Table of contents for 2021-11-12 in Cape Times

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za THE NATIONAL Treasury yesterday flagged that the current year expenditure would breach the 2021 Budget Review ceiling of R1.51 trillion by R56 billion following the Covid-19 lockdowns and public violence, as well as wage bill adjustments. According to the 2021 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), revenue improvements since the 2021 Budget had made room for an increase in the spending ceiling over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework period. It said the ceiling was raised by R30.5bn in 2022/23 and R28.1bn in 2023/24, compared with the 2021 Budget. Treasury said domestic risks identified in the 2021 Budget included the wage bill and the continued deterioration in the financial position of several major state-owned companies had materialised. As a result, spending increases in 2021/22 amounted to…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za MARKETS read some positives in Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s maiden Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), with the rand firming more than 1.5 percent to R15.24 per dollar late yesterday afternoon. This is as economists pointed out that the sheer quantum of debt, however, is still projected to climb further, with 2024/25s R5.5 trillion double 2018/19s R2.8 trillion, while the country’s credit risk, which is the perceived risk of default, has slightly moderated. Investec economist Annabel Bishop said this is still a decline in fiscal health as borrowings continue to rise, and this will not allow for any credit rating upgrades, nor likely a removal of the negative outlooks that key agencies have SA on. “Debt service costs continue to climb, but are fractionally lower…

ANC FINANCE guru turned Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is a new sheriff in town. Godongwana, who has chaired the ANC’s sub-committee on economic transformation for many years, stepped into the shoes of his comrade Tito Mboweni in August after the latter left government. In a striking note yesterday, a few hours before he tabled his maiden Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), in the hybrid sitting of the National Assembly, Godongwana said he told Mboweni recently that they shared the same views on the eco-nomy. However, what makes them different from each other is that Mboweni has ugly shoes and Godongwana does not wear ugly shoes. This is one of the jokes Godongwana told the media before he delivered the MTBPS to drive home the point that nothing much would…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za RECENTLY retired Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng yesterday criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and accused the government of interfering with citizens’ fundamental rights in its fight against the deadly virus. Justice Mogoeng was addressing the one-day virtual conference of the Forum of Institutions Supporting Democracy (FISD), which is chaired by Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane. The FISD Office of the Auditor- General; Commission for Gender Equality; SA Human Rights Commission; Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities; Financial and Fiscal Commission; Independent Communication Authority of SA; Electoral Commission of SA; Pan South African Language Board and the Public Service Commission attended. In his address, Justice Mogoeng said: “The question is: ‘Has Covid-19 had a negative impact…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za WITH the Kayamandi Economic and Tourism Corridor development being labelled a R13 million “white elephant”, local entrepreneurs in the area say they are forced to grow their businesses alternatively as the trading space in their community backyard cannot be used optimally. The Kayamandi Corridor, which has been in the community for nearly 15 years, has 31 vacant trading offices, with only one tenant – an NGO – operating from the facility which was built and meant to boost economic trade in the community. However, small business owners are saying a number of factors hinder them from using the trading space optimally, including safety and security and trading rental fees. Local entrepreneur and co-founder of Kasilam Wear, Samkela Mhlakaza, said he had applied to run his clothing printing…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za TERTIARY institutions in the province are in discussions with their students about the impact of load shedding on their studies and how to support them with exams under way. Exams at UWC began yesterday, and the institution said where students have not been able to complete an exam or other assessment they would be provided with an opportunity to do so through the normal faculty and departmental processes. UWC acting spokesperson Nashira Davids said students can access the campus and its resources for learning purposes. “To facilitate online learning and teaching in 2021, the university has instituted an open VPN system so that students do not incur data costs. This is part of the ICS reverse billing service which allows students to access all UWC information resources…

| OWN Correspondent CONFESSIONS OF A STRATCOM HITMAN Paul Erasmus Loot.co.za (R215) JACANA PAUL Erasmus’s searing account of his time as a security policeman during apartheid is nothing short of explosive. This book, is remarkable for its candour as well as Erasmus’s attempt to come at coming to reckoning with the atrocities he committed or was party to. We read of the apartheid government’s determination to destroy Winnie Mandela, to terrorise anti-apartheid activists, and to smear and compromise people who did not accept the “volk en vaderland” way. Erasmus lays bare the corruption and power mongering in the South African Police and the fascist associations that some cops were linked to. He names names, but ultimately asks himself how he could have done what he did. His testimony before…

OWN Correspondent Every Day Is An Opening Night Des and Dawn Lindberg Loot.co.za (R319) Burnet BOTH a deeply personal memoir and a glimpse into their socio- political activism, Every Day Is An Opening Night by Des and Dawn Lindberg documents the joys and challenges of a lifetime in South African theatre – as musicians, performers, song writers, stage designers, managers, impresarios and ultimately legends of the entertainment industry. The book traces the duo’s 55-year career, from singing folk songs in the Troubadour coffee-bar in Johannesburg to taking their “Folk on Trek” shows on tour across South Africa and (then) Rhodesia, and producing and performing in major musicals all over southern Africa. Highlights of their story include their controversial multiracial production of Godspell, the duo’s legendary Sunday-night Soirées and the founding…

COME rain or sunshine, Bafana Bafana deserve all the support that they can get going forward. That they beat the script to reach the penultimate round of the Fifa World Cup qualifiers with their fate firmly in their hands was no easy feat. After roller-coaster campaigns in the qualifiers for previous major tournaments, Bafana were earmarked to rebuild under coach Hugo Broos. The Belgian-born coach infused more youngsters into the senior national team set-up. And, boy, have those youngsters grabbed the opportunity with both hands. They’ve embraced donning the yellow-and-green jersey of Bafana, defying the odds and beating records along the way. They’ve offered a breath of fresh air. It was in their game against Ghana at home that they proved they’ve got something going on as a group. The…

LONDON: Entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson is recovering “well” after a “colossal” cycling accident. The 71-year-old Virgin boss is on the mend after his bike’s brakes failed, causing him to crash into his cycling companion Felix Stellmaszek during the Strive Challenge in the British Virgin Islands. He wrote in the caption of the video on Instagram: “Recovering well from a colossal cycling crash. Thankfully we’re ok, but some big bumps and bruises!” Branson admitted that he feared he was about to “drop off the cliff” when his brakes failed.…

Germany needs further coronavirus restrictions to combat a record surge in infections and “get through this winter”, would-be chancellor Olaf Scholz said yesterday, calling a meeting with state premiers to decide new curbs. The country recorded 50 196 new cases in a 24-hour period yesterday, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) health agency, the first time the figure has exceeded 50 000. Infections and deaths have climbed steeply since mid-October, in an outbreak blamed on Germany’s relatively low vaccination rate of just over 67%. Scholz’s remarks came after criticism of his relative silence despite the urgent situation, with critics saying he was more focused on his Social Democratic Party’s bid to form a ruling coalition with the Greens and liberal FDP following September’s election. Presenting proposed measures drafted by…

Yaoundé, Cameroon: An explosion injured nine students in a lecture hall at the University of Buea in one of Cameroon’s western regions where English-speaking separatists are at war with government forces, a university administrator told reporters yesterday. The official, who asked not to be named, said the injured students had been transported to hospital. The campus was sealed off and students were hurrying home. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. This is at least the second deadly explosion in Buea, in South West region, this week after a taxi driver was killed on Monday by an explosive device.…

TEHRAN: Iran will adopt an uncompromising stance when it resumes nuclear talks with major powers, betting it has the leverage to win wide sanctions relief in return for curbs on its increasingly advanced atomic technology, officials and analysts say. The stakes are high, since failure in the negotiations resuming in Vienna on November 29 to revive a 2015 nuclear deal would carry the risk of a fresh regional war. Iran’s arch foe Israel has pushed for a tough policy if diplomacy fails to rein in Iran’s nuclear work, long seen by the West as a cover for developing atomic bombs. Tehran denies it has ever sought to develop nuclear weapons and says it is prepared for war in defence of its atomic programme. Iranian hardliners believe that a tough approach,…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THERE was no aloe ferox plant, no quoting of Bible verses or dead poets, nor casual mentioning of sorghum beer when Finance Minister Enoch Godong- wana delivered his maiden Budget speech in Parliament yesterday. But for those who thought this signalled a departure from structural reforms and fiscal consolidation championed by Godongwana’s predecessor, Tito Mboweni, they were in for a disappointment as the umbilical cord remained intact. “In so far as fiscal framework perspective and structural reforms, we are on the same page,” Godongwana said of Mboweni during a pre-Budget media briefing. “I always tell him that ‘the only difference between the two of us is your shoes. I wear better shoes than you. But maybe I’m not good at cooking as well.” Godongwana yesterday tabled…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za THE police and the army have been allocated R950 million to cater for the unforeseen costs resulting from the unrest that broke out in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng in July. The amount was incurred when law enforcement agencies were deployed to bring normality when protests erupted. A further R1 billion was allocated to the police for the detective services and visible policing. Yesterday, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said the criminal activity witnessed during the unrest was a reminder crime continued to be a blight on the country. “It undermines confidence in our recovery and hinders our long-term economic development,” Godongwana said. According to the budget document, R250m was to provide costs associated with the increased deployment of police personnel during the unrest. It also said R700m…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za WHILE messages of condolence streamed in for former apartheid president FW de Klerk, Lukhanyo Calata, son of Cradock Four martyr Fort Calata, said the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) should take heed of their warning that “time is against us” in bringing apartheid criminals to book. De Klerk died at his home in Fresnaye yesterday aged 85, following a battle with mesothelioma cancer. A deeply polarizing figure both in power and in death, he left the country divided, and the role he played while he presided over a system that committed atrocities against black South Africans when he was in power between 1989 and 1994 was highlighted, along with a focus on his time in the apartheid state security council where decisions on who should be assassinated and…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za WIFE-KILLER and former property mogul Jason Rohde will next week hear if his bail will be extended after he had taken the matter to the Constitutional Court. The apex court will deliver judgment in the matter on November 18. While challenging in the Constitutional Court the SCAs finding to dismiss his appeal against his conviction and sentencing, Rohde had simultaneously also made a recusal application to have a different judge decide over his bail extension hearing, arguing that Judge Gayaat Salie-Hlophe had been biased towards him. In court documents for the relief sought by Rohde, Salie-Hlophe had said: “The application for bail (as prayed for by Rohde) is an order sine dies (that is an order without a specified date). In other words, eased with protection…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za THE Gauteng High Court, Pretoria has come to the aid of law students who were left in limbo after the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) suspended its funding to LLB students. Three law students from Wits University turned to the court after they discovered in March this year that they would receive no more government funding to continue their LLB studies. They subsequently succeeded in their application to overturn the decisions taken by NSFAS and Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Dr Blade Nzimande. Judge Jody Kollapen has now set aside the decision to discontinue funding of second undergraduate and certain postgraduate qualifications in relation to the LLB programmes.…

| OWN Correspondent I DON’T WANT TO DIE UNKNOWN Dan Moyane Loot.co.za (R220) Tracey McDonald DAN Moyane was 10 years old when he lay on his back on a patch of grass at his parents’ home in White City Jabavu, Soweto, looking at the moon and thinking, “I don’t want to die unknown”. The year was 1969, and Neil Armstrong and his team had recently achieved immortality by completing the first moon landing. It was the knowledge that the astronauts would be remembered as long as the world turned that made Dan realise that he would like to be remembered by people outside of his immediate community; just as he would like to find out more about what lay beyond his horizon. Dan’s insatiable curiosity and love of learning…

As rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front forces close in, war seems inevitable WITH the rebel Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front (TPLF) advancing towards the capital Addis Ababa, the risk of Ethiopia descending into full-scale civil war is very real. The consequences of such an offensive on the densely populated capital where democratically elected Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is immensely popular, would be bloody and devastating, and would probably plunge the country into war with itself. The TPLF (which represents only 6% of the population) never accepted losing power to Ahmed in 2018, after ruling the country with an iron fist for two-and-a-half decades with the backing of Western powers. The group is well resourced and its backers continue to pour money and arms into their coffers in the hope they will…

More than 200 scientists told the COP26 summit yesterday to take immediate action to halt global warming, warning in an open letter that some climate change impacts were “irreversible” for generations. The central task of the Glasgow meeting is to implement the Paris Agreement, with its goal of limiting temperature rise to between 1.5ºC and 2ºC above pre-industrial levels. But commitments made so far could still lead to “catastrophic” warming of as much as 2.7ºC by 2100, according to the UN. “We, climate scientists, stress that immediate, strong, rapid, sustained and large-scale actions are necessary” to keep warming within the Paris target, said the letter, signed by researchers across the world. In August, a bombshell “code red” report from the world’s top climate science body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate…

WASHINGTON: The son of the US president, Hunter Biden, snapped at a New York Post journalist after they wondered if he had recovered the notorious laptop he purportedly forgot in a Delaware repair shop. The device’s contents made headlines in some media outlets after they were revealed in October 2020. “There’s always a smart-a** in the bunch,” Biden said after a “tight grin”, the New York Post reported. Hunter Biden’s wife, Melissa Cohen, who accompanied him on the way out of a party celebrating the first son’s art exhibition in Manhattan, stepped in, claiming the device in question “doesn’t exist”. That claim, however, partly contradicts Hunter Biden’s own earlier statements, in which he said he could not completely rule out that the laptop, abandoned in the repair shop, was not…

Minsk: Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko yesterday raised the possibility he could shut down the transit of natural gas to Europe via Belarus in retaliation against any new European Union sanctions imposed over his country’s handling of migrants. The EU on Wednesday accused Belarus of mounting a “hybrid attack” on the bloc by encouraging thousands of migrants fleeing poverty and war-torn areas to try to cross into Poland, and is gearing up to impose new sanctions on Minsk. Lukashenko, backed by close ally Russia, has dismissed the allegations and blamed the 27-nation bloc and the West for fuelling the crisis.…

DAMASCUS: Low rainfall, structural damage and extraction by struggling farmers have emptied a key reservoir in north-western Syria, leaving it completely dry for the first time, farmers and officials said. Syria is experiencing one of its driest and hottest years on record after historically low rainfall last winter. The reservoir in Idlib province has completely dried up for the first time in its 27-year history. “Because of drought and low rainfall, we can now walk on the floor of the reservoir,” managing engineer Maher al-Hussein said. Cattle farmer Abu Joumaa said: “People won’t be able to grow crops they rely on to make a living.”…

STEVEN Gerrard withstood a period of intense pressure to turn fallen giants Rangers into Scottish hampions again and now Aston Villa provides one of the Premier League’s all-time great players with a platform to truly prove himself as a manager. Gerrard, who spent 17 years patrolling Liverpool’s midfield and scored 120 Premier League goals in 504 appearances, has been named Villa boss after the Birmingham club sacked Dean Smith on Sunday. The former England midfielder had only one season’s coaching experience with Liverpool’s youth team when he was appointed by Rangers in June 2018 after the club had sacked a fourth manager in four years. The Glaswegian club had only been promoted back to the Scottish top-flight two years previously following their 2011 demotion to the fourth tier in 2012…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za HUNDREDS of union and civil society members protested outside the gates of Parliament yesterday during the Mid-Term Budget Speech, calling for, among other things, an end to austerity. Black Sash, the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) and Cry of the Xcluded supporters gathered outside Parliament yesterday and demanded a basic income grant of R1 500 that meets the immediate living needs of the unemployed. Other demands include the provision of fully public, quality, safe, affordable public transport, proper sanitation services and gender-based budgeting that includes the provision of free sanitary towels. Black Sash national education and training manager Amanda Rinquest said caregivers who received the child’s support grant should also qualify for the basic income support. “We are here today to demand a budget that is for…

Siyavuya Mzantsi siyavuya.mzantsi@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa should be prepared to let go of state-owned companies that are “no longer considered strategically relevant,” Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said in his Medium Term Budget Policy Statement Speech (MTBPS) in Parliament yesterday. Describing his approach as “tough love’’ Godongwana told MPs that none of the country’s ailing SOEs would be receiving funding in this year’s MTBPS. “Many SOCs, however, have been badly managed and have failed to deliver. “In many instances they have also been devastated by state capture, making them increasingly reliant on government support. “Since 2013, the government directed more than R290 billion to bailout state-owned companies, at the expense of important social expenditure. Going forward, the restructuring of state-owned companies, informed by an assessment of their strategic relevance, is a…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za THE COLLEN Mashawana Foundation in partnership with the Department of Social Development has pledged to renovate the homes of two New Crossroads families which went up in flames due to an electric fault earlier this year. The fire in September started in the main bedroom from a plug where 85-year-old Nongayithini Fass was with her 11-year-old grandchild. The fire quickly spread to the home of their neighbours, Mafune Bangindawo, 59 and Mkhulu Bangindawo, 70, who live with their five grandchildren. Both families survived the blaze and now live in temporary structures at their neighbours’ homes. Fass had just renovated her kitchen when the fire occurred. Collen Mashawana Foundation spokesperson Nomaphelo Xapa said the processes of rebuilding the houses was under way. “The fire started when Fass was…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za POLITICAL parties that complained of missing votes in 14 voting districts across the City during the municipal elections have cautiously welcomed the Independent Election Commission’s (IEC) probe outcome which authorised a recount. The Cape Independence Party (CIP) lodged an objection in which they sought a recount in 24 voting districts (VDs) in the Cape Metro and the DA for two VDs. Following an investigation, the Commission authorised a recount in 12 of the 24 voting districts identified by the CIP. The commission maintained that there were sufficient particulars provided to support the need for an investigation. Western Cape electoral officer Michael Hendrickse said the recount for both ward and proportional representative ballots was conducted yesterday in the presence of representatives of political parties. There is a possibility…

Reviwer: Orielle Berry What Strange Paradise Omar El Akkad Loot.co.za (R284) Picador A PLETHORA of books have been written about migrants and each one, in its own way, strongly brings home the point of feeling alien in a so-called host country as a stateless refugee. Omar El Akkad’s beautifully written book reads like a thriller, seen largely through the eyes of an 8-year old refugee boy. Amir Utu is fleeing the horrors of the war in Syria. He jumps onto a boat which carries his uncle, packed with people of diverse nationalities, all of whom have paid a high price for a trip out of hell, seeking greener pastures elsewhere. On the high seas, on a well-appointed vessel, the human cargo is forced to change boats midway by the…

STAND tall Siya Kolisi. Stand your ground and speak up when the situation demands that the leader of the Springboks won’t be silenced. Kolisi’s charm to many in the international media was always his perceived shyness and an attitude the world rugby media often described as “respectful” and “non-confrontational”. Kolisi was the nice guy, and referees ran roughshod over him. It all changed in the British & Irish Lions series for Kolisi and the Springboks when 2019 World Cup-winning coach and national Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus released a 62-minute video highlighting 26 instances of Australian referee Nic Berry getting it wrong against the Springboks. Erasmus also emphasised, by way of clips, how Kolisi was disrespected and how Berry refused to entertain Kolisi as the captain of a national team.…

Benin has received back over 26 royal artefacts looted by the French more than 130 years ago during the colonial occupation of the country, according to several reports yester- day. Benin President Patrice Talon and the cultural minister travelled to Paris on Tuesday to bring the artefacts back, as part of French leader Emmanuel Macron’s effort to restore African heritage, online news publication Politics Nigeria reported. To mark the return of the artefacts, a ceremony took place in the country’s capital, Cotonou, which saw hundreds of people line the streets, according to the BBC. One woman said she’d travelled 500km with her young children to witness the return of the loot stolen by colonial troops in the 19th century. The artworks, which had been on display in a Parisian museum,…

Zimbabwe’s elephants are slowly becoming a danger to themselves as they continue to destroy their own habitat as well as that of other wild animals, a wildlife official has said. Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Tinashe Farawo said the situation was becoming untenable in areas such as Hwange in western Zimbabwe where huge swathes of vegetation were being lost to the growing elephant numbers. Zimbabwe’s elephant population is estimated to be more than 100 000, more than double its ecological carrying capacity of about 45 000, according to conservationists. It boasts of about a quarter of the continent’s elephant population and the second-highest in the world after Botswana. This is due to the country’s robust conservation measures which have protected the critically endangered species. But such measures are…

Geneva: The number of people fleeing war, conflict and persecution rose significantly during the first half of 2021, driven especially by the millions more displaced inside their own countries, the UN said yesterday. In a fresh report, the UN refugee agency estimated that by the end of June, more than 84 million people worldwide were living as refugees, asylum seekers, or in so-called internal displacement within their own countries. That marks a hike of about 2 million people from an already record high at the end of 2020. “The international community is failing to prevent violence and persecution,” said the UN.…

TOKYO: A Japanese train driver is suing his employer after his wages were docked 56 yen ($0.50) over a minute-long delay to the country’s famously punctual rail system, the company said yesterday. The driver filed the suit against the West Japan Railway (JR West) earlier this year after it fined him for a work mix-up in June last year which caused the delay, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported. He is seeking ¥2.2 million (about R294 194) in damages for mental anguish caused by the ordeal, the report said. The company argues it was appropriate to dock the driver’s wages because no labour was performed during the mix-up.…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za WAYNE Parnell did not return to South Africa expecting the national selection convenor to call him asking if he’d like to have a go at international cricket again. That ship had sailed for Parnell and he was happy to watch it drift out to sea. But then that phone call from Victor Mpitsang duly arrived. “I didn’t set out my stall to come back into South African cricket, and play for the Proteas,” the 32-year-old said yesterday. “I was happy coming back to Western Province, to try and add value into this environment, and it led to these bigger things - being called up again.” Parnell was a surprising inclusion in the Proteas squad for the three match One-Day International series against the Netherlands later this…

ACCORDING to reports, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) did not achieve the milestone of making R1 billion which they achieved in recent seasons and last season was a financial loss for the league in that they spent more money than they earned. Premier Soccer League chairman Irvin Khoza was expected to address the clubs on the financial situation pertaining to South African football at the PSL Annual General Meeting yesterday but no official update was released to media at the time of print. Major football leagues across the world have suffered massive financial losses since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020 with the PSL being no exception. Fans have not been in attendance at PSL games which has meant that clubs have not been able to…