Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-01-25 i Cape Argus

The “Oscars” of the unit trust industry, the annual Raging Bull Awards, hosted by Personal Finance will take place on Tuesday, February 28. Reverting to tradition after two years of being a virtual presentation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event takes the form of a lavish black-tie dinner, to be held this year at Pigalle restaurant in Green Point, Cape Town. The special guest speaker at this year’s ceremony, which celebrates the top-performing unit trust funds of 2022 is Edward Kieswetter, Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (Sars). Kieswetter has headed Sars since 2019. His previous roles included group chief executive for the Alexander Forbes Group, group executive of the Sars Large Business Centre and High Net Worth Unit, Sars chief operating officer and deputy commissioner, and senior…

Set in the ’50s in Pittsburgh, USA, Fences follows the story of Troy Maxson, his wife Rose and sons, Cory and Lyons. Troy works as a garbage collector alongside his best friend, Jim Bono, whom he has known for decades. Written by renowned African American playwright August Wilson, Fences explores the evolving African- American experience while examining race relations and other themes which resonate with what South Africa experienced during apartheid, into democracy and celebrated over the years. “August Wilson is the most performed playwright in America today. Most of his plays have been adapted into great movies including Fences, directed by and starring Denzel Washington,” said Kani. “Viola Davis won an Oscar for Best Actress for playing Rose. It is so fitting that the Joburg Theatre celebrates this…

The National Funeral Practitioners Association of SA, the largest funeral parlour association in the country, says funeral parlours are being hit hard by load shedding as they are spending large amounts of money on generators and fuel to ensure bodies in mortuaries are properly preserved before burials. The association’s spokesperson Dududu Magano said funeral parlours were dealing with many challenges. “The major issue is load shedding. There is no power for a number of hours and sometimes the power does not come on at the scheduled time. This makes you incur additional costs. “We have had to invest a lot of money in back-up generators. By law, funeral parlours need to have back-up generators for storing bodies at mortuaries. However, we have had to invest in additional generators and at…

Searching for and rescuing people in distress has become a daily occurrence for Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR). The organisation was kept busy with 33 call-outs around the Cape this month so far, significantly more than in previous years. In one recent incident, a drone was used to locate hikers stuck on a ledge above Newlands Forest. WSAR is a network of government agencies and civilian volunteer organisations who partner in search and rescue operations. WSAR spokesperson David Nel said: “Our peak summer season is still on a high, with huge numbers of locals and tourists exploring the outdoors. That means we’ve been exceptionally busy, with our team members responding to numerous incidents.” Nel said they usually responded to 40 call-outs during the festive period but this year, they responded…

Suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has been granted her wish to have her predecessor, Thuli Madonsela, summoned to appear and testify before the parliamentary committee probing her fitness to hold office. The committee spent its first meeting of the year weighing up the merits of applications from Mkhwebane’s legal team to summon five witnesses, including Madonsela, who had declined to testify voluntarily. The five were Madonsela, Public Protector South Africa investigator Bianca Mvuyana, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, DA MP Natasha Mazzone and acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka. Before making its decisions, the committee received a briefing from parliamentary legal adviser Fatima Ebrahim on the principles it should consider in its consideration of the applications. The committee said it agreed to summon Madonsela because she would add value to…

The provincial Department of Human Settlements says it has no plans to evict tenants of the De Waal Drive (Philip Kgosana) complex rental units as long as they continue to adhere to the conditions of the lease agreements. The department was responding to fears of a group of elderly long-term residents of the property, owned by the provincial government, who had told the Cape Argus they were worried about being evicted. The residents also said they wanted the department to give them the same deal as residents of Gatesville, who were recently allowed to buy their homes. In 2021 Human Settlements MEC Tertuis Simmers told the provincial legislature the department had followed through with a decision to sell off 136 rental units it owned at Gatesville, even though the promise…

David Miller’s big-hitting is renowned the world over. And for the second consecutive SA20 encounter, the Paarl Royals skipper delivered at the crunch moment to haul his team over the line. Miller clubbed 37 not out off just 23 balls as the Royals chased down the Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s 130/5 with seven balls and five wickets to spare at St George’s Park in Gqeberha yesterday. The powerful southpaw was particularly severe on Proteas teammate Sisanda Magala in the 18th over. The match was evenly balanced, with the Royals requiring 30 runs off the final 18 balls. It was at this stage that Miller moved through the gears and exploded with three sixes in the over. The first was a trademark straight drive down the ground and over the sight-screen. Magala…

A veteran of the hospitality industry who found himself out of work due to the Covid-19 pandemic and harsh lockdowns imposed by the government came up with an innovative way to support his family. “I’d travel around Joburg, working odd jobs as a cleaner or in retail. Wherever I could find work, I would take it,” entrepreneur Take Lehubedu Mohlabe recalled after losing his job in the hospitality industry. At a busy intersection along the R55 in Centurion, Mohlabe sells hot coffee to motorists passing by. While on his way to a job interview, Mohlabe said he felt for a steaming cup of coffee on a cold winter’s morning. “I got to the traffic light, the same traffic light I run my business from now. I got off…

Award-winning Afro-pop musician Asanda “Msaki” Mvana, right, has been hinting at taking a break from the limelight since last year after a tabloid report that alleged she was at the centre of the collapse of radio personality Smash Afrika’s marriage. The singer has now penned a farewell note to fans as she officially takes a break from performing and being in the spotlight. “Please also understand why I have to leave this space. Please release me. I may seem weak because I let this get to me. But I am sensitive, and sentimental, an empath (this is my most valuable creativity tool), my skin is not thick … “It is porous so I feel the changes in the breeze. I’m moved quickly and deeply and I understand this may be…

During Eskom’s first meeting for the year with the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) yesterday, Eskom CEO André de Ruyter detailed how criminality and corruption continued to hinder their efforts to rehabilitate Eskom and particularly the recovery of power stations that contributed the most to load shedding. The top six stations that contribute the most to load shedding are Tutuka, Duvha, Majuba, Kusile, Matla and Kendal. De Ruyter said these would be getting extra attention over the next two years in the recently announced Generation Recovery Plan to enable better reliability and availability of its units over the next two years. However, for this plan to be successful, a number of further resources and factors needed to align, including ensuring that these stations did not deteriorate further. De Ruyter…

Erik ten Hag has pledged to do everything in his power to end Manchester United’s worst trophy drought in 40 years ahead of their League Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest tonight. United have not won any silverware since the League Cup and Europa League in 2017, when Jose Mourinho was in charge at Old Trafford. The English giants have reached at least the semi-final stage of various competitions on six occasions since then, losing the 2018 FA Cup final and 2021 Europa League final. Ten Hag said United’s six-year wait for a trophy – a relative drought last experienced between 1977 and 1983 – was “too long”. “It’s the best feeling you can have winning a trophy,” said the Dutch manager, who won the Eredivisie with Ajax Amsterdam last season.…

In his relatively short Proteas career, Anrich Nortje has worked with quite a number of national team coaches. From Ottis Gibson to Enoch Nkwe and then Mark Boucher and lastly Malibongwe Maketa, the fast bowler has been through a few. And now ahead of the three-match one-day international series against England, the bustling fast bowler will meet the latest coach of the Proteas team. Rob Walter, who has been installed as the new white-ball mentor is not available, so Test coach Shukri Conrad will instead guide the team against England in Bloemfontein and Kimberley. Nortje is keen to experience the fresh energy and ideas Conrad will bring to the Proteas. “I have not worked with him before, but I am excited to see what he is going to bring to…

THREE former DA councillors from the Swellendam Municipality whose membership was terminated by DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille for not toeing the party line will challenge their expulsion in the Western Cape High Court today. The three – former speaker Bongani Sonqwenqwe, deputy mayor Abraham Pokwas and councillor Gcobisa Mangcu-Qotyiwe – spent yesterday in consultation with their lawyers tweaking their affidavits, which they said call for their immediate reinstatement to both the DA and the council. Accompanied by ousted Western Cape provincial legislature speaker Masizole Mnqasela, whose membership of the DA was terminated last year, the three said their quest to have their membership restored was driven by the belief that the termination was “arbitrary and unjust”. Earlier this month, the three said they were axed for trying to…

The formidable freedom fighter Dr Frene Ginwala, whose memorial service took place today in Johannesburg, was honoured for her great contribution to the country and ANC. President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered her eulogy. Ginwala died at her home in Cape Town on January 12, at the age of 90, following a stroke two weeks earlier. Described as a pioneer instrumental in the progression of women’s rights, South Africa’s freedom from the apartheid regime and navigating safe routes for banned and exiled ANC stalwarts, Ginwala was hoisted up as one of the most influential women in South Africa’s rich history. Former minister and presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj described Ginwala as an indomitable spirit, an authentic freedom fighter forged in the furnace of Struggle. At a time of great uncertainty and danger, Ginwala…

IT HAS been five weeks since a determined Capetonian, Richard Kohler, 53, embarked on his solo journey, paddling a kayak from Granger Bay, crossing to Brazil and reaching the halfway mark. Kohler’s journey began with him travelling north, along South Africa’s West Coast paddling his kayak, Osiyeza (The Crossing named after Johnny Clegg’s famous song). Giving it a second attempt, Kohler looked past his December 2021 failure, where he was forced to make a detour to Walvis Bay after being out at sea for more than two weeks. This was due to corrosion in his solar panel wiring, restricting him from charging on board batteries, which would have seriously compromised his safety. Determined to beat the odds, Kohler has fearlessly stayed the course and has been at the sea alone…

HEALTH MEC Dr Nomafrench Mbombo along with Tygerberg Hospital staff provided a realistic yet encouraging view of what lies ahead for its new cohort of medical interns and students. The department welcomed about 75 new medical interns and community service doctors from across the country at the hospital yesterday. At the Western Cape College of Emergency Care, at Tygerberg Hospital, Mbombo greeted 39 Emergency Medical Care (ECA) Higher Certificate students. They are employees from EMS and the Emergency First Aid Response (EFAR) community outreach programme, as well as 18 Continuous Education and Training (CET) students, who are EMS employees hoping to upgrade their matric results to meet the entry criteria for the new qualifications on offer. Addressing the interns, hospital chief operating officer, Dr Paul Ciapparelli, said: “Internship is a…

From the onset, I profusely apologise to all the eThekwini Municipality customers who are experiencing intermittent provision of basic services such as electricity and water. Chapter 7 of the Constitution spells out clearly that the City has the responsibility of providing basic services to communities in a sustainable manner. We regret that there have been circumstances that are beyond our control, in some parts of the City, which have been a hindrance in us living up to this constitutional mandate. The City buys electricity from the power utility, Eskom, to the tune of R13.2 billion a year. We then provide this electricity to customers in accordance with tariffs approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa). The power utility has recently experienced breakdowns at seven of its coal-powered…

If ever Evan Roos wanted to stake a serious claim for the Springbok World Cup squad, Friday night’s United Rugby Championship clash against Ulster in Belfast is the time to do it. That is when the just-turned-23-year-old Roos will come up against Bok stalwart Duane Vermeulen at Ravenhill Stadium (9.35pm kickoff). Competition for places in Jacques Nienaber’s Bok squad is as tight as ever, and that’s especially true for the loose forwards. The Bok management opted to give Vermeulen a breather from the November tour, with Jasper Wiese the starting No 8. Roos, though, also impressed as a starter against England – with Wiese unavailable due to club commitments – despite sustaining a rib injury in the first half of the 27-13 at Twickenham. The 36-year-old Vermeulen, though, has made…

MI Cape Town coach Simon Katich has not given up hope that his team can progress to the SA20 play-offs. MI Cape Town slumped to a 52-run defeat to the Pretoria Capitals before a sold-out Newlands on Monday night. It was a disappointing end to a stretch of home fixtures that had awoken a passion for cricket not seen in the Mother City for many years. “We knew this was going to be a really big game for us … last game at home,” Katich told the media. “They have obviously been playing really well. They were coming off a game against Paarl, so it was a tough schedule for them. “But there is a reason why there are cliches in cricket. Catches win matches. And that’s how the game…

Stefanos Tsitsipas said he was “a different player” from the past after blasting into a fourth Australian Open semi-final and a showdown with Karen Khachanov yesterday. The Greek third seed proved too powerful for unseeded Czech Jiri Lehecka on Rod Laver Arena, storming home 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-4 as he zeroes in on a maiden major title. He will face Russian 18th seed Khachanov for a place in his first Melbourne Park final, having crashed in the semis three times previously, including in the past two years. Russia’s Khachanov booked his place when American Sebastian Korda retired hurt with a wrist injury while trailing 7-6(5), 6-3, 3-0. Asked afterwards if he felt differently from previous years and believes this could finally be his year, the 24-year-old Tsitsipas said: “I’m feeling great…