Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-07-23 i Cape Argus

WYNONA LOUW A LOT has happened in the build-up to the Springboks’ three-Test series against the British & Irish Lions and that makes it an even bigger showpiece to look forward to as the two sides are set to clash in the first Test at Cape Town Stadium tomorrow (kick-off at 6pm). Over the last few months, there were numerous logistical issues regarding the series due to the Covid-19 situation in South Africa. From talks of hosting the series elsewhere to settling on having all three Tests played in Cape Town as opposed to two in Gauteng and one in the Mother City. There is one other major difference to past tours, however. This series will be played in empty stadiums. The Boks have overcome a hugely disruptive Covid outbreak…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za TRANSPORT Minister Fikile Mbalula has vowed to announce a task team of eminent people to deal with taxi violence next week. Mbalula made the announcement in Parliament yesterday during a briefing on the developments regarding the taxi violence in Cape Town. This after a deadly war between the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) and Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta) that has claimed more than 80 lives. Mbalula and Transport and Public Works MEC Daylin Mitchell said they were affording the associations further opportunity to find each other and agree on how to resolve the ongoing conflict. They have been meeting the two associations since Friday last week. Mbalula said the talks between the parties had failed to make significant progress thus and the government was looking…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za ACTIVIST group Action Society is furious at the request of a Cape Town mother to only pay a R5 000 fine instead of doing jail time, after she was recently convicted by the Parow Regional Court on charges of child neglect and child abuse. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the prosecutor, Colleen de Louw, told the court that the child was rescued on February 20, 2019 by a community member, Deborah van Rensburg. “The child had bite marks on her body as well as bruises, abrasions and burn marks. Police were informed and she was taken for medical attention. The two (the mother and her friend) were arrested. After a protracted trial, they were convicted on May 28, 2021,” he said. De Louw…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za THE Western Cape has welcomed the the National Disaster Management Centre’s drought classification for the western, eastern and northern areas of the province. Agri Western Cape (SA) chief executive Jannie Strydom said the classification comes as certain parts of the Western Cape were experiencing drought for the seventh consecutive year. They included Central Karoo, Little Karoo and north-western parts of the Matzikama district. He said some of the challenges faced by farmers included the deterioration of veld conditions and the subsequent need to buy more food, and the reduced livestock herd size. Agri SA natural resources centre of excellence chairperson, Willem Symington, said this was a positive step by the government to recognise the plight of the areas suffering from severe drought conditions. “We hope there…

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za A GROUP of ANC members who organised a motorcade and marched to the party’s provincial offices in Durban want the KwaZulu-Natal provincial executive committee (PEC) to apply pressure in ensuring those responsible for unrest-related killings are arrested. They also want the PEC to organise a protest against the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma. While the group called for an end to racism in Phoenix, IFP Chief Whip in Parliament, Narend Singh, said that it was incorrect to report the killings as racially motivated as “no facts from the investigation have been presented”. “This investigation is still in its infancy, and to prematurely conclude that race motivated these deaths is of great concern to me, as well as many communities in KwaZulu-Natal. “As a member of…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za THE government is unwilling to borrow more than R70 billion to meet its obligations to increase its employees demands for a pay hike. Public Service and Administration Minister Senzo Mchunu has warned that the government would have to borrow to comply with the agreement to increase public servants' salaries, which it failed to honour last year. Mchunu filed his written submissions ahead of next month's Constitutional Court battle between unions representing state employees and the government over the failure to increase their salaries last year. The agreement reached at the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) in 2018 would have seen salaries increase by between 4.4% and 5.4% with effect from April 1 last year. ”If enforcement of clause 3.3 (of the agreement) was ordered, government would…

Mthuthuzeli Ntseku mthuthuzeli.ntseku@inl.co.za THE Strandfontein Ratepayers and Residents Association has objected to the City’s apparent plan to house homeless people in a facility in the area as part of its winter readiness plan. The association’s chairperson Mario Oostendurp said they only learnt of the City's plan on Tuesday, and there was no consultation with the directly affected communities, ratepayers and residents. Oostendurp said in principle it was a good initiative; however, considering the previous “infamous” 2020 Strandfontein Homeless Camp, none of the homeless persons from the area or those who lived in the immediate and surrounding informal settlements were accommodated. “This, however is not new to us, as the broader community of Strand fontein, Bayview and San Remo; it seems the City once again appears to be disrespecting our existence…

Bavesh Kana TB IS one of the oldest infectious diseases in recorded history. But there’s only one vaccine approved against TB. And it is 100 years old. The first dose of the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine was administered on July 18, 1921. The Conversation Africa’s Ina Skosana poses key questions to Bavesh Kana, one of South Africa’s leading TB researchers. It has been 100 years since the BCG vaccine was first used. Why haven’t there been any breakthroughs since then? BCG has been used all over the world to protect against the development of TB. However, because TB has primarily been a disease of the poor, there has been insufficient investment in the development of new vaccines over the past century. BCG remains the only widely available vaccine for TB.…

TEHRAN: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani yesterday inaugurated a major onshore pipeline that allows the country to bypasses the Hormuz Strait for crude oil exports. The pipeline, with some 1 000km in length, will transfer the pumped oil from facilities in Goureh on the south-western shores to the Oman Sea port of Jask on the south-eastern shores of the country. The opening of the Goureh-Jask pipeline “gave a strong and firm response to all plotters particularly to the US,” Rouhani said at the online opening ceremony alluding to the US sanctions, which aimed at hindering Iran’s oil exports. “The US government waged war on us in two areas, one on oil exports, and the other on the supply of goods,” Rouhani was quoted as saying.…

WYNONA LOUW wynona.louw@inl.co.za SPRINGBOK forward Rynhardt Elstadt says the fact that some of the players in the group have played rugby in Europe will be a big advantage for the hosts during the Test Series against the British & Irish Lions. The Springboks will take on Warren Gatland’s team in the first of the three Cape Town Tests tomorrow (kick-off 6pm). Elstadt has been with Toulouse since 2017, while the likes of Damian de Allende (Munster), Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse), Eben Etzebeth (Toulon), Faf de Klerk (Sale Sharks) and Handre Pollard (Montpellier) are also on the books of European clubs. And it’s a factor that has certainly been beneficial to the Boks during their disrupted preparation for the series, Elstadt said. “I think my experience in Europe makes a big difference.…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za BOTH Jacques Nienaber and Warren Gatland have rolled the dice with some of their pack selections for tomorrow’s first Test between the Springboks and British & Irish Lions, so who will win the set-piece battle? The front eight from South Africa and the visitors were not what many pundits expected, and in the Bok equation, the all-encompassing Covid-19 cloud has a lot to do with it. Loosehead prop Ox Nche and hooker Bongi Mbonambi have been in isolation for a while, and were not able to train with the squad for about two weeks until they rejoined the team this past Monday. They missed the two South Africa ’A’ matches against the Lions and Bulls last week, but have now been thrust into the middle of the…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za THE City’s decision not to renew the labour-intensive stormwater clearing contract has led to an increase in blocked drains and other water hazards in communities. Stop CoCt founder Sandra Dickson said they had been inundated with complaints and pictures of stormwater drains overflowing in almost every area that the City serviced. Dickson said many houses and areas that had functional infrastructure in the past were flooded, and that some people had insurance but were concerned that insurance premiums would be loaded if flooding of properties became a regular thing. “The City seems to have huge problems with the management and renewal of contracts. Past examples are the MyCiTi bus route in Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain, refuse removal, the Waterfront desalination plant and many others,” she…

A 31-year-old man from the Eastern Cape was arrested and charged with possession of unprocessed tobacco, and bribery. The arrest came after a cargo of unlicensed tobacco was seized by customs officials at the Beitbridge border with Zimbabwe. The cargo was heading to East London, the police said. Spokesperson Tembinkosi Kinana said officials then communicated with their colleagues in the area, directing them to a suspected warehouse on Klipheuwel Road. A team then entered the warehouse, where they found numerous boxes of unprocessed tobacco. Kinana said that the owner of the tobacco was placed under arrest. “During the operation, police discovered about 1 279 boxes weighing a total of 200kg of both raw and cut rag tobacco. The confiscated contraband is estimated at a street value of R10…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za PHILISA Abafazi Bethu bemoaned the recent instability in the public transport sector due to the taxi violence, stating this could put the safety of women at a greater risk. Advocating for the rights and protection of women and children against violence and abuse, the non-profit organisation expressed concern, saying women were at a greater risk of attacks, assault, rape and shootings as a result of the violence. The organisation took to social media to raise the concern and addressed its post to the Presidency and Premier Alan Winde. “This taxi war has a huge impact on women's safety and women’s lives in this province. Our children start school next week. What is your plan to ensure that women who have to commute daily, can do so…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za The government has urged members of the public to ignore fake news linked to a resurgence of violence. Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the death toll from last week’s unrest and looting has risen to 337. She gave an updated media briefing on the police’s investigation into the unrest which affected Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. The minister said the latest death toll of 337 comprised 258 deaths in KZN and 79 in Gauteng. The rise in reported deaths was due to some of the people who were injured dying, she said. The police were investigating 42 cases of murder in Gauteng and 37 inquest dockets have been opened. In KwaZulu-Natal, 171 cases of murder have been opened and 87 inquests filed. Ntshavheni said that currently…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za FORMER president Jacob Zuma is back in his Estcourt prison cell after going back to Nkandla to bury his late younger brother Michael Zuma. Returning home for the first time since he was sentenced to a 15-month prison sentence for contempt of the court after he applied to the Department of Correctional Services for compassionate leave, Zuma was only seen by a few as the Zuma family, led by Edward Zuma and the Umkhonto we Sizwe veterans, who have been guarding the home since March, increased surveillance and stop-and-search processes. By yesterday morning, only a few vehicles and mourners were allowed through the checkpoint, set up hundreds of metres from Michael’s home, where the funeral took place. Michael’s home is near Zuma’s Nkandla home. At around 10am,…

YANGON: Angered by doctors’ support for anti-junta protests, Myanmar’s military has arrested several doctors treating Covid-19 patients independently, colleagues and media said, as the health system struggles to cope with a record wave of infections. Since the military overthrew the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in February, the ensuing turmoil and protests have thrown Myanmar’s Covid-19 response into chaos, as activists say scores of doctors have been arrested for their prominent role in a civil disobedience movement. Myanmar yesterday registered over 6 000 new Covid-19 infections after reporting 286 deaths a day earlier, both record highs. Medics and funeral services say the real death toll is far higher, with crematoriums unable to keep pace. To help people who either refuse to go to a state hospital, because…

DAMASCUS: The Syrian army shelled the Idlib region yesterday, killing seven civilians, three of them children, in its third deadly bombardment of the rebel bastion in a week, a monitor said. Several people were seriously wounded in the village of Iblin. The army has stepped up its bombing of the north-western enclave since Saturday when President Bashar al-Assad took the oath of office for a new term, vowing to “liberate those parts of the homeland that still need to be”. The same-day strikes killed 14 civilians, seven of them children. Controlled by an alliance dominated by Al-Qaeda’s former Syria affiliate, the region is home to nearly 3 million people, two-thirds of them displaced from other parts of the country.…

HERMAN GIBBS A DEPLETED South African Under-23 team bravely battled the odds, but tasted defeat in their Tokyo Olympics Group A opener after they went down 1-0 to hosts Japan at Tokyo Stadium yesterday. After a goalless first half which was dominated by Japan, South Africa managed to retain a clean sheet thanks to goalkeeper Ronwen Williams’ inspiring saves. In the days leading up to the match, SA suffered a spate of withdrawals for medical reasons, which seriously disrupted the team’s training opportunities. Japan were off to an enterprising start and managed early sorties deep into SA’s half. SA were slow off the mark, and given Japan’s penetrative raids, a goal seemed imminent. It could well have materialised in the fourth minute, but Japan’s Takefusa Kubo failed with a…

ASHFAK MOHAMED ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za IT was “absolutely devastating” when both the South African men’s and women’s hockey teams were not allowed to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympics, despite winning the African championships. Sascoc at the time stated that they had to qualify through the Hockey World League instead, and neither team was able to go far enough in that competition. But both teams are at the Tokyo Olympics this year, and SA women’s team captain Erin Christie says it is “incredible” they are in Japan this time around. Christie, a 29-year-old physical science teacher at Rand Park High in Johannesburg, fully understands the enormity of the situation. “We feel like we’ve been given a second chance. And in saying that, we know that it’s not actually just about this team…

Winston Duke has confirmed that he will be returning to the role of M’Baku in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and hinted fans could expect something more than a run-of-the-mill sequel. The 34-year-old actor played the warrior in the original 2018 film and has pledged that director Ryan Coogler and the cast are working on “something really special” following the death of Chadwick Boseman – who portrayed the titular superhero in the first movie. Duke said: “It was very emotional to read the script. It was emotional to pack to go back on set. But we’re all a bit of a family now and we grieve together, and we’re making something really special.” Duke’s co-star, Angela Bassett, had said she was confident the new Marvel Cinematic Universe film would honour Boseman’s…

Delta variant wreaking havoc Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za THE COUNTRY is edging towards 70 000 Covid-19 deaths as the highly contagious Delta variant wreaks havoc, exacerbated by recent riots and taxi violence that have impacted on health services and vaccinations. However, all provinces have shown an over 50% probability of having passed the peak of a third wave of Covid-19 infections, but there remains uncertainty as civil unrest and related service disruptions impact on testing and data integrity and transmissions. This was revealed by provincial Health Department head Dr Keith Cloete during the weekly Covid-19 digicon, with Premier Alan Winde and Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo. As at Wednesday, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases reported 2 327 472 laboratory-…

THE PRETORIA North Magistrate’s Court has granted Nkoemakae Mola of Mola Attorneys bail of R10 000 after he appeared on charges of 15 counts of fraud and 15 of theft, the NPA said yesterday. “It is alleged that since 2019, Mola defrauded potential house buyers of mor than R2 million by pretending to be a lawyer handling the sale of a property. It is alleged that he would ask a potential buyer to deposit a certain amount (of money) into Mola Attorneys’ bank account for the property,” said Lumka Mahanjana, North Gauteng regional spokesperson for the Director of Public Prosecutions. “When the money reflected in the Mola Attorneys account, it is alleged that he would then transfer the money to his private account.” Mahanjana said after several cases were opened,…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za A SHOOT-OUT in Parkwood has claimed the lives of two men aged 32 and 42, and wounded two others, aged 16 and 27. Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said the shooting incident occurred on Wednesday evening and that cases of murder and attempted murder were opened for investigation at Grassy Park police station after the suspects fled the scene. “According to reports, the victims were sitting outside when gunshots went off and they were hit. “The victims were taken to a medical facility for medical treatment and the deceased were declared dead on the scene by medical personnel,” said Traut. He said the circumstances surrounding the incident were being investigated and it was too soon to speculate on a possible motive. A relative of the victims said…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za THE Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) in partnership with the City is on a mission to clean up and beautify the CBD, hoping that visible maintenance will revitalise the business district’s economy. Over the next few weeks, the CCID’s Urban Management Department will be initiating three new projects that will focus on maintaining the appearance of the city centre. The projects will focus on cleaning city centre streets and on the upkeep of urban spaces for stakeholders, from big-time investors to small and medium business owners and visitors. CCID chief executive Tasso Evangelinos said: “The projects may seem small but the upgrades speak to a rejuvenation of the urban space. This constant upgrading builds capacity for positive change, shifts negative perceptions and plays into the…

The release of former president Jacob Zuma to attend his late brother Michael Zuma’s funeral in Nkandla yesterday has raised concerns from the opposition about how the government needs to balance the rights of individuals and apply the law consistently. Department of Correctional Services policy does in fact allow for individuals to be released to attend the funerals of their loved ones or family members. However, some parties’ concerns about this were based on the fear that this would create a security risk in KwaZulu-Natal as the situation had not stabilised following the events of last week. In the normal course of events this would not have led to parties raising concerns about the release of any person from jail to attend a family member’s funeral, but the nature and…

At least 20 civilians have been killed and tens of thousands displaced in heavy fighting between rebels and pro-government forces in Ethiopia’s Afar region, which borders war-hit Tigray, an official told AFP yesterday. “The heavy fighting is still continuing. So totally about 70 000 are affected directly and they are displaced. More than 20 civilians are dead,” said Mohammed Hussen, an official with Ethiopia’s national disaster response agency based in Afar. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops into Tigray last November to oust the region’s ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a move he said came in response to TPLF attacks on federal army camps. Though the 2019 Nobel Peace laureate declared victory later that month, fighting has dragged on, killing thousands of people and plunging hundreds…

HONG KONG: Police arrested five people yesterday on suspicion of conspiring to publish “seditious material” with the intent of inciting public hatred towards the Chinese-ruled city’s government among children. Those arrested were members of a speech therapists’ union who produced books for children with wolves and sheep as characters in stories, which may have alluded to events in Hong Kong since pro-democracy protests began in 2019, media reported. Reuters could not independently confirm the details. Police said the five were two men and three women aged between 25 and 28. They did not identify them. The five suspects were arrested under a colonial-era law targeting sedition.…

MIHLALI BALEKA @Mihlalibaleka SO much for creative new kit designs season in and season out. Orlando Pirates have failed to take inspiration from that and get back to the pinnacle of African football, having last won the continental crown in 1995. But that promises to change in the next few seasons. Pirates are determined to end Mamelodi Sundowns’ dominance locally, and are eager to emulate arch rivals Kaizer Chiefs by reaching the CAF Champions League final. Chiefs reached their first Champions League final last term where they lost to Al Ahly. It’s been eight years since Pirates played in the Champions League final. That was their second final appearance after winning the 1995 edition. “With the new jersey, especially the away jersey with the mint colour, it brings freshness,” defender…