Cape Times 2023-08-25

Cape Town’s own, academic, author and poet, Athol Williams, has received the Mayor's Medal for Extraordinary Bravery. Williams was honoured for his whistleblowing about US-based consultancy Bain&Co that formed a central plank of the Zondo Commission’s investigations, which found Bain’s involvement with Sars was unlawful. Bain has been banned from competing for government contracts in both the UK and South Africa, and Williams was involved in both campaigns. Bain&Co has maintained it repaid all fees to Sars plus interest. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis yesterday awarded several people or associations who served a community with a high degree of dedication and sacrifice. Among them was Williams, who was awarded in the category of Extraordinary Bravery. “Our city’s history is marked by the contributions of some truly remarkable people – men and women…

UN SECRETARY-General António Guterres has reiterated his support for reforms to the UN Security Council and the entire Bretton Woods system to make them relevant to contemporary global political and economic developments. Speaking on the last day of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, Guterres said: “Today’s global governance structures reflect yesterday’s world. They were largely created in the aftermath of World War II, when many African countries were still ruled by colonial powers and were not even at the table. “And this is particularly true of the Security Council of the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions. For multilateral institutions to remain truly universal they must reform to reflect today’s power and economic realities, and not the power and economic realities of the post- Second World War.” Multipolarity without…

PARLIAMENT wrapped up the grilling of the last batch of candidates vying for the position of public protector, with deputy to incumbent Busisiwe Mkhwebane coming under heavy scrutiny from the opposition parties. The interviews, held over two days, will result in the ad hoc committee nominating a person for appointment, by making a recommendation to the National Assembly. The preferred candidate will require 60% of the votes in order for his or her name to be forwarded to President Cyril Ramaphosa for appointment before the end of Mkhwebane’s term in October. Yesterday’s interviews saw Acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka’s past regarding her probe into the Phala Phala scandal and her stint at the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) come back to haunt her. The opposition parties did not spare her any…

Already-powerful body will now represent 46% of world’s population The expansion of BRICS – from five to 11 countries, including Ethiopia and Egypt – will allow Africa to have a greater influence on the group’s decisions regarding trade and geopolitics. There was a positive response to the announcement yesterday by President Cyril Ramaphosa that the two African countries, along with Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), would be part of the bloc that represents the Global South. BRICS will now represent 46% of the world’s population and an even greater share of its economic output. Announcing the outcomes of the 15th BRICS Summit that ended in Johannesburg yesterday, Ramaphosa said BRICS was made up of a diverse group of nations. “It is an equal partnership of…

THE National Department of Health said it noted with concern allegations of patient bill manipulation at private hospital group Mediclinic, but said it was not in a position to investigate private hospitals as they remained relatively unregulated. This while it engaged with the Council for Medical Schemes to direct regulated medical schemes to investigate. In an email from an anonymous source, the person identifying themselves as a whistleblower said they worked as a clinical case manager and coder, and alleged that at the hospitals, patients’ conditions were manipulated to either bill at an ARM (alternative reimbursement model), or coding was used to “carve an account out” to bill for services where the loss would be too significant for the hospital. “Case managers are also expected to ‘open’ in-hospital accounts for…

NURSING was never a job for recently appointed Bishop Lavis Community Day Centre (clinic) manager, Sr Bronwyn Piedade. “It’s always been a calling. I come from an impoverished community, Manenberg. I know what our community needs and what people go through. Because of this, I’ve always performed my duty from the heart. “It’s about going that extra mile for the client with your staff to ensure better service delivery for all. If we remain committed to our clients’ care, we can build healthier communities,” she said. Her journey in healthcare began at Groote Schuur Hospital in 1981 where she served as an enrolled nursing assistant. Since then, she has worked at healthcare centres including the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital as a professional nurse and in facilities in Elsies…