Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-07-27 i Cape Argus

Black Sash calls for it to be increased to at least the food poverty line of R585 a month Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za THE government’s reintroduction of the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant has been welcomed across the board, especially as child support beneficiaries will also qualify. The monthly payment of the R350 Covid-19 SRD grant will run until the end of March 2022. The grant was terminated at the end of April 2021. President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “We are expanding the number of people who are eligible for this grant, by allowing unemployed caregivers, who currently receive a Child Support Grant, to apply. Details on the reinstatement of the grant, including the process for application, will be announced shortly.” Civil society and action groups welcomed the reinstatement of…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za BURGLARS who broke into Woodlands Primary School in Heideveld brutally attacked a security guard. He was found by another security guard who came to relieve him. Police spokesperson FC van Wyk confirmed the death of the 59-year-old guard. Van Wyk said he died in hospital on Sunday. “The deceased was a security guard at the primary school. The assailants broke into the school and overpowered him. “The perpetrators assaulted the 59-year-old male while breaking into the school and stealing various items, such as kettles, pots, a dishwasher and microwave,” said Van Wyk. A case of attempted murder and housebreaking was opened initially. However, the charge was changed to murder. Manenberg Police detectives followed up on leads after interviewing community members, which led to the arrest of…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za POLICE are investigating a hit-and-run incident in Wynberg in which a woman was knocked down shortly after the president’s address on Sunday evening. The victim, who is seriously injured, was hit by a vehicle on the corner of Ebor and Main roads. Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said: “Wynberg police are investigating a reckless and negligent driving case after an accident on Sunday evening at about 9.30pm on the corner of Ebor Road and Main Road in Wynberg. “According to our reports, when police arrived at the scene the victim had already been transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. It is alleged that a white vehicle knocked her down and then proceeded to drive away from the scene. “The victim sustained injuries to…

THE City’s law enforcement agencies have arrested 143 people and issued more than 35 000 fines over the last week. One was a robbery suspect who shot himself while trying to evade officers. Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said officers attached to the Law Enforcement Advancement Programme were on patrol in Hanover Park on Friday when a woman approached them after she had been robbed. Minutes later, officers approached a man fitting the description of the alleged robber. Smith said when the suspect noticed the officers, he shot at them and as he ran away, he fell and another shot went off. Later that night officers pulled over a vehicle and a woman revealed that her boyfriend had been shot. “He was the robber who had…

Ndalimpinga Iita Xinhua WINDHOEK: Young nurses’ passion for bolstering health care for patients gets stronger in Namibia despite risks posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The country with a population of about 2.5 million has recorded 115 793 cumulative cases, including 2 760 deaths. Nomhle Masuku, a registered nurse at the Katutura State Hospital in the capital Windhoek, said: “Although risky to our health, I feel it is good to help and observe people’s health improve. It is a passion.” Although routinely posted at the maternity ward, Masuku is attached to the Covid-19 unit at the hospital to address the skills deficit since last year. In recent weeks, an increase in new infections increased the number of patients who need hospitalisation and the care of health professionals. “It’s not…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za A Kraaifontein pensioner is appealing for help to bury her 15-year-old grandson whose body was discovered in an open field just outside Scottsdene a week ago by passers-by who were drawn to another body that lay burning adjacent to his. The identity of Antonio Daniels, 15, was finally confirmed by the police over the weekend after his body was found not far from where he lived. Antonio’s grandmother, Louise Daniels, said she was left shaken after being asked to identify a burnt body the police believed could have been her grandson, but which turned out not to be. However, a second body in the mortuary was that of her grandson. “Everyone kept saying he was burnt, but he wasn’t at all. I went to identify his body…

EBRAHIM ESSA I Durban EVERYONE has probably heard of the fairy tale The Emperor's New Clothes, where an obedient or perhaps fearful, or even very patronising populace, compliment the Emperor on the choice of his new clothes until he himself discovers that he actually has nothing on. Our government has turned this tale around: The strange, jerky reaction initially to the international vaccination programme and trying to constantly reassure the public that we are on top of it, is one case in point. The second invisible garment that the government has dressed (or undressed!) the citizenry with, is around announcing fixed dates for changing levels of the Covid wave. “Exactly at midnight on July 25 the third wave will undergo low tide and it’s therefore all clear for schools…

IF WE stop beating around the bush it’s not difficult to realise that none of the races of the Earth truly want black people around permanently. Perhaps they can be slaves, domestic workers, sex workers, nannies and gardeners, but definitely not equals or superiors. Even in First World countries like the US, black people still feel unwelcome. This is despite all the wrongs inflicted on black people for hundreds of years and their tendency to forgive and forget. Typically, the same marginalised black people keep forcing themselves on uncompromising others. If it is not to escape into “traditionally” white areas, it is enrolling their children in majority white, Indian and coloured schools. It is really surprising when an Indian person refers to Africans as black and Indians as Indian, considering…

WE ARE back to a lighter level of lockdown as the country’s third wave of Covid-19 shows signs of waning. While the move is positive, it does not mean South Africa is out of the woods. It is important we do not drop our guard. There is still a fourth wave on the horizon, expected towards the end of the year. It is imperative we continue with the non-pharmaceutical practices of wearing masks when in public, physical distancing and washing or sanitising of hands as often as possible. Speaking during the national Health Department’s weekly briefing last week, acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said indications were that South Africa had passed the peak of the third wave. However, she warned that the gatherings during the previous week’s unrest in Gauteng…

STREET clashes erupted yesterday outside Tunisia’s army-barricaded parliament, a day after President Kais Saied ousted the prime minister and suspended the legislature, plunging the young democracy into a constitutional crisis. Saied sacked Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and ordered parliament closed for 30 days, a move the biggest political party Ennahdha decried as a “coup”, following a day of angry street protests against the government’s handling of the Covid pandemic. Soldiers from early yesterday blockaded the assembly in Tunis while, outside, the president’s backers hurled stones, bottles and insults at supporters of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha, whose leader was barred from entering the complex. Troops also surrounded the office of Mechichi who was yet to officially react to the events rocking the country. Saied’s dramatic move – a decade on from Tunisia’s…

LONDON: Officials have already issued five flood warnings across southern England and 19 alerts. A major incident has been declared at two London hospitals, Whipps Cross Hospital and Newham Hospital, as officials urged people to seek care at other health facilities after the region was hit by floods. Thunderstorms and heavy rain hit the south of England on Sunday. As three double-decker buses were stuck under a railway bridge in south-west London, police had to reportedly close a road in the area, prompting passengers to get off. Other reports also suggested that emergency services were called to rescue some residents who were in waist-high water in their homes. According to the London Fire Brigade, there had been more than 600 flood-related calls. | Sputnik…

Loose forward Evan Roos has been the best feature in Western Province’s Currie Cup campaign so far. As far as performances go, Province have been satisfactory at times, but there have also been disappointing displays from John Dobson’s charges. They have won just three of their six games, a stat that can never be considered good enough for a union with the talent pool and rich Currie Cup history Province has. And while there have been some issues, one thing that has been impossible to miss is Roos. The big No 8 has wreaked havoc since touching down in Cape Town from Durban. The 21-year-old made his Currie Cup debut for the Sharks back in 2019, and while he was a standout in the Sharks’ SuperHero Sunday fixture last year…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za WHILE the Blue Bulls used injured captain Duane Vermeulen in a water-boy role in their 40-21 victory over the Lions on Sunday, it was new No 8 Elrigh Louw who caught the eye of coach Jake White. Vermeulen has been out with a serious knee injury that saw him miss the Springboks’ 22-17 defeat to the British & Irish Lions at the weekend, and even though he is unlikely to play any part in those Tests, White said that the Bulls captain’s rehabilitation was “coming on”. “I hope in the next week or two, he can get back on the field with his playing kit on. I don’t know about the time-frame in terms of the Lions series, but as soon as we can get him on…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za IT was a story of near misses for Team South Africa in the triathlon and mountain bike finals in Tokyo yesterday, with Henri Schoeman and Alan Hatherly missing out on their respective podiums. Rio Games bronze medallist Schoeman was a medal prospect going into his event, provided he could shake off some injury problems to his knees and ankles that had affected his running over the last few weeks. He told the Team SA website before the race that his injuries “have been responding to vigorous treatment”, but that he would only really know the state of his left knee and right ankle once he got going. Initially, he was well on course to push for a medal. Schoeman was with the lead pack following the 1.5km…

It all started so well for the South African women’s hockey team but ultimately they went down 4-1 to a rampant Great Britain in their Pool A clash at the Tokyo Olympics yesterday. Early pressure from the South Africans on the Great Britain goal resulted in three penalty corners. It was third time lucky for the women in green and gold when Nicole Walraven swept the ball home to give her team an early lead. This was easily the best period of the game for the South Africans as they forced the Brits into making plenty of mistakes in the first half. However, the British team have loads of experience and started to settle into their more natural passing game. They also started slowing the pace of the game by…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za THE case against four accused, including SANDF member Sakhele Nkabi, has been postponed for bail applications. Nkabi, Simphiwe Matwa, Lwandiso Lento and Masixole Dolomba appeared in the Oudtshoorn Magistrate’s Court yesterday. They were arrested last week for allegedly being involved in a cash-in-transit heist at a petrol station. Matwa, Lento and Dolomba were arrested by the Hawks minutes after the heist. Nkabi was arrested on Friday. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the case against Matwa, Lento and Dolomba was postponed until tomorrow for bail profiles. Ntabazalila said Nkabi was included in the case yesterday. He said the remand date remained the same. However, a tentative date for bail application was arranged for August 3. He said the four accused were charged with robbery with…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za AS THE contentious incarceration of former president Jacob Zuma enters its third week, his fervent supporters are still pressing on with their demand to have him freed from his Estcourt Prison cell, with their latest, upcoming protest march taking the battle to Luthuli House, the national headquarters of the governing party in central Johannesburg. The spokesperson of the organisers, Mxolisi Ngobese, said a two-pronged march was billed for Friday and they would not give up until Zuma was freed from prison, where he is serving a 15-month sentence imposed by the Consitutional Court for contempt of court. The protest march comes as the country waits for the Concourt to hand down a ruling after Zuma approached it, crying foul that he was jailed without a trial,…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za A Goodwood Correctional Services inmate was re-arrested a few hours after he escaped when residents from Bonteheuwel gave him up. The residents have been praised for working with the Department of Correctional Services’ Emergency Support Team, Bishop Lavis police, and the Anti-Gang Unit to capture 30-year-old Ashwin Malan. Malan was serving a three-year sentence for housebreaking and theft. Confirming his re-arrest, the department said Malan was one of 22 inmates and part of a working team assigned to clean up premises. He escaped on Sunday afternoon. A manhunt was launched, and several police units went to the prisoner’s hometown, where residents helped to weed him out of hiding. Ward councillor Angus Mckenzie said: “Bonteheuwel residents once again stood together for the greater good. Last night,…

Sisonke Mlamla0 sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za THE Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said it was pleased with the start of the third school term yesterday, with schools operating as per their temporary revised education plans. WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said all primary school learners (grades R to 7) and special school learners (grades R to 12) would return to the daily attendance and traditional timetabling model next Monday. School management teams and support staff returned last Thursday to prepare for the return of learners and teachers. Hammond said the WCED was collating reports from schools that were burgled and vandalised during the school holidays. "Unfortunately, a number of reports have been received thus far. Further information will be released later this week," she said. She said the department was deeply saddened by a…

Allan Wolman | Tel Aviv, Israel THE recent brouhaha permeating the news about the Pegasus spyware developed by the NSO group, an Israeli software company, is another arrow in the quiver of the anti-Israel community to target the Jewish state for further opprobrium. Like everything that is perceived as wrong, bad, evil and suspicious is always laid at Israel’s door, regardless of its ultimate purpose. Software or “spyware”, which has been around for decades, is used not only for security purposes but for everything from cybercrime to tracing people infected by Covid-19. Spying or the gathering of information in the fight against crime, fraud or terrorism, has been around for decades. But, listening to the international media, no commentator will miss the opportunity to enlighten their audience that…

Kay-Dee Mashile SOUTH Africa is exhausted. With high unemployment and few prospects, the youth are hopeless. Perhaps we need to regroup and dare to dream again. If there is no motivation for us to fight for a better tomorrow, we will see nothing wrong with burning down what we have today. If it wasn’t the Zuma issue, some other frustration would have fuelled the current outrage. Do we wait for the next issue and react to that again or sit down and look for a long-term treatment option for our national pain? During #FeesMustFall, the young people of South Africa had a shared dream. We all had a hope for the future of South Africa – one where young people played an active role in the economy and prosperity…

A three-day meeting of agriculture ministers, policy makers and others began yesterday in Rome, before a September UN summit intended to improve the world’s food systems amid rising hunger. Even before the emergence of the coronavirus, the UN acknowledged the world would not meet a goal of eliminating global hunger and malnutrition by the end of 2030. That has made the transformation of the world’s food systems even more crucial, says the UN, which has a summit dedicated to the topic in New York set for September. This preparatory meeting in Rome includes policy makers, members of civil society, farmers and researchers. Pope Francis, in a letter to summit attendees, called for “radical change” to confront hunger. A statement from Agnes Kalibata, the UN Secretary-General’s special envoy for the summit,…

SEOUL: A mixed vaccination of first AstraZeneca and then a Pfizer Covid-19 shot boosted neutralising antibody levels by six times compared with two AstraZeneca doses, a new South Korea study shows. The study involved 499 medical workers – 100 receiving mixed doses, 200 taking two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech shot and the remainder two AstraZeneca shots. All showed neutralising antibodies, and the result of the mixed schedule of vaccines showed similar amounts of neutralising antibodies found from the group that received two Pfizer shots. The data provides further support for the decision of several countries to offer alternatives to AstraZeneca as a second shot after the vaccine was linked to rare blood clots. | Reuters…

Wynona Louw wynona.louw@inl.co.za Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids says injury was the reason for the starting front-row’s half-time substitution at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday. The Boks suffered a 22-17 defeat in the first game of the three-Test series against the British & Irish Lions, piling on the pressure as they now have to win both remaining games to take the series. One of the big talking points after Saturday’s first Test has been not only the performance of the starting front row of Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi and Trevor Nyakane (it was a surprising selection considering first-choice props Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe were available), but their substitution at half-time despite producing a top first-half performance. It naturally led some to question the decision and whether it was pre-planned.…

Matshelane Mamabolo Comment ANOTHER major football tournament, another first-round exit for South Africa! What’s new as our national teams continue to make a mockery of our assertion we are a footballing nation? Nothing new really, for even the reaction is what one has come to expect. Praise for failures. And then we wonder why we just don’t achieve much on the big stage. The general feeling among most soccer followers after the SA Under-23s’ 4-3 defeat by France at the Tokyo Olympics was that “the boys tried” and many called for the team to be “kept together for the future”. David Notoane’s players were praised for their “great effort” and some described them as being “unlucky”. That the team thought by most to be “the best group of players we…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za IF YOU have KOO or Hugo’s canned vegetable products at home that were produced from May 1, 2019 to May 5, 2021 return the product to the nearest supermarket or outlet for a refund. Tiger Brands, SA’s biggest food manufacturer, announced on Monday that it was immediately recalling about 20 million KOO and Hugo’s canned vegetables due to a number of defective cans supplied by a packaging supplier. The manufacturer said the cans that needed to be recalled may have a defective side seam weld that caused the can to leak. “The company identified the issue as part of its internal quality assurance processes,” Tiger Brands said in a statement. The canned products forming part of this recall include the KOO and Hugo’s canned vegetable range, including…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za AN untrained and aggressive pitbull dog was collected yesterday by the SPCA after it terrorised and attacked people in Bonteheuwel for weeks. SPCA spokesperson Shane Everts said Inspector Jeffry Mfini was dispatched after receiving a call for help involving an adult male pitbull, named Bingo, in distress in Bonteheuwel yesterday morning. Upon arrival, Mfini faced several residents armed with pangas and stones closing in on the dog, alleging it had attacked more than three people in the area. The inspector found the animal hiding between an informal structure and a fence. “The community was very angry towards the dog, claiming he was evil. If we did not intervene they would have killed the dog in our presence,” Mfini said. Bonteheuwel ward councillor Angus Mckenzie said he…

PRISONS are meant to be a form of retribution and rehabilitation for those who have committed crimes, but many are often a haven where gangsters run their illegal operations undeterred. Confinement of up to 24 hours a day in overcrowded communal cells also means that very often, more vulnerable inmates have no choice but to do the bidding of powerful gang members just to survive. Statistics gathered between 2015 and 2018 showed that more than 500 inmates died annually in the country’s 243 correctional centres, said Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services spokesperson Emerantia Cupido.Most deaths were from natural causes; some were suicides; others murder. Pollsmoor Prison has been identified as the most overcrowded in the country, and one of the most dangerous in the world because of its notorious…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za WHILE GrandWest was closed under level 4 Covid-19 regulations, 10 of their staff members continued to do volunteer work with The Reach Trust in their early childhood development programme The Finding Thabo project. The staff members received online introductory training for the programme and will explain the programme to teachers, distribute material for the training and collect relevant data from each centre they work in to evaluate the progress. GrandWest has donated R25 000 towards the project. Reach Trust chief executive officer Andrew Rudge said the project aimed to stimulate all young children, but especially those from under-resourced environments, through stimulating games, learning apps and other innovations. “We worked with a range of education experts, including a team of psychologists, occupational therapists and speech and language…

Charles Pensulo Thomson Reuters Foundation BLANTYRE: When Doreen Sakala fell pregnant as a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Malawi, she felt alone and worried about her future – until one day she switched on the radio. She was stunned to hear young people discussing the educational challenges faced by pregnant teenagers in the country, where youth-led radio is helping tackle taboos from child marriage and sexual abuse to HIV. “Listening to the radio opened up my eyes to the opportunities I can have if I work hard in school,” Sakala, now 20, said from the Mudzi Wathu radio station. Across the continent, 54% of African youth use radio as their main news source, according to a pan-African survey by the South Africa-based Ichikowitz Family Foundation. Five years after Sakala first began…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za SEVERE environmental degradation has led the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning to issue a directive for activities to cease at the Matroosberg Private Nature Reserve, Ceres and the neighbouring Valschgat Kloof farm. Department spokesperson Rudolf van Jaarsveldt said an investigation into the allegations of pollution and degradation of the environment was conducted by environmental management inspectors of the department and CapeNature after a complaint was received from a member of the public last year. “Following the inspections and review of botanical and engineering reports, it was confirmed that activities are causing and have caused significant pollution and degradation of the environment,” said Van Jaarsveldt. Van Jaarsveldt said the investigation revealed the damage was caused by a bulldozer used to clear areas containing indigenous vegetation at…

Colin Bosman | Newlands Will the courts’ message suggest that looters, arsonists and destroyers of state and private property are untouchable? Events in Phoenix outside Durban during the recent social unrest give reason for much thought and deliberation. Accusing and incarcerating alleged “murderers” is a knee-jerk reaction by the authorities, as the accusations need to be tested in court. The burning question is whether the accused are patriots who stood firm against a frenzied mob of looters? Or just trigger happy cowboys shooting for the hell of it? The second question is whether it is prudent in law to guard your suburbs, homes, buildings, families and lives, against a mindless mob intent on destruction. The Constitution suggests that all citizens are guaranteed protection of their lives. In the…

THERE has had been a change either in the perception of, or the attitude to, homeless people over the years I’ve been homeless. I have no idea how big and significant that change was and I still don’t know what caused it. There are people who do understand and empathise with the plight of the homeless, but most of them are recent converts – having had a clearer understanding a change of heart since being exposed to real homeless stories and a different narrative to that propagated prior to Covid-19 and the Strandfontein scandal When did it all happen? When were so many convinced that all homeless people are bad, do bad things, are lazy and always refuse good sound assistance and will never change their bad ways? When and…

Covid-19 pandemic has exposed weaknesses in business continuity and contingency plans COVID-19 has laid bare many uncomfortable truths regarding society’s overall preparedness for low-probability but high-impact events, especially global ones. These range from issues pertaining exclusively to pandemic readiness (like our domestic capacity to produce personal protective equipment, ventilators, sanitiser and vaccines) to matters that are considerably less esoteric, like the ability of global supply chains to operate regardless of the various stressors put upon them. The latter goes far beyond the toilet paper supply issue experienced early in the pandemic. It expands to include a whole range of products like lumber and other building materials, tools, foodstuffs, seeds, furniture, cleaning supplies, aluminium cans, jars, pools and pool equipment, chemicals, bicycles, camping gear, household appliances and replacement parts of all…

The UN warned yesterday that Afghanistan could see the highest number of civilian deaths in more than a decade if the Taliban’s offensives across the country are not halted. Violence has surged since early May when the insurgents cranked up operations to coincide with a final withdrawal of US-led foreign forces. In a report released yesterday documenting civilian casualties for the first half of 2021, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama) said it expected the figures to touch their highest single-year levels since the mission began reporting more than a decade ago. It also warned that Afghan troops and pro-government forces were responsible for a quarter of all civilian casualties. During the first half of the year, 1 659 civilians were killed and another 3 254 wounded,…

Malabo: Equatorial Guinea said yesterday that it was closing its embassy in London after Britain imposed sanctions against the son of its veteran president over corruption allegations, citing foreign interference. Last week, Britain slapped sanctions on Teodorin Nguema Obiang – Equatorial Guinea’s vice-president and son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema – for allegedly syphoning state assets into his own bank accounts. It was alleged he’d splurged $500 million (R7.4 billion) on mansions, luxury cars and a collection of Michael Jackson memorabilia. | AFP…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za Proteas Women’s captain Dane van Niekerk is set to make her much-anticipated return to the national team for the proposed tour of the West Indies next month. Independent Media understands that the Proteas are due to face the Windies in three T20Is and a five-match one-day international series in Antigua. Van Niekerk has not played for the Proteas since the epic T20 World Cup semi-final defeat to eventual winners Australia at the SCG back in March 2020 due to a lower back injury sustained in September last year. All-rounder Sune Luus led the Proteas in Van Niekerk’s absence, leading the team to a 3-0 ODI whitewash and 2-1 T20I series victory over Pakistan, while also creating history by beating a powerful India side 4-1 in the ODIs…