Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-04-26 i Cape Argus

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za FOLLOWING immense pressure from organisations including the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has finally come up with a plan to place 2 550 pupils not yet placed in schools. The plan makes provision for 29 mobile classrooms for schools, as well as additional teaching posts. By Friday the number of unplaced learners had been reduced to 1 712, the department said. The plan comes after pressure groups, political parties, the SAHRC and the Legal Resources Centre demanded that the WCED have learners placed in schools. Education MEC Debbie Schäfer said that while some schools already had extra classrooms available, others required mobile classrooms. “Unfortunately, the mobile classrooms take time to construct and can’t be placed immediately.” Schäfer said schools that had…

THREE members of the Terrible West Siders (TWS) gang who conspired to and tried to murder criminal lawyer William Booth, were sentenced in the Cape Town Regional Court on Friday. Kauthar Brown, Ebrahim Deare and Riyaad Gesant were charged with wilfully aiding and abetting the activities of a gang, conspiracy to commit murder and the attempted murder of Booth. Deare was further charged with the illegal possession of a firearm and the illegal possession of ammunition. The trio entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the State. Charges against a fourth accused, Kim Smith, were withdrawn. Zane Killian, who is alleged to have been behind the murder plot against top cop Charl Kinnear, who was gunned down last year, has also been implicated in this matter. Killian is set…

Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za THE Western Cape High Court has ordered Matzikama Local Municipality to comply immediately with an investigation into maladministration, fraud and corruption at the municipality. Acting Judge Selwyn Hockey rejected the municipality’s application against Local Government MEC Anton Bredell’s decision to investigate the municipality. The municipality had wanted the investigation into alleged non-compliance with statutory obligations to be suspended until pending intergovernmental dispute resolutions were finalised. Judge Hockey found the municipality’s non-co-operation unlawful, saying: “Matzikama Local Municipality and all those working under it are directed immediately to comply with the investigation initiated by the local government MEC.” The ANC-controlled municipality includes the towns of Vredendal, Vanrhynsdorp, Klawer and Lutzville. Welcoming the ruling, Bredell said: “This investigation is in the best interests of the people of Matzikama, and if…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za THE Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has recommended the government undertake a review of its emergency response action plan (ERAP) aimed at tackling gender-based violence (GBV). The commission undertook an assessment of the ERAP, which was first touted by President Cyril Ramaphosa in September 2019. The plan was supposed to see various government departments undertake to make improvements in addressing GBV. Six months were outlined for some of the key interventions, which included access to justice and interventions for women’s empowerment. The implementation period was set for October 2019 to April 2020. The departments that were mandated to implement the interventions included the SAPS and social development. The commission’s report shows that out of 81 targets across five goals, only 17 targets were achieved within six months. Another…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za STELLENBOSCH University (SU) has launched a School for Climate Studies that will start in June to support South Africa’s transition to a climate-resilient society and a low-carbon economy. The university said the new school will be a world-class institution with interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary capacity to combine the climate-related knowledge systems of SU’s faculties, the public sector’s climate policies and initiatives, the private sector’s climate redress and innovation capacities, and the social impact mission of SU. Professor Eugene Cloete, SU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies, said the school was the first of its kind in South Africa and had the status of a faculty. “South Africa is a major contributor to greenhouse gases on the African continent. It has become essential to move towards…

HOW do we write the story of our freedom? How do we tell future generations of what happened on April 27, 1994? What picture stands out for you about that day? My favourite picture of the day is of the highly disciplined snaking voter lines at polling stations. The 1994 elections took place over four days. Voters stood in queues for hours, often stretching over a kilometre long, to vote in the first democratic election. We must understand how important democratic elections are in South Africa. The last apartheid-era parliamentary elections took place in 1989, and 2 176 481 votes were cast out of 3 170 667 registered (white) voters. The number of eligible voters in 1994 was estimated at 21.7 million. Just under 20 million voters turned up…

Terence Grant | Cape Town I REFER to the looming public sector strikes. In 1962, blacks had overtaken whites as the wealthiest group thanks to Erehwon’s aggressive affirmative action policies. However, equality had been achieved by bringing whites down to the same level as blacks. In addition, most of the wealth taken from whites had disappeared into the pockets of the black elite. Consequently, most blacks were poorer than they had been during the colonial-era (primarily due to inefficiency and a shrinking economy etc). Unfortunately, getting rid of the government was far easier said than done. This was because of the government’s habit of doling out well-paid jobs to under-qualified, unneeded employees, who subsequently voted for it out of a fear of being retrenched by a…

Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za THE government has responded to civil society demands for a public representative on the National Nuclear Regulator’s (NNR’s) board by appointing one of its most vocal critics, Koeberg Alert Alliance (KAA) spokesperson Peter Becker. Spokesperson Phumla Williams said the Cabinet approval of the appointment of Becker and three others would be subject to the verification of qualifications and the relevant clearance. The others appointed are attorney Vuyiswa Miya, National Union of Miners energy sector co-ordinator Khangela Baloyi and a former special adviser to previous Energy minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson, Allan Taylor. Becker said: “The NNR board has been without a representative since August last year and while this announcement is welcome, it is long overdue.”…

FRANTIC, last-ditch attempts are being made to rescue Cricket South Africa. There is still time to save the organisation. Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa’s crafty timing on announcing his intention to invoke Section 13 of the National Sport and Recreation Act has given CSA until Thursday to agree to the new Memorandum of Incorporation needed to ensure the administration of the organisation can be restructured. By Friday, when the Government Gazette is published, the door will be shut on Cricket SA. It will no longer get government money, and more crucially, it will lose recognition as the governing authority for cricket in the country. And then the Proteas will no longer be recognised as the official, representative team of South Africa. That will have far-reaching effects, and as CSA staff pointed…

A missing Indonesian submarine has been found cracked apart on the seafloor in waters off Bali, the military said yesterday, as it confirmed that all 53 crew were dead. “There were parts of KRI Nanggala; it was broken into three pieces,” said Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono. Indonesian military head Hadi Tjahjanto told reporters that “all 53 personnel on board have passed on”. Indonesian Military Chief Hadi Tjahjanto confirmed that all the 53 crew members aboard the submarine were dead after some other components of the vessel were found. “Based on the authentic evidence, it can be stated that all the crews of the KRI Nanggala submarine are dead. “For that, I express deep condolences,” he said. Authorities said that they received signals from the location more than 800…

NAIROBI: The death toll from clashes this month between Ethiopia’s two largest ethnic groups, the Oromo and Amhara, in the northern Amhara region may be as high as 200, the government ombudsman said yesterday, up from previous reports of at least 50. Residents and officials in Oromiya Special Zone, an area in Amhara with a majority Oromo population, and the town of Ataye said there were deadly clashes in the area on April 16. “According to information we got from people who are displaced, we estimate that up to 200 people might have died from both zones. “We still need to verify the number,” Endale Haile, Ethiopia’s chief ombudsman, told reporters.…

HERMAN GIBBS EMBATTLED Kaizer Chiefs overturned a first-half deficit to score an upset of humongous proportions when they defeated Premiership leaders Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria yesterday. The result marked Sundowns’ first Premiership defeat this season. This reverse will be welcomed by the chasing pack, which is led by AmaZulu, who are three points adrift after 24 matches. Sundowns, after 22 matches, are on 47 points. The outcome also spoilt the 50th birthday celebrations of Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi. Chiefs nevertheless moved into a top-eight slot for the first time in a while. Sundowns sounded an early warning of how they might hurt Chiefs when midfielder Gaston Sirino unleashed a low drive from outside the penalty area after good work by teammate Lyle Lakay. The shot…

TODAY Independent Media launches its Freedom Day campaign a day ahead of South Africa’s 27th year of democratic inclusion. The gist of this year’s campaign though, is a strong reminder that whilst the country has come far, it still has a very long way to go until there is complete inclusion and therefore real freedom. “True freedom in South Africa can only be realised when all voices are heard and acknowledged,” commented Aneez Salie, Independent Media’s Editor-in-Chief. “We are not there yet, as the conversation is still, to a large extent, very one-sided, which is why Independent Media has committed to standing up to prevent the chasm of silence from growing any bigger than it already is.” Salie referred to the campaign’s title – #UnmuteFreedom, which reflects how so many…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za THE Western Cape’s acting police commissioner Thembisile Patekile has commended the police for their continuous efforts in confiscating illegal firearms and ammunition from potentially violent criminals. This after various police crime prevention units across the metro seized a bounty of illegal firearms and ammunition from the streets and placed them in police custody. According to a police statement at the weekend, officers confiscated five illegal firearms, ammunition and apprehended several suspects for possession of the weapons. Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said weekend police operations resulted in the removal of five unlicensed firearms and ammunition from communities in Steenberg, Parow, Samora Machel, Elsies River, and Kraaifontein. “Through various crime prevention operations police arrested five suspects between the ages of 22 and 36 for the unlawful possession of firearms,…

Sne Masuku sne.masuku@inl.co.za THE Democratic Nurses of South Africa (Denosa) wants nurses to be vetted as part of an effort to ensure the safety of patients. This after a patient was allegedly raped during consultation by a male nurse at Hlengisizwe Clinic in Hammarsdale. The Grade 11 pupil had gone to the clinic with her mother last Monday for blood tests. She was allegedly raped by the male nurse while inside the consulting room. Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said a case of rape had been opened. She said the police were searching for the suspect, who has since disappeared. Denosa provincial secretary Mandla Shabangu said there was currently no mechanism in place to check a health worker’s background, their behaviour and criminal record when they were employed or transferred…

I THINK we have become so used to being hoodwinked by our leaders that we take hoodwinking for granted. It’s become a natural part of daily life in this country. A full-page advertisement for a local supermarket offered my usual breakfast cereal at a reduced price recently and the offer included “a chance to win a car”. I bought the cereal because it was on my shopping list anyway. I think the offer of a chance to win a car was just a scam. For one thing, they had no record of my name or contact number. The teller simply scanned the box and took my money. So if my purchase had won the car they wouldn’t have been able to tell me. Another frequently used scam involves un-checkable statistics.…

McIntosh Polela SOUTH Africans are passionate in their debates on any given topic. This passion is often on display on social media and call-in radio shows, where the exchanges are unscripted and spontaneous. On Thursday, Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Lindiwe Sisulu welcomed 24 Cuban engineers. This was nothing new. Since the inception of the South Africa-Cuba Agreement in 2001, Cuba has been able to impart knowledge on maintenance and operation of water infrastructure in the country. In 2011, the first group of nine Cuban engineers came to South Africa, then the figure grew to 13 in 2013. Thirty-five Cuban engineers arrived in February 2015 and departed in March 2019. Last year, 25 engineers arrived and have been placed in the water cluster regions and some…

Myanmar’s pro-democracy activists sharply criticised an agreement between the country’s junta chief and Southeast Asian leaders to end the nation’s violent post-coup crisis and vowed yesterday to continue their protest campaign. Scattered peaceful protests took place in Myanmar’s big cities yesterday, a day after the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in Jakarta, Indonesia, reached a consensus to end the turmoil in the country, but gave no timeline. “Whether it is Asean or the UN, they will only speak from outside saying don’t fight but negotiate and solve the issues. But that doesn’t reflect Myanmar’s situation on the ground,” said Khin Sandar from a protest group, General Strikes Collaboration Committee. “We will continue the protests. We have plans to do so,”…

PARIS: The Tunisian national who killed a police administrative worker last Friday near Paris had watched religious videos glorifying acts of jihad just before carrying out his attack, France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard has said. The murder has shocked France, which faces a presidential election next year at which fears over terrorist attacks, immigration and violent crime will dominate the agenda. Ricard said yesterday that the official investigation had shown that the assailant, identified as “Jamel G”, looked at the videos on his phone just before his knife attack on the police worker, a mother-of-two called Stephanie. Stephanie died of stab wounds; Jamel G was shot dead by police after the attack.…

Pieter-Steph du Toit Wynona Louw wynona.louw@inl.co.za WITH the Rainbow Cup South Africa set to kick off this weekend, it’s to be expected that SA players will want to go out there and make the most of their time on the pitch after a few tough weeks filled with all that uncertainty. The Preparation Series offered a good few moments, enough to give us something to look forward to in the next competition. From a Stormers perspective, here are two factors, or players rather, to get excited about (for different reasons) ahead of their opener against the Sharks at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday (2pm kick-off). The Comeback Not much needs to be said here, really. The Springbok superstar is ready, and after missing out on seeing him in action for…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za THERE are doubts whether the man arrested in connection with the Table Mountain fire was solely responsible for the blaze that ravaged nearly 650 hectares and damaged several buildings last week. Two independent investigations are underway into the fire that started on the slopes of Table Mountain on April 18, Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy said. Creecy visited the Working on Fire Newlands base on Saturday for a briefing by South African National Parks and to assess the overall damage. Creecy also took the opportunity to thank firefighters for their efforts in extinguishing the blaze. Creecy said the department has commissioned an investigation. “We expect to get that report in two weeks. The second report is commissioned by the University of Cape Town (UCT),…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons Tarryn-Leigh.Solomons@iinl.co.za THE SACP in the Western Cape has criticised the DA’s leadership and the placement of pupils, stating that the opposition party is facing “imminent implosion”. The party convened a two-day augmented provincial executive committee (A-PEC) virtual meeting recently, which was attended by provincial executive committee (PEC) members, central committee deployees, district leaders, as well as the Young Communist League. Provincial secretary Benson Ngqentsu said the party cannot hide its “racist attitude” in handling internal contradictions. “The DA is facing imminent implosion and its retreat into white racist conservatism is being exposed daily. It cannot hide its racist attitude in handling internal contradictions,” said Ngqenstu. “We have long observed that the DA is a party of white privilege that uses selected African opportunists as puppet leaders, who…

Staff Reporter DISTRICT Six’s oldest living land claimant, Shariefa Khan, turned 100 yesterday. Her daughter Nadiema Khan said the family had a photo session yesterday in Wynberg where relatives could have their pictures taken with her mother to treasure as memories. The family had iftar (breaking of the fast meal) on Saturday followed by a small birthday party, Nadiema Khan said. “She was so very happy. She laughed and talked. She told the young children stories even we had not heard before,” she said. Also known as "Mama" or "Aunty Riefa", Shariefa Khan was born in 1921 in Vryburg in North West. Her family came to Cape Town in 1928, and lived in Muizenberg and later Kensington where her father had the first halaal butchery in the area, before…

Staff Reporter THE province’s Department of Social Development will employ 143 social work graduates and has set aside R20 million to make it happen. The initiative will go a long way in addressing the province’s desperate need for skilled social workers. Social Development MEC Sharna Fernandez announced the plan, and said that it was one of the ways the province could employ and develop recently graduated workers. “Many of the social work graduates are appointed on a contractual basis to fulfil their respective bursary obligations. We are aware of the need for social work services across the province and, as such, we remain committed to ensuring that there are opportunities for further development and training of social work graduates. “Social work is a dynamic and demanding occupation that requires…

Alderman Xanthea Limberg | Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste IN RESPONSE to Sandra Dickson’s comment in the article “Ditching of water devices ‘long overdue’” (Cape Argus, April 21), that there has been “a major increase in bulk water purchases from R500 million to R2.5 million annually”. There has not been a drastic increase. The City is adhering to the National Treasury requirement to report Bulk Purchases as Inventory. There is not an increase in volume of water provided. It is an increase in value (price of the product, i.e. Potable Bulk Water versus the price of material item, i.e Raw Bulk Water) due to the change in reporting standards. The increase in expenditure value is covered by the “Gains” reflected under Revenue as part of the…

Jean Michel Bouvier | Bryanston AS WE approach another anniversary this month – since the current administration took over from apartheid – we see the results of what has happened to the country because of the excesses of the clueless governing ANC. It has metamorphosed from the shining light of the Oliver Tambo years, to its current sorry state – that their main motivation, desire and goal is no longer to advance its people, but ransacking the country and its resources by the few who hold the levers of power. Not a day goes by without the revelations of yet more blatant theft, lying, graft, embezzlement and corruption, conducted by the lowest to the highest in the ranks of the so-called “civil service”, who have found “liberation” to…

THE caption of the page 4 picture of April 22 incorrectly stated that the South African Cape Corps Military Veterans Association (SACCMVA) march through Cape Town to Parliament to hand over a memorandum of demands. The march was in fact by the SACC Forum. The caption also incorrectly stated that the SACC consisted of brown/Khoisan soldiers who were part of the former South African Defence Force (SADF). The SACCMVA has pointed out that the SACC’s (South African Cape Corps) mandate was to train and deploy Brown soldiers and not Khoisan soldiers. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.…

What’s left of South Africa’s 1994 ‘miracle’? Very little but evidence of green shoots abound IN THE 1990s, a commonly held view was that South Africa had achieved a “miracle” because of its relatively peaceful political transition from apartheid to democracy in 1994. The “miracle” was South Africans talking their way out of apartheid rule – the white minority relinquished power to a racially inclusive government in a constitutional democracy. As psychology professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela put it – South Africans forged a vocabulary of compromise and tolerance [to settle] differences via compromise among equals. The new Constitution contains a Bill of Rights – with non-racialism as a principle. But the global reverence for South Africa as a country that could generate “an alternative meaning of what…

Lausanne: A top International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission member has said the global sports governing body should not take a call on whether the Tokyo Olympics should be held or not, and that the decision should be left to medical experts. Canadian Hayley Wickenheiser, a four-time Olympic ice hockey gold medallist, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that “this decision needs to be made by medical and health experts, not by corporate and big business”. “A very clear and transparent explanation needs to be given if the Games are going to go ahead. You need someone else outside less invested than you to say it is or isn’t worth it. “It shouldn’t be the IOC making that call,” she said.…

Mihlali Baleka @Mihlalibaleka ORLANDO Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer remains confident that they’ll be able to reach the quarter-finals of the Confederation Cup after their last group-stage match against Enyimba on Wednesday, despite their recent fortunes. The Buccaneers are unbeaten in continental football this season after eight matches. They won five, three in the preliminary qualifiers and two in the group stage, and have drawn two, both in the group stage against Ahli Benghazi and ES Setif. They lead Group A with nine points, a point ahead of Benghazi. Enyimba and Setif, who are third and fourth respectively, still have a shot at qualifying for the last eight, but they’ll need to win their remaining matches against the top two on the final match day. Pirates, though, would reach the quarter-finals…