Innholdsfortegnelse for 2025-07-04 i Cape Argus

IMAAN Sharmar, 25, said she felt a deep anxiousness when her son’s alleged kidnapper, 37-year-old Sameemah Jacobs, stepped into the dock in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court, yesterday. Jacobs is accused of abducting Sharmar's 9-day-old baby Mogamat Imaad Sharmar from Middestad Mall on Saturday. She has since been charged with kidnapping and defeating the administration of justice. Sharmar was yesterday supported by her family at court and also had baby Imaad with her. She sat in the public gallery with her husband Mogamat Imtiyaaz Sharmar, her mother Deborah Brandt, her mother-in-law Nabilah Saghar, her aunt Kathleen Brevis, and others. Sharmar was too emotional to speak with the media, only saying with tears in her eyes how anxious she felt. The family said since the kidnapping, Imaad was struggling to latch…

WESTERN Cape police have launched a manhunt after five people were gunned down and seven wounded in several shooting incidents that occurred at different locations in Mitchell’s Plain yesterday. Police spokesperson, Novela Potelwa, confirmed that multidisciplinary deployments have been bolstered to prevent further occurrences. The first shooting that claimed the lives of two people and left three wounded at about 12.30pm occurred at a tuck-shop in Beacon Valley. “Also in Beacon Valley, four other persons were shot at another tuck shop. One died and three were wounded. In the third shooting incident, another person was shot and injured, also in Beacon Valley” said Potelwa. Two more people were shot dead in Tafelsing and Town Centre. “All incidents are believed to be gang related. Murder and attempted murder cases have been…

SUSPENDED Road Accident Fund chief executive Collins Letsoalo has hit back at the judge who refused to lift his suspension, citing nearly 40 points in which he claimed the judge had erred. Letsoalo has applied for leave to appeal against last month’s judgment in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. In a scathing judgment, Judge Nasious Moshoanathe said Letsoalo's application was deemed vexatious. He found Letsoalo’s suspension effected by the RAF Board earlier this month to be lawful, rational, and reasonable. Letsoalo was suspended as CEO on June 3 based on the accusation that he refused to attend a SCOPA regarding the fund’s problems. His contract as CEO is due to lapse in August. While the judge had some harsh words regarding Letsoalo’s earlier urgent application, the suspended CEO will again…

The much-talked-about National Dialogue is indeed a national conversation we didn’t know we needed until former president Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki called for it. President Cyril Ramaphosa must be saluted for heeding that call. This gesture affirms that our leaders still speak and listen to one another. It is a tradition of leadership that the younger generation must urgently emulate: speak truthfully and listen earnestly. Accordingly, Ramaphosa has announced that the National Dialogue will take place on August 15 at a venue yet to be disclosed. I will not pretend to be a seasoned logistician, but I would like to propose that Kliptown, Johannesburg, be considered as the location. I make this suggestion because Kliptown was the site where our great-grandparents gathered under difficult, illegal conditions on June 25–26, 1955, to…

Minister of Sport Gayton McKenzie’s mission to revive top-flight football in the Free State has taken a major step forward – with his business associate, Calvin Lee John, confirmed as the man behind the pending purchase of SuperSport United through Siwelele Football Club (Pty) Ltd. SuperSport International announced yesterday that it had agreed to sell the Betway Premiership side to John’s company following a closed bidding process. The deal is now subject to approval by the PSL executive committee before it becomes official. The move brings McKenzie’s long-standing football ambitions closer to reality in his hometown of Bloemfontein. McKenzie has previously spoken publicly about working with a consortium to bring back Bloemfontein Celtic and re-establish professional football in the Free State – a province widely regarded as one of the…

THE City of Cape Town has welcomed the decision by the Western Cape High Court to reinstate an interim interdict against extortionists and others who, it claims, are hell-bent on derailing its MyCiTi construction project along Govan Mbeki Road in Philippi. The interdict is effective until April 21, 2026, when the matter will be argued before the court. The City obtained the interim order against the extortionists on June 3 after City officials and the contractor’s staff received death threats and were verbally intimidated. Mayco member for urban mobility, Rob Quintas, said the order was reinstituted after the respondents, among which were the Philippi Business Forum and Crossroads Business Forum, failed to present their answering affidavits to the Western Cape High Court on why the order should not be made…

THE uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) has confirmed that Colleen Makhubele remains firmly in her position as Chief Whip, despite purported suggestions of a petition calling for her removal. At a press briefing held in Parliament yesterday, MKP parliamentary leader Dr John Hlophe said it was false that alletter had been sent to party president Jacob Zuma to oust Makhubele. “There is no letter, there is no petition, in terms of which MPs are calling for the head of the Chief Whip. This is a figment of someone’s imagination,” said Hlophe. The party said recent internal changes, including the removal of spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela from its whippery, were strategic and administrative, not evidence of factionalism. Hlophe said the MKP is reorienting itself towards legislative impact and preparing constitutional amendments, including a…

FOLLOWING delays due to poor performance by the previous contractor, the City’s Spatial Planning and Environment Directorate has announced that upgrades to the Sea Point promenade and Granger Bay parking area have been completed. Upgrades to the tune of R41 million came to a grinding halt last year, setting the completion date back by more than a year. Work started in May 2024 for the construction and restoration of the beachfront areas, which include the upgrading of the Granger Bay parking area, construction of a rock revetment, a new Fort Road play park, additional walkways, coastal vegetation and lawn planting, installation of interpretive signage to give heritage information, and public art in the Sea Point Library. City Deputy Mayor and mayco member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews, said…

On the landscape of South African football, the tale of triumph and resilience continues to captivate and inspire following Banyana Banyana and Amajita’s conquests in Africa despite significant challenges. As a result of inadequate financial backing, high operational costs, player bonuses, staff salaries, infrastructure limitations and a lack of proper training facilities all combine to hinder a team’s success. These systemic issues strip away the potential for continuous success and leave players reliant on their inner fortitude. South African teams exhibit admirable tenacity and spirit. However, their future success may depend more on comprehensive structural reforms rather than the sheer determination of the players. In May 2025, South Africa's U-20 men's team clinched their maiden Afcon title through a narrow 1-0 win against Morocco in hostile Cairo. This hard-fought triumph…

Kaizer Chiefs’ former attacker and controversil football pundit Junior Khanye says the “club is not serious” after overlooking local depth and signing unpopular players from abroad for next season. Amakhosi announced the signing of overseas-based trio Flavio Silva, Ethan Chislett and Maduka replaces Owen Da Gama who could not reach an agreement with the club after helping them survive relegation last season and in Maduka – the former Royal AM coach – they believe they’ve found the right man to lead their fortunes. on respective deals this week. Silva is a Guinea Bissau-born player, but he was based in Indonesia where he played for Persebaya Surabaya, netting nine goals in 33 matches, last season. Chislett and Shinga, meanwhile, are making their respective homecomings as the Durban born do was based…

TRIBUTES are pouring in for former deputy president David Mabuza, who died yesterday afternoon, aged 64. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula confirmed the news and extended his condolences to the Mabuza family. "It is with deep sorrow and a heavy heart that we learn of the passing of the former Deputy President of the Republic and stalwart of our movement, Comrade David Dabede Mabuza," Mbalula said. Professor Somadoda Fikeni, a former political analyst who worked with Mabuza, described him as a dominant politician who could outwit political opponents. He compared Mabuza to ANC heavyweight Matthews Phosa, who he succeeded as Mpumalanga premier. "Mabuza was a person I followed a lot when I was a political analyst. He could outwit political opponents, and I could say he was the most dominant politician…

A MASSIVE drug bust near the popular Wembley Roadhouse in Athlone left people shocked after police caught five suspects with mandrax tablets and a bag of money. The operation went down on Wednesday, when members of the Maitland Flying Squad followed up on a tip-off about possible drug dealing in the area. Police spokesperson, FC van Wyk, said: “Upon their [the Flying Squad’s] arrival at the mentioned address, they found three vehicles including a white Mercedes Benz, a white Renault and a white Hyundai in the parking area. “The members observed the occupants and noticed that the one suspect took a black bag out of the one vehicle [and then] putting it into his vehicle. “They immediately approached the vehicles and two of the suspects attempted to walk away but…

PUBLIC Protector Kholeka Gcaleka has cleared former police minister Bheki Cele of accusations of chartering an SA Police Service (SAPS) helicopter to attend the ANC’s 2024 election manifesto launch in February last year. The DA complained to Gcaleka after Cele was seen arriving at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium in an SAPS helicopter. Andrew Whitfield, the DA’s then shadow police minister, accused Cele of making use of the official aircraft as his taxi or e-hailing service to and from a political party event. Whitfield also rejected Cele and the SAPS’s averment that the former minister’s use of the helicopter was in line with his “constitutional responsibility as a Minister of Police”. He further stated that it was wholly unrelated to any oversight or operational duties (which the former minister is in…

THE wording "Wheels" in relation to biscuits came under the legal spotlight after a company selling biscuits under the name "Wagon Wheels" objected to a competitor wanting to register its biscuits using the name "Wheels" on its packaging. Burton’s Foods (applicant) turned to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, as it is opposing two trademark applications filed by Boxer Superstores (respondent) under the Trade Marks Act, to enable it to use the word "Wheels" on its biscuits. The applicant asked the court for an order refusing the respondent’s trademark applications and directing that the trademark applications be removed from the register. The applicant’s opposition is premised on the contention that the respondent’s trademark is highly similar to theirs, and that it covers goods that are identical, or at least highly similar.…

IN Sean O’Casey’s scathing definition, universities have ignominiously become “places where they polish pebbles and dim diamonds”. Thomas Jefferson, one of history’s most persuasive and poetic writers, left an enduring vision for higher education. His words, inscribed on the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC, remain resonant: “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilisation, it expects what never was and never will be.” Jefferson’s ideas were revolutionary, not just in curriculum or architectural design, but in his belief that universities should enshrine “the illimitable freedom of the human mind … for here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.” He imagined institutions that extended beyond…

MAGESI FC have hired Malawian John Maduka as their new coach for the upcoming Betway Premiership 2025/26 season. The Limpopo outfit revealed the former Royal AM coach, Maduka as their new coach on their social media platform X. “HE’S HERE! Magesi Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of John Maduka as head coach. Welcome to the family!” Maduka replaces Owen da Ga who could not reach an agreement with the club on the terms of a contract renewal after he saved the club from relegation. Da Gama joined Magesi in December as a replacement for Clinton Larsen who had earned the club promotion and even led them to winning the Carling Knockout, courtesy of a shock 2-1 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns. Larsen and the club parted ways as…

Novak Djokovic crushed British wildcard Dan Evans in the Wimbledon second round as he stepped up his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title. After three days of stunning upsets at Wimbledon, Djokovic avoided becoming the latest star to crash out in second-round action. The Serb needed just one hour and 47 minutes to dispatch Evans with a ruthless 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 victory on Centre Court. “It means I’ve been playing quite a long time!” Djokovic said, when told he had just secured his 99th Wimbledon match victory. “I still enjoy it. This court has given me so much. Wimbledon has a special place in my heart. “Any history made here is obviously extra special.” Djokovic is dreaming of putting an exclamation point on his incredible career by becoming…