Innholdsfortegnelse for 2025-02-07 i Cape Argus

It’s the final countdown! Up The Creek, one of South Africa’s longest-running outdoor music festivals, is back this weekend on the banks of the Breede River. This festival has been delivering unforgettable memories since 1990, and despite its ever-growing popularity, it remains an intimate affair, capped at 3,000 attendees to keep the legendary Creeker spirit alive. Every year, festival-goers return for the top-tier live music. They also experience the great outdoors as they camp under the stars and the unspoken rule among Creekers is: good vibes only. This year, South African musician Jeremy Loops and entertainment industry veteran Damon Forbes officially take the reins as festival owners, marking an exciting chapter for Up The Creek. After joining the team in 2023, they are now determined to steer the event towards…

A MITCHELL’S Plain mother has won a case against the Western Cape Department of Health after staff at the Mitchell’s Plain Midwife Obstetric Unit (MOU) were found negligent during the birth of her son. The court found that the staff’s actions caused shoulder dystocia, which led to a brachial plexus injury and Erb’s palsy. The woman, who gave birth in 2010 said staff did not follow proper procedures when it became clear she was experiencing complications. Court papers showed that correct steps could have prevented the injury. There was an eight-minute delay between the delivery of the baby’s head and the body. The baby was transferred to Mowbray Maternity Hospital, where he suffered seizures and was later diagnosed with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE). The woman called several experts to testify including…

Stellenbosch FC are plotting to inflict more pain on Kaizer Chiefs tonight (7.30pm kick-off) after own goals spared their blushes in their midweek Premiership clash against AmaZulu. Despite home-ground advantage at the FNB Stadium, Chiefs were unable to score against battling AmaZulu, who had to settle for a 2-2 stalemate after they scored two own goals. First defender Ramahlwe Mphahlele headed the ball into his net while trying to deal with a Chiefs corner. Later in the match, by which time AmaZulu had taken a 2-1 lead, goalkeeper Richard Ofori knocked the ball into his net while trying to gather Glody Lilepo’s powder-puff parting shot. These two gift goals avoided an embarrassing situation for Chiefs, who were still reeling from their Soweto Derby defeat a few days earlier. Tonight, Chiefs…

The Stormers will play their last match in the United Rugby Championship for more than two months at the Cape Town Stadium tomorrow afternoon, which should be enough motivation for them to tame the Bulls. An expected sold-out North-South Derby (2pm start) awaits, and that will give the Cape outfit more reason to reward the loyalty of their supporters by picking up a seventh win in the tournament over the Jake White-coached side. After tomorrow, they are only expected to be back in action in Cape Town in April again. The inaugural URC champions have never lost against the Bulls at home in this tournament, and despite being devoid of several key players, they will be desperate enough to keep that record intact. That desperation to not go down against…

If the Sharks and Springboks want to get the most out of Eben Etzebeth in the dusk of his career, the veteran lock should be given as much time to recover from his concussion symptoms. While the Durban outfit will need him possibly later in the season, the Boks’ mission of winning a third Rugby World Cup in a row in 2027 must be given preference when it comes to Etzebeth. That is why the 33-year-old enforcer should be wrapped in cotton wool for the rest of the season to allow him to recover optimally from the injury he picked up in December. It’s been two months since he’s been on the rugby field after sustaining the concussion against Exeter Chiefs in the Champions Cup. He would’ve returned against the…

The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip – South Africa star Christall Kay, pictured, has penned a heartfelt tribute to billionaire Douw Steyn. The insurance mogul died at the age of 72. His death was confirmed earlier this week by Steyn City Properties, the luxurious 2 000 acre estate in Johannesburg which was built in his name. Over the decades, Steyn cemented his status as a formidable entrepreneur who built a global business across seven countries. This included insurance, property and hotels enterprises. In 1975, he founded Steyn’s Insurance Brokers in Joburg. Last year, the UK Sunday Times Rich List estimated his net worth to be around R70 billion. After his death, the reality television personality took to Instagram to post a video reel which included pictures of her and Steyn…

Masizole Mnqasela, of the Alliance of Citizens for Change, has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to be truthful to the nation during his 2025 State of the Nation Address. Speaking outside the Cape Town City Hall, Mnqasela, who is a former DA member, emphasised the importance of Ramaphosa working with facts, rather than making false promises “as usual”. He criticised Ramaphosa for prioritising his business interests, particularly in the mining sector, over the needs of the South African people. “The president must stop telling lies to the people of South Africa and work with the facts… He must create jobs as he has spoken before. “Instead of the conflict of interest...because you know how he is a mining giant. Now he has forgotten that he is no longer a businessman but…

IN advocating for the protection of African penguin from extinction, BirdLife South Africa and the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), will head to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, next month in a landmark litigation. The environmental organisations, represented by the Biodiversity Law Centre, will go head-to-head against the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to protect African penguins. On August 4, 2023, former minister Barbara Creecy announced the continuation of inadequate “interim closures” around breeding colonies at Dassen Island, Robben Island, Stony Point, Dyer Island, St. Croix Island and Bird Island. The organisations have sought from the court to review and set aside the minister’s decision to put in place island closures at six breeding colonies “which are not biologically meaningful”, citing that the…

MI Cape Town’s appearance in a first-ever SA20 final tomorrow at the Wanderers (5.30pm start) is just reward not only for the team’s approach to the shortest format, but more its perseverance to that approach. Former Proteas all-rounder Robin Peterson switched roles from general manager to head coach at the beginning of last season, when he replaced Australian Simon Katich after MI Cape Town had finished bottom in their inaugural SA20 campaign. Peterson did not fare any better, with the Cape outfit yet again propping up the basement in the second season. For a franchise accustomed to success as Mumbai Indians are, it would have been easy to hit the panic button and send Peterson on his way. But the 45-year-old is an integral part of the MI family though,…

It is always deflating when you realise that your hero is only human, and that they have particular idiosyncrasies and shortcomings that oppose your worldview and core beliefs. I recall the year 2000, while still in high school in the south of Johannesburg, when news broke that Hansie Cronjé was implicated in a match-fixing scandal. I refused to believe that the former Proteas captain – whom I adored and looked upon in high esteem – could betray me so, never mind the rest of the country. After all, Cronjé – to my mind – was the very definition of integrity and honesty. So, when the King Commission laid bare the truth, and Cronjé’s role in it, I was left heartbroken. Now, over two decades later, recalling that moment in time…

Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez will be out of action for the foreseeable future after the Argentina international suffered an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury, manager Ruben Amorim said yesterday. Martinez was carried off on a stretcher during Sunday’s 2-0 home loss to Crystal Palace, and has joined a United injury list that also includes midfielder Mason Mount, and defenders Luke Shaw and Jonny Evans. “Licha (Martinez) is a difficult situation. He’s going to be out for a while,” Amorim told reporters ahead of tonight’s FA Cup fourth-round match against Leicester City. “We don’t know the extent of the injury, but it’s an injury that is going to take time.” The club said they were still assessing the injury to decide the right treatment, giving no time scale for his…

A FORMER Bergriver municipality official convicted of defrauding the municipality has been ordered to pay back R500 000 using his pension fund. Pieter Jacobus Adams, a former Chief Clerk was found guilty of 435 counts of fraud in the Bellville Commercial Crimes Court. Adams was sentenced to ten years imprisonment with six years suspended for a R1.3 million electricity token fraud. The court convicted Adams on 435 counts of fraud and sentenced him to 10 years direct imprisonment with 6 years suspended for 5 years. It then granted a confiscation order to the value of his full pension of over R500 000 to be paid over to the Bergrivier Municipality. Eric Ntabazalila of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) resigned from his position on November 25 2019 and said his duties…

PEEPING through a window of the ladies’ changing room at work while a fellow female nightshift worker was half naked after taking a shower came at a costly price to the peeping Tom, who was fired. The man, Moshe Bakang, however, has now turned to the Johannesburg Labour Court in a bid to get his job back. During CCMA proceedings, the commissioner ruled that the dismissal of Bakang was both procedurally and substantively fair – a ruling he now wanted overturned. Bakang was employed as a sampler preparer by a mining company until his dismissal on a charge of misconduct. The charge against him read: sexual harassment, non-verbal conduct such as unwelcome gestures, and indecent exposure towards a member of the opposite sex. The victim, only identified as B, testified…

THE City of Cape Town has rejected claims that a Stormers rugby player contracted an E. coli infection after swimming at Camps Bay beach, despite ongoing concerns raised by experts about water quality testing protocols. Yesterday, the GOOD Party called out the City to engage with experts and academics in the marine conservation field after the citizen-led “Project Blue” investigation revealed widespread contamination along Cape beaches last year. Dr. Jo Barnes, an epidemiologist at Stellenbosch University, and Professor Leslie Petrik, a chemistry expert at the University of the Western Cape, found that between November and December last year, 42% the sampling dates in Table Bay exceeded safety limits for E.coli and Enterococci. The GOOD Party said they had written to Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis in January to request an urgent…

DRICUS du Plessis has beaten a number of legends of the middleweight division in the UFC – including one of the most diverse strikers the sport has ever seen in Israel Adesanya and ‘The Reaper’ himself, Robert Whittaker. On Sunday, the 31-year-old has yet another opportunity to further extend his legacy as he faces former champion Sean Strickland at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Should Du Plessis defend his title, he would have done so for the second consecutive time – and will take his unbeaten streak in the UFC to nine fights and five years unbeaten in the promotion. With his legacy on the line, the South African couched in front of the media yesterday that he will be looking for a finish right from the start of…

In a pivotal move for the financial stability of rugby in the country, the South African Rugby Union have resolved to appoint a financial institution to conduct a comprehensive review of the sport’s financial ecosystem. The decision was made during a General Council meeting held yesterday in Johannesburg, where Saru were prompted by the need to reassess their commercial strategies after a failed private equity investment deal. With a significant setback in December, when the Ackerley Sports Group’s (ASG) private equity investment bid failed to secure the required 75% majority vote from member unions, SA Rugby are now taking decisive steps forward to finding alternatives. Their Executive Council and management have been given the mandate to initiate a new process that aims to enhance the union’s financial sustainability, with the…