Innholdsfortegnelse for 2025-05-15 i Cape Argus

Panning a movie like Juliet & Romeo is a little like kicking a puppy. A puppy that chews the furniture, soils the rugs and projectile vomits on the guests but a puppy nevertheless. This maladaption of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet only wants to please its target audience of early-middle-school girls by replacing iambic pentameter with lots and lots of pop songs, swooning with plastic sentiments and machine-tooled harmonies. Replace the Bard with a Top 40 production team and his soliloquies with sub-Swiftian lyrics (Taylor, not Jonathan) and you can imagine the results. This isn’t a movie, it’s a prom theme. It’s also preferable to sitting through English class, I guess, although any parents shepherding a group of 11-year-olds to a showing may find Juliet & Romeo a very special…

POLICE Minister Senzo Mchunu says “extraordinary measures” are planned to fight gang violence on the Cape Flats. During a National Council of Provinces meeting on Tuesday, Mchunu said 3 770 gang-related murders were reported between March 1, 2020 to December 31, 2024 and 5 463 gang-related attempted murders were recorded in the same period. DA MP Nicholas Gotsell slammed the minister on the high statistics as police members of the Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) in the Western Cape for the past seven years do not have a fixed establishment or even vehicles. Gotsell referred to Davin Africa who was hit by a stray bullet on February 14 while asleep in his home in Happiness Street in Wesbank. A year after his death, his older sister Kelly-Amber Koopman was also killed in…

CORRECTIONAL Services Minister Pieter Groenewald said his hands are tied in revoking the parole of Janusz Walus, who killed former SACP general secretary and Umkhonto weSizwe chief of staff, Chris Hani. This emerged when Groenewald made a presentation on the process leading to the revocation of parole for parolees to the Portfolio Committee Correctional Services portfolio committee on Tuesday. EFF MP, Carl Niehaus, said the release of Walus meant he was not placed under permanent control of the Correctional Services system. Niehaus noted that he was allowed to be deported to his home country, Poland, within two years of his release. “If he breaks the parole condition as any other lifer would have done and is returned to prison, that would not happen.” Niehaus also said Walus had, in an…

A little over a month ago, Proteas batter David Bedingham suffered a broken toe in his first fixture of the season back with Durham in the County Championship, keeping him out of action. As a result, at some point, there was a concern about his availability for the World Test Championship final. However, all those concerns were put to bed when Proteas all-format coach Shukri Conrad included the 31-year-old middle-order batter in his squad this week for the June 11-15 final against Australia in London. “In my first game, I got hit by the ball on my toe, and it broke my toe. “So, it’s been frustrating because I think the thing with the toe is you can’t do much rehab... there’s nothing you can do,” Bedingham told Independent Media…

The South African Under-20 men’s national team have covered the hard yards in the ongoing Africa Youth Championship after reaching the semi-finals to qualify for the World Cup. Amajita beat the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 1-0 in extra time of the quarter-final at Suez Canal Authority Stadium on Monday night. That result, courtesy of a goal from Thabang Mahlangu, meant that Amajita will return to the global showpiece in Chile later this year for the first time since 2017. Amajita have coach Raymond Mdaka and his technical team to thank for their preparations, having also won the Cosafa Championship to qualify for Afcon, which is held in Egypt. However, while most of the job is done, the current crop of players will be eager to follow in the footsteps…

Having made the top four of the United Rugby Championships the Sharks are confident ahead of their quarter final match against Scarlets at home on Saturday (7.30pm kick-off), said flanker James Venter. Now at the tail-end of his time at the Durban side, Venter said they are confident in the rugby they’ve been playing and fancy their shot at the URC final. The Sharks secured a home quarter final after thumping the Ospreys 29-10, with a bonus point, at Kings Park last Friday. They will be hoping for a victory on Saturday and a Glasgow defeat at the hands of Leinster, so they can move up to third place. Venter alluded to the fact that the Sharks have smelt blood, and adjusted their mentality going into the final round accordingly.…

RESIDENTS of Little Glen in Camps Bay claim recurring overflows from the sewer system have contaminated the Blinkwater Stream (next to the Camps Bay Tidal Pool) for years due to the City’s inaction. The City has since indicated that they need to investigate the claims before delivering a response. The matter has reached the attention of councillor Karl Bodin of the Cape Independence Party (CapeXit), who has responded to residents’ concerns, that they are alarmed by the environmental damage to a nature reserve and potential health risks from the stench. Residents had called on Bodin to intervene. His office explained: “For years, the Camps Bay sewer system has periodically overflowed next to houses in Little Glen and flowed into the Blinkwater Stream, which flows right next to the Camps Bay…

JUSTICE and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has warned that budget cuts have severely limited the ability of her department to bolster security measures at courts. Responding to oral questions in the National Assembly, Kubayi said they have looked at augmenting security infrastructure in an attempt to deal with the challenge. “The ICT equipment for searching, we augment it with human beings and physical security. Sometimes the report we get is that that’s not sufficient,” she said. Kubayi was asked by DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach on the steps her department has taken to ensure that scanners and other security systems work effectively and are repaired and maintained properly. She conceded that her department did not comply with the Public Protector’s remedial action to conduct an audit of all courts to…

DR RANDALL Ortel, a family medicine specialist who has his roots in Manenberg, visited his community to inspire young people from the area who are interested in studying in the medical field. He met a small group of Grade 12 learners from Manenberg High School, to share an inspirational talk. He even helped them apply online for their chosen tertiary applications while there with them, and surprised them by paying their application fees. Ortel encouraged them to put in the hard work to achieve their dreams. He told them of the sacrifices he had to make, including driving a taxi at weekends to help fund his studies. “If your dreams don’t scare you, then you are not dreaming,” he said. One learner, Orin Lottering, said he would like to be…

“There are certain clues at a crime scene which, by their very nature, do not lend themselves to being collected or examined. How does one collect love, rage, hatred, fear…? These are things that we’re trained to look for.” – James Reese Gideon Many visible and invisible crimes have been committed within Parliament, provincial legislatures, and municipal councils. This is not a recent phenomenon; the apartheid-era parliament committed even more heinous crimes, including crimes against humanity. Some may agree that what has unfolded since then amounts to daylight robbery of land, property, and public trust. Corruption has become the norm. Without question, there is ongoing crime against the poor. The crimes committed in these state institutions are not only crimes against the state but crimes against its citizens, especially the…

Jose Riveiro is leaving Orlando Pirates having earned himself legendary status, but he admits that if it wasn’t for hard work, he wouldn’t have made that lasting impression. Riveiro sat on the bench for his last match as the coach of Pirates when they beat Golden Arrows 3-0 at Orlando Stadium, Soweto, on Tuesday night. That perfect end to Riveiro’s stint at the club was coupled with a handful of fans who braved the chilly Johannesburg weather to bid their ‘padre’ (father) farewell. Riveiro requested an early release from his contract, which was granted by the club, after already deciding against renewing his deal at the end of June. He leaves Pirates as a legend not only due to the five trophies he won and three successive second-place finishes in…

The late Robin Williams delivered an excellent set on the comedic absurdities of golf in his Grammy award-winning one-man show back in 2002. It had the Broadway audience in stitches, and has since garnered over seven million views on YouTube. Even golfers appreciated Williams’ spoof of their beloved game, with current Masters champion Rory McIlroy and South African legend Gary Player among those who sent heartfelt condolences upon Williams’ death in 2014. This past week, I watched another Robin Williams closely at the Turkish Airlines Open — but this was no laughing matter. Here was a young man, just 23-years old, playing for his livelihood among some of golf’s biggest names at the Regnum Carya Golf Club. The former Fortress Rookie of the Year on the Sunshine Tour in 2023…

A 54-year-old medical doctor from East London, Kurunalingam Chetty, has been sentenced by the East London Regional Court for contravening the Tax Administration Act, and ordered to pay R500 000 for defrauding SARS of R1.8 million. Chetty, who was sentenced on Tuesday, was ordered to pay the R500 000 fine and was handed a 10-year prison sentence, wholly suspended for five years, on the condition that he is not convicted of fraud, theft, or tax evasion during that period. If he fails to pay the fine, he will serve five years in prison. Eastern Cape Hawks spokesperson, Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, said Chetty’s sentencing followed his arrest in 2023 by the collaboration efforts of the East London Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation, SARS and National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). “During the period between…

THE Kagiso Rabada drug ban is now a thing of the past. The fast bowler apologised to the public in his statement, followed all the rules set out by the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sports (SAIDS) in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and served his one-month suspension in April. As a result, all-format coach Shukri Conrad and Test captain Temba Bavuma included the 29-year-old in the Proteas squad for next month’s World Test Championship final against Australia at the home of cricket. However, what stings the most to some around the country, and certainly to former Australian captain Tim Paine and perhaps to the Australian media, is how the fast bowler’s situation was not publicised on April 1st or soon after, when the player received the positive…

Bryson DeChambeau credits the confidence boost he took from last year’s 72nd-hole PGA Championship loss for helping him win last year’s US Open and making him a better major threat. The 31-year-old American is among the favourites at this week’s 107th PGA Championship, which starts today at Quail Hollow, arriving off a LIV Golf victory two weeks ago in South Korea. “I’m feeling good,” DeChambeau said. “This is exciting times. I’m playing some good golf. Hopefully that continues this week. “Figured a couple (of) things out with my golf swing. Putting really well.” DeChambeau faltered in last year’s final round at the Masters and shared sixth, but found his form at the PGA at Valhalla, battling to the end before losing to Xander Schauffele’s birdie on the 72nd hole. A…

Proteas Women all-rounder Chloe Tryon said the recent Tri-Series tournament in Sri Lanka, which they were knocked out of, was one of her hardest tours to date. The Proteas faced off against India and Sri Lanka in four matches, three of which they lost, before winning their last game. The experienced all-rounder said they left everything out on the field during the last game against Sri Lanka, and ended up taking away some valuable pointers for the World Cup in India in September and October. Managing their energy and effort in the heat and humidity that sub-continent cricket offers was one of the most vital takeaways from the tour, Tryon explained. Hot and humid, low and slow are the conditions teams are expected to face in places like India…

There will be no complacency from the Bulls as they head into the final round-robin match of the United Rugby Championship (URC) against the Dragons on Saturday in Pretoria. That was the vow of hooker Johan Grobbelaar, who has been a pillar for the second-placed Pretoria side this season. The clash at Loftus Versfeld (3pm start) will give the Bulls the opportunity to finish second on the official URC log, and they only need a single point from the duel to secure the spot. It will put them in a position to play a home semi-final should they make it past the quarters, but they’ll only know at the end of the final round who they’ll be facing in the first knockout clash. According to Grobbelaar, there will be no…