Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-01-19 i Cape Argus

Casey Delport AFTER the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, triggering a collapse in global economies and financial markets alike, central banks across the globe responded by rolling out unparalleled stimulus measures. The SA Reserve Bank (SARB) was no different, cutting the repo rate by a cumulative 300 basis points (bpts) in response to the onset of the pandemic. All in all, the extraordinary amount of monetary policy-easing in 2020 supported the economy in its recovery from the depths of the Covid-19- induced slump. Since lowering the repo rate to record lows in 2020, the SARB maintained these highly accommodative monetary policy settings through most of 2021. However, with inflationary pressures mounting and global economic activity having recovered faster than initially expected, the policy challenge for…

Rafieka Williams rafieka.williams@inl.co.za FORMER City of Cape Town employee Raphael Martin yesterday appeared in the Mitchells Plain Regional Court for allegedly raping a minor. Martin has been charged with two counts of rape and one of sexual assault for the rape of a teenage girl. He was arrested in June 2020 after the girl revealed to her family that she had allegedly been raped for three years. A medical examination confirmed the girl had also been sodomised during this time. When the rape allegations surfaced, Martin was a sub-council manager in Mitchells Plain. His contract was terminated after he was subjected to a disciplinary hearing. The trial was scheduled to begin yesterday, however the intermediary required to assist in the case was unavailable. Three witnesses were present to provide testimony,…

Umalusi probing some exam irregularities Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za QUALITY assurance examination board Umalusi has approved the release of the 2021 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exam results, with the council revealing it was investigating incidents of pupils having early access to exam papers before writing them. Umalusi council chairperson John Volmink said that having studied all the evidence presented, the executive committee of the Umalusi council noted that apart from some examination irregularities identified during the writing and marking of the exams, there were no systemic irregularities reported that compromised the credibility and integrity of the November 2021 NSC examinations as a whole. Matric results for public schools will officially be released on Friday, with Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga expected to announce the national results for the class of 2021…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za IN THE wake of the massive fire that tore through the Karwyderskraal, Arabella, Rooisand, Highlands and Heuningkloof areas last week, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environmental Affairs (DFFE) Barbara Creecy visited Kleinmond to thank more than 300 firefighters who helped to douse the flames. Although no one was killed, the fire – which lasted six days – destroyed 5 417 hectares of vegetation and burnt one structure. Working On Fire (WOF) worked with teams from the Overberg District Municipality, Overstrand Municipality, Provincial Disaster Management, Cape Nature, and the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries to protect lives, property and infrastructure. Creecy said the WOF teams played an integral role in bringing the fire under control as numerous air and ground resources were deployed. “The aerial resources…

Wynona Louw wynona.louw@inl.co.za WESTERN Province are clear on their mission for their Currie Cup clash with the Bulls at Cape Town Stadium today (8pm kick-off) – curbing the opposition’s set-piece prowess. At the weekend, WP secured a 48-36 victory over the Lions as they ran in seven tries in their cup opener. While they put on an entertaining display in terms of attack, there were certainly a few work-ons, and speaking during their team announcement press conference yesterday, coach Jerome Paarwater highlighted the areas they tried to address during the short turnaround. While the backline remains the same, Marcel Theunissen will start at blindside flank in one of the three changes up front. Skipper Nama Xaba and Keke Morabe, who makes his first start at No 8, will complete the…

Already eliminated Zimbabwe upset Guinea with a 2-1 win at the Africa Cup of Nations in Yaounde yesterday, although Guinea will still advance to the last 16 as runners-up in Group B. Captain and former Kaizer Chiefs striker Knowledge Musona, as well as Kudakwashe Mahachi – who plays for SuperSport United – both scored in the first half to earn Zimbabwe a farewell win after losing their opening two matches as they finished last in the group. Naby Keita pulled a goal back for Guinea early in the second half, but they could not find an equaliser. The Liverpool midfielder was cautioned late in the game for dissent, and, in a further blow for Guinea, he will miss their next game in the knockout phase. Meanwhile, heavyweights Senegal failed to…

McLaren boss Zak Brown has called for stronger leadership in Formula One to reduce the power of bigger teams and prevent the pinnacle of motorsport from turning into a pantomime. In a piece on the year ahead on the McLaren website, Brown said some rivals were seeking “excuses to raise the cost cap and win world championships with chequebooks”. Without naming names, the American said “at times it has seemed the sport is governed by certain teams”, and more leadership was needed from Liberty Media-owned F1 and the governing FIA. The FIA last month elected a new president, Emirati Mohammed Ben Sulayem, in place of Frenchman Jean Todt, while Italian Stefano Domenicali took over last year as F1 chief executive. The 2021 season ended in uproar, with Mercedes accusing race…

FINTECH has gone mainstream and is no longer a niche sector. There are now more than 26 000 fintech companies globally that employ half a billion people. The pandemic has changed consumer behaviour substantially, with 30 percent of banking consumers now using app banking, and 64 percent using one or more fintech platforms. The future of fintech looks promising considering the maturity and funding of the sector. It is quite extraordinary how quickly consumers have adopted fintech; 96 percent of global consumers are aware of at least one fintech service or company, taking it from a niche sector to becoming mainstream. Highest funding on record Over the past year, the second and third quarters have become the best funding quarters on record with $31 billion…

Rafieka Williams rafieka.williams@inl.co.za LAW ENFORCEMENT agencies in Cape Town were kept busy over the festive season with figures showing that 1 203 people were arrested over this period. In addition their public emergency centre took almost 50 000 calls. The arrests were recorded for the period of December 1, 2021 to January 15, 2022. Of the 1 203 arrests, 482 were made during December and an additional 224 arrests were made in the first two weeks of January. A total of 18 firearms, 91 rounds of ammunition and 81 dangerous weapons were confiscated, resulting in 68 arrests. Metro police made 322 arrests, 46 of which were related to drunken driving, and confiscated 35 rounds of ammunition and four firearms. Traffic officers took 4 997 motorists into custody for outstanding warrants…

Mthuthuzeli Ntseku mthuthuzeli.ntseku@inl.co.za SOME Table View residents have renewed their calls for the removal of squatters on Erf 1117, known as Happy Valley camp, opposite Netcare Blaauwberg Hospital. The residents have started an online petition demanding that the City and provincial government initiate action to remove the squatters before February 25. Failing this, the residents said they would obtain a mandamus high court order to compel the two spheres of government to perform their public and statutory duties. The petition, which was started last week, has garnered more than 3 000 signatures, with residents saying that the camp had grown exponentially and if it wasn’t stopped, it would grow into a “mini” Dunoon. Some residents said properties abutting the camp were suffering house break-ins and devaluation and that this negatively…

Se-Anne Rall The decision to send alleged Parliament arson accused Zandile Mafe for mental observation was both unlawful and unconstitutional. On Tuesday, the Western Cape High Court set aside an order requesting Mafe be sent to the Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital for mental observation for 30 days. The court ordered that Mafe be released from the facility. Judge President John Hlophe said further detention of Mafe was unlawful and should come to an end with immediate effect. The court has further ruled that Mafe be moved to a holding cell pending his upcoming bail application. Last week, Mafe's legal team challenged their client's referral. An urgent application for bail was filed and partly heard on Saturday. In an affidavit submitted by his legal representative, advocate Dali Mpofu, Mafe said: “The mere…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za ENTREPRENEURSHIP in the agricultural sector continues to boost the economy, food supply and job creation. A family of first generation farmers from Philippi are among the thriving entrepreneurs making a difference. Their Chamomile Farming Enterprises has been able to expand its egg farming operation and open a new and bigger facility. Wadea Jappie and her husband Achmad Bruinkhuis, started out with a handful of chickens and modest number of crops to feed their household when they first moved on to the property in 2003 but soon they were selling their produce and eventually expanded their operations commercially. “Our kids were still small at the time we started growing crops but they loved eggs so one day we bought five chickens and soon realised we had an excess…

mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za “It’s good to be back home.” With those words, immediate former Cape Town mayor Dan Plato returned to the provincial legislature as an ordinary member on the DA benches. Plato was sworn in during a brief ceremony at noon in speaker Masizole Mnqasela’s boardroom. The ceremony was conducted by the speaker and witnessed by the chief whip, Mireille Wenger (DA), and officials of the legislature. Plato said he had no regrets about leaving the City and would wait for the chief whip to tell him what was required of him. He said he was a jack of all trades and had no preferences for any particular committee as he could fit in wherever he was required. Wenger said Plato would be a key member of the DA…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za ONWARDS and upwards … to the stars, as far as South Africa are concerned after the most demanding of Test series. The primary objective at the start of the summer would have been to keep Virat Kohli and his Indian Test team at bay. That mission has now been accomplished, with the preservation of a Test record intact and Kohli the biggest casualty after he relinquished the leadership reins last weekend. Now it’s the chance of Temba Bavuma and his green-clad army to complete the job in a three-match one-day international series starting at Boland Park in Paarl today (10.30am start). This could arguably be an even tougher assignment after India – under Kohli – humbled the Proteas 5-1 the last time these two teams met on…

David Betancourt Temuera Morrison vividly remembers the first time he tried on his Boba Fett suit. He sat in a meeting room with Star Wars VIP producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, wearing a darker version of the armour he’d worn two decades earlier in the Star Wars prequels as bounty hunter Jango Fett, the man who provided the genetic material to create Boba – and he instantly felt stronger, with the urge to stick his chest out a little. There was no denying the electricity of the moment. And Filoni, one of the chief architects in Star Wars’ new era of pop culture relevance, gave a passing grade with his eyes – eyes that Morrison described as twinkling. Filoni then said that they’d made the right decision in bringing…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za THE alleged assassination of Mzoxolo Cecil Dibela, a long-standing leader of the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta), has been described as a great loss within the industry. Dibela’s body was found at the sand dunes at Monwabisi Beach in Khayelitsha on Monday afternoon. He had sustained gunshot wounds to his head. Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said Harare police attended a crime scene at Monwabisi Beach on Monday at about 3pm. Swartbooi said that on arrival they found the body of an unknown man next to the road who had sustained gunshot wounds to his head. “The victim was declared deceased on the scene by the medical personnel. The motive for the attack is taxi-related,” Swartbooi said. He said the unknown suspects fled the scene and were…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za HUNDREDS of learners will today attend their first day of school in neat, pre-loved and some new school uniforms, thanks to compassionate neighbourhood moms, strangers and generous donors who rallied to source the essential uniform items. From Brackenfell, Milnerton, Kraaifontein, Hanover Park, Athlone and Lavender Hill, ordinary residents and established community-based organisations have been hard at work collecting school uniforms and stationery to donate to learners from underprivileged homes across the city. In Brackenfell, resident Estelle Pretorius began sourcing donations for children in need after receiving an overwhelming response to her advertisement to donate her daughter’s old uniform. Speaking to the Cape Argus, Pretorius said that she was not expecting her humble decision to inspire so much support from others wanting to do the same, and in…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za OF THE nearly 600 000 candidates who wrote matric last year, 5.3% scored 60% or more for maths. The required pass rate is 30% – something only 125 526 candidates achieved. This has led to experts believing maths is in crisis as it is a gateway subject to higher education and career options which are vital for any country’s economic development and growth. It remains to be seen whether the class of 2021’s results will be any better. Gerda van der Merwe from the online maths tutoring platform, YouCanDoMaths, released an analysis of the reasons many learners grappled with maths, often turning to maths literacy as an “easier option”. ANC provincial spokesperson for education, Khalid Sayed, said they had witnessed a disturbing trend in the Western Cape…

Molaole Montsho molaole.montsho@africannewsagency.com A set of quadruplets have been born at the Joe Morolong Memorial Hospital (JMM) in Vryburg, the North West Department of Health said. The quads were born on Saturday to Lettie Sewedi – three boys and a girl. North West Health MEC Madoda Sambatha praised the medical team and the mother for the delivery of the quadruplets in the Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District. “Well done to our doctors and nurses for a successful operation that delivered the babies. More importantly, congratulations to the mother who gave birth to these quadruplets. “We know that Ms Lettie Sewedi had been booked to attend the ante- natal care at Coleridge Clinic and was later referred to JMM Hospital where a successful operation was undertaken by our well-experienced medical…

Bayern Munich’s record-setting striker Robert Lewandowski retained Fifa’s top men’s player title on Monday at ‘The Best’ of 2021 ceremony, as Barcelona captain Alexia Putellas collected the award for best women’s player. Lewandowski, 33, set a Bundesliga goal record last season, and edged Argentine Lionel Messi of Paris Saint-Germain and Egyptian Mohamed Salah of Liverpool for the award. “I’m happy and honoured to win this award, and I feel very proud,” said Lewandowski, who scored 48 goals for club and country in 2020/21. He scored three times for Bayern at the weekend, taking his 2021/22 season tally to 39 goals in 33 games. The trophy was some consolation for the Polish striker, who lost out to Messi for the older and rival Ballon d’Or award in November. For Putellas, it…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za GERT Smal probably never thought that one day he would coach a team against his beloved Western Province, but that is what will happen in tonight’s Currie Cup clash at Cape Town Stadium. Smal is bringing his new team, the defending champion Bulls, to a town where he was one of the iron men of the WP side as a blindside flank in the 1980s and 1990s, and then later becoming the head coach of WP and the Stormers. Also a former assistant coach for the Springboks and Ireland, Smal – who turned 60 last December – was the director of rugby at WP from 2014-2018 as well, so the Province blood runs deep in his veins. But the former Bok No 7 wasn’t too sentimental yesterday…