Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-02-07 i Cape Argus

THE mother of the matriculant who was killed when a car ploughed into her in Bonteheuwel said she was not happy with the 3-year sentence handed down to the driver yesterday. The impact of the crash had flung Tatum Hendricks, 18, on to a neighbour’s roof, while another victim, 28, was injured. The incident happened when Gershwin Jacobs admittedly drove at high speed along Bonteheuwel Avenue on October 9, 2022. He also admitted that he did not have a driving licence, and had a learner’s licence in 2002. The 34-year-old man was sentenced yesterday in the Parow Regional Court. The father of three had been out on R3 000 bail. He was sentenced to three years for culpable homicide and 12 months for reckless and negligent driving. The sentences will…

The Competition Commission has approached the Constitutional Court to rule on whether South African authorities had jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute firms that were based outside the country, whose anti-competitive conduct affected the local economy. Announcing yesterday that it had approached the apex court, the Commission said it was appealing the Competition Appeal Court (CAC) order concerning 13 banks, in which the CAC upheld an appeal against the banks filing answering affidavits on allegations that they colluded with one another to fix the foreign exchange rate in respect of the US dollar and the South African rand (USD/ZAR) currency pair. The litigation dates back to June 2020, when the Commission referred a case against 28 local and foreign banks to the Competition Tribunal, which were alleged to have colluded with…

WHAT WAS to be a fun night out with friends did not end well for a teenager who was rescued following a party near the summit of Lion's Head at the weekend. The teen was found lying in a foetal position and may have been suffering from dehydration and heat stroke and was most likely intoxicated, said Friends of Lions Head and Signal Hill chairperson, Kosta Papageorgiou. Papageorgiou had been trekking up Lion's Head for his daily summit when he came across the teen. He said he was alerted that a party, involving a deejay, electronic dj equipment, a generator and a mixing table, was taking place at the summit. Papageorgiou alerted Search and Rescue officials,the City of Cape Town's law enforcement officials and South African National Parks Operations. He…

THE Fidelity Services Group has suspended an armed response officer who called for Dunoon to be “burned down” on social media amid an outcry from users. The post on the Richwood Neighbourhood Watch Facebook Page by response officer Andre Rauch sent tongues wagging this week. The post, made to congratulate another response officer for extinguishing a veld fire near De Zicht Estate, turned sour when Rauch took to social media and wrote: “Let the Du Noon birned (sic) down lol”. Residents immediately responded, telling Rauch they found his comments terrible and disgusting. But he merely responded by saying he didn’t care and that his comments were fuelled by his training. “Disgusting comment. Put yourself in the shoes of the many mothers and fathers, children and elderly who would be affected…

For millennia, we witnessed the increased stupidity in social, political, religious and economic leadership. Stupidity, in a nutshell, is the lack of reason and logic and inability to have overall good judgement. The problem with stupid people in control creates a situation where their lack of ability causes problems for many others as it has a knock-on effect. Stupidity is not limited to race, religion or culture. Stupidity is, oddly, common among those who claim to be religious, as religiosity often oppresses reason and logic. For example, the genocide in Palestine has attracted broad opposition, yet many people continue to support Israel. After almost 40 000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, were killed and Gaza obliterated, many continue to talk about Israel’s right to self-defence. The cruelty and…

As we begin our academic year, it’s my wish to see all pupils pass with flying colours. That will materialise only if parents help educators inspire pupils to take their education seriously. The idea of distancing ourselves from our children’s education because we think it is only the teachers’ job to educate them creates a negative attitude that our children end up adopting. The pass rate at the end of the year will not only be determined by hard-working teachers; it also depends on how united teachers and parents are in educating and inspiring pupils. Teamwork is the key.…

Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu says he does not believe in a two-state solution for Israel/Palestine. Hamas believes the same. It is dedicated to wiping out Jews and the State of Israel. The juvenile chant: “Palestine shall be free from the River to the Sea,” means “No Israel.” Both are wrong. It has always been clear that there has to be room for both Israel and Palestine in adjacent states with secure borders. The Palestinians, famous for never missing an opportunity, almost had a solution, negotiated by President Bill Clinton, two decades ago. Yasser Arafat got cold feet; his wild men were adamantly opposed to any solution recognising Israel’s right of existence even though it was the biblical home of the Jews thousands of years ago, when there were…

King Charles’ cancer was caught early and the whole country is hoping he can make a full recovery, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said yesterday, as messages of support for the 75-year-old monarch poured in from world leaders. Buckingham Palace revealed on Monday that Charles, on the throne for less than 18 months since the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth, was suffering from a “form of cancer” and would postpone his public engagements to undergo treatment. The king was remaining “wholly positive”, the palace said. Charles’ younger son Prince Harry, estranged from the royal family, is due to arrive in Britain shortly and his elder brother, heir-to-the-throne Prince William, is expected to step up to fulfil some of the monarch’s duties. Harry, who quit royal duties in 2020, is…

WHAT are the chances of the dearly departed Nelson Mandela and the late Sani Abacha watching tonight’s Africa Cup of Nations semi-final clash between South Africa and Nigeria together somewhere in the heavens? Highly unlikely, I’d say. No, make that impossible. The deceased former presidents are the main reason the rivalry between Bafana Bafana and the Super Eagles is as intense as it is and even St Peter will probably have it hard convincing them to sit in front of the same TV for a tie as important as tonight’s. Granted, there was already some bad blood between the two football nations by the time it all turned political in 1995/96, Nigeria having given South Africa the proverbial baptism of fire into world football via a 4-0 hammering in a…

THERE is a reward hidden behind all the negativity surrounding the ongoing Proteas’ cricket tour of New Zealand. Already, the experienced Black Caps batter, Kane Williamson, has drilled invaluable lessons into coach Shukri Conrad’s inexperienced squad with centuries in both innings. Although team has been forced into submission having spent almost 200 overs in the field, there are lessons that the bowling attack and the batting unit will carry with them for years to come. The bowlers have learnt that there is a very little room for error in Test cricket as compared to domestic cricket, while the batters would have noted the need to make full use of every opportunity that comes their way at this level. Proteas top-order batter Keegan Petersen explained just how difficult it has been…

Londie London is at it again, stirring up the chatter in the town square. For the past few months, she’s been grabbing headlines for everything from baby daddy drama to some car chaos. The former Real Housewives of Durban star has found herself back in the spotlight after her ex, Sphamandla Mabonga, got caught up in a shoot-out saga at a nightclub in Sandton. This time, London is making headlines over a hijacked BMW 330i that the police snagged. Rumour has it that this ride, which was flaunted on her social media last year when Mabonga handed over the keys after the car, was allegedly hijacked in KwaZulu-Natal. Sunday World reported that the impounding of the vehicle was confirmed by a source close to the police. This revelation comes as…

A COMMUTER has relived the moment the bus she was travelling in crashed along the R300 off-ramp from the N2 on Monday. Golden Arrow Bus Service (Gabs) confirmed that 52 passengers travelling on the Mitchells Plain Lost City bus from Cape Town had to be treated for minor to moderate injuries. Six moderate injuries were reportedly related to neck and back pain. Gretchen Appollis, 38, from Mitchells Plain, said that after finishing work she and a few of her colleagues boarded the bus in town. “The driver is our regular driver. He is a safe driver, so we would have never pictured this happening,” she said. Appollis said just moments before the bus toppled over, she was awakened by screams of passengers. “They were shouting ‘driver’, then I felt us…

AFTER a traumatic childhood, Fatiema Petersen has risen above the noise and completed her second children’s book. The 30-year-old mom of two from Crawford is a qualified social worker, and the youngest daughter of Cape music legends Madeegha Anders and the late Taliep Petersen. What many people do not know is that this is actually her third book. According to Petersen, she wrote a book when she was just eight years old, trying to get to grips with her father’s second marriage. Unfortunately, her stepmother Najwa Dirk found the book and destroyed it, she said. Dirk was sentenced to 28 years behind bars for orchestrating Taliep’s December 2006 murder. Petersen said: “I’ve had the writing bug from a young age. I remember writing a book around the age of eight…

THE year 1994 was a historical, significant turning point in the history of a country that had survived centuries of colonialism and apartheid oppression. While racism exists in many countries across the world, the difference was that in South Africa it was so institutionalised that many laws had been promulgated to entrench its enforcement. Many amenities were designated for exclusive use by blacks and whites; those reserved for whites of a much superior quality. So when the struggle for liberation of the oppressed and downtrodden triumphed in 1994 the euphoria that swept across the country was understandable. The emergence of blacks from that dark, bitter past, had a profound influence on the provisions of our Constitution as it sought to reverse centuries of poverty, deprivation, humiliation and oppression. But, 30…

SOUTH African Indians and coloureds have made significant contributions to the struggle for freedom and democracy in South Africa. Their roles have often been marginalised or overlooked, despite being instrumental in mobilising and organising their communities. The announcement by the Minister of Employment and Labour to implement employment equity targets benefiting South African Indians and coloureds is a positive step towards breaking down racial boundaries created by apartheid. The defiance campaign of the 1950s and the United Democratic Front of the 1980s are significant examples of the pivotal roles played by South African Indians and coloureds in the anti-apartheid movement. However, post-apartheid, the Employment Equity Act has created tension and competition between previously oppressed groups, exacerbating divisions. The recent changes to employment equity targets are a move towards creating a…

WHILE the country eagerly awaits the State of the Nation address this week, one can only hope that the changes implemented in the 2024 Sona have been created to allow South Africans to hear the real state of the country’s affairs rather than being used as another opportunity for one party to assert its dominance over the other. Sona serves as a means to inform the nation about its economic, political and social condition, and is a vehicle for the president to summarise the accomplishments and plans of the government for the year. However, in recent years, Sona has become a spectacle, taken over by theatrics and repeated interruptions, bullying and, in some cases, walkouts. While the interruptions were unwelcome for many who wanted to hear whether the myriad issues…

WASHINGTON: Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley, the last remaining rival to Donald Trump in the primary race, has requested US Secret Service protection, the campaign said late on Monday. While the campaign did not disclose any specific threats that prompted the request, Haley, the former US ambassador to the UN, was targeted in two “swatting” hoaxes (trying to trick police into sending a heavily armed raid to someone’s home), once on December 30 and once on January 1. Protesters opposing her support for additional military assistance for Ukraine or supporting Trump’s candidacy have disrupted or protested near her events. |…

Bafana Bafana mustn’t read too much into the potential absence of Nigeria’s talisman Victor Osimhen. Instead, they must be at their best to end a 26-year wait on the continent, said coach Hugo Broos. Bafana will face arch-rivals Nigeria in the first semi-final of the Africa Cup of Nations in Bouaké, Ivory Coast, tonight (7pm kick-off). And while the South Africans were initially underdogs for this contest, it seems they could be offered a lifeline given the news that came out of the Super Eagles’ camp early in the week. “We will fly from Abidjan to Bouaké via a 10pm Air Cote D’Ivoire flight,” read a statement from the Nigeria camp yesterday. “Osimhen will not join us on this trip because of abdominal discomfort. “Team medics confirmed that he has…

THE family of 21-year-old Diego Jacobs who was stabbed to death in Delft, believe he was murdered because he was gay. Jacobs had been returning from a shebeen on Saturday night with two female friends when he was killed in Covid informal settlement. His aunt, Naomi du Preez, said Jacobs knew the suspect. “When they returned home, Diego walked into the suspect and they almost got into a fight. The two friends said Diego must leave it be and they continued to walk. “The suspect then turned around and stabbed Diego in the neck, swore at him and told him ‘you gay’. “The knife broke off in his neck. Diego died in his one friend’s arms while the other went to look for help. “The suspect is not a stranger,…

NEARLY 400 inmates at Brandvlei Prison were evacuated on Monday night amid a raging fire that ripped through the Worcester mountainside. Cape Winelands District Municipality spokesperson, Jo-Anne Otto, said the blaze, which broke out on January 29, spread along the ridge of the Brandvlei mountains and affected the prison grounds, while the facility was unharmed. “The Brandvlei fire started last Monday, January 29, and quickly spread along the ridge of the Brandvlei mountains to the right of the facility, towards Rawsonville, where the fire line split into two sections. “One line moved into the area of Louwshoek and another continued on the ridge. “Firefighters battled for most of last week and the weekend to bring the fire under control. “On Monday, due to a change in wind direction, a part…

There is a dire need for our country to contain the loss of teaching power to other more lucrative domains. If we are talking only remuneration, then all our teachers deserve increased recognition for the sterling service they provide, often under soul-destroying conditions. My column is driven by my direct involvement with my youngest grandson, Zachary, who is now in matric. I am conflicted, because I do not want him to see the ordeal of the matric examination as a gauntlet to be run. I want all matrics to understand that they have arrived at a place where their academic exposures and support change radically. One finds it hard to swallow the reality of schools that perform brilliantly, meaning a 100% pass-rate that becomes an annual Mardi Gras of celebration.…

A year has passed since the devastating February 6, 2023 earthquakes, affecting the South eastern region of Türkiye. Right after the earthquakes, our government began efforts to find survivors and those who died, clear the rubble, and provide aid to the affected communities, with extensive intra-governmental, international and civil society collaboration. Today, a year on, we still remember and as will we in the future, what happened and the lives and dreams lost. Looking back to the drone footage from the quake zone right after the disaster, we remember the destruction. Our government is working day and night and in the process of mitigating the losses in the area and providing affected residents with housing through various governmental campaigns. Our President HE Recep Tayyip Erdogan rightfully defined the earthquakes as…

UNITED States Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi yesterday as part of a 48-hour, four-nation flurry of shuttle diplomacy in search of a ceasefire in Gaza’s war, while Israel pressed its onslaught in the south of the enclave. Blinken arrived in Egypt after a stop in Saudi Arabia, and then departed for Qatar, for meetings with leaders of the main countries acting as mediators in the Gaza war. Palestinians hope the US top diplomat’s Middle East swing will nail down a ceasefire before Israeli forces storm Rafah on Gaza’s southern fringes where over a million displaced people are sheltering. Blinken met Sisi, a day after meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. It was Blinken’s first visit to the region since…

Pakistan’s politicians hit the campaign trail for the last time yesterday, before a general election that observers say has left the nation of 240 million at its most discouraged in years. With former prime minister Imran Khan in jail and his party barred from contesting as a bloc, the field is open for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to win the most seats and give a fourth term as premier to its founder, Nawaz Sharif. Candidates loyal to Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party could still prove a decisive factor – as well as the Pakistan Peoples Party of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari – but a generally lacklustre campaign season as well as voter apathy suggest that tomorrow will see a low turnout. “The political atmosphere ahead of Pakistan’s first general election…