Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-05-18 i Cape Argus

Jamal Grootboom jamald.grootboom@inl.co.za Talk show legend Oprah Winfrey shared her viewing process for The Underground Railroad starring South Africa’s own Thuso Mbedu. Taking to Instagram over the weekend, Oprah like many other viewers tuned to stream The Underground Railroad on Amazon Prime Video. Rocking in a chair alongside her “daughter-like” Sade, she shared how you need to take breaks while watching the show just to regulate yourself due to the show being a heavy watch. She said while watching it you should “pace yourself” especially after the first episode. She also congratulates the series director Barry Jenkins on a job well done. In the caption of the post, she praises Mbedu, calling her portrayal of Cora the “performance of a lifetime”. “I have been watching @theugrailroadtv all week and I…

CONTROVERSIAL businessman and alleged underworld kingpin Nafiz Modack and his co-accused appeared briefly in the Blue Downs Regional Court yesterday. The matter had to be postponed after counsels were informed that the presiding magistrate had had an accident and could not make it to court. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the matter was moved to another court- room and postponed on the record. Modack, initially set to apply for bail on Friday, was slapped with a murder charge by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks). Modack and Ricardo Morgan will be appearing alongside former professional rugby player turned debt collector Zane Killian for the murder of former top Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) detective Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear. He was gunned down in front of his Bishop Lavis home…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za KRAAIFONTEIN community leaders say that despite the area’s violence track record the community is well on its way to overcoming its difficulties. According to the Kraaifontein Community Development Forum, residents are set on turning the tide on violent crime. The forum was speaking to the Cape Argus after the murder and robbery of two shopkeepers in Wallacedene on Saturday and the robbery of a liquor store the previous week. The forum’s secretary, Louis Botha, said that while recent stats of violent crimes had shown a 40% decrease, business extortion that had mostly been heard of in other communities had begun to take off in Kraaifontein. Botha said: “Violent crimes which involve stabbings are still a major concern. Domestic violence-related crimes have lessened. However, areas like Scottsville…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons Tarryn-Leigh.Solomons@iinl.co.za THE Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSA) says its exclusion from wage negotiations by the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) and the unions involved is “childish and lacks vision”. On May 11 the PSA, which represents almost 235 000 public servants, filed a dispute for conciliation against the PSCBC. The declaration of the dispute resulted in the PSA being excluded from the wage talks facilitation process. Reuben Maleka, the acting deputy manager for members’ affairs at the PSA, said conciliation is a 30-day process and almost seven days have now lapsed, and the delay by the Bargaining Council in setting the matter down for conciliation will ultimately lead to strike action. “Parties in the PSCBC have reached a deadlock during the wage negotiations in the…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za WOMEN and men will next week walk in heels from the Johannesburg CBD to Hillbrow in solidarity with sex workers set on decriminalising the trade. Activist, academic and artist Nomsa Mazwai is the founder of a non-profit organisation called #FunkItImWalking, whose aim is to make the streets safer for women to walk at any time of the day and under any conditions. The NPO organises walks in various parts of Johannesburg to highlight how valuable safety is for women and the community at large. The organisation has joined forces for the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Task Force (Sweat) and Sisonke, a national movement of sex workers, to publicise the plight of sex workers in a bid to decriminalise sex work. “Injury to one is injury to…

Adiel Ismail | Mountview I AM sure that like me, many Cape Argus readers are saddened by the recent turn of events in Palestine, especially the wrongful eviction of residents in Sheikh Jarrah by the Israeli forces. Looking closely at how the Palestinians have been ill-treated in the month of the fast, one begs to ask the question, “Do the Israelis not possess an iota of mercy in their being?” What is wrong with them? A UN human rights official stated that the approximately 2 million Gazans lived in a “toxic slum” and endured power outages of 16 hours a day and running water available only every second day. Currently, electricity supply has been reduced to five hours a day and water supply halved from an already reduced…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za In celebration of International Museum Day today, Iziko Museums invites the public to the launch of the 2nd Iziko Virtual Symposium set to be presented via Zoom and live streamed on the Iziko Facebook page. The symposium will take place today and tomorrow and are facilitated by Iziko Educator Glynn Alard with interactive lunchtime sessions showcasing the work, research and practice of Iziko curators, collections staff, conservators and educators, and explore the museums’ collections within today’s environmental and social contexts. Alard said some presenters included in the symposium are Tessa Davids, Hayden Proud, Ntombi Tywakadi, Sibusiso Mtungata and others to look forward to. “The aim is not just to experience the spaces, but to meet the people who make it all possible. “Ordinary visitors to our museums…

Andrew Jacobs has worked at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden for more than 45 years, and is well known for his warm, bubbly personality, affable smile and the ability to make his enchanting tales about one of the world’s most famous garden appeal to, and inspire, any visitor. Jacobs joined Kirstenbosch in January 1976, and is now a communications officer and tour guide. Those who have enjoyed one of his tours will tell you he is light-hearted yet passionate, and has a great knowledge of conservation and sustainability. His narrative connects with audiences of all ages. Jacobs is one of 12 children whose father worked at Kirstenbosch for decades. His journey began in the nursery under the guidance of botanist Walter Wisura, who had immense knowledge of succulents. Wisura taught Jacobs…

Tony Walker What’s next in the latest Middle East convulsion? Will a ceasefire between the Hamas militant group in Gaza and Israel be brokered by Arab mediators in co-ordination with Western powers? Or will the situation continue to deteriorate? Are we witnessing the beginning of an intensifying conflict in which Israelis find themselves enveloped in a bloody confrontation with Palestinians across the occupied territories and, more threateningly, inside Israel itself? Will Israel become enmeshed in widespread communal unrest on its own territory in Arab towns and villages? In short, are we witnessing the early stages of a third intifada, in which casualties mount on both sides until the participants exhaust themselves? We’ve seen all this before – in 1987 and 2000. Then, as now, violence spread from territories…

LA PAZ: Bolivian authorities said they struck a significant blow against cocaine producers in the country after the discovery and destruction of three “mega-factories” that they stated could produce up to 910 kg of crack a day. Police found the tarpaulin-covered, makeshift factories hidden in forestry reserves and national parks in eastern Beni province, central Cochabamba and south-central Santa Cruz, law enforcement ministries said. Longtime former Bolivian President Evo Morales, pictured, himself a former coca farmer, increased quotas for legal cultivation of the crop. Those have been maintained by current President Luis Arce, but anything cultivated in excess of the agreed amounts is destroyed.…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za Maritzburg United let a virtual “six-point swing” slip through their grasp over the weekend in a 1-0 defeat to Tshakuma Tsha Madzivhandila. Had coach Ernst Middendorp’s team managed to claim the three points on offer, it would have lifted the KwaZulu-Natal side to 31 points and above Kaizer Chiefs into 10th place on the Premiership table. TTM would have stayed on 25 points. Instead, Maritzburg went down to their fellow league strugglers and were dragged back into the relegation scrap and are now level with the Limpopo side on 28 points, just three above the relegation zone. It stands to reason that Middendorp was fuming after the defeat at the Peter Mokaba Stadium, labelling his team's performance as "nonsense" and "unacceptable". "We conceded a goal with one…

HERMAN GIBBS The once-mighty Kaizer Chiefs are shaping up as the unlikely lone flag bearers for South African football on the African continent by the time the Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup quarter-finals are decided this weekend. Chiefs shocked friend and foe alike over the weekend when they overwhelmed Tanzanian giants Simba SC to the tune of 4-0, and the margin could well have been bigger. The 4-0 win marks one of the biggest yet by a SA team on the continent. Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates, both former Champions League winners, are the only two SA teams to record runaway wins in Africa. Over time, Sundowns and Pirates have enjoyed 5-0 and 3-0 wins over Al Ahly, the aristocrats of African football. The Egyptian giants have won…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za SPRINGBOK prop duo Lizo Gqoboka and Trevor Nyakane rightfully got most of the plaudits for their role in the Bulls’ second-half domination of the Sharks at the weekend. But spare a thought for locks Walt Steenkamp and Ruan Nortjé, as well as blindside flank Elrigh Louw, for how they got stuck into the Durban side in their 43-9 Rainbow Cup SA victory at Loftus Versfeld. Bulls coach Jake White noted afterwards that it was a “blessing” that they had their top locks available, as he mentioned that the Stormers were missing Salmaan Moerat, JD Schickerling and Marvin Orie for their 39-37 win over the Lions. The Pretoria side are actually also missing a key second-rower, Sintu Manjezi, who was influential in January’s Currie Cup final before sustaining…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za A RETREAT toddler’s hopes for better hearing were realised after she had a successful operation which was made possible through fund-raising efforts. Featured in the Cape Argus last month, parents Abigail and Ryan Arendse appealed to the public to assist with funding for cochlear implants for their 3-year-old daughter, Elle. One device had already been covered by the family’s medical aid, but they needed another R300 000 for the other device and associated costs. The operation, lasting about three hours, took place at Mediclinic Cape Gate, yesterday. At just five months old, Elle was fitted with hearing aids after tests showed she had bilateral “moderate to severe” hearing loss. As she grew, her hearing deteriorated and cochlear implants were needed, according to specialists. At the weekend, family,…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za THE arrest of 11 suspects early yesterday, in connection with a series of shootings in Khayelitsha on Saturday that left 13 people dead and several injured, has been welcomed. Khayelitsha Development Forum chairperson Ndithini Tyhido said the forum was relieved by the arrests, and congratulated the police on their swift response. Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said the provincial police’s integrated task team, comprising lockdown 2 forces, intelligence officials, organised crime detectives and a combat contingent, pounced on the suspects at a hotel in Sea Point at about 3am yesterday. Potelwa said the suspects were being questioned with a view to charging them later. This came after nine people were shot and killed at different locations in Site B, Khayelitsha, on Saturday. Four others succumbed to…

William Phungula william.phungula@inl.co.za THE ANC’s KwaZulu-Natal regional elective conferences are likely to be postponed after most of the branches were disqualified due to technical glitches from the embattled party’s head office at Luthuli House in Johannesburg. Almost all the party’s regions were due for conferences, and were given a deadline of May 30 to have sat and elected new leaders. With only two weeks remaining on the deadline, regions have raised concerns that they were unlikely to meet it. Regions had, in the past, complained about delays which they said were caused by demarcation processes and the situation was compounded by the disqualification of many branches that had already held their branch general meetings (BGMs). The party’s KZN provincial spokesperson, Nhlakanipho Ntombela, said most of the branches, which sat…

Samaoen Osman | Crawford IT SEEMS it is the fate of Palestinians to face the worst of apartheid policies under the Zionist occupied apartheid Israel’s military occupation. Denial of human rights, dispossessions, expulsions, evictions, ID confiscations, house demolitions, land grabs, airstrikes, tank shelling, targeted assassinations, warships, refugees, military occupation. These are terms among many others that Palestinians are used to hearing and using. The events at Al-Aqsa Mosque and in Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in the occupied holy city of Jerusalem are a reminder of the ethnic cleansing that has never stopped since 1948. Millions of Muslims will have a hard time forgetting the ugly images of the Israeli state’s police with helmets and rifles as they desecrated the compound and its mosques and attacked thousands of fasting…

Wendy Kahn | SA Jewish Board of Deputies Rowan Polovin | SA Zionist Federation The images coming out of the current conflict between Israel and Gaza are causing emotions to run deep. It is not surprising sentiment is running high as the conflict is both polarising and divisive. There has nonetheless got to be an acknowledgement there is suffering by ordinary civilians on both sides of this conflict. This includes the recognition that, since the start of this war, there have been almost 3 000 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli cities, of which approximately 450 failed launches fell in the Gaza Strip (often resulting in civilian deaths of Palestinians). Enter here, Dirco. It is commendable the government is concerned about innocent civilians. However, it…

Clinton Thom | general manager, Radisson Blu Hotel. Waterfront. IT’S been more than a year since Covid-19 changed all of our lives. A number of industries have been hard hit, and, unfortunately, the tourism industry took a beating. Our survival has come down to how we businesses have managed to adapt and change, but, most importantly, it has been because of the people of South Africa. To each and every person who has been part of this journey, whether by supporting the industry or simply by doing their part to beat Covid-19, we say thank you. We were naturally concerned when borders were closed and travel was stopped, and we essentially had to shut down operations. Even when the country opened up, we knew that it would be…

STAFF REPORTER MANY SOUTH Africans were disappointed after Andrea Meza of Mexico was crowned the 2021 Miss Universe winner on Sunday. Meza was crowned by SA’s Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi. The 69th edition of the Miss Universe competition took place in Hollywood, Florida. Last year’s ceremony was postponed because of Covid-19, which made Tunzi the longest-running title holder in the pageant’s history. SA’s Natasha Joubert thanked everyone for their support and said the Miss Universe experience would be something she would never forgot. She also paid tribute to Meza as well as congratulating runner-up Miss Brazil, Julia Gama, and second runner-up Miss Peru, Janick Maceta Del Castillo. “I knew, going into the competition, that I had big shoes to fill and I gave it my utmost. I hope…

THE 11 justices of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of South Africa are supposed to be independent. They cannot be members of Parliament, of the government, or of political parties. They are required to be impartial and to uphold justice for all the people of South Africa, without fear, favour or prejudice. This was as a result of the pre-1994 multi-party negotiations that the judiciary should transform. The objectives of the transformation of the legal system are to overhaul old-order legislation, apartheid policies and legal precedent, and to ensure equal justice for all. Sections 174 to 178 of the Constitution deal with the appointment of judicial officers and the creation of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), whose crucial and primary function is to screen candidates. First, the JSC –…

Israel yesterday assassinated a senior militant commander in the Gaza Strip, the country’s forces claimed, triggering a fresh barrage of rockets on Israeli cities. Israel’s Shin Bet security service and the military said in a joint statement that warplanes struck and killed Hasam Abu Harbid, commander of the Northern Division of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a militant group in Gaza that has been fighting alongside Hamas in the recent escalation. Abu Harbid “has consistently led rocket launches against Israel, as well as shooting attacks at soldiers”, the statement read, adding he was behind an attack last Monday in which an Israeli civilian was injured. He was a commander in the Islamic Jihad for the past 15 years, according to the statement. Shortly after the attack, a rocket barrage from Gaza…

Bogota: The Colombian government said on Sunday that it would consider protesters’ demands to “guarantee the right to protest” as a condition for negotiations after 19 days of bloody demonstrations against President Ivan Duque. Triggered by a now-abandoned tax reform plan, the nationwide demonstrations have drawn thousands of pandemic-weary Colombians to the streets, venting their anger over poverty, yawning inequality and the government’s harsh response to the protesters. Spokespersons for the government and the most visible protester organisation met in Bogota for the second time since the protests erupted on April 28. Clashes between the police and protesters have resulted in at least 42 deaths.…

If all goes according to plan, South Africa will have two boats in the Olympic sailing programme in Tokyo for the Olympic Games this year. That’s after Leo Davis secured a qualification spot at last week’s Finn Gold Cup in Portugal to join Benji Daniel and Alex Burger, who qualified in the 49er class last month. Davis had initially dreamed of representing the country at the Olympics in rowing but was eventually named as the reserve to the heavyweight pair that competed in Rio five years ago. After four years training with the high-performance squad under national rowing coach Roger Barrow switched boats in 2018 with a view to competing in Tokyo in sailing. Having successfully secured the continental qualification spot in the Finn class, the Cape Town sailor’s final…

THE WINDSORS: INSIDE THE ROYAL DYNASTY M-NET SERIES, DSTV 115, 7.10PM The marriage between the prince and princess of Wales starts to fall apart and the queen begins to face the greatest challenges of her long reign. MOM VS. WIFE HONEY, DSTV 173, 5PM In a fresh take on a cooking show, the mother and bride-to-be of the groom-to-be each prepare a dish. While blindfolded, he’ll choose the one he likes best. YES! NIDO! BEENI!: ZAMBIA HONEY, DSTV 173, 7.30PM A team of Zambian event planners help men to plan a wedding proposal to knock the socks off their significant others.…

Sihle Mavuso and Zintle Mahlati FORMER president Jacob Zuma has hinted that he may also defy the Pietermaritzburg High Court should his rights be violated during his corruption trial. The former president made this veiled threat yesterday. Zuma was addressing his supporters outside the court where he appeared before Judge Piet Koen for his long-standing corruption trial. He is accused of pocketing bribes from former financial adviser Schabir Shaik during the country’s arms procurement phase of the late 1990s. Zuma’s threat came as the case was moved to May 26. Addressing his supporters about his concerns, Zuma said his legal team, now led by advocate Thabani Masuku SC, was in the process of filing an application to have the State prosecutor, advocate Billy Downer SC, recuse himself. Speaking in Zulu,…

THE HAWKS yesterday arrested four Eastern Cape Education Department officials and a businessman on charges of fraud, corruption and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). Spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela said former chief education specialist Noxolo Valencia Gwarube, 50; former education superintendent-general Mthunywa Lawrence Ngonzo, 58; education deputy director-general Monwabisi Raymond Tywakadi, 60; education deputy director in information technology (IT) Tyrone Graig Fourie, 48; and Hermanus Bouwer Smith, 47, the director of Siegesmund Trust; were arrested by the East London Serious Corruption Investigation team. It is alleged they defrauded the Eastern Cape Education Department out of R59 million. The suspects were each granted R5 000 bail. Mgolodela said in 2014, about 33 publishers were invited by the department’s Learning and Teaching Support Material unit (LTSM) to showcase their products.…

Sisonke Mlamla Sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za THE killing of a police officer on Sunday, at a car wash in Mfuleni, has been linked to alleged underworld boss Nafiz Modack. Koliswa Vani, 50, who was stationed at the Delft police station was shot and killed, while three others, including her three-year-old grandson, were wounded. Reports emanated that Magistrate AC Mashala who presides at the Blue Downs Regional Court was among those injured. Police spokesperson FC Van Wyk said cases of murder and attempted murder were opened for investigation. Van Wyk said all injured victims were taken to a nearby hospital. The suspects fled the scene in a white Toyota Avanza, and were yet to be arrested. In a leaked police report, it was alleged that Vani took her vehicle to the carwash. While…

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za THE chairperson of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, yesterday expressed concern over testimony by City of Joburg mayor Geoff Makhubo. During Makhubo’ s testimony, Zondo wanted to know why Makhubo remained silent when he was sent emails concerning improper tender procedures. Zondo said Makhubo, who was returning for the second time to give testimony at the commission, should have found it "embarrassing" that an impression was created about his improper involvement in these tenders. Zondo's sentiments came after Makhubo told the commission that he had no idea, and never questioned, why his friend and former business partner Patrick Makubedu sent him emails containing business proposals, invoices and blank letters of an appointment related to a City IT tender. The…

Jean Michel Bouvier | Bryanston THE German government is getting more pathetic, pitiful and feeble by the day. I was appalled, and I found it deplorable and shameful, when I heard their foreign minister the other day saying that they fully support Israel and the steps they have taken against Hamas and the Palestinians. Are they so blind, deaf and dumb to the extreme suffering Israel has kept on inflicting over the past 73 years on the Palestinians? What is happening? Gaza is the biggest open-air prison in the world, and Israel attacks and kills civilians there and bombs buildings and infrastructure at its leisure without any consequences. Has Germany’s guilt complex for its World War II crimes of brutality, cruelty and atrocities taken over to ignore today’s…

Allan Wolman | Tel Aviv, Israel THE vitriol and hatred on talk shows, in newspapers columns and on TV screens have reached a crescendo almost out of control resulting from the Middle East conflict being waged between Israel and Palestine (Gaza). But this is being fired on, not by the two protagonists, but by the media – both printed and visual. In fact, it’s damn good for business – it sells more newspapers, attracts higher ratings for TV networks and greater radio listenership numbers. Taking sides, however, just or unjust is irrelevant – what is relevant is the images of the dead and wounded children. This is what the media thrives on. Two examples of this illustrate what the agenda of the press is all about: firstly, the…

AN IMMEDIATE and massive increase in food aid is urgently needed for people in southern Madagascar, says international medical organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF), whose teams in the region are witnessing an exceptionally severe malnutrition crisis which, in some places, borders on famine. “We’re seeing totally destitute people who have literally nothing to eat and are teetering on the edge of survival. “Some have had to sell their cooking utensils and don’t even have containers to fetch water,” said Julie Reversé, MSF operations co-ordinator in Madagascar. In some villages in the Amboasary district in the Anôsy region, MSF teams have found that 28% of children under 5 are acutely malnourished, one-third of whom have severe malnutrition and are therefore at high risk of death. According to recent figures released by…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za AS SOUTH Africa emerges from Covid-19, the World Wide Fund for Nature SA (WWF) has launched the “For Nature. For Us” campaign, as part of its efforts to create a more sustainable relationship between humans and the environment. Th campaign encourages the public to donate towards vital environmental conservation projects, aiming to raise funds with donations between R100 to R500 for conservation projects focused on wildlife, oceans, health and clean air. WWF South Africa Head of Business Development Justin Smith said ecosystems were rapidly declining because of the continued environmental mistreatment, which is why the WWF had initiated the campaign. “We must act if we want to continue to have access to all the ‘free’ services that nature offers us – from the food we eat to…

Sne Masuku sne.masuku@inl.co.za THE National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the recent prosecution of high-ranking court officials was an indication that no one was above the law. The NPA director of public prosecutions in KwaZulu-Natal, Advocate Elaine Zungu, was responding to the latest prosecution of Zanele Molefe, 42, on charges of defeating the ends of justice. Molefe was a district court prosecutor at the time of the offence and has since been dismissed from her duties by the NPA. She was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment by the Camperdown Regional Court on Friday. The court heard that she abused her position of trust and failed to deliver on her mandate as a prosecutor. The case related to a 2015 incident when Molefe was based in the Mooi River Magistrate’s Court where…

As a follow-up to my column (April 20), about Our House and its uncertain future, Community Chest responded: “This model was always a temporary intervention in order to allow residents time to become employed, independent and able to transition to more secure livelihoods. As Mr Mesquita notes, many residents achieved success. However, Our House has become financially unsustainable … and it was agreed that Mr Mesquita would seek to ensure the longevity and sustainability of the initiative.” What Community Chest do not say in their response is that in January, it agreed to support my venture going forward by becoming rent-funder for Our House on a month-to-month basis while the owner sought to sell the house, and that should the house be sold, the owner would give them three months'…

Unlikely that herd immunity will be reached any time soon, but a new normalcy’s possible What is herd immunity? Herd immunity occurs when there are enough immune people in a population that new infections stop. It means that enough people have achieved immunity to disrupt person-to-person transmission in the community, thereby protecting non-immune people. Immunity can result from either vaccination or prior infection. Herd immunity may exist globally, as it does with smallpox, or in a country or region. For example, the US and many other countries have achieved herd immunity for polio and measles, even though global herd immunity does not exist. Has herd immunity been achieved globally for other infections? This has happened only once on a global scale, with the eradication of smallpox in 1980. This was…

Twelve civilians have been killed in a contested oil-rich border region claimed by Sudan and South Sudan in what local government officials said yesterday was a massacre by nomadic herdsmen. The attack took place early on Sunday at a village some 64km east of the main town in Abyei, a disputed region under UN protection since South Sudan gained independence in 2011. Kon Manyiet Matiok, the deputy chief administrator of the Abyei Administrative Area, said armed Misseriya herders from Sudan stormed the village of the Dunguob before dawn. “They attacked the area from three different directions, and the result was the killing of 12 people,” Matiok told AFP, adding that seven people were hospitalised with serious injuries. “Abyei Administration and the entire people of Abyei condemn this brutal, barbaric and…

KIGALI: RWANDA’S biggest referral King Faisal Hospital has received a financial boost from the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB) to upgrade its outpatient facilities with over $14 million (R198m) in a 6-year primary forfeiting transaction, the bank announced yesterday. In addition to the new outpatient clinic and doubling of the hospital’s outpatient facilities capacity to 45 consultation rooms, TDB’s financing will support the renovation and construction of the outpatient block’s education and research centre, day care premium facilities, electric substation, safety ramps, and main entrance and lobby. Patient flow will be quicker with better healthcare services and cutting-edge medical technology, it said..…

Morne Steyn has made it into Springbok talks more and more over the last few months, so what does that mean for the other candidates? The last few weeks have dished up some interesting and encouraging displays as far as the national picture is concerned. There has been loose forward Pieter-Steph du Toit’s remarkable comeback after spending more than a year on the sidelines due to a complicated injury, a comeback which of course bodes well for the Boks ahead of the British & Irish Lions series. After all, how can we forget about the Stormers forward’s heroics in Japan and the massive role he has come to play for South Africa? Then there has been Damian Willemse steadily settling into his role at fullback for the Stormers, something that…