Table of contents for 2024-02-05 in Cape Times

EQUITY markets on the JSE continued to recover last week. This despite the hawkish tone of the US Federal Reserve (Fed) on the prospects for interest rates in the US. The Fed announced at a press conference last Wednesday that it keeps its bank rate at its current level of between 5.25% and 5.5%. The Fed hinted that it is done raising interest rates, but made it clear that it is not ready to start cutting, with a March move lower increasingly unlikely. The Fed emphasised that it had no intention in cutting rates while core inflation was still above the central bank’s target of 2%. US core inflation came down to a two-and a-half year low of 3.9% in December 2023, down from 4% in the prior month and…

CHANGES to the Employment Equity Act’s (EEA) draft regulations on proposed sectoral numerical targets for the implementation of the Employment Equity Amendment Act have been welcomed as unions and experts agree the legacies of apartheid cannot “remain prevalent in many workplaces”. The regulations republished by Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi on Thursday, state that the “purpose of affirmative action is a coherent packet of measures, of a temporary nature in line with the Constitution, aimed specifically at correcting the position of members of a target group as defined in the Employment Equity Act in the workplace, in order to obtain effective equality”. This as the country’s Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) 23d report last year showed top management was still occupied mostly by white people at 62.9 percent. However,…

THE Patriotic Alliance (PA) has refuted allegations of intimidation levelled against it by the DA after men in PA shirts were seen carrying weapons during voter registration in Eerste River at the weekend. According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), day two of the second registration weekend ahead of the 2024 national and provincial elections went well. At the close of registration on Saturday, more than half a million registrations were recorded at 23 303 voting stations and by 1pm yesterday a total of 564 715 registrations had been recorded at voting stations across the country. “(On) Saturday, the commission recorded 67 200 online registration transactions. “Today the figure of online registrations stands at 34 293. We urge voters whose access to our online facility is delayed…

I AM thoroughly disgusted with the South African government for recently reporting Israel to the International Court of Justice in the Hague; the same government that openly supported Russia, a country that has devastated Ukraine and murdered its people. I shouldn’t be surprised really. After all, the present government in South Africa is led by the ANC. It’s little wonder then that they and their cronies support Hamas. Take time to consider that had Hamas not blatantly butchered innocent Israelis at a pop concert – 260 young people, gunned down by thugs with their AK47 rifles, as well as other Israelis at home in bed – there wouldn't have been a single Palestinian killed. Don’t blame Israel for something Hamas started. I’d like to remind the South African government…

250 g beef mince 250 g big brown mushrooms, minced 90 g fresh breadcrumbs 45 ml fresh parsley, chopped 1 egg, beaten salt and milled black pepper 15 ml oil Sauce 1 tin tomato and onion mix 250 ml beef stock 15 ml tomato paste or sundried tomato paste 5 ml smoked paprika 1 roasted yellow pepper, sliced Salt and milled black pepper Preheat the oven to 180°C. Combine all of the ingredients, except for the oil, in a mixing bowl. Using floured hands, shape spoonfuls of the mixture into meatballs. Heat the oil in a pan and brown the meatballs on all sides. Transfer the meatballs to an ovenproof casserole. Sauce Mix all of the sauce ingredients together and pour over the meatballs. Season with salt and pepper. Cover…

A South African was among a group of six undocumented foreign nationals arrested for possession of presumed stolen property and damage to essential infrastructure worth more than R170 000 in Melkbosstrand. Acting on a tip-off about damages to essential infrastructure, the team spotted a white Ford Ranger parked next to the road on Friday. “Further inspection led to the recovery of railway Pandrol springs with an estimated street value of R175 000. The members apprehended a total of seven men of which six are undocumented persons and one a South African citizen on charges relating to the possession of presumed stolen property and damage to essential infrastructure,” said police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi. “Damage and vandalism to essential infrastructure, such as rail and freight, poses a serious threat to the economy…

OVERCRIMINALISATION occurs when a state passes vague, broadly worded and incredibly hard to enforce laws that create a plethora of criminal offences. Due to the inherent deficiencies in these laws, when promulgated they lead to widespread criminalisation of citizens who inadvertently or unknowingly break the law. I believe the term precisely illustrates what will happen should the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill be signed into law by the President in its current form. The very same custodian of the bill, the Department of Justice and Correctional Services, has recently admitted that “many aspects of the regulations in process are still unclear, including the permitted quantities involved and many definitions of the bill, at the foremost the question as to what constitutes a private space”. The department has noted that regulations…

FRANCE: A migrant found shot in northern France died of his wounds overnight, prosecutors said yesterday, with a second person injured. The fatally wounded man was “found, still alive, on the side of the A16 road near the town of Grande-Synthe,” said Charlotte Hutet, prosecutor in adjacent Dunkirk. “This man was living in a migrant camp near to the spot where he was found” at Loon-Plage, she added, saying his identity had yet to be confirmed. He had been shot in the chest, a police source said. The second person, a 33-year-old Iraqi also believed to be living in the camp, was wounded in the hand, the source said on condition of anonymity.…

Rawalpindi, Pakistan: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s party has redefined election campaigning in Pakistan with its social media rallies and use of AI technology in a bid to sidestep a nationwide crackdown that has followed it online. Khan was jailed in the build-up to the campaign, while his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) has been heavily restricted from campaigning for Thursday’s vote and banned from the TV airwaves. Censorship followed as the party pushed its election drive online. “They can ban what they want, they can ban YouTube and TikTok, whatever they want but our vote is for Imran Khan,” 18-year-old Imran Aziz, a first-time voter, told AFP at a bustling electronics market in Rawalpindi. Pakistani internet freedom watchdog Bytes 4 All recorded four hours-long social media shutdowns in January, cutting off…

The astonishing performance of Ronwen Williams in Saturday’s Afcon quarter-final against Cape Verde could well be the premier individual achievement of the 2023 continental marquee event. Ronwen Williams 10/10 Another brilliant performance by South Africa’s shot-stopper. He was deservedly named player of the match after four stunning saves in the penalty shoot-out. One could not ask for more from the goalmouth custodian. Aubrey Modiba 7 Modiba showed composure at left back in a workmanlike performance. He fought hard in the duels and made first-time clearances. He is always up for sending in goalmouth crosses when he moves down the flank, as he tries to spark attacking forays from deep options. Mothobi Mvala 8 Mvala is becoming the darling of the fans after solid performances in the centre of defence. He…

The ANC is hoping to convince former President Thabo Mbeki to join its campaign ahead of the national and general elections this year as it faces many challenges, including former President Jacob Zuma endorsing and campaigning for the newly formed MK Party. According to reports, the ANC has deployed former KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli to convince Mbeki to campaign for the party. Mbeki has in recent months been a vocal critic of the ANC’s failure to deliver on its conference resolution to renew itself, suggesting he was not interested in campaigning for the party. Last year, he told a national broadcaster that he had not taken a decision about whether to vote for the ANC or not. “There are many things that are going wrong which are not being…

Bafana Bafana are delicately poised for Africa Cup of Nations glory after they ended a 24-year absence from the semi-finals following their 2-1 penalty shoot-out win over Cape Verde in Saturday’s quarter-final in Ivory Coast. Coach Hugo Broos’s charges have been giant killers, eliminating Morocco, the World Cup semi-finalists, and then defeating Cape Verde, previously also unbeaten. They have now fixed a semi-final date with the Super Eagles of Nigeria on Wednesday at Stade de la Paix in Bouaké. In their last semi-final appearance in 2000, South Africa suffered a 2-0 loss to Nigeria. Cape Verde, seeking to be inspired by Madiba Magic, were floored by Bafana Bafana’s 4x4 power in Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations 2023 semi-final against South Africa. On the eve of the match, Pedro “Bubista” Brito,…

THE Tuesday edition’s “Zuma’s suspension long overdue” refers. It is extremely strange for a political party to only suspend someone when that person is openly attacking and undermining them. Zuma’s behaviour has clearly broken any trust between himself and the ANC. Despite this breach of trust and the ongoing destructive behaviour, the ANC is still scared to terminate Zuma’s membership. Obviously, he knows something that might damage the ANC and many of its top leadership.…

A COALITION of capitalist and imperialist countries – including the US, France, the UK and Germany – are supporting each other to protect their commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, but sadly there is no coalition to protect human beings and save lives in Gaza. The Houthi attacks on ships from some Western countries linked to apartheid Israel are in retaliation for the blockade and bombing of Gaza. The Houthis have made it extremely clear that their attacks will stop as soon as apartheid Israel’s illegal military attacks on Gaza are stopped unconditionally. The notion promoted by Western countries that the Houthis are “Iranian proxies” is disingenuous. The Yemeni people, like human rights activists across the globe, are very supportive of the Palestinian resistance and the…

RIGHT-wing Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s assertion that the West Bank, which is Palestinian land, belongs to Israel under an ancient biblical decree is to be dismissed as a bad joke. By Smotrich’s logic, it should then follow that Australia should be returned to the Aboriginal population and South Africa to the San. His notion is absurd. Prior to 1948, the entire area in question was known as Palestine and was administered by the British before an area was gifted to Israel with the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza left under the “management” of Jordan and Egypt. In 1967 Israel went to war with Egypt, Jordan and Syria and grabbed the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza area for themselves, leaving Palestinians under Israeli control after destroying more than…

The last KwaBhaca High School pupil admitted to hospital in a suspected poisoning incident that affected 320 pupils is expected to be discharged today. This comes as the Eastern Cape Health Department said it was awaiting the results to confirm the cause of the suspected poisoning. Department spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said three pupils were discharged from hospital on Saturday after medical evaluation and monitoring. “Meanwhile, stools, water and food samples were sent to the lab and are we are awaiting the results,” sad Kupelo. Kupelo said it was still unclear if the suspected poisoning was food or waterborne. Kupelo said more than 320 learners from the high school were rushed to health-care facilities after presenting with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea over two days last week. “A total of 324…

While the latest public hearing on the Provincial Powers Bill was postponed after chaos broke out at the Western Cape legislature, opposition parties have maintained their stance against the proposed bill. Friday’s chaos followed disrupted public hearings in Worcester and Moorreesburg last week and prompted the postponement of the hearing, with civil and community groups, activists and opposition parties saying they were unable to attend due to the venue being too small. The bill seeks to expand federal autonomy for capable provincial and local governments and to empower them to manage devolved functions such as policing, public transport, energy, and harbours from the national government. Chief whip in the legislature, Wendy Kaizer-Philander, said: “Unfortunately, the ANC has been hard at work distorting public opinion on the bill, and has incited…

‘THERE can be miracles when you believe.’ Bafana Bafana’s progress to the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) semi-finals is confirmation of the truth of the popular song by the late Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. No one, except perhaps only themselves, believed South Africa’s senior national team would still be standing with just two rounds of matches left to go in the Ivory Coast. And with good reason, too, for such had been Bafana’s poor showing in recent years at the showpiece event that many expected them to merely add to the numbers. But coach Hugo Broos and his team believed. They believed they had it in them to compete on an equal footing with the continent’s best. They believed they had it in them to reach the knockout stage.…

BEIJING: China’s meteorological authority has renewed an orange alert for snowstorms in some regions of the country, beginning yesterday. The National Meteorological Centre said that from yesterday morning to this morning, heavy snow will hit parts of Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong, with snowfall expected to reach 2 to 5cm. It advised authorities to be aware of the impact of extensive snow and freezing weather during the ongoing Spring Festival travel rush, in which hundreds of millions of people return home to reunite with their friends and families. Pedestrians and drivers were advised to be extra careful concerning roads, railways, electricity and telecommunications.…

ANKARA: At least 34 foreign nationals have been arrested over their suspected links to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in an operation across seven provinces in Türkiye, official sources said. Taking to X, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that the suspects, including some wanted with an Interpol red notice, were arrested in “Cage-35” anti-terror operations carried out simultaneously in the provinces of Istanbul, Kocaeli, Yalova, Kayseri, Bursa, Duzce, and Yozgat. During operations, unauthorised firearms, a significant amount of foreign currency, and digital materials were also seized. Türkiye listed IS as a terrorist group in 2013.…

MOSCOW: Over 6.2 million voters in El Salvador were set to vote in the presidential, mayoral and legislative polls yesterday. Sitting president, Nayib Bukele, has sidestepped constitutional limits to run for a second six-year term and is widely expected to win. A November 1 opinion poll by CID Gallup showed his approval rating at 90%, the highest among a dozen of Latin American leaders. Bukele’s running mate, Vice-President Felix Ulloa, promised that the government would continue its controversial war on gangs and violent crime, which has drawn accusations of human rights violations but also allowed the country to mark 500 days without homicides in December.…

The Springboks are set to warm up for this year’s international season with a Test against Wales at Twickenham in June. The Boks demolished the All Blacks 35-5 at the venue in September, and a return to the home of rugby will generate much-needed revenue for SA Rugby but also serve as a warm-up for the two-Test home series against Ireland in the first two weeks of July. The Boks can expect plenty of support from expatriate South Africans in London, while Wales, who lost 27-26 to Scotland in a Six Nations thriller at the weekend, will give them a tough workout ahead of the matches against the No1 team in the world. Ireland enjoyed an emphatic victory over France in Marseilles on Friday night and will be hell-bent on…

Babalwa Ngonyama vows not to back down on her litigation against the institution FORMER UCT Council chairperson Babalwa Ngonyama has accused the university of intimidation attacks on her and those affiliated with her to ensure a legal battle she is pursuing is dropped. According to Ngonyama, the university was using what she described as “corporate bullying tactics” and a persecutor approach. This is after a letter, seen by the Cape Times, was sent to Camissa Asset Management (Camissa), in which Ngonyama’s business, Sinayo, holds shares. The letter, signed by the university’s council chairperson Norman Arendse and UCT’s Joint Investment Committee (JIC), demanded a formal response from the financial institution to state how it intends to ensure that university funds are not being used to support litigation against the university. The…

NO DOUBT I’m not the only taxpayer who got very hot under the collar when learning that the Department of Human Settlements has paid R134 million to a company linked to our Deputy President in respect of a housing project conceived in 2013, where not one house has yet been built. The company, Blackhead Consulting, owned by Edwin Sodi – a close friend of Paul Mashatile – and an ANC donor has received more than R1 billion in recent years on various projects. It would be very interesting to know exactly what this money funded and how much Mashatile received in “kickbacks”.…

HOPE and a sense of belonging has always been a key hallmark of the DA’s offering to residents, and is reflected in the fact that where the DA governs, more jobs are created, the government spends peoples’ money on services for all and receives clean audits and national and international accolades where it governs. The fact is that by addressing challenges in administrations where it governs, and innovating across a range of services, DA governments are already improving services for all, creating safer communities, spending more on underground infrastructure and rolling out more affordable, convenient and safer public transport, to name but a few. There’s a lot of work which still needs to be done, but the DA is clearly on the right track to improve service delivery, and granting…

IT WAS good to read in the Cape Times' Business Report (February 1) that President Cyril Ramaphosa made the ceremonial launch of South Africa's first exports from Durban under the auspices of the African Continental Free Trade Area. (AfCFTA) But simultaneously Botswana and Namibia placed a ban on imports of South African vegetables. This goes against the spirit of the AfCFTA treaty. It also flies in the face of the Southern African Customs Union treaties. True, less-developed states are permitted "variable geometry" to end restrictions on imports from more developed economies slower than South Africa phasing out income restrictions. But South Africa is entitled at the very least to know when these bans will be ended – if Pan-Africanism is to have any meaning.…

Statistics between October 2023 and January 2024 point to one of the busiest periods for the City’s Fire and Rescue Service in the last four years, with 13 087 incidents responded to. More than half of these were vegetation fires. “The past few months have been a true test of our Fire and Rescue Service’s capabilities, as well as the various support departments. However, it has also been a testament to the planning and resourcing within the service, as well as the relationships that exist, not only with other agencies like the Table Mountain National Parks, their service provider NCC and the Volunteer Wildfire Services, but also our memorandum of agreement with neighbouring municipalities who stepped in when we needed them. This week, the roles were reversed, and we were…

South Africa’s application to the ICJ has implications for Cape Independence SOUTH Africa’s application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has commanded enormous media attention, both domestically and abroad. Quite correctly, the focus has been on the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Middle East. A preliminary order has now been issued, while the case itself will take several years to finalise. South Africa’s actions, however, have had far wider implications, some of which are very significant domestically. As an advocate for Cape Independence, the legal formalities of the case have been very helpful. Is the Constitution supreme? Whether Cape Independence is legally possible has been a recurring theme of the secession debate. Many South African legal scholars who oppose the idea have sought to frame the legality…

ISTANBUL: Two pilots have died and a technician has been injured after a helicopter crashed in the Turkish south-central province of Gaziantep, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said yesterday. “The helicopter of the aviation department of the general security directorate, which took off from Hatay to Gaziantep, crashed near the village of Kartal in Gaziantep province. Two pilots have died and a technician has been injured,” Yerlikaya said on X. Türkiye’s interior minister has expressed condolences to the families of victims and wished a speedy recovery to an injured police officer. The cause of the helicopter crash has not been specified.…

RUSSIA said yesterday that Ukraine killed at least 28 people, including nine women and a child, when its armed forces struck a bakery and restaurant in Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine with Western-supplied rockets. Russian-backed officials said that Ukraine struck the bakery in the city of Lysychansk on Saturday with US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). Emergency workers worked through the night searching for survivors in the rubble of what remained of the shattered Adriatic Restaurant on Moskovska Street, where Russian officials said a bakery had been set up for civilians. “The armed forces of Ukraine opened fire on a bakery in Lysychansk,” said Leonid Pasechnik, the Russian-installed head of the Luhansk region which is now controlled by Russian forces. Pasechnik said the bakery was crowded with civilians when it was…

Harare: Zumbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF now commands a two-thirds majority in parliament and could amend the constitution and prolong President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s control, after by-election results were released yesterday. The party won a clean sweep in six constituency elections held on Saturday after a peculiar political manoeuvre that was denounced as a fraud by the opposition saw six opposition MPs sacked. Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson Rodney Kiwa told AFP: “Elections went well. ZANU-PF has won in all the six constituencies. “I do confirm that position.” This was the second time Zimbabwe has held parliamentary by-elections since the start of a political crisis that has hobbled the opposition and may now cement 81-year-old Mnangagwa’s control. Analysts and opposition activists warn that ZANU-PF could now wield their super-majority – of 190 seats out…

The Proteas received a much-needed boost ahead of the second ODI against Australia on Wednesday, with star all-rounder Marizanne Kapp reportedly passed fit. Kapp was struck on her left elbow by a throw as she completed a second run to reach her half-century in the first ODI on Saturday in Adelaide, which forced her to retire hurt. She was unable to play any part in the Proteas’ fielding effort as the visitors went down by eight wickets to the world champions. Kapp has undergone scans, which cleared the star all-rounder of serious damage, with the scan revealing a “soft tissue injury” to her upper left arm. Independent Media understands that the 34-year-old is ready to take her place for the second ODI in North Sydney in a couple of days.…