Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-12-06 i Cape Argus

Get ready to laugh your head off with Marc Lottering in his latest solo show, So I Wrote That Musical. He spills the beans on what it’s like juggling stand-up and musical theatre in a quick 80-minute ride (no bathroom breaks, peeps). Lottering brings his A-game, regaling the audience with tales from the different worlds. In a recent chat on CapeTalk, Lottering highlighted that when he steps onto the stage at the Baxter Theatre, it’s all about spreading happiness, radiating love and dishing out joy. As Lottering stated in the interview: “With everything happening in the world, we all need to exhale”. So I Wrote That Musical is set to be a belly-laughing journey into Marc Lottering’s funny mind. Where: Baxter Theatre. When: Currently, until January 6. Shows start at…

Collaboration efforts between the SAPS, Law Enforcement and SANParks paying off Two people suspected of robbing a group of cyclists along Table Mountain have been apprehended thanks to quick-thinking cops working alongside Law Enforcement and SANParks rangers on Monday. Mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith, said on Monday night information was received about a robbery on the Jeep track close to Military Road and on the slopes above Tamboerskloof. “A group of mountain bikers had been held up at knife-point and robbed of their valuables. A description of the assailants was quickly circulated among the various role-players within the collaboration efforts of the TMNP Safety Forum. A short while later, the SAPS arrested a suspect matching the description, while the second suspect had disappeared.” Smith said SAPS officers…

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the Free State says police have collected DNA and fingerprint samples after a recent burglary at its Bloemfontein offices, where four laptops and voice recorders were stolen. The break-in at the DPP’s office took place on Monday, where the criminals also managed to gain access to the offices of the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions and personal assistant’s offices. The acting spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Free State, Mojalefa Senokoatsane, said four laptops and voice recorders were stolen. “Even though these criminals managed to break into this central nerve of prosecutions in the province, the citizenry of the Republic and the Free State province can rest assured that no sensitive information, dockets or files were taken, as they are…

Aid organisation, Gift of the Givers, is engaging with lawyers to lay charges of war crimes against humanity against Israel in the International Criminal Court. Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers made the announcement at a media event at the Capetonian Hotel on Monday night. Sooliman is preparing more aid for Gaza which will include a hundred-strong medical team, counsellors, and medical experts who specialise in orthopaedics to assist those who lost limbs as a result of Israeli attacks. On November 16, Gift of the Givers head in Gaza, Ahmed Abbasi and his brother Dr Mustafa Abbasi joined the list of casualities of the Israeli attacks. They died after the building housing the mosque where they had performed their pre-drawn prayer, came under fire from the Israeli…

Zimbabwe’s ministry of public service, labour and social welfare has said it had not been made aware of the 443 children who were allegedly trafficked and stopped by the South African Border Management Authority (BMA) from entering SA on 42 buses. This comes after BMA Commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato, during a media briefing on Sunday, said the newly established BMA intercepted nearly 44 000 people trying to illegally enter South Africa, arrested more than 2 000 for various crimes and seized stolen vehicles and drugs. He said 443 children, under the age of 8, who were trafficked from Zimbabwe into South Africa were recently intercepted by border patrollers and human trafficking was becoming a serious problem. On Monday, in a statement circulated on social media, Minister July Moyo said: “The…

South African scientists have found a blind mole with supersonic hearing thought to be extinct since 1936. The rediscovered De Winton’s golden mole, which is from South Africa, is the 11th of the world’s most wanted lost species to be rediscovered since the Search for Lost Species launched in 2017. The mole was found by a team of conservationists and geneticists from the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and the University of Pretoria using eDNA, a technique that collects skin cells from living creatures as they move through the environment. Esther Matthew, senior field officer at EWT, said the discovery of the mole was exciting with many challenges. “Luckily, we had a fantastic team full of enthusiasm and innovative ideas. That is exactly what you need when you have to survey…

Pictures tell a thousand words, the saying goes. The first picture that comes to mind was of the EFF rally at the FNB Stadium rally of some time ago. The party prides itself on its steadfast support for pan-Africanism and therefore, brooks no anti-migrant myths and stereotypes. The second is the Patriotic Alliance (PA) rally at Orlando Stadium recently. The party’s basic principle seems to be premised on ridding South Africa of all migrants. Is there a lesson in this for all the political parties in that, while the EFF filled the 95 000-seater FNB Stadium, the Patriotic Alliance could not draw a crowd of 300 people – less than a percentage of the stadium’s capacity – that anti-migrant sentiments are not appealing to South Africans? Analysing the two pictures,…

Blitzbok coach Sandile Ngcobo may still be sporting a moon boot on his left leg, but his big smile was evident once more yesterday ahead of the Cape Town Sevens. That smile may not have been as broad during a difficult last season, but things are looking up for the Springbok Sevens team again after their fifth consecutive triumph at the Dubai Sevens last weekend. Ngcobo wasn’t in the United Arab Emirates as he sustained an Achilles injury recently – which saw assistant coach Philip Snyman take charge – but the former speedster is back in the saddle for Saturday and Sunday’s action at the Cape Town Stadium. South Africa have been drawn in Pool A alongside Ireland, USA and Great Britain, and will hope to clinch a rare home…

Love conquers all! Five months after comedian Tol Ass Mo announced that his wife, Mome Mahlangu, and he were divorcing, the couple have reunited. Tol Ass Mo and Mahlangu, pictured, have been together for 11 years and endured the controversy around a highly publicised rape allegation, of which he has been acquitted. This reunion comes just a few months after Mo sat down with DJ Fresh to reveal that the two had separated. Taking to Instagram to confirm their reunion, Mahlangu wrote: “Forgiveness comes when you stop visiting the past, especially when you know what you had to go through.” She added that each time you replay the past it takes on life instead of easing the pain. “What was done is done but what you can do is…

Phuhlisani Solutions (PS) has released a report that scores the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) with a 83% success rate in land reform, something that the ANC says doesn’t translate into reality. PS is an independent research company commissioned by the department to do a land reform evaluation report and agribusiness studies supported by the department from 2019 to 2023. According to PS, the exercise was aimed at doing three things: an evaluation of the current status of the businesses; an assessment of the “success” of the businesses using 39 indicators; a review of the post-settlement support (PSS) programme. “A total of 86 businesses were selected, and a “project” and a beneficiary questionnaire were used to interview the members. Stakeholders at the provincial and district levels were also interviewed.…

WITH around 5 000 visitors a month, the District Six Museum has made a turnaround since the dire impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, with its calendar now fully booked until the end of 2024. Three years ago, the museum suffered the effects of the closure of cultural centres, as it struggled to finance its monthly operational costs of R383 000. Museum acting director Chrischené Julius, this week shared the good news that since 2021, they saw a slow uptake of visitors, and in mid-2023, reached pre-Covid numbers of between 4 000 - 5 000 visitors a month. “We have seen a marked increase in the numbers of school and university groups who visit the museum for customised programmes. “The reintegration of the ex-Fugard spaces into the museum’s Homecoming Centre also…

WESTERN Cape Mobility Department MEC Ricardo Mackenzie has welcomed the reinstatement of Shosholoza Meyl. As holidaymakers will be travelling to their destinations, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) said its long-distance train service was ready to operate after two years. Shosholoza Meyl will travel to three major cities: Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Prasa spokesperson Andiswa Makanda said: “We’ve been having challenges with the long-distance rail services, which we had for many years. And around Covid-19 and lockdown the infrastructure was badly vandalised. “We also had issues with train availability, where some of the coaches had to go for refurbishment, and so we haven’t had access to reliable locomotives, but now that is the work that we’ve done. “A lot of the lines inter-provincially belong to Transnet, so…

As a nation, we have weathered significant crises, and among the most daunting has been the battle against HIV/Aids. While victory remains on the horizon, our collective efforts have ushered in substantial progress. The Sixth South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence, and Behaviour Survey (SABSSM VI) is a testament to our resilience, revealing marked decreases in HIV prevalence and notable strides in viral suppression. Yet, this is not a time for complacency; it’s a call to intensify campaigns, particularly among younger generations, and redouble our commitment to combat this enduring challenge. The strides made in combating HIV/Aids are not just statistical milestones; they represent lives saved, families preserved, and communities empowered. It is crucial to recognise this battle as a historic crisis that has shaped our health-care landscape, tested our…

Under-fire Erik ten Hag is confident he retains the backing of Manchester United’s players after the club was angered by reports he had lost some of the dressing room. The Dutchman’s challenging second campaign in charge continued on Saturday when his team fell to a meek 1-0 defeat at Newcastle. A 10th defeat of the season in all competitions led to some reports that Ten Hag had lost the confidence of up to half of his players, with references to concerns over his style, tactics and signings. As a result, the club banned four media outlets shortly before yesterday’s media conference to preview the midweek Premier League clash against Chelsea. United said the action was taken for not “contacting us first to give us the opportunity to comment, challenge or…

Cape Town City head coach Eric Tinkler has backed Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos’ decision to form the national team’s core around Mamelodi Sundowns players. The last international break saw Bafana begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a victory against Benin and an away loss to minnows Rwanda. Bafana had six Sundowns players in the starting XI when they beat Benin at Moses Mabhida Stadium. Ronwen Williams, Mothobi Mvala, Khuliso Mudau, Aubrey Modiba, Teboho Mokoena and Themba Zwane are the Sundowns stars who started the game. Broos’ decision to include so many players from the Chloorkop-based club has raised contrasting opinions in football spaces around the country. Tinkler, who was part of Bafana’s one and only squad to lift the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996, has…

Robert Downey jr won’t play Iron Man again. The 58-year-old actor portrayed Tony Stark and his superhero alter ego in 11 movies from 2008’s Iron Man to 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, but Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) boss Kevin Feige has insisted there are no plans to “magically undo” the character’s death so he can make an appearance in future films in the blockbuster series. Asked by Vanity Fair magazine if Downey could return to the role, Feige said: “We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again. We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.” And Joe Russo, who co-directed Avengers: Endgame, recalled how the cast and crew “said tearful goodbyes…

The heartbroken partner of a Bothasig mother who was allegedly killed by her drug addict son said that her death could have been prevented. Deon Rohlandt claims his life partner, Margo Slabbert, would still be alive today if only they had received the necessary assistance from their local police station. “She went to the detectives and came home and she said, ‘Deon, that big white police detective was so rude to me he said what must he do with this’? I went to the station the next day but they said he didn’t have a fixed address. The court has given us a permanent protection order and this is the one we took,” he said. A week after seeking help, Margo’s bloody body was found in her flat, her throat…

Following a string of attacks by robbers who terrorised people in Lower Church Street, Woodstock, five people have been arrested. The arrests come after U-Watch Woodstock, Salt River Neighbourhood Watch, Woodstock and police actively patrolled the area over the weekend, saying the reports of robberies in the street were alarming. “Over the last few days, five street robberies were reported on Lower Church Street as it crossed the railway lines. The shacks that have been built there have become a honeypot of criminal activity due to the land owners making no effort to secure them. “Woodstock police, however, were determined to put an end to these robberies,” said U-Watch Woodstock. Over the weekend, foot patrols managed to flush out four suspects matching the description of the robbers. Despite running away…

Members of the Western Cape Government came out in their numbers to stand in solidarity with victims and survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). Dressed in black, the province’s Premier Alan Winde and MEC of Social Development, Sharna Fernandez, were joined by members of the Cabinet and Provincial Legislature, Western Cape Government (WCG) staff, stakeholders, and ordinary citizens who formed a human chain in front and opposite the Legislature in Wale street yesterday. Voices chanting “enough is enough” and “genoeg is genoeg” could be heard when crossing into the road from Adderley Street. Premier Winde said the Western Cape Government (WCG) would remain committed to fighting GBV 365 days a year, not just during the 16 Days during the No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign. Winde said the whole process…

Banyana Banyana’s coach Desiree Ellis lauded her troops’ mentality after qualifying for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco next year. Banyana beat Burkina Faso 2-0 in the second leg of the Wafcon qualifier at home on Monday (3-1 on aggregate) after the first leg ended in a 1-1 draw on Thursday last week. But while the victory, which was inspired by goals from Linda Motlhalo and Nicole Michaela, largely meant that Banyana will defend their crown next year, there was more to it. Banyana’s longest-serving captain Janine van Wyk etched her name in the history books, becoming the highest capped international player in Africa with 185 caps. At first it didn’t seem as though Banyana would have it easy in Atteridgeville given signs of fatigue after long hours…