Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-01-03 i Cape Argus

Debashine Thangevelo debashine.thangevelo@inl.co.za As we step into 2022, let’s look at the shows that left us completely mesmerised in a year where we yo-yoed between different Covid-19 lockdown levels and waves. These shows immunised us against serious boredom-meets-cabin fever and, in some instances, left us gasping. Squid Game A global phenomenon, this K-drama not only enjoyed critical acclaim but went on to surpass Bridgerton to become the most-watched series for Netflix. The nine-part series centres on Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), who lives with his elderly mother. Although divorced, he is a devoted father to his daughter. Unfortunately, his gambling addiction leaves him in a tricky spot with a local loan shark. But there is a silver lining, or so he thinks when a stranger invites him to play a game…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za A TEN-YEAR-OLD girl and a man drowned in separate incidents on New Year’s Day. The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has confirmed that two people – a girl, 10, and a man in his fifties – drowned at Strand Beach and Sea Point respectively on Saturday. NSRI Gordon’s Bay station commander Alan Meiklejohn said they received a call at 7.25am from Strand Beach, where a 10-year-old girl was reported missing in the surf zone. “On arrival at the scene, our sea-rescue craft with NSRI members on board searched in the direction of the sea currents when a resident in a block of flats opposite Strand Beach reported sighting the girl in the water a distance away from where she had originally been swimming,” Meiklejohn said. “They pulled…

Itumeleng Mafisa AS WORKERS prepare to return to work after the holidays the Public Servants Association (PSA) has threatened to take employers to court should its members be forced to vaccinate. This after a number of institutions and businesses had told workers to get vaccinated for the Covid-19 virus by the end of January 2022. PSA spokesperson Reuben Maleka said it would go as far as the Constitutional Court if workers were forced to vaccinate. “Targeting workers is simply a way of trying a solution where you are not going to find a solution because you could even find that most workers have responded and vaccinated.” Maleka said the Constitution had to be upheld by ensuring workers were not forced by employees to be vaccinated. He had this message to…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za ALTHOUGH the country is seeing a slight decrease in Covid-19 infections, experts are still calling for increased caution following Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations. On Saturday, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reported close to 10 000 new Covid-19 infections. Laboratory-confirmed cases reached 3 468 079 in South Africa after 9 818 new cases were identified. Fifty-three Covid-19 related deaths were reported by the Health Department, bringing the total number of fatalities to 91 198. On Saturday, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal contributed 26% each of new cases, followed by Gauteng at 17%. The three provinces have consistently reported the highest number of Covid-19 cases across provinces. The NICD said the seven-day moving average of daily number of cases has decreased. Division of Medical Virology…

Twelve people were crushed to death in a stampede at an Indian religious shrine in the early hours of Saturday as tens of thousands of pilgrims massed to offer prayers, officials said. The disaster unfolded in darkness at around 3am local time on the packed route to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Indian-administered Kashmir, visited by millions every year as one of Hinduism’s most revered sites. “People fell over each other … It was difficult to figure out whose leg or arms were tangled with whose,” survivor Ravinder said. “I helped pick up eight bodies by the time ambulances arrived after about half an hour. I feel lucky to be alive,” he said. Video footage showed terrified pilgrims clinging on to metal rafters to escape the rush and the blue…

Brighton & Hove Albion earned a hard-fought 3-2 victory at Everton in the Premier League yesterday, with Alexis Mac Allister scoring twice and Dan Burn grabbing a third. Brighton took an early lead at Goodison Park after midfielder Mac Allister scored in the third minute, finishing off a brilliant team move with a first-time shot past Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Burn netted the second goal in the 21st minute after the centre-back, unmarked at the back post, nodded in Enock Mwepu’s flick-on from a free-kick. Everton were awarded a lifeline four minutes later when a foul by Mwepu on Anthony Gordon led to a penalty, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin clipped the crossbar from the spot in his first appearance since August following an injury lay-off. Gordon finally pulled one back for…

Shingai Darangwa shingai.darangwa@inl.co.za AS AMAPIANO continued to dominate this year, the genre’s top production duos have come to the forefront to lead the charge. Below we look at five of the best amapiano duos out there. Scorpion Kings There’s no other place to start than with the Scorpion Kings. The duo comprises arguably the two best amapiano producers around, DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small. Together, they’ve formed an integral part in the genre booming across the globe over the past year, by relentlessly churning out hit after hit. It’s difficult to imagine where amapiano would be without these two giants. Felo Le Tee Though they’ve been around for a while, Felo Le Tee have only started to find their way into the mainstream this year. The duo have achieved…

Gontse Riet gontse.riet@inl.co.za INVESTIGATIONS are ongoing after K9 unit members attached to the provincial extortion task team recovered a hijacked delivery truck at the Marikana informal settlement in Philippi East. Police spokesperson Frederick van Wyk said the members followed up on information they had received concerning the whereabouts of a hijacked motor vehicle in the Philippi East area. “The information led them to the Marikana informal settlement in Philippi East. Due to challenging road conditions, the members pursued the information on foot and recovered the truck abandoned in-between the shacks, still intact with just the battery missing,” said Van Wyk. Van Wyk said no arrests had been made. “The vehicle, a white Kia 2.7D truck, will be taken to the Bellville Vehicle Safeguarding Unit, where it will be processed.”…

Hawks investigate cause of fire which ‘almost destroyed’ Parliament Rafieka Williams rafieka.williams@inl.co.za PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa said yesterday that a man had been taken in for questioning as investigations into a fire which almost destroyed Parliament began. “While they have worked to stop Parliament from being razed to ashes, it is very clear that this fire has devastated the parliamentary precinct and its contents and assets, including Parliament’s historical treasures of heritage,” Ramaphosa said. He was on the scene with other parliamentary officials including Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille and House chairperson Cedric Frolick hours after the fire started in the Old Assembly, spread to the National Assembly and left a trail of destruction in its wake. The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) is located in what is…

Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s requiem mass may have been a sombre high-church occasion, but it was also replete with touches of simplicity, humour, humility, intimacy and even quotes from Billie Holiday jazz classics. The ceremony took place in St George’s Cathedral, which in apartheid times Tutu turned into a centre of Struggle against racial injustice. Among those who said prayers during the mass were Tutu’s daughter, Reverend Mpho Tutu, Archbishop Tutu Trust chairperson Dr Mamphela Ramphele, former first lady and human rights activist Graça Machel and former Irish president Mary Robinson. In the eulogy, President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “If Tutu were here he would have said: ’Hey why are you looking so glum?’ He would have wanted to elicit a smile and a laugh from all…

Anita Dywaba anita.dywaba@inl.co.za The Western Cape government closed 2021 with 4.5 million administered Covid-19 vaccine doses. The province managed to fully vaccinate 66.7% of residents over the age of 60; 62.41% of residents over 50; and 39.89% of residents between 18 and 49. In a statement reviewing 2021, Juanita Arendse, the Covid-19 vaccine project office lead, said there had been many milestones which the province could be proud of under challenging circumstances. “Everyone was extremely enthusiastic about rolling out the largest-ever vaccination programme in the province, with the clear goal of saving lives with each jab. Vaccines provided hope to millions of people who had endured a very dark period of illness, thousands of deaths, lockdowns and disrupted lives. Before the vaccines, death rates from Covid-19 were very…

Rafieka Williams rafieka.williams@inl.co.za THE Castle of Good Hope yesterday held an intimate Tweede Nuwe Jaar celebration to commemorate the annual event that has been cancelled due to Covid-19. A small gathering of people congregated at the castle to witness as the Cape Town 7 Steps Minstrel band entered the main entrance in song and dance, from where slaves were previously forbidden, moving through the courtyard up to the Kat balcony where proclamations and announcements were made to the soldiers, slaves and civilians of the Cape. Calvyn Gilfellan, Castle Control Board CEO said, “We decided to take back our history and to take back our culture and to keep that spirit alive. “The point that we want to make is asserting ourselves, reliving and reclaiming a very rich and important part…

Chris Chivers Two years before Archbishop Desmond Tutu – who was then a dean – wrote his famous open letter to Prime Minister John Vorster against the evils of apartheid, writer Alan Paton published his 1974 biography of Archbishop Geoffrey Clayton titled Apartheid and the Archbishop. Clayton was the last archbishop of Cape Town to be buried at St George’s Cathedral following his death in 1957. Tutu’s funeral on Saturday closed a distinguished chapter in the struggle he pursued, particularly South Africa's freedom and the leadership he portrayed. He will be remembered as the man who will forever epitomise the role of Archbishop of Cape Town. It is now hard to imagine two more contrasting figures than the portly Clayton and the slight yet sprightly Tutu. But some of the…

QATARI Nasser al-Attiyah won the first special of the Dakar Rally yesterday to extend his race lead after victory in the prologue. The 51-year-old, looking to win the race for the fourth time, finished the stage 12 minutes and seven seconds quicker than nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb. “It feels steady. We’ll do our best, but today was a good stage for us. This is no time to race conservatively,” said Toyota’s al-Attiyah, a former Olympic shooting medallist. The 333km loop around northern Saudi Arabia saw several competitors suffer navigational difficulties, resulting in large time gaps. Record 14-time Dakar winner Stephane Peterhansel, nicknamed Monsieur Dakar, lost a lot of time after losing a wheel of his Audi. The Frenchman could now decide to withdraw from the race after having…

It has been a decade-long journey for Ranveer Singh in the world of Hindi cinema. But Bollywood’s livewire star says it has been a fulfilling one for him and he is was a different person. Ranveer made his acting debut with Band Baaja Baaraat in 2010, after which he starred in a slew of blockbusters such as Bajirao Mastani, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, Padmaavat, Dil Dhadakne Do, Simmba, Gully Boy and 83. He says: “I’ve completed a decade and this journey has been beyond my wildest imagination. I’m so grateful I even got a chance to become an actor and filled with gratitude every day. It’s surreal for me to think that I’m living my dream, I’m so grateful for the opportunities, I value them tremendously. “And what a journey…

Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za Archbishop Thabo Makgoba has suggested that Cape Town’s airport be renamed the Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu International Airport. Makgoba made the call in his sermon during a private family service yesterday when Tutu’s remains were interred in front of the high altar of St George’s Cathedral. The 30-minute service was attended by about 20 members of Tutu’s family, led by his widow, Mama Leah Tutu. The remains were interred under a memorial stone inscribed with the words: “Desmond Mpilo Tutu, Oct 1931 – Dec 2021, Archbishop Of Cape Town 1986 – 1996.” In his sermon Makgoba said South Africans should use Tutu’s passing as an opportunity to turn a new page. He said the nation should commit itself to the radical, revolutionary change Tutu advocated, based on…

Mthuthuzeli Ntseku mthuthuzeli.ntseku@inl.co.za ANIMAL welfare organisations had their hands full this past weekend as they attended to animals which had been terrified by fireworks set off by revellers celebrating New Year. At least 19 stray animals were received by the Cape of Good Hope SPCA as they fled in terror from the loud banging noises. SPCA spokesperson Belinda Abrahams said approximately eight calls were received, reporting animals in distress every hour between 9pm and 3am. Abrahams said nine of the stray animals that were admitted on Friday night and in the early hours of Saturday morning had been injured. Most of them had been hit by cars, as a likely result of fleeing in panic from firework-related activities. “Causing pain and suffering to animals is no way to start…

Despite veteran actress and comedienne Betty White’s death, the star-studded film event that was planned to mark her 100th birthday will still be released as planned. People magazine had confirmed that White died on Friday at age 99, just two weeks before she would have celebrated her centennial year. The producers of the movie special Betty White: 100 Years Young said they “will go forward” with plans to release the film on what would have been her 100th birthday on January 17. “Our hearts mourn with the passing of Betty White. During the many years we worked with her, we developed a great love and admiration for Betty as a person, and as an accomplished entertainer,” Steve Boettcher and Mike Trinklein said. “We are thankful for the many decades…

The world ushered in 2022 on Saturday with scaled-back celebrations due to new restrictions aimed at slowing soaring Covid cases – although hope remained for a better new year. New York revived its New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square in limited form, Paris nixed its fireworks show over rising Omicron cases and London’s pyrotechnic display was broadcast on TV to discourage crowds. The past 12 months saw a new US president and a fresh Adele album, the first spectator-free Olympics, and dreams of democracy from Afghanistan to Sudan and Hong Kong crushed by authoritarian regimes. But the pandemic, now entering its third year, still dominated. More than 5.4 million people have died since the coronavirus was first reported in central China in December 2019. Countless more have been…

Australia will push for an Ashes series whitewash against England to boost their chances of making the final of the 2021-23 ICC World Test Championship (WTC), spin spearhead Nathan Lyon said yesterday. The home side have already claimed an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series, and the importance of maintaining their winning streak was not lost on Lyon. “I’ve never ever considered (a match) dead rubber when you wear the baggy green and go out and represent Australia in a Test match,” off-spinner Lyon said ahead of the fourth Test due to begin at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday. “So, there’s no dead rubbers, firstly because it’s (the) Test championship, but another one, we want to go 5-0 up. “Obviously, the Ashes for me is the pinnacle, but…