Table of contents for 2024-10-24 in Cape Times

Information and communication technology group EOH has made progress on its growth strategy, resolved many legacy issues and significantly streamlined its corporate office and administrative functions on its journey to financial stability, the group said yesterday. In the year to July 31, the headline loss per share (HLPS) for the group that operates across Africa, the UK, Europe, and the Middle East, improved substantially by 99% to 0.21 cents, after net finance costs reduced by 28% to R118 million. Revenue from continuing operations fell 3.1% to R6 billion after good growth from the International segment (27%) and Infrastructure services businesses (5%), with Digital revenue generation remaining robust. International revenue as a percentage of the total grew to 11% during the year from 8% the previous year and growth was good,…

Ramaphosa will not be micromanaged by the DA or any party, says spokesperson PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday hit back at DA leader John Steenhuisen, saying the Government of National Unity’s (GNU) second biggest partner cannot impose their policy positions on him under the guise of the coalition government. “The DA retains the right to maintain their individual foreign policy position. “However, they can't impose that position on the President under the guise of the GNU,” said Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya from Russia. Magwenya made the comment after Steenhuisen distanced the DA from Ramaphosa’s remarks during bilateral engagements with Russian President Vladimir Putin, that "Russia is a valuable ally and friend". “The Democratic Alliance, as a key partner in the GNU, rejects this characterisation in no uncertain terms. The Democratic Alliance…

600g turkey or chicken breasts, cooked 500ml grated cheese 2 eggs salt and pepper, to taste Topping ideas 250ml grated mozarella 125ml grated cheddar cheese 85g feta cheese, cubed 125ml tomato pizza base sauce Fresh basil, to serve Chop the meat into chunks, then add to a food processor and process until it crumbs. Add the cheese, eggs, salt and pepper and pulse until it is all incorporated. Split the mixture in half, then shape into two circles. Bake on a baking paper-lined baking tray in a 200°C oven for approximately 20 minutes or until firm. Remove the baking paper and turn the base over. Bake for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the toppings on the pizza. Place back under the grill and remove…

THE Gauteng High Court, Pretoria has warned against the dangers of shared custody of children by divorcing parents, without the input of experts on whether this arrangement between the parents is always in the best interest of the children. The concern of the court was sparked by three divorce matters which were not opposed by the parties and where they had agreed to share residency in respect of the children involved. The court said these three matters provide a snapshot of the growing trend where parents agreed to shared residency, assuming that co-parenting can only be accomplished by way of equal sharing of the care and residency of children. The parents feel that the only way the non-residential parent can remain involved in a minor child’s life is if the…

A NATIONAL Prosecuting Authority (NPA) saddled with public concerns about some of its senior members not being granted security clearance helps critics justify their scepticism about the authority’s proclaimed independence. The authority’s mandate demands that any senior member should be beyond reproach. A security clearance is vital in this regard. Therefore when questions are being asked about why Deputy National Director of Public Prosecution Anton du Plessis has not been issued with a security clearance certificate, it is cause for concern. Du Plessis is entrusted with the responsibility of handling information that may be deemed of national importance. It may be so that he has performed his duties diligently since his appointment, as the NPA contends, however this does little to allay concerns that he does not have security clearance,…

Donald Trump’s campaign has accused British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party of “blatant foreign interference” in the US presidential election after some volunteers travelled to help campaign for Kamala Harris. The Republican candidate’s camp has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission in Washington, calling for an investigation into what it termed apparently illegal contributions from Labour to the Harris campaign. British political volunteers have long travelled to the US ahead of elections, with activists of the centre-left Labour Party typically supporting the Democrats, its sister party, and Conservatives backing the Republicans. British officials, who asked not to be named, said that some senior Labour advisers travelled to meet Democrat strategists in recent months, on the back of their landslide victory in the British election in July. One…

Belarus will hold a presidential election on January 26, four and a half years after widespread allegations of vote rigging in the last ballot led to mass protests. Belarus, a key ally of Russia, has been ruled since 1994 by strongman President Alexander Lukashenko, who has eliminated all forms of opposition and jailed hundreds of critics and protestors. The election commission said that parliament had approved the date of the vote, which the opposition said would be a “sham”. Critics accuse Lukashenko, expected to run again, of violating human rights and jailing opponents during his three-decade rule, which has grown increasingly authoritarian. The 2020 vote was marred by allegations of fraud, triggering weeks of massive protests on the streets of the capital Minsk and across the country. Thousands were arrested…

KABUL: The Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has signed three memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with leading aid agencies to assist thousands of displaced and needy families across Afghanistan, the ministry said yesterday. The total sum reached more than $2.4 million (R43m), benefiting over 2 236 families and 10 550 people, the statement said. The agencies will implement public utility projects in 15 provinces, it said. The Afghan caretaker government has called on local and international organisations to invest in the country and help create job opportunities. | Xinhua…

Singapore: The youngest son of Singapore’s founding leader, Lee Kuan Yew, said he was granted asylum in Britain due to persecution at home, where a family feud rages over a property dispute. Lee Hsien Yang, 67, said this week that he sought asylum in 2022 “as a last resort” from government attacks against him. The Lees’ battle over whether to demolish or preserve the single-storey house has generated headlines. Lee Hsien Yang and his sister wanted to demolish the bungalow that hosted the formation of the People’s Action Party (PAP), which has governed Singapore since 1959. Their older brother, former premier Lee Hsien Loong, wanted to preserve the property, which prompted his siblings to accuse him of trying to exploit their father’s legacy. | AFP…

Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis has ramped up the stakes for her squad as they prepare for their European tour opener against Denmark. The African champions kick off their campaign tomorrow (6pm SA time kick-off) at Aalborg Stadium, where they will face a formidable opponent ranked 12th in the Fifa world rankings. This three-match tour is crucial as Banyana aim to defend their Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) trophy next year. Following their clash with Denmark, the team will head to England to face the European champions in Coventry, and finish the year with a tough double-header against Jamaica in the Caribbean on November 29 and December 2. As the players gear up for these matches, Ellis has made it abundantly clear that no one’s place in the…

Independent Media and Independent Online (IOL) said in a statement yesterday that they wished to make it clear that they chose to withdraw from the Press Council of South Africa (PCSA) owing to the Council’s mishandling of a case and other issues. The clarifying statement, the group said, came after the Council’s misleading claim of “expulsion”. “This so-called expulsion is therefore inconsequential and merely an attempt to distort the narrative,” the statement from Independent Media and IOL read. The group said there were key points that needed clarification, including: •The PCSA is a voluntary organisation with no legal standing or official regulatory authority. It is not a statutory body, and thus it cannot enforce its decisions on media entities that choose to operate outside of its jurisdiction. As such, Independent…

SOCIAL Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe yesterday made a commitment to investigate the alleged weaknesses in social grant payments and fraud in the R350 grant applications, and report to Parliament within a month. Tolashe, a departmental team and the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) appeared before the social development portfolio committee yesterday. The committee was briefed by Stellenbosch University computer science students, Veer Gosai and Joel Cedras, who applied for the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant to no avail. Gosai and Cedras had conducted an informal survey on campus to check if other students had applied for the SRD. They generated ID numbers and fed these into the SRD system, which indicated if a number has an application or not. The pair found that applications were opened and…

South African music icon, jazz singer-songwriter Jonathan Butler and Booker-prize winner Damon Galgut are among six exceptional individuals who will receive honorary doctorates from Stellenbosch University (SU) at upcoming graduation ceremonies. Philanthropist Wendy Ackerman; renowned clinical infectious diseases epidemiologist Prof Salim Abdool Karim; visionary economist Prof Deirdre McCloskey and the country’s longest-serving Director-General, Dr Philemon Mphathi (Phil) Mjwara, formerly of the Department of Science and Innovation will also receive honorary doctorates. The University annually confers honorary doctorates on extraordinary individuals who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields and made a significant contribution to society. Galgut will receive his honorary degree in December, along with Ackerman, McCloskey, and international businessman Strive Masiyiwa, whose honorary DEng degree stands over from 2022. Butler and the other recipients will receive theirs next year.…

THE public has been urged to stay away from Cape fur seals and not attempt to touch or engage with them this holiday season. This follows reports of aggression and positive rabies cases in Cape fur seal populations. CapeNature said swimmers and surfers must remain extra vigilant while in the sea and if a seal is spotted, exit the water immediately and report it to the lifeguards or municipal authorities. The City last month said while positive cases of rabies in seals continued across the Western Cape, the effect on the seal population remains unknown as this was the first documented rabies infection in a marine mammal population. The City said since May 2024, when testing commenced, a total of 24 confirmed cases of rabies have been recorded in Cape…

THREE people have died and thousands had to be evacuated after heavy rains caused floods in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) in the Eastern Cape. The South African Weather Services (SAWS) had issued warnings for torrential rainfall for the province and on Tuesday reports emerged that an elderly man had died and a number of structures were damaged. Some taxi ranks in townships are not operational. About 319 matric candidates could not write the Computer Applications Technology (CAT) paper 1, all coming from five schools in the Uitenhage or Kariega areas. Mayor Gary Van Niekerk said as of yesterday, more than 3 000 people have been displaced and were accommodated in 19 shelters across the Metro. “It is with great sadness that we inform residents of three fatalities reported…

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a scion of India’s Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, submitted her nomination yesterday, to contest an election to parliament, the latest candidate from a family that has dominated politics and given the country three prime ministers. Vadra, 52, filed her papers for the Wayanad seat in the southern state of Kerala for the November 13 vote after a roadshow attended by thousands of supporters of her Congress party. Wayanad was won by Vadra’s brother Rahul Gandhi in the national election this year but he had to vacate it as he also won from a second seat in the family bastion in north India. Indian law allows candidates to retain only one. Rahul, 54, is the leader of opposition in the lower house of parliament, while their mother, Sonia, is a…

PYONGYANG: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un examined the capabilities and functions of launch-related facilities crucial to national security recently. The leader praised the soldiers for their dedicated service, maintaining combat readiness, the Korean Central News Agency reported. Kim emphasised the strategic missile force’s pivotal role in the DPRK’s war deterrence and reaffirmed the importance of modernising the military, prioritising missile capabilities. He pointed out the growing threats from US strategic nuclear forces, stressing the need for the DPRK to strengthen its deterrence and maintain a strong nuclear posture. | Sputnik…

Jerusalem: The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said yesterday that at least 42 792 people had been killed in the year-long war between Israel and Palestinian militants. The toll includes 74 deaths in the previous 24 hours, the ministry said, adding that 100 412 people had been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel in October last year. Yesterday, a UN relief agency employee was killed in a strike on a vehicle in Gaza, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said. At least 223 UN aid workers had been killed and two-thirds of the agency’s facilities in Gaza damaged or destroyed since the war erupted, it said. | AFP…

In a landscape marked by global economic fluctuations, Southern African CEOs are expressing cautious optimism for the next year. The inaugural Africa edition of the KPMG 2024 CEO Outlook released yesterday revealed a decline in CEO confidence in the global economy, dropping from 70% in 2023 to 52% in 2024. The survey saw more than 130 CEOs in Africa share their views on geopolitics, return-to-office, ESG and generative AI. However, participants unanimously in the survey agreed that upcoming structural reforms initiated by the Government of National Unity (GNU) could rejuvenate business sentiment moving forward. A significant component of these reforms is the streamlining of skilled worker visas, a topic that weighs heavily on the minds of many CEOs. The ability to attract and retain skilled professionals is seen as paramount…

Rising costs for fuel, electricity, water, maintenance and materials were among the factors Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) said it took into account when it determined its tariff increases for the 2025/2026 financial year. TNPA said it had applied to the Ports Regulator of South Africa for an overall weighted average tariff adjustment of 7.90% for the 2025/2026 financial year. Transnet said the increase was in line with inflation and accommodated other increases such as fuel, maintenance, and water. In addition, the tariff adjustments for 2026/27 and 2027/28 are 18.61% and 2.52% respectively. The Ports Regulator of South Africa said that it had received the application from Transnet and would consider all submissions. An announcement on the Record of Decision (RoD) would be made on November 29. Speaking on rising…

Artscape is launching the assistive listening system, commonly known as the “Loop System”, for the hearing impaired today. Installed by the Western Cape Government, the hearing loop provides access to facilities for those who experience hearing loss and use a hearing aid. It takes a sound source and transfers it directly to a hearing aid without background noise, interference or acoustic distortion. “The hearing impaired will now be able to experience a world class production event like any other patron,” Artscape said in a statement. The system serves the Opera House, Theatre Auditorium, Arena, Innovation Lounge and the Chandelier Foyer, making it one of the few theatres in South Africa that offer this service to the up to 4 million hearing impaired persons in the country. The launch coincides with…

IN yet another breakthrough in Eastern Cape mass killings, two suspects have been arrested in connection with the tragic murder of five family members. The men, aged 22 and 39, are expected to make their first appearance at the Bityi Magistrate’s Court today. This is after a team of seasoned detectives initiated a manhunt for suspects who stormed into a homestead in Ncinjana village, Bityi, near Mthatha, at about 8.30pm last Friday, killing a couple and three children while two others were seriously wounded. Provincial police spokesperson Siphokazi Mawisa said information on hand indicated that the family was asleep in two different houses in a yard. “The parents were sleeping in a rondavel when two unknown males entered and fatally shot them. They flounced out of the rondavel and started…

The finance minister’s MTBPS is set to be a defining moment for the unity government THE ANC’s nerves are jangling in advance of the most significant event since the election as Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana prepares to table the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) in Parliament on October 30. Many expect to see tangible policy priority commitments for the next three years and beyond. I have now heard so many people say that Godongwana’s looming budget is a “show and tell” event on who is in charge of what in the Government of National Unity that I have given up counting. Whether or not it will deserve such hyperbolic billing, the first GNU budget is indeed one of the most significant moments since the election, both for the minister’s reputation…

The inception of an innovation centre is a testimony to BRICS countries’ focus on development and cooperation. Ushering in a new era for greater BRICS co-operation, BRICS countries have been pooling more efforts in such areas as digital economy, green development and supply chains. The New Development Bank (NDB) set up by BRICS has delivered impressive achievements since its establishment nine years ago. Headquartered in Shanghai, it has cumulatively approved loans of $35 billion for more than 100 projects. Through the years, BRICS countries have created a variety of platforms, notably the BRICS Media Summit, the BRICS Seminar on Governance, the BRICS Civilization Dialogue, and the BRICS Young Leaders Forum, to facilitate dialogue and communication among officials, scholars and youth. In the multicultural city of Kazan, Chinese President Xi Jinping…

Several strikes on Lebanon’s Tyre were reported yesterday after the Israeli army warned residents to evacuate swathes of the coastal city which boasts a Unesco World Heritage site. AFPTV footage showed plumes of thick black smoke rising from several neighbourhoods, with parts of the evacuation area just 500m from the city’s ancient ruins. “Four strikes targeted the city of Tyre after the enemy threatened to bomb it,” the National News Agency said, after earlier reporting that “an enemy drone targeted” a “street in Tyre”. “The situation is very bad, we’re evacuating people,” said Mortada Mhanna, who heads Tyre’s disaster management unit. Bilal Kashmar, the unit’s media officer, said that many were fleeing the city and heading towards the suburbs. “You could say that the entire city of Tyre is being…

PHNOM PENH Cambodia attracted 4.8 million foreign visitors in the first nine months of this year, up 22% from 3.92 million over the same period last year, said a Ministry of Tourism’s report yesterday. “The number has reached 99.7% of that in the first nine months of 2019, the pre-Covid-19 pandemic era,” the report said. Thailand topped the chart of international tourist arrivals to the Southeast Asian country during January to September, followed by Vietnam, China, Laos and the US. The ministry said Cambodia was a cultural and ecological tourism destination. The country received 5.45 million international tourists last year. | Xinhua…

Kyiv: Ukraine yesterday called on any North Korean troops deployed by Russia to the war-battered country to surrender. North Korea has sent 1 500 more soldiers to Russia, Seoul’s spy agency told MPs yesterday, with 10 000 troops expected to be deployed by December. “The latest deployment brings the number of Pyongyang’s troops in Russia to 3 000, MP Park Sun-won said, after a briefing by the National Intelligence Service,” he said. Experts have said that in return for sending soldiers to help Russia, the North’s leader Kim is likely aiming to acquire military technologies from Moscow. Both North Korea and Russia are under rafts of UN sanctions. | Reuters…