Table of contents for 2021-08-02 in Cape Times

Sibanye advances battery metals strategy with R1.12bn acquisition Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za SIBANYE-Stillwater said on Friday it will pay €65 million (R1.12 billion) for a smelting facility from French mining and metallurgy company Eramet SA as it advances its battery metals strategy. The acquisition is the second step of Sibanye’s battery metals strategy and comes five months after an investment into a Finnish-based lithium company. Sibanye, the precious metal giant, said it would pay cash for the acquisition of a 100 percent stake in Eramet’s Sandouville nickel hydrometallurgical processing facility through an exclusive put option agreement. Chief executive Neal Froneman said the transaction was an important step in getting further downstream exposure to the battery metals value chain. “The Sandouville facility is ideally located close to the European end-user markets and…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za TRIBUTES have poured in following the passing of Toyota South Africa (TSA) chairperson Dr Johan van Zyl, or “The Doc” as he was affectionately known, who died at the age of 63 on Friday evening in Pretoria from Covid-w19-related complications. “‘The Doc’ had an uncanny sense of knowing just what consumers wanted and was able to instil this thinking in all his colleagues, which is why he had such a profound impact on the Toyota family,” Andrew Kirby, the current president and chief executive of Toyota South Africa Motors, said. Van Zyl began his career with the company in 1993 as director for vehicle sales and dealer network. He was appointed president and chief operating officer of TSA in 2002, and president and chief executive in 2003.…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za THE Good Party said it welcomed a decision by the national Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to institute administrative action against the City for pollution transgressions. The party has criticised the City for “continued pollution” in wetlands in the metropole – this while Rietvlei remains closed indefinitely for recreational use due to pollution and for the testing of water quality. Mayco member for water and waste Xanthea Limberg said her department had not yet been made aware of DWS’ decision. National policy officer for the Good Party and founding member of the South African Wetland Society Mark Rountree said the “ongoing pollution of wetlands by the City of Cape Town is a contravention of two national acts and an international treaty”. “When the latest wetland pollution…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za THE impact of the looming petrol price increase, of around 83 cents a litre, is a difficult pill to swallow for residents who say they are already struggling to get by. The Automobile Association (AA) said in a statement all fuel types were expected to be more expensive this month. The fuel price is adjusted on the first Wednesday of every month. The association said that these new increases will mean the price of petrol will have climbed nearly 23% in just seven months since January. “ULP95 cost R14.86 a litre in January, compared to the expected new price of around R18.22 in August. “In January, a litre of diesel cost R13.00 compared to the expected August price of R15.56 a litre, while a litre of illuminating…

Staff writer AS Covid-19 vaccine shipments to Africa rapidly ramp up, South Africa received a donation of 2.8 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Saturday – with another batch expected tomorrow (tues). The arrival of the vaccines from the US is part of the G7 bilateral meetings where President Cyril Ramaphosa requested developed countries to assist in vaccination roll-out in Africa. “The donation will contribute to the country’s expanded vaccination programme which is fast gaining momentum to reach more people,” the Department of Health tweeted. “This contribution comes timely for us as we prepare to move to the younger age cohort of 18 in September. Today’s donation contributes to security of supply to meet the demands we have to reach our set milestones and vaccinate a majority of the…

Staff writer WHILE South Africa has a progressive Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) regime, the country needs to fast-track the process of merging legislation. This is according to a Department of Employment and Labour and International Labour Organisation commissioned report, that contains a number of key themes and insights from confidential, semi-structured in-depth interviews, with 34 purposefully selected participants. Themes identified in the interview responses included enforcement of legislation, poor compliance, gender and the informal sector, and complex legislation. It viewed the government’s role in OHS as a setback in that departments are significant defaulters and are non-compliant with legislation. Authors felt that government departments regulate OHS work in silos, with little coordination and collaboration. “Findings from quantitative data point to good efforts in inspections by the Department of Employment…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za A RECENT R6 million bust of illicit cigarettes from a number of Cape Town traders by the South African Revenue Service (Sars), has been welcomed by local industry who said it was long overdue and just touched the tip of the iceberg. During a raid last Thursday, 443 cases each containing 50 cartons of various brands of cigarettes were seized in the intelligence-driven operation. Sars Commissioner Edward Kieswetter said the trade which evaded the minimum collectible tax of R21.60 tax due on any pack of 20, was robbing the country of much needed monetary resources. “These activities also rob the country of much needed revenue that enables the government to deliver basic services to the poor and vulnerable, such as old age pensions, and offer relief to…

Almost two decades after Dr Neil Aggett died in John Vorster Square, on April 5, 1982, final arguments in the re-opened inquest were made last week, and recommendations given to Judge Motsamai Makume on the prosecution of Security Branch officers. For years anti-apartheid activists have relayed horrendous accounts of their alleged torture at the hands of security branch policemen like Nicolass Deetlefs and Daniel Swanepoel, and now those testimonies are a matter of public record. But there remain countless more activists whose stories are unknown and who claim they suffered terrible pain at the hands of these men, yet to date there have been no consequences for the torture perpetrated by members of the Security Branch. Sadly the conspiracy of silence among those in the former security branch fraternity continues,…

IN THE wake of the unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, the focus shifted away from the devastating impact and toll that the Covid-19 pandemic is taking on the country. As more vaccines come into the country and the vaccination rate slowly moves forward, the death toll due to the pandemic cannot be ignored. More than 70 000 South Africans have died as a result of the virus that has had global ramifications. More than 7 500 000 vaccines have been administered nationally, but this figure needs to increase significantly for the country to achieve herd immunity. The administration of the vaccines offers hope but this is countered by the rising numbers of infections in some parts of the country. The Western Cape, which is recording the highest active cases…

LONDON: Sarah Ferguson believes Princess Diana would have split her time between the UK and US to support her sons if she was still alive. The Duchess of York is convinced that the late princess, who was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997, would be devoted to Prince William and Prince Harry, even after the latter’s decision to step down as a senior working royal and live in California with his wife Meghan and their two children Archie, 2, and Lilibet, two months. “She’d be hugging her grandchildren and so proud of both her sons and their wives,” said Ferguson.…

“MUSLIM Women Rights Day” was observed yesterday by different organisations across the country to mark the second anniversary of the enactment of law against the “triple talaq”. Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani and Labour Minister Bhupender yesterday attended the programme to mark the occasion where the Muslim women wholeheartedly thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing the law which made the practice a criminal offence. On August 1, 2019, the Modi government passed the Triple Talaq bill in Parliament abolishing the practice of triple talaq in the Muslim community. Since then, the day is celebrated as Muslim Women Rights Day. The Union Ministers also interacted with several Muslim women who were triple talaq victims. The women told the ministers that the…

YANGON: The State Administrative Council in Myanmar, consisting of the military that took power in winter, has announced an interim government, the Xinhua news agency reported yesterday. Min Aung Hlaing, the chairman of the State Administration Council and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, will take up the post of the prime minister. The caretaker government body comprises union ministers, an attorney-general and a permanent secretary of office. The military took power in Myanmar on February 1. Civilian leaders were arrested over allegations of election fraud. The country has been gripped by protests since.…

Dozens of villages were evacuated in tourist hotspots in southern Turkey yesterday as wildfires that have claimed eight lives raged for the fifth day, while Greece, Italy and Spain were also hit by blazes. Fanned by soaring temperatures, strong winds and climate change – which experts say increases both the frequency and intensity of such blazes – this year’s fire season has been significantly more destructive than the previous average, EU data shows. Turkey is suffering through its worst fires in at least a decade with nearly 95 000 hectares burnt so far this year, compared with an average of 13 516 at this point in the year between 2008 and 2020. A neighbourhood in the tourist city of Bodrum has been evacuated, CNN Turk broadcaster reported, as flames were…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za THE ANC and SACP are united in their belief that the plotters of July’s violent protests are ANC members who allegedly want to stop President Cyril Ramaphosa’s fight against corruption and public looting. ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe and SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande expressed their views when addressing the SACP’s centenary celebrations rally in Johannesburg yesterday to mark the founding of the party in Cape Town 100 years ago. Both said those behind the alleged coup attempt were within the ANC and had a “nefarious agenda”, with Nzimande describing them as “ANC renegades”. In his address, Mantashe said the events in July were the worst destruction to happen in South Africa since apartheid, and that the creators of the unrest had targeted two provinces – KwaZulu-Natal…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za ARRIVING home to an airport full of love and support from locals including the surfing community and the children’s choir from an organisation she’s involved with was the best moment of her life, Olympic silver medallist Bianca Buitendag said. Returning from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Buitendag arrived at George Airport on Saturday morning. “It was the best moment of my life quite honestly. I got back to my hometown with the surf community standing at the airport and the NGO I’m involved in organised for the kiddies’ choir to perform a song as I walked out the airport’s doors. “I just burst into tears for 20 minutes. Because that is essentially the reason I surf – to try to improve the life of someone else – so…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za THE ceasefire agreement in the Western Cape taxi industry seems to have been short-lived after two drivers were shot and killed in separate incidents, at the weekend. An e-hailing driver, also believed to be a State attorney, was also shot dead. However, it is not clear if the incident is taxi-related. Harare police are investigating a murder case after a 55-year-old man was shot dead at about 8.15pm on Saturday, while driving in Nkanini, Khayelitsha. Police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk said: “According to reports, the deceased was driving a taxi at Ntlazane Road, when he was shot at by the occupants of an unidentified vehicle, fatally wounding him. The possibility that it may be related to taxi violence will be investigated. The unknown suspects fled the…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za NINE-year-old Shanté Abrahams continues to fight for her life in hospital after being wounded in the crossfire of a gang shooting in Scottsdene. Shanté and a 30-year-old woman were wounded while a 20-year old man was killed in the same shooting at the weekend. According to community activist Willem Hartnick, who was speaking on behalf of the family, Shanté was standing metres away from her house beside the 20-year-old man who was beautifying a community garden aimed at keeping youth away from gangsterism. “She was waiting for netball practise to commence when the shots were fired. She is currently still in hospital where they are waiting to operate. “The bullet struck her in the neck and now they have to wait for the swelling to go down…

Lisa Isaacs lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za GOLDEN Grove Primary School parents and ANC MPL Khalid Sayed have slammed a report finally provided to them by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), regarding a forensic investigation into financial mismanagement at the Rondebosch school. Sayed last month made a Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia) application for access to the report, after two school staffers, who have since retired, were implicated in financial mismanagement. This, after parents and student governing body (SGB) members had, in 2017, reported irregularities and suspicions of financial mismanagement of about R1.3 million. Sayed last week received a 69-page feedback report from chief directorate for districts Redewan Larney. The report, signed by officials in August 2020, details how the Metro Central Education District (MCED) reported alleged theft and financial regularities…

IT’S MORE than three weeks since democratic South Africa was embroiled in insurrectionist looting and rioting in KwaZulu-Natal and in pockets of Gauteng, and yet President Cyril Ramaphosa’s money man, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni, has no idea as to the true economic and financial cost of the unrest. Mboweni has been largely anonymous during most of July keeping a low profile, at least in his public utterances. Last Wednesday he surfaced with an indaba briefing with the media, still bereft of the financial hit to the hapless South African taxpayer and no doubt the insurance companies and their reinsurers. In a masterclass of stating the obvious which many of his compatriots have already been spouting, Mboweni declared: “In both the short and long term, social unrest will dampen business confidence,…

Five people were killed when a mortar shell hit a car in Afghanistan’s southern province of Kandahar, media reported yesterday. Two children and a woman were among the victims, according to Ariana News. Security officers believed the Taliban had been behind the attack, the broadcaster added. Violence has been on the rise in Afghanistan in recent weeks as the Taliban stepped up its offensive after international troops began withdrawing from the country in May. The troop pullout was one of the points of the agreement that the Taliban and the US reached in Doha. At least three rockets have struck Kandahar airport in southern Afghanistan as the Taliban pressed on with its sweeping offensive across the country. “Last (Saturday) night three rockets were fired at the airport and two of…

LONDON: Wayne Rooney demanded that the women partying with him give up their phones before entering the room with him, according to The Sun, as the Derby County manager didn’t want them to film him. “We’re lying in bed because if we go in there we’re not allowed our phones, apparently. We’re not allowed to take photos and I said I want my phone so he said, ‘Get out,’” said Tayler Ryan, one of the girls involved in the incident. A friend of the girls partying with Rooney also told The Mirror they weren’t even sure about his name. One girl was calling the football star Wayne Clooney while another thought it was Tooney. “It was hilarious but everyone was in high spirits and enjoying themselves… Nobody meant any harm,”…

SEOUL: Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said yesterday that if South Korea carried out a planned joint military exercise with the US it would damage the resolve of the two Koreas to rebuild relations, state media KCNA reported. Kim Yo Jong also said a recent decision to restore hotlines between the two Koreas should not be seen as anything more than reconnecting “physical” ties, and that it would be “thoughtless” to assume that summits are around the corner. Her comments came at a time when North and South Korea are in talks to hold a summit as part of efforts to restore relations.…

MILAN: Hackers have attacked and shut down the IT systems of the company that manages Covid-19 vaccination appointments for the Lazio region surrounding Rome, the regional government said yesterday. “A powerful hacker attack on the region’s CED (database) is under way,” it said in a Facebook posting. All systems had been deactivated, including the region’s health portal and vaccination network, it said, and warned the inoculation programme could suffer a delay. “It is a very powerful hacker attack, very serious … everything is out. The whole regional database is under attack,” Lazio region’s health manager Alessio D’Amato said.…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za AKANI Simbine refused to blame a false start and a disrupted preparation due to Covid-19 for missing out on a medal yet again in a 100m final at a major championship yesterday. Simbine qualified for the Tokyo Olympic final as one of the “fastest losers” from the semi-finals earlier in the day, with a quick time of 9.90 seconds as China’s Bingtian Su surprised everybody with a scorching 9.83 to win the race. But then there was drama at the beginning of the final when Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes was disqualified for a false start – just like his compatriot Linford Christie at the Atlanta Games. Simbine was in lane two and Hughes in lane four, so the pressure would have been ramped up for the entire…

Irongate rejects 360 Capital Group’s directors to be represented on company’s board EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za THE BOARD of the Irongate Group (IAP) has said it does not want the directors of its 19.11 percent shareholder 360 Capital Group to be represented on the board of the Australia Stock Exchange- and JSE-listed property group. “The board of IAP has recommended security holders vote against the election of two 360 Capital Group executives to the board at the upcoming annual general meeting on August 31,” a statement said on Friday. Australia-based 360 Capital Group, including its associated entities, hold between them 19.11 percent of the shares issued in IAP. Its two nominees, Tony Pitt and James Storey, are also executives of 360 Capital Group. 360 Capital Group could not be…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za Wage negotiations between the South African Local Government Association (Salga) and municipal workers’ unions are expected to resume through a conciliation process this week. Salga is currently deadlocked over salary negotiations with the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) and Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) for this year. The negotiations began in March and have dragged on with no resolution in sight as both parties refuse to budge. Samwu and Imatu declared a dispute at the SA Local Government Bargaining Council, with Samwu demanding a minimum sectoral wage of R15 000, a R4 000 salary increase across the board, six months’ fully paid maternity leave, one month of fully paid parental leave and a R3 500 housing allowance. Salga has proposed a 2.8% salary increase. Talks…

Lisa Isaacs lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za THE 19 homes that may be impacted by construction of the City’s revived MyCiTi infrastructure in Wynberg, have been identified for a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) and received legal notices to this effect. The properties, understood to be in Benjamin and Eggleston Roads, are currently occupied and the City says affected owners will be offered fair compensation. The City faced a barrage of criticism in 2014 when families in South Road, some of whom had been living there for more than four decades, received notices to vacate their council-owned houses to make way for the MyCiTi Phase 2A bus route. In October 2015, the Western Cape High Court ordered the City investigate alternative routes before proceeding with the route. The next year the City approved the route’s…

Staff writer MUSIC education in schools could equip learners with the skills they will need in the 21st century workplace, a new study at Stellenbosch University (SU) found. “The workplace of the future will be unpredictable, changeable, and will require a level of adaptability, creativity, and innovation that today’s job market is only beginning to necessitate,” said Joburg-based music teacher Dr Angie Mullins who recently obtained her doctorate in Music at SU. “By critically engaging with music that learners enjoy and allowing them to create music, we can develop these and other key competencies.” As part of her study, Mullins used pedagogical techniques such as project-based learning, inquiry-based learning, gamification (use of game-design elements and game principles), and blended learning. She said these tools are underutilised in the music…

Staff writer THE West Coast flower season will officially open next week. According to West Coast National Park acting park manager Pierre Nel, the Postberg section of the park will open to the public until September 30. “The good rains, which the area has received this year, should make for an excellent flower-viewing season. We anticipate the flowers to be good from the second half of August up until mid-September. “Visitors should select sunny days to visit the park. If at all possible, it is advisable to plan your visit on a weekday. Weekend days are often very busy with queues developing at the gate, and congestion in the flower-viewing areas. The Mooimaak area will also be open for flower viewing,” Nel said. During a visit to the park in…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za THERE are fears that the existing inequality gap at schools will widen as thousands of primary school learners, mainly in public schools, cannot return to daily attendance owing to overcrowded classrooms and personal protective equipment (PPE) supply issues. In the Western Cape, of 1 010 primary schools, 894 will continue using the rotational timetable and 38 of 72 special needs schools will return to the traditional attendance of going to school five times a week. The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said last week it provided 45 mobile classrooms at schools to assist with space constraints ahead of today, with more on the way. Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga issued a gazette on Sunday instructing all learners in Grades R to 7 and Grade R to 12…

Chen Xiaodong AS variants of Covid-19 are now triggering new waves of infections around the world, the international community needs to join hands to fight against the pandemic with science. However, instead of focusing on addressing its increasingly severe Covid-19 situation back home, the US indulges in political manipulation and masterminds the so-called World Health Organization’s work plan on the second phase origins study and mouths fallacies such as the so-called theory of a lab leak. Many countries including China have clearly stated their position in this regard: this so-called plan does not comply with the resolution of the 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA), and is inconsistent with the conclusions and recommendations of the WHO-China joint mission report. The plan was heavily disrupted by politicisation and lacked a spirit of…

At least 19 people were killed in a road accident involving a coaster and two trucks that collided in the early hours of yesterday in Malawi’s central border district of Ntcheu. Spokesperson for Ntcheu district council, Maston Kaiya, confirmed the accident and the death of the 19 people on the country’s backbone road, M1. In his statement yesterday morning, Kaiya said the coaster, with 27 women passengers travelling to Chikwawa, a district down south, “is stuck underneath the truck” and that “police and hospital emergency rescue team are already on site” after the accident. The spokesperson feared that the death toll may rise as there were serious injuries sustained by the other passengers. In March 2019, 19 people also died in the same district and on the same M1 road…

IRAN’S ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi is expected to be inaugurated tomorrow as the new president of the Islamic republic, a country mired in deep economic crisis and hit by crippling US sanctions. He replaces moderate president Hassan Rouhani, whose landmark achievement was the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers. Raisi, 60, will have to tackle the nuclear talks aimed at reviving the deal from which the US withdrew. Two days after Tuesday’s inauguration by the Islamic republic’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Raisi will take the oath before parliament. He won June’s election when more than half the voters stayed away after many political heavyweights were barred from standing. A former judiciary chief, Raisi has been criticised by the West for his human rights record. Iran’s economic problems,…

FRANKFURT: A 100-year-old former guard at the Sachsenhausen Nazi concentration camp near Berlin will face trial in the autumn, 76 years after the end of World War II. The district court of Neuruppin admitted the charges of accessory to murder in 3 500 cases, and the trial is slated to start in October. The defendant should be able to stand trial for 2 to 2-1/2 hours a day. The accused was said to have worked as a camp guard from 1942 to 1945 in Sachsenhausen, where around 200 000 people were imprisoned and 20 000 murdered. A landmark conviction in 2011 cleared the way for working in a concentration camp to be found to be grounds for culpability.…

Tunis: Tunisian security forces have arrested two MPs of an Islamist party opposed to a power grab by President Kais Saied, their party said yesterday. Maher Zid and Mohamed Affes of Al-Karama are in provisional detention over a military investigation, party head Seifeddine Makhlouf said on Facebook. Their arrest late on Saturday comes a day after the detention of an independent MP, Yassine Ayari. Ayari was arrested for branding Saied’s decision last Sunday to suspend parliament and sack the prime minister and other top officials as a “military coup”. Affes is a former ultra-conservative cleric; Zid is an ex-journalist and blogger.…

Armchair View by mike greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za MIKE.GREENAWAY@INL.CO.ZA In 1512, a German priest by the name of Martin Luther nailed his “95 theses” to the door of a castle church in Wittenberg. The maverick Luther was complaining about how the Catholic Church (poorly) ran its affairs and his revolt lit the flame of the Reformation and ultimately the creation of the Protestant Church. He was excommunicated for his “sins” but had made his point and profound change resulted. Obviously, I have some tongue in cheek — but not all of it — when I suggest that SA director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has done the rugby equivalent with his rebellious video dissection of the inadequacies of the match officials in the first Test of the series between the Springboks and British…