Indholdsfortegnelse for 2022-04-12 i Cape Argus

NUMSA president Andrew Chirwa has called for greater co-operation between the SA Federation of Trade Unions and Numsa’s former mother body, Cosatu. He was speaking yesterday on the first day of Numsa’s three-day bargaining council. It will set the tone for this year’s wage negotiations in different sectors where Numsa organises. This year, the conference will focus on Motor, Tyre, Auto, Infrastructure, Bus, Aviation, Eskom, Rotek, Road Accident Fund (RAF), Comair, Catering, Security and House agreements. Chirwa said it was clear that collective bargaining was under attack and the only way workers could defend it was through unity. He emphasised that an alliance with Cosatu would not mean being part of the ANC’s tripartite alliance, but this would only mean greater co-operation for the benefit of the struggle of the…

Since the Covid pandemic started, and even way before the pandemic, our communities and cities have been plagued by deaths, illnesses and economic despair. Adding to this is that on a daily basis, newspapers report about small businesses being extorted and terrorised by gangsters to pay “protection” money, our children are bullied, which later results in some of those bullied dying by suicide, and the aged and not-abled are being abused physically and emotionally. There are even cases where they are sexually harmed, which leads to the inflicted being financially exploited, or their welfare is neglected by people who are directly responsible for their care. Yet most of these cases of abuse do not reach authorities, resulting in many cases going unreported, which adds to the stresses experienced in…

OUR journey is to enrich our Hanover Park community by breaking boundaries using sport (cricket) as a vehicle for positive change on and off the field. For Fishrite Hanover Park Cricket Club the past seven years have been a journey of toil, heartbreak, failure and success all rolled into one. The journey reached a high point when, on March 26, we won the First Division 1D league title and gained promotion to 1C. This came despite a setback the previous week when we lost in the AMA T20 final at Newlands. Our 2nd team gained promotion to a higher league, from 1G to 1F, as well. This in itself is an amazing accomplishment as we are grooming a number of young players for the 1st team in the 2nd team.…

This year marks the centenary of the publication in 1922 of Abantu Abamnyama Lapa Bavela Ngakona (The Black People and Whence They Came), the first book-length history of black people written in Zulu. Its author was Magema Fuze, now seen as a major figure in the body of writings produced in African languages in South Africa, but one who remains too little known outside narrow scholarly circles. The significance of the book is that he was the sole author and the first native speaker of Zulu to publish a book; previous Zulu books had been written and published by missionaries and colonial officials. The book was a radical act of publishing; it contained local histories of chiefdoms and kingdoms – from the Zulu to the Ngcobo – as well as…

Israeli forces launched a third day of operations yesterday around the flashpoint West Bank city of Jenin following heavy gun battles in recent days and 20 arrests overnight, the army said. Tensions have soared since a spree of attacks in Israel left 14 dead in the past three weeks, with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warning the Jewish state is now “on the offensive”. Four Palestinians were killed in separate incidents across the occupied territory on Sunday, and militant groups in Jenin braced for more battles. The city and Bethlehem declared general strikes. Thousands of mourners flooded the streets of Jenin yesterday for the funerals of those killed, many carrying Palestinian flags or rifles. Abu Muadh, military spokesperson of the armed factions in Jenin’s refugee camp, called for “general mobilisation of…

THE Mamelodi Sundowns technical staff have been inspired by the heartening performances of players who are often overlooked because the regular starters have kept the team on track for an unprecedented quadruple. The team has already won the MTN8, and now the Premiership, Nedbank Cup and Caf Champions League titles are in their sights. Sundowns have the biggest squad in the league, and this was illustrated over the weekend when they made 10 changes against lower-tier outfit Summerfield Dynamos. It was decided to rest the regulars who had done a marvellous job, both in domestic and continental competitions Apart from the current squad, Sundowns have a host of players on loan at various clubs around South Africa. For now, the immediate focus is an unprecedented fifth successive league title, and…

FORMER Miss SA 2020 Shudufhadzo Musida continues to advocate for mental health by educating the public about the seriousness of depression and mental illness. Her aim is to shed light on perspectives about mental health while eliminating the stigma and giving people a platform to communicate. In a webinar Shudu and her guests psychiatrist, Dr Lerato Dikobe Kalane; operations director at the SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag), Cassey Chambers; and depression patient on treatment Dineo Mogale unpacked essential ways to deal with depression. Dr Kalane said: “The most common age of presenting with your first episode of depression is between 18 and 25, but children younger can present with depression, such as children who are victims of bullying at school and victims of circumstances at home.” Children do…

THE world’s most popular search engine, Google, has revealed everything one needs to know about what South Africans searched for last month. A lot happened in March – some events needed in-depth understanding and information that could only be found using Google. But, out of the many things that anyone could search for, what were South Africans specifically curious about? “DJ Dimplez” was revealed as one of the most-searched terms on Google last month. When news of the popular entertainer’s death broke on the internet, it left many reeling in shock. His family later confirmed his death after a sudden brain haemorrhage. “Brain haemorrhage” has also been listed under high-ranked searches on Google as people sought answers regarding his death. Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars became one…

After watching Carte Blanche the other night, I reflected on their programme on child molestation and I want to share my story. When I grew up in the fifties in a small town, Vredendal, that kind of thing was completely unknown, so when it happened to me aged 11 or 12, I did not know what to do. I had a piano teacher after school every Wednesday. He always made me stand next to him and played with one hand, while putting his other hand inside my panty at the back and played with my bum. Obviously I did not like it. I told my mom who was very sceptical and she did nothing about it. The result was that every Wednesday I convinced my mom that I was so…

Even those who haven’t sat in a classroom in decades – or who have a child or family members that are taking the exams – get caught up in the maelstrom. We have invested so much thought and resources into our matric results and secondary education that we judge the health of our education system on the outcomes of these exams. Except for those in the education sector, very few people question what happens before official schooling starts. Judging from the results of a recent survey, we should be worried about what happens during the Foundation Phase. The survey found that 65% of children are not meeting the expected early learning and/or physical growth standards for their age. This means that many of these children will start Grade R at…

Ukraine steeled itself yesterday for what could be the imminent fall of Mariupol to Russian troops as President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believed “tens of thousands” of people had been killed in Moscow’s assault on the strategic southern port city. With the war grinding toward its seventh week, Ukrainian forces said they were also bolstering their positions in the east ahead of an anticipated massive Russian campaign. Austria’s chancellor meanwhile became the first European leader to visit Moscow since the Russian invasion, saying he would raise alleged war crimes in devastated areas around Kyiv that had been under Russian occupation. Ukrainian authorities say over 1 200 bodies have been found in the area so far and that they are weighing cases against “500 suspects”, including President Vladimir Putin and other…

ON Sunday, Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber spoke at length about the need for experienced players to win the Rugby World Cup in France next year and while he said the door is not shut on players who are yet to be capped for their country, that door is only the tiniest bit ajar. Nienaber said he had 519 days until the World Cup and about 18 Test matches in which to give his greater squad equal opportunities to raise their hand – each player should have about four matches in which to state his case, he estimated. He also said that winning the World Cup requires players who have at least between 10 and 20 caps because “then I know exactly what I can expect from them”. So while Nienaber…

APHIWE Nkophe, accused of killing an elderly woman in Rondebosch, will appear in the Western Cape High Court today as the trial begins. Nkophe is charged with three counts of murder, housebreaking and robbery with aggravating circumstances for a home invasion at the residence of a 75-year-old woman. It is alleged that Nkophe worked together with accomplices to rob and murder Patricia Sonja Ellis in December 2019 while she was home alone. The State alleged that between December 4 and 5, 2019, Nkophe and his accomplices, who are unknown to the State, broke into the home where Ellis lived on Station Road and stole her car along with other items. Ellis was assaulted and overpowered by the intruders who caused multiple injuries, including a fracture to the cartilage in her…

A CONVICTED gang member has been sentenced to 55 years’ imprisonment after he was found guilty of a murder that he claimed he committed under the instruction of Nafiz Modack. Abongile Nqodi, 35, was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for murder with five years suspended, 10 years for the illegal possession of a firearm, 10 years for the illegal possession of ammunition, five years for participating in the activities of a gang, and five years for conspiracy to commit murder. The sentences will run concurrently. He entered into a plea and sentence agreement with the State, stating he belonged to the “Terrible West Siders”, a gang operating in Woodstock, Elsies River and Heideveld. On July 9, 2019, he drove to an address in Melkbosstrand with the intent to kill former…

THIS Easter weekend the Zakellie Organisation, run by Vincent and Lynn Adonis, will be doing an Easter food drive for residents living in the Flamingo Settlement in Lansdowne. The drive includes parcels containing fish fingers, fish cakes, potato chips and fresh fruit, and party packs with marshmallow Easter eggs, chips and lollipops for the children. “I started doing work at an ECD programme with Mark Kleinschmidt (councillor, ward 60) and decided to take it on my own and form my own NPC. We started in 2020 and got donations from friends and family. We were able to make soup, starting with 1-2 days of work and eventually going up to 3-4 days,” Vincent Adonis said. He said they were not very active during the pandemic but eventually picked up again,…

THE Wellcome Trust has announced that it would donate a prize worth R26 million to be split among three teams. The prize invites South Africans in the fields and studies of mental health research, psychology and psychiatry to explore existing data to try to understand, manage and prevent mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression among young people. Dr Ekin Bolukbasi, manager of Data Prizes at Wellcome, said many South African researchers and data scientists were doing great work in this space, and he wanted to hear from them about how data could be used to “really make a difference” to the youth’s anxiety and depression. “Wellcome created the Mental Health Data Prize to encourage teams to use existing data sources to develop new digital tools for research into…

THE Competition Commission is taking its bid to prosecute Group Five for allegedly being part of a construction cartel that rigged tenders for the Fifa 2010 World Cup stadia to the Constitutional Court. Group Five has so far blocked action against it based on a claim that the Competition Commission granted it immunity on November 2, 2009. The construction firm, one of the biggest in the country, built Cape Town Stadium. It was one of seven major construction and engineering firms alleged to have colluded in 2006 to share contracts for the World Cup stadium projects. The said collusion by the groups that included Grinaker LTA, WBHO, Murray & Roberts, Concor, Basil Read and Stefanutti resulted in inflation of construction costs by about R14 billion. Municipalities footed the bill. No…

A WAR of words has erupted between ANC Women’s League president Bathabile Dlamini and the league’s former president Angie Motshekga. The ANC National Working Committee meeting descended into a battle yesterday. An angry Dlamini accused the Basic Education Minister of “meddling in the Women’s League and using foul tactics” to get Dlamini removed as president of the league. Dlamini accused Motshekga of “plotting with some in the Women’s League to remove her and working to have the Women’s League disbanded to suit her faction”. But Motshekga did not take it lying down and interrupted Dlamini, saying “she wasn’t going to allow her name to be misused”. The meeting was rescued by ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe, who asked Dlamini to put her concerns in writing. “Some are trying to destroy the…

ISLAM is a beautiful way of life, but is disappointingly tainted in the media by the actions of a handful of fanatical extremists. Every instruction in the Holy Qur’an is aimed at improving a Muslim’s character. Let us look at the actions performed by a true Muslim every single day to gain some insight into this. Muslims wake up to the call of the early morning prayer and perform it to express their gratitude to their Lord for having granted them to see the light of another day. Muslims start the day being mindful of the omnipresence of God so that every subsequent action will be guided by their consciousness of the Almighty. Then off to work they go. A greengrocer who is conscious of God will not cheat the…

Economist Thomas Sowell said: “It is not what education teaches us directly, but how well it prepares us to learn ourselves that is the ultimate measure of its value.” The current one-size-fits-all schooling places major limitations on the ability and incentives of teachers to use their knowledge and abilities to provide high-quality education and training that prepares young people for taking on the challenges of adulthood, especially their working lives. The curricula imposed on teachers and pupils do not leave time for teachers to allow pupils to “learn themselves”, described by Sowell as the most valuable form of learning. Imagine how different the skills and knowledge-gathering offerings would be if education and training were demand-driven – if competitive markets in education could develop freely, taking their cue totally from the…

Pakistan MPs yesterday elected Shehbaz Sharif as the country’s new prime minister following the weekend ouster of Imran Khan, who resigned his national assembly seat – along with most of his party members – ahead of the vote. Khan was dismissed Sunday after losing a no-confidence vote, paving the way for an unlikely alliance that faces the same issues which bedevilled the cricket star-turned-politician. Sharif, leader of the centrist Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) was the only candidate after Khan loyalist Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the former foreign minister, withdrew his candidacy and resigned his seat. “It’s a victory of righteousness, and evil has been defeated,” Sharif said to cheers from lawmakers. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party had 155 lawmakers in the 342-seat chamber before the mass resignations, and Sharif was elected…

BANYANA Banyana midfielder Bambanani Mbane believes that her side need to maintain a positive mindset as they prepare to play against the Netherlands at the Kyocera Stadium tonight. Banyana will be underdogs against the fifth-ranked Dutch, but can use the game to improve while also testing themselves against some of the best players in the world. “Mentally, we have to be strong. The Netherlands are one of the big teams in the world. It won’t be easy to play against them. I’m happy with the way that the team has been performing. We all have the same mentality and know that it won’t be easy. The game is very important. We still need to fix some areas of our game and will learn a lot from it,” said Mbane. The…

SPECTATORS made a welcome return to school rugby after an absence of more than two years this weekend. At Wynberg, Paarl Gym showed why they are arguably the No 1-rated side in Western Province when they beat the home side 33-14, after leading 12-0 at half-time. Wynberg were by no means outclassed and were very much in the game, restricting Gym to 19-14 , with 10 minutes remaining. However the relentless pressure exerted by the visitors saw them put the issue beyond doubt with two converted tries in the closing minutes. Wynberg contributed to their own demise with poor discipline and at one stage in the first half were reduced to 13 men after prop Mattew Beckett and scrumhalf Asad Moos picked up yellow cards. It was during this period…

A MONTH ago, Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber was having sleepless nights over a lack of fit and in-form flyhalves at his disposal, and he says that has even considered Cheslin Kolbe as a stop-gap solution. Nienaber’s World Cup-winning flyhalf, Handre Pollard, has suffered a string of injuries and only this last weekend did he make a comeback when he played 20 minutes off the bench for Montpellier against Harlequins in the European Challenge Cup. Pollard’s backup in Japan, Elton Jantjies, seriously injured his shoulder and has been back in South Africa for surgery. “It was quite a shock when I thought about it a month ago that if we would have to play a Test match, both our regular players were injured,” Nienaber told media on Sunday in an online…