Table of contents for 2023-03-03 in Cape Times

from page 1 Vice-Chancellor takes up appointment. “These consultations are under way and Council will convene during the course of the week of March 6, 2023 to make a decision on the appointment of an interim Vice-Chancellor. I request that members of our community continue to exercise patience and understanding as we work towards finalising the important decisions that are before Council,” she said. Phakeng said that prior to signing the agreement she was told the independent panel’s investigation would go away if she took a settlement, but she insisted that the investigation continue as she was certain it would exonerate her. Phakeng has been the UCT’s VC for the past 5 years and was voted in by the Senate for a second term. However, since 2020 her journey…

THE getaway vehicle that was used in the murder of City Environmental Affairs official, Wendy Kloppers at a housing construction site in Delft, has been caught on CCTV footage. Kloppers, from Kuils River, was shot and killed on February 16, while sitting in her car with a colleague. This, as extortion gangs and construction mafia, have been causing terror across several of the City’s housing developments. The suspects fled the scene in a vehicle, leaving her dead and her colleague wounded. Police spokesperson, André Traut, said the murder was still under investigation, and “arrests are yet to be made.” The incident came a few days after the City put up a R5 000 reward in response to incidents where housing contractors were shot. The Delft site has since also been…

DESCRIBED as a hero, dubbed the “The Mathematics Superman”, local teacher Mogamat Nabeel Bardien is helping thousands of high school pupils to excel in their mathematics exams. This comes as he has taken his skills to YouTube, where he shares free lessons for grades 8 to 12. “Like a hero dressed in a cape, the mathematics Superman. “Thanks to Mr Bardien'‘s tutoring classes, I was able to excel in his subject of mathematics and even matriculated with a distinction in mathematics as well as achieving first place in matric for my school in 2021. “I am now in my second year of Mechatronics Engineering at Stellenbosch University, and I credit Mr Bardien’s guidance and dedication for helping me achieve my goals,” said a former pupil at the Leadership College in…

THE estimated number of elective surgeries that need to be completed by the Western Cape Department of Health to eliminate the backlog caused by Covid-19 stands at 20 849. This is according to Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo, responding to questions in the legislature. Mbombo said the annual numbers of elective operations had not yet recovered to 2016-2019 levels, but the annual deficit in elective operations had decreased each year since 2020, the deficit now half of the 2020 deficit. “Backlogs on elective surgery have been building up over the past three years primarily due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In June 2022, the Western Cape reported a backlog of 77 000 surgeries which include those of under 30 minutes duration as well as those which require longer theatre time. “We…

BRITNEY - BREAKING FREE Danny White Loot.co.za (R268) Michael O’Mara Having said that, my interest in her personal life was piqued when issues with her conservatorship started bubbling in the mainstream media and on social media. Britney – Breaking Free by Danny White is an unauthorised biography and as the subtitle suggests, in the latter part of the book there is focus on Britney and the lifting of that suffocating conservatorship. Yet another victim of fame at a young age, Britney started her career in showbiz with much promise. She was talented, beautiful, hard-working, and professional. But as her fame took off like a wildfire and more people became involved in her career, her work schedule and its demands became more and more difficult for her to handle. Against her…

WITH the worldview crisis in Russia’s relations with the West entering a hot phase after the beginning of the special military operation in February 2022, the future of the world order and principles of international relations are again among the issues making media headlines around the world, and featuring widely in discussions held by political pundits. Let’s take a look at it through the prism of foreign policy planning. For starters, some basic quotes. Reflecting on the prospects for the development of international relations at a meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club in October 2022, President Vladimir Putin pointed out that a common future for all will require a dialogue between the West and “new centres of a multipolar international order”. More specifically, he made it clear that…

The death toll from Greece’s deadliest train crash was set to rise even higher, with 46 confirmed dead but 10 people still missing, authorities said yesterday. Anger grew across the country over how two trains could smash head-on and the government said it would do all it could to make sure such a crash never happened again. Carriages were thrown off the tracks, with two crushed and several engulfed in flames when a high-speed passenger train with more than 350 people on board and a freight train collided near the city of Larissa late on Tuesday. As many in Greece demanded answers, rescuers continued to comb through charred and buckled rail carriages to try to find more victims. To identify some of the victims, relatives had to give DNA samples…

The US and its European allies sparred with Russia over the war in Ukraine at a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in New Delhi yesterday, with the rival sides each accusing the other of destabilising the world. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had a brief encounter on the meeting’s sidelines during which Blinken urged Russia to reverse its decision on the New START nuclear treaty, a senior US official said. Blinken also told Lavrov that Washington was prepared to support Ukraine to defend itself for as long as it takes, the official said. The Russian foreign ministry said Lavrov and Blinken spoke “on the move” but did not hold negotiations or a meeting. News of the exchange came at the end of the…

PRIVATE renewable energy projects currently under development will go a long way to alleviate power shortages, Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) CEO Emrie Brown said yesterday. She said RMB at present had a pipeline of more than 5 000MW. In the six months, RMB’s sustainability finance and ESG advisory teams facilitated deals worth R17.3 billion, adding to the R26.41bn facilitated over the previous financial year. “This enables clients to have access to reliable power supply to ensure they positively contribute to our economy,” she said at the release of the bank’s interim results for the six months to December 31. She said RMB, the corporate and investment banking arm of FirstRand had ramped up its transition and infrastructure financing and continued to grow its broader Africa business in the…

A MALE nurse in the Eastern Cape is under fire for alleged misconduct after claims that he verbally abused a 23-year-old patient who had miscarried, and took a photo of the foetus. An urgent investigation into the allegations has since been instituted by the Eastern Cape Department of Health. It is alleged that a nurse at Ntabankulu Community Health Centre verbally abused the patient and accused her of attempting to terminate her pregnancy before calling her a “criminal”. According to the South African National Aids Council Civil Society Forum (Sanac CSF), the patient was unable to walk by the time she reached the facility and was being helped by her 19-year-old friend. It’s been alleged that security guards at the facility had to wake the nurses, who were asleep on…

THE UCT Council is expected to decide on who will be appointed as the university’s interim vice-chancellor, next week. This as Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng bows out today as the university’s vice-chancellor. In an internal communication from Council chairperson Babalwa Ngonyama on Tuesday, it was said Phakeng had been placed on leave. “As you know, Professor Phakeng will retire early from the position of vice-chancellor, and this will take effect from the end of Friday, March 3, 2023. In order to give effect to the necessary transition arrangements, please note that Professor Phakeng will be on leave with immediate effect,” said Ngonyama. Phakeng’s messy exit comes after she made headlines for being at loggerheads with the university’s Council over allegations to suspend her, a R12 million early retirement settlement and the…

THE ongoing service delivery protests are testament to the fact that focused attention is needed on local government. This is according to the SA Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) recent report on the National Conference on Local Government Accountability, Service Delivery and Human Rights. The report states: “As South Africa approaches 30 years since the dawn of democracy, it appears that local government is largely failing to meet expectations. “The 2021 State of Local Government Report by the Department of Co-operative Governance states that 64 out of 257 municipalities across the country are dysfunctional, 111 are at medium risk and only 16 are stable. “There is very weak state monitoring and supervision of the operations of local government activities. Unfortunately, consequence management in local government is currently pitiable, leading to…

OPPOSITION parties yesterday criticised the recently announced national state of disaster on energy and the planned appointment of a new Minister of Electricity by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Speaking during a mini-debate in the National Assembly, ACDP chief whip Steve Swart said his party shared doubts the interventions would solve the systematic problems at Eskom. Swart said just as there was a thought that state capture and corruption were exposed, it was not just ongoing but has reached newer and higher levels of intensity. He noted that former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter exposed the rot at the power utility and that R1 billion was stolen a month at the entity. “The ACDP commends Mr de Ruyter for his courageous stance. “However, we regret that he did not lay criminal charges,…

Forever Interrupted Taylor Jenkins Reid Loot.co.za (R175) Simon & Schuster Elsie Porter is an average twenty-something and yet what happens to her is anything but ordinary. On a rainy New Year’s Day she heads out to pick up a pizza for one. She isn’t expecting to see anyone else in the shop, much less the adorable and charming Ben Ross. Their chemistry is instant and electric. Ben cannot even wait 24 hours before asking to see her again. Within weeks, the two are head over heels in love. By May they’ve eloped. Only nine days later, Ben is out riding his bike when he is hit by a truck and killed on impact. Elsie hears the sirens outside her apartment, but by the time she gets downstairs, he has already…

An estimated 43.5 million South Africans are using the internet, some 72% of the population, according to datareportal.com. By January 2023, 34.6% of that 72% is made up of people of school- going age. Most schools in South Africa have access to wi-fi. This has sparked debate in many staff meetings about whether to allow pupils to use their smartphones in class to access the internet. In most township schools, the debate swings to the objection side, while it swings in the opposite direction in urban schools, and the year-end results give us an idea about who should win the debate. In our schools, especially township schools, there is a need for a policy to regulate the use of the internet on school premises and in classrooms during lessons. The…

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off yesterday to the International Space Station carrying two Nasa astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut and the second Emirati to voyage to space. The SpaceX Dragon Crew-6 launch had been scrubbed on Monday because of a clog in a filter that supplies ignition fluid to start the rocket engines. “Congratulations to the Nasa and SpaceX teams for another history-making mission to the International Space Station!” Nasa administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement. The Dragon crew capsule, dubbed Endeavour, is scheduled to dock with the ISS today after a 24-hour voyage. Nasa’s Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, Russia’s Andrey Fedyaev and Sultan al-Neyadi of the United Arab Emirates are to spend six months on the orbiting station. The Crew-6 members will conduct dozens of experiments…

Brazzaville: Cholera cases were falling across Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday, but the number of deaths remained stable and heavy flooding was increasing the risk of the disease spreading. The UN agency said that 2 880 cases of cholera were recorded across the continent in the week ending on February 26 – a 37% decline compared to the previous week. But 81 cholera deaths were recorded during week ending on February 26, compared to 82 recorded the week before. Several countries are battling cholera outbreaks, with Malawi suffering its worst epidemic. Heavy rain in Malawi, South Africa and Zambia was helping the disease spread, the WHO said. | AFP…

SOUTH African stock markets snapped the three-day gains yesterday as investors continued to fret about the prospect of further monetary tightening from major central banks. This comes as the local bourse had closed in the green on Wednesday, as stronger Chinese factory data revived hopes for a global economic rebound. The JSE All Share Index fell more than 1.5% to around 77 415 points after consecutive sessions of advances due to the prevailing fear of higher for longer interest rates, after hawkish comments from US Federal Reserve officials. Barloworld, Naspers, and Investec led the losses with 5.86%, 4.29% and 5.05% to R90.60, R3 272.71 and R110.37per share, respectively. South Africa was not the only one to be affected as emerging market stocks edged lower. In the US, Atlanta…

While comrades of the late National Council of Provinces (NCOP) member Maurencia Gillion still grapple to come to terms with her sudden death, Western Cape ANC MP and family spokesperson, Faiez Jacobs, said a number of memorial services would be held to honour her legacy. Gillion had collapsed during parliamentary gathering on Tuesday. Her death had left her colleagues in “inexplicable shock and anguish”. Jacobs said an application for a provincial state funeral had been made. “While everything is still tentative, we plan to have the funeral next week. “It’s still very traumatic and shocking to all of us and her sudden passing, in the manner that she did, is being described as her ‘dying with her boots on’. “She really gave her all to the ANC for over 20…

Majority believe most cops are untrustworthy SOUTH African magistrates (87%) believe that “some/most/all police are corrupt”. No magistrate out of the more than 200 that took part in research believed there was a police member that is not corrupt, according to the survey titled “Magistrates’ Perceptions of Prosecutors”. It was conducted in 2022 by NGO Magistrates Matter, in conjunction with the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Democratic Governance and Rights Unit It. Law firm ENSafrica said: “The rationale behind analysing magistrates’ opinions was that magistrates have actual direct day-to-day experience, and can provide reliable perceptions of prosecutors”. The survey had 230 responses and is said to be informed by magistrates’ direct experiences. “While the perceptions of the public are important, and negative perceptions must be taken seriously, whether…

THE Health Funders Association (HFA) claims to have lodged a complaint to the Competition Commission over the high prices charged by South Africa's three largest private pathology laboratory groups for Covid-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests, during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. In this action, the HFA said it was representing 35 medical schemes. In October 2021, the Council for Medical Schemes lodged a similar complaint with the Commission against the three main private pathology groups - Pathcare, Ampath and Lancet - regarding Covid-19 PCR test prices. In December 2021, separate voluntary settlement agreements were reached between the Commission and the three private pathology groups. In terms of the consent agreements, Ampath, Lancet and Pathcare all agreed to an immediate reduction in the price of Covid-19 PCR tests,…

Pangolians: Scales on Injustice Richard Peirce Wordsworth Books (R220) Struik Nature THE Pangolin, which has been an inhabitant on earth for tens of thousands of years, is in danger of extinction. In his book, the author points out the monetary value of a Pangolin. Due to people in Southeast Asia believing the fallacy that Pangolin scales have special medicinal powers, scales sell for R50 000 per kilogram. Pangolin meat, regarded as a delicacy in China can fetch R5 400/kg. With such figures, the trade is brisk and has tragically attracted the attention of organised crime. Thus the pangolin has become the most trafficked mammal in the world. Pierce introduces readers to this charming and enigmatic animal and follows the likely journey of a Pangolin poached in Zimbabwe and…

THE SHIP BENEATH THE ICE Mensun Bound Loot.co.za (R550) MACMILLAN THE three iconic names of early Antarctic exploration are those of Robert Falcon Scott, Roald Amundsen and Sir Ernest Shackleton. A truly magnificent new book, The Ship Beneath the Ice takes us to that era – and to the present. On November 21, 1915, Shackleton’s ship, Endurance, sank with 28 men on board to the bottom of the sea just off Antarctica, miraculously without the loss of life – “arguably the greatest story of human survival in recorded history”. The Endurance is one of the world’s most famous shipwrecks. In March 2022, an expedition located the wreck of the Endurance. The Ship Beneath the Ice tells the extraordinary story of what it took to make that “first man on the…

FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron yesterday said the era of French interference in Africa was “well over” as he began a four-nation tour of the continent to renew frayed ties. Anti-French sentiment runs high in some former African colonies as the continent becomes a renewed diplomatic battleground, with Russian and Chinese influence growing. Macron said France harboured no desire to return to past policies of interfering in Africa ahead of an environment summit in Gabon, the first leg of his trip. “The age of Francafrique is well over,” Macron said in remarks to the French community in the capital Libreville, referring to France’s post-colonisation approach of supporting authoritarian leaders to defend its interests. “Sometimes I get the feeling that mindsets haven’t moved along as much as we have, when I read,…

Controversial legal reforms being debated in Israel’s parliament have sparked fears in the hi-tech and financial sectors that foreign investors will be scared off in a blow to growth prospects. The new legislation has been spearheaded by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which took office in December and is regarded as the most right-wing in Israeli history. It aims to curtail the powers of the Supreme Court and give politicians greater powers over the selection of judges. The proposals could deal a “severe blow to the economy”, former Bank of Israel governors have warned in the country that dubs itself the “start-up nation”. Writing recently in the Yediot Aharonot newspaper, former governors Karnit Flug and Jacob Frenkel acknowledged the situation “is still far from that of countries like…

Rome: New data released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has revealed that while billions of people around the world cannot afford a healthy diet, the cost of such a diet varies between regions. A healthy diet cost the most in Latin America and the Caribbean at $3.89 a person a day in 2020, with Asia a close second at $3.72. In Africa, the cost of a healthy diet was lower at $3.46 a person a day, followed by North America and Europe at $3.19 and Oceania at $3.07. Asia saw the biggest increase of 4% in the cost. In Africa, the increase was 2.5%. | IANS…

BRENDON McCullum has promised that England will keep faith with their attacking game during the Ashes despite Tuesday’s extraordinary one-run loss to New Zealand in Wellington. The hosts levelled a two-match series by becoming just the fourth side in 146 years of Test cricket to win after following-on. The Basin Reserve contest will go down as an all-time classic, with England asking New Zealand to follow on 226 runs behind, only to struggle in pursuit of a target of 258. England, despite being denied a seventh successive victory, have won 10 out of 12 Tests since captain Ben Stokes and coach McCullum, himself a former New Zealand skipper, joined forces last year following a woeful run of one win in 17 matches at this level. McCullum, while disliking the ‘Bazball’…

ORGANISERS of the first ever sub-Saharan Africa Formula E race have hailed it as a big success. The event, held in Cape Town last week was, according to promoter Iain Banner, a sold-out affair with over 25 000 tickets bought days before it started. Months of preparation culminated as the event began on Friday with all eyes on South Africa’s Kelvin van der Linde, but sadly his race weekend didn’t go according to plan after his team sustained rear suspension issues in qualifying. That didn’t dampen fans’ experience of the event and, according to data coming out after the race, Cape Town has been the best performing leg this season. Banner has been instrumental in Formula E making it’s debut in the Mother City. Yesterday he said they…