Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-07-28 i Cape Argus

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za THE attempt by the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) to evict people illegally living on railway tracks and in a rail yard in Langa has encountered a snag, as the case in the Western Cape High Court is continuing. Prasa approached the court yesterday, seeking to regain its portion of land, erf 114 412, which it said was essential for its operations and the resumption of train services along the relevant corridor and route. The land, known as Siyahlala informal settlement, was invaded on January 4, 2019 by people from different areas in the province. In February, Prasa visited the area, issuing letters of notice and urging the occupants to vacate its premises, saying failure to vacate within the provided timeline would result in further delays…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za A 45-YEAR-OLD man is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court today after he was arrested, allegedly, with suspected stolen uncut diamonds, colour gems and expensive watches worth R8 million. Police spokesperson FC Van Wyk said officers attached to the Maitland Flying Squad were following up on information about a stolen watch at the suspect’s pawnshop when they executed a search of the premises and discovered his shiny loot. “The officers discovered 51 other expensive watches and a lot of presumed uncut diamonds and different coloured gemstones. “A total of 544 gemstones were seized. The items confiscated are estimated to be worth at least R8m. A 45-year-old man was arrested on charges of possession of stolen property. He is set to appear at the…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za THE ANC in Joburg has vowed to investigate claims that rival leaders in Roodepoort on the West Rand have filed an incitement of violence charge against their branch secretary in a bid to eliminate him as a party candidate for the upcoming local government elections. According to insiders, the complainants lodged a criminal case against Keke Tabane hoping that the governing party would disqualify him from being a councillor in accordance with the ANC’s step-aside policy instruction to all senior members and officials facing criminal charges. ANC Zone 5 chairperson Phido Thage reiterated yesterday that the charge against Tabane was a fabrication. “They fabricated lies against comrade Keke Tabane. There have never been incidents of looting in our area. It’s strange that the very people who…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za EMPLOYEES of state-owned low-cost airline Mango are owed R157 million in unpaid salaries and believe if it is placed under business rescue it could profitable by 2023. Mango, a subsidiary of the equally struggling SAA, yesterday suspended its flights and services due to the debt it owes to the Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS). According to the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) Mango owes the state-owned ATNS almost R58m. Outa said SAA also owed ATNS over R55.5m. The Mango Pilots Association, the SA Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) and the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) have asked the South Gauteng High Court to urgently place the airline under business rescue. In their urgent application set down for next Tuesday, they told the high…

Ghalied Geduldt | Maitland THE US could have learnt from the lessons of Vietnam and attempted a diplomatic rapprochement with the Taliban in the early stages of the war in Afghanistan On April 30, 1975 at 7.58am Saigon time a helicopter left the American Embassy with 11 US Marines on board. This was the last helicopter out of Saigon with the last American military personnel to leave Vietnam as the North Vietnamese army rolled into Saigon. The outcome of the war in Afghanistan, which started in October 2001, has similar overtones to the Vietnam conflict which lasted from November 1, 1955 to the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. In both conflicts the US came to the realisation that there was not a military solution to the…

Dhesigen Naidoo WE APPROACHED Mandela Month this year with weighty shoulders. The burden of Covid-19 is even more extreme than its initial shock in the form of an unprecedented global health crisis last year. Covid-19 is also expanded and deepened with two factors that appear to dominate. The first is the unbelievable interconnectedness of all who live on the planet, and, second, is the extreme stark inequality that characterises our time. An expression of this is the gross global vaccine inequality that threatens the prospect of a reasonable and timely exit from the pandemic status we live under. The second expression of that “inequality epidemic” as Antonio Guterres expressed in his 2020 Mandela lecture has been a week of intense, damaging, social unrest in South Africa. South Africa is…

Wiping away tears, a police officer told a rapt US congressional hearing yesterday he believed “this is how I’m going to die” while defending the Capitol in Washington on January 6 against a rampaging mob branding him a traitor. Another recalled how he was beaten unconscious by rioters supportive of then-president Donald Trump, and said he “went to hell and back” protecting US lawmakers and the citadel of American democracy. The gripping accounts served as opening testimony in a landmark hearing of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack, which opened with hair-raising videos of the deadly attack. But it was the dramatic personal recollections of officers under siege by people they described as “terrorists” that set the tone in a closely-watched session. It was “something from…

PARIS: Cuba’s embassy in Paris said on Tuesday that it had been attacked overnight with petrol bombs which caused some damage but no injuries to its staff in an incident that prompted French authorities to beef-up security around the building. Three petrol bombs were thrown, causing a fire on the façade and the entrance of the building, the embassy said in a statement. Cuba has been rocked by protests against a deep economic crisis. “Those directly responsible for these acts are those who incite violence and hatred against our country,” said Cuba’s foreign ministry. Its embassy in Paris said such acts had been “encouraged by campaigns by the US government against our country.” France’s foreign ministry said that a judicial investigation had been opened. | Reuters…

Sensations in the pool and surf Tatjana and Bianca show the country’s silver lining Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za “WE ARE not going through the best of times at the moment, but if this can just give us a slight bit of hope for anyone out there to know that we can do it as South Africa then I’m happy …” That was the sentiment from swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker yesterday after she claimed Team South Africa’s first medal at the Tokyo Olympics with a second-placed finish in the 100-metre breaststroke. Team SA finally got on to the medal scoreboard yesterday with Schoenmaker joined by surfer Bianca Buitendag, who also secured a silver gong. Her long-time coach, Greg Emslie, believed that Buitendag’s silver could have a significant influence on the sport back home.…

Mthuthuzeli Ntseku mthuthuzeli.ntseku@inl.co.za LANGA residents are in shock after the bodies of two men were discovered. The body of a man who had been stabbed was found in Joe Slovo informal settlement camp on Monday, and the body of a man burnt beyond recognition was found in an open field at a former Transnet men’s hostel yesterday. Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said that on Monday, after a complaint, officers found the body of an unknown male in Joe Slovo Squatter camp. He said the motive for the murder was unknown and no one had yet been arrested. Meanwhile, police spokesperson FC Van Wyk said Langa police were investigating a murder case after the body of an unknown man was found on an open field at Ikwezi Hostel by a…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za A Surrey Estate Islamic school principal and educator accused of sexually assaulting a minor has been acquitted, without having to take the stand. Haláwat-ul-Qurán hifth academy principal Abdul Karriem Davids, 46, appeared at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Monday on charges related to sexual assault, grooming and exposing a minor to pornographic material. In May, Davids pleaded not guilty on all charges. He was acquitted due to lack of evidence and corroborating testimonies. The case of sexual assault was opened at the Grassy Park police station in September 2019, for the alleged incident in May of that year. The victim was 13 years old at the time the alleged sexual assault took place, when she attended Haláwat-ul-Qurán, now in Taurus Street, Surrey Estate. The mother of…

TRANSNET said it has made “significant progress” in restoring its information technology (IT) systems after disruptions caused by a cyberattack. “Significant progress has been made in restoring Transnet IT systems, with most of the affected applications up by Monday. It is expected that some applications may continue to run slowly over the next few days, while monitoring continues,” spokesperson Ayanda Shezi said yesterday. “All operating systems will be brought back in a staggered manner, to minimise further risks and interruptions. At the ports, each container terminal has communicated its transition plan from manual operation to the full Navis-driven operation. The terminals are berthing vessels as planned, and facilitating loading and discharge operations with the shipping lines.” She said Transnet would continue to work directly with shipping lines in order to…

I SET myself the agenda of promoting good language usage in order to facilitate meaning and promote understanding. It is in this arena that people can find one another, using the various modes of encryption that give life its meaning and piquancy. Since the start of the Covid era, so much has changed that one suffers psychic dislocation in the effort to meet the protocols required for survival. In an ordinary world, the conversations deal with the mundane and irritating, sometimes the spectacular and breath-catching. But our linguistic resources have been put under tremendous strain because the fat toad Covid (to steal an image from Larkin) has come to squat on every aspect of our existence. It is at this stage that I wish to veer away from the oft-repeated…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za IT WAS still not yet clear yesterday when the rival taxi associations would allow their minibus taxis to operate in some parts of the Cape Town metropole. The two associations, the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) and the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta) suspended their services three weeks ago, during the peak of the taxi violence which left more than 20 people killed this month. Cata spokesperson Andile Seyamo said they did not know when their taxis would operate, while Codeta spokesperson Andile Khanyi said they had not “concluded the decision” on the resumption of operations. Transport and Public Works MEC Daylin Mitchell said yesterday was the second day that the B97 minibus taxi route between Mbekweni and Bellville had been closed. Mitchell said it would…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-Leigh.solomons@inl.co.za AGRICULTURAL economist Dawie Maree says supply and demand issues could possibly lead to a short-term food price increase for KwaZulu-Natal consumers. Now that the dust has settled in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, concerns have been raised about food supply and the degree to which the looting affected the supply chain, and whether food price hikes can be expected. Maree, however, notes that supply chains are in the process of being restored. He was speaking about the aftermath of the looting and violence that gripped the two provinces two weeks ago. According to Maree, the economic sector has not been severely affected by the looting. He notes, however, that cold storage plants were looted but said it was to a lesser extent than in the retail sector. “The indirect…

Covid-19 pandemic has triggered a rise in hunger in South Africa THE recent political and social unrest across parts of South Africa has again brought to the fore the deep structural problems faced by the nation. These include high levels of poverty for an upper-middle income country, largely due to extreme income inequality, which means that a large segment of the population is much poorer than the average, and massive unemployment. Hunger is another feature of South Africa’s inequality that has become pertinent in the socio-political climate. Many commentators have pointed to this as one of the underlying causes of the unrest. We do not propose that hunger is the cause of the current social upheaval. But, taken along with other deep-rooted structural inequalities, it provides additional fuel for…

A bill in Ghana that would make it a crime to be gay, bisexual or transgender has shocked the local LGBT+ community and raised fears over a possible surge in discrimination and violence against sexual minorities in the West African country. Gay sex is already punishable with up to three years in jail in Ghana, where homophobic persecution is widespread, but the draft law would go much further – making it illegal to be LGBT+ or advocate for LGBT+ rights, and imposing longer sentences. “This bill is a homophobe’s dream law,” said Danny Bediako of Rightify Ghana, a local LGBT+ group. “The community is shocked at how wide-ranging it is. People are even scared to go out now and some say they will leave the country if the bill is…

BERLIN: An explosion in a German industrial park yesterday killed one person and left four others missing, setting off a fierce blaze and sending a pall of smoke over the western city of Leverkusen. Emergency services took three hours to extinguish the fire at the Chempark site, home to chemicals companies Bayer and Lanxess, that flared up after the blast, park operator Currenta said. Police said 31 people were injured, five of them seriously enough to need intensive care. The area and surrounding roads were sealed off for much of the day. Police told residents living nearby to stay indoors and shut doors and windows in case there were toxic fumes. Currenta said locals should also turn off air conditioning systems due to possible toxic gases. | Reuters…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za THE Western Cape has celebrated one million vaccinations, even as infections and deaths remain high. By 5pm on Monday, 1 722 vaccines had been administered to healthcare workers, staff in the education sector and those within eligible age brackets. The province recorded 34 177 active Covid-19 infections, 388 800 confirmed cases to date, and 340 525 recoveries, as at 1pm yesterday. About 14 661 people have succumbed to Covid-19 complications. Currently, 3 345 people have been admitted to hospital due to the virus, of which 685 patients are in high care or ICU. Premier Alan Winde said: “I want to commend every official and healthcare worker who has been working tirelessly to ensure that we vaccinate as many people as possible in our efforts to beat this…

THE US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has managed to trace a Cape Town woman who allegedly sold images of her child on the dark web. The mother was caught in an operation conducted by the US Department of Homeland Security. The FBI flagged the activity on the dark web after naked pictures of the woman’s 4-year-old daughter were sold online. The dark web is described as a hidden collective of internet sites accessible only by a specialised browser. An official from Homeland Security acted as a buyer and traced the woman to Bonteheuwel via geotagging. The woman is alleged to have received payment for the pictures via PayPal, an online payment system. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the matter had been listed in the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za SEVERAL households in Wallacedene, Kraaifontein have once again been left without power because of illegal electricity connections which are rife in the community. Kraaifontein community leaders say residents living in areas close to identified electricity theft hot spots are bearing the brunt of other people’s actions, as illegal electrical connections have become commonplace, with perpetrators boldly setting up their connections in broad daylight and causing major damage to existing electricity infrastructure. Kraaifontein CPF spokesperson Mike Tafu said: “The situation is seemingly getting worse with time, and the worst part is that innocent people are suffering. “Some areas have had to go for days without electricity, even though they are connected legally. Currently, we have several houses without electricity, and more than a few broken street…

IN THESE trying times we see thousands of employees landing up in the unemployment queues. The Unemployment Insurance Fund is stretched to the limit and the administration of the Department of Employment and Labour is falling apart. Our government and the Department of Employment and Labour have failed the country’s workforce. The recent riots are probably going to add another 150 000 people to those seeking employment. Despite the closures of many businesses it is still imperative for employers to follow the proper procedures and structures of both the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) and the Labour Relations Act (LRA). The BCEA as controlled by Chapter 5 (termination of employment – Sections 36 to 42) outlines structures to be followed. A contract of employment may be terminated only…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za AFTER calls for a full investigation into the collapse of the road leading to the Zwelethemba bridge, over the Hex River in the Breede Valley, a report was compiled that made a series of recommendations for the repair and strengthening of the bridge. Municipality spokesperson JP Myburg said the severe weather conditions experienced during the height of winter ultimately contributed to the destruction of Raymond Pollet Road, the connecting road of the Hex River Bridge, in Zwelethemba. “Although the incident happened near the bridge, the bridge is intact, and it was the road connecting to the bridge that was partly damaged. “Breede Valley Municipality consulted with an engineering company to also look at the bridge and mentioned their findings in the report. The findings stated that…

WHILE South African cricket has for years given off the impression that it was progressive and open to transformation, the past few weeks have finally lifted the veil of racism permeating the game at all levels. But should we even be surprised? Cricket, like any other institution, is merely a mirror that reflects our South African reality. Thirty years after the sport was “unified”, and even though more black administrators run the game, the participation of black players has seen them sidelined, greeted with hostility, and subjected to naked racism. Former Model C schools have been left to unearth the next generation of black cricketers because there has hardly been development of any talent in townships. Some of our favourite cricketers have appeared before the Social Justice and Nation Building…

Thousands of Ethiopian army recruits paraded in Addis Ababa on Tuesday to bid farewell before leaving for training – potential future participants in a bloody, eight-month-old conflict in the north that continues to spread and intensify. Young women and men wearing plastic sandals and baseball caps danced in central Meskel Square at a ceremony attended by defence minister Kenea Yadeta and the capital’s deputy mayor, Adanech Abiebe. The mayor’s office said 3 000 young people would join the ranks of Ethiopia’s National Defence Force. The conflict between the central government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the party that controls the Tigray region, is spreading to other parts of northern Ethiopia, and youth from other parts of the country are joining federal forces. Fighting first broke out in Tigray…

ON the face of it, the five-member South African marathon team that flew out to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics yesterday is a pretty strong contingent that should do the country proud. Stephen Mokoka, Gerda Steyn, Desmond Mokgobu, Irvette van Zyl and Elroy Gelant are local road-running royalty and that they will be carrying our flag in Sapporo next weekend should not be surprising. To the uninitiated, Mokoka is a local running legend, a former Olympic marathoner, multiple champion on the track, cross country and road while Gelant is the current champion in the 42.2km distance and Mokgobu has won a marathon in Japan in the past. Steyn only recently smashed the long-standing national marathon record and three-time Soweto Marathon champion Van Zyl ran a PB to book her third…

The man Springbok supporters love to hate, Owen Farrell, could yet feature prominently in the British & Irish Lions series because of a concussion uncertainty over flyhalf Dan Biggar. Yesterday, coach Warren Gatland provisionally named Biggar in his side for Saturday’s second Test, but the Welshman must pass an assessment by an independent concussion consultant before being given the go-ahead to play, with the controversial Farrell waiting in the wings. The English flyhalf incurred the wrath of South African when he got away with an illegal shoulder charge on Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen in a match at Twickenham in 2018. Farrell will at the least be on the bench but if he indeed starts, it will mean the Lions will have a new halfback combination for the match…