Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-07-14 i Cape Argus

Africa’s construction markets are beginning to be impacted negatively by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and renewed lockdowns in China just after these markets had begun to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was according to Turner & Townsend’s International Construction Market Survey (ICMS) for 2022. The independent professional services company operates in the global real estate, infrastructure and natural resources sectors. The ICMS, drawn from data and experience from 90 global markets, found that in Africa some cities had showed significant recovery in construction, including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Gaborone, Harare, Nairobi, Kigali, Kampala and Lagos. However, the market’s full potential required more growth to restore gross domestic product (GDP) to pre-pandemic levels. Furthermore, inflation across the continent was likely to reduce consumer demand, further impacting growth in…

TEN people who stand accused of the murder of e-hailing driver Abongile Mafalala appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court yesterday where their bail hearing was postponed to July 22. Mafalala was killed in a mob attack spurred by Parkwood residents after he was suspected of kidnapping while he was waiting for his next trip. Yesterday, Nathan Leeman, Yuwen Nuwat, Bradley Murphy, Carlton Williams, Ashwin Tifflon, Zharnay Johnosn, Antonio Bailey, Ivan Ruiters, Remano Witbooi and Cheslynn Spannenberg appeared in a packed courtroom with Parkwood and Dunoon residents, and with family members seated side-by-side. The minor who is accused of setting his pitbull on Mafalala will appear in court on August 23. During proceedings, State advocate Kepler Uys informed the court that they were ready to proceed with the bail application,…

If ABOUT a year ago, someone had asked me about my plans for “Youth Day”, I’d reply with a simple “I don’t know”. However, with this year and my new experiences at high school, I finally understand the importance of this special day. Many adults will tell you when you’re young you should go live your life. When we do, they get upset at us for not studying or for not getting excellent grades, which is why we rebel. Rebelling is terrifying to me, but sometimes it just happens. It all starts with wanting to give up and finally losing hope. Many children my age go through this cycle, I’m sure. Eventually, we find our way through, given our desire to be better than everyone. With that in mind, my…

SOUTH Africa being a water-scarce and dry country requires every drop available to ensure water security for the current and future generations. This then calls for the strengthening of water conservation efforts and using the available in a wise and sparing manner. It also calls for the protection of water resources to prevent the pollution of the available water as pollution affects the quality and quantity of water fit for use. Our water resources, especially our rivers, are an important part of our lives. They provide us with water, the source of life and enabler of socio-economic development. Rivers are the lifeblood of the nation. Rivers give life and provide a multitude of benefits for the communities around them. Our rivers and streams provide us with water, food and places…

It’s graduation silly season and the sports hall at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is abuzz with glitz and glamour. A sea of gowned graduands face the stage, loved ones grouped in a solid phalanx of pride alongside. As each student takes their turn to kneel before the chancellor and be capped, the hall erupts in joyous ululation. Except for one quiet corner onstage. Facing the congregation, sign language interpreter Tsholofelo Segatswi stands neat and petite in a black academic gown, pencil skirt and court shoes. Her colleague, Sinethemba Khumalo, is in the front row, turned towards her and the academic procession seated onstage. The women work in tandem, taking turns to interpret. Eloquently their hands speak as the dean reads out the names and citations. Deaf zoologist Nancy Barker…

US President Joe Biden yesterday kicked off a Middle East tour in Israel where both sides vowed to deepen the Jewish state’s integration in the region as they face their common foe Iran. Biden – whose first regional tour since taking office will also take him to Saudi Arabia – pledged strong backing for Israel, which has forged ties with several Arab states in recent years and hopes to do so with Riyadh as well. “We’ll continue to advance Israel’s integration into the region,” Biden said after Air Force One touched down at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv to a red-carpet welcome. Israel’s caretaker prime minister Yair Lapid said that “we will discuss building a new security and economy architecture with the nations of the Middle East”, following US-brokered…

BAFANA Bafana flunked at the first hurdle of the Hollywoodbets Cosafa Cup as they lost to Mozambique on penalties after goalless draw at King Zwelithini Stadium last night. A noisy reception in Umlazi met a youthful Bafana side looking to defend their Cosafa Cup crown. Coach Helman Mkhalele handed the ropes to DStv Premiership regulars in SuperSport United’s Keagan Johannes and Athenkosi Mcaba of Stellenbosch to marshal the side as a centre back pairing while Orlando Pirates youngster Boitumelo Radiopane led from the front. Bafana dominated possession, shifting the Mambas defence side to side in search of a breakthrough and perhaps they should have found one through Keletso Sifama in the 13th minute. The Kaizer Chiefs man pounced on a loose ball in the Mozambican penalty area following confusion between…

Residential property market volumes remain relatively well supported but are softening, even though sentiment varies by location and price segment, according to FNB’s latest Residential Property Barometer and Estate Agents’ Survey. Steeper-than-expected interest hikes and other forward-looking indicators suggested a less supportive environment for home buying activity. However, the shift in housing needs and growing competition among lenders should continue to support activity, said FNB economist Koketso Mano. And while hiring intentions indices continued to suggest a recovery in headcount in certain industries, “we are concerned that the more intense bouts of load shedding may dim these expectations”. The risk of a less transitory rise in inflation and higher inflation expectations, and the more aggressive policy tightening in developed country markets, was expected to result in the SA Reserve Bank…

The African film industry is getting ready to converge in Durban for the 13th Durban FilmMart (DFM) – the first physical edition in two years. The event takes place from July 22 to 24 at the Elangeni Hotel under the theme, Revolution//Evolution – Changing The Narrative. Film-makers from across the continent, producers and financiers are eagerly awaiting the face-to-face reunion after the Covid-19 pandemic forced the festival to be hosted online for the last two years. Magdalene Reddy, general manager of the Durban FilmMart Institute said they were looking forward to once again hosting an in-person event in Durban. “It’s been a long time coming, but at last DFM will host a physical programme bringing film professionals together under one roof. For the fluid and fast-changing film industries of this…

OUR children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society and weaken our nation. Those were the words of the phenomenon Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. But it seems the youth are shifting away from Mandela’s vision about them and because they are the fabric of the society; they let sorrows and difficulties tear them apart and as a result the nation is weakened. Now, what are the problems faced by the youth? What are my aspirations for them? Troubled, weakened, depressed and hopeless are the words that can be used to describe the youth of our rainbow nation. Their lives have no direction because of the wind that is disrupting them. Each and every day they live to survive…

I am sure we can all say that South Africa is not a very well-run country, financially and opportunity-wise. This country has been corrupt and I am sure it still is. I think when it comes to us as newly young adults, we think that our country is full of the best opportunities and we shouldn’t branch out of what we could potentially reach later on in life, but that’s not true. I have always told myself that I would stay here in Cape Town, mainly because I don’t want to be away from my family. I wanted to study here, start my dream job and hopefully start my own family here but as I got older, what I thought I always wanted ended up being something I want to…

Since 2019, Bredasdorp’s community business hub has been struggling to fulfil its SMME-support function due to lack of funds and training, but a partnership between BTE Renewables’ Excelsior Wind Energy Facility and the Cape Agulhas Municipality hopes to change this. Excelsior Wind, with the municipality, realised that the hub was not being used in the way that was intended and they worked hand-in-hand to ensure that the value of the business hub did not end up as a wasted investment. The partnership provided funding and an SMME skills-training programme to fledgling enterprises in the Bredasdorp community to help ensure the local economy was thriving. Excelsior Wind Energy Facility sustainability director Libby Hirshon said the intention of the business hub was to provide a physical location for local SMMEs to trade,…

We continue with the story of Boebie Solomons. In 1980 Boebie, Bernard Hartze and Seraj Abbass were signed to play for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the North American Professional Soccer League. Sadly, just weeks before his departure Boebie broke his leg. This dashed his dreams of rubbing shoulders with, and measuring his ability against, soccer greats such as Pele, Eusebio, Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens, Gerd Müller and George Best, among others. All these stars were winding down their careers in the American soccer league. Boebie would never again have the opportunity to show the international world the talent and skill he was blessed with. Boebie pragmatically says: “It was not meant to be. The year 1980 brought me other great achievements that I was very proud of and…

Eskom has been unable to provide a steady electricity supply for several years now. At the start of the 2022 winter the utility warned the public to expect up to 100 days of rolling power outages. At the end of June there was at times a 6 000MW shortfall in supply, which corresponds to about 20% of the evening peak demand. While there is consensus that new electricity generating plants are urgently needed to minimise power outages, there are radically differing views on how this is best achieved. The official electricity plan approved three years ago is already out of date. Its implementation is furthermore two years behind schedule. One widely promoted view is that increasing electricity generating capacity requires grand scale new renewable energy developments. In 2020 the electricity…

RAHEEM Sterling has said he will leave Manchester City “a man” yesterday as his transfer to Chelsea edged ever closer. The 27-year-old posted a goodbye message on social media ahead of an expected £50-million (about R1-billion) move. Sterling announced his exit from the Etihad with a social media post thanking those he worked with at the club over the past seven years. “Seven seasons, eleven major trophies, a lifetime of memories,” he posted on Twitter. “What a ride it’s been. “I am thankful for the ups and the downs as it’s the downs that have, at times, tested my strength and resolve and enabled me to stand here in front of you as the best possible version of myself. “I arrived in Manchester as a 20-year-old. Today, I leave a…

THERE is hope beyond the bad news and the high petrol price, said the newly appointed president of the Durban Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation (EO), Denzil Steyn. He said South Africa had much to celebrate and if its entrepreneurs were to all retreat, the country would not go forward. He said the country needed entrepreneurs who were bold and carried that hope. Steyn took over the mantle from Clinton Holcroft, the chief executive of Serco, one of South Africa’s leading truck body and trailer-building companies. For Steyn, entrepreneurs now needed the support of an organisation such as EO more than ever before. “We are not going anywhere as individuals and as businesses if we don’t have hope, and that hope is going to come through a supportive and energetic…

The Somali business community in Site B and Kuyasa, Khayelitsha, is begging the police to rescue them from targeted attacks by people claiming to be members of the anti-illegal immigrant movement Operation Dudula. One of the victims, Abdi Mamahed Molim, said that since Saturday, Somali-owned spaza shops in several local communities in Khayelitsha had been ransacked and robbed of cash and products, while shopkeepers had been physically assaulted by a volatile group of people. “I don’t know why they are doing this, we are struggling and scared, while police don’t want to help us. Must we die first before someone sees that this isn’t right and helps us? Please help us, my sister.” Molim said that after the incidents, on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, the Somali community in Khayelitsha…

LATEST figures from Sassa’s report on the R350 Social Relief of Distress grant applications indicate that by the end of June, just more than 70% of the grants had been disbursed. The report also showed that less than 50% of the applications had been approved of to the total number of applications received. Just over 11.5 million applications were received and over 5.2 million had been approved. Sassa’s report showed that of the total applications received by June 30, 57% were from females and 43% from males. Sassa attributed the higher number of applications received by female applicants to a “known disparity” in employment between men and women in the labour market. The highest number of applications were received from KwaZulu-Natal at more than 2.2 million, while applications from the…

As a child of the African continent, I have seen and heard a lot about our country, South Africa. We live in a country where we as the youth are seen as powerless human beings and trapped in a box of stereotypes and gender roles that society considers acceptable for us. We are being shaped for this so-called 21st century that nobody has ever seen. We are raised in a system of the old generation, but we are the now and I say enough! I hope for this Youth Month we are finally given a chance to lead, because we matter. Young voices matter. We live, walk, share the same stories and know the problems of our communities, so why can’t we also help bring solutions to our problems? I…

To CELEBRATE Youth Month, the Cape Argus invited youngsters in Cape Town to submit essays to the newspaper about their dreams, their vision and their hopes for the future. After barely a trickle of submissions, our inboxes were filled once the word spread on social media. We have had youngsters from across the Cape Metropole sharing with us what they expect of those in charge and how they want to change things for the better in their communities. The essays on this page have been chosen as the best, and each writer will receive a tablet computer courtesy of Double “O”. Thank you to everyone who wrote to us. We encourage you to remain active, whether through the written word or participating in activities in your communities. |…

THE owner of Enyobeni Tavern and two of his employees have been arrested. Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said the arrests were carried out by a team of detectives following the death of 21 children on June 26, in East London. Kinana said the arrest of the 52-year-old owner and the two employees, aged 33 and 34, comes after the Eastern Cape Liquor Board laid charges in Scenery Park police station for contravention of the Liquor Act. “After the opening of the case by the Liquor Board, the investigators embarked on the investigation process, which resulted in fines to the amount of R2 000 being issued to each of the two tavern employees,” he said. Kinana said over and above the violation of the Liquor Act, the investigation…

IT IS good that we remain a critical society so that we can progress on all fronts. But we must maintain a healthy balance between reporting on the problems in South African society and the constructive things happening in our society. Having attended many meetings with WCED and NDBE officials over a period of 39 years, I was struck by the fact that the principals from private schools and Model C schools would always speak well of what was happening at their schools. The majority of principals from disadvantaged schools who attended these meetings during apartheid and after would usually speak about the negative things happening in their schools. The issues raised by these principals include a plethora of problems in their schools. Issues raised included poor physical conditions…

SOUTH Africa has been battling crimes for the longest time and our law enforcement agencies, much like the citizens, do not appear to know what needs to be done to end the horrific crimes we experience every day. If it is not a girl child and a woman being raped and killed, we hear of human trafficking, hijacking and homicide. Unfortunately, those entrusted with the responsibility to fight these crimes are entangled in scandals of corruption and mismanagement of state resources. Not so long ago, we heard in a recording a shocking revelation where President Cyril Ramaphosa, while addressing his comrades in the ruling party, admitted state money was being used to advance personal campaigns. He also said he would rather fall on his sword than reveal their names. So…