Table of contents for 2023-12-13 in Cape Times

Fashion lovers recently gathered at the Mall of Africa in Midrand to witness the STADIO School of Fashion class of 2023 showcase their talent. It’s a tradition for STADIO Fashion Design students to participate in a fashion show at the end of the year as part of their curriculum. This is to ensure they are prepared for the outside world and what to expect at fashion shows they might participate in in the future. The fashion show, produced by Umzingeli Productions under the leadership of the esteemed Jan Malan, saw students from the fashion faculty unveil over 200 spectacular creations to industry leaders, friends, family, budding fashionistas and a distinguished panel of guest judges. With denim being one of the biggest global trends in 2023, the first-year and Higher…

A “pure light, and an even purer heart” is how musician Zahara was described by her family yesterday as they announced her death. Taking to her official Instagram account, they confirmed Bulelwa “Zahara” Mkutukana, 36, had died on Monday “surrounded by family and loved ones”. Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Zizi Kodwa was one of the first to announce the award-winning singer’s death on social media. “I am very saddened by the passing of @ZaharaSA. My deepest condolences to the Mkutukana family and the South African music industry. The government has been with the family for some time now,” tweeted Kodwa. “Zahara and her guitar made an incredible and lasting impact on South African music.” Paying tribute to her, the family wrote: “It is with heavy hearts and the…

THE Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) received a delivery of seven pre-used rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) this week. The acquisition of the gantry cranes was part of Transnet Port Terminals’ (TPT) turnaround plan, with key priorities including equipment availability in order to support operational efficiencies. Delivery of the gantry cranes coincides with the peak of the deciduous season, which is the busiest time for the terminal, Transnet said. “The acquisition of RTGs is a display of TPT’s commitment to the industry and stakeholders as more reliable equipment leads directly to improved productivity while also ensuring seamless vessel movement within the port,” Transnet said. “The acquisition of additional RTGs in our terminal will go a long way in offering a reliable service to our customers, a much-needed boost for the growth…

CALLS have been made for authorities to take action against the continued transportation of farmworkers on the back of trucks. This as police yesterday confirmed they had launched a culpable homicide investigation after three farmworkers were killed and scores others injured in a truck crash in Philadelphia. “Preliminary investigation suggests that the driver of a truck lost control on the Occultdale Road near Philadelphia as he was transporting seasonal workers from Wellington to Philadelphia at about 7am. The truck overturned during which three people succumbed to injury and a total of 58 passengers were transported to various hospitals in the region to receive medical treatment,” police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said. Farmworker rights activist Billy Classen called for drastic intervention to ensure the safe transportation of farmworkers. A number of incidents…

“Forward Together” was the theme of Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Chen Xiaodong’s speech yesterday at a reception celebrating 25 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations at the Chinese embassy in Pretoria. Chen noted that although China and South Africa are geographically far apart, our two countries enjoy a long history of friendly exchanges which provide a fine example for China- Africa and South-South co-operation. This is evidenced by the frequent state visits, as well as the numerous bilateral mechanisms, such as the Bi-National Commission, the Joint Economic and Trade Commission and the Strategic Dialogue. “We have now together entered a new stage of building a high-level China-South Africa community with a shared future,” Chen said. The second pillar of the “Forward Together” theme is the growth in bilateral…

Western powers and nations most threatened by climate change fought yesterday against oil producer Saudi Arabia for stronger calls on exiting fossil fuels as negotiators worked past a host-set deadline in UN talks in Dubai. The 13-day COP28 summit in the glitzy metropolis built on petrodollars has debated a historic first-ever global “phase-out” from oil, gas and coal, the main culprits in a planetary crisis of warming. But a draft put forward on Monday by COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber, himself head of the UAE oil company, fell well short, instead presenting reductions in fossil fuels as one of several options. With low-lying island nations warning that their very survival is at risk, negotiators worked through the night and the Emirati hosts promised a new draft to try to find…

El Salvador said yesterday that it would issue bitcoin bonds in the first quarter of 2024, the proceeds of which are expected to finance the construction of a “Bitcoin City” powered by a volcano. “We anticipate the bond will be issued during the first quarter of 2024,” the National Bitcoin Office said on X. Bitcoin became a legal currency in El Salvador, alongside the US dollar, in 2021 at the behest of President Nayib Bukele. The dollar has been legal tender in the Salvadoran economy since 2001. With bitcoin, Bukele sought to make it cheaper for Salvadorans to receive remittances and to provide financial services access to the 70% of people with no bank account. But a poll by the Central American University found that 71% believed the cryptocurrency “has…

PARIS: The French government announced plans yesterday to form a special parliamentary commission aimed at breaking the deadlock over a draft immigration law that was rejected by MPs in a surprise move. Government spokesperson Olivier Veran said that the commission would be put in place “as fast as possible” and that the government hoped to find a compromise with opposition MPs. The bill also includes provisions disliked by left-wing MPs and more liberal aspects that have been criticised by some conservatives and the far right. Although the Senate had adopted the bill, MPs in the National Assembly sent it back to the drawing board. | Reuters…

LONDON: Fashion brand Zara said yesterday that it regretted the “misunderstanding” over an ad campaign featuring statues wrapped in white that triggered calls for a boycott by some pro-Palestinian activists, and it had removed the images. People left tens of thousands of complaints about the campaign on Zara’s Instagram account, saying the images resembled photos of corpses in white shrouds in Gaza. “#BoycottZara” trended on messaging platform X. The images were used “with the sole purpose of showcasing craftmade garments in an artistic context”, said Zara. | Reuters…

There was some fighting talk from Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Lesiba Nku before today’s Premiership match against lowly Cape Town Spurs in Pretoria (7.30pm kick-off). Since the match is between the Premiership’s No 1 team and the team that is stone last in the standings, it has the look of a David versus Goliath contest. At least, that is how the speedy Nku views the contest at Loftus Versfeld. “Spurs will be fighting for their lives and we will be fighting to win. We want to win every game,” said Nku, who has been mainly used off the bench in recent times. He has been competing for a place in the run-on XI with the likes of Neo Maema, Gaston Sirino, Junior Mendieta, Lucas Ribeiro Costa, Thapelo Maseko, and Themba Zwane.…

He is hotly rumoured to be joining the Sharks next year but for the time being Jordan Hendrikse remains a match-winning flyhalf for the Lions, even if he has been a bit-part player this season behind Sanele Nohamba. Nohamba, a former Sharks scrumhalf, has owned the Lions No 10 jersey of late and Hendrikse has been in the background amid speculation that he is to join his Springbok brother Jaden in Durban, but when he got his chance in France last week, he was superb. The Lions host the northern England club Newcastle in a European Challenge Cup match this week. It remains to be seen if Hendrikse has forced his way ahead of Nohamba but for now, the coaching staff are singing his praises after his Player-of-the-Match performance in…

SOUTH Africa will need R535 billion per year for the next seven years to meet its nationally determined contributions to reduce it emissions between 22% to 33% by 2030. Given the quantum of R131bn as baseline climate finance flows measured from 2019 to 2021, this means we must increase our climate finance investments up to five-fold to reach our goals of a low-carbon and climate resilient economy. These figures are supported by the Presidential Climate Commission Re- port on South Africa’s Climate Finance Landscape which was released on No- vember 29 and commissioned with the Climate Policy Initiative and GreenCape. Through a rigorous review of global best practice in climate finance mapping frameworks to reach its finding and alignment with other climate finance tracking systems, including the National Treasury’s…

COMMUNICATIONS and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele said yesterday that the R3.8 billion required for the implementation of the SA Post Office (Sapo) rescue plan would be expedited. Gungubele said the R3.8bn in funding was one of the conditions the Cabinet agreed to when the court granted business rescue as one of the options to save Sapo. “The department has kick-started engagements with the National Treasury. Now that the rescue plan has been adopted by Sapo creditors, a submission to the government will be made,” he said. Gungubele, along with joint business rescue practitioners Anoosh Rooplal and Juanito Damons, briefed the communications and digital portfolio committee. Rooplal and Damons were appointed after Sapo was placed under business rescue in July. The developed business rescue plan was adopted by Sapo…

A Muslim woman has been given the go-ahead to have her ex-husband evicted from their matrimonial home, which is registered in her name as sole owner. The couple’s marriage broke down in 2019, prompting the wife to move out of the matrimonial home in Pinelands in July that year before they were officially divorced in 2020. The matter was heard in the Western Cape High Court by Judge Mokgoatji Dolamo, as an appeal matter after Judge Daniel Thulare dismissed an application for the eviction of the ex-husband, in terms of the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act (PIE Act). The central issue in the matter was the co-ownership of the property. According to the ex-husband – who operates a hardware franchise store – there “(was)…

AS TRAFFIC is expected to pick up due to the closure of schools for holidays and the festive season, long-distance bus company Intercape has bemoaned the persisting attacks on its coaches. According to the bus company, since September last year a further 40 incidents had been reported in the Eastern Cape and eight elsewhere nationally. Now police have been summoned to the Eastern Cape High Court in Makhanda tomorrow over a contempt of a court application. The authorities are accused of failing to implement Judge John Smith’s order to prevent violence and intimidation against the long-distance coaches. Judge Smith declared that the police and transport government authorities failed in their constitutional obligations and ordered that they develop a comprehensive action plan to ensure reasonable and effective measures were put in…

SOMETHING hungry and evil is craving for the blood of top South African musicians. It was barely bedtime on Monday when news broke that Bulelwa Mkutukana, known as Zahara, had died. Two weeks ago, Zahara’s family posted a statement on her social media accounts stating that the Loliwe singer had been admitted to hospital suffering from “physical pains” and that doctors had been treating her. Zahara shot to fame after she released her first studio album in 2011, titled Loliwe, which went double platinum. Two years later, her second album Phendula also rocked the charts. And she did it again in 2015, with Country Girl, which went triple platinum, and then Nqaba Yam – her fifth album which hit number one on iTunes. The self-taught guitarist scooped 17 South African…

He has been impeached twice, tried to thwart the peaceful transfer of power after losing the 2020 presidential election, faces scores of charges in multiple criminal cases, and his critics warn he is plotting to rule as an autocrat. Yet Donald Trump could still return to the White House. Trump leads his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination by nearly 50 percentage points in national opinion polls, a remarkable comeback for a one-term president who three years ago appeared vanquished and humiliated. Here are four reasons why Trump could win the November 2024 election against Democratic incumbent Joe Biden: The Biden White House argues the economy is in good shape, with unemployment down to a near-historic low of 3.9% from 6.3% when Trump left office and inflation cooling from a…

MOSCOW: Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny’s location inside the prison system remains unknown and he again did not show up at a court hearing by video link, his spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, said yesterday. His allies said that Navalny had been removed from the penal colony where he had been imprisoned since the middle of last year and that his current whereabouts were unknown. They had been preparing for his expected transfer to a “special regime” colony, the harshest grade in Russia’s prison system, after he was sentenced in August to an additional 19 years in prison on top of 11-and-a-half years he was already serving. The process of moving prisoners by rail across Russia’s vast territory can take weeks, with family unable to obtain information about their location and well-being.…

Canberra: The north tropical coast of Australia’s Queensland could be hit with life-threatening flash flooding and destructive wind gusts as tropical cyclone Jasper is expected to make landfall today, the country’s Bureau of Meteorology said yesterday. Tropical Cyclone Jasper, with category 2 strength, was expected to impact the Far North Queensland coast today the Bureau said. Tropical cyclone Jasper may intensify slightly more as it moves towards the coast. It was forecast to cross the coast as a category 2 system and would weaken as it moves inland tomorrow towards the Gulf of Carpentaria. | IANS…

THE PORT ELIZABETH bulk terminal successfully concluded its annual 10-day maintenance shutdown to ensure the seamless handling of manganese for the next 12 months, Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) said in a statement yesterday. “This was a planned initiative carried out in agreement with customers where bulk handling equipment like tipplers, stackers, reclaimers, ship- loaders, feeders and over 10 kilometres of conveyor belt system were all serviced,” it said. Annually, the terminal has capacity to handle six million tons of manganese as the industry continues to grow, with increased global demand. Wandisa Vazi, the managing executive of the Eastern Cape Terminals at Transnet Port Terminals, said it was important to ensure that the maintenance works started as scheduled and that the working environment was safe for employees. “The plant has…

MUNICIPALITIES have a constitutional duty towards the people living in this country and they cannot simply turn a blind eye to the homeless and apply the rigidity of the “move out from my land” approach. This is according to an acting judge of the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, in a case where the Madibeng Local Municipality in the North West wanted to evict homeless people who moved on to council land earmarked for low-cost housing. The judge, in coming to the aid of the homeless, said the court found it difficult to grant an eviction order without a plan that would ensure that the destitute do not continue to suffer humiliation and maltreatment at the hands of the government (applicant) – a violation of their fundamental rights as entrenched in…

Minister accused of abandoning 75% budget expenditure on black-owned enterprises THE Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has come under fire for “abandoning” the target of 75% of budget expenditure on Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) and black-owned enterprises. In response to a parliamentary question from EFF MP Nazier Paulsen, DFFE said it had revised its policy in line with the new Preferential Procurement Regulations (PPR) of 2022. Paulsen wanted to know why the target of 75% of budget expenditure on Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment and black-owned enterprises was removed. Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Barbara Creecy responded that the target was set in 2019 for the DFFE 5-year strategic plan when the National Treasury’s Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Regulations of 2017 were still…

School pupils have written their last examinations for the year. All hard-working matrics – and even many university graduates – will be wondering what the future holds in terms of employment or further study. When setting exams during my 46 years in education, I occasionally used questions with “multiple-choice answers” where, having read the question, pupils chose answer A,B,C or D, and marked the block next to the correct letter on a special answer sheet. While that method facilitates marking such sections, pupils’ knowledge, comprehension and application of knowledge can be tested in that way. Similarly, the pupils’ ability to calculate the time taken to load 40 000 tons of cargo, or a ship’s fuel consumption for a particular voyage, or the costs of port delays can also be tested…

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has subsidised security services for more than 400 schools in hot spot areas over the December holiday break. Schools closed for learners in the province yesterday. Education MEC David Maynier said while there would be a boost in security at identified risk areas, an appeal had been made to communities to keep a close eye on their local schools to ensure they were not targeted by opportunists. “While we have subsidised holiday security for 486 schools over this holiday period, the best way to protect our schools is for residents living close to them to report any suspicious activity to the SAPS immediately. As schools close for the December holidays, we wish all of our teachers, learners and parents a safe and peaceful festive…

Dear Mavuso Msimang: the president of the ANC, first, and then the country, has expressed regret that you have chosen to leave the organisation after 60 years. He highlighted that everyone joins the ANC voluntarily, out of choice. And when they wish to leave, they will not be stopped as it is out of choice. The president emphasised that when others leave the ANC, new members join. Thus, there will be no vacuum in the ANC. Let us be frank and admit that there is no so-called principled veteran or stalwart in the ANC. None exists. To understand this, we need to first be clear about the meaning of these words: veteran, stalwart and ... er, hero. A veteran is someone who has been with the organisation for too long.…

Israeli forces battled Hamas militants and bombed more targets in the devastated Gaza Strip yesterday as the UN General Assembly was due to vote on a new demand for a ceasefire. More than two months into the war sparked by the October 7 attack, the visiting chief of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, likened Gaza to “hell on earth”. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry charged yesterday that Israeli forces were raiding a hospital in Gaza City, the biggest urban centre, in the north of the coastal territory. “Israeli occupation forces are storming Kamal Adwan hospital after besieging and bombing it for days,” ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra said, accusing troops of rounding up men in the hospital courtyard, including medical staff. Israel has accused the Islamist militant group of…

An asylum seeker has died on board a barge housing migrants off the south coast of England, British police and interior minister James Cleverly said yesterday. Earlier refugee charity Care4Calais said an asylum seeker had died on the Bibby Stockholm, a barge moored in Portland, Dorset, and which can house around 500 people. “Tragically there has been death on the Bibby Stockholm barge,” Cleverly told parliament. Dorset police said they had received a report of “a sudden death of a resident on the Bibby Stockholm” yesterday. “Officers are conducting enquiries,” police said. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made cracking down on illegal migration one of his key priorities. As part of that drive, the government is trying to cut the cost of accommodating asylum seekers in hotels by using…

NAIROBI: President William Ruto said yesterday that Kenya was emerging “out of debt distress”, touting his economic policies despite public anger over tax hikes and slashed subsidies as the country marked its 60th independence anniversary. East Africa’s economic powerhouse has been struggling to manage multiple challenges, including depleted government coffers, high inflation and a plunging currency that has sent debt repayment costs soaring. Kenya had accumulated more than 10.1 trillion shillings (R1.2 trillion) in debt by the end of June, according to Treasury figures. Ruto has been on a campaign to slash public debt and “wasteful” government expenditure. He has also cut food and fuel subsidies. | AFP…

ISTANBUL: Türkiye is seeking an explanation from Somalia after the son of its president, Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, left the country following a fatal traffic accident. The son, Mohamed Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, was driving a vehicle belonging to the Somali consulate last month when he hit a motorcycle courier in Istanbul. The Somali president’s son left Türkiye on December 2, after his release from police interrogation, while the motorcyclist, Yunus Emre Gocer, 38, remained in hospital. But after Gocer’s death in hospital on December 6, an international arrest warrant was issued for the Somali president’s son, the Istanbul prosecutor’s office said. | Reuters…

The Carling Knockout title will be on the line at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday. Finalists Stellenbosch FC and TS Galaxy will be vying for the honours, and if they can master these guidelines, they have a good chance to bag the R6.85 million booty. Capitalise on scoring opportunities Over the weekend, TS Galaxy coach Sead Ramovic emphasised the need to be clinical when scoring opportunities arise. He has urged his team to do better in front of goal. Striker Lehlohonolo Mojela, who scored one and won another penalty in the semi-finals, is expected to carry his attacking armoury once again. Get buy-in for the game plan Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker has outlined the value of a collective spirit in the team for a winning cause. Captain Deano van…

SA A: 298-5 Du Plessis 103*, Hermann 95, Kumar 3-83 in 25, Thakur 1-33 AFTER a rained-out opening day of the unofficial Test match between South Africa A and India A in Potchefstroom, the hosts enjoyed a dominant day with the willow yesterday, losing only five wickets in the process. The chief destroyer was 25-year-old Jean du Plessis (103*) whose approach yesterday made the Indian bowling attack look mediocre. In actual fact, it should have been anything but mediocre with Test bowler Shardul Thakur (1-33) in the visitors’ playing XI. The Indian attack also had Prasidh Krishna (0-34), a quick who is part of India’s 16-man Test squad that will face South Africa in a two-match Test series that is set to start on Boxing Day. However, the right-handed Du…