Table of contents for 2023-05-11 in Cape Times

A FULL Bench (three judges) of the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, this week heard arguments by several Road Accident Fund (RAF) claimants, asking that directives issued by the entity which places obstacles in the way of issuing new claims to be overturned. It was argued on behalf of the eight claimants who turned to the courts, that the directives make it nearly impossible to lodge claims and that the RAF is infringing on the constitutional rights of claimants. In terms of these directives and an amended claim form, claimants must attach a host of documents, such as a comprehensive accident report and hospital and medical records, before they are allowed to even lodge it. The court was asked to set aside the requirement for all the compulsory information before being…

Eskom board, executives accused of failing to dig deeper into alleged graft Eskom board members and executives have distanced themselves from the so-called intelligence report commissioned by former CEO André de Ruyter into alleged malfeasance at the embattled entity. But they were not let off the hook as MPs raised concerns about what they described as the failure to get to the bottom of De Ruyter’s allegations. Eskom board chairperson Mpho Makwana stuck to his guns and told the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) yesterday that executives had not seen the report, and had no knowledge of it. “As the board we don’t have anything in writing or in any format that articulates this intelligence report other than what we read or heard in the media. “There is no…

NINE family members have officially launched an application for a class action against SAPS and the Police Ministry to claim for damages resulting from the theft and supply of guns in police stores to criminals by two senior police members. The class action, spearheaded by NGO Guns Free SA (GFSA), represents four categories of victims which include children who were either killed or injured (represented by their parents/guardians), adults who were killed (represented by their family), and injured adults (who represent themselves). The affected parties were shot by a “Prinsloo firearm” in the Hanover Park, Manenberg and Mitchells Plain communities. Police Minister Bheki Cele’s spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba, said: “SAPS will be responding to this in due course.” The families affected by the criminality stemming from the mismanagement of firearm control…

A GROUP of frustrated residents from Manenberg, mostly from the indigenous group tjatjie, have accused the City of failing to honour their agreement to meet and engage with them on their grievances this week. The group said instead of officials from the City, they were greeted by the police and law enforcement when they arrived at the Manenberg housing office on Tuesday, where they said the meeting was to take place. They said they wanted to engage City officials on issues including the abuse of public funds, threats of evictions, and electricity deductions that were impacting residents. The City said yesterday it has extensive sub-council and ward structures that are in place to ensure community collaboration and engagement. A community leader, Gatto, said councillors who committed to being part of…

THE time has come for National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Shamila Batohi to take the country into her confidence about her department’s failure to successfully prosecute high-profile and state capture-related crimes. The failure of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to extradite the Guptas from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the discharge of the accused in the Nulane case have led to increased public anger, and frustration among ordinary people. The charges against the five accused in the Nulane case were dismissed in the Bloemfontein High Court last month, with Acting Judge Nompumelelo Gusha criticising the State’s handling of the case. The NPA has since filed an appeal against that judgment. In the Guptas matter, the UAE said the South African government had failed to meet strict standards for…

A year after Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead during an Israeli army raid in the West Bank, likely by an Israeli soldier, no one has been charged, disciplined or otherwise held responsible. And no one is likely to be, according to a new analysis of the killings of journalists covering Israel and the West Bank over the past two decades. Despite the international uproar it provoked, Abu Akleh’s slaying has settled into a case study of Israel’s ability to sidestep accountability. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) focused on the cases of 20 reporters whose deaths it attributed to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) since 2001. The group found systemic similarities in Israel’s response, including the most fundamental one – no one has been…

LOS ANGELES: Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has hired Kim Kardashian’s former bodyguard. The security expert was seen with the former actress, who relocated to the US with husband Prince Harry, and two of her pals during a hike near her home in Montecito, California. The bodyguard worked for Kardashian before and after she was robbed at gunpoint in Paris in 2016. Prince Harry and his wife had their taxpayer-funded protection removed when they relocated in 2020. A spokesperson for the prince said threats to them were real, citing the fact that Harry did combat duty in Afghanistan. | Bang Showbiz…

BELGRADE: Serbians have surrendered more than 3 000 illegal weapons and parts in the first two days of a gun amnesty introduced after two mass shootings in which 17 people were killed, President Aleksandar Vucic said yesterday. The amnesty was launched after a schoolboy, 13, with two handguns this week allegedly killed eight pupils and a security guard. Six other pupils and a teacher were wounded. He is in custody but cannot be held criminally responsible due to his age. He had confessed to the shooting. Last week, a man brandishing an assault rifle and a pistol killed eight and wounded 14 people in two villages. A 21-year-old suspect is now in custody. | Reuters…

BEIJING: A man in China’s Gansu province has been detained for allegedly using ChatGPT to generate a fake story about a train crash, marking China’s first arrest in an AI-related probe as Beijing tightens deepfake technology. The story, which claimed the crash killed nine construction workers in a city in China’s north-western Gansu, gained more than 15 000 clicks after being published on social media, police said. China’s new deepfake rules bar service providers and users from using such technology to produce, release and fabricate untrue information. The rules are to curb the use of generative AI technology to alter online content. | Reuters…

AS MOURNERS at the memorial service of slain University of Fort Hare University’s (UFH) protection unit member Msingathi Langa spoke out about how they still felt unsafe, chilling details emerged at the bail application of the men accused of two murders and attacks on the institution’s staff. The bail applications of five men, including former staff members, facing various charges including murder, corruption and fraud continued in the Dimbaza Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The court heard about a hit-list with the names of 13 people, of whom two have since been murdered. A bounty of R5 million was issued for the murder of vice-chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu; R350 000 for fleet manager Petrus Roets, who was killed last year; and R3 million for another senior university member. All five accused have…

PEOPLE Against Race Classification (Parc) has criticised the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) for missing Parliament’s deadline to come up with a stance on race classification. Parc petitioned Parliament in 2021 about the removal of the label “coloured” from all official government and private institutions’ documents, saying it is offensive to so-called coloured people. The organisation is calling for a national debate on the naming and identification of South African citizens. They want the government to enact legislation that will abolish the use of the word “coloured” from all official government and private institutions; to amend the definition of “African” to include all people who live in and hold South African citizenship; as well as to amend the act to include the definition of “other race”. This is to…

Captain Knowledge Bengu, Commander of South Africa’s ice-breaking vessel the SA Agulhas II, has graduated with a Master of Commerce in Maritime Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Bengu was part of the South African maritime team that played a key role in finding the 107-year-old shipwreck Endurance in the Antarctic waters last year. “It was a very challenging experience to study while working at sea. I missed lots of classes and deadlines. The outbreak of Covid-19 made it even harder for me, as it resulted in extended tours of duty following quarantine regulations of various countries,” said Bengu. Taking all of the challenges in his stride, which on top of a demanding career also included command of various ships and complex operations with limited internet access to research, Bengu…

The Western Cape High court yesterday sentenced a man to 20 years behind bars for his role in the foiled armed robbery of a liquor store in Gugulethu. A 10-year-old boy was killed, and another child and a man were injured in the incident. Western Cape police yesterday welcomed the sentence handed down to 32-year-old Ayanda August. Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said reports suggested that three men attempted to rob a liquor store in KTC in broad daylight in June 2018. “The complainant left the business premises in possession of an undisclosed amount of cash, when suspects fired numerous gunshots at the vehicle, fatally wounding a 10-year-old boy and injuring a 3-year-old boy and a 42-year-old male,” Swartbooi said. “The investigating officer (Lt-Col Julian Tarentaal) went the extra mile gathering…

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was remanded in custody for eight days yesterday by an anti-graft court as violent nationwide protests over his arrest erupted for a second day. Khan was arrested on Tuesday during a routine hearing in the capital Islamabad and whisked away to an unknown location overnight before appearing behind closed doors in a specially convened court at police headquarters. The drama follows months of political crisis during which Khan, who was ousted in April last year, has waged an unprecedented campaign against the country’s powerful military. “If they think that the arrest of Imran Khan will demoralise us, then they are hugely mistaken,” said Niaz Ali in Peshawar, where several monuments and government buildings have been torched. “We stand with Imran Khan and will support…

Israel’s air force hit Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza for a second day yesterday and Palestinian militants in the enclave began launching rockets across the border, setting off sirens and sending residents to shelter as far away as Tel Aviv. The military said it was trying to hit rocket sites pre-emptively as blasts rocked different points including what witnesses described as a training camp in the northern part of the Gaza Strip and an open area in the south. At least one man was killed and one wounded, medical officials said. Minutes after the strikes, sirens sounded in Israel. There was no immediate word of casualties in Israel, though local media reported that a home was hit in the town of Sderot. In Gaza, multiple contrails could be seen…

London: The Church of England’s most senior cleric, Justin Welby, yesterday renewed his attacks on the UK government’s contentious plans to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda, branding the policy “morally unacceptable”. Speaking in his role as a MP in the House of Lords, parliament’s upper chamber which is scrutinising the proposals, Welby urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government to U-turn. If passed, the draft law would outlaw asylum claims by all arrivals via the Channel and other “illegal” routes, and transfer them to “safe” third countries, such as Rwanda. “It risks great damage to the UK’s interests and reputation at home and abroad, let alone the interests of those in need of protection, or the nations who together face this challenge,” Welby said. “I urge the government to reconsider much…

WASHINGTON: The US rolled out a new regulation yesterday that will deny asylum to most migrants crossing the US-Mexico border illegally, a key part of President Joe Biden’s enforcement plan as Covid-19 border restrictions known as Title 42 end this week. The regulation, which becomes effective today, creates a new presumption that migrants arriving at the border are ineligible for asylum if they passed through other nations without seeking protection elsewhere first or if they failed to use legal pathways for US entry. The new restrictions will apply to the vast majority of non-Mexican migrants since they typically pass through multiple countries. | Reuters…

BUILD One South Africa (Bosa) has launched a petition calling on Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan to ensure every school, hospital and police station is provided with uninterrupted energy supply in line with a recent high court order. The Gauteng High, Pretoria on Friday gave Gordhan 60 days to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to all government hospitals, clinics, schools and police stations following an application by the UDM, Action SA, Bosa and other political and civic organisations. However on Monday, Gordhan announced the department’s intent to lodge an urgent appeal to set aside the judgment saying it would have unintended consequences for efforts to stabilise electricity grid infrastructure. The petition by Bosa calls on Gordhan to drop the court appeal and threatens mass protest action outside court on the day…

HUMAN Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi announced yesterday that low-cost houses earmarked to be built this financial year would be provided with solar panels and wate- harvesting devices. Kubayi said the move was in line with a policy position decision aimed to improve the lives of the qualifying beneficiaries and also respond to the economic changes, especially the rising cost of living, energy, poverty and security needs for the vulnerable. “From April 1, 2023, we have decided that all subsidised houses that are being built will be provided with solar panels, and rainwater harvesting devices especially in rural communities. “For persons with disabilities, the houses will be fitted with burglar bars to improve security,” she said. Kubayi made the announcement when she was tabling her budget policy speech during the…

AFTER touring Manila and Singapore as part of a world tour, the new production and major world tour of Queen and Ben Elton’s multi award-winning rock musical We Will Rock You featuring an all-South African cast, crew and band recently returned home. The production has played to packed houses while enjoying critical acclaim and rave reviews at Montecasino’s Teatro in Johannesburg, and now in Cape Town at the Artscape, has seen local audiences clapping, cheering and on their feet with standing ovations at every performance. We Will Rock You is not a tribute show, nor does it tell the story of Queen or the legendary Freddie Mercury. Instead, We Will Rock You is a large full-scale new vision musical theatre production with its own storyline set to the music of…

When I turned 19 years old, I went into a hospital for the 100th time. Something was wrong with me. I knew it, my family knew it, but the health-care providers in my community didn’t. To them, I was next to nothing, everything I said was a lie, and there was nothing wrong. This time was different. I was experiencing severe pain and needed immediate surgery, slicing me hip to hip before casually telling me I had stage 4 endometriosis, the most severe. It sounds astounding, but that is the way it is when, according to the Department of Health, only 16.1% of South Africans have access to medical aid. Within the 16.1% of South Africans with access to medical aid, the issue of access is further amplified, with 77.7%…

Donald Trump must pay $5 million (about R94m) in damages for sexually abusing magazine writer E Jean Carroll in the 1990s and then defaming her by branding her a liar, a jury decided this week. “This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed,” Carroll said in a statement. The former US president, campaigning to retake the White House in 2024, will appeal, his lawyer Joseph Tacopina said outside the Manhattan federal courthouse. Carroll, 79, testified during the civil trial that Trump, 76, raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan in either 1995 or 1996, then harmed her reputation by writing in an October 2022 post on his Truth Social platform that her claims were…

Tunisian authorities were yesterday investigating a shooting spree by a police officer that claimed five lives and sparked mass panic during a Jewish pilgrimage at Africa’s oldest synagogue. Security forces threw a tight cordon around the site on Djerba island as officials probed whether Tuesday’s shootings were a random killing spree or an anti-Semitic terrorist attack. The police officer first killed a colleague and took his ammunition, then went to the Ghriba synagogue and opened fire. Wearing his uniform and a bulletproof vest, he shot dead two visitors and injured two more. In the ensuing gun battle, he also wounded six police officers, two of whom later died, hospital sources said. The assailant was then shot dead himself, the interior ministry said. The killing spree was Tunisia’s first deadly attack…

Khartoum: Fighting raged in the Sudanese capital and a city to the south yesterday, residents said, pushing more people to undertake dangerous journeys to safety across the country’s borders. Those unable to escape grapple with shortages of food and other essentials, surviving only thanks to Sudanese charity networks, as talks to secure the safe delivery of aid yield no noticeable progress. More than 750 people have been killed in the fighting which has wounded more than 5 000. More than 700 000 people are now internally displaced by battles that began on April 15, and another 150 000 have fled the country, UN agencies said this week. An average of 1 000 are registered every day. | AFP…

WASHINGTON: Scientists, funded by the US government’s National Human Genome Research Institute, yesterday unveiled a new accounting of the human genome that improves on its predecessor by including a rich diversity of people to better reflect the global population of 8 billion. It will boost efforts to identify genetic underpinnings of diseases and new ways to treat them. This “pangenome” achievement comes two decades after the first sequencing of the human genome, which gave scientists a reference map to analyse DNA for clues about disease-related mutations. The new genome rundown may help improve genetic testing and guide drug discovery. | Reuters…

South African referees Jaco Peyper and Marius Jonker have been picked to officiate at the World Cup in France this year. A total of 26 match officials (12 referees, seven assistant referees and seven Television Match Officials) representing nine nations with more than 630 Test appearances between them, will take charge of the 48 tournament matches. World Rugby says the selection has been made on merit. The 42-year-old Peyper, who has 61 Tests to his name and has been appointed to handle the Champions Cup final in Dublin next Saturday, will referee at his third consecutive World Cup. Jonker, 54 – who has 30 Tests and 53 Test TMO appointments to his name – will be involved in his third World Cup tournament: one each as a referee and TMO.…