valid marriages for all purposes in South Africa, and to regulate the consequences…

A handful of postage-stamp nations in the South Pacific have launched an uphill battle against the deep-sea mining of unattached, fist-sized rocks rich in rare earth metals. The stakes are potentially enormous. Companies keen to scrape the ocean floor 5 000‑6 000m below sea level stand to earn billions harvesting manganese, cobalt, copper and nickel used to build batteries for electric vehicles. But the extraction process would disfigure what may be the most pristine ecosystem on the planet and could take millennia, if not longer, for nature to repair. The deep-sea jewels in question, called polymetallic nodules, grow with the help of microbes over millions of years around a kernel of organic matter, such as a shark’s tooth or the ear-bone of a whale. “They are living rocks, not just…

Washington: Airlines cancelled several hundred US flights on Saturday at the start of a long and almost certainly messy holiday travel weekend as carriers struggled to staff their planes. With Americans gearing up for Independence Day celebrations today, some 600 flights within, into or out of the US had been cancelled and more than 2 500 were delayed, according to flight tracking service flightaware.com. The numbers on Friday were awful as well, with 587 US flights scrapped among a global total of 3 060 cancellations, the site said. For days, amid a surge in travel as summer rolls in and people sick of cooped-up pandemic life look to go places again, horror stories have abounded as travellers got stranded at airports, enduring odysseys to get where they are going. And…

Sydney: Thousands of Australians were ordered to evacuate their homes in Sydney yesterday as torrential rain battered the country’s largest city and floodwaters inundated its outskirts. Roads across the city were cut off and authorities said at least 18 evacuation orders were in place in western Sydney, an area that was inundated with severe flooding in March. “This is a life-threatening emergency situation,” Stephanie Cooke, emergency services minister for New South Wales, said. Australia has been at the sharp end of climate change, with weather events becoming more common. |…

Kabul: Thousands of Afghan clerics pledged loyalty to the Taliban on Saturday, but ended a three-day meeting without recommendations on how the hardline Islamist group should govern the crisis-hit country. Media were barred from the event, although speeches were broadcast on state radio. The Taliban presented the gathering as an opportunity for clerics to independently say how they wanted the country to be governed, but the meeting’s final declaration was mostly a regurgitation of their own doctrine. It called for allegiance to Akhundzada, loyalty to the Taliban, and the complete acceptance of sharia law as the basic principle of rule. |…