Indholdsfortegnelse for 2022-09-19 i Cape Argus

A Richards Bay school principal is at her wits’ end with the poor behaviour of some of the pupils at her school and has resorted to making a desperate plea to parents to discipline their children at home or face the consequences. Janienne King, principal of John Ross College (JRC), an English Medium High School in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, said they are experiencing added discipline problems, especially with pupils in Grades 8 and 9. She said the pupils in Grades 10 and 11 have also been problematic as many have been bunking classes. In a desperate attempt to rein in the children, King addressed a stern letter to parents informing them of their children’s misdemeanours and asking for their assistance in disciplining them. “I have been a teacher for 38…

AFTER pressure from the United Democratic Movement (UDM), the BEE commission is revisiting an investigation into Cape Town businessman Tony Ingram for allegedly using a black woman as a front to net an estimated R300 million contract. After the initial Cape Argus story, the ANC trade, industry and competition committee chairperson, MP Judy Hermans, wrote to the commission, which then undertook to reopen the case. The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) commission had previously dismissed city businesswoman Mandisa Matwa’s complaint against Ingram. The commission previously said it had closed the case without contacting Ingram. Matwa then complained to Hermans, detailing how Ingram allegedly used her race and gender to boost the company’s B-BBEE score, and sidelined her. BBBEE commission spokesperson Mofihli Teleki said: “Following information reported in the story in…

IN 1994 when South Africa took its seat at the table of democracy it quickly discovered that business deals could be made out of the boot of the South African sedan. Over the years, arms deals, government communications deals and other possible tenders could be done, not on the table, not even under the table, but out of the boot of our increasingly battered South African sedan. Soon an entire car boot economy developed, designed by Mafia types, managed by cartels and policed by corrupt public servants and deadly assassins. The president has shown that he regards his own business interests as more important than fixing our broken country. Because he manages its cash assets like an illegal spaza operation, we can understand why our country is more car boot…

THE ANC suffered an epic and humiliating defeat in Richard’s Bay, losing a seat it held for over 25 years. Its once impregnable grip on power is slipping away at a rapid pace, consigning a once illustrious party to the dustbin of history. Its comatose leadership is in denial as the party of beloved Nelson Mandela prepares blissfully for its own funeral by political cremation. Cadres and comrades will congregate in December to elect a new president and plan a strategy for 2024. They are fully aware that at the next general election, they will be ousted from power. Richard’s Bay clearly revealed the ANC Titanic will sink in 2024. Among the gathering will be the facilitators of corruption, in proud self-adulation, readying themselves with millions of rand worth of…

While teenage pregnancy has always been a cause for concern in South Africa, the past few years have seen a rapid and alarming increase. A national study by Barron et al, published in the SA Medical Journal this year, showed the rate of pregnancies among girls aged 10-14 had increased by 48.7% from 2017-21. Statistics SA revealed that the country had recorded 34 587 teenage pregnancies in the 2020/21 financial year. Minister Angie Motshekga said schools were encouraged to create an environment to support pregnant girls. This would include counselling, information, referrals, treatment and support. The girls must be linked to social services, and the pregnancies reported to the SAPS. With the alarming rate of these teen pregnancies, is this the best response government can provide? It is no…

Warsaw: Poland has opened a canal that will allow vessels to sail from the Baltic Sea to its Elblag port without passing through Russian territorial waters. Elblag is separated from the Baltic Sea by a strip of land called an isthmus. Until now, the only way across was through an opening near the town of Baltiisk into Russia’s Kaliningrad Bay. The freshly dug canal is on Polish territory, about 5km west of the town of Krynica Morska. Work will continue on the canal until September next year when it will be large enough to accommodate vessels up to 100m long and 20m wide. |…

SEPTEMBER 2022 marks 46 years since my uncle, Naziem Khan, was assassinated. He was one of South Africa’s youngest apartheid-era victims, killed at the hands of the apartheid regime’s security police. It is understood that the then 15-year-old Naziem was making his way home from a mosque after evening prayers during Ramadaan – in a township in Cape Town. On September 16, 1976, the apartheid government’s inhuman officers came in two groups. The first team aimed straight at him as he travelled from the place of worship into Manenberg Avenue. A second group of police was stationed inside the roof of a local shopkeeper, who either helped them or was forced to allow them entry into the building. From an angle, they shot and killed my mother’s baby brother ……

EVERY time President Cyril Ramaphosa is out of the country, Eskom introduces Stage 6 load shedding. I believe they do this on purpose to collapse the grid, so they can privatise Eskom and also to show how bad things are so they can justify heavy increases. The best way out for Eskom is to admit defeat and privatise at last, so we can get back to a normal electricity supply in our country and end load shedding, which is the biggest curse the ANC has brought upon the citizens of SA. Load shedding will cost the ruling party dearly in the 2024 election, that is a certainty.…

The Springboks showed their world champion pedigree at the weekend when they overcame significant off-field distractions to overcome Argentina in a vitally important match in Buenos Aries. It was a key game for the Boks in that victory was necessary to keep alive their prospects of winning the Rugby Championship. Siya Kolisi’s team is in a duel with arch-rivals New Zealand for the 2022 title and they needed a bonus-point win in the Argentine capital to take the race to the title to the final round of matches, which on Saturday sees the Kiwis host Australia in Auckland and the Boks entertaining Argentina in Durban. But just hours before the Boks were to take the field in Buenos Aries, social media erupted with allegations of a fresh scandal involving Springbok…

King Charles III and his eldest son Prince William were greeted by cheers on Saturday as they shook hands with people queueing for hours through London to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth lying in state before her funeral today. Cries of God Save the King came from the crowd as the new monarch and heir to the throne thanked members of the public before attention turns to the stream of world leaders arriving for the grand state send-off today. The day after his mother, Britain’s longest serving monarch, died, King Charles and his wife Camilla surprised well-wishers gathered outside Buckingham Palace in London by getting out of their car to greet them. The next day his two sons, princes William and Harry, staged their own walkabout with their…

Actress and reality TV star Khanyi Mbau left her fans and followers teary-eyed as she spoke of how proud she was for turning out the way she did despite all the world had thrown at her. In a video clip posted on her Instagram, the Young, Famous & African reality star reads aloud a letter she penned to her present self. She captioned the video: “This was emotional 🥹.. thank you Khanyisile… thank you.” In the letter, titled Dear Me, A Letter From Khanyi Mbau, she said, “Dear Khanyi Mbau, I look at you and wow! I mean it, wow! You are the very person that you had set out to become and even more... Honestly, dude, you’re dope! “You know you bring tears to my eyes just looking at…

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), Injenje YabeNguni, National Freedom Party (NFP) and the African People’s Convention (APC) have welcomed a ruling by the Competition Tribunal preventing three major banks from closing bank accounts belonging to the Sekunjalo Group, and called on the government to protect black businesses. In an interim ruling on Friday, the tribunal granted relief against nine banks – Nedbank, Absa, First Rand, Sasfin, Access Bank, Standard Bank, Mercantile, Bidvest, and Investec – and also ordered the reopening of bank accounts that had already been closed. The ruling represents a second victory for the Sekunjalo Group, which had taken the matter before the Competition Tribunal, ahead of its Equality Court case regarding racial profiling and discrimination against the group by South Africa’s banking fraternity. In…

MOBILITY MEC Daylin Mitchell has slammed the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) over its suspension of the Malmesbury train service, calling a major setback. On Friday, Prasa announced it would withdraw the Malmesbury diesel trains and train crew from service as from today. The service operates in the early morning peak from Malmesbury at 5.30am and arrives at 7.40am in Cape Town. For late afternoon peak, the train departs Cape Town at 5.30pm and arrives in Malmesbury at 7.40pm. “Since Metrorail only operates electro-diesel locomotives, the business has been depending on a service provider that provides diesel locomotives to complement the Malmesbury service. Currently, Prasa is negotiating with the service provider to seek ways to resolve the challenge,” read the statement. Mobility MEC Daylin Mitchell said Metrorail’s withdrawal…

THE City is tightening protection measures for those who lift the lid on corruption in City Hall, but a whistle-blower has scoffed at its move as lip service. City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said the City’s leadership was reviewing its policy for whistle-blowers. Though Tyhalibongo said this was informed by growing corruption in councils elsewhere, crime fighter and whistle-blower Hanif Loonat said the metro had corrupt officials that were protected in the upper echelons. Whistle-blowers were not protected and authorities were speaking with a forked tongue. Loonat previously reported a mega corruption case to the City. It is before the courts. “Tell them (City officials) I say they’re bulls***ting us. They’re pulling (the) wool over our eyes,” Loonat told the Cape Argus in response to the policy. “The City has been…

MOST South Africans will agree that the government of the country is absolutely abysmal. Their track record in relation to implementing policies that ensure equality is best not spoken about. As limited as the so-called state capture commission was, one factor emerging from it is that corporates are still consciously acting in ways that place greed over the well-being of the citizens of the country. In the ANC, they have a willing partner in corruption, and happily take advantage of that relationship. To us Indigenous Peoples, this too is clear, and we therefore have the same expectation from corporates to address past injustices, as is placed on the state. Internationally, for instance in countries such as Australia and Canada, corporates have been including the Indigenous Peoples in their policies and…

JAGERSFONTEIN, a small town in the middle of South Africa with over a century of mining history, awoke to a tragic failure of responsibility on September 11 when torrents of muddy water cascaded over the embankments that were meant to hold it back. The flood killed one person and devastated many homes. The muddy water was the residue left over from the extraction of diamonds. The Jagersfontein mine traces its origins to a 50-carat diamond discovery in 1870. Mining began in earnest shortly after that and continued until 1971. Notable diamonds uncovered included the Excelsior and Reitz diamonds. All mining operations produce residue or tailings. Consequently, there are over 200 active tailings facilities in South Africa. While initial extraction removes most of the sought minerals, tailings facilities can become resources…

Belgrade: Police detained several dozen people in Belgrade, in Serbia, on Saturday as LGBTQ activists gathered for a EuroPride march despite a government ban. Serbia’s interior ministry banned the march, citing security concerns after right-wing groups threatened to hold protests. The Balkan country, a candidate for EU membership, had been under intense international pressure to allow the march. More than 20 embassies issued a joint statement urging the authorities to lift the ban. Gay marriage is not legally recognised in Serbia. |…

A top adviser to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s president Felix Tshisekedi has resigned after he was allegedly caught on tape negotiating a corrupt mineral deal, an allegation he denies. Tshisekedi took office in 2019 promising an end to the corruption that blighted the term of his predecessor, Joseph Kabila. But several corruption scandals have since been reported in the minerals-rich country. The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, a non-profit media organisation, said in its report that Vidiye Tshimanga, the one-time spokesperson for Tshisekedi’s election campaign and top adviser in his cabinet, negotiated a “percentage” of what he thought to be an under-the-table mining deal. Tshimanga allegedly met with two individuals posing as mineral investors from Hong Kong. In his resignation letter Tshimanga said he had an “ethical obligation”…

SEKHUKHUNE United’s winless streak continued after being held to a 1-1 draw by Stellenbosch FC in the Premiership at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday. There was little to separate Sekhukhune and Stellenbosch during the early exchanges of the match, as both teams struggled to find passing rhythms. As the dust settled around the 10th-minute mark, it appeared that the visitors looked more comfortable on the ball. With 15 minutes on the clock, Sekhukhune managed to make way in the Stellenbosch penalty box and summoned goalkeeper Sage Stephens to make a save, which he nearly fumbled, but was quick to make amends after mishandling the ball. It was Sekhukhune’s turn to see more of the ball halfway through the first half and they settled by stringing several passes together. In response…

THE player auction for Cricket South Africa’s inaugural T20 league known as SA20 will be held today. Here’s what you need to know about the auction in Cape Town, which is due to start at 2pm Teams: Joburg Super Kings, Durban Super Giants, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Mumbai Indians Cape Town (aka MI Cape Town), Pretoria Capitals, Paarl Royals Order: The order of who picks first will be determined by drawing balls from a bowl. Players: 316 players are on the list up for auction, including 159 from South Africa. The next highest representative is England with 52 players Squads: A total number of 17 players are allowed for each squad; 10 must be South African and seven overseas internationals are allowed. In the starting XI, the breakdown is seven South…

Teenager Ethan Nwaneri became the youngest player in Premier League history as he came off the bench in Arsenal’s comfortable victory over Brentford yesterday, breaking the record previously held by midfielder Harvey Elliott. The record was previously held by Liverpool teenager Elliott, who was 16 years and 30 days old when he came on for Fulham in 2019. Young England underage international Nwaneri was introduced in the final moments and replaced goal scorer Fabio Vieira for Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Brentford. Nwaneri has featured at Under-18 and Under-21 levels for Arsenal this season and the attacking midfielder earned a spot in Mikel Arteta’s squad with the likes of Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith-Rowe unavailable due to injury. The schoolboy was promoted to first-team training this week having made his Under-21…