Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-03-14 i Cape Argus

THE uMaStandi Fund, owned by TUHF21 and provides financing for rental properties in townships, has attracted R125 million in funding from new sources in its first year of operations. The uMaStandi facility uses ownership of property as equity to gear a rental enterprise where owners can build quality, affordable rental units on their land. It also ensures that construction is properly managed and has all the necessary planning permissions. TUHF21, a commercial property financier that provides specialised financial services and solutions to its clients in the inner cities of the metros across the country, yesterday announced the finalisation of the uMaStandi Fund. Lusanda Netshitenzhe, the CEO of TUHF21 said, “We are proud that we were able to attract a mixture of funding partners, including a commercial bank and some…

The Western Cape government is taking a stand against the EFF’s planned shutdown on March 20. The party decided on a national shutdown as a response to several failures by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration. In a recent statement, EFF leader Julius Malema said: “Now is the time to take action. The streets are calling. We all have to occupy all the streets of South Africa.Unemployment can’t be tolerated anymore. If you aren’t working, it’s your day to show that you’re concerned. If you don’t have electricity because of Eskom, stand up and show the Eskom government that you’re tired.” EFF spokesperson Sinawo Tambo hadn’t responded to requests for comment at the time of writing. Stellenbosch Municipality condemned “deliberate threats of violence, looting and intimidation”. It vowed that service delivery would…

Macassar police have opened an inquest case for investigation following the discovery of a body on Sunday believed to be that of 10-year-old Denecke Persence who went missing on Saturday. The body was discovered in a canal next to the N2 by a search party that was set up immediately after she was reported missing on Saturday afternoon. Community leader Waseemah Flaendorp said when the body was found, it was face down in the water surrounded by tall grass with “a big tyre” on top of it. The family declined to talk to the media, saying that they were awaiting DNA results that would confirm that the body was that of their daughter. However, Flaendorp said the girl’s grandmother and father, who were present, identified the takkies as those of…

RESEARCH has found that the online anti-foreigner conversation continues to flourish, with proponents citing a number of South Africa’s socio-economic challenges, including unemployment, crime and service delivery, as reasons why foreign nationals should leave. The research by the Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change is based on research of online conversations on social media in January this year and has been published in a report titled Project: Xenophobia. The research found tweets that received the most traction over the reporting period were focused on the activities of alleged foreign national drug dealers and the associated community unrest or raids that ensued. The report read in part: “The behavioural drivers (categories) identified in this report don’t exist in silos and are often used together to embed feelings of anger toward foreigners.…

With the country experiencing high stages of load shedding, Eskom has elaborated on its plans to prepare schedules beyond Stage 8, and has tried to allay fears of a country-wide blackout. For a few hours on Sunday, South Africans were given a reprieve from the high stages that have been worsening since mid-2022, as load shedding was reduced to Stage 1. Now the higher stages are back in force. Rotating Stage 4 and Stage 5 load shedding was expected to be experienced this week, but yesterday Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said due to some recovery in the generation capacity over the past 24 hours, only Stage 4 load shedding would continue until further notice. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s annual statistics report on power generation in South Africa…

Although we have taken our rightful place on the world stage, the ANC are showing themselves to be politically naive. Their error, as time will show, is their arrogance in thinking they were the only saviours of our country being governed by the previous National Party, whose abysmal policy was based on dividing, as opposed to uniting. As great a man as he was, Nelson Mandela made a human error in being persuaded to align the ANC with communist agents. Robert Sobukwe was wise enough to realise that the agents of communism had their own agenda and was in fact a European import which was not suited to an African style of living. Sobukwe has been proved 100% correct post-1994 – capitalism is dominating the playing field with its dark…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has defended his burgeoning executive, which he increased from 28 to 30 ministers at his latest Cabinet reshuffle. Two new ministers were added: Minister of Electricity, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, and Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Maropene Ramokgopa. The 30 ministers will each take home over R2.4 million a year, which equates to a total payroll of around R600m a year to the taxpayer. Then there’s the cost of their staff and offices, and their ministerial residences installed with complimentary water and electricity, travel and car allow- nces, and other bells and whistles. But will they be serving at the pleasure of president, party or people? In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa insisted these were two critical appointments that had to be made to address urgent issues of national…

Pep Guardiola admits his Manchester City reign will be defined by success in the Champions League no matter how many times his side win the Premier League. City face Bundesliga high-fliers RB Leipzig in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie today, looking to advance to the quarter-finals for a sixth successive season. Guardiola’s men were held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg, but are fancied to progress in front of their own fans at the Etihad Stadium. For Guardiola, the quest to end City’s wait to win Europe’s elite club competition for the first time is both a source of frustration and inspiration. The 52-year-old has lifted the Premier League four times, while also winning four League Cups and one FA Cup during his remarkably…

After what feels like the longest silence, Idols SA season 13 winner Paxton Fielies is back with a new track. We’ve seen the Cape Town singer bloom from a shy 17-year-old to a confident 23- year-old, who is cracking the whip to her own bold style. Paxton recently released Touch & Go as a teaser ahead of her second album, which will be released soon. Paxton said her song touches on a personal issue that she experienced with dating at a time when she was mostly occupied with her career. “Touch & Go was inspired by a conversation I had with one of my friends about how difficult and complex dating can be in this day and age, especially as a young professional who is focused on her/his career and…

The DA wants new Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga to explain why Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) board chairperson Leonard Ramatlakane continues to use a house in Newlands that’s owned by the state-owned entity. Ramatlakane has reportedly occupied, since December, a Prasa-owned house for way less than the market-related rental, while his own house is being renovated in the north of the city. It’s not the first time Ramatlakane has been in the news for issues relating to houses. Ramatlakane said that if the Cape Argus didn’t understand the issue around the lease, then it shouldn’t ask him questions. He hung up and, via WhatsApp, said he would issue a statement this week. According to reports, Ramatlakane leased a market-related rental that includes paying electricity and water bills. He moved…

To political observers, South Africa’s legislatures can often appear to serve as a rubber stamp of government decision-making – given the example set in the ANC-majority national Parliament and some provincial legislatures. This is of course not the case everywhere, the Western Cape provincial parliament has more often than not proven that legislatures in South Africa can have teeth, can be non-partisan and can hold the executive to account. This is because, in the Western Cape provincial parliament, the DA has shied away from using its majority to drown out the opposition, but rather uses it to strengthen the legislature and its oversight mechanisms. As the majority party, we proactively decreased our allocated number of member statements during sittings from five to four; and as a standard practice, a member…

“The attitude of the white race is to subjugate, to exploit, and if necessary exterminate the weaker people with whom they come in contact. They subjugate first if the weaker people will stand for it; then exploit, and if they will not stand subjugation nor exploitation, the other recourse is extermination.” – Marcus Garvey In light of the racist violence directed against the African race by white settlers on the African continent, our survival as Africans, the rightful owner of the continent, is in question. Africans are like a hospitable owner of a big house who, upon seeing stranded strangers, invites them into some of the rooms of the house to stay together. After a while, these formerly stranded strangers turn against the hosts and become deadly guests. What…

US President Joe Biden sought to reassure Americans over the country’s banking system yesterday as more US banks came under stress and European stocks tumbled on contagion worries. SVB – a key lender to start-ups across the US since the 1980s – collapsed after a sudden run on deposits, prompting regulators to seize control on Friday. On Sunday night, US federal authorities stepped in to protect all depositors at SVB, and regulators took over a second troubled lender. “Americans can have confidence that the banking system is safe. Your deposits will be there when you need them,” Biden said in brief televised remarks from the White House in which he insisted taxpayers would not be on the hook. But there were immediate signs of pressure at additional US lenders. San…

SA Rugby’s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks should do everything in their power to convince Welsh refereeing legend Nigel Owens to join their camp in preparation for the Rugby World Cup in France later this year. Erasmus last week revealed that he has been in contact with Owens about joining the Bok camp, with the process still ongoing. The Springboks, though, look set to get the green light for this appointment as Erasmus places a high value on getting the best help for the national team ahead of defending their world title. Owens appeared in four World Cup tournaments as a referee from 2007 to 2019 and officiated in the final of the 2015 edition. Few teams in world rugby can say that they have had problems…

The Currie Cup started with a bang last weekend, which saw three teams score convincing victories away against tough opposition, with only one home side claiming a victory. The competition is set to go up a notch this weekend, starting with two potentially action-packed clashes in Mbombela and Pretoria. Defending champions the Pumas are set to welcome the Lions for a catfight at Mbombela Stadium. After thrashing the Bulls away from home, winning 63-15, coach Jimmy Stonehouse’s Pumas, will be looking to kick on from that performance. Being in front of their home crowd for the first time will only motivate the team more. And playing their natural brand of rugby, with big forwards and a backline full of running, it will be a tough ask for the Lions to…

Family and friends of a Pakistani shopkeeper kidnapped at Airport Industria remain silent, fearing for his safety as they wait to hear from the abductors. A representative of the Somali Association SA, who chose to remain anonymous, said: “The family is not yet ready to talk to any media as they wait to hear from the kidnappers.” SAPS spokesperson FC van Wyk said Bishop Lavis police registered cases of business robbery and kidnapping, following an incident at about 11.30am on Friday, at a Cash and Carry in Birmingham Road. “According to reports, three unidentified males, positively armed, entered the shop and threatened the two males inside. They took an undisclosed amount of cash and one of the males, a 26-year-old, with them when they fled,” said Van Wyk. Anyone with…

THE Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is probing new Public Service and Administration Minister Noxolo Kiviet after Fort Hare University officials implicated her in the institution’s qualifications fraud. After matric, Kiviet allegedly illegally skipped undergraduate studies, registered and obtained an Honours degree in administration and a Master’s degree in public administration, and had a non-credit-bearing short-course certificate with hand-written results, according to an affidavit cited by News24. Disgraced former Fort Hare professor Edwin Ijeoma was allegedly at the centre of a qualifications scam that operated at the university. In August 2022, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed two proclamations allowing the SIU to probe allegations of corruption and maladministration at the university and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. One of the proclamations authorises the SIU to focus on the alleged qualifications…

DECADES ago while at university, I realised I was not going to become a doctor, dentist or anything which required maths or physics. It required an ability which I lacked and had to make realistic choices regarding my future plans. Today, at universities we have students who fail and cannot manage their own expectations. Instead of pursuing something else or becoming a plumber or electrician, etc. they disrupt the university when refused admission. Some are unable to accept their limits and instead of finding an alternate strength they disrupt the university. Ironically, often the people who love talking about human rights look down on plumbers and electricians, etc. Little do they know that plumbers and electricians earn anywhere from R350 to R750 an hour depending on who they work for.…

The Covid-19 pandemic was a shock to higher education systems everywhere. Some changes, like moving lectures online, were relatively easy to make, but assessments – from essays to exams to experiments and more – posed a much bigger challenge. Many institutions and individual academics outsourced the assessment process to software. They increased use of programs like Turnitin to check for matched wording in students’ assignments. And for closed-book, timed tests, they used tools such as Proctorio, which monitors a student’s computer or phone while they write exams. But universities did not seize this chance to reflect on what higher education is for and how assessment might be used to enhance its achievement.They doubled down on the status quo, breathing a sigh of relief once isolation and lockdown orders were revoked…

CoacH Marcel Koller, whose job is hanging by a thread at Al Ahly, has predicted that Mamelodi Sundowns will win this season’s Champions League. After the 10-time winners suffered a comprehensive 5-2 defeat at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, Al Ahly’s fate is now in the hands of Sundowns, who head Group B with 10 points. In second place is Al Hilal, who are on nine points. The Sudanese outfit need a minimum of two more points to join the South African champions in the knockout stage. “Yes, Sundowns with this coach (Rhulani Mokwena) and this team can go all the way in this season’s tournament,” said Koller. “They have a very good team. The coach prepared them very well and they earned the victory. I think if they focus and…