Innholdsfortegnelse for CA-2021-04-13 i Cape Argus

ZARCLEAR Holdings’s board said yesterday it would be in the best interests of the company and its shareholders for it to delist from the JSE and A2X stock exchanges. In November, Zarclear’s public shareholding fell below the minimum spread requirements for companies listed on the JSE’s main board, due to the take-up of the general offer to Zarclear shareholders by Legae Peresec Capital. Zarclear’s board said in a statement yesterday that the decision to delist also took into account the impact the Covid-19 pandemic had had and was anticipated to continue to have on equity capital markets. Zarclear is an investment holding company whose operating segments are market infrastructure and regulation technology investments. An offer would be made to shareholders for the delisting. “Shareholders would be afforded an opportunity to…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za THE City is suing the organisation Gatvol Capetonian and the EFF for R1.4 million for the damage caused to public infrastructure during violent protests. Mayor Dan Plato said a summons was issued to Gatvol Capetonian on March 29 for more than R1.3 million in damages related to a “shutdown” of major routes in Cape Town in August 2019. Plato said the City’s civil claim stated that it was “reckless, wrongful and unlawful” of that organisation to incite a “shutdown” while violating their Gatherings Act obligations to give notice, appoint conveners and marshals and refrain from violence. According to the City, particulars of the infrastructure allegedly destroyed included: l Grassy Park – R311 760.87 l Atlantis – R336 946.75 l Mitchells Plain – R50 000 l Kensington –…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za Activists, criminologists and residents from Langa are worried about crime trends, saying it might soon become a hot spot like Nyanga if the police, province and City do not implement policing strategies. This comes after six people died in four separate shootings in Langa over the weekend. Community activist Alfred Magwaca said they were concerned about the incidents, which suggested that Langa was becoming one of the worst places for crime. Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said the police were investigating all the murders. The first incident took place at a shebeen on Friday, where a person was shot dead. In the second, at a Spaza shop on Saturday, another person was shot and killed. The third incident happened on Sunday, when two Fidelity Services guards were…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za TWO police officers and six prisoners were taken to hospital for treatment and observation after an Ocean View police vehicle transporting prisoners collided with two vehicles in Fish Hoek. Police spokesperson André Traut said the circumstances of the crash, which occurred in Main Road, Fish Hoek, at about 8.35am yesterday, were being investigated. DA constituency head for the Deep South Mireille Wenger called on the police to explain before Parliament the circumstances of the crash, which involved a police vehicle transporting prisoners to the Simon’s Town Magistrate’s Court. Wenger said witnesses reported that the police vehicle was travelling at high speed and did not stop at a red traffic light. She said it was reported that all the prisoners were injured, one pedestrian was in a…

Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za THE ANC says it is highly unacceptable that, in 2021, there are only 160 women in senior to top management positions in the Western Cape government, and even worse that this number has declined from 174 in 2019. ANC provincial legislature chief whip Pat Lekker was commenting after receiving a written reply to a question she had sent to Premier Alan Winde, asking for the number of women in senior and top management positions in the provincial government and its entities. Winde said: “The province is an equal opportunity employer and we drive employment equity as part of our recruitment processes, and through up-skilling and empowering current employees to prepare them to take up senior management positions across government departments.” According to the charts in Winde’s…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za THE contentious topic of land claims in South Africa came under the spotlight yesterday as the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) started its bid to fill two vacant posts at the Constitutional Court – with candidates quizzed on legal issues critical to the work of the apex court. The first candidate to take the stand was advocate Alan Dodson SC. Dodson, who served as land claims judge between 1995 and 2000 faced numerous questions regarding his work in representing land claimants. EFF leader Julius Malema questioned him on whether his appointment to the apex would advance transformation. Malema further probed Dodson on why he, as a white male, should be chosen above other candidates who were black women? Dodson said he was of the view that his appointment…

Zionist meddling in GERD conflict Mustafa Mheta The spat between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Nile River can be linked to Zionist projects on the continent. Egypt, a downstream Nile Basin country that relies on the Nile for 90% of its fresh water, is concerned that the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) might affect its 55.5-billion-cubic-metre annual share of the river water. Ethiopia started building the dam in 2011, expected to produce more than 6 000 megawatts of electricity and become the largest hydropower dam in Africa upon completion. Egypt said it had endorsed a Sudanese proposal to international arbitration in a years-long dispute with Ethiopia over the massive dam being built on the Blue Nile. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry said Cairo backed the formation…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za THE inaugural T4 Education Teacher Tech virtual summit will take place on April 17, and more than 20 000 teachers from around the globe will tune in. The summit recognises the leading role teachers have played in developing digital and educational solutions to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the beginning of the pandemic an estimated 63 million primary and secondary teachers were affected by restrictions forcing schools to fully or partially close, according to the Unesco Global Education Coalition. Founder of T4 Education, Vikas Pota, notes that teachers have rapidly gone from a situation where restrictions caused great uncertainty, to now using technology in innovative ways to implement positive educational outcomes. Teachers started sharing their best practices, promoting greater innovation and creativity through informal…

Mthuthuzeli Ntseku mthuthuzeli.ntseku@inl.co.za MARINA da Gama residents and those from surrounding areas have started a petition demanding that Mayco member for water and waste Xanthea Limberg meet the communities using the Zandvlei Nature Reserve over its deteriorating state. The residents said the vlei was in a desperate state caused by litter and sewage spills, and rotting weeds and detritus. They also said the water was becoming deoxygenated, killing fish and other water life. In the petition, the residents requested, among other things, a written undertaking outlining the short-term achievable actions of the City to protect Zandvlei from future sewage and industrial spills, plans that would be implemented to effectively resolve the silting and sedimentation problem, and confirmation that a contract for the clearing of the canals would be finalised before…

Ebrahim Essa | Durban STREET renaming has become a game. Another income generator for the unscrupulous. More proposals have been made to change many existing names, honouring Nelson Mandela and now Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. And a whole host of names in memory of freedom fighters. The intention is good, but not too practical. Governments change. Ruling parties come and go. Most names reflect persons held in high regard by mainly contemporary rulers. In democracies regular elections make the existing governing bodies last only until they are outvoted. Meanwhile, these temporary bosses go out of their way to spend valuable resources to advertise their parties by making unnecessary changes to traditionally well-known landmarks, roads, buildings, towns and cities. This merely adds to a lot of confusion. Street names were…

A NUMBER of people have asked: “Why rehash the past? Strandfontein is old news.” I have decided to relive this experience by publishing it in this column for two reasons. First – at the time, we had no voice. The information that came out of Strandfontein was second-hand. Second – it’s all but finished for those of us who lived that hell and continue living in fear of landing up back on the streets. We are still feeling the effects both of Strandfontein and what has happened afterwards. Another popular question was: “But shouldn’t you be glad about Strandfontein, look how it’s changed your life?” My argument has always been that these changes, good and bad, were as a result of choices we made in how we chose to handle…

Why schoolgirls continue to fall prey to sexual and physical abuse in SA schools GIRLS experience gender and sexual violence in schools across the world, and South Africa is no exception. Research has shown how pupils, and girls, are vulnerable to violence. Despite the country’s political response to violence against women and girls, schoolgirls struggle with male violence in and out of school. Learners who are victimised at school often show poor academic performance, regular school absenteeism, anxiety and depression, drug and alcohol use, psychological trauma, and dropping out of school. We conducted a study to learn more about South African teenage girls’ experiences at school. Violence emerged as a key aspect of their school life. We looked at the spaces where violence occurs, and how…

Two small Western Australian towns suffered “widespread damage” when Cyclone Seroja struck a part of the country that rarely experiences tropical storms, emergency services said yesterday. The storm brought lashing rain and winds of up to 170km/h to areas officials said had not seen a tropical cyclone in “decades”. Authorities estimated that 70% of structures in Kalbarri – home to about 1 500 people – were damaged in the fast-moving cyclone. Local media images showed homes with their roofs ripped off and debris scattered across streets. In Northampton, a town of fewer than 1 000 people about an hour’s drive south, there was also “widespread damage”, Western Australia’s emergency services department said.…

HERMAN GIBBS Mamelodi Sundowns returned to winning ways but made heavy weather of their 2-1 win over lowly Chippa United in their Premiership clash at Sisa Dukashe Stadium yesterday. Three days ago, Sundowns suffered a rare defeat when they were beaten 2-0 by Algerian visitors CR Belouizdad in the CAF Champions League group stage. The loss snapped Sundowns’ 28-match unbeaten streak, which included 20 wins and eight draws. Yesterday’s result allowed league leaders and three-time defending champions Sundowns to move six points clear of second-placed AmaZulu, who have 40 points after 22 games. Sundowns are on 46 points after 20 matches. Chippa remained near the bottom of the standings, but three points adrift of basement dwellers Black Leopards. Sundowns imposed their dominance right from the get-go, and their first scoring…

MIHLALI BALEKA Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer say they have laid the perfect foundation to reach the quarter-finals of the Confederation Cup after climbing to the top of Group A, but says they still need to dig deep in their last two matches. Pirates have enjoyed a decent outing in the group stage of the Confederation Cup. The Buccaneers are top of their group with eight points, two and four ahead of second and third placed Enyimba and Ahli Benghazi respectively. Pirates have won two matches and drawn two in their group. Their recent outing was an emphatic 3-0 win over Benghazi at Orlando Stadium on Sunday – thanks to goals from Ntsikelelo Nyauza, Aboubakr Meeld and Kabelo Dlamini. With Pirates left with two games to play in the…

Back in 2011-12, Manchester United held an eight-point advantage over second-placed Manchester City with six games to go, but with Sergio Aguero’s 94th-minute intervention in the final game of the season, City completed a dramatic title turnaround. City’s shock 2-1 defeat to Leeds United on Saturday, coupled with United’s 3-1 success at Tottenham Hotspur, means that should United win their game in hand, it will be roles reversed from 2011-12, but with an eight point gap, six to play. Hopes of an equally dramatic turnaround are slim, however. The pair do not meet each other again this season, as they did in the run-in in 2011-12, and it remains more likely City’s defeat to Leeds was a mere blip. But, you never know. The good news for West…

Sailors Benji Daniel and Alex Burger have made a triumphant return to the country after booking South Africa a spot at the Tokyo Olympics in the 49er class. A year ago, the former 29er world champions were convinced their dream of competing at a first Olympics was all but over. But the event in which they could qualify finally went ahead last week. The pair travelled to Oman for the Mussanah Open on a mission, and a victory in race seven and three second places along with a third ensured a sixth place overall, which was enough to see them qualify. “We feel extremely relieved to have finally gotten through the qualifier event after so many delays and so much uncertainty,” said Daniel. “It wasn't our absolute best performance, but…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za LESS than a month before the principal of an Islamic school is set to go on trial on a charge of sexual assault against a minor, Abdul Karriem Davids is still teaching. The principal and educator at the Halawat-ul-Qur’an school for the memorisation of the Qur’an, will appear on May 11 on a charge of sexual assault of a minor at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court. Davids, 46, could be seen in a video posted on the school’s Facebook page last week, listening in as one of the pupils reads to him from the holy book. The video was posted by the school congratulating the pupil for reaching the achievement on the day. The case of sexual assault was opened against Davids at the Grassy Park police…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-leigh.solomons@inl.co.za The ANC Youth League’s National Task Team (NTT) says rebuilding the ruling party’s youth wing is not an overnight process but a continuous effort that requires all hands on deck. During the NTT’s first meeting this past weekend, various issues were discussed, including the effects of Covid-19, infighting within the ANC, racism and gender-based violence. NTT spokesperson Sizophila Mkhize said the youth league had faced a number of challenges over the past decade, and it may seem as though the organisation had never fully recovered from its initial disbandment seven years ago. “It is therefore important to draw tangible lessons from the past while charting a new way forward for the future. The rebuilding process must be participatory, and youth from all sectors and constituencies must be…

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za FORMER Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku may have a better chance at suing the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) for defamation after his bid to overturn its findings fell flat yesterday. North Gauteng High Court Judge Roland Sutherland dismissed Masuku’s bid to challenge a report by the SIU that led to his axing. Gauteng Premier David Makhura sacked Masuku last year after an SIU report found he had failed in his duties as MEC during the procurement of Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) by his department. The awarding of a multimillion-rand PPE contract was labelled dodgy when it was found that the contract was awarded to Royal Bhaca, a company owned by the late Nkosi Madzikane Thandisizwe Diko II, husband of Khusela Diko, the suspended spokesperson of President…

Francis Petersen and Philippe Burger With a Covid-19-hit, shrinking economy and a mounting public debt burden, Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni announced a tight budget in February. This budget also constrained its allocation to the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). Within the DHET budget, the allocation to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) was set to increase from R34.8 billion in the 2020/21 fiscal year to R36.4bn in 2023/24 – a cumulative increase in nominal terms of 4.6% over the three-year period. This allocation covers NSFAS bursaries to university students, and students at technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges. However, the National Treasury’s Budget Review projected inflation at 3.9%, 4.2% and 4.4% in the three fiscal years from 2021/22 to 2023/24. This means the…

It is evident that Muslims are persecuted in China. So why state the obvious? Deviously, those who hate Muslims more than China does desire conflict between Muslims and China. For example, China is a threat to Zionism for China’s support of Iran. India is a military ally of the US and a historic enemy of China, and India and China have been engaged in a border war for decades. The idea is to get one enemy (Muslims) to fight another enemy (China) and reduce both enemies. Ironically, Zionist and Hindu nationalists already kill Muslims in Israel and India, but deceitfully want to defend Muslims killed by China. CNN and the BBC, which never cared about Muslims, lead the charge. For Zionists to express honest concern, they must first stop…

SO the DA has always been a political laboratory busy with experiments on their lab rats. Come to think of it, everything they busied themselves with was experimental. But now the chickens have come home to roost. This little 1% party was also offered a golden opportunity in 1994 by our own icon, Madiba himself, at great cost to himself, to form part of the new government. The National Party (NP) grabbed the invitation with both hands in the interest of all our people. This government became known as our own Government of National Unity (GNU), the right path for our future. Their leader became one of the two deputy presidents and six ministers, among them Pik Botha, Leon Wessels and Roelf Meyer. They soon got cold feet after the…

IT HAS been more than 40 days since a group of artists staged a sit-in at the National Arts Council’s (NAC) Joburg headquarters. At the centre of the dispute is the R300 million Presidential Employment Stimulus package. Artists are demanding answers about a lack of payment from the package. We welcome the forensic investigation launched recently by Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa to look into the situation. The artists have been sleeping on chairs, floors and couches at the council’s offices since the start of the sit-in, and have vowed not to move until their demands are addressed. With the hard lockdown, the arts and culture sector was ravaged by event cancellations. An SA Cultural Observatory study published late last year found that 90% of the live music industry…

India yesterday overtook Brazil as the country with the second-highest number of coronavirus infections and Bangladesh halted international flights and shut offices as a new wave battered South Asia. The region – home to almost a quarter of the world’s population – has been hit by soaring infection rates in recent weeks. India reported a new daily record of more than 168 000 cases yesterday to take the total toll to 13.5 million cases, above Brazil’s 13.48 million. Experts have blamed coronavirus complacency and frustration for the surge. Hundreds of thousands of maskless Hindu devotees thronged the banks of the Ganges River for a ritual bath as part of the Kumbh Mela festival in the holy city of Haridwar. The huge religious festivals and political rallies in poll-bound states have…

OSLO: Six environmental organisations, including the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace, yesterday called on Norway to stop plans to open ocean areas for deep-sea mining. The government in January launched a process to open areas on its extended continental shelf for exploring and producing minerals from the ocean floor, with plans to issue the first licences as early as 2023. “Minerals and metals for the green shift should be obtained from consumption reduction and better reuse on land, not from the depths of the sea where brutal mining can do irreparable damage to nature,” the environmentalists said. They also called on Norway to speak up against deep-sea mining in international waters.…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za THE Rainbow Cup has not been cancelled, and South Africa is exploring every possible option to make the tournament happen. That was the official word from SA Rugby president Mark Alexander yesterday following reports that the event was set to be called off due to the fact that the local teams wouldn’t be able to operate out of a bio-secure environment in the United Kingdom. Weekend online and newspaper reports stated that the SA teams were instructed not to apply for UK visas just yet as the British government had not given the necessary clearances for the Bulls, Sharks, Stormers and Lions to be based in a bio-bubble in Bristol. The South Africans are due to start their part of the tournament with derby matches from April…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za Pakistan 140/9 (Azam 50; Linde 3/23, Williams 3/35) South Africa 141/4 (Markram 54; Qadir 2/26) SA won by 6 wickets, 4-match series tied 1-1 This match was decided after the first ball. That one ball saw Mohammad Rizwan charge down the wicket at George Linde and attempt to belt him over long off for six. Instead, having connected with the ball with the outside corner of his bat, Rizwan skied it to Aiden Markram at mid-off. Game over. There was some criticism in the aftermath of Rizwan being arrogant, but can you blame him? His four T20 innings against South Africa before yesterday’s match read as follows: 104*, 51, 42 and 74*. His desire to dominate was thus understandable. But it immediately put Pakistan on the…

julian kiewietz Sibusiso Sovendle and Conrad Seabi have a few things in common. Not only do they both hold their home - Mamelodi - close to their hearts, but just like Seabi - who can always be seen enjoying music with his family and friends - Sovendle, too does things to the beat, with his nickname being “African Rhythm”. And when it comes to the martial arts side of life, the 20-year-old Sovendle did not hold back in sharing his admiration for his senior, “Cagewise” Seabi. “I have met him at Planet Fitness,” says the ‘gym freak’ of the Extreme Fighting Championship professional athlete. “Conrad once came and motivated me and my friend, Tebatso (Mdele, who also won gold this past weekend). I enjoy watching Conrad. I really like him,…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za COMMUNITY Safety MEC Albert Fritz expressed concern over the alleged disservice by the police to victims of gender-based violence (GBV). Fritz said crime statistics for the period March 1 to December 31 last year, revealed that 131 rapes were reported to the Mitchells Plain and Lentegeur police stations. Fritz said of the 131 reported cases, only 83 (or 63%) realised arrests and saw charges being laid. After three months since the reporting period had elapsed, it was not clear what had happened to the remaining 48 cases. He said of the 83 cases in which arrests were made, only 59 suspects were awaiting trial, and only a single trial, out of the original 131 reported cases, has actually begun. Fritz said there has not been a…

Karen Hofman THREE years ago, South Africa introduced Africa’s first major tax on sugar-sweetened beverages based on grams of sugar. The tax stands at about 11% of the price per litre. We assessed the impact in recently published research. We found that the health-promotion levy coincided with large reductions in purchases of taxable beverages, in terms of volume and sugar quantities. We didn’t find significant changes for non-taxable beverages. This isn’t the first research to show positive outcomes from the levy. A national study one year after it was introduced found households in urban areas halved the volume of sugary beverages they bought, cutting their sugar intake by nearly a third. Research shows that excess sugar, particularly in liquid form, is a major cause of obesity and is a…

The attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility was plotted “long before” the start of the ongoing meeting of the joint commission of the remaining members of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal, and aimed at weakening Tehran’s negotiating position at the meetings, The Jerusalem Post has reported. The paper’s sources said the attack’s planners were uncertain whether Iran and the US – whose negotiators arrived in Vienna last week but were not allowed to join the talks directly – would return to serious negotiations about Washington’s possible rejoining of the nuclear accord. JPost’s sources also gave the impression “that the covert war against Iran is ongoing, focused on preventing it from getting close to the nuclear threshold regardless of the world powers’ policy on the issue at…

GABORONE: Botswana is investigating the deaths of two among thousands of people who had been given doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine to see if there is any link, the health ministry said. The country has so far administered about 31 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the only vaccine it has started rolling out. India donated 30 000 doses of the vaccine that were manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), and Botswana bought 33 000 doses that were made in South Korea from global vaccine distribution scheme Covax. The two people who died had taken the shots made in India. Botswanan authorities, AstraZeneca and the SII did not immediately respond to how the people died.…