Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-08-23 i Cape Argus

The trial of Ashley October and Tashwell van der Rheede, accused of orchestrating the murder of Charlene October and making it look like a suicide, has resumed in the Western Cape High Court following its commencement in the Swellendam Circuit Court. The two appeared following the testimony of seven witnesses and nine days of uninterrupted sitting in the Swellendam Circuit Court. Both accused have pleaded not guilty and it has been revealed that one of the accused intends to bring an application to be discharged from the matter as he believes the State has not brought enough evidence to secure a conviction. They are both charged with four counts of murder, housebreaking, robbery with aggravating circumstances and attempting to defeat or destruct the administration of justice, while October is charged…

While the rest of South Africa is looking forward to a peaceful Christmas at the end of the year, thousands of Zimbabweans say December will be the beginning of their nightmare. This comes after the Ministry of Home Affairs announced that the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) will be done away with. This means Zimbabwean nationals who were on this permit will now have to apply for other visas that allow them to be in the country. The ZEP made it easy for Zimbabweans of low skills to be in the country. Many of those who had this permit had been in the country for more than 10 years. It is estimated that about 200 000 Zimbabwean nationals are affected. The Helen Suzman Foundation has challenged Home Affairs’ decision to discontinue…

On MARCH 18, Judge Goliath issued an interim interdict prohibiting the developers from continuing construction at the River Club development in Observatory pending the outcome of a high court review of the authorisation decisions. On May 5, she also rejected the developers’ leave to appeal. Despite this, the developers resumed construction on the site on June 27, in violation of the interdict. We lodged papers to hold the developers in contempt of court on July 8, 2022. This matter should have been heard on July 12 but was delayed, with orchestrated intimidation, assault and abuse of opponents of the development taking place outside the high court on that day. However, the parties agreed to hear the contempt and interdict on July 27, but on that day it was again delayed…

Being a king is unlike the script for the animated film The Lion King; it comes with many responsibilities, the weight of the nation, and enemies. King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. AmaZulu King Misuzulu KaZwelithini was officially crowned on Saturday after performing the Ukungena Esibayeni (entering the kraal) ritual. He has a tough road ahead, the first stop being reconciling with his family and naysayers, who remain fragmented over whether or not he should be king. Then he has to put nation-building at the forefront, and is also faced with the tough task of keeping an eye on the Ingonyama Trust, with an annual budget of R60 million. King Misuzulu made his presence felt during the July 2021 unrest in KwaZulu-Natal,…

Production company, Stained Glass has confirmed that Wiseman Mncube has been cast for the role of Mqhele Zulu in Showmax’s The Wife. Mncube takes over from actor Bonko Khoza who will no longer be a part of the cast in season three. His departure was announced last week. In a statement sent to IOL Entertainment, Stained Glass revealed the news after Twitter was buzzing with rumours of Mncube’s casting this weekend. Tweeps seemed divided on whether or not Mncube would be able to fulfil the role that Khoza played so perfectly. @MalevuMandisa said: “Great choice, his talent was being wasted there at Uzalo. The Jama role on eHostela is where we really got to see his talent. I’m ready to watch him as Mqhele.” @ponokhoadi tweeted: “He doesn’t give me…

CAPE Town has been named as one of the host cities for the 2023 T20 Women’s World Cup, along with Paarl and Gqeberha. Cricket South Africa (CSA) yesterday announced the venues for the International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament, to be staged from February 10 to 26. It will be Newlands’ first time to stage a major ICC event since hosting the semi-final of the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007. Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said: “Cape Town’s inclusion as a host city is a glowing endorsement and confidence in our ability to host successful major international events. “Our officials look forward to working with Cricket South Africa and the International Cricket Council to ensure that we put together a memorable tournament for cricket lovers. “The City is proud to…

The trial of the three men accused of killing criminal lawyer Pete Mihalik continued in the Western Cape High Court where further evidence on the credibility of a statement taken by Anti-Gang Unit detective Charl Kinnear was heard in court. Sizwe Biyela, Nkosinathi Khumalo and Vuyile Maliti are charged with the murder of Mihalik, who was shot and killed while dropping off his two children at Reddam House School in Green Point on October 30, 2018. State advocate Greg Wolmarans yesterday called another police officer stationed at the Cape Town Central police station to give clarity on how police deal with detainees while they are in custody. Shift commander Udesh Singh said it was “impossible” for Khumalo to leave the cells without his knowledge after they were taken into custody…

WITH five reported cases of monkeypox in South Africa, health expert and member of the People’s Health Movement Professor Louis Reynolds has cautioned over acting with haste at the expense of crucial health programmes. On Friday, Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla confirmed that five cases of monkeypox were reported, with the most recent case that of a 28-year-old man from Johannesburg, Gauteng, with a travel history to the Netherlands and Spain. “These pandemics and health crises are going to continue,” Reynolds said. “If our response as a nation is to run around, dropping everything to respond to each pandemicand the slight differences it has with the previous pandemic, we will keep getting sidetracked from developing our health system. “This would divert resources from routine programmes such as TB, HIV, childhood…

PARIAH regimes are known to decay until they turn lifeless. South Africa under white minority rule is a perfect example. It stagnated both in morality and authority, despite claiming staunch Christian values and nuclear power. Israel faces a similar ignominious end. As a replica of the National Party’s apartheid ideology, coupled with racist Zionism and underpinned by settler colonialism, Israel has reached the end of an inglorious reign. Just as South Africa in its final throes committed horrendous atrocities in the foolish belief that the slaughter of anti-apartheid opponents would allow it to sustain its oppressive rule, Israel today is caught in the same rut. Israel naively believes that possessing nukes along with a powerful army replenished with sophisticated weapons and having the backing of the US makes it invincible.…

Nearly 9 000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia invaded, the country’s top military officer said yesterday, as Moscow accused Kyiv over the assassination of the daughter of a leading hardliner. The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell meanwhile told reporters in Spain that the bloc was considering military training for Ukraine’s forces. General Valeriy Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, said Ukraine’s children needed particular attention “because their fathers have gone to the front and are maybe among the nearly 9 000 heroes who have been killed”. Zaluzhny’s comments on the Ukrainian death toll, reported by Interfax-Ukraine news agency, was the first indication of Kyiv’s military losses since April. Tomorrow, Ukraine will mark its independence day, and six months since Russian troops invaded. After Ukrainian resistance thwarted an early Russian push…

If one thing is certain, Gavin Hunt’s second spell as coach of SuperSport United has not gone according to plan. Four matches into Hunt’s second stint with the club where he famously won a hat-trick of Premiership titles, they have failed to win a game. They have claimed two draws while losing their other two games. Speaking following his team’s 1-1 draw with Orlando Pirates on Sunday, Hunt conceded that his team lack structure. “We should have scored after the first minute. We had a tap-in chance,” said Hunt. “It is disappointing, but it has been the story of our last four games. “I don’t want the team to play like this every week. Bradley Grobler scores chances like the one we had in the first minute in training all…

COACH Dylan Kerr’s main task will be to mend Swallows FC’s leaky defence in time for today’s Premiership clash against Sekhukhune United at Dobsonville Stadium. Malta-born Kerr was forced to watch his team from the stands recently as he was waiting for a work permit after his contract was renewed. He now has that permit, and will be in the Dube Birds’ dugout today. Swallows have conceded six goals in four games, and once Kerr has attended to that problem, the team can concentrate on improving their strike force. Presently, central defender Keegan Allan is Swallows’ leading goal scorer with two goals. Allan has a penchant for stalking into the firing line unnoticed when the team’s attacking sorties enter into the opponents’ final third. Swallows will be looking for more…

Camping trips to the bush, a close relationship with her nanny and wanting to share South African culture with friends abroad are some of the things that inspired entrepreneur Tzvia Hermann to create a unique board game, “African Family Queen”. Hermann told Business Report the idea struck in the depths of lockdown. The hard-working mother and entrepreneur said that her husband and children enjoyed playing games together as a family. “We play family games before bed every night. We also love the bush. We try to spend as much time during school holidays teaching our kids about the bush and wildlife. We go for romantic getaways to different lodges. Whenever we travel without the kids, we always want to bring home a little something. “Looking around tourist shops, I noticed…

Princess Diana reportedly feared dying in a staged car accident. The princess, who died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997, aged 36, voiced her fears in a note to Lord Mishcon, her lawyer, in October 1995. Lord Mishcon had given his account of Diana’s fears to senior Metropolitan Police officers after her death. Officers stored the note in a safe. It wasn’t handed to the authorities in France, where the crash was being investigated, until years later. Members of the royal family, among them princes William and Harry, and Diana’s brother and sisters, weren’t aware of the note for a long time, according to the Mail on Sunday newspaper. Diana, her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and their driver Henri Paul died in the crash in Paris. Michael Mansfield,…

THE Nyanga Community Police Forum (CPF) has raised concerns over the dumping of corpses on private, residential properties in Crossroads. This after yet another body, this time of a young boy, was found dumped in someone’s yard on Friday morning in a sports bag. On August 3 the body of a 15-year-old Aviwe Mgosi was found dumped in a wheelie bin inside a yard by an identified suspect, five houses away. The suspect has since been arrested. Nyanga CPF chairperson Dumisani Qwebe said the family had identified the body. “According to the mother, who came forward to claim the body of the child, he left home after 6pm to play. The child was, however, not reported as missing and the mother only came forward after the body was found. “The…

Amid service pressures, over-occupancy of beds and staffing and resource challenges, there are growing calls to transform Khayelitsha District Hospital (KDH) into a regional hospital. District hospitals provide level 1 or generalist services to in-patients and out-patients, ideally on referral from a Community Health Centre or clinic, with regional hospitals rendering services at a general specialist level 2, from specialist expertise. ANC Western Cape Health spokesperson Rachel Windvogel said with a bed capacity of 340, demand at KDH often exceeded supply. “The emergency centre and the area housing mental health patients are routinely operating at above 100% capacity. The hospital would surely benefit from being designated a regional hospital, first through an increase in bed capacity, the level of service and care package and specialisation as well as the basket…

Do HOMELESS people steal each other’s stuff often? Do they respect each other’s personal space and belongings? This is one of the questions I get asked most frequently. So this week, I will give you my answer along with that of a few others living on the streets. When you’re homeless, you don’t have a lot of “personal space”. So yes, a great deal of your stuff gets stolen or goes missing. But let me tell you, my personal experience speaks volumes again about why homeless people seek community, for example, in encampments, where people take turns looking after each other’s stuff. My experience wasn’t in an encampment but at “Stukkende Huis”. This is the notorious broken-down building as you drive onto the station deck. These days, you see taxis…

South Africa’s only nuclear power plant, Koeberg, has frequently been in the news this year, all for the wrong reasons. Its operating licence expires in 2024, and its continued operation thereafter depends on critical refurbishments and upgrades. Work on these finally began in January this year, but immediately ran into difficulties, forcing significant delays. Koeberg is supplying only half of its power while work is in progress. This has amplified the crippling power shortages South Africa has been experiencing. This state of affairs, where the country effectively has 3% less generating power available than it would otherwise have, is expected to persist for the bulk of the next two years. Other potential signs of turbulence linked to Koeberg include: l The delayed application to the nuclear regulator to extend the…

Rugby, like any sport, is about results, but at some point, the juggling act between winning games and getting World Cup-ready needs to be more true to the goal of building depth. It’s a tough one, no doubt. The Springboks want to win games – scratch that, they need to. Anything less simply won’t be accepted by the rugby-mad public, that much we know for sure. As the Springboks prepare to gear up for a historic clash against the Wallabies in Adelaide, Bok coach Jacques Nienaber has kept his starting XV largely the same, with only two changes in Faf de Klerk returning after completing his return-to-play protocols and Warrick Gelant coming in for Jesse Kriel (concussion) on the wing. They have also ditched the favoured Bomb Squad tactic in…

ST George’s Park in Gqeberha, Boland Park in Paarl and Newlands in Cape Town will host next year’s Women’s T20 World Cup, with Cricket South Africa (CSA) hoping the picturesque host cities will attract crowds befitting of the global event. CSA, and more broadly South Africa, is under pressure to match the enthusiasm generated in Australia, which hosted the last T20 World Cup in 2020, shortly before Covid-19 forced the world into lockdown. Over 80 000 spectators filled the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground for the final between Australia and India, with a performance from popstar Katy Perry adding to the excitement of the occasion. There was no word whether CSA or the ICC would be able to get a pop sensation with that level of stardom to perform in South…