Table of contents for 2023-09-08 in Cape Times

THE PROPOSED amendment to section 162 of the Companies Act (Act 17 of 2008) is one of several amendments proposed by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) in the Companies Amendment Bills. It follows on from a recommendation made by the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture to extend the time period during which application could be made to declare a director delinquent. The current law states that an application to declare a director delinquent can be made if the person is currently a director of the company, or was one in the preceding 24 months. The latest proposal is to extend this time bar to five years, and further to give the courts discretion to extend it still further if they see cause. The statute of…

The Springboks begin the defence of their World Cup title on Sunday when they tackle Scotland in sunny Marseilles in the south of France, and rugby fever is gripping South Africa in anticipation. Siya Kolisi’s team are attempting to go where no Springbok team has gone before by winning back-to-back World Cups, and excited South Africans are loving the fact that their team are tipped for the top – most sports betting bookies have the Boks as favourites. Better news still for Bok fans is that all South Africans have an opportunity to watch the boys in green and gold, after broadcasters SABC and SuperSport yesterday reached a last-minute compromise on the television coverage of the tournament. Earlier this week, it had been reported that the SABC would not be…

The Race To Be Myself Caster Semenya Loot.co.za (R215) Jonathan Ball Caster Semenya is one of the greatest athletes ever to run the 800m. She went undefeated for almost four years, winning two Olympic gold medals and three World Athletics Championships, and set and broke numerous records. However, Semenya’s life and career were devastated by accusations that she was not a woman and should not compete against other women as she was born with naturally elevated levels of testosterone. Required by the International Association of Athletics Federations to take hormone-altering drugs as a condition for competing in certain events, Semenya for years suffered side effects that she describes as devastating to her health. Her predicament surfaced a still-raging firestorm over our understanding of sex and, of how sex plays out…

ESKOM is facing yet another damages claim relating to a child who was electrocuted by coming in contact with a live electrical powerline. The mother of a 7-year-old boy is claiming R5 million in damages from the power giant following the injuries her child suffered. The mother turned to the Makhanda High Court in the Eastern Cape in a bid to hold Eskom liable for the damages. She said that her son, only identified as Y in court papers due to his age, had been playing in a tree when he touched a loose powerline. She claimed that either Eskom or the employees of the KSD Local Municipality in the area where she lived, had left the cable dangling in the foliage. The incident occurred on January 19, 2017,…

WHILE the investigation into the murders of cousins Umar Majiet and Toufeeq Cummings continues, the Hanover Park community says it is devastated by the loss of the young men. Majiet and Cummings, who are reported to be prominent members of the Muslim community, were found with gunshot wounds to the head, in a car on Wednesday. The police said the shooting incident occurred at about 3pm on the corner of Green Turf and Lowdown Walk roads. Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said: “Philippi police were called to the crime scene where they found the victims with gunshot wounds to their heads. “Both victims were declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel. “The motive for the attack is yet to be established. Philippi police are investigating two counts of murder and…

AS WE join the rest of the world in celebrating another International Literacy Day today, we cannot ignore the reading crisis that we face. The latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) report released in May revealed that 81% of our Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning. And to make matters worse, our teachers continue to be hamstrung in their efforts to improve the literacy skills of learners. One thing that comes up regularly in my conversations with some teachers is their frustration resulting from many challenges, including overcrowded classrooms and inadequate access to resources, infrastructure, and support. These barriers do not only make it difficult for them to provide individualised attention to learners, but also impact their ability to deliver effective education and literacy instruction. Teachers also…

At least four people have died and more than six were still missing yesterday after storm Daniel swept across central Greece, triggering landslides, destroying roads and bridges and carrying away dozens of cars. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis postponed an annual economic speech scheduled for this weekend and will instead visit areas hit since Monday by torrential rain that has flooded homes and destroyed key infrastructure, including power poles. “The state mechanism’s absolute priority right now is the rescue and evacuation of people from the areas affected,” said government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis. “Our country is facing for the third day a phenomenon unlike any other we have seen in the past,” Marinakis said, before announcing that the recently re-elected leader’s main economic policy speech would be held in the middle of…

Britain is to rejoin the Horizon Europe science research programme, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office and the EU said yesterday, after UK scientists were frozen out in a post-Brexit row. Scientists welcomed the agreement as “a great day for researchers in the UK and across Europe” and a relief after two-and-a-half years of “uncertainty”, raising hopes among anti-Brexit campaigners of further closer collaboration with the EU. London had said it had been excluded from the scheme that funds research projects due to wrangling with Brussels over post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland. But following a call this week, Sunak and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced that Britain was rejoining under what was billed as a “bespoke deal”. The government said rejoining would give the country’s scientists “unrivalled…

Istanbul: Turkish rescuers raced yesterday to save an American who developed internal bleeding while exploring a cave more than 1 000m below ground level. Türkiye’s Caving Federation said 150 rescuers were trying to reach Mark Dickey, 40, who developed gastrointestinal bleeding while deep inside the Morca Cave, near Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast. “The operation is logistically and technically one of the largest cave rescues in the world,” the federation said. Dickey fell ill at a depth of 1 120m while with an international team of explorers. He was taken to a base camp 1 040m underground, where he was given a blood transfusion. The rescue operation is expected to take a few days. | AFP…

KYIVl: Stephen Fry was rushed to a bomb shelter during his trip to Ukraine amid reports of a fresh Russian attack on Kyiv. The actor was in the city this week to give a speech at a conference on mental health organised by Olena Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and said he was evacuated from his hotel room in the middle of the night and taken to a shelter after the alarm was raised over a possible bombing raid. He said he didn’t think to take his laptop with him to the shelter to keep himself entertained. | Bang Showbiz…

WITH Standard Bank's deadline to close Independent Media bank accounts just a week away, recent comments by EFF MP Ndlozi have come under the spotlight as he sounded the alarm about the urgent need for a state-owned bank. This as the Competition Commission’s Economy Concentration Tracker report revealed the sector was still dominated by “the big four”. Standard Bank last month indicated its intention to close banking accounts of Sekunjalo-related companies including Independent Media. This has sparked renewed calls for a state-owned bank, with unions citing Standard Bank’s move as an attack on media freedom and the livelihoods of ordinary employees. Standard Bank and other banks had approached the Competition Appeal Court to appeal the Competition Tribunal finding which found that there was a prima facie case that the banks…

When the likes of Makazola Mapimpi, Lukhanyo Am and Cheslin Kolbe were carving England to shreds in the 2019 World Cup final, a 69-year-old named Errol Tobias watched with tears of pride and joy. It was Tobias who, in 1981, had the courage and the talent to go where no black man had gone before when he played for the Springboks in a Test match against Ireland in Cape Town. The black community had detested the Springboks because the selection door to that team had been closed to them since South Africa began playing rugby internationals in 1896. But when Danie Craven opened it, and Tobias was picked, he boldly strode through the entrance when many of his friends told him not to. Many black people felt that in choosing…

Penance Eliza Clark Loot.co.za (R255) Faber and Faber A compelling story of a murder among teenagers, on the eve of the historic Brexit vote, by a major new voice in British fiction. Do you know what happened already? Did you know her? Did you see it on the internet? Did you listen to a podcast? Did the hosts make jokes? Did you see the pictures of the body? Did you look for them? It’s been years since the horrifying murder of 16-year-old Joan Wilson rocked Crow-on-Sea, and the events of that terrible night are now being published for the first time. That story is Penance, a dizzying feat of masterful storytelling, where Eliza Clark manoeuvres us through accounts from the inhabitants of this small seaside town. Placing us in the…

THE APPLICATION by a former attorney of the Western Cape High Court – who was removed from the bar a few years ago amid accusations of theft and fraud – for hard copies of documents relating to a criminal matter, has been dismissed in the high court. Thembinkosi Jiyana had sought that the documents, which were sent to him in electronic format, be printed so that he could make his defence, but the court ordered this should be done at his own cost. The hard copies are estimated to cost about R14 000 as the documents ran into an excess of 14 000 pages. Jiyana’s removal from the roll related to serious trust fund defalcations, amid allegations of theft and fraud. He was admitted as an attorney during 2002 and…

INVESTMENT in job creation, skills and empowering South Africans to tell their stories through local brands took centre stage at a CapeNature Tourism Month event yesterday. CapeNature, joined by the provincial government and other role-players in the sector, held discussions ahead of World Tourism Day 2023 on September 27. An emphasis was placed on accessibility of local tourist attraction sites for disabled people and the working class, while the wealthy were urged to also spend on local tourism as much as they do abroad. The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) pronounced this year’s theme “Tourism and Green Investments” and identified investments as one of the key priorities for tourism’s recovery, future growth and development. It has highlighted the need for more and better-targeted investments for people, the planet and…

HUMANITARIAN organisations must urgently scale up their response to ease the difficulties faced by people fleeing the conflict from Sudan to Upper Nile state in South Sudan, says Doctors without Borders (MSF). Thousands of returnees have been arriving sick and exhausted at the Bulukat transit centre in Malakal, north-eastern South Sudan, after travelling almost 72 hours by boat on the White Nile River. The Bulukat transit centre hosts about 5 000 people at any time, with many waiting weeks for onward transfers. People need food, shelter and health care as they live in temporary tents or in the open during the rainy season. “In our facilities in Malakal, we are recording an alarming rise in the number of measles and malnutrition cases, especially among children,” says Luz Linares, MSF Head…

It feels like just the other day that Siya Kolisi lifted the Webb Ellis Cup into the air. November 2, 2019 in Yokohama, Japan, was one of the most memorable nights for any Springbok fan – in fact, any South African – as Kolisi’s team went toe-to-toe with an in-form England side and triumphed 32-12 in the final to clinch the Rugby World Cup title for the third time in their history. Talking about history, Kolisi’s team wrote themselves into the record books that night. Makazole Mapimpi became the first South African to score a try in a World Cup final, the 20-point victory margin was the Boks’ biggest in a title decider, and of course, the skipper himself was the first black player to lead Mzansi to glory.…

An award-winning Russian alpinist is feared dead after falling from one of the world’s tallest mountains in Pakistan, officials said yesterday, potentially the fourth fatality in the nation’s 2023 summiting season. Dmitry Golovchenko “suffered a likely lethal fall” from the 7 925m Gasherbrum IV – the world’s 17th tallest mountain – sometime last week, the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said. His partner Sergey Nilov was injured but made it back to the peak’s basecamp on Pakistan’s northeast border with China and was helicoptered out on Wednesday, the ACP said. The pair had been “attempting a high-difficulty route”, the statement said. ACP secretary Karrar Haidri told AFP the alarm was raised by Golovchenko’s wife, whom he was in contact with during the climb, and that he suspected the veteran mountaineer…

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday that he would offer proposals to widen referendums in France to allow a possible ballot on immigration demanded by conservatives and the far right. His promise in a letter to party leaders comes after a 12-hour meeting last week designed to break deadlock in the National Assembly, or lower house, where Macron’s supporters have no majority but no alternative bloc exists. The president promised a detailed proposal, which would mean changing referendum rules laid out in France’s constitution, soon. Immigration has been top of the agenda as Macron’s camp have failed to bring aboard conservatives for a proposed reform. | AFP…

Canberra: Australia’s Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek yesterday declared war on feral cats in a bid to protect iconic native species from extinction. Plibersek launched a new action plan to stop feral cats from decimating wildlife and pushing native species to the brink of extinction, removing them from key areas and expanding cat-free fenced havens. The Australian National University said cats killed more than 2 billion reptiles, birds and mammals in Australia every year. Plibersek said feral cats have played a role in two-thirds of Australian mammal extinctions over 200 years and were a threat to 200 listed threatened species. | IANS…

HELSINKI: Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin, who narrowly lost an election in April and stepped down from the leadership of her party last week, planned to leave parliament and join former British prime minister Tony Blair’s Institute for Global Change, she said yesterday. Marin has formally asked permission to resign from parliament, her centre-left Social Democrats party said. The London-based policy think tank is led by Blair. “I feel that this assignment is such that it will benefit the whole of Finland as well,” Marin said. She did not rule out taking part in future elections or applying for top European jobs. Marin was the world’s youngest prime minister when she took office in 2019 aged 34, and led the country through Covid-19. She led Finland to end its…

DEPUTY President Paul Mashatile side-stepped questions when asked about the incident involving the assault of motorists by his bodyguards on the N1, on the grounds that the matter was still before court. Mashatile said when the court was done with its work, he was willing to answer questions from the MPs. He was responding to oral questions in the National Council of Provinces when DA MP George Michalakis asked whether he was in the convoy. Mashatile quoted verbatim the response given by Police Minister Bheki Cele to the police portfolio committee in August that he was in the convoy but not in the crime scene when two of his cars pulled off to deal with the matter. “I want to confirm that, indeed, it is true that I was not…

“SEEING the leaves” – a lesson about seeing opportunities, where others saw problems – involved paging through newspapers with an innovative eye and an entrepreneurial mindset to provide solutions to the nation’s problems. This was one of many inspiring lessons taught to over a thousand young people, who came through the doors of the Raymond Ackerman Academy of Entrepreneurial Development. As the life of the pioneering South African is remembered, his vision to create a generation of resilient entrepreneurial leaders stands out among his many philanthropic endeavours. Tributes and condolences came pouring in when news of his death broke early yesterday. Ackerman established the Raymond Ackerman Academy for Entrepreneurial Development in partnership with UCT in 2004, which was later joined by the University of Johannesburg. Well over 1 000 graduates…

Get ready to talk books and meet a plethora of contemporary and diverse writers and fellow book lovers at the Open Book Festival this weekend at the Homecoming Centre in Cape Town, known previously as the Fugard Theatre. Frankie Murrey, the long-time curator for the much-loved literary event, says: “We cannot wait to see everyone at the festival ... we are hard at work putting together three days of conversations that matter. “Our focus last year was on inviting writers based in South Africa, and this time around we are broadening that to include writers who are based on the African continent. We’re always excited by the debut writers we are able to programme, and this year is no different. Audiences have some powerful voices to meet at OBF 2023.”…

Testament Wilbur Smith, Mark Chadbourn Loot.co.za (R255) Zaffre In the ruins of battle a hero must rise for the future of Egypt. Years of Hyksos rule have seen the ruin and suffering of a once-mighty Egypt. Though Pharaoh is now restored to his rightful throne, his power is fragile as some seek to take advantage of the ensuing chaos following the overthrowing of the Hyksos. Desperate to unite the two divided kingdoms of Egypt under Pharaoh’s rule, great mage Taita sends his protégé, Piay, to discover the answer to a millennia-old riddle which has the power to secure the fate of Egypt forever. But in the chaos of war, a dark evil has thrived. With the fate of Egypt at stake, Piay races across the desert chasing the clues from…

THE SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) is investigating another alleged incident of discrimination against the LGBTQI+ community in Gqeberha. This after a sign reading: “Stop this evil. No lesbians, no gays, no bisexuals, no transgenders, no queers, anti-LGBTQ” was displayed at a local carwash business. The sign which caused outrage on social media has since been removed from the establishment. The Moffett Carwash Spa owner has denied any knowledge of the sign, saying a member of the public had entered the business premises last week and put up the offending poster. SAHRC provincial manager Dr Eileen Carter said they were looking into the matter. “The SAHRC confirms having received a complaint in respect of the sign allegedly posted in the Moffett on Main centre in Gqeberha. We are in the…

THE South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) has called for the urgent inclusion of the manner of death on South Africa's death notification form. The critical need for accurate and timely mortality data, especially information regarding causes of death (COD) is essential not only for monitoring natural deaths, but also for tracking non-natural deaths resulting from injuries, the SAMRC said. Through its Rapid Mortality Surveillance (RMS) system, the SAMRC has been instrumental in providing near real-time insights into weekly excess mortality during recent challenging times. In the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic the RMS system revealed that, while natural deaths saw spikes coinciding with Covid-19 waves, injuries were closely tied to government-imposed lockdowns and alcohol sales bans. Of particular concern was the significant impact of alcohol bans on injury-related deaths.…

Team’s playbook must encompass respect, resilience and resolve WHEN Siya Kolisi leads out the Springboks at the Stade de Marseille on Sunday in South Africa’s opening match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup (RWC) against Scotland, it is not only in defence of the William Webb Ellis Cup as world champions. But equally importantly they will carry the expectations and aspirations of a 60 million plus rugby-mad nation clobbered in recent years by a seemingly endless cycle of economic doom and gloom, a cost of living crisis and the dark arts of near daily load shedding. For the next two months (the final is way ahead on October 28), rugby and the fortunes of the Bokke will be the respite default for most South Africans, happy to be distracted like…

US President Joe Biden arrives at this weekend’s Group of 20 (G20) meeting in India with an offer for the “Global South” – whatever happens to China’s economy, the US can help fund your development. Armed with cash for the World Bank and promises of sustained US engagement, Biden hopes to persuade fast-growing economies in Africa, Latin America and Asia that there is an alternative to China’s Belt and Road project, which has funnelled billions of dollars to developing countries but left many deeply in debt. He will have at least one advantage: Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be at the meetings. While Biden said he was “disappointed”, Xi’s absence as China’s economy wobbles creates a narrow opening for Washington to reshape the agenda of a political club it…

The remnants of Typhoon Haikui drenched southern China for a third day since making landfall, and airports in Guangdong province cancelled hundreds of flights due to stormy weather yesterday, though winds had weakened. Although storm clouds moved westward towards Guangdong, one of the country’s richest provinces, more downpours were still forecast for the south-eastern province of Fujian, where state media reported economic losses had reached 5.054 billion yuan (about R13bn) since the typhoon made landfall on Tuesday. Torrential rain reportedly led to rivers overflowing in the Guangdong town Tangxi, and some villages suffered severe waterlogging. Over 350 people, including the elderly, women and children were relocated from low-lying areas, said state media. The China Meteorological Administration forecast rainstorms in central and eastern Guangdong, the southern part of Jiangxi province, southern…

WASHINGTON: US Vice-President Kamala Harris said it would be a “huge mistake” for North Korea to exchange military support with Russia for use in its war against Ukraine. Harris, who is in Jakarta, Indonesia for an Asean summit, said yesterday that it would be a sign of desperation for Russia and it would further isolate both countries. US officials have warned that arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea are actively advancing, while a report said North Korea’s Kim Jong Un plans to travel to Russia this month to meet President Vladimir Putin and discuss supplying Moscow with weapons for its war effort. | Reuters…

London: The recent coup in Gabon was executed peacefully and appeared to be a “good coup”, with society and business operating as usual, a senior executive from the African Finance Corporation (AFC) said yesterday. “We have significant investments in Gabon and so far ... the assets are safe and everything is operating,” said the AFC’s executive director of financial services, Sanjeev Gupta. Unlike Niger, Gabon has not seen much anti-French, pro-Russian sentiment. Gabon’s military junta yesterday named a former prime minister, Raymond Ndong Sima, as the country’s new interim prime minister. | AFP…