Indholdsfortegnelse for 2022-10-07 i Cape Argus

POLICE Minister Bheki Cele said there was a shortage of detectives in the Athlone precinct, which was known to be “kidnapping and murder territory”. Cele was responding to DA MP Denis Joseph, who had asked for the current number of detectives as well as details of other staff shortages. Cele said the police station, which had a detective complement of 28, had nine vacancies for the detective unit. He said the police station had made 2 670 arrests in the past financial year. “The capacitation of the detective service remains a priority and is an ongoing process, with various dependencies,” Cele said. Cele said the police station also had a shortage of two support personnel. He described the police station buildings as being in fair condition and therefore no request…

The deputy mayor of the Oudtshoorn municipality, Mlandeli Nyuka, will remain in custody after he appeared in the Oudtshoorn Regional Court on criminal charges. Nyukal faces a charge of sexual assault after a colleague in his office last week reported an incident of inappropriate touching to police, claiming that he accosted her at work. Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said: “Oudtshoorn (FCS) is investigating this matter after a 37-year-old employee laid a complaint of sexual assault. “It is alleged that the suspect accosted the victim in his office on Tuesday, September 27, made her promises of a higher post and touched the complainant inappropriately,” Pojie said. The 40-year-old official and leader within “Suid-Kaap Saamstaan” party made his first appearance on Monday and has previously been accused of rape. The State said…

The office of the ANC treasurer-general has decried the Political Party Funding Act as constraining and called for the new legislation to be amended. Addressing a My Vote Counts webinar on behalf of party Treasurer Paul Mashatile, who cancelled at the last minute, ANC Progressive Business Forum (PBF) convener Sipho Mbele said the new act has suffocated them in the funding space. The PBF is housed in Mashatile’s office and is entrusted with sourcing funds for the party. It is known for charging business people more than R100 000 for a few minutes with a minister or the president in ANC gala dinners. He said the funding was needed “for constituency work”. The Political Party Funding Act, effective from April 1, 2021, regulates money and politics. Mbele’s bone of contention…

I am perplexed about the lack of urgency in solving the country’s energy crisis. Maybe the appointment of the new board will help us elevate the problem and get the necessary solution; the sooner, the better. A quicker solution that is sustainable is needed, especially since the load shedding problem is not a new thing; it started as far as the year 2007 and, with no hesitance, is still a business killer, economic growth and contributes to the country’s worsening unemployment. Are we interested in solving this problem? At some point, there was a construction of Medupi and Kusile, intended to help with extra energy production. One can see from the current load-shedding programme impacting South Africa that the Kusile and Medupi project did not live up to expectations as…

Cable theft is a major problem in our country. It negatively affects all aspects of our lives. Cable theft basically destroys our country, and it must be stopped before it’s too late. The cable thieves or syndicates do not care about the impact of their bad deeds in South Africa. They are just hell-bent on destruction. They destroy infrastructure and leave communities in limbo. They vandalise and destroy electricity, rail, road, water and sanitation infrastructure without taking into consideration the impact of their evil deeds to the South African economy and the environment. Cable theft has a negative effect on water resources. The vandalism and destruction of wastewater treatment plants renders the plants dysfunctional, leading to raw sewage flowing and polluting our water resources. Pollution is a menace to our…

ONE of Cape Town’s favourite niche bookstores is battling to keep its doors open after receiving a notice of an impending lease termination. Former high school English teacher André Marais opened the Surplus Radical Bookshop in Woodstock last year with the aim of providing a unique and radically different way of “viewing and understanding and being in the world”. The bookstore, located at 302 Albert Road, Woodstock, officially opened its doors on Africa Day, May 25, 2021. Since then, the store has become a hub of social and political activist education, a place to share and discuss ideas, as well as expression of creativity for people of all ages, backgrounds and denominations. The Hanover Park resident found pride in being the only independent person of colour bookstore owner in Cape…

The construction industry contributes significantly to a country’s economy through infrastructure development. The industry has expanded rapidly worldwide and further growth is expected. This has contributed to a great deal more construction waste being generated – which has been identified as one of the core problems in the construction industry across the world. The literature suggests that as much as 30% of the material delivered to a construction site ends up as waste. The increase in waste has been driven by the fact that construction projects are now much more complex than before. This has made it harder for construction managers to manage waste effectively. Also, building waste is difficult to recycle and reuse. A lot is contaminated – for example when wet concrete or mortar is dumped on other…

Four members of a California family, including a baby, were found dead two days after authorities said they were kidnapped at gunpoint. Law enforcement officials had been searching for 8-month-old Aroohi Dheri, mother Jasleen Kaur, 27, father Jasdeep Singh, 36, and the baby’s uncle Amandeep Singh, 39, since they were reported missing on Monday. Surveillance footage captured outside the family’s business in Merced showed them being led out and driven away by an armed man. “Tonight, our worst fears have been confirmed,” Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said in a news conference on Wednesday.…

MANILA: Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos said the Philippines is ready to take the role in peacekeeping in Southeast Asia, emphasising the peacemaker role was good for the country’s interest and regional security. Marcos said the Philippines has a vital role in keeping peace, particularly amid geopolitical tensions in the region. “So we have a very important part to play in that because we have a great interest,” he said. Marcos stressed the need to strengthen the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.…

The shooting of a German tourist in White River in Mpumalanga on Monday highlights what the DA has been warning about all along: that the SAPS must prioritise the safety and security of tourists, as a single criminal incident can have devastating repercussions on international tourism. I call on the ministers of police and tourism to announce their plans to police and protect tourist areas in the country. These ministers must ensure South Africans that they are doing everything in their power to prevent a repeat of this tragic incident and that the criminals will be caught as soon as possible. The death of the German tourist has made front-page news in Germany and will no doubt cause a dip in tourism from Germany, which is one of our major…

IT IS shocking to digest the current magnitude of drug abuse among the youth in Zimbabwe. Drug abuse has triggered a whirlwind of all sorts of crimes, ranging from petty pickpocketing to heinous crimes like robbery, rape and murder. Turf wars and brawls have become a common feature in drinking halls and so-called “poshtos”, where the new Devil’s puff, as it was known by Adolf Hitler, is burnt and inhaled in used energy-saver light bulbs. Mutoriro is a name used in Zimbabwe for the notorious drug crystal meth. Many mental institutions, like Harare’s Annex, are now constantly full and workers there are overwhelmed by the numbers of patients who keep pouring in day in and day out because of mental health problems caused by the abuse of drugs. Some of…

Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, his wife and their two adult children have irrevocably transferred their ownership of the outdoor apparel company to a set of trusts and non-profit organisations. Patagonia is an outdoor gear and apparel company based in California, US. Its product lines are similar to those of South Africa’s Cape Union Mart. Chouinard dictated that the corporation’s profits will fund efforts to deal with climate change, as well as protect wilderness areas. It will, however, remain a privately held enterprise. Patagonia is worth about $3 billion (R53.6bn) and its profits that will be donated in perpetuity could total around $100 million (R1.78bn) yearly. The Conversation US spoke to Indiana University’s Ash Enrici, a scholar who studies how philanthropy affects the environment, to find out more. “The…

AS THE ANC fast approaches its sell-by date, the hope of electing a first woman president is fast fading. The concern of the party not being led by a woman before it dies was prompted by the recent decision of male-dominated regional and provincial leaders who, surprisingly, usurped powers of branches and announced their male-dominated line-ups for the crucial top six positions at the upcoming party national elective conference in December. For a party regarded as the most progressive in Africa with its core principles of non-sexism, it was expected that by now it would have been led at least once by a woman president. After the Women’s League worked so much on the 2017 conference, campaigning for Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma who was narrowly defeated by President Cyril Ramaphosa,…

Stockholm: French author Annie Ernaux, known for her deceptively simple novels drawing on personal experience of class and gender, won the Nobel Prize for Literature yesterday, the jury said. Ernaux, 82, was honoured “for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory,” the jury said. The Nobel Prize – presented on December 10 – comes with a medal and a prize sum of 10 million Swedish kronor (R16 231 200). Ernaux is the 17th woman to win the prestigious award, out of 119 literature laureates since the first Nobel was awarded in 1901.…

ZEBRE sure are an exciting attacking outfit, but the Stormers aren’t going to hold back their own attacking weaponry when they meet in a United Rugby Championship (URC) clash at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi tomorrow (4pm kick-off). The last time the two sides met, the Stormers humiliated the Italians 55-7 at the Danie Craven Stadium, in Stellenbosch. But Zebre aren’t the same side they were last season. While they are yet to secure a win this season, they have looked threatening as they pushed Irish juggernauts Leinster in a 33-29 defeat, and fell just short against the Sharks. Speaking in the build-up to their meeting, scrum-half Paul de Wet said the Cape side aren’t going to change anything as they look to bag their third win in as many games.…

THERE is a likelihood that serial failure Ernst Middendorp will take the reins at AmaZulu following the sacking of their coach, Brandon Truter, yesterday. There were rumours linking the former Kaizer Chiefs and Maritzburg United coach with the vacancy yesterday, but the Durban club could not confirm who the replacement will be. Truter’s dismissal came amid a dip in form from AmaZulu and rumours about internal divisions among the players. Usuthu have lost their last three Premiership games, with the most recent being a 1-0 KwaZulu-Natal derby defeat to league newcomers Richards Bay on Wednesday. “AmaZulu Football Club would like to announce that it has parted ways with head coach Brandon Truter. The 52-year-old was in charge of the team for just over five months,” the club said…

Second double murder in city in two days TWO men were gunned down in a Mercedes-Benz at a busy intersection in Steenberg in broad daylight yesterday. The suspected gang-related attack is the second double murder in as many days, after a shooting in Camps Bay on Wednesday afternoon in which a taxi driver and a bystander were shot dead (See page 2) The killings – one on the Atlantic Seaboard and the other on a busy road leading to the Muizenberg beachfront – has authorities nervous, with the summer tourist season approaching. Following yesterday’s incident near the M5, police said that they were investigating a double murder and four attempted murders after two men, aged 33 and 37, were shot and killed in an apparent gang-related attack. Police spokesperson FC…

Nobody is perfect and we all need help to improve ourselves. Thus, we must recognise our faults and seek the required help. However, when folk do not believe that what they are doing is wrong or illogical, then it presents a different problem as growing older does not also suggest growing wiser. What am I talking about? In a written response to questions in Parliament, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga in June this year said 90 037 girls aged from 10 to 19 gave birth between April 2021 and March 2022. Teen pregnancy numbers are increasing and costing taxpayers a fortune in overall health care and other social costs such as housing. We don’t even have electricity and water for paying customers. As a nation that suffered great historical…

Whether it is in politics, government or higher education, citizens and societies as a rule accept some level of contestation and drama as normal for public institutions. Storylines of institutional controversy at major public entities are a standing item in media reports, since they are central to a resilient society and citizens want to follow their progress. To report on internal strife is taken not only as useful, but critical. Seen in this way, the reality of wrangling among senior executives and between stakeholder groups rightfully may be viewed as an expression of democracy. It seems, however, that the situations of internal strife in public institutions that the news media report on and commentators discuss have shifted in their intensity. The storylines now increasingly point to toxicity rather than mere…

South Africans can now download a spelling and hyphenation checker tool for 10 of South Africa’s official languages, excluding English. The spell-checker tool, which was developed by the Centre for Text Technology (CTexT) at North-West University, has been made available for the public to download free of charge from the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR). The spell-checker tool offers an extensive word list for Afrikaans, Ndebele, Xhosa, Zulu, Swati, Sotho, Sesotho sa Leboa, Tswana, Venda and Tsonga. The project was funded by the Department of Science and Innovation as part of its South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap. CTexT head Dr Martin Puttkammer said the tool was developed by working in close collaboration with linguists at South African universities and the national language bodies. Puttkammer said: “We developed…

In February this year, a principal complainant, Safoudien Bester, a Cape Town paramedic, and also, among the complainants, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign Cape Town and Media Review Network, lodged a substantive criminal complaint with South African investigative and prosecutorial authorities. This criminal complaint laid the basis of criminal charges against South African nationals and citizens, including Zionist institutions, for the violation of the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act, the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Act and the Prevention of Organised Crime Act. The extensive charges in the South African Zionist Terrorism Corridor probe is under investigation. This case has been given a major boost by the law-fare advocacy efforts undertaken in Canada, whereby a private prosecution process is now under way to hold Sar-EL Canada…

PARIS: European economists worried about a heightened risk of recession and a bolstered Russia yesterday, after Opec Plus, the coalition of oil-producing nations led by Russia and Saudi Arabia, announced it would slash oil production by 2 million barrels per day. The coalition’s plans prompted a blistering reaction from White House officials, which had aggressively lobbied the consortium to continue production at current levels or higher. While initial reactions were more muted in the EU, the production cut comes as the bloc of 27 nations braces for a sharp slowdown in economic growth linked to higher energy prices. The EU’s industrial powerhouse, Germany, reported a worse-than-anticipated decline in manufacturing orders yesterday, raising recession fears. Simone Tagliapietra, a senior fellow at Brussels-based economic think tank Bruegel, said the production cut “will…

Port-au-Prince: The UN yester-day called for the creation of a “humanitarian corridor” in Haiti that would allow the distribution of fuel amid dire shortages created by a gang blockade of the country’s principal fuel terminal. Gangs last month blocked the entrance to the Varreux fuel terminal to protest Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s announcement of a cut in fuel subsidies, paralysing Haiti’s economy as supplies of gasoline and diesel dried up. Haitians also face a shortage of drinking water amid an unexpected outbreak of cholera, the spread of which is controlled through hygiene and clean water.…

SOUTHAMPTON’S biggest challenge, and maybe mission impossible, will be to keep Erling Haaland off the scoresheet when they visit Premier League champions Manchester City tomorrow. Short of slipping a sedative into the Norwegian goal-machine’s lasagne, prepared by dad Alf-Inge before the last three home games, the chances of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s struggling team succeeding look slim. Unbeaten City have scored more goals than any team in Europe’s leading five leagues this season, and will go top if they win or draw, with leaders Arsenal hosting Liverpool on Sunday only a point clear with an inferior goal difference. Haaland has bagged 14 of City’s 29 league goals – with hat-tricks in his past three home matches and more scoring records beckoning. “It’s not just his numbers, it’s the impact he’s having on…