Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-02-02 i Cape Argus

This year, musician and songwriter Valerie Omari will be releasing her highly anticipated second EP, titled Closure. Omari was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo but now lives in Portland, Texas in the US. She got her big break in 2018 with her first single, Just Like The Rain. She will shortly release a new single, For You featuring Atlanta artist Smahlo, a connection she made before moving to the US. The artist has given fans a taste of what they can expect on the EP with the December release of the first single, If I Tried, featuring The Rabbi Himself. “The song was inspired by events that took place before me ending my previous relationship. The entire song sums up how I was no longer compatible with someone…

POLICE in Gauteng have arrested a man, his wife and girlfriend following the kidnapping of a Midrand businessman two weeks ago. According to the police, the trio were nabbed with two others, bringing the total number of suspects to five. “Following the businessman’s kidnapping, the suspects demanded ransom payment from the family and business associates of the victim. “The suspects were arrested at residential properties between Pretoria and Johannesburg,” said SAPS national spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe. She said a Toyota Corolla, a Toyota Quantum, multiple cellphones and SIM cards were also seized. Mathe said the police were working around the clock to weed out kidnapping syndicates targeting businessmen in the province. Mathe says more than 124 suspects, implicated in kidnappings across Gauteng and surrounding areas, have been arrested. She added…

Pioneer of non-racial sports, Abduraghman “Lefty” Adams, passed away at the age of 84. Lefty was one of the greatest cricketers of our times. He earnestly strove to eradicate racism in sports – he believed that the fight against racism must be rooted in the recognition of and respect for everyone’s humanity and dignity. Those who have experienced the impact of racism will agree that it is a scourge that cuts deep and causes pain and human suffering. The history of the world has seen too many crimes of hate and discrimination. From the civil rights movement in the US to the fall of apartheid in South Africa, many people have come together to fight racism and discrimination, and they have achieved remarkable things. Lefty was an outstanding cricketer who…

Petty party politics is destroying orderly government and the management of local authorities. Democracy is supposed to be an enabler of citizen participation in decision-making in public affairs. There is, however, a flipside to the democratic right, and that is responsibility. What we are experiencing is reckless power-grabbing by greedy party politicians. Their main interest is to open doors to so-called status and financial income. The recent flip-flopping by some minority parties, with the collusion of bigger parties, in the recent and pending no confidence voting, is making a circus of what should be a responsible service commitment to the public by responsible leaders. The gamblers’ motto appears to be: “I’ll scratch your back while you scratch mine – until I can grip my dagger if you do not agree…

Unilever has suspended sales of Hellmann’s mayonnaise to South Africa, the company and major retailers confirmed yesterday, due to the high cost of importing the product from the US. Hellmann’s South Africa business tweeted on Tuesday: “Due to high inflationary import costs, we will regretfully be discontinuing Hellmann’s in South Africa until further notice.” A Unilever spokesperson said the pause was due to high raw material and shipping costs. Unilever will continue to import Hellmann’s 1-kilo tubs of mayonnaise for its Unilever’s Food Solutions business. Hellmann’s is a very small brand in South Africa, which is why it is not produced locally, the spokesperson said. | REUTERS…

WOMEN’S World Cup co-hosts Australia and New Zealand have written to Fifa seeking urgent clarification after reports that Saudi Arabia’s tourism authority has signed a sponsorship deal for the global football showpiece. Football Australia (FA) expects global football governing body Fifa to confirm that Visit Saudi will join international brands such as adidas, Coca-Cola and Visa as major sponsors of the 32-team tournament which kicks off in July, the Guardian reported. FA said it understood Fifa had entered into a “destination partnership agreement” for the World Cup and had written to Fifa seeking clarity on the situation. “We are very disappointed that Football Australia were not consulted on this matter prior to any decision being made,” FA said in a statement yesterday. New Zealand Football added in a separate statement:…

PROTEAS women’s coach Hilton Moreeng is adamant that he has “the strongest 15 available for selection” and that he firmly believes that “it’s the best” combination to win the Women’s T20 World Cup. The home team, who are set to play the opening game of the tournament against Sri Lanka at Newlands next Friday, have been submerged in chaos after Dane van Niekerk was omitted from the 15-player T20 World Cup squad. The former captain was overlooked due to not meeting the national team’s fitness requirements, which includes running a two-kilometre time trial in under 9mins 30secs. The fall-out has been immense with Van Niekerk “absolutely broken”, while her wife and teammate Marizanne Kapp has requested “compassionate leave” and will therefore miss the Tri-Series T20 final against India in East…

The start of the new year brings “tax season“ upon us – a good time to review your financial situation and use any available tax benefits before the end of the tax year on February 28. You have until this date to make additional contributions towards a retirement fund, a retirement annuity (RA) or a tax-free savings account (TFSA) to get the benefit in time for your next tax submission. The South African Revenue Service offers generous tax deductions when you make contributions to your RA, pension or provident fund. This means you can save more for retirement and, at the same time, pay less tax. You can make contributions of up to 27.5% of your total taxable income, up to a maximum of R350 000 a year, and get…

Radio and TV personality Penny Lebyane, right, has refuted claims that she paid around R80 000 towards the legal fees of former lover Thato “DJ Fresh” Sikwane, for a case of defamation in 2020. This comes after DJ Fresh revealed in the latest episode of Podcast and Chill with MacG that Lebyane and Ntsiki Mazwai had to pay just under R300 000 towards his legal fees. “They lost in court ... Ntsiki finally paid up ... she paid my legal fees. Penny paid my legal fees,” he said. When asked how much the duo paid, the former Metro FM presenter confirmed Mazwai paid R200 000 and Lebyane about R80 000. In a series of tweets, Lebyane responded to the claim, saying that she never paid “anyone anything”. “Not a…

The Road Accident Fund (RAF) does not fall under the Department of Employment and Labour. The shenanigans and the dysfunctionality of the RAF almost mirrors the largely dysfunctional Department of Employment and Labour. As an aside, it must be mentioned the only functional element within the Department of Employment and Labour is the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration. In the past week, we have seen two interesting court rulings against the RAF. First, a few days ago, the RAF lost its application to appeal against a 2022 court ruling. The court said the RAF would have to continue paying the medical aid schemes (a third party) for medical expenses incurred on behalf of injured patients (members of the schemes) who had been in vehicle accidents. The medical schemes have…

I have been out of the National Department of Basic Education (NDBE) for seven years and every day I ponder how we can create a dynamic education system in South Africa which will serve all its citizens. One thing that is clear to me is that the majority of retired teachers do not want to dirty their hands by working in education voluntarily. They feel they have spent 30-40 years in the profession and it is time for them to spoil themselves. Can you blame them? They have faced enough obstacles from the Education Department. I believe that unless the majority of in-service teachers get involved in the running of education, the education system in SA will deteriorate. When I entered teaching in 1977, separate teacher organisations for the different…

AFTER decades in the doldrums, Newcastle United’s progress to their first League Cup final in 47 years underlined the Saudi-funded club’s emergence as a serious threat to the English football establishment. Sean Longstaff’s double sealed a 2-1 win against Southampton in Tuesday’s semi-final second leg at a raucous St James’ Park, sending the Magpies to their first domestic final this century after a 3-1 victory on aggregate. Revitalised by the astute leadership of Eddie Howe and the financial muscle of a Saudi-backed ownership group, a club once regarded as the laughing stock of the Premier League can finally hold their heads high. Newcastle sit third in the Premier League and look to be on the cusp of a golden era as serial trophy contenders. “It is amazing. If you’d have…

Remember when South Africans clubbed together to ensure that Olympic medallists Tatjana Schoenmaker and Bianca Buitendag would receive a decent bonus for their exploits at Tokyo 2020? At the time, Sascoc revealed that they did not have enough resources to afford a bonus for multiple medallist Schoeman and silver medallist Buitendag for their exploits in the swimming pool and in surfing, respectively. They did not have the money, they said, to honour the two Olympians. So, there we were, the SA public trying to generate some cash to honour the two women. Similar issues haunt our athletes when they endeavour to represent the nation at local and international events in athletics. Hockey finds itself begging for aid every time an Olympics comes along. It should, therefore, make all of us…

Patience is an important quality when you are trying to succeed at something, and investing is no different. It is all about being able to play the waiting game by staying calm and invested. Although investing has become more accessible over the years, thanks to the rise in new digital platforms, sticking to your investments takes a lot of courage whether you are a new or seasoned investor, according to Momentum. The Momentum Investments 2021 Sci-Fi report showed that 50% of investors who switched investments in 2021, did it due to market volatility. Further research has proven that it is best to stay put once you have invested. To keep jumping ship in chasing better returns elsewhere will most likely lead to losing money, the company stated. You have to…

Two pit bull-cross family dogs were senselessly gunned down by unknown assailants in Newlands, north of Durban on January 25. Gizelle Chetty, the owner of the dogs, named Prince and Bella, called for justice in a Facebook post which was shared over 500 times at the weekend. Chetty urged the community to provide assistance in finding the culprits. “I urge the community to please help our family seek justice for our fur babies,” Chetty’s post read. Chetty said that the incident occurred between 3pm and 5pm on Wednesday, January 25, on Amlock Drive, Newlands West. The dogs were shot 12 times, with neither of them surviving. The family said that both Prince and Bella were loving and playful and never showed aggression toward anyone. “We as a family will not…

We are experiencing an alarming escalation of cable theft and electricity components in the City, and Lansdowne and Sybrand Park are not exempt. During this last week of January, residents had to endure a double whammy of blackouts when electrical connectors were stolen twice from electricity boxes. The City’s electricity department was swift in restoring power and replacing the connectors, but the need to make the electricity boxes and all electricity-generating apparatus vandal-proof is imperative. I believe that there exist syndicates who target the electrical components and carry on a lucrative illicit trade in these parts. We were shown by the mayor of Saldanha Bay, Cllr Andre Truter, an illustration of smart poles – a European innovation whereby streetlights are powered by renewable wind energy sources, as well as relaying…

As calls increase on the government to expedite energy generation from independent producers, politicians are having a field day with their conjuncture. At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said the target to eradicate load shedding was 12 to 18 months. Meanwhile, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe claimed that there was excess electricity idling in the system. Mantashe further said it would take six to 12 months to address rolling blackouts if Eskom paid attention to the problem. However, the so-called experts dismiss his claims as outright lies. In the midst of all this, imagine the plight of Koko Modipadi from Sekabing in Limpopo. She started a café after serving as a domestic worker for 35 years, but it’s operating at a loss…

As THE Covid-19 pandemic persists, albeit with less harrowing effects, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) has announced its approval of a new oral drug for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 infections, reducing the chances of hospitalisation due to the virus. Last week, Sahpra said it had registered Paxlovid, an anti-viral medicine manufactured by Pfizer, for the treatment of Covid-19. Paxlovid consists of two separate medications, Nirmatrelvir (150mg) and Ritonavir (100mg), and is used for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 in adults who do not require supplemental oxygen and who are at a high risk of severe disease, the drug regulatory body said in a statement. The treatment consists of tablets for a five-day regimen, to be taken in the morning and evening. Some…

The Department of Transport and Public Works has put out a notice about the coming construction that will take place on Clarence Drive (R44) between the Grill Shack (km 53.5) and Steenbras Dam Mountain Pass (km 56.5). From February 6 to February 21 motorists are advised to use alternative routes where possible. The road, recognised as a scenic route between Gordon’s Bay and Rooi Els, will be closed every day except for Sundays for emergency slope stabilisation repairs. Stop-and-go controls will be in place on Sundays and between 6pm and 8am on every other day of the week. During the time of construction, access to the Grill Shack will only be possible from the Rooi Els side. The department’s head of communication, Jandre Bakker, said the slopes above this section…

Stellenbosch University (SU) announced the untimely death of its council chairperson and alumnus, Ainsley Moos. The announce- ment was made yesterday. The SU rector and vice-chancellor Professor Wim de Villiers said: “Not only has the university lost an extremely talented council chairperson, but a valued and loyal friend.” A family statement confirmed Moos had died unexpectedly on Tuesday evening due to complications following anaesthetic for a minor procedure on his mouth at a Day Clinic in Stellenbosch. Moos turned 45 on January 15. Solemn tributes have been streaming in for the astute academic, former journalist and editor of Volksblad, Landbouweweekblad and Sake24, and an accomplished businessman. “This is a huge shock to the university community, and it comes – to say the least – at a time when the university…

Myanmar’s junta was granted a six-month extension to a state of emergency, state media reported yesterday, likely delaying elections the military had pledged to hold by August. The country has been in turmoil since the army’s power grab in 2021, and a subsequent crackdown on dissent has sparked fighting across swathes of the nation while tanking the economy. On the second anniversary of the putsch, state media reported that the National Defence and Security Council had agreed to junta chief Min Aung Hlaing’s request to prolong the state of emergency declared when the generals toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s government. The “state of emergency will be extended for another six months starting from February 1”, Acting President Myint Swe was quoted as saying. “Sovereign power of the state has been…