Índice para 2022-10-11 em Cape Times

THE CRIPPLING strike by tens of thousands of Transnet employees could deteriorate into a full-blown industrial action as the employer and workers are still far apart in their salary negotiations. The strike entered the fifth day today after a second workers union joined the picket lines in demand for higher wages for its members. This comes as the industry has warned that the strike could worsen Transnet’s financial position and plunge the economy into paralysis after the State-owned freight and rail operator last week declared a force majeure for the second time this year. The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) yesterday said a full-blown strike at Transnet seemed unavoidable. Seifsa chief executive Lucio Trentini said such a move would have a serious effect on the economy…

Former president Jacob Zuma has made a veiled threat of more possible private prosecutions against the country’s top brass which could include National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi or even Justice Minister Ronald Lamola. Addressing supporters who had gathered outside the Pieter- maritzburg High Court before his private prosecution case against State advocate Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan, Zuma said the case was unprecedented and could be a foretaste of things to come. In an earlier interview, Jacob Zuma Foundation spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi indicated that the criminal prosecution brought by the former president had been prompted by the non-action from the government. “President Zuma reported the matter to President Cyril Ramaphosa and nothing was done; he went to Justice Minister Ronald Lamola, again nothing was done, and then…

SA National Parks (SANParks) has urged tourists to use alternative entrance gates into the Kruger National Park after the killing of a German visitor to the country. Tragedy struck the tourism sector after a 67-year-old German tourist was shot dead last Monday in what is believed to have been a botched hijacking. He and three other German tourists were travelling on the Numbi Road en route to the Kruger National Park’s Numbi Gate when they were attacked. Three suspects were taken in for questioning by police after the incident but were subsequently released. SANParks urged tourists to consider using other entrance gates into the Kruger after the attack. SANParks acting CEO Hapiloe Sello said the organisation was deeply saddened by the recent spate of attacks on visitors en route to…

Suspended Pretoria Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair briefly appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court yesterday on charges of corruption. The charge sheet alleges that in September 2016, Nair, being a judicial officer at the time, accepted an offer from African Global Operations/Global Technology Systems (formerly known as Bosasa) to have an electric fence, an alarm system, perimeter beams and a CCTV system installed at his home. It is alleged that he was granted the upgrades for his influence to act in a dishonest or improper manner. The matter was postponed to December 7 for the defence to make representations. Nair is out on warning, the Investigating Directorate’s spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka has said. Nair, who was suspended as a magistrate in 2020, earlier denied benefiting from Bosasa-sponsored security upgrades to his…

In PROMOTING the critical importance of mental health, “Friendship Benches” – one for each nation competing in the World Cup Qatar 2022 – are being built for installation at prominent Doha locations, including in the precincts of tournament stadiums. The project is part of the Sport for Health partnership, led by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health. Its goal is to demonstrate the importance of mental health and offer advice on ways to promote mental well-being, including through the importance of physical activity and sport. The initiative is supported by Fifa, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, WISH, the Friendship Benches NGO and the WHO Universal Health Coverage Partnership. In conjunction with World Mental Health Month this October, a selection of the first benches…

THE actions of an alleged drunk driver have dashed the dreams of a matric pupil who wanted to join the navy, before her life was suddenly ripped away. The distraught family of matric learner Taytim-Lee Hendricks, 18, who was killed in an alleged drunk-driving incident in Bonteheuwel on Sunday, are struggling to come to terms with her tragic death. Hendricks’ mother, Michelle Adams, told how her daughter was on her way to visit her on Sunday when she was knocked down by a suspected drunk driver. “She was on her way to me from Mitchells Plain. She was staying with my mother as she was a learner at Spine Road High and was making her way to me in Bonteheuwel. We are really struggling. I just feel that this…

HOMELESS organisations are calling for better ways to improve the lives of those living on the streets as part of World Homeless Day. The day was observed yesterday to raise awareness on the issues of homelessness and inadequate housing. Ladles of Love founder and chief executive, Danny Diliberto, said homelessness was not going away and there should be better ways to tackle it. “We should reflect on the fact that not only is homelessness not going away, but that it is becoming worse with what is going on around the world. Homelessness does not only happen in our city but is a global issue, and we as a community need to accept that homelessness is not going anywhere and that throwing anger and hate towards it is not going to…

National plans by the government and civil society to combat gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) must not ignore the vulnerable and marginalised groups on the periphery, including LGBTQI, sex workers, the disabled and the youth. The issue of GBVF against women in South Africa continues to be at the centre of advocacy efforts to fight for a gender-just and violence-free society, in a seemingly unending war against women and vulnerable genders and identities. This includes LGBTQI, persons living with disabilities, sex workers and young people, as was highlighted in a recent webinar attended by government and youth activists from the NGO, ACTIVATE! Change Drivers, which has a youth network of 4 500 active in their communities promoting active citizenry. The Gender-Based Violence and Femicide National Strategic Plan (GBVF-NSP) was created…

Russia pounded cities across Ukraine during rush hour yesterday morning, killing civilians and knocking out power and heat, in apparent revenge strikes after President Vladimir Putin declared a blast on Russia’s bridge to Crimea a terrorist attack. Cruise missiles tore into busy intersections, parks and tourist sites in the centre of Kyiv with an intensity unseen even when Russian forces attempted to capture the capital early in the war. Explosions were also reported in Lviv, Ternopil and Zhytomyr in Ukraine’s west, Dnipro and Kremenchuk in central Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia in the south and Kharkiv in the east. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the rush hour attacks appeared to have been deliberately timed to kill people and to knock out electricity. His prime minister said 11 major infrastructure targets were hit in…

Protesters in Iran remained defiant in the fourth week of a movement against the Islamic republic despite a crackdown, including the use of tear gas in Tehran and reports yesterday of heavy weaponry used in the Kurdish-populated north-west. Videos posted on social media showed protests flared in the capital and other cities nationwide over the last days, with women seen burning headscarves and shouting slogans against the Islamic system. Meanwhile, the Kurdish rights group Hengaw accused authorities of using heavy weaponry, including “shelling” on neighbourhoods and “machine gun fire”, in the northwestern city of Sanandaj – claims which could not be independently confirmed. The unrest erupted over the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, an Iranian woman of Kurdish origin who died in hospital following her arrest by the notorious Tehran…

London: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has tested positive for Covid-19, his wife said yesterday, as she battles his extradition to the US. “Julian was feeling unwell last week but started feeling sick on Friday,” Stella Assange said. “He started coughing and had a fever. He was given some paracetamol. He tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday.” Thousands of people formed a human chain around the UK parliament in London on Saturday to demand Assange’s release from London’s Belmarsh prison. The Australian national, now 51, has been held at the high-security jail since 2019, after serving time for skipping bail in a previous case. As the pandemic took hold in early 2020, he unsuccessfully applied to be released on bail because of the risk of contracting Covid in prison. His lawyers…

Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker was left unhappy with his team’s defending after they were beaten 3-1 by a resurgent Kaizer Chiefs at Cape Town Stadium on Sunday. What was particularly interesting about the game is that Chiefs scored all three of their goals from the penalty spot. Moreover, Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana scored all three of Chiefs’ spot-kicks. In doing so, he effectively scored a hat-trick of penalties, something that very rarely happens in football. “I don’t think we were at our best defensively today. At the start of the game, there were a couple of big chances for them. They dominated the first 15-20 minutes, but then the game settled a bit leading into halftime. We pressed them in their final third and we were able to get the lead,”…

SIRIUS Real Estate, the JSE-listed operator of business parks, which is doing a three-day investor roadshow in South Africa, has secured gas supply for its German customers at fixed-rate agreements that will not expire until December, 2023, chief executive Andrew Coombs said yesterday. The JSE-listed real estate investment trust, which has 140 assets mainly in Germany, but also in the UK, and which has 9 532 tenants, is on a three-day road show in South Africa to see investors, and one of the issues addressed was the energy crisis in Germany. Coombs said yesterday in a trading update for the six months to September 30 that the Bundesnetzagentur, the German Federal Agency responsible for gas-supply co-ordination in Germany confirmed on September 30 that events at the Nord Stream 1…

SERIOUS questions are being asked about the future of PetroSA, the loss-making Central Energy Fund’s (CEF) biggest subsidiary that has as its main task the operation of the Mossel Bay gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant, which has been shut for two years. The Mossel Bay GTL plant was put on “care and maintenance” in November 2020, after the offshore gas reserves were depleted. PetroSA also manages a 3% stake in an oilfield offshore of Ghana, and has begun importing petrol and diesel, as the other major oil industry group have done, following the closure of most of SA’s refinery capacity, though Astron has indicated its refinery in Milnerton may open by the end of the year. PetroSA acting chief executive Sandisiwe Ncemane said yesterday in a News 24 report that the volume…

WHILE the devastating Covid-19 pandemic increased the number of child-headed households after leaving hundreds of thousands of children orphaned or without a primary caregiver, only 16 486 people have applied for the Child Support Grant Top-Up. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) SA revealed last month that deaths associated with Covid-19 left nearly 150 000 children orphaned and the number rose to 207 400 when including children who have lost their primary or secondary caregiver. Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu has now urged all relatives or siblings caring for orphaned children to come forward and apply for the top-up grant at their nearest South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) offices, saying the numbers to date were low. According to Zulu, the top-up grant was not a new grant,…

from page 1 for a maximum agreed price of R50 000. Nair was previously also appointed as an acting judge in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola meanwhile said he was aware of Nair’s appearance in court. “These are criminal charges to be decided by a court of law.” In addition to the criminal charges, misconduct proceedings, as provided for in the Magistrates Act and the Code of Judicial Conduct for Magistrates, have been instituted against Nair. Lamola, on advice of the Magistrates Commission, provisionally suspended Nair in 2020. A report was then submitted to Parliament to pass a resolution on whether or not the provisional suspension can be confirmed. “Parliament confirmed the suspension and the misconduct proceedings instituted by the Magistrates…

A JOBURG father has conceded that his 21-year-old son was responsible for the rape and murders of six women believed to be sex workers discovered in a shocking state at a warehouse. The man has been linked to the disappearance of at least seven women, six of whom were found dead at his family's panel beating factory in Selby, Johannesburg. The premises are owned by the suspect’s father, who yesterday told the SABC that the caretaker had made the gruesome discovery after a foul smell. “We then investigated it before police came and discovered that it was him (the suspect). We tried getting hold of him. He came because he did not know that we had already discovered that kind of stuff. We went to check the CCTV and…

ALMOST 1 million people are displaced in northern Mozambique after fleeing their homes to escape the conflict that started in Cabo Delgado province in October 2017. Many people have been displaced multiple times, needing to abandon their few possessions, means of survival, loved ones and communities during each displacement. Living through such a prolonged conflict, with little to no prospect of a stable future, comes with profound mental health consequences. Five years on, some communities in Cabo Delgado are still living in constant fear and continue to experience trauma and loss. Many have witnessed murder; others have lost contact with their relatives and still don’t know where they are. “We’re separated from our family and the rest of our people,” said a community leader from Mocímboa da Praia, in northern…

AS MANY schools will reopen today to start the fourth academic term, Raithby Primary School in Stellenbosch will be facing the devastating loss of their principal, Eugene Peter van Graan. Van Graan, 54, was killed along with his wife Elma, 52, their daughter Euodia, 23, and her boyfriend Ronwan Adams, 23, in an accident on the R44 near Stellenbosch at about 10pm on Saturday. Their car is suspected to have slid after a turn, crashing into a sand embankment before rolling and landing in a canal. Stellenbosch police are investigating a case of culpable homicide. Messages of condolence have been pouring in for the family since Sunday, and on Monday the Raithby Primary School confirmed the news to their community. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing…

The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has amended the fees for South African passports and travel documents which will cost much more now. The department said the amended fees were published in Government Gazette No 47256 on October 6, and come into operation on November 1. The South African Passports and Travel Documents Act, 1994 enables the Minister of Home Affairs to make regulations regarding the fees payable for the issuance of a South African Passport or Travel Document, in consultation with the Minister of Finance, it said. The fee changes to passport and travel documents come after a bench-marking exercise with other countries which found that South African tariffs were up to three times lower, it said. “The decision was also informed by the fact that production…

Decline in investment could have catastrophic socio-economic effects Most South Africans await two critical announcements on October 26 amid high inflation and rising interest rates. First is Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s tabling of the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement in Parliament and whether it will be bold enough to address the urgent needs of children in need of early childhood development (ECD) services. Second is the release of the Crop Estimates Committee’s intentions-to-plant data, in which we expect farmers to increase their plantings of summer crops. This will be in line with increased plantings of winter crops, notably wheat, barley and canola, for the 2022/23 season to take advantage of good rainfall and higher prices. The looming concern is that there is a depressed mood in the ECD sector as…

Britain yesterday ramped up efforts to calm markets after a heavily criticised budget, with the government bringing forward key economic forecasts and the Bank of England boosting liquidity. Finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng will bring forward debt-slashing plans and key predictions after markets chaos sparked by his debt-fuelled budget at the end of September. Kwarteng revealed he would publish his medium-term fiscal plan alongside the forecasts on October 31 rather than late November. The news marked another U-turn for the chancellor of the exchequer who had resisted pressure to move the date from November 23. And it comes after he was forced to abandon a tax cut for the richest earners, in the face of outrage amid a cost-of-living crisis. Markets have been spooked by the budget from the government of…

China called for “patience” with its tough Covid-19 policies and warned against any “war-weariness” as local cases soared to their highest since August, days ahead of a pivotal Communist Party congress. Many countries are learning to co-exist with Covid-19, but China has repeatedly quashed any speculation of a let-up in its counter-epidemic policies, which can range from locking down a local community to sealing an entire city, even though fatalities remain low by global standards and symptoms, if any, are mostly mild. Pressure on officials to stop outbreaks as soon as they spring up has risen in recent weeks as the highly transmissible Omicron sub-variants BF.7 and BA.5.1.7 appeared in mainland China for the first time, ensnaring travellers during a just-ended week-long national holiday. Across China, 1 939 locally…

Brighton midfielder Enock Mwepu has been forced to retire at the age of just 24 after he was diagnosed with a hereditary heart condition, the Premier League club announced on Monday. The condition, which can worsen over time, would put him at "extremely high risk of suffering a potentially fatal cardiac event if he were to continue playing competitive football", the club said. Mwepu was unwell during a flight to join up with Zambia during the international break last month, and after a period in hospital in Mali, he returned to Brighton to undergo further cardiac examinations. "These tests have concluded that his illness is due to a hereditary cardiac condition, which manifests later in life and was not previously evident on regular cardiac screening," the club said in a…

Only three companies out of 20 have published objectives for employee mental health management, a study by British charity investment manager CCLA has revealed, this despite “clear evidence” that such targets can save money. CCLA’s new investor benchmark, which assessed 100 of the world's largest listed firms, showed a disconnect between their recognition of workers' mental health as an important business issue and formalised public commitments and disclosure. “There may be no shortage of mental health initiatives in the international workplace, but when it comes to integrating mental health into formal management systems and processes, most global companies have much further to go,” Amy Browne, stewardship lead at CCLA, said in a statement. “There is clear evidence to show that improving the mental health of an organisation saves money and…

Civil society organisations and Cosatu have slammed a move by the government to give more benefits to ministers and deputy ministers regarding their bills for electricity and water. The previous Ministerial Handbook of rules for ministers and deputy ministers stated that the amount of taxpayers’ money that went to pay for water and electricity at official ministerial residences was capped at R5 000 per month per house. But the latest version of the Ministerial Handbook, published on April 13, 2022, shows the cap on the amount has been removed. DA spokesperson on public service and administration, Dr Leon Schreiber, said in the new Ministerial Handbook, President Cyril Ramaphosa had scrapped the provision that previously capped the amount of money that taxpayers would pay. “Each of Ramaphosa’s 28 ministers and 35…

From page 1 lucky to make it out alive after a brief encounter with the suspect. Speaking to the Cape Times sister newspaper, The Star, 20-year-old Regina Ndlovu (not her real name) said on hearing that six women had been found dead in Selby, which is just a stone’s throw from where she last saw the suspect almost three months ago, she realised she could have died the same way. “When I heard that six women were discovered here, I just knew that this is the same man who almost raped me about three months ago. I just thank God I managed to escape unhurt on that day,” Ndlovu said. Ndlovu said the suspect offered her R450 for her services, and she agreed, thinking it was a good deal. “I…

As World Mental Health Day was observed yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said more awareness, survivor-centred services, research and policies were needed to transform mental health care systems to properly support survivors of intimate partner violence. The WHO said preventing intimate partner violence improved mental health. “Intimate partner violence is the most common form of violence against women, affecting around 641 million women and girls globally. “It profoundly impacts their mental health, increasing risks of depression, anxiety and other mental health problems. Unfortunately, the critical and often destructive links between violence and mental health have long been neglected.” Data from the WHO and the joint UN special research programme, HRP, and the UN Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence Against Women Estimation and Data showed that violence against women…

200g organic spinach or Swiss chard, coarsely shredded 1 onion, thinly sliced 2 tbs olive oil, plus extra for frying and drizzling 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped 250g portabellini mushrooms, thinly sliced Freshly ground black pepper, to taste Sea salt, to taste 3 extra-large eggs, beaten 50g Parmesan, finely grated 125ml home-made whole-wheat breadcrumbs Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Place the spinach in a large bowl. Cover the spinach with boiling water and leave to wilt. Drain well and, when cool enough to handle, squeeze out the excess moisture. In a saucepan, gently soften the onion in the olive oil, until pale golden. Stir in the garlic and mushrooms then add a little more oil. Cook until the mushrooms are just tender. Stir in the spinach and season to taste.…

FORMER president Nelson Mandela once said: “A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.” This particular quote resonated with me as the world marked World Homeless Day yesterday. It is true that homelessness is a worldwide phenomenon and that some of the biggest economies are also battling to deal with it. Due to increasing unemployment, poverty, the breakdown of family structures, crime and many other social ills, our major centres such as Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town are experiencing a dramatic rise in the number of homeless people. A quick glance at rural communities, where family units are supposed to be very entrenched, would also show the same upward trajectory when it comes to homelessness. It is therefore clear that as…

Heatwaves will become so extreme in certain regions of the world within decades that human life there will be unsustainable, the UN and the Red Cross warned yesterday. Heatwaves are predicted to “exceed human physiological and social limits” in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and south and southwest Asia, with extreme events triggering “large-scale suffering and loss of life”, they said. Heatwave catastrophes this year in Somalia and Pakistan foreshadow a future with deadlier, more frequent, and more intense heat-related humanitarian emergencies, they warned. The report was released in advance of next month’s UN’s COP27 climate change summit in Egypt. They said aggressive steps needed to be taken immediately to avert potentially recurrent heat disasters. “On current trajectories, heatwaves’ impact would be large-scale suffering and loss of life. Projected…

Berlin: German sportswear giant Adidas has put its partnership with Kanye West under review after the US rap star triggered a furore by wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt at Paris Fashion Week. “We’ve decided to place the partnership under review,” Adidas said. The artist, now known as Ye, had been widely criticised over the T-shirt, which was also shown as part of his collection in Paris. Asked why he wore the T-shirt, he told Fox News: “I … just channel the energy, it just feels right.” West also criticised Adidas recently on Instagram, accusing the company of bringing back older styles without his approval. | AFP…

There was an abiding moment from the Lions’ shock win over Edinburgh that sums up both the health of South African rugby, and also the resilience of a Johannesburg-based team that is punching above its weight despite having zero big-name players. Actually, maybe that is what is so good about the Lions at the moment — they are the journeymen of SA rugby, the everyman team that is drawing strength from being perpetually written off. But back to that moment ... Or rather moments because it was a series of body blows from an unknown youngster called Ruan Venter that removed British & Irish Lions flank Hamish Watson from the field in Edinburgh. Ruan who? Precisely! He is a 19-year-old product of Paarl Boys High and is making his way…

AmaZulu’s appointment of Romain Folz as their new coach epitomises a major problem that exists in South African football. Many clubs are willing to entrust unknown European coaches ahead of aspiring young coaches and even international coaches from outside Europe. There is no problem with clubs hiring international coaches. Having an international presence allows for more ideas to come into SA football and it also makes the league more interesting. However, it is noticeable that there has always been a big presence of fairly little known European coaches in the Premiership with a much smaller presence from other African nations and continents. The 32-year-old Folz may have good managerial ideas, but does not yet have a good record. His recent stint with Marumo Gallants was only the second ful-…