Indholdsfortegnelse for 2022-09-01 i Cape Argus

Spring has sprung and the fields of Seeberg, Mooimaak and Postberg in the areas of the West Coast National Park are alive with a carpet of blooms, as SANParks announced the peak flower season is officially here. A wide variety of flowers is on display, including multi-coloured daisies, bulbs and wildlife for visitors to enjoy after the good rains experienced over the past couple of weeks. West Coast field ranger Julandi Coetzee said: “The blooming of our flowers this year is actually a bit late, we saw flowers starting to bloom only last week. Normally we expect them to bloom from mid-August until mid-September. This was because of the rain. We did not have a lot of rain this year.” Coetzee said the peak of flower season was late by…

Victoria Hospital has added a Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) – considered a one-stop facility for survivors of sexual assault, gender-based violence and domestic violence – to reduce secondary victimisation and to assist victims in building a strong case for a successful prosecution. The 24/7 centre was opened at the hospital in Wynberg yesterday, the seventh at a hospital in the province and 61st in the country. TCCs are led by the National Prosecuting Authority’s Sexual Offences and Community Affairs Unit and incorporate the Health and Wellness Department, Social Development Department, SAPS and non-governmental organisations. National Director of Public Prosecutions, Shamila Batohi, said over the past 12 years, in TCC reported and prosecuted matters, the conviction rate for sexual offences had increased from 60% in 2010 to 76% in 2022. From…

A scuffle broke out during a press briefing addressed by recently suspended Cope president Mosiuoa “Terror” Lekota. Lekota held the briefing yesterday in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni, in response to party members who on Tuesday announced that he was suspended with immediate effect. Among the reasons given by the Congress National Committee was that Lekota was dividing the party and lacked energy because of his weak health. It was believed that Lekota wanted to announce the suspension of those who suspended him. A number of unidentified men wearing Cope T-shirts stormed into the briefing and a brawl ensued. The disgruntled members, who claimed to be Cope’s youth league members, questioned Lekota about addressing the press conference. Gauteng Cope acting general secretary Mxolisi Ntombela told Lekota and others that the briefing was part…

This week we showcase one of the oldest choirs participating in the upcoming Cape Malay Choir Board (CMCB) competition – Angeliere Sing Koor. The choir was established in 1952 in Orphan Street, Cape Town, a part of the central city adjacent to the Bo-Kaap area, by siblings Ebrahim, Salie and Mogamat Saal, with Boeta Cassiem Canfield and the brothers Boeta Boy and Ismail van der Schyff breaking away from the then family choir, Jonge Sentrale SK. In the first two years, the club rooms were opposite each other and I can only imagine what the atmosphere would have been like when it was time for competition. The late Boeta Gamiet Coetzee told me: “There was no malice between the two choirs and they shared the same coach. On New Year’s…

MEGHAN, the Duchess of Sussex, caused a stir earlier this week when she claimed her wedding to Prince Harry had sparked as much joy in South Africa as Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in 1990 after 27 years in jail. Mandela’s grandson, Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela, insisted there was no comparison between the two events. He told MailOnline: “It can never be compared to the celebration of someone’s wedding. “Madiba’s celebration was based on overcoming 350 years of colonialism with 60 years of a brutal apartheid regime in South Africa. So it cannot be equated.” Mandla urged the duchess to be a “champion and advocate” for the causes Mandela promoted if she wanted to be seen as more like him. The ANC MP insisted celebrations for Mandela’s release were far more…

DEANO van Rooyen and Ashley du Preez are closer than brothers. The pair grew up together in the same household with Du Preez’s mother, who is Van Rooyen’s aunt, having taken the Stellenbosch FC midfielder in from a young age to further his education. It is a bond that grew even stronger when the Idas Valley duo joined Stellenbosch FC at the same time back in 2015/16 whilst still teenagers. But last Sunday at the Danie Craven Stadium they found themselves on opposing teams for the first time after Du Preez’s high-profile move to Kaizer Chiefs in the off-season. There was a possibility that Du Preez was not going to be ready for the clash after picking up an injury. But Du Preez passed a late fitness test and went…

Ben Stokes will lead an unchanged 14-man England squad into next week’s third and deciding Test match against the Proteas at The Oval after it was released yesterday. England levelled the three-match series at 1-1 with a dominant innings and 85-run win inside three days in the second Test at Old Trafford. Stokes scored 103 for his first Test century as skipper and wicket-keeper Ben Foakes 113 not out. England’s victory followed the Proteas’ almost as crushing innings and 12-run win in the first Test at Lord’s. That is the only defeat England have suffered while winning all the other five of their six matches since Stokes replaced Joe Root as permanent red-ball captain at the start of the season. Barring late injuries, it looks likely England will deploy the…

LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp said Scott Parker’s sacking after just four Premier League games was “unbelievable” and Bournemouth’s owner Maxim Demin's behaviour showed “how important the right owners are.” Parker - who last season guided Bournemouth back to the Premier League - was dismissed on Tuesday, days after a 9-0 thrashing by Liverpool. However, it may have been more to do with his blunt post-match interview saying the Cherries were “ill-equipped” to cope with the challenges of the Premier League. Their humiliation by Liverpool followed heavy defeats to two other league heavyweights, a 4-0 loss at champions Manchester City and a 3-0 defeat by leaders Arsenal. These defeats came after they beat Aston Villa in their opening match. Klopp, though, was less than impressed by the treatment of former Fulham…

The 16th annual South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas) is set to be a star-studded affair, judging by the hosts alone. The cream of the crop in the entertainment industry have been selected to bring viewers at home all the glitz and glam of the two-day event. In keeping with the theme, “Frame the Future”, the Saftas announced that those spearheading the celebrations will be a fresh crop of newcomers and familiar faces who represent the future of South African talent. Get ready for the likes of radio and TV personalities Smash Afrika and Candice Modiselle, media personality Khutso Theledi, comedian and TV personality Mpho Popps, and actor, TV presenter and GQ’s best-dressed break-out star Ryle de Morny to anchor the main night as the official “Saftas Main Awards…

Members of a law enforcement base in Mitchells Plain were left traumatised after a 32-year-old law officer twice pulled the trigger on himself, committing suicide on Tuesday morning. Another officer, who spoke to Cape Argus sister paper the Daily Voice after the incident, said the officer shot himself “at least twice” in the head at the Beacon Valley base before he was rushed to hospital. The officer, whose name is known to the publication, died just after 12pm. “We really did not expect this because he was a quiet guy who did not really bother with anybody else and would just do his job,” said the colleague. “As far as I know, he was deployed here for about three years but nobody really saw this coming and we are very…

The increased incidence of pipe bursts and leaks in the Cape and South Africa was highlighted at World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden, this week, where Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu called for private sector collaborations to address water security and wastewater treatment. This comes after numerous calls from civic groups, residents and experts for the government to properly address the country’s ageing water infrastructure. During a panel discussion on investment in water infrastructure, particularly in wastewater, Mchunu said: “The demand for water and sanitation infrastructure development and refurbishment in South Africa has been increasing due to both population and economic growth. We also envisage that by the year 2030, there will be a 17% deficit in availability of water.” He said the current rate of infrastructure development had…

Provincial ANC Finance and Economic Opportunities spokesperson Nomi Nkondlo has demanded that Pick n Pay and the provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism (Dedat) account to the legislature about the public funds spent on the retailer’s township economy project. Nkondlo said the Pick n Pay Market Store project, which started in 2017 and ran until 2021, had left many small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) in debt to the tune of millions of rand. The project was a collaboration between the province and the retailer to convert existing spaza shops in townships into independently owned mini-supermarkets. Nkondlo was accompanied by a former participant in the programme, single mother Thembi Dike, who said she owed the retailer money that she is unable to repay, and this had affected her health and…

The EFF in Gauteng is mobilising its members to “defend” the Kalafong Provincial Tertiary Hospital in Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria, where members of Operation Dudula have been vetting patients arriving at the facility and blocking foreigners from getting health care. EFF’s acting Gauteng provincial chairperson Itani Edwin Mukwevho questioned why police had not arrested or dispersed Dudula members, despite an interdict obtained against the people blocking the hospital entrance and vetting patients. The EFF in Gauteng has condemned what it termed “xenophobic attacks” targeting fellow Africans. Mukwevho said blaming immigrants for the rot within the public health facilities is “cheap propaganda”. “Migrants are not to blame for the collapse of the health system. Operation Dudula and similar elements should rather direct their anger to those found guilty of looting…

The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) said they had noted the arrest of former Transnet officials, including the former chief executive Brian Molefe and former chief financial officer Anoj Singh. Satawu said Molefe and his co- accused were facing serious charges of money laundering, corruption and fraud. It said it had been very vocal about the corruption and maladministration that had been taking place in the entity for years now. “The South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union believes that Transnet is on its knees because of corruption and non-accountability.” Satawu added that the recent prosecution came after the arrests of former board members and the former CEO of Transnet Siyabonga Gama being arrested for similar accusations. “We have called for the board of management to be…

EMMA Raducanu became only the third defending champion to exit the US Open in the first round on Tuesday, while four-time winner Rafael Nadal overcame an early scare against a player ranked 198th in the world. Raducanu, 19, slumped to a 6-3, 6-3 defeat to veteran French player Alize Cornet, who is competing in a record 63rd consecutive Grand Slam. Nadal saw off Australian wild card Rinky Hijikata 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 to register his 65th career win in New York. Raducanu has struggled in the spotlight of being a Grand Slam winner, failing to get beyond the second round of any of the previous three majors in 2022. “In a way I’m happy because it’s a clean slate. The target will be off my back,” said the teenager. World…

SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith has not ruled out the possibility of South Africa’s new T20 cricket league being viewed on free-to-air channels next January. The new T20 competition is jointly owned by Cricket South Africa and pay-to-view broadcaster SuperSport and in partnership they will manage the tournament. SuperSport has committed to live broadcast all the matches and will also produce the world feed for the international television market. But in a Zoom media briefing where the name of the tournament was unveiled yesterday, Smith, the former Proteas captain and Cricket SA director of cricket, stated the tournament is keen to uphold its official slogan of “For Everyone”. “Discussions are ongoing with other broadcasters beyond SuperSport, both globally and locally,” Smith said. “There is a deal with SuperSport but we have…

SOUTH African motorists can look forward to substantial savings at the pumps from next week, but it’s far better news for those driving petrol vehicles. With just one day remaining in the cycle that will determine September’s prices, the latest unaudited data from the Central Energy Fund gives a clearer picture of what to expect when prices change on Wednesday, September 7. Give or take a few cents, the price of 95 Unleaded petrol is likely to come down by around R2.27 per litre, while the cheaper 93 Unleaded is looking set for a drop of around R2.11. This would bring the price of 95 ULP down to R22.50 at the coast and R23.15 inland, where 93 ULP would theoretically retail at R22.88. Diesel and illuminating paraffin are harder to…

Building plans passed in the Western Cape between January and June 2022 increased by 33.2% in value compared with the same period last year. Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC Mireille Wenger said this translated to a value of R17.8 billion and the province had surpassed Gauteng in value and percentage growth. Deputy mayor and Mayco member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews, provided statistics showing Khayelitsha was once again the top planning district in the metro. A year ago, Khayelitsha was in second place on the City’s list with 3 078 approved building plans, behind the 3 425 plans attributed to the City’s northern district. This year, Khayelitsha was shown to have submitted 1 884 residential building plans to the City between July 2021 and June…

The stoning of the City’s Dial-a-Ride vehicle with a vulnerable passenger on board has led to the suspension of the service in Nyanga until further notice. Nyanga Dial-a-Ride (DAR) users were stranded yesterday after the back windscreen of the vehicle was damaged. DAR is an essential service for commuters with special needs who cannot make use of conventional transport. The City said it would use its service provider to inform users once it was safe to operate in this area. Urban Mobility mayco member Rob Quintas said: “I condemn these acts of violence in the strongest possible terms. The targeting of vulnerable residents, as with today’s Dial-a-Ride incident, is unacceptable and cannot happen. The livelihood of these vulnerable passengers depends on the availability of the DAR services. “We have also…

Public toilets in the Cape Town CBD are few and far between and are only open during normal working hours. In fact, the City only has four ablution blocks in the area. These can be found on Greenmarket Square, Thibault Square, Riebeeck Street and the Grand Parade. Many people caught short in the CBD before 8am and after 5pm have had to make use of facilities wherever they can find them, including openly on the streets. Despite this, Mayco member for community services and health, Patricia van der Ross, said: “There are at present no plans to have additional toilets within the CBD.” She said her department was not aware of any requests for additional public ablutions, and the City outsources the maintenance of the four existing ablution blocks and…

The Housing Development Agency said it had yet to consult with the Mitchells Plain community regarding the relocation of 1 254 residents illegally dwelling on Prasa’s Central Line to 8.7 hectares of land in a wedge area by November 30. The agency said that such a consultation process must be preceded by approvals as per Section 68 of the City’s Planning by-laws, which it said it had not been granted. This amid fierce push-back from Mitchells Plain residents who had started a petition calling for Prasa and HDA to stop the planned relocation, citing a lack of consultation as well as crime and safety concerns. Ward councillor Elton Jansen said he cannot support the relocation of more people to the area because of the current challenges with existing informal…

IT might have been a while, but Deon Fourie has still got it. The Stormers breakdown ace has been named on the Springboks’ bench for their Rugby Championship Test against the Wallabies on Saturday. Fourie, 35, was a standout for the United Rugby Championship-winning Stormers side and thoroughly earned his Bok call-up. While he played at flank for John Dobson’s team, he has quite a bit of experience at hooker. Therefore, the workhorse has no issues with offering reinforcement in the No 16 jersey. There have been quite a few throw-in issues at the lineout for the Boks recently and, naturally, Fourie was asked if he is up for the task should he take the field in Sydney. “I think that’s only a small part of being hooker, there are…

MANQOBA Mngqithi has been in the game long enough to know that past results are nothing more than a sign of what was and that they have little to no impact on what will be. As he looked ahead to their clash with SuperSport United, the Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach was reading nothing into the Brazilians’ recent MTN8 victory over Matsatsantsa. The soft-spoken coach is expecting an even tougher test from their Tshwane rivals when they meet in a Premiership clash at Lucas Moripe Stadium tomorrow. “Playing SuperSport is always a tough match regardless of the competition and regardless of the frequency as to how many times we have played them, and what was the outcome of the previous match. So, we are expecting another tough encounter,” Mngqithi said. Sundowns beat…

MANCHESTER United manager Erik ten Hag reiterated yesterday that he was counting on Cristiano Ronaldo this season. “It’s clear, of course, we need quality players,” Ten Hag said when asked about his unsettled Portuguese star on the day before the transfer window closes. “You need more and to cover all the games to keep the consistency going, that’s what we strive for. From now on, we go in three games a week. We will go from September to minimum January with this squad.” Ronaldo has been pushing for a transfer since the end of last season when United failed to qualify for the Champions League. The 37-year-old Portugal striker is the all-time top scorer in the competition, 15 ahead of Lionel Messi, but the Argentine is more than two years…