Table of contents for 2021-09-16 in Cape Times

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE SOUTH African Special Risk Insurance Association (Sasria) could receive a R3.9 billion cash injection to strengthen its balance sheet as it starts to pay business insurance claims emerging from the civil unrest in July. This was revealed by the National Treasury yesterday as it asked Parliament to consider approving a second special appropriation bill. Sasria had made submissions to Parliament last week on why it required the R3.9bn. This is one bill that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana would wish to be passed with speed as he prepares to table his maiden Medium-Term Budget at the end of October. Sasria has so far authorised insurers to pay claims up to R1 million, while at the same time making interim payments for large claims. This week, Insurance Claims…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za A FATHER charged with kidnapping and murder after his 2-year-old daughter’s decomposing body was found stuffed inside the ceiling of his house will remain in custody during his trial. The Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court denied Mokete Legodi, 47, bail and postponed the matter to October 27 for further investigation, said National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson for the North West Division Henry Mamothame. In opposing bail, prosecutor Riekie Kriel said the State would seek the maximum sentence – life – and there was the possibility that the father may flee and interfere with witnesses. Legodi’s appearance comes after the lifeless body of a toddler was discovered inside the ceiling of his residential home in Alabama, near Klerksdorp. Legodi was charged with the kidnapping and murder of the child. It is…

Francesca Villette francesca.villette@inl.co.za SERIOUS concerns have been raised over DA mayoral candidate Geordin Hill-Lewis’s lack of experience in addressing one of Cape Town’s most pressing social issues – inclusionary housing. Until his recent mayoral nomination, the 34-year-old was a director and partner at Hillwick Pty Ltd, an investment property start-up that has plans in place to build a three-storey apartment block consisting of 21 units in Milnerton, Blaauwberg, on a property bought for R3 million. Hill-Lewis said the apartments would likely range from R900 000 to R1.2m in price. Speaking at the Cape Town Press Club on Tuesday, Hill-Lewis listed his goals for the metro, but made no mention of inclusionary housing. Unlike affordable housing, inclusionary housing policies will mandate suburban zoning to provide for affordable homes – meaning lower…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za IMAGINE being told you cannot be registered to vaccinate because your ID number has been linked to the details of someone outside the province. This is what shocked Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) lecturer Dr Rolene Liebenberg, of Meadowridge, when she went to register for the vaccine in June. She was told that her ID number was already on the national Department of Health vaccination database – under a different name. “The National Department of Health call centre staff provided me with the contact details of the person who registered using my ID. “The lady was an elderly woman from a rural village, in Limpopo, and I discovered that she was registered by a health worker from the Messina Hospital,” Liebenberg said. “I could not find…

Staff writer MULTIPLE records were smashed this week at the Strauss & Co Virtual Live Auction which featured five iconic single bottle lots of South African wines as part of the combined art and wine Impression/Expression catalogue. The marquee lot and star of the sale, a bottle of Grand Constance 1821, fetched a staggering R996 625 including commission, doubling an earlier auction record in April this year. This extremely rare bottle of sweet wine, likely destined for Napoleon before his death in 1821, was owned by the Malan family of Simonsig Estate. The bottle was purchased on auction in London as part of a larger collection in 1983 by the family. Only a handful of labelled bottles in this fine condition remain in South Africa today, with this 200-year-old wine…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za A SHOPKEEPER in Samora Machel has been shot and wounded by unknown suspects after allegedly refusing to pay them a protection fee. The 32-year-old Malawian shopkeeper in Chris Hani Street was injured in a shooting on Sunday just before 8pm. On Friday, two people were killed and two others wounded when alleged gang members in Khayelitsha, believed to have just collected protection fee money from a local shop and travelling in a taxi, came under fire from a rival gang. Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said the Samora Machel suspects fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash and airtime. “Cases of business robbery and attempted murder are being investigated by Samora Machel Police.” Samora Machel Community Policing Forum (CPF) spokesperson Bongani Maqungwana said unknown cars…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za A BONTEHEUWEL mother, accused of having sold pornographic images of her four-year-old daughter on the dark web, will remain behind bars while the police investigation continues. The matter in which the mother faces a charge of distribution and creation of child pornography, appeared before the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The case was postponed for further investigation to November 17. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, said the 32-year-old mother – who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child – was nabbed earlier this year after the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) picked up the accused's activity on the internet and a US Homeland Security official posed as a potential online buyer and traced her via geo-tagging to Bonteheuwel. The mother – who had…

Empty political prattle doesn’t fill bellies or make our country a better place AS candidates launch their election manifestos, we expect them to conduct election campaigns that match up to our expectations and priorities. In 2013, the government adopted the National Development Plan (NDP), a development vision to put the economy on a new growth strategy. The NDP sets out an integrated strategy for accelerating growth, eliminating poverty and reducing inequality by 2033. The NDP was designed to build on the successes of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), which was adopted by South Africa at the dawn of democracy to address the basic needs of the people to create an equal society and has always featured in every election manifesto of major political parties. The RDP objectives included providing…

LONDON: The UK’s energy crisis worsened as a fire shut down a major cable bringing power from France, adding to the risk of economic disruption as Britain heads into winter. Gas and power prices jumped as the UK grid operator said the cable will be out for at least a month. Firefighters battling the blaze at a converter station said it will take several hours to put out. The timing couldn’t be worse. Britain is already struggling with shortages, with gas and power prices breaking records day after day. The energy crunch is fuelling concerns about inflation and a potential hit to businesses just as the economy emerges from the worst impact of the pandemic. “This is a major event,” said Phil Hewitt, executive director at Enappsys Ltd, a consultant.…

London: The chairperson of the Prince Charles’s charitable foundation resigned yesterday after an investigation was launched into its initial acceptance of cash from a Russian banker previously convicted of money laundering. The Scottish Charity Regulator launched the probe following reports that Charles wrote a letter thanking Dmitry Leus for the money and suggesting they could meet after the pandemic. Chairperson Douglas Connell said he was to blame “if it appears that serious misconduct may have taken place”.…

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and global health leaders issued an urgent call for vaccine equity worldwide, and in Africa in particular. In a statement, the leaders said the Covid-19 pandemic, the worst in the past hundred years, would not end unless and until there was genuine global co-operation on vaccine supply and access. WHO’s global vaccination target for 70% of the population to be vaccinated by mid-2022 seems unattainable if the world continues at the current pace. More than 5.7 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered globally, but only 2% of those were given in Africa. Tedros said this would ultimately hurt not just the people of Africa, but the entire world. “The longer vaccine inequity persists, the more the virus will…

WINDHOEK: The Ministry of Finance has terminated the medical aid benefits of 15 162 retired government employees who do not contribute to the Public Services Employees Medical Aid Scheme. The ministry said on Tuesday that it conducted a membership verification project and established that the retired staff members were not contributing to the fund and had failed to re-apply for medical aid at retirement even though they fully benefited from the scheme. According to the public services staff rules, a retiree must apply for membership within 90 days from the date of retirement and if they failed to do so, membership could be suspended or terminated.…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa’s Special Economic Zones (SEZ) are scrambling for investment with a brighter global economic outlook ahead, following the harsh 18-month lockdown period due to Covid-19, which led tenants to negotiate rental holidays and other special concessions. More than 50 percent capacity is currently available at SEZs, divisional heads of the SEZs, the OR Tambo, the Dube Trade Port, Saldanha Bay Trade Port and Richards Bay said at a webinar yesterday. “The Covid-19 impact was negative to all of us and our investors were not immune. We had to negotiate rental holidays, make special arrangements for our clients. We had to look at each case according to its merits and liaise with the relevant government and provincial authorities,” said Dube Trade Port chief operations officer, Khaya…

From page 1 “There is no evidence or track-record to show that the DA or Hill-Lewis are serious about this issue,” Herron said. The provincial government in July closed public comment on a new policy framework to guide the development of inclusionary housing in municipalities. Media officer for the Department Environmental Affairs and Development Planning’s strategic and operational support directorate, Rudolf van Jaarsveldt, said they were reviewing the public input received and are taking further advice. “We are aiming to table a revised document with our leadership early in the new calendar year. In parallel, we are going to be commissioning housing market studies for some of the intermediate cities/ larger towns in the Western Cape to deepen the evidence base to support this policy development process and the work…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za THE Western Cape Standing Committee on Human Settlements has resolved to start a new Public Participation Survey to collect data from the disgruntled District 6 community over ongoing delays faced by land claimants. More than five months later, 108 families who were expected to move into the Phase 3 project on Hanover Street are still waiting to relocate, with no time frames provided. The District Six Working Committee (D6WC) which took the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to court over the slow process for claimants, also recently indicated it would be putting further legal pressure on government to speed up the matter. The department was ordered to issue quarterly progress reports following a 2019 court judgment obtained against them by the D6WC. The next court-mandated…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za THE TULBAGH community is in mourning after avid rugby player and Grade 11 pupil at Waveren High School, Jayden Daniels, died following a game of touch rugby. Tributes have poured in for Daniels, aged 19, who died on Tuesday afternoon, when he succumbed to an injury after playing touch rugby during an interval break at school. Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg said an inquest has been registered for investigation. “We can confirm that Tulbagh SAPS responded to a complaint, as received from Tulbagh High School, on Tuesday, at about 1pm,” he said. “Police officers drove to the local hospital, where they found the victim, a 19-year-old male, who was declared deceased upon arrival by the medical personnel. “A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za THE Western Cape proved to be a home of maths stars as both the junior and senior high school A teams triumphed against learners from across the country in the latest Actuarial Society of South Africa (Assa) Mathematics Team Competition. The Western Province A team achieved first place out of the 72 junior teams that participated, followed by the A team from Gauteng North. Similarly, the senior team beat the 67 teams ahead of the A team from Gauteng North. “I am very pleased with the result. There were some very strong individual students from those teams, so it is a great feeling knowing they lived up to their potential,” said team organiser, UCT lecturer Thomas van Heerden. The competition saw each region enter two A teams…

Staff writer FOUR retail store robbers have lost an appeal against their conviction for robbery with aggravating circumstances, while kidnapping and pointing of a firearm convictions have been set aside. Siyabulela Ndwanyana, Sonele Makgoba, Lehlohonolo Mathibe and Luthando Thosholo were arrested and charged following the robbery of Markham in Paarl in February 2014. The evidence of 19 witnesses before the court was that before the robbery, a green Toyota Camry driven by Thosholo was parked in front of the store. Six men entered the store where an armed robbery took place. Four people were locked in a back office where their hands and feet were tied with cable ties and their mouths sealed with tape. During the robbery the men pointed firearms at a number of people in the store…

IS THE world taking that great leap forward into a digitisation future towards official digital currencies? The Innovation Hub of the Basel-based Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the gatekeeper of the global banking system, often dubbed the “Central Banks’ Bank”, recently took a major step in that direction “to test the use of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) for international settlements”. Codenamed Project Dunbar, the initiative is led by the Innovation Hub’s Singapore Centre and four of the world’s most stable central banks – Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank Negara Malaysia, Monetary Authority of Singapore, and SA Reserve Bank (SARB). Project Dunbar aims to develop prototype shared platforms for cross-border transactions using multiple CBDC platforms, which “will allow financial institutions to transact directly with each other in digital currencies issued…

Violent protests have erupted in Aden and other cities in south Yemen over widespread poverty and electricity outages as a Saudi-backed alliance struggles with a complete collapse of public services in areas they control. Hundreds of protesters clashed with security forces in Aden’s Khour Maksour, Crater and Sheikh Othman districts where demonstrators blocked roads, set fire to government buildings and burned cars in the streets. One protester was killed and dozens were wounded on Tuesday night in Sheikh Othman, eyewitnesses told Reuters. Other witnesses said dozens of demonstrators stormed Maashiq presidential palace where the Saudi-backed government is based. “We came out to protest after our life has become impossible, there is no electricity, no water, and salaries can’t buy us anything. We are not going to wait until we die,”…

LOS ANGELES: Naomi Osaka’s Met Gala outfit took 150 hours to complete. The 23-year-old tennis ace’s head-turning ensemble, which was custom made by Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquiere with the help of her sister, Mari, included 22 ruffles made from 18 metres of leather satin and paid homage to her Japanese and Haitian roots. On the lengthy process, she said: “My sister and I work on a lot of fashion and design projects together, but this one was really special. “We did a few sketches, and then had a long meeting with Nicolas (Ghesquiere, Vuitton’s creative director) where we shared ideas between the three of us. “He’s been so great to work with and I’m really grateful he was able to guide us and help bring the vision to life.” On…

LONDON: Detectives investigating the murder of journalist Lyra McKee in 2019 in Northern Ireland have arrested four men under the Terrorism Act, the Police Service of Northern Ireland announced yesterday. McKee, aged 29, was shot dead on April 18, 2019, as she observed riots taking place in the city of Derry, also known as Londonderry. Following the incident, the New IRA claimed responsibility for her murder. The four men, aged 19, 20, 21 and 33, were arrested yesterday morning in the Derry area. Another man named Paul McIntyre, 53, has already been charged in relation to McKee’s murder.…

BRUSSELS: Twenty-four million workers across the European Union live below the poverty line on minimal salaries, the European Trade Union (ETUC) said yesterday. “The real state of the union: 24 million workers across the EU are on minimum wages which leave them living below the poverty line. It’s time to deliver fair minimum wages and collective bargaining for all,” the ETUC tweeted. The tweet is timed to coincide with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address in the European Parliament. The ETUC represents 45 million members of 90 trade unions across 38 European nations.…

Course record holder and 2018 winner, Stephen Mokoka and SA Marathon record holder, Gerda Steyn, were unveiled yesterday as South Africa’s leading runners in a stellar men’s and women’s field for the Cape Town Marathon on 17 October. Mokoka’s return to the Cape Town Marathon stems from a deep desire to own the fastest marathon time on SA soil. “It is no secret that my (late) father-in-law (Zithulele Sinqe) has the fastest marathon time on South Africa soil. I want to own that 2:08:04, and the fast and flat course of Cape Town is perfect to run that time.” For Steyn, the Cape Town Marathon has a special meaning. Since turning her focus onto the marathon, Steyn has improved steadily and made a big marathon breakthrough when she qualified for…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za US singer and songwriter Willow Smith has been announced as the face of Mugler’s new feminine fragrance, Alien Goddess. At just 20, Smith is a global cultural phenomenon whose presence makes her an inspiring and intensely aspirational symbol for the young generation. She was chosen because she is the embodiment of augmented femininity and challenges standards and gender norms set by society. “I am extremely proud to be the face of the new Mugler fragrance. To me, Alien Goddess is a manifesto. It urges us to be wholly ourselves, to brandish what makes us unique with pride. Beyond that, this new dazzling creation gives us the strength to find the best within ourselves, whoever we are, to accomplish extraordinary things with a positive impact on the world…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za TENSIONS are building between Eerste River and Langa residents over the relocation of people who have been living on the railway line. Prasa was granted a court order to evict residents from the Siyahlala informal settlement after they built shacks on the railway tracks in Langa. The order was granted on August 3 at the Western Cape High Court and the residents are expected to be moved to another piece of land on a farm in Stellenbosch Road, Eerste River. In a letter to the City’s councillors, Eerste River community activist Pamella Sojini said residents were concerned about the infrastructure and safety. “It is with great concern and dismay to learn that the Langa dwellers are being relocated to Eerste Rivier. The infrastructure is failing, the…

Ntombi Nkosi and Tarryn-Leigh Solomons THE ANC’S woes over unpaid staff salaries could weaken the party’s election campaign as worker representatives say it would be impossible for employees to assist with groundwork if they are not paid. Nationally, about 247 staff members are affected. In the Western Cape, 14 employees, as well as six regional secretaries and one provincial coordinator, had not received their salaries, according to staff representative Mvusi Mdala. The workers were apparently promised their pay last week, but as of yesterday this had not happened, according to an employee, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We received a letter from the general manager Febe Potgieter, stating that the ANC won’t be able to pay the salaries and that hopefully they will be in a position to pay them…

Staff writer THE Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has given the organisers of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon the go-ahead to stage the iconic marathon - albeit with a reduced field. “We originally received support to go ahead with our planning after presenting our extensive Covid-19 Risk Mitigation Plan, but this approval officially gives us the peace of mind that we will be able to host 10 000 marathon runners in a safe race in Cape Town on October 17,” Sanlam Cape Town Marathon race director Renée Jordaan said. “We are proud to be among the first mass participation races - and the first marathon - to return to the South African sporting arena in 18 months, and are fired up to commence the final stages of our race…

Staff writer THE DA George ward councillor accused of using the k-word against a senior law enforcement officer during a phone call has apologised to her “mixed-race” family. Chief law enforcement officer, Siyasanga Vandala lodged a complaint against councillor Iona Kritzinger, and police have confirmed they are investigating. Vandala said when he got the call, an upset Kritzinger ordered him to remove “vagrants” from a house. “I was at the office and I received a call from an 072 number, and I answered the call, the person just said ‘come and remove these vagrants in my property’. She said apparently I bring vagrants to her property. I asked who this was and she said, ’I’m councillor Kirtzinger’. I thought it was a prank call because no one has my…

MOCKING someone’s surname because it has “too many awkwardly placed vowels” in a racially divided country like ours is no laughing matter, and public officials must know this. That is why City of Cape Town Safety and Security Mayco member JP Smith has been criticised for mocking radio host Abongile Nzelenzele’s surname. However, this comes as no surprise considering Smith’s history. What was rather astonishing is the City’s defence of his actions: “The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith, has called and spoken with Mr Nzelenzele. He confirms that he took no offence at the remark, nor did Mr Nzelenzele think there was any ill intent.” This falls far short, considering what the outrage was about. Nzelenzele may have not been offended, but many, especially…

The UN has decided to withdraw some 450 Gabonese peacekeepers from the Central African Republic (CAR) over allegations of sexual abuse, Gabon’s defence ministry announced yesterday. “In recent weeks, exceptionally serious acts that go against military ethics and the honour of the armed forces, committed by certain elements in the Gabonese battalions – have been reported,” the ministry said. “Following many cases of alleged sexual exploitation and abuse that are being processed, the UN today decided to withdraw the Gabonese contingent from Minusca”, the UN mission in the CAR, and “an investigation has been opened by Gabon,” the statement read. One of the world’s poorest countries, CAR has been chronically unstable since it gained independence from France in 1960. It currently suffers from the aftermath of a brutal civil conflict…

Republican leaders in Congress on Tuesday continued to withhold support for efforts by the Democratic majority to increase the US debt ceiling. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned last week that the government will run out of money next month unless lawmakers take action, and banking groups have urged Congress to move to prevent “irreparable harm” to the US economy. Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy called for raising the debt ceiling in an interview with CNBC. “I think it’s scary for consumer confidence and for confidence in US businesses and potential credit ratings if we don’t make sure that we raise that debt ceiling,” Jassy said. The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, American Bankers Association and other industry groups said in a letter to congressional leaders that defaulting “on our…

HONG KONG: Twelve anti-China disruptors in Hong Kong were sentenced by the District Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region yesterday to up to 10 months in prison for taking part in an unauthorised assembly on June 4 last year. The 12 defendants took part in the assembly in Victoria Park on June 4 last year despite being barred by the police and shouted anti-national security law slogans. Albert Ho Chun-yan, Figo Chan Ho-wun, Andrew Wan Siu-kin, Cheung Man-kwong, Steven Kwok Wing-kin, Chiu Yan-loy, Mak Hoi-wah, Leung Kwok-wah, Cyd Ho Sau-lan, Leung Kwok-hung, Eddie Chu Hoi-dick and Yeung Sum pleaded guilty.…

Beirut: More than 140 human rights groups, survivors and relatives of victims of the Lebanon port blast called Wednesday for a UN-backed international, independent and impartial probe into the disaster. The explosion of hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser on the Beirut dockside on August 4 last year killed at least 214 people, injured thousands and ravaged entire neighbourhoods. It emerged later that officials left it to linger unsafely at the port for years. Lebanese politicians have rejected calls for an international probe into the disaster, but have also hampered the progress of a local investigation at every turn.…