Table of contents for 2024-09-17 in Cape Times

SASOL yesterday announced that Muriel Dube has been appointed chairperson of the board with effect from the end of last week. Sasol said it was pleased to pass the reins of chairperson to someone of Dube’s calibre and was confident she would provide the necessary direction and leadership as the company intensifies its focus on progressing a sustainable future business. Dube, who joined the board of Sasol as an independent non-executive director in 2018, holds an MSc degree in Environmental Change and Management from Oxford University and degrees in BA Human Sciences and BA Honours Politics. “She has an extensive background in sustainability-, commercial-, finance- and leadership roles,” said Sasol in a statement. “She previously served as the chief negotiator for the Government of South Africa in climate change negotiations…

Blood donation is often portrayed as one of the most selfless acts a person can do, potentially saving multiple lives with just a single pint of blood. Recently, a tweet, which has gone viral, has sparked questions about how the blood donation system works, leading to confusion and frustration among the public. In a tweet that has garnered sig- nificant attention, South African Twitter user @PaulMhlongo questioned the blood donation process, calling it a “scam”. He expressed concerns about how donated blood was sold to hospitals at high prices, while donors themselves received no direct financial benefit – just biscuits and juice. The tweet sparked a wider conversation on social media, with many users echoing similar concerns, while others defended the need for a sustainable blood supply system. @Muneeb…

MEMBERS of the public have been given more time to make submissions on proposals for the electoral system the country should adopt. The electoral reform consultation panel extended the initial September 30 deadline to October 31. “The invitation for submissions is made as part of the panel’s duty to undertake a public participation process regarding the issues falling within its functions,” the panel’s chairperson Richard Sizani said. The Electoral Amended Act, signed into law in April last year, empowers the Home Affairs Minister to establish a nine-member panel within four months after the commencement of the act, May 2023, after consultation with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). The panel will investigate, consult and make recommendations on electoral reform. It is expected in terms of the amended legislation to…

Demand for protection fees leads to need for police escorts in crime hot spots SOCIAL workers doing house visits have become the latest group to be targeted by extortionists demanding that they pay a protection fee. This has forced them to rely on police escorts into hot spot areas in an attempt to mitigate safety and security threats, according to the Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD). Khayelitsha, Eerste River, Wynberg, Elsies River, Crossroads, Philippi, Gugulethu, Delft, Mfuleni, Mitchells Plain, Paarl and Langa are some of the areas affected by alleged extortion crimes against DSD staff, said DSD spokesperson Monique Mortlock. “Since the financial year that started in April 2019 until now, there were 41 incidents reported involving Western Cape Department of Social Development staff. All cases were reported,…

LITTLE Abubakr Cassiem’s remarkable journey has been described as a testament to courage, resilience, and community support. Despite having just one lung, Abubakr, 2, inspires those around him. His mother Azraah Hendricks said he was in and out of hospital from the age of eight months. That was the start of a long journey for the Grassy Park family in uncovering what was wrong with him. “I remember it was a change of season when he developed a case of bronchitis and was put on antibiotics. But just two days later, they were shocked at how his condition had deteriorated. He was weak and I didn’t know what to do anymore. An X-ray revealed that his bronchitis developed into pneumonia,” said Hendricks. His condition started improving and he was…

US Vice-President and Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her rival, Republican Donald Trump, headed into a newly intense phase of the US presidential campaign yesterday, with tensions heightened after a second apparent assassination attempt against the Republican former president. The arrest on Sunday of a gunman on Donald Trump’s Florida golf course came the same day as more bomb threats poured into Springfield, Ohio, a small Midwestern city at the centre of Republican-led conspiracies against immigrants. But the duelling campaigns are set to march on with little interruption, a day after the Secret Service confirmed one or more of its agents “opened fire on a gunman” located near the boundary of Trump’s Florida golf course and that an “AK-47 style rifle” with a scope was recovered along with a…

Germany is to expand border controls to the frontiers with all nine of its neighbours to stop irregular migrants in a move that has sparked protests from other EU members. Berlin announced the measure following a string of deadly extremist attacks that have stoked public fears and boosted support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that the step aimed to limit irregular migration and “put a stop to criminals and identify and stop Islamists at an early stage”. The border controls will be in place for an initial six months and are expected to include temporary structures at land crossings and spot checks by federal police. Poland and Austria have voiced concern and the European Commission has warned that members of the 27-nation bloc…

PRAGUE: Factories and stores across central Europe shuttered production lines and closed their doors yesterday due to flooding that has killed at least 15 people, forced tens of thousands of evacuations and submerged towns from Poland to Romania. In Ostrava, an industrial city of 290 000 people in the Czech Republic, BorsodChem chemical plant has been shut, said a spokesperson for the company, partially owned by China’s Wanhua Chemical Group. While rivers in the Czech-Polish border area were starting to recede yesterday, flooding was widening to more areas and leaving bigger cities in both countries on alert. | Reuters…

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday ordered the regular size of the Russian army to increase by 180 000 troops to 1.5 million soldiers, the third time he has expanded its ranks since sending the military into Ukraine in February 2022. Putin ordered the overall size of the armed forces to be increased to 2.38 million people, of which 1.5 million should be active servicemen. Meanwhile, Russia has charged two more military officers with taking bribes, investigators said yesterday, the latest in arrests linked to alleged corruption in the defence ministry. The two allegedly received over 11 million rubles (R2m) from two companies. | Reuters…

LIFE HEALTHCARE announced yesterday that Life Molecular Imaging (LMI) is pro- jected to develop a diverse and sustain- able revenue stream over the next five years. LMI, a radiopharmaceutical dia- gnostics company owned by Life Health- care Group, is set for significant growth over the next five years, thanks to three key pathways. Firstly, the company anticipates a substantial rise in demand for NeuraCeq due to increasing patient needs for Alzheimer's Disease diagnosis and access to disease-modifying drugs. With a total addressable market of $2.5 billion, LMI aims to capture between 20% and 40% of this market. Secondly, the business said demand for PI-2620 and CardioCeq was expected to quickly grow when brought-to-market in 2027. It said this would be enabled by pre-existing reimbursement pathways and limited competition. It…

It’s the pageant season and Sun City has been announced as this year’s venue for the Miss World South Africa finale. The finale, where one talented and lucky South African beauty will be crowned Miss World SA, will take place on October 5 in the North West province. “I am excited about the second edition of Miss World South Africa will be held in Sun City. “The finalists are just sublime, and we wish them all success, as we know they are primed to be successful leaders of the future,” said Carol Bouwer, the licence holder of Miss World South Africa and president of Miss World South Africa Organisation. The top 10 finalists are: Nande Mabala, 26, former Miss South Africa second runner-up, is a model and social media entrepreneur…

POLITICAL parties are crossing their fingers that the second round of the search for the new deputy public protector will proceed without concerns of bias or conflict of interest. On Friday, the justice and constitutional development portfolio committee called for applications and nominations for the position. Parliament decided in May to start afresh the process of finding a replacement for advocate Kholeka Gcaleka, who was appointed as the public protector late last year. Legal advice revealed that EFF MP Busisiwe Mkhwebane failed to disclose her relationship with two of the previous deputy public protector candidates and did not recuse herself during their interviews. Committee chairperson Xola Nqola said yesterday they were safeguarding the search for a new deputy public protector by developing a declaration form to be signed by the…

1kg chicken pieces 6 mint leaves; 10ml garlic, crushed 10ml fresh ginger, grated; 1 sprig fresh curry leaves 250ml plain yoghurt 30ml Rajah Hot Curry Powder 5ml Robertsons Turmeric 1 pinch Coriander 1 pinch Robertsons Cumin 500ml uncooked white rice 250ml black lentils 250ml vegetable oil 4 potatoes, peeled and quartered 2 large onions, peeled and sliced 75g butter 1 bay leaf; 2 cinnamon sticks 2 cardamom pods 1 Knorr Chicken Stock Pot chopped fresh coriander, to garnish In a bowl, combine the chicken, mint leaves, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, yoghurt, Rajah Hot Curry Powder, and the Robertsons Turmeric, coriander and cumin. Mix well, cover and place in the fridge to marinate for a few hours, or overnight. Boil the rice until it is just cooked, then drain…

THE Legal Practice Council (LPC) is assessing a complaint that law firm Spruyt Inc Attorneys allegedly paid a Road Accident Fund (RAF) claimant only R10 400 despite successfully claiming R241 000 from the funD. “The Legal Practice Council received the complaint referred to from the Road Accident Fund last week. “The complaint, like all other complaints, is investigated as outlined by sections 36 to 44 of the Legal Practice Act (LPA). “The Legal Practice Act provides a strict process that we have to follow, which requires that upon receipt of a formal complaint, our team of legal officers (who are admitted legal practitioners) will request all the necessary information and evidence from the complainant to establish merit. Thereafter, if the is a prima facie case of misconduct, the…

A SECURITY guard at the German International School Cape Town (DSK) is alleged to have been made the scapegoat for a teacher who apparently flouted school rules when allegedly allowing a parent to bring two weapons into the premises. This incident, which occurred during a careers day presentation, reportedly involved a parent who previously served as a special forces police officer in Berlin. According to a source, whose name the Cape Times is withholding, the firearms were displayed openly, and students were allowed to handle them despite South African laws prohibiting weapons on school premises. In terms of section 140 of the Firearms Control Act, 2000, all schools and other learning institutions, including institutions for higher education and Universities, are “firearm-free zones”. “Instead of the German parent or…

This year, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) theme for World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10) was “Changing the narrative on suicide”, encouraging us all to include destigmatising discussions around mental health in our daily interactions: “The call to action encourages everyone to start the conversation on suicide and suicide prevention. Every conversation, no matter how small, contributes to a supportive and understanding society. By initiating these vital conversations, we can break down barriers, raise awareness and create better cultures of support.” The importance of this message is underscored by the statistics – suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 15-29 in our country; in 2019, South Africa reported 13 774 deaths by suicide. What is particularly jarring is that 10 861 of these deaths…

In a RECENT report submitted to a session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), UN Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan said that unilateral sanctions imposed by the US and other countries on China violated international law, negatively affecting the human rights of Chinese people and causing spillover effects. She welcomed China’s use of administrative and legal measures in response and called for systematic monitoring and assessment of the adverse human rights impact of unilateral coercive measures. In recent years, the US has introduced a series of unilateral coercive measures against China, such as restricting the export of semiconductors and key technologies and sanctioning certain Chinese companies. Globally, the US has imposed widespread economic and financial sanctions on countries like Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela, restricting their trade, energy exports,…

Lawyers for TikTok and parent company ByteDance were to square off with the Justice Department in a Washington courtroom yesterday over the fate of a law that could ban the short video app – used by 170 million Americans – as soon as January 19. A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will hold oral arguments on a legal challenge filed by TikTok and Chinese-parent company ByteDance that seeks an injunction barring the law from taking effect. TikTok and ByteDance argue the law is unconstitutional and violates Americans’ free speech rights. Driven by worries among US lawmakers that China could access data on Americans or spy on them with the app, the US Congress passed the law in April. Biden could extend the…

ABUJA: Nigerian state oil firm NNPC Ltd yesterday increased the price of petrol by 11%, the second increase in two weeks and a day after it started purchasing the fuel from the giant Dangote oil refinery on the outskirts of Lagos. Nigeria expects the 650 000 barrels a day refinery to end years of imports of gasoline, which had been subsidised for decades until President Bola Tinubu began removing support when he took office in May last year. Many households and small businesses use gasoline to power generators because most citizens are not connected to the national electricity grid. Nigerians are already struggling with inflation of 33.4%, which has driven up costs. | Reuters…

LOS ANGELES: A battle over control of Rupert Murdoch’s global television and publishing empire began yesterday in a Reno, Nevada courtroom, where a judge will consider the matter of succession. Murdoch, 93, is attempting to change the terms of the family’s trust – which holds stakes in Fox News parent Fox and Wall Street Journal owner News Corp. The billionaire is looking to ensure that, upon his death, the media companies remain under the control of his eldest son, Lachlan. A closed hearing to determine whether Murdoch is acting in good faith will take place. Murdoch’s proposed amendment would block any interference by Lachlan’s siblings, who are more politically moderate. Lachlan is viewed as ideologically aligned with his conservative father. | Reuters…

Sharpening up their breakdown work is one of the main focus points for the Springboks ahead of their potential Rugby Championship decider against Argentina on Saturday. The world champions returned to the training ground yesterday in Buenos Aires where the first part of their preparation starts ahead of the clash in Santiago del Estero. The Argentinian capital will be home to the Boks until tomorrow evening when they travel to Santiago, where the rest of the training will take place ahead of the Test on Saturday at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades (kick-off 11pm). According to Springbok loose forward Kwagga Smith, they must be on top of their game, especially at the breakdown, to stop the powerful ball-poaching loose forwards Los Pumas possess. “It’s a huge opportunity to win…

AS the country looked ahead to the start of the 2024/25 Betway Premiership season and the experts made their predications as to which teams will be championship challengers, there was a realisation that not many of them included SuperSport United. Strange, because if you are a discerning follower of the local game, you’d no doubt have noticed that Gavin Hunt has a squad not too dissimilar to the ones he has won his previous championships with. Hunt’s winning teams all had strong defences made up of players who always chipped in with goals from set pieces, and the spine of the team was always solid and hardly changed, while up front he usually had a regular scorer. Barring injuries to key players, as was the case last season, he has…

SPEAR, a real estate investment trust (Reit) focused on investing in real estate within the Western Cape region, said yesterday that it had successfully completed an equity capital raise of R457.8 million via a vendor consideration placement. This announcement follows the recent unconditional status of the acquisition of the Emira Western Cape portfolio, adding further impetus to its Western Cape-only-focused growth strategy. The vendor consideration placement will allow the issuance of 5 030 2197 new shares to public shareholders at an issue price of R9.10 per share. This equity placement was completed at a 1% discount to Spear’s 30-day VWAP, (volume-weighted average price), being R9.19 per share before September 13, 2024. The listing and issuance of the new shares was expected to start on Monday, September…

The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) has again set its sights on Basic Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube, after she failed to attend the signing of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (Bela Bill) into law at an event at the Union Buildings. Sadtu said it was fearful that the DA, which opposed elements of the bill, would run a separate Parliament and a separate Cabinet. President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday signed the bill into law but due to opposition from the DA, delayed the implementation of clauses four and five for three months to allow for negotiations with parties in the Government of National Unity (GNU). Clause four of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act relates to the provincial department being responsible for the admitting of pupils into a…

THE Pinelands High School learners captured on video footage “selling off” their black peers as “slaves” have been given sanctions of a “restorative nature”, according to the Western Cape Department of Education (WCED). The five were suspended after the video with the caption “slavery at schools is crazy” went viral, where black learners were caged in what appeared to be a storage space while their coloured peers pretended to auction them off. The WCED said yesterday that the SGB disciplinary process had been finalised. “The necessary disciplinary procedures were followed. The outcome of the process and the sanctions have been communicated to the parents and learners involved. The sanctions are restorative in nature and include participating in various workshops and learning programmes, as well as community service. “The sanctions were…

THERE were moments when Cape Town lawyer Carmen Dippenaar thought she would never be able to resume normal life after developing a dural tear on her lower thoracic spine. It was caused by a sharp bone spur on a calcified intervertebral disc earlier this year, leading to intense pain that rendered her virtually bedridden for three months. “At its worst, for a period of three months (March, April and May) I couldn’t be upright for longer than 10 minutes at a time without feeling the worst headache I have ever experienced – I can barely describe how debilitating it was, like my brain was in a vice and being squeezed. There were other symptoms too – dizziness, nausea and tinnitus. I could not drive to work or sit at a…

Amid a rise in the number of online schools in South Africa, parents have been urged to be vigilant and ensure that the institutions were registered with the relevant regulatory bodies. This comes amid news of the establishment of the Unisa Open School. It was reported that the distance learning university would establish a school to provide online secondary schooling for Grades 10 and 11. Umalusi, the quality assurance council for general and further education and training, then issued a statement saying it did not accredit online schools. Its senior manager for public relations and communications, Biki Lepota, said the online school phenomenon was growing. It was, it said, important to emphasise that the body did not accredit online schools. “Umalusi accredits private providers of education and training to…

Recent developments have shed light on the long-standing issue of extortion in our communities, and for once, we can applaud the government for taking decisive action. The political will demonstrated in the recent police operations against extortionists sends a clear message: if the government is committed, crime can be dealt with effectively. In the past two weeks, a series of police operations across various provinces led to the deaths of 14 alleged extortionists during violent confrontations with law enforcement. These were not isolated incidents but part of a larger pattern of extortion across the country. From April 2023 to the end of August 2024, a staggering 319 cases of extortion were reported at police stations nationwide. The Western Cape bore the brunt with 119 cases, followed by 82 in the…

Dried deep-sea anchovies from the eastern coastal area of Kenya can be seen in many supermarkets in Changsha. “Sales of our dried deep-sea anchovies have topped 1 billion yuan (about R2.4bn) a year, for which we need to import tens of thousands of tonnes of the fish,” said Zhou Jinsong, chairperson of Jinzai Food Group Co, Ltd. In 2018, the company set up a factory in Kenya, where locally purchased fish were processed before delivering to China. The popularity of these anchovies exemplifies the thriving economic and trade exchanges between China and Africa. Pineapples from Benin, citrus from South Africa, dried chilli pepper from Rwanda, coffee from Ethiopia, sesame from Tanzania and peanuts from Senegal have all landed on the dinner tables of ordinary Chinese. The…

Seoul: A trash balloon from North Korea landed on a Seoul building rooftop and caused a fire, a local fire department said yesterday, among thousands of balloons Pyongyang has sent southward this year, sparking a tit-for-tat propaganda campaign. The fire on Sunday was extinguished in 18 minutes and 15 fire trucks and 56 personnel were deployed, said the fire department, adding there were no casualties. Pyongyang launched about 120 trash-filled balloons towards the border on Sunday, following 50 balloons sent on Saturday, South Korea’s military said. Around 40 of the balloons had already landed in the South, mainly in northern Gyeonggi province and Seoul. | AFP…

Brussels: France’s powerful EU commissioner Thierry Breton abruptly resigned yesterday with a parting shot at the bloc’s chief as she prepared to present her new team. French President Emmanuel Macron proposed Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne as Breton’s replacement. The bloc’s internal market commissioner claimed that EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had sought at the last minute to push him out. Breton, whose strained relationship with his EU boss was no secret, claimed Von der Leyen’s bid to block his candidacy was made for personal reasons and that she had offered, as a trade-off, a more influential portfolio for France. | AFP…

ROME: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised “a new era” in cross-border co-operation to tackle people smuggling gangs on a trip to Rome yesterday for talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, part of a reset in ties with Europe. Starmer has scrapped the UK’s previous government’s plan to deport asylum seekers who arrive in small boats to Rwanda, but has not ruled out plans that would see asylum claims processed offshore, similar to an agreement Italy has struck with Albania. | Reuters…