Table of contents for 2024-12-20 in Cape Times

Quick-thinking angler reels in drowning 31-year-old in a dramatic midnight rescue IN A DRAMATIC rescue, a fisherman has been hailed a hero for saving the life of a local woman he reeled to safety by hooking her to his fishing line after she got caught in a rip current. The rescue before 1am on Wednesday came before the recovery of the bodies of the two teens, believed to both be 13 years old, from the Great Kei River, approximately 20km inland of Kei River Mouth, Eastern Cape yesterday. National Sea Rescue Institute spokesperson, Craig Lambinon, credited the fisherman’s quick thinking and skill for the successful rescue. “The quick thinking and skill of a local angler, fishing along the shoreline at Dias Beach, Mossel Bay, who cast his rod, with fishing…

A 43-year-old North West man who allegedly worked simultaneously in two high-flying corporate jobs has been charged with fraud. Phakane Moses Masukela is accused of holding a position as the former Deputy Director of the Department of Statistics South Africa and as a senior manager in the Ratlou Local Municipality. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Sivenathi Gunya said Masukela was arrested yesterday and made a first appearance in the Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court. He faces two counts of fraud and, alternatively, two counts of theft amounting to R90 000. Masukela was released on R1 000 bail. “During proceedings, it was disclosed that Masukela was employed by the Department of Statistics South Africa in the capacity of a Deputy Director: Programme Officer. “It is alleged that on April 5, 2024, he accepted…

THE South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) has remained steadfast that the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act must be implemented without any conditions despite Solidarity’s attempts for engagements. According to Solidarity, the public discourse over sections 4 and 5 of the Bela Act was holding the country hostage and South Africa could not allow this to persist. Solidarity chief executive Dirk Hermann said there was a greater chance of resolving the dispute if ordinary workers engage in dialogue rather than political parties fighting each other. “The focus of the discussion with Sadtu will be on mother-tongue education for all African language speakers. We need a positive outcome that will help the majority of learners gain access to quality education. Solidarity believes its proposal offers a win-win solution that will be…

FREIDA McFadden has built a reputation for writing psychological thrillers that keep readers up all night, and The Boyfriend is no exception. McFadden’s latest book has all the ingredients fans expect; fast paced, plenty of suspense , and that ‘just two more pages’ feeling that makes it hard to put down. But while the book has its strengths, it does not deliver the powerful impact McFadden’s fans are used to. The story alternates between two perspectives: one set in the present, where we follow Sydney Shaw and the other a flashback into Tom’s shady past. Sydney, a single woman in New York, thinks she finally found her person. After years of disastrous dates, her new boyfriend seems like everything she’s ever wanted. But when a young woman is murdered and…

LISTENING to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Reconciliation Day address on Monday in Vredendal, Western Cape, which touched on everything from the Government of National Unity (GNU) and the G20 to plans for an upcoming “national dialogue”, I realised this is a slow government. The best it does may only emerge in years ahead – it fervently hopes for enough ripening fruit by the next election. This long-term approach requires an impatient electorate to take it on trust that the plans will work. The national dialogue idea started badly and got steadily worse. First introduced during Ramaphosa’s inauguration address in June in response to calls from civil society groups, he has been in no hurry to get going. It will now take place in 2025. Only then will the nation collectively address…

Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that he was ready to compromise over Ukraine in possible talks with US President-elect Donald Trump on ending the war and had no conditions for starting talks with the Ukrainian authorities. Trump, a self-styled master of brokering agreements and author of the 1987 book Trump: the Art of the Deal, has vowed to swiftly end the conflict, but has not yet given any details on how he might achieve that. Putin, fielding questions on state TV during his annual question and answer session with Russians, told a reporter for a US news channel that he was ready to meet Trump, whom he said he had not spoken to for years. Asked what he might be able to offer Trump, Putin dismissed an assertion that…

Chance images captured by a passing Google Maps camera showing a man leaning over a large bag or bags in a car trunk with what could be a human body gave police an extra clue in a murder investigation in the central Spanish village of Tajueco. A friend reported the male victim missing in November last year after receiving suspicious text messages sent from the victim’s phone saying he had met a woman and was leaving the province of Soria, where Tajueco is located, and abandoning his phone, police said this week. The investigation focused on the missing man’s girlfriend and her ex-partner, with important clues found in their cars and homes, police said. During checks on the movements of one of the cars, police came across a street view…

NEW YORK: Amazon.com workers at seven US facilities walked off the job early yesterday during the holiday shopping rush, aiming to pressure the retailer into contract talks with their union. Warehouse workers in cities including New York, Atlanta and San Francisco are taking part in the “largest” strike against Amazon, said the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents about 10 000 workers at 10 of the firm’s facilities. The company, however, said it did not expect any effect on its operations during one of the busiest times of the year. Unions represent only about 1% of the workforce of Amazon, one of the largest companies in the US. | Reuters…

LONDON: Britain’s water regulator said it would allow bills to rise by just over a third in the next five years to fund a higher level of investment than originally planned, with the aim of fixing the country’s broken water sector. The average increase of 36% before inflation, equivalent to a £31 a year increase over five years, compares to the 44% average requested by companies. The pumping of raw sewage into rivers has become a major scandal, with privatised companies accused of prioritising dividends over investment. Thames Water is at risk of nationalisation. The regulator said the bill increases would lead to a £104 billion upgrade to cut sewage spills. | Reuters…

Gauteng’s economic landscape is witnessing significant changes as the province announces the registration of over 21 172 spaza shops. This initiative, spearheaded by the province’s MEC for Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, aims to streamline the operation of these informal businesses, especially in the wake of alarming food safety issues that have recently emerged. During a media briefing yesterday, Maile disclosed that the registration process has seen 10 389 application forms submitted across all municipalities. Notably, of these, 2 818 applications are attributed to non-South African nationals – a figure that reflects a rise of 213 since the previous report. The registration window has now been extended until February 28, 2025, allowing even more shops to comply with local regulations. This stance comes in light of a declaration by the…

THE Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng have recorded the majority of the increasing number of laboratory-confirmed cases of rubella around the country, says the Department of Health. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a total number of 10137 positive cases of rubella have been identified between January and November 2024, higher than cases recorded last year. Rubella is a highly contagious, but vaccine-preventable disease. “Majority of cases were recorded in Gauteng and the Western Cape provinces, while more than 90% of the total cases are in children between under 15 years of age accounting to over 8300 cases, with only one patient over the age of 50 years,” the department said. Gauteng reported 2603 cases, the Western Cape 1338, KwaZulu-Natal 1996, Eastern Cape 1113, North West 899,…

Triangle Danielle Steel Loot.co.za ( R363) Pan Macmillan Triangle is a suspenseful story about a woman determined to stay true to her principles. As she approaches the milestone birthday of forty, delicate beauty Amanda Delanoe finds joy in running a chic contemporary art gallery in Paris. With the companionship of her dog, Lulu, and her friend and co-owner of the gallery, fun-loving bachelor Pascal Leblanc, Amanda lives well, but so far the love of her life has eluded her. Then she meets Olivier Saint Albin, a handsome, enigmatic publisher. At the same time, she reconnects with Tom Quinlan, an old boyfriend from her university days, who has come to Paris to devote himself to writing a thriller. Amanda’s attraction to Olivier is instant, but she soon learns he is married,…

Skewed coverage can facilitate exclusion by failing to question dominant narratives Recent findings in the protracted dispute over the Sekunjalo Group’s banking accounts have peeled back the layers of propagandistic obfuscation that once shielded Nedbank’s conduct from closer scrutiny. Yet rather than prompting the long-overdue re-evaluation that these revelations warrant, the dominant media narrative – shaped by News24 and led by Karyn Maughan – continues to paint Dr Iqbal Survé and the Sekunjalo Group in a malicious light. For years, Maughan, viewed by critics as News24’s “assassin journalist”, has orchestrated a relentless campaign to discredit Survé and his enterprises without presenting compelling evidence. Now, even as substantial new information emerges and the Information Communication Technology Union (ICTU) builds a robust counter-case, News24’s coverage remains firmly aligned with Nedbank’s storyline. The…

Overseas rescuers joined a hunt for survivors in the rubble of shattered buildings in earthquake-struck Vanuatu yesterday, with officials saying the toll of nine dead is set to rise. More than 100 personnel, along with rescue gear, dogs and aid supplies, were being flown on military transport planes from Australia and New Zealand to the capital Port Vila. The 7.3-magnitude quake struck off the Pacific nation’s main island on Tuesday, flattening multi-storey concrete buildings, cracking walls and bridges, damaging water supplies and knocking out most mobile networks. Vanuatu has declared a seven-day state of emergency “due to the severe impacts”, along with a curfew from 6pm to 6am. Civilians joined in the immediate rescue effort despite multiple aftershocks shaking the low-lying archipelago of 320 000 people, which lies in the…

Israel launched strikes against ports and energy infrastructure in Houthi-held parts of Yemen yesterday and threatened more attacks against the Iran-aligned militant group, which has launched hundreds of missiles at Israel over the past year. As Israeli jets were in the air, the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile headed towards central Israel which impacted a school building in Ramat Efal in the western part of Tel Aviv with what a military spokesperson described as falling shrapnel. The Houthis said they had attacked Tel Aviv overnight. The Israeli attack, involving 14 fighter jets and other aircraft, came in two waves, with a first series of strikes on the ports of Salif and Ras Issa and a second series hitting the capital Sanaa, the military said. The Houthis said the…

TBILISI: An MP in Abkhazia, a breakaway Georgian region supported by Russia, was shot dead at the parliament building, the region’s presidency said yesterday. MP Vakhtang Golandzia died of wounds sustained in the shooting, the press office of the acting president, Badra Gunba, said. Another MP was wounded. The interior ministry identified another MP, Adgur Kharazia, as the suspect. Abkhazia broke from Georgia in a war after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, during which hundreds of thousands of ethnic Georgians fled. Last month protesters stormed the parliament in opposition to an investment agreement with Russia. | Reuters…

AVIGNON: A French court yesterday handed down sentences against 51 men found guilty of participating in the mass rape of Gisele Pelicot, with terms ranging from 20 years for her ex-husband to three years for others. Main perpetrator Dominique Pelicot got the maximum term of 20 years under the charges of aggravated rape. His 50 co-defendants received jail terms of between three and 15 years – less than what prosecutors had demanded. Two of these defendants had their jail terms suspended. The lawyer for Dominique Pelicot , Beatrice Zavarro, did not rule out lodging an appeal of the verdict. | AFP…

ONLY halfway into the festive season, 512 people have been killed on South African roads, with pedestrians bearing the brunt of incidents. This was an increase compared to the same period last year where 499 people died. The majority of the deaths were pedestrians at 45.6%, followed by passengers at 26.8%, drivers 26.7% and 0.74% were cyclists. Transport Minister Barbara Creecy provided an update on the 2024 festive season road safety campaign yesterday. The briefing began with a moment of silence for those who lost their lives in road crashes and a message of speedy recovery to those who were injured. The ministry launched the safety plan on the first of this month. “It is regrettable to report that in spite of all the efforts we have made to heighten…

THE livelihoods of the small-scale fishing community in Lambert’s Bay is hanging in the balance as the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) is withholding critical fishing permits citing disputes over the legitimacy of the board of directors of the local fishing co-operative. This after a new board was elected when the majority of the members had expressed unhappiness over an interim board. In November last year, former Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy finalised the process of awarding 15-year small-scale fishing (SSF) rights to fishers in the Western Cape, following a four-year delay. It was meant to signal the end of interim relief, and pave the way for grant of rights letters to be issued to 62 small-scale fishing co-operatives, with a total membership of 3 850 declared fishers.…

Here One Moment Liane Moriarty Loot.co.za (R285) Michael Joseph AS we wrap up the year and prepare for the festive season and the new year ahead, I could not have chosen a better book for the last review of 2024. Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty is a thought-provoking and heartfelt novel. The premise starts off with passengers stuck on a delayed flight, each wrapped in their own worlds of trials and tribulations and the frustration of a situation they have no control over. We have all lived through this, planning our day, prioritising tasks, only to be left at the mercy of situational circumstances. Cherry, who might be psychic – a clairvoyant of sorts – got out of her seat and started to give unprompted predictions of death to…

How to live an extraordinary life Anthony Pompliano Loot.co.za (R289) HARRIMAN HOUSE PUBLISHING Anthony Pompliano’s How to Live an Extraordinary Life is a deeply personal book made up of letters written to his children, Sophia and Leo. In these 65 letters, Pompliano looks back on the life lessons he wants to pass on, lessons that feel relevant to all of us. The letters are beautifully written as though he is sitting down to share his thoughts face-to-face. From the first page, I felt the depth of Pompliano’s intention, he is not offering guidance but creating a legacy for his children to carry with them through life. One lesson that resonated deeply with me was his focus on time; reminding me that life’s messier moments often play a crucial role in…

Gayton McKenzie may be many things, but one thing he certainly has is the gift of the gab. The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture was at it again on Wednesday at the Kyalami racing track in Midrand as he stated South Africa’s case to host a Formula One Grand Prix in the near future. McKenzie announced a 13-strong bid steering committee, which includes sporting heavyweights such as SuperSport CEO Rendani Ramovha and SA Rugby Legends boss Gavin Varejes, as well as marketing expert Tim Harris and Motorsport SA executives Anton Roux and Vic Maharaj. McKenzie said South Africa hoped to host its first Grand Prix since 1993, and that bids could be received from any province in the country – which means that Kyalami is not necessarily a done…

Some unions are born of necessity, others from convenience. In the case of Honda and Nissan’s potential merger, it is mostly defensive as Chinese rivals take the world by storm. While the challenge from China’s seemingly boundless electric vehicle (EV) expertise looms large for all traditional automakers, for Japan it represents a threat to the vast car manufacturing supply chain that has been the country’s economic engine for years. Honda, Japan’s second-largest car company, and Nissan, its third-largest, are in talks to deepen ties, including the possibility of setting up a holding company, two people familiar with the matter said this week. The automakers are discussing a potential merger, one of the people said. Like other foreign carmakers, both Honda and Nissan have lost ground in China, the world’s biggest…

Madrid: Spanish rescuers said yesterday that four sub-Saharan African migrants died attempting to reach the Canary Islands, the latest tragedy in a record year of irregular arrivals in the Atlantic archipelago. The maritime rescue service said a helicopter picked up one dead migrant and a survivor in Moroccan waters 70 nautical miles east of the island of Lanzarote on Wednesday evening. Later, one of its ships took on board 49 migrants from the same zone, which included three dead, four women and a minor. All survivors were transferred to the port of Arrecife on Lanzarote. More than 41 000 migrants entered the seven islands between January and November, setting a record for the second consecutive year. | AFP…

ABUJA: At least 30 children were killed and dozens of others injured this week in a stampede at a children’s carnival organised in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State in southwestern Nigeria, reports said. The carnival took a devastating turn after the private organisers of the event announced plans to distribute cash to 5 000 children, which triggered a chaotic rush to enter a high school, the venue of the funfair in the Basorun area of Ibadan yesterday, reports said. Officials blamed the lack of proper planning by the event organisers for the loss of lives. Police have opened an investigation into the incident. | Xinhua…