Table of contents for 2022-01-17 in Cape Times

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za THE BLACK Business Council (BBC) has called for the consultancy Bain & Co to be blacklisted from further government contracts for its role in furthering state capture. This is in contrast to Business leadership South Africa’s (BLSA)’s stance last week, where its chief executive Busisiwe Mavuso defended keeping the US management consultancy Bain & Co as a member, saying the firm is not “inherently corrupt”. Meanwhile, Business Unity South Africa (Busa) chief executive Cas Coovadia said on Friday that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) should investigate all institutions and individuals that the Zondo report had recommended be investigated. “The NPA must then prosecute in instances where it finds a prima facie case that pertains. Busa has also expressed a willingness to support the NPA in urgently investigating…

Mashudu Sadike mashudu.sadike@inl.co.za SA CITIZENS refusing to be counted during Census 2022 may face up to six months imprisonment or be liable to a fine of R10 000, according to Stats SA Limpopo head, Nthambeleni Mukwevho. This as the 2022 R20bn project is expected to see about 160 000 field workers starting to count the numbers of the population from February 3rd to 28th, kicking off the Census night on February 2, when the homeless will be counted. The project takes place every 10 years and is meant to ascertain how many people are living in the country, by collecting data of each individual in every household. While the country continues to battle the effects of Covid, Mukwevho urged the public to register online as the census goes online for…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za ACCUSED Parliament arsonist Zandile Christmas Mafe, arguing in an urgent bail application through his legal team in the Western Cape High Court at the weekend, said the “trumped-up” terrorism charge against him was a “cheap strategy” and the “oldest trick in the book”, used to deny him bail. Mafe’s legal team, headed by top advocate Dali Mpofu, SC, will later this week hear the outcome and judgment in the bail application, which was heard by Judge President John Hlophe on Saturday. In his argument for release on bail, Mafe said he posed no flight risk as he was impoverished, having lived on the streets for many years. He also refuted claims being spread on social media about his “alleged membership of military veteran associations”, and expertise in…

WITH less than a month to go, final touches are being made on the preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games from February 4 to 20. Beijing is the first city to ever host both summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games. It won the bid to host the 105-medal Winter Olympics in 2015. The Winter Games include Alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsledding, cross-country skiing, snowboarding and ice hockey among others. Construction of all competition venues is complete and publicity, promotion and cultural activities are going on well. Hotels, lodges, transportation and other accommodation areas are all ready to host athletes and their teams from around the world. Despite the plans by some Western countries not to send any diplomatic or official representation to the Games, the International…

Mfezeko Bunu | Khayelitsha LINDIWE Sisulu has finally shown us that although she is light in complexion, her mind is completely black. I once read in one of ex-president Thabo Mbeki’s biographies that when the comrades met Sisi Lindiwe for the first time in exile after her incarceration she had dreadlocks and she really spoke like an Africanist. What (Louis) Farrakhan said is true – that other races will like you as long as you do not prioritise your own race. But once you start putting your own race first, you will be demonised as being unpatriotic and racist. On August 12, 2014, in an article titled “South Africa: You will be seeing a female president in your lifetime” by Crystal Orderson, Sisi Lindiwe was portrayed as…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za VARIOUS industries have reacted with disappointment to the extension of the national state of disaster, which Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma announced will be in effect until February 15. In a government gazette announcement published on Friday, Dlamini Zuma said that the extension would keep the country on alert level 1. George Business Chamber vice-chairperson, Dr Willie Cilliers, said they weren’t expecting the extension as some restrictions were eased and the curfew was cancelled completely in December. “We really hope that this one is the last state of disaster so that the economy in South Africa can run as normal again. “For businesses in my area of George, it was quite evident that it was a very good (festive) season. “But…

A WOMAN 20, who allegedly orchestrated a hit on her parents and siblings – who were killed in their home in December 2016 – will undergo psychiatric evaluation. Onthatile Sebati and alleged hitmen Kagiso Mokone, 23, and Tumelo Mokone, 23, appeared in the Brits Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. Their case was postponed to tomorrow. North Gauteng regional spokesperson for the director of public prosecutions Lumka Mahanjana said the accused had applied for bail of R1 000 bail each. A Social Development Department report recommended Sebati be sent for psychiatric assessment. The accused were remanded in custody. Sebati, then aged 16, allegedly hired hitmen to kill her parents and siblings in Mmakau, east of Brits. Her father Constable Sello Sebati, 42, was attached to the Hebron police station. “Her father,mother,…

THE National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (Nersa) inability or lack of willpower in addressing the financing of long-standing corruption at Eskom continues to hurt South Africans in their pockets. Eskom continues to be a drain on the fiscus, years after the first signs of corruption were exposed, and it remains the greatest inhibitor to economic growth and the largest obstacle to investment. As long as Eskom continues to flounder, the country’s record-high unemployment figures will continue to rise. It is this vicious cycle that has confounded those trying to find solutions to the woes at the power utility. Last year, the utility asked Nersa for a 15% increase, and this year it wants a 20% increase. If Eskom is granted this increase, then by April this year consumers will…

New Zealand yesterday pledged to provide support for Tonga following a volcanic eruption that sent tsunami waves crashing onto the Pacific Island. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters that her government has made an initial sum of $340 000 (R5.2 million) available to provide assistance to Tonga. The tsunami had a significant impact on part of the foreshore of Tonga, with boats and large boulders washed ashore and shops along the coast damaged, said Ardern. There has been no official report of injuries or deaths yet. However, communications were interrupted. The main undersea communications cable has been impacted, said Ardern. “Damage assessments are under way and New Zealand has formally offered to provide assistance to Tonga. A New Zealand Defence Force P3 Orion is on stand-by to provide aerial surveillance…

MANILA: Deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi is “indispensable” in restoring democracy to the military-ruled country and must be included in any peace talks, regardless of her conviction, the Philippines’ foreign minister said yesterday. In a strong rebuke of the Myanmar junta that overthrew Suu Kyi’s elected government last year, Teodoro Locsin condemned last week’s sentencing of the Nobel laureate and accused the military of using the judicial system to crush its opponents. Locsin said he would “adopt” verbatim the remarks of Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt in demanding the junta free political prisoners, halt violence and respect human rights. “I am deeply concerned about the suffering of the civilian population,” Locsin said in a statement. “We also call on the military leadership to participate in an inclusive dialogue…

DOHA: A Turkish military base in Zlikan, northeast of the Iraqi city of Mosul, has come under rocket fire for the second time in two days, a source in the Iraqi security forces told the Shafaq news agency. “Three rockets fell in the area of the Turkish base northeast of Mosul. Turkish artillery responded with return fire,” the source said. No Turkish soldiers were injured. On Saturday, the Turkish Zlikan base’ surroundings were also fired on by two Katyusha rockets. The presence of Turkish troops in the Zlikan camp has caused controversy between Baghdad and Ankara, which justifies its presence as a need to fight the Kurdistan Workers’ Party outlawed in Turkey.…

TRIPOLI: Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush called for international co-operation against illegal migration in the country. Mangoush made her remarks during a visit to an illegal migrants’ reception centre in the capital Tripoli at weekend, as part of the government’s efforts to provide assistance for illegal migrants. “The minister said that the illegal migration issue costs Libya great economic and security resources, adding that this issue requires serious international co-operation in order to control illegal migration and protect the humanitarian and health rights of the migrants,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.…

MUSA Barrow converted a 90th-minute penalty for Gambia yesterday to snatch a 1-1 draw against Mali with the result set to take both teams through to the second round of the Africa Cup of Nations. Mali went ahead after 79 minutes in Limbe when Ibrahima Kone scored from another penalty, both of which were awarded after the Moroccan referee watched replays on the VAR monitor. The draw keeps Gambia and Mali level at the top of Group F with four points each. Group winners and runners-up after three matchdays qualify for the round of 16 along with the best four third-placed sides. "I am thrilled with our results so far. We have beaten Mauritania and drawn with Mali, a team 97 places above us in the world rankings," said Belgium-born…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za ANTI NUCLEAR activists have expressed concern that Eskom will cut corners on its R49 billion maintenance programme to extend the life of the Koeberg nuclear power station by some 20 years. Eskom confirmed that after more than 450 days of uninterrupted operation, Unit 2 of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station will today be taken offline for a regular refuelling and maintenance outage, that is scheduled to last for five months. This will be the 25th refuelling outage on Unit 2 since commissioning and will also see the replacement of the unit’s three steam generators. The reactor pressure vessel head, which houses the nuclear fuel while the station is in operation, will also be replaced. “There are several components that Eskom has confirmed it will not work…

Corrie Kruger SOME YEARS ago, a senior broker at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), informed me that his company had very strict moral and ethical rules of engagement with clients, however, if the client did not like them … they had others too. From the revelations made at the Zondo commission, could it be that one of South Africa’s big five banking institutions, Nedbank, have a similar philosophy? Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, chairperson of the commission, in his report into state capture, states: “The support of the people of South Africa has kept all of us going in the commission.” Having witnessed the hearing over a period, and having a full realisation of the consequences of the theft from the poor that State capture engendered, the people of…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za SMALL-scale fishing communities and environmental organisations along the West Coast are gearing up for another legal battle to interdict an exploratory seismic survey by an Australian company on their shores. Their move comes on the back of oil giant Shell pulling its seismic survey vessel Amazon Warrior from South Africa, after the high court in Makhanda found it had failed in its duty to meaningfully consult the people who would be affected by the survey. The West Coast fishing communities have been up in arms after it emerged that Searcher Seismic, an Australian geoscience data service provider, was apparently granted permission by Petroleum Agency SA (Pasa) to undertake a survey programme. They said this 2D and 3D seismic survey could last for 180 days between January and…

David Wantling | Mowbray PRESIDENT Ramaphosa recently stated that the ANC was not a machine and only human, and therefore it makes mistakes. Most of us learn from our mistakes and do not make them again, but not the ANC which has been making the same mistakes for more than 20 years, running every aspect of our country into the ground and making it almost completely dysfunctional. He was also recently handed the first part of the Zondo Commission corruption report, seriously implicating many of the leading ANC members. What a wonderful opportunity to now show that he has the strength of character to act decisively and suspend all these despicable people, pending their prosecution and hopefully incarceration, which he must ensure happens within six months. Or am…

Samaoen Osman | Crawford ANC support has declined in recent years and it received less than 50% of votes cast in local elections in November 2021, its worst-ever performance at the polls. President Ramaphosa said many who supported the ANC had punished it by not voting. The ANC now is a very, very different party from the 1994 ANC party. At the moment, the party is struggling organisationally and financially. They are struggling financially because of a new law that came in around political party funding. They have basically been bankrupt and not been able to pay their workers for a very long time. The ANC came to power in 1994 when the country’s first democratic elections were held and Mandela became the first black president. The ANC…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za CALLS are mounting for a return to traditional school attendance, with advocacy group Equal Education backing concerns that some disadvantaged pupils would continue to be prevented from accessing the crucial National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP). Department of Basic Education (DBE) Minister Angie Motshekga said last week that rotational learning would continue in schools across the country due to the one-metre social-distancing requirement. However, several education role players, including Western Cape education MEC Debbie Schäfer, have proposed that this system be scrapped, saying that on-off attendance at schools affected the quality of education, and prevented pupils from accessing the feeding programme. About 88% of primary schools were still holding rotational classes in the province. Western Cape Education Department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said food was available at schools, but…

Disruptions to routine vaccine, nutrition service critical in saving lives have been enormous SPARE a thought for the world’s 1.9 billion children aged from 0 to 14, who currently make up 25.5% of the total global population of 7.92 billion, according to UN data. Spare a thought, too, for South Africa’s 16.32 million children aged from 0 to 24, who constituted 27.2% of its 60.14 million population in mid-2021. The data, like most population demographics, are estimates given the gargantuan task in modelling, collating and disaggregating information from countries with significantly disparate economic, socio-cultural and health system resources, exacerbated by pandemic-related lockdowns, social distancing and restrictions. New evidence suggests the pandemic divide is not only confined to vaccine inequality and access, vaccine intellectual property rights blocked…

Computer systems of several Ukrainian government agencies and non-profit organisations have been infected with malware disguised as ransomware, Microsoft said. “Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) has identified evidence of a destructive malware operation in Ukraine. This malware first appeared on victim systems in Ukraine on January 13,” it said. The malware was supposed to resemble a hijacking program but did not have a ransom recovery mechanism. Instead of securing a ransom, the program was designed to incapacitate target devices, the company said. “Given the scale of the intrusions, MSTIC is not able to assess the intent of the identified destructive actions,” the company said, urging all organisations to “immediately build up their defences. On Friday, Ukraine said several government agencies were down and claimed Russia was behind the hacking…

Jews around the world woke up yesterday to the news that US law enforcement had rescued a rabbi and others being held hostage by a man armed with a gun and explosives inside a Colleyville, Texas, synagogue, where they were gathered a day earlier for Sabbath services. The hours-long standoff in the suburb of Fort Worth and Dallas, which ended with the suspect confirmed dead and all hostages “out alive and safe”, sent shockwaves through the local community and rippled far beyond the US. “The synagogue hostages are out and alive. I’m crying tears of joy,” tweeted Hen Mazzig, a senior fellow at the Tel Aviv Institute, a non-profit dedicated to research and tackling anti-semitic hate speech online. “Being Jewish and alive shouldn’t be a miracle. But it is.” Mazzig,…

KABUL: Two children were killed and several civilians sustained injuries in a bomb blast on the outskirts of Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul, an eyewitness said yesterday. The bomb exploded in a car belonging to the Taliban (under UN sanctions over terrorism) in the Bagrami District in the central part of Kabul Province, the source said. “The bomb exploded … around 12 noon (local time), killed two children and injured several civilians,” the eyewitness said. Since taking power, the Taliban has been battling the local chapter of the Islamic State terror group, believed to be behind the majority of terrorist attacks and bomb explosions in Afghanistan.…

LONDON: The British Conservative Party chairman has rejected calls for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign but said he must address the culture within his government that resulted in multiple staff gatherings at his Downing Street residence during coronavirus lockdowns. Johnson has apologised for socialising amid a public backlash at the perception that the government did not follow its own rules during the pandemic. An internal investigation is under way. “We need to find out the facts and then the Prime Minister needs to respond and address the culture in Downing Street,” Conservative Party Chairman Oliver Dowden said.…

SOWETO's football faithful are rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of five Kaizer Chiefs players running out alongside as the same number of Orlando Pirates players in the Warriors FC line-up for Saturday's Compact Cup semi-finals at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. Chiefs will have Itumeleng Khune, Njabulo Ngcobo, Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, Njabulo Ngcobo and Keagan Dolly in the run-on XI while Pirates will have Paseko Mako, Happy Jele, Thembinkosi Lorch, Deon Hotto and Kwame Peprah starting. The only other player in the run-on XI is Swallows defender Thabo Matlaba, but he is no stranger to the Soweto faithful since he played several seasons for Pirates in the past. Galaxy FC, the fourth club in the Warriors franchise, an Inland 2 composition, have no players in the…

BETTY MOLEYA betty.moleya@inl.co.za ALLEGATIONS of racial discrimination against black employees at Menlyn’s Dischem branch have been made by a dismissed employee after her dismissal last year. The woman, who requested anonymity for fear of future reprisals, has accused her former manager and another employee of abuse. The employee, who's name is known, said her problems began when she started standing up for herself and other workers against unfair workplace practices. She claimed to have been assaulted by one of her male colleagues in October, in what spiralled out of control and then led to her dismissal in November. "I reported the incident to my manager. He was against the report because it involved his favourite employee and the guy was put on his final warning. "I then went above my…

Mashudu Sadike IN A MAJOR twist, the ANC in Limpopo has distanced itself from provincial chairperson and premier Stan Mathabathatha’s endorsement of Cyril Ramaphosa’s second term bid, saying it was his “personal opinion” and a “derogation of the ANC’s conference conventions”. The party in the province said Mathabatha’s statement during the ANC’s 110th birthday celebrations in Polokwane last weekend also showed disunity. Mathabatha had used his speech during the event to throw the party’s weight behind Ramaphosa’s second term, with the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape following suit. Ramaphosa, too, has faced a backlash for not calling Mathabatha to order for using the party’s birthday celebrations to launch his campaign. In an interview with the Cape Times’ sister publication Pretoria News, Limpopo secretary, Soviet Lekganyane, said Mathabatha’s assertions on January…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za A BRACKENFELL police officer who is alleged to have raped a young woman is expected to appear in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court today. The officer, who took a short trip outside the province following the alleged incident last week, was arrested by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) when he returned home at the weekend. Ipid spokesperson Grace Langa said the suspect was arrested on Friday. “We could not arrest him because he was out of the Western Cape so he returned (in the) morning to find investigators waiting for him,” she said. Western Cape police have also instituted an internal disciplinary process against the officer. When the Cape Times tried to speak to the 26-year-old woman yesterday, she was still overwhelmed and could only say:…

Chevon Booysen Chevon.booysen@inl.co.za THE Robben Island Museum (RIM) has defended the pricing of its new walking tour, saying it was not designed to exclude locals, but rather offered an alternative way to experience South Africa’s liberation Struggle. This comes after interest groups slammed the pricing model for the newly-added tour, which costs R1 000 for South African adults and R620 for South African children aged two to 18 years. Non-South African adults will pay R1 400, and non-South African children aged two to 18 R820. RIM council chairperson, Khensani Maluleke, said: “RIM’s newest tour package, the walking tour, is not designed to exclude South Africans, but rather offers an alternative way to experience the rich historic tapestry that maps the journey of South Africa’s liberation Struggle. In the current economic…

Yasmine Jacobs yasmine.jacobs@inl.co.za THE Moti family has denied securing an interdict to prevent the police from speaking to their sons and confirmed that they have relocated to Dubai. In a statement released yesterday, the Moti family asked South Africans to understand why they had been silent. “Since our four sons were returned to us, we have been living in fear of reprisal, which could be caused by speaking out and drawing any further attention to ourselves. “Our boys came home to us, but have not yet been able to live freely and without fear. We have been forced to make difficult decisions to ensure their safety and well-being, despite the recent and sudden backlash. “We have not issued an interdict against the police. The media reports about the interdict is…

THE attack on the US’s Capitol last year was a culmination of a months-long foment for an insurrection by Donald Trump’s supporters. Throughout the onslaught, right-wing protesters had been gathering at all strategic state houses, but none of such state buildings were set on fire, nor the Capitol itself put on fire. The insurrectionists did not achieve what the alleged “arsonist” in our Parliament inferno achieved single-handedly over a few days. The key question, however, is can it be true that a homeless person with no past exposure to the inside of Parliament has such vast knowledge of all fire detection and alarm systems, water-pipe layout and installations for such a complicated, non-domestic build infrastructure like Parliament? Is this not an attempt at scape- goating an innocent man for the…

WASHINGTON: Worker shortages caused by the omicron coronavirus variant and haggling over a new dockworkers contract are likely to aggravate costly supply chain jams over the next several months, clouding prospects for quick relief from the highest inflation in four decades. The White House says the worst supply snarls may be in the past, noting that key Southern California ports are shrinking their cargo backlogs and transpacific shipping costs have plunged by more than one-third from their mid-September peak. But the cost of sending a standard metal container from China to the US West Coast remains more than three times what it was one year ago and is expected to remain elevated through the first half of the year, fueling painful annual inflation readings, according to the Freightos index and…

LAS VEGAS: Celine Dion has cancelled the North American leg of her Courage world tour. The 53-year-old singer, who is reportedly suffering from “severe and persistent muscle spasms”, was due to tour the states in support of her 12th English-language studio album from April last year but pulled the plug as she continues to recover from her health issues. In a statement on her website, she said: “I was really hoping that I’d be good to go by now, but I suppose I just have to be more patient and follow the regimen that my doctors are prescribing.”…

Bangladesh police said yesterday they had arrested the brother of a notorious insurgent leader whose organisation has been blamed for murders and drug trafficking in sprawling Rohingya refugee camps. The country is home to around 850 000 members of the stateless Muslim minority, who live in patchwork and overcrowded settlements after fleeing systemic discrimination and violence in neighbouring Myanmar. The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army militant group has been accused of assassinating political opponents, running narcotics and instilling a climate of fear in the camps. Mohammad Shah Ali, arrested late Saturday by the elite Armed Police Battalion, is the half-brother of Arsa’s infamous leader Ataullah Abu Ammar Jununi. He was caught in a camp near the coastal city of Cox’s Bazar with “arms and drugs,” the battalion said. Commanding officer Naimul…

BLANTYRE: Former Malawi President Peter Mutharika rejected claims that a man whom Leader of Opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa visited yesterday is his (the former president’s) brother. On Friday Nankhumwa visited a man identified as Kalani Thom Mutharika who claims to be the former president’s relative. Social media reports indicate that the man is struggling financially and Nankhumwa gave him basic necessities and promised to build a house for him in Chiradzulu. But Mutharika through Namalomba has said he and his clan are dismayed over the claims.…

LIVERPOOL kept their slim hopes of reeling in Manchester City at the top of the Premier League alive by seeing off Brentford 3-0 at Anfield to move up to second in the table yesterday. Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Takumi Minamino scored the goals as the Reds coped without Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane at the Africa Cup of Nations. Victory lifts Jurgen Klopp's men to within 11 points of the runaway leaders, but they also have a game in hand on City. Liverpool failed to take advantage of an extra man for over an hour as Thursday's League Cup semi-final, first leg against Arsenal ended 0-0, sparking fears of how they will cope for the rest of the month without two of their main sources of goals. But a Brentford…