Innholdsfortegnelse for 2025-02-25 i Cape Argus

The economy is showing signs of a turnaround, and consumers can take advantage of improving conditions by reducing their high debt levels. Although external forces may derail progress, the current outlook for South African households is positive. President Cyril Ramaphosa boosted this optimism in his State of the Nation Address on February 6, 2025, when he spoke about the Government of National Unity’s Medium Term Development Plan to “drive inclusive growth and job creation, reduce poverty and tackle the high cost of living, and build a capable, ethical and developmental state.” A primary factor in the economic turnaround has been the decline in inflation over the past two years and the consequent reversal of the interest rate cycle. After reaching highs of around 7.5% at the end of 2022, Consumer…

Long before musical instruments graced the world, the human voice reigned supreme, weaving melodies and harmonies that resonated through the ages. From the communal songs of our ancestors in prehistoric caves to contemporary vocal powerhouses, the enduring appeal of singing as a unified group reveals something fundamental to the human experience. The evolution of vocal groups reflects not just the artistic expressions of their time but also the societal changes that shaped them. In the Medieval and Renaissance eras, singing within sacred spaces defined the experience of music. By the 19th century, choirs were a staple of church gatherings, echoing through hallowed walls and binding communities with hymns and spirituals that spoke of hope and endurance. The pulse of African-American music took shape against the backdrop of slavery, with spirituals…

WESTERN Cape Premier Alan Winde will deliver his State of the Province Address (Sopa) in Beaufort West tomorrow, outlining the provincial government’s plans for the year ahead and reflecting on its achievements over the past year. Opposition parties have since urged Winde to confront the “urgent failures that continue to undermine the safety, security, and dignity of its residents”. GOOD Party secretary-general, Brett Herron, said lofty promises “will no longer suffice, people deserve real, tangible action”. “The Western Cape’s multi-billion-rand Safety Plan, designed to halve the murder rate in ten years, is at its halfway mark. Yet, from 2019 to 2024, the murder rate has surged by 14.32%. Despite massive financial investment and years of political rhetoric, communities remain under siege by violent crime. There are only five years left…

INVESTIGATIONS into the murder of a Parkwood gang boss has led to the discovery of a drug storage facility, allegedly run by his rivals. According to a source, the death of Timothy “Tamatie’’ Japhta, has opened up a can of worms as eagle-eyed cops have kept a close watch on the activities of the Six Bobs gang. Japhta, the alleged leader of the Americans gang, was shot more than 20 times outside his home in Willow Road after coming under attack by two gunmen while sitting in his car at the weekend. According to a source, police zoned in on three members of the Six Bobs gang amid claims that they were behind Japhta’s death. The insider says: “They went looking for three men and followed them all over Hanover…

THE South African National Defence Force’s (SANDF) Lieutenant-General Ntshavheni Maphaha has accused the government of running a Mickey Mouse defence force. This comes after the 14 SANDF soldiers were killed in clashes between the DRC armed forces and the M23 rebels last month, with the remains of the soldiers having been brought home and handed over to their families at the Swartkop Air Force Base in Centurion last week, following a repatriation process. Maphaha said South Africa should be one of the most feared nations on the continent, but was reduced to minnows due to the under-funding of the military. Speaking during the funeral of Staff Sergeant Ishmael Molahlehi held in the Free State over the weekend, Maphaha warned the government that borders were not protected, leaving South Africans vulnerable.…

WISHES do come true, even at 100 years old. Centenarian, Anna Nero, from Delft, fulfilled her one wish for her 100th birthday on Saturday – to ride the cable car up Table Mountain. Nero, originally from Leliefontein in the Northern Cape, moved to Cape Town when her daughter, Sophia Nero, now 70, found employment in the Cape because she did not like the separation. Today, she resides at Sophia’s house in Roosendal, Delft, where she is loved and respected by her neighbours. Nero had eight children – two boys and six girls, but sadly four of them have already passed on. She never attended school and worked at the VGK church and today has 18 grandchildren, 44 great-grandchildren and cannot recall how many great-great grandchildren she has. After her…

Shōgun was the big winner at this year’s Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, taking home four prizes. The FX series picked up the coveted Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series award during Sunday’s ceremony. There were also acting wins for stars Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada, and during the pre-show segment, the programme’s stunt team were recognised with the Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series honour. Accepting their ensemble prize, Sanada acknowledged making the programme had been a “gamble”. He told the audience at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium: “Thank you so much for recognising us. This is so special because it is from you guys. Thank you FX and creator Justin, Rachel for respecting our culture and belief in us. “It was…

LEARNERS and teaching staff at Leiden High School in Delft were yesterday caught in an anti-bullying protest outside the school. This, as the EFF and community members came out in solidarity with a 14-year-old boy who was dumped head-first in a toilet bowl blocked with human excrement last month. On January 31, the Grade 8 learner was subjected to bullying by four boys in the toilet, with one of the bullies smearing the faeces on the 14-year-old’s face and uniform. The protesters yesterday called for immediate action from the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), including disciplinary action against the school principal, the dissolution of the School Governing Body (SGB), and the expulsion of the perpetrators involved in the incident. Community member and sub-regional task member for the EFF, Khanyiso Fodo,…

CRIMEFIGHTERS have called on Eskom to suspend load shedding at night after three people were struck by gang bullets in Manenberg on Sunday night. Police said as the lights went out in the Cape Flats community, gunshots rang out with one person killed and two others wounded. Manenberg station commander, Brigadier Jayce Naidoo, said they recorded three separate shooting incidents as the precinct experienced the four-hour blackout. Naidoo said: “On Sunday, as load shedding kicked in, sounds of gunfire erupted in the Manenberg residential area, leaving a 47-year-old male dead and a 33-year-old female with gunshot wounds to her left leg and a 41-year-old male with serious gunshot wounds to his stomach, in three separate shooting incidents.” He explains in the first shooting in Don Road, the woman was struck…

THE tourism industry body, Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa) has expressed optimism in the country’s Astro-Tourism Strategy, which aims to boost the local economy and foster scientific curiosity, environmental stewardship, and cultural exchange. The strategy is a joint effort between the Department of Tourism led by Minister Patricia de Lille and the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation led by Minister Blade Nzimande. Through astro-tourism, one can witness a meteor shower, observe distant galaxies using a telescope, or learn about celestial objects from experts. Astro-tourism has offerings such as observatories, telescopes, museums, planetariums, meteorite sites, visitor centres, amateur astronomy clubs, stargazing, tour guides, astro-routes, and accommodation establishments, amongst others. The project is being piloted in the Northern Cape province, which hosts two astronomy instruments – the MeerKAT telescope,…

The Proteas against Australia in a major ICC tournament. Considering everything has gone before it’s enough to send shivers down the spine of even the most ardent South African cricket fan. Fortunately, Tuesday’s encounter in Rawalpindi is not of the knockout kind that invariably goes the way of the world champions. Both the Proteas and Australia won their opening matches of the competition which gives them a bit of breathing space, but that does not mean this Pool B encounter will be any less rousing. There is also, of course, the small matter of an ICC World Test Championship final to be played at Lord’s later this year when Shukri Conrad’s team will be aiming to dethrone the current champs. But that’s still 103 days away, and the Australian attack…

WHEN an Australian cricketer walks into the press conference with a bright smile on his face on the eve of a big match like Alex Carey did on Monday, you just know that they are in the mood for a scrap. If you are the South African senior men's national cricket team that can not be a good sign, given that you are about to face them at Rawalpindi on Tuesday. The Australians' confidence stems from their record-breaking five-wicket victory over England this past weekend, a victory which saw them record the highest successful run chase in the history of the ICC Champions Trophy and their second-highest in ODI cricket. Now, going into the tournament, many teams would have taken this Australia side lightly seeing that they are without captain…

CITY of Cape Town Speaker, Felicity Purchase, has been served a motion of no confidence notice, set to be tabled against her at the Council meeting on March 27, amid allegations that she persistently fails to uphold the integrity of Council processes. The motion is brought by a multi-party caucus, led by the ANC and includes opposition parties such as the EFF, GOOD Party, National Coloured Congress (NCC), Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Al Jama-ah. The parties are seeking for the motion to be tabled due to what they called biased behaviour and use of bullying tactics by Purchase during Council meetings. They feel that Purchase “has persistently displayed a pattern of behaviour which is unbecoming” and that her actions “consistently betray the lawful expectation that the Speaker will at all…

THE State has objected to the introduction of audio evidence by alleged underworld kingpin, Nafiz Modack, in the Western Cape High Court. Court proceedings in the mammoth underworld trial were again hamstrung yesterday as audio files believed to include Modack and police officials came under scrutiny by the State and Judge Robert Henney. The man accused of allegedly being behind the hit on slain Anti-Gang Unit detective, Charl Kinnear, was blocked as the State claimed the evidence was irrelevant to the trial. Modack, along with 15 others, are facing over 100 criminal charges in the trial centred on the death of Kinnear. Modack returned to the witness box to continue his testimony where he was expected to explain the audio files to the court. Addressing the court yesterday, Legal Aid…

Google should pay South African media houses between R300 to 500 million annually over 3-5 years to address lost revenue and the imbalance in shared value. These were the findings of the Competition Commission’s Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry (MDPMI) provisional report, which was released on Monday. The report called for action against search engines like Google and social media sites like Meta. The MDPMI was created and empowered by the Commission to establish an inquiry to investigate if there are features that may prevent and impede competition in the South African media landscape. Paula Fray, a panel member at the commission explained search engines like Google play a major role in helping and hurting South African media organisations. She explained that Google receives between R800 to R900m from…

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has called on the Government of National Unity to implement a wealth tax instead of taxing the poor with added VAT. Malema addressed the media following the postponement of the Budget Speech last week. The speech was delayed due to disagreements over a proposed two percentage point increase in VAT. The party has pledged to oppose any tax increases that target ordinary citizens and low-income earners. The EFF pointed out that the government increased VAT from 14% to 15% in 2018, claiming it was a temporary measure to address the effects of COVID-19, according to the party’s treasure-general Omphile Maotwe. However, the VAT increase in 2018 by former finance minister Malusi Gigaba was enforced to make up a R23 billion budget deficit…

That’s it. The league title race is over! Liverpool will be crowned champions of the 2024/25 EPL season. Even the Kopites believe it now. “We’re gonna win the league!” they chanted after the masterful, controlled performance at the Etihad on Sunday. They had been wary of jumping the gun after late slips in previous Premier League title races, but after Sunday’s 2-0 triumph, few would argue with them. Arsenal’s misfire in losing 1-0 at home to West Ham on Saturday handed the Reds the advantage in the title race, and they pounced. Despite a surfeit of possession, and Jeremy Doku’s best efforts, Man City never laid a glove on the Anfield giants. It was an imperious, clinical performance. Once the sublime Mo Salah got their opener against City few would…

Enzo Maresca has challenged his misfiring Chelsea squad to step up during a lean spell for Cole Palmer, admitting "we rely on Cole for everything". The England attacking midfielder has scored 14 goals and provided six assists in the Premier League this season but his last goal was in mid-January and he last set up a goal on December 1. Chelsea, just two points behind runaway leaders Liverpool in mid-December, have slipped to seventh in the table after three defeats in their past four games, though they are just one point behind fourth-placed Manchester City. Maresca, preparing his team to host rock-bottom Southampton on Tuesday, said he was not worried about Palmer's dip in form. "I'm not concerned about Cole because Cole is a human being and during the season…