Table of contents for 2023-01-23 in Cape Times

WHILE Eskom is facing a mountain of legal action from civil society bodies, political parties and individuals, outgoing CEO Andre de Ruyter said it would be “practically impossible” to execute calls to immediately end load shedding or no tariff increase on a sustainable basis. This as Eskom is facing several court cases seeking to put a stop to the 18.65% tariff increase by NERSA, put an end to load shedding, and hold the government accountable for its failure to provide electricity to the nation. De Ruyter said legal action was “not taken lightly” and they were taking advice on how to proceed. “When we look at any possible legal action, it's my understanding (the courts) are not going to make orders that are impossible to execute on a sustainable…

Mushrooms 4 large portabello mushrooms/400g large brown mushrooms 100g baby portabellini mushrooms sliced Pizza 2 baguettes 375ml tomato based pasta sauce of choice, tomato and basil works very well or use arabiata for a chilli kick. 250g mozzarella cheese grated Toppings 200g mixed olives sliced 2 tbsp capers 1 tsp dried Italian herbs olive oil, salt and pepper to taste chilli for serving For the mushrooms Preheat oven to 200˚C, fan on. Place oven rack towards the top third of the oven. Place the portabellos on a baking tray. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Dry roast for 7 minutes until just tender but not fully cooked through. Allow to rest skin side up and release their liquid. Slice. For the baguette Halve each baguette lengthways. Place on a baking…

I WAS bemused, disappointed and downright flabbergasted when our Proteas cricket squad to play England in the upcoming three match ODI series was announced. I had anticipated that at last I would see Brevis don the Proteas cap and show the cricketing fraternity at the highest level what he is capable of doing. Another youngster, Rickleton, was to my mind another obvious choice for selection. My hopes were dashed not only by the omission of these two lads but the reasons given for their non-selection. They are considered too young and there is no room in the squad for an opening batsman. For heaven’s sake Graeme Pollock was 18 when he played for our country and Sachin Tendulkar was 17 or thereabouts when he was selected for the Indian Test…

A HOTEL company’s litigation matter against Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) failed in the Western Cape High Court last week. Having conducted a hotel business at its property in District Six, Ma-Afrika Hotels sold its property to CPUT and after the sale they continued to administer the property, mainly as a residence for students enrolled at CPUT but also as a hotel. The majority of the apartments at the hotel are used for student accommodation for 10 months of the year and the rest for hotel purposes. The apartments ordinarily used for student residential purposes are made available to supplement the hotel’s accommodation during the time that they are not required for housing the students. As the time neared for Ma-Afrika’s lease to expire CPUT advertised a request for…

AS universities gear up for registration and orientation activities, UCT’s executive says it is working towards averting a possible three-day industrial action by academic staff. Staff affiliated to the UCT Academics Union (AU) are preparing to go on strike for the first time in the university's history after wage negotiations reached a deadlock. This is after they were offered a 3% pay increase for the 2023 year which they have since labelled as insulting and derisory. The union said in a poll, 87% of its members had shown willingness to join the protest action, expected to be three-days or more. The strike may affect a number of academic activities including the release of the 2022 supplementary exam results, 2023 registration and academic teaching. According to the union, universities historically…

THE world is going through a crisis of a dwindling middle class where income gap and wealth disparities have come to reflect downward spiralling economic and social development. Developed nations have for the past century managed to sustain their economies through a strong middle class that served as a buffer between the super-rich and those living on the poverty line. However, as a strong middle class is threatened into the oblivion of poverty, these economies are no longer stable as income disparities pervade them. China as the new economic leader with 1.4 billion citizens has to fight the scourge of a dwindling middle class. How will China manage to close the effects of huge income gaps and disparities between the rich and poor as witnessed all over the world? “Since…

Lima: Peru closed the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu over the weekend amid steady anti-government protests, stranding hundreds of tourists for hours, as authorities expelled protesters from a Lima university where they have been holed up as part of the crisis engulfing this divided country. Protests demanding the resignation of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte have been ongoing since early December, leaving 46 people dead and prompting the government to impose a state of emergency in some areas. This crisis triggered by the ouster of leftist Indigenous president Pedro Castillo last month stems largely from a gaping inequity between Peru’s urban elite and poor rural indigenous people. | AFP…

Eritrean forces have been leaving towns in the war-torn region of Tigray, locals say, as the US hailed a pullout seen as key to a landmark peace deal. Fighting between federal troops and Tigray rebels erupted in northern Ethiopia in November 2020 and raged for two years before the two sides signed a peace deal in South Africa’s Pretoria on November 2, 2022. Under the agreement, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) agreed to disarm and re-establish the authority of the federal government in return for the Ethiopian government reopening access to the war-torn region in dire need of food and aid. But the Pretoria agreement made no provision for the withdrawal of Eritrean troops, who fought on the side of the federal government and who were accused by the…

POLICE were at the scene of a shooting in southern California that has caused a number of casualties, including deaths, US media reported yesterday, citing law enforcement. There were scant details, and no immediate confirmation from police in Monterey Park, about 13km east of downtown Los Angeles. The area is home to a large number of ethnic Asians. The Los Angeles Times, citing a police source, said there were “multiple” victims. One law enforcement source told the paper there were more than a dozen casualties. City News Service, a reputable local news wire, citing authorities, said there were dead and injured in the incident. It gave no toll. The agency said it happened about an hour after a Lunar New Year Festival had finished. “It is an isolated incident,” a…

Madrid: An Iranian chess player who fled to Spain after she took part in an international tournament without the mandatory hijab said yesterday she is “not myself” when she wears the headscarf. In December Sara Khadem, 25, appeared without a hijab – which is compulsory for women under Iranian law – at the International Chess Federation (FIDE) World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Her action was seen by some as a show of support for the protests that have gripped Iran since the September 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22. Amini had been arrested by Tehran morality police for an alleged breach of the country’s strict dress code for women. In an interview published yesterday in Spanish newspaper El Pais, Khadem said that before the…

PETER Becker has been successful in his bid to get his position back as non-executive director of the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) after he was dismissed by Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), Gwede Mantashe for comments made in the media concerning nuclear safety, among others. On June 10, 2021, the Minister appointed Becker as a non-executive director of the board. His appointment emanated from his nomination to this position by a number of civil society organisations including the Koeberg Alert Alliance (“the KAA”), the Southern African Faith Communities Environmental Institute, and the Pelindaba Working Group. Becker was the spokesperson of the KAA before his appointment to the Board and remained as such after his appointment as a director of the Board. Becker was suspended on January 18,…

WITH incidents of pit bull breed attacks and calls to ban the breed on the rise, Paws-a-While hosted its first 2023 event in Sea Point at the weekend with the aim of educating the public about ownership and treatment of the breed. This as three dogs including a pit bull were removed from a house in Kuils River after a 26-year-old woman was severely mauled. The woman was passing by the residence in Penhill Estate at about 4pm on Thursday when she was attacked. Some residents have since welcomed the action of the dogs being removed claiming it was long overdue. According to an armed response and emergency service provider in the Northern Suburbs, Titanium Securitas, they received a call for medical assistance regarding a woman being attacked. “On…

CYRIL fires Gwede. Must it happen? Can it happen? ‘Uncle Gwede, into my office, now!’ A look of incredulity follows the president through the door. “Who do you think you’re talking to, Cyril?” Samson hits back. He remains standing in front of the presidential desk, like a rebellious schoolboy in the principal’s office. “I’ll tell you whom I’m talking to. Somebody called you, appropriately, a wind bag. Please sit down.” Reluctantly, the energy minister plonks himself down. “How dare you, Cyril, especially after I supported you in your fight for the presidency. Without me, you would’ve been fodder”. “At the time I didn’t realise you’d become more of a stumbling block than someone I could rely on. Your handling of the Eskom crisis has become mielies for the shredder. Every…

WOMEN are being killed daily mostly by those who are supposed to protect them. Although some men are convicted for this, they barely stay long enough to learn their lesson. What has happened to the men of this nation to kill without any remorse? When will this ever end? Mothers, sisters, daughters, the entire female generation will cease to exist because of us, men. As people who were meant to protect them, we have failed. God made us stronger so that we can protect women, not hurt them and eventually kill them. The nation is bleeding and women are crying. The justice system has failed to protect the rights and the lives of ordinary women. It all starts as a small argument then eventually there is a body found in…

While the 80.1% matric pass rate gives us a real reason to celebrate, the excessively high dropout rate is very concerning for the future. The announcement of the improved matric pass rate has sparked widespread celebrations. This is particularly important since the 2022 matrics had to overcome tremendous odds, including Covid-19 lockdowns and devastating floods. The worsening economic situation and rolling blackouts mean that the matric class of 2022 had to contend with difficult situations at home. All of this makes their achievement truly inspiring and remarkable. However, while we celebrate, we should not be blind to the fact that the dropout rate for the 2022 matric class was 31.8%, which translates to 337 364 learners. The real concern here is that the learners who drop out of the…

Stockholm: Sweden’s prime minister has condemned as “deeply disrespectful” the burning of a Qur’an in Stockholm, which has raised tensions with Turkey as the Nordic country courts Ankara over its Nato bid. Far-right politician Rasmus Paludan set fire to a copy of the Muslim holy book in front of Turkey’s embassy in Stockholm. Furious that Paludan had been permitted to do so, Ankara cancelled a visit by Sweden’s defence minister and summoned Stockholm’s ambassador. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson tweeted: “To many burning holy books is a deeply disrespectful act. I sympathise with offended Muslims.” On Saturday, protesters burnt a Swedish flag at the Swedish consulate in Istanbul. | AFP…

Brazil and Argentina will announce this week that they are starting preparatory work on a common currency, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The plan, set to be discussed at a summit in Buenos Aires, will focus on how a new currency which Brazil suggests calling the “sur” (south) could boost regional trade and reduce reliance on the US dollar, FT reported citing officials. “There will be … a decision to start studying the parameters needed for a common currency, from fiscal issues to the size of the economy and the role of central banks,” said Argentina’s economy minister Sergio Massa. Initially starting as a bilateral project it would later be extended to invite other Latin American nations. | Reuters…

At least five people were injured in a blast yesterday at the gates of the mayor’s office in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu and gunfire sounded, an ambulance man and a witness said. Somalia’s Islamist group al-Shabaab claimed the attack. Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of Aamin Ambulance Services, said ambulance staff had evacuated five injured people from the scene of the blast. Gunfire was still ongoing in the area, he said. “We were deafened by a blast, we ran out, gunfire followed,” said Farah Abdullahi, who works in the mayor’s office, located in a well guarded area of Mogadishu. Roads in the area have concrete barriers and multiple roadblocks. The building is about 1.5km away from Villa Somalia, the president’s office. Security forces put the area under lockdown but an exchange of gunfire…

New Zealand’s incoming prime minister Chris Hipkins criticised the “abhorrent” treatment endured by Jacinda Ardern and yesterday vowed to shield his own family, three days after her shock resignation. Hours after being unanimously endorsed by Labour Party MPs as the party’s leader and the nation’s next prime minister, Hipkins attacked the personal abuse suffered by Ardern during her more than five years in the top job. Ardern sparked a national debate about the pressures she faced when she revealed on Thursday that she was stepping down just nine months before the October 14 general elections, saying she no longer had “enough in the tank”. Politicians and other public figures have lined up to criticise the “vitriol” Ardern was subjected to as prime minister, notably on social media, although she did…

The Competition Commission says it is keeping a careful eye on price gouging and fixing in the solar-energy sector and has urged businesses and consumers who are going off the grid to report incidents to them. South Africans with the means to do so are exploring solar or alternative energy as the crisis at Eskom deepens and an 18.65% tariff increase granted by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to the power utility will lead to the cost of electricity increasing. In a system update yesterday, Eskom said the October 2022 failure of the chimney system at the Kusile Power Station was the major cause of the elevated stages of load shedding. It said it was working with the government to acquire additional generation capacity from existing operators,…

THE embattled Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) has remained tight-lipped following the release of a damning report which exposed alleged financial mismanagement and fraud in the handling of Covid relief funds. The allegations were first brought to light by former executive member, Dr Moulana Yusuf Arieff, in April last year. In a letter to the General Council, Arieff had called for an amount of R900 000 donated to Imam’s for Covid relief to be investigated. A four-member committee of the MJC commission of inquiry (COI) was tasked to investigate 38 transactions to the tune of more than R928 000 following the allegations. They found that while an amount of R230 000 was accounted for, an additional amount of R470 900 was unaccounted for and was not authorised by the MJC Exco.…

I JUST read that China's population has declined by 850 000 in 2022. This should be good news to those Cape Times correspondents who are always wagging their fingers at the poor to have fewer kids. There is a comforting belief among the elite that they have no responsibility for ensuring a sustainable planet, other than telling the rest of us what to do. They ignore the fact that society is capable of eliminating global poverty at a stroke, and that the real reason why this isn't happening is because the lion's share of the global social produce ends up in the bank accounts of a tiny number of individuals and corporations. This is the real problem.…

Signage at the notorious Voëlklip cliff near Herolds Bay has not prevented yet another death, the second in about a week, when a woman plummeted to her death on Friday. The identity of the woman, believed to be in her mid-thirties, is yet to be confirmed while police said an inquest docket was opened for investigation. Department of Transport and Public Works spokesperson Jandre Bekker, said the road is “safe”. “The road is safe. Despite the road being safe, additional barriers and signage have been erected. “Not all incidents at this location involves vehicles,” said Bekker. Last week, the body of a 65-year-old man, believed to be from Mossel Bay, was found in the sea below. Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie confirmed the latest incident, saying the woman was found dead…

Five people were killed and six others injured when the driver of the vehicle they were in allegedly lost control and the car rolled along the N1 in De Doorns on Saturday night. ER24’s Ineke van Huyssteen said when paramedics arrived at the scene at around 11pm, they found people lying across the road and a vehicle off the roadway. “On further assessment, paramedics found three people who had sustained fatal injuries and were declared dead at the scene. “Six other patients were found in a critical condition, while another two had sustained serious injuries. Advanced life support interventions were immediately initiated, but unfortunately, despite the best efforts of all involved, two of the critically injured patients also succumbed to their numerous injuries,” van Huyssteen said. ER24 paramedics, Metro…

South Africa’s revenue relative to GDP is actually quite high THE one word that they would not mention in the January 8, 2023, statement of the ANC National Executive Committee marking the 111th anniversary of the founding of the ANC, Africa’s oldest continuous political movement, was “revenue”. The document is predictably a statement of intent of the priorities for the governing party in the year ahead, laced heavily with the archetypal rhetoric of aspirations and a “what-to-do” list in danger of defying the gravity of even the most sophisticated policy decision making. One can perhaps excuse the exuberance and the revolutionary zeal of ANC cadres, but the real economy’s pre-eminent custodian, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, all too well knows that government programmes and pledges must be costed and paid for…

Pope Francis’s visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo will remind the world not to ignore decades-long conflicts that have beset the nation and wrecked the lives of millions, the Vatican’s envoy to Kinshasa said. Francis is due to visit Congo from January 31 to February 3 – the first visit of a pope since 1985 when Pope John Paul II visited. Major preparations have been under way in the country, home to the largest Roman Catholic community (45 million) in Africa. Ettore Balestrero, the Vatican’s envoy to Kinshasa, said: “Wars and conflicts continue. He will console the people.” The Catholic Church manages 40% of Congo’s health structure. About 6 million students are taught in schools run by the church. | Reuters…

Bogotá: A woman suspected in the murder of a Paraguayan anti-mafia prosecutor has been expelled from El Salvador and handed over to Colombian authorities. Margareth L Chacon Zuniga, 42, is accused of being involved in the “planning, financing and logistics of the murder of prosecutor Marcelo Pecci”. Yesterday she was due to appear before a supervisory judge, the investigative body said on Twitter. Her capture brings to seven the number of people detained over Pecci’s murder in May last year. The prosecutor was killed in front of his pregnant wife while they were on their honeymoon on the Colombian island of Baru. | AFP…

Moscow’s forces are pushing towards two towns in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, where fighting intensified this week after several months of a stagnant front, Russian state media reported yesterday. Russian-installed official in the region Vladimir Rogov said offensive actions were concentrated around two towns: Orikhiv, around 50km south of Ukrainian-controlled regional capital Zaporizhzhia, and Hulyaipole, further east. “The front is mobile, especially in two directions: Orikhiv and Hulyaipole,” Rogov was quoted as saying by the Ria Novosti news agency. He said there was active fighting in those areas, according to the agency. “The initiative is in our hands.” In its daily report yesterday, the Ukrainian army said “more than 15 settlements were affected by artillery fire” in Zaporizhzhia. Earlier this week, Rogov announced a “local offensive” around Orikhiv and said the…

Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu removed a top minister from office yesterday following a Supreme Court ruling against Aryeh Deri’s appointment which has shaken the nascent cabinet. “It is with a heavy heart and with great sorrow that I am forced to transfer you from your position as a minister,” Netanyahu told Deri during a cabinet meeting. Leader of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish party Shas, Deri was appointed health and interior minister in a coalition deal following Israel’s November 1 elections. Last week the Supreme Court ruled Netanyahu “must remove Deri” due to a tax evasion conviction last year. | AFP…