Table of contents for 2023-07-24 in Cape Times

DEPUTY minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sisisi Tolashe has emerged victorious at the 13th ANC Women’s League elective conference in Nasrec, south of Joburg. Of 3 065 votes Tolashe was named the ANCWL new president yesterday, having received 1 727 votes. Tolashe trounced ANC MP Thembeka Mchunu and former ANCWL president Bathabile Dlamini, who obtained 1 038 and 170 votes respectively. She replaces Dlamini who lost the position when the league was disbanded. Dlamini contested for then position after it emerged last week that she was giving it another run, briefly introducing her campaign BD23 at the 11th hour. Meanwhile, Tolashe’s right-hand woman will be Lungi Mnganga-Gcabashe who received 1 661 votes to claim the position of the ANCWL’s deputy president. The position of…

POST-MENOPAUSAL female killer whales protect their sons – but not their daughters – from fights with other whales, new research shows. Scientists studied “tooth rake marks” – the scarring left when one whale scrapes their teeth across the skin of another – and found males had fewer marks if their mother was present and had stopped breeding. Only six species – humans and five species of toothed whales – are known to experience menopause, and scientists have long been puzzled about why this occurs. The new study – by the universities of Exeter and York, and the Center for Whale Research – adds to growing evidence that post-menopause females boost the life chances of their offspring, especially males. The study was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council. The paper,…

THE City has been accused of trying to “look good” and “playing politics” at the expense of homeless people. This after the City in a statement said in the past 12 months, its Street People Programme Unit had helped place 2 246 homeless people in shelters as well as its safe spaces, across the metropole. According to the City, 112 people had been reintegrated with their families or communities, 1 124 had been referred to various services, including rehabilitation and health services, and 882 were given short-term contractual job opportunities. However the Homeless Action Coalition accused the City of playing a “very dangerous game” of trying to look good at the expense of the homeless. The organisation’s chairperson, Ndodana Hadebe, said that this was a “clean-up” operation for the City.…

Despite sanctions, Russia will continue to supply grains and food products to Continent ON JULY 27-28 , St Petersburg will host the second Russia-Africa Summit and Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum. On the eve of these large-scale representative events which will bring together heads of state and government, entrepreneurs, academia and public figures, I would like to share my vision of the development of Russia-Africa relations with the readers of the leading media on the African continent, outlining priority cooperation areas for the coming decades of the 21st century. The partnership relations between our country and Africa have strong, deep roots and have always been distinguished by stability, trust and goodwill. We have consistently supported African peoples in their struggle for liberation from colonial oppression. We have provided assistance…

Locals and tourists fled parts of the Greek island of Rhodes yesterday, as firefighters battled a blaze that had sparked the country’s largest-ever fire evacuation. Firefighters were bracing for high winds that had been forecast for the afternoon and that could hamper their efforts. The island of Rhodes is one of Greece’s most popular tourist destinations, particularly with British, German and French tourists – many of whom are now being rapidly moved out of the path of the flames. As Greece has been battered by an extended spell of extreme heat, flames have burned for nearly a week on the island. Temperatures, which reached 45°C in central Greece yesterday, were expected to dip today before the mercury rises again for another four-day heatwave. “This is the biggest fire evacuation ever…

Russia’s latest strike on Odesa yesterday killed two people and severely damaged a historic Orthodox cathedral, drawing a vow of retaliation from Ukraine’s leader. The 18th-century Transfiguration Cathedral, the biggest Orthodox church in Odesa, lies within the Unesco-protected historic city centre. The strike on the port city, which Russia has pounded since quitting the Black Sea grain deal last week, came just hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Belarus counterpart for talks. Putin claimed Kyiv’s counteroffensive had “failed” as he met his closest ally, Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko, in Saint Petersburg, the first time since Minsk helped end a revolt by Russian Wagner fighters. On the Black Sea in Odesa, locals looked in disbelief as the Transfiguration Cathedral – originally built in 1794 under imperial Russian rule…

Khartoum: At least 16 civilians were killed in clashes between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Nyala, the capital of Sudan’s South Darfur state, the Darfur Bar Association said. The organisation said at the weekend: “The battles in Nyala are taking place on the heads of citizens amid random shootings on streets and houses as well as killings with sniper bullets.” Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the Sudanese Army and the RSF in Khartoum and other areas since April 15, resulting in more than 3 000 deaths and more than 6 000 injuries, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry. | Xinhua…

Kabul: The death toll from overnight flash floods caused by torrential rain in central Afghanistan has risen to 26, with more than 40 people missing, officials said yesterday. Shafiullah Rahimi, spokesperson for the State Ministry for Disaster Management, said 31 people had been killed nationwide in floods since Friday and extensive damage had been caused to property and farmland. Officials said urgent aid was being rushed to the main disaster zone in the Jalrez district of Maidan Wardak province. As many as 604 houses had been damaged and hundreds of hectares of agricultural land and orchards destroyed in Jalrez since Friday. | AFP…

Although their fate is not in their own hands when it comes to winning the Rugby Championship this year, the Springboks will still go all out against Argentina on Saturday in the final match of the truncated competition. While South Africa needs Australia to do the almost impossible and beat New Zealand in their clash for them to have a shot at the crown, the title won’t be the sole focus for Bok coach Jacques Nienaber’s side at Ellis Park (kick-off 5.05pm). They will rather set their sights on delivering an improved performance in their third match of the season and burying the ghosts they chased in the Test against the All Blacks in New Zealand. While the Springboks still have an outside chance of clinching the trophy, Nienaber and…

Minister of Electricity Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa remains deeply concerned about the prolonged delays to return the 920MW Unit 1 at Koeberg Nuclear power station due to inexplicable challenges on the back of deteriorating electricity generation capacity. A frustrated Ramokgopa yesterday said he visited Koerberg on Thursday to get the update on the state of affairs at Africa’s only nuclear power station, and he was not impressed at all. In December 2022, Eskom belatedly took off-line Unit 1 Koeberg for at least six months to replace three steam generators in a bid to extend the life of the power station for an additional 20 years at an estimated cost of R20 billion. Unit 2 which continues to operate safely while Unit 1 is in this extended outage, will undergo a similar…

SPORTS, Arts and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa lauded Banyana Banyana’s brave fight during their 2-1 loss to Sweden in their opening game of the Fifa Women’s World Cup yesterday. The African champions lost their opening game in Group G against the No 3-ranked nation after having taken the lead through Hildah Magaia early in the second half. Despite the loss, Banyana’s fearless mentality and ability to take the game to Blagult from start to finish was largely complimented, more so due to the fact that they were regarded heavily as the underdogs. Sweden are one of the dark horses of the tournament and were expected to mop the floor with Banyana, who had not beaten them in four previous meetings. But the South Africans put their best foot forward, and…

THE eight SAPS VIP Protection officers arrested over assaulting motorists are expected to appear at Randburg Magistrate’s Court today, according to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid). The officers attached to Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s security detail were processed at the Sandton Police Station yesterday. This follows a video that has since gone viral on social media where the armed men were caught assaulting three motorists on the N1 between Joburg and Pretoria. When the news surfaced, Mashatile confirmed that he was aware of the incident and that the members had indeed been assigned to him. According to the statement, he had requested that National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola investigate the matter and take appropriate action. In a statement shared by Ipid spokesperson Robbie Raburabu, their arrest followed authorisation…

LYING in a hospital bed, Idriss Yahya Annour, who recently fled the conflict in Sudan to neighbouring Chad, recalls how the vehicle they were escaping in came under fire in an attack that left him with a bullet wound and a fractured femur. After days of trekking with his family to seek safety, they finally crossed the border into Chad where he was rushed for treatment at a hospital in Abeche in eastern Chad where many of those fleeing the conflict have settled. “I was operated on a fortnight ago. Soon I'll be able to go and re-join my family, (who are staying) two days’ drive from here,” said Annour. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has deployed surgeons in the Abeche hospital to treat trauma cases. With support from WHO…

A FORMER Hawks’ security official who allegedly submitted a fake matric certificate for employment has been fined R5 000 by the Bellville Magistrate’s Court. This follows after Phelisa Lande pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud. Lande made her first appearance August 2022 and was subsequently released on R1 000 bail. Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said the 45-year-old had allegedly submitted a fraudulent matric certificate when applying for the post. “It is reported that in October 2021, there was a post advertised for security official in the Hawks offices in Bellville. “When she applied for the said position, the accused allegedly submitted a fraudulent matric certificate, which was one of the requirements for the post. “As a result, the accused was appointed as a security official in the…

THE ANC in the province is calling for the reopening of the inquest into the deaths of Struggle icons Coline Williams and Robbie Waterwitch, on the 34th year anniversary of their death. Williams and Waterwitch were killed when an explosive device detonated opposite the Athlone Magistrate’s Court and police station on July 23, 1989. Williams who joined uMkhonto weSizwe in 1988 was born in 1967 and grew up in Bonteheuwel, whilst Waterwitch was born in 1969 and grew up in Athlone. While apartheid authorities claimed the pair “blew themselves up” when the device detonated prematurely, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) at the time could not make a conclusive finding into the incident. The TRC recommended that their deaths be investigated by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) ANC provincial-secretary Neville…

WHEN President Cyril Ramaphosa consulted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a telephone call a week or so ago over whether he would attend the BRICS leaders’ summit in South Africa in August in person, I wonder whether Putin reciprocated by consulting his new-found go-to-African leader of choice about his decision to unilaterally pull out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) with Türkiye and Ukraine a few days later. Ramaphosa should be under no illusion that the two issues are inextricably linked because they pertain to the very persona and policies of the Russian leader, who in the aftermath of Putin’s invasion of and war against Ukraine has become a pariah at least in the eyes of the UN and international conventions and the West and its allies, which…

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in hospital after being fitted with a pacemaker yesterday as tens of thousands of people converged on Jerusalem to protest a planned overhaul of the Supreme Court being debated in parliament. With Israel embroiled in its most serious domestic political crisis in decades, the 73-year-old leader was rushed to Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv on Saturday after a heart monitor implanted a week earlier in what was described as a dehydration episode detected a “temporary arrhythmia”, his doctors said. The pacemaker procedure went smoothly and Netanyahu was expected to be discharged later yesterday, his office said, however Israeli media reported he may stay an extra night in the hospital. A medical source familiar with the case said doctors were recommending Netanyahu stay another…

Illegal flows of migrants are damaging all countries across the Mediterranean, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said yesterday, as she called on nations to fight together against human traffickers. In contrast with her past hard-line rhetoric, Meloni told an international conference in Rome that her government was open to taking in more people through legal routes as “Europe and Italy needed immigration.” Earlier this month, Italy pledged to issue 452 000 new work visas for non-EU nationals from 2023 to 2025, increasing the number of permits available each year to a high of 165 000 in 2025. In 2019, before Covid-19 struck, Italy issued just 30 850 visas. The conference is hosting representatives from countries including Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, Libya and the EU. Arrivals in Italy are…

Athens: The collapse of a bridge undergoing works in western Greece yesterday killed one person and wounded eight others, Greek authorities said. The fire department said it was called out when part of a bridge collapsed in Patras, in the Proastio area on the road to the capital Athens. Eight injured had been sent to hospitals and one person was killed in the collapse, the fire department said. Some 35 firefighters and 12 vehicles were dispatched to the scene, as well as drones and special rescue vehicles. The fire department said traffic had been closed on the bridge since July 20 “due to demolition work for reconstruction”. | AFP…

SAN FRANCISCO: Elon Musk said yesterday he was looking to change Twitter’s logo, tweeting: “And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds”. In a post on the site, the social media platform’s billionaire owner added: “If a good enough X logo is posted tonight, we’ll make (it) go live worldwide tomorrow.” Musk posted an image of a flickering “X”, and later in a Twitter Spaces audio chat replied “Yes” when asked if the Twitter logo will change, adding that “it should have been done a long time ago”. Under Musk’s tumultuous tenure since he bought Twitter in October, the company has changed its business name to X Corp, reflecting the billionaire’s vision to create a “super app” like China’s WeChat. Twitter’s website says…

Cape Town City have bolstered their squad ahead of the 2023/24 season as they announced the signing of Tshegofatso Nyama from TS Galaxy. The Citizens said the 23-year-old has joined them on a long-term deal as head coach Eric Tinkler looks to fill holes in his defensive department. City have been long-term admirers of the left-sided utility player even before their loan acquisition of Lyle Lakay last season. However, with Lakay having already returned to his parent club Mamelodi Sundowns, it opens room for the signing of Nyama, who will battle veteran Marc Van Heerden for a starting berth. City finished last season in fourth spot on the DStv Premiership log, a downgrade for a side that began the campaign playing in the CAF Champions League. Tinkler will hope to…

Dominant Formula One leader Max Verstappen ran away with the Hungarian Grand Prix by a mighty margin yesterday as Red Bull made history with a record 12th victory in a row. McLaren's Lando Norris was runner-up for the second straight race but 33.731 seconds behind at the chequered flag on a hot afternoon at the Hungaroring. Verstappen's teammate and closest title rival Sergio Perez had to settle for third after starting ninth and chasing Norris in the closing stages before the Briton built up more of a buffer. The 44th career win was a ninth in 11 races so far this season for Verstappen, and seventh in a row, stretching his lead over Perez to 110 points with the double world champion also taking the fastest lap. "What an unbelievable…

Power utility Eskom has confirmed it will overshoot its Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGT) budget on diesel for its turbines and Independent Power Producers (IPPs) with likely recriminations from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA). Harsh winter with incidents of snowfall and frequent breakdowns in the coal fired power plants has forced Eskom’s hand to lean heavily on the use of its OCGTs to keep the lights on, albeit with high levels of load shedding. When questioned whether Eskom was still within the NERSA proscribed use of OCGTs, Eskom said: “No, the OCGT usage is exceeding and will exceed the NERSA proscribed use of OCGTS.” Given the cold fronts and subsequent higher demand, has forced Eskom to utilise more of its OCGTs to bridge the generation gap.…

Gordhan banks on private sector help as ANC backtracks on Mbalula’s outburst PUBLIC Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said the Transnet freight rail turnaround strategy was anchored on partnerships with the private sector in dealing with the challenges associated with infrastructure investment, addressing security and the vandalism of infrastructure. This was in response to parliamentary questions about Transnet’s freight rail plan – two days before ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula suggested that he would be moved if he did not speedily address the freight rail challenges at Transnet – only for the ANC to backtrack on his statement. Mbalula told an ANC Women’s League gathering that the South African Reserve Bank had maintained the repo rate and called for the fixing of load shedding and the logistics of the country. “It says…

AS part of the 44th Durban International Film Festival, a 4K restored version of the iconic anti-apartheid film Mapantsula presented by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal kicked off a nationwide screening premiere. Mapantsula premiered at selected Ster-Kinekor cinemas in Durban, Cape Town and Joburg yesterday. Mapantsula is widely considered the first true anti-apartheid film, and upon its premiere at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, it opened to massive critical acclaim and praise for its artistic value and its efforts in raising awareness of the South African liberation Struggle. Mapantsula had a massive impact on political cinema, pop culture, bringing African cinema to the forefront of industry conversations. However, in its original form, it was banned from release in South Africa, and as a result, the…

THE Patriotic Alliance (PA) has submitted an objection to the IEC, alleging possible discrepancies in the counting process of the recently held by-elections in George. The party said they believed the election results of Ward 16 were rigged, adding that video evidence of an election presiding officer opening a ballot box was also submitted to the IEC. Hotly-contested by-elections were held in George last week, which saw the DA and the PA snatching wards from the GOOD Party. PA president Gayton McKenzie said they want the commission to probe how the DA won the ward. “All complaints have been lodged with the IEC, and our leaders in Western Cape have also met with the IEC. The results of Ward 16 have been rigged, PA won that ward, go look at…

THE ANC in the province has welcomed the recent judgment by the Western Cape High Court against the DA’s urgent application to appeal an original judgment which rendered a meeting that suspended the party’s “absconding” Cederberg municipality councillors to be valid. This was after the court ruled to strike the application off the roll with costs. Judge Diedre Kusevitsky said there had been a tendency to set matters that are not urgent down on the urgent roll, in order to “jump the queue and secure preferential dates”. “The matter was considered by two judges on urgent duty, to have not been urgent, and the parties were advised accordingly and it was ordered. “The application to an urgent court was defective. For all of the above reasons, the application for leave…

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula’s call for Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan to speedily attend to Transnet rail issues may be seen as necessary considering the desperate situation, but not legitimate, especially coming from him. No wonder the ANC moved fast in doing damage control following Mbalula’s remarks that Gordhan better “move fast or we will move you”. Mbalula’s well-documented failures when he was transport minister make him the last person to point fingers even when Gordhan’s obvious shortcomings appear to be more severe. South Africans need no reminder that Gordhan’s stint, especially when it comes to the country’s state-owned enterprises such as SAA, Eskom, Denel and Transnet, is one to forget. He, like Mbalula at Prasa, presided over the near collapse of these companies, which were meant to help grow…

Gender trumped ethnicity for a group of furious Indian mothers who torched the homes of two men from their own community who were accused of abusing women in a video that sparked outrage. At least 120 people have been killed during months of ethnic conflict between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki in India’s troubled northeastern state of Manipur. The women from the Meitei community decided to show their anger after a humiliating video surfaced on Wednesday, which reportedly shows two Kuki women being forced to strip naked and then jeered at and harassed by Meitei men in May. Police arrested four suspects on Thursday but, on the same day, a powerful group of Meitei women known as the “Meira Paibis”, or the Mothers of Manipur,…

YAOUNDE: A four-storey building collapsed in Cameroon’s commercial capital Douala, killing at least 12 people and injuring others, the regional governor said yesterday. The building, located in the city’s eastern Ange Raphael suburb, caved in around midnight. “Twelve died and the others are in hospital for medical attention,” the governor of the surrounding Littoral region told journalists at the site, saying 31 people in total were affected. The situation was under control and rescue teams were making sure no one remained under the rubble, he said. Although the cause of the collapse was unclear, local residents said it looked deteriorated with exposed and worn out rods. | Reuters…

PHNOM PENH: The party of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen declared a landslide victory in a general election yesterday, a vote that critics widely dismissed as a sham aimed at cementing the party’s rule before an expected transfer of power to his eldest son. The contest was effectively a one-horse race, with Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), a political behemoth with a vast war chest. Polls closed with a turnout of 84% according to the election committee, with 8.1 million people voting in a contest between CPP and 17 mostly obscure parties, none of which won seats in 2018 elections. The only opponent with any real clout was disqualified. | Reuters…

Australia have retained the Ashes after the fourth Test against England ended in a rain-affected draw, with bad weather at Old Trafford washing out yesterday final day. The result ensured Australia, as the holders, kept the Ashes at 2-1 up with one match left in the series - regardless of the result of this week’s fifth Test at The Oval. Heavy overnight rain left the outfield sodden and meant play was unable to start as scheduled in Manchester. Despite the draw, Australia will still have to avoid defeat at The Oval if they are to secure their first Ashes series win in England since 2001. “The group should be pretty proud,” Australia captain Pat Cummins said. “Our preference is to come over here and win the Ashes, but it’s nice…

France’s hopes of a winning start to their Women’s World Cup campaign were thwarted by a hardworking Jamaican side in a 0-0 draw in the opening Group F clash at Sydney Football Stadium yesterday. The fifth-ranked French, semi-finalists at last year’s Euros, were unable to get their game going as the Jamaicans hassled and harried them throughout the 90 minutes to earn their first World Cup point after three losses on their 2019 debut. Forward Kadidiatou Diani almost clinched the winner for France in the 90th minute but her powerful header hit the bar then the post to the delight of the crowd of nearly 40 000, who had embraced the 43rd-ranked underdogs. “It was a difficult first half, we came up against a group of really athletic women,” France…

South African amateur Christo Lamprecht ended a rollercoaster Open Championship on 11-over par yesterday, 16 shots behind where he was after a brilliant opening 66 but all the better for the experience. The towering 22-year-old was joint leader of the tournament after plundering seven birdies at a sun-kissed Hoylake on Thursday before rounds of 79, 76 and 74 sent him tumbling down the field. He will have the consolation of winning the silver medal as leading amateur, as well as learning valuable lessons. “It's been a week with every bit of emotion felt, kind of coming off a high on Thursday and just not having it the last three days,” Lamprecht told reporters. “I felt like kind of in control of the golf ball not nearly as well as I…