Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-03-20 i Cape Argus

Two teenagers, a boy and a girl, were murdered on Saturday by fellow teenagers in unrelated incidents. Both the 13-year-old boy from Delft and a 16-year-old girl from Mfuleni were declared dead on the scene by medical practitioners. Responding to an alert, Mfuleni police were led to a house in Kwazakhele Street in Mfuleni, where they came across the body of a 16-year-old girl who sustained fatal injuries. The victim was declared dead at the scene. SAPS spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said: “Mfuleni police attended a complaint on Saturday, March 18. Upon arrival in Kwazakhele Street they found the body of a 16-year-old female who was stabbed to death. “We can confirm that a 19-year-old was arrested and detained on a charge of murder. “Once charged the suspect is expected to…

THE SAPS’s drive to recruit retired cops to plug the dearth of trainers for the next cohort of 10 000 trainees appears hamstrung as some retired cops are considered unhealthy and blocked by “inconsistencies” in SAPS testing. Major-General Lenny Govender recently told MPs that in order to train 10 000 more officers, the SAPS needs 940 trainers. It currently has 257 trainers, he said. However, a retired cop who is looking to re-enlist, claims the service has allegedly been turning away retired cops who have tested for cholesterol “.2 over” the accepted level, including him. At least two retired cops highlighted inconsistencies in the recruitment process and one of them alleged racial prejudice in the recruitment office, which allegedly has three white officers and one Indian woman. Cholesterol…

While The 6:20 Man is set in the fas-paced world of high finance in New York, its hero is the unlikely Travis Devine – unlikely as he used to be a combat soldier in Afghanistan and was, until now, more adept at fighting the Taliban and al-Qaeda than taking down financial whizz-kids in the cut-throat world of top dollar investment deals that can take your breath away. After surviving deadly combat tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq, Travis was decorated with medals for his bravery and savvy in taking down the enemy, yet he leaves his familiar stomping ground under a dark cloud of suspicion. Seasoned in fighting and seeing the most unspeakable savagery, Devine is a mere 32 years old but decides that he needs to make his father…

MANY futuristic novels and films have explored what the world might look like without water. But water scarcity is not a problem for the far-off future: it’s already here. In its 2021 report, UN Water outlined the scale of the crisis: 2.3 billion people live in water-stressed countries and 733 million of those people in “high and critically water-stressed countries”. In 2018 Cape Town, residents faced “day zero”, when household water supplies would run dry. Good rains spared the city but now other parts of the country face similarly dire predictions of empty taps. This scenario is threatening to play out across Africa. In the Horn of Africa region, large areas of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya have seen four consecutive rainy seasons pass without decent rains. The rise…

A manhunt for a radical Sikh preacher in India entered its second day yesterday, after authorities shut mobile internet in the whole of Punjab state and arrested 78 of his supporters. Amritpal Singh rose to prominence in recent months demanding the creation of Khalistan, a separate Sikh homeland, and with his hardline interpretation of Sikhism at rallies in rural pockets of the northern state of some 30 million people. Last month Singh, 30, and his supporters armed with swords, knives and guns raided a police station after one of his aides was arrested for alleged assault and attempted kidnapping. The brazen daytime raid in the outskirts of Amritsar – home to the holiest Sikh shrine, the Golden Temple – left several police injured and heaped pressure on authorities to act…

SEOUL: South Korea and the US yesterday conducted joint air drills involving a US nuclear-capable B-1B strategic bomber after North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan, the Yonhap news agency reported. Earlier yesterday, Yonhap said, Pyongyang test-fired a ballistic missile from North Korea’s west coast. According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missile flew some 800km and fell outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone. The joint drills were part of the March 13 Freedom Shield exercise that also involved South Korean F-35A fighter jets, US F-16 fighters and B-1B strategic bombers. | Sputnik…

At the Wynberg schools rugby festival the hosts proved too strong for Duineveld from Upington in the late game, overwhelming them 59-0. Wynberg scored 11 unanswered tries with a superb display of running rugby. The visitors were strangely lethargic in the first half and were guilty of several defensive errors. Wynberg, in contrast played with cohesion and discipline, and their support of the ball carrier was a feature of their game. They were solid in the set pieces, and their loose forwards, well led by captain and flank Xola Nyali, were quicker to the breakdown. Nyali was rewarded for his performance with a hat-trick of tries. Behind the scrum, the Wynberg backs played with flair and finesse that had Duineveld’s defence at full stretch. They were well marshalled by the…

Eskom has suspended load shedding until today, to much relief and also trepidation. The power utility announced that load shedding would be suspended due to recovery in its generation capacity for the first time since October last year, when the country was hit with the most severe rolling blackouts yet. Eskom yesterday reiterated that load shedding would be suspended until 5am today, after which stage 1 will be implemented until 4pm and stage 2 until 5am tomorrow. This rotation was expected to continue this week and comes after significant improvements in Eskom’s power generation fleet. Eskom last week announced six of its coal-fired power stations achieved an energy availability factor (EAF) of 70%, a milestone last achieved in May last year. These power stations were Camden, Duvha, Matla, and Eskom’s…

The SAPS has pulled out all the stops to bolster its capacity to keep things under control during the EFF’s shutdown today. The service has promised about R6 000 to each officer in “special” allowances from Friday to the end of the shutdown operation on Wednesday, according to at least three sources in the SAPS. SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe hadn’t responded to queries at the time of writing, but the Cape Argus can disclose that officers were recalled from sick leave and normal leave and officers and administrators were promised up to R1 400 per day in overtime. This publication has seen SAPS chief financial officer Major-General Puleng Dimpane’s letter to the police, dated March 15, and titled “payment measures and procedure during the planned national shutdown operation”. “We…

WITH operations at public schools protected and foreseen to be largely uninterrupted by the national shutdown, for some tertiary institutions it’ll be business as usual with caution applied as the EFF take to the streets in protest. Since two weeks ago, EFF members have been distributing leaflets, alerting members of the public over today’s shutdown against load shedding and calling for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s resignation. Last week, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said public schools would be closed on the day of the shutdown for a planned school holiday. Education MEC David Maynier said the school calendar was gazetted by the national minister a year in advance, and indicated that all public schools had a special school holiday on March 20 due to Tuesday being a public holiday –…

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has set aside R46 million to tackle gang and drug activities at schools. The money is from its R1.47 billion budget for the 2023/2024 financial year. The budget, which was presented to the legislature’s education standing committee, also features massive infrastructure investments and new teacher training initiatives. Deputy director-general Alan Meyer said there were 18 areas in which there were a number of programmes related to drug abuse. “For example, we do random drug testing where learners are tested for drugs, not only on their person but also to see whether they have consumed them,” he said. Meyer was responding to a question from committee member Aishah Cassiem (EFF), who had asked for the department’s plans for all the schools and communities where…

IT IS likely that when you read one of the 70 books Melinda Ferguson has “birthed” in her publishing company, you will be in for the intensely personal journey of an author. How does Melinda Ferguson's own writing match up to the authors she mothers? Bamboozled, her fourth memoir, demonstrates that she is no stranger to the craft of honing such a personal story. The book has, at its heart, the bewildering period of Covid-19, which originally started as a three-week stint and morphed into the extended and often bizarre two-year period. “I was consumed – asking questions, uncovering answers and searching for patterns, but also driven by an obsessive quest to find joy and freedom in the midst of it all.” While her younger years were spent in a…

Moscow: Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Mariupol, state media reported yesterday, his first to the city since it was captured after a lengthy siege at the start of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine. The trip comes after an arrest warrant was issued for Putin by the International Criminal Court, over Russia’s alleged deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children during the conflict. Russia besieged Mariupol at the start of its offensive last year, destroying the Azovstal steel works, the last holdout of Ukrainian forces in the city. State news agency TASS reported yesterday that Putin flew to Mariupol by helicopter on Saturday and took a tour of the city, at times driving a car. He visited several sites and spoke with residents, and was presented with a report on the…

KIGALI: Suella Braverman, home secretary of the UK, arrived in Rwanda on Saturday for a two-day visit, the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. She is due to hold talks with Rwandan government officials on the UK migration deal aimed at sending illegal refugees and asylum seekers to Rwanda to have their claims processed there. The Rwandan government has said the deal is in line with Rwanda’s “quest to contribute innovative, long-term solutions to the global migration crisis”. More than 44 000 migrants were reported to have arrived in the UK across the channel last year. | Xinhua…

Antonio Conte lambasted his Tottenham Hotspur players as “selfish” after they squandered a 3-1 lead at Southampton to draw 3-3 and drop crucial points in their bid to hang on to fourth place in the Premier League on Saturday. The Italian, who looks increasingly likely to leave at the end of the season or before, launched an extraordinary tirade, describing their inability to hold on to victory as “unacceptable” and questioned their spirit. Goals by Harry Kane and Ivan Perisic appeared to have sealed a win that would have taken Tottenham into third place, but Theo Walcott pulled one back and then Tottenham substitute Pape Sarr gave away a 90th-minute penalty that was converted by James Ward-Prowse in stoppage time. Tottenham have 49 points from 28 games but Newcastle United,…

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning long-range free kick but handed the task of converting the winning penalty to a teammate as a gesture of respect, as Al-Nassr came from behind to beat Abha 2-1 in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday. The Portuguese forward, who has now scored nine goals in his first season in Saudi Arabia, handed the ball to Brazilian Anderson Talisca, who had just returned from injury. Talisca converted the 86th-minute spot kick for his 14th goal of the season and celebrated with Ronaldo as Al-Nassr kept up the pressure on Al-Ittihad, who lead the league by one point with nine games remaining. “This is mutual respect and we are one team and we act like a family,” Talisca told the Saudi Sports Company TV through an…

CELEBRITY boxing matches have become big business in South Africa. Over the past couple of years we’ve seen big names take to the ring at Sun City, with the most recent fight between Cassper Nyovest and Priddy Ugly in October. Now actress Pearl Thusi thinks the time has come for another instalment and has urged Nyovest to make it happen by throwing two names into the ring. In a short video posted on her Instagram page, she urged Nyovest to capitalise on a fight between Kaya 959 host Sizwe Dhlomo and entrepreneur, author and professional speaker Vusi Thembekwayo. Dhlomo and Thembekwayo have been at loggerheads for many years now, but the fire was reignited after Thembekwayo spoke about Dhlomo on a podcast recently. Dhlomo hit back on Twitter. Thusi said:…

Following several weeks of protest by UCT’s student representative council (SRC), an agreement has been reached regarding grievances around fee blocks and the academic exclusion of academically eligible students. In a statement released last week, the university management and the SRC said it had reconciled following external mediation over fee block issues. This comes after two days of mediation sessions on March 14 and 15 facilitated by independent external mediator Ashraf Mohamed and supported by Akha Tutu, appointed by the student representatives. “Under the agreement, which came into effect on Wednesday, March 15, the UCT management shall, in a consultative manner, ‘conduct a review in respect of its fee policy, with specific reference to the application of a ‘fee block’ on the grounds of the financial means of the university…

A LOT has been written about Bletchley Park but this was the first time I had come across Trent Park. This stately home, where its classified work contributed much to the Allies’ victory in WW ll, only gave up its secrets in 1996, so it is a relative newcomer to the war history theme. Who would have known that at the end of the (suburban) Cockfosters line in London was this mansion, which had hosted Hollywood stars and royalty before the war, but which, during the years 1942 to 1945 became a luxury “prison” to high-ranking German officers. There were extraordinary freedoms under the guise of being “lulled into a sense of security” and playing to the egos of these monsters, but British Intelligence had it taped – literally. Every…

Whether or not you support the national shutdown, the truth is that there is little else the poorest citizens of this country can do to bring their ever-increasing suffering to the attention of the government. The tortoise-slow and head-in-the-sand response of the government to the suffering of the poorest citizens and its own unchecked opulence deserves a public challenge in the town square. The current French pension reform strikes have resulted in more than 2 million people spread over 200 sites of protest across the country. The Paris demonstrations alone had more than 400 000 people in them. The fires and the shutdowns by the striking population have led to many police clashes. Public protest always walks a fine line between calm and peaceful solidarity and robust expressions of singing…

South Africa can secure passage to the Africa Cup of Nations in January next year by clocking back-to-back wins over lowly Liberia in their upcoming qualifiers, starting on Friday. There was huge disappointment in the football family when South Africa’s senior men’s national team failed to qualify for the previous continental showpiece in Cameroon. This time, however, Bafana will not be hard-pressed to qualify. There are only three teams in their group because Zimbabwe have been banned. The group plays a round-robin format, meaning each plays four matches. The top two teams from the 12 groups automatically qualify for the Afcon. Last June, South Africa kicked off their qualifiers against World Cup upstarts Morocco. After opening the score with an early goal, Bafana went down 2-1 to the hosts. It…

Chilpancingo (Mexico): At least five suspected criminals and two soldiers were killed in a shoot-out after gunmen ambushed a military unit in southwest Mexico, authorities said. The confrontation occurred on Friday afternoon in El Pescado, in a mountainous area of the state of Guerrero that is difficult to access and the scene of conflicts between criminal groups. A military unit “was the target of an attack by approximately 18 armed civilians aboard two vehicles”, the army said. The attackers were likely members of La Familia Michoacana, a drug cartel. | AFP…

San Francisco: Google is reportedly saying ex-employees laid off while on maternity or medical leave will not be paid for the remainder of their time off. CNBC reported that sacked Google employees are asking the company to honour their approved medical time off. More than 100 former employees have formed a group called “Laid off on Leave”. They want compensation for the time they were authorised to take off prior to the January job cuts. They wrote to executives three times without receiving a reply. | IANS…