Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-09-27 i Cape Argus

Gregory Maqoma takes his final bow on stage with his critically acclaimed Exit/Exist at The Baxter Theatre, that runs for three performances from October 5 to 7. The South African dance legend, revisits his critically acclaimed production at the Pam Golding Theatre, in honour of his 50th birthday on October 16. Maqoma retires from dance this year and treasures this production as one of his ultimate favourites. Through his award-winning storytelling, he has introduced the world to characters and storylines that remain resonant to this day and has become widely known as a catalyst for breaking new ground as well as changing and elevating the arts landscape. This short run at The Baxter follows the solo work’s successful seasons at The Market Theatre and the National Arts Festival earlier this…

The Mdzananda Animal Clinic is gearing up for a mass vaccination day tomorrow, to commemorate International World Rabies Day. The day is set aside to raise awareness of rabies, a deadly virus that can spread through the saliva of an infected animal to other animals and humans. The Mdzananda Clinic is planning to vaccinate 250 dogs in one day. According to the non-profit organisation based in Khayelitsha, the vaccination drive is of great importance after the discovery of rabies-infected dogs in Khayelitsha in 2021 and 2022 – the first identified cases in the Western Cape since 1994. General manager Heidi May, said: “I can’t stress how important it is to vaccinate your dogs. Once symptoms appear, they are nearly always fatal.” | Nomalanga Tshuma…

At various levels of government, we have lazy and stupid officials who were appointed. Getting the job and doing the job properly is, however, two different issues and some officials cost taxpayers billions with wastage. This wastage is filed away, forgotten and the stupidity is allowed to continue. For example, years ago I heard of a situation where someone abused illegal drugs and developed a mental disorder and needed to be medically boarded. When a person is ill and requires treatment through no fault of his/her own, it is vital we support them. However, when you are guilty of inflicting harm upon yourself, why must taxpayers pay the financial cost of your decision to use illegal drugs? It is easy to say such examples are rare, but in truth, we…

ALTHOUGH news outlets generally report on more negative stories, people are generally more interested in good-news stories. To indigenous peoples, and observing through the indigenous lens, one can strongly attach this to energy. Some might understand this from a perspective of the publication The Secret, where the way the universe works comes into play. Academically, one is able to link this to the law of attraction. It is this publishing/broadcasting of good news that I yearn for. I have been a published writer for the past 18 months, and every opinion piece has focused on the indigenous peoples of these lands. However, every piece has required me to raise the challenges that indigenous peoples are still facing – now more than 371 years. There has not been a single instance…

When a Virgin Galactic commercial flight soared into space on September 8, 2023, there were two Virgin Galactic pilots, an instructor and three passengers on board – as well as two fossils of ancient prehuman relatives from South Africa. Timothy Nash, a businessman, carried a clavicle belonging to Australopithecus sediba and the thumb bone of a Homo naledi specimen. The fossils’ brief journey – the VSS Unity’s flight lasted just an hour – was organised by palaeontologist Lee Berger, who led the team that discovered and described Homo naledi in 2015. Berger was granted an export permit in July by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra) to take the fossils from the country to the US launch site for VSS Unity. Sahra is a “national administrative body responsible for…

NEW YORK: Suicide and suicidal ideation are “everywhere” for Afghan women as they become increasingly isolated and restricted, often by male relatives tasked with upholding the Taliban’s decrees, the UN’s women chief, Sima Bahous, told the Security Council yesterday. Since their return to power in 2021, the Taliban government has used its austere interpretation of Islam to ban women from schools, closing public spaces to them, and refusing to let them work. With this came increases in child marriage and child labour, Bahous added. She called on donors to find “innovative” ways to help Afghan women to defy restrictions. | AFP…

Islamabad: Traces of wild poliovirus type 1 have been found in sewage samples collected from two different parts of Pakistan, the Health Ministry said yesterday. A sewage sample collected from the southern port city of Karachi on September 5 and two samples collected from the Hangu district of north-west Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province the following day tested positive for the virus, the Ministry said in a statement. A national polio campaign will start from October 2 to vaccinate over 40 million children under five years of age, the ministry said, adding that all children in Hangu and Karachi would be vaccinated during this drive. | IANS…

David Miller holds a record he would prefer not to have. No one has played more international cricket without playing in a Test match than Miller. The hard-hitting left-hander has played in 274 white-ball internationals. The nearest contender for the non-Test record is retired West Indian Keiron Pollard on 224. “I would have loved to play a Test, but it is what it is,” says Miller, 34. “I’ve achieved quite a lot in my white-ball stuff and I’m grateful to have played so many games.” Miller has built a solid first-class record, averaging 36.32 in 63 matches, with six centuries, which he backed up with electrifying fielding. But it was a time of plenty in a Proteas Test batting line-up which included Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and…

Proteas Test coach Shukri Conrad may currently be feasting on a diet of English Premier League football at Anfield and Old Trafford but he will be keeping a close eye on proceedings at the SA20 Season 2 auction back home today. Conrad is enjoying a break before the serious business of the summer gets underway with a much-anticipated India incoming tour. However, Conrad is also tasked with taking a Proteas team to New Zealand for a two-match Test series against the Black Caps in January next year. That tour, though, coincides with SA20 Season 2 and Cricket South Africa (CSA) have already stated that the domestic T20 tournament will take preference in terms of player availability. Test captain Temba Bavuma has already been ruled out of the tour to the…

As news of the death of popular activist and writer, Zoleka Mandela took over social media, those who knew her sent wishes for her to rest in peace. Mandela, the granddaughter of Nelson Mandela, lost her long battle to cancer on September 25. Zwelabo Mandela, a family spokesperson, confirmed her death. Mandela was admitted to hospital for ongoing treatment for metastatic cancer of the hip, liver, lung, pelvis, brain and spinal cord. “Zoleka passed away on the evening of Monday, September 25, surrounded by friends and family. Our sincerest gratitude to the medical team that took care of her,” he said. During her fight against cancer, the When Hope Whispers author shared her treatment journey with her large following. She always remained hopeful and kept in high spirits despite suffering…

The City of Cape Town’s water and sanitation directorate’s infrastructure maintenance and upgrade programme is steadily gaining momentum. Over the past few months, the department has been working to upgrade and restore its water and sanitation system across the city. In its latest update, water and sanitation Mayco member Zahid Badroodien said the directorate had successfully replaced 16 497m of water and sewer pipes over the past month. According to Badroodien, in August the department saw major work completed to rehabilitate the City’s water and sewer pipe infrastructure. In total, for the month, 9 545m of water pipes and 6 952m of sewer pipes were replaced. This is double the amount of both water and sewer pipe replacement for July. “The upgrading of our sewer and water…

The South African Poultry Association (Sapa) has warned of shortages of poultry and eggs and even higher prices because of a highly contagious H7 avian flu virus that caused the deaths of more than 100 000 chickens and the culling of a further 1.3 million. “Unfortunately, the market will experience shortages in the next few months – an issue every poultry producer is working hard to minimise – but during such shortages the basic economics of supply and demand may see some price hikes here and there.” The highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks have resulted in the deaths of more than 1.5 million chickens across the country. The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development said the country was battling with a number of highly pathogenic avian influenza…

SO MUCH is happening these days, and the events are disseminated so rapidly, that one cannot help but develop a dreadful sense of ambivalence. In support of which, I offer this week’s celebrations. Ambivalence is the simultaneous existence in a person’s mind of mutually conflicting feelings or thoughts about someone or something. The definition itself is broad and far-reaching but it saves me from trying to be definitive or totally correct about what I write or say. A columnist merely starts a process or two and then hopes for productive, proactive responses from his reader. A classic example was my prediction that the Irish would beat the Boks. My friends were horrified, especially in this sensitive period of heritage conscientisation. And yet, when the score was finally published, I was…

In response to a column by Carlos Mesquita, “How the City discriminates against the homeless” (Cape Argus, September 19), I am surprised homelessness is seen only in Cape Town, even though the municipality has been governed by the DA for many years, while the ANC ruled the municipality for more than 13 years. Go to Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, Buffalo City, Gqeberha, Mangaung, Polokwane, Mbombela, Kimberley, and Rustenburg, and you will say nothing about homeless citizens. Why is it so important in Cape Town, not in other municipalities? Maybe you are missing something here. Did you check where those homeless citizens were residing before coming to Cape Town? Just check their IDs and you will be shocked to find out that most have houses outside Cape Town, but they are…

With South Africans facing rising interest rates, high levels of unemployment and escalating food and fuel prices, the cost of living has been reported as a nightmare for many who are barely making ends meet. The announcement of the Reserve Bank’s unchanged repo rate has also not made things any easier, compelling people like Build One South Africa (Bosa) leader Mmusi Maimane to speak about the cost of living in South Africa. Maimane pointed out that families were losing homes and cars, and children were being kicked out of school as there was no growth in the economy. Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago said global monetary risks to the inflation outlook were assessed to the upside. He explained that at a global level, headline inflation continued to moderate, but food…

WASHINGTON: The son of US President Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, is suing Rudy Giuliani and Giuliani’s former lawyer, Robert Costello, accusing the pair of violating his privacy over data allegedly taken from his laptop. The legal action is the latest lawsuit filed by Biden jr in a federal court in Los Angeles as he prepares to plead not guilty to federal gun charges next week after an earlier plea deal with prosecutors fell apart. Biden jr, 53, has also sued a former White House aide who served under Trump, as well as the US Internal Revenue Service. Republicans have focused on Hunter Biden as his democrat father seeks re-election next year.…

THE Cape Town derby between Cape Town City and Cape Town Spurs could offer one of the teams a change of fortunes after poor runs. Spurs’ return to the Premiership was met with so much delight this season, given their contribution to the growth of South African football over the years. Having been promoted via the gruelling PSL promotion/relegation play-offs, they were expected to make a seamless return to the top flight. But instead they’ve had the worst start possible, having lost all six of their league matches so far. However, club bosses have decided to exercise patience with coach Shaun Bartlett, who was given a contract extension after securing promotion. But Bartlett must quickly turn things around at the Urban Warriors, given that the patience of his bosses will…

Co-owners Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly are welcome in Chelsea’s dressing room after matches, manager Mauricio Pochettino said yesterday ahead of their League Cup clash against Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea, who are 14th in the Premier League with just five points from six matches, have struggled since their change of ownership last year and recorded their lowest league finish since 1994 last season. Following their 1-0 home defeat by Aston Villa on Sunday, British media reported that co-controlling owner Eghbali had entered the club’s dressing room. Last season, joint-owner Boehly also attracted criticism for entering the dressing room after a Chelsea loss. “I like when the owner comes (into the dressing room). I think it is good that the owner comes into the dressing room. It is the way…

THE South African Clothing and Textile Union’s (Sactwu’s) investment arm will have to wait for the outcome of its suit against Independent Media Consortium (IMC), formerly known as Sekunjalo Independent Media, over the status of an initial R150 million investment in the consortium. Yesterday, the Western Cape High Court reserved judgment in the matter. At the court, the two parties made closing arguments before Acting Judge Michelle O’Sullivan, who will determine whether Sactwu’s general secretary Andre Kriel had the authority to sign a subordination agreement, among other things. In his closing argument, Independent Media counsel advocate Eduard Fagan, SC, said Sactwu was suing because it was trying to avoid the consequence that eventuated in the non-listing of Sagarmatha. “It is based on hindsight. It is based on regret,” he…

TYGERBERG Hospital has been creating awareness of lung health through its annual commemoration of World Lung Day on September 25. The theme for this year was: “Access to prevention and treatment for all. Leave no one behind.” The hospital said the two vital organs responsible for oxygen exchange in our bodies were increasingly under threat from a number of factors, including smoking, respiratory infections and pollution. Diseases that can affect the lungs may arise in the airway, tissue or blood vessels of the lungs, preventing them from performing optimally. Common lung diseases include pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer. Tygerberg Hospital’s respiratory clinic saw 2 228 patients in 2022, of which 535 were new patients. Georgeen Burrows, 36, from Paarl fell sick in…

The letter from MP Manny de Freitas, “Broad Based BEE doing more harm than good” (Cape Argus, September 21) spells it out as it is. Giving Covid-19 relief monies to certain types of businesses is ridiculous and harks back to what happened during apartheid. All companies in the tourism industry suffered during Covid. Covid was not targeted against black companies only. This social engineering is now so ridiculous it has become farcical. All those businesses forced to close had to pay income tax when making money, regardless of whether they were black, white, coloured or Indian. Now that they needed some help, they couldn’t turn to our government. I hope a new government will put an end to race-based employment and benefit schemes.…

Saudi Arabia yesterday sent its first delegation in three decades to the occupied West Bank to reassure Palestinians that it will defend their cause even as it forges closer ties with Israel. In a sign of the thaw, Israel’s Tourism Minister Haim Katz visited Riyadh on the same day, for the first such high-level public mission to the oil-rich kingdom. Washington has urged its Middle East allies Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalise diplomatic relations, following on from similar deals involving the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. The Palestinians have labelled those US-brokered agreements a betrayal of their plight and quest for statehood -- but Nayef al-Sudairi, who headed the Saudi delegation, sought to reassure them that Riyadh stands by their side. “The Palestinian matter is a fundamental pillar,”…

DAMASCUS: Fighters loyal to the Syrian government have clashed with Kurdish-led forces in a mainly Arab district of eastern Syria, leaving 25 people dead in two days, a war monitor said yesterday. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said they had “driven out the regime gunmen who had infiltrated the Dheiban area” of Deir Ezzor province in gunbattles this week. The Kurds form a majority in the core areas of SDF control in north-eastern and northern Syria. But in several areas which they captured in their US-backed campaign Arabs form the majority. | AFP…