Table of contents for 2022-03-17 in Cape Times

From page 1 The SARB also has oversight functions, and it has the ability to instruct banks to close accounts,” said Richards. She said this power was necessary, but it needed to be properly regulated and managed. “The banks need to be reporting to the regular authorities. There needs to be a proper investigation before accounts are closed. But that entire system seems defunct.” Appel raised the issue of former Government Communication Information System chief executive Themba Maseko as another victim of the banks’ autonomous power. After having exposed the Gupta’s state capture, he was classified as a politically exposed person, who “the banks wanted nothing to do with” she said. “This is a whistle-blower who is not able to access the financial system in South Afric. He is…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za AIRLINES have been warned against price gouging while Comair flights remain suspended amid a South African Civil Aviation Authority (Sacaa) probe into the issue of excessive pricing. Competition Commission of SA spokesperson Sipho Ngwema said the grounding announcement and decision had affected travellers who were having to “scramble up the remaining tickets in higher fare buckets”. “(Sacaa) announced that it had suspended with immediate effect the Air Operator Certificate of Comair PTY Ltd, with its subsidiaries Kulula.com and British Airways. “Consequently, this suspension meant that significant airline seat capacity had been removed from the market and that would undoubtedly result in travellers having to scramble up the remaining tickets in higher fare buckets. “It has now emerged that there are reports and complaints of large increases in…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za PEER pressure, boys wanting to “show how many girls/women they could have sex with” and sexual abuse were among contributing factors to child pregnancy, according to experts, following shocking reports that nearly 10 000 Eastern Cape girls gave birth within six months last year. Between July and December 2021, 319 children aged between 10 and 14 years, and 9 396 girls aged 15 to 19 years, gave birth at health facilities in the province. This is of “grave concern”, said Eastern Cape Health MEC Nomakhosazana Meth during her budget speech on Tuesday. “We are calling upon children to abstain from having sex until they are over 21 years old. In cases where they are already sexually active, we advocate the use of condoms. The Department provides…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za THE South African authorities failed to recognise the rights of a refugee who is legally in the country, the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court has found. He had to spend 21 days in appalling conditions behind bars, simply because both the police and Home Affairs refused to look at his valid refugee permit. Roy Kamushinda then instituted a R200 000 in damages claim against the police in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court. A magistrate this week ordered that Kamushinda was entitled to the damages and ruled that the State entities had to pay him accordingly for his unlawful arrest and detention. Kamushinda was stopped on May 6, 2015 by police in Johannesburg during a stop-and-search crime prevention operation. He was asked to produce valid documentation that he was legally in…

Marsha Dean marsha.dean@inl.co.za “I HAVE been in the police service for 20 years and it was my first time experiencing something like this, but I would do it again. All I thought about was the baby’s life and my biggest concern was that the baby must live.” So said Worcester SAPS sector commander Warrant Officer Anneline Fielies, who helped 20-year-old Dandelion Farao deliver a bouncing baby boy under a tree in Aan de Doorns Road on Tuesday. Farao said she had experienced pains on Tuesday morning and decided to make her way to the Worcester Day Hospital where she was told she had an infection. “When I got to the day hospital they told me that I am being discharged seeing that it is not yet my due date and…

Her concerns not manifested out of boredom, but informed by insight EARLIER this year a media storm broke over the opinion piece “Hi Mzansi, Have We Seen Justice?” written by Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu. In it she laments the Constitution and the judiciary’s failure to protect the rights of South African citizens equally. The minister confronts the racial bias in the application of the Constitution, the judiciary system or rule of law and its lacklustre intervention with regard to the absence of land reform, economic reconciliation, equal distribution and ownership of the means of production in South Africa. She further denounces the role being played by native African lawmakers, as well as Constitutional and Supreme Court judges, in the continuation of the colonial-apartheid style status quo and economic oppression of…

Dozens of Gambians have fled border villages, fearing for their safety after the army in neighbouring Senegal launched an operation against separatist rebels. Senegal announced a military operation in the southern region of Casamance, aiming to dismantle bases belonging to the separatist Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) group. The MFDC has led a low-intensity conflict in Casamance since 1982 that has claimed several thousand lives. The southern region is separated geographically from the rest of Senegal by The Gambia, a tiny countr. With recent fighting in Casamance, frightened residents in Gambian border villages have begun to flee, describing bush fires and shooting. “We have never experienced such a dire situation,” said Ismaila Bojang, who had fled to the village of Bujinha about 5km from the border. Bojang, a…

WASHINGTON: In a step away from his oft-repeated gaffe of calling Kamala Harris “President”, US President Joe Biden has now referred to his vice-president as “First Lady”. Explaining why Harris wasn’t with him at an Equal Pay Day celebration for Women’s history month, Biden said: “There’s been a little change in arrangement of who is on the stage because of the first lady’s husband contracting Covid.” He was referring to the fact that Kamala Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, had tested positive for Covid-19 earlier in the day. Someone stepped in to quickly set Biden straight, pointing out that his statement would mean he was the one with the coronavirus. “That’s right. She’s fine. Second lady – the first gentleman, how about that?” Biden pushed ahead, eliciting laughter from those present.…

Singapore: A Singapore court yesterday rejected appeals by three men sentenced to death for drug offences despite criticism from the UN and rights campaigners. Roslan Bakar, a Singaporean, and Pausi Jefridin, from neighbouring Malaysia, were arrested in 2008 on drug trafficking charges and sentenced to death two years later. The appeal of Singaporean Rosman bin Abdullah was also dismissed. High Court Judge Kannan Ramesh, in dismissing the appeals, said no new arguments were raised that were different from earlier pleas that had been rejected, and accused the complainants of abusing the court process.…

Guatemala City: Guatemala’s conservative-dominated parliament this weej shelved a controversial law that ramped up prison sentences for women who choose to have an abortion and banned gay marriage, just days after passing it. President Alejandro Giammattei last week called for the law to be abandoned after it was passed by his allies in Congress, saying he would veto it if it came to his desk because it violates the constitution and international agreements signed by the country. According to a statement published by the parliament, the bill was shelved following a lawmakers’ meeting.…

KEAGAN Dolly didn’t expect to go back to France so soon. However, he is keen on helping his Bafana Bafana teammates navigate their way past the world champions France, when the two nations meet in an international friendly later this month. Dolly spent four years in France, plying his trade for Ligue 1 outfit Montpellier. But his time there wasn’t all rosy as he was sidelined a lot due to injuries and form. However, he matured as a footballer and person despite the challenging conditions. Dolly heeded the call to come back home when his contract came to an end last season, joining childhood club Kaizer Chiefs. His start to life at Chiefs was slow, considering that he had fitness issues, while not everyone approved of his return. With…

GUENTHER Steiner has got used to his phone pinging with bad news for his Haas Formula One team, but Sunday’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix could be the start of something better. The US-owned outfit, who joined the grid in 2016, have had a turbulent time since they finished fifth overall in the 2018 standings, slumping to the bottom of the championship tables last year. The last few weeks have been particularly trying. Haas were forced to sever ties with Russian racer Nikita Mazepin and his oligarch father’s potash-producing title sponsor Uralkali earlier this month after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The team's freight was then delayed due to a technical problem with the aircraft carrying it, forcing them to miss the first half of the opening day of the final test…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za 3SIXTY Life was liquid, had met all liabilities and claims payments, and was awaiting the outcome of a court hearing following the release of a curatorship report that would outline the insurer’s recapitalisation. This was according to acting chief executive Khandani Msibi, who joined the insurance company that is owned by the National Union of Metalworkers in March last year. He said in a telephone interview yesterday they had put up R180 million in property, R130m of which was unencumbered, for the recapitalisation of 3Sixty. He said the company had been hard hit by claims through the Covid-19 pandemic’s second and third waves in particular and had late last year breached its solvency and minimum capital requirements. “At this stage we only had two options, liquidate…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za THE Western Cape High Court has set aside the suspension of Kannaland mayor Nicolaas Valentyn and his deputy Leoni Stuurman by the ANC. Valentyn and Stuurman were suspended by the party for allegedly entering into agreements with other parties “without a mandate from the ANC”. Their party memberships were also terminated. The councillors were sworn into the leadership positions in January after a motion of no confidence was passed against Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa’s (Icosa) convicted rapist Jeffery Donson, and Werner Meshoa, who was convicted of fraud. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said it had proceeded in filling the vacancies as required in terms of the Municipal Structures Act after they were suspended “on receipt of a notification of the vacancies from the…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za WHILE the government offers legal assistance as a measure to mitigate illegal evictions, there is still a gap when it comes to farmworkers receiving access to this help. The Ubuntu Rural Women and Youth Movement (URWYM) said there were more farmworker evictions taking place than they could handle. URWYM’s Wendy Pekeur said: “There are so many illegal farmworker evictions taking place, where widows especially will find themselves thrown on the street with nowhere to go. Or a mother will be told ’I don’t recognise your adult children’, even though they were born on the farm. Other methods include moving you to a small house, cutting off electricity and water to force people to move. It is apartheid-style eviction.” Earlier this month the organisation, along with others, supported…

Marsha Dean marsha.dean@inl.co.za ALTHOUGH specialist forces have been sent into Manenberg to conduct high density patrols to quell ongoing gang violence, residents still don’t feel this is enough. At least eight people were killed in the space of four days. Now, members of the SAPS Anti Gang Unit, Metro police, law enforcement, LEAP officers and traffic officers have been sent into the area as reinforcement. Resident Gina Carelse said the deployment of the additional forces would not solve the issue. “SAPS are doing nothing for us and we can’t live like this. It’s only when there are gang fights do you see these people, but when we complain about our living conditions then we don’t get help,” said Carelse. “The gangsters are at the school as well, my son was…

Viruses have existed for more than a billion years; humans, as we know them, for less than 2 million years. Does that make viruses smarter than people? Perhaps. They certainly have lasted longer. Viruses surely have the upper hand against many humans, especially those who are fooled into believing they do not need vaccinations because their immune systems alone can fight off all viral invaders. In cases where people’s immune systems have experienced the viruses before or even their immediate ancestors have had those viral infections, they are often right. But when new viruses emerge and there is no historic human immunity, those overly confident people often end up literally dead wrong. Like humans, viruses are varied. Just as humans come in all skin shades, sizes, sexes, and attitudes, viruses…

The supply of lethal weapons by Slovenia and Croatia to Ukraine is a gamble, and those behind it must understand against whom it will be used, Yuri Pilipson, the head of the Russian foreign ministry’s Fourth European Department, told Sputnik. “The plans announced by both Slovenia and Croatia to supply the Kiev regime with lethal weapons also defy understanding. The authors of this gamble must be aware of who the weapon will be used against,” Pilipson said. The list of people against whom Russia imposed sanctions was agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov yesterday said. The Russian foreign ministry unveiled Moscow’s response to US sanctions targeting Russian officials and prominent figures. In particular, it envisioned individual sanctions against top US officials, including Biden, Secretary of…

Haider Ali dabs a brush with an iridescent glob of paint and gets to work on a pair of sparkling white trainers – his latest canvas for a carnival of colour celebrating Pakistani culture. Pakistan’s lorries are renowned for “truck art”: candy-coloured murals depicting South Asian animals, celebrities and religious icons. The tradition transforms the highways and cities into kaleidoscopic processions. And now Ali – a truck artist – has transposed the painting on to sneakers. “A client came to me from the US asking me to paint shoes,” he explained. “I told him an exorbitant fee to discourage him but he agreed, so I decided to get on with it.” He labours on each pair for up to four days, charging select clients $400 for a set featuring bespoke…

SEOUL: North Korea’s decision to use the international airport near its capital city as a site for test-firing large missiles is “absolutely bonkers” and may be a way for leader Kim Jong Un to keep a close eye on his most prized weapons, analysts said. Debris fell in or near Pyongyang after a failed test-fire from the airport yesterday, Seoul-based NK News reported, citing unnamed witnesses and a photograph of the test showing a red-tinted ball of smoke at the end of a zig-zagging rocket launch trail in the sky above the city. There was no immediate confirmation of damage or casualties. The airport is in Sunan, about 17km north-west of the North Korean capital.…

PARIS: The Paris police found no indication of criminal intent in the fire outbreak in the Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019, Le Parisien newspaper reports. According to the outlet, a police team concluded a probe into the incident, but concluded the fire was not a criminal act. While several more examinations are expected, the criminal origin has not been found by the police, the report says. A blaze engulfed the cathedral on April 15, resulting in the collapse of its spire and the partial destruction of its roof. French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to rebuild the Notre-Dame by 2024.…

ALL four tennis Grand Slams will use a 10-point tiebreak in the final set on a trial basis starting with the French Open in May, the governing body of the sport's most prestigious events said yesterday. According to the rules, matches tied at 6-6 in the final set will move into a tiebreak and the first player or team to reach 10 points with a difference of two will win the contest. "... the decision is based on a strong desire to create greater consistency in the rules of the game at the Grand Slams, and thus enhance the experience for the players and fans alike," the Grand Slam Board said in a statement. "The Grand Slam Board plan to review the trial during the course of a full Grand…

From page 1 with or close to them, according to Director of Centre for Child Law, Karabo Ozah. “This is a complex matter and we must avoid assumptions that paint teenagers as being irresponsible and thus just engaging in sexual activity. “We need to invest in educative Comprehensive Sexuality Education for teens, we need to ensure that they can access Sexual and Reproductive Health Service (importantly – the preventative ones; i.e condoms, contraceptives) and we also need to take up cases of sexual abuse and rape where the teens are victims of sexual violence,” she said. National Health Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale said they were concerned by the increasing number of child pregnancies. “We are working closely with Basic Education and Social Development Departments amongst others to intensifying…

siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za Siyabonga Mkhwanazi Deputy President David Mabuza has called for the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, saying negotiation and dialogue were the only way to ensure peace. He called for both Russia and Ukraine to end the conflict and said the fact they were talking to each other could pave the way to peace and stability in the region. Mabuza was replying to questions in Parliament yesterday a day after Deputy Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Candith Mashego-Dlamini and Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu told the House the government wanted both Ukraine and Russia to find a peaceful solution. In addition, Mashego-Dlamini called on UN security-general Antonio Guterres to lead intervention measures in Ukraine. Mabuza, who was replying to questions in the National Council of Provinces, said the…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za THE Western Cape has recorded the highest number of socio-economic complaints in the country, the South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) latest trends analysis report showed. The report, which covers the 2019/20 year, is the seventh of its kind, and provides a general overview of the handling of complaints. The socio-economic complaints listed as ESR (Economic and Social Rights), relate to health care, food, water and social security. According to the report, the Western Cape had the most active cases in the country for the period covered, with a total of 1 592 complaints reported to the SAHRC. “With the exception of Gauteng, the number of complaints recorded per provincial office increased for the period under review, with the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal consistently receiving a high…

own correspondent A multimillion-rand initiative aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on the importation of critical drugs has the potential of saving the country billions of rands annually, said the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Buti Manamela. The deputy minister launched the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Plus technology innovation facility – which houses a state-of-the-art organic synthesis research laboratory – last Friday. The Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), an entity of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), invested R15 million towards the establishment of the API Cluster. This investment is aimed at driving technology development and commercialisation of local API manufacturing focusing on the synthesis of small molecule APIs for human health using modern manufacturing technology. The API + Laboratory will support the analytical testing required during the…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za SOUTH Cape College students in Beaufort West have resorted to squatting with other students who also face evictions from landlords, due to alleged National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) pay delays. It’s been about a month since the academic year at tertiary institutions commenced, and students from the college are yet to receive their allowances, including for food. Frustrated students shut down the campus last week, saying their cries were being ignored. A 27-year-old first-year student who asked not be named for fear of victimisation said for the past two months she survived with money she saved while working last year. “It is difficult to focus on our academics under such circumstances,” she said. NSFAS did not respond to questions by deadline yesterday. Beaufort West Campus head…

A MAMMOTH task awaits the newly appointed Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who will have to dispel the notion he is easily accessible and willingly meets and discusses politics with politicians. He admitted to doing so with ex-president Jacob Zuma and also confirmed meeting President Cyril Ramaphosa to discuss issues relating to the commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture. But before we get to the crux of this editorial, it’s important to congratulate all the chief justice nominees, especially after the robust and gruelling Judicial Service Commission (JSC) interviews that lasted the entire day. Among the concerns raised during these interviews were those related to the perception that Justice Zondo was pro-Ramaphosa and anti-Zuma, an allegation he has dismissed. Other pertinent questions were about his role as the chairperson…

Kyiv: Ukraine yesterday dismissed Russian proposals to turn it into a neutral state, as the US readied a huge package of military aid ahead of a historic address to Congress by Kyiv’s defiant leader. On the ground, Russian rocket fire hit a train station in southern Ukraine used by thousands of fleeing refugees and fresh blasts hit the capital, which was under a total curfew. Regional officials reported no casualties as Russian strikes blew out windows at the railway station in Zaporizhzhia, where people have been arriving from the besieged city of Mariupol. Some 20 000 residents have been allowed to leave Mariupol. But exhausted, shivering evacuees speak of harrowing escape journeys and rotting corpses littering the streets. “This is the first time I have been able to breathe in…

LOS ANGELES: Dionne Warwick doesn’t “give a damn” about being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Heartbreaker singer, 81, has insisted she is “not a rock and roller” and has called for the Ohio museum to change its ceremony to The Music Hall of Fame. Asked during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen if she cares about being inducted this year after she made the nominations list, she replied: “No, I don’t! I’m not a rock and roller. I’ve been interviewed on this subject many times.”…

The Metropolitan Police has apologised for strip-searching a black schoolgirl in 2020, leaving her “traumatised”. Detective Superintendent Dan Rutland of the Met’s Central East Command acknowledged that “that the findings of the safeguarding review reflect this incident should never have happened”. “It is truly regrettable and on behalf of the Met Police I would like to apologise to the child concerned, her family and the wider community,” he said. Rutland emphasised that the department welcomed the review, “commissioned by the statutory partnership with the support of police”. “We have already reminded local officers of the appropriate policies in place around carrying out searches in schools. We are conscious that the IOPC are still completing their independent investigation, so further comment would be inappropriate at this time,” Rutland added. The Met…

Hong Kong: Workers in PPE gear in Hong Kong carted the bodies of coronavirus victims into refrigerated shipping containers yesterday, as the city’s mortuaries ran out of space from the Omicron surge. In under three months since the variant broke through, Hong Kong has recorded nearly a million infections and more than 4 600 deaths – the bulk from the city’s unvaccinated elderly population. Outside Fu Shan Public Mortuary yesterday, workers moved bodies covered in black tarp from a truck into rows of shipping containers. Researchers estimate the infection toll in Hong Kong is higher than official figures, likely reaching half its 7.4 million population.…

ELEVEN years ago, Manchester United could make a serious claim to being one of the best teams in Europe. Now, after another limp early Champions League exit, that pinnacle has never felt so far away for this directionless giant. There was no shame in losing to a team widely regarded as one of the greatest ever - Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona – in the 2011 Champions League final, especially as United had just competed in their third European Cup final in four seasons. Since then, things have gone horribly wrong, especially since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013. United have been eliminated from six of their last eight Champions League knockout stage ties, having won 13 of their 16 previous such ties. Their second-leg defeat by Atletico Madrid at Old Trafford…

Mihlali Baleka mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za THE South African Football Association (Safa) has reported that they are “on a sound financial footing” after receiving financial backing from various entities, including their sponsors and the football governing body Fifa, over the years. “We have long-term sponsorship contracts with most of our partners. The average term of our contracts is four years and these contracts are renewable,” the association said in a statement that was released yesterday. The statement details how the monies received are distributed but it is not clear why the statement was released. Safa has long-term sponsorships with various companies including South African Breweries, Sasol and South African Broadcasting Corporation. These sponsors are responsible for backing Bafana Bafana, Banyana Banyana or both teams. With Safa a member of the world governing body,…

ENGLISH rugby’s Premiership Rugby Cup will from this week feature trials of a new “smart” ball that aims to give coaches, players and fans greater insight about the game. Chips inside the ball are in touch with sensors around the stadium up to 20 times every second. An artificial intelligence tool then automatically enables “precise information and insights about the ball’s movement when it is passed and kicked - such as speed, distance and hang-time, for example - to be seen in real-time”, Premiership Rugby said yesterday. The trial marks the first time the ball, in development for several years, will be used in a professional competition in the northern hemisphere. The ball will feature in the last 15 matches of the Cup competition, starting with three fixtures tomorrow. “We…