Table of contents for 2023-11-02 in Cape Times

CAPE Town witnessed MaXhosa Africa’s leap into the future as the SS23/24 collection was showcased at Zeitz MOCAA. In a mesmerising display, the fashion house breathed life into a vision of tomorrow, drawing inspiration from African folklore, spirituality, and intertwining it with elements of astrology. This showcase not only presents MaXhosa Africa’s latest collection but also marks the initiation of a significant partnership between the fashion brand and the museum. MaXhosa has added its distinctive touch to the Zeitz MOCAA member’s lounge by incorporating MaXhosa homeware into the decor. Serving as the cosmic gateway for models descending as futuristic explorers, the museum’s central glass elevators set the stage for the show. The collection introduced several stand-out pieces poised to become timeless classics for the brand, including panelled knit dresses and…

MORE than 60 municipalities have submitted applications for Eskom debt relief arrangements as at last month. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said they had received a total 67 applications, after government had invited municipalities to apply for debt relief to cover its arrears owed to Eskom up to March 31. The plan is to write off the debt over a three-year period, provided that municipalities comply with the set conditions that include enforcing credit control and collecting revenue to pay bulk expenses such as electricity and water and the up-to-date payment of Eskom’s monthly current account. Municipalities that fail to meet the conditions will need to repay the remainder of their arrear debt to Eskom, including interest and penalties. Godongwana said addressing the Eskom problem without dealing with the municipal non-payment…

NEWLY-appointed Public Protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka will need to work extra hard to prove her fitness for the position. This is according to Stellenbosch University’s School of Public Leadership director Professor Zwelinzima Ndevu, after President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Gcaleka to the position with effect from yesterday, for a non-renewable term of seven years. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said: “The President wishes Advocate Gcaleka well in her position and trust that she will serve the people of South Africa with honour and dedication.” The National Assembly voted in support of Gcaleka’s appointment last month with 244 votes in her favour. Her predecessor Busisiwe Mkhwebanewas impeached in September this year. Ndevu said: “The fact that she received very low support from Parliament in comparison to her predecessors means that she needs to…

SOUTH African politics is dangerous, desperate and deadly. There you have it. The three most prevalent aspects about our sector of politics, and that’s no joke. This sector was trusted by three generations of activists to lead our Struggle for freedom, and did so successfully. The fine print to that arrangement, unknown to the activist core, was that the sector of politics, when all was set and done, emerged superior to the Constitution of the Republic. The three pillars upon which our Constitution rests are the legislature, formed by the sector of politics exclusively. The executive, from the sector of politics. And the judiciary, selected, appointed, paid, and beholden to the sector of politics. This, by the way, is not a checkmate, it is a coup-d’état orchestrated in a rather…

MULTIPLE fires have ripped through informal settlements across the City, leaving nearly 1 000 people displaced and two people killed, in the space of six days. The fires in Langa, Dunoon and Khayelitsha claimed at least three lives. The City’s Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson, Quinton Leon, said firefighters responded to Joe Slovo in Winnie Mandela Street, Langa just after 2am yesterday and battled a blaze until 5.12 am. “Resources on scene were four fire engines, five water tankers, one rescue vehicle and 33 fire personnel. All persons were accounted for. The cause of the fire is still unknown,” said Leon. Disaster Risk Management spokesperson Charlotte Powell said assessments had been completed which revealed that the blaze destroyed 60 structures and 200 people have been affected. At the same time,…

Red flags raised in several Road Accident Fund (RAF) claims by a Pretoria attorney – where it is alleged that he issued claims, in some instances forging the signatures of claimants – caused the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, to step in to safeguard the public coffers. The RAF turned to the court for urgent interim relief to stay the operation of all the writs issued against it by attorney Ntshosa Madiba and his firm. The writs were to execute on court orders – running into millions payable by the fund – obtained by Madiba and his firm, on behalf of their clients, against the RAF. The RAF also asked the court to interdict the sheriff from removing its movable property or selling its property pursuant to any writ of execution…

BRITAIN’S King Charles III met Kenyan veterans of World War II yesterday, after acknowledging there was “no excuse” for colonial-era abuses during Britain’s rule of the country. Charles said he wished to “deepen my own understanding of these wrongs” during his four-day state visit to Kenya with Queen Camilla, but also to bolster “a modern partnership of equals facing today’s challenges”. There have been widespread calls for Charles to formally apologise to a country Britain violently ruled for decades before Kenya’s hard-fought independence in 1963. On his first day in Nairobi on Tuesday, the 74-year-old British head of state said the “wrongdoings of the past are a cause of the greatest sorrow and the deepest regret”, but stopped short of an apology. “There were abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence…

A rapidly intensifying storm was set to batter north-west Europe yesterday and today, unleashing severe winds, heavy rainfall and flooding. The UK Met Office has named the system Ciarán, and it was expected to hit Britain and France hard, while its southern fringe also will affect Spain, Portugal and other parts of southern and central Europe. In Britain, the ‘extreme storm’ could rank among the strongest in records that date back 200 years. In Ireland, the concern was for up to 10cm of rainfall causing flooding before Ciarán arrives. Southern parts of the UK are bracing for strong winds gusting between 104.6km/h and 128.8km/h. In France, a rare “sting jet” could blast the north-west coastline with winds gusting 144km/h to 160.9km/h. Up to 100mm of rain is expected in…

ASTANA: French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday said he wanted to “accelerate co-operation” with Kazakhstan as part of a visit to boost France’s footprint in Central Asia. The French leader is on a two-day visit to the resource-rich region, where Russia, China, Türkiye and Europe want influence. Macron acknowledged the “geopolitical pressures” on Kazakhstan, which borders Russia to its north and China to its east. Macron and Kazakhstan’s president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a series of contracts in the minerals,energy, pharmaceuticals and aerospace sectors. France is the fifth-biggest foreign investor in Kazakhstan, ahead of China. | AFP…

Tokyo: Eight people spent the night in an unheated train in chilly northern Japan after the vehicle hit a bear, authorities said yesterday, as the country grapples with a rise in bear-related incidents. The number of bear attacks on people is sharply higher this year, with experts blaming a poor acorn harvest forcing the animals to search further afield for food. The small train on the island of Hokkaido collided with the 1.8m-tall bear in the city of Furano this week. The accident put the train out of action and those on board were advised not to leave until hunters arrived to check there were no other bears. The bear was found dead and removed by rail employees. | AFP…

Fresh from their Carling Knockout round of 16 triumph over hosts Chippa United, Stellenbosch FC are fancying their chances against Polokwane City. Polokwane will host Stellenbosch in a quarter-final clash at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium tomorrow night (7.30pm kick-off). Polokwane will be in an equally buoyant mood after they produced the most convincing result in the round of 16, where they trounced the highly fancied SuperSport United 4-1. Polokwane’s giant-killing act does not faze Stellies captain Deano van Rooyen, though. “We’re going to Polokwane to win this match,” said Van Rooyen. “The mood has been good in camp, and everyone is excited. “Picking up the win away from home against Chippa United has given us a boost heading into these quarter-finals. “We know it is going to be a…

The Lions travel to Treviso in Italy this week with two objectives – the one more important than the other. The Joburgers will look to end their winless run in the United Rugby Championship (URC) this season after two narrow losses, and in so doing, keep their unbeaten record against Benetton intact on Sunday (3.30pm kick-off). The Lions are yet to lose to the Italian franchise. They beat them 37-22 at Ellis Park last year, and then earlier this year won 32-28 away. Benetton have had a better start to the new campaign than the Lions, however, narrowly winning their opening match against Cardiff and then drawing against the mighty Munster a week later. As pointed out by Lions assistant coach Jaque Fourie, the Italians have tweaked their game…

NEARLY R100 billion has been allocated to cover the costs of the public service wage bill for the next three years, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has confirmed. Tabling the medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS) yesterday, Godongwana, however, emphasised that budget adjustments were targeted to “protect critical front line services”, including basic education, health and the police services. A strategic decision had been made, the minister said, to allocate funds to sectors that were personnel heavy such as health, education and police services. “Additional funding of R24 billion this year and R74 billion over the medium term will be used to fund the 2023-24 wage increase and the associated carry-through costs in these sectors. “Most national and provincial departments will absorb the carry-through costs of the 2023 public…

Getting rid of duplication of executive functions, closing of ineffective programmes and consolidation of departments and institutions are set to commence over the medium term to ensure “greater efficiency” as the government proceeds with the reconfiguration of the state. According to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s 2023 medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS), the government believed there were important opportunities for deeper reforms. “The 2024 budget review will propose to scale down outdated and unproductive programmes and entities,” reads the MTBPS. Tabling the MTBPS, Godongwana said the 2024 Budget would propose measures to reconfigure government programmes based on the outcomes of the previous spending reviews conducted in 2020-21 and 2021-22. “Over the last three years the National Treasury has conducted a series of spending reviews. “In many cases, these reviews have highlighted…

FINANCE Minister Enoch Godongwana has put his foot down on bailouts for ailing state-owned entities (SOEs), including beleaguered Transnet, as the entities now have to first comply with certain strict conditions. Responding to questions at a closed media meeting before tabling the medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS), Godongwana said he was unaware of a bailout in the mini-budget. He then asked director-general Duncan Pieterse to confirm this. Pieterse said: “We don’t, you are correct, Minister.” The 2023 MTBPS states that weak economic growth had compounded the poor financial position of most SOEs since 2019. “Many companies are unable to attract funding at favourable rates and terms and rely on fiscal funding for support,” reads the MTBPS. The MTBPS noted Transnet continued to experience weak profitability and deteriorating liquidity due to…

IT’S very interesting that the same country whose leader had made it possible for the Jews to return to the land of Israel in biblical times now seeks to destroy it and to annihilate its people, albeit through terrorist proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah. The tomb of Cyrus the Great, who issued the famous Edict of Restoration in antiquity which allowed the Jews to return to their land while in exile, still stands today in Pasargadae in modern Iran. It was Cyrus, the Persian king, who had issued the Edict of Restoration which allowed the Jews to return to the land of Israel. The tomb had been vandalised centuries ago but was restored by Alexander the Great who was an admirer of Cyrus. What is…

A YOUNG beekeeper from the West Coast’s St Helena Bay, Dawid Rooifontein, has clinched a top award at one of the world’s leading honey shows. He came first in the international honey category at the UK’s National Honey Show on October 27 and 28. Another Western Cape beekeeper, Audrey De Jongh of Cape Town, came third in the category. De Jongh’s entry was a complex natural blend of eucalyptus and fynbos honey. Cape Town’s Roxanne Norris also received a commendation for her citrus honey, while Achmat Kazie from Somerset West was commended for his display of honey and beeswax products. In response to their performance, Western Cape Bee Industry Association chairperson Chris Nicklin, said: “The results from the UK national honey show demonstrate the exceptional quality of our honey –…

THE R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant has been extended until March 2025. “The Covid-19 social relief of distress grant will be extended for another year until March 2025 while the government considers social security policy reforms and a funding model,” Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said. He made the announcement while tabling the 2023 medium-term budget statement (MTBPS) yesterday. “R34 billion is allocated to extend the Covid-19 social relief of distress grant by another year. Over the medium term, a provisional allocation is retained while a comprehensive review of the entire social grant system is finalised,” the minister said. Godongwana said a policy decision was yet to be made on the grant and no funding had been agreed to. “For this reason, the 2023 budget reiterated that any extension…

AN unsuspecting audience listening to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Monday address could be forgiven for concluding that he only came into government long after Jacob Zuma had exited the Union Buildings. He would like to have the public believe that his hands, insofar as state capture is concerned, are clean, judging by how he absolves himself whenever he gets the platform. Perhaps it’s stating the obvious when we remind the reader that Ramaphosa was Zuma’s right-hand man for nine years, the same period he often claims state capture took place. So it took place under his nose. If he were to be believed in saying he was not aware of it, it means he was either complacent or did not do his job well – or both. But none of these…

Britain yesterday published a “Bletchley Declaration”, agreed with countries including the US and China, aimed at boosting global efforts to co-operate on artificial intelligence (AI) safety. The declaration, by 28 countries in total, was published on the opening day of the AI Safety Summit hosted in Bletchley Park, central England. “The declaration fulfils key summit objectives in establishing shared agreement and responsibility on the risks, opportunities and a forward process for international collaboration on frontier AI safety and research, particularly through greater scientific collaboration,” Britain said in a statement accompanying the declaration. Britain convened governments, academia and companies working at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence at the inaugural AI Safety Summit to debate how, and even if, the risks of the technology could be contained. The meeting is the…

NEW YORK: Donald Trump’s son Donald Trump jr was set to testify yesterday in a New York civil fraud trial accusing the former US president and his family businesses of inflating asset values to dupe lenders and insurers. Donald jr, an executive vice-president at the Trump Organization, is the first of Trump’s adult children to take the stand, followed by Eric and Ivanka Trump. Their father is set to testify on Monday. The lawsuit by Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James accuses Trump, his two adult sons and a handful of their family businesses of inflating their assets to secure better loan terms. Donald jr, who with brother Eric took over management of the Trump Organization from his father in 2017, has also served as a political attack dog…

KYIV: A Russian drone attack set ablaze the Kremenchuk oil refinery in central Ukraine and knocked out power supply in three villages, while falling debris from downed drones damaged railway power lines, officials said yesterday. The fire at the refinery, which Moscow has targeted many times during the war and Kyiv says is not operational, was quickly put out, Poltava region’s military administration said. Ukraine’s Air Force said air defences shot down 18 of 20 drones and a missile fired by Russia overnight before they reached their targets in an attack that sought to strike military and critical infrastructure. | Reuters…

FOLLOWING a successful debut in 2023, the Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT) Journey to Jazz (J2J) festival will be back next year in May, and organisers have appointed music maestro Kyle Shepherd, as artistic director to curate the programme. Journey to Jazz is a product of PACT, which created the festival to provide the youth of the town, Leeuw Gamka and surrounding areas with the means to practically deliver the skills they have developed through PACT’s various programmes. J2J is aimed at giving these young people income opportunities in an area that is very much isolated. There have been 86 youth who were trained over a period of 10 months this year, in all aspects of event management in order to deliver a professional event. Shepherd is recognised as one…

WORKERS at the National Treasury head office at Church Square in Tshwane are moving from the dilapidated building after their employer informed them that renovating it would not be cost-effective. For a number of years, the building at 40 Church Square, valued at just over R19 million and a monthly rental of about R673 000 in 2019, housed the offices of successive finance ministers, their deputies and directors-general, among other senior officials, having rented it for nearly two decades. The Public Servants Association (PSA) announced to its members, who have complained about its dilapidation and the health and safety risks they faced while working in the facility, that the National Treasury had agreed to relocate them to another building. The reason cited by the union is that Treasury informed parties…

Finance minister paints dire economic picture in announcing austerity measures FINANCE Minister Enoch Godongwana walked a tightrope when he juggled public finances in an effort to support the economy, stabilise debt and extend the R350 grant. Tabling his medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS) yesterday, Godongwana painted a dire picture of the state of public finances. “The economic outlook over the medium term remains weak, reflecting the cumulative effect of power cuts, the poor performance of the logistics sector, high inflation, rising borrowing costs, and a weaker global environment,” he said. The budget deficit has increased by R54.7 billion compared to the 2023 budget estimates. “This reflects lower revenue performance, higher wage bill costs and higher projected debt-service costs,” he said. The government was projecting a deficit of 4.9% of GDP…

700g boneless, skinless chicken breasts Kosher salt and black pepper 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp coriander 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil For the mushroom sauce: 1 tbs ghee or unsalted butter 350g fresh large mushrooms, sliced ½ cup chicken broth 3 green onions, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced kosher salt and black pepper Parsley for garnish Heat oven to 200°F (90°C). You will use it to keep the chicken warm. Cut chicken breasts in half horizontally to make thinner chicken cutlets. Pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Combine oregano, paprika, and coriander in a small bowl. Season the chicken with the spice mixture on both sides. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until shimmering but not smoking.…

MINISTER Naledi Pandor has lashed out at the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, threatening us and one of our leaders. Why? Because we dared challenge her. Hamas, in addition to murdering 1 400 Israelis in one day, is holding 239 people hostage. Not once in her statement did Minister Pandor mention this fact. Instead of campaigning for Hamas to release the hostages, something that could make a ceasefire possible, she attacked the South African Jewish community, singling out our Vice President Zev Krengel. She accuses him of lying. This is an age-old anti-semitic trope implying that Jews cannot be trusted. Minister Pandor, the beheading of Jewish babies has been confirmed. It was documented and published by Hamas itself. The grotesque footage is readily available. However, the accusation feels reminiscent…

Activists have slammed SAPS members who commit rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence, saying it is an “indictment on the citizens of the country”. They were reacting to the 10-year prison term handed to a police officer from Laingsburg SAPS by the Worcester Regional Court on Wednesday. Constable Lizalise Sentane, immediately appealed against his conviction at the same court. The appeal was opposed by the State, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said. Sentane was confirmed to still be working for the SAPS earlier this year after an internal disciplinary hearing against him found him not guilty on the rape allegations. Police have now made an about turn following his conviction, confirmed spokesperson Andre Traut, when probed about Sentane’s employment status. “SAPS management is aware of the guilty verdict of…

CIVIL rights organisations and gender-based violence (GBV) activists have expressed relief as the National Assembly unanimously passed the “long overdue” National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Bill. The Bill makes way for the establishment of the National Council that will consist of a board of no more than 13 members, who will be appointed with civil society participation to manage an approach to GBV and femicide that includes short, medium and long-term priorities that are aligned with various national frameworks. The Bill also calls for the National Strategic Plan to be developed and implemented within six months of the National Council being established with regular reports on the progress of its implementation to an inter-ministerial committee on GBV and femicide. Thereafter, the plan must be reviewed every five years.…

Hartmut Winkler Over the past few months, South Africa’s power generation sector has performed better than expected. Four factors explain this: an acceleration of solar power installations, less frequent breakdowns at power stations, a less restricted supply of diesel and the return to operation of some units at Kusile coal-fired power station. Throughout most of this year, South Africa experienced prolonged and damaging electricity shortages, making 2023 the worst year to date. The power utility Eskom confirmed this in its annual results presentation, in which it said: “Eskom’s generating plant availability reached the lowest levels ever, due to unprecedented levels of unplanned unavailability.” The percentage of functional power-generating capacity, which was typically around 90% in the 1990s, has dropped over the past few years. It was between 50% and 60%…

A first group of civilian evacuees from Gaza crossed into Egypt under a Qatari-mediated deal yesterday while Israeli forces bombed the Palestinian enclave from land, sea and air in their offensive against Hamas militants. The evacuees – trapped in Gaza since the start of the war more than three weeks ago – were driven in ambulances through the Rafah border crossing. A source at the border said they were undergoing security checks on the Egyptian side. Under the deal reached between Egypt, Israel and Hamas, a number of foreign nationals and critically wounded people will be allowed to leave the besieged territory. Despite the breakthrough on the humanitarian front, Israeli war planes, naval boats and artillery pounded Gaza throughout the night, inflicting scores more casualties among the civilian population, Palestinian…

Pakistani authorities started rounding up undocumented foreigners ahead of yesterday’s midnight deadline for them to leave or face expulsion. Afghans have made up the bulk of around 140 000 such immigrants to have voluntarily left so far, officials said, some of whom have lived in Pakistan for decades. Brushing aside calls from the UN, rights groups and Western embassies to reconsider, Pakistan last month set the November 1 deadline to begin expelling all undocumented immigrants, including hundreds of thousands of Afghans. In the southern port city of Karachi, home to a large number of Afghan migrants and refugees, deputy commissioner Junaid Iqbal Khan said up to 40 people without the proper documents had so far been moved to one of the transit centres. Of the voluntary returnees, around 104 000…

YANGON: Myanmar’s military launched a second day of air strikes yesterday, bombing territory controlled by an ethnic armed group on the border with China, a rebel spokesperson said. The strikes come as the military battles an alliance of armed groups across a northern region that is home to Chinese investment and where the junta says it has lost ground. A military jet struck a site near the town of Laiza in Kachin state, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) said. In the neighbouring northern Shan state, thousands of people have been displaced after three other ethnic armed groups launched coordinated attacks on the junta last week. | AFP…

Dhaka: Thousands of Bangladeshi garment workers barricaded roads in Dhaka yesterday demanding fair wages for clothing they make for major Western brands, with at least two killed during days of protests. The garment worker protests come as Bangladesh also reels from separate anti-government demonstrations, with opposition party supporters demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina step down ahead of elections due by the end of January. Bangladesh’s 3 500 garment factories account for some 85% of the South Asian country’s $55 billion (about R1 trillion) exports, but conditions are dire for many of its four million apparel workers. | AFP…

Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell will miss the Cricket World Cup clash with old rivals England after falling off a golf buggy and suffering concussion, media reports said yesterday. The 35-year-old came off the back of the buggy in the dark after playing a round on Monday as players took a break between matches at the marathon tournament. As well as concussion, Maxwell picked up significant bruising, said the cricket.com.au website, the digital arm of Cricket Australia. It is the second freak accident to befall Maxwell in the past 12 months after he broke his leg at a friend’s birthday party in November last year. Maxwell blasted his way into the record books at the World Cup last week when he hit the fastest hundred in tournament history off just 40…