Table of contents for 2022-04-25 in Cape Times

COOPERATIVE Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has revealed that at least three metros are among the 35 municipalities that have not formed ward committees since the November local government election. The metros include the Nelson Mandela Metro, Johannesburg Metro and the City of Tshwane. This emerged when Dlamini Zuma was responding in writing to parliamentary questions Freedom Front Plus MP IG Ignatious Michael Groenewald. Groenewald wrote to Dlamini Zuma enquiring about the municipalities that failed to establish ward committees within 120 days after a local government election. Ward committees are made up of members who represent various interests within the ward. “Ward committees are crucial in the local government system as they are the link between the councillor and the community,” reads a document from the Cogta…

OUDTSHOORN residents have blamed “position-hungry politicians” for a lack of stability and service delivery within the municipality. This as Icosa Deputy Mayor Vlancio Donson was removed after a motion of no confidence by a majority of council members on Friday. Icosa had entered into a coalition agreement with the Oudtshoorn Gemeenskaps Inisiatief (OGI), Patriotic Alliance (PA), and the ANC, among others, to lead the town after the local government elections. Major cracks emerged when OGI withdrew from the coalition, citing several events that had occurred in the first few months of the new council which they said indicated an “abuse of power“ and “a breach of the legislation and the Constitution which South Africans fought hard for”. ANC Head of Communications, Sifiso Mtsweni yesterday said coalition partners agreed that it…

I AM SURE I’m not alone in recently receiving an “anonymous” letter from SABC licences, sent to my address, not myself, informing me that there is no registered TV licence attached to my address and that I should take steps to inform the SABC of the existence of such a licence or take steps to acquire said licence. I am in fact, the holder of a valid SABC TV licence, paid under protest purely should the need arise one day to replace a TV set. I do not watch any service provided by the SABC and have not, for more than a decade, and feel it is now high time that this archaic practice is halted. I will not, as the letter asks, be contacting the SABC to prove that…

THE Zionist-occupied apartheid Israeli military is bombing Gaza. Again. After weeks of state and settler violence at Al-Aqsa during Ramadaan. Again. After Palestinians living under occupation and apartheid have resisted daily Israeli violence. Again. If this feels like deja vu from last May, you’re not alone. If you’re angry, fed up, frightened or worried, you’re not alone. If you wish Zionist-occupied apartheid Israel would simply let the people of Gaza – and all Palestinians – live in safety, freedom and dignity, you are not alone. But individual wishing is not enough. We saw what Israel’s bombing did to Gaza in 2021, when 256 Palestinians were killed; 72 000 displaced; homes and hospitals and places of worship decimated. The people of Gaza have still not recovered. How can they withstand another…

THE City of Cape Town has been accused of avoiding talks of removing the “call to prayer” from its noise by-laws, despite indicating that the Athaan and church bells will be removed from the description of “noise nuisance”. A number of religious communities have been up in arms over the by-law, charging that anything from a religious perspective should “not be called a noise nuisance”. GOOD party’s Suzette Little said they had submitted a motion a few weeks ago for the matter to be debated. “When GOOD submitted a motion to the City a few weeks ago to effect the necessary amendments, the speaker of the council accepted the motion and said it would be on the agenda for the council meeting on April 28. “But DA politics has subsequently…

CHINA’S time-honoured biannual trade fair, The China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), began its 131st session – online – on April 15. The session, themed “Connecting Domestic and International Dual Circulations”, ran for 10 days until yesterday. Co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the People’s Government of Guangdong Province and organised by China Foreign Trade Centre, it is an all-inclusive international trading event with the longest history, largest scale, most complete exhibit variety, largest buyer’s attendance, broadest distribution of source countries of buyers and the biggest business turnover in China. Since its establishment in the spring of 1957, Canton Fair has become China’s foremost trade event. Amid Coronavirus flare-ups around the world, the event has gone solely online – a…

Israel temporarily closed its only crossing from the Gaza Strip for workers yesterday in response to overnight rocket fire, stopping short of conducting retaliatory strikes in an apparent bid to ease tensions. Rocket attacks on Friday night and Saturday morning followed days of clashes at Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound and a month of deadly violence. The unrest has sparked international fears of a wider conflict, one year after similar violence led to an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza-based militants. “Following the rockets fired toward Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, it was decided that crossings into Israel for Gazan merchants and workers through the Erez Crossing will not be permitted,” said Cogat, a unit of the Israeli defence ministry responsible for Palestinian civil affairs. UN Secretary General António…

LONDON: Boris Johnson aimed to end months of political turmoil when he apologised to the House of Commons last week for breaking the UK’s lockdown rules. Instead, the beleaguered prime minister appeared to be in trouble again with his ruling Conservative Party, whose Members of Parliament are increasingly jaded by the drip-drip of scandal. Far from drawing a line under “partygate”, Johnson now faces a third inquiry into the matter – this time on whether he lied to Parliament – prolonging the turbulence surrounding his leadership. The government’s chaotic handling of an opposition Labour Party motion demanding the probe was greeted with dismay by fed-up Tories. And while Johnson’s latest woes don’t necessarily mean his leadership is doomed some prominent lawmakers have publicly called for him to resign. |…

WARSAW: Rescuers were making their way underground toward 10 miners who went missing on Saturday after a second coal mine accident in just days in Poland. The latest tragedy took place at the Zofiowka mine in southern Poland, when a tremor shook the pit in the early hours 900m below the surface, causing a methane leak, mine owner JSW said. Some 42 miners were able to make it to the surface. In 2018, five miners were killed when an earthquake struck the same coal mine in the country which relies heavily on the fossil fuel. Twelve rescue teams were trying to reach the spot where the missing miners were thought to be.…

Stellenbosch FC are fired up to cement a Top 8 finish after securing a well-taken 1-0 win over beleaguered Kaizer Chiefs at the Danie Craven Stadium on Saturday. There four games remaining, and Stellenbosch are in sixth place on 39 points, along with Chiefs (fourth place) and Orlando Pirates (fifth), who have a better goal difference. Apart from recording an historic double over Chiefs by winning both Premiership encounters this season, Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker said it was a "perfect evening" after his youthful charges showed terrific commitment in front of their supporters. According to Barker, many in the crowd were watching professional football for the first time in a rugby-mad town. “What an evening! What a night here in Stellenbosch," said Barker. "I think the players can be proud…

AFTER a 10-day stopover in Cape Town, the sailing vessel Tara will carry out a demanding study of the Benguela current that flows up the coasts of Namibia and Angola. The Tara Ocean Foundation and the international program, AtlantECO’s Microbiomes Mission are on board the schooner. Tara is also set to study plastic pollution in the main African rivers. The Tara left its home port of Lorient in France in December 2020 for a two-year mission and will arrive in Cape Town on Friday. Since its departure, it has travelled the coasts of Chile, Brazil and Argentina, as well as the Weddell Sea in Antarctica, to discover the invisible inhabitants of the ocean: the Microbiome. During a visit to the vessel on Saturday, lead scientist of the South African and…

THIS is the right time for a culture shift. More recently, this became a reality as I watched the Scopa (standing committee on public accounts in Parliament) and Eskom board meeting. This meeting was at the time when all South Africans were up in arms with the recent load shedding by Eskom that led to stage 4 power cuts. Obviously, there are serious questions as to what is happening. Are the management and the board ready to steer Eskom in the right direction? This is a fundamental question that we need to answer. Still, if we ignore the past neglect, we won’t be helping the situation. I think that was what the board member (Busisiwe Mavuso) wanted to highlight without derailing any discussions. We need to acknowledge what has gone…

WORLD Book and Copyright Day, a Unesco initiative, is celebrated annually on April 23 to promote the enjoyment of books and reading, and recognise the magical power of books. Unfortunately, this is something that many South African learners may not have the privilege of enjoying. This may be partially due to the low levels of literacy among our learners as well as the lack of access to books and reading material at an early age. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Incredible work is being done to alleviate these issues. Researchers, activists, teachers, government officials and NGOs have devoted hours of hard work to develop accessible pathways for learners to obtain access to books and quality programmes focused on increasing their reading levels. Vested partners are working hard to…

CHIEF Justice Raymond Zondo is hoping that the Pretoria High Court grants him an extension so he can submit the final part of the state capture report by June 15. On Friday, Justice Zondo went to the Pretoria High Court on an urgent basis, with the end of April deadline looming, and asked for the commission to be given more time. According to reports, Justice Zondo asked the court for an extension as important evidence, gathered over the past three years, needed to be analysed. The commission’s report is expected to provide feedback on Eskom, the National Treasury, the SABC and the Passenger Rail Agency of SA. The commission’s inquiry commenced in August 2018. An official proclamation of the commission in the Government Gazette instructs the commission to inquire, investigate…

POLITICAL parties playing the blame game over the human migration that is currently dominating the news agenda – specifically the murder of a foreign national – is proof of how low the bar is among the parties that South Africans have entrusted to lead them. It took the DA and ActionSA only hours to be at each other’s throats over the murder of Zimbabwean national Elvis Nyathi in Diepsloot, who was burnt to death by xenophobic vigilantes following a march joined by the so-called “Operation Dudula” leaders. Before we get to the crux of today’s editorial, we have warned in this space on many occasions about the dangers of groupings such as Dudula. But, as always, the only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing. For political…

PARIS: The French began voting yesterday in an election that will decide whether pro-European Union, centrist President Emmanuel Macron keeps his job or is unseated by far-right eurosceptic Marine Le Pen in what would amount to a political earthquake. Opinion polls in recent days gave Macron a solid and slightly growing lead as analysts said Le Pen – despite her efforts to soften her image and tone down some of her National Rally party’s policies – remained unpalatable for many. But a surprise Le Pen victory could not be ruled out, given the high numbers of voters who were undecided or not sure if they would vote at all in the presidential runoff. With polls showing neither candidate able to count on enough committed supporters, much will depend on a…

FOREIGNERS will be permitted to enter the financial hub from next month for the first time in more than two years, a small step in unwinding stringent Covid-19 restrictions which have turned the city into one of the world’s most isolated places. Hong Kong’s rules for airlines that carry infected Covid-19 patients will also be eased slightly, the government has said, with the threshold for suspending incoming flights rising to five infected passengers from three currently. A ban on individual airline routes will be shortened to five days from seven. Foreign travellers will be subject to the same procedure as residents, the government said. The announcement comes with daily infections remained under 1 000 for more than a week from a peak of more than 70 000 on March 3.…

Cape Town: Scientists have begun a five-month mission to study how plastic pollution in Africa’s main rivers and climate change stresses are impacting microorganisms in the Atlantic ocean, they announced. The survey is being staged from the 33-year-old research vessel, the French schooner Tara, which arrived in Cape Town on Friday before heading up the West African coast. The researchers will analyse how nutrients and pollution in major African rivers – the Congo, Orange, Gambia and Senegal – are affecting the Atlantic. They will also study the Benguela Current, which moves up from South Africa to the Namibian and Angolan coasts. |…

Bengaluru: The hoax bomb threats that were sent to more than 14 international schools in Bengaluru earlier this month have been tracked to Syria and Pakistan, police in India confirmed. They suspect that the emails had been sent by radicals as a result of Hijab and halaal rows and the banning of Muslim merchants in the state temple. The authorities are treating the threats as an act of terrorism and cyber warfare. The case has been registered under the Information Technology Act 66 (F) which clamps down on any individual who has an intent to threaten the security or sovereignty of India or to strike terror in the people or any section of people. |…

THE FACE-OFF between gold miner Sibanye-Stillwater and its workers goes down to the wire tomorrow as workers reject the company’s latest offer on the table made on Friday which entails an R850 wage increase with a R50 living out allowance over a three-year period. Organised labour, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction (Amcu) said over the weekend the offer had been rejected by workers and would be put to the litmus test today at a joint mass meeting at the Beatrix Mine in Welkom, prior to an anticipated meeting with the company tomorrow. “They have taken R50 from the housing allowance, and workers have rejected that with the contempt it deserves,” Amcu secretary-general Jeff Mphahlele said. This was echoed by NUM secretary-general William…

THE Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) owes municipalities across the country a staggering R837 million in rates and services as at the first two months of this year. This emerged in written replies by Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille to Parliamentary questions from Freedom Front Plus MP Philip van Staden and DA MP Haseena Ismail. Van Staden asked about the 81 575 properties under the custodianship of her department that are in arrears with property tax, and the amount owed to individual municipalities. Ismail enquired about the amount the department owed to each municipality for services rendered. De Lille replied that there were 10 483 accounts with arrears balances submitted by 145 municipalities to the department as at January 31. “The total outstanding arrears amount…

A KLAWER woman who was allegedly raped earlier this year was released on bail and will appear in court this week after the man suspected of raping her lodged a counter complaint. The 32-year-old woman was allegedly raped in January and after reporting the incident to police, the alleged rapist along with two accomplices, allegedly attacked the woman and her boyfriend with pangas. Police spokesperson Andre Traut confirmed the woman is set to appear in court on Tuesday to face a charge of assault. “She was arrested following a police investigation and released on bail. An enquiry case was registered by Vredendal Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit to probe an alleged rape that occurred between January 30 and January 31. The enquiry was opened to determine if…

FOR the past few weeks, Members of Parliament (MPs) have been bombarded by repeated emails about a set of recently published draft amendments to the National Health Act. The public has been invited to comment on these government proposals. The fact that some members of the public are energised and very active in responding to these draconian government draft regulations is great. I believe that South Africans do not sufficiently participate when opportunities are offered for the public to provide their voice on issues. Although participation by the public is most important, the manner and methodology of such participation is equally important. I, therefore, don’t want to discuss the particular draft Health Act amendments but the manner in which some public participation is taking place. An email is doing its…

THE Progressive Organisations’ Formation (POF) has since its formation in 2020 called for the resignation of the inept and dictatorial education MEC Debbie Schäfer. She has run the Western Education Department with fear and in an authoritarian manner. Her attitude was “do it my way or I will get rid of you”. In the midst of rationalisation she constantly supported the closing of schools for the poor. She did not even visit the schools that were threatened by closure. Uitsig High School was demolished. It is just an open field now. This was the extent to which Debbie Schäfer would go to get her own way. She was not prepared to listen to the views of others. Education in the Western Cape has suffered because of her illogical way…

A FATHER and daughter duo from Springs in Johannesburg are expected to appear in court today for allegedly manufacturing and selling fake washing powder. The pair’s illicit trade was uncovered by the Hawks earlier this month when the specialised unit’s Serious Commercial Crime Investigating team together with Brand protectors from Spoor & Fisher Attorneys assisted by members of Public Order Policing (POP) from Springs executed a search and seizure operation in terms of counterfeit goods Act 37 of 1997, at the premises in Selection Park, Springs on April 1. Hawks spokesperson, Philani Nkwalase said the counterfeit goods were found at a clandestine factory and was valued at R1.3 million. The 42-year-old man his daughter were served with a J175 summons. “A search operation was preceded by an in-depth investigations into…

ACTIVISTS and opposition parties are cautious about rating agency Moody’s changing the City’s outlook from negative to stable, considering backlogs in infrastructure and maintenance and questions whether the improved financial footing will benefit all in Cape Town. Moody’s Investors Service published its latest credit opinion reaffirming the existing long and short-term national and global scale rating of Aa3.za/P-1.za and Ba3/NP, and changed the City’s outlook from negative to stable. Moody’s noted that its credit view “reflects its (the City’s) large and diversified economic base, offset by its growing pressure to increase capital spending”. The City said: “The City’s rating reflects its moderate financial performance supported by prudent financial management and its large and diversified economic base. “The City’s credit profile is constrained by capital spending pressure and the structurally weak…

Corrupt politicians must be prevented from controlling public resources FOR CONCERNED South Africans waiting to see whether tomorrow’s joint sitting of Parliament to outline the government’s response to the flood disaster in KwaZulu-Natal will approve the extraordinary move not to grant emergency relief funds directly to corruption-ridden smaller municipalities, the situation resembles a midlife crisis. They are fed up with the same old, same old – the local government is a pain and the bills keep on rising. How great it would be to throw it all in, escape the paralysed system, bring in the national and provincial government departments, contract private companies somewhere, and expediently deliver assistance to the deserving beneficiaries. Just how truly anarchic the state of municipalities suffocated by inefficiency and corruption is was exposed on April…

Senior Ukrainian negotiator and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said yesterday that Russian forces were continuously shelling Mariupol and urged Moscow to agree to a “real Easter truce”. He tweeted, urging Russia to “think about the remnants of its reputation” and called for “a real Easter truce in Mariupol” alongside an immediate humanitarian corridor for civilians and special round of talks to facilitate the exchange of military and civilians. The authorities in two eastern Ukrainian regions said on Saturday that fighting was “fierce”, as hope faded for a truce over the Orthodox Easter weekend. The governor of the eastern Kharkiv region, Oleg Sinegubov, said on Telegram that Ukrainian forces retook three villages near the Russian border after “fierce battles”. The villages lie north of Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv. Sinegubov said he…

Rebels have threatened to attack Chinese-backed mines in Myanmar’s north-west if the projects are not shut down. The Southeast Asian nation’s economy has been in turmoil since a coup in February last year. Rebel groups calling themselves People’s Defence Forces (PDF) have sprung up since the move to oppose the regime, with junta-linked companies becoming prime targets. They claim the profits were lining the pockets of the junta. China’s Wanbao Mining has a partnership with Myanmar military-owned conglomerate Myanma Economic Holdings to run the Letpadaung and Sapetaung-Kyesintaung copper mines near Salingyi in the Sagaing region. Mining in Myanmar has already faced disruptions because of fighting, electricity supply problems and the coronavirus pandemic. More than 1 700 civilians have been killed in a military crackdown since last year’s coup, according to…

KINSHASA: Democratic Republic of the Congo Health Minister Jean-Jacques Mbungani has confirmed that a positive case of Ebola has been detected in Wangata Health Zone of the Equateur province, in north-western DRC. In December, the DRC declared the end to its 13th Ebola outbreak in the north-eastern North Kivu province. Genome sequencing conducted by the DRC’s National Institute of Biomedical Research found that the first Ebola case detected in the 13th outbreak was likely a new flare-up of the 2018-2020 outbreak that killed more than 2 200 people in eastern DRC, the second deadliest on record. |…

AMSTERDAM: Schiphol airport urged travellers to stay away for several hours on Saturday as a strike by ground personnel at the start of a school holiday caused chaos at Europe’s third-busiest airport. Later, airport said passengers were welcome again but would still face long waiting times and possible delays or cancellations. Police closed highway exits to the airport briefly as lines of frustrated passengers at departure gates stretched out of the airport buildings. Baggage handlers for KLM, the Dutch arm of airline Air France-KLM, went on strike to press demands for higher pay and better working conditions.…