Table of contents for 2023-09-11 in Cape Times

THE NEDLAC performance report spoke of an existential risk to the forum, a view that Business Unity South Africa (Busa) agreed with, Busa CEO Cas Coovadia said. He was commenting on the release of the report at the start of the annual Nedlac Summit on Friday. “It is thus critical for Nedlac to grapple with its role, positioning, mandate, and value-add. Nedlac must ensure it is ‘fit-for-purpose’ to be rele-vant in the current context and the challenges of the next decade,” he said He said Nedlac needed to be a forum for social dialogue and focus on programmes on which there was the greatest scope for collaboration across stakeholders, “instead of being a conflictual platform … Our success during Covid-19 was a sterling example of social compacting,” he said. He…

OUTLAWS has proven to be a hit with local audiences since its launch on Showmax earlier in the week. The new series, South Africa’s first modern-day Western series, tells the story of two families at war with each other: the Zulu, cattle-farming Biyela clan, and the Basotho, cattle-raiding Ts’eoles. Man of the moment Thembinkosi Mthembu, who’s riding the wave of his roles in Adulting, Shaka iLembe and The River, has been the talk of social media since the show premiered earlier in the week. “Thembinkosi Mthembu sana #OutlawsShowmax,” tweeted @tshepiiiim. @mimomokgosi added, “I’m crushing on ThembiNkosi 🥹 #OutlawsShowmax” @nomakhisimusi shared an image of Mthembu, with this comment: “Now we are talking – #OutlawsShowmax I’m definitely watching this!” Some, like @king_tsafendas, expressed their disappointment at the show’s “unnecessary” sex scenes.…

ENERGY experts have lauded the arrest of nine people at the Kusile Power Station for coal theft and fraud. This after eight weighbridge operators employed by Eskom Rotek Industries (ERI), and a coal truck driver were arrested on Thursday. In a statement, the power utility said the suspects were arrested following an investigation by the police and an internal probe by Eskom, into a tip-off that coal haulers would bypass Kusile Power Station without offloading the ordered coal. Eskom spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, said the investigation showed that the weighbridge operators would process transactions without the coal hauler having entered the power station to offload the coal. “Kusile Power Station would, however, be invoiced for the coal ordered but not received. “The theft of coal is a highly organised criminal activity,…

A CENTRAL Karoo ANC regional chairperson who has been placed on step-aside over allegations of fraud and corruption has resigned, and joined another political party. Quinton Louw, who served as regional organiser for several years and the ANC mayor in Beaufort West, announced his resignation on Facebook recently. “After being a member of the ANC for more than 30 years I have decided to leave...my resignation is effective immediately,” he wrote. Louw, who will be joining the Karoo Democratic Force (KDF), said he resigned over concerns that the “political infighting” within the ANC in the Western Cape won't stop in the foreseeable future. “The deputy president of KDF, Mr Izak Jacobs asked me if I was willing to assist in bringing change to our people and I responded to that…

CELEBRATING her second Grand Slam victory at the US Open in New York on Saturday night, South African wheelchair tennis sensation Kgothatso Montjane said she and her doubles partner worked hard to get to the top. Montjane claimed victory in partnership with her Japanese teammate Yui Kamiji, as they won the women's wheelchair doubles title without stepping onto the court, as their opponents were forced to withdraw due to illness. The duo were scheduled to face the top-seeded Dutch pairing of Diede de Groot and Jiske Griffioen in the championship match, but Griffioen had to withdraw due to illness, resulting in a walkover victory for Montjane and Kamiji. The landmark win makes Montjane only the second South African to clinch a US Open wheelchair title after Lucas Sithole achieved the…

THE plight of the endangered Cape parrot, with its green and gold plumage, has been highlighted this Heritage Month as the Cape Parrot Project embarks on forest restoration work to ensure the birds’ survival. “The Cape parrot is strongly associated with Yellowwood forests, which the founding father of democratic South Africa, Nelson Mandela, adored,” said Dr Kirsten Wimberger, project director for the Cape Parrot Project and a trustee of the Wild Bird Trust. “What better way to celebrate our heritage than to encourage businesses to assist in the preservation of the Cape parrot’s habitat. “The Cape parrot depends on the Yellowwood, South Africa’s national tree. “The birds nest in the hollow of Yellowwood trees, they roost communally in Yellowwood forests and their preferred meal is the tough kernel of their…

A CONVICTED drug dealer who was serving out a 16-year imprisonment term has been immediately released, by order of the Western Cape High Court, as the court found her sentence was “shockingly inappropriate”. "We can confirm that our client was immediately released from Oudtshoorn prison on Friday and after a long journey home, she was finally reunited with her children on Saturday evening. We are pleased with the progressive decision and outcome in this matter," said the legal representative for single mother of three children and caregiver, Minkana Makgobo. Makgobo was convicted and sentenced in the Beaufort West Regional Court to 16 years behind bars for drug dealing after she was found in possession of mandrax tablets in her luggage, when the bus she was travelling from Potchefstroom to Mossel…

WHILE a person of interest has been taken in for questioning relating to the double murder of cousins Haafith Umar Majiet and Haafith Tawfeeq Cummings, community structures in Hanover Park have called on residents to allow authorities to do their work. Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg confirmed a man was taken in for questioning. “We are in the process to determine whether he was involved in, or played any role in the double murder. “Should he be positively linked he will appear in Athlone Magistrate’s Court facing charges relating to the double murder,” said Twigg. Majiet, 25, and Cummings, 23, were shot and killed on Wednesday in what the community has labelled a “brutal act”, after the pair was ambushed by an unknown assailant on the corners of Greenturf and Lonedown…

Union reflects on harm it will cause to more than 1 000 employees and their families STANDARD Bank’s decision to abruptly terminate Independent Media and other Sekunjalo Group companies' accounts, including those of the Group’s other media entities, is a travesty of democracy. According to the bank, having these companies as clients poses a reputational risk in the market. It is evident, though, that there is greater risk to Standard Bank’s reputation in not banking the Group, especially its media entities. Had Standard Bank not unbanked the Group, it is doubtful that anyone would have known that any of the Sekunjalo companies banked with it in the first place. However, now that the closure of accounts is imminent – expected on 15th September 2023 – Unions have united in support…

US President Joe Biden hailed closer ties with Vietnam yesterday as the two countries struck a deal to deepen relations and co-operation on strategic supplies in the face of growing competition from China. Biden flew from the G20 summit in New Delhi to meet the leader of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, to sign off on a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, Hanoi’s highest level of diplomatic ties. The goal of the short visit mirrors Biden’s time at the G20 gathering – shoring up support against China’s increasing diplomatic influence, while securing supplies of strategically important resources from friendly countries. “This can be the beginning of even a greater era of co-operation,” Biden said as he met Trong, Vietnam’s paramount leader. “Vietnam and the United States are critical partners at…

Google faces its biggest legal challenge in a Washington court tomorrow, as it fends off accusations from the US government that it acted unlawfully to build its overwhelming dominance of online search. Over 10 weeks of testimony involving more than 100 witnesses, Google will try to persuade a federal judge that the landmark case brought by the Department of Justice is without merit. The trial is the biggest US antitrust case against a big tech company since the same department took on Microsoft more than two decades ago over the dominance of its Windows operating system. “Technology has progressed a lot in 20 years so what results from this case will have a strong bearing on how tech platforms operate in the future,” said John Lopatka, from Penn State’s School…

WARSAW: The Catholic Church yesterday beatified a Polish family of nine, including a new-born baby, who died at the hands of Nazi Germans during World War II for sheltering a Jewish family from the Holocaust. The beatification service for Jozef and Wiktoria Ulma and their seven children was held in the southeastern Polish town of Markowa where they died in March 1944 at the hands of German military police. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro read a letter from Pope Francis during a mass attended by Poland’s president and prime minister. Beatification is the last step before sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church. | Reuters…

LOS ANGELES: Elon Musk and Grimes have secretly welcomed their third child into the world. The on/off couple were known to be parents to three-year-old son X Æ A-12, and daughter Exa Dark Sideræl, 19 months, but a new biography of the Tesla boss – who has fathered eight other children with two women – by journalist Walter Isaacson states that they have also had another son, who is officially named Techo Mechanicus but goes by the name of Tau. In a review of the book Elon Musk, the New York Times said: “Isaacson has ably conveyed that Musk doesn’t truly like pushback… The musician Grimes, the mother of three of Musk’s children, calls his roiling anger ‘demon mode’”. Grimes has said that her older children, X and Y,…

The funeral of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, founder and president emeritus of the IFP and traditional prime minister of the Zulu nation, will take place on Friday, his family announced yesterday. KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube Ncube said there was close communication between her office and the Presidency regarding the arrangements for the funeral. In a statement yesterday, Dube Ncube said the family wanted to accommodate mourners who were streaming in and a daily service would be held at 5pm for those who want to pay their respects. “Communities are encouraged to attend the 5pm service so that they can allow the family private space to prepare for the funeral.” As dignitaries, politicians and long-time friends continue to arrive at Buthelezi’s home, the IFP – the party he formed in 1975 –…

Battle to keep accounts open headed for Equality Court IN AN urgent bid to save the livelihoods of its employees and prevent a looming catastrophe that could lead to a demise of some of the country’s oldest newspapers in the Independent Media group, the black-owned Sekunjalo group will haul Standard Bank to the Equality Court tomorrow to prevent the closure of its accounts. Standard Bank last month indicated its intention to close banking accounts of Sekunjalo-related companies including Independent Media, a decision that could be a devastating blow to more than 30 companies and the livelihoods of over 1000 employees under Sekunjalo, including Independent Media if the latest court bid fails. In turning to the Equality Court, the Sekunjalo Group and its subsidiary companies will seek an interdict against the…

A CAPE vulture that got stuck on a telephone pole, injuring its wing, has been rehabilitated and reunited with its colony in the Cape Agulhas, thanks to a joint initiative between VulPro, CapeNature and Cango Wildlife Ranch. “Within minutes of arriving, the crate was unloaded and carried to an open area. “The door of the crate was slid open, and the incredible bird took flight… instinctively knowing exactly where to go, it flew directly towards its colony. “And just like that, we were left feeling thankful, proud quite simply… overwhelmed,” the conservation organisations jointly said. The vulture was observed stuck on the telephone pole, hanging by its wing on July 31. Between VulPro and CapeNature, a team was dispatched to rescue the animal, and it was taken to the Oakhurst…

THE World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has commended a comprehensive first draft of the global plastic pollution treaty, that sets the stage for upcoming treaty negotiations in Nairobi, Kenya, in November. The draft treaty, also known as the “zero draft”, is the first time countries have outlined what the global plastics treaty should cover. In addition, the draft provided a basis for further discussions on establishing a robust financing mechanism that could support universal implementation in all countries. Zaynab Sadan, regional plastics policy coordinator for Africa, WWF, said: “Adopting a business-as-usual approach will only triple global plastic production by 2040, with devastating effects. “It is imperative that there is an equitable transition into combatting the plastic pollution crisis. “While Africa produces only 5% and consumes just 4% of global…

AT LEAST 77 gender-based violence (GBV) related court cases have been struck off the roll in the province in the last six months. This is according to the Western Cape Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety’s (POCS) Court Watching Briefs (CWB) unit, which found 283 cases monitored at 33 courts linked to 82 police stations across the province, were struck off the court roll. Of the 283 cases, 77 were GBV-related, while the other 206 matters, among others, included assault-grievous bodily harm (GBH), murder, aggravated robbery, possession and dealing in drugs and possession of firearms and ammunition. Of the GBV matters, 22 cases were withdrawn because the dockets were not at court; 48 cases were withdrawn because the investigation was incomplete; three witnesses were not subpoenaed; three accused were…

ACTIVISTS and residents in informal settlements have described the latest R2.78 hike in the price of paraffin as a kick to the vulnerable who are already down. The increase came into effect on Wednesday along with petrol and diesel. Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe had said high prices of petrol were as a result of low inventories and refinery outages. However, the government has been urged to do more to curb high fuel increases. Island informal settlement resident in Khayelitsha, Luleka Menze, said the area did not have electricity, and small businesses and vendors depended on paraffin and gas. “Since we don’t have electricity here, people connected to the nearest area that does and are paying R300 every month, but now there is load shedding and people depend…

The G20 New Delhi leaders’ declaration and its focus on multilateralism offers hope for developing countries that international financial institutions will be reformed and that more cognisance will be paid to global debt vulnerabilities. Leaders of the world’s leading economies met in New Delhi at the weekend to discuss a range of issues from the green development pact for a sustainable future to accelerating progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These are crucial discussions for a new world order and those countries that represent the developing or emerging world stressed that there must be more balance, especially with how decisions are taken by international financial institutions, which historically have operated in a manner that benefited unilateral decision-making and developed nations. The declaration states: “We are working to deliver better,…

The smell of sawdust and popcorn fills the air. The clowns, acrobats and magicians are all in place. As the audience are guided to their seats inside the big top, all the classic elements of the circus are there – except one. The live animals have been replaced by holograms. Due to concerns over animal welfare, Germany’s Roncalli circus stopped using lions and elephants in its shows in 1991. But it went further in 2018 and completely removed live animals from its programme. “It is no longer appropriate for Roncalli to show real animals in the ring,” circus boss Patrick Philadelphia, 49, told AFP. Over the last years, circuses have found themselves increasingly constrained by space. “If you’re setting up in the middle of a marketplace in the centre of…

Ankara: Efforts were under way to rescue a New York cave researcher who has been trapped 3 000 ft underground, the media reported. Mark Dickey, an experienced caver and chief of the New Jersey Initial Response Team, who usually rescues others, fell ill after which an international team of more than 170 rescuers has set up a medical relay system in Türkiye’s third-deepest cave to aid him. Dickey had gastrointestinal bleeding on while on a mapping expedition in the Morca cave. He was given IV fluids and at least four litres of blood. A regional official from the disaster management agency said it would take a healthy person 16 hours to be evacuated from the cave. | IANS…

Marseille: The Ocean Viking, a rescue ship chartered by SOS Mediterranee, rescued 68 stranded migrants in international waters off Libya yesterday, the France-based humanitarian NGO announced. They were rescued from a double-decker wooden boat that left Zouara in Libya last night, the NGO said. “Several of them are suffering from seasickness and are currently being treated by the medical team of SOS Mediterranee and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on board the Ocean Viking.” Italian authorities have ordered the NGO to disembark the survivors at Ancona, a distant port to which the organisation has objected. | AFP…

BERLIN: Prince Harry lost a penalty shoot-out with defence minister Boris Pistorius on German TV without scoring a goal. The Duke of Sussex, in Duesseldorf to open the Invictus Games, took on Pistorius and two athletes in the shoot-out on German late-night television. Harry failed to convert any of his six shots against a modified goal, which included two openings for players to score in the absence of a goalkeeper. Pistorius, a previous minister for sport in the German state of Lower Saxony, converted two of his six attempts. | AFP…

Georgia coach Levan Maisashvili lamented his team’s ill-discipline and imprecision after they opened their sixth World Cup campaign with a 35-15 loss to Australia on Saturday. The Lelos were penalised 14 times in the first half alone and their misery was compounded just before the break when Miriani Modebadze was shown a yellow card for jumping over a ruck to try and slap the ball from the Australian scrumhalf. Despite the absence of the left wing, Georgia started the second half more brightly – but wild passes and dropped balls, leading to turnovers and missed opportunities, restricted them to two tries. “Our goal was to not receive more than eight or nine penalties but maybe we had bad management and the opponent played very well,” Maisashvili told reporters. “The discipline…

THE MINISTER of Electricity Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has placed all his hopes of ending higher stages of load shedding on the misfiring Kusile power station in Witbank, Mpumalanga. Kusile is a multi-billion rand 3 200MW coal-fired power station in which a number of generation units are not operating after a section of the flue-gas desulphurisation duct, which carries emissions from Kusile Unit 1 into a large chimney, collapsed in October 2022, contributing roughly two stages of load shedding. Kusile and Koeberg nuclear power stations are the biggest contributors to the ongoing energy crisis as they have taken at least 3 000MW from Eskom’s generation capacity. Ramokgopa yesterday said he will be visiting Kusile today where he expects to announce the timelines set to return some units back into…

From page 1 villages in the High Atlas, a rugged mountain range where settlements are often remote and where many houses crumbled. More tremors with a magnitude of 4.5 were felt yesterday morning in Marrakesh and surrounding areas. South African humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers yesterday said its search and rescue and medical teams were on standby to respond on condition that the head of state made an announcement requesting international assistance. Caroline Holt, the global director of operations for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said in a statement that “the next 24 to 48 hours will be critical in terms of saving lives.”…

AS RESCUE efforts continue in Morocco following the deadly earthquake near Marrakesh, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) said no South Africans have been affected at this stage. This is after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Morocco on Friday night, with the epicentre reportedly being near the town of Ighil in Al Haouz Province. While more than 2 000 people died, Dirco spokesperson Clayson Monyela said that South Africa was monitoring developments while keeping in touch with authorities. “We continue to maintain contact. At this stage we have not been alerted to any South Africans that have been affected. According to Reuters, many people spent nights in the open with relief workers facing the challenge of reaching the most badly affected To page 2…

THE conservation sector and fishery industry representatives for the east coast pelagic fisheries have reached an agreement on prioritising areas for penguin conservation around St. Croix Island and Bird Island in Algoa Bay. The organisations represented by BirdlifeSA, WWF, the Endangered Wildlife Trust and scientists from Nelson Mandela University, together with lead representatives from the Eastern and Southern Cape Pelagic Association, have agreed to exclude fishing in 42.17% and 93% of core penguin foraging areas around the islands respectively. “The representatives from the various organisations are congratulated and thanked for their investment in offering compromise and reaching consensus. “All representatives found common ground in prioritising a healthy and sustainably-used Algoa Bay ecosystem. Such stakeholder-owned decisions are a first prize in environmental management and is welcomed,” said Forestry, Fisheries and the…

THE Western Cape High Court has granted the Hawks’ Bellville Asset Forfeiture Investigation team a preservation order to withhold lavish furniture costing more than R45 000, belonging to an accused cash-in-transit(CIT) suspect. Thembelane Ntoyeke, 53, appeared in the Thembalethu Magistrate’s Court in George, facing robbery and money laundering charges after being arrested in connection with a heist. Hawks spokesperson, Siyabulela Vukubi, said the matter was postponed to November 1, 2023. According to Vukubi, an investigation had ensued after a cash security vehicle was robbed of about R4 million. “On January 5, 2021, members of the Hawks reacted to information after an alleged cash-in-transit heist robbery occurred at Fresh Fruit market. Investigations led the team to an individual who was reported to have loads of cash in his possession. “An…

A NEW phenomenon in geopolitical and foreign affairs rivalry seems to have emerged in 2023 – that of Summitfare - and it is beguiling low-and-medium-income countries (LMICs) especially in Asia and Africa into a false sense of security, ego-massaged by promises and pledges of equitable finance, investment and socio-political support on the global stage. In reality the LMICs seem to be sleepwalking into a game of diplomatic thrones pitting the West against the Russian and Chinese spheres of influence driven by a naivety that LMICs can have their cake and eat it. Some such as India, Saudi Arabia and the UAE probably can, but they are just as vulnerable to the vagaries of intrigue, shifting allegiances and global uncertainties, and their own attention-seeking hubris. In 2023, eight major international Summits…

The G20 summit in New Delhi ended yesterday as India handed over the bloc presidency to Brazil, while both the US and Russia praised a consensus that did not condemn Moscow for the war in Ukraine but called on members to shun the use of force. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the group’s leaders to hold a virtual meeting in November to review progress on policy suggestions and goals announced at the weekend. “It is our responsibility to look at the suggestions that have been made to see how progress can be accelerated,” he said in a statement. On Saturday, the group adopted a Leaders’ Declaration that avoided condemning Russia for the war but highlighted the human suffering the conflict had caused and called on all states not to…

At least 40 people were killed and dozens injured yesterday in air strikes in the south of Sudan’s capital Khartoum, local activists said, as the war nears the end of its fifth month. The revised toll means yesterday’s raid was one of the deadliest single attacks in the war that erupted in April between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. “Military aircraft bombarded the Qouro market area,” said the local resistance committee, one of many groups that used to organise pro-democracy protests and now provides assistance during the war. “The number of victims of the Quoro market massacre” had risen to 40 by the afternoon, the committee said, revising its previous toll of 30 killed. The committee…

Stockholm: The family of a Swedish EU diplomat held captive in Iran for over 500 days called yesterday for his release, as he marked his birthday in a Tehran jail. “Today on Johan’s 33rd birthday, he should be with us celebrating,” the family of Johan Floderus said. Floderus was arrested on April 17, 2022 at Tehran’s airport. The Swede, who had been working in Brussels for the EU delegation to Afghanistan as a programme officer since September 2021, is being held at Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. Several capitals have accused Iran of practising “hostage diplomacy” – arresting Western nationals to obtain concessions such as the release of detained Iranians. | AFP…

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mali’s military ruler, Assimi Goita, yesterday advocated a political settlement in Niger, where the coup leaders have accused France of planning a “military intervention”. Mali has shifted to Russia since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021. The political crisis in Niger sparked by a coup d’etat on July 26 should be resolved “through political and diplomatic means”, the Kremlin said. Niger’s military rulers accused France of assembling troops, war materials and equipment in neighbouring countries with a view to “military intervention” in the Sahel state. | AFP…