Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-06-01 i Cape Argus

Mzansi’s much loved Ndlovu Youth Choir has announced its South African tour dates. The choral group has become the most treasured and globally recognised choir in South Africa since its inception in 2009. After numerous sold out shows, the Ndlovu Youth Choir’s SA Tour kicks off at Montecasino’s Teatro on Friday, August 25, at 7.30pm followed by two performances on Saturday, August 26, at 3pm and 7.30pm and two shows on Sunday, August 27 at 2pm and 6pm. Cape Town concerts at the Artscape take place on Friday, October 13, at 7.30pm, Saturday, October 14, at 3pm at 7.30pm and Sunday, October 15, at 2pm and 6pm. Tickets are available via www.showtime.co.za or Ticketmaster. The choir consists of 15 choristers, accompanied by a three-piece band with their conductor, composer…

Vandalism: Trust needs donations for repairs Cape Town’s Beach Hut Trust is looking for donations to repair and refurbish 13 of the 45 iconic 200-year-old beach huts at Muizenberg Beach at a cost of R100 000 each. The huts were recently vandalised and in an effort to curb the vandalism, the trust – a collaboration between public and private organisations and the City – took a joint decision with the City to remove the doors from the huts. In January last year, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the City had allocated R3 million for the repair and refurbishment of the Muizenberg beach huts. Hill-Lewis said at the time the huts had long been an iconic image in Cape Town’s colourful landscape, and were a postcard for Cape Town tourism. “But…

An investigator within the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) has appeared before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court after he was arrested on charges of corruption and extortion. Hawks spokesperson Colonel Philani Nkwalase said the Ipid official, Khongotela Raymond Mabasa, 48, appeared alongside an alleged accomplice, Ivan Mogane, 42. “The case against Ipid investigator Khongotela Raymond Mabasa and Ivan Mogane was heard (on Tuesday) by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court,” Nkwalase said. “The third suspect was also arrested today and appeared with his alleged accomplices. Their case was postponed to June 2 for a formal bail hearing.” Earlier on Tuesday, Nkwalase said the court appearance followed their arrest by the Gauteng-based Hawks Serious Corruption Investigation team on Monday. “An investigating officer of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate allegedly colluded with two accomplices who…

Former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule is facing expulsion from the governing party. Magashule has been found guilty by the party’s national disciplinary hearing following the May 2021 attempt to suspend President Cyril Ramaphosa as party leader. Magashule’s attempt at the time followed his own suspension by the party over his refusal to step aside. That was after he was charged with corruption related to the asbestos case now before the Bloemfontein High Court. The ANC’s step-aside rule compelled him to step aside as all leaders facing charges of serious misconduct should step aside. Magashule dug in, forcing the party to suspend him, and that was announced by the late Jessie Duarte. Even after he was suspended, Magashule dug in and announced that he was suspending Ramaphosa as party president. “I…

The South African Local Government Association (Salga) has once again rejected the National Land Transport Amendment Bill as unconstitutional and cautioned that the bill should not be passed as is or there would be consequences. Salga’s expert on the bill, Unathi Mntonintshi, was making a presentation to the legislature’s standing committee on mobility, which held public hearings on the bill on Tuesday night. The purpose of the bill is to amend the National Land Transport Act, including providing for certain powers of provinces to conclude contracts for public transport services; to expand the powers of the national Transport Minister to make regulations and introduce safety measures. Mntonintshi said that when the original process started, Salga was given the opportunity to comment on it, but their comments were not taken into…

PEP Guardiola was named the League Managers Association (LMA) and Premier League Manager of the Year on Tuesday after guiding Manchester City to the Premier League title. Guardiola led City to their fifth league crown in six seasons and the club are set to face Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday and Inter Milan in the Champions League final a week later. “I am at an incredible football club and without all of the support that I have had throughout my time here, this would not have been possible,” Guardiola said in a club statement. Guardiola saw off competition from Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Roberto De Zerbi, Newcastle United’s Eddie Howe, Burnley’s Vincent Kompany and Plymouth Argyle’s Steven Schumacher to win the LMA award.…

THE Little Mermaid shows there indeed can be wonderful things on the ocean floor, and above the sea… at least in the photo-realistic re-imagining of the story, that is. There initially was concern about the modern live-action re-imagining of the studio’s Oscar-winning animated musical classic. But Disney did the smart thing by taking its time with an adaptation. In doing so, the new version delivers all the feelings of the animated film but also doesn’t get stuck in a near-identical adaptation. We learn more about the characters from the animated film but also get a colourful look into the film’s oceanic world. There has, rightfully, been concern about how the film would deliver with Disney live-action remakes being hit-and miss but this one knocks it out of the ocean. And…

Karpowership SA continues to be hailed as a solution in alleviating the country’s worsening energy crisis, but the company is yet to receive environmental permits for all three of its proposed gas-to-power projects after being stalled for three years by fierce opposition, legal action, missed deadlines, and more. The company planned to install gas-to-power projects at ports of Saldanha, Richards Bay and Ngqura, but all three project applications (totalling 1 220MW of emergency electricity) suffered major setbacks in May. However, the Turkish company is refusing to back down after yet another recent setback. Documents from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment show that the company is appealing against a decision not to grant it an extension to apply for an environmental permit at the Saldanha port. According…

The City has passed mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis’s administration’s second annual budget following two months of extensive engagement with City stakeholders, partners, residents, the business sector, non-government organisations and religious organisations. As the city council passed the budget for the 2023/24 financial year yesterday, Hill-Lewis said the budget includes South Africa’s most comprehensive indigent relief package and a record infrastructure budget of R43 billion over three years. Speaking at the council, Hill-Lewis repeated his assertion from April when he presented the council with the draft budget, that at just over R70bn, this budget was the biggest budget in Cape Town’s history. He said while many other metros and municipalities across the country were struggling to keep up with service delivery demand and the substantial investment in infrastructure that this requires, the…

Until the last few matches the teams that finished just outside the top eight were serious relegation candidates. But the contest for positions in the Premiership was so tight that teams from ninth to 12th place could have, on the other hand, ended the season in the top eight. Today, Herman Gibbs and Smiso Msomi look at the clubs that walked the tightrope concluding the season from ninth to 12th spot. GOLDEN ARROWS (9) Based on the results of the last few weeks, Golden Arrows was the best bet for a KwaZulu-Natal club to land a top-eight berth but came up short with a ninth-place finish. Arrows were erratic this season and at one stage, they were hovering above the relegation zone. The major problem was the team’s defence. They…

THE Cape Town rugby fraternity may still be reeling from the Stormers’ United Rugby Championship final defeat, but Western Province intend to use it as motivation in a last-ditch bid to win the Currie Cup. Province have had an up-and-down season in the domestic competition, winning and losing six games each, and that kind of inconsistency sees them in a dog-fight for a semi-final berth with the Lions and Blue Bulls. John Dobson’s team are currently fourth on 31 points, only due to a better points difference tally compared to the two Gauteng sides. WP suffered a costly 34-12 loss to the Lions at Athlone Stadium last week, having fought back at the end of the first half to trail by just three points at 15-12. But scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba’s…

STAFF members and pupils who were writing their Grade 12 supplementary exams at Noxolo Xauka Primary School in Khayelitsha were held at gunpoint on Tuesday by men who took a microwave, two computer monitors, and three cellphones before hijacking a parent’s car. An afternoon exam class was disturbed by six men who entered the premises just after 4pm pretending to be looking for one of the pupils. The principal, Jongi Vuyani Ndima, said the men entered the gate as he and a few other staff members were preparing to go home. Bumping into one of the teachers just outside the staff room, the men told him they were looking for a certain pupil before asking him where the staff room was. “At the time I was in my office looking…

A Cape Town top cop has been cleared of wrongdoing after allegations of racism were brought against her last year. Initially, the police officer is alleged to have ordered lower-ranking officers to strip and search a black constable at Bothasig police station. At the time, provincial police spokesperson André Traut confirmed the matter was being investigated. “Kindly be advised that this office can confirm that the case cited in your enquiry was registered at Bothasig police station and the circumstances of the assault and crimen injuria are under investigation,” he said. However, after detailed and intensive internal investigations, the police officer has been found innocent of any wrongdoing and claims made against the police officer were unfounded. The police officer’s defence counsel from Hendricks-Harmse Attorneys confirmed the National Prosecuting Authority…

A worrying flare-up of animal diseases is being observed across the province with five highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks confirmed in commercial chicken farms, as well as cases of African swine fever (ASF) confirmed in parts of the province, affecting informal pig farmers. The Western Cape Department of Agriculture is working with its partners to contain outbreaks and limit the impact and spread. Animal owners are urged to be alert for these diseases and to report any suspicion to their local state veterinary office. They should also do everything they can to prevent direct and indirect contact with potentially infected birds. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development explained all farms affected by HPAI outbreaks had been immediately placed under quarantine and no live animals/birds and eggs…

THE families whose children died when the bakkie in which they were travelling rolled in AZ Berman Drive in Mitchells Plain had the grim task of identifying their bodies at the Salt River Mortuary yesterday. The parents received counselling right before entering the forensic pathology lab. Five children were killed instantly, and one, a 15-year-old, is still fighting for his life in Groote Schuur Hospital. MEC for Health and Wellness Nomafrench Mbombo came to support the family members. The youngest of the five deceased was only 5 years old, a pre-schooler, and the eldest, the survivor, was in a critical condition after undergoing surgery on Tuesday. “Preparing for this moment, parents had to go for counselling at Mitchells Plain first, but going forward someone has been provided to whom they’ll…

WESTERN Cape Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile has expressed concern about crimes against children. He made the remarks as statistics were unpacked in a joint press briefing with Premier Alan Winde and Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen. Patekile said although the numbers were reduced, more must be done to protect children. There were 39 murders and 81 attempted murders, and both decreased by 20, and 419 cases of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, with an increase of 34. “Of concern is the number of children who have been killed, either during domestic violence or gang violence or by stray bullets. We are appealing that we work together, as the children are the future.” Ilitha Labantu, a social service and educational organisation, agreed with Patekile about…

THE murder of innocent citizens in Desai township, Mariannhill, continues unabated – and the police are keeping mum about it. On Tuesday night, a ward 13 committee member was shot and killed in the Desai area, and the killers are still at large. In its response to the ongoing killings in the province, the IFP wrote a statement in which it said political will is key in addressing the crime rate in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). In the police minister’s report on crime statistics on Tuesday, uMlazi and Inanda were named as the most crime-ridden areas in eThekwini. According to the portfolio committee on police on Tuesday, violent crimes increased by 4% between January and March this year when compared to the same period last year. Furthermore, third-quarter crime statistics released by…

THE BIGGER picture to the SA A Tour of Sri Lanka is to test the competence of SA cricket’s domestic structure in relation to world standards, to lengthen batting options and to give opportunities to deserving players in the domestic circuit. Ongama Gcwabe looks at the main objectives for coach Shukri Conrad ahead of the tour: Testing competence of domestic structure The biggest and most exciting element to the SA A tour of Sri Lanka that will get under way on Sunday, is the fact that the competence of the SA domestic setup will be put to the Test in what is usually a tough place to tour. As we have witnessed many times in the past 12 months or so, performing domestically is not comparable to what is required…

INTERNATIONAL tennis chiefs insisted yesterday that “political statements” are not banned at Grand Slam events after Novak Djokovic controversially wrote “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” on a camera at the French Open. Djokovic defended his message in comments to Serb media, saying that Kosovo is Serbia’s “cradle, our stronghold”. The International Tennis Federation (ITF), the governing body of the sport, said they had received a request from the Kosovo Tennis Federation demanding Djokovic be sanctioned over his actions. However, they pointed out that such statements do not contravene regulations. “Rules for player conduct at a Grand Slam event are governed by the Grand Slam rulebook, administered by the relevant organiser and regulator. There is no provision in this that prohibits political statements,” an ITF spokesman told AFP. Djokovic was…