Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-11-17 i Cape Argus

Beyoncé has received nine nominations for the 2023 Grammy awards and now holds a joint record with husband Jay-Z as the most nominated Grammy artists in history. The 41-year-old superstar is now tied with her husband with a total of 88 nominations each. She enjoyed a career comeback earlier this year with chart-topping single Break My Soul as well as new album Renaissance. Beyoncé has received a total of nine nods for the upcoming ceremony, with nominations in the categories of Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Best R&B Song, and Best Dance/ Electronic Music Album, Best R&B Performance, and Best Song Written For Visual Media. However, the Single Ladies hitmaker faces competition – she is closely followed by…

The SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) in the Western Cape is planning a shutdown on Monday and Tuesday because of the suspension of the Blue Dot taxi programme. Santaco provincial chairperson Mandla Hermanus revealed this after a meeting to get consensus from associations across the province on how to respond to this, the by-laws under which taxis are impounded, and calls for the provincial government to support the formalisation of the industry. “Today we called a meeting of all the chairpersons of the primary associations in the Western Cape of all eight regions that constitute Santaco. We were asking for a mandate and a way forward, since the government has now decided to stop assisting the taxi industry as far as the Blue Dot taxi programme is concerned.” He said…

MANY kidnappings are not reported due to fear of harm to the victims, or retaliation against their relatives or business. Institute for Security Studies Crime and Justice Information Hub manager Lizette Lancaster said foreign-born migrants’ businesses are also often targeted by extortion groups. “These businesses are particularly vulnerable to these crimes because of their migrant status and the cash nature of their businesses. They are less likely to report incidents to the police because of fear of further victimisation by the police asking for documents and in some cases, bribes.” Lancaster provided insight into kidnappings following the recent kidnapping for ransom of 8-year-old Rylands girl, Abirah Dekhta. Crime statistics for quarter one of 2022 (April to June 2022), show the Western Cape had the third-highest number of reported kidnappings for…

A legal opinion has dashed Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele’s hopes of the State Security Agency (SSA) skipping a Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) appearance over a standing Cabinet resolution to vet government officials. Gungubele recently snubbed a Scopa sitting where the spooks were supposed to account for the vetting process of state-owned entities’ executives and their supply chain management officials, particularly at Eskom. At the time the resolution was issued in 2014, the SSA fell under the State Security Ministry, which now falls in the ambit of the Presidency. The Cabinet resolved that spooks vet officials, but after back and forth exchanges over the years between Scopa and SSA’s political heads, Gungubele’s department snubbed a Scopa appearance at the 11th hour last week. Echoing SSA’s argument to…

ABOUT 25 seasonal farmworker-headed households stand to face possible eviction from public land if a case in the high court is successful. Women on Farms Project (WFP) and the Women’s Legal Centre are opposing the matter in a bid to highlight the precarious living conditions of seasonal farmworkers, who are increasingly faced with, or threatened with, eviction. Now at the pre-trial stage, the legal representatives of the parties involved met with the judge at the Western Cape High Court on Monday. WFP co-director Carmen Louw said WFP applied to be an amicus curiae (friend of the court) in the case, represented by WLC. The hearing into the matter will likely take place in February 2023. WFP dealt with 74 matters, impacting over 100 families, and affecting nearly 1 800…

Two truths are infinite, the first is the infinite mercy of God and the second is infinite human stupidity. Many assumed the advent of democracy would solve our problems. This assumption was a mistake. Ismail Mamoniat, National Treasury’s deputy director general, said that state capture corruption is so entrenched in the government that budgets are often looted before they are spent on service delivery. In September 2022, National Treasury warned that 151 municipalities were on the brink of collapse, while 43 have already collapsed. Parliament’s standing committee on appropriations noted that of the nation’s 257 municipalities, only 58 had unfunded budgets for the 2022/23 financial year. Also, 151 municipalities are deemed “bankrupt and insolvent” and unable to pay creditors and third parties, including Sars and pension funds, and dysfunctional municipalities…

The World Cup kicks off in Qatar on Sunday when the host nation play Ecuador in Group A (6pm kick-off). Twenty-eight days and 63 games later, one of 32 nations will lift the Jules Rimet Trophy. But who should you bet on to win it all? And what are some other smart wagers along the way? We take a look. The Contenders BRAZIL The Selecao are the world’s only five-time World Cup champions, although they haven’t won it ince 2002. Four of Brazil’s five previous championships have come in tournaments played in neither Europe nor Brazil. That’s a 50% win rate within that sample. And this is one of the deeper Brazilian rosters, built largely with the same players who as Under-23s helped win the 2016 Olympic soccer title in…

Earlier this week, South African actress and fashion designer Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa took to social media to expose a stranger who was threatening to leak “private chats” and “sexy pictures” of her, online. In a conversation she shared, she asks the stranger: “Why are you telling me about Peter?” To which the stranger responded: “We have the sexy pics you sent each other that will get more views,” followed by, “You have been warned, we also have rights.” In a now deleted Instagram post, the Safe Bet actress wrote: “I spoke up last night against the evil and gaslighting that has tormented me into a psych ward, because how dare I recognise #AmaLungelo that women such as Sojourner fought for. “All because I fall outside of a cabal! #SonkeSinamaLungelo *illegally…

TOWNSHIP liquor traders in the metro have accused the provincial government of excluding them from participating in the economy through its “racist, unjust and unfair liquor laws”. The traders, supported by their patrons, took to the Provincial Legislature and national Parliament yesterday demanding the two spheres of government remedy the laws which they said were promulgated to shut down black and coloured liquor businesses in favour of white businesses in their areas. The march also follows the issuing of Section 64 notices by the Western Cape Liquor Authority to 116 licensed premises where the liquor licence did not qualify for automatic renewal and the licensees were required to apply for the renewal of the licence. These licences had been the subject of a report about a failure to comply with…

The Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) sights are set on developments at UCT, Deputy Minister Buti Manamela told MPs. DHET was briefing its oversight committee yesterday about the currently troubled institutions of higher learning – UCT, Unisa and Mangosuthu University of Technology. Manamela said the ministry became aware of a raging tug-of-war in the university’s echelons through media reports and communications from council members. A divided UCT council recently adopted the terms of reference into an investigation by a yet-unnamed five-member panel to probe vice-chancellor (VC) Mamokgethi Phakeng and chairperson Babalwa Ngonyama and report back by December 31. The complex probe will take a deep dive into whether Phakeng and Ngonyama lied to management about former deputy vice-chancellor Lis Lange being available for a second term, the nature…

Your Opinion “Eight billion reasons to stop being selfish” (Cape Argus, November 16) hits the nail on the head about the distribution of resources being unequal, and seems to lay the blame for this on the selfishness of those who “have”. But selfishness is a two-way street, and the poor person who says: “I’m having children, and someone else must pay for them” is just as selfish as those who have and refuse to share. And the horrors you so clearly describe that come with excessive urbanisation are partly due to selfish people who flock to the cities expecting their services to be paid for by existing citizens. Humans are intensely sensitive to any perceived unfairness, and the selfishness of both sides needs to be recognised and addressed before a…

The AU adopted an agreement more than 13 years ago to prevent the arbitrary displacement of people and to uphold the dignity of such victims. Yet the problem has remained persistent in Africa. In 2018, out of a global estimate of over 45.6 million internally displaced people, close to 19 million were on the continent. Globally, conflict and violence are the main drivers of internal displacement. Africa accounted for almost 70%, of the world’s internal displacement statistics in 2018, due to armed conflict and related human rights abuses. Environmental disasters were the second most important cause of internal displacement in Africa, at 15%. Victims of internal displacement often outnumber refugees from other countries. Yet they receive less attention from the major aid bodies, researchers and the media. Their vulnerability has…

Poland yesterday said a deadly blast that killed two people in a village near the border with Ukraine was likely caused by a stray Ukrainian air defence missile launched against a Russian barrage. Polish President Andrzej Duda played down international fears of a further escalation in the war in Ukraine saying there was “no indication that this was an intentional attack on Poland”. Duda said it was “very likely” the Soviet-era missile was launched by Ukraine in what he called an “unfortunate accident” but he said the blame lay with Russia because of its attacks on Ukraine. After emergency talks of the Nato military alliance, its chief Jens Stoltenberg also said there was “no indication of a deliberate attack” on Poland. The blast occurred in the village of Przewodow in…

Nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic will be able to play in next year’s tournament after he confirmed yesterday he had been granted a visa. The 35-year-old Serb, the most successful men’s player in the tournament’s history, missed this year’s tournament after he was deported over his failure to have a Covid-19 vaccine. Djokovic, the former world No 1, was originally barred from the country until 2025 but that decision has been reversed. “I was very happy to receive the news yesterday,” Djokovic, whose deportation dominated the build-up to this year’s Australian Open, said after his victory over Andrey Rublev at the ATP Finals in Turin yesterday. “It was a relief obviously knowing what I and people closest to me in my life have been through this year with what…

90 staff got counselling after attacks on duty Our firefighters are under attack. The brave men and women who put their safety on the line every day to save our lives, homes and environment are increasingly becoming the targets of cowardly criminals. So violent and rife were the attacks on City firefighters through stoning and other onslaughts, that 90 of them were suffering from severe trauma and had to go for counselling. With the windy summer approaching – bringing with it the seasonal home and veld fires – there are fears of an increase in attacks. A City report, seen by the Cape Argus, paints a scary picture for firemen and women. “This report has been collated to outline the damage caused to fire appliances as well as injuries sustained…

A video of a man climbing up a lamppost to steal a light has gone viral. According to The South African, the video was captured in a Gauteng suburb. It has since gone viral on Twitter. In the 45-second clip, the person is seen climbing up the pole effortlessly, earning him the title of Spiderman, and then sliding back down the pole after retrieving the stolen the goods. He then calmly begins collecting his items and walks away. There are no details as to where the video was filmed. But Tweeps had a lot to say. Bane of Society: Would have been a high performing employee at a coconut farm. Brent: Yip, a cool skill applied for the wrong reason! Arshad Pahad: Phone your security company, don’t just film this…

President Cyril Ramaphosa and his detractors will only know his fate in two weeks as Parliament Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula extended the deadline for the three-member panel investigating the Phala Phala saga. The panel, chaired by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo alongside retired Judge Thokozile Masipa and advocate Mahlape Sello, SC, is investigating whether there is prima facie evidence to institute impeachment processes against President Ramaphosa. Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said the legal trio wrote to Mapisa-Nqakula seeking an extension of the deadline for the submission of their report from November 17 to November 30. In Justice Ngcobo’s letter, seen by the Cape Argus, he states that the panel met on Monday to assess the inquiry process and determine whether they could make the deadline. The trio agreed that considering the…

As the concerned environmentalists at Global Footprint Network and the World Wide Fund for Nature put it, endorsed by yesterday’s Argus editorial, if we all lived like a citizen of India we would only need a capacity of 0.8 Earths a year. The concerned environmentalists don’t say specifically which citizens of India they have in mind but India’s median income in 2022 is $181 or R3 100 a month. That’s short of our South African minimum basic wage but the planet’s at stake and a small sacrifice is necessary. So, it’s cardboard and corrugated iron shacks, communal taps, chemical toilets and empty bellies and you won’t even get a warm glow in winter to ward off the cold and damp when you think of Al Gore, John Kerry, Prince Harry,…

I attended two days of the inquest into the death of Imam Abdullah Haron as heard in the Cape Town High Court over the past two weeks. The Imam’s family was present. The Imam died in detention on Saturday, September 27, 1969. An inquest held in 1970 under the apartheid government found the Imam had fallen down a flight of stairs. It is quite clear to me that the evidence being produced at the present inquest points to the fact that the Imam was tortured and died because of this and did not fall down a flight of stairs. One asks the question why it took so long for an inquest to be held after 1994, 28 years after democracy! Will information and resistance by the present government to cover…

South Africa has once again experienced America’s overarching intrusion into its domestic affairs. The frenzy generated by the US embassy’s “terror alert” raised the spectre of bombs unleashed in the heart of Sandton by unnamed “terrorists”, and quickly degenerated into Islamophobia. Some media platforms hyped the alarm by using so-called “terror experts” who, without any shred of evidence, speculated that the likely perpetrators would be Muslims. Overnight, all forms of “objectivity” were dispensed with in their haste to bolster the US alert, instead of challenging the embassy to provide credible proof. That the “alert” had been disputed by South Africa’s security cluster and doubts raised about its credibility didn’t seem to deter the “experts”. Nevertheless, such intrusive conduct by the US in the affairs of sovereign nations remains a matter…

Japan forward Daichi Kamada says his team’s large contingent of Bundesliga players can draw mental strength from knowing they “share the same stage” as first-up World Cup opponents Germany. Japan’s squad for the finals in Qatar includes eight Germany-based players – more than any other national league, including Japan’s first-division J1 League. Nine Japanese players play in the first division of the Bundesliga, seven of whom have been selected in the squad for Qatar. Qatar-bound midfielder Ao Tanaka also plays in Germany, for Fortuna Duesseldorf in the second division. Kamada, 26, who has 12 goals in all competitions for Eintracht Frankfurt this season, will be one of Japan’s most important players in Qatar. “There are a lot of Japanese players in the Bundesliga now and I think we’re on an…

Monday provided the clearest illustration yet of what is more interesting, attractive and newsworthy in South African cricket. Spoiler – it isn’t the Proteas. Despite the novelty of the SA20 League, it was striking how different the scrutiny was between the launch event for that competition – hosted at The Deck hospitality venue adjacent to the Wanderers Stadium – and the announcement of the Proteas Test squad for the series against Australia next month. For the latter, just a handful of media accepted the invitation to interview the chairman of selectors Victor Mpitsang and new interim coach Malibongwe Maketa at Cricket South Africa’s Centre of Excellence in Tshwane. In Illovo, meanwhile, the SA20’s commissioner Graeme Smith had to deal with a media scrum as he was backed up against a…