Table of contents for 2022-02-25 in Cape Times

Staff writer THE National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) decision to approve a 9.61% increase in the price of electricity for Eskom instead of the requested 20.5%, has been widely welcomed. Nersa at a meeting yesterday said it had considered Eskom’s Multi-Year Price Determination (MYPD) 5 revenue application for the 2022/23 financial year of R239bn, including previously approved Regulatory Clearing Accounts (RCA) translating into a tariff increase of 20.5% over the 2021/22 Nersa decision. The energy regulator approved Eskom’s allowable revenue of R249bn for the 2022/23 financial year translating into a tariff percentage increase of 9.61%. Eskom in a statement said the revenue determination will allow for implementation from April 1. “Eskom had made its MYPD 5 revenue application to Nersa on June 2, 2021 for the FY 2023…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za IN WHAT has been described as a “fight against boundless public power exercised by banks and other financial institutions”, law firm Godrich Gardee Attorneys (GGA) has called on any clients who have experienced racial or any other form of discrimination to join a class-action suit against the country’s financial institutions. The law firm said it was bracing itself to intervene in the Western Cape Equality Court proceedings instituted by the Sekunjalo Group of companies and its chairman, Dr Iqbal Survé, against some of the country’s top banks. The application forms part of a number of legal actions against the banks after they, in an alleged collusive manner, severed ties with some of the companies of the black-owned group, with Nedbank being the latest. The action being taken…

| OWN Correspondent Adulting 101 Jen Thorpe Loot.co.za (R190) Kwela THERE is a lot that they don’t (and probably can’t) teach you in school. It feels like we spend a lot of time learning about plant cells and different types of rocks and too little time learning about budgeting, being healthy, human rights, sexual health, surviving heartbreak, and financial freedom. The truth is that sometimes (often!) it is hard to be an adult. It involves making decisions all the time. It’s expensive. You have to navigate mostly dodgy expectations and stories about work and relationships and sex and your finances. And sometimes you want to scream – WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME THIS? Join Jen Thorpe as she tells you about all the things you wish you knew as…

ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za A MAN who severely injured his girlfriend’s 6-week-old baby by holding him against the dry ice in his refrigerator and hitting him repeatedly with a spatula was this week sentenced in the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, to an effective eight years’ imprisonment. Judge Papi Mosopa sentenced Gerhard Viljoen to a total of 10 years’ imprisonment, but ordered that two years be suspended for five years. The result is an effective eight years. He was found guilty of assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm of his ex-girlfriend’s baby, who was 6 weeks old in October 2020 when the crime was committed. Viljoen admitted that he held the baby against the dry ice in his refrigerator and caused various other injuries. Among them, he admitted…

Barbie Sandler | Constantia ONE can’t comprehend what the poor dog of the owner charged with cruelty went through (Cape Times, Wednesday). Lots of materials, string, rubber bands and so on tied tightly around her neck, legs and head. Her poor legs were swollen and, no doubt, painful. What on Earth was that all about except to hurt the poor animal? Why do people feel they can be cruel to animals? We are surely not born like this, so do we learn these dreadful habits? When questioned why he was doing that, the owner became aggressive and told the SPCA inspector to mind his own business. I am sorry, Mr Cupido, but it is definitely the inspector’s business and, thankfully, you were arrested and charged. Sadly, the cases…

Latief Cader | District Six I AM a validated land reform beneficiary of the District Six redevelopment Phase 2 and received a dwelling in 2014 as a result of Land Restitution claim. A dispute arose between myself and officials from the Office of the Chief Director of Restitution Support Western Cape in 2018. This led to acts of violence against my family and myself. In addition, my electricity was cut. It was camouflaged as cable fault in order to drive me out of my home. I have written numerous letters to the officials of this department, appealing to them to either reconnect my electricity or repair it as it was claimed to be an electricity cable fault. They have ignored my appeals. I have also written to the…

It is very unfortunate that many in the West, and also in South Africa, are inclined to want to place all the blame for the recent developments in Ukraine on Putin and Russia. Based on my own experiences with various Russian governments (ie meetings with President Yeltsin, Putin and Medvedev) and people over many years as part of the South African delegations of presidents Mandela, Mbeki and Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to Russia, it was very evident back then that the current crisis has a long and complex history, from both Western and Russian perspectives. The crisis was caused by complicated reasons, including Nato’s continued aggressive expansion that caused concrete security threats to Russia and other non-Nato countries in the region. So it would be grossly unfair to simply blame…

WINDHOEK: Namibian businesses suffered an average of 1 382 cyber-attacks each week in 2021, cyber-security research firm Check Point Research (CPR) said on Wednesday. When compared to the global figure of 930 within the same period, that translated to Namibian businesses dealing with 49% more cyberthreats, CPR said. Cybersecurity education is being provided by the Check Point Cyber Security Jump Start programme where learners access free courses. “Clearly, closing the cybersecurity skills gap … is essential for protecting Africa’s businesses and boosting these nations’ economies, especially considering that cybercrime is at an all-time high,” CPR said.…

UKRAINE’S military has suspended operations at its ports after Russian forces invaded the country by land and sea, an adviser to the president’s chief of staff said yesterday, as concerns grew about the flow of supplies from one of the world’s top exporters of grains and oilseeds. Russia had earlier suspended movement of commercial vessels in the Azov sea until further notice, but kept Russian ports in the Black Sea open for navigation, its officials and five grain industry sources said. “The market is still struggling to get a clear picture about the actual military situation on the ground. The ports in the Azov and Black Sea so far seem not to have been damaged,” one European grain trader said. “The next stage which will have to be faced…

DUBAI/BEIRUT: The International Monetary Fund has asked Lebanon to fulfil a string of pre-conditions before negotiating a bailout, four sources briefed on recent talks said, pressing for steps Beirut has long failed to deliver and compounding doubts over whether a rescue plan can be agreed. An IMF deal is seen as the only way for Lebanon to recover from a financial meltdown that has plunged the country into its most destabilising crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. The sources said IMF terms for initiating talks on a bailout included a framework for fiscal reform, revamping the insolvent banking sector and audits of the central bank and the loss-making state power company. “They are saying before we have further discussions, come up with actions,” one of the sources said. These also…

BAKU: A house under construction collapsed in the Narimanov district of Baku yesterday, resulting in several people being injured, the country’s prosecutor general’s office said. “The prosecutor’s office is on site, and the investigation is under way, as well as the inspection of the territory. “According to preliminary data, several people were injured as a result of the collapse. “The public will be provided with additional information,” the office said. Some people were still under the rubble, according to Azerbaijani media.…

LIVERPOOL boss Jurgen Klopp said he was more concerned about his side remaining on the front foot than how big the gap was between them and leaders Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table after Wednesday’s thrashing of Leeds United. City’s unrelenting form had seen the champions look on course to comfortably seal their fourth league title in five seasons, but Liverpool have kept pace, waiting for Pep Guardiola’s side to slip up. A surprise defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend opened the door for Liverpool, who grasped the opportunity with both hands, putting six goals past a hapless Leeds and closing the gap on City to three points - the closest the Reds have been to the champions since Christmas Day. “We honestly don’t chase…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za AN increase to the R460 child social grant is needed, as child malnutrition rates are high owing to single mothers and caregivers not being able to afford nutrient-dense food. The insufficient grant now forces caregivers to make choices between needs that are fundamental human rights, including choosing between feeding their children or education. This is what a new report, titled “Children, Social Assistance and Food Security”, by the Black Sash, found. The study focused on households in different communities including Langa, Masiphumelele and Lavender Hill with young children and infants who are recipients of the grant. Presenting the findings and recommendations during the launch of the report yesterday, Dr Wanga Zembe- Mkabile, of the South African Medical Research Council and a researcher involved in the study, said…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za THE distraught mother of 17-year-old Brenteano Brink, one of four fishers who remain missing after their boat capsized at sea almost two years ago, cries herself to sleep at night, longing for her son to return home. The families of the missing say they still have no idea what caused the boat, carrying 13, to capsize between Oudekraal and Mouille Point. The tragedy sparked one of the biggest local search operations in recent times. On February 27, 2020, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Bakoven duty crew were activated after one person came ashore at Clifton to raise the alarm. He led the operation to an additional three men who had come ashore. During an extensive search two more men floating in the water were located by…

J M Chipkin | Bantry Bay BODY of Jane Doe left (Cape Times, Tuesday) refers. Every day, there are gruesome reports of the bodies of murdered people found all over the province. Nothing is ever done by the ANC and the police to stem this rising tide of violence and mayhem. Why do they lack the will to tackle the disgraceful state of affairs? We hold the record for being the country with the highest murder rate in the world. Surely now is the time to hold a referendum and ask South Africans how they feel about reinstating the death penalty? If murderers are forced to pay the penalty for taking a life by losing theirs, at least the perpetrator cannot commit another crime. It can do no…

MICHAEL BAGRAIM | Highlands Estate THE article in your Tuesday edition, “Not easy, but stuttering need not negatively impact on your life”, refers. It is fantastic to read research of this nature and to start understanding how people with speech impediments are, on many occasions, subjected to oppression and discrimination. The challenge is for the various disability groupings to act as one and support one another. It is extremely unfortunate to see that our president did not even mention the disability sector in his State of the Nation Address. A speech impediment is a drastic disability and needs to be recognised by the business community and needs to be understood. A speech impediment should not be subject to discrimination. The discrimination arises from the ignorance of future employers. Even…

Eleanor Classen | Elsies River I WOULD like to inform you about the City of Cape Town and the stress they are putting us through. In October last year, the sewerage drain cover outside our yard (by the driveway) was stolen. We have lodged a complaint with the City of Cape Town, but to date nothing has been done. We have sent many requests. We went to our ward councillor Chris Jordaan and the mayor’s office, however, to date they have done nothing. People have fallen into it already. It has been blocked already because of it not being the correct size, so sand blows into it and it gets blocked, and our car has gone twice into it, but they still refuse to replace the cover. The…

BANYANA Banyana this week delivered a dose of national pride for the nation when they dispatched Algeria to qualify for the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (Awcon) in Morocco in July. The women’s national football team is quickly becoming a perfect blueprint for all junior national teams, and Bafana Bafana as well. Banyana have been a beacon of light for South African football, qualifying for major tournaments with regularity at both continental level and the world over, the last being an illustrious appearance at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. Fifty-eight-year-old coach Desiree Ellis is in her seventh year as the Banyana mentor. Her record as the national team coach has further advanced the subject of local coaches taking charge of national teams and delivering success. Her influence and…

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s parliament yesterday postponed debate on $500 million (R7 billion) in US aid that critics say undermines sovereignty as protesters opposed to the proposed funds clashed with police outside the assembly, officials and witnesses said. The Millennium Challenge Corporation, a US government aid agency, agreed in 2017 to provide the aid in a grant to fund an electricity transmission line and road improvement project. The aid does not need to be repaid. But opponents, many wary of US influence in the region, say the aid would undermine Nepal’s laws and sovereignty.…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that Kiev decided to sever diplomatic relations with Moscow after Russia launched military operations in Donbass, the government-run Ukrinform news agency reported. “Ukraine is defending itself,” Zelensky said in a televised address. He added that more than 40 Ukrainian soldiers and around 10 civilians were killed as the conflict began unfolding. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik yesterday Ukraine’s severance of diplomatic relations with Russia was not Moscow’s choice, adding that Kiev’s move was the logical end to its “Russophobic policy.” “This is not our choice,” the ministry said. “The severance of diplomatic ties is the logical end of the purposeful Russophobic policy of the Kiev authorities, which began with the bloody coup in 2014, the dissolution of the Treaty on Friendship, Co-f…

The Central African Republic yesterday released four French soldiers in the UN’s peacekeeping force in the CAR, whose arrest sparked condemnation from the UN, the mission said. “The four Minusca (Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the CAR) personnel members who were arrested ... at Bangui airport have just been freed,” the mission’s chief, Mankeur Ndiaye, said on Twitter. The French embassy in the CAR capital confirmed this account. The four soldiers – members of the elite French Foreign Legion, with French, Romanian, Bulgarian and Italian nationalities – were arrested at the airport on Monday. They had gone there to escort Minusca’s military chief, General Stephane Marchenoir, who was taking a plane to Europe, the UN said. But accusations instantly circulated on social media that they had planned to “assassinate”…

A month ago, Manchester City’s trip to Everton on Saturday looked like a game which would just be one more step on Pep Guardiola’s side’s inevitable march to the Premier League title. But a series of results in recent weeks makes the game not only a vital one for City, whose lead over Liverpool has been cut to just three points, but also has left Everton in desperate need of points in their battle for top flight survival. New manager Frank Lampard has no illusions about the difficulty of the task his team face at Goodison Park after defeat at Southampton last week dragged the Toffees further into the struggle at the foot of the table. “There is no magic wand to change things instantly and you need to work…

Mayibongwe Maqhina DEPUTY President David Mabuza said yesterday President Cyril Ramaphosa had established the inter-ministerial task team to respond to issues raised by traditional leaders. Addressing the opening of the National House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders, Mabuza said the task team, which he would lead, would comprise several ministers to address issues raised by the traditional leaders. “As (the) government, we acknowledge the issues and challenges raised by Amakhosi and Khoisan leaders, which, in the main are about the strengthening of this key institution, and placing it at the heart of development of traditional communities to be on par with the rest of the country,” he said. The traditional leaders have over the years highlighted the need to resolve the land question and to improve road infrastructure to connect…

REVIEWER: Unathi Kondile Poli Poli Barbara Masekela Loot.co.za (R240) Jonathan Ball I SAT on the glossy red stoep. Clutching onto my old brown suitcase. With all my belongings in it. “Oompie” Sipho Mdledle’s BMW came to a roaring halt outside our Msobomvu township home. I smiled. Jumped up. And off we went to Mthatha. No goodbyes. Relieved to be finally leaving Butterworth. Even at the age of 6 I knew very well I did not want to be anywhere near my grandmother nor grow up in a township. This memory came hurtling back when I heard the following words at a book launch on Tuesday: “My grandmother. Ouma. Ouma Jwanna was a cruel, cold-hearted woman…” said Barbara Masekela, former chief of staff to Nelson Mandela, former South African ambassador to…

| OWN Correspondent Anthem Noah Hawley Loot.co.za (R240) Hodder & Stoughton From the visionary best-selling author of Before the Fall and The Good Father, an epic literary thriller set where America is right now… and where the world will be tomorrow. America spins into chaos as the last remnants of political consensus break apart. Against a background of environmental disaster and opioid addiction, debate descends into violence and militias roam the streets – while teenagers across the world seem driven to self-destruction, communicating by memes only they can understand. Yet the markets still tick up and the super-rich, like Ty Oliver, fly above the flames in private jets. After the death of his daughter, Ty dispatches his son Simon to an Anxiety Abatement Centre. There he encounters another boy…

Staff writer In positive news for Cape Town commuters who use the Southern Line, Prasa has been granted a commercial licence by the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) to run the new blue electric “People’s Train”. In Gauteng, the regulator has granted Prasa a commercial licence to operate a commercial service with the new trains on the Saulsville line. The decision by the RSR comes as Prasa ramps up efforts to bring more rail corridors back to into operation across the country. Metrorail Western Cape has been running the off-peak operations of the new electric trains on the Southern Line since November last year, while running the yellow grey trains during peak time. What the regulator’s decision means is that the new trains can now run during both peak and off-peak…

Kevin Meineke | Hout Bay I REFER to the editorial in the Cape Times, yesterday, headed “Courts should pronounce on power of banks”, and the comment by Farouk Araie titled “The nation is on the edge of a cliff, staring into the abyss below”. Both are excellent, although a sad and tragic reflection of the state of the nation. Surely it cannot be tolerated if banks are in cahoots with political or rival groups, to the exclusion of others in the system? In general, banks are awful institutions, in that they give you an umbrella when the sun is shining and take it away when the rain starts. The article by Araie is an appalling reflection of the reality of everyday life in SA and what he calls…

THANDISIZWE MGUDLWA IT NEEDS to be reiterated as often as possible that the time for a new Codesa (Convention for a Democratic South Africa) is long overdue. And with more and more calls along these lines, the process to kick-start a new Codesa must be promoted in the media, social media and other platforms. South Africa’s transition from apartheid to the post-1994 dispensation is failing and shows no signs that it can fix itself without a serious interventionist approach from all sectors of the country. Indeed, Mzansi is divided. We are not speaking with one voice. We are not a rainbow nation, whatever that is. There are divisional interests, be it commercial, political and personal. But certainly, no bonding national vision of making Azania the greatest super power in the…

Last week, the two-day Sixth EU-AU Summit was held in Brussels. As for concrete outcomes, the most eye-catching one is surely an Africa-Europe Investment Package of at least €150 billion (about R2.5 trillion). Regardless of the EU’s former and not ideal records of keeping investment promises in Africa, the €150bn investment package is, at most, a new package but with very little outlook of extra financial resources for Africa. In other words, we could label the new offer as kind of “old wine in a new bottle” or a “game of numbers”. Why? First, we need to figure out how much of the investment package would be used annually. In other words, how long is its implementation period? The answer is not mentioned in the summit documents, but is…

Kabul: Eight members of polio vaccination teams working to eradicate the crippling virus in Afghanistan were killed yesterday in four separate attacks, the UN said. Polio teams were often targeted by insurgent groups in Afghanistan until the Taliban’s takeover of the country last year, when the group said it wanted to work with the UN to stamp out the disease. The Taliban said they had “received the news” of the incidents and were trying to get more information. “Our policy is clear, we want to vaccinate and protect all the children in Afghanistan under the age of 5,” Javid Hajir, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said.…

MOSCOW: Ukrainians living alongside fellow expats from “brother” Russia in the Mediterranean seaside town of Limassol in Cyprus looked on in horror yesterday at the Russian assault on their homeland. Evgeny Staroselskiy, a director of Russian Radio Cyprus based in Limassol, said: “This is the worst-case scenario we could have imagined. They are bombing all regions of Ukraine, attacking all our airports and bases.” He said nationals from both countries had awoken in shock to hear of the full-blown conflict unfolding between Ukraine and its giant neighbour. “A lot of people have family on both sides of the border,” said the 60-year-old native of Kharkiv, a mainly Russian-speaking city in eastern Ukraine considered in the “red zone” because of its proximity to the border with Russia. But Staroselskiy stressed the…

World leaders on Thursday condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with Western capitals vowing to escalate sanctions against Moscow while the head of the UN demanded the conflict end immediately. Here’s how they reacted: US President Joe Biden “The prayers of the entire world are with the people of Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces. Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring. The world will hold Russia accountable,” Biden declared. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Wang told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in a phone call that China understands “Russia’s reasonable concerns on security issues”. The foreign ministry repeatedly declined to call the attack an “invasion” yesterday. UN chief Antonio Guterres Guterres made a direct…

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court yesterday sentenced a US national of Pakistani origin to death for raping and beheading the daughter of a former diplomat, crimes that sparked outrage across the nation. The body of Noor Mukadam, 27, was found in Islamabad on July 20. Police charged Zahir Jaffer, from one of Pakistan’s wealthiest families, with a murder that has dominated headlines ever since. The maximum sentence was “necessary”, the victim’s father said after sentencing. “I’ve been saying that this is not just my daughter’s case, it is a case for all the daughters of my country,” he said. Investigators say Jaffer held her for two days then killed her.…

ZAAHIER ADAMS zaahier.adams@inl.co.za SOUTH African cricket may be facing a crisis of its own, but one of the Proteas greatest sons Gary Kirsten could soon be the man rescuing England from theirs. The English Cricket Board are on the lookout for a new coach and an overhaul of their entire system after a suffering a 4-0 Ashes humiliation in Australia last season. Chris Silverhood, who was previously chosen ahead of Kirsten for the England head coach role, has been jettisoned and the former Proteas opener and coach is once again being viewed as a leading candidate within the Lord’s corridors. What makes Kirsten particularly alluring to the ECB is the 54-year-old’s deep appreciation and dedication to Test cricket as England’s rise in white-ball cricket that culminated with winning the 2019…