Table of contents for 2023-12-12 in Cape Times

Another sigh of relief echoed at the Gold One Mine Modder Easter Mine yesterday after more than 400 miners re-emerged to the surface after four days of being trapped underground. There was a lot of singing and dancing yesterday from some of the miners who were waiting patiently for their colleagues to re-emerge from underground after spending four days trapped inside the mine shaft. The latest incident was described by Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe as a hostage situation, and no longer a sit-in, after it was revealed that at least three miners were badly assaulted by unknown suspects underground and let out of the mine at the weekend. This comes after the mine retrenched 70 workers who were alleged to have participated in the previous sit-in…

Civil Society groups have reacted with concern following the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and Postbank announcing that they will be phasing out cash withdrawals of social grants in post offices from next month, January 2024. Sassa and Postbank said in a statement that the move was part of a broader strategy to improve the quality of cash withdrawal services for all social grants recipients. “Physical Cash Payment Points (CPPs) and cash withdrawal of social grants inside post offices will be phased out. “The phasing-out process will be implemented in a staggered way starting in January 2024. It is planned that by 31 March 2024, all CPPs and Post Office branch grants payments would have stopped.” Evashnee Naidu, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial director of Black Sash, said that Black Sash…

200g butter, at room temperature 315ml light brown sugar 1 large egg 675 ml cake flour 3ml bicarbonate of soda 5ml ground cinnamon 2ml ground nutmeg 2ml mixed spice 25ml glacé cut peel 2ml almond essence 75g tub mixed glacé cherries, finely chopped 125ml nibbed almonds Optional: 100g white chocolate, for decorating Cream together the butter, sugar and egg thoroughly in a mixing bowl. Blend in the remaining ingredients to achieve a soft dough that comes away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for ½ hour. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Place silicone baking mat on a baking tray. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Press out gently using floured hands, to 5mm thickness. Cut out shapes and transfer them to…

POLICE killings, blockages in the criminal justice system, fair wages and working conditions are among the critical issues flagged by Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) president Thulani Ngwenya that their members will face over the festive season. He said the escalating issue of police killings had a severe impact on the safety of all South Africans with SAPS having recorded 69 lives lost since the beginning of the year. “The government must publicly declare war against those who commit this deadly crime, and the current legislation must be amended to classify this barbaric act as treason.” He added that the Criminal Justice Cluster (CJC) continued to grapple with challenges. “The CJC is overburdened with heavy caseloads and suffers from insufficient financial and human resources. “Notably, as workers serving on the…

IF DEBT, like greed, is good, aka that sociopathic asset-stripper Gordon Gekko in the film Wall Street, borrow on. National treasuries and debt management offices, and their bosses, the ministers of finance, are always under political pressure to borrow more from the money markets to fund national Budget shortfalls, partially as a consequence of a lower-than-required tax base and therefore revenues; inefficient tax collection due to capacity, institutional and human capital deficits – all features of the public finance landscape of Low-and-Medium-Income Countries (LMICs). Raising income, corporation and VAT is an option, but are beholden to electoral cycles in democracies and economic downturns such as the global cost-of-living crisis that has clobbered economies, societies and individuals over the past four years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic; the supply…

UK leader Rishi Sunak faces the riskiest week of his premiership, with lawmakers gathering yesterday to decide whether to back his flagship policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. Factions of MPs from across Sunak’s divided Conservatives have convened meetings to consider how to vote when the controversial legislation goes before parliament on Tuesday. Sunak has put the plan at the heart of his pledge to stop irregular migration, making the issue a key battleground in a general election expected next year. But opposition to the scheme from both right-wingers and centrists is widening schisms in the ruling party, putting Sunak’s year-and-a-bit leadership in jeopardy. The government announced a new bill last week after Supreme Court judges ruled in November that the deportation plan was illegal, as Rwanda was not…

India’s Supreme Court yesterday upheld a 2019 decision by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revoke special status for the state of Jammu and Kashmir and set a deadline of September 30 next year for local polls to be held. India’s only Muslim-majority region, Jammu and Kashmir, has been at the heart of more than 75 years of animosity with Pakistan since the birth of the two nations in 1947 at independence from colonial rule by Britain. The unanimous order by a panel of five judges followed more than a dozen petitions challenging the revocation and a decision to split the region into two federally administered territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and the Buddhist territory of Ladakh. It sets the stage for elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which…

Geneva: Swiss police were hunting a “dangerous” gunman who killed two people and injured another yesterday in the southern town of Sion. A massive police operation was underway to find the man, 36, behind the mass shooting, a rare event in the wealthy nation. Police said he had fired shots at people in two locations in the picturesque town in the Alpine Wallis region. Regional police said that the man’s motives for carrying out the shootings remained unknown, but that initial information indicated that the shooter knew his victims. Numerous heavily armed police were patrolling the highway into Sion, and were scouring the town for the man. | AFP…

Tokyo: Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was to fire 15 several top ministers under investigation for alleged fraud, local media said yesterday. Those to be axed include Kishida’s right-hand man Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno and Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister of economy, industry and trade, the reports said. All belong to a faction formerly headed by late premier Shinzo Abe – one of at least five major groupings vying for influence and power within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Prosecutors are investigating allegations that the faction failed to report tens of thousands of dollars raised through fundraising parties. Kishida’s poll ratings are at their lowest levels since he took office two years ago, in part because of voter unease over inflation. | AFP…

THE powers and privileges committee maintained its stance yesterday, asserting that it will not issue a subpoena to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to testify in the disciplinary hearing involving three EFF MPs. This decision comes despite objections from the EFF’s legal representative, Mfesane ka-Siboto, who expressed concern about Mapisa-Nqakula not being called as a witness and raised issues regarding the committee’s constitution. He made the statement when EFF MPs Ntombovuyo Mente, Khanya Ceza and Nazier Paulsen appeared before the disciplinary hearing for disrupting a parliamentary plenary on August 30, 2022, when President Cyril Ramaphosa was answering oral questions. Their conduct on that day led to them being physically removed and Mapisa-Nqakula referring her report to the committee for investigation and reporting. Advocate Tanya Golden, the hearing’s initiator, said Mente,…

AUDITOR General Tsakani Maluleke has made damning findings against the Compensation Fund with it obtaining yet another disclaimer of audit opinion for the 2021/22 financial year. Maluleke said she was unable to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to provide a basis for an audit opinion on the entity’s financial statements. “Due to the limitations imposed on the scope of the audit by management, I have disclaimed my opinion on the financial statements. “Had it not been for the legislated requirement to perform the audit of the public entity, I would have withdrawn from the engagement in terms of the International Standards on Auditing,” she said. The fund had submitted its annual statement for the auditing of its finances a year after the scheduled deadline, a move that impacted the auditing…

CrimeFIGHTERS have denounced the murder of Gugulethu CPF deputy chairperson Lulama Dinginto at the tail end of the annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign. Dinginto was shot and killed in her home at 2.45am on Sunday. Police spokesperson Frederick van Wyk said the motive for the murder was unknown at this stage. “Circumstances surrounding a shooting incident at premises in NY110-15, Gugulethu, where an adult woman was shot and fatally wounded are under investigation. Gugulethu SAPS are investigating a murder case. “The suspect/s are yet to be arrested,” said Van Wyk. Women’s rights and anti-GBV activist Lucinda Evans said that she believed Dinginto was killed because she wanted safety and peace in homes and for families in communities. “They killed her because she…

Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) taxi boss and businessman Bonke Makalala, arrested for serious crimes in the Western Cape, will make his way from Pretoria to Cape Town where he is expected to appear in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. Makalala appeared at the Pretoria Central Magistrate's Court yesterday following his arrest at the weekend. He was charged with the possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. “The matter was transferred to Athlone Magistrate’s Court for December 14, 2023,” Gauteng regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Lumka Mahanjana said. Makalala was arrested early Sunday morning during a joint operation between Western Cape detectives, Pretoria National Intervention Unit, Eastern Cape and head office crime intelligence. He is accused of extortion, fraud, intimidation, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and…

As we approach the festive season, the decision by Police Minister Bheki Cele to deploy 10 000 more police officers on the streets is a commendable effort in ensuring a safe and secure environment for tourists and locals. The presence of law-enforcement personnel will undoubtedly provide a sense of reassurance and help deter criminal activities, allowing people to enjoy their holidays without fear. This proactive approach to combating crime deserves recognition. However, while we applaud the initiative, it is imperative to emphasise that such measures should not be limited to specific periods of the year. Sustainable security and effective crime prevention require a continuous and consistent effort throughout the year. Policing should be an ongoing and integral part of our society, ensuring that safety and security are upheld as fundamental…

Hungary said yesterday it would not bow to pressure from other EU states to give the green light for accession talks with Ukraine, setting the stage for a showdown at an EU summit this week. Ukraine’s foreign minister said it would be “devastating” for his country and the EU if the December 14-15 summit did not get the go-ahead for membership talks and more financial and military aid for Kyiv to defend itself against Russia’s invasion. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who boasts about his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has threatened to veto the aid and enlargement talks. Other EU states, including richest member Germany, have said they back starting negotiations with Kyiv on the long process of joining the bloc, but Budapest dug in its heels.…

KYIV: Russian forces have unleashed a massive new offensive on the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, part of their campaign to secure control of the eastern Donbas region, the Ukrainian military said yesterday. Avdiivka is a key Ukrainian strongpoint just north-west of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk in the eastern Donbas region. The front lines in eastern Ukraine have barely shifted over the past several weeks, but the fighting has been intense, and there had been 610 artillery shellings reported near Avdiivka in just the last 24 hours. Russia is trying to encircle the small city, which now has only about 1 500 people left out of its pre-war population of 32 000. | Reuters…

CAIRO: The Sudanese army and the rival paramilitary force it has been fighting for eight months have both cast doubt on an announcement by regional mediators that they had committed to a ceasefire and political dialogue. Igad, a grouping of East African nations, has sought along with the US and Saudi Arabia to mediate an end to the conflict which has killed more than 12 000 people, displaced more than 6.5 million. Igad had said army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo had agreed to meet for the first time since the outbreak of fighting and a proposal for an unconditional ceasefire. | Reuters…

India have travelled all the way to South Africa to knock around a cricket ball - white and red - only for the weather not to play ball. The first T20 International between the Proteas and India was washed out on Sunday in Durban and that has left Rob Walter’s side with just five games to work it all out before next year’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. Yesterday was no different up on the highveld when the first day of the South Africa A and India A four-day clash was abandoned in Potchefstroom. And if that’s not enough to deal with, Walter and his team will again be keeping a close eye on the clouds above with the forecast not particularly looking good for the second T20I at…

EZULWENI Investments said that ANC “stalwarts and loyalists” are involved in ongoing discussions to prevent the company from initiating liquidation proceedings over a R150 million debt related to election materials. The company has given the ANC until today to settle the debt or come up with a payment plan. Earlier this month the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) upheld a decision of the Gauteng High Court which ruled against the ANC in a dispute with KwaZulu-Natal-based Ezulweni Investments which had provided the party with banners and campaign materials for the 2019 elections. The ANC owes the printing and marketing company over R100m for the production of banners during the 2019 elections with the debt, including interest, now sitting at R150m. The ANC said it will challenge the ruling in the…

Parly accused arsonist ready to challenge ‘unfit to stand trial’ judgment Accused Parliament arsonist Zandile Mafe’s legal representatives intend to challenge the Western Cape High Court judgment that he was unfit to stand trial while their client was set to be admitted to the Pollsmoor Prison Hospital section until a bed at a psychiatric facility was available. Western Cape High Court Judge Nathan Erasmus declared Mafe unfit to stand trial due to him being diagnosed with schizophrenia, which was confirmed through two reports. This was after Mafe’s counsel, Dali Mpofu SC, made final submissions, which Judge Erasmus said “had to be ventilated in court”. Adamant that Mafe was fit to stand trial, Mpofu said they would appeal the judgment. Mafe faced charges of housebreaking with intent to commit…

THE Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has blamed the national government’s budget cut for plans to freeze posts and the extra work that teachers in ordinary public and special schools will face in the 2024 academic year. This is after SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) rejected the department's cost containment measures it announced to schools via a circular. According to the circular signed by WCED head Brent Walters, provision will not be made for substitute posts, except for maternity leave applications. According to Walters, the measures were necessary to stabilise the basket of affordable posts for 2024 within cost containment measures. This will come into effect from April 1 next year at schools. Sadtu’s provincial secretary Sibongile Kwazi said the union rejected the cost containment measures as spelt out in…

There’s a penchant for sealing records, using judiciary so the executive is not held accountable THE recent decision by the president not to release the results of the assessment of his Cabinet should not surprise South Africans. This despite him reintroducing a ministry that has a “responsibility for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation to focus greater attention on the performance of government”. After all, President Cyril Ramaphosa and the party he leads are nowhere in line for an award for accountable and transparent governance. They are democratically elected despots of sorts, here to rule forever. As a man of letters, I have watched Ramaphosa and his predecessor pulling laager with their political party and have been moved to bemoan using the words of the great scribe, Alan Paton, “cry, the beloved…

Fighting between Israel and Hamas intensified across Gaza yesterday, fuelling fears flagged by the UN at the weekend of a breakdown in public order and a mass exodus of Palestinians into Egypt. The narrow coastal strip has been under a full Israeli blockade since the start of the conflict more than two months ago and the border with Egypt is the only other way out. Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes and residents say it is impossible to find refuge in the densely populated enclave, with around 18 000 people already killed and conflict intensifying. Since the breakdown of a week-long ceasefire, Israel launched a ground offensive in the south last week and has since pushed from the east into the heart of the…

The head of the Dubai climate summit yesterday proposed a compromise on historic language on fossil fuels, calling for a major reduction but not an explicit phase-out, in an 11th-hour bid to reach a deal. With hours to go before the official end to the 13-day UN summit, COP28’s Emirati president released a new draft agreement aimed at bringing on board the nearly 200 countries, which include Saudi Arabia and other producers seeking to preserve their economic lifeblood. After an earlier draft listed an option of a “phase-out” of oil, gas and coal, the new text draft focuses on “reducing” their production and consumption to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. COP28’s Emirati president, Sultan al-Jaber, has voiced hope for a historic agreement, even though his role as president of the…

Bukavu: At least 15 people have died in landslides in the city of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, sources said yesterday. The city, the capital of South Kivu province, has been hit by torrential rainfall which has caused landslides that have buried several houses. In the Ndedere district of the city, the area chief Albert Migabo Nyagaza said that “a father, his five children and two grandchildren were buried by the earth and their house destroyed”. He said that the landslide occurred at about midnight Sunday. Bukavu has been hit by a series of landslides and building collapses this year. The overcrowded city on Lake Kivu’s shore was designed for 100 000 residents by Belgian settlers, but today has 2 million people. | AFP…

NAYPYIDAW: Representatives from Myanmar’s ruling military have held talks, facilitated by China, with three armed rebel groups leading an anti-junta offensive. Myanmar’s military is battling armed opponents on several fronts, in the fiercest challenge to its grip on the nation since it seized power from an elected government in a 2021 coup. Rebel groups aligned with a pro-democracy parallel government launched a co-ordinated offensive in late October, taking control of several military posts and towns. It was unclear when or where the meeting took place. Fighting continues across two-thirds of the country, killing over 360 civilians and displacing over 500 000. | Reuters…