Table of contents for 2023-04-12 in Cape Times

SIBANYE-Stillwater’s board has resolved to provide emergency funding of up to A$30 million (R367m) to Australian zinc and tailings mining company New Century Resources, which the local group is in the process of acquiring. In an update on the locally-based international mining and metals processing group’s debt refinancing yesterday, Sibanye said the funding had followed a request from New Century “for emergency financial support.” New Century’s share price is currently suspended on the Australian stock exchange while Sibanye’s offer to acquire all of New Century’s shares in an off the market takeover, remains open until May 15, 2023. New Century has the biggest tailings, and remaining and processing operation in Australia, and is also developing underground and open pit mining operations. In the year to June it reported an earnings…

The decision to terminate the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) is “procedurally unfair and procedurally irrational”, in the absence of any prior consultation process with those affected. This is according to the Helen Suzman Foundation, which seeks to review and set aside Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi’s decision to terminate the ZEP programme and to refuse any further extensions beyond June 30, 2023. The matter is currently being heard in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria and affects over 178 000 Zimbabwean nationals who are holders of ZEP. “It is just and equitable to set aside the decision and to remit it back to the Minister to make a fresh decision, following a proper, procedurally fair process. “All parties agreed that a human rights-based approach entitled each ZEP-holder to…

Charges include murder, attempted murder and corruption University of Fort Hare (UFH) vice-chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu has described the arrest of their former staff in connection with crimes, including murders that rocked the institution, as shameful. A national police multi-disciplinary team deployed in the Eastern Cape to crack a spate of attacks which claimed the lives of Buhlungu’s executive protector, Mboneli Vesele, and fleet manager Petrus Roets made a breakthrough, arresting five men in connection with the crimes. Vesele was killed in a hail of bullets on January 6 outside Buhlungu’s Alice residence, the attack taking place after the bodyguard had dropped off the vice-chancellor Roets was shot and killed in broad daylight last year, and the houses of executive staff members, including Buhlungu, were shot at. There was a…

Would Golden Arrow Bus services please seriously consider increasing the number of buses on the Hout Bay – Cape Town bus route, as MyCiti buses are very often late and severely overloaded, on top of which some of their drivers drive extremely slowly, which can be frustrating for those of us trying to get to work on time. Golden Arrow has proven itself to be reliable and timeous, their buses can more than accommodate the morning rush crowd going to work, and their drivers drive with a very real sense of urgency. Of course, there’ll be opposition from the minibus taxi industry, but so what? It’s time the public started using the buses more often than the taxis who seem to think they’re God’s gift to the general public, driving…

THE search for missing Diep River woman Glenda McGregor, who suffered from dementia, has ended in tragedy after her body was identified after allegedly being found outside Tygerberg Hospital. The 68-year-old woman was reported missing in January, prompting a frantic search by friends and family who were concerned for her health. According to reports, Mcgregor went to a chain store in Plumstead with her friend, and waited in the car. Upon his return, she was not there. Police said a post-mortem would be conducted to determine the cause of death. Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said: “We can confirm that the person mentioned was identified at the mortuary. An inquest was registered for investigation.” McGregor’s partner Michael George said he was devastated. “It’s been extremely devastating, and I am…

Strong family bonds and values, adversity, providence, a firm religious foundation, a determined sense of destiny, and strength of character, combined fortuitously to produce the man that South Africa and the world would come to know as Wallace Mgoqi. Other key features of his social milieu were a bittersweet childhood and having to navigate an endless stream of hardships imposed by the vicissitudes of living under the abhorrent system of apartheid. In spite of all the terrible conditions that had marked him at birth for a life of misery under apartheid, key figures such as his teachers, school principals and priests emerged and would guide him through the turbulence of growing up under these conditions. Like many who knew and worked with him, it is a singular honour to pen…

Visiting UN chief Antonio Guterres appealed yesterday for “massive” international support for Somalia as it battles a desperate humanitarian crisis caused by drought and protracted armed conflict. Guterres said at a joint press conference with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud that he was on a “visit of solidarity” to the troubled Horn of Africa nation, where 5 million people face high levels of food insecurity. “I am also here to ring the alarm on the need of massive international support ... because of the humanitarian difficulties the country is facing,” he said, adding that he wanted to help build Somalia’s security capacity and encourage its development. The UN has launched a $2.6 billion (about R27bn) call for humanitarian assistance, but Guterres said the appeal was only 15% funded. Somalia’s worst drought…

LONDON: Britain named Anne Keast-Butler as the first woman director of its intelligence communications agency GCHQ yesterday, tasked with protecting the country from terrorists, cyber-criminals and malign foreign powers. She will take over the role from Jeremy Fleming, who is stepping down after a six-year tenure. Keast-Butler is currently deputy director general at Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, known as MI5. GCHQ, which traces its roots back to the early 20th century after the outbreak of World War I, follows MI5, three decades later, in appointing a female head. | Reuters…

LOUISVILLE: A 23-year-old bank employee who shot dead five colleagues and wounded nine other people at his workplace in Louisville, Kentucky, on Monday legally purchased the rifle, police said yesterday. The gun used to carry out the attack was bought at a local dealership on April 4, the chief said. The gunman, Connor Sturgeon, was fatally shot at the scene, police said. It was unclear whether he was slain by police or took his own life. There have been 146 mass shootings in the US so far in 2023, the most at this point in the year since 2016. Those statistics use the definition of four or more shot or killed, excluding the shooter. | Reuters…

Madrid: Spanish police said yesterday they have uncovered two rings which allegedly scammed dozens of families, mainly from Brazil, with false promises of turning their sons into elite footballers. The two gangs ran football schools which recruited youths from well-off families abroad with false expectations of turning them into professional players”, police said. The rings would charge the families an initial fee of over €5 000 (about R100 000) and then monthly payments of up to €1 700 per player. Police suspect the two gangs recruited around 70 youths between the ages of 16 and 23. Officers arrested 11 alleged members of the gangs and two others. | AFP…

The “Beast from the East”, Ferdinand Omanyala, will be unleashed at the Tuks Athletics Stadium tonight in the first Athletics South Africa Grand Prix meeting. Kenyan superstar Omanyala, the African record-holder in the 100 metres, is keen to claim at least a medal at the world championships in Budapest in August, after last year’s campaign in Eugene, Oregon was hampered by a visa delay, which saw him arrive in the United States just a few hours before his first heat. He didn’t make it to the final after finishing fifth in the semi-final in a pedestrian 10.14 seconds, with American Fred Kerley claiming the gold medal in 9.86. Omanyala’s African record stands at a blisteringly quick 9.77, and he begun 2023 in fine style with a 9.81 in Nairobi in…

THE newly-appointed task team of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) has endorsed the roadmap to the national conference to be held no later than July 4. The task team also discussed the deployment of its members to the nine provinces. This was confirmed by the task team’s convenor Xola Nqola in an interview with the Cape Times yesterday. Nqola confirmed that the task team held its first meeting on Monday until the early hours of yesterday morning. “We endorsed the organisational report and dealt with the issue of the roadmap to the congress in July,” he said. The meeting also tabled the guidelines to the congress and endorsed the deployment of members of the national task team to the provinces as well as the congress preparatory committee. The 28-member task…

DR NANDIPHA Magudumana’s father and a former G4S employee who allegedly helped Facebook rapist Thabo Bester escape from the Mangaung Correctional Centre have been charged with murder. The two suspects have also been charged with arson, fraud and defeating the ends of justice over Bester’s May 2022 escape from the prison facility.It is understood the charge of murder relates to the body found in Bester’s cell at the G4S-operated prison facility in Bloemfontein. Police had initially charged them with aiding and abetting a convicted prisoner to escape from lawful custody. The charges were put to former G4S employee Senohe Ishmael Matsoara and Magudumana’s father, Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni, when they made their first appearance at the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Matsoara was arrested on Saturday in Bloemfontein. Sekeleni was arrested on…

THE article by Athandile Siyo with its headline, “1 664 people killed between April-December 2022: only three convicted”, Cape Times April 6, refers. This astounding statistic sends a frisson up the spine, yet is relegated to page 4 in the paper. Murder, gangsterism, crime of every conceivable nature abounds – it no longer shocks as it is the norm in South Africa. Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald weighs in that it is clear the government is falling down in protecting people against criminals. Action SA’s director of community safety adds that the entire criminal justice system is at a complete failure when it comes to executing its sole duty. These politicians miss the point. Their pronouncements are equivalent to a group of medical men who home in only on…

The Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) says its residences are full, after a group of students occupying a building at the Catsville Residence in Salt River penned a letter accusing the university of negligence. The group of about 40, who are mostly returning students, were initially sleeping illegally in halls and corridors at the District Six campus while accommodation outcomes were pending. The students forcefully moved to the Catsville Residence early last month, claiming they were promised accommodation. However, the university refuted this claim, saying the majority of the students did not qualify for accommodation, but that the student housing staff were working around the clock to vet and process students who were occupying common areas. “Most of us have been here for more than a month, yet there's…

MOMENTS of madness – everyone has them. However, the Dalai Lama should have known better when he asked a young boy to suck his tongue in India in February. The globally acclaimed Tibetan spiritual leader, 87, who lives in India in permanent exile, has since apologised to the boy and his family as well as his friends across the world for the hurt his words may have caused. In a trending video, the boy approached the Nobel Peace Prize winner and asked him: “Can I hug you?” The elderly Tibetan then replied, “first here”, prompting the boy to give him a hug and a kiss. Pointing to his lips, he said “then I think finally here also”. He then pulls the boy’s chin and kisses him on the mouth. “And…

Chinese warships and aircraft were still operating around Taiwan yesterday, the island’s defence ministry said, a day after Beijing declared an end to its massive war games. China launched three days of military exercises around self-ruled Taiwan at the weekend that saw it simulate targeted strikes and practise a blockade of the island. The show of force from Beijing, which claims the island as part of its territory, was a response to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week, an encounter it had warned would provoke retaliatory measures. Taiwan’s defence ministry said it had detected nine Chinese warships and 26 aircraft around the island yesterday. China “organised military aircraft this morning and crossed the median line from the north, the centre, and the south”,…

Russia’s Shiveluch volcano erupted yesterday, spewing ash across a vast swathe of the far eastern Kamchatka peninsula, potentially posing a risk to flights and paralysing several villages. Volcanologists issued a red code warning for flights and Russia’s aviation authority Rosaviatsiya urged crews to “constantly monitor changes in meterological information”. The Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) reported that the ash cloud had drifted hundreds of kilometres (to the north and southwest of Shiveluch. “An extrusive eruption of the volcano continues. Ash clouds of up to 15km tall ... could occur at any time. Ongoing activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft,” the KVERT said. Rosaviatsiya said it had issued a notice to plane crews asking them to ensure their flights were safe. The governor of Kamchatka, Vladimir Solodov, said that…

NEW YORK: A US judge this week denied Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’s request to remain free on bail while she appeals her conviction on charges of defrauding investors in the failed blood-testing start-up that was once valued at $9 billion. Holmes, who rose to fame after claiming Theranos’ small machines could run an array of diagnostic tests with just a few drops of blood, was convicted at trial in San Jose, California last year. US District Judge Edward Davila sentenced Holmes to 11 years and three months in prison in November. Holmes asked Davila to postpone the sentence while the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals reviews her case. Judge Davila concluded that even if Holmes won her appeal to challenge the Theranos technology evidence, it wouldn’t result in a…

YANGON: At least 50 people were killed in central Myanmar yesterday in an air strike by the military on an event attended by opponents to its rule, according to a local resistance movement. Between 50 and 100 people, including civilians died. Myanmar has been in turmoil since a 2021 coup, with attacks by ethnic minority armies and resistance fighters challenging the rule of the military, which has responded with air strikes and heavy weapons, including in civilian areas. Yesterday’s incident could be one of the deadliest among a string of air strikes since a jet attacked a concert in October, killing at least 50 civilians and members of an armed ethnic minority group. | Reuters…

Wayde van Niekerk produced a thrilling display at the South African athletics championships recently, but decided to become a fan himself at the weekend by watching his beloved Liverpool in action. The 400m world record-holder won the national title in a world-lead time of 44.17 seconds in Potchefstroom the previous weekend, and then travelled to the English city to witness the Reds take on Arsenal in Sunday’s Premier League encounter, and it was a spectacle that saw Jurgen Klopp’s team come back to grab a point. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal ran up a 2-0 lead in the first half through goals by Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus. But the log-leaders came unstuck as Mohamed Salah reduced the deficit before halftime, and despite the Egyptian star missing a penalty in the second…

Napoli’s Victor Osimhen has been ruled out of this week’s Champions League quarter-final first leg with AC Milan after failing to recover in time from a thigh injury picked up on international duty. Napoli’s star player and Serie A top scorer had been in a race against time to play in tonight’s fixture at the San Siro. The Nigeria striker did not take part in team training yesterday, doing individual work in the morning session, and he was left out of the squad announced before Luciano Spalletti’s outfit travel to Milan. Taking Osimhen’s place could be Italy international Giacomo Raspadori, who did participate in yesterday’s training. He is Napoli’s only fit striker as Italy’s champions elect also announced yesterday that Giovanni Simeone had suffered a hamstring injury. Simeone had come…

MANUFACTURING production contracted 5.2% year-on-year (y/y) in February, weaker than expected, as power outages weighed. This was from a revised 4.1% in January. Statistics SA said yesterday that the largest contributions to the decline were made by food and beverages (-6.1%); basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery (-5.3%); as well as petroleum, chemical products, rubber and plastic products (-4.7%). Only two of the sub-sectors in- cluded in the manufacturing index increased on an annual basis in February, which were the motor vehicles, parts and accessories sector and the radio, television and communication apparatus and professional equipment sectors. Lara Hodes, an economist at Investec, said the result was weaker than consensus expectations by Bloomberg of a -3.7% y/y decline. “The dire electricity supply situation remains a…

AMONG the causes that will receive much-needed support at the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon (TTOM) is South Africa’s oldest animal welfare organisation, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA. Avid runner Sandeep Singh will participate to raise funds for the organisation, which he said did work close to his heart. Singh, 37, said he was excited to take part in the TTOM for the first time. “It's my first Two Oceans and I am very happy to be doing it for a cause that means so much to me. “I wanted to go for a charity that helps animals as they are among the vulnerable in our society, and I have a great love for them. “I’ve always been passionate about animal welfare and with winter approaching, the animals need all…

DNA-analysis of pit bulls might be a good idea for removing the stigma attached to the power breed following several attacks on people and a number of deaths. This is according to animal rights activists after the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development confirmed yesterday that work was currently under way for a comprehensive DNA analysis of pit bulls and pit bull-type dogs “to assist with correct identification of problem animals (unique) to South Africa”. “This exercise will also investigate aggression behaviour and will assist in identifying the pit bull and pit bull type dogs that may be developed through indiscriminate cross-breeding. “The department is also working with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to amend the Animal Matters Amendment Act of 1993 to ensure that citizens…

THE ANC in the Dullah Omar Region says it has instructed its councillor in the City of Cape Town, Siviwe Nodliwa, to set aside the controversial appointment of a convicted rapist as his ward clerk. The ANC’s Mvusi Mdala confirmed yesterday it had instructed Nodliwa to remove Masilakhe Ngqebe, who was convicted of rape in 2011 and served six years in prison. Mdala said Nodliwa only became aware of the conviction after he was informed by the party’s branch executive committee. Ngqebe told the Cape Times yesterday that no where in the application did it require information about his criminal past when he applied for the position last year. “I applied for the position late last year. No where in the post did it require information about convictions and criminal…

It is blatant that sabotage is prevalent at Eskom. There is an alleged co-ordination by a cartel of unscrupulous persons to sabotage the ailing power supplier, motivated by money, to sabotage the coal supplies and others to Eskom. The ANC-led government is accountable and must exercise its power to resolve this problem, and not pussyfoot around the issue. A commission must be established to investigate the issue. It is strange that fires flare up from nowhere during peak time, and we are faced with stage 6 load shedding! More and more evidence shows that a concerted effort is being made to sabotage the power generator. The ANC-led government is growing less inclined to establish an investigation into the rolling blackouts and alleged sabotage. A group of senior persons are benefiting…

HEALTH Minister Joe Phaahla has revealed that nearly 30 allegations of fraud have been referred to the Health Sector Anti-Corruption Forum (HSACF) since 2018. Phaahla said 11 allegations of corruption were referred to the forum in 2018/19 and 2019/20; 12 in 2020/21, five in 2021/22 and one in 2022-23. “All allegations were referred to the relevant entities of the HSACF for formal investigations,” he said in reply to parliamentary questions from DA MP Lindy Wilson. Phaahla said the forum has registered “significant investigation outcomes” after 12 matters were reported and formally investigated. These related to criminal prosecution, civil recoveries, and medical aid sanctions. The minister mentioned, among others, the freezing order of a former North West head of department’s pension to the tune of R2.1 million in connection with the…

A 43-YEAR-OLD woman who plunged 180 metres down Chapman’s Peak Drive in her car was taken to hospital after rescuers carried her back up to the road. Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) said they were called to assist other rescue agencies after the woman’s car plunged over the edge of the road on Monday. “According to information from the scene, the 43-year-old was driving towards Hout Bay from the lookout, when her vehicle plunged 180m down a steep slope. “She was alone in the car,” WSAR said. WSAR spokesperson David Nel said the woman was unable to walk and had to be put on a stretcher and carried up the drop. While the team below treated the patient, the rescue teams on the road rigged up a technical rope system…

OVER the past few months, I have been fiddling with the construction of the law and its philosophical inclinations. I am reading about the socio-economic rights as prescribed in the Constitution. The rights are covered in sections 26(2) (housing), 27(2) (health care, food and social security) and 29(2) (education). The inclusion of the rights in the Constitution is a significant achievement, and many people still need to realise since we have not used the provisions to our advantage. Generally, we have seen that access to the courts is the domain of people with money, preventing many people from realising justice and freedom. On a broader scale, people complain about poor service delivery of goods and services like water, health care, education, security, jobs and so on, but have nowhere to…

US President Joe Biden arrived in Belfast late yesterday at a delicate political time in Northern Ireland as he helped mark the 25-year anniversary of a peace deal that largely ended 30 years of bloodshed there. Biden, known for decades for his pro-Irish views, will need to tread carefully as the largest pro-British unionist party continues to boycott the devolved power-sharing government that was a fundamental part of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Biden is to meet representatives from the five main Northern Irish parties today in advance of his speech at Belfast’s Ulster University but was not planning to pressure them, a senior administration official said. “Twenty five years ago, Northern Ireland’s leaders chose peace. I look forward to marking the anniversary in Belfast, underscoring the US commitment to…

Russian MPs advanced a bill yesterday to create a digital conscription notice system which could bar men from leaving Russia as Moscow’s Ukraine campaign stretches into a second year. Under the legislation, a draftee would be banned from travelling abroad and would have to report to an enlistment office once electronic call-up papers are received. Currently draft notices have to be delivered in person in the country, and many Russian men have managed to dodge draft notices by refusing to pick up their enlistment orders and fleeing abroad. Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, approved the legislation on second and third readings. The proposed changes come months after Putin ordered in September a “partial” military call-up to boost regular troops fighting in Ukraine. Military service for men between…

KABUL: The UN’s mission to Afghanistan has launched a review of its operations and asked all Afghan staff not to come to work at least until May after the Taliban administration barred its women staff from working, it said yesterday. The UN said last week that the Taliban, who swept to power in 2021, had communicated that Afghan women would not be able to work for the global organisation. Taliban officials have not commented on the order. The UN has said that implementing the order would put the global organisation in breach of its charter. It has asked some 3 000 staff, men and women, to stay home until May 5 while it made adjustments to its operations. | Reuters…

LONDON: Doctors working in England’s public health service yesterday launched what has been billed as the most disruptive strike in its history, in a dispute over pay and working conditions. The four-day walkout follows months of strikes by other public and private sector staff as inflation sparks the UK’s worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. The action by so-called junior doctors comes after a three-day stoppage last month and several strikes by nurses. They are demanding a pay rise of 35%, which they say is needed to make up for more than a decade of salary cuts. They argue pandemic backlogs and staff shortages are increasing workloads. | AFP…

Western Province are set to be boosted by more senior players ahead of their Currie Cup match with the Cheetahs this weekend. With a double-header scheduled for the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, when the Stormers also face Munster (6.15pm kick-off), the Province side (3pm kick-off) will be able to field those players who will not take part in the United Rugby Championship (URC) match. Labeeb Levy, the stand-in WP coach, also said that they could make use of some Varsity Cup players on the bench if needed, especially with the Maties campaign in the competition coming to an end. Maties tighthead prop Corne Weilbach is one of the players who WP had in their sights for earlier in the Currie Cup, but he was unavailable. In the last double-header…

Leicester City have named ex-Aston Villa and Norwich City boss Dean Smith as caretaker manager until the end of the season after parting ways with Brendan Rodgers, the Premier League club said on Monday. Smith takes over from Rodgers, who left the club by mutual consent earlier this month with the team second-bottom in the table and facing potential relegation. “Smith brings a wealth of managerial experience and expertise to the role and, along with his coaching team, will be tasked with helping the football club retain its Premier League status as we head into the final eight games of the current season,” Leicester said in a statement. Leicester won the Premier League title in 2015-16 against all odds, but are now in danger of the drop after nine seasons…