Table of contents for 2024-05-30 in Cape Times

The now public 106-page report on the investigation into leaked voice recordings alleged to have implicated National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) former board chairperson Ernest Khosa found that the story of a bribe was “fictitious and ridiculous”, and the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) ought not to have lent credence to it. Outa, however, this week said they stood by their report on the leaked recordings. Advocate William Mokhare, on instruction by Tshisevhe Attorneys Incorporated (TGR), prepared the investigative report on the voice recordings shared with Outa. Khosa and Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande were purportedly at the centre of corruption allegations. The recorded conversation was between Khosa, Joshua Maluleke and Thula Ntumba. Mokhare’s report found that while Outa said in its report that Khosa received R1.5 million from…

MANY youths who made their mark at the polling booths yesterday spoke about studying the manifestos of political parties with a high interest in the issue of employment. Among the youth who voted yesterday was 27-year-old Katharina Gensicke at Pinelands High School. Gensicke, a UCT alumnus, has been applying for jobs for the last six months with no success. According to the latest Statistics SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey, youths aged between 15 and 34 years remained the most vulnerable in the labour market. Of the 10.3 million youths, the number of those unemployed increased by 236 000 to 4.9 million, and about 35.5% were not in employment, education or training. “This is my third time voting and I believe that it is so important to be part of this…

“It’s difficult remaining hopeful in a hopeless situation.” Bruce Reid, who lives on the streets of Cape Town, said he did not vote as he was not hopeful of change. “I lost my ID many years ago and have recently reapplied, but I hadn’t intended to vote. I have not voted in about 20 years due to the state of things in the country,” Reid said. “This country and its government are not creating jobs for anyone and they’re not going to. It’s going to take a miracle. Most of our products are imported. There are no sustainable industries that are using local labour. “Homelessness is not something that will be made away with as it is something that exists everywhere around the world, so when people are promised houses,…

At least 32 voting stations did not open on time in the Eastern Cape yesterday due to community protests. The province expected 3 431 108 million registered voters to make their mark yesterday. Provincial electoral officer Kayakazi Magudumana said: “It was indeed a better day. We did have glitches, it was not smooth sailing, 32 voting stations did not open on time due to community protests.” By yesterday afternoon the situation had calmed down, when the roads were cleared at Nokhatshile voting station in Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Municipality, and voting continued. At the Buhlambo voting station in Ntabankulu Local Municipality,police prepared to take over the voting station. In Amahlathi Municipality, at the Wolf River Primary voting station, following a second address by the mayor and the Department of Rural Development and…

THE 2024 general elections in South Africa are poised to be a watershed moment in the nation’s political history. The ANC, which has dominated the political arena since the end of apartheid, is facing unprecedented challenges that could erode its electoral dominance. The shift opens the door to the possibility of coalition governments, a prospect that brings hope for renewed political dynamics and fears of instability, given the troubled history of coalition governance in key metropolitan areas. The ANC’s grip on power has been weakening over the past decade, plagued by allegations of corruption, internal factionalism, and failure to deliver on economic and social promises. The 2021 local elections highlighted the decline, the ANC failing to secure a majority in several key munici- palities, including Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela…

Record heat seared parts of the Indian capital for a second day yesterday, reaching a temperature of 52.3°C while an unprecedented heat wave continued to parch some northwestern regions. The unusually high summer temperatures have brought “heat wave to severe heat wave” conditions over the last few days, weather officials said, but added they were likely to ease from today over north-west and central India. Pupils fainted in the heat at a government school in the eastern state of Bihar, with video images showing a girl lying on a classroom bench as teachers sprinkled her face with water and fanned her with a book. Asia has sweltered in a hotter summer this year, a trend scientists say has been worsened by climate change. India declares a heat wave when the…

Quetta: At least 29 people were killed yesterday when a bus plunged off the road into a deep ravine in south-western Pakistan, hospital and government officials said. The crash happened around dawn in Basima town in Balochistan province while the bus was travelling from Turbat city to Quetta. “The driver was navigating a turn in a mountainous area when the vehicle lost control and fell into a ravine,” a government official said. The driver died from injuries in the hospital, and more than 20 passengers were injured. Noor Ullah, chief doctor at Civil Hospital Basima, said 29 bodies were taken there, including three women and two children. | AFP…

COPENHAGEN: A volcano in south-western Iceland sent glowing hot lava shooting 50m into the air yesterday, its fifth eruption since December, shortly after an eight-week long eruption on the same Reykjanes peninsula came to an end. Authorities had warned of the risk of renewed volcanic activity in the area just south of the capital Reykjavik as studies showed magma accumulated underground. “The lava fountains reach 50m high and the length of the fissure seems to be around 2.5km and growing,” Iceland’s Met Office said. Flights continued as usual at Reykjavik’s Keflavik Airport. Volcanic activity has disrupted district heating, closed key roads and razed several homes in the Grindavik fishing town. | Reuters…

CAPITAL Limited, a minerals and exploration drilling company, is geared to reduce its carbon emissions, although the nature of machinery from its suppliers is holding it back from speedy attainment of net zero emissions. Its partnership with Barrick Gold in Tanzania to adopt PhotonAssay technology, an environmentally-friendly gold analysis platform, has helped it scale up its efforts to move towards sustainability and reduction in emissions. Capital Limited chairperson of the sustainability committee, Cassie Boggs, commented on the sustainability report. “I am delighted to introduce our first stand-alone sustainability report for 2023 demonstrating sustainability progress made across the group and providing greater transparency with respect to our ESG performance,” Boggs said. “The comprehensive report highlights the company’s past and present initiatives as well as an overview of how we manage our…

From page 1 in a video driving a state vehicle and picking up an off-duty police officer at a voting station. “The off-duty police officer in the video can be seen wearing the regalia of a political party,” Netshiunda said. Mkhwanazi said police officers should be professional at all times and respect the oath which they took when they voluntarily joined the SAPS. “On more than one occasion I reiterated to the members of the SAPS here in KwaZulu-Natal that they should be apolitical and leave politics to politicians. “I emphasised the fact that police officers must never campaign or be seen to be campaigning for any political party. “What these police officers did is totally unacceptable and such behaviour undermines the hard work that the police have been doing…

Police Minister Bheki Cele assured the public yesterday that no ballot papers would be delivered to voting stations across the country for counting without an escort provided by the SAPS, metro police and other law enforcement agencies. Cele was speaking after casting his vote in Lamontville, south of Durban, yesterday. The minister stressed that no ballot papers would be transported without an escort. “But the communication must be improved by the IEC to make the call on the members of the SAPS or any law enforcement,” Cele said, adding that there would be SANDF members in some areas. “There is no war in the country. Police are adequate unless an extra thing is needed and makes a case for the SANDF to be invited, but in…

Police have arrested about 10 people in connection with alleged intimidation, assault and violation of the Electoral Act in the Eastern Cape and Polokwane. This comes as two police officers are also in hot water for allegedly bringing the SAPS into disrepute. Police spokesperson Welile Matyolo said six suspects aged between 24 and 51 were arrested on charges of violating the Electoral Act in Mqanduli, Eastern Cape, on Tuesday and yesterday morning. Matyolo said a voting station was allegedly destroyed while the group raised issues of service delivery in the area on Sunday. He said the same group had also threatened IEC officials to close the station on Monday and then burned tyres, preventing any movement in the area on Tuesday. “OR Tambo District detective election team assisted by Public…

VOTER apathy has set in among farmworkers in the 2024 national election as they continue to face social and human rights issues, with many deciding to stay away from the polls. This sentiment was expressed by both farmworkers and farmworker union Commercial, Stevedoring, Agricultural and Allied Workers Union (CSAAWU). “There has been mixed reactions from farmworkers in this election because they feel their issues are not being addressed. They still face evictions every day, social decay on farms, living conditions, transport, electricity. Not one political party has addressed these issues. They have voted since 1994 and very little has changed for farmworkers. “At our May Day rally workers also raised the fact that they work on farms for 20 to 30 years and retire with nothing. Then from the 2100…

THE voters have spoken and have spoken loudly, emphatically endorsing democracy as the biggest winner of yesterday’s crucial election. The pictures in today’s Cape Times, resembling the historic 1994 election, are a testament of how far we as a country have come. To say the road to yesterday’s elections has been a rough one would be an understatement. As a country, we collectively overcame so many challenges that could have derailed whatever progress we have made since we ushered in a democratic government 30 years ago. It’s perhaps important to highlight the unity that emerged through the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s also worth noting the determination of NGOs whose resilience ensured that many poor South Africans did not go to bed on empty stomachs. Equally important to highlight is the…

Iran fires the starting gun this week on an election to replace President Ebrahim Raisi, whose death in a helicopter crash could complicate efforts by the authorities to manage a task of even greater consequence, the succession to the supreme leader. Once seen as a possible successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s ageing ultimate decision-maker, Raisi’s sudden death has triggered a race among hardliners to influence the selection of Iran’s next leader. Khamenei, 85, seeks a fiercely loyal president in the June 28 election to run the country day-to-day and be a trusted ally who can ensure stability, amid manoeuvring over the eventual succession to his own position, insiders and analysts say. “The next president is likely to be a hardliner loyal to Khamenei with a background in the…

A northern Nigerian state governor yesterday banned protests and public rallies to prevent a power struggle between two rival royals over a traditional throne spilling into violence. Emirs in the mostly Muslim north, as well as Obas or kings and other traditional rulers in the predominantly Christian south, have no constitutional authority, but they wield huge cultural and religious influence. The northwestern city of Kano, capital of Kano state, has been caught up in drama after governor Abba Kabir Yusuf restored former emir Muhammadu Sanusi II to the throne, four years after he was deposed. Sanusi’s successor Aminu Ado Bayero was removed last week along with four other emirs after Kano assembly MPs amended the emirate law of 2019 that put them in place. But Bayero returned to Kano and…

LONDON: Junior doctors in England will strike for five days immediately before Britain’s July 4 national election as part of a long-running dispute over pay, the British Medical Association (BMA) said yesterday. The BMA said junior doctors – qualified physicians who work under the guidance of senior doctors and represent a large share of the medical profession – will stage a full walkout from June 27 to early on July 2. BMA junior doctors committee co-chairs Robert Laurenson and Vivek Trivedi said they expected no new offer from the government despite mediation this month and they called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to meet their demands for 25% pay rise. | AFP…

THIS IS THE most important and highly anticipated election in South African history since the 1994 dawn of democracy. Why are these elections so important? Trust in SA politics and trust in government has dropped to an all-time low. Only about 22% of the population says they have trust in government. The distrust in government is off the back of such issues as unemployment and jobs, rising inflation, food shortages, and energy shortages, crimes and corruption, among others. However, at the forefront of SA’s disenchantment in the ruling party is the energy crisis, power cuts and load shedding. Electricity in its entirety – be it generation, power disruptions and never-ending rolling blackouts – is the main issue that has decimated the South African economy and people’s livelihoods. The energy crisis…

A current and former director at the North West Health Department have been released on R5 000 bail following their arrests on charges related to fraud involving R75 million. This followed an investigation into tender irregularities between 2008 and 2009 when the North West government sought to build two hospitals in Ledig (Moses Kotane Hospital) and Vryburg (Joe Morolong Hospital). Police said the investigation found that Ntelaleng Matlapeng, 59, director at the North West Health Department, and Elliot Motene, 49, former director at the North West Health Department, certified payment vouchers for exchange rates of R75m when the contract and specifications did not allow the exchange rates to be claimed. Matlapeng faces one count of fraud, while Motene faces two counts. They will be joined by the other five accused…

As MILLIONS of South Africans voted yesterday, many in the queues were still deciding who to vote for. A recent study by the Pan-African research and survey group, Afrobarometer, found almost a third of registered voters were uncertain about who they would be voting for. The study, commissioned by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, found that 47% of the respondents said they did not feel close enough to any political party, meaning their preference could change. The study found that the popular belief that voters make emotional choices devoid of logic may not have proven true for many voters yesterday. The study also suggested it was possible that undecided voters could determine the election outcome. Robert Biyela, 60, from Adams Mission, south of Durban, who works in the central…

ENERGY experts have allayed fears that load shedding will return after the elections, saying there has been a big improvement in the energy availability factor (EAF). This after fears were raised by social media users that load shedding was imminent after the elections. Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Minister of Electricity, said the 62 days without load shedding could be attributed to an increase in energy availability and a reduction in breakdowns. Craig Morkel, chairperson of the Gas Economy Leadership Team at SA Oil and Gas Alliance (Saoga), said the energy availability factor had improved significantly to 65% in May 2024 from 52% in May 2023. Morkel said the Planned Capacity Load Factor data indicated that the planned maintenance was significantly higher in 2023. Morkel said the winter seasonal peak was approaching,…

Early indications are that the long queues at the country’s 23 292 voting stations will match or surpass a 66% voter turn-out EARLY indications are that yesterday’s election day voter turn-out may match or even surpass 66%. “The commission planned on receiving as many voters. We estimated that the turn-out may be more than 66%.We are happy to report the steady flow, if early indications are anything to go by, we may match or surpass the 66% voter turn-out,” said the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) deputy chief electoral officer Masego Sheburi. However, he was unable to say how many people had voted by yesterday afternoon. While voting went relatively smoothly in the province yesterday with no major incidents reported, there were long queues at some voting stations as IEC…

Six decades of co-operation have led to invaluable benefits for Chinese and African people Africa Day, held on May 25, is an important annual event in celebration of the African people’s struggle for independence and unity. On this day 61 years ago, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) was founded under the banner of Pan-Africanism. Africa started a new journey of seeking strength, development and vitalisation through unity. Strengthening unity and co-operation with Africa is China’s unwavering strategic choice. Premier Zhou Enlai sent a congratulatory message on the very day the OAU was established. Since then, China and African countries have fought shoulder to shoulder against imperialism, colonialism and hegemonism, and worked hand in hand in pursuit of development and vitalisation. Despite an ever-changing international landscape, the Chinese and African…

Israel sent tanks on raids into Rafah yesterday and said its war on Hamas in Gaza would likely continue all year, after Washington said the Rafah assault did not amount to a major ground operation that would trigger a change in US policy. Israeli tanks moved into the heart of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday, despite an order from the International Court of Justice to end its attacks on the city, where many Palestinians had taken refuge from widespread bombardment. Rafah residents said the tanks had pushed into Tel Al-Sultan in western Rafah and Yibna and near Shaboura in the centre before retreating towards a buffer zone on the border with Egypt. “We received distress calls from residents in Tel Al-Sultan where drones targeted displaced citizens as they…

NEW YORK: Global unemployment is set to fall slightly this year, a UN agency said yesterday, reversing its previous prediction of a rise while warning of “slow progress” on tackling inequalities. The International Labour Organization (ILO) expects a global unemployment rate of 4.9% in 2024, after originally forecasting unemployment would rise to 5.2% this year from 5% in 2023. In a report, the Geneva-based UN agency forecasts that the rate will stay at 4.9% in 2025. However, the ILO cautioned that “inequalities in labour markets persist, with women in low-income countries particularly affected.” | AFP…

BRUSSELS: The EU yesterday announced the creation of a 140-member “AI Office” of tech experts, lawyers and economists to regulate artificial intelligence under a sweeping new law. The EU this year approved the world’s first comprehensive rules to govern AI, especially powerful systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT after long, intense negotiations. The EU’s “AI Act” has tougher rules for general-purpose AI systems such as ChatGPT and takes a risk-based approach to the technology. Companies will have to comply with the EU’s law by 2026, but rules covering AI models like ChatGPT will apply 12 months after the law becomes official. | AFP…