Table of contents for 2023-11-24 in Cape Times

WHILE law enforcement agencies are facing immense pressure to rapidly address state capture allegations, arresting before investigating and subjecting individuals to a media trial detrimentally impacts their public image, resulting in reputational damage long before the court proceedings. This is according to UCT Associate Professor of Criminology Irvin Kinnes who said the strategies used by the Scorpions, with the knowledge that you only move against targets once you have water-tight and prima facie evidence, should be considered. This comes as the NPA asserted its capability to prosecute state capture cases amid criticism for challenges in handling high-profile corruption prosecutions especially related to state capture. This was in the wake of the R2.2 billion fraud case against ex-Eskom CEO Matshela Koko being struck off the roll in the Middelburg Specialised Commercial…

Dirty Thirty Janet Evanovich Loot.co.za (R549) ATRIA BOOKS Stephanie Plum, Trenton’s hardest working, most underappreciated bounty hunter, is offered a freelance assignment that seems simple enough. Local jeweller Martin Rabner wants her to locate his former security guard, Andy Manley (a.k.a. Nutsy), who he is convinced stole a fortune in diamonds out of his safe. Stephanie is also looking for another troubled man, Duncan Dugan, a fugitive from justice arrested for robbing the same jewellery store on the same day. With her boyfriend Morelli away in Miami on police business, Stephanie is taking care of Bob, Morelli’s giant orange dog who will devour anything, from Stephanie’s stray donuts to the upholstery in her car. Morelli’s absence also means the inscrutable, irresistible security expert Ranger is front and centre in Stephanie’s…

Mothtown Caroline Hardaker Loot.co.za (R240) Angry Robot Even as a child, David could tell something was wrong. The children in school spread rumours of missing people, nests of bones and bodies appearing in the mountains. His sister refused to share what she knew, and his parents turned off the TV whenever he entered the room. Protecting him, they said. Worse, the only person who shared anything at all with him, his beloved grandpa, disappeared without a goodbye. Mum and Dad said he was dead. But what about the exciting discovery Grandpa had been working on for his whole life? Now 26, David lives alone and takes each day as it comes. When a strange package arrives on his doorstep, one with instructions not to leave the Earth, a new world…

At the AI Safety Summit hosted by the UK on November 2, world leaders and top tech executives discussed the risks around artificial intelligence (AI) and how to develop the technology safely. Twenty-eight countries, including China, signed the Bletchley Declaration, an agreement to recognise the dangers of the technology. As AI continues to reshape industries, societies and economies worldwide, the need for effective governance has never been more pressing. China, a global AI powerhouse, has been actively engaged in shaping the future of AI governance through a series of initiatives aimed at fostering international collaboration and setting ethical standards. AI technologies hold immense potential for addressing complex challenges, from health-care advancements to climate change mitigation. However, their deployment also raises significant ethical, legal and social concerns, including issues related to…

Far-right firebrand Geert Wilders faced an uphill struggle yesterday to woo rivals for a coalition government after a “monster victory” in Dutch elections that shook the Netherlands and Europe. His PVV (Freedom Party) won 37 seats in parliament, more than doubling his share from the last election and outstripping opponents, according to near complete results. A left-wing bloc trailed far behind on 25 seats, with the centre-right VVD on 24, a catastrophic result for the party of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Wilders, 60, now has the daunting task of trying to form a working coalition, courting rivals that categorically ruled out serving in a PVV-led government before the vote. The unexpected landslide win prompted immediate congratulations from fellow far-right leaders in France and Hungary but will likely raise fears…

Kyiv: Ukraine said yesterday it cannot produce enough electricity to meet growing demand for heating and is turning to neighbouring EU countries for help, amid fears of Russian strikes on facilities. Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure last winter left millions in the cold and dark. Grid operator Ukrenego said that yesterday it had appealed to operators in Romania, Slovakia and Poland to provide “emergency assistance” to bolster supplies. Kyiv has been asking Western countries to bolster its air defence systems in case Russia restarts systematic strikes on energy facilities. Ukrenergo said 409 settlements were without power because of the invasion and other reasons. | AFP…

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s police have named the chief of the anti-corruption agency as a suspect in an extortion case involving an ex-minister who was detained last month on graft charges. Firli Bahuri, who heads the Corruption Eradication Commission, is the latest official in the administration of President Joko Widodo to face graft allegations. Firli, a former police inspector general, is suspected of extorting money from Syahrul Yasin Limpo, the former agriculture minister who was detained in a graft case last month, police said. A corruption conviction for state officials carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. | Reuters…

The Monetary Policy Committee unanimously decided to keep the repurchase rate at 8.25% The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has left the door ajar for further interest rate hikes in the new year if consumer inflation swings higher than the current upper limit of 5.9% in November and December, even though market sentiment was that rates have peaked. In a hawkish statement yesterday, the SARB’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) unanimously decided to keep the repurchase rate (repo rate) unchanged at a 14-year high of 8.25%, leaving the prime lending rate at 11.75% per annum. SARB Governor Lesetja Kganyago warned that serious upside risks to the inflation outlook remained and the MPC was ready to act should risks begin to materialise especially as the rand weakened over the past year, depreciating…

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said out of 5 303 public entities, 404 owed the South African Revenue Services (Sars) a whopping R5.9 billion debt in PAYE and VAT. Godongwana said R2.4bn was owed in PAYE and R3.5bn in VAT. “Of the R5.9bn debt, R1bn is under dispute, leaving a balance of R4.9bn undisputed, of which R2.9bn is older than three years,” he said. This takes place as 4 899 (92%) public entities and departments paid their PAYE, VAT and other tax obligations on time. Godongwana would not name the defaulting public entities. This was due to the taxpayer confidentiality provision of the Tax Administration Act. “We are unable to provide any further specific taxpayer information including the list of the defaulting taxpayers. “It should be noted further that the specific…

Zikalala urges private sector to join efforts to restore illegally occupied properties PUBLIC Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala has warned the private sector not to “force” government’s hand to expropriate vacant buildings, which he said were proving to be a risk and owed municipal rates. He spoke at the Property Sector Conference yesterday after conducting inspections at two state properties in Elwyn Court in Hanover Street, Vredehoek, that have been unlawfully occupied for years. He also stopped at the Castle of Good Hope where homeless people have erected their shelters on a piece of land nearby. Zikalala said they were engaging with the Department of Defence to relocate them and were getting an alternative area for the people to stay. “We have seen the extent of damage of the…

A JUDGE sitting in the Western Cape High Court has expressed her concern about the safety measures in place at the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court after the father of a murder accused approached the magistrate who presided over the matter in the parking lot for a “chat”. The magistrate recused herself from the murder trial the next day. Although she and the father did not speak about the case, the magistrate felt uncomfortable about proceeding with the trial. The magistrate told the court she was on her way to her car in the parking lot in the afternoon, after the trial was adjourned to the next day, when the man came up to her, greeted her “warmly and exchanged pleasantries” with her. He told her that he used to work…

You Must Remember This Kat Rosenfield Loot.co.za (R285) HarperCollins An immersive Gothic mystery, with a long-ago love affair, icy death and a rich family gone bad, from author Kat Rosenfield. On Christmas Eve, 85-year-old Miriam Caravasios steps onto the ice that surrounds her seaside estate on Maine's Mount Desert Island. As a younger woman, she used to steal out on winter nights to meet her lover, walking across the frozen reach to their secret meeting place. She knows the way –but not the year. Miriam, her mind clouded by dementia, doesn’t hear the snap of thin ice until it’s too late. Was it an accident? Suicide? Or worse: Did someone lure the old woman onto the frozen reach, to her death? There are plenty of suspects; Miriam’s fractured and complicated…

Killer cop – the Rosemary Ndlovu story Naledi Shange Loot.co.za (R240) Kwela In 2021, South Africa was introduced to notorious serial killer Rosemary Ndlovu. She worked as a police sergeant in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni. Despite taking an oath to serve and protect, in court it emerged that she had arranged the murders of her lover and at least five members of her family. For some murders she hired hit men, others she carried out herself. “Killer cop” is a detailed account of a woman who preyed on her loved ones. It is also a portrayal of the victims and those who were left behind in the wake of Rosemary’s greed for wealth. “South Africa’s most notorious female serial killer since Daisy de Melker.” Here’s an excerpt from Shange’s book. Of all…

South African football fans often criticise Bafana Bafana for their lack of success on the global stage. And rightly so, as they have flattered to deceive over the years, having qualified only for the 1998 and 2002 Fifa World Cups, and then gaining automatic entry as the 2010 hosts. South Africa have the best and most lucrative league on the African continent, and the top clubs such as Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have sponsors coming out of their ears. Yet, Bafana battle to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), let alone the World Cup. South Africa didn’t make it to the 2010, 2012, 2017 and 2021 Afcon events – although they reached the 2019 quarter-finals, and will be at the 2024 edition in the Ivory…

The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked China for details on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children, which its China office yesterday called a “routine” check. Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission held a press conference on November 13 to report an increase in incidence of respiratory disease. Authorities attributed the increase to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the circulation of known pathogens such as influenza, mycoplasma pneumoniae, a common bacterial infection that typically affects younger children, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and the virus that causes Covid-19. Both China and the WHO have faced questions about the transparency of reporting on the earliest Covid-19 cases that emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. This week, the WHO said…

Copenhagen: Misuse of antibiotics is denting their efficacy and spawning resistant bacteria which could be responsible for 10 million deaths worldwide by 2050, the World Health Organization warned yesterday. WHO’s European chapter conducted a study which showed that antibiotics were prescribed for things like common cold (24% of cases), flu-like symptoms (16%), a sore throat (21%) and a cough (18%). The survey was carried out in 14 countries, mostly in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. WHO warned that without immediate intervention, resistance to antimicrobials could lead to up to 10 million deaths a year by 2050. | AFP…

WHILE Transnet continues to feel the heavy knock of losses due to cable theft, Paarl police, together with Sinqobile Equestrian Security Services (Sess), recently managed to secure hefty sentences for a trio of copper cable thieves. Meanwhile, the Steel Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) said the scrap metal export ban, which affected the livelihoods of more than 300 000 people, should not be extended by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) as it is “not working”. Last week, copper cable thieves Renaldo Julies, Zanemvula Matyholo and Lungile Sangisana were each sentenced to 20 years in prison. They were found in possession of essential infrastructure, about 50m of cut essential infrastructure, from the Transnet line at Daljosaphat in October 2020. Sess head investigator Trish Armstrong said:…

THE government was working on a plan to incentivise whistle-blowers who report corruption matters, according to Public Service and Administration Minister Noxolo Kiviet. Answering oral questions in the National Assembly, Kiviet said the Public Service Commission recently requested the Criminal Asset Recovery Account fund with the purpose of ensuring it upgraded the systems of the National Anti-Corruption Hotline (NACH), but also created an environment which protected whistle-blowers. “We are busy discussing in preparation for an international forum which discusses issues of anti-corruption. “We are discussing the issue of incentivising whistle-blowers whose cases get proven and there is recovery of either funds or if that case has been found to have an impact on the good of society. “We are discussing now, as I am speaking, about those measures of incentivising…

A teacher from a school in Robertson who is accused of sexually assaulting a pupil who later miscarried her baby has been dismissed with immediate effect. This after the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) found the teacher guilty of two charges – having sexual intercourse with the girl who was then 15 without her consent and kissing her on the lips. Council arbitrator Arthi Singh- Bhoopchand declared the teacher unfit to work with children and ordered that the Department of Social Development be notified of the ruling in writing. Singh-Bhoopchand further stated that a copy of the arbitration award would be sent to the South African Council for Educators for the revoking of teachers’ certificates. The teacher pleaded not guilty and alleged it was the pupil who harassed and…

Flight Of The Diamond Smugglers Matthew Gavin Frank Loot.co.za (R357) Jonathan Ball For nearly eight years, a significant stretch of South Africa's coastal region remained inaccessible to the public. Now, with many abandoned mining sites, Matthew Gavin Frank explores the notorious Diamond Coast. He uncovers a clandestine trade that feeds a worldwide demand, and becomes intrigued by the ingenious methods used, especially the illegal use of carrier pigeons to transport diamonds from the mines by attaching them to the birds' feet and sending them into the air. Entering Die Sperrgebiet (“The Forbidden Zone”) is like entering an eerie ghost town, but Frank is surprised by the number of people willing – even eager – to talk with him. Soon he meets Msizi, a young diamond digger, and his pigeon, Bartholomew,…

THERE’S no greater human virtue than solidarity, being capable of feeling deeply any injustice committed against anyone, anywhere in the world. That’s according to Ernesto Guevara, Che, “the most beautiful quality of a revolutionary”. Bearing that in mind, I immediately think of the commander- in-chief of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, who was that kind of a revolutionary. His vision of solidarity was based on a Third World perspective of liberation against imperialism. Thus, Fidel’s view of internationalism was predicated on the need to build the broadest anti-imperialist unity in action, in solidarity with the struggles of the peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America. However, solidarity for Fidel went well beyond strongly worded statements and declarations of support, since he took it to unprecedented levels, which on many…

Israel said a four-day Gaza truce and hostage release will not start until at least today, delaying a breakthrough deal to pause the brutal war with Hamas. National security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi indicated the phased release of at least 50 hostages in return for 150 Palestinian prisoners would still go ahead but not yesterday as expected. “The contacts on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly,” he said about the agreed deal to free mostly women and people aged 18 and under on both sides. A second Israeli official said that a temporary halt in fighting would also not begin yesterday as bombardment and combat again raged in northern Gaza. The delay is another blow to families desperate to see their loved ones return home, and to…

NEW YORK: A car burst into a fireball at a US-Canada checkpoint near Niagara Falls on Wednesday, killing the two occupants, triggering border closures and sparking a massive security alert on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday. The regional FBI field office concluded the blast, which occurred around 640km north-west of New York City, was not linked to terrorism. The blast happened at the major Rainbow Bridge crossing near Niagara Falls with nothing left of the vehicle except for the engine, said New York governor Kathy Hochul. Rainbow Bridge, among the busiest crossings between Canada and the US, has 16 vehicle lanes.Debris was spread across 14. | AFP…

Jerusalem: Israeli factories have been recovering from a large-scale shutdown at the beginning of the ongoing war with Hamas, says an industry survey. The Manufacturers Association of Israel surveyed 106 to 127 factories, ranging from food and textiles to electronics manufacturers, over six the weeks since Hamas launched its assault on Israel in October. Among the surveyed factories, 29% were closed from October 8, but the shutdown rate gradually decreased to 6% in the fourth week and just 1% in the sixth working week of November 12-16. The rate of factories operating at full capacity increased from 12% in the first week to 18% in the sixth week. | IANS…