Table of contents for 2022-07-07 in Cape Times

SIRIUS Real Estate, owner and operator of branded business and industrial parks in Germany and the UK, has begun trading in its new financial as planned, chairperson Daniel Kitchen said yesterday. He said at the annual meeting that this was in spite of the economic uncertainty and inflationary environment in both markets. The share price traded 1.3 percent lower at R17.21 yesterday morning, having fallen some 45.28 percent from a peak early this year, despite the company expanding its focus into the UK last year and good recent financial results. Sirius’ portfolio comprises 140 assets let to 9 452 tenants with a total book value of more than €2 billion (R34bn). In its year to March 31 Sirius had generated a total 20 percent accounting…

FOR MUCH OF 2022, oil steadily rallied as investors piled into bets that the world’s most liquid commodity would surge as inflation climbed. On Tuesday, the trade showed its clearest signs yet of unravelling. Brent futures plunged by more than $10 (R164) a barrel, succumbing to the third-largest daily retreat on record. West Texas Intermediate fell below $100 for the first time since May 11. Prices slumped again yesterday. Months of dwindling liquidity, alongside technical selling and some producer hedging, contributed to the slide. But the real driver was concern about a recession and aggressive interest rate hikes, undermining the idea of oil prices being a means of hedging against inflation. “Recession fears likely pushed some investors out of the oil trade as inflation hedge,” said Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst…

GIRLS were five times more likely to have experienced rape and sexual assault than boys, according to a recent study on non-fatal injuries among boys and girls presented to the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital. Researchers from the Burden of Disease Research Unit at the South African Medical Research Council, UCT, the University of Greenwich and others aimed to describe the non-fatal injuries sustained among children aged 0-13 years, to identify any significant sex differences by age group and injury severity. They utilised the trauma unit database at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital from 1997 to 2016 for the analysis. Their findings were recently published in the South African Medical Research Journal. Between 1997 and 2016, there were 132 387 injury cases recorded. “Falls were the leading cause…

THE closure of a shop owned by foreign nationals and disconnecting of electricity of another establishment in the Beaufort West Municipality by Central Karoo Mayor Gayton Mckenzie this week has divided residents, with some arguing it was not his job to do so. The shop, understood to be owned by Pakistani nationals, is in Voortrekker Street and the owners are accused of operating at a heritage building thus in contravention of the municipality’s by-laws. McKenzie can be seen in a video posted on his social media this week inside a shop, telling the owners to vacate the premises. “Get your stuff out, we closing the shop now,” he says on the clip. In a post yesterday, McKenzie said a hotel in the area “owes R500 000”, and their electricity had…

PARLIAMENT is a step closer to concluding the processing of the Children’s Amendment Bill that seeks to extend the jurisdiction of the children's court to include care of abandoned children and also improve the administration of foster care. This takes place as the national legislature has until November to finalise the bill if it is to meet an order issued by the North Gauteng High Court five years ago. Yesterday, opposition parties - DA, ACDP, EFF and Freedom Front Plus - did not support the bill when it was put up for adoption by the social development portfolio committee. Instead, MPs from the ruling ANC moved for adoption of each of the 16 clauses and the adoption of the Children’s Amendment Bill. The opposition parties were however in…

Amid soaring gas and oil prices and global shifts in energy markets, many decision makers in the private and public sectors in South Africa seem intent on investing in gas. But, if we really want long-term energy security – and a just transition to a low carbon economy – we must look to renewable energy. The Russian-Ukraine war is now in its fifth month. Beyond the human suffering and the displacement of millions of refugees, the conflict has also caused sharp increases in the price of gas and oil. In Europe, which until recently relied on Russia for 40% of its gas, prices have reached highs of €227 (about R3 800) per megawatt per hour in recent months. Unsurprisingly, Europe is now looking to reduce its dependence on Russian gas.…

Ukraine had so far thwarted an attempted Russian advance into the north of its Donetsk region, but the city of Sloviansk and other civilian areas there were being heavily shelled, Ukrainian officials said yesterday. Russia has increased its focus on Donetsk, the southern part of which it and its proxies already control, after completing its seizure of the neighbouring Luhansk region with the capture of Lysychansk, much of which now lies in ruins. Moscow says fully pushing the Ukrainian military out of both regions is central to what it calls its “special military operation”, now four-months-long offensive. Donetsk and Luhansk comprise the Donbas, the eastern part of Ukraine that has witnessed the biggest battle in Europe for generations and which Russia wants to wrest control of for separatists it backs.…

LANSING: Veteran guitarist Carlos Santana passed out on stage at a US concert this week after he was overcome by heat exhaustion and dehydration. The Grammy Award winner, 74, was performing at the outdoor Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan when the incident happened. He was taken to hospital and reportedly doing well. “To one and all, thank you for your precious prayers. Cindy and I we are good just taking it easy,” Santana said on Facebook, referring to his wife, drummer Cindy Blackman. “Forgot to eat and drink water so I dehydrated and passed out.” | Reuters…

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s president yesterday said he had urged Russian leader Vladimir Putin to help his cash-strapped island nation import fuel as it faces its worst economic crisis in seven decades. Short of foreign exchange because of economic mismanagement and the impact of the Covid-19 crisis, Sri Lanka has been struggling to import even essentials. With its petrol and diesel stocks nearly exhausted, Sri Lanka has extended a countrywide school shutdown and asked public employees to work from home. Sri Lanka has already bought oil from Russia to tide it over the crisis, and the government is willing to make further purchases. | Reuters…

JERUSALEM: Ben & Jerry’s has sued its corporate parent, Unilever, to block a deal that would allow its ice cream to be sold in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, claiming that would conflict with the company’s “core values”. The ice cream maker said Unilever’s decision to sell the brand and trademark rights in Israel to businessman Avi Zinger violates its 2000 acquisition agreement with the products giant. The legal action follows a controversy triggered last year when Ben & Jerry’s said it would halt sales in Jewish West Bank settlements, citing human rights concerns. Unilever said it had the right to enter the deal with Zinger. | Washington Post…

THE families of the 21 young people who died under mysterious circumstances at Enyobeni tavern in Scenery Park, East London more than a week ago will have to wait a while longer to know why their children perished. Some parents have already started burying their children, with the latest funeral held yesterday when two were laid to rest. During yesterday’s proceedings, attended by President Cyril Ramaphosa along with Premier Oscar Mabuyane, and Police Minister Bheki Cele, claims about a stampede were again ruled out as the cause of the tragedy. Seventeen children were found dead inside the tavern and four died in hospital. Eastern Cape health department deputy director general for clinical services Dr Litha Matiwane said post-mortems for all the deceased were done on the day of…

A FORMER Heatherlands High School financial officer, who allegedly evaded accountability by resigning during a financial irregularity investigation, will face punitive action should she take a position in the public service again. This is after the Provincial Forensic Services (PFS) recommended that the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) flag her Personal and Salary System (PERSAL) profile so that disciplinary action can be initiated against her if she returns to the public service in future. Education MEC David Maynier said the department conducted a preliminary investigation which was concluded in September 2020 against the former financial officer and a former hostel supervisor who had also previously served as the SGB Treasurer. The PFS also initiated a forensic investigation that was concluded in September last year. “It was alleged that tenants who…

THOSE who still believe that President Cyril Ramaphosa and his bloated Cabinet are the right people to steer our sinking country out of the rough seas it finds itself in may have to re-evaluate their optimism. Until now, this administration has been sliding from one crisis to another, with no clear sign of how to tackle the problems South Africans were promised would be prioritised. His government is one of forgettable firsts; ​highest unemployment, especially among young people, and rocketing fuel prices and food, among others. Is it not now safe to say that Ramaphosa sold South Africans false hope? Accountability, transparency, fighting corruption are words that secured him the country’s highest office, yet none have materialised. Ramaphosa is no different from his predecessor Jacob Zuma, who believed the ANC…

Boris Johnson yesterday refused to quit as British prime minister, despite a slew of resignations from his scandal- hit government, piling on pressure as he faced a grilling from angry MPs. The 58-year-old leader’s grip on power appears to be slipping after 10 short minutes on Tuesday night, when Rishi Sunak resigned as finance minister and Sajid Javid as health secretary. Both said they could no longer tolerate the culture of scandal that has stalked Johnson for months, including lockdown lawbreaking in Downing Street that enraged the public. At the weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions in parliament, MPs from all sides rounded on Johnson. But brushing off calls to resign, he told MPs: “Frankly, the job of a prime minister in difficult circumstances when you have been handed a…

ABOUT 440 inmates were on the run after a suspected raid by Islamist Boko Haram militants on a prison in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, an interior ministry official said. The raid, and a separate ambush on an advance convoy of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who was not present, heading to his hometown in the northern state of Katsina, highlights Nigeria’s ongoing security challenges, especially in northern regions where armed insurgents and gangs are rife. Shuaib Belgore, permanent secretary at the interior ministry, told journalists outside the Abuja prison – which has 900 inmates – that a security officer was killed during the raid and three others were injured. He said the suspected Boko Haram attackers came for members who were held in the prison. A total of 879 inmates fled, the…

Islamabad: Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has warned of revealing all the secrets and details of every player behind the “conspiracy” that led to his ousting, if he and his demand of early elections are ignored and negated. Khan said he would unmask all those involved in the alleged regime change conspiracy if pushed against the wall, hinting indirect pressure and a threat to the country’s military establishment. “I know the role of each character involved in this conspiracy. I have recorded a video, which I have kept at a safe place. If anything happens to me, the video will be shared with the nation,” Khan said. Khan’s statement is part of a consistent campaign, in which he claims his government was ousted through a US-led regime change conspiracy,…

Singapore: A Singapore court yesterday dismissed a last-ditch appeal by a convicted Malaysian drug trafficker, clearing the way for him to be hanged. Kalwant Singh, 32, was to be put to death, two months after the execution of a mentally disabled man in Singapore sparked international outrage. Kalwant, convicted in 2016 of trafficking heroin into the city-state, had lodged a bid to delay his sentence. His lawyer argued his client had provided information that helped authorities arrest a key suspected drug trafficker. But a panel dismissed the appeal, citing an affidavit from the Central Narcotics Bureau stating its did not use information he provided. | AFP…

IT is exactly a decade since Marcell Coetzee made his debut for the Springboks and three years since he last played a Test match so he can be excused for saying that his recall is as special as the first time. He is now 31 and has just 30 Tests to his name because of a combination of crippling injuries and confused coaches but just when the Springbok door seemed forever shut to him, suddenly he is starting against Wales in Bloemfontein on Saturday and he can’t quite believe it. “When I heard my name being read out a few weeks ago it was as unbelievable as the first time,” the genial giant smiled. “Believe me, you never take it for granted. I last played in 2019 (two matches) and…

SOUTH Africa’s food system remains shaped by inequities rooted in colonialism, and exacerbated by apartheid policies and the concurrent isolation of the country. This is according to a new research report tilted Food systems profile - South Africa: Catalysing the sustainable and inclusive transformation of food systems. The report is an assessment of South Africa’s food system, which identified core challenges and proposed potential policy levers to address these, recently published by the EU, Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), and the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (Cirad). The assessment was conducted by the Department of Science and Technology/National Research Foundation (DSI-NRF) Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS), hosted by the University of the Western Cape and co-hosted by the University of Pretoria, on…

A HIGH court ruling favouring a law graduate who was denied admission as an advocate for five years has been welcomed as a step closer to free education. The Mpumalanga Division of the High Court in Mbombela declared as unconstitutional a rule that forced law graduates to produce copies of their qualifications before being admitted as attorneys or advocates. In its landmark ruling recently handed down in Mbombela, the high court declared that Rule 17.6.3 of the Legal Practice Act was unconstitutional in that it unfairly prejudiced graduates against finding gainful employment due to student debt. The court ruled in favour of Lindumusa Makamu, who graduated from the University of Venda in 2017 with a debt of R15 000 in student fees. Makamu had submitted a record showing that he…

We must have the courage to make drastic changes In 1979, Deng Xiaoping emphasised the goal of “Four Modernisations” and further proposed the idea of “xiaokang”, or moderately prosperous society. The announcement and implementation of the “Four Modernisations” resulted in what has come to be known as China’s rapid economy based on export-dependent growth. In fact, policies introduced at the time marked a beginning of “China’s open market system with Chinese characteristics”. Changes taking place in China since 1979, be they economic, political or towards international community, were driven and implemented under the “Reform and Opening-Up” policies. These policies were aimed at establishing internal markets and opening up to foreign investments. Prior to the Reform and Opening-Up policies, China’s real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita grew at a rate…

The biggest Hajj pilgrimage since the Covid pandemic began kicked off yesterday, with hundreds of thousands of mostly maskless worshippers expected to circle Islam’s holiest site in Saudi Arabia’s Mecca. One million fully vaccinated Muslims, including 850 000 from abroad, are allowed at this year’s Hajj, a major break from two years of drastically curtailed numbers due to the pandemic. At Mecca’s Grand Mosque, pilgrims performed the “tawaf”, the circumambulation of the Kaaba, the large cubic structure draped in golden-embroidered black cloth that Muslims around the world turn towards to pray. Authorities said last month that masks would be required at the site, but that has been largely ignored so far this week. Many pilgrims held umbrellas to block the hot sun as the temperature climbed to 42°C. The Saudi…

Somalia’s new President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says ending al-Shabaab’s violent insurgency requires more than a military approach, and his government will negotiate with the extremist group only when the time is right. He said the al-Qaeda affiliate responsible for deadly attacks across East Africa had developed a “coping mechanism” to military aggression and could not be eliminated by force alone. Al-Shabaab has been seeking to overthrow the foreign-backed government in Mogadishu for over a decade, and remains a potent threat despite efforts to defeat them militarily. Mohamud said past approaches to al-Shabaab had not worked, and his government was open to alternatives, including talks when appropriate. Al-Shabaab fighters were driven out of Mogadishu in 2011 by an AU force, but the group still controls swathes of countryside. |…

SHANGHAI: Tens of millions of people were under lockdown across China yesterday and businesses in a major tourist city were forced to close as fresh Covid-19 clusters sparked fears of wider restrictions. Chinese health authorities have reported more than 300 infections in the historic northern city of Xi’an, with new clusters found in Shanghai, Beijing and elsewhere. The outbreaks have dashed hopes that China would move away from the strict virus curbs seen earlier this year, when millions were forced to stay home for weeks. Officials launched a new round of mass testing in more than half of the city’s districts. All karaoke bars were closed yesterday. | AFP…

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis said he wanted to give women more top-level positions in the Holy See, and disclosed that for the first time he would name women to a previously all-male Vatican committee that helps him select the world’s bishops. A new constitution for the Holy See’s central administration that came into effect last month allows any baptised Catholic, including lay men and women, to head most Vatican departments. The pope mentioned that last year, for the first time, he had named a woman to the number two position in the governorship of Vatican City, making Sister Raffaella Petrini the highest-ranking woman in the world’s smallest state. | Reuters…