Table of contents for 2024-06-24 in Cape Times

IN THE PAST, the agricultural sector may have been accused of not proactively positioning itself as “youth-friendly”, failing to present accessible and rewarding career opportunities for most young people. However, this is now changing as opportunities within the sector emerge, driven by the advent of new technology. The Agbiz Congress 2024 took place recently in Sun City. The congress brought together agribusiness industry leaders, stakeholders and role-players across the length and breadth of the agricultural value chain, with the topics of discussion converging on a central theme: How the local agricultural sector can earn its place alongside leading competitors in the global arena. Key to realising this goal is inspiring young agripreneurs and innovators to step up and shape the industry of the future. The youth tend to associate a…

THE race for the new mayor of the eThekwini Municipality is heating up, with ructions in the ANC over who should lead the province’s biggest municipality. Divisions have surfaced inside the ANC, with the province and the regional structures clashing. And the block of smaller parties that have kept the ANC in power since 2021 feel they are about to be dumped by the ANC in favour of its new partners in the Government of National Unity (GNU). The race for the post is believed to be a three-horse one between Cyril Xaba, former police minister Bheki Cele and former premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube. Xaba is believed to be the front-runner. He has served as an ANC MPL in KwaZulu-Natal from 1994 and became the agriculture MEC in 2014. The ANC…

Ex-judge president highlights the need to Africanise SA legal system Uniting black people is the task former Western Cape judge president and soon-to-be-sworn-in uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party leader to Parliament, John Hlophe, said they would carry out as the country’s official opposition party. Hlophe, who disclosed that he has been meeting with Jacob Zuma following his recent appointment by the MK Party to be its leader in the National Assembly, said that more needed to be done to unite South Africans, and that he would be doing the same when he finally takes on his new role as leader of the opposition in Parliament. He made the remarks in his keynote address at the launch of the African Legal Professionals Association in Durban on Saturday. “No, I am not hiding…

IN WHAT has been described as a horror weekend on the Eastern Cape roads, 10 people were killed in crashes. Of those who lost their lives were six pedestrians, after a speeding BMW ploughed into them at about 11pm on Friday on the R61 near Port Edward. According to provincial transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose, this was possibly by far the worst accident involving pedestrians ever recorded in the province. “A BMW sedan was travelling from Mbizana direction with, allegedly, one male occupant, heading towards Port Edward while the six men were walking along the road. The driver knocked all six of them down. Five died on the scene, while the sixth man died on the way to OR Tambo and Adelaide Tambo Hospital in Mbizana. “The police were on the…

IN LIGHT of the Competition Commission’s extensive investigation into the R53 billion fresh produce sector, urgent action is needed to address the soaring prices of food that are placing a significant strain on consumers. The findings of the Fresh Produce Market Inquiry, following 14 months of thorough evidence-gathering and hearings, have unveiled a troubling reality: high mark-ups, barriers to entry for small businesses, market inefficiencies, and the impact of load shedding are all contributing to the financial burden faced by consumers as they struggle to afford fresh fruits and vegetables. The necessity for government intervention to subsidise food prices, particularly for the benefit of low-income individuals, has never been more pressing. The current situation, where spiralling prices are forcing consumers to tighten their belts, highlights the critical need for immediate…

Donald Trump made two speeches on Saturday, urging Christian supporters to go to the polls for him one last time and courting black voters in Philadelphia by promising to fix a city “ravaged by bloodshed” even as data shows a decline in violent crime. If elected in November, the Republican presidential candidate told a rally of several thousand at Philadelphia’s Temple University, he would give police “immunity” to do their jobs and “surge” federal resources to cities battling violence. Trump dismissed as “fake” FBI statistics that showed a continued drop in levels of violent crime and murder across the country in the first three months of 2024, and accused Democratic President Joe Biden of lying about the data. “Under crooked Joe Biden the City of Brotherly Love is being ravaged…

Cairo: The Egyptian government is set to ban the operation of 16 travel agencies for arranging “fraudulent” Hajj trips for unregistered pilgrims. At a Hajj deaths crisis unit meeting held at the weekend, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said he had ordered the licence of these agencies to be revoked and those involved people and entities transferred to public prosecution. Madbouly said that among more than 50 000 registered Egyptian pilgrims, a total of 31 people with “chronic diseases” were confirmed dead. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told the meeting that the crisis was most deadly to unregistered pilgrims, claiming that the tourism companies “did not provide any services”. | IANS…

Niamey: Niger’s army said yesterday that it had killed a key member of the Islamic State group during a military raid in the west of the African country. The clash took place in the Tillaberi region in the vast and unstable “three borders” zone between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. Jihadist insurgents have staged attacks there for years despite the deployment of security forces. The army said it had killed Abdoulaye Souleymane Idouwal, whom it described as “an influential member of the Islamic State”, during a raid last week. It also said that nine “terrorists” were killed and 31 arrested in an anti-jihadist operation in the region. | AFP…

The Springbok Sevens booked their tickets to the Olympic Games with some brilliant defence in their 14-5 defeat of Great Britain in the final of the Olympic Repechage tournament in Monaco yesterday. It was definitely their toughest match of the tournament, but they thoroughly deserved the victory for the final spot at the Games next month in Paris. Two tries on either side of the half, created by captain Selvyn Davids, were enough to seal the win as they tackled ferociously to keep Great Britain from scoring. Their opponents were able to score one, but there was never any panic from the South Africans as they pulled through to win the tournament. After a disappointing Sevens Series, where they only won one tournament, the Blitzboks put that behind them to…

Civil society groups fear that a new biometric system to prevent ID fraud could hamper grant payments. They said some grant recipients have had their profiles automatically flagged by the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) of being at risk of having committed or being the victim of identity theft or fraud and will need to go through an online biometric verification process. Francina Nkosi from #PayTheGrants said the biometric system was a serious challenge. “A lot of recipients don’t have internet access and also don’t have smartphones, so how will they be able to verify their details?” Evashnee Naidu, Black Sash’s KZN regional manager, said they had received reports that Sassa had instituted facial recognition verification for some of the grants that may have been flagged for fraud or other…

The Theewaterskloof Municipality has resolved to reconsider the outcomes of the shortlisting process in the search for a municipal manager. The decision was taken at a special council meeting on Friday where Reynold Stevens was appointed the acting municipal manager. Stevens previously served as the acting director of corporate services. The municipality in a statement said the decision to reconsider the outcomes of the shortlisting process was to ensure a broader and more diverse pool of candidates, and the council had decided to re-advertise the post. “The resolution to appoint an acting municipal manager was not unanimous. It was supported by 22 councillors and three were against it. “Those against it are members of the GOOD Party. GOOD leader in the caucus, John Michels, and also the deputy mayor opposed…

OFFICIALS have discovered widespread non-compliance especially of goods that have passed their sell-by, use-by or best before dates, as the National Consumer Commission (NCC) embarked on countrywide compliance inspections starting in Limpopo. The NCC said the inspections were to ensure that unsafe and expired goods are removed from the shelves. The NCC joined forces with the Departments of Labour, Health and the Home Affairs Immigration Office, police, Environmental Health Practitioners, and Waste Management under Capricorn District Municipality to inspect various retailers in Seshego, Mankweng, Turfloop, Lebowakgomo and Polokwane. “In the areas inspected, the team discovered that there is widespread non-compliance especially of goods that have passed their sell-by, use-by or best before dates. “The non-compliant goods were duly removed from the shelves and confiscated,” the NCC said. Non-compliant goods include…

Four new furry recruits have started their basic training to become part of the Metro Police Department’s K9 unit. The Metro Police K9 unit is in its 15th year of operations, having been established in 2009, in the lead up to the Fifa World Cup. The unit has dogs trained in detecting narcotics, explosives, and trailing dogs used in the search for missing persons. Currently, there are a dozen working K9s and four new recruits joined the ranks recently to start their basic training and acquire work permits, as well as bonding with their handlers, the City said. The new dogs, Tina, a two-year-old German Shepherd, Gizmo, a 14-month-old Belgian Malinois, Djenko, a 14-month-old Belgian Malinois and Magnum, a 16-month-old Malinois/German Shepherd cross, will focus on explosives and narcotics. “It…

Too many of its politicians went from leaders to celebrities, bourgeoisie – power drunk The chickens are finally coming home to roost for the ANC. What goes around comes around and, as the saying goes, you reap what you sow. Former president Thabo Mbeki said it – that the ANC was under attack. It has itself to blame. When General Augusto Pinochet was on the path to overthrow Salvador Allende in Chile, a call came to “arm the masses”. The call was ignored. The same applies to the ANC government; people demonstrated their discontent, but it failed to arm the masses by continuing to not render services and ignore them. The major downfall for the ANC is mainly due to the internal factors. When the ANC was up there, its…

Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant was headed to Washington yesterday for “critical” talks on the Gaza war raging since October 7 last year and surging cross-border tensions with Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced hope for speedy progress on unfreezing US arms and ammunition deliveries from Israel’s top ally which he said had dropped off sharply in recent months. US President Joe Biden has been at odds with Israel’s veteran right-wing leader over Gaza’s surging civilian death toll, but US officials have said they were not aware of what Netanyahu was referring to on the arms issue. The Israeli premier yesterday told his cabinet that “about four months ago, there was a dramatic drop in the supply of armaments arriving from the US to Israel. We got all…

Three wolves in a zoo just outside Paris attacked a 37-year-old woman, leaving her fighting for her life, local prosecutors said. The woman was bitten “on the neck, the calf and the back” at the Thoiry Zoo, a source familiar with the case told AFP. Maryvonne Caillibotte, chief prosecutor in Versailles, said the woman’s life was in danger after she was believed to have gone out alone for a jog after spending the night with her family in a safari-style lodge at the zoo, which it advertised on its website. Lodges in the wolf zone promise “silence, rest and disconnection”, according to the zoo’s adverts offering “a one-of-a-kind, very intimate experience with the arctic wolves you’ll be able to see from the living room”. The woman “ended up in…

Beijing: Eight people died after a landslide in central China’s Hunan Province early yesterday, local authorities said. The landslide happened in Douxi Village, Xinhuang Dong Autonomous County of Huaihua City, and was reported to the county’s emergency response centre yesterday. It led to the collapse of four houses. All other people at the site were relocated to safe areas, and rescue work is under way.’ The National Meteorological Center renewed an orange alert for rainstorms yesterday, forecasting heavy downpours and rainstorms until this afternoon. | IANS…

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook parent Meta Platforms has discussed integrating its generative AI model into Apple’s recently announced AI system for iPhones, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. AI start-up Anthropic has been in discussions with Apple to bring its generative AI to Apple Intelligence, the Journal reported. The discussions have not been finalised and could fall through, it said. The iPhone maker announced long-awaited AI strategy this month, saying it would integrate new Apple Intelligence technology across its suite of apps, including Siri, and bring chatbot ChatGPT to its devices. | Reuters…

THE GOVERNMENT of National Unity will soon be put in place. One of its most important tasks will be to accelerate and win the war against crime and corruption. These are cancers that have become endemic across society and have had a devastating impact upon working class communities; women and vulnerable persons; the economy and its ability to create jobs; and the fiscus and its resources to fund critical public services. We need a Cabinet comprising people of unimpeachable integrity, and with the capacity to hit the ground running. Women workers risk their lives walking to work during the dark. Girls are at risk of the most horrific crimes. Companies struggle due to load shedding and cable theft, creating pressure on their ability to pay workers or taxes. Key to…

AFRICAN Transformation Movement (ATM) leader Vuyolwethu Zungula said his organisation would not be party to something that does not have a programme of action. He said the ANC’s statement of intent on South Africa’s newly formed Government of National Unity (GNU) meant nothing without a proper explanation on which direction they were heading. “The ATM cannot participate in an arrangement where there is no programme of action, where there are no agreed-upon principles and priorities. “The statement of intent is not enough, they need to go further than that and produce a comprehensive programme of action which will highlight government priorities. “Therefore, we have no intentions of turning our back on the progressive caucus. In fact, it’s the progressive caucus that will keep engaging progressive parties to join us and…

RECENTLY sworn-in DA MPs Ian Cameron and Renaldo Gouws should be “kicked out” of the party for bringing it into disrepute, says Stellenbosch University Political Science professor and analyst, Amanda Gouws. However the DA has not indicated what action, if any, it will take against Cameron after footage and photographs emerged of him in blackface. IOL reported at the weekend that Cameron was recorded in blackface at an AfriForum Youth protest outside the Department of Higher Education and Training in 2012. The group had reportedly claimed that the university's admissions policy eroded the rights of white South Africans. The incident comes as the DA was under pressure to remove Gouws for using derogatory language, including the k-word, in a 2009 video. The party had only suspended him. DA head of…

1 tablespoon olive oil 500g butternut, cubed 250g potatoes, cubed 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon ginger, grated 3 tablespoon red curry paste 1 teaspoon brown sugar 2 teaspoon soy sauce 2 lime leaves 250ml coconut milk 250ml vegetable stock 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed Salt and pepper to taste Heat a large pot on a medium heat with olive oil. Add onions and cook for 4 minutes until soft. Next add butternut, potatoes, garlic and ginger, and stir well. Add curry paste, sugar and soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes. Next add lime leaves, coconut milk, vegetable stock and chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 25 minutes or…

Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) has confirmed the death of a woman at King Shaka International Airport (KSIA) shortly before she was to board a FlySafair (FA279) flight to Johannesburg on Friday. “Acsa can confirm that a call was reported at 8.35pm to the call centre requesting an emergency medical response after a traveller was observed to be struggling to breathe at gate A12 of the airport terminal. “Shortly before medics arrived, a passenger services agent was dispatched and arrived on the scene at 8.40pm to discover the patient to be unresponsive,” Acsa said. Paramedics arrived on the scene minutes later and administered advanced life support to the patient. “Despite all efforts, the traveller was unfortunately declared deceased on the scene,” Acsa said, adding the cause of death was unknown…

Plans are in motion to evict homeless people around the iconic Castle of Good Hope in the CBD. THE National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPW) announced last year that it was in the process of seeking an eviction order from the Western Cape High Court in efforts to remove about 20 people. The homeless people have been living in tents and shelter-building materials outside the grounds of the Castle for nearly three years. According to department spokesperson Thami Mchunu, the department signed court papers last week. “However, seeing that the matter is against homeless people, it is required that the government apply for a special service date, which is July 31, 2024. “The purpose of the special service date is to have our papers translated into Afrikaans and…

THE 2007 ANC national elective conference in Polokwane was a watershed moment, signalling the downfall of the party. It also signalled the importance of changing our electoral system to allow for South Africans to elect the president and members of the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces. This is because, as Mandy Rossouw reminds us, what happened in the ANC had no consequences for the party only, however, and by and large, had an impact on the state. The person who becomes the ANC president ultimately becomes the South African president. The election of Jacob Zuma as president at the Polokwane conference is a clear demonstration that the ANC cannot be trusted with the responsibility to elect capable leaders. The Polokwane conference elected the enemy of South Africa in…

Russia could change its nuclear doctrine – which provides for the use of nuclear weapons only in retaliation if the country is attacked with weapons of mass destruction or faces an existential threat from conventional warfare, if the threats and challenges to the country continue to grow – a top Russian parliamentarian said yesterday. Any changes to the rules regarding the use of nuclear weapons would depend on the international military and political situation, said Andrey Kartapolov, who chairs the parliament’s Defence Committee. He said, however, that it was “too early” to speak about any specific amendments that could be introduced to “Foundations of state policy of the Russian Federation in the area of nuclear deterrence”, signed by President Vladimir Putin in June 2020. Putin, during his visit to Vietnam…

Kenya’s President William Ruto said yesterday that he was ready for “a conversation” with thousands of “peaceful” young protesters who held nationwide demonstrations to oppose proposed tax increases. Organised on social media and led largely by Gen-Z Kenyans, the protests have caught Ruto’s government off-guard. “We are going to have a conversation so that together we can build a greater nation,” Ruto said during a church service in the Rift Valley town of Nyahururu. Rights campaigners reported two deaths following Thursday’s demonstrations in Nairobi. The Kenya Human Rights Commission said Evans Kiratu, 29, was “hit by a tear gas canister” during the protests and died in hospital. A police watchdog was investigating claims that a man, 29, was shot by officers in Nairobi after the demonstrations. Several organisations said at…

London: Flights at the UK’s third-busiest airport were being delayed or cancelled yesterday after a major power cut, the airport operator said. Power has now been restored at the international airport in north England, but passengers due to travel from terminals 1 and 2 were told to “not come to the airport” as all flights were cancelled “until further notice”. Passengers for terminal 3 were told to come to the airport as normal, but were warned they “could be affected by delays”. The airport operator said while passengers already checked in were due to depart as planned, the disruption meant “some baggage may not be on those flights”.The UK’s travel industry has been hit by a series of disruptions recently. | AFP…

MOSCOW: French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to dissolve the country’s parliament and hold snap elections could trigger France’s exit from the EU, its chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said. Barnier said that Macron’s hopes of beating the right-wing National Rally (RN) party in the elections are very risky. “I don’t think (the leader of the RN’s parliamentary faction, MarineLe Pen) and (president of RN party, Jordan Bardella) changed their minds. They are still anti-European,” Barnier said. Macron’s decision was made in the wake of the European Parliament elections in which the National Rally party emerged victorious. | Sputnik…

With wounds to dress and points to prove, Italy and Croatia face each other knowing their Euro 2024 survival is on the line in today's decisive Group B match. Italy’s chastening 1-0 defeat by a dominant Spain on Thursday and Croatia’s 2-2 draw with Albania after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser left both teams anxiously glancing at the table heading into their last game. Italy, second with three points after their opening win over Albania, will be through to the last 16 as runners-up if they avoid defeat. They will be unable to progress, however, if they lose and Albania beat group winners Spain in the other Group B decider. The situation is more pressing for Zlatko Dalic’s Croatia, who began the tournament with a thumping 3-0 loss to Spain and…

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan can finally look forward to sleeping better after Saturday’s T20 World Cup win avenged last year’s loss to Australia in the 50-overs version. Cramped-up Glenn Maxwell’s incredible double-century helped Australia snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in November, leading to Afghanistan falling just short of qualifying for the semi-finals. But a 21-run win in Kingstown, Afghanistan’s first in the Super Eight stage, has reignited their hopes of making history by qualifying for a World Cup semi for the first time. “I can sleep better now, I think,” Khan told reporters. “That game kept coming in my mind... Maxi, the way he played that night, took the game away from us and I didn’t sleep the whole night. “Tonight, because of the happiness I won’t be…