Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-08-26 i Cape Argus

Robin-Lee Francke robin.francke@inl.co.za The Cape Town man accused of murdering 1-year-old Orderick Lucas was found guilty in the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday. Melvin Volkwyn, 42, a hairstylist from Kleinvlei, stood in the dock in shock before breaking down and shaking his head as Judge Nolundi Ndita handed down judgment. Volkwyn was convicted of murdering young Orderick, who went missing on March 24, 2019, but was only reported missing on March 28. Following extensive community searches, Orderick’s decomposing body was found eight days after his disappearance in a stormwater drain in Wittebol Street, Eerste River, just metres from his grandparents’ home. The body was uncovered by children playing with a ball in the street. The ball went into the drain and when they went to retrieve it, they made…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za SEVEN years after the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry (KCOI) into policing of the township released its findings and recommendations, the site where a police station was supposed to have been built in Makhaza still stands empty. In the recent quarter crime statistics, Khayelitsha reported a 32.8% increase in violent crime. It was the unending crime in the area seven years ago that gave rise to a spate of vigilante killings which prompted the inquiry. Despite the recommendations at the time, residents are still stuck with a severe lack of police resources. Advocacy group, the Social Justice Coalition (SJC), said the recent quarter crime statistics for April to June were a reflection of a failed policing system. During a virtual commemoration of the KCOI organised by the SJC…

Mthuthuzeli Ntseku mthuthuzeli.ntseku@inl.co.za Learners suffer a great deal of gender-based violence and sexual harassment from some teachers in schools in exchange for good marks. The harassment always goes unreported and needs to be stopped immediately. This strong message, shared by Grade 9 Langa High School learner Sinazo Zwelinjani, is contained in one of the 440 postcards for the anti-GBV organisation Langa for Men. The group visited schools in the area yesterday, collecting the postcards from schoolgirls that describe their experiences with gender-based violence and the government interventions that are needed to stop the abuse of young girls and women. Langa for Men co-founder Luyolo Lengisi-Hawule said the organisation collected the postcards from different schools to form part of a memorandum for the “SA Post Office (Sapo) to Parliament” march…

Rodney Mazinter | Camps Bay IT’S unclear if anti-vaxxers have more fuel for their argument, as the vaccine fails to provide total protection, particularly of the vastly more infectious Delta variant against which the vaccine has proved less effective, as Pfizer warned it might. With millions of South Africans remaining unvaccinated, the virus is becoming hard to contain. The government is struggling to avoid imposing another draconian lockdown as the number of serious cases increase exponentially and rise towards levels which may overwhelm the hospitals. Other countries have been struggling with the virus and its unpredictable qualities with varying levels of success. Policy to deal with the pandemic involves undesirable choices between balancing the threat to life and health against damage to the economy from social restrictions.…

THERE is a well-known saying coined by French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in 1849, a year after the French revolution – “The more things change the more they stay the same”. Under the apartheid Nationalist Party (NP) from 1948 to 1994, changes were made to the lives of South Africans, with drastic consequences for most people. Since 1994, under the rule of the ANC, we have seen many changes yet why does it feel like most people’s situation is not changing? Recently, the ruling ANC allowed the Basic Education Department to consider cancelling the October 4 to 8 school holiday. The reason given was that too much time had been lost because of the lethal virus affecting schools across the world. I, as a logical-thinking South African faced with a…

Samkelo Mtshali A former university friend of late apartheid activist Dr Hoosen Haffejee yesterday told an inquest into his death that students and staff at the Government Dental College and Hospital Nagpur in India described him as a man with a great heart and mind who fought the good fight. Dr Vinay Hazarey, one of India’s most renowned dental surgeons, told Judge ZP Nkosi of the Pietermaritzburg High Court that his recollections of Haffejee were of his courage and bravery, which he had shown in his various leadership roles while at the Dental College and Hospital Nagpur. He said he had witnessed Haffejee’s courage first-hand during a student strike, which resulted from dental students not having a hostel at the time. As part of his student union activities, Haffejee…

Staff Reporter The Robben Island Museum (RIM) has appointed Maphootla Makhoalibe as its first female executive manager since being declared a national museum in 1997. Makhoalibe joins RIM as the chief infrastructure officer responsible for infrastructure and facilities management. Makhoalibe has over 19 years’ experience in complex investment projects from inception, implementation and acquisition through to disposal in Africa (SADC), the Middle East (Qatar & UAE), the US and the UK. Academically, she has extensive built environment and infrastructure qualifications; Bachelor’s Degree: Architecture (SA), Master’s Degree: Property Development and Planning (UK). “I would like to thank the Council of Robben Island Museum, as well as the chief executive officer, Mr Mava Dada, for the opportunity to serve our country in preserving our heritage, as well as trusting me to…

SOUTH Africa’s greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 10.4% over 17 years, according to the country’s National Greenhouse Gas inventory report measuring the period from 2000 to 2017. The report, released this week by Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy, revealed an increasing trend in emissions in the energy, industrial processes and product use and waste sectors. “The decrease in the net Afolu (agriculture, forestry and other land use) sector is due to an increasing land sink. There was an annual average increase of 2.0% between 2000 and 2009, and then emissions stabilised and declined with an average annual decline of 1.0%,” the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) said in statement on Tuesday. The report was based on South Africa’s commitment to the UN Framework…

Since the Taliban seized Afghanistan just over a week ago, thousands of Afghan women have attempted to flee the country in fear of losing their rights. In a previous reign between 1996 and 2001, the Taliban punished women who were not covered in a burka and did not allow girls aged over 10 to attend school or study. However, Taliban senior commander, Waheedullah Hashimi, has said a council of Islamic scholars would determine the legal system, which will be based on Sharia law. Despite the group assuring women in various press statements that they will be respected, many remain uncertain on the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law. Second deputy president of the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) in South Africa, Sheikh Riad Fataar, told African News Agency the holy Qur’an clearly…

Karel Dampies | Wellington WHAT is happening in our community? While Covid-19 and poverty are now going hand-in-hand, gender-based violence is increasing. More programmes should be implemented. Now that the Minister of Social Development has a budget to help the poor, why not use some of the money for family projects and create more awareness about GBV. There are so many killings in the Western Cape. There are a lot of NGOs who can help with the projects and help communities to be safer. These projects might also not just keep people busy during Covid.…

Peter Hendricks | Hanover Park MANY a school is feeling the crunch and pressure of working in these challenging times. Educators are under tremendous pressure and the day-to-day chores are very different to what they were. Learners’ absenteeism is a big worry, and the low morale of teachers and children is a major factor. Late coming of learners to school or classes is a bad habit that you want to wish away, but it is a fact or a crime? Schoolwork is no longer a priority. For many educators, it feels like a social club’s meeting place with no agenda. Every day, you hear about what is said about the education sector and how bad it is. I am sure many teachers start feeling bad about all the…

Staff reporter HUNDREDS of people turned up at the River Club in Observatory to register their names on the Western Cape First Nations Collective (WCFNC) database for employment opportunities in the River Club Redevelopment project. The WCFNC said it has been a strong proponent of the development, which will secure a significant heritage precinct. “This includes a heritage centre, a cultural centre, an international indigenous media centre, a garden of indigenous knowledge and cultural praxis, as well as First Nations Cultural pavilion from which the best of Khoi and San arts, music, heritage, cultural and indigenous crafts can be showcased. The turnout of first nations descendants is a clear indication of the vast support and authority that the WCFNC holds in indigenous communities, which have been dispossessed, disenfranchised and discriminated…

JSC upholds recommendations of Tribunal in case against W Cape Judge President Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has recommended impeachment of Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe after he was found guilty of gross misconduct as per section 177 of the Constitution by the Judicial Conduct Tribunal. The JSC met yesterday, when it took the decision to uphold the report and recommendations of the Judicial Conduct Tribunal handed down on April 9. In a terse four-point statement, JSC spokesperson advocate Dali Mpofu outlined the reasons. He said that in line with the provisions of the Constitution, the matter of the impeachment would be referred to the National Assembly for its decision. “The National Assembly and the parties will be furnished with copies of both the majority and…

| African News Agency (ANA) MORE women should start empowering themselves via financial literacy to achieve independence, according to financial markets analyst and Ubuntu Invest CEO, Nelisiwe Masango. Masango, 28, who is one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 50 Black African Women Entrepreneurs to Watch, believes that creating a financial plan and sticking to it is the best course of action. “Women, in particular, should stay committed to becoming financially independent. It should simply be non-negotiable. In a male-dominated world, not only does money give you the freedom to live on your own terms, but it also brings a sense of pride and dignity,” Masango said. “The best way to achieve any goal is to actually start. Create a plan, make the necessary sacrifices and tell a friend, so you can…

Samaoen Osman | Crawford THE Afghanistan issue is the final nail in the coffin for the US as the American Empire starts to decline on the back of wars, exploitation, criminality, deceit and moral degradation where anything goes. The 20th anniversary of the so-called “war on terror”, which began with the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, is marked by the withdrawal of US troops and the “return” of the Taliban to Kabul. In some ways, we are back in 2001, and in others – there is no going back, given that the US war on terror has killed over 800 000 people, and displaced 37 million more. Deaths authored by the Taliban are registered as more deathly than the deaths of Afghans by US drone strikes, air strikes, the…

WHENEVER I am in a philosophical mood (usually about the middle of the second bottle ), I find myself wondering what I did to deserve drawing so many winning numbers in the lottery of life. (The lottery of life is unlike the political lottery, where the winning tickets are all issued to “cadres“ long before the numbers are drawn. I once tried to become a cadre but failed the corruption exam.) Among my prizes I include a circle of wonderful friends, a loving family, a home by the sea, the chance to learn interesting skills and visit exciting places, and the ability to pay my debts (eventually). One of my most precious prizes in Life’s lottery has been a lifetime supply of calcium. While many of my contemporaries have had…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za FORMER president Jacob Zuma’s arrest was used by instigators to create instability in the country, Deputy Minister of State Security Zizi Kodwa said. He said the failed national shutdown this week and another similar aborted national shutdown two weeks ago were part of plans to destabilise the country. South Africa was plunged into violence in July when businesses and other infrastructure were destroyed in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Kodwa, who took part in a debate in the National Council of Provinces on the violence in the provinces, said the intelligence services were now “better prepared”. “Our intelligence has revealed that the arrest of former president Zuma was not a driver of this conduct, but an exploitation event to trigger instability in the country. We know now…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za EFF leader Julius Malema says the EFF hopes to go into coalition governance, if it clinches co-governing agreements for the 2021 local government elections. Malema yesterday said the party would engage in coalition talks only on a case-by-case basis, based on municipalities. He indicated that the party would not bind itself, but was looking to play a bigger role than it did in 2016. The EFF had played a role in 2016, where the DA sought votes to run the City of Johannesburg and Tshwane. It did not then have any EFF members take up leadership positions when it agreed to coalition agreements. This time, Malema said the situation would be different for the party. “This time around, we are going into coalition government as ourselves, as…

ALL people have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development. The Biden administration insists the US drawdown of troops stems from Donald Trump’s agreement with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, last February. Critics argue that like climate change, the new administration can reverse foreign policy of its predecessor if it had political will. What is significant of the Doha agreement was that the US was aware of the unsustainability of the war in Afghanistan. It was only a matter of time before inevitable defeat. The US did what it does best, leaving the Afghan government to resist against the offensive Taliban in a spiral of relentless strife and civil war. But the plot…

The word “legacy” popped up twice on my radar this week. The first was Netflix reminding me that it was the first anniversary of its broadcast of The Last Dance, the excellent 10-part documentary on the Chicago Bulls’ championship years in the 1990s. It is widely regarded as having enhanced Michael Jordan’s legacy as one of the greatest basketball players ever and one of the most influential athletes of any era. The second reminder of legacy came from reading Mark Boucher’s submission to Cricket SA’s Social Justice and Nation Building project. Boucher has become one of the central figures at the hearings. “It is distressing to me that while we may have achieved many of our goals on the field in my playing days, we did not have a team…

ZAAHIER ADAMS zaahier.adams@inl.co.za ETHAN Brooks was barely a year old when Bafana Bafana last qualified for the World Cup in Japan and South Korea back in 2002. They, of course, played at the global extravaganza eight years later when South Africa hosted the tournament in 2010, but the national team were not required to navigate the strenuous qualification progress. It’s only been disappointment for Bafana fans ever since. But now Brooks, 20, hopes to change all that after being included in coach Hugo Broos’ 23-man squad for the upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Ghana. “I feel really honoured to be part of the squad that will be competing in the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Bafana haven’t qualified for the World Cup since 2002,…