Table of contents for 2024-04-23 in Cape Times

from page 1 Judge Motha said he should not be misunderstood – he was not advocating for an all black legal team but, to achieve justice in B-BBEE matters, he was asking that there should be African representatives. He said when he asked counsel in this matter to discuss the fact that an all-white team was briefed, his request was treated with disdain. This, he said, should be nipped in the bud before it took root. Judge Motha also observed that he had noticed the whirlwind generated by his views on the matter. But he insisted that the courts should not abdicate their responsibilities as they had done before the dawn of democracy, under the pretext that this was a political or policy issue. “Nothing could be further from the…

THE South African Refugee Led Network (SARLN) says the final White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration, and Refugee Protection, approved by Cabinet, has not undergone a comprehensive review process and has not adequately accommodated key representatives of primary parties affected. Home Affairs Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi recently announced that after “robust engagements”, Cabinet approved the final White Paper with a view for a bill to move to Parliament with haste. Motsoaledi said public comments on the White Paper reaffirmed the need to adopt “effective policy measures and legislative interventions dealing with migration in South Africa”. Among changes would be the repeal of the Citizenship Act and Births and Deaths Registration Act in its entirety to be included in a single piece of legislation. Visas will also be reviewed under the Immigration Act.…

HEALTH Minister Joe Phaahla has revealed that provincial health departments have recorded a total of 47 corruption cases since January 2023. Replying to parliamentary questions from DA MP Michéle Clarke, Phaahla said all provinces except the North West had recorded corruption cases. Three provinces – Limpopo, the Northern Cape and the Free State – have disclosed the amount involved in the corruption cases, while others have yet to quantify the money involved. Phaahla said the Eastern Cape reported 15 corruption cases. “The amount of funds lost has not yet been quantified,” he said. Phaahla said out of the 15 cases, four cases have been concluded and three were still under investigation. “There is one case in which there was insufficient evidence to substantiate the allegations of corruption. In the remaining…

IN THE tumultuous landscape of present day neo-colonial South Africa, one voice stood out in unwavering courage, integrity, and commitment to the ideals of justice and freedom. Dr Motsoko Pheko, former president of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), distinguished himself as a lone voice in the South African Parliament, fearlessly speaking out against the criminalisation of our Struggle for freedom and the continued incarceration post 1994 of Azanian People’s Liberation Army comrades whose only crime was to dare fight against the racist apartheid regime. His dedication to the cause of liberation serves as an enduring testament to his indomitable spirit and commitment to the principles of Pan- Africanism. Dr Pheko’s journey as a freedom fighter began long before the dawn of democracy in South Africa. As a key…

Floods swamped cities in southern China’s densely populated Pearl River Delta yesterday following record-breaking rains, sparking worries about the region’s defences against bigger deluges induced by extreme weather events. The province once dubbed the “factory floor of the world” is prone to summer floods. Its defences against disruptive floods were severely tested in June 2022 when Guangdong was pounded by the heaviest downpours in six decades. Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated. Since Thursday last week, Guangdong has been battered by unusually heavy, sustained and widespread rainfall, with powerful storms ushering in an earlier-than-normal start to the province’s annual flooding season in May and June. In Qingyuan, a relatively small city of 4 million, residents counted losses. “My rice fields are fully flooded, my fields are gone,” said Huang…

African leaders at a security summit in Nigeria called for a revamp of institutions fighting violent extremism on the continent and the setting up of a standby military force and greater control over peace-keeping efforts. Groups linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda have been carrying out routine attacks in Africa, including the Sahel, Somalia and Mozambique. Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe said while the Sahel suffered the most attacks on civilians, coastal states like Togo were facing growing threats. Last year, the number of daily attacks by extremist groups in Africa rose to eight and 44 deaths, up from four attacks and 18 deaths daily between 2017 and 2021, said AU Commission chairperson Moussa Faki. He said 7 000 civilians were killed and 4 000 military personnel died last year,…

MALE: Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu’s party earned a landslide victory in parliamentary elections, reports said yesterday, a result set to move the Indian Ocean archipelago closer to China and away from traditional partner India. Muizzu’s People’s National Congress (PNC) won 71 of the 93 seats available on Sunday, preliminary results from the Maldives Elections Commission and media projections showed. The PNC together with its coalition parties holds 75 seats in total while the main opposition Maldives Democratic Party dwindled to only 12 seats from 65 previously. Beijing and New Delhi have both wooed the Maldives. | Reuters…

NEW DELHI: India’s main opposition Congress party petitioned the Election Commission yesterday to act against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making what it said were “deeply objectionable” comments about Muslims that violated election laws. Modi, who is seeking a third term, referred to Muslims as “infiltrators” during a campaign speech. Modi said the Congress election manifesto promised to confiscate and redistribute the wealth of Indians, which it denies. He said if the party adhered to remarks in 2006 of then Congress prime minister Manmohan Singh that minority Muslims should have the first claim on resources, wealth would be distributed to “infiltrators”. India’s 200 million Muslims make up the world’s third-largest Muslim population. | Reuters…

Eskom will deliver its electricity outlook for the winter period at the end of this week on the back of 26 consecutive days of uninterrupted suspension of load shedding due to sustained generation capacity and adequate emergency reserves. This was confirmed by Eskom’s acting general manager in the office of the group CEO, Eric Shunmagum, during a media briefing yesterday on the implementation of the energy action plan. Shunmagum said the struggling power utility will present its winter plan on Friday as the energy availability factor (EAF) of a number of Eskom’s power stations was improving. “We will be presenting three scenarios. Our base scenario will be one of having 14 000MW of unplanned outage and 3 500MW of planned maintenance,” he said. “In terms of EAFs of…

Cape Town was described as being “in the eye of an extortion storm” at a recent murder trial where Western Cape High Court Judge Daniel Thulare handed down seven life terms to two gangster extortionists. Gcinithemba Beja and Fundile Maseti, affiliated to the notorious Gupta gang, during their reign of terror in the Khayelitsha community, were arrested following a battle for extortion turf. The duo were convicted on seven counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and one count of unlawful possession of ammunition. This comes as Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis confirmed the City had to add additional security measures at an informal settlement due to staff on site being targeted by extortionists. In a social media post, Hill-Lewis confirmed…

The Sekunjalo Group has condemned what it describes as a sustained propaganda and disinformation campaign orchestrated by the Daily Maverick against its chairman, Dr Iqbal Survé, and associated businesses. In a statement, the group expressed disappointment at a recent article penned by Neesa Moodley for the Daily Maverick, titled “Bad business has not dented Iqbal Survé’s ‘billions’ – or so he says”. According to Sekunjalo, this piece is the latest instalment in a protracted series of negative attacks by competitor publications aimed at Dr Survé and his companies. The article in question was based on a report published on Independent Online (IOL) regarding Dr Survé’s reinvestment in his businesses. It is believed that it was the pretext for the Daily Maverick to perpetuate “unfounded allegations and biased narratives”. Sekunjalo accused…

By last night the most crucial part of Southern Peninsula water pipe repairs was well under way with the welding of the new section complete, teams recharging the pipe and valves slowly being opened, the City said. In an update on the repairs to the 915mm diameter bulk water system, Mayco member for water and sanitation Zahid Badroodien said teams had to undertake the refilling process as slowly as possible to prevent secondary bursts. Badroodien had at the weekend said that due to vandalism of an air valve in Parkwood there was a leak in the system and to repair this damage would require shutting off the water supply, impacting a significant portion of the southern parts of the city. Affected areas included Pelican Park, Strandfontein, Grassy Park, Schaapkraal, Ottery,…

IN a democratic society, the use of public funds to defend government officials accused of corruption raises significant ethical concerns and undermines the public’s trust in the government. The recent case involving former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who requested legal assistance from the Department of Defence and Military Veterans in her corruption trial, highlights the urgent need for the National Assembly to amend the law to prohibit the use of public funds for legal aid purposes in such circumstances. Mapisa-Nqakula’s arrest on allegations of receiving bribes and gifts while serving as the defence minister underscores the serious nature of corruption within the government. The fact that she sought state funding for her legal defence further exacerbates the perception of impunity among government officials accused of misconduct. It is unacceptable…

Prosecutors accused Donald Trump of engaging in “criminal conspiracy and a coverup” as opening arguments began yesterday in the first criminal trial of a former US president. Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo said Trump falsified business records to pay $130 000 (about R2.5m) to porn star Stormy Daniels to “silence” her about a potentially politically embarrassing sexual encounter. “This case is about a criminal conspiracy and a coverup,” Colangelo told the jury of New Yorkers in a Manhattan courtroom. “He orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election.” Trump sat at the defence table, staring straight ahead as the prosecutor delivered his opening statement, shifting back and forth in his seat a little. Before the court session began, Trump condemned the case as “election interference” designed to derail…

SEOUL: North Korea fired “several” short-range ballistic missiles yesterday towards the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s military said, drawing a swift condemnation from Seoul, which called it a grave threat to stability on the Korean peninsula. A Japanese government alert and its coast guard also said North Korea had fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile. It appeared to have landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone area. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles flew about 300km and landed in the sea. The US Indo-Pacific Command said it was aware of the ballistic missile launch, but had assessed no immediate threat to US personnel, territory, or allies from the missile launch. | Reuters…

GENEVA: More than 70% of the global workforce is exposed to risks linked to climate change that cause hundreds of thousands of deaths each year, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said yesterday, adding governments would need to act as the numbers rise. Workers, especially the world’s poorest, are more vulnerable than the general population to heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and hurricanes because they are often the first exposed, or exposed for longer periods and at greater intensity. The share of global workers exposed to the most widespread hazard – surging temperatures – has risen by 5 percentage points over the last two decades to 70.9%, it said. | Reuters…

Warriors coach Robin Peterson is not too perturbed with his team’s form heading into Thursday’s Cricket SA T20 Challenge semi-final against the Dolphins. The Warriors started the competition on a red-hot eight-match winning streak before securing qualification for the play-offs with five league matches still remaining. Since then, the Gqeberha-based side have lost four out of five matches, which has allowed both the Lions (first) and Dolphins (second) to push the Warriors into third place. The Titans secured the fourth and final play-off spot after their win over Western Province. From the outside it undoubtedly looks like the wheels have come off in dramatic circumstances at St George’s Park, but Peterson is not fazed. “We have a very young and inexperienced squad. Our captain Matty Breetzke is our most experienced…

Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker hailed the fighting spirit of his players after their tense and dramatic come-from-behind 2-1 win over TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium on Sunday. The Maroons overturned a 1-0 deficit at half-time and emerged winners in their clash against the high-flying Rockets, after match- winning goals from fullback Fawaaz Basadien and midfielder Andre de Jong. Afterwards, Barker could not conceal his admiration for the team and said: “We fought fire with fire tonight ... It was a massive performance at the end of a week in which we played two top-six clubs away and collected four points”. Stellenbosch have sounded a warning to the chasing pack that the one CAF Champions League spot that is up for grabs will be theirs next season. Since…

Long before Covid-19 started unsettling lives and livelihoods in South Africa, the nation was already grappling with a severe health crisis of its own. South Africa has the largest HIV epidemic worldwide, with 19% of the global HIV population calling it home. Despite the daunting numbers, with over 3 million people still awaiting treatment and new infections hitting hard – especially among the youth – the HIV crisis threatens the very fabric of South Africa's future. A silver lining appears as efforts to address sexual health begin to make headway. These initiatives are crucial in educating young South Africans about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), preventing teenage pregnancies, and increasing HIV awareness. They emphasise the power of choice in safeguarding health and, ultimately, aid in reducing STI rates, and new…

from page 1 “Back in 2022, 51%, on average across 31 countries, ranked recycling among the most impactful ways households could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. That belief dropped significantly in 2023 to 33% and now sits at 34% in 2024. Recycling is still seen as a top way to reduce one’s carbon footprint, coming in right behind switching to purchasing renewable energy (38%) which is actually more impactful, according to research published in Environmental Research Letters. Governments and businesses have some work to do to communicate which actions will actually have the biggest impact on cutting emissions.” The survey further found that many felt cost of living fears could hamper renewable energy transition. “Globally, 29% think moving towards renewable energy will have a negative impact on the cost of…

STELLENBOSCH University (SU) student Aurelia Mouton, 25, has been announced as vice-president of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities-Africa Correspondents Corps (HBCU-ACC) programme, an initiative of the Center for African Studies at Howard University in the US. The programme aims to provide student journalists and political scientists with the “knowledge, skills, networks and exposure to pursue a career as an international reporter or foreign policy commentator”. The HBCU-ACC also works to “broaden networks between HBCU students and their counterparts in Africa and the global African diaspora”, and students from other American and African universities also participate. This year, students from Penn State University, Durban University of Technology and Stellenbosch University are taking part in the programme. Mouton is currently doing her BA (Honours) in journalism at SU. She said she…

‘Presence of an African counsel not a favour, but an imperative for justice to be done’ IN STRESSING yet again the need for black lawyers to be briefed in matters before South African courts, especially in cases involving broad-based black economic empowerment, Judge Mandlenkosi Motha asked: “Where are future judges of a high calibre to come from, if they are not briefed?” “For love of country, let’s call a spade a spade,” he said when delivering judgment in a matter between Periform Work Scaffolding Engineering (Pty) Ltd v the Commissioner of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Commission. Judge Motha, sitting in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, in January expressed concern at the fact that all the parties concerned were represented by all-white counsel. He cited potential violations of Section 9.2 of…

Topco Media, a leading B2B media, digital, and events company, has announced that the Sentech Africa Tech Week Conference 2024 will take place on May 16-17 at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town. Sentech, a leading provider of digital infrastructure and platform services, continues its partnership as the platinum sponsor for its 6th annual conference. CEO at Topco Media Ralf Fletcher expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming event. "The Sentech Africa Tech Week Conference is a pivotal platform for showcasing the latest technological innovations emerging from Africa. We're grateful for Sentech's unwavering support as our platinum partner, enabling us to drive meaningful dialogue and collaboration within the tech industry." “Sentech, in partnership with Topco Media, are proponents of a digitally transformed and independent Africa, hence our ongoing commitment…

A manhunt is under way for a third suspect involved in a shooting incident in which a Kensington police officer was wounded yesterday. Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said SAPS detectives were in pursuit of a suspect who attempted to kill an officer who was performing his duties, while two others were being held in connection with the shooting after midnight on Monday. “Two police constables attached to Kensington police station approached three individuals under suspicious circumstances on the corners of Lugmag Avenue and Drommedaris Road in Ysterplaat for the purpose of questioning when one fled on foot. “This suspect then fired shots at the police officers and wounded a 34-year-old constable,” Traut said. The officer was admitted to a local hospital in a serious condition. Two suspects, aged 21 and…

Gaps in implementation of laws on women’s rights show how much work still lies ahead LESETJA Kganyago, Governor of the SARB spoke for millions of women when he urged the World Bank/International Monetary Fund executive boards to “make meaningful strides” towards greater Diversity and Inclusion in the two gatekeeper organisations of the global economic and financial systems. The governor was addressing the Forty-Ninth Meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee at the Spring Meetings of the World Bank/IMF in Washington DC on Saturday. Based on the assumption that like charity, gender parity begins at home, Kganyago reiterated the perennial call from developing countries for gender parity in the executive board of the IMF, as well as enhanced gender balance on all grade levels in the offices of executive directors.…

Israel’s military intelligence chief has resigned after taking responsibility for failures leading to the Hamas attack on October 7, the military said yesterday, as Israel carried out more shelling in war-battered Gaza overnight. General Aharon Haliva is the first top Israeli official to step down for failing to prevent the Hamas attack, which triggered the war in Gaza. “The intelligence division under my command did not live up to the task we were entrusted with,” Haliva said in his resignation letter. “I carry that black day with me ever since.” Israel has meanwhile lashed out at reports that its top ally, the US, was considering sanctioning the military’s ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion over alleged human rights abuses in the West Bank from before the war. “At a time when our…

UK PRIME Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday promised to begin deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda in coming months as part of a plan to deter arrivals that has sparked controversy. “We are ready, plans are in place and these flights will go, come what may,” Sunak said, hours before parliament is set to approve a key part of the proposal. Sunak says it was essential to deter record numbers of asylum seekers crossing the Channel to England from France in small boats and has made it a key pillar of his Conservative party’s pitch to voters. Care4Calais, a charity that supports asylum seekers, called the plan an unworkable and cruel “gimmick”. The new bill compels judges to regard Rwanda as a safe country and gives ministers the power to disregard sections…

Baghdad: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived yesterday in neighbouring Iraq for his first state visit there in years, with water, oil and regional security issues expected to top the agenda. The Turkish leader met with Iraqi President Abdel Latif Rashid in Baghdad. He told Rashid that Türkiye “had expectations of Iraq regarding the fight against the terrorist organisation PKK, and that Iraq must be rid of all forms of terrorism”. The PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party), which is considered a terrorist group by Ankara and its Western allies, has a presence in northern Iraq, as does the Turkish military. | AFP…

London: Wet wipes containing plastic are set to be banned from sale in the UK under legislation expected to be confirmed yesterday. UK Environment Secretary Steve Barclay is expected to announce plans to introduce legislation before the summer recess in July following a long-running campaign to ban the products. The law would make it illegal to sell or supply wet wipes containing plastic in England. Wet wipes eventually break down into microplastics, which damage ecosystems and contribute to water pollution, and discarded wipes have increasingly littered Britain’s beaches. | AFP…

The Stormers are expecting a strong backlash from Leinster ahead of what could be a top-four-defining clash for the home team against the Irish giants on Saturday evening in Cape Town. Another late kick-off (7.05pm) in the chilly autumn conditions could play into the visitors’ hands and hamper the attacking threat of the inaugural United Rugby Championship (URC) winners but they won’t make the same mistakes as they did this past weekend. In dewy conditions and with the DHL Stadium surface a bit slippery underfoot, the Stormers played so loose that they could not get a foothold in the match and allowed the Ospreys to clinch an away 27-21 win. A late penalty try secured the sole bonus point for the Cape side, a much-needed one, to keep them level…

SUCH are the stakes for Mamelodi Sundowns in their coming CAF Champions League semi-final second leg clash against Esperance, that you’d have expected the PSL to give them a break from domestic competition. That has not happened, though, and the Brazilians have to host a high-flying Sekhukhune United at Loftus Versfeld tonight with one eye on Friday’s must-win tie against the Tunisians, who beat them 1-0 at the weekend. What does Rhulani Mokwena do in such a situation? The argument from many would be that it is not a crisis, given Sundowns’ massive strength in depth. Mokwena, they will charge, should be able to field a full team of players who were not part of the one that lost in Tunisia. And that is true, the young coach having already…