Table of contents for 2023-09-19 in Cape Times

The term plant-based has become more popular over the past few years. If you are unfamiliar with it, this style of eating is one that celebrates vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and plant-based proteins such as beans and lentils. Courtesy of Fairview, here are some easy plant-based recipes you will want to make again and again. No-bake cheesecake Servings: 3 Ingredients 1 tsp agar agar 1 cup plant-based milk 250g Fairview plant-based cream cheese 5 tbs coconut yoghurt 1 tsp lemon or lime juice 65g maple syrup 1 tsp vanilla extract 120g vegan granola Topping 250g fruit dessert topping Fresh fruit (optional) Method Dissolve agar agar in cold plant-based milk. Bring the milk to a boil and then transfer it to a food processor. Add the plant-based cream cheese, coconut yoghurt,…

A HUSBAND who had “recklessly” spent money from the joint estate belonging to him and his wife, whom he is now divorcing, will forfeit his half of his soon-to-be ex-wife’s Government Employees Pension Fund payout. While the man is said to have been a cheating and abusive husband, the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria did not grant the forfeiture order based on that. The judge found that the husband squandered his and his wife’s joint assets during their marriage by transacting in clandestine, questionable business dealings. From that fact alone, it would be a gross injustice to the wife to depreciate her pension fund any more than the patrimonial assets of the joint estate had been diminished and indebted by the husband, the court said. The wife said she only later…

A MEMBER of the ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) in the Western Cape is in hot water after he was again ordered to step aside in line with the party’s rule, which requires members to step down from leadership positions while facing criminal prosecution. Sabelo Mahlati, who is the former Boland regional secretary, was ordered to step aside on Friday while the party looked into the status of his criminal prosecution. Mahlathi and former Cederberg Municipality manager Ian Kenned were arrested on fraud and corruption charges on October 2, 2020. They both made their first appearance before the Clanwilliam Magistrate’s Court days later. The Cape Times heard that provincial secretary Neville Delport informed the PEC meeting on Friday that Mahlathi had been on step-aside for the past two years. The…

1 large onion 1 large tomato, grated 2 tbs vegetable oil 1 tsp peri-peri chilli spice 1 tsp crushed garlic 2 tubs chicken livers, thawed 1 tsp chicken spice ¼ cup Nestlé Cremora Original On a clean cutting board, cut the onions into small cubes Place a large pan with vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions, chilli spice and garlic. Sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the chicken livers to the pan and season with the chicken spice. Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes or until the livers have seared on all sides. In the meantime, dissolve the Nestlé Cremora Original in ½ cup of warm water. Add the grated tomatoes and the dissolved Cremora into the pan and mix through. Allow the chicken liver to…

AS THE cost of damages caused by the spring tide at the weekend continued to climb in the Western and Eastern Cape yesterday, freight rail operator Transnet has suspended its movement of manganese into Gqeberha, after a rail link into the Port of Port Elizabeth washed away. Transnet said the rough seas washed away parts of the railway track for at least 500m and left at least 1km of large rocks, debris and sand on the track. “This has heavily impacted the manganese flow into Gqeberha as train movements are temporarily suspended. “Transnet Freight Rail is exploring other contingencies, including utilising the Port Elizabeth station as a bypass into and out of the port, although such a method will result in a reduced operation. “The adverse sea conditions have not…

BABOON activists are reeling in shock after the matriarch of the CT2 troop in Constantia had to be euthanised following a dog attack. The Chacma baboon named Big Mama had to be put down after she was mauled by two dogs when she entered a private property on Friday. According to baboon activist group Baboon Matters, the mother of a five-month-old baby was euthanised with the help of the Cape of Good Hope (CoGH) SPCA. Group spokesperson, Jenni Trethowan, said they were devastated. “Big Mama was brutally mauled by two dogs on Friday at lunchtime. The team worked so collaboratively and with so much commitment, leading to a successful trap caging and we were so grateful she was on the way to the CoGH SPCA for a vet’s attention. “The…

IT IS often difficult to imagine how communities in other parts of the world are experiencing the effects of climate change. You may have heard about the water shortages in Rustenburg, South Africa, and the severe flooding in the state of Kentucky, in the US. We are bringing learners into the conversation, and into relationships with one another to provide a way of making climate change matter. Learners in primary school are at an age where they are keenly interested in understanding the world around them and are able to begin to engage in discussions around the issue of climate change. We feel strongly that it is time for Climate Action (Sustainable Development Goal 13) through education. Through our local and international research project, we are capacitating teachers to integrate…

FIVE US citizens left Iran and landed in Doha yesterday in a prisoner swap for five Iranians held in the US and the transfer of $6 billion (about R114bn) in Iranian funds in a rare deal between the long-time antagonists. “Today, five innocent Americans who were imprisoned in Iran are finally coming home,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement, adding they “will soon be reunited with their loved ones – after enduring years of agony, uncertainty and suffering.” It was unclear whether the exchange might bring progress on the many issues that divide the two nations, including Iran’s nuclear programme, its support for regional Shia militias, the presence of US troops in the Gulf and US sanctions on Iran. A plane sent by mediator Qatar flew the five…

UN agencies warned yesterday that Libya’s flood-stricken city of Derna, where thousands were killed a week ago, faces the threat of disease outbreaks that could bring “a second devastating crisis”. The massive flash flood that has killed over 3 000 people and left thousands more missing came as the war-scarred North African country was lashed by the hurricane-strength Storm Daniel on September 10. Traumatised residents, 30 000 of whom are now homeless, badly need clean water, food and basic supplies amid a growing risk of cholera, diarrhoea, dehydration and malnutrition, UN agencies warn. “Teams from nine UN agencies have been on the ground delivering aid and support to those affected by Storm Daniel and the flash flooding for the past few days,” said the UN Support Mission in Libya. But…

Kyiv: Ukraine said yesterday its forces had recaptured small clutches of land from Russian forces along the southern front and near Bakhmut, regions where Kyiv’s troops have focused their slow-moving counter-offensive. Kyiv launched its bid to wrest back territory controlled by Moscow in June, after stockpiling Western-supplied weapons and recruiting assault battalions. It has focused on the war-battered town of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, as well as several points along the frontline in the south, towards Crimea. This came after Kyiv said its forces had retaken Klishchiivka, which was captured by Russian forces in May. | AFP…

Washington: Nine youths who broke out of a juvenile detention centre in Pennsylvania were recaptured, US police said yesterday, four of them knocking on a stranger’s door after a night on the run. The incident was the latest involving a detention facility in the state, where a massive manhunt last week captured murderer Danilo Cavalcante who spent 13 days evading authorities. Four of the youths, after wandering in thick woods to avoid a police cordon, gave themselves up by banging on a stranger’s front door. The other five stole a vehicle and were in a brief chase with police before being detained. | AFP…

Assistant coach Deon Davids has confirmed that Springbok bruiser Eben Etzebeth will be at the heart of the engine room for Saturday’s crunch clash with Ireland in Pool B of the World Cup. Davids looked slightly irritated yesterday when asked if Etzebeth would be part of the action at the Stade de France (9pm kickoff). “We have been saying for some time that Eben’s shoulder injury (picked up in the first game against Scotland in Marseille) was a seven-to-10-day injury, and over seven days have passed,” Davids said. “He has reacted to treatment and will definitely be considered for selection.” The forwards coach endorsed SA director of rugby Rassie Erasmus’ comment that Deon Fourie, in particular, can more than do the job at hooker as cover for Bongi Mbonambi. “Deon…

It is a little too early in the season to term this week the litmus test of Mamelodi Sundowns’ credentials as South Africa’s best team. Yet there can be no denying that the next four days are sure to play a very important role in determining whether the Brazilians go on to be local football’s most dominant team once again, as they have been in the past six seasons. Sundowns will play back-to-back matches against Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs in the Premiership and the MTN8 tomorrow night (7.30pm kickoff) and Saturday respectively, and are aware that success in both will set them up for a potentially great season. Beat Pirates at Orlando Stadium tomorrow night, and the team that have been local league champions for the last six seasons…

Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is still very much in the running to be part of India’s World Cup campaign despite being left out of the provisional squad, skipper Rohit Sharma said. Kuldeep Yadav was picked as the lone specialist spinner in India’s initial 15-member squad for the World Cup on home soil, along with spin-bowling all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. When Patel suffered an injury ahead of Sunday’s Asia Cup final in Colombo, India turned to Washington Sundar as a replacement and not 37-year-old Ashwin. In the end, off-spinner Sundar did not get the chance to bowl as India bundled out Sri Lanka in 15.2 overs en route to a 10-wicket romp. Rohit said Sundar’s selection was in no way further proof that Ashwin, who played the last of…

NASPERS and its Dutch-based subsidiary Prosus, which have drawn investor criticism for more than two years due to, among other reasons, a complex restructuring, said suddenly yesterday that CEO Bob van Dijk would step down after 10 years of leadership. Van Dijk became Naspers CEO in 2014 and headed Prosus since its 2019 listing. Ervin Tu, the group chief investment officer, was appointed Interim CEO. Van Dijk planned to assist with the transition and remain as a consultant to the boards until September 30, 2024. Although Naspers and Prosus’ formal announcements did not provide reasons for Van Dijk’s departure, Prosus said in response to a Business Report query that: “Bob and the board mutually agreed it was the right time for Bob to step down and to bring a…

WHILE Postbank said it had “fully corrected” payments owed to Sassa beneficiaries following a technical glitch two weeks ago that prevented the distribution of grants, human rights organisation Black Sash, said the impact was still being felt. “Black Sash are still encountering beneficiaries who can’t access their funds, however, this is decreasing, we can only comment according to the pay sites we visit,” said spokesperson, Angie Richardson. “This means we don't have a full view of the number of beneficiaries who may still be struggling. “What we are also seeing is an escalating number of beneficiaries changing their payment details to a commercial bank account due to the fear that next month there may be more issues with their Sassa gold card account.” Postbank spokesperson, Bongani Diako, said 600 000…

The proposed Tobacco Products Control Bill continues to face mixed reactions and concerns about the government’s ability to enforce the new regulations. Limpopo was the latest province to sit down with the National Assembly committee on health as it conducted public sessions on the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill. It was held at the Nkowankowa Community Hall in Tzaneen this past weekend, and residents expressed mixed reactions to the bill, with concerns about the inability of the state to enforce the existing legislation on tobacco products due to inadequate capacity. Some residents supported the push for stringent enforcement measures, especially those seeking to curb sale of tobacco products to young people. Those against the bill said the implementation of the current legislation on tobacco products had already…

MUNICIPALITIES incurred about R1.1 billion in overtime payments and spent R1.6bn to fix infrastructure damaged or stolen during load shedding. These are some of the findings contained in an assessment conducted by the SA Local Government Association (Salga) into the impact of load shedding on municipalities. The findings were referenced by Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Thembi Nkadimeng in her response to parliamentary questions from DA MP Jacobus Frederik Smalle. Smalle had asked whether Cogta undertook any assessment of the cost incurred by municipalities for electrical and water infrastructure damage as a direct impact of load shedding. He also asked for the reasons municipalities failed to protect their assets as required by legislation, and the assistance Cogta gave to the municipalities. In her response, Nkadimeng said her department…

An accused romance scammer from Nigeria alleged to have conned three women, including a 74-year-old, out of a collective R1.3 million has been nabbed thanks to the collaborative efforts of a private investigating company and the Hawks. Using fake photographs, the man posed as a Lebanese national named “Howard Gibson Wayne” on social media. He wooed his victims with a lie that he owned a house in Camps Bay and was a highly successful engineer engaged in multimillion-dollar construction projects. The victims of the romance scam, aged 55, 56 and 74, were retired, semi-retired, and seeking companionship and love online. They were from Melkbosstrand, Killarney and one lived abroad. Private investigating company Royal Investigators said they were approached by one of the victims last month. They said one of the…

WHILE pensioners faced a crisis over unpaid grants last week, more than a 100 experts on information and communications technology attended the GovTech 2023 conference in Durban, ironically to look at the “adoption of technologies that can both shape our digital future and drive a new way of work and service delivery improvement”. More than 600 000 social grant recipients could not buy food and were pushed towards loan sharks to survive after Postbank mismanagement which had led to a failure to pay service providers. This was sparked by a rushed decision to appoint a new contractor. On September 5, the day 20 million grant transactions were meant to pay recipients, the system crashed and the new payment system, apparently tested on only 1 000 accounts, could not deal with…

Charles III finally makes it across the Channel from Britain to France this week, six months after rioting and strikes forced the last-minute postponement of his first state visit as king. The 74-year-old British head of state’s rescheduled three-day trip to Paris and Bordeaux with his wife Queen Camilla, 76, starts tomorrow, with the itinerary largely unchanged from March. It includes set-piece ceremonial events with President Emmanuel Macron, whose unpopular pension reforms sparked the civil unrest earlier this year, as well as more informal meetings with the public. The royal couple, Macron and his wife Brigitte will be officially welcomed at the Arc de Triomphe and lay wreaths of remembrance before a procession down the Champs-Élysées avenue. The French leader and First Lady will host Charles and Camilla at a…

Serious violations were still being committed in Ethiopia despite a peace deal in the north, UN rights experts said yesterday, warning that the conflict was spreading across the country and putting regional stability at risk. “Atrocities, war crimes and crimes against humanity are still being committed in the country,” the UN-backed investigators said. Last year, a peace deal between Ethiopia’s federal government and rebels in the Tigray region ostensibly ended a brutal two-year conflict. “While the signing of the agreement may have mostly silenced the guns, it has not resolved the conflict in the north of the country, in particular in Tigray,” said Mohamed Chande Othman, head of the UN-backed Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia. “Nor has it brought about any comprehensive peace,” he said in Geneva, presenting…

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and MPs paid tribute yesterday to India’s parliament on the eve of its shift from a British colonial-era building to a new complex. Built before India’s 1947 independence, the old parliament witnessed the tortuous birth of the republic. Now it is to become a museum, its 788 members moving to a new, triangular-shaped complex as part of a $2.4 billion (about R45bn) rebuild of institutions with a more Indian identity. In May, Modi inaugurated the new parliament, part of a redevelopment of the Central Vista complex in New Delhi. The new, larger four-storey building can seat 1 272. | Reuters…

Istanbul: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged tech tycoon Elon Musk to open his next Tesla factory in Türkiye, becoming the latest leader to lobby one of the world’s richest men. Erdogan and Musk have held a string of meetings both in Türkiye and on the sidelines of international forums. Turkish TV yesterday showed Musk entering New York’s Turkish House, a new skyscraper across from the UN building, with his 3-year-old son, whom he held on his lap during the talks. “President Erdogan called on Tesla to establish its seventh factory in Turkey,” the Turkish leader’s office said. Musk told Erdogan that his country was “among the most important candidates” for the new factory. Tesla has six factories, including two outside the US one in Shanghai and a…

LOVe it or hate it, corned beef in a tin can be found in many households in South Africa. One of the popular ways to serve it is braised in onions and tomatoes. However, the tricky part of the tinned corn beef is how to get it out of the can. It comes with its own unique key. That’s why TikToker @nomthandazo_kawule refers to it as the “beef with a key”. She posted a video of herself braising corned beef while talking about how she doesn’t trust it. She starts off by telling viewers that there’s one thing she doesn’t eat and that’s “the beef with a key”. “You want to tell me that you are okay with unlocking your food before you eat it?” she said as she cooked…

THE SA Local Government Association (Salga) has raised concern that councillors were being murdered despite reporting threats to their lives. This, after Vredenburg ANC councillor Arthur Gqeba, was shot and killed outside his home on Saturday. Gqeba had arrived home after visiting a friend, when a gunman approached and shot him in the head and chest. He had reported on several occasions that he received death threats, and he survived two assassination attempts. His colleague and Vredenburg ANC councillor, Theresa Le Roux-Rossouw, alleged the Saldanha Bay Municipality removed his security detail in December, saying there was no longer a threat to his life. The municipality declined to comment yesterday. Salga president, Bheki Stofile, said it was upsetting that Gqeba was killed. “When a councillor comes to the state with death…

Owner says this was for medical assistance A SOMERSET East farmworker in the Eastern Cape had a narrow escape when she was attacked by the farm owner’s Bull Terriers while watering grass in the garden at the weekend. Willem Nel’s R1 000 offer to farmworker Maybel ‘Miesie’ Tiervlei to seek medical attention following the attack has left farmworker rights groups fuming and calling on the employer to take responsibility for the incident. It is believed this was the second time the 56 year old was bitten by the dogs. She sustained open wounds on her leg and bruises on her body from the incident at the weekend. Speaking to the Cape Times yesterday, Farmworkers Dialogue Movement chairperson, Vuyisile Sikani accused Nel of saying to workers that they “should not open…

COMMUNITY health-care workers in the Northern Cape have given the provincial health department until next Monday to increase their stipends, which they say was promised five months ago. A group of workers protested at the James Exum Building in Du Toit Span Road in Kimberley, demanding a R1 000 increase, from R4 058 to R5 058. People’s Health Movement co-ordinator, Tinashe Njanji, said community health-care workers in the Northern Cape were the “lowest paid” in the country. “Our remuneration does not reflect the importance of our duty as community health-care workers. The department is holding our increments yet the cost of living has gone up drastically. “Earlier this year Statistics SA announced that the annual rate of increase in food and beverage prices surged to 13.6% in February 2023, the…

TWO State witnesses in the murder of their mother and father when they were 13 and 15 years old will testify in-camera at the Western Cape High Court, despite now being adults. Testifying in the trial against alleged Terrible Josters gang leader, Elton Lenting and 19 others, the witnesses will also not be named to protect their identities. Lenting and his co-accused face 145 criminal charges, including the murder of the witnesses’ parents. They are further charged with attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms, drug possession, drug trafficking, kidnapping, assault, arson and theft committed between March 2002 and January 2017. In the witnesses’ application to have the matter heard in-camera, the judgment read: “In the context of Section 154(3) of the Child Protection Act (CPA), the court held that a…

If you build the capacity of caregivers, they become the agents of change IN RECENT months many case studies and learning briefs used concepts such as “innovation” and “scaling” to encourage creativity among social-purpose organisations to improve and broaden their services. In the face of growing social degradation, rampant lawlessness, senseless killings of people on our streets, and young children getting caught up in the crossfire of gang and turf wars makes living in townships difficult for people. As a result of what is happening on the streets, families and communities are increasingly becoming vulnerable and in need of support. We have seen how quickly civil society can respond to emergencies when fires ravage informal settlements or tornadoes (wind spouts) rip through sections of communities and flatten homes and organisations…

US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden sued the US Internal Revenue Service yesterday, alleging unlawful disclosure of his taxes by whistleblowers who work for the US tax agency. The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, focused on statements by IRS agents Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler in media interviews amid a long-running investigation by House of Representatives Republicans into the younger Biden’s taxes and business dealings. Hunter Biden, 53, is at the centre of a political maelstrom, as House Republicans mount an impeachment inquiry against his father focused on alleged ties between his business practices and his father’s policies during his father’s tenure as vice-president from 2009 to 2017. They have so far presented no evidence showing that the elder Biden profited from…

KHARTOUM: One of Sudan’s main landmarks, a skyscraper that towered over the River Nile and housed the headquarters of a major oil company, has been reduced to a smouldering wreck amid heavy fighting between rival military factions in the capital. The Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company head office was built during an oil boom before South Sudan declared independence in 2011, and was one of Sudan’s most costly constructions. Flames and smoke rose from the building in Khartoum, close to areas fought over by Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF accused the army of targeting the tower along with other important buildings. | Reuters…

London: Police in London yesterday said they had received a report of alleged sexual assault, after media revelations about the British comedian and actor Russell Brand. A joint investigation by The Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4 television on Saturday published claims from four women of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse against Brand. Brand, 48, denied the allegations, which are said to have taken place between 2006 and 2013. The Times and Sunday Times yesterday said more women had come forward to make claims about his behaviour in the early 2000s. The revelations come amid criticism of how sexual assault cases are handled in the UK. | AFP…