Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-12-06 i Cape Argus

Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za A WESTERN Cape High Court judge has denied a businessman permission to amend his bail conditions to allow him to visit his elderly parents in the Netherlands, as he is considered a flight risk. Dutch citizen and South African resident Martin Korver, who was released on R100 000 bail on the day of his arrest in March 2018, is out on bail pending trial on charges of fraud, theft and money laundering. The bail conditions imposed after his arrest prohibit him from travelling outside the Western and Eastern Cape provinces without notice to the investigating officer, and required him to surrender his travel documents, thereby prohibiting travel outside the country. Other conditions are that in the event that the accused needs to travel outside the borders of…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za TWELVE taxi owners have been arrested for allegedly intimidating and assaulting City traffic officers during an operation in Brackenfell over the weekend. It was alleged that the taxi owners became unruly when officers tried to impound their vehicles. As a result of the incident, four traffic officers were injured. City Traffic spokesperson Kevin Jacobs said the transport enforcement unit conducted an operation in the Brackenfell area on Friday. Jacobs said incidents of assault and intimidation against traffic officers were reported at three locations – corner Bottelary and Kruispad roads, at Brackenfell Driving Licence Testing Centre (DLTC), and corner Okavango and Old Paarl roads. He said four traffic officers were injured and received medical attention for their injuries, and two traffic patrol cars were also damaged during…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za MINISTER of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Dr Blade Nzimande has sounded the alarm on the growing number of bogus institutions. He was concerned about the continuing and recently reported cases of fake colleges awarding honorary doctorates to individuals, especially targeting local celebrities, he said. This comes after entrepreneur and reality TV star Shauwn Mkhize, famously known as Mamkhize, was honoured with an honorary degree in philosophy for her “good deeds”, but it turned out the college that awarded her the degree was not registered. The Royal AM president’s honorary doctorate was conferred by a Christian institution, the Good Shepherd College of Religion, Culture and Training. The institution does not even have a website or education domain and had no authority to issue a doctorate in philosophy,…

IJ Saks | Table View THE government should be ashamed of itself for not bringing the culprits of the July unrest to book. By not doing this, we could see a repeat as the law-enforcement agencies and SAPS are so weak, and were caught napping. This shows you that they are captured and do not function properly. If any country attacked us, we would be overrun in half a day, that’s how hopeless our security forces are. Nothing works in this country. As we see Eskom implementing load shedding over the weekend when businesses are closed. SA is a dysfunctional country and only when a new government is formed that has the people’s interests at heart can we be positive again. The ANC government has failed us badly,…

Soul Sisters Lesley Lokko MacMillan Review: Beryl Eichenberger SO delighted that I have been introduced to this author – Lesley Lokko is the consummate storyteller, weaving her Scottish-Ghanaian heritage into this fictional story of Soul Sisters. Lokko is an architect, academic and novelist with 11 novels to her name, and her prose is structured and engaging. Relationships, cultural identity and race define the story and Lokko develops her two title characters with empathy and skill. The first chapters set the scene as they trace the history of the McFadden family from 1921. It is these chapters that hold the key to the unfolding mystery and the secret hidden in the family over generations. It is a story of the divides instituted by the British colonists in Africa and the consequences…

Nomsa Masuku The Electoral Commission of South Africa (henceforth, the Electoral Commission) has recently run the country’s local government elections. Twenty-five days later, the annual international campaign known as the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence commenced on 25 November – the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women – to run until 10 December – Human Rights Day. The Electoral Commission facilitates citizens’ ability to realise their political rights as provided in section 19 of South Africa’s Constitution. During the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, more than any other time, we reflect on the contribution that we can make in systematically eradicating the scourge of gender-based violence. The undeniable disparity between genders is a hindrance to combating gender-based violence in all its shapes and…

Pope Francis began a landmark trip to Greece on Saturday with the first visit to Athens by a pontiff in two decades. His visit aims to improve relations with the Orthodox Church of Greece and highlight the plight of refugees. The pope blamed the EU’s nationalist divisions for a lack of co-ordination on migration. Francis said Europe was “torn by nationalist egoism” on migration during a meeting with EU vice-president Margaritis Schinas, Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, among other officials.…

ABOUT 120 people have been arrested in Pakistan after a Sri Lankan national was beaten to death and set ablaze by a mob who accused him of blasphemy, officials said. The vigilante attack has caused outrage, with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan saying he would personally oversee an investigation into “the horrific vigilante attack” which he also called “a day of shame for Pakistan”. On Friday a mob in Pakistan’s Punjab province tortured a man to death in the city of Sialkot over the allegations of blasphemy. According to Dawn newspaper, the workers of a private factory attacked and killed the company’s export manager. A police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said investigators believed the attackers had accused the manager…

Government slammed for propping up SOEs Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za THE government has been slammed for appearing to spend more on failing state-owned enterprises (SOEs) than enabling its social welfare system, creating jobs and helping fewer people to rely on social grants. The criticism comes in the wake of Statistics SA’s publishing of its 2020 General Household Survey (GHS) which showed a marked increase in the proportion of households with social grants as their main source of income since the onset of Covid-19. StatsSA chief director Solly Molayi said social grants remained a vital safety net, particularly for the poorest. “The roll-out of the special Covid-19 SRD (Social Relief of Distress) Grant in 2020 has played a central role in protecting individuals and households against the loss of income during this…

Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za AS the hospitality industry looks to domestic tourists to salvage the summer season following crippling cancellations by foreign tourists because of the Covid-19 Omicron variant, people wanting to rent cars during their holidays have been warned to book early or be disappointed. An industry expert has said that most car rentals companies sold off their fleets at the height of the pandemic when international and local travel restrictions were in place, causing a 65% drop in available rental vehicles. Co-founder of Cape Town-based travel aggregator Drive South Africa, Andre Van Kets, said: “The drop in fleet is what has helped the car rental companies survive, along with some shutting branches and reducing staff and operating hours. “The supply and demand have been roughly equal throughout 2021…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za BEACHES across South Africa were turned into protest sites as civil society, environmental groups and concerned residents gathered to raise awareness, and demand that Shell halt its 3D seismic survey off the Wild Coast in search of hydrocarbon reserves beneath the seabed. More than 200 people gathered at Surfers Corner, Muizenberg Beach, yesterday, with similar beach protests in Hout Bay, Blouberg and the V&A Waterfront. Greenpeace Cape Town volunteers group representative Elaine Mills said over 70 protests were carried out, mainly along coastline areas with around 30 organisations involved in the campaign. Some of these included Oceans Not Oil, The Green Connection, Greenpeace Africa, 350.org, Extinction Rebellion, Clean Seas and Sea The Bigger Picture. An urgent interdict brought forward by Greenpeace Africa was rejected due to a…

Tzvi Brivik | Chairperson of Cape SAJBD THE Cape South African Jewish Board of Deputies (Cape SAJBD) would like to compliment Greenmarket Square’s Methodist Church for its banner supporting vaccination and the message by its Reverend Alan Storey that: “Every single major religion and denomination is pro-vaccinations. Vaccines are safe and effective – they save lives, they reduce spreading, they reduce hospitalisation.” The same message comes from the Muslim Judicial Council’s (MJC) secretary-general Shaykh Zaid Dante: “The responsibility on religious leaders is great and their responses to the community must be based on sound information and fact.” The MJC has been on a mission to bust Covid-19 vaccine myths in a bid to get people vaccinated and has been educating its leadership about vaccine science and safety so…

HERMAN GIBBS NETBALL SA (NSA) has confirmed that four people from the OR Tambo district in the Eastern Cape died in a bus accident early yesterday. The bus was transporting two teams and officials to Cape Town for the 2021 SPAR National Championships, which start in Bellville today. Four fatalities (three players and one official) have been confirmed. Last night, NSA president Cecilia Molokwane said: “As NSA, we … are devastated by the news and we would like to send our deepest, sincere condolences to the families who have lost loved ones. We are all in mourning. The people who passed away are part of netball, and we are heartbroken by this.” The accident happened in Aberdeen, in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality in the Eastern Cape, at…

Bait – To Catch a Killer Janine Lazarus Melinda Ferguson Review: Barbara Spaanderman THERE is a duality in people, the propensity to be good or evil. Whether this is genetic in nature, or assisted by nurture, is a difficult question to answer. In the 1990s, Janine Lazarus was a hotshot crime reporter for The Star, Saturday Star and Sunday Star, and many people will remember her years hosting her own controversial talk show. Nowadays she is a media and communications consultant. In 1992, Norwood, Johannesburg became a town of evacuees as terrified female residents left for parents’ homes at night, to return in the morning for work. The man dubbed the “Norwood rapist” was terrorising women, raping and murdering them. Photographs of Lazarus and Norwood bring the scenes home to…

Zelna Jansen In December 2010, the UN adopted Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (Bangkok Rules). The Rules gives direction as to how member states should consider women’s needs and life stories in the criminal justice and prison system. The reasoning behind the rules are that female prisoners are one of the vulnerable groups that have specific needs and requirements, and existing prison facilities are specifically designed for men. It also seems that several female offenders do not pose a risk to society. In March 2020, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) published a Toolkit on Gender-responsive non-custodial measures, which seeks to provide support and guidance on taking steps to ensure that women in contact with the law are not detained…

An Italian man turned up at a vaccina-tion centre wearing a fake silicone arm, hoping to fool a nurse into giving him a jab in order to obtain a Covid-19 health certificate, local authorities said on Friday. The man, who is in his 50s, has been reported to police in the northern city of Biella, regional governor Alberto Cirio said, adding that the silicone on the prosthetic arm looked “very similar” to real skin. “(However) the colour and touch raised the suspicion of the health worker, who asked him to show the whole arm,” Cirio said. |…

Debashine Thangevelo debashine.thangevelo@inl.co.za WHEN you hear the name Housewives in reference to a TV show, you immediately think of the reality series. And it’s perfectly understandable as Real Housewives is an immensely popular franchise. But this time around, it’s got nothing to do with the unscripted drama offering. In fact, Housewives is a 26-part home-grown drama series that recently launched on the new streaming platform, eVOD. The series follows three women who, after their husbands are killed by a drug cartel boss, face financial ruin. They then decide to risk it all and open a syndicate of their own and, in doing so, pull a fast one on the cartel head. Of course, while the gangster life isn’t without challenges or danger, these women are resourceful and fearless. The leads…

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za Shopping for meat in the grocery store can stir up lots of questions: Does this look right? Where did it come from? Has it been frozen? Do I have to cook it right away? How do I cook it? In order to get the best possible kind of meat, follow some tips from the people who know – butchers. Most butchers love to chat, so make the most of their knowledge. They will help you get the best price and flavour. It’s no secret that meat is a great source of protein. Aside from that, it also has a high vitamin, iron and calcium content. Choosing the right kind of meat will help you get all its nutritional benefits. Some pointers to keep in mind for…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za THE City’s Metro Police Department marked its 20th anniversary at the Green Point Athletics Stadium over the weekend. From its first intake of recruits in July 2001, the then-city police has evolved into the Metropolitan Police Department, making on average more than 4 000 arrests each year and boasting numerous specialised units. A parade to reflect on the metro police’s journey over the past two decades included officers from the first intake of recruits who remained in service. Addressing metro officers, mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, said: “In Cape Town we aim to set the standard for service excellence, professionalism and the ethic of public service. But we cannot reach the heights we dream of if we do not work together.” Hill-Lewis said: “We have come a…

Mthuthuzeli Ntseku mthuthuzeli.ntseku@inl.co.za THE GOOD Party has approached the public protector to investigate the legality of the City’s use of prepaid electricity purchases as a debt collecting mechanism against customers in arrears with their payments. It wants the office to investigate whether, in the absence of a judgment and a warrant of execution, the practice complied with the National Electricity Act and its tariff principles. Lobby group Stop CoCT previously raised concerns about the issue, describing the practice as “inhumane and anti-poor”. GOOD Party general secretary Brett Herron said the City deducted between 30% and 90% off pre-paid electricity purchases without allowing consumers to dispute that they were in arrears. He said there was no provision in the Electricity Regulation Act for the purchase of electricity to be used for…

MOST mornings, I drive past our local post office on my way to some meeting or event. The queues outside it have been one consistent stream of human bodies for months now. People from every hue and age are standing in line waiting to receive a Sassa payment or the Emergency Relief Grant. The 3rd Quarter Labour Force Survey told us what we were expecting; we are in an unemployment crisis. Our world-class regulations make it hard for people to generate an income, especially those who cannot enter the formal labour market due to a lack of qualifications. The hard face of poverty is the 45-year-old adult, who was 18 in 1994, and in 2021 has never been formally employed in South Africa. They will face an incredibly difficult retirement,…

J Colin Jooste | Observatory THE worst end of the proverbial stick is always handed to the whistle-blower – and all he is guilty of is the perception that to remain silent, in SA’s case, is tantamount to a crime against humanity. Sounding the alarm by alerting the World Health Organization to an anomaly … the Omicron variant, resulted in countries around the world closing their borders to South Africa. This cannot be justified … it is counter-productive no matter how it’s debated. Holding ones tongue on a matter of international importance incriminates one and renders you culpable of a crime, should it spiral out of control. Without question the truism … evil abounds when good people keep quiet … is of the essence. Having brought the emergence…

Gontse Riet Gontse.Riet@inl.co.za THE City has issued a public invitation to an online meeting and open days at the City Hall, to see and hear about the progress made on the future of District Six. The City, residents, and nominated caretakers have collaborated over the past few months on the Public Realm Study for District Six. Four co-design workshops were held to visualise how the public open spaces, places and streets in District Six could be used to create an inclusive vibrant community. Deputy mayor Eddie Andrews said District Six was far more than a place of restitution and redress. The neighbourhood had a rich heritage and was a unique and special part of the city that must be embraced by and integrated with its surroundings. “The purpose of the…

State of Terror Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny Simon & Schuster Review: Beryl Eichenberger “NOLI Timere” – “Be Not afraid”, is a poster that Louise Penny, creator of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Quebec Sureté, has hanging above her writing desk. Because political thrillers are not her genre. When it was suggested she collaborate with her close friend Hillary Rodham Clinton, to produce State of Terror, she had to conquer that fear. She had once asked Clinton about her time as Secretary of State and what had been her worst nightmare. This is the answer – a blockbuster if ever I read one. The combination of these two women has produced an explosively plausible novel. While I am sometimes sceptical of these collaborations, the expert inside knowledge brought…

MEDIA personality Somizi Mhlongo has received an international nomination for his book Dinner at Somizi’s: I Am Not A Chef in the Celebrity Chef World category at the international Gourmand Awards 2022. The book was released as his first-ever cookbook late last year, celebrating proudly South African food. His book was among the chosen ones from 1 558 entries from 227 countries. The reality show star took to his social media platforms to express gratitude for his big nomination. The recipes in the book were a combination of the food he grew up with as a young black queer boy in Soweto, and those he discovered as a pioneering adult with a notable career, he said. The book had outsold Jamie Oliver’s, beating it to the number one. CNA’s…

Shifaan Ryklief shifaan.ryklief@africannewsagency.com Following the announcement by South African scientists on the discovery of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron, this past week was headlined with fear. However, the coming one could show how more countries will look to deal with the situation. Many countries are urging residents now more than before to get vaccinated as researchers confirmed that vaccinated people are likely to get reinfected with Omicron, but that it’s unlikely they would suffer severe illness and be hospitalised. Co-founder of BioNTech, who produced the mRNA jab, Ugur Sahin urged people to not “freak out”, saying their plan remained the same – to speed up the administration of a third booster shot. In Europe, many countries – including France, Germany and the UK – scrambled at the Omicron news and…

The parents of 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, the US high school learner who went on a shooting spree on Tuesday last week, were arrested on Saturday, according to US media reports. Police began searching for James and Jennifer Crumbley after Oakland County prosecutors announced the charges on Friday. The whereabouts of the couple had remained unknown, prompting authorities to consider them fugitives and issue $10 000 (R162 000) rewards for information leading to the arrests. But police found them in Detroit, police spokesperson Rudy Harper said. The authorities said the Crumbleys had bought the gun for their son as a Christmas gift and then ignored warning signs that may have presaged such a massacre. The couple’s lawyers, Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman, had previously said that after leaving town on…