Indholdsfortegnelse for 2022-08-31 i Cape Argus

Digital identity verification is where identity is checked using digitally verifiable elements, such as selfie scans, address checks and knowledge-based authentication. The research assessed leading digital identity verification vendors, evaluating each company on criteria such as depth and breadth of offerings, service innovation and future market prospects. It ranked the top three vendors as Microsoft, Thales and LexisNexis Risk Solutions The research found each of these vendors is taking advantage of the requirements for digital onboarding, plus providing advanced anti-fraud capabilities. Microsoft has taken a leading role in verification, particularly with its Azure AD solution in a remote working context, leveraging its business environment presence. Thales has implemented a different approach; creating a broad portfolio of solutions in identity verification, that it then co-ordinates for each verification use case. LexisNexis…

Old Mutual yesterday reported a 62 percent increase in half-year profits, and its chief executive said it aimed to exceed pre-pandemic earnings by the end of 2023 as the need to set aside provisions for pandemic mortality claims recedes. South Africa has the largest and the most advanced insurance market in Africa, and is home to companies that account for over two-thirds of total premiums collected across the continent by insurers. But they have had two difficult years as provisions to cover claims arising from Covid-19 lowered their profits and forced many to withhold dividends. Old Mutual, one of the country’s most conservatively provisioned insurers, was among a handful to maintain dividends last year and yesterday declared a dividend of 25 cents per share for the half year. Chief executive…

Members of the standing committee on police oversight were yesterday left frustrated after being told the information they sought from provincial police top brass on the destruction of illegal firearms was classified and not to be revealed in an open session. The committee members had invited Western Cape police management to brief them on the firearms destruction process and the slow progress in identifying a site in the province where the guns could be destroyed instead of having to transport them to Pretoria every so often. In April, then committee chairperson Reagen Allen publicly urged provincial police commissioner Thembisile Patekile to clarify how far the Western Cape was on acquiring its own destruction site. Allen has since been made police oversight and community safety MEC. At the time, however, Allen…

The Western Cape school nutrition programme is not reaching many of the learners it’s meant to benefit. This was the sentiment expressed by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) during a briefing to the Standing Committee on Education, yesterday. National school nutrition programme director Lindelwa Sopotela said the allocated budget for the programme in the province was R451 289 000 for the 2022-2023 financial year, with 1 024 schools and 507 332 learners benefiting from the programme. The school feeding programme provides meals to all learners in quintiles 1-3 primary and secondary schools, as well as identified special schools for all school days. The programme also provides meals to selected quintile 4-5 schools for 190 days, Sopotela said. South African schools are ranked into one of five…

The first ever mobile shower, called Nina Manzi (Mother of Water), in partnership with U-turn Homeless Ministries, Viva con Agua South Africa and Baz-Art will help the homeless community take care of their basic hygiene. A person who is sleeping rough on the streets will now be able to have a hot shower through a Mi-change voucher that a member of the public gives them, or that they earned through activities at the U-turn service centre. Nina Manzi is currently stationed in Claremont, and will soon be going to Muizenberg and Mitchells Plain. Project manager Sisanda Henda said the idea came as a result of a research project conducted last year in which homeless people were asked about the conditions they lived under, as well as the challenges they faced.…

Heatherlands High School Grade 10 learner Unam Halam has showcased the talent of South African youth at World Water Week in Stockholm. Hailing from George, Unam this week presented the Drop Saver intervention tool that she and her partner Faith Claasen created to curb water leaks. The 16-year-old presented the intervention at the Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition, where she competed with learners from 30 countries who shared innovations focused on water-based solutions. The winner will be announced today. Marissa Murphy, the Heatherlands High School teacher who worked with the girls and accompanied Unam to Stockholm, said the learners identified a dripping tap at their school that was used by all the learners. “Once the learners drink water, most of them leave the tap running, expecting the next person to…

Despite what Jacques Nienaber might argue, the crisis at No 10 has finally reared its ugly head, revealing the Springboks’ soft underbelly in that position. The Bok mentor’s hand has been forced for Saturday’s second Rugby Championship clash against the Wallabies in Sydney (11.35am kick-off, SA time) after it was revealed at the team announcement that both Handre Pollard (knee) and Elton Jantjies (hand) are injured. Strangely, this might be a boon for the under-pressure Boks as neither Pollard nor Jantjies have been in particularly good form this season. Pollard had a nightmare in the 25-17 loss to the Australians this past week, while Jantjies has lacked match-fitness and game-time throughout the year. Up steps Damian Willemse to pull on the No 10 jumper this weekend, and he will form…

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe said he is hoping club-record signing Alexander Isak will be available for tonight’s Premier League trip to Liverpool due to delays over his international clearance. Swedish striker Isak, who joined from Real Sociedad for a reported £59-million, missed out on making his debut in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers as his work permit did not come through in time. “I still don’t know. I desperately hope so – it’d be great to see him involved,” Howe said yesterday when asked about Isak’s availability. “We’re in the hands of other people so we hope it gets done before the game. The cut-off is 75 minutes before kick-off, so it could go down to the wire. “We’ve had minimal training with him between games, but what…

When Canan Moodie takes to the field against the Wallabies on Saturday, the Bulls star will become one of the youngest Springboks since readmission in 1992. Debutant Moodie will be 19 years and 304 days old when he starts for the Boks at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney (11.35am kick-off). He will creep ahead, according to SA Rugby, of third-placed hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle, who was just a few days shy of his 20th birthday when he made his debut against New Zealand in 2006. Moodie will be behind the youngest Bok in the post-apartheid era, Frans Steyn, who was 19 years and 181 days when he made his debut in the Green and Gold against Ireland, also in 2006. For the record – and in spite of what Google might…

The Tyre Importers Association of South Africa (Tiasa) has applied to court to compel the International Trade Administration Commission (Itac) and the SA Tyre Manufacturers Conference (Satmc) to disclose critical information being withheld with respect to Satmc’s application for the imposition of anti-dumping duties on imported tyres, and to challenge the manner in which the Itac is conducting the investigation. Companies importing tyres into South Africa have been up in arms since the application was launched a few weeks ago by the Satmc. Satmc – made up of Continental, Bridgestone, Goodyear and Sumitomo – has applied to Itac for the imposition of substantial additional duties of between 8 and 69 percent on passenger, taxi, bus and truck vehicle tyres imported from China. There are already import duties levied on tyres…

Arguably Africa’s biggest and most prestigious dance event, JOMBA! is back at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, UKZN, KwaZulu-Natal, following a two-year hiatus. The festival will see artists and performers from Mozambique, Switzerland, Reunion Island, India andSouth Africa showcase their works at JOMBA!’s first full live event since the Covid pandemic. “We are thrilled and relieved to be finally presenting our much-loved festival, live and in-person while keeping some works and events online to include those not able to attend,” said artistic director and curator Dr Lliane Loots. “One of the things we’ve really lost with Covid is interacting with one another; meeting in the foyer, seeing people you haven’t seen for a while, talking to other dancers, watching people exchange, artists connecting with one another, just an affirmation of community.…

The Anti-Gang Unit detective who referred to herself as slain detective Charl Kinnear’s “partner” yesterday said there was no team assigned to investigate Pete Mihalik’s murder and that she and other officers on the case were merely assisting Kinnear. Leatitia van der Horst took the stand on Monday where she explained how they were able to apprehend Sizwe Biyela at a bus station in Bellville using video footage of the shooting. Van der Horst’s testimony came in the midst of Biyela, Nkosinathi Khumalo and Vuyile Maliti’s trial in the Western Cape High Court where they face charges of assassinating top criminal lawyer Mihalik. Van der Horst explained that she was in the car with Kinnear on October 30, 2018, when he received a call to attend the crime scene in…

The fact that Africa with its population of 1.3 billion is not a permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) has been described by a Turkish intellectual visiting Cape Town as reason enough for the reform of the world body. Echoing Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s slogan, “the world is bigger than five” which was coined to protest the unrepresentative set-up of the UN Security Council (UNSC), University of Ankara Social Sciences Associate Professor Mürsel Bayram said yesterday that the time had come for the reform of the security council. Bayram was speaking at a panel discussion on the “Reform of the UN Security Council: A New Approach to Rebuilding International Order” organised by the Turkish presidency’s directorate of communications and hosted by the Turkish Consulate General. He said…

While SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) services had resumed at the Khulani Resource Centre in Khayelitsha, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu said her department and the agency were working around the clock to ensure that between October and November permanent offices are procured. This is in addition to the City-owned Kuyasa Sub-council office for which the City said it had signed a three-year lease agreement with Sassa. Zulu was speaking yesterday during an oversight visit to assess progress on the effectiveness of the business continuity plan. The minister, who interacted with the beneficiaries, said she was happy that services had resumed in the temporary site and the environment in which the workers were working with the beneficiaries. Zulu said the delay in the procurement of a permanent office was caused…

Arguably the most enlightened selections in a revamped Springbok team for Saturday’s second Test against the Wallabies are the new faces at No 10 and 14, where Damian Willemse and Canan Moodie get the opportunity to inject spark into a backline that has been a touch jaded. Along with Lukhanyo Am, Willemse has been the most impressive of the Bok backs this season, and even if injuries had not removed Handre Pollard and Elton Jantjies from the equation, Willemse should have been given the reins to run the game this weekend. And what an opportunity for Moodie to become the next big thing in South African rugby! The Bok coaching staff watched him closely in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and saw enough from his performances for the Bulls to…

Manchester United have reached an agreement to sign Brazil forward Antony from Ajax, the English Premier League club announced yesterday. Ajax said they have agreed a transfer fee of €95million. Including add-ons, the fee could rise to €100m. Dutch national news agency ANP said that if the deal goes through, it will be a record for an Eredivisie player, surpassing the €86m maximum value of Frenkie de Jong’s move from Ajax to Barcelona three years ago. Antony has scored 31 goals in 134 club appearances for Ajax and Sao Paulo, and two goals in nine senior appearances for Brazil. By moving to Old Trafford, the 22-year-old will be reunited with former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag, who has already brought defender Lisandro Martinez to United from the Dutch giants. “Since…

There were just over 29 minutes gone at the Adelaide Oval last weekend when the Springboks were camping on the Wallabies’ tryline. Duane Vermeulen took a tap penalty that resulted in Australian wing Tom Wright being yellow-carded for going offside, but the Boks played on and were just about to score to level matters at 10-10. Once Vermeulen placed the ball back, Faf de Klerk arrived at the ruck and just had to quickly pass to an unmarked Ox Nche to score. Instead, the Bok No 9 waited about six seconds before he finally fired the ball out to the loosehead prop, which gave the defence time to organise themselves, and Nche was held up over the line by firstly hooker Folau Fainga’a and then scrumhalf Nic White. For me,…

South African retail banking has the potential to become fully digital in just five years if banks provide easy-to-use, secure channels, and make human assistance accessible when needed. This was one of the key findings of a report titled: “The Future of Retail Banking in South Africa”. It highlighted that two-thirds of South Africans expect the country’s banks to make a full transition to digital banking within five years, and was released at an event held in Sandton by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in partnership with Discovery Bank. Differing from other reports of this nature, it looks at the future of digitisation and retail banking from a customer and not a banking perspective. The report analyses the views of 1 000 South Africans from all walks of life and 400…

ActionSA party president Herman Mashaba has memorialised the party’s former Western Cape chairperson, Vytjie Mentor – who died a week ago after a long illness – as one of South Africa’s bravest women. Giving the keynote address at a memorial service for Mentor at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cape Town, Mashaba led political colleagues and friends in eulogising the late state capture whistle-blower and former ANC MP. Mashaba said Mentor, 58, had meant a lot to both ActionSA and himself. Speaking of her political involvement from a young age, he said Mentor used to tell him that her political consciousness came from her mother who was involved in women’s development programmes in their community. He reminded the gathering that Mentor was elected to Parliament in 2002 and…

Five members of the SAPS have been confirmed dead after their aircraft crashed at the Rand Airport, Germiston yesterday afternoon. The pilot has been critically injured and taken to a hospital. “On board were five passengers and a pilot,” said police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe. “All five passengers have sadly lost their lives. The pilot is critically injured and has been taken to a nearby hospital for further medical care.” Mathe said authorities were on scene to establish the cause of the accident. “The details of the deceased and injured pilot will be released once their next of kin have been informed,” Mathe added. A source in the emergency services said six people were on board when a SAPS PC-6 Turbo Porter aircraft crashed shortly after taking off at the…

With rural communities differentially exposed to degrees and types of climate variability and extreme weather events, a new initiative has been launched by rural community-based organisations and faith leaders to bring a grassroots bottom-up approach to building climate resilience in these communities. The Rural Action for Climate Resilience project was created by the South African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (Safcei) in partnership with the Social Change Assistance Trust, Heinrich Boll Stiftung, and co-funded by the EU. These groups sought to directly increase the capacity of communities in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and Northern Cape to respond to climate emergencies through social, economic, and environmental resilience interventions shared in this project. Safcei spokesperson Francesca de Gasparis said that because of their remoteness and challenges they faced, these communities were on…

THE South African Children’s Home (SACH) is celebrating its 214th birthday tomorrow with a range of activities planned over three days. Located in Gardens, Cape Town, the SACH was founded in 1808 and is considered the first welfare institution established in South Africa. Originally known as the “Orphan House”, the home was situated in Long Street before relocating to Gardens in 1923. Birthday celebrations will take place over three days (September 1, 2 and 4) starting with a Dress Up Day with prizes for the children, celebrations with donors and board members, and will finish off with the children preparing soup for 1 000 people, after having used some of their own pocket money for the ingredients. SACH chairperson of the board Jalize Uys said SACH was a long-term…

The draw for the MTN8 semi-finals was conducted on Monday evening, and there promises to be more interest in the event this year, given that it features three Gauteng giants in Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns. The semi-finals will also be played over two legs this year, with the first legs commencing on Saturday, October 1. Pirates and Sundowns face each other, while Chiefs face AmaZulu. As we have seen in the past, anything can happen in tournament football, and all four teams will be looking to go all the way in the Wafa Wafa competition. Pirates, Sundowns and Chiefs have all won the event in recent times, but Usuthu, led by coach Brandon Truter, are looking to end a trophy drought which now spans three decades. Pirates…

Serena Williams said she is “staying vague” over her expected retirement from tennis after reaching the US Open second round on Monday. “I have been pretty vague about it, right? I’m going to stay vague because you never know,” said the 40-year-old after beating Danka Kovinic 6-3, 6-3. Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles title winner, said earlier this month that she was “evolving away” from tennis, and that “the countdown” was on for her retirement after 27 years as a professional. Before Monday, the former world number one had won just one match on tour all year, and seen her ranking slip to 605th in the world. That kind of form prompted her to reveal that she was on the brink of retirement and hinting that this US Open…

The Wallabies would have enjoyed most of the Monday review of their Rugby Championship win over the Springboks, but replays of their lineout may have left some of the forwards shifting uncomfortably in their chairs. The Wallabies won barely half of their lineouts in the 25-17 win over the world champions at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday, with most of the trouble occurring in the first half as hooker Folau Fainga’a’s throws repeatedly missed their targets. Fainga’a has often struggled at lineout time, and his inaccuracy has been costly this season, robbing the Wallabies of momentum. While the Boks were unable to make Australia pay in Adelaide, loose forward Jed Holloway said fixing the lineout was a top priority ahead of the rematch against the Springboks in Sydney this Saturday.…