Table of contents for 2024-04-30 in Cape Times

From Page 1 started paying some accommodation providers from March 15 and catch-up payments were still being processed as these were based on the registration data received from the tertiary institutions. “All remittances are expected to be done by the end of April or May when all payments are up to date,” he said. Asked what were the reasons that some institutions, such as the Sol Plaatje University, were not implementing the pilot programme, Nzimande said the university was part of the pilot programme. “NSFAS continues to engage Sol Plaatje University on the implementation of the project and the university has since confirmed that it has implemented the project at 95%. NSFAS is keeping a close eye on the university.” Last month, the Cape Times reported that the Higher Education…

The ANC’s alliance partner Cosatu has given the governing party its backing ahead of next month’s elections, saying there were still challenges that needed the trade union federation and “workers to push government led by the ANC to do more”. In a statement on Saturday, Cosatu said it was proud of the country’s democracy where all were equal before the law, “where our progressive Constitution compels the state to address the legacies of the past and the inequalities of today, in our free and fair elections where all views and voices are heard and respected”. On the issue of corruption, Cosatu said countries stumbled at times and so did South Africa during the decade of state capture and corruption. “Yet this could not hold South Africa back. Under the leadership…

1kg boneless beef cubed 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 large onion sliced 1 red pepper sliced 1 tablespoon garlic paste 1 teaspoon ginger paste salt to taste 1 teaspoon white pepper 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon chilli powder optional In a hot pot add oil and butter. Brown beef pieces on all sides and put aside. In the same pot add the onions and braise until light brown. Add sliced red peppers, garlic and ginger. Stir for a minute or so. Add beef pieces, salt, pepper and all the spices with a cup of warm water and cook on low heat for about an hour or so until beef pieces are tender. Stir and add water as required. Serve with mash, yellow/braised rice and veggies…

For the first time in South Africa’s history, anyone interested will be able to access the latest data and information about social housing in the country through a new portal. The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), the University of the Free State (UFS) and the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) are expected to launch the new social housing portal today. “The portal is the outcome of the ongoing social housing stakeholders’ partnership and commitment to pooling resources (labour, expertise, data, or finances) to address South Africa’s housing and spatial segregation challenges, while fostering inclusive economic growth and transformation,” the HSRC said. The portal is a collaborative effort among organisations and individuals from the public, private and civil society sectors in South Africa, all united by a shared objective: to advance…

A TRAIL runner has praised “heroic” fire and rescue members who brought him to safety after he was stranded on top of Junction Peak surrounded by fire on Sunday morning. A small Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) team responded after runner James Norbury reported that he was stranded. According Norbury, he had intended to race from the coffee box at the base of Platteklip Gorge, starting at 8am, across the back table to the coffee box at Constantia Neck and was not aware of the fire that had started above Kirstenbosch late on Saturday. “I was running down Smuts Track from MacClears Beacon and turned right onto the Aquaduct Trail towards the Hely-Hutchinson Reservoir. “I was focused on running the technical trail quickly and hardly noticed the mist as I…

Tesla received a key security clearance from China during owner Elon Musk’s visit to the world’s biggest electric car market, which wrapped up yesterday. The tech billionaire arrived on Sunday for his second trip to China in less than a year, meeting top officials including Premier Li Qiang as he worked to boost his electric car company’s fortunes in the face of intense competition from local challengers such as BYD. On the same day, Tesla’s locally produced models were listed among the EVs that meet China’s data security requirements for smart cars, clearing a key regulatory hurdle. Musk boarded his private jet at Beijing Capital Airport, with a Chinese flight tracking app saying it was bound for Anchorage, Alaska. Despite the growing market share of domestic automakers, Teslas remain among…

Austria called yesterday for fresh efforts to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in weapons systems, as it hosted a conference aimed at reviving largely stalled discussions on the issue. With AI technology advancing rapidly, weapons systems that could kill without human intervention are coming ever closer, posing ethical and legal challenges that most countries say need addressing. “We cannot let this moment pass without taking action. Now is the time to agree on international rules and norms to ensure human control,” said Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg. AI is already being used on the battlefield. The US said it was looking into a media report that the Israeli military has been using AI to help identify bombing targets in Gaza.…

NAIROBI: A Dubai-based firm has agreed to lend South Sudan’s government $12 billion in exchange for repayment in oil, according to a copy of the deal’s term sheet and an unpublished UN report. The deal would be the largest oil-backed loan South Sudan has taken, according to a UN panel of investigators. The country’s GDP is about $7 billion. South Sudan will receive cash in exchange for crude delivered at discounted rates of $10 per barrel less than international prices, the term sheet says. The country produces about 150 000 barrels per day. Servicing the loan was likely to tie up most of South Sudan’s oil revenues for many years.…

Edinburgh: Humza Yousaf announced his resignation as Scotland’s first minister yesterday, before he was due to face two no confidence votes this week sparked by his ditching of junior coalition partners in a row over climate policy. He quit following a year as head of the devolved administration in Edinburgh, during which support for his pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) has fallen. Yousaf said he had underestimated the hurt he had caused by ending the SNP’s power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens in the Scottish parliament last week. His government had abandoned targets for net-zero carbon emissions. Opposition parties lodged a vote of no-confidence in Yousaf. | AFP…

Proteas coach Rob Walters will name his 15-man squad for the ICC T20 World Cup in the US and Caribbean today, and while our cricket writers Zaahier Adams and Ongama Gcwabe mostly agree on who should go, there are some key differences in their teams. Stick to the veterans with the BMT, writes Zaahier Adams The Proteas are blessed with an abundance of top-order batting options. And there will be many calling for the injection of fresh faces such as Ryan Rickelton, Matthew Breetzke, and possibly even a wildcard such as Dewald Brevis. But I simply cannot forget the T20I series against Australia in Durban last year in a hurry, when the 2021 T20 world champions wiped a youthful Proteas team 3-0 with white-ball coach Rob Walter stating “our next…

Orlando Pirates’ bid to finish second in the DStv Premiership is out of their hands, but coach Jose Riveiro has urged his charges to control what they can. Pirates will fly down to Cape Town tomorrow night, visiting Cape Town City in the league, hoping to continue their purple patch. The Buccaneers are on a high as they’ve won their past four games – three in the league and one in the Nedbank Cup – during the season’s run-in. But while they’ve been winning games for fun, including hammering Royal AM 4-0 in the league on Sunday, their top-two aspirations are hanging by thread. The Sea Robbers are third in the league and three points behind second-placed Stellenbosch, while both teams have played 25 games apiece so far. And that’s…

RAUBEX Group said yesterday that headline earnings per share (Heps) of between 451.7 cents and 491c was expected for the year to February 29, representing an increase of between 15% and 25%. The group said in an updated trading statement yesterday the full-year results, expected to be released on May 13, would be based on better-than-expected results achieved in February 2024 across all four divisions, as well as finalisation confirmations on a number of outstanding claims submitted. On March 4, in an initial trading statement, Raubex predicted earnings per share and Heps would be between 0% and 10% higher. It said at that time all four divisions had received tender awards from a diversified client base, resulting in a solid order book despite unfavourable macroeconomic conditions. Yesterday, the…

MINING analysts yesterday said the trend of companies making all-share takeover bids for others is set to continue in the near to medium term as South Africa was already a hotbed for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, long before BHP’s bid for selected assets of Anglo American. Although the board of Anglo American has rejected BHP’s $39 billion (R738bn) offer for its assets, excluding Anglo Platinum and Kumba Iron Ore, it is expected that the Australian mining giant will heighten its offer. Mining industry insiders and analysts yesterday said there was also likely to be rival offers for Anglo American from other bigger mining companies, fund holders and global sovereign wealth funds, among others. The BHP bid for Anglo American has put the mining sector under the spotlight, particularly…

The MK Party said allegations that it forged signatures in order to register as a party for the upcoming elections was made by a disgruntled former member, who had ambitions of getting a senior position after the elections. According to reports, Lennox Ntsodo, a former volunteer of the party in the Western Cape, told police in the province in a statement that the party allegedly forged signatures that would see it registered to appear on the May 29 ballot. The Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) required that political parties gather at least 15 000 signatures, while independent candidates needed 1 000 signatures to contest the elections. Ntsodo reportedly told police that the forgery of the signatures to meet the IEC threshold was achieved by a team of 20 people he…

Organisations representing magistrates across South Africa are in consultation with their members who are disgruntled over their salaries, which could see industrial action being rolled out by the judicial officers. Research revealed that a Government Gazette of September last year issued by President Cyril Ramaphosa on the determination of salaries and allowances of magistrates in terms of the Magistrates Act pegs the lowest-paid magistrates’ salaries at R1 077 210 per annum as total remuneration. That of a special grade chief magistrate was pegged at R1 567 105 per annum; while a regional court magistrate or a chief magistrate receives R1 406 110. According to the Gazette, a senior magistrate gets R1 165 530. On the other hand, a judge at the high court…

WHILE the search continues for the suspects involved in the murder of four people in Nyanga at the weekend, concerns have been expressed that the incident may be related to extortion crimes prevalent in Cape Town. Police said they had launched a manhunt after four people were found shot and killed in a shack in the Lloyd informal settlement on Govan Mbeki Road on Sunday night. A fifth person was admitted to hospital with a gunshot wound. SAPS spokesperson, Andrè Traut, said: “The SAPS have launched an investigation following an incident in Nyanga which claimed the lives of four people. “Police members were summoned to the crime scene in Lloyd informal settlement in Govan Mbeki Road at around 9.40pm where the bodies of three men and one female in their…

A DURBAN judge, faced with an application which could see a mom and her three young children on the streets, claims she is entitled to assistance in her “moment of need” from the organisation responsible to provide that assistance. The mother and her her family have not been named. Transnet, the owner of South Africa’s railway, ports and pipelines infrastructure, wants to evict her from the home owned by the state. Judge Robin Mossop, sitting in the Durban High Court, did not direct these words to Transnet, who is entitled to evict her, but to the eThekwini Municipality. While the municipality was cited as a respondent in the application brought by Transnet to evict the family, the municipality simply ignored the application and did not pitch at court. Judge Mosspop…

AS political parties’ election campaigns gain momentum in the run-up to the May 29 polls, the use of social media to spread false information or incite violence should result in serious consequences for the culprits. Defence Minister Thandi Modise this week addressed the media about a range of security measures that have been put in place to ensure the integrity of the polls. Speaking on Sunday about the country’s state of readiness for the elections, Modise said prosecutors were ready to prosecute for offences such as electoral fraud and corruption, removing or defacing political party and campaign posters, interfering with the duties of the electoral officials or forcing anyone to vote. There is no doubt that the 2024 general elections will be the most contested in the history of the…

Countries returned to the negotiating table yesterday for one last push to conclude an international agreement on how to handle future pandemics, with the most likely outcome being a slimmed-down accord that shelves some of the thorniest issues. The 194 countries in the World Health Organization have come to its Geneva headquarters for a do-or-die round of negotiations after a two-year effort to seal a landmark accord on prevention, preparedness and response hit a deadline last month with no concrete wording agreed. The goal of the talks is to get an agreement ready for adoption at the WHO’s annual assembly of member states, which starts on May 27. In December 2021, Covid-19, which shredded economies, crippled health systems and killed millions, motivated countries to seek a binding framework of commitments…

Turin: G7 energy ministers are close to committing to a common target of shutting down their coal-fired power plants “in the first half of the 2030s”, a source said yesterday. The meeting of the seven leading industrialised nations in Turin is the first big political session since the world pledged at the UN’s COP28 climate summit in December to transition away from coal, oil and gas. Coal is the most polluting fossil fuel and environmentalists have urged the G7, which brings together Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and US, to lead the way on the pledge. The latest G7 draft wants to phase out existing coal power generation during the first half of 2030s. A fixed time frame to phase out coal would be hailed. | AFP…

Seoul: North Korea has installed land mines on an inter-Korean road within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, a South Korean military official said yesterday, the latest in moves to shut down cross-border roads. The mines were detected on the unpaved road near Arrowhead Hill in Cheorwon, 85km northeast of Seoul. The path was created under a 2018 inter-Korean agreement to connect the South and the North to excavate the remains of those killed near the hill during the 1950-53 Korean War. The latest move comes after the North’s leader Kim Jong-un called for scrapping a decades-long policy of seeking unification between “two hostile states”. | IANS…

Sergio Perez remains Red Bull’s best option as teammate for triple world champion Max Verstappen next season, according to the Mexican’s former boss Otmar Szafnauer. Perez’s contract with Formula One’s dominant champions runs out at the end of the season and the 34-year-old faces an uncertain future. Former Force India, Aston Martin and Alpine principal Szafnauer said “Checo” would be his choice and he had said as much at a recent F1 event in Abu Dhabi. “I said, ‘knowing Checo as well as I do, I would replace Checo with Checo.’ If I were (team boss) Christian (Horner), I would still keep him there for next year,” he said. Perez is second in the standings after five races, with three seconds and a third, and this weekend returns to Miami,…

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has urged the home fans to create a special atmosphere when they host Spanish giants Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg at the Allianz Arena tonight, as his side chases a seventh European crown. Bayern advanced to the last four of the Champions League for the first time since winning the tournament in 2020, while record 14-time champions Madrid last took home the trophy in 2022. Joshua Kimmich scored the only goal in the quarter-final second leg at home to help Bayern beat Premier League side Arsenal 3-2 on aggregate. “We need the atmosphere to be incredible. We also need the fans to support us, even in moments when it’s more difficult. Together with the fans, we need to create an atmosphere…

THE INDUSTRIAL property market continues to defy the odds with low vacancies and strong rental growth, with the Cape Town area booming and other major industrial areas such as Durban, also showing robust growth. These were the findings of the latest Rode’s Report on the South African Property Market for the first quarter of 2024, released yesterday. “In Cape Town, nominal rentals of industrial space are booming, with the first-quarter 2024 figure up about 20% compared to 2019 – that is before the pandemic. One of Rode’s survey res- pondents said there is a severe shortage of industrial buildings and there have been rental wars because of multiple tenants looking to lease the same space.” The report said that another broker had commented that a tenant was sec- ured for…

Legal groups hail decision to place senior managers, officials on suspension DESCRIBING it as a nest for corruption, several legal groups have appealed to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to move with speed in acting against those found guilty of crippling the Master’s Offices across the country. This follows the suspension of 13 senior managers and other officials in Master’s Offices in courts in light of an investigation into allegations of maladministration and financial irregularities. The department at the weekend confirmed that several officials were suspended from their positions across various high courts in South Africa. They include the Masters of the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, and the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, along with their respective deputies and assistants. An accounting clerk and estate controller of the Gauteng…

THERE were more wildcat strikes than protected action in 2023, according to a new report on strike trends released yesterday ahead of Workers’ Day tomorrow. Workers were on strike for permanent jobs and over wage-related issues. The Casual Workers Advice Office (CWAO) released its latest Strike Barometer yesterday, covering strikes between January 1 and December 31, 2023. According to the barometer, there were 83 strikes in 2023, a slight decrease over the 86 strikes documented in 2022. “This continues the pattern of a relatively low number of strikes annually since the 165 strikes of 2018,” CWAO said. Forty-one of the 83 strikes occurred in the public sector. This figure excluded at least seven strikes at hospitals, universities, private companies contracted by municipalities, and institutions such as Productivity SA and…

THE state of Israel, founded in 1948, has long been a subject of intense debate and controversy. Central to this discussion is the question of its legitimacy and whether it represents an artificial entity imposed on the Middle East. The argument that Israel is an artificial construct revolves around a number of factors, including historical claims, the process of its creation, the displacement of indigenous populations, and the ongoing conflicts that have shaped its existence. Israel’s creation has roots in the late 19th-century Zionist movement, which aimed to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The movement’s ideological underpinnings were based on historical and religious claims to the land, drawing on biblical narratives to justify Jewish settlement. However, critics argue that these claims were selectively used to promote a nationalist agenda…

US top diplomat Antony Blinken said yesterday he was “hopeful” that Hamas would accept the latest proposal for a long-sought Gaza truce and hostage release deal as negotiators from the Palestinian group were due in Egypt. Egypt, Qatar and the US have been trying to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas for months, and a recent flurry of diplomacy appeared to suggest a new push towards halting the fighting. Talks “are taking place in Cairo today”, said Al-Qahera News, which is linked to Egyptian intelligence services. It was not clear whether the Hamas delegation had already arrived, but Qatari mediators were also in Cairo. A senior Hamas official said on Sunday that the Palestinian militant group had no “major issues” with the most recent truce plan. Blinken, on his…

At least 45 people have been killed in floods in central Kenya’s Mai Mahiu area after a dam burst early yesterday, and the number of deaths could rise, police said. The police said the flooding was caused by a dam that burst, although two local residents said the water had actually broken through a railway embankment after a tunnel that had channeled the water under the tracks was blocked by an earlier landslide. Earlier yesterday, the Kenya Red Cross said it had taken several people to a health facility in Mai Mahiu due to flash flooding. The latest deaths bring the toll from heavy rains and flooding since last month to more than 140. Excluding the Mai Mahiu incident, government figures show 103 people have been killed and more than…

NEW DELHI: At least two people have died in southern India’s state of Kerala of suspected heat stroke, reports said yesterday, as the country battles temperatures soaring to record levels. A 90-year-old woman and a 53-year-old man died in Kerala on Sunday, The Hindu newspaper reported, as temperatures soared to 41.9°C, nearly 5.5°C above normal. Temperatures across Kerala, at India’s southern tip, were expected to be higher than normal, causing authorities to issue warnings asking people to take precautions against the heat such as staying indoors. India’s weather department has predicted more heatwave days than normal from now to June. | Reuters…

Stuttgart: Germany yesterday put on trial nine rightwing extremists accused of plotting to attack parliament and overthrow the government, in one of the biggest post-war cases involving far-right militants. The men are among an eclectic group of more than two dozen suspects including a special forces soldier, a former far-right MP and an astrologer, who were led by minor aristocrat and businessman Prince Heinrich XIII Reuss. The hearings in Stuttgart were the first of three trials in three different courts. The alleged putschists were convinced that Germany was ruled by a “conspiratorial sect of paedophilic elites”, prosecutors said. | AFP…

The Stormers have made a mindset shift to adapt their attacking game plan by creating a scoring buffer between them and their opponents before running rampant with their dangerous backline. It worked wonders against Leinster during their United Rugby Championship (URC) clash in Cape Town on Saturday as the hosts claimed a 42-12 win, and it is something they will deploy against other teams in the rest of the tournament. On Saturday, whenever they won a penalty within kicking distance of the poles, flyhalf Manie Libbok would set his aim for the uprights instead of the touchline as was the norm in the past. Captain Salmaan Moerat explained the thinking around it, saying it was important for them to come out of their opponent’s half with points when they are…