Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-11-21 i Cape Argus

Jack Harlow’s latest, and now viral, hit has all the ingredients to become the perfect festive season anthem. Lovin On Me, the latest musical offering from the US rapper and singer, is confident, catchy, playful and fun. The tune features elements of nostalgia as it’s built on a sample of R&B singer Delbert “Dale” Greer’s 1995 track Whatever. Harlow also debuts his new mullet, a hairstyle popular in the ’80s, in the song’s music video. And with its throwback vibes, appealing lyrics, club-friendly beat, and puppy cameo in the music video, Lovin On Me is sure to be blasting from locations across the globe these holidays. It’s also the charismatic ease in which the world-renowned musician delivers the track, which was officially launched last week Friday, that is set to…

A local newspaper published a devastating report that made me want to join all those who have stopped buying newspapers. “Failing ports, congested roads and the collapsing of Transnet are dealing a death blow to the economy as vital exports are held up on blocked roads with further delays at dilapidated ports now rated among the worst in Africa.” This report must have shocked everyone into the realisation that the sooner we have our national elections, the better. We can’t afford to have another clueless government that only sees being in power as an opportunity to fulfil that shameful desire, “our turn to eat” – the driving force in Africa dominating the fight for political power since the early days of independence from colonialism. Few political parties give us any…

During the memorial service of the longest-serving ex-deputy minister of foreign affairs, Aziz Pahad, former president Thabo Mbeki said the “ANC has not betrayed South Africans”. However, it has failed to renew itself, further said Mbeki. In 1994, the ANC promised voters free houses, jobs, economic growth and quality education. Even in the subsequent general elections, the governing party promised the same. In other words, it has never deviated from its promises. Interestingly, Cyril Ramaphosa’s party has failed to deliver on its promises. For instance, load shedding has become part of our lives. Load shedding has caused job losses and economic stagnation. The country has been experiencing this problem for more than 10 years, and it is expected to be with us for years to come. In the last few…

Section 16 of the Constitution states unambiguously that “everyone has the right to freedom of expression”. The Constitution also guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and protest. Accordingly, the 30 000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who marched through Cape Town on November 11 had a clear right to demonstrate and to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people in the war between Israel and Hamas. The much smaller group that met to pray for peace in the Israel/Gaza conflict on the Sea Point promenade on November 12 had an equal right to gather and express their views. The pro-Palestine group that broke up and harassed their meeting had no right to do so. They also had no right to confront the SAPS and ignore orders to disperse peacefully. Their action was a…

MILAN: Hundreds of alleged mobsters were being sentenced yesterday by an Italian court, the culmination of a historic, nearly three-year trial against Calabria’s notorious ‘Ndrangheta mafia. Prosecutors have asked for guilty verdicts against 322 accused mafia members and their white-collar collaborators, in what could mark the most significant blow to date against one of the world’s most powerful organised crime syndicates. The ‘Ndrangheta has exercised a near-monopoly on the European cocaine trade, with a presence in more than 40 countries worldwide. The sentencing will cap Italy’s largest mafia trial in decades. The trial began in January 2021. | AFP…

Buenos Aires: Javier Milei has won Argentina’s presidential elections in provisional results, wrenching his country to the right with an anti-establishment campaign against the backdrop of one of the world’s highest inflation rates. His rival Sergio Massa conceded the run-off vote in a speech before official results were announced. Milei got over 55% of votes, the National Electoral Chamber said. His campaign promised to dollarise Argentina. Milei has also said he would slash government spending and would eliminate public subsidies. He opposes abortion rights and calls climate change a “lie of socialism”. | IANS…

The awful pitch conditions and fitness concerns that will face Bafana Bafana against Rwanda in Butare today won’t dampen their desire to win the match, says coach Hugo Broos. Over the years, South Africa has been called a ‘footballing nation’ but while that might be argued by the fans and aspiring footballers as fact, Bafana have done little to live up to that belief on the field, with their last success nearly 30 years ago at the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations. Their World Cup qualifying campaigns have also been awful during that period and it’s been 21 years since Bafana qualified for the showpiece event through the qualification process, having only played in the 2010 finals as hosts. Enter the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and Bafana are hoping to…

The festive season store displays are a sure sign that the year-end rush will soon be upon us. Now is a good time to review your financial affairs, particularly your medical aid, as most medical schemes release their new tariffs and changes to benefits towards the end of the year. Take a holistic approach to tariff increases Many people believe that medical aid rates will increase, and there isn’t much they can do about it, apart from adjusting their budget accordingly. This mindset is overly simplistic. However, it is important to have a sound understanding of your family’s medical aid benefits and take this into account when considering any changes to your medical aid plan. We can’t predict when we are going to fall ill, but we can be more…

THE Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) said it would co-operate with law-enforcement agencies investigating allegations of corruption linked to a R3 billion Labour Activation Programme. A Sunday newspaper reported that Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi had been identified as a person of interest in the matter following an investigation into fresh allegations of corruption involving approximately R3bn. The matter is being investigated by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU). The claim is that the scheme irregularly distributed millions from the labour activation programme fund, meant to boost job creation, to more than 30 companies without following due process. The UIF in a statement said it had not yet received official correspondence from the SIU but would co-operate fully if requested to do so. “As an organisation that respects the rule of…

AN ABOUT-turn on a proposal to establish an additional homeless shelter in District Six has been described as a “merry-go-round to nowhere”, as the metro experienced an uphill battle to alleviate homelessness. This, as the provincial Department of Social Development yesterday said it would no longer move ahead with plans for an additional homeless shelter in Cape Town. The department received 28 submissions in support of and against the development when the public participation period ended in July. The department said it had considered community objections and budget cuts facing the country. “The Western Cape Department of Social Development has taken a decision to reprioritise the funds to assist with the equivalent expansion of bed spaces for homeless adults at various NGO-run shelters both within the City of Cape Town…

A LETTER writer to a local newspaper comments that mankind has not responded “to their (Palestinian) solitude by offering aid and refuge” and that the “silence of the world is sickeningly deafening”. I seem to recall a number of demonstrations and aid entering Gaza. Nevertheless, what I find strange is that Arab and Muslim nations, (and South Africa), that vociferously proclaim their support for Palestine, refuse to accept Gazan refugees. Jordan and Egypt have openly stated their refusal to accept refugees, but not a word from the Arab and Muslim countries in the Gulf region, despite supporting Hamas. Jordan’s King Abdullah recently said: “No refugees in Jordan, or Egypt.” Israel seems to care more about saving Palestinian lives by warning them of imminent attacks, and supplying humanitarian aid. In 1948…

Carbon emissions are destroying our planet, and we are increasing carbon emissions – every extra truck every taxi, every tyre burning. Increasing carbon footprints and having carbon taxes just help the government get richer. Trains have no carbon footprints. Our passengers trains and our long-hall goods trains are non-existent. Any bad action is bound to affect illness, asthma, cancer and storms. Trucks are making billions yet pump out carbon hurting our Earth. We destroy planet Earth with our carbon footprints. If a good government can fix railway lines, parks and infrastructure, this virtuous action will react on Earth and our people with equal force and good effects. It will bring joy and happiness for all life.…

Despite my criticism and scathing remarks about the Safe Spaces (for very valid reasons, and please don’t misunderstand my position in this post; my opinion of the Safe Spaces in their current format, under their current management, with the services they offer, and their lack of effectiveness in reducing the number of people on our streets remains unchanged), I do privately go around mentioning them. Just as I did again this weekend (visiting homeless people in both the CBD and the Atlantic Seaboard, checking their IDs, and trying to convince them of the importance of voting in the election) while trying to convince especially those on chronic medication, those getting on in years, and the many women trapped in abusive relationships just to have a roof over their head, to…

The chaos at South Africa’s ports, which has seen ships stranded for weeks and cargo delayed, could have been avoided if the government had heeded international best practices. At the time of writing, just more than 71 000 shipping containers are stranded off ships in Durban Harbour, awaiting unloading, which will cause delays ahead of one of the busiest trading seasons for retailers. Numerous factors have brought about a crisis that has been years in the making, and the blame for the mismanagement – some might even go as far as to say incompetence – can be laid at the door of Transnet, which owns and manages South Africa’s ports through its subsidiary, the National Ports Authority. Its chief executive officer, Pepi Silinga, who previously headed the Coega Development Corporation,…

ISTANBUL: Turkish rescue teams searched yesterday for 11 missing crew members of a cargo ship which sunk off the Black Sea coast amid storms that claimed the lives of at least nine people, including one from the ship, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. The Turkish-flagged Kafkametler, with 12 crew on board, had sunk off the coast of Eregli in northwest Turkey’s Zonguldak province and the body of one crew member had been retrieved, he said. The ship’s captain had reported on Sunday that the ship was drifting towards a breakwater. The region was hit by powerful storms. | Reuters…

The Western Cape High Court has dismissed an application by alleged child killer Derick Kalmeyer to be acquitted of the murders of slain siblings Faith and Conray Adams. Sitting in the dock yesterday, the 54-year-old man appeared nervous as Judge Pearl Andrews read out her judgment on the application by defence advocate Bash Sibda. According to the State’s case, Kalmeyer stands accused of attacking the two children by violently stabbing 3-year-old Faith to death and stabbing 18-month-old Conray multiple times and then hurling him through a glass window. Kalmeyer faces two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of resisting arrest. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. During witness testimony by the children’s mother, Frizaan Adams, and her friend, Christolene Orion, it was…

The Activists and Citizens Forum says if President Cyril Ramaphosa is serious about stopping corruption he must show it through practical actions to protect whistle-blowers. The latest allegations from a whistle-blower at the Employment and Labour Department alleging that Minister Thulas Nxesi is involved in theft, fraud and racketeering of billions of rand, are extremely serious allegations. Spokesperson for Activist and Citizens Forum Dennis Bloem said that the senior official who became the whistle-blower is now living in fear of his life. Bloem said the whistle-blower is threatened by unknown “hooligans” to stop what he is busy with. He said that something was very disturbing as these allegations, including submitting an affidavit, were already made in June. Five months later, the law enforcement agencies have not acted against Nxesi and…

A PETITION to bring craft beers to supermarket shelves has received mixed reactions from the public. The Beer Association of South Africa (Basa) launched the petition, which by yesterday had garnered 22 000 signatures. It planned to hand over the petition to the government to change current legislation that prohibits the sale of beer in grocery stores. Basa chief executive Patricia Pillay said craft brewers have not managed to fully recover since the Covid-19 pandemic. “These small businesses need opportunities to showcase their truly world-class brews and space on grocery store shelves will assist in this regard. “Craft beers in supermarkets will also offer choice to shoppers and highlight how beer can also be a companion with food. “It will open economic avenues by selling a beverage that is…

GLOSSY adverts by liquor chains and retailers are shoved into our faces on a daily basis, as we get closer to the Christmas season. Addiction in a bottle, made to look attractive to weak-willed human beings, so that they can drink themselves into an alcoholic daze. Just yesterday, an inebriated driver got on to the highway near Bedfordview, travelling the wrong way ... in the process killing two people and injuring other innocents. Liquor companies glorify their products by presenting them in exquisite bottles and other types of packaging, in the process adding value to the decay of the feeblest humans and society in general. There is an understated alcoholic use problem in this country, yet the government turns a blind eye as taxes derived from alcohol sales add to…

The recent spate of arrests by SAPS officers countrywide, of suspected criminals, and the killing of them, justified by shooting back at suspects who resisted arrest and shot at police, is highly lauded. Police have a right to defend themselves in maintaining law and order. While there might be little or no danger in a work shift, just a minute can be crucial as it could result in an officer being injured or, at worst, losing their life in the line of duty. Thugs are brazen, callous and ruthless. They will not hesitate to maim or kill. The scoundrels have easy access to arms and ammunition, including explosives for use in ATM bombings and cash-in-transit robberies. The scenario is equally applicable to prison, army, traffic and justice personnel and private…

Behind every discovery, final investment decision and first oil announcement on our continent are companies of all sizes, advancing our energy industry and bringing Africans closer to realising the energy security and prosperity that their petroleum resources represent. Collectively, the companies are validating the African Energy Chamber’s (AEC) long-held assertion that Africa represents the next frontier for energy exploration and production. Despite concerns over corporate divestment from the African oil and gas sector in recent years – moves made largely in an effort to conform to expanding global ESG expectations – international oil companies (IOCs) and African national oil companies (NOCs) continue to be the key driving forces behind the continent’s short-term supplies, hydrocarbon potential, medium-term production, and spending. As detailed in the AEC’s newly released report, “The State of…

A first group of prematurely born babies evacuated from Gaza’s biggest hospital were taken into Egypt for treatment yesterday, while Palestinian health authorities said people were killed inside another hospital encircled by Israeli tanks. More than two dozens babies were expected to cross the border, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent and Egypt’s Al Qahera TV. The newborns had been in north Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital, where several other newborns died amid a collapse in medical services partly caused by power cuts when fuel ran out. Israeli forces seized Al Shifa last week to search for what they said was a Hamas tunnel network built underneath. Hundreds of patients, medical staff and displaced people left Al Shifa at the weekend, with doctors saying they were ejected by troops and Israel…

WASHINGTON: US auto safety regulators said yesterday that they had opened a probe into 16 separate recalls issued by Hyundai and Kia covering 6.4 million vehicles relating to brake fluid leaks that could result in fires. The Korean automakers have issued a string of recalls since 2016 for antilock braking system and Hydraulic Electronic Control Units issues manufactured by the same parts supplier. In September, Hyundai said it had reports of 21 fires and 21 other thermal incidents since 2017, while Kia has reports of at least 10 confirmed fires and melting incidents. | Reuters…