Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-08-06 i Cape Argus

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za WITH National Women’s Day on Monday, a teenager is holding the status as the only female rugby player in Masiphumelele. Masiphumelele High School learner Zola Nondwayi, 14, was just 10 years old when first introduced to rugby and remains the only female in her community to have taken up the male-dominated sport. “I really enjoy playing the sport because I’m a very adventurous person. “I like doing new things, things that other people are afraid to do,” said Nondwayi. Since rugby is a male dominated sport, I am trying to change that, because I believe sport has no gender. “At first it was difficult because the boys thought I couldn’t do it because I’m a girl and I was regarded as weak and not physically stronger but…

ntombi Nkosi ntombi.nkosi@inl.co.za BUSINESSMAN and Gupta associate Iqbal Sharma will have to wait until November to hear if the restraint order against him will be lifted. ID spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka said: “The interim restraint order granted in June this year has been extended to 18 November 2021. In November the restraint will either be confirmed as requested by the Investigating Directorate (ID) Asset Forfeiture Unit or discharged.” The order was made by the High Court of South Africa Free State Division which dealt with the confirmation of the unlimited restraint against Sharma and his companies. “The freezing order is in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crimes Act. The order applies to assets in South Africa which include all property of Islandsite 180 (Pty) Ltd, Sharma and his wife…

Zimkhitha Sulelo | Chairperson: Energy and Climate Change. Ward 51 PR Councillor IN APRIL Eskom increased its electricity tariffs. That decision had a ripple effect on all municipalities. For City-supplied customers, the price increase kicked in on July 1 and consumers shared their frustrations, and rightfully so. What consumers might not know, though, is that the City has the lowest increase countrywide at 13.5 % below Eskom’s 18% increase. For the past 10 years Eskom tariffs have been on the steep upward trend. For any real change that can be felt by consumers, municipalities have to diversify their energy supply. That includes exploring the role of independent power producers (IPPs). The good news is that in June, President Ramaphosa announced that the government has finally agreed to…

This form of violent grouping reactions often leads to racist actions and blatant killings During the recent sabotage and rioting in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng many people turned to informal policing. Some residents formed human chains around malls. Across KwaZulu-Natal, people guarded their homes and property with everything from paintball guns to cricket bats. Private security forces formed temporary street militias with community watch groups and armed locals. These groups responded to a widespread failure of the state to provide security in a social crisis. In many instances, communities attempted to organise purely for self-defence, and there are many examples of cross-racial solidarity in the midst of the chaos. But there was also racial profiling and violence motivated by racism, as seen in incidents in which white suburbanites manning…

A Myanmar militia force fighting the army in a central part of the country and residents have found at least 40 bodies in jungle areas in recent weeks, including some showing signs of torture, a militia member and media reports said. Since the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, hundreds of people have been killed as the army violently quelled protests, and in clashes between soldiers and often hastily assembled, lightly armed local militias. The bodies were found in several different locations around Kani, a town in the Sagaing area, which has seen fierce fighting in recent months between the army and the militia groups set up by opponents of military rule. Fighting in the area has now mainly stopped and it was…

SYDNEY: Australian police charged Hillsong Church founder, Brian Houston, yesterday with concealing alleged sex abuse of a young man in the 1970s, an allegation he strenuously denied. Houston issued a statement after New South Wales state police said a 67-year old church leader was charged with failing to report sex abuse. Media reports said Houston was charged with concealing alleged child sex abuse by his late father Frank Houston. Police did not comment on that allegation. “These charges have come as a shock to me given how transparent I’ve always been about this matter. “I vehemently profess my innocence and will defend these charges, and I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight,” Houston said.…

ASHFAK MOHAMED ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za IT got so hot in the shot put circle at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium yesterday that Kyle Blignaut needed a breather. But that’s not because he couldn’t handle the heat in the proverbial kitchen. In fact, Blignaut never took a backward step in finishing sixth in the shot put final with a best effort of 21.00 metres. That was one spot higher than the only other South African to reach an Olympic shot put final, Janus Robberts, who ended seventh at the 2000 Sydney Games with a distance of 20.32m . Now Blignaut is hoping to go even further at next year’s world championships and Commonwealth Games. “I think I am going to take two weeks off, spend time with loved ones back home … family, friends,…

ASHFAK MOHAMED ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za IT is one thing not qualifying for an Olympic final, but in the case of Chederick van Wyk, he didn’t even get to run at the Tokyo Stadium yesterday following Team South Africa’s misfortune in the men’s 4x100m relay heat. Considered one of the last medal hopes for Mzansi in athletics, the relay team were confident of at least making today’s final, having won the World Athletics Relays title in Poland in May. SA relays coach Paul Gorries worked long and hard to prepare the squad for Tokyo, including a number of camps ahead of the World Relays and the Olympics, including one in Gemona, Italy, in July. They went to great lengths to travel to Poland in late April for the May 1-2 World Athletics Relays,…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za TEACHER unions are up in arms after the Department of Basic Education (DBE) indicated it would request Cabinet’s permission to have social distaning in primary schools reduced from one metre to half a metre. In a joint statement, the National Professional Teachers Organisation of SA, Professional Educators Union, SA Democratic Teachers Union and National Teachers Union, said they were unhappy with the department’s intention, citing a lack of consultation and scientific evidence to support the decision. The unions said despite warnings that social distancing of one metre would not be possible when all primary school pupils returned to school, it was clear after two school days that compliance with the…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za THE outcome of the conciliation process, between the SA Local Government Association (Salga) and municipal unions will head back to the bargaining council later this month for feedback. Salga has been at loggerheads with unions, including the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) and the Independent Municipal Allied Trade Union (Imatu), over wage increases for 2021. A conciliation process was concluded this week and a report was expected yesterday. Samwu spokesperson Papikie Mohale said the union was scheduled to convene a meeting today to decide on the way forward. A conciliation process was triggered after a facilitator’s agreement had failed to align the needs of unions and the offer from Salga. Samwu and Imatu declared a dispute at Salga. Samwu is demanding a minimum sectoral wage of R15…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za THE Western Cape department of agriculture and environmental affairs has called for more support and action from the national Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment department regarding the province’s water security issues and environmental future. This was after requests for combined co-operation went unheeded, even after CapeNature’s recent briefing revealed the excessive water consumption due to invasive eucalyptus trees. Standing Committee on Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning chairperson Andricus van der Westhuizen said CapeNature disclosed earlier this year that the country loses up to 55 billion litres of water each year as a result of alien vegetation, and about R15 billion each year through direct and indirect costs associated with this. He said the removal of eucalyptus trees was crucial to safeguard the province’s ecosystems and natural…

THE violence and looting that took place in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng last month set back our struggle for a non-sexist and non-racist society. This is the same struggle that black, white, Indian and coloured women stood up for during their march to the Union Buildings on August 9, 1956. In his address to the 49th Session of the UN General Assembly in October 1994, former president Nelson Mandela said: “Our watchwords must be justice, peace, reconciliation and nation-building in the pursuit of a democratic, non-racial and non-sexist country. In all we do, we have to ensure the healing of the wounds inflicted on all our people across the great dividing line imposed on our society by centuries of colonialism and apartheid. We must ensure that colour, race and gender become…

Kabul: Warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, pictured, has returned to Afghanistan as the Taliban inch closer to taking control of his long-time stronghold in the north and fight for control of cities elsewhere. Ehsan Nero, spokesperson for the former army paratrooper, said Dostum arrived in Kabul on Wednesday night and was meeting senior officials to discuss security in Sheberghan, capital of Jawzjan province. The former vice-president has been in Turkey for months, where he was believed to be receiving medical treatment. Dostum has overseen one of the largest militias in the north, which gained a fearsome reputation in its fight against the Taliban in the 1990s – along with accusations that his forces massacred thousands of insurgent prisoners of war.…

WYNONA LOUW AFTER two interesting weeks of rugby, it’s here. The series-decider between the Springboks and the British & Irish Lions takes place at Cape Town Stadium tomorrow EVEING. On the field, the Lions could claim first bragging rights with a 22-17 win over the Springboks. In that Test, the Boks started off strongly and had the upper hand, but after half-time a different Bok side took to the field. Coach Jacques Nienaber’s men struggled to handle the tourists’ aerial game, while they were also their own worst enemies with their ill-discipline. That result immediately piled the pressure on the Boks. They had to win both their remaining Tests to clinch the series, and they moved one step closer to doing just that with an impressive 27-9 victory. Whoever…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za A Cape Argus Facebook Live session with wealth manager and author Lisa Linfield aims to bring a major shift in thinking to unlock financial freedom for woment. Linfield was a practising physiotherapist before joining the banking sector, in the UK and South Africa, and studied Theology at Oxford University, and Corporate Finance at London Business School. After 20 years in the corporate field, Linfield started three businesses aimed at changing the lives of people through financial freedom. As a Board Certified Financial Planner, Linfield has set a goal to teach one million women about money through her podcast and blog, “Working Women’s Wealth”, as well as online courses, books and keynote speaking. Some of the themes to be covered during the session are: how to fix…

Adiel Ismail | Mountview THANK you for an opportunity to reply to the deceptive response by the City’s deputy mayor. Alderman’s response: “The communication referred to by the letter writer is intended to be a customer-friendly one, where rather than give percentage increases per tariff category, that means nothing in the budget planning of a customer, the City has given the cents increases per tariff category.” His response implies that the customers are illiterate and do not possess the intelligence to calculate how an increase will affect their budget. Is he for real? Any increase stipulated as a percentage will immediately reflect how it will affect one’s budget. An annual salary increase of 1.5%, offered to government employees, will have great difficulty to absorb an increase of 13.5%…

AL Cope | Rosebank I WRITE again to ask the fuel powers that be to have a little compassion for those very poor people who use paraffin or paraffin wax for heating, cooking and lighting. Surely it would be very easy for the price of petrol to cover the costs of those who need to buy small quantities of paraffin in order to improve their lives? I understand that this commodity is used commercially in some industries, and I also understand that the cost to them increases, but what about the person who goes to his local hardware store to buy a Coke bottle of paraffin? Have a heart – please make the necessary arrangements to assist the poorest among us – reduce the price of paraffin for…

Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za INCREASED Covid-19 infections have placed a heavy burden on the province’s hospitals, and now officials have warned citizens to be extra vigilant heading into the long weekend, particularly when it comes to alcohol use and drink driving. During the premier’s regular digital news conference update on the provincial health platform, head of health Dr Keith Cloete said the province remained in the phase of widespread community transmission which occurred mainly at workplaces, in households, at homeless shelters, and at long-term care facilities. Cloete said there had been 20 deaths at Mitchells Plain Hospital over the weekend and that a third ward had been opened at the Mitchells Plain Hospital of Hope where cases were mainly from household cluster infections. “We are seeing an average of 3 004…

Keagan Gertse “… We must therefore draft a Constitution that will fully be legitimate, a Constitution that will represent the aspirations of our people.” Dear Mr President The above quote forms part of a larger address made by you in 1995 as chairman of the Constitutional Assembly, then representing the aspirations of a limping people towards a democratic state. As a forgiving people, great things were achieved on the grounds of equality, but we should acknowledge many failures on the part of the decision-makers who formed part of developing the cornerstone on which to make those decisions representing a nation building towards economic, civil and social inclusivity. As a state tied to political turbulence in the wake of infighting, we can no longer turn a blind eye to…

Srinagar: Hundreds of extra police and troops were deployed in Indian-administered Kashmir yesterday as separatist groups called for a shutdown to mark a “black day” on the second anniversary of New Delhi imposing direct rule. Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since 1947 with both claiming the territory in full. Fighting in the past two decades in the Indian-controlled part has left tens of thousands dead, mostly civilians. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government scrapped the Muslim-majority region’s partial autonomy on August 5, 2019, and split it into two federal territories. Thousands were arrested, scores of whom remain behind bars two years on. Ahead of the second anniversary, security forces erected numerous new checkpoints and barricades across Srinagar, with personnel in bulletproof gear checking vehicles and frisking residents. Suspected…

TOKYO: Tokyo citizens held a rally demanding the immediate suspension of the Olympic Games as Covid-19 infections surge to a record high, a Sputnik correspondent said yesterday. Tokyo authorities said the number of daily new Covid-19 cases exceeded 5 000, hitting the record since the pandemic outbreak. Countrywide, cases are also on the rise. Yesterday, Japan set a new record of more than 15 000 daily Covid-19 infections, breaking the previous record of 14 200 cases that was registered only a day earlier. Protesters, holding loudspeakers and self-made posters, gathered next to the Olympic stadium, urging the authorities to stop the competitions immediately.…