Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-07-21 i Cape Argus

GIVEN MAJOLA given.majola@inl.co.za SOCIAL media companies Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and even TikTok were capitalising on the growing trend of social commerce as a new way to buy and sell goods, electronic funds transfer payment provider Ozow said yesterday. The payment platform’s co-founder and chief executive, Thomas Pays, said this trend was redefining where and how people shopped. He said social media platforms had introduced shopping portals and added functionality to allow people to buy and sell goods directly via their platforms. Pays said although the increased use of social commerce continued to redefine the way retailers operated, consumers’ shopping behaviour during Covid-19 cemented their value as the generation that was steadfastly transforming the economy. “Back in 2016, Facebook launched its Marketplace to cater to people wanting to use their…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za THE parliamentary committee to conduct an inquiry into the fitness of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to hold office will meet next week to discuss and agree on a roadmap. This was the word from the newly-elected chairperson, ANC MP Qubudile Dyantyi, after he was unanimously elected. “As of tomorrow we will kick-start with the National Assembly team the process of document availability,” he said yesterday. Dyantyi was given the nod after deputy chief whip Doris Dlakude nominated him and he was then seconded by his colleague, Mondli Gungubele. Dyantyi has been an MP since May 2019. He previously served in the Western Cape legislature, and once served as an MEC for local government and housing when the ANC controlled the province. Dyantyi, who is a member of…

Ntombi Nkosi ntombi.nkosi@inl.co.za FAMILIES of over 20 people killed in suspected criminal and vigilante acts, allegedly fuelled by racial tension in Phoenix, north of Durban, want police to collect guns from residents and investigate them. KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala visited the bereaved families of the men and women at the Faith in Jesus Ministries Church in Inanda yesterday. The families also expressed dissatisfaction after police reported that only one person thus far had been arrested in connection with the multiple killings. Philisiwe Ngcobo said her brother, Bhekinkosi Ngcobo, and five others were killed with sharp objects. “My brother went to fill up fuel at Palmview in Phoenix. We have never seen him again until we saw him at the mortuary. We were told that my brother and five others were…

IT IS very hard to construe a column that concentrates on the good practice of self-improvement via the agency of literacy. This means that we develop the habit of reading, not as an academic exercise or cognitive engagement for marks. We read to understand. We learn how meaning is encrypted in signs, like the alphabet, pictures, colour, shapes etc. This is why I regard literacy as the acme of academic achievement. It includes reading, and empowers one to optimally navigate one’s environment safely and surely. This is true even for the hearing-, sight-, or physically-impaired. If the normal sensory conduits are impeded due to obstruction of whatever sort, the remaining sensory faculties go into overdrive to compensate and enhance understanding, mobility and reaction. Which brings us to the topic for…

FAROUK ARAIE | GAUTENG After the horrors of World War II, the Marshall Plan was enacted to rebuild a destroyed and decimated Europe. Our leaders and industrialists and investors must as a matter of urgency adopt our version of the Marshall Plan to rebuild our shattered economy and restore civility to our system of governance. Regions that once hosted bustling industrial infrastructure now house desolation and shattered skeletons of factories that were the hub of the food and trade chain. The rampaging insurrection and the Covid third wave has upended life in all parts of the country in ways never witnessed in our recorded history. We will have to confront a fundamentally changed economic landscape. Our embattled nation witnessed profiles in courage, as loyal citizens risked life…

Staff Reporter SOCIAL housing organisation Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU) urged the public to comment and reject the City’s new draft Unlawful Occupation by-law, to prevent it from being turned into law. In a statement released yesterday, NU said the draft by-law “raises constitutional alarm” and was a “shocking assault on poor and working-class families”. The organisation said the draft by-law would criminalise unlawful occupation by creating several offences that could result in the issuing of a fine and/or imprisonment of between six months and two years. The by-law would also allow officials to arrest occupants without a warrant, impound their building materials and goods, search them, and identify and monitor land and buildings susceptible to unlawful occupation. The draft Unlawful Occupation by-law is open for public comment until July 31.…

Kirstie Haslam WHILE the amended Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) regulations – including the introduction of a points-based licence demerit system for traffic offences – comes into effect in July next year, it is worthwhile knowing how this will work. The new system started on July 1 this year but its implementation will be delayed as a massive information drive is needed to inform the public. Therefore, phase one will involve the Transport Department conducting campaigns to ensure road users understand the process involved with the new system. What is the Aarto Amendment Act? Traffic violations in South Africa are handled as criminal offences. Fines are issued and progressed in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Act, and offences are prosecuted in court by the National Prosecuting Authority.…

It’s time for public servants to take a stand against this debilitating scourge When Cyril Ramaphosa took over as president of the Republic of South Africa, he promised to intensify the fight against corruption. He was at pains to explain that corruption erodes democracy and that all South Africans should stand together in the fight against the scourge of corruption. Since then, Ramaphosa has, among other things, signed a number of proclamations authorising the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate corruption, malpractice and maladministration in various institutions in the public sector. This includes authorising the SIU to investigate allegations of corruption in the procurement of Personal Protective Equipment for the Covid-19 pandemic. The SIU is doing everything it can to hold those responsible to account for their actions and to…

DUBAI: Human rights groups have said they feared possible retaliation against United Arab Emirates activist Ahmed Mansoor after the publication of a letter he wrote claiming mistreatment in jail. Mansoor was sentenced to 10 years in 2018 on accusations of spreading false information on social media posts – a verdict activists said showed there was no space for free expression in the UAE. Human Rights Watch and the Gulf Centre for Human Rights said a private letter he wrote detailing his conditions in detention had leaked and was published by a London-based Arabic news site. “It describes being held in solitary confinement, deprived of basic necessities and denied any meaningful contact with other prisoners or the outside world,” they said.…

AHEAD of South Africa’s opening match against Japan at the Tokyo Olympics tomorrow, Matshelane Mamabolo reflects on the historical clash between the two countries that he covered 21 years ago at the Sydney Olympics ... BRUCE Stadium in Canberra was nearly full that night with about 17000 people inside the 25000-seat arena when Siyabonga Nomvethe got us South Africans all giddy as we dreamt of glory. Bhele scored the opening goal in our maiden appearance at the Olympics football tournament to put Shakes Mashaba’s Amaglug-glug (the national under-23 side) 1-0 up against Japan. It was a beautiful goal, Nomvethe managing to get his head onto the ball while seemingly falling the other way to beat the flailing Japanese goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki. The build-up to it was even more exciting,…

Wynona Louw wynona.louw@inl.co.za Western Province coach John Dobson has made just one change to the team that lost to the British & Irish Lions for their Currie Cup away game against the Cheetahs today (4.45pm kick-off). WP, playing as the Stormers, were thumped 49-3 by the tourists at Cape Town Stadium last weekend in their final friendly before they start the three-Test Series against the Springboks at the same venue on Saturday. Prior to that game, WP, who are at the top of the log, were upset 30-28 by Griquas in Cape Town and will now look to get their campaign back on track as they prepare to hit the road. Following their game in Bloemfontein, the team will take on a bus trip to Nelspruit to play the Pumas…

Bid to compel authorities to prosecute apartheid-era ministers, military and police officers involved Shannon Ebrahim shannon.ebrahim@inl.co.za RELATIVES of the Cradock Four have named former apartheid ministers, generals and heads of the security branch in an explosive application filed in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria yesterday. The families are seeking to compel the NPA and SAPS to finalise their investigations and take a prosecutorial decision in the kidnapping, torture and murder of the Cradock Four within 60 days of the date of the order. Yesterday – July 20 – marked the 36th anniversary of the funeral of the Cradock Four, who were tortured and murdered by apartheid police on June 27, 1985, and is of great symbolic significance to the families. The case is being brought by Lukhanyo Calata…

THE booze ban under South Africa’s Covid-19 restrictions continues to fuel illicit trade in the commodity, with police in Limpopo arresting several people who tried to smuggle sorghum beer into the country. Alcohol manufactured in neighbouring countries, including sorghum beer, has become readily available in densely populated cities. Police officers at Polokwane airport were on a routine patrol along the N1 when they arrested nine undocumented foreigners travelling in a bus and confiscated packs of sorghum beer packed in the trailer, Limpopo police spokesperson Motlafela Mojapelo said. “The liquor is valued at R175 800. A 31-year-old driver, who is also a foreign national, was arrested,” he said. |…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za ATHLONE train station suffered extensive damage to its roof on Monday afternoon in a fire that has been blamed on vagrants who were living in the deserted building. The City’s Fire and Rescue Services said that after extinguishing the flames that had engulfed the vacant ticket office, they realised that the fire was started by one of the homeless people living there. Spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said: “We received a call for the assistance of a building alight in Aden Avenue, Athlone at about 3.30pm on Monday. The building turned out to be the Metrorail ticket office, which was vacant. “The inside of the building was severely affected by fire, heat and smoke, with the roof sustaining most of the damage. Firefighters who were battling the blaze…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za The EFF used the wrong Act in its bid to ask the North Gauteng High Court to unseal the CR17 documents, including the identities of those who made financial contributions to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s campaign to become ANC president in December 2017. This was the ruling of Judge Cassim Sardiwalla when he dismissed the EFF’s application in the High Court in Pretoria yesterday. Judge Sardiwalla said the EFF brought its application under the newly promulgated Party Political funding Act, which compels political parties to disclose their funders to allow voters to make a correct choice. The Funding Act only came into effect in April this year and the EFF’s court application was lodged in November last year. In his ruling, the judge said that in 2017, political…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za The Gauteng provincial legislature’s health portfolio committee wants all those implicated and found guilty for irregular issuing of personal protective equipment (PPE) tenders to be blacklisted and stolen funds, if any, recovered. The health portfolio committee, through its chairperson Rebecca Phaladi-Digamela, issued these strong remarks after the Gauteng Department of Health fired its chief director supply chain management, Thandi Pino, for her involvement in the irregular award of tenders worth millions of rand. Pino took up employment with the Health Department in March last year and the acts of irregularities happened in April – soon after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the R500 billion Covid-19 funds to fight the deadly pandemic. She was fired early this month following an internal disciplinary hearing after the recommendations of the Special…

EBRAHIM WYDEMAN | Mitchells Plain WHEN the apartheid regime was declared defunct, the processes of giving hope and a better future to all South Africans was started in earnest. Nelson Mandela was democratically elected to preside over the New South Africa. And here we are today. What started out with a government of national unity in the form of a ministry of black, white and others of colour soon changed to what I term black majority rule, or to term it correctly, black majority rulers. Why? Because the alternative would stifle rapid change in favour of the millions of black people lining up expecting overnight realisation of life after their apartheid horror. Twenty-seven years into majority rule, who is the downtrodden and marginalised and poverty-stricken and jobless? Black…

Naushad Omar | Zeekoevlei Our government is nothing but a Ponzi scheme of rent seekers, a patronage network of crooks, criminals, communists and cadres bent on destroying, bankrupting and hollowing out every institution. Beware of their grubby hands getting hold of our private sector which they say is untransformed, our pensions and the Reserve Bank. It will be the end. There will be no silver lining as we witnessed when thousands of citizens and taxi drivers filled the power vacuum left by an invisible government It's time to elect Dr Imtiaz Sooliman (founder of Gift of the Givers) as president of the republic. President Ramaphosa as leader has been found wanting. The difference between him and the ever-present doctor is like chalk and cheese. Ramaphosa only woke up…

MAMS Radio, a community radio station in Mamelodi, outside Pretoria, returned to the airwaves yesterday after rioters and looters ransacked its studios and stole equipment last week during a wave of violence that engulfed Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. “Mams Radio will be back on air, starting with the breakfast show, broadcasting live from Boston Media House, courtesy of Jacaranda FM and Tuks FM,” said station spokesperson Sipho Mpho Motau. “The station will be broadcasting from 6am until 9pm, Monday to Sunday, until further notice, as we continue to engage with donors to help rebuild our studios.” Motau said a complaint had been filed with the local police about the ransacking. |…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za THE City has blamed the ongoing taxi conflict for its inability to respond to service delivery complaints, especially those affecting water and sanitation services. Recently, the City temporarily suspended services in the Langa, Philippi, and Nyanga areas, and gave assurances that every effort was being made to attend to the repairs and clearing of sewer blockages as soon as it was safe and possible to do so, while prioritising the safety of its staff. This was after residents from Langa complained about the stench and raw sewerage, together with stormwater that has not been drained in their areas for weeks. Langa community leader Zweledinga Sweli said most of their areas and communities were swimming in sewage, among them Church Square, Zone 20, 23, 24, 25 and 26.…

WITH the opening of the Tokyo Olympics just two days away, a Cape Town physiotherapist has landed her dream job. Kayla Richards, 28, from Lotus River, has been confirmed as a member of the medical staff for Team South Africa at the Tokyo Olympics. Richards, an alumna of UWC, said it had always been her dream to be at the Olympics after she was introduced to sports physiotherapy through the university. When she was called up for the job, Richards said it took a while for the news to sink in. “Honestly, I didn’t think it (the event) would take place when the Olympic Games were postponed last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “It’s an honour and a privilege to get to showcase your craft among the cream of…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za A YOUNG climate activist from Khayelitsha and her environmental mentor have urged government to declare a climate change crisis in a speech delivered in their Tutu Talk titled, “Climate Warriors without Barriers”. The talk was featured yesterday by the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in partnership with H&M South Africa and the African Leadership Institute. In the talk, 13-year-old Yola Mgogwana and mentor Xoli Fuyani, from Gugulethu, went into detail to explain how climate change was a social justice issue already affecting people in Khayelitsha. Fuyani and Mgogwana became acquainted through the Earthchild Project, a non-profit organisation that works with children from disadvantaged schools in the Cape, where Fuyani was an educational co-ordinator, and Mgogwana became an eco-warrior. “Our hope is to raise awareness and show…

JUST a week ago, members of the taxi industry emerged as heroes as they organised themselves to protect property amid the worst incidents of public violence South Africa has seen since 1994. But, this week, we’ve seen the dark side of an industry that has for too long operated in the shadows, while thriving on lawlessness and dysfunction. For months, a taxi war has been raging in the Western Cape over access to routes. Seventy-nine people, including passengers, have been killed. The Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association and the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations are waging a war over routes, leaving countless commuters stranded. Golden Arrow Bus Service, which has no relation to the taxi industry, has had to suspend services after one of its drivers was shot on Monday. While…

India’s excess deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic could be as high as 4.9 million, a new study shows, providing further evidence that millions more may have died from coronavirus than the official tally. The report by the Washington-based Center for Global Development, co-authored by India’s former chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian, included deaths from all causes since the start of the pandemic through June this year. India’s official tally of more than 414 000 deaths is the world’s third-highest after the US and Brazil, but the study adds to growing calls from experts for a rigorous nationwide audit of fatalities. A devastating rise in infectionsin April and May, driven largely by the more infectious and dangerous Delta variant, overwhelmed the health-care system and killed at least 170 000 people in…

TOKYO: foreign reporters covering the Tokyo Olympics were surprised to learn that what they thought was a chance to report outside their media “bubble” turned out instead to be a socially-distanced sightseeing tour. Hoping to step out and report on the Tokyo beyond the Games, they were yesterday instead ferried by harried organisers from one empty tourist spot to another for two hours. Foreign reporters, largely confined by Covid-19 rules to their hotels and Olympic sites, have already chafed at measures such as GPS tracking and bans on interviewing ordinary people. Some Japanese media have staked out visitors to see if they break quarantine. The Olympics open on Friday, and the curbs are to fight Japan’s spreading epidemic.…

Olympics chief Thomas Bach revealed “doubts” and “sleepless nights” over the postponed Tokyo Games yesterday as the opening ceremony nears after a year’s delay and Covid-19 chaos that has made them deeply unpopular with the Japanese public. Bach, speaking at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Tokyo, said the unprecedented step of postponing the Games “weighed on me” as it proved more complicated than he thought. The build-up to Friday’s opening ceremony has been rocky, with Tokyo still under a state of emergency and public opinion against the Games, which will be held largely without spectators. “Over the past 15 months we had to take many decisions on very uncertain grounds. We had doubts every day. We deliberated and discussed. There were sleepless nights,” said Bach. “This also weighed…

GIVEN MAJOLA given.majola@inl.co.za WINE industry representative body Vinpro has confirmed that it was ready to argue the urgent interim interdict application in the Western Cape High Court, which will be heard today. In its urgent application, the body sought the court to grant the premier of the Western Cape the power to adopt deviations to the national ban on sale of alcohol, to enable the off-site and on-site consumption of liquor in the province. If successful, Vinpro said it would approach the court to seek similar relief for other provinces. Vinpro managing director Rico Basson said because of the continued lack of consultation and assistance from the government, the organisation had to pursue legal action as a last resort to reopen trade urgently and prevent further business closures and job…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za Premier Alan Winde has vowed to officially request that the deployment of the army be bolstered with further boots on the ground to assist the police in their response to ongoing taxi violence in the province. This was after his conversation with Provincial Police Commissioner, Thembisile Patekile, yesterday. Winde, Patekile, Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz, Transport and Public Works MEC Daylin Mitchell and Transport Regulation chief director Yasir Ahmed held a digital press conference to give an update on the Western Cape’s response to the ongoing taxi violence. Winde said they could not allow “a group of thugs” to continue to threaten the lives of residents and to commit what was a clear act of economic sabotage by preventing people from getting to work safely. It has…

Mthuthuzeli Ntseku mthuthuzeli.ntseku@inl.co.za FRIENDS of former detectives head Jeremy Vearey have created a GoGetFunding campaign in a bid to raise funds to cover his medical treatment and his legal fees. By yesterday donated funds stood at R33 870 of the R100 000 target. Vearey contracted Covid-19 last month and has been in and out of hospital while also fighting a legal battle for his reinstatement after he was dismissed in June and lost his medical aid. Campaign manager Anton Fisher said they were appealing to people to donate to this campaign because they felt that Vearey still had an important role to play in fighting crime. He said the campaign was to also show their appreciation for Vearey for the work he had done. “Jeremy has put his life…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za WITH or without the government's coronation and other due processes, King Misuzulu is already on the throne. This is the message sent out by Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi in his umpteenth attempt to fend off the “royal rebels” who are questioning the naming of King Misuzulu as the leader of the Zulu nation. In his address yesterday, Buthelezi said: “All this fuss about legislation surprises us … I am not saying the legislation must not be followed,” stressing that by asking the Zulu nation to pay lobola for the late Queen Mantfombi Dlamini-Zulu, the late King Goodwill Zwelithini was binding himself to a decision that the heir would come from KwaKhangelamankengane royal palace, hence Misuzulu was the king. On the instruction of King Misuzulu, Buthelezi called a press…

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za The Pietermaritzburg High Court judgment that granted former president Jacob Zuma a three-week delay in his arms deal trial left advocate Dali Mpofu smiling as Judge Piet Koen delivered his judgment virtually yesterday. The matter was adjourned to sit from August 10 -13. While the directive for a virtual sitting remained in effect, Judge Koen invited the lawyers, the National Prosecuting Authority and Department of Correctional Services to provide a list of any considerations or prejudice which they considered relevant to his decision on whether the matter should be held virtually or not. However, he limited the parties to submitting a list “in point form and not exceeding two pages of double-spaced typing”. “The directive of 15 July 2021, that the hearing of the special plea will…

Cllr Yagyah Adams | Cape Muslim Congress THE looting will impact the psychology of many communities across the South African landscape. Some people may become less sensitive towards the economic needs of blacks in KwaZulu-Natal. This will have a long-term impact on the gap between rich and poor.Those who were sympathetic may be rethinking the instinct to give as self-preservation is a strong psychological quality. Some people may consider that living near poor people poses a clear danger. This will exacerbate the apartheid spatial planning that continues to create racial and class divides. The divides will harden as the wealthy resist low-income developments near them. As the poor becomes less able to help themselves, desperation will increase and so will the fear of chaos. Those who are able…

Khotso KD Moleko | Mangaung Bloemfontein DURING the #BlackLivesMatter protests last year, then US president Donald J Trump was criticised for threatening to call the military to curb the violence. The violent protests during the coronavirus crisis received media and global backing as necessary and justifiable, despite the destruction they embodied. Fast forward to this year … when President Cyril Ramaphosa does the same in South Africa it is good and justifiable. These are actually the same mockers who wished destruction could befall eSwatini barely a week prior so that King Mswati III is deposed. Whether former president Jacob Zuma is guilty or not is neither here nor there. The fact will always remain that Ramaphosa was part of the ANC collective which groomed and propelled Zuma as…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za SOCIAL Development chairperson in the provincial legislature, Gillion Bosman, said he has written to the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) to intervene on the issue of unused DNA machines at the police Forensic Sciences Laboratory in the Western Cape. Bosman said that during their visit to the lab, they found that the robotics machines used to process DNA for gender-based violence (GBV) cases had not been serviced, and thus had not been used, since 2019. Bosman said this stemmed from a simple operational flaw at the police that has allegedly delayed procurement for the servicing of the machines. He said section 11 of the CGE Act stipulates that it “shall investigate any gender-related issues of its own accord or on receipt of a complaint”. “The commission also has…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za DESPITE funerals and memorial services being known super-spreader events for Covid-19, people continue to risk their health attending them. Provincial health spokesperson Leensie Lötter said this was the case with Vredendal North resident Jan Julius, 58, who contracted the virus after attending the memorial service of a friend and prominent community member. Julius said getting Covid-19 had given him a renewed perspective and he was actively working to change community members’ behaviour as some had become irresponsible in adhering to the restrictions and were setting a bad example for their children. “Contracting the virus definitely changed my perspective because no matter how strict the regulations are, there’s always a possibility that someone can catch the virus.” Community Services and Health Mayco member Zahid Badroodien said some…

Everyone by now is aware of the horrific looting that took place in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The other provinces have been reasonably riot free other than a few sporadic hot spots. It is important to fully understand the implication of the closure of the various businesses. Clearly this will affect employment and will have an enormous dampener on job creation. Over and above this, those who already have jobs with the businesses that are affected will find that many of these jobs will not come back on stream and many of the people who have been told to stay at home will not earn during this period. The real punishment of this whole situation will lie at the feet of the previously disadvantaged. I have spoken to dozens of business…

Professor Kelly Chibale THE crisis brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic has not only revealed the systemic weaknesses in health-care infrastructure in many places, but also that the developing world remains far too reliant on rich countries to discover, develop, manufacture and supply the rest of us with vaccines and medicines. According to the World Health Organization, only four countries in Africa have manufacturing capabilities. Although there are pharmaceutical companies in 40 African countries, their work is mostly limited to packaging manufactured medicines or doing what is known as “fill and finish” work — formulating active pharmaceutical ingredients for vaccines and filling and packaging vials. While plans are advanced to expand manufacturing in South Africa, a vibrant, self-sufficient, innovative pharmaceutical industry is a long way off. There is no…

Kabul: At least three rockets landed near the Afghan presidential palace yesterday as the country’s leader Ashraf Ghani held outdoor prayers with top officials to mark the start of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday. The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes as the Taliban continue a series of offensives to coincide with the final drawdown of foreign troops from the war-wracked country. While ideologically different, the much smaller IS has been accused in the past by Afghan officials of acting as a proxy for the Taliban -- particularly in attacks targeting civilian government workers. “Soldiers of the caliphate targeted the presidential palace... and the Green Zone in Kabul with seven Katyusha rockets,” IS said in a statement circulated on messaging app Telegram. Earlier, the Eid…

San Salvador: El Salvador is launching the fourth phase of the so-called Territorial Control Plan (PCT), a multi-step initiative to combat gang violence and improve security in the country, President Nayib Bukele said yesterday. “We are ending the meeting with the High Command of our Armed Forces of El Salvador, refining details of Phase 4 of the Territorial Control Plan that will begin today,” Bukele said on Twitter. The PCT was launched in June 2019. Phase 1 entailed increasing military and police presence in the 17 municipalities with the largest gang and crime presence. Phase 2, was focused on building community-centred strategies that were supposed to create alternative opportunities for young people predisposed to criminal activity.…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za Tabraiz Shamsi probably appreciates playing for the Proteas more than most. That is not intended to be a slight on his teammates’ commitment to the national team but rather an understanding of what Shamsi has endured in rising to the pinnacle of his profession. The 31-year-old was not a teenage prodigy who gained automatic selection into a franchise team. Initially, he had to be content on being a journeyman in the amateur set-up hoping for a professional contract to be thrown his way. He was forced to switch between Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal in his early years before eventually settling in Benoni, where Easterns and the Titans became home. And yet still it was only after his exploits in far off St Kitts and Nevis while playing in…

WITH two days to go until their opening Olympics football match against hosts Japan, South Africa’s coach David Notoane said the health of his players was his main concern after Covid-19 left their preparations in disarray. Severely depleted by coronavirus infections and withdrawals before they left for the Games, the squad faced further setbacks at the weekend after two players and a video analyst tested positive in Tokyo. “My biggest fear at the moment is not facing Japan, but is the well-being, the health of the players,” Notoane yesterday at the Tokyo Stadium, saying he had just 17 players left to choose from. They returned to training on Monday after a week’s absence, giving them very little time to acclimatise to a new environment. “(We are) coming into … new…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za The British & Irish Lions team for the first Test against the Springboks was internally named yesterday and the players disappointed to miss out will have to quickly pull themselves together for the common good, says kicking coach Neil Jenkins. Welshman Jenkins is a veteran of many a Lions tour as both a player and a coach and he said the players were to be informed between training sessions, with the unlucky ones immediately having to form a team to train against the match-day squad for Saturday’s opening Test of the series at Cape Town Stadium (6pm kick-off). Unlike the Springboks, where the World Cup-winning team virtually picked itself, Lions coach Warren Gatland has quality options in every position and in some cases he would have been…