Table of contents for 2023-08-28 in Cape Times

A LEADING skincare manufacturing company has to pay one of its employees two months’ salary after its employee was fired because of poor performance. She had struggled to cope with the work and its deadlines. The employee turned to the CCMA as she felt that her dismissal was unfair. She said it had not been a question of not wanting to do her job, but she had genuinely struggled with the demands and simply could not cope with what was expected of her. The company said another employee, who was appointed around the same time as the complainant in this case, managed just fine. But the CCMA commissioner said it was simply life that one person might cope better than another. The commissioner criticised the company for not subjecting the…

Ingredients 2 tbs olive oil 1 onion, diced 250g ground beef 2 tbs tomato paste 4 cloves garlic, chopped ¼ cup water 1 tsp salt ½ tsp cumin 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp red pepper flakes 450g white cabbage, roughly chopped 1 tbs lemon juice 1 cup hot water Parsley for garnish, chopped Method Heat oil in a pan and cook the onions until translucent. Add in the ground beef and cook it, breaking down the blocks with a spoon. Let it first release its juice and then absorb it. Add in tomato paste, garlic and ¼ cup water. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt, black pepper, cumin, paprika and red pepper flakes. Add in roughly chopped cabbage and lemon juice. Cook covered…

CAPETONIANS who are fed-up with the DA-led City’s high electricity tariffs protested outside the Civic Centre at the weekend, calling for a revision of the entire electricity tariff setting policy, debt collection policy and the “inadequate implementation of public participation”, among others. Civil society, unions and political parties came together in their opposition of the City’s 17.6% electricity tariff hike for 2023/24. This is 2.5% more than the 15.1% approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa). The group, including organisations and parties, Women's Assembly Movement, Community Unity, GOOD, Sanco, the National Coloured Congress, Al Jama-Ah, Cosatu, ANC, and Western Cape Gangwatch, handed over a memorandum to the City. “We are a collective of different organisations, ordinary people and workers in this City and stand firmly to express…

Launching a new currency is far more complex than the rhetoric suggests IS THERE a healthy dose of realpolitik and pragmatism seeping into the BRICS eco-edifice? Judging by the mood music at the15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg last week, it seems so. Behind the veil of the surfeit of curtain-raiser ministerial and technical meetings and their pronouncements leading up to the summit, it is inevitable that an expectation overload followed especially relating to membership expansion of the Bloc and the de-dollarisation of intra-BRICS trade and investment primarily through the launch of a so-called ‘BRICS currency’. Both are political ambitions – the one to forge a New World Order as a counter to perceived western (US, EU, UK, Japanese and South Korean) hegemony of global affairs, and the other to…

European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde expects the economic downturn facing most Western economies to continue, saying the world may be entering “an age of shifts in economic relationships and breaks in established regularities”. “If we are in a new age, past regularities may no longer be a good guide for how the economy works,” Lagarde told a central bank symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, also attended by US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. “Some of these changes could be longer-lasting,” Lagarde said, citing a “deepening geopolitical divide and a global economy fragmenting into competing blocs.” “If we also face shocks that are larger and more common – like energy and geopolitical shocks – we could see firms passing on cost increases more consistently,” the banker said. “If global supply…

London: London’s Metropolitan Police force said yesterday that it was taking security measures after “unauthorised access to the IT system of one of its suppliers”, following data breaches at other forces. The company in question had access to the names, ranks, photos, vetting levels and pay numbers for officers and staff, but not addresses, phone numbers or financial details. The Sun on Sunday reported that “cybercrooks penetrated the IT systems” of the firm which prints identity cards and staff passes for the Met, the UK’s biggest police force. The Metropolitan Police Federation said the breach would “cause colleagues incredible concern and anger”. | AFP…

PORT SUDAN: The army-controlled city of Port Sudan has become a refuge from the war raging to the west, but its health system is in near collapse due to power cuts and scarce supplies – and staff shortages now exacerbated by striking doctors. Doctors and nurses in the Red Sea city say they have not been paid for four months, as the Sudanese government’s budget has been decimated by fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Doctors in Port Sudan have had to grapple with power cuts, intense humidity, and medicine shortages, while patients are kept in close confines although many have respiratory illnesses, hospital officials said. | Reuters…

The Australia ODI series is set to reveal where the coach Rob Walter and captain Temba Bavuma project is, five weeks from the start of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. The ODI series will start on September 7 following the conclusion of this week’s three-match T20I series in Durban. Over the last few months, following the appointment of Walter as white ball coach, the focus of the team has been on establishing an identity, a culture and a playing style. For the first time, they put their ambitions of adopting a ‘positive’ playing style to the test at the backend of last summer when they took on the West Indies and then the Netherlands. Although there were a number of promising signs, including the series levelling Heinrich Klaasen masterclass…

MTN GROUP CEO Ralph Mupita met with the Cameroon Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute, and his delegation on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, MTN said in a statement on Friday and discussed not only investment, also the way forward on its frozen assets. Mupita spoke to the delegation about a current matter in the country, in which the compa- ny’s accounts had been garnished since September 2022. MTN Cameroon’s accounts with more than 14 billion CFA francs (R207 million) have been frozen by a Cameroon court order since September 2022, as the company was brought into a loan dispute by a Cameroonian business- person. “Whilst the matter is currently in courts, the Group President and CEO requested the guidance of the Prime Minister…

THE Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) is the latest to express concern over allegations of billing manipulation against hospital group, Mediclinic. The CMS is the designated regulator of the medical schemes industry in South Africa. While the regulator noted unofficially, it had not as yet received any formal complaint, it viewed the allegations in a “serious light”. This follows an email from an anonymous source, who identified themself as a whistle-blower who had worked for the company as a clinical case manager and coder at hospitals in the Western Cape and Gauteng. The person alleged that at the hospitals they worked, patients’ conditions were manipulated to either bill at an alternative reimbursement model (ARM), or coding was used to “carve an account out” to bill for services where the loss…

THE DA’s decision to nominate Alan Winde as its candidate for Western Cape premier in the 2024 general elections was a clear sign that the party was out of touch with the needs of the people of the province, according to the ANC. The party branded Winde as the “weakest” premier the province has had, adding that the lives of ordinary people in the province have not improved. DA leader John Steenhuisen announced Winde as the party’s premier candidate for the general elections on Saturday. Steenhuisen said Winde is the leader who has kept the province moving forward even as the state collapses in other parts of South Africa. “Over the past month, I have criss-crossed South Africa from Gauteng to the Free State and, just last week, the Northern…

The legacy of late jazz icon, Sylvia Ncediwe Mdunyelwa, affectionately known as “Mama Kaap”, will live on not only through her music but also through the impact she made on the South African music industry and the lives of other artists. Condolences have poured in after Mdunyelwa passed away peacefully in the early hours of Friday, after a long illness. “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of our dear mother, a global icon, multi-award winning legendary musician, veteran broadcaster and prolific actress. “Mama Kaap … devoted her life to the creative and music industry, propagating young people and creating opportunities in the township through music and acting. “She was celebrated on global stages … and leaves an indelible mark in society,” the Mdunyelwa family said. Mdunyelwa…

COP killer Shane Swartz was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Western Cape High Court for the murder of Warrant Officer Hilton Joseph and the attempted murder of his colleagues. The 25-year-old was further declared unfit to possess a firearm during the proceedings on Friday. The court heard that on September 8, 2019 Visible Policing members from the Mfuleni community service centre had responded to information about a wanted suspect in alleged double murder and carjacking cases, at the Sharp Shooters tavern in Wesbank, Mfuleni. Joseph, 52, and Terrence Mostert, 29, searched the premises, while a third police officer remained on guard at the entrance. Suddenly shots were fired at the officers from a suspect who was hiding in the toilets. “Warrant Officer Joseph sustained a gunshot wound to the…

Kudos should be extended to the South African government for its adept hosting of the 2023 BRICS Summit, a remarkable event that witnessed the expansion of this global bloc through the inclusion of six new member nations. The induction of Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates into this collective elevates BRICS into a substantial player within worldwide affairs. Praise is equally due to the existing BRICS constituents – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – for their endeavour to construct an alternate global entity, countering the predominance of American and European influence. Although BRICS isn’t devoid of imperfections and experiences disparities within its membership, it remains a historic milestone as it brings together developing nations from Africa, the Middle East, and South America under…

More than a thousand people fled their homes as floods unleashed by Super Typhoon Saola swept through mainly rural villages in the northern Philippines, rescue officials said yesterday. Saola brushed past the north-east of the main island of Luzon overnight on Saturday and continued south just off the Pacific coast, packing winds of up to 185km/h, the state weather bureau said. No casualties or substantial damage have been reported. Residents of coastal communities vulnerable to high winds and large waves were moved to higher ground on Isabela province’s Pacific coast, as were those on the northern tip of Cagayan province and Ilocos Sur province on Luzon’s north-west coast. “These coastal towns have no protection because they are directly facing the Pacific,” said Isabela rescue official Constante Foronda. The Philippines is…

Bucharest: Two people died and 56 people were injured after two explosions rocked an unlicensed liquefied petroleum gas filling station just north of Bucharest late on Saturday, officials said. Most of the injured were firefighters who rushed to the station to extinguish the blaze from the first explosion before the second occurred. The two people who died were a couple. The man suffered a heart attack, while the woman died after sustaining severe burns. Romania has requested assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to treat 18 burn patients. The fire also forced the evacuation of people within a 700m radius. | AFP…

Dubai: Iran-backed Huthi rebels have killed 10 Yemen soldiers from a southern separatist faction in a “surprise attack” after more than a year of relative calm, military sources have said. Twelve were wounded yesterday, between the southern provinces of Lahj and Al-Bayda, the sources said. Four Huthi fighters were killed and several wounded. The attack targeted a site manned by the separatists, who aspire to create an independent South Yemen, the military sources said. Recent violence in south Yemen has been attributed to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, considered by the US to be the jihadist group’s most dangerous offshoot. | AFP…

President-elect challenges aggrieved parties to go to court Zimbabwe’s re-elected President Emmerson Mnangagwa suggested yesterday that anyone questioning the results of last week’s election take their case to court as an opposition leader accused him of “gigantic fraud”. Mnangagwa, 80, won the election with 52.6% of the vote while the opposition Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa got 44%, the election commission said on Saturday. Chamisa said yesterday the CCC would not accept the results. He said the opposition would form the new government, without giving details. He did not answer questions on whether his party would challenge the results in court. “We will not wait for five years. There has to be a change now,” Chamisa told journalists and party officials. Two observers’ groups said police raided…

The case against the family member who allegedly murdered 10-year-old Lihle Zenzile and stuffed her body into a trunk, has been postponed until October 17. This was to allow the accused to consult with a new attorney. Lihle’s body was found in her parents bedroom on January 6 in Mbekweni, Paarl. The 18-year-old murder accused suspect was arrested after he turned himself in and directed the police to the crime scene. Meanwhile, the man accused of murdering 13-year-old Thimna Kuze appeared at the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court recently. The man, believed to be her friend’s uncle, applied for bail. Thimna was allegedly raped and murdered when she went to sleep over at her friend’s home on March 25. According to reports, the uncle had allegedly brought alcohol and forced the girls…

THE Bretton Woods system, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank, established in 1944 became a seminal international monetary institution aimed at promoting economic stability and facilitating post-World War II reconstruction. Theoretically, these institutions were germaine to the times, and the international community should have supported their missions and objectives as they were noble. Nonetheless, these institutions lost credibility and international hegemony because of their 1970s policies and terms and conditions to their debtors which we cannot be able to adumbrate them all here. These institutions offered loans to many African states and imposed structural adjustment programmes and austerity measures to African states and many other non-Euro-American states. Structural adjustment programmes and austerity measures saw many states altering their fiscal policies through decreasing spending on numerous welfare programmes in compliance with…

Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was formally confirmed dead yesterday following genetic analysis, investigators said, as anger and questions over what caused his plane to crash earlier in the week continued to mount. Speculation that the Kremlin may have been involved in the crash has been rife, with the incident coming exactly two months after Wagner staged a mutiny against Moscow’s military leadership. “Molecular-genetic examinations have been completed as part of the investigation into the plane crash in the Tver region,” Svetlana Petrenko, a spokesperson from Russia’s Investigative Committee said. “According to their results, the identities of all 10 victims were established, they correspond to the list stated in the flight list,” she added. Among the nine other people listed onboard the Embraer private jet that crashed on Wednesday was…

At least 10 people were killed in Haiti on Saturday, local rights group CARDH said, after a gang that controls a suburb of Port-au-Prince opened fire with machine guns on a protest organised by a Christian church leader. CARDH director Gedeon Jean said the final number would probably be higher. He said several people were wounded and some churchgoers had been kidnapped. Videos shared on X, showed about 100 people, many wearing yellow shirts associated with the religious group of Pastor Marco, marching in Canaan, some carrying sticks and machetes. Videos on social media show people being shot at, bodies on the ground, and people who appear to be hostages saying they did not know the march was about taking on the gang. Many Haitians have joined civilian self-defence groups,…

New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called yesterday for the AU to be made a G20 member, while also pitching his country as the solution to supply chain woes ahead of the bloc’s summit in New Delhi next month. The group of 20 major economies consists of 19 countries and the EU, making up about 85% of global GDP and two-thirds of the world’s population – but South Africa is the only member from the continent. The pan-African bloc collectively had $3 trillion (R55trln) GDP last year. The AU at full strength has 55 members, but five junta-ruled nations are suspended. | AFP…

LOCH NESS: Hundreds of hopeful volunteers joined a two-day hunt for Scotland’s fabled Loch Ness monster on Saturday and yesterday, in the biggest search for the elusive “Nessie” in over 50 years. The Loch Ness Centre, which partnered with voluntary research team Loch Ness Exploration to organise The Quest, said they would be using surveying equipment that had not previously been tried at the loch, including thermal drones. Volunteers from around the world were allocated locations around the 37km-long lake from which to monitor for any signs of Nessie. A hydrophone was also used to detect acoustic signals under the water. The first written record of a monster relates to Irish monk St Columba, who is said to have banished a “water beast” to the depths of the River Ness…

Cape Town Spurs coach Shaun Bartlett is ruing the lack of commitment in his ranks after they suffered a fourth straight defeat in Friday’s DStv Premiership clash against Chippa United at the Athlone Stadium. Following this 1-0 reverse, Spurs are in dire straits and continue to prop up the 16-team table without a point after four matches. Bartlett feels the team needs a mental shift and then they will be able to capitalise when they are dominant in matches. On Friday, Spurs dominated and had 18 shots at goal yet failed to make them count, Chippa only had six. Their pressure gave them a 7-4 corner count advantage, which they also failed to exploit. On Wednesday, Spurs will be on the Highveld for a match against Moroka Swallows and Bartlett…