Indholdsfortegnelse for 2022-09-23 i Cape Argus

In the spirit of Heritage Day, South Africa is pulling out all the stops to commemorate the day. Emo Adams and the Take Note Band will share his heritage stories with fans at the Lyric Theatre in Joburg tomorrow in Waa’sit Lekker. Adams told IOL Entertainment his music will make people dance, sing and laugh from the start to finish. The dad of four, who was born and raised in the Cape Flats said he couldn’t wait to share his stories of heritage and tradition. “I used to shy away from heritage because I felt that is what boxed us, but now that I am a father, I understand why my dad use to drag me to the Malay Choirs and Kaapse Klopse, because that is the very thing that…

Can SA deliver glory this Heritage Day? The Springboks are billing it as a dress rehearsal for a potential World Cup final next year – and if they do beat Argentina and win the Rugby Championship in the process on Heritage Day, the braai smoke will billow long and lustily into the Durban night. And the venue could not be more fitting – the outer fields at Hollywoodbets Kings Park are world-renowned for their post-match festivities, and when they are full, the crowd could go into the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest collective braai. And they could not be fuller tomorrow evening, because Kings Park has sold out for the first time in decades for a Springbok match (kick-off Saturday 5.05pm). Close to 50 000 Bok fans…

Johannes Jacobs and his father Willem Jacobs appeared in the Cape Town Regional Court yesterday charged with three counts of fraud, forgery and uttering after they allegedly tried to enter into a sale agreement for a farm in Laingsburg. It is alleged that the pair falsified banking documents in order to obtain a number of farms from Jozef le Roes for over R19 million, and produced a letter of guarantee from the bank which stated that they were in possession of over R31 million, which they allegedly obtained through fraudulent means. They pleaded not guilty to the charges. Yesterday their lawyer, advocate Grant Smith, put Le Roes’s version to the test as he questioned him on the legal documents he signed, leaving his fate in the hands of the Jacobs.…

Uganda confirms 7 Ebola cases, 1 death Uganda has confirmed seven cases of Ebola including in a man who died this week, and seven other deaths are being investigated as suspected cases of a strain for which the authorities do not yet have a vaccine, officials said yesterday. The 24-year-old man who died had developed a high fever, diarrhoea and abdominal pains, and was vomiting blood. After initially being treated for malaria, he was diagnosed as having contracted the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus. “As of today, we have seven confirmed cases, of whom we have one confirmed death,” Kyobe Henry Bbosa, Ebola incident commander at the Ugandan Ministry of Health, told a briefing. “But also we have seven probable cases that died before the confirmation of the outbreak.”…

Mary Chilima, the wife of Malawian Vice-President Saulos Chilima, was expected travel to South Africa for a medical procedure and the vice-president’s office came up with a $311 000 (R5.5 million) budget for the trip, according to a news report by Malawi24. Malawians have taken to social media to criticise the second lady’s hospital bill which has been pegged at over $250 000 (R4.4m). Meanwhile, according to media reports yesterday, the secretary to the president and cabinet (SPC) has been blamed for the leak of the memo containing Chilima’s $312 000 medical bill. The memo, dated September 19, was from SPC Colleen Zamba. Pemphero W Mphande, a Malawian author and social media influencer, raised funds (more than 6 million kwacha) earlier this year for heart patient Rebecca Jali to travel…

Western Cape health workers have raised concerns about lax security at government buildings that fall outside the city centre. Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of SA (Hospersa) provincial secretary Martinique Marinus said several issues affected health workers. Marinus said chief among workers’ grievances was their safety at the workplace in light of a patient being killed at the hands of another at Karl Bremer Hospital earlier this month. The killing was reportedly carried out with a sharp and heavy object. The Health Department Safety Unit recently reported 92 assault incidents that had taken place across provincial health facilities between April and June 2022. Marinus said the health facilities in the city centre were safer than the rest across the province. Marinus said the Karl Bremer Hospital incident and…

IT IS the primary responsibility of the state to protect citizens from harm and the national government is the primary agency in the fight against crime. Given the crime statistics and true reality for people plagued by crime, the government cannot be said to be living up to this responsibility. It therefore makes little sense that President Cyril Ramaphosa, in reply to a parliamentary question, opposed more policy making powers for provinces on policing. Section 99 of the Constitution enables the minister to give the metro police more powers, as would expanding the existing legal framework. The Law Enforcement Auxiliary Programme and the Metro Police, Law Enforcement and Traffic Services of the City of Cape Town already act as a massive force multiplier for the SAPS and their successes would…

“SEE the terrible stereotypes about us,” a colleague furiously cried out while discussing Heritage Day. He angrily pointed at a message on social media on the cultural diversity of South Africa. In a series of pictures, the post portrays people dressed in traditional cultural attire. Most of the images show designs, bright colours and traditional insignia that as a rule are associated with the formally recognised diverse cultures of South Africa, such as those of the Xhosa, Sotho, Zulu communities. The post claims to showcase South Africa as the “Rainbow nation” and shares only one trait, namely they all include black people. However, two pictures stand in contrast to the rest of the series of pictures that were evidently held up as a representation of a nation’s diversity – a…

RECENT months have exposed the bias of the country’s banks as they appeared to be involved in a collusive act, targeting certain individuals and unfairly terminating bank accounts – making it impossible for them to trade. The Sekunjalo Group, through its court battle with the banks, has not only helped shed light on the rogue activities of the banks but highlighted the fact that black African people are still victimised by the powerful capital which is in control of the banking and financial sector. The Sekunjalo Group is a group of about 200 companies, 85 of which are off-scale in revenue and asset value. It is a diversified black-owned and black-controlled group with interests in media and publishing, ICT, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, energy and power, asset management and financial services,…

IT’S all set to be a golden summer for Women's cricket in South Africa with the hosting of both the inaugural ICC Under-19 Women's World Cup and ICC T20 Women's World Cup early next year. Western Province coach Claire Terblanche therefore believes Cricket SA's Provincial competitions that get under way this weekend in Potchefstroom, Tshwane and KwaZulu-Natal are the perfect opportunity for the country's women cricketers to showcase their talents in a bid to force their way into Dinesha Devnarain (U19) and Hilton Moreeng's (Proteas Women) respective squads. "The girls will focus on what we can do best. We will do what we need to do and the results will take care of themselves. That's when it can't be missed by the selectors. That's how to give yourself…

The Lwandle police station in Helderberg has been a repurposed RDP house since 2001 – and the site will be cleared for construction of a proper police station only in four years’ time. The police station is also made up of Nutec and container offices that complement the RDP house, provincial police confirmed. Lwandle police station became a satellite in 2003/2004 and it became fully fledged in 2008. In a parliamentary internal question paper, DA MP Benedicta van Minnen asked Police Minister Bheki Cele whether he had plans to house the police station in a fit-for-purpose building. Her questions followed an MPs site visit to the police station on July 29, where they were updated by the provincial police figureheads on the state of the building and plans. Provincial police…

South Africa’s Blue Label Telecoms Ltd announced yesterday that it had concluded an agreement to restructure and refinance mobile operator Cell C’s R7.3 billion debt to bolster its finances and liquidity. The agreement with Cell C’s shareholders and lenders is a final and critical step in the mobile operator’s turnaround plan, which included deleveraging its balance sheet and providing liquidity to operate. Shares in Blue Label, which bought a 45% stake in Cell in 2017, were up 5.6% to R6.60 by 9.44am on the announcement. Blue Label has been trying to dig Cell C out of debt since it purchased the stake. It said the Cell C recapitalisation would enhance its investment and restore shareholder value. As part of the agreement, The Prepaid Company (TPC), a subsidiary of Blue Label,…

A collaboration between neighbouring farmers, security company officials and police in North West has led to the arrest of two suspects in connection with the murder of a farmer at his residence. Colonel Adéle Myburgh, the spokesperson for the police in North West, said the incident happened on Wednesday, during a house robbery reported on a farm in Modderfontein, close to Rustenburg. “Initial information received indicated that a 68-year-old, Frans Venter, was home with two workers, a gardener and domestic worker, when four suspects overpowered the gardener who was working in the garden. He shouted for help, but was tied up with an electrical cable,” Myburgh said. The domestic worker, who reacted upon hearing the gardener screaming, was also overpowered and tied up. “Lastly the suspects gained entry to the…

THE ANC and the EFF despise people who can use their brains to think and label them as “clever blacks/puppets” because it is precisely the questioning, forward-looking South African who shuns and is embarrassed by ignorance. Those at home will know what it’s like to listen to mumbling, incoherent ministers like Bheki Cele, Lindiwe Sisulu, Gwede Mantashe, Lindiwe Zulu, and so on, and to wonder how it is that these people are paid millions while many sit at home without a job. It is the so-called “clever black/puppet” who shuns the opportunity to lick the boots of politicians and eat the scraps that fall from their table because they want to make it on their own merit. We want to create an open opportunity society that carries the attitude that…

South Africa has 2 798km of coastline. Yet, oddly, the country doesn’t have a coherent maritime strategy underpinned by a related national strategy to safeguard its maritime interests. This omission was underscored again recently by an evolving master plan for South Africa’s oceans. The document is significant as it brings the importance of South Africa’s oceans into sharper focus. But this shouldn’t obscure the fact that the government’s commitment to comprehensively harness the ocean to help arrest economic decline has been disappointing. The document also underscores the absence of a coherent and comprehensive policy. In countries where this has been done well – such as New Zealand and Ghana – policies have been developed that encompass the economic value of a country’s oceans, as well as the vulnerability they…

Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards called on the Islamic Republic’s judiciary yesterday to prosecute “those who spread false news and rumours” about a young woman whose death in police custody has triggered nationwide protests. Protesters in Tehran and other Iranian cities torched police stations and vehicles earlier yesterday as public outrage over the death showed no signs of easing, with reports of security forces coming under attack. Mahsa Amini, 22, died last week after being arrested in Tehran for wearing “unsuitable attire”. She fell into a coma while in detention. The authorities have said they would launch an investigation into the cause of her death. In a statement, the Guards expressed sympathy with the family and relatives of Amini. “We have requested the judiciary to identify those who spread false news…

SUPPORTERS of Premier League teams who take part in anti-social and criminal behaviour at stadiums will in future receive automatic club bans with a minimum term of one year, the league said on Wednesday, after unanimously agreeing to the step. Last season there was an increase in the number of pitch invasions at the end of the campaign as fans celebrated titles, promotion or survival, with several altercations taking place, including one involving Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira. Smoke bombs and pyrotechnics, which have long been used at games in continental Europe and around in the world, used to be relatively rare in England, but their use has become a more regular occurrence. “Fans caught carrying or activating pyrotechnics or smoke bombs, or entering the pitch without permission, will receive…

In what Nigerian authorities describe as the country’s biggest drug bust, more than 1 800kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of R4.9bn was seized. The haul was found in a warehouse in Ikorodu, a suburb of Lagos, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said this week. Four people, including three Nigerians and a Jamaican national, have been arrested, the agency said. It said they were members of an international drug syndicate that the agency had been trailing since 2018. The suspects were trying to sell the cocaine to buyers in Europe, Asia and other parts of the world. At least four drug barons and the warehouse manager were arrested in a two-day operation at several locations in Lagos state. They are Nigerians Soji Jibril, 69, Emmanuel Chukwu, 65,…

Gugulethu has become the first township in the country to have an official logo, which was unveiled yesterday complete with its own anthem. Proclaimed as a historical moment for the future of the 64-year-old township, the concept is the brainchild of Dr Mzwandile Plaatjie, a psychologist, former principal in Gugulethu and renowned author of five books, including Gugulethu: The Fragments of Unwritten History. The logo was designed in an open competition among learners from the area’s high schools. The selected entry was the artwork of Ayanda Makhalima, an upcoming designer. The emblem features the landmark Table Mountain in an orange background, complete with the slogan Siyazingca, “We are Proud”, which is intended to develop a sense of community and pride in the Gugulethu community. Plaatjie said the concept was triggered…

AT FIRST, when one commentator suggested that former ANC and state president Thabo Mbeki was the right person to lead the ANC back to glory, the idea seemed laughable. But then it dawned on me that the ANC has not only lost all credibility, but is void of any human capital to redeem itself and the nation. And with the shameful outcomes of the once-promising Cyril Ramaphosa laid bare, some of the most ardent ANC sympathisers have lost all hope in the party. The once glorious and broad church that was formed by priests, laity, and royals in a church, has become an indumba of street mobs, with a taxi driver mentality. And by the words of one former ANC Women’s League president, everyone who is anyone is tainted in…

Many academic studies have been centred on Western theories and methodologies for a long time. This approach to research is broadly defined as “universalist”. It assumes that “one-size-fits-all” and set norms can be applied across cultures. For example, Western ideas about identity revolve around the individual. That shapes how research is conducted: it focuses mainly on the individual and emphasises analysis at the individual level. Using Western approaches in non-Western contexts misses out on contextual issues such as power relations between an individual and their community. “Contextualised” methodologies have been offered as the alternative, involving taking a region’s cultural, demographic, geographical and socio-economic realities into account when conducting research. There’s a challenge with this approach, too. It may mean that academic research is within the reach of a limited group…