Table of contents for 2024-06-14 in Cape Times

From Page 1 return to the provincial parliament due to her retirement. Winde said: “We are still faced with massive challenges but with help of my cabinet, the WCG team and the residents of this great province, we can fulfil the pledges we have made to keep growing our economy, enabling more jobs, making our province energy-secure and a dignified place where all residents have the opportunities and support that they need to thrive,” said Winde. Baartman said she was excited to assume her role. She has served as a member of the provincial parliament since 2019 and was the chairperson of both the standing committee on finance, economic opportunities and tourism and the budget committee. “My aim is to focus on fiscal stability … but also to ensure that…

The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints) said it had not picked up any threats on the eve of the first sitting of the National Assembly. However, it remained on high alert for any eventualities, through heightened police visibility. According to NatJoints co-chairperson Tebello Mosikili, the hot spot areas remained the 650 areas that were identified as high-risk ahead of last month’s elections. Mosikili was speaking at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) yesterday, where a walkabout and full security assessment was conducted to ensure security measures were aligned. “We are still in the third phase of our NatJoints national and provincial elections plan. “We are thus far satisfied with how our law enforcement agencies have responded to all incidents throughout the country during the elections phase. “It…

As THE dust settles from this year’s elections, young South Africans find themselves at a crossroads, grappling with the harsh reality of a 45% youth unemployment rate, according to Statistics SA. The voting booths, filled with the buzz of anticipation, left many young voters like myself with a mix of hope and frustration. We stepped into the booths with the weight of a nation’s promises on our shoulders, but the road ahead remains uncertain. There was an emphasis on youth unemployment during the political party campaigns: every party seemed to recognise the urgency of getting young people into jobs. But behind the bold promises and grandiose statements, many of us wondered if these were real solutions or just the usual empty rhetoric designed to win our votes. I studied politics…

Six months into his policing career, Akho Ndzingo was shot and killed during a crime prevention operation in Khayelitsha. Constable Ndzingo, who was among the cohort of police officers who graduated in December, came under attack in Site B at about 9.30pm on Wednesday. He was also a Premier Soccer League referee. Western Cape police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said police have opened a murder and attempted murder docket. “The 30-year-old police constable was based at Khayelitsha police station. Reports from the scene indicate that members of Khayelitsha police station’s crime prevention unit were conducting a stop-and-search operation in Q-Block when they came under fire from an armed suspect. Police have since launched a manhunt for the suspect. “Psychosocial support for the colleagues of the deceased member is currently being provided…

The Sea Cemetery Aslak Nore Loot.co.za (R289) MacLehose There is no love lost between the Oslo and Bergen branches of the powerful Falck family. So when its steely matriarch dies with no will to be found, the seeds of an inheritance dispute are sown. Yet her legacy could be more damaging still. A manuscript confiscated by the secret police in the 1970s holds devastating secrets about the Falcks' activities during the war. Her granddaughter Sasha is set on uncovering the truth, whatever the cost, bringing her into conflict with her father, whose family loyalty is matched only by his patriotic fervour. And in the wings waits Hans Falck, war doctor and philanderer, head of the impoverished Bergen branch, who has a few secrets of his own. It all leads back…

Manage your money like a F*cking grown-up Sam Beckbessinger Loot.co.za (R220) The book you wish you’d had at 25, but it is never too late to read. We never get an instruction manual about how money works. We never have to pass a test to get our Money Licence before we can take a new credit card for a drive. Most of what we learn about money comes from advertising or from other people who know as little as we do. No wonder we make such basic mistakes. In this engaging basic guide to managing your finances, author Sam Beckbessinger covers topics ranging from compound interest and inflation to “Your brain on money”, negotiating a raise, and particularly local South African issues like “black tax”. The book is filled with…

Seeing Bafana Bafana playing in front of a boisterous crowd at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein took us all back to the 2010 Fifa World Cup on home soil. There were over 27 000 spectators in what was a sold-out crowd to witness Bafana beating Zimbabwe 3-1 in a 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier. Coach Hugo Broos and his team are now in a strong second position in Group C on seven points, and trail leaders Rwanda on goal difference. Of their remaining six qualifiers next year, five will be in South Africa, as Lesotho and Zimbabwe play their home games in Mzansi due to a lack of an adequate stadium in their countries. The only away match will be in Benin on March 24, which could be the…

Israeli tanks advanced deeper into the western area of Rafah, amid one of the worst nights of bombardment from air, ground and sea, forcing many families to flee their homes and tents under darkness, residents said yesterday. Residents said the Israeli forces thrust towards the Al-Mawasi area of Rafah near the beach, which is designated as a humanitarian area in all announcements and maps published by the Israeli army since it began its Rafah offensive in May. The Israeli military denied that it had launched any strikes inside the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone. Israel said its assault aimed to wipe out Hamas’s last intact combat units in Rafah, a city which had sheltered more than a million people before the latest advance began. Most of those people have now moved north…

San Francisco: Former Twitter platform X yesterday said “likes” on the platform would now be private in an effort to protect users and drive up engagement. With the change, which includes the removal of the “Likes” tab on a profile page, users will no longer be able to track the likes of other users to figure out their interests or political leanings. The change comes as the platform has become a home for right-wing content since the takeover by Elon Musk in late 2022, with more left-leaning users fleeing the site or dropping engagement. “It’s important to allow people to like posts without getting attacked for doing so!” Musk said, adding that he saw a “massive increase” in likes. | AFP…

Vienna: A landslide after heavy rains in Austria has killed a 5-year-old boy, police said, as the environment minister warned yesterday that climate change was hitting the mountainous country “harder and harder”. In recent weeks, heavy rains have led to widespread flooding and hundreds of landslides across Austria. The area close to the border with Slovenia and Hungary in the southern provinces of Styria and Burgenland has been especially hit hard. East of the Styrian city of Graz, a landslide occurred late on Wednesday as a woman was walking with her two sons and two other boys along a road, police said. The landslide buried two of the four boys, and killed one. | AFP…

UNDER curatorship, 3Sixty Life has won a skirmish amid its bigger battles after the Labour Court in Cape Town dismissed an application for compensation by two fixed-term contract employees who were fired by the company in April this year as part of a retrenchment exercise. Acting Labour Court Judge Tapiwa Gandidze on Wednesday found that the application brought by the Na- tional Union for All Sectors (Nufas), for 12-month salary awards to Yvette Arendse and Lucinda Nitzsky against 3Sixty Life, National Union of Metal- workers of South Africa (Numsa) Investment Company, and Doves Holdings Group, was without merit. This was because it had been brought before court under provisions for compensation instead of those for unfair dismissals, and the court found the company was technically off the hook. While the…

From Page 1 furniture, and whether the cash was declared with SARS and the Reserve Bank. Despite backlash from political parties, both entities cleared him of wrongdoing. Similarly, the public protector Kholeka Gcaleka cleared Ramaphosa of violating his oath of office by failing to declare the foreign currency. This finding too came under scrutiny, as Gcaleka put the blame on General Wally Rhoode for misusing of SAPS resources, while the EFF at the time questioned the feasibility of Rhoode conducting a “full-on investigation into the matter without the direct oversight of the president”. Amid uproar from opposition parties, a section 89 panel was established by then National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Maphisa-Nqakula. The panel led by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo concluded that there was a prima facie case that the…

“THE ANC MPs have sworn loyalty to power, to the point that everything else is secondary.” These were the words of an analyst describing the conduct of ANC MPs who had chosen to protect President Cyril Ramaphosa at the height of the Phala Phala scandal, despite overwhelming calls for accountability, and who today take an oath to uphold the Constitution and all other laws of South Africa. The Phala Phala scandal has been described as a “ticking time bomb” hanging over Ramaphosa’s head, and criminal investigations into the matter are yet to be concluded. Phala Phala rocked the nation in 2022 when the public first learnt about a gang that allegedly broke into Ramaphosa’s farm in Limpopo in 2020 and stole millions of dollars stashed in couches. This came to…

AN UNEMPLOYED husband, who said he financially took care of the family during his marriage but whose wife said his source of income derived from criminal activities, lost his share of his wife’s pension when they divorced. The husband turned to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, for a divorce order, including that as he and his wife were married in community of property he should receive his half share of her government pension fund. The wife, on the other hand, asked that he forfeit his portion of her pension as he did not deserve it. The court heard that for the larger part of their 24-year marriage, the husband had not been employed and, according to him, he was, at present, unemployed. For brief and sporadic periods during the marriage,…

A MAN has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to six counts of culpable homicide following a crash that claimed the lives of family members of Transport Minister, Sindisiwe Chikunga. KZN NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara yesterday said the Ladysmith Regional Court sentenced Celumusa Ngwenya, 35, to an effective 10 years’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to culpable homicide. “His plea relates to the motor vehicle accident that occurred on 17 July 2022, on the N11 highway, outside Ladysmith which claimed the lives of six people who were family members of Transport Minister, Sindisiwe Chikunga,” Ramkisson-Kara said. The deceased were between the ages of four and 40 years old. Following the accident and prosecutor-guided investigations, Ngwenya appeared in court in January this year. In aggravation of…

Midway through reading The Scandalous Life Of Ruby Devereaux and I’m reserving my judgment on its final rating. Whether it should be listed among the top reads for my second quarter remains to be seen. I was excited to read Mandy Robotham’s Life of Ruby Devereaux book, but as I started to read it I was not as captivated as by her previous book I have, The Girl Behind the Wall – that historical fiction captivated me from the very first chapter and I felt like I was really there. Ruby Devereaux, a 90-year-old author, is asked to document her life. She hires a young scribe, Jude, to chronicle her life and as their friendship develops, Ruby pours out her story of the 12 men who shaped her life. The…

AS SOUTH African schools prepare for the mid-year break starting tomorrow, the recent alleged assault of a Limpopo principal by parents and the haunting memory of a teacher’s fatal stabbing earlier this year underscore the immense pressures educators face, extending far beyond lesson plans and standardised tests. News headlines increasingly capture the escalating violence within our schools. Recent reports decry a rise in violent incidents, including a heart-breaking case where a teacher lost their life. Other reports amplify concerns, citing a surge in murders, assaults, and even sexual assaults that have occurred on school grounds. This climate of tension extends beyond learner behaviour. A newspaper article highlighted the pressure principals face in managing complex situations like scholar transport, showcasing the multifaceted challenges that can lead to educator burnout. While news…

Leaders of the Group of Seven major democracies started their annual summit yesterday, many of them under a cloud at home but determined to make a difference on the world stage as they seek to help Ukraine and counter China’s economic ambitions. Heading into two days of talks, diplomats said a deal had been agreed in principle on plans to issue $50 billion (about R918bn) of loans for Ukraine using interest from Russian sovereign assets frozen after Moscow launched its invasion of its neighbour in 2022. Western nations were also unanimous in their concern over China’s industrial overcapacity, which they say is distorting global markets, and their determination to help African states develop their economies, diplomats said. “There is a lot of work to be done, but I am sure…

The body of Malawian Vice-President Saulos Chilima, who died on Monday in a plane crash, will be buried at his home village in Ntcheu district, about 175km south of the capital, Lilongwe. Minister of Information and Digitalisation, Moses Kunkuyu, announced on Wednesday that the funeral service will start today when the body will be taken from the mortuary to the Late Chilima’s St Patrick’s Catholic Parish within Lilongwe for a mass before proceeding to his state residence within the city. Kunkuyu, also spokesperson for the government and member of the vice-president funeral’s task force, said the body will be taken to Civo Stadium within the city to allow the public pay homage before burial at the vice-president’s village on Monday. Burial for the body of the country’s former First Lady,…

Kuwait City: Kuwaiti authorities said yesterday that three people had been detained for suspected manslaughter over a building fire that killed 50 foreign workers, mostly Indians, and plunged relatives and friends into mourning. Three Filipinos were also among the dead, officials said, after the fire sent black smoke billowing through the six-storey structure south of Kuwait City and injured dozens more. Most of oil-rich Kuwait’s population of more than 4 million is made up of foreigners, many of them from South and Southeast Asia working in construction. The fire broke out on Wednesday at the base of the block housing nearly 200 workers. | AFP…

LONDON: Thousands of fans at Taylor Swift’s concerts in Scotland have caused earthquake readings miles away from the concert venue in Edinburgh, the British Geological Survey said yesterday. More than 70 000 fans, or “Swifties”, flocked to see the singer-songwriter for her Eras Tour shows at Murrayfield Stadium last weekend. Their dancing led to seismic activity being recorded at the earthquake monitoring stations 6km away from the venue, the British Geological Survey said. Previous performances registered similar seismic activity, with her Seattle gig generating activity equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake. | Reuters…

SENIOR officials in the eThekwini Municipality could be next to go following the sacking of mayor Mxolisi Kaunda. Kaunda was redeployed to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) by the ANC this week. He bade farewell to the City yesterday, saying it had faced many challenges during his tenure, including natural disasters and Covid-19. Sources in the municipality said yesterday that many changes were likely to be implemented. “There is a lot of anxiety, there are many changes happening at once,” said a City official. “It could be in the administration. The way things are at the moment, this could go anywhere. “There are these coalition talks happening ... eThekwini could be used as a bargaining tool, to say give us the mayor in eThekwini and we will give you…

DA, IFP and NFP among parties likely to join the coalition, which Mbalula says represents the election outcome HOURS before the seventh Parliament was to be established, the ANC kept its cards close to the chest, refusing to disclose which parties would join it in forming the Government of National Unity (GNU). However, its secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, confirmed that a breakthrough had been reached on the eve of the election of the National Assembly Speaker, Deputy Speaker and the president today. Addressing the media last night, Mbalula said they were looking forward to the start of the seventh Parliament and the establishment of the GNU. Their negotiation team has held multiple engagements with political parties that received seats in Parliament and looked at the national dialogue, he said. “The…

Storm child Michael Robotham Little Brown The most painful of Evie Cormac’s memories have been locked away ever since she was held prisoner as a child – a child whose rescue captured hearts and headlines. Forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven’s mission is to guide her to something near normality. But today, on a Lincolnshire beach, 17 bodies wash up in front of them. There is only one survivor, with two women still missing. And Evie’s nightmares come roaring back ... Whatever happened all those years ago lies at the core of this new tragedy. Because these deaths are no accident. The same dark forces are reaching out, dragging her back into the storm. Evie must now call upon Cyrus’s unique skills, and her own, in their search for the missing pieces…

Crime fiction thrives year-round, but winter is an ideal time to cosy up into the genre in front of your fireplace. Here are a few thrillers to add to your reading collection. Assassins Anonymous Rob Hart Hart has a knack for high-concept crime fiction. In The Warehouse, employees dutifully move boxes around a vast, dismal building, furtively dreaming of a world outside the warehouse and the corporation that owns it. The employees of Assassins Anonymous also live under siege with a nefarious corporation at the helm, and when Mark, our protagonist, joins a 12-step group for former hit men, he learns that life doesn’t have to be one murder after another. But someone would like Mark dead, threatening his newfound no-kill sobriety. One of Our Kind Nicola Yoon In Yoon’s…

Party’s distortions are not based on the law, so why the theatrics? THE Freedom Charter firmly declares that ‘‘no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all the people’’. It is with this in mind and through the Struggles of successive generations of South Africans that our nation has committed itself as a constitutional democracy, hallmarked by regular elections and the rule of law. For the seventh occasion, under a democratic process, we collectively undertook our civil duty and voted. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) had declared the outcome of May 29. Just as we collectively exercised our right to choose our government, we all have the responsibility to accept the outcomes of a free, fair and transparent process overseen by a…

Argentina’s Senate passed a sprawling bill this week that is key to libertarian President Javier Milei’s economic reform plans, while protesters set fires and clashed with police in the streets outside Congress. The upper house was divided down the middle over the bill, which was passed in a general vote after the head of the chamber, Vice-President Victoria Villarruel, broke the 36-36 tie. The bill passed after a marathon debate, with senators now set to vote on each article of the package designed to boost investment by privatising state entities and providing incentives for businesses. The bill initially passed the lower house of deputies in April, but will now head back for another vote following changes in the Senate. “Today there are two Argentinas,” Villarruel said as she voted in…

THE US Supreme Court rejected a bid by anti-abortion groups and doctors to restrict access to the abortion pill, handing a victory yeterday to US President Joe Biden’s administration in its efforts to preserve broad access to the drug. The justices, two years after ending the recognition of a constitutional right to abortion, ruled in a 9-0 decision authored by conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh to overturn a lower court’s decision to roll back Food and Drug Administration steps in 2016 and 2021 that eased how the drug, called mifepristone, is prescribed and distributed. The pill, given FDA regulatory approval in 2000, is used in more than 60% of US abortions. The court ruled that the plaintiffs behind the lawsuit challenging mifepristone lacked the legal standing to pursue the case, which…

MANCHESTER: Britain’s opposition Labour Party, which is far ahead in opinion polls before an election next month, said it would reform parliament’s upper chamber to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords. The grand, centuries-old ornate red and gold chamber in the Palace of Westminster has about 800 members, whose places are obtained by arcane rules. Most are appointed by the prime minister after being nominated for a life peerage by political parties or recommended by an appointments committee, but it also includes Church of England bishops and some by right of their aristocratic birth. The are 92 hereditary peers. The upper chamber has much less power than the elected House of Commons. | Reuters…

BENI: At least 42 people were killed by suspected Islamist rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province, two officials from the local administration said yesterday. The attack took place on Wednesday in the village of Mayikengo in Lubero territory, the officials said. The assailants asked residents to gather in a market for a meeting and then attacked the crowd with firearms and machetes, said the DRC’s army in the region. A similar incursion earlier this week on villages in the same province was attributed to the insurgents that killed at least 80 people. Lubero administrator Alain Kiwewa said a toll of between 20 and 30 had been reported yesterday. | Reuters…

INDIA captain Rohit Sharma admitted it was a “big relief” for his highly fancied team to reach the T20 World Cup second round after a seven-wicket win over the US on Wednesday. India made it three wins from three Group A games, and join Australia and South Africa in the Super 8 stage. After starting their campaign with a comfortable eight-wicket mauling of Ireland, Rohit’s men then successfully defended a modest 119 to defeat bitter rivals Pakistan by six runs. On Wednesday, back at the tricky and low-scoring Nassau County International Cricket Stadium pitch, India were set a 111-run target to beat the hosts. They were wobbling at 15-2 and then 44-3, before Suryakumar Yadav (50) and Shivam Dube (31) put on an undefeated fourth-wicket stand of 67 to secure…