Innholdsfortegnelse for 2021-12-09 i Cape Argus

Sacha van Niekerk sacha.vanniekerk@inl.co.za Wish lists are being written, shopping carts are being filled and presents are being wrapped as people also continue to hunt for the perfect gift to surprise a loved one with. One that may tick all your boxes is a pet. Dogs and cats are playful and cuddly – who wouldn’t love being surprised with one wearing a bow on Christmas morning, Lady and the Tramp-style? Unfortunately, as fabulous as the idea sounds, it doesn’t always turn out quite so well for the pet or their owner. At this time of the year, it is common for there to be an increase in pet adoptions and purchases from animal shelters and pet shops. The SPCA shared in a recent press release that: “While we encourage the…

Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za OPPOSITION parties in the legislature gave a thumbs down to the province’s Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) during a debate at the statement’s second reading. Provincial finance spokesperson Nomi Nkondlo (ANC) led the charge saying the party had rejected the MTBPS and that they “had concerns and disagreements with the policy direction the Western Cape is taking under the DA regime”. Nkondlo also took issue with the fact that the MTBPS was tabled during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, but did not mention the scourge. “The budget tabled does not back the victims of GBV and femicide in the province. The DA calls for gender and youth-based reporting while they themselves are not doing it and fail race-based analysis.” EFF MPL Nosipho…

South Africa has 26 universities. They accommodate students from government schools – the majority of them poor and where little or no school fees are paid. They also accommodate students from former model C schools (where there’s no limit on fees, but government subsidies are received) and private schools (funded by the parents). Recently, in Business Insider (Andre Thompson, December 5), the top 10 list of schools charging the most school fees was published. The top school charged in excess of R200 000. As I have pointed out a number of times in my column, if South Africa wants to serve the interests of the majority of students, we must have one education system. We should have bit the bullet already in 1994. It is never too late to…

Willem Phungula willem.phungula@inl.co.za Acting Education head in KwaZulu-Natal Dr Barney Mthembu has issued a stern warning to school principals who are withholding pupils’ results for non-payment of school fees. Mthembu was responding to a series of complaints by parents since last week who said their children’s year-end results were withheld by schools because they had not paid fees in full. The HOD yesterday vowed to charge principals for misconduct, saying principals know that the practice was illegal, adding he has just issued the circular to the school telling them to stop or face consequences. “You just called while I am busy finishing the circular I am issuing in response to what you are raising. I wish to tell principals that withholding the pupils’ results because of non-payment of school fees…

A Saudi man held at a Paris airport over suspected links to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was arrested because his passport triggered an alert, police said yesterday, after Saudi Arabia said it was a case of mistaken identity. French law enforcement has named the man as Khaled Aedh Al-Otaibi, the same name as a former member of the Saudi Royal Guard listed in US and British documents and a UN report as having been involved in Khashoggi’s killing in 2018. France has until today to verify who he is. | Reuters…

THE Confederation of African Football (CAF) had dismissed speculation that next month’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Cameroon could be moved due to the spread of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron. Southern Africa was hit by international travel bans at the end of last month, following the discovery of the new variant by South African scientists. The controversial travel bans came into effect on November 25, with flights no longer allowed to the United Kingdom from South Africa, Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe. It turned out, in fact, that the Omicron variant was present in Europe long before it was detected by SA scientists, according to a CNN report. Nigeria, which neighbours Cameroon, was this week also added to the UK Government’s travel “red list”. Despite speculation that…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za SOME people know what they want early in their lives and go for it, but for a Joburg-based quantity surveyor-turned- businesswoman the journey of self- discovery took longer than many of her peers and has been life-changing. Sonto Pooe, founded Nativechild, a natural-based hair and body care range, in 2015 after losing her hairline and taking action by experimenting with plant-based ingredients in her kitchen. Pooe said she went through a phase of braiding a lot and, like most black women who do braids, ended up losing her hairline. “My hairline got damaged, and it didn’t matter what I did, my hair did not grow back. I did research to see what products I could put together to produce a product that would help me,” said Pooe.…

Liam Karabo Joyce Music producer and hip hop artist OB Magik has released his latest EP titled For the Taking. He hopes to inspire the youth of South Africa. Talk to us about your EP, For The Taking. When did you start working on it? “As an artist, I am always working on new music and have been making songs back-to-back since last year and keeping them. As we entered 2021, I dropped a few singles from the collection and in April, I decided to start working on a full project, of which some of the songs that were recorded in 2020 are also on the EP.” What was the inspiration behind this EP? “There’s this song in the EP titled: I Want It All. It was the first song…

Sacha van Niekerk sacha.vanniekerk@inl.co.za Shoppers at Cape Town’s Table Bay Mall might have seen Andrew Willicott, 9, sitting at the piano in one of the forecourts playing the piano with his fingers moving quickly and effortlessly across the keys. From Melkbosstrand, Andrew started playing the piano at the age of 5 on a keyboard he had at home. His father Gary, 46, a CEO and pastor, YouTube’d the first few lines of “Oh When The Saints Go Marching In”. “We had a keyboard at home in case one of our kids developed an interest,” he said. Gradually, his youngest son became curious so one day his father decided to show him the first few lines of the song. “I played it with one finger, the way I knew from my…

Rafieka Williams rafieka.williams@inl.co.za RESIDENTS of Gatesville near Athlone were left traumatised after Gatesville Post Office was robbed and several shots were fired. Police spokesperson André Traut said two robbers fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. He said the robbers shot several times as they fled the scene. Police tarrested two suspects, aged 28 and 39, but the incident has left residents and traders shaken. Zaheer Ismail was grazed by a bullet that came through the window of his girlfriend Yusrah Matthews’s home. Matthews, who has young children in her home, said the wall was damaged by the bullets that came through a window. “We have been left traumatised because this is the first time something like this has happened. I’m thinking it could have been my daughter because…

Rafieka Williams rafieka.williams@inl.co.za A 19-year-old man appeared in the Wynberg Regional Court for the murder of a Tanzanian trader in Philippi. Phineas Chawadya is charged with murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition. The State alleges that on September 11, 2018 the accused killed the trader in Philippi East by shooting him, after assaulting and robbing him. Chawadya allegedly also shot another Tanzanian trader, Sylvere Nahimana, who has appeared in court as a witness for the prosecution. The prosecution said the witness’s account is that on the day, the deceased met his business partner, Nahimana, in Philippi, where they exchanged money to buy new stock. As they took out the money, the accused approached them with a gun and demanded the cellphone and the…

Samkelo Mtshali samkelo.thulasizwe@inl.co.za THE mooted visit by ANC councillors from eThekwini Municipality to former president Jacob Zuma’s home in Nkandla today is likely to cause more problems for the ANC. This is according to political analyst Professor Bheki Mngomezulu. The ANC councillors who will be accompanied by other councillors from Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Free State and Gauteng are set to descend on Zuma’s home despite not having formal approval from their respective structures and senior leaders. Mngomezulu says it would have been better if the councillors visiting Zuma had done so with the mandate and support of the provincial leadership because doing it on their own would lead to tension. “That in itself doesn’t sound good (visiting Zuma without provincial leadership approval) because as much as people can visit the…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za POLITICAL parties in the West Rand District Municipality in Randfontein have failed to elect a speaker and mayor for the council after the ANC was accused of allegedly having brought bogus delegates to the inaugural council meeting yesterday. The municipality was supposed to be set up by legitimate councillors from the three municipalities of Mogale Local Municipality in Krugersdorp, Merafong Local Municipality in Carletonville and Rand West Local Municipality which comprises Randfontein and Westonaria. These municipalities are authorised to second a total number of 44 councillors to the district council. Mogale City and Merafong municipalities had already met the legal requirements of councillors to serve at the district council but the disputed delegates are from the Rand West Local Municipality. Allegations were made by the DA…

Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za OPPOSITION parties in the legislature gave a thumbs down to the province’s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) during a debate at the statement’s second reading. Provincial finance spokesperson Nomi Nkondlo (ANC) led the charge saying the party had rejected the MTBPS and that they “had concerns and disagreements with the policy direction the Western Cape is taking under the DA regime”. Nkondlo also took issue with the fact that the MTBPS was tabled during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, however, did not mention the scourge. “The budget tabled does not back the victims of GBV and femicide in the province. “The DA calls for gender and youth-based reporting while they themselves are not doing it and fail race-based analysis.” EFF MPL Nosipho Makamba-Botya…

Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za THE Garden Route District Municipality has experienced severe rainfall, causing a second incident of flooding in less than a month. This followed a revised impact-based warning for severe thunderstorms from the SA Weather Service (Saws) on Saturday. Saws said rainfall figures of more than 100mm were received and measured at its sites in the region. Providing an update on the floods, Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) acting provincial head Ntombizanele Bila-Mupariwa said that while heavy rains were welcome to boost water availability, water could be dangerous and potentially lethal at times. “A fortnight ago, the Southern Cape experienced flooding, which resulted in the evacuation of people in Thembalethu, Skaapkop Valley and Pacaltsdorp and other areas.” She said the Meiringspoort Pass in the De Rust area…

I BEGAN my journey with Chinese language around 15 years ago, when I selected it as an extra subject during my international relations bachelor’s degree. Why IR? My father, Frans Jordaan, had been a diplomat in Germany, so I was born in Bonn, West Germany (Germany being divided in 1985). I had a multilingual education (with English and Afrikaans at home, and German at school), which continued during my father’s diplomatic term in Namibia (11-year-old me was lucky to have met Nelson Mandela, another inspiration of mine, on his first presidential visit to Windhoek). Later, during high school in South Africa, I also studied French. Mandarin, as a language, ignited a passion within me. I enjoyed the challenge and was excited to add something new and different to my life.…

The world has experienced a 59% decline in the deaths of children younger than 5 years since 1990. New mortality estimates indicate that the largest drop was in 2019, when global under-5 deaths were reduced to 5.2 million from 12.5 million in 1990. The substantial progress in reducing child deaths occurred four years after the Sustainable Development Goals were launched. These goals include eliminating preventable child mortality; reducing neonatal death to less than 12 per 1 000 live births; and reducing deaths of children younger than 5 to less than 25 per 1 000 live births. The date for reaching these targets is 2030. It may be too early to attribute any success to the Sustainable Development Goals. But the progress may be the result of related efforts like…

Australia will not send officials to February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said yesterday, joining a US diplomatic boycott of the Games over alleged “human rights abuses”. The decision stopped short of preventing athletes from attending the games. China accused Canberra of “political posturing” and “blindly following” the US. The Chinese Embassy in Canberra said the boycott “runs counter to its (Canberra’s) expectation to improve China-Australia relations”. | AFP…

Mihlali Baleka mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za MAMELODI SUNDOWNS (1) 3 Kutumela 6th min, Shalulile 65, 72 ROYAL AM (0) 2 Letsoalo 81, 90+1 pen CHAMPION Sundowns are the epitome of flamboyance. That much was established through their 3-2 victory over a side who have been threatening that status, Royal AM, at home yesterday. Owned by businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize, Royal AM have been attracting attention in the top flight for all sorts of reasons, including paying cash bonuses on the pitch. But the classy and formal Sundowns have been doing what they know best: Winning. They top the standings on 34 points, 10 ahead of second-placed Sekhukhune United. Royal are fourth with 22 points after losing a match that more or less highlighted a gulf between them and the Brazilians. Sundowns were cruising…

THIS season has been schizophrenic for Tottenham Hotspur. It began with them starting the season with a bang as Nuno Espirito Santo won the Manager of the Month for August after leading the team to three straight wins. Questions were asked over Spurs’ ability to challenge for a top-four finish this season should Harry Kane depart with the player reportedly pushing for a new challenge. Fast forward four months. Nuno has been sacked after Spurs struggled for form and Antonio Conte has since been appointed as manager of the team. The club’s results and play has undergone a rejuvenation as they are currently two points behind fourth-placed West Ham. The one big surprise is that Kane, the club’s star player who was linked with a move away prior to the…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za HAVING Malusi Siboto, Duanne Olivier, Lutho Sipamla and Sisanda Magala to practise against has greatly aided Ryan Rickelton’s development as a batter this season. There was a lot of work Rickelton had to do himself, of course, but it was useful to gauge how well his off-season work functioned by putting himself up against the most fearsome quartet of bowlers on the domestic circuit. “We usually get good spicy wickets at the Wanderers nets, and obviously you ask the guys to take the newest balls they can get, and we have a proper contest,” Rickelton said yesterday. “I know if I’m holding my own against them, not getting out, and playing good shots against them, it’s a good sign for me.” Rickelton is the 10th highest run-scorer…

HERMAN GIBBS WESTERN Cape overshadowed Eastern Province teams on day three of the National Netball Championships at the DF Academy in Bellville, Cape Town, yesterday. The unbeaten Cape Winelands A, who have emerged as favourites for the title in the absence of champions Tshwane, defeated the strong Nelson Mandela Bay outfit 60-48 in the A-Section pipe-opener. The Winelands side were off to a cracking start and dictated play from the opening quarter in which they secured a seven-goal (15-8) lead. From then on, Cape Winelands A stepped up the intensity, and with each passing quarter, except for the final one, widened the margin for a 46-33 lead ahead of the final half. Nelson Mandela Bay closed the final set strongly, but the Cape Winelands A had built up an…

Philippa Larkin philippa.larkin@inl.co.za THE Every Company, a precision fermentation platform accelerating a global transition to animal-free protein, said yesterday that it had closed $175 million (R2.8 billion) in Series C financing, which saw Prosus Ventures’ first investment in synthetic biology. The round was co-led by new investor McWin and existing investor Rage Capital as well as Temasek, Grosvenor’s Wheatsheaf Group and TO Ventures. The Every Company was founded in 2014 by Arturo Elizondo, who is CEO, with the mission to accelerate the transition to animal-free and more sustainable proteins and reduce factory farming practices. “There has never been a better time to be a B2B ingredients platform,” said Elizondo. “As the world’s biggest food companies work to evolve their product offerings into the 21st century by driving for…

Liam Karabo Joyce liam.joyce@inl.co.za The past few months have been busy for the 23-year-old musician Bonga Kwana. Her recently released single Ndifuna Wena in collaboration with Ntsika Ngxanga from The Soil found its way to No 1 on the 5FM Pop chart for three consecutive weeks. Now the rising star, who is also an LGBTQIA+ activist has released her debut EP, New Faces to Old Problems. Kwana started working on the EP in 2019 by writing and putting ideas together. Some of the songs on the EP date as far as 2016. “I recorded it last year in September, with some new songs coming up during that time. “The inspiration behind this EP is definitely this particular phase of my life where I am in my 20s and navigating this…

Mthuthuzeli Ntseku mthuthuzeli.ntseku@inl.co.za DURBANVILLE police say they are worried about a spike in vehicle theft in the area. They said six vehicles had been stolen between November 3 and Monday. A complainant’s VW Polo was stolen on November 27 after he parked it in front of his residence on Schabort Street, Eversdal. A trailer in the same road was also stolen. A scooter parked in the underground parking in High Street, Rosenpark was stolen between November 3 and 17. Meanwhile, a driver delivering newspapers on Mauritius Street at about 3am on November 20, was robbed when an unknown man jumped into his vehicle and drove away. A vehicle was stolen on Sunday on Antoinette Street, Amanda Glen, and another on Monday on Louw Street, Valmary Park. In one of…

Mthuthuzeli Ntseku mthuthuzeli.ntseku@inl.co.za CHILD rights organisations, activists and members of the public came out in their numbers yesterday in Khayelitsha for the first leg of the public hearings on the Children’s Amendment Bill. The bill seeks, among other things, to strengthen the protective measures for children and to close gaps in the child protection system. It also intends to improve foster care services to children and resolve parental responsibilities on unmarried fathers. While most of the presenters supported the bill, some organisations rejected it saying that in its current form, it is fundamentally flawed. Bayakhanya Foundation founder Debbie Wybrow said the bill and the policy that was accepted in 2019 by Parliament were unconstitutional as they do not entrench the rights of children and do not prioritise what is…

Little progress on GF Jooste after 7 years Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za THE opposition in the legislature said it was shocked at the delays regarding the rebuilding of the GF Jooste Hospital, also known as the Klipfontein Hospital, in Manenberg. The facility was decommissioned in 2014. It was meant to be rebuilt, but seven years later there has been little progress and the provincial Department of Health still has no idea when it will be rebuilt. Following the standing committee on health’s discussion of the 2021 adjustments budget, ANC provincial health spokesperson Rachel Windvogel said she was shocked by the delay. She also queried why the department had failed to spend the R10 million that had been set aside as part of the process of rebuilding GF Jooste. “In March, we…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za AUDITOR-General Tsakani Maluleke has painted a grim picture of irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure in the public sector. According to Maluleke, corruption, where public finance was concerned, is rapidly increasing. She called for more action to be taken, saying this would enable the state to use funds more efficiently. The A-G tabled her report in Parliament yesterday. She told MPs that irregular expenditure shot up to R166.85 billion this year – an increase from the R109.8bn that was incurred in 2020. Maluleke called on accounting officers, chief financial officers and supply chain managers to contain the increase in irregular expenditure and highlighted that she was in the process of implementing her new powers to crack down on fraud and corruption in the public sector. “There were 88…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za AFTER months of preparing for the prestigious pageant in their respective home countries, all global contestants are in Puerto Rico and counting down the days to the Miss World 2021 pageant finale on December 16. The pageant takes place later than usual in the year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Former Miss SA Shudufhadzo Musida has shown her stunning cherry red dress for her world gown at the Miss World top model competition. As a tradition, each contestant is required to show off designs from their home countries. Created by designer Warrick Gautier, the dress is packed with a profound message that celebrates her country and the people she is representing. Musida, 25, took to social media to unpack how she wanted the dress to incorporate “Buhle”,…

Zukiswa Kota and Danita Hingston The word corruption has its roots in the Latin adjective corruptus, which refers to something that is spoiled, corrupted or perverted. In South Africa, evidence of the perversion of public funds abounds. In his 2021 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana warned that rampant corruption was a persistent issue draining public finances. At the height of the Covid pandemic, South Africans witnessed how corruption further exacerbated the unprecedented disruption to their education, employment, entrepreneurial pursuits and other opportunities for advancement. In September South Africa’s Special Investigating Unit told Parliament that R14.8 billion, associated with Covid-19 spending from April 2020 to June 2021, was being investigated for procurement irregularities. Mounting cases of procurement corruption are being investigated. An estimated R27bn is lost to…

The Omicron variant appears to be no worse than other Covid-19 strains, top scientists from the WHO and the US said this week, while cautioning that more research is needed to judge its severity. The hopeful assessments came as global concern grew over the heavily mutated variant, which has forced dozens of nations to re-impose border restrictions and raised the possibility of a return of economically punishing lockdowns. While it is likely more transmissible than previous variants, Omicron is also “highly unlikely” to completely evade vaccine protections, the World Health Organization said. “The preliminary data doesn’t indicate that this is more severe. In fact, if anything, the direction is towards less severity,” WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said, insisting though that more research was needed. Ryan also said there was…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za Stellenbosch FC 0 SuperSport United (0) 1 Grobler 91st min BRADLEY Grobler broke Stellenbosch FC’s hearts right at the death when the veteran striker scored a late winner for the visitors at Danie Craven Stadium last night. In a match of few clear-cut chances, Grobler popped up in the 91st minute with the solitary goal. The 33-year-old was incisive with his finish as he steered a low shot past Sage Stephens. SuperSport had the more productive passages of play, and former Stellenbosch winger Iqraam Rayners was arguably the best player on display. The SuperSport star enjoyed a splendid return to his hometown and was determined to show Stellenbosch what they’re missing as he was at the centre of all of his team’s most promising movements. Rayners…