Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-05-04 i Cape Argus

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za A QUICK response made light work of a mountain fire in Simon’s Town that threatened to spread out of control. The City’s Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said its services were alerted to a fire on the mountain slopes, above Signal School, at about 5.55am. Ten fire engines and about 50 firefighters attended the scene, assisted by Table Mountain National Park (TMNP)and a Navy crew. “Two Oryx helicopters were requested from Ysterplaat Air Force Base to assist with water bombing,” said Carelse. The two choppers were water bombing the affected area. According to the TMNP, the fire started at 7am in the Red Hill area and was successfully contained at 11am. “More than 50 firefighters from TMNP, contract wildfire crews (NCC Wildfires), Working on Fire,…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za A 39-year-old police officer attached to the Tactical Response Team (TRT) is expected to appear in the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s Court today on charges of corruption. The officer was arrested at the weekend on suspicion of forwarding information to people operating in the Western Cape underworld. Hawks spokesperson Katlego Mogale said it was reported that the suspect was arrested during an intelligence-driven operation conducted by the National Task Team investigating gang-related activities, the National Intervention Unit, and the TRT. “It’s alleged that the suspect had been enticed between 2019 and 2020, by an underworld figure, to infiltrate the Anti-Gang Unit and supply them with information relating to operations of the underworld figure in return for gratification,” said Mogale. Mogale said the suspect, with three accomplices…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za THE DA in Gauteng has urged the Gauteng MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Lebogang Maile, to investigate the controversial appointment of the ANC-led Mogale City’s human resources manager, Keobile Edwin Mosweu. The calls came after Maile revealed that the Mogale City municipal manager was not aware that Mosweu had been fired from the SABC because he was not vetted for his work history. Maile revealed this in his written replies to questions from the DA’s Cogta spokesperson, Solly Msimanga, in the Gauteng provincial legislature. “At the time of his recruitment, the municipality was not aware as to why he was fired from the SABC,” Maile said However, he said Mosweu did disclose to the interview panel that he had labour-related issues with his former…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za IF THE DA has its way, persons holding office in political parties will no longer be employed in the public service. The party wants to propose that Parliament enact changes to the public services legislation that would make it illegal to appoint someone on the basis of political loyalty. This emerged after the national legislature published a notice inviting members of the public to submit written comments on a draft bill proposed by DA MP Leon Schreiber. Schreiber said in a statement that the End Cadre Deployment Bill would make it illegal for any person who held office in a political party to be employed as a professional civil servant by the state. He also said the bill would direct the Public Service Commission (PSC) to enforce the…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-leigh.solomons@inl.co.za THE chairperson of the DA’s Federal Council, Helen Zille, has referred the investigation into the qualifications of Saldanha Mayor Marius Koen to the party’s federal legal commission for investigation and deliberation. This comes after the EFF recently flagged that Koen had misrepresented his qualifications. Last week, Bonginkosi Madikizela submitted his resignation as both DA Western Cape leader and Transport and Public Works MEC. He had been suspended amid claims that he had lied about his qualifications, which he previously denied. Prior to his resignation, Madikizela said his suspension from the party and the provincial Cabinet over the misrepresentation of his qualifications had “everything to do with the Cape Town mayorship contest”. Shortly after Madikizela’s revelation, DA chief whip Natasha Mazonne came under fire for her qualifications. She…

Zainul Dawood zainul.dawood@inl.co.za HOSPITAL group Netcare has responded to an online allegation that a patient who contracted the Indian Covid-19 variant was admitted to the Netcare uMhlanga Hospital. Dr Caroline Maslo, senior clinical advisor and head of infection control at Netcare’s hospital division, confirmed that one patient, who had recently travelled from India, was treated in isolation for Covid-19 at a Netcare hospital in KwaZulu-Natal. The message circulating on WhatsApp stated: “These guys hid their status upon entering the country ... not sure if they produced fake documents … ” More than 218 959 people have died from Covid-19 in India. Morgues and crematoriums there have been overwhelmed. Maslo said that although Covid-19 screening was undertaken at South African border posts, “this, unfortunately, cannot fully rule out new cases…

Dear South Africa, SHAMEFUL! How very shameful to be faced on Freedom Day with a headline ‘27 YEARS OF BROKEN PROMISES’. How is it that we did not merit the glorious promise of that day? How is it that we allowed three evil brothers from a distant land to capture the minds and souls of our leaders, leaders entrusted with the hopes and aspirations of our people. How shamefully they have disappointed us. Did they not realise they were being lured into the devil’s den and through their greed, avarice and self-interest they betrayed us and deprived us of what was rightfully ours? Oh how we could have used those stolen billions. Oh how that promise 27 years ago made us the envy of the world and how shamefully that…

Samaoen Osman | Crawford SOUTH Africa is paying a heavy price for the failure of the governing ANC to build a meritocratic, competent, professional and corruption-free public service. The public anger sparked by revelations of large-scale tender irregularities involving Covid-19 relief funds has served as another reminder of the widespread mismanagement, dysfunction and corruption that have hobbled state institutions in South Africa. This culture of wanton criminality and impunity will have dire consequences for future generations. What is clear is that the ANC has betrayed the vision it set out in 1994 to dismantle the apartheid legacy and construct a developmental state that is responsive to the social and economic needs of all South Africans. When the ANC came to power in 1994, it outlined a series of…

Bill Hare, Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, Joeri Rogelj and Piers Forster LIMITING global warming to 1.5ºC this century is a central goal of the Paris Agreement. In recent months, climate experts and others, including in Australia, suggested the target is impossible. Whether Earth can stay within 1.5ºC warming involves two distinct questions. First, is it physically, technically and economically feasible, considering the physics of the Earth system and possible rates of societal change? Science indicates the answer is “yes” – although it will be very difficult and the best opportunities for success lie in the past. The second question is whether governments will take sufficient action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This answer depends on the ambition of governments, and the effectiveness of campaigning by NGOs and others. Scientifically speaking, humanity…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday opened the Group of Seven’s first in-person talks in two years by presenting the new administration’s fresh approach on North Korea, which has already denounced it. With Covid raging in India but increasingly coming under control in the West, Britain welcomed foreign ministers of the club of wealthy democracies to London to discuss a post-pandemic agenda and prepare for a G7 summit in south-west England next month. India, South Korea, South Africa and Asean bloc chair Brunei were invited as guests to the three days of talks, which will also address rising tensions with Russia and China as well as diplomacy to revive a nuclear accord with Iran. Amid stringent Covid measures including curbs on movements, Blinken met separately at his hotel with…

PARIS: The French prosecutor’s department said yesterday there were no grounds to pursue legal claims that France bore responsibility for enabling the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Rwanda last month published a report in which it said that France was aware that genocide was being prepared in Rwanda ahead of the killings. France’s top prosecutor, Remy Heitz, said that investigations carried out by French authorities could not prove any complicity by French troops in the killings which were orchestrated by the Hutu-led government and left 800 000 dead. Critics of France’s role have said that then French President Francois Mitterrand failed to prevent the massacres or even supported the Hutu-led government. | Reuters…

MANCHESTER United will punish club supporters who committed criminal acts during the protests on Sunday which led to the Premier League match against Liverpool being postponed, the club said yesterday. United supporters protesting against the club’s American owners, the Glazer family, stormed into Manchester’s Old Trafford stadium, which was closed to fans due to Covid-19 restrictions, before the scheduled start of the match. “The majority of our fans have and will condemn criminal damage, along with any violence towards club staff, police or other fans, and these now become a police matter,” United said in a statement. “The club has no desire to see peaceful protestors punished, but will work with the police to identify those involved in criminal activity, and will also issue its own sanctions to any season…

The PRO14 Rainbow Cup law variations could not only benefit the game but also grow a more fan-friendly experience. Last weekend, South African sides played the first round of the Rainbow Cup SA competition, and there were a good few talking points that emerged from the domestic action. There was the Stormers’ how-did-that-happen 33-30 defeat to the Sharks at Cape Town Stadium; there was Pieter-Steph du Toit’s impressive comeback; there were the pleasing performances from the Springbok players; that thunderstorm of cards in Cape Town … you get the picture. It was certainly not a dull opening weekend. Apart from all that, another big feature at the weekend were the law variations that are being trialled during the Rainbow Cup. The rugby public have already had a taste of the…

Bang Showbiz BILLIE Eilish, 19, has revealed there is a lot of “angry” energy on her upcoming second studio album, Happier Than Ever. The Your Power singer channelled a lot of “anger and frustration” into the songs on her hotly-anticipated follow-up to her acclaimed 2019 debut record When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? She told the latest issue of British Vogue magazine – of which she is the cover star – that: “It was very satisfying to scream. Because I was very angry. There’s so much anger in those songs – anger and disappointment and frustration.” She also touched on how her songwriting has matured as she discussed the positives to come out of the global pandemic.“I’ve grown so much and gotten so much better in…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za THE Department of Social Development (Sassa) says there are no plans to extend the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant despite growing calls for the programme to be renewed. The grant was introduced last year by President Cyril Ramaphosa as part of social relief initiatives aimed at tackling the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The grant has benefited millions of unemployed South Africans. Earlier this year, when the grant was extended by Ramaphosa for a further three months, Sassa said it had processed over 9 million applications each month since May 2020. In January it had paid more than 6.5 million grants a month. The total expenditure had exceeded R16 billion, the agency said. On April 30, Sassa issued a short statement insisting that the grant…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za THE LATEST tension in the Zulu monarchy played out yesterday after some members of the royal family called another impromptu press conference where they lambasted Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, telling him to get out of their affairs. Royal sources said the press conference at which Buthelezi was bashed was a culmination of the anger bottled up by senior Princess Thembi Ndlovu (nee Zulu), Prince Mbonisi and others. They arrived at the Khangela palace in Nongoma to mourn the passing of Queen Mantfombi Dlamini-Zulu, and during that time asked for an audience with Buthelezi, who on Sunday rebuked them. Buthuelezi told the princess she currently had no role in royal affairs, as she was married. He also told Prince Mbonisi that he was born out of wedlock. However,…

THIS week, my emotions have been so up and down that it has taken its toll on me. One of the defining moments was sad and uplifting at the same time. It involved a monument of a man in homelessness who traded his skarrel wares in Buitenkant Street opposite the old Robbie Nurock Day Hospital for years. He used to say he was born "into the streets”. His mom had been homeless and imprisoned when she gave birth to him. That was the only life he had known. Last week, after a lengthy battle with TB that had visibly weakened him over the past year, his journey on the streets and its prisons was over. He was ready for his next and brand-new journey God intended for him. Late last…

Thulani Dasa | Member of Portfolio Committee: Safety and Security Cape Town We call on all workers to unite, irrespective of union affiliation, to form grassroots strike committees that are accountable to prevent the chaotic and violent strikes that we’ve seen around our country. Workers must not fight each other while the bosses laugh all the way to the bank. Today we have tripartite alliance leaders in the Cabinet who have portrayed themselves as champions of the poor and working class but who live in opulence. These so-called pro-poor hypocrites drive million-rand cars and stay in the most expensive hotels and in world-class leafy suburbs in the land. During election time Cosatu and the SACP perpetuate the myth of a pro-poor ANC notwithstanding all evidence to the contrary.…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za THE City has condemned the actions of a rogue group of Imizamo Yethu (IY) residents, who have been terrorising contractors and staff working on the IY Housing Phase 3 Project and the renovation of the Hout Bay Sports Complex. According to the area’s councillor, Hout Bay residents might end up paying for the actions of the group, who had threatened to bring the projects to a halt if they were not hired to work on them. While operations at both projects resumed yesterday, the City said it was monitoring the situation. Hout Bay councillor Roberto Quintas said the members of the group, about 20 youths, had been identified, and following their reign of terror at the two sites last week, police were taking action. Quintas…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za WITH around two weeks left before the start of phase 2 in the vaccine roll-out, the provincial Health Department is attempting to mobilise individuals who are 60 years old and above to register to be vaccinated. Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo conducted a seniors registration drive in Ruyterwacht and visited the Ruyterwacht Community Day Centre yesterday. She is expected to continue the campaign at the Durbanville town centre today. Phase 2 of the vaccine roll-out is expected to begin on May 17. The government’s Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) is open for registration for those 60 years and older. “The registration drive went very well, we went to three streets at Ruyterwacht. Those were the houses with elderly people. Community health-care workers delivered chronic medication while the…

Deep-rooted issues behind the Covid crisis show the current situation was not inevitable INDIA finds itself in the throes of a humanitarian disaster. Until March this year, case numbers were low in most parts of the country, leading many to think that the worst was over. Much like in Brazil though, jingoism, overconfidence and false reassurance from the political elite negated hard-won progress. Mass gatherings have acted as state-sanctioned super-spreader events. More infectious variants and a sluggish uptake of vaccines are also fuelling the surge. These are the triggers, but there are more deep-rooted issues at the heart of the crisis. India is an inherently high-risk country for an epidemic. The country holds 1.4 billion people, living in crowded areas with extensive community networks and limited facilities for sanitation, isolation…

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned of serious repercussions from President Joe Biden’s push for US forces full exit from Afghanistan. In April, Biden announced plans to fully withdraw American troops from Afghanistan by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, despite the 2020 US-Taliban peace deal having set May 1 as the deadline for the pull out. In an interview with CNN, Clinton described Biden’s move as “a very difficult decision” and “a wicked problem”. She argued that the US should brace itself for “two huge consequences at some point in the not-too-distant future”, including the possible collapse of the Kabul government and “a takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, probably with a resumption of civil war in certain parts of the country”. “There…

Berlin: German police said yesterday that they had shut down “one of the biggest darknet child pornography platforms in the world” and arrested four of its members in a series of raids in mid-April. The platform, named as “Boystown”, had existed since 2019 and counted over 400 000 members. Three men between the ages of 40 and 64 were arrested in seven raids in Germany, while a further suspect was detained in Paraguay on the request of German authorities. Investigators said the months-long, German-instigated operation had been co-ordinated by Europol and supported by law enforcement in the Netherlands, Sweden, the US and Canada. Darknet sites are invisible to most internet users and can only be accessed by using encryption technology. | AFP…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi has warned his team to remain humble as they close in on a record 400th Premiership victory. Sundowns achieved their 399th league win with a 3-0 humiliation of Orlando Pirates on Sunday. The Brazilians will look to rewrite the history books when they face Maritzburg United tomorrow. Mngqithi was, though, not happy with his team's showboating during the victory over the Buccaneers as it did not represent the type of sportsmanship he is renowned for. “When we win we must always win with a lot of humility. I was not happy with the sounds the players were making when we were keeping possession. That is a sign of arrogance and personally I am someone who doesn't like people that are arrogant,” he…

Jamal Grootboom KHLOé Kardashian’s boyfriend, Tristan Thompson, has allegedly been caught in a new web of cheating scandals. Last week, model Sydney Chase appeared on the No Jumper podcast with the Blackout Girls, where she claimed to have been hooking up with Tristan months after he rekindled things with Khloé. Now another woman, Kim Cakery, has come forward with more cheating allegations. In screenshots of the post on Instagram shared by the Shade Room, Kim claims that Tristan has allegedly been cheating on Khloé with other women who have kids, with another child possibly on the way. Tweeps weren’t surprised by the allegations.…

Mthuthuzeli Ntseku mthuthuzeli.ntseku@inl.co.za ONLY a day after Lonwabo Jack, 22, was buried, Nyanga East has suffered yet another tragedy after a 24-year-old artist was murdered at the weekend. Zolani Nikani, also known as Vocal Zoid, was allegedly stabbed by his close friend after a disagreement while party- ing in Matanzima Road in Mau-Mau section at the weekend. The friend has since handed himself over to police. Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said the man, 23, would appear in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court once he had been charged. Nyanga community policing forum (CPF) chairperson Martin Makhasi said: “It worries us as the CPF and the community that young people seem to be behaving violently and killing each other. We are not sure what informed this notion that when there is a dispute,…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za POLICE arrested a 15-year-old boy in Kraaifontein, for the possession of an imitation firearm. The teen, who will appear in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court once charged, was apprehended by police following up on information from the public about a shooting incident in Willie Street, Scottsdene. Police spokesperson Colonel André Traut said the minor had been processed in terms of the Children’s Act. “Police, following up on information from the public, arrested a 15-year-old boy for being in possession of a handmade firearm, also referred to as a zip gun. Kraaifontein community development forum secretary Louis Botha said the organisation was grateful to the area’s residents, who assisted police by giving them the correct information to work with, ensuring that the suspect in a shooting incident…

Sne Masuku sne.masuku@inl.co.za THE Elders Voice organisation has called for the military training of young men in order to be taught discipline following another rape of an elderly woman. It is alleged that a 89-year-old grandmother was raped at her home in the Ubombo area, northern KwaZulu-Natal, allegedly by her grandson. Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said the 25-year-old grandson appeared in the Ubombo Magistrate’s Court and was remanded in custody. The elderly woman was sitting in the yard under the tree so she could easily get up to use the toilet. Mbele said that at about 5pm, the woman’s daughter-in-law heard her crying in the toilet. She found her inside the toilet, covered in blood. “She told her daughter-in-law she had been raped by one of her grandchildren.” Mbele…

Mohamed Saeed | Pietermaritzburg COUNTRIES around the globe are under pressure and worried about the record numbers of new Covid-19 infections. The emergence of new variants and the tragedy unfolding in India should serve as a compelling reason for the South African government to step up vaccination efforts and to continuously promote safety and prevention measures. According to reports, South Africa has the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths on the African continent. Besides the deaths and the considerable strain on health-care facilities, the high financial and economic cost of the pandemic is evident in most homes and businesses. To this end, the South African government needs to increase vigilance at grass roots level if we want to limit the impact of a possible third wave. In…

Jean Michel Bouvier | Bryanston I READ in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s weekly letter, after his video conference last week, that he prioritised climate change. Pandering to the sheep and banging his cymbals, it seems that every week he changes his main target and focus, with a different thumbsuck when he wakes up each morning. Last week it was the economy. The week before that it was student funding. And before that it was attracting foreign investment. Before that it was the pandemic and the vaccines. He has forgotten his other mantra – to tackle poverty and inequality. Climate change is not a switch to be turned on and off. It is a time-consuming and bring with it a myriad problems that even economies in the top tier economically…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za AFTER resolving the water and sanitation issue on the Atlantic Seaboard, the City says residents living in other parts of the city can rest assured that the water coming out of their taps is not contaminated with any harmful agents. Mayco member for water and waste Xanthea Limberg said there was no need for city residents to be concerned about the quality of their water. “There is no need for residents in Cape Town to be concerned about the quality of their water. “The ’do not consume water’ advisory was only issued as a precaution after taste/odour complaints were received. Investigations, however, found no health-related non-compliance in the system.” According to the City, no other water-quality complaints had been received in other areas, and the city’s water…

Staff Reporter One cyberattack could lead to a series of similar attacks on companies. This was according to Bryan Turner, a data analyst at World Wide Worx, who said it was only a matter of time before other companies experienced the same fate. Recently, Virgin Active announced that it had been the victim of a cyber attack. “Our security teams immediately started working with cybersecurity experts to carefully contain, manage and investigate the cyber-event. “The security of our systems and data is a top priority for us and we are doing everything we can to rectify the situation,” it said. Virgin Active also notified the Information Regulator and was in contact with law enforcement. Turner said that weak passwords and/or credentials were the leading cause of many cyberattacks. “Most likely,…

CORRUPTION has become so endemic to South Africa that a process that should, in a normal society, be straightforward is subject to greed and theft. Such is the case with the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), which has been mired in theft and corruption for years, despite the government’s best intentions to fix the beleaguered agency. NSFAS is supposed to help poor students access tertiary education but, over time and like many institutions in South Africa, the culture of corruption and unaccountability has seeped through its ranks. The auditor-general’s latest report, which scrutinises the government’s financial accounts, found that NSFAS had incurred irregular expenditure of R50.1 billion. This included fees that were paid to about 440 000 “ghost students”. Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande, in his foreword…

Moderna will supply 34 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine this year and Sweden has donated 1 million AstraZeneca shots to the global Covax programme as it struggles to secure enough supplies to inoculate the world’s poorest people. The advance purchase contract agreed with Moderna is for up to 500 million doses, but the roll out will only start in the fourth quarter, with 34 million doses available this year, the Gavi vaccine alliance said yesterday. The bulk – 466 million – would only become available next year. The deal has options to potentially access doses of variant-adapted vaccines in the future. The agreement follows the US drugmaker’s shot being approved for emergency use listing by the WHO on Friday, a prerequisite for Covax eligibility. Gavi runs the Covax vaccine…

SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has doubled down on his government’s decision to hand out a five-year jail term and impose $50 000 (about R720 000) fines on citizens returning from virus-hit India, on the back of criticism by the federal human rights watchdog, which has asked the authorities to revisit the move. “We’re all just working to do what’s right for the health interests of Australians,” Morrison said yesterday. “There’s no politics or ideology in a pandemic,” he said, adding nobody had been jailed under the Biosecurity Act since the pandemic began. | Sputnik…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za South African players at the Indian Premier League must make a decision for themselves about whether they want to continue playing in the tournament. Yesterday the IPL’s bio-secure bubble was breached when players and officials from two teams tested positive for Covid-19. The pandemic has ravaged India in recent weeks, with 368 000 new cases reported yesterday – the 12th day in a row in which the country has reported more than 300 000 on a day. The Kolkata Knight Riders and the Chennai Super Kings had players and staff return positive tests for the virus, leading to the postponement of a match involving the Knight Riders yesterday, while the Super Kings’ match later this week in New Delhi is also in doubt after ground staff at…