Table of contents for 2021-10-28 in Cape Times

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za Halloween is approaching, so there’s a good chance you have a pumpkin or two around your house. They make great decorations, but once the carving and trick-or-treating are over, don’t toss them in the trash. There are many great ways to use pumpkins when cooking in the weeks ahead. You can still use the inside to create some delicious and healthy meals. Smoothies Pumpkin seeds make a perfect addition to most smoothies. Grind up your pumpkin seeds ahead of time with a food processor and add some of the ground powder to your blender when you’re making your morning smoothie. Delicious and nutritious. Make your own pumpkin spice latte Pumpkin spice lattes contain almost no pumpkin. At around R60 a cup, a month’s worth of pumpkin spice…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za AFTER being missing for two weeks, the teacher of Kuils River teen Siphokazi Joka said she has been found unharmed. Khanyisa Khwaza said the 18-year-old, whose missing poster has trended on social media, has returned home. “The family has confirmed with me that the girl has been found and I too can confirm that,” he said. Joka had gone missing on October 8, with her family and friends saying they last saw her when she took a taxi from Nyanga to Kuils River. The Cape Times contacted Kwaza who said that she has been found, while police spokesperson FC van Wyk said the search was continuing. Separately, the family of 27-year-old teacher Sizwe Yaphi, who was shot and killed while out with his friends at the weekend,…

Sizwe Dlamini sizwe.dlamini@inl.co.za MOLIEHI Maria Sithole, also known as Gosiame, was pregnant and gave birth to multiple babies on June 7, according to medical practitioner Dr Mpho Pooe. The pregnancy was also confirmed by renowned human rights lawyer advocate Michael Donen SC although he could not make conclusive findings on the delivery of the babies. Pooe carried out a full medical examination of Sithole after she was released from Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital last month. In his report finalised in August, Donen, who chaired an independent commission of inquiry into the birth of what has since become known as the “Tembisa 10”, found that a plethora of evidence suggested that Sithole was pregnant before June 7 this year. Pooe, who has been in the field of gynaecology and obstetrics for more…

Staff writer FIREFIGHTER Fundiswa Siqangwe says instinct took over when she managed to drive to safety, away from hijackers in Philippi. As Transport Month draws closer to an end, the Working on Fire Western Cape member from the False Bay team has been named as the best driver in the province. She is one of two women drivers in the Western Cape and when the province embarked on a quest looking for the best, it was clear beyond reasonable doubt that the title belonged to her. Siqangwe was the first woman driver in the Western Cape after joining Working on Fire in 2014. Recently, during an attempted hijacking in Phillipi she was accosted by eight gun-toting men. Siqangwe said the men pretended to be crossing the road forced her to…

Staff writer ONGOING protests by truck drivers have resulted in disruption to supply chains and freight logistics across the SADC region. Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula recently met with truck operators who had blockaded the N9 and the N10 highways outside Middleburg, and noted that the drivers had issues over the employment of foreign nationals and concerns about driving permits. The N3, near Montrose in the Free State, was closed this week to traffic, due to the second mass truck protest in a matter of days. President Cyril Ramaphosa had mandated an Inter-Ministerial Committee, led by Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi, to address the matters raised by the truck drivers and small truck operators. Mbalula said the committee has been hard at work in addressing the issues, with a…

China has consistently worked with the UN to create a better future for all ON OCTOBER 25, 1971, the UN General Assembly at its 26th Session adopted Resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority to restore all the rights of the People’s Republic of China and to recognise the representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate representatives of China to the UN. That is the victory of diplomacy of the New China, the victory of world fairness and justice, and the victory of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. On October 25, 2021, China commemorated the 50th anniversary of this historic event grandly. At the ceremony, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech, which expounded on the far-reaching significance of the restoration…

A Cambridge University college and Paris museum were expected yesterday to hand back cultural artefacts that were looted from West Africa during the colonial era. Jesus College, Cambridge, will return a sculpture of a cockerel taken by British troops in 1897, one of hundreds of Benin Bronzes that were pillaged from the Kingdom of Benin, located in what is now Nigeria. After being looted, the cockerel was given to Jesus College in 1905 by the father of a student. About 90% of Africa’s cultural heritage is believed to be in Europe, French art historians estimate. The Quai Branly Museum in Paris holds about 70 000 African objects; London’s British Museum possesses tens of thousands more. The Quai Branly museum will hand over to the Republic of Benin 26 artefacts that…

State oil company workers and doctors in Sudan said yesterday they were joining protests against the military coup that has derailed the country’s planned transition to democracy. Thousands of people have taken to the streets since Monday’s takeover led by armed forces chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and several have been killed in clashes with security forces. A group of neighbourhood committees in the capital Khartoum has announced plans for further protests leading to what it said would be a “march of millions” on Saturday. In one Khartoum neighbourhood on Wednesday, a Reuters journalist saw soldiers and armed people in civilian clothes removing barricades erected by protesters. A few hundred metres away, youths came out to build barricades again minutes later. One of them said: “We want civilian rule. We…

Bamako: Malian authorities have arrested a vice-president of the country’s interim parliament for making “subversive remarks” on social media, two legal sources said. Issa Kaou N’Djim, an influential figure in the conflict-ridden Sahel state, was arrested in the capital Bamako on Tuesday, according to a court official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said that the lawmaker was arrested over “subversive remarks”. N’Djim is a supporter of Mali’s army strongman Assimi Goita, but is known for his sharp criticism of Interim Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga. Kassoum Tapo, N’Djim’s lawyer, said that his client’s detention was illegal because he has parliamentary immunity. | AFP…

Paris: Small farmers around the world who grow thirsty crops like maize will face a huge adaptation challenge as the effects of climate change worsen in the coming years, experts warned yesterday. In a report issued ahead of the UN climate conference opening in Glasgow on Sunday, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) sounded the alarm after commissioning a study on agriculture in southern and eastern Africa. The study carried out by UCT shows harvests of staple crops could plummet by up to 80% by 2050 as warming accelerates. Maize requires a lot of water to grow, which will add to pressure on farmers. | AFP…

HERMAN GIBBS herman.gibbs@gmail.com THE Premier Soccer League (PSL) yesterday announced that a total of 2 000 people would be allowed to attend the MTN8 final in Durban on Saturday, yet no tickets will be made available for sale to the general public. The only fans at the Moses Mabhida Stadium for the final between Mamelodi Sundowns and Cape Town City will be 'chosen ones' as determined by the PSL, the sponsors MTN and the two clubs. Unless fans crack an invite from one of these parties, they will be watching the match from the comfort of a couch. The PSL's official announcement says no tickets will be made available for sale to the general public. Attendees will be made up of…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za THE ANC in the Western Cape has reacted angrily to the DA’s campaign that a vote for small parties would smuggle it back to power in the City of Cape Town. “The DA is desperate. They have come to realise that they did not anticipate the election could go the manner it has done,” ANC provincial spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni said. Mtsweni said the DA had become too comfortable being in power and it has woken up to the reality that other parties no longer wanted to work with it. “They have gone to being the original white racist party led by Helen Zille and John Steenhuisen. They realise that people no longer trust the DA,” he said. In a video posted on social media, DA mayoral candidate…

Staff writer INEQUALITY and a massive digital skills divide in South Africa have been a consistent driver of grade repetitions and drop-outs. In addressing these and other barriers to education, the Lights on After School campaign, which takes place today, gives children the opportunity to grow and develop as best they can. The Lights On After School is an annual global campaign that puts the spotlight on the critical role the after-school sector plays in nurturing young people. This year’s theme is #HelpingKidsRecover – with the focus being on how non-profit after-school programmes (ASPs) are helping vulnerable children recover what has been lost over the last 18 months of the pandemic. Under the umbrella campaign, the Youth and After School Programme Office, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport,…

OWN Correspondent A MORE selective approach to referring women with early stage breast cancer for costly international laboratory tests can create significant cost savings of up to 20%, and spare many women from the toxicity of chemotherapy, a recent publication from the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) has reported. With more than 1.5 million cases of breast cancer diagnosed worldwide every year, it is the most common cancer that women are faced with today. More effective treatment has greatly improved survival rates but has also resulted in chemotherapy being advised to most patients, with many gaining no benefit. The research conducted by Jaco de Jager as part of his MBA along with a team of researchers from USB, Stellenbosch University and private practice, analysed referrals of early stage breast…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za COMMUNITY activists in Khayelitsha have demanded answers over what may be causing delays in the construction of a shopping centre proposed by local developers. Ziba Property Development had in 2012 expressed an interest to acquire vacant land situated at Spine Road and Makabeni Street, next to the Lingelethu police station, for a mixed-use mall. They said that following engagements and presentations to the City and sub-council, they were instructed to follow due processes. The developers submitted a letter of support from SAPS for the project, community participation proof as well as viability and economic studies, to the City of Cape Town. Developer for the company Zandisile Balasana said they followed all the right processes and did all that was instructed, but yet almost a decade later there…

The late Ernest Mancoba, painter and sculptor, should be to South Africans as Van Gogh is to the Dutch and Picasso is to the Spanish. He, like others, have for too long been excluded from the South African narrative. He is considered to be in a class of his own and yet his work is not sufficiently studied at South African universities or art schools. The father of writer Njabulo Ndebele, Nimrod Ndebele, a playwright and friend, is known to have described Mancoba as the leading intellectual of his generation in the 1930s. This week, on October 29, The Art and Ubuntu Trust (AUT), the organisation that has worked to build on Dr Elza Miles’ foundational efforts to end the erasure of Mancoba, reached a major milestone when it donated…

THERE was a cloud of emptiness yesterday when friends, family and activists commemorated the death of Struggle icon Ahmed Timol. When he died in September, apartheid-era police officer Joao Rodrigues, one of the last people to see Timol alive, took with him to the grave the “50 years of cover-ups, lies and secrets”. Rodrigues was due to go on trial in connection with what is now Timol’s murder, and not suicide as previously recorded. However, he tried to wriggle his way out of the courtroom for several months, claiming he was too ill and old to stand trial. His application for a permanent stay of prosecution failed, and the writing was on the wall for the former policeman, then in his 80s. Rodrigues is believed to have been in the…

Israel moved forward yesterday with plans to build about 3 000 homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, projects that have drawn strong criticism from its US ally. An Israeli defence official said a planning forum of Israel’s liaison office with the Palestinians gave preliminary approval for plans to build 1 344 housing units and its final go-ahead for projects to construct 1 800 homes. The US had already voiced strong opposition to the plans to advance the settlement units in the West Bank, saying such moves would damage prospects of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Before the planning committee’s meeting, Israel on Sunday published tenders for about 1 300 new settlement homes in the West Bank, where about 440 000…

Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel yesterday admitted he should have acted “differently” after plagiarism accusations. Local outlet reporter.lu claimed Bettel lifted “three quarters” of his 1999 thesis at France’s University of Nancy. Bettel, 48, said that the thesis was done “over 20 years ago”. He insisted he “wrote this work with a clear conscience”. “Today, I recognise that I could have – yes, perhaps I should have – done it differently,” Bettel admitted. He said it was up to the university to determine if the work met its standards and that he would “naturally accept its decision”. | Reuters…

Tehran: Iran struggled yesterday to restart its petrol distribution system after it was hit by an unprecedented cyberattack which security officials said was launched from abroad. The unclaimed attack crippled the country’s system of government-issued electronic cards which motorists use to purchase heavily subsidised fuel. Long queues formed outside petrol stations, angering motorists in a country already suffering under tough economic sanctions over its nuclear dispute with major powers. Of Iran’s 4 300 petrol stations connected to the system, only 220 had been reconnected yesterday, the National Oil Products Distribution Company told the official IRNA news agency. | AFP…

Abuja: Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari said 12 million children were scared of going to school in the country where jihadists and armed criminals had kidnapped pupils for ransom. The first mass school abduction in the country was in 2014 when Boko Haram jihadists snatched 276 girls from Chibok. Since then, attacks on schools “have grown in number”, Buhari said on Tuesday. Gunmen have kidnapped more than 1 000 pupils since December. As a result, said Buhari, more than 12 million children were traumatised and afraid of going to school. Girls were particularly affected, he said. | Reuters…

RBPlat’s market capitalisation has grown by more than 200% up to June Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za Shares in Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat), the mid-tier platinum group metals (PGM) producer sky rocketed by nearly 24 percent on the JSE yesterday following Impala Platinum’s (Implats) proposed buyout of the company's issued entire share capital. Should the transaction receive the green light from regulatory bodies, and shareholders it will create a significant PGM producer in South Africa and will see the delisting of RBPlat, which is valued at R27 billion and led by chief executive Steve Phiri. RBPlat’s market capitalisation grew by more than 200 percent in the period ended June 2021 due to the high metal prices, according to the latest PricewaterhouseCoopers Mine Report. In a joint statement the companies…

Philippa Larkin philippa.larkin@inl.co.za IRONGATE Group, formerly Investec Australia Property Fund (IAP), yesterday rejected an A$1.1 billion (R12.18bn) takeover offer from fund manager 360 Capital Group, saying the offer did not “reflect the underlying value of IAP having regard to its high-quality office and industrial real estate portfolio”. On October 16, the group had received a “highly conditional” and “unsolicited” offer, which IAP’s board previously warned might make a pre- datory offer. The offer was for all shares in Irongate that 360 Capital did not already own for A$1.6047 cash per security, which was made up of a headline price of A$1.65 less the anticipated distribution of A$0.0453 per IAP security for the half-year to September 30. The proposal was conditional on ESR Real Estate (Australia) entering into an…

Staff writer INTERACTIVE exhibits that provide hands-on learning experiences about sharks have been launched at the Two Oceans Aquarium. The aquarium and the Save Our Seas Foundation yesterday announced the opening of Shark Alley, the latest addition to the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Exhibit at the aquarium. Shark Alley curves around the outer walls of the Shark Exhibit and complements the viewing of live sharks with informative signage and interactive exhibits that convey fascinating shark facts. The interactive exhibits provide hands-on learning experiences, encouraging visitors of all ages to delve into various aspects of shark biology and conservation. “The natural flow of the exhibit takes visitors on a journey that starts with an introduction to various shark species, with depictions of their true sizes, along with biological and conservation…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za DISGRACED real estate agent, Gabriella Johnson, has been dumped after Live Real Estate said it would not sign a franchisee contract with her. Johnson landed in hot water last week after she racially discriminated against potential tenant, Pol Osei, who enquired about leasing a CBD-located flat. Johnson refused to proceed with a viewing and application process for the R17 000 Fountain Suites flat located in the Cape Town CBD, saying her client was “race-specific”. Osei took to social media after a WhatsApp exchange with Johnson. Live Real Estate chief executive Brendan Miller issued a statement saying Johnson was not employed by the company at the time she attempted to conduct the leasing of the property. “I am happy to confirm the outcome of (Tuesday’s) meeting with Johnson…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za RESIDENTS living on Sanral land in Strand have vowed not to vote in the upcoming local government elections due to “empty housing relocation promises”. While holding demonstrations yesterday, Siyanyanzela informal settlement community activist Mafuzi Kalakala said they were told in 2014 that alternative provisions would be made for them. Mayco member for human settlements Malusi Booi said land identification and acquisition was under way for the permanent relocation. Booi said this was in terms of the Implementation Protocol (IP) signed between the City and Sanral. “Sanral is undertaking an upgrade in that particular area. Informal settlements which are to be impacted must be relocated. In terms of the IP, it is envisaged that the first houses will be completed during the 2024/25 financial year ... “We…

Staff writer WHILE rain that fell in the Greater and Klein Karoo late last week won’t relieve water shortages right away, it has brought hope to farming communities, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has said. The Karoo region has been characterised by lower-than-normal rainfall for the past five years, which has affected the agri-economy adversely. About 20 to 79mm of rain fell on drought-stricken areas of the Karoo recently, which has led to improvements in Western Cape Dam storage systems. In particular, the Gouritz River Catchment System has seen significant increases as it is currently at 29.33%, compared to 24.28% last week. “The bulk of the Western Cape is reaching the end of the rainy season as the province is a winter rainfall area,” the DWS…

LONDON: The US yesterday appealed against a British judge’s decision to block the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face charges that could jail the Australian for life. At the start of a two-day hearing in London, the US government asked Britain’s High Court to overturn a ruling in January that Assange is a serious suicide threat if sent across the Atlantic. “We maintain that the district judge was wrong to come to the conclusion she did,” said James Lewis, lawyer for the US government. The two senior judges sitting at the High Court will deliver their own ruling at a later date, but the issue is likely to drag on for longer still. Outside the court in central London, Assange’s partner Stella Moris – with whom he has…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he expects to meet his US counterpart Joe Biden on the margins of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Turkish media reported yesterday. Erdogan’s comments to reporters on board his return flight from a trip to Azerbaijan came after the White House released Biden’s schedule at this weekend’s G20 summit in Rome that included no meeting with the Turkish leader. “The agenda for Rome and Glasgow appears to have changed,” Erdogan was quoted as saying. “We are likely to meet in Glasgow instead of Rome.” The COP26 UN climate conference opens in the Scottish city on Sunday and runs to November 12. The meeting, which would be the two leaders’ second since Biden was elected president, comes with Turkey seeking compensation after Washington kicked…

KASHIWAZAKI: Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s push to restart Japanese nuclear power plants idled after the Fukushima disaster faces stiff opposition ahead of a general election on Sunday. A decade after triple meltdowns at Fukushima forced mass evacuations and a shutdown of the nuclear industry, Japan has restarted only a third of its 33 operable reactors. Debate over whether to fire more of them back up is highly charged, with 40% of the population opposing the move.It matters most in rural cities hosting the idled plants,which had relied on them for economic activity, such as Kashiwazaki, 265km north-west of Tokyo . “The reason why we feel so strongly about this is because we feel the danger of the nuclear power plant – it hangs over our heads every day,” said Mie…

London: The UK government largely wasted a mammoth £37 billion (R761bn) on a test and trace programme that failed to control the spread of Covid-19 last year, a report by lawmakers said yesterday. The government and its inexperienced head for the programme, Dido Harding, displayed “gung-ho confidence”, the chair of the House of Commons public accounts committee said. “But in the end it massively over-promised for what it delivered and it was eye-watering sums of money,” Meg Hillier, of the opposition Labour party, told BBC radio. “That is one of the biggest concerns – it is almost as if the taxpayer was an ATM machine. That lack of regard for taxpayer funding is a real concern …” | AFP…

MIHLALI BALEKA mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za MAMELODI Sundowns and Cape Town City will be eager to win the first trophy of the season when they square off in the MTN8 final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium this weekend. Here we look at key players that will have to step up for their teams. DENIS ONYANGO – SUNDOWNS Onyango is the most consistent goalkeeper in the top-flight. He has been a pillar of strength for Sundowns and he’s yet to concede in six league matches this term. Onyango’s only blemishes have been in the Champions League and MTN8. Onyango is a great all-round keeper, he’s exceptional on one-on-one duels, dealing with aerial threats and making fine stops, from long and close range. He’s the captain of the team, leading on-and-off the pitch. His experience…

HERMAN GIBBS herman.gibbs@gmail.com STELLENBOSCH FC preserved their unbeaten record with a well-deserved 1-0 win over Marumo Gallants in a Premiership clash at Danie Craven Stadium yesterday. The result moved Stellenbosch from fourth to second position with 16 points on the league standings, and they are three points adrift of log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns who have a game in hand. Stellenbosch and Sundowns are the only unbeaten teams in the league this season. The defeat means that Gallants are still without a win after seven league matches and remain marooned second from bottom on the log with three points, one place above rock-bottom TS Galaxy. Stellenbosch wasted no time in showing they were the home team, and their midfield kept a tight rein on matters. Their unorthodox formation of 4-2-3-1 saw…