Table of contents for 2024-01-30 in Cape Times

The Road Accident Fund (RAF) has welcomed the conviction and sentencing of a KwaZulu-Natal former attorney who swindled money from his clients. Langelihle Dube was last week sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for stealing R2.3 million from clients. In the RAF-related case, R1.4m was paid into Dube’s account after a youngster was seriously injured in a car crash. However, Dube failed to make payment to the boy’s family. Dube also stole a R900 000 life insurance payment from a deceased estate. RAF chief executive officer Collins Letsoalo slammed lawyers who use the fund as a gravy train by either defrauding the fund or claimants. “It is outrageous that claimants are taken advantage of by the same legal experts who are supposed to protect their interests. “The RAF remains committed…

PARLIAMENT said yesterday that it would push ahead with the impeachment of Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe unless it was interdicted by the courts. This comes after Judge Hlophe revealed last Friday that he had brought an application to stop his pending impeachment by Parliament. Spokesperson Moloto Mothapo confirmed that the national legislature was served with court papers. “We plan to oppose (the court application). We will proceed (with the impeachment) unless interdicted,” Mothapo said. In November, Parliament decided to vote on the removal of Judge Hlophe and Judge Nkola Motata before the end of this month. The decision was taken by the National Assembly programme after the justice and correctional services portfolio committee adopted the report recommending the removal of the two judges. The portfolio committee had resolved…

AUDITOR-GENERAL Tsakani Maluleke has found that Passenger Rail Services of SA (Prasa) lost more than R30 million through a cyber-security attack and theft by an employee in the 2022/23 financial year. “A R14.8 million loss was incurred as a result of a cyber-security attack. R21.2 million was embezzled by an employee of the organisation who was subsequently dismissed,” Maluleke said. Prasa had procured the services of an independent digital forensic service provider to assist with an investigation into alleged fraudulent activity following the alleged cyber breach during the financial year under review, she said. “This investigation was concluded on May 31, 2023 and pointed to critical weaknesses in the Prasa cyber- security environment. “Management is in the process of addressing the findings of the report as part of its ITC…

THE Cape Town Magistrate’s Court has found the offences for which extradition to the US is sought for alleged members of the Black Axe romance scam syndicate, are extraditable. NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the court also found that the certificate that was issued by the US binds the court and there was enough evidence to prosecute them. Perry Osagiede, Enorense Izevbiege, Franklin Edosa Osagiede, Osariemen Eric Clement, Collins Owhofasa Otughwor, Musa Mudashiru, Prince Ibeabuchi Mark and Toritseju Gabriel Otubu were arrested and charged with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. The State alleges the suspects, working as a collective, would contact potential victims by email or reach out to them on social media, including online dating websites. “Using false identities and representations, the…

THE extraterritorial net of the spinmeisters of the Israeli government in discrediting respected global institutions and NGOs, especially those involved in delivering life-saving medical relief to the devastated Palestinian enclave of Gaza subject, of course, to the necessary circumstances and permissions, continues unabated. Perhaps it is an act of desperation or the psychological warfare tactic in pre-empting the fallout from anticipated bad news and optics through a narrative of denial, discreditation and damage limitation, in the wake of the interim ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague last Friday, that “the State of Israel should immediately implement a set of provisional measures to prevent any further acts of genocide in Gaza, to desist from such acts, and to take effective measures to prevent the destruction…

African leaders gathered at a Rome summit yesterday to hear Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s much-hyped plan for the continent, aimed at transforming Italy into an energy hub – and stopping migration. Far-right leader Meloni, who came to power in 2022 on an anti-migrant ticket, has vowed to reshape relations with African countries by taking a “non-predatory” approach inspired by Enrico Mattei, founder of Italy’s state-owned energy giant Eni. The so-called Mattei Plan hopes to posit Italy as a key bridge between Africa and Europe, funnelling energy north while exchanging investment in the south for deals aimed at curbing migrant departures across the Mediterranean Sea. Meloni said the plan would initially be funded to the tune of 5.5 billion euros (about R112bn) some of which would be loans, with investments…

Kyiv: Ukraine’s energy ministry said yesterday that it will begin building four new nuclear reactors to compensate for Russia’s seizure of the country’s largest nuclear plant. Energy Minister German Galushchenko said all four new reactors would be at the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant in western Ukraine, eventually making it the largest in Europe. Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, Europe’s largest, has been under Russian control since March 2022 and its six reactors have been shut down. Fierce fighting in the area and power cuts have raised international concerns since the plant still needs electricity and water to cool its systems. | AFP…

Tokyo: Toyota said yesterday that was suspending shipments of 10 models that use engines linked with testing irregularities at an affiliate company. The affiliate, Toyota Industries, did not conduct proper horsepower output testing for the certification of three diesel engine models, the parent group said. The automaker said the models, including the Land Cruiser 300 and HiAce, use the affected engines. The shipment suspension will affect about 36 500 Toyota vehicles produced every month, the company said. Toyota Motor Industries said that its workers adjusted the fuel injection amounts to make the data “better-looking”. | AFP…

The report that Rassie Erasmus is to replace one Irishman with another in his Springbok coaching staff and bring in a clever Kiwi is a positive development because it ensures freshness of ideas. The indications are that Felix Jones is to be replaced by Jerry Flannery and he will have the defence portfolio, while former All Black flyhalf Tony Brown will be in charge of growing the backline attack. Flannery, a former Six Nations-winning hooker with Ireland, is currently coaching defence at English club Harlequins but he used to coach the forwards at Munster and this is where he got to know Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber, who coached the Irish province in 2016 and 2017. Rassie is massive on team culture and he is bringing Flannery in because he rates…

South African teams have been flexing their muscles in the European club rugby tournaments so far, and for the Springboks, that can only be a good sign ahead of the demanding 2024 season after their World Cup triumph, with Tests against Ireland and Portugal in June, and the Rugby Championship later this year. Starting at fullback, Independent Newspapers will, over the next few weeks, look at the options at Bok head coach Rassie Erasmus’ disposal for the looming international season, where they will look to maintain the No 1 spot in the world. The incumbent: Damian Willemse The World Cup winner has been juggling responsibilities at the Stormers, shifting between fullback and inside centre where he has been solid as well. But for the national team, his best position is…

SOUTH African investors are expressing caution regarding the country’s investment outlook for the year, given the potential for a coalition government arising from the upcoming general election. Anchor Capital, which has R225 billion in assets under management, yesterday said South Africa was “going to be different” post the May election. The asset manager has drafted four possible scenarios that, the first being the ruling ANC winning the election with a 50% to 55% majority. In this scenario, Anchor said the ANC would continue governing with a lot of challenges continuing to persist, and things getting worse after 2026 when the sitting President ends his term as the party president. In the second scenario the ANC achieves 45% to 49% of the vote, and gets into a coalition with one…

from page 1 management and deployed to serve in the Public Order Police unit. R150 million was also allocated to procure resources to bolster crowd management equipment for the unit. Training has also been enhanced.” Turning to the violent attacks in Phoenix, Verulam, Chatsworth and Montclair, the SAHRC found black South Africans were targeted because of their race. “The level of organisation involved in these acts, coupled with the lack of intervention by police officers stationed at the SAPS office, and racist social media messages in circulation, points to a larger racial problem within the community.” Mosoma said racism was prevalent in these areas and it had a negative impact on the lives of the African people in terms of the economy and public service. “Racism is allegedly pervasively present…

Former transport minister and ANC MP Dipuo Peters failed in her bid to interdict Parliament from suspending her from parliamentary debates, sittings, committee meetings and functions for one term. This comes after the Western Cape High Court yesterday dismissed Peters’s urgent application to stop Parliament from implementing her suspension. The National Assembly adopted Peters’s suspension last November when it considered the reports of the ethics committee that found several MPs guilty of breaching the code for members of Parliament. The House approved the report against Peters despite receiving a letter from her legal representative, demanding the complaint against her not be considered. National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said at the time there was no legal impediment to the report against Peters being considered. Yesterday, Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said the…

ANC’s cowardly failure to hold the ex-president accountable has come back to haunt it THE ANC’s announcement of former President Jacob Zuma’s suspension from the party was “characteristically graceless, bitter and deceitful” at a time when election campaigns were beginning to gain traction. This according to policy analyst and researcher Nkosikhulule Nyembezi, who also warned of a possible fallout from Zuma’s suspension. “Though the party hinted it might still subject him to further disciplinary proceedings after the elections, his suspension from the ANC’s political life is long overdue. That decision could have serious consequences for the ANC and several of its high-profile leaders at the next election as the effects of factionalism continue to make themselves felt in the party structures and the compilation of candidate lists starts to produce…

a home for people with physical and mental disabilities in Mpumalanga scored a victory for its 36 state-subsidised residents when the court ordered the Department of Social Development (DSD) in the province to up its subsidies to the home. The Mpumalanga High Court, Mbombela, heard that the provincial government had not increased its subsidy to the Sunfield Home Fortuna, outside Balfour, in the past 15 years. The home, with the help of AfriForum, turned to court. The civil rights organisation argued that the home’s subsidy should be increased in line with inflation. The case, which began when Sunfield Home approached AfriForum for help in August 2022, focused on the unfair subsidy amount that had never been increased in the past 15 years. If the subsidy was not increased, Sunfield could…

MORE political parties have expressed concern that provincial legislature deputy speaker Beverley Schäfer’s appeal hearing, which recently started, has already seen an indefinite postponement. ActionSA in the province said they viewed this as an attempt by the DA to evade accountability for Schäfer. The appeals committee members were informed about the postponement in a letter on the second day of the hearings. Schäfer was found guilty by the conduct committee of breaching the code of conduct, and a fine of R17 800 and a seven-day suspension of privileges as deputy speaker was recommended. An investigation revealed that Schäfer misused a BMW X5 SUV costing the state more than R150 000, despite being allocated an Audi Q5 by the legislature. “In the light of the speaker’s failure to recover the fruitless…

THE recent tragic incident in Gauteng where a primary school pupil lost her life during a school outing, has once again raised concerns about the safety measures that need to be adopted by schools and the Department of Basic Education (DBE). It is essential that immediate action is taken to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. Last week, Latoya Temilton, a 12-year-old learner at Laerskool Queenswood in Pretoria, died while on a school outing. She drowned during a one-day excursion to Wag ‘n Bietjie Resort in Witkoppen, Olifantsfontein. In KwaZulu-Natal, a bus crash claimed the lives of six learners from Mchitheki Secondary School, in Hluhluwe, last year. The pupils were travelling to Durban for an educational tour when their bus overturned after the driver failed to negotiate a…

Hundreds of farmers yesterday used tractors to block access to key ports in Germany, intensifying their protests against the government’s plans to cut agriculture subsidies. Around 100 tractors were parked on strategic routes leading to Hamburg’s port area, disrupting access to Germany’s biggest such facility and one of the busiest in Europe for international container shipping. Other smaller ports along Germany’s northern coast – Wilhelmshaven and Bremerhaven – were also hit by tractor blockades. Police at Bremerhaven said talks were ongoing with farmers in a bid to ease access to the harbour area. About 1 500 tractors were also holding up traffic across Hamburg, police said. Farmers in Germany have been protesting since December over Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s plans to scrap subsidies in the agricultural sector after a shock court…

Madrid: Spanish police yesterday said they had busted the owners of a funeral parlour in Valencia for allegedly selling dead bodies to university research departments for €1 200 (about R24 400 ) per corpse. The four suspects, two owners and two employees, also helped the universities dispose of the bodies after they had been studied by incinerating them or disposing of their dismembered parts in other coffins slated for cremation. Most of the bodies were of people without any family. The suspects “falsified documentation to get the bodies from hospitals and retirement homes in order to later sell them to universities for research”, police said. | AFP…

Manila: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos yesterday brushed off accusations by Rodrigo Duterte that he was a “drug addict”, saying his predecessor’s long-term use of fentanyl had taken a toll on his health. Duterte had launched a foul-mouthed tirade against his successor over a campaign to change the country’s constitution, in the latest sign of a breakdown in relations between the families. Fronting a rally of supporters in his southern stronghold of Davao city, Duterte said Marcos was a “drug addict”, without providing evidence. Duterte, whose crackdown on narcotics left thousands of people dead, has admitted using fentanyl for pain relief. | AFP…

Bafana Bafana and Morocco will want to take a step closer to the Africa Cup of Nations' final when they meet in the last 16 in San-Pedro, Ivory Coast, tonight. Here, MIHLALI BALEKA looks at five players who could win the match for their respective nations. THEMBA ZWANE – BAFANA Zwane has been one of the standout players in the ongoing biennial showpiece as he scored a brace and walked away with the player-of-the-match award on two occasions. However, with the round robin group stage done and dusted, according to experts it’s only now in the knockout stage that the competition will finally start. That’s why coach Hugo Broos will need his best players to be in top form and Zwane is chief among them with his trickery feet and…

SWISS construction giant Holcim is betting that US “reindustrialisation” will continue booming regardless of who wins the presidency in November, bolstering its North American branch ahead of a planned spin-off. Holcim, one of the world’s largest cement makers, announced on Sunday that it plans to fully spin off its North America busi- ness and list it on the New York Stock Exchange during the first half of 2025. It suggested the new North American building solutions company might be valued at more than $30 billion, and saw its share price surge when markets opened yesterday morning. The North America branch “is a rock star business”, company chief Jan Jenisch told reporters after the announcement, adding that spinning it off was the “natural next step”. “This is simply too successful…

THE tribunal hearing against suspended Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, Judge Nomonde Mngqibisa-Thusi will be closed to the media and the public when she and her witnesses give evidence. Yesterday morning, Judge Mngqibisa-Thusi, through her legal team, applied for the entire tribunal hearing to be conducted with only the interested parties present. This excluded the media and the public. The chairperson of the tribunal granted her application, as at that stage there were no applications for the tribunal to be open to all. The judge ordered that all parties not directly connected to the hearing to leave the room. Following applications later in the day by the SABC and EWN for access to the tribunal hearings, the chairperson ruled that the media could attend the hearing at the tribunal or…

A slew of allegations, including that international banks had a close relationship with the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and Prudential Authority (PA), which are accused of flagging the accounts of the Sekunjalo Group, came under the spotlight in the Western Cape High Court under the Equality Court yesterday. This comes as the SARB and PA argued for an interlocutory (interim) application for the dismissal of a complaint brought against them by Sekunjalo and its chairman, Dr Iqbal Survé, alleging that the statutory bodies contravened sections 24(1) and 25(1)(c)(i) of the Equality Act. The matter involves allegations of unfair discrimination by banks in South Africa, including Standard Bank, Absa Bank, FNB and Nedbank, which have embarked on a process to close the bank accounts of the Sekunjalo Group and related…

THE provincial Department of Social Development (DSD) is investigating a fire that damaged the Sivuyile residential facility in Stikland which caters for more than 100 people with disabilities. The blaze broke out at about 10am on Thursday, affecting two buildings. According to the department, due to the quick intervention of staff, all 110 residents, most who are bed or wheelchair bound, were evacuated to safety. The child and youth care centre provides residential care to children outside their family environment in accordance with a care programme. The department’s spokesperson, Esther Lewis, said no injuries were sustained by residents or staff. “The fire damaged two buildings, causing a large part of the roof to collapse. Supplies such as medical equipment, bedding, mattresses, clothing and toys were destroyed in the fire and…

Much will depend on how carefully we choose leaders who are fit for public office AT THE outset of this election year, when we join the Electoral Commission in encouraging eligible voters to register on the first weekend in February, and with thousands of candidates joining the race to win seats in legislative bodies, as South Africans, we should pause to consider what the threat of re-election of corrupt and incompetent politicians would mean for the country and our democracy and to weigh the responsibility this election places on our shoulders. By now, as voters, we should have no illusions about each candidate. During their many years as members of legislative bodies and as prominent figures in their respective political parties, some candidates we will be interacting with during election…

Deadly fighting and air strikes rocked besieged Gaza yesterday, a day after an attack that killed three US troops in Jordan heightened fears of a wider regional conflict. Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip killed 140 people overnight, including 20 members of one family, said the health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory. The Israeli army, in its war sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack, said its troops had “encountered and killed dozens of armed terrorists in battles in central Gaza”. Ground forces backed by tanks have focused combat operations on the coastal strip’s main southern city of Khan Yunis, the hometown of Hamas’s Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar. The four-month-old war was sparked by the Hamas attack which resulted in about 1 140 deaths, mostly civilians, in southern Israel, according…

Fighting between rival communities in a disputed region claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan has killed 54 people, including two UN peacekeepers, the UN said yesterday calling for calm. The clashes in Abyei, a contested oil-rich territory straddling the border of both countries, broke out at the weekend, local authorities said. The UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) said it “strongly condemns these attacks against civilians and peacekeepers”. “Currently, according to local authorities, 52 civilians have lost their lives, while 64 others are said to be gravely wounded,” it said. It said peacekeepers came under fire on Sunday “while transporting affected civilians from a UNISFA base to a hospital”. A Pakistani peacekeeper was killed, and “four uniformed personnel and one local civilian sustained injury”, it said. A Ghanaian…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran pledged yesterday to improve dialogue and swop liaison officers as both nations sought to ease tensions after deadly cross-border strikes threatened diplomatic relations. The tit-for-tat raids earlier this month in the porous border region of Baluchistan, split between the two nations, stoked regional tensions already inflamed by the Israel-Hamas war. During a visit to Pakistan yesterday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the hostilities could not be described as a “crisis” because relations had always been strong. Pakistan Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani said both sides had agreed to strengthen dialogue. | AFP…

Mexico City: Cheering spectators filled Mexico City’s massive bullfighting arena on Sunday, taking in the capital’s first bloody show since the Supreme Court last month overturned an earlier suspension, as protesters outside the stadium demanded a ban. Inscribed in the dirt of Mexico’s Monumental Plaza de Toros – the largest bullfighting stadium in the world, with seating for over 41 000 – was the phrase, “Freedom. Bulls, living culture”. Trampled by the charging bulls and side-stepping matadors, the message slowly faded. The event was the first since a judge in June 2022 ordered indefinite suspension of the centuries-old practice in Mexico City. | AFP…

Durban’s Super Giants may not be everyone’s favourite team, but they are fast developing into the leading contenders for the SA20 season 2 title. Many of the fans’ top choices are MI Cape Town and Joburg Super Kings due to their respective Indian Premier League connections, but DSG are showing they are more than able to go toe-to-toe with the heavyweights. In fact, DSG have been handing out the knockout punches as they became the first team to qualify for the play-offs after their resounding 125-run bonus-point victory over second-placed Paarl Royals at Kingsmead on Sunday. The DSG line-up is packed with X-factor players. Even the loss of overseas stars Nicholas Pooran and Richard Gleeson has been absorbed with the recruitment of Marcus Stoinis, Naveen-ul-Haq and Noor Ahmad. Stoinis’…