Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-05-26 i Cape Argus

ALL roads lead to DHL Stadium tomorrow when the defending champions Stormers host Irish giants Munster in the much-anticipated United Rugby Championship (URC) Grand Final. Cape Town has been gripped with rugby fever since John Dobson’s team booked their spot in a successive home final when they convincingly beat Connacht in the semi-finals a fortnight ago. Tickets for the Grand Final were sold out within hours last week and an even greater spectacle was expected at the 2010 former Fifa World Cup venue this year with more than 55 000 fanatical fans expected to converge on Green Point. Last year, the capacity was restricted to 31 000 spectators due to Covid-19 regulations. Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, who is an ardent Stormers supporter, therefore expects an even better…

A woman thought to be a witness in a court case shot and killed near Wynberg Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning. police said. Medical personnel declared her dead on the scene. Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said no arrests have been made yet. “Wynberg detectives are probing a murder that was perpetrated on the corner of Church Street and Brodie Road in Wynberg on Thursday at about 10.45am. “Crime scene experts went out to comb the scene. Preliminary reports reveal that the unknown deceased was walking in the street near the court when she was approached by unknown gunmen who started shooting at her, fatally wounding her. “She succumbed to injury on the scene and was declared dead by medical personnel.” He added that the motive for the murder was part of…

Heavy rains from a cold front that hit the Cape overnight caused flooded roads and informal settlements, with discomfort felt across the Peninsula. In Klipfontein near the Mission Station and Crossroads, a couple’s shack was flooded from the kitchen area to the bedroom and they were knee-deep in water which they had to scoop out in buckets. Samantha Dilgee, 44, and her partner Nazeema Petresen, 39, said they had been experiencing such conditions during the winter season for the past 10 years. “Over the past 10 years, heavy rain had us sweeping water out of our shacks in fear that one day either we or one of our four kids might be fatally injured because water and electricity don’t mix.” Another resident, Patricia van Rensburg, 69, said her shack was…

The Western Cape High Court has ruled that an eviction case involving affordable housing agency Communicare should be tried again after it was initially dismissed by the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court. The ruling follows allegations by Communicare that then acting magistrate Venice Burgins, who heard the case, was biased and should have recused herself. Communicare argued that Burgins had on various occasions before hearing the eviction application, “published or associated herself with strongly worded and unambiguously hostile opinions about Communicare on social media”. In the original matter, Communicare had been taken to the magistrate’s court by a tenant, Ncumisa Matu, who was fighting eviction over rental arrears. Communicare, which approached the high court for the review and setting aside of the lower court’s proceedings, produced evidence to support their application…

WITH a pack of forwards who have been dominating most teams in the United Rugby Championship, and a backline that can score tries with its origin from behind their own tryline, the Stormers should have no trouble getting past Munster in the final tomorrow. Add the Irish clubs’ travels to Cape Town and the fact that they have been away from home in all of their play-off matches, it’s a great opportunity for the Stormers to win back-to-back titles in the competition. It should all start up front for the defending champions with captain Steven Kitshoff, Joseph Dweba, Frans Malherbe, and the rest of the forwards who will lay the platform come scrum and maul time. Although the Cape Town Stadium’s pitch may be a hindrance, especially after rain pelted…

WHILE the big focus for many Springbok fans will be beating Ireland in the Rugby World Cup pool stage, SA Rugby’s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus feels that the opener against Scotland is “probably the biggest Test match for us currently”. Erasmus and Bok coach Jacques Nienaber addressed the media at SA Rugby headquarters in Cape Town yesterday about the build-up to the Rugby Championship and World Cup ahead of their next camp in Durban next week. The world champions kick off their defence of the Webb Ellis Cup against Scotland on September 10 in Marseille, before tackling Romania a week later in Bordeaux. Then comes the likely Pool B decider against world No 1 Ireland at Stade de France in Paris on September 23, before rounding off against Tonga…

Tina Turner's voice. You can hear it inside your mind right now. But what is that sound, exactly? Not a house burning down at 4 in the morning. Not a sports car slamming its brakes in the rain. Not some fighter jet ripping through the blue. Not the atom being split. We're meant to believe that it's just carbon dioxide sliding past tongue and teeth, but somehow that seems like the least likely option of them all. Either way, that friction is responsible for some of the most unmistakable music ever generated by the human body – and because we know so much about what this voice has been through, we explain its visceral majesty to ourselves in the most sobering way: It's the sound of someone who knows pain.…

South Africans are getting poorer and economists fear yesterday’s 50 basis point hike by the SA Reserve Bank (Sarb) will be significantly detrimental to consumers who already can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel while the cost of borrowing keeps increasing. There are fears that the hike will lead to defaults and possible sell-offs of houses, car repossessions and possibly a recession. Anchor Capital Investment Analyst Casey Delport said that with the repo rate now at 8.25% and the prime rate at 11.75%, this hike would affect buyers and homeowners. “It will result in higher repayments of home loans and other credit, and put further pressure on the cost of living and disposable income. “Nonetheless, the risks of allowing inflation to persist at high levels in any…

A 49-year-old man has appeared in the Richmond District Court in the Northern Cape facing numerous charges including attempted kidnapping, sexual assault, and assault of a police officer. Titus Motloung was arrested after he allegedly attacked a female police officer who was hitch-hiking from Richmond to Bloemfontein in the Free State. The provincial spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mojalefa Senokoatsane, said the incident occurred on May 21. “She was offered a lift by the accused, who is an engineer working in the City of Cape Town. Along the way, the accused started to attack the victim. She tried to alert passing motorists and one noticed her gestures, while the accused refused to let her out of his car,” Senokoatsane said. However, panic soon set in when Motloung noticed…

The GOOD Party has approached the Western Cape High Court to stop a by-election being called in ward 27 in the George Municipality. GOOD claims there is no vacancy as its councillor Richard Hector, who on April 21 this year was photographed with DA provincial leader Tertuis Simmers at an event to welcome him and two other George councillors to the DA, never officially resigned from the council or from GOOD. GOOD secretary-general Brett Herron said: “The facts are that Hector did consider resigning as a councillor due to feeling frustrated at systemic under-delivery in his community, and questioning whether he could better serve his people inside or outside the council.” Herron claims Hector was manipulated by DA members into writing and submitting a resignation letter to municipal speaker…

A woman from Klein Jacobsdal in Kuils River said she found herself on the wrong side of the law after she laid a complaint against a police officer for the way he conducted himself. Elizabeth Miller, 66, has been in contact with the police since shortly after a case of crimen injuria was opened against her at Kuils River station following her poor service complaint about one of their officers. Miller said the case related to an incident in June last year when she went to the station to open a case of theft against her drug-addicted son. “I got to the police station at about 8.30 that morning and spoke to one of the officers, who refused to take my case and open a docket. Instead, she referred…

ERIK ten Hag says Chelsea’s struggles are a stark warning of how difficult life can be after a change of ownership as Manchester United’s takeover process drags on. The London club have spent about £600 million since a group headed by Todd Boehly bought the club last year but are languishing in mid-table in the Premier League under interim boss Frank Lampard, their third manager of the season. Chelsea have been criticised for a scattergun approach in the transfer market and United boss Ten Hag said their experience showed money is not the answer if spent unwisely. “You have to do the right things. You can have money but you have to do it and spend it in a smart way and you need to have a strategy behind it,…

Bulgarians shot dead in suspected gang hit The quiet upmarket suburb of Constantia was rocked yesterday morning by the sound of gunshots that killed four Bulgarian nationals. Police were called out to the scene on Evergreen Lane. The victims were in a car which rammed through the gate of a property. Police vehicles blocked off roads as forensic experts, dressed in white, hooded overalls combed the scene for clues while residents looked on. One resident said he was not aware that there had been a murder near his home. “I didn’t hear gunshots. It was a quiet morning and when I went outside, I saw the police and found out there were multiple victims.” The police said all the deceased were Bulgarians, and that no arrests had been made. Spokesperson…

An ELDERLY man who was attacked by two Rottweilers says the authorities have refused to remove the dogs. Adriaan Rossouw, 65, was taking a walk on Koraal Street in Ottery when he was bitten by his neighbour’s canines. “The incident happened on Good Friday, April 7. I walked by the house and noticed the dogs outside and they attacked me. “I found it strange that they were outside the yard because they are normally locked in. The dogs then decided to attack me, one each side. I had nothing to defend myself with. Eventually I found myself sitting on the ground.” Rossouw said he scooped sand and threw it at the dogs. “I even hit one with a brick and nothing happened; they wouldn’t let go. I could see that…

The five men who survived a suspected vigilante attack in which two others died on Wednesday are still in hospital in a critical condition. The victims were believed to be in Lower Crossroads when they were forced to go to the Nyanga taxi rank. There were allegedly eight occupants in the Toyota Avanza. Two were allegedly killed while five were severely injured and the driver of the vehicle was set free without a scratch. A leaked police report says: “It is alleged that all the victims were driving in a Toyota Avanza when they were instructed by unknown suspects in an unknown vehicle which was following them to turn around and go to the taxi rank at Nyanga. They were told to remain in the car. “The Avanza occupants did…

THE EFF in Tshwane is demanding answers from businessman Edwin Sodi regarding the R295 million tender that was awarded to him to upgrade the Rooiwal water treatment plant. The project, which started in October 2019, has now allegedly been abandoned. The failure of the project has contributed to the long-standing water issues in Hammanskraal which has now escalated into a cholera crisis, claiming 20 lives and leading to more than 50 people being hospitalised. On Wednesday, EFF councillors stormed the Tshwane House council chamber during a special council sitting – which was meant to table a budget speech – and demanded that mayor Cilliers Brink drink the dirty water “from Hammanskraal”, which the party had brought in a 2-litre bottle. EFF regional leader Obakeng Ramabodu said the party also wanted…

Property developer the Amdec Group has launched the impressive first tower of the multi-use Harbour Arch development which they hope will become a Cape Town landmark. Amdec Group chief executive James Wilson said the tower, which is worth about R2.4 billion, includes 80 000m² of built form, 560 residential apartments, restaurants, high-end vehicle retailers and ample parking of about 1 200 bays. The development is being built on the 5.8ha Culemborg site on the south-eastern edge of the Cape Town CBD. The apartments are priced from R2.1m to about R8m each. In November last year, Wilson said: “The Amdec Group is deeply committed to redressing the injustices of the past, which is why we voluntarily elected to incorporate affordable housing at our Harbour Arch mixed-use development.” Yesterday, Wilson said the…

FERNANDO Alonso will seek to break Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s winning streak and claim his first win since 2013 as Formula One resumes this weekend with the 80th running of the classic Monaco Grand Prix. After floods forced the cancellation of last week’s European ‘season opener’, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, the F1 circus was happy to be greeted by blue skies and warm sunshine in the Mediterranean principality on Wednesday. As visitors sought shade, Alonso and his Aston Martin team contemplated how to gamble on delivering his third win on the old but glamourised street circuit where he triumphed with Renault in 2006 and McLaren in 2007. After four third-place finishes from five races, the 41-year-old Spaniard has emerged as not only the biggest threat to…