Innholdsfortegnelse for 2025-01-09 i Cape Argus

THE 5-year-old boy who was shot in the head in Manenberg has died. He was declared brain dead, and yesterday morning, his family was told to prepare for the worst. At about 11am, the life support machine was switched off at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. His heartbroken aunt, Tasneem Benjamin, said they had hoped he would survive the shooting. “The doctor prepared us for what was about to happen, at the end of the day it was not what the doctor said but the ultimate decision was with God, the creator,” said Benjamin. “His dad couldn’t leave his side, he was very devastated, he took this very hard. The mother only came home to breastfeed her daughter and then went back to the hospital.” She explained that on…

AFTER the brutal murder of her mother, a woman is left with a haunting belief that the killer was after her, not her mother. Nongazi Malgas, 71, was at her Tapushe Village home in Qonce (formerly King William’s Town) when an unknown assailant attacked her in front of her grandchildren. Her grief-stricken daughter, Sesethu, said the killing was planned. “It was around 10am last Tuesday, she was lying down in the rondavel, and the grandchildren were with her. “There was a knock on the door, the person came in and then sat down on the chair near the door. “My mother asked the strange man who he was and what he wanted, and he said he was Mofokeng but didn’t say what or who he wanted.” Sesethu explained Malgas asked…

POLITICAL analyst Sandile Swana has lifted the lid on former ANC President and now leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), Jacob Zuma’s apparent plan to acquire the ANC. Zuma, yesterday, slapped the ANC with a letter of demand giving the organisation an ultimatum to reinstate his membership by January 31 or face court action. He penned a letter, through his attorney Thabo Kwinana, who outlined procedural and substantive concerns regarding the processes undertaken by the ANC’s National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) and the National Disciplinary Committee of Appeal (NDCA). The letter says Zuma’s expulsion was “not procedural and invalid”, citing irregularities that would likely be upheld by an independent legal review. Zuma was charged after he joined the MKP on December 16, 2023, which paved the way for his expulsion…

THE affordability of school fees has been raised as a concern amid a rising cost of living crisis in the country. Riaan van der Bergh, of the Federation of School Governing Bodies (SGBs) for South African Schools, acknowledged the challenges fee-paying schools faced. “The school economy is under pressure, and there is concern about the affordability of fees,” he said. He noted that school fees had generally risen by 5% to 8%, but some schools reported higher increases due to rising operational costs, such as municipal fees and staff salaries. Van der Bergh added that recovering school fees had become more difficult. “We have seen a steady increase in bad debts and exemptions, particularly after the pandemic. Schools from all fee-paying sectors reported pressure on school fee recovery in 2024,”…

AS we embark on the new year and a very exciting 2025, I feel that there is much positivity in the air from the business community. We must turn our minds to seeing what can be done to assist the business community in order to create jobs. There is universal consensus that businesses have to create jobs as opposed to government. Furthermore, there is also universal consensus on the fact that the majority of the jobs are being and will be created by small business. Another area of concern is the fact that the informal economy should be thriving in South Africa as it is with all our neighbours. There has been a wonderful piece of research entitled “Supply Side Economics of a Good Type: Supporting and…

The Proteas Under-19 women’s team plan on playing an expressive and attacking style of cricket at the T20 World Cup in Malaysia, according to head coach Dinesha Devnarain. Devnarain spoke to Independent Media Sport yesterday before their third and final match of their series against the United States in Cape Town. The SA Under-19 squad currently lead the series 2-0, and it could just be the confidence booster the team needed before the tournament starts on January 18. After a dominant performance on Tuesday, South Africa won the match by seven wickets. The 15-member squad were set to play their final warm-up game yesterday before departing for Malaysia tomorrow. “I think we have quite a balanced team, from all three ends of the game: batting, bowling and fielding. We have…

MUNICIPAL managers in charge of municipalities that owe pension funds amounting to R1.4 billion could face criminal charges should they fail to comply with their statutory obligations. The National Treasury has issued a stern warning to municipal bosses, including some of the country’s biggest municipalities, that they may be guilty of financial misconduct. In a document dated December 6, 2024, Jan Hattingh, Treasury’s chief director responsible for local government budget analysis, said the failure to pay over deductions has placed several municipal employees in an unfortunate situation where they have no funds in their pension fund accounts despite salary deductions. He urged municipalities to ensure that measures are in place so that contributions are paid over. Municipalities that fail to do so will face punitive measures. According to Hattingh, it…

For most South Africans, the onset of a new year is primarily about the back-to-school rush – the purchase of school requirements such as uniforms, stationery, and textbooks as well as the school fees. The changes to the Bela Act in 2024 have brought to the fore the various challenges that the educational sector still grapples with and a core challenge is how do we benchmark, fairly assess, and oversee the regulation of multiple schooling systems that do not have historical foundations in South Africa. Schooling frameworks such as The Cambridge International Schooling System, and the American Schooling curriculum have been registered and compliant with the regulations of SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority). However, till now despite the numerous changes there has been no specialised provision and regulation approved for…

THE National Consumer Commission (NCC) said it has initiated an investigation into the conduct of overbooking and overselling tickets by domestic low-cost carrier FlySafair. The probe comes after an unsatisfied customer shared his unpleasant experience with FlySafair’s practice of overbooking flights. “On this basis, the NCC has initiated an investigation into the conduct of overbooking and/or overselling by FlySafair to assess and review compliance with provisions of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008,” said the NCC. X (formerly Twitter) user Miles Nsala shared his frustrating experience of arriving at the airport, only to be told that the airline didn’t have seats available for the flight he had booked and paid for. FlySafair responded by admitting that they overbook flights. They specified that this practice helps keep ticket prices affordable…

THE quiet town of Vanrhynsdorp is reeling, claiming police have failed to arrest a 44-year-old man who volunteers at the local library and ECD centres, after a case of sexual assault was opened by one of his alleged victims, a 3-year-old boy. The man may not be identified as he has not been formally charged and is related to the victim. Johanna Filander, chairperson of the Matzikama Farmworkers/Dwellers Forum, said they were alarmed that police had not made an arrest following the complaint being lodged a month ago. Filander said they believed there were more victims, including a disabled person, but that additional cases were not opened. “We do not feel comfortable having him here because there are many children in this community,” she said. “We do not want our…

“MY FATHER was on his knees and my father was a non-believer. And when my father eventually bowed his knees, and he prayed to God, and three minutes afterwards, my brother’s body came out of the water.” This is how Kaylin September, the sister of 16-year-old Elsies River teen Neo September, described the moment when his body was recovered from the ocean. Neo attended St Andrews Technical High School in Elsies River and was set to start Grade 10 this year. When he disappeared in the surf zone on January 2, the September family had gone to Tsaarsbank Picnic Site, West Coast National Park, near Vondeling Island. The family faced uncertainty about the missing teen, but that came to an end as SAPS spokesperson, FC van Wyk, confirmed the teen’s…

This year, South Africa marks a significant milestone as it takes over the presidency of the Group of Twenty (G20), becoming the first African nation to host this pivotal summit. This moment signifies African unity and collaboration for a future of peace, security, and prosperity for all, yet recent political developments raise concerns about cohesive leadership during this critical time. This week, at the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was absent with former president Jacob Zuma attending instead. This absence is telling, considering Ramaphosa’s recent remarks about Zuma’s support for the newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), which he did not expect would siphon off a substantial part of the ANC’s voter base. The presence of Zuma, who has a contentious history with…

Newcastle took a giant stride towards the League Cup final as goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon earned a 2-0 semi-final, first leg lead at Arsenal on Tuesday night. The Magpies have never previously won the competition, and have had to wait since 1969 to celebrate any major trophy. But in Isak, they have the form striker in England right now, and he rifled home the opener then helped tee up the second for Gordon. Arsenal have a mountain to climb when the sides meet for the second leg on February 5 if they are to progress to meet either Tottenham or Liverpool in the final. “It’s massive. It’s a great result, but it’s only the first half,” said Isak after Newcastle’s seventh consecutive win and first at the…

On day two of the Peninsula Schools Cricket Week in Cape Town, the format changed to a single innings unlimited-overs games. In most cases, the teams batting second were were cautious in chasing down targets opting to eke out a draw. Co-hosts Rondebosch proved the exception in their game against Hilton College with a convincing eight-wicket win. They won the toss and elected to send the visitors in to bat on a strip with a tinge of grass on it. Bosch opted for left-arm spinner Timothy Short to share the new ball with Daniel Cooke. It was a tactic that yielded early success when Short trapped opener Ben Wilson (15) lbw. Shortly afterwards, he struck again when Robert Birman (5) was caught close in, and with Ben Hockley perishing in…