Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-11-15 i Cape Argus

Media houses all over the world, including the print media in South Africa, are adding fuel to the fire by pitting Israeli supporters against Palestinian supporters in allowing proponents from both sides to have a go at one another on the letters pages of their newspapers under the guise of freedom of speech and expression legislation. Editors need to be more circum- spect and more focused on promot- ing a solution to the impasse in the Middle East, rather than stoking the fire. Writers who leave emotion out of articles by not taking sides and offer solutions should get preference.…

Despite the severe impact of avian flu, KZN’s ANC-run provincial government has failed to lead any campaign on the issue or educate communities on their important role in eradicating the outbreak. Many within the province are unaware that avian flu – or bird flu – can be transmitted to humans and that safety precautions need to be taken when handling either dead or diseased birds. There has also been little advice for those within the poultry industry in terms of wearing personal protective equipment and hand washing with disinfectant soap after contact with poultry or birds. In failing to create awareness, the government is failing our farming industry and communities. This, as more than 20% of chickens in the country have died or been culled to deal with a…

The recent allegations made by the Thuja Capital CEO, Professor Mthunzi Mdwaba, against ministers, Blade Nzimande, Thulas Nxesi and Enoch Godongwana and ANC Secretary- General Fikile Mbalula have, once again, exposed the hard-to-believe truth about our leaders. Although evidence of their involvement in the alleged R500 million bribery claim remains vague and unsubstantiated, one begins to dread the reality of the situation, if there is proof that the leaders were involved in soliciting the bribe. That we are led by thugs, money launderers and extortionists is not far-fetched when we look at the Phala Phala farm scandal. The recent revelations about the amount that was stolen at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm in February 2020 seem to suggest that in our president, not only do we have a liar and money…

Gaza’s main hospital has been forced to bury scores of dead patients in a mass grave, its director said yesterday, as US President Joe Biden pressed Israel to protect the complex trapped in fierce combat. Israeli forces were at the gates of the sprawling Al-Shifa Hospital they say sits atop an underground Hamas command base, but the militants deny the charge and doctors say thousands of people are stranded inside in horrific conditions. “There are bodies littered in the hospital complex and there is no longer electricity at the morgues,” said Al-Shifa Hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiyah, adding that 179 bodies had been interred so far. “We were forced to bury them in a mass grave,” he said, adding that seven babies and 29 intensive care patients were among those…

Push is on for potential R100bn a year market In ANOTHER step towards realising the large-scale commercialisation of cannabis and hemp in South Africa, parties in the National Assembly yesterday threw their weight behind the industry that is set to create jobs, alleviate poverty and help reduce inequality in the country. The justice and correctional services portfolio committee presented a report on the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill, which has now been sent to the National Council of Provinces for deliberation. The report was supported by the ANC, EFF, DA, IFP, NFP and PAC, while the Freedom Front Plus and ACDP voiced their opposition. Portfolio committee chairperson Gratitude Magwanishe said the bill was the first step towards the development of legislation on regulations of cannabis for commercial purposes, as the…

Aligning the Office of the Public Protector to legislation such as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Act and the Finance Management Act is a critical step in the country’s democracy, newly appointed Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka said. Yesterday Gcaleka addressed the Cape Town Press Club under the theme Fit for purpose: The Public Protector 28 years into the democratic South Africa, Gcaleka, at 41, the country’s youngest Public Protector, said the needs and demands of public institutions have changed and the Office of the Public Protector needed to adapt as well. “The Public Protector Act was enacted before the final Constitution so it became critical that we align ourselves to the final Constitution and we align ourselves to subsequent legislation, for instance the NPA Act as well as the Public…

Briefing the Parliament Portfolio on Home Affairs, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said it is ready for the Voter Registration Weekend, which will commence on November 18 and 19, and that those who are living abroad will be able to register online in January. IEC said it has conducted a dry run to test its systems on voting stations and that voting district boundaries, a process known as re-delimitation, have given rise to 23 296 voting districts, compared to 23 148 for the 2021 Municipal Elections – an increase of 148 voting districts. It said that by November 2, 72 560 people had been trained to assist voters, and a further 1 960 personnel were yet to be trained. “The names of the registration officers have been provided…

I have no illusions that I speak for anybody or that I have found the magic cure for our national ills. I try to spice up my efforts weekly (weakly) with exhortations for us to find some joy in the miserable life that those in power inflict on us. And always, there is the hope that somewhere, in some noble hidden breast, a flame of national resurgence will burst into the white heat that will relieve our plight. This reference taps directly into a poem that I have quoted before, the magisterial Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, by Thomas Gray. He speaks to the poor and simple folk who seemed to have been passed by during their lives. He admonishes us not to neglect “the short and simple annals…

The efforts and talk by some quarters that an independence referendum for the Western Cape should be held must not simply be dismissed but vigorously confronted and opposed because it is very dangerous. For one, if this succeeds – and God forbid the referendum produces a positive result – we are all in trouble. This is because it is no secret that there are proto-nationalists who are currently underground and are just waiting for a chance to dismember this country on an ethnic/racial basis. Just imagine what will happen if these forces surface on the back of the success of this referendum and start demanding “independence” for themselves all over the country? Chaos would be the result. Indeed, South Africans should not be naïve. This issue goes beyond the country…

South Africa has had several outbreaks of animal diseases in recent months that suggest there are weaknesses in the country’s biosecurity system – the measures in place to reduce the risk of infectious diseases being transmitted to crops, livestock and poultry. The outbreaks pose a challenge for the domestic animal farming sector. Fears of weaknesses in the system have been raised by agribusiness for some time, suggesting that pressures and concerns are mounting. Biosecurity breaches are not unique to South Africa. They have become a significant challenge globally. It’s not easy to put a monetary figure on it, but reports of disease outbreaks across the world, and indeed in South Africa, suggest the problem has intensified. In South Africa, reports about foot-and-mouth disease in cattle, African swine fever in pigs…

More than a hundred rescuers in northern India struggled for a third day yesterday to save dozens of workers trapped underground after the road tunnel they were building collapsed. Excavators have been removing debris since Sunday morning from the site in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand to create an escape tunnel for the 40 workers, who are all alive. “Our biggest breakthrough is that we have established contact and there is a supply of oxygen and food,” Uttarkashi district’s top civil servant Abhishek Ruhela said yesterday. “Whatever is necessary for their survival is being done.” Oxygen was being pumped into the tunnel and small food items such as dry fruit were being provided to the workers, he added. The State Disaster Response Force said Tuesday rescuers had spoken to the…

Private sector businesses in South Africa have proposed that the government allow them to assist the Department of Home Affairs to fast-track the backlog of more than 74 000 visa applications as the shortage of scarce skills hampers investor sentiment and economic activity. If it happens, this would not be the first time the private sector ventures into government services, as a number of selected banks already offer ID and passport application services, while retailers such as Shoprite and Pick n Pay are now offering vehicle licence renewal services, on the back of a deteriorating Post Office. Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) on Monday said the backlog of unprocessed visas – many of them in the scarce skills category – was staggering; a number in line with the headcount of…

The number of murders in South Africa has risen by an alarming 77% since the 2011/2012 period. This is according to statistics released by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) at a briefing yesterday. The stats showed that murders increased from 15 554 incidents in 2011/2012 to 27 494 in 2022/2023. The ISS stats further revealed that four provinces – Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Gauteng – recorded the highest number of murders in the country. David Bruce, an independent researcher on policing and a consultant to the ISS, said that from 1994/1995 to 2011/2012 the murder rate fell by more than 57%. “This is equivalent to the per-capita murder rate decreasing from 69 per 100 000 to 29.5 per 100 000. Since then, the…

A couple of years ago our education experts, sex therapists and psychologists decided to make sex education the number one priority in the school curriculum. Starting in Grade 1 through to Grade 12. Fourteen years of sustained sex education in a country ravaged by sexual abuse, rape and gender-based violence. In their great wisdom they also allowed consensual sex between the ages of 12 and 16. The logic: “They’re going to do it anyway”. Remarkable reasoning! This has resulted in thousands of young maidens falling pregnant (some as young as 10) and causing not only untold misery to the families, but a great financial burden to the state as well. Now there is great concern regarding underage drinking. Will the same logic as for sex education apply? Lobby groups are…

The ocean plays a pivotal role in benefiting humanity and the planet by contributing significantly to social, economic, and environmental well-being. It is critical to food security, biodiverse ecosystems, and helps regulate our global climate. The ocean economy is worth an estimated $3 trillion (about R56 trillion) to R6 trillion a year, offering opportunities for economic growth, employment and innovation. Sadly, the ocean and its benefits are increasingly at risk of human activity such as pollution, global warming and overfishing. Curbing these effects requires urgent action in using the ocean more sustainably. Earlier this year, the UN signed the High Seas Treaty to protect two-thirds of the ocean and preserve its biodiversity through marine conservation and sustainable fishing. In South Africa, oceans and coastal resources are vital for those local…