Table of contents for 2022-01-05 in Cape Times

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za THE group of former uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) combatants who last year met in Pretoria under the leadership of former army intelligence officer, General Mojo Motau, have come up with another “guiding document” on how to save the ANC from the current leadership challenges. In the document, titled “Saving the ANC: Addressing the leadership challenge” the group starts by saying that 2022 is an important year as it is the year of a national elective conference and party members have to embark “on preparations for the conference with vigour”. The document then said it was disappointing that the present leadership of the ANC is not supportive of the 2025 renewal strategy which was presented last year and “continues to sing empty slogans about the renewal of the ANC”.…

Staff writer WITH Germany joining the list of countries to drop travel restrictions on Southern Africa, the City says it is ready to welcome visitors eager to escape their harsh winter for a beautiful summer holiday in Cape Town. The US lifted its travel restrictions on South Africa and several other African countries on Friday. Mayco member for economic growth James Vos welcomed the decision: “I’m very excited by the news that Germany has joined the list of countries to drop travel restrictions on Southern Africa. These restrictions came in the wake of our scientists identifying the Omicron variant. “Research has since shown, however, that piecemeal travel bans are ineffective and only serve to punish the economies of countries that have been banned. “Going forward, global governments must consider alternative…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za DRUNK-driving and alcohol consumption in public spaces continued to give law enforcers a headache over the past week. At least 31 inebriated motorists and 428 speedsters were nabbed on Western Cape roads between December 27 - January 2. A total of 9 505 fines, totalling R8 525 750 were issued for various traffic violations ranging from driver behaviour to vehicle fitness. With many people starting to travel back from their holidays and roads expected to be much busier next week as more industries reopen, provincial Transport MEC Daylin Mitchell urged people to use the roads responsibly. Mitchell noted that the road death tally of 32 reported last week was an improvement on the period December 20 - 17, when crashes claimed the lives of 55 people. “Although…

State criticised for inability to deliver services or effectively cope with unemployment President Cyril Ramaphosa has probably been the busiest national leader in the world to see out the old year and to see in the new one! Hardly had he finished addressing a hapless nation with his New Year’s message amid the Omicron coronavirus variant resplendently contagious in the Cape sun, when he delivered the eulogy at the funeral of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu at Cape Town’s historic St George’s Cathedral. The following day, he had to reassure South Africans once again as a suspected arson attack resulted in a fire raging through the very seat of democracy, the National Assembly. Thanks to City of Cape Town’s prompt and heroic first responders, the inferno was quickly contained, albeit…

THE circumstances surrounding the burning of part of the national legislature have led to speculations about who might be responsible for the fire, and whether there was foul play or systems failures on the part of Parliament. Zandile Christmas Mafe, the man taken in for questioning, appeared in court yesterday on charges of arson, house-breaking, theft and contravention of the National Key Points Act. His case was postponed to January 11. Mafe’s lawyer, Luvuyo Godla, told the media his client rejected all the charges. Expectedly, the inferno that broke out on Sunday has become a political football between supporters and critics of President Cyril Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa’s critics blame him for the blaze because he is now in charge of state security, while his supporters claim the incident is part of…

SRI LANKA has unveiled a $1.1 billion targeted relief package yesterday to help consumers pay soaring food costs as an economic crisis bites in the country. The island’s tourism-dependent economy was hammered by the pandemic and rampant shortages have left its people struggling to buy essential goods. Supermarkets have been rationing milk powder, sugar, lentils and other essentials, with food prices rising by a record 22% last month. More than two million state employees and pensioners will be given a living allowance of 60 000 rupees (R4 800) this year to deal with the rising cost of living. Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa also announced subsidies for home gardens, with crop yields expected to fall further after a disastrous campaign to make Sri Lanka the world’s first 100% organic farming nation.…

Just 15 minutes can make a big difference. Newborn fraternal twins Aylin and Alfredo Trujillo came into the world 15 minutes apart – but will celebrate their birthdays on different days, months and years. Baby boy Alfredo Antonio Trujillo was delivered first, at 11.45pm on New Year’s Eve – December, 31, 2021. His younger sister, Aylin Yolanda Trujillo, entered the world exactly at midnight, on Sunday, January 1, 2022. Alfredo weighed in at 2.7kg, while Aylin weighed 2.6kg, the Natividad Medical Center in Salinas, California, said. “This was one of the most memorable deliveries of my career,” said Ana Abril Arias, a family doctor at Natividad Medical Group. “It was an absolute pleasure to help these little ones arrive safely in 2021 and 2022.” Twin births in the US are…

NEW YORK: A UN court has ordered Niger to suspend its expulsions of eight Rwandans linked to the country’s 1994 genocide, officials confirmed. Niger’s government announced the expulsions in late December – just a month after the Rwandans were officially welcomed in the capital Niamey – citing “diplomatic reasons”. But a judge with the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals on Friday ordered Niger to “stay” the removals as they may be in violation of earlier UN agreements. A UN spokesperson in New York confirmed the official publication of the court order to AFP on Monday.…

| AFP Heinrich Malan was named the head coach of the Ireland men’s cricket team yesterday, filling the void left by Graham Ford, who stepped down last November. The 40-year-old South African has been based in New Zealand for several years, with his latest role coach of the Auckland Aces. Malan – a former middle-order batsman and medium fast bowler – will take up the post in March on a three-year contract, subject to him receiving a work visa. Among his more recent roles, he has held assistant coaching positions for the New Zealand team and head coach of New Zealand A. He has also held the batting coach role for the Black Caps. “It’s very humbling and a huge honour to be appointed head coach of the Ireland…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za THE MPUMALANGA mother of a girl who suffered oxygen deprivation during birth more than nine years ago, and as a result is suffering from cerebral palsy, has got the green light from the court to sue the health authorities for damages. The mother, who was not identified in the court judgment to safeguard the child’s identity, struggled for about three years to obtain her hospital records in a bid for her lawyers to institute a claim on her behalf. The Mpumalanga Health Department, when it eventually received the summons from the mother’s lawyers, asked for the matter to be dismissed on the grounds that the mother was too late with her claim. Legal proceedings against an organ of state to recover a debt must be instituted by…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za ALTHOUGH the courts are there to maintain law and order, their function is also to be fair, as a thief with a sweet tooth found out on Christmas Eve. Bhuti Majola was in July last year convicted of theft after he admitted to stealing six chocolates worth R72.45 from the Witbank Spar Supermarket. He admitted to stealing the sweet treats and an eMalahleni magistrate subsequently sent him to jail for two years. The matter came under the attention of a high court judge sitting in the Middelburg division as a matter of routine, as the court reviewed judgments from the lower court. Judge TV Ratshibvumo, in his subsequent judgment, said upon perusal of the trial record, it was conspicuously incomplete in that it was only the sentencing…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za ACCUSED murderer, police officer Richard Smith, will return to court next week after the matter was postponed at the Piketberg Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Smith, an off-duty police officer, is accused of murdering his girlfriend Natasha Booise after he allegedly shot her in front of family, including her 10-year-old son, at about 7pm in Piketberg Main Road on Sunday. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the matter had been postponed to January 7 for Smith’s legal representative to be entered on the record. Rural and Farmworkers Development Organisation director, Billy Claassen attended court proceedings alongside community members who had petitioned and picketed for Smith not be granted bail. “The community of Piketberg and surrounding towns are up in arms. They went to court in their numbers to…

Neville Sherman THE END of a year is a time to reflect back and think ahead in a positive way to the next. Having retired from teaching after over 40 years, I still share some of my time by working with pupils in what is fair to say, schools that face challenges. I believe in “giving back” to the community. Having been a UK school inspector, and a principal of eight schools in the UK, Dubai, Kampala and Vietnam, I’m not ready yet for the pipe and slippers! For the past six months, I have undertaken volunteer sessions post-school with extra-curricular activities for Grade 2-7 learners. I intermix my two-hour sessions with African drumming, sharing and learning from stories or famous pieces of art or drama and then letting the…

Khartoum: Sudanese security forces fired tear gas yesterday at anti-coup protesters in Khartoum chanting slogans against the military days after the resignation of the country’s civilian premier, witnesses said. Protesters shouted “No, no to military rule” and called for the disbanding of Sudan’s ruling council headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who led an October 25 coup that derailed a transition to civilian rule. Thousands of protesters gathered across Sudan, including in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman as well as the eastern city of Port Sudan and the South Darfur capital of Nyala. Demonstrators in east Khartoum “burnt car tyres and built rock barricades on the streets”, witness Sawsan Salah said. Other protesters urged the military “to go back to the barracks”. Streets leading to the presidential palace…

Paris: Two unvaccinated French TV star twin brothers, who made their name on a science programme in the 1980s before becoming famous for their cosmetic surgery, have died within a week of each other from Covid-19. The death of Igor Bogdanoff, 72, was confirmed on Monday by his lawyer, Edouard de Lamaze. He died just six days after his brother, Grichka Bogdanoff, passed away in a Parisian hospital, also of Covid, the lawyer confirmed. Instantly recognisable in France and a favourite in the country’s glossy celebrity magazines, they also claimed to have taken part in the creation of Bitcoin. “We were implicated, very early, in the birth of the cryptocurrency,” Grichka told French TV show Non-Stop People in June, with their claim largely based on their proximity and friendship with…

BEIJING: The number of deaths in a construction site landslide has increased to 14, with rescuers having recovered all bodies trapped under debris, media reported yesterday. “At the moment, all those trapped have been found, with 14 of them dead,” China Central Television reported. Earlier, local authorities published a message on WeChat saying that on January 3, a landslide occurred at a construction site in the city of Bijie in Guizhou province, trapping several people. Initially, it was reported that five were dead and nine missing. More than 1 000 people and 16 excavators were involved in the rescue operations.…

JERUSALEM: Israel, yesterday, lifted restrictions barring same-sex couples and single men from becoming parents through surrogacy, upholding a Supreme Court ruling to end the ban. Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said: “It is a historic day for the LGBTQ+ struggle in Israel.” Israel’s LGBTQ+ community had for years demanded to be allowed to pursue surrogacy, which is accessible to heterosexual couples and single women. In July, the Supreme Court, petitioned by gay rights activists, ruled that the surrogacy ban for same-sex couples and single men violated their rights and must be lifted within six months.…

Princess Charlene of Monaco, who has been receiving specialised care outside the principality, is still some months away from a full recovery, the palace said. Charlene, the wife of Prince Albert II, is being treated for extreme fatigue away from her family after returning to Monaco in November following months away in South Africa. Her absence from Monaco’s annual national day in November, the biggest annual event in the palace calendar, had fuelled new concern over her health, but also speculation about the state of the couple’s marriage. The princess “is recuperating in a satisfactory and reassuring manner, although it may take a few more months before her health has reached a full recovery”, a palace statement said. Albert and the couple’s children had visited the princess during the Christmas…

Chevon Booysen and Odwa Mkentane LAWYERS representing the man accused of being behind the fire in Parliament have rejected the Hawks’ claim that their client was found in possession of items stolen from Parliament, saying the Khayelitsha resident was being made a scapegoat. Zandile Christmas Mafe made his first court appearance in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court yesterday facing five charges, – housebreaking with intent to steal and theft, two counts of arson, possession of an explosive device and destruction of essential infrastructure relating to the fire in Parliament. Mafe – originally from Mahikeng but residing in Cape Town for more than six years – had allegedly been in possession of “laptops, crockery and documents” at the time of his arrest, according to the charge sheet. Hawks spokesperson Thandi Mbambo…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za LOCAL social entrepreneur Louise van Rhyn, 56, has won a major international management award from Thinkers50 dubbed the Oscars of Management Thinking for her work in education in South Africa, linking business leaders with school principals. Thinkers50 recognises ideas that have the power to change the world and Van Rhyn received the Ideas into Practice Award for her programme “Partners for Possibility”, the flagship programme of non-profit organisation “Symphonia for South Africa”. Through the programme, business leaders develop their capacity to lead in a complex and unfamiliar environment by becoming a co-learning and co-action partner to a school principal. The focus of their partnership is to lead positive change in an under-resourced school in efforts to reduce inequality in education. The programme is spearheaded by Van Rhyn…

Staff Reporter A SECOND baby has been found dead in as many days in the North West. In the latest incident, a 34-year-old Coligny man was arrested in connection with the murder of his 10-month-old baby boy, found severely beaten. Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Funani said Klaas Kgasi appeared in the Coligny Magistrate’s Court on Monday and will remain in custody until his next court appearance for a formal bail application next Monday. “According to information, Kgasi and his girlfriend attended a party at Tlhabologang Location, Coligny, on Saturday night. “While at the party, the accused reportedly took the child from the mother to take him to his aunt’s place at Extension 3. He came back a while later and handed back to the mother the blankets she used…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za A UWC employee who was allegedly turned away after failing to produce vaccine certificates on campus, claim unfairness and say no clear communication has been given, especially for those awaiting exemption decisions. UWC became the first tertiary institution last year to approve the interim Covid-19 vaccination policy for 2022 after the council gave the green light in November. The university’s interim Covid-19 vaccination policy came into effect on January 3. According to a staff member who asked not to be named, when he arrived at campus on Monday a poster “Right of Admission Reserved, No vaccination certificate no entry” was placed at the gate, and when he could not produce a certificate to security, he was allegedly refused entry. “At first I thought I was the only…

EBRAHIM ESSA | Durban The new year is here. Tidy-up time. I can only make new plans if dirty linen is removed. Lot of clutter collected even last year. Garage is already full with skeletons of the past. Door can’t close. Palestine issue taking up a large corner and getting ever-pushed under toilet seat. Iran-nuclear looming to counterbalance in same corner. Israel pretending to pretend as if worried. BJP putting excess weight on delicate mezzanine floor as ignoring threats from within and from China, Afghanistan, Pakistan, to collapse into a civil war that could make India’s old, classical, mythological violence seem like a peaceful Bharat-Natyam rendition. The USA’s creation of fleeing after installing yet more Frankenstein monsters in Afghanistan – not even unpacked on the side-stool under…

Multiple UK hospitals have declared “critical incidents” over dramatic staff shortages caused by surging Covid-19 cases. Such a situation is typically declared by NHS trusts when they believe they may no longer be able to provide a range of critical services. With National Health Service (NHS) staff sickness and absences doubling due to Covid-19 in the two weeks to Boxing Day across England, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) called on government ministers to introduce “a more cautious approach for England without further delay”. “The health and care system in England, already short tens of thousands of professionals, can ill afford the current losses,” it stated. The union voiced “significant concerns” about staffing for the new “Nightingale surge hubs”. Eight locations with a capacity for 100 patients are being rolled…

A Canadian court has awarded more than $80 million (roughly R1.3bn) in compensation to the families of six people who died when Iran shot down a Ukrainian airliner almost two years ago, according to a decision made public yesterday. Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 was shot down shortly after take-off from Tehran on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 people aboard -- including 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Three days later, the Iranian armed forces admitted to downing the Kyiv-bound plane “by mistake.” Ontario Superior Court Judge Edward Belobaba had previously ruled that the strike on the civilian aircraft “constituted terrorist activity”, paving the way for bereaved families to seek compensation. He awarded the plaintiffs $107 million Canadian dollars ($83 million), plus interest. It was unclear how the money…

ALMATY: Protests have erupted in several Kazakhstan towns and cities after the government lifted price caps on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and the cost of the popular alternative to gasoline rose. Public protests are rare – and illegal unless their organisers file a notice in advance – in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic whose parliament is devoid of opposition. The rallies have involved thousands of people. They began on Sunday – the day after the price caps on LPG were lifted – in the town of Zhanaozen, the site of the deadliest clashes between protesters and police since independence from the Soviet Union.…

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Aoun yesterday reiterated Lebanon’s insistence on preserving the best ties with the Gulf States, particularly, Saudi Arabia. “We are keen to preserve the best ties with Arab countries and the international community. This is Lebanon’s official stance,” he said in a statement by Lebanon’s Presidency. “This keenness must be mutual as it is in the interest of both Lebanon and the Gulf States,” he added. Aoun’s statement came one day after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah accused Saudi Arabia of supporting the Islamic State in Syria and holding thousands of Lebanese hostages in the Gulf.…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za Keegan Petersen, who spent more time batting in the second Test against India than any other South African, said the surface won’t be getting any easier, and that any target above 200 in the final innings would be extremely difficult to chase. India’s lead is already 58 runs after they’d wiped out South Africa’s slim 27-run advantage in rapid fashion in the final session of the second day yesterday. Petersen top-scored with 62 as the Proteas made 229 in their first innings. It was an innings that showed off the 28-year-old’s solid technique that allows for some very elegant strokeplay. “I’m happy. I wish I could have done more to put the team in a better position. It was a decent effort, given the conditions,” he…