Indholdsfortegnelse for 2022-04-25 i Cape Argus

SIU head charged with fraud, corruption THE City has come under fire for footing the legal bill of an official facing allegations of corruption and fraud. This time the City is funding the legal costs of the head of its Special Investigations Unit, Reynold Talmakkies, who was charged with fraud and corruption relating to the City’s housing directorate. This is on top of councillor Nora Grose’s legal costs from being charged with misappropriation of funds relating to City Covid-19 food relief. The decision, taken last month, has been approved by both the mayor and city manager and is contained in a council report expected to be tabled at the next meeting. Talmakkies is represented by a Wynberg-based law firm Riley Incorporated at R2 000 an hour, excluding VAT, plus disbursements,…

Less than 24 hours after it was stolen, a vigilant Tsitsikamma K9 unit helped trace and recover a Toyota Hilux double-cab bakkie that was taken from a parking area in Somerset West. Police spokesperson Christopher Spies said: “The vigilance of officers, who were strategically deployed along the N2 highway, led to the recovery of the vehicle and the arrest of two suspects at the entrance to Knysna. “Preliminary investigation suggests that owner had parked her bakkie in a parking area at Somerset West on Saturday afternoon, only to find it gone upon her return. The suspects, aged 34 and 26, are facing charges of possession of stolen property and theft of a motor vehicle.” In Stellenbosch, ER24 paramedics responded to a hit and run incident at the Polkadraai and Vlaeberg…

THE legal defence of four of the five men accused of the murder of the former Bafana Bafana and Pirates soccer player Senzo Meyiwa, failed in their bid to have singer Kelly Khumalo’s legal representative, Magdalene Moonsamy, removed from the matter. As the trial looking into the 2014 murder of Meyiwa got under way in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, last week Friday, advocate Malesela Teffo indicated following a request by the court for witnesses to leave the courtroom, that he was “uncomfortable” with the presence of Khumalo’s lawyer in court. Khumalo hired Moonsamy to join the trial proceedings on a watching brief, which was allowed by Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela, on April 11, the first day of the trial. Teffo, said his contention with Moonsamy’s continued presence in…

THE Information Regulator says Covid-19 testing, vaccination and track-and-tracing of necessity required the collection of vast amounts of personal information and that this possible invasion of privacy was one of the regulator’s concerns during the national state of disaster, and after it. This led to the regulator issuing a guidance note on the processing of personal information in the management and containment of the pandemic. In the guidance note, the regulator emphasised the importance of compliance with all eight conditions for lawful processing of personal information. “On September 15, 2020 the regulator submitted its report to Parliament, undertaking that at the end of the national state of disaster, it will monitor compliance by the National Department of Health (NDoH) with the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia) in general and…

young mungo Douglas Stuart Picador Review: Ron Charles, Washington Post Fifteen-year-old Mungo shows the kind of vulnerability that makes people want to cradle him – or crush him. He's the tender Scottish hero of Douglas Stuart's moving new novel, Young Mungo. It's a tale of romantic and sexual awakening punctuated by horrific violence. Amid all its suffering, Mungo’s story makes two things strikingly clear: Being named after the patron saint of Glasgow offers no protection; and, Stuart writes like an angel. Few novelists have ever ascended so quickly, but the suddenness of Stuart's success belies years of struggle. His debut novel, Shuggie Bain, was rejected by dozens of publishers before Grove Atlantic finally recognised the manuscript's genius. It went on to win the Booker Prize in 2020, propelling the Scottish-American…

THE devastation caused by the flooding in KwaZulu-Natal has affected not only the citizens of the province, but people across the length and breath of South Africa. While those in KZN feel the brunt of what nature had unleashed, the rest of the nation was equally in pain as we witnessed the destruction caused and the suffering of our people who lost loved ones. The silver lining in this dark cloud of despair was the way members of the public responded to KZN’s time of need. Ordinary people rallied to donate, members of NGOs came out in their numbers, while search and rescue teams outside KZN offered their services to their counterparts. In Cape Town, aid group Gift of the Givers made an appeal for water donations. The response was…

Russia’s decision to seal off the steel factory where Mariupol’s remaining defenders have made their last stand may mark the end of the battle for control over the port city. The propaganda war over its capture, however, has only begun. There’s already been a ferocious contest over Twitter hashtags (including the name Mariupol) to own the narrative of the 52-plus-day siege, one initially dominated by pro-Ukrainian channels and voices, but increasingly – as Russian troops began to take over the city – challenged by Moscow’s supporters. As the investigation of alleged rapes, executions and other potential war crimes showed after Russian troops withdrew last month from northern towns such as Bucha, near the capital Kyiv, possession of sites is all important. With its dominance in Mariupol, Russia has a freer…

Manqoba Mnqgithi dragged himself into the bowels of FNB Stadium on Saturday night after Petro de Luanda put paid to Mamelodi Sundowns’ ambitions of winning the Champions League. “It’s hurting too much, I don’t want to lie,” the dejected co-coach said in his press briefing after the 1-1 draw saw them lose the quarter-final tie 3-2 on aggregate. “What is unfortunate is that I still believe we were the better team, but unfortunately that doesn’t not count if you don’t score.” Sundowns had gone all out to ensure that they progressed to the semi-finals of the continental showpiece for the first time in six seasons as they had to overturn the 2-1 deficit from the first leg. They mobilised their fans and opened up their training session to the public…

Anti-gender-based violence (GBV) activists are up in arms over the alleged increase of litigation abuse cases in rural and urban communities across the province. Non-government organisation 1 000 Women Trust director Tina Thiart said organisations working on the ground and at the forefront of the fight against GBV were outraged at the misuse of court systems by perpetrators to suppress the voices of survivors of abuse, further victimising them. “Over the past few months there have been many instances of litigation abuse. If you follow the stories of women survivors on social media, you will see all the instances where perpetrators have used the law to abuse women. Abusive litigation can come up in several types of cases, including in protection orders, unnecessary lawsuits and family law.” Thiart said the…

The City’s mayoral committee for energy has issued a stern warning to electricity infrastructure vandals that are holding local communities hostage by constantly damaging infrastructure through cable theft. The warning issued by Mayco energy member Beverley van Reenen comes a few days after the department announced the death of one of its electricity officials, Terence Henry Stringer, who died 12 days after sustaining serious injuries while attending to severely vandalised cables. Stringer was part of a team that was dispatched to attend to damaged infrastructure caused by theft and vandalism to supply cables at the City’s Gugulethu substation on April 4. Along with four contractors and a member of the public, he was injured in an explosion. “It is utterly devastating that a colleague’s life has been lost due to…

chasing marian Amy Heydenrych, Qarnita Loxton, Pamela Power, and Gail Schimmel MacMillan Compiled by Orielle Berry THE four authors listed here are all established writers and also friends and when the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020, continuing last year, as we all know, there was no person-to- person contact at literary fests, little contact otherwise and you know the rest. These four talented authors decided to divert their disappointment into collaborating on writing a novel together. The book is in fact focused on another well-known author: the top-selling international writer Marian Keyes. In the book, four diverse people come together with a crazy plan. They hear the writer will be visiting the country and decide – come hell or high water – they are going to meet her. Jess…

MORE than 1 000 South African Muslims will be able to attend Hajj this year, following an announcement by the Ministry of Umrah and Hajj in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. It is a mandatory religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by Muslims, who are physically and financially able. Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. Over the past two years, the Saudi Kingdom issued limitations on attendees. This year, a million pilgrims will be able to attend. These include 150 000 Muslims living in Saudi Arabia and 850 000 from around the world. Moaaz Casoo, the secretary-general of the South African Hajj and Umrah Council, said 1 132 pilgrims from South Africa…

SOME articles have suggested that the catastrophes in Durban and the greater eThekwini region following the recent floods are due to climate change and maladministration. While these factors play a role, the fact that landslides occurred comes as no surprise, considering the geology of the area. eThekwini is a coastal metropolis characterised by hilly terrain dissected by several major rivers such as the Umgeni, Umlazi and Mbokodweni. The region is subtropical, but recent rains were unprecedented relative to recent records and resulted in multiple landslides. Some of the earliest studies of landslides in this region date to the 1930s. Mitigation measures including zoning regulations are in place for some parts of the region. But knowledge of the geotechnical risks of the area has not prevented another tragic disaster. As a…

France prepared to choose between centrist President Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen to rule the country for the next five years after a bitterly contested and polarising election campaign. Macron was the favourite to win re-election in the run-off ballot yesterday. And there were indications he bolstered his advantage with a combative performance in the one-off election debate against a somewhat defensive Le Pen last week. But the president and his allies insisted that nothing is in the bag yet, with a strong turnout crucial to avoid a shock in France comparable to the 2016 polls that led to Brexit in Britain and Donald Trump’s election in the US. Polls in mainland France opened at 6am and were to close about 12 hours later. But voters in…

THE recent uptick in Covid-19 cases both provincially and nationally supports predictions by health experts that a fifth wave is likely to coincide with the winter season. On Saturday, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reported 4 230 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3 759 689 nationally, with the number of people who have succumbed to the virus reaching 100 298. As of April 23, the Western Cape reported 4 560 active cases of the virus. About 677 364 cases have been detected with 650 874 recoveries, as at Friday, April 22. The province recorded 21 930 Covid-19-related deaths since the pandemic began. Hospital admissions, a key indicator, remain low at 165 across public and private hospitals. The provincial health and wellness department said…

MEMBERS of the city’s Turkish community, headed by Turkish consul-general Sinan Yesildag, conducted an orphan outreach programme in Khaye litsha. They donated clothing, shoes, care packs, toys and sweets to children at the Baphumelele Children’s Home, which provides services to about 100 boys and girls. The programme, conducted on Saturday, was in celebration of Turkey’s National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, remembered annually on April 23. Yesildag said: “Children play a very significant rol e within society. They are the future of our communities and the energy and dynamism of our youth need to be celebrated.” He said in many parts of the world, children’s futures were taken away by wars and poverty. “Today provides us the opportunity to reflect and celebrate our youth, especially those who are vulnerable and who…

FRUIT farmers in the Western Cape are expected to do well this season because of good rainfall since 2018. It is expected that the improved water availability will boost production, thereby increasing exports Hortgro’s export estimates for apples projects an increase of 6% in 2022 compared with last year. Pear export projections for this year also show an increase of 12% for this season compared with the previous season. Nectarine exports are projected to grow by 26% and peach exports are also projected to show positive growth of 2% this season compared with the previous one. The organisation attributes the increase in the export estimate to, among others, the young orchards coming into production. Regions showing positive growth are Ceres, Berg River, Klein Karoo and Stellenbosch. Agriculture MEC Ivan Meyer…

Former Springbok scrumhalf and captain Dawie de Villiers has died aged 81 after a long battle with cancer, South African Rugby announced yesterday. Apart from rugby, De Villiers was a minister in the first democratically elected South African government from 1994 under President Nelson Mandela. Earlier, he had been part of a delegation from the then ruling National Party that met the outlawed ANC and helped unban the organisation. South African Rugby Union president Mark Alexander described De Villiers “as one of the greatest Springboks captains”. “Dawie was hugely respected as a sportsman and a politician. He became part of the political wind of change as our country moved toward democracy. He was a great servant of South Africa. “To lead South Africa as long as he did in the…

The provincial Department of Health and Wellness is encouraging all people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and the flu while also urging parents to take their children for child immunisation and HPV vaccines. “We want to support you in making possible lifesaving choices, such as getting vaccinated. I encourage all parents to remember the importance of creating a healthy future for your baby by ensuring that your baby is fully immunised,” said MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomafrench Mbombo. “Vaccinations prevent life-threatening vaccine-preventable diseases. By vaccinating your child according to the recommended schedule starting from birth, you can protect your child from sicknesses at a young age.” HPV vaccines are also highly encouraged for young girls to prevent the risk of cervical cancer. It was important that all South Africans…

IN THE first case of its kind, ClientEarth – a UK-based organisation that works with NGOs to fight legal battles on environmental issues – is taking Shell’s board of directors to court for failing to properly prepare for an energy transition. This involves moving from carbon-emitting fossil fuels in line with climate science, and at a pace and scale that aligns with the Paris Agreement goal to keep global temperature rises to below 1.5°C by 2050. In mid-March, the campaign group began legal proceedings based on the claim that the Shell Board’s mismanagement of climate risk puts it in breach of its duties under the UK Companies Act. Under English law, firm directors have a duty to assess, disclose and manage material risks to the company. In an age-old narrative…

Stellenbosch FC are fired up to secure a top-eight Premiership finish after securing a well-taken 1-0 win over beleaguered Kaizer Chiefs at the Danie Craven Stadium on Saturday. There four games remaining, and Stellenbosch are in sixth place on 39 points, along with Chiefs (fourth place) and Orlando Pirates (fifth), who have a better goal difference. Apart from recording an historic double over Chiefs by winning both Premiership encounters this season, Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker said it was a “perfect evening” after his youthful charges showed terrific commitment in front of their supporters. According to Barker, many in the crowd were watching professional football for the first time in a rugby-mad town. “What an evening! What a night here in Stellenbosch,” said Barker. “I think the players can be proud…

The latest round of school fixtures produced exhilarating rugby with results going right down to the wire. Pride of place must go the clash between home side Paul Roos and Bishops, which saw each side scoring six tries in a game which ended in a 38-38 draw. Bishops, who came into this game on the back of seven victories, must have fancied their chances of making it eight in a row when they ran in five first half tries to lead 31-7 at the interval. Their backs looked slick on attack with centre and captain Bruce Sherwood and fullback Gilermo Mentoe, who scored two tries, causing the maroon-machine anxious moments. With the visitors leading 38-17 the introduction of fresh legs off the bench saw Paul Roos play with renewed vigour.…