Indholdsfortegnelse for 2022-12-29 i Cape Argus

THE Postbank lost R77m in a 2021 hack of its IT systems and the breach was possibly committed by one of its contractors, Communications and Digital Technologies director-general Omega Shelembe has told MPs. Three investigations were ordered into the hack, but the department has kept the details under wraps. Shelembe was responding to questions from DA MP Bridget Staff Masango on behalf of the department this week. The revelation comes a fortnight after this publication quoted Treasury Minister Enoch Godongwana as saying that the Federal Bureau of Investigation intercepted a hack attempt on the SA Reserve Bank in October this year. Masango had asked how much the Postbank had lost due to “hacking and theft” in the last three financial years. Shelembe did not offer much detail about the circumstances,…

A HANOVER Park teen is the latest victim of a long-simmering gang war in the area which has claimed several lives. Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said Philippi police were called to the scene of a shooting on Monday evening in Athburg Walk, Hanover Park. On arrival they discovered the body of Abubakur Samuels, 17, who had been shot. Twigg said no suspects had yet been arrested. The teenager was buried in Athlone yesterday in accordance with Muslim rites. Hanover Park CPF chairperson Kashiefa Mohammed said Hanover Park was a war zone, where people died daily. “A few years ago Hanover Park was a loving community but now the gangsters have taken over our community. The area has become a graveyard, bodies have been picked up daily. The community is sick…

The Pinetown Magistrate’s Court reserved judgment in respect of a bail decision for a taxi owner charged in relation to the brazen shooting that happened outside the Pinetown police station in October. Samkelo Lucky Zondi, who faces a murder charge as well as two counts of attempted murder, made his bail application yesterday where it emerged that he was arrested for the October shooting while in the dock charged with another murder for which he was out on bail. Zondi, 34, faces three other counts of being found with ammunition as well as a prohibited firearm in his current matter. The State told the court that in the pending matter Zondi also faced charges of being found with firearms and ammunition. | Anelisa Kubheka…

This is my last column for this year, an annus horribilis. We have had some notable deaths which were turned into media circuses, other deaths were lessons in morality about teenage drinking and nightclub deaths, others were supposedly ignominious deaths of ordinary proles who go through a lifetime without anybody even noticing they were there. It might appear I have an agenda of attrition. Not so. This is just a calm assessment of some truths which will again sink into the morass of twisted and flawed polemic and deceit that is our national gruel. Basically, the cry is: “Keep Cyril where he is. He represents that last possible vestige of dignity and recompense that the eager investors are seeking, while holding back the investments we all need so sadly. He…

Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi has confirmed the death toll from the gas truck explosion on December 24 has once again risen, from 18 to 26, following reports of an additional eight deaths on Wednesday. Lesufi’s announcement came just as members of the media and society at large reacted to the news that the 32-year-old truck driver responsible for the carnage had been released from prison without having made his court appearance at Boksburg Magistrate’s Court, as was expected on Wednesday. Lesufi relayed the news after his visit to the families of the victims in the area, which saw members of the provincial government visit some of those affected by the deadly explosion. The 32-year-old truck driver who caused the deaths of at least 26 people, among them staffers at the…

A Police-driven operation in the North West Province between Friday, December 23 and Tuesday, December 27 to prevent and combat crime has resulted in the arrest of 408 suspects and the shutting down of 15 illegal liquor outlets. According to Captain Aafje Botma, the suspects were arrested in all districts for crimes ranging from murder to assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and common assault, illegal possession of firearms, rape, robbery with a weapon other than a firearm, possession of suspected stolen goods, burglary and stock theft. “As part of enforcement of the Liquor Act (No 27 of 1989), 150 individuals were fined for drinking in public, 14 for being drunk in a public place while 15 illegal liquor outlets were closed,” said Botma. A further 25 suspects…

When Ukrainian forces came across the abandoned Russian fighting vehicle on the battlefield, they knew they had found a rare prize. The BMP-3, armed with a 100mm main gun and a 30mm autocannon, was one of the few of its kind that the Ukrainian military had seized from the Russians since the start of the invasion. But about a month ago, after weeks of being operated by Ukrainian soldiers, its engine and fuelling system began to fail. Ever since, the Russian fighting vehicle has been out of commission, stuck at a repair site in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. Ukrainian forces have seized hundreds of what they call “trophies” – Russian tanks, armoured personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles – since the start of the war. They’ve become valuable assets for Kyiv.…

Business people invited to ANC cash bash The ANC has taken its gala dinner prices up a notch and will now charge business people R1.2m to rub shoulders with re-elected ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa during the party’s 111th anniversary celebrations. The event (which will precede the party’s January 8 rally) will be held on January 7 in the Sand du Plessis Theatre marble foyer in Markgraaf Street, Bloemfontein. The ANC’s cash source, the Progressive Business Forum (PBF), stands to rake in, at the very least, R3m from three tables, where senior party leaders will sit with business people, and seats for business people to mingle with Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) and National Executive Committee (NEC) members, MECs and mayors. If business people wish to meet either ANC deputy president Paul…

More than 200 South African students from Mpumalanga who are studying in Russia faced a bleak Christmas with no food after the provincial government failed to pay their tuition fees and living costs. The students are enrolled at different universities in Russia to study Aviation, Engineering, Medicine and Information Technology. According to activist and spokesperson for the students Hayley Reichert, fees and other living costs haven’t been paid for at least six months. Speaking to eNCA, Reichert said since students raised the alarm, only 47 had had their fees paid. “I’m getting desperate calls and pleas from these students, they are unable to eat. One of them said she had bread and water for Christmas and they are being told that they are going to be evicted as of December…

Three men accused of killing a police officer in Khayelitsha appeared yesterday in the Strand Magistrate’s Court on a charge of murder. The matter was postponed until January 10 for a formal bail application. Nelson Motumi, Bonigisizwe Dyongo and Athenkosi Matutu are suspected of killing a member of the SAPS on Christmas Day. Hawks (Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigation) spokesperson Zinzi Hani said: “Four men between the ages of 21 and 37 who allegedly stabbed and killed a 33- year-old police officer in Lwandle after he went off duty in Lingelethu West SAPS have been arrested.” Hani added: “Information showed that before being robbed, he fired several shots toward his attackers and injured one in the process. “The injured person was taken to Hottentots Hospital and later transferred to Tygerberg…

The news that the case against the Boksburg gas tanker driver was dropped should be met with outrage. The truck carrying unknown gas got stuck under a bridge on Christmas Eve. After it got stuck, the gas container started leaking, resulting in an explosion that caused extensive damage to public and private infrastructure as well as sustained injuries and loss of life. The death toll has now risen to 26, and two people are still missing. The 32-year-old driver was released on Tuesday after the court found there wasn’t enough evidence. An official from the National Prosecuting Authority yesterday said there was no case against the driver. This is because provincial police said there was not enough evidence against him. Surely someone or the transport company should be held responsible…

The secretary general of the South African Council of Churches (SACC), Malusi Mpumlwana, said 2022 was a year where racists reigned supreme, forgetting the message of love and peace preached by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Mpumlwana said the SACC was concerned that the unity in diversity project that came into being in 1994 had lost steam, giving rise to an increase in incidents of racism that have made local and international headlines. Recently, the Free State made news after a group of black people were not allowed to swim in a pool that was apparently reserved for white people. The story made headlines and once again exposed the attitudes that have been harboured in small towns across the country. It was also in the Free State in 2008 that black workers…

Three white men have been arrested in connection with the alleged racial attack at the Maselspoort Resort and Conference Centre in Bloemfontein, Free State. In a statement issued yesterday, police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele said the first two suspects who have been linked to the racial incident at the resort are 33-year-old Johan Nel from Bothaville, Free State, and 47-year-old Jan Stephanus van der Westhuizen from Brandfort, who have been charged with assault and crimen injuria. A third suspect was arrested for attempted murder. Makhele said Nel and Van der Westhuizen were released on a warning, with the matter having been postponed to January 25. He said the third man, a 48-year-old from Bloemfontein, will remain in custody and will appear in court today. A video of two teenage black…

LOOKING back, 2022 was a challenging year for education in South Africa and the African continent. It began on a sad note for South Africa’s matriculants as many faced the prospect of a bleak future after being spewed out of a school system that continues to fail millions of learners. On the flipside, private schools have continued to get a lousy rap amid stubborn silence from the Independent Schools Association of SA (Isasa) on various issues affecting its members. If they care, it has not been evident. As many as 45% of parents struggled to keep up with the exorbitant fees for their children at private schools. At the same time, Isasa’s puppet leadership allows its members to escape without transforming; their silence on bullying at several schools over the…

Beijing’s sudden pivot away from containing Covid-19 has caused jitters around the world, with the US saying it may restrict travel from China following its decision to end mandatory quarantine for overseas arrivals. China this week scrapped quarantine for inbound travellers from January 8 onwards, dismantling the last remaining piece of its stringent zero Covid policy and ending some of the world’s harshest border restrictions. The move was greeted with jubilation by Chinese citizens, who rushed to book international flights, triggering a surge in ticket prices. Hospitals and crematoriums across China continue to be overwhelmed by an influx of mostly elderly people. Dozens of mostly elderly Covid-19 patients were lying on gurneys in overflowing hospital emergency wards in Tianjin, 140km south-west of the capital Beijing yesterday. Medical staff were “pretty…

KAIZER Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane will be hoping his team can continue where they left off when they resume their Premiership season on Saturday. Zwane and the Amakhosi faithful will fondly remember Yusuf Maart’s stunning match-winning goal against arch-rivals Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium in the Soweto derby in October. The stats showed that Pirates dominated the game, but were unable to capitalise. On Saturday, Chiefs will run out at Moses Mabhida Stadium against hosts Golden Arrows in their final league fixture for 2022 (3.30pm). “We are coming back from a long recess. It is an unusual one at this time of the season. So, it will be a case of adaptation and a change of mindset from our players,” said Zwane. “We finished the first half of the season…