Table of contents for 2024-07-19 in Cape Times

AS the Dorothy Zihlangu Transitional Home welcomed four more children, along with an adult, into the safe haven, the facility received a wooden jungle gym, diapers and food. The home in Langa for vulnerable women and children subjected to gender-based violence, will also get a new look as the National Human Settlement working with the Housing Development Agency (HDA) will patch up old cracks and paint it afresh. Human settlements officials and monitoring deputy director-general Sindisiwe Ngxongo delivered groceries and paint in commemoration of International Nelson Mandela Day to the Ilitha Labantu, which owns the facility.Other department officials observed their 67 minutes by cleaning the facility’s yard, not letting the bad weather deter them. “We started the morning in Mbekweni in Paarl, where more than 20 flood victims are housed…

Agriculture minister, John Steenhuisen and the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture are finalising action steps to respond to foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks reported on multiple farms in the province. This comes as Western Cape Premier Alan Winde at the first meeting of the Western Cape Government’s (WCG) newly constituted Cabinet, directed Agriculture and Economic Development MEC Ivan Meyer to urgently write to Steenhuisen requesting him to implement a temporary ban on the movement of livestock into the Western Cape. He also requested that Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku provide additional support from Provincial Traffic Services “to prevent the disease from spreading”. The provincial department explained FMD is a highly contagious viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs that causes sores in the mouth and/or…

Water John Boyne Loot.co.za (R277) Doubleday One of the things that drew me to these two novels (or maybe novellas is the right description) Water by John Boyne, and Until August by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, was the fact that the authors were writing from a woman’s perspective. And so poignantly and with such authenticity that it was as if they had burrowed into the female psyche and, in the lyrical way of these writers, verbalised women’s thoughts and feelings. Both books use an island as a theme, perhaps symbolic for wanting to be isolated, live another life, start afresh. Whatever the motivations, it works; and these are books that will intrigue and make you look at your fellow females with new eyes. John Boyne’s Water is the first in a…

NEW Chinese ambassador to SA Wu Peng has hit the ground running barely weeks after arriving to strengthen diplomatic ties between Beijing and Pretoria. Wu begins his term at a time when the flourishing bilateral relations between the two nations – well into the 26th year – are described as cruising in the “golden era”. China has been SA’s biggest trading partner for more than a decade – in fact, for 14 years in a row. However, the entire African continent has reaped benefits of heightened economic co-operation with China over the past 15 years. This clearly demonstrates the adherence to a mutually beneficial, win-win arrangement for all parties. But Wu is not only focusing his attention on SA. He is acutely aware of the importance of regionalism in global…

President Joe Biden’s reelection bid was mired in fresh turmoil after reports that top Democratic leaders had privately pushed him to end his campaign, while Donald Trump was set to accept the Republican presidential nomination yesterday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have all expressed deep concerns directly to Biden in recent days that he will not only lose the White House but also cost the party any chance of winning back the US House of Representatives in the November 5 election, according to reports in multiple news outlets. Biden, 81, has thus far refused to entertain public calls from 20 congressional Democrats to step aside, following a halting performance at his June 27 debate against Trump, 78. His troubles…

Thousands of students armed with sticks and rocks clashed with armed police in Dhaka yesterday as the Bangladesh authorities cut some mobile internet services to quell anti-quota protests that have killed at least 16 people this week. The nationwide agitation, the biggest since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was re-elected for a fourth time, is fuelled by high unemployment among the youth, with nearly a fifth of the 170 million population out of work or education. Protesters are demanding the state stop setting aside 30% of government jobs for families of those who fought in the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. Ten people died in clashes with police on Thursday in Dhaka, the highest toll in a single day so far, including a bus driver whose body was brought to…

Tony Howard, a former deputy chairperson of Independent Media, has died in a Johannesburg hospital after a long illness, bravely fought. Yesterday, former colleagues and friends paid tribute to a man they remembered as a quintessential newspaperman with ink in his veins. “The word legend is often overused,” said Kevin Ritchie, former editor of The Star and ex-regional executive editor of Independent Newspapers Gauteng. Tony was a gentleman and a professional. There was not an aspect of the newspaper business that he did not know and that he had not himself worked in or experienced – with the exception of editorial. “He was a titan in an era of titans, when newspapers did more than wrap fish and chips. We won’t see his like again.” Gasant Abarder, former Cape Argus…

DA comes to President’s defence, saying the scandal was now insignificant WHILE the DA will now protect President Cyril Ramaphosa over the Phala Phala scandal, the Progressive Caucus, formed in opposition to the Government of National Unity (GNU), is bracing to revive his impeachment over the undeclared foreign currency concealed in couches on his farm. This emerged yesterday when the EFF, Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, the ATM, the National Coloured Congress and United Africans Transformation outlined their objectives for the seventh Parliament, which Ramaphosa officially opened last night. Their statement was also a day after the DA came to Ramaphosa’s defence, saying that it was unlikely to support such a motion because Phala Phala was insignificant compared to the VBS Bank scandal which he claimed implicated the…

LAWYERS representing a navy officer accused of rape have lined up two witnesses to testify when the trial resumes at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court next month. This after the complainant completed her testimony yesterday, detailing how she, at one stage, wanted revenge. “I wanted to kill him,” she said. She also told the court that she recorded the officer allegedly confessing. She did so without him knowing while they were apparently having a conversation at her home following two alleged incidents in 2021. “I made the recording so my daughter could know,” said the complainant. The woman said that she would not have laid a case against him if he did not confess but she got the courage to do so after the accused’s alleged confession. “My family was…

Southern Man Greg Iles Loot.co.za (R280) HarperCollins When a brawl at a rap festival triggers a mass shooting in Mississippi, Penn Cage finds himself in a country on the brink of eruption. As the stunned cities of Natchez and Bienville reel, antebellum plantation homes are being torched and the deadly attacks are claimed by a Black radical group as historic acts of justice. Panic quickly sweeps through the communities, driving the prosperous Southern towns inexorably toward a race war. But what might have been only a regional sideshow of the 2024 Presidential election explodes into national prominence, thanks to the stunning ascent of Robert E. Lee White on social media, a Southern war hero funded by an eccentric Mississippi billionaire, who seizes the public imagination as a third-party candidate. As…

Blessed with Laughter Keletso Yende AMAZON Blessed with Laughter ignites hope for couples who have experienced baby loss during pregnancy. It inspires them to persist in trying again and equips them to enjoy their rainbow pregnancy despite anxieties. As a pastor at Grace Bible Church, author Keletso Yende’s loss of her daughter, stillborn at 39 weeks, inspired her to write her first book, I Never Saw Her Eyes: Gaining from the Pain of Loss. This was followed by Blessed with Laughter: Journey to Seeing Her Eyes. Through her words, she shared the secrets of her transformation, inspiring others to find solace in their fertility struggles. Blessed with Laughter: Journey to Seeing Her Eyes is a soul-stirring expedition that continues from I Never Saw Her Eyes. Journey alongside Keletso as…

No economic growth can be expected in a sick environment IN 1994, South Africa witnessed historic change when all voters of legal voting age were welcome for the first time to cast their votes and elect the government of their choice. This followed years of being involved in the Struggle, by especially African communities, characterised by extreme hardship, poverty, inequality and unemployment. In 1994, about 35% of South Africa’s population lacked basic water supply services. Thirty years down the line, South Africa has made significant progress in improving water services, but challenges remain in sustaining effective water delivery and addressing affordability issues. The situation is even worse in rural and peri-urban areas. It is projected that about 70% of South Africa’s population will be urbanised by 2050. One can…

=Israeli forces bombarded the Gaza Strip’s historic refugee camps in the centre of the enclave and struck Gaza City in the north yesterday, killing at least 21 people, and tanks pushed deeper into Rafah in the south, health officials and residents said. A barrage of Israeli airstrikes killed 16 in Zawayda town, Bureij and Nuseirat camps and the overcrowded city of Deir-Al-Balah, the last major urban centre in Gaza not to be invaded by Israeli forces, health officials said. In Gaza City in the north, medics said five Palestinians were killed in two separate strikes. The Israeli military said its forces killed two senior Islamic Jihad commanders in two airstrikes in Gaza City, including one whom it said had taken part in the October 7 attack in southern Israel that…

Russia had not ruled out new deployments of nuclear missiles in response to the planned US stationing of long-range conventional weapons in Germany, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said yesterday. Ryabkov said that the defence of the Kaliningrad region was in focus. The US has said that it will start deployment in Germany from 2026 of weapons that will include SM-6, Tomahawk and new hypersonic missiles to demonstrate its commitment to Nato and European defence. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that Moscow would resume producing short and intermediate-range land-based missiles and decide where to place them if needed. Most of Russia’s missile systems are capable of being fitted with either conventional or nuclear warheads. Ryabkov said Russia would choose from the widest possible array of options to work…

IN A new series leading up to the Paris Olympics, Independent Newspapers will catch up with former South African Olympians to regale us with their unique experiences. Today, we feature swimmer Marianne Kriel. She was the first South African athlete to compete at the Olympics since 1960, and then-ANC president Nelson Mandela was pool-side to cheer her on at Barcelona 1992. Marianne Kriel: Swimming Bronze medallist, 100m backstroke, Atlanta 1996 “The first Olympics was all due to Madiba. He made it all happen for us. It was incredible to be part of the first South African team at the Olympics post-isolation. “Suddenly, we had gone from swimming in front of 50 parents in the cold and wind at Newlands pool to swimming before 25 000 people and millions watching on…

Independent Power Producer (IPP) ENGIE announced yesterday that construction of the Grootspruit solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in the Free State has commenced. ENGIE said the 75MW-capacity plant would be built and operated by itself in partnership with Pele Green Energy. Grootspruit was one of two solar PV power plants ENGIE would be building in the country, reflecting its commitment to transitioning operations to a net-zero environment. The other plant, the Graspan solar PV plant, will be built in the Northern Cape. Both plants are expected to be commissioned by the end of 2025. Graspan will also contribute 75MW to strengthening the grid. Together, the plants are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in South Africa by 100 000 tons of CO2 per year and will contribute to meeting the…

This is the sixth article in a nine-part series that summarises findings from Just Retirement Insights 2024, a tracking study conducted by retirement income specialist, Just SA. We previously looked at the possibility of living to the age of 100 – a possibility that should be factored in when planning for retirement. Unfortunately, living longer increases the risk of dementia, a degenerative disease of the brain that primarily affects the elderly. However, very few people plan for the effect that this disease would have on their ability to make sound financial decisions in late retirement. According to Just Retirement Insights 2024, only three in 10 respondents have thought extensively about planning for cognitive decline caused by dementia. This remains largely unchanged from previous years’ results and could reflect a sense…

Newly appointed Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube is hoping President Cyril Ramaphosa will take heed of the request to refer the contentious Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (Bela Bill) back to Parliament. The Amendment Bill was passed by the National Assembly in May and only awaited the president’s signature. The DA, other political parties and civil organisations had rejected the bill and threatened to challenge it in court. The ANC, SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) and other unions supported the bill under former minister Angie Motshekga. Gwarube is hoping Ramaphosa will allow for the bill to be reviewed and those parts that were rejected to be “fixed”. She said the bill should be revised to avoid hindering pupils’ futures with outdated legislation. “We don’t want to throw the entire bill…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa said last night South Africa had the opportunity to make the country a better nation when he spelled out the Government of National Unity’s (GNU) plans for inclusive growth and job creation. “The coming together of all the parties that decided to cooperate is quite a historic moment for our country. “We must make the GNU work and function and succeed,” Ramaphosa said. Delivering his Opening of Parliament Address in the City of Cape Town hall, Ramaphosa said he was grateful that all the leaders of the nine other political parties in the GNU wanted the new government to work. “We shall make it work,” he said. Ramaphosa said they shared a commitment to reconcile the nation. This would be by advancing social justice and equal prosperity…

Hot tea and Apricots Kim Ballentine Loot.co.za (R219) Ballentine publishers How would you cope, suddenly not being able to talk, in a world that only knows how to communicate through speech? This story explores one woman’s journey through this uncharted territory and her eventual victory through tenacity and faith. Kim Ballantine’s profound and poignant description of her remarkable journey with voice loss and cancer is a humbling tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, the love of family and the faithfulness of God. Hot Tea and Apricots speaks directly to the courage centre in each of us, calling us to stand in faith and trusting that God who sees what we cannot, is already lighting the path ahead even in the darkest of times. This book is for anyone…

ARmour of light - The Kingsbridge Series Ken Follett Loot.co.za (R328) Pan Macmillan The idea of a historical novel set in the 9th century – a time of great change – caught my interest. Ken Follett’s Armour of Light is an intense read and centres around the introduction of revolutionary machinery in the town’s woollen mills, a catalyst for social unrest that threatens the livelihoods of its people. Through the eyes of characters like Sal Clitheroe and her son Kit, I was drawn into their struggle against the oppressive forces of change and the ruthless ambitions of figures like Will Riddick, whose pursuit of power underscores the broader themes of class and justice. Kit’s journey from idealism to resilience resonates deeply, while Riddick’s machinations serve as a stark reminder…

The Springboks have brought tremendous joy to Mzansi over the years. They have won the Rugby World Cup on four occasions, and those were significant nation-building events in every respect. The 1995 triumph on home soil started the glorious journey, with captain Francois Pienaar’s Boks beating the All Blacks in extra time in a dramatic Ellis Park final. John Smit led the Class of 2007 to the Webb Ellis Cup by edging out England in a Paris title decider, and then came the Siya Kolisi double – in 2019 in Japan, and in France last year. We all enjoyed the trophy tours that followed each of those magnificent victories, but imagine if everybody across South Africa could watch every Bok Test? This issue has hit the headlines after the recent…

BRITISH Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday vowed to renew relationships with European allies soured by Brexit as he welcomed dozens of leaders to a summit to reaffirm backing for Ukraine and tackle irregular migration. Starmer, elected premier two weeks ago, told more than 45 European leaders the UK would be a “friend and partner” as he started work to improve ties hit by the country’s tortuous departure from the EU under his Conservative predecessors. “We want to work with all of you to reset relationships, rediscover our common interest and renew the bonds of trust and friendship that brighten the fabric of European Life,” Starmer said as he opened the European Political Community (EPC) summit. Europe is grappling with challenges ranging from supporting Kyiv after Russia’s full-scale invasion to breaking…

PARIS: Police were hunting three arson suspects yesterday after an apartment building fire killed seven people in the southern French city of Nice, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said. The dead included three children – 5, 7 and 10 years old – and a 17-year-old who tried to escape by jumping from a window, they added. The apartment is in the low-income area of Les Moulins, known for being a drug-dealing hub, in the west of the city. The apartment was occupied by a family believed to have Comoran origins, regional prefect Hugues Moutouh said, referring to the southern African island nation. Ten people were inside when the fire broke out. | AFP…