Table of contents for 2021-12-03 in Cape Times

siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za South African Airways (SAA) has resolved to sell its subsidiary Mango Airline and divest from the low-cost carrier as part of its restructuring, but the decision has angered some workers unions. This comes after a majority of Mango creditors yesterday voted in favour of the amended proposed business rescue plan for the low-cost airline. About 84 percent of creditors voted in favour of the proposed plan by the business rescue practitioner (BRP) Sipho Sono. According to the amended plan, SAA will withdraw from Mango and sell 100 percent of its shares to private investors. The State-owned carrier will now begin a process of finding an investor for Mango with the hope that one will be found by March 2022. Last month, SAA adjourned a meeting…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za WHILE the DA remains mum about the appointment of sexual harassment accused Thys Giliomee as Hessequa municipal manager, the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has said it will launch an investigation into the matter relating to the former Mossel Bay municipal manager. Both DA Western Cape spokesperson Cilliers Brink and the party’s provincial chairperson, Jaco Londt, did not respond to questions by deadline yesterday. The party has come under fire from the opposition in the municipality, who accused it of double standards after its calls for the sacking of child rapist Kannaland mayor Jeffery Donson. Giliomee was placed on special, full-paid leave earlier this year pending an investigation into alleged misconduct in the form of sexual harassment during his tenure in the Mossel Bay municipality. Giliomee is…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za THE Port of Cape Town has officially opened the 2021-2022 cruise season. It is scheduled to receive vessels from Walvis Bay and Luderitz along the Namibian coast, Gough Island, and Tristan Da Cunha in the South Atlantic, all booked to arrive at the Cape Town terminal from now until May next year. Acting Port Manager of Cape Town, Tshepo Ramonyaluoe, said: “Cruise tourism has a significant economic impact, contributing substantially to local, regional and national economies. Therefore, the resuming of cruise tourism is a much-needed economic boost.” The local economy’s main revenues from the cruise industry include and are not limited to crew and passenger spending, shore excursions and tours, as well as vessel supplies and services, added Ramonyaluoe. “The Cape Town Cruise Terminal is planned to…

Ottolenghi’s books grace the bookshelves of many serious foodies across the globe and his recipes are brimming with the stuff of bold flavours. | Julian Richfield OTTOLENGHI TEST KITCHEN – SHELF LOVE Noor Murad and Yotam Ottolenghi Loot.co.za (R429) EBURY PRESS Although his 2018 book was called Simple, to many the combination of Ottolenghi and the word Simple is a contradiction in terms. The title of his new book may seem equally ominous, but it is anything but. The recipes in Ottolenghi Test Kitchen – Shelf Love are his most accessible yet. “We want you to take these recipes and make them your own, turning this cookbook into a handbook – one to write and scribble on. “It’s food that we’d cook at home, for our friends and families, comforting…

'Common actions for tangible benefit' for Africa and China THE 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (Focac), held from November 29 to 30 in Senegal, was a momentous event with a business-focused objective. This Focac, the first to be hosted in a francophone country, achieved much in realising equal consultation and expanding consensus representing a combined population, in Africa and China, of 2.7 billion people. This Focac’s theme, to “Deepen China-Africa Partnership and Promote Sustainable Development to Build a China-Africa with a Shared Future in a New Era”, was apposite. It was a relevant theme after two unrelenting years of battling the cumulative effects of the Covid-19 global health and economic pandemic. The Focac conference is a welcome intervention since it highlights the fact that solutions to…

A baby was found dead in one of five migrant boats intercepted off Spain’s Canary Islands in the Atlantic with nearly 300 people on board, officials said yesterday. Migrant arrivals on the Canaries have surged since late 2019 after increased patrols along Europe’s southern coast dramatically reduced crossings to the continent via the Mediterranean. In the latest incident, the Spanish coastguard rescued 282 sub-Saharan African migrants from five inflatable dinghies off the coast of Fuerteventura, one of the seven islands that make up the Canary islands, local emergency services said in a tweet. The group includes 68 women, six children and the body of a baby who did not survive the voyage, an emergency services spokesperson said. They are all in good health except for one woman who needed…

Vatican City: Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit, who offered to quit over his “ambiguous behaviour” with a woman, the Vatican said yesterday. Catholic priests are bound to celibacy under church doctrine. Separately, the French church reeled from the publication in October of a devastating report by an independent commission which estimated that Catholic clergy had abused 216 000 children since 1950. Dealing with the avalanche of revelations about sexual abuse by priests was one of the biggest challenges that Francis faced when he was elected pope in 2013.…

DOHA: Arab countries are preparing an application to include ancient residential clay buildings of the region, primarily in Yemen, on the Unesco World Heritage List, Hussein Aidarous, the head of Hadramaut office of the Yemeni directorate-general of Antiquities and Museums, told Sputnik. Hadramaut is a province in the east of Yemen abundant with ancient clay palaces. It also includes the ancient town of Shibam with clay skyscrapers, which is already listed with Unesco World Heritage. “Negotiations are under way to include the entire city of Seiyun, the capital of the lowland part of Hadramaut province, in this list,” said Aidarous.…

Samkelo Mtshali samkelo.thulasizwe@inl.co.za THE Institute for Security Studies (ISS) has told the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) probe into the July 2021 unrest of its concern that an assault against the state had emerged within the ranks of the ruling ANC, or people associated with the party. This was part of the dissection of the ISS’s submission to the SAHRC’s National Investigative Hearing into the July unrest, made by David Bruce. He is an independent researcher in the fields of policing and public security. He works for the ISS on a consultancy basis. Bruce said that national Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole’s characterising of the unrest was in general terms correct, because of the scale of the events that took place. However, he said that to the best of…

Staff writer IN WHAT has been hailed as a groundbreaking milestone and a major step forward in ending Aids on the continent, Botswana became the first high-burden country to be certified for its efforts in eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV by the World Health Organization (WHO). Only 15 countries that have been certified for eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission. However none of them had an epidemic as large as Botswana’s. Botswana has now achieved “silver tier” status, which moves it closer to eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission. WHO awards this certification to countries that have brought the mother-to-child HIV transmission rate to under 5%, provided antenatal care and antiretroviral treatment to more than 90% of pregnant women; and achieved an HIV case rate of fewer than 500 per 10 000 live births.…

Francesca Villette francesca.villette@inl.co.za LIKE millions of women around the world, Miss X endured many years of various abuses from her spouse, and was isolated from her friends and family. Like far too few women, she is now able to receive assistance in gaining her independence and providing for three of her children who still depend on her. From the Cape Flats, Miss X first sought refuge at the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children (SBCWC ) in Manenberg six months ago, and has since become an active member in giving back through volunteering in the kitchen, running the shop and looking after 10 children of working mothers. Her journey to recovery from nearly 20 years of abuse started when a gun was pulled to her head. Miss X said…

Marsha Dean marsha.Dean@inl.co.za WITH the 16 days of activism for no violence against women and children campaign currently underway, non profit organisations, Woman2Woman and the National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders (Nicro) have united to bring social services directly to the community of Bishop Lavis on Saturday. Service providers will include Rape Crisis, Men Moving Mountains, SAPS Bishop Lavis, Lifeline and many more to showcase the people of the community that there is help available to fight gender-based violence. Woman2Woman chairperson Florence Campbell said the organisation wants to amplify to perpetrators that violence against women and children will not be tolerated in the community. “We bring the service to the community to show there is hope as we specifically want the girl child to know there…

In 1891, the first rugby team from Britain toured South Africa and it began a tradition that has continued until today. | Julian Richfield LIONS IN AFRICA Chris Schoeman and David McLennan Loot.co.za (R325) FLYLEAF PUBLISHING A fascinating book by Chris Schoeman and David McLennan, Lions in Africa, takes one on the tours here undertaken by the British Lions between that 1981 tour and the one in 2009. In a foreword to the book, legendary Willie John McBride, who played in three Lions tours to South Africa, says: “Even in today’s professional world, to be a Lion is still as special as it always was.” I felt that specialness as a youngster and I remember well getting the autograph of two of the 1962 British Lions at the then Jan…

| OWN Correspondent Flying Angels Danielle Steel Loot.co.za (R240) Macmillan WORLD War II brings together six remarkable young flight nurses, who face the challenges of war and its many heartbreaks and victories as unsung heroes, in this inspiring novel from #1 New York Times best-selling author Danielle Steel. Audrey Parker’s life changes forever when Pearl Harbour is attacked on December 7, 1941. Her brother, a talented young Navy pilot, had been stationed there, poised to fulfil their late father’s distinguished legacy. Fresh out of nursing school with a passion and a born gift for helping others, both Audrey and her friend Lizzie suddenly find their nation on the brink of war. Driven to do whatever they can to serve, they enlist in the army and embark on a…

ALL eyes are on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BBCI) and Cricket South Africa (CSA), which are expected to take a decision on the Indian cricket tour of South Africa this festive season. It is said that officials from both administrative bodies are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that India’s proposed tour goes ahead. But fears remain about the rising number of infections of new Covid-19 variant Omicron around the globe, especially in South Africa. CSA has provided assurances that its bio-secure environments are as safe as any in the world. It also has the support of the national government – which just a few months ago was threatening to take the game out of its hands – that CSA can adequately host Virat Kohli’s team…

The African Union’s health watchdog yesterday appealed for calm over Omicron, the new, heavily mutated Covid-19 variant which has prompted many governments to impose new restrictions. The new variant was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by South Africa a week ago, and has quickly showed up across continents, deepening fears of another deadly wave of infections and signalling that the nearly two- year battle against the pandemic is not over. But John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), urged moderation. “We are very concerned but are not worried that the situation cannot be managed,” he told a press briefing. “There is no need to panic. We are not defenceless.” Announced a week ago, the new variant has already seen some…

MOZAMBIQUE: More than 85 deserters and members of the Renamo Military Junta, a dissident clique of Mozambique’s main opposition party Renamo, have joined the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) process, the personal envoy of the UN secretary-general for Mozambique has announced. Calling it as a significant development that closes the chapter on the Renamo Military Junta, the envoy, Mirko Manzoni, who also acts as the president of the Contact Group supporting the peace process between the Mozambican government and Renamo, said it helps strengthen the country’s efforts toward consolidating peace.…

Brasilia: The Brazilian Senate approved a Presbyterian pastor for a seat on the Supreme Court in a win for far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who promised to appoint a “terribly evangelical” judge to the top court. By 47 votes to 32, the Senate backed former justice minister Andre Mendonca, 48, who from mid-December will occupy the 11th seat of the Supreme Court in Brasilia, replacing a judge who retired in July. The appointment of Mendonca was hailed by conservatives, as the court adjudicates on hot-button issues such as the rights of minorities, abortion, drugs and access to weapons.…

MIKE GREENAWAY mike.greenaway@inl.co.za THE Springbok Sevens team’s reputation precedes them as they enter a second World Series tournament in Dubai and they are only too aware that they will be regarded as the team to beat, and that their opposition will raise their games accordingly. The vastly experienced Blitzboks coach Neil Powell says going into the new tournament as champions will severely test his team’s mental and physical resolve. Understandably, the South Africans are the top-ranked team in Pool A because of their triumph in last week’s Emirates Dubai 7s triumph in the UAE. The Blitzboks have Japan, Ireland and Great Britain in their pool. The wily Powell reckons that the second tournament on the circuit is always a challenge for various reasons. “You have to get that balance right…

Sithandiwe Velaphi sithandiwe.velaphi@inl.co.za THE family of Nosicelo Mtebeni has decried the sentence imposed on their daughter’s killer boyfriend Aluta Pasile as too light, describing it as way of “bringing the murderer back to life”, while they will never see their child again. Pasile was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment by the East London High Court yesterday. He was also sentenced to 10 years for defeating the ends of justice. The sentences will run concurrently, said Judge Thami Beshe. Pasile murdered and dismembered the body of the University of Fort Hare law student in Quigney, East London, in August. He cut her body up into seven parts and stored it for three days in the room they were sharing, before putting Mtebeni’s torso into a suitcase in a bid to dispose…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za A FAKE soccer star who lured women via Facebook and raped them has been given six life sentences by the Eastern Cape High Court Thembenkosi Ngcolomba, 44, who raped three of his victims more than once, heard his fate this week after facing trial for six charges of rape and six charges of robbery. Police spokesperson Priscilla Naidu said: “Ngcolomba’s crafty and devious actions started playing out in 2016 until 2018 when he was finally apprehended. During 2016 to 2018, nine females, aged between 15 and 31 years old, were lured by him and raped, some raped twice. Ngcolomba picked his prey by befriending them on Facebook which eventually resulted in a personal meeting. “He profiled himself on Facebook as a famous local soccer star and after…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za MURDERER Lucian Ackerman, 36, from Kensington, will serve a life sentence after he committed two murders – one of a woman who was stuck on the N1 and his second victim being his own boyfriend. Ackerman was convicted and sentenced in the Cape Town Regional Court earlier this week. Police spokesperson Dawood Suliman said Ackerman received a 25-year prison sentence, following thorough investigations, for the murder of his boyfriend. “During 2018 the victim, Munier Larry, opened two assault charges against (Ackerman). During the trial it became known that the accused was in a homosexual relationship with the victim and the State argued that the accused should get a jail sentence as they foresaw that the accused might kill the victim,” said Suliman. “On September 13, 2018 the…

| OWN Correspondent The Judge’s List John Grisham Loot.co.za (R229) Hodder & Stoughton FROM the Sunday Times and New York Times best-selling author, a new legal thriller about a man who might be the most criminal sitting judge in American history. In The Whistler, Lacy Stoltz investigated a corrupt judge who was taking millions in bribes from a crime syndicate. She put the criminals away, but only after being attacked and nearly killed. Three years later, and approaching 40, she is tired of her work for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct and ready for a change. Then she meets a mysterious woman who is so frightened she uses several aliases. Jeri Crosby’s father was murdered 20 years earlier in a case that remained unsolved and that has grown…

THERE was a great moment on the eve of the Springboks and All Blacks Centenary Test in Australia a few months ago when Bok captain Siya Kolisi and All Blacks captain Ardi Savea prepared for a photo shoot to promote the Rugby Championship. Kolisi, in speaking to Savea, said how cool it was that after 100 years of rivalry between the game’s two greatest rugby-playing nations and combined winners of six World Cups, two players of colour would be leading out the teams in the 100th showdown. The 100th Test, scheduled for Dunedin in New Zealand because that is where the first was played, had to be moved to Australia because of Covid-19, but the showdown and the one that followed would be brutal contests, with both sides winning one…

MELBOURNE: Australian Education Minister Alan Tudge has been dismissed from office due to abuse allegations brought against him by a former mistress claiming that she suffered moral and physical humiliation during their relationship, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said yesterday. “The minister has agreed to my request to stand aside while these issues are addressed by my department through an independent and fair process to ensure that the matters that have been raised can be properly assessed,” the prime minister told parliament. Tudge and Rachelle Miller had a consensual affair in 2017. The minister admitted being in the affair while married, but denied the abuse allegations against him. Alleged harassment and abuse of women has produced multiple inquiries into Australian politicians in recent years. In 2018, former prime minister Malcolm…

Two NASA astronauts ventured out on a spacewalk yesterday to replace a faulty antenna on the International Space Station, facing what Nasa called a minimally heightened risk posed by orbital debris left from a Russian missile test weeks ago. The planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk began at 2pm as astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron exited an airlock of the orbiting research lab 400km above Earth to begin their work. “Sun’s coming up and you will be over South America in a couple of minutes,” mission control told the astronauts as they exited the airlock. The start of the “extra-vehicular activity” (EVA) followed a 48-hour delay prompted by an orbital debris alert – believed to be the first such postponement in more than two decades of space station history – which Nasa…

CHONBURI: A three-month-old baby elephant was recovering in Thailand yesterday following life-saving treatment after being shot several times and caught in a hunter’s trap. The elephant, whom rescuers have named “Fahsai”, meaning “clear sky”, was found on Sunday. “We managed to extract a large fragment of a bullet, followed by two smaller pieces,” said a veterinarian. Fahsai will have to be tended to until she is strong enough to undergo surgery to extract remaining bullet fragments. She will be given milk from other mother elephants at the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Chonburi province before a foster-mother elephant is found to adopt her.…