Indholdsfortegnelse for 2022-12-01 i Cape Argus

Gaosi Raditholo is quickly establishing herself as one of the continent’s most talented actresses. Seven years on from her TV debut on SABC 2’s Keeping Score, Raditholo is growing into a bona fide star. Her latest move is arguably the biggest of her career thus far. After landing a role on the globally syndicated HBO Max martial arts crime drama Warrior in 2018, she has now secured a more prominent role in the series’ third season. Warrior is based on the writings of the iconic cultural figure Bruce Lee, and is set during the Tong Wars which took place in the 1800s in San Francisco. “Knowing that this show was inspired by the writings of the legendary Bruce Lee was very exciting,” she said. “I grew up watching his films,…

Panel finds enough evidence for impeachment PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa is facing impeachment after the Section 89 Independent Panel found there was enough prima facie evidence for him to answer for the Phala Phala theft allegations. The three-member panel – comprising retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo as chairperson, retired Judge Thokozile Masipa and advocate Mahlape Sello – handed their report to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula yesterday morning. The panel concluded that the president may have committed: A serious violation of sections 96(2)(a); A serious violation of section 34(1) of Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (Precca); Serious misconduct in that the president violated section 96(2)(b) by acting in a way that is inconsistent with his office; serious misconduct in that the President violated section 96(2)(b) by exposing himself to…

Farm-dwellers at Simonia Village, living on land belonging to Stellenpak, a fresh fruit export packing and cooling business, are unhappy after the company cut their water supply because of an outstanding water bill owed to the municipality. The group of 21 households at the village, located along the R45 between Franschhoek and Paarl, reside on land belonging to the Stellenpak Trust. A group of women picketed outside Stellenpak on Tuesday and vowed to lay charges at the Paarl police station against the Stellenpak Trust. The Women on Farms Project (WFP) has been assisting the group. WFP organiser Madelein Herwil said the community’s water had been disconnected in August. Herwill said their electricity costs were “astronomical”, with 16 units costing R100. The bulk of electricity payments goes towards settling an…

Red ribbons will be prominently displayed across the globe as the world commemorates World Aids Day today. World Aids Day is commemorated annually on December 1, highlighting urgent measures to be taken in the fight against HIV and Aids. UNAids released its report titled “Dangerous Inequalities”, highlighting how fighting inequalities could see a stronger stand in the fight against Aids. UNAids executive director Winnie Byanyima said the world would not be able to defeat Aids while reinforcing patriarchy. Meanwhile, the City said its HIV self-assisted screening service would be available at 38 City health facilities. The service would allow any person to conduct their own HIV test.…

In reference to Terence Grant’s pathetic assumptions about “Even a well-raised pit bull can turn aggressive” (Cape Argus, November 29), it makes me wonder what gives him the platform to deliver such an absurd remark? Does he work with them? Does he rehabilitate them? I do! I work with pit bulls. I have rescued pit bulls. I have rehabilitated them. Only two of 67 were put down. He clearly has no dog behaviourist experience but pretends he is the “chosen one” when giving advice with zero experience. You sir, are a disgrace. It’s the human, not the breed!…

As EXCITING as it is to see South Africa’s unemployment rate confound expectations by falling to 32.9% in the third quarter from 33.9% in the second quarter, does it give us reason to rejoice? South Africans have been left puzzled by the latest figures from Stats SA’s quarterly labour survey despite the lived reality of many young people who are still struggling to make ends meet, waiting to be employed. Unemployment, according to the expanded definition of unemployment, also decreased by 1.0 percentage points to 43.1%. In South Africa, 15.8 million people had a job in the third quarter, up from 14.9 million in the first quarter. The recent jobs data shows a steady recovery in employment, with over 800 000 more jobs recorded this year. But 7.7 million active…

The Russian-Ukrainian conflict is reaching ridiculous heights as both sides play dirty. Their penchant is to use so-called private military groups which are nothing more than a euphemism for mercenary outfits. They are acting against international law prescripts. For example, Russia is said to be giving amnesty to African prisoners in exchange for fighting in Ukraine. This is indirect coercion. Nobody wants to be in prison in a foreign land. Being offered amnesty to participate in a war might seem to be a better alternative. Zambia, whose young citizen died similarly in Ukraine, must put pressure on Russia. African states generally support Russia, yet the country is using their citizens as cannon fodder. War is unlikely to be eradicated anytime soon but those who engage in this madness, must sacrifice…

Today will go down as an important day in South Africa’s history. Not because of Black Friday specials, but rather because of two South Africans who have been thrust into the national media spotlight for different reasons. One is fighting for his freedom and parole, while the other is trying to stay out of jail. Chris Hani’s killer, Janusz Walus, will be released from a Pretoria prison today after 29 years behind bars, more than Nelson Mandela served. Walus will leave with a stab wound as a sore reminder of his time in prison. He will join the thousands of other convicted murderers, robbers and hijackers who are paroled on a monthly basis. What will Walus’s reaction be to a new technologically advanced world? Did the stab wound penetrate his…

Controversial activist and poet Ntsiki Mazwai, pictured, has taken to social media to let event organisers know that if they cannot afford her booking fee, then they should not contact her for gigs. Mazwai said she is “tired” of agreeing to be at gigs for free, only to get there and see that they are well organised “multi-million-rand” events most of the time. In a video she posted on Twitter on November 29, she wrote: “I’m tired … I can’t keep giving to a people who only take and exploit me”. The artist revealed that she feels “insulted” when told by organisers they do not have a budget for her, only to discover that they do. She said: “Hi, my name is Nksiki Mazwai, I am an artist. I’ve…

Police commissioner-general Fannie Masemola’s suggestion to MPs that spooks assess the threats on whistle-blower Patricia Morgan-Mashale’s life instead of police has been shot down by the woman, who is in hiding. Morgan-Mashale appeared before the police committee, where MPs asked Masemola about her safety after she lifted the lid on a slew of allegations of corruption and nepotism, among other things, in SAPS management in the Free State and alleged cover-ups by Minister Bheki Cele. Morgan-Mashale was allegedly dismissed in February as a police clerk after submitting a dossier on corruption in disciplinary hearings, and has conducted several media interviews. She claims there have been two attempts on her life. MPs demanded that her safety be guaranteed. DA MP Ockert Stefanus Terblanche said: “This committee needs to attend to the…

AN ex-Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) and SANDF member originally from Ekurhuleni has been identified by inmates as the one behind the stabbing of former SACP leader Chris Hani’s killer, Janusz Walus. This as Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi led a march through the Pretoria CBD to protest the Constitutional Court decision to free Walus on parole. The identity of the inmate is known to Independent Media, but it is being withheld due to ongoing investigations. On Tuesday, it was reported that Walus was stabbed by an inmate from the same housing unit at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Facility in Tshwane, ahead of his release today. The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) confirmed that a stabbing incident involving inmate Walus took place at the facility. “A detailed incident report is to…

While taking a stroll along the beach on Monday, beach users between Hartenbos and Bayview beaches in Mossel Bay and surrounding areas of the Western Cape were alarmed to find what looked like tiny tar pellets sticking to the bottom of their feet and hands. Mossel Bay Municipality said this was found to be the result of a heavy furnace oil spill that had broken up into small pellets that were washing up on to beaches all along the coastline, from Gouritzmond to Plettenberg Bay. Several beaches, including Hartenbos, Diaz, Santos, Kanon and others in Mossel Bay, were closed to assist the clean-up operations. Gerhard Otto, head of disaster management at the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) said the clean-up of the spill was still ongoing and the source remained…

From the perspective of a black person, generally, white people appear to be great animal lovers. On TV documentaries and other visual platforms that show wildlife, black people can see white people show extraordinary care for animals, injecting the creatures with all sorts of things, taking them to labs to do experiments and feeding them. Then, of course, to the horror of many conservative black people, white people can keep snakes and wild cats or reptiles as pets because they are the greatest lovers of animals. And white women, in particular, seem to have a deep affection for “vulnerable” animals as they often volunteer in animal shelters and become vets or animal doctors. And in the movies, if a boyfriend dumps a white woman or something brings sadness, she can…

Life during apartheid was difficult as racism inspired futility. Computers, big-screen TVs and interconnectivity were limited and social media did not exist. Oddly, we had security and electricity and water was available and cheap. Today, we have limited security, little water and electricity, but lots of connectivity. Murder and violent crimes are increasing despite the billions spent on various projects. Logic suggests we just return the death penalty. Today, everyone demands some or other “rights”. Yet few people talk about duty and accountability. Jews, Christians and Muslims are advised by the Torah, Bible and Qur’an that men and women are meant to marry for intimacy. Also, those who question this become an enemy of the Creator. Since female equality has seemingly been juxtaposed to create a set-up where every man…

New York City will remove more mentally ill people from its streets and subway system, the city’s democratic mayor Eric Adams announced this week, directing the authorities to commit people involuntarily if they are thought to be a harm to themselves, not just to others. The directive clarifies a “grey area where policy, law and accountability have not been clear,” Adams said. Under the directive, outreach workers and police officers are encouraged to intervene when someone is thought to be so mentally ill that it prevents them from “meeting their basic human needs, causing them to be a danger to themselves,” he said. Measures will be taken to commit people involuntarily, “even if they are not an imminent threat to the public”, he said, adding that “a common misunderstanding persists”…

LUIS Enrique said Spain will not count their chickens before they are hatched when they face Japan tonight, aiming to win and qualify for the World Cup knockout phase. La Roja are top of Group E on four points and guaranteed to progress with a draw, but are aiming for all three points at the Khalifa International Stadium. Some have suggested that Spain might benefit from coming second and avoiding a potential quarter-final clash with Brazil, but their coach disagreed. “We have reflected on it, but from a professional point of view, imagine this, that we were interested in coming second,” Luis Enrique said yesterday. “We’re in the 90th minute, stoppage time arrives, and both games are 0-0, and in the 95th minute with 15 seconds to go, Japan score…

The government has ratified a law that will ban cash transactions in scrap trading and suspends certain metal scrap exports for six months in a bid to stem the economy from haemorrhaging R47 billion annually. Pending only gazetting – which is expected by Friday – the new regulations also introduce a licensing system for traders in an attempt to crack down on stolen copper and scrap, and to protect the state’s besieged infrastructure networks. Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel announced the law changes in Parliament alongside other Cabinet ministers. City law enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason noted a correlation between the vandalism phenomenon and the Covid-19 lockdowns, where infrastructure such as pump stations and community halls was left unattended. The possibility of organised crime cannot be discarded, he…

The police are looking for information that could lead to the arrest of a man suspected of fatally shooting three people in Bishop Lavis late on Tuesday evening. The two men and a woman between the ages of 25 and 48 were shot in the head inside a yard in Bosberg Street, Bishop Lavis. The yard is believed to be a drug house that people frequent in the area. Police spokesperson Andre Traut said the Anti-Gang Unit detectives were probing the circumstances surrounding this incident. Traut said reports received were that an unknown suspect entered the premises and fired several shots at the victims. Traut said the victims sustained gunshot wounds to their heads and were declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel. Traut said the suspect fled the…

A RECENTLY launched study predicts an incoming wave of teacher retirements with nearly 50% of public sector teachers in South Africa already aged 50 years and older. A first in the series of a larger three-year research project, the Teacher Demographic Dividend project released today was conducted by more than 20 Stellenbosch University researchers in the Research on Socio-economic Policy (Resep) unit. Headed by professors Nic Spaull and Servaas van der Berg, the project will run from 2022 to 2024. Some of the report’s findings include: Half of the country’s public sector teachers (49%) were aged over 50 in 2021. In 2019 the average teacher in South Africa earned R42 668 a month (including all benefits), placing teachers in the top 5% of the income distribution. Younger teachers have…

Since the advent of humanity, there has been a struggle for human beings to survive. Living among a huge variety of plants and other animals, humans have been confronted with survival. Darwin spoke about the survival of the fittest among living organisms. I think it is still true today. In our modern world, we look at where we are. At present, there is the survival of the fittest between the West and East. Where will this all end? Should there not be working together between the West and the East so that we can all survive comfortably? At present, we have a war in Ukraine. Ukraine accuses Russia of destabilising its country. Russia accuses Ukraine of oppressing its community in Ukraine. The West supports Ukraine, while Russia has the support…

It is unthinkable and unspeakable that in the current situation in Zimbabwe girls aged 10 years old are getting pregnant. The government of Zimbabwe is failing these young people because it is not putting enough measures in place to prevent these catastrophes. The main drivers causing girls to become pregnant at 10 years old include extreme poverty, church practices and that the law is not hard enough on statutory rape. The Zimbabwean government is silent, yet they have the strongest leverage to stop the abuse of these young girls. President Emmerson Mnangagwa has failed to value these young girls who are being abused and taken advantage of and therefore he should tender his resignation for allowing such horrific abuse of tender girls who are on the extreme edge of poverty…

In July this year, following the incident in which 21 young people lost their lives in an Eastern Cape tavern, President Cyril Ramaphosa considered raising the legal drinking age to 21. While such proposed laws should be welcomed, without proper enforcement, the outcome cannot be achieved. The consumption of alcohol by youngsters is seriously detrimental to their physical health and educational progress, but raising the legal drinking age on its own is insufficient to protect the youth from the harmful effects of excessive alcohol consumption. South Africa already has the necessary legislative framework in place to ensure alcohol-free workplaces and roads, but extending this protection to the youth will necessitate much stricter law enforcement. One third of the South African population is under the age of 18. According to Aware.org,…