Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-04-25 i Cape Argus

VOICE of the Cape (VOC) radio says ongoing threats and attacks on their reputation continued after presenter, Shafiek Sedick, was taken off air for allegedly entertaining Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis on Eid. Sedick was dragged onto social media after a Facebook post by the mayor on April 11 went viral. In the post, which was later edited to remove his name, the mayor wrote: “Lovely Eid lunch with Aunty Saieda Lotters and Shafiek Sedick who are serving the Wynberg community tirelessly through their feeding programmes. Shukran, die kos was regtig heerlik. (sic)” The post caused a stir online and angered the local Muslim community, who have slammed the DA for not condemning the genocide in Palestine. In a statement released by VOC FM on Tuesday, general manager Abdul Aleem Gamza said:…

The Multi-Party Charter (MPC), led by the DA and other parties such as ActionSA, the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), Freedom Front Plus, IFP, United Independent Movement and Independent SA National Civic Organisation, has unveiled its plan to lift the poor out of poverty. Yesterday, the alliance of like-minded parties held a media briefing outside the Benoni SA Social Services (Sassa) offices, spelling out its social security relief programme for the indigent. Among the plans envisaged by the charter is an increase to social grants, access to housing for the poor via low-cost housing, land redistribution, and a beefed-up fight against crime and drugs. During a Q&A session, DA leader John Steenhuisen accused the ANC of putting politicians ahead of the poor. “The ANC has put politicians ahead of the…

THE left-wing, liberal and dubious Democratic Party political machinery in America is hell-bent on derailing Donald Trump’s re-accession to the White House throne. Tying him up in a myriad orchestrated legal battles, left-wingers are out there attempting to damage the Republican Party. Hell hath no fury like a scorned Trump. Upon his return, those who have sought to do him harm will pay a bitter price. Best that they begin their quest for refuge from his wrath. Times they are a changing in America, as notable right-wing support is rapidly growing. The American elections will no doubt be thrilling, much like ours!…

By YESTERDAY, Israel had been engaging Hamas for 200 days after Hamas breached its border fence on October 7. However, the way Israel has conducted its attack on Hamas has raised several pertinent questions. First, Israel’s perceived view as one of the most advanced military armies in the Middle East has proved to be a fallacy. Why else would a country whose army possesses the most advanced military apparatus not be able to eliminate, within 200 days, a handful of “terrorists” operating in a tiny area of land of about 360km²? Second, it should be borne in mind that this is not a war between two countries fought between two armies. Israel is a country that has a well-equipped army, with tanks, missile launchers, an air force with state-of-the-art jets…

A LOCAL robotics team has beaten the world’s best after they won the For Inspirational and Recognition of Science and Technology World Championship in Houston in the US. The four-day competition, which saw more than 220 teams from across the world compete, was about teaching the youth to learn and apply science, technology, engineering and maths skills. Team Texpand, based in Pinelands, travelled to the global competition with nine young members and two coaches. They have members from communities across the Western Cape, including Pinelands, Mitchells Plain, Plumstead and Grabouw. The competition took place last week. A member of the team, Isa Adams, 14, from Mitchells Plain, said the event was exciting: “I feel like a winner and more opportunities will open up for the team. I liked the…

Sydney: An Australian senator said yesterday that police feared Elon Musk’s decision to ignore a regulator order and leave footage on his social media platform X of a Sydney bishop being stabbed might encourage people to join terrorist groups. Senator Jacqui Lambie said Musk “should put his big boy pants on and do the right thing, but he won’t because he has no social conscience”. When an X user posted that it was Lambie who “should be in jail for censoring free speech on X”, Musk replied to his 181 million followers, “Absolutely.” Meanwhile, yesterday, seven teenagers were arrested across Sydney over the stabbing, and 13 search warrants have been executed across southwestern Sydney. | Reuters…

FOR a bachelor, Rulani Mokwena sure knows a lot about the art of wooing. Should he decide to go the marriage route, the Mamelodi Sundowns coach is unlikely to struggle finding a mate. And it will not be his coaching success or good looks that will do the trick, though those are sure to come in handy too. As he tries to emulate his predecessor Pitso Mosimane and bring the CAF Champions League title home to Chloorkop, the young coach likened the pursuit of continental glory to courting a potential marriage partner. It takes time, patience, perseverance and a lot of dates – he has figured it out. Mokwena will lead Sundowns against Esperance in second leg of the semi-final of the continent’s premier club knockout competition tomorrow night needing…

Award-winning actress Brenda Ngxoli recently opened up about a racist attack she said she endured while filming Sew the Winter to My Skin. In a social media post she gave a detailed account of the incident and alleged the person was actor David James. Ngxoli’s first post detailed how James called her “k***** meit”. “This happened in front of Many People ... Mostly white background Thespians who were there for the Court scene. They gasped in Shock. I cried whole day. Ya nothing happened to the Actor. My name though has through the years been Tainted and I’ve kept quiet ... No more,” she wrote. After social media users asked her to reveal a name, she followed up with another post: “‘Hey Jou K***** Meit’ he said to me on…

Drivers guided into risky Nyanga by Maps app A US CITIZEN who was shot in the mouth and robbed in Nyanga after Google Maps routed him through the notorious township said he was preparing to sue Google. And he is not the only one, as news reports said Jason and Katharine Zoladz, from Los Angeles, were also suing the technology giant after they were attacked in the same area while en route to their Airbnb. From Connecticut, Walter Fischel, 55, hired a car after landing in Cape Town and entered his Simon’s Town destination in Google Maps in November last year. The navigation system in the car directed him through Nyanga, where he was then approached by assailants near the taxi rank. Fischel was shot in the face and robbed…

DESPITE being diagnosed with water on his brain at a young age and dropping out of school, slain Atlantis sergeant Adion Mahoney was a proud policeman. This came to light yesterday at a memorial service for Mahoney, who was tragically killed a week ago. The 44-year-old was shot in cold blood when he and his partner responded to a domestic violence dispute at a property in Klapmuts Street, Mamre. At the time of the incident, police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said that upon arrival at the address, the suspect allegedly, during a scuffle, took Mahoney’s service pistol and fatally shot him. She said the perpetrator also shot at Mahoney’s partner before running from the scene. The killer, identified on social media as Justin “Honger” Pick, was killed a day after the…

AS WE draw closer to the May 29 elections, it is easy to get carried away by the promises made by political newbies, or as I call them “election cycle political parties”. Out of nowhere, these parties promise people heaven and earth but disappear into oblivion if they get that one seat in Parliament or the provincial legislature. I am a Gauteng resident who will, for the first time, be voting for the DA. Listening to the party’s premier candidate, Solly Msimanga, leaves one in no doubt that the DA knows what has gone wrong with our province and what needs to be done to fix it. Gauteng is the engine room of the country’s economy, but it is not creating enough jobs. Solly understands this, hence his emphasis on…

It is a truism that small business is the engine room, or job creator, for the youth and those entering the economy for the first time. A study in the US shows that 18.2% of employed persons are one-person businesses. This makes an enormous difference in the US, where unemployment is low. Unfortunately, we have a culture in South Africa that resists start-up businesses, and one-person businesses are not the norm. We are suffering from some of the remnants of apartheid during which there was a psychology of dependence forced by the old Nationalist government. We should be aiming at having almost 20% of the workforce earning money from being self-employed. It is also vital, and here I repeat myself, that we do everything in our power to ensure that…

THE hippopotamus that went viral recently after its escape from the Rondevlei section of the False Bay Nature Reserve is set to be relocated. The City made the announcement yesterday, saying the hippo that wandered the streets of Grassy Park last week to evade a clash with the herd’s dominant male will be transported to his new home once caught. Cape Town has its own pod of common hippopotamus (hippopotamus amphibius) that have called the Rondevlei section of the nature reserve home since 1981. The small family group of hippos has, over the past four decades, formed a critical part of the wetland ecology under the eye of the City’s biodiversity management team. The hippos were lost to Cape Town around 300 years ago after being hunted to extinction, and…

WITH politicians on the campaign trail for next month’s general elections, they will have been informed that the scourge of crime has driven tourists away from Durban, collapsing the hospitality industry. The high crime rate has affected hotel owners and informal traders’ businesses along the city’s central beach. Tourism is one of the main drivers of Durban’s economy. Crime, coupled with the closure of Durban Funworld, a beachfront amusement park, has resulted in some hotels slashing their prices. One of them, the Beach Hotel, has been converted into student accommodation because of low bookings. Many hotels are planning to close because it no longer makes business sense to continue operating while suffering such huge losses. One of the hotel managers was quoted as saying that he was forced to…

LONDON: A number of military horses, including one covered in blood, ran amok on the streets of central London and injured at least four people yesterday. The runaway animals galloped past bewildered Londoners near Buckingham Palace going about their morning commute. “A number of military working horses became loose during a routine exercise this morning. All of the horses have now been recovered and returned to camp,” the British army said. A number of personnel and horses had been injured and were receiving medical attention. The horses belong to the Household Cavalry, which acts as the British monarch’s bodyguard. | AFP…

THE business dealings of slain “Steroid King” Brian Wainstein have been laid bare in the Western Cape High Court, as his former bodyguard took the stand yesterday. The State witness, who may not be named, told Judge Vincent Saldanha about the events that led up to Wainstein’s murder amid the underworld murder trial against controversial businessman Mark Lifman and alleged Sexy Boys gang boss Jerome “Donkie” Booysen. The duo, along with several others, face a plethora of charges linked to alleged underworld battles for the control of nightclubs. They have been charged with the murder of Wainstein, who was gunned down in his Constantia home in August 2017. The State’s case is that Wainstein and Lifman had allegedly clashed over property deals and a plan was hatched to have Wainstein…

RONDEBOSCH Common users have been urged to remain vigilant and practise safety in numbers, following recent crime incidents. On Sunday, an elderly woman was physically attacked while walking her dog, which prompted the Rondebosch station commander’s office to release a statement cautioning users of the Common. The incident took place at around 11.15am. According to the statement, the woman bumped into the man and apologised, thereafter the suspect told the woman to give him her phone. When she said she did not have it, the suspect searched her and only found her car keys. The suspect then pulled out a knife and pulled the woman towards him. “The complainant tried to pull herself out of her jacket, but he dragged her to the ground. “The complainant started to yell and…

Recently, I translated an important book from English into Turkish, called Anatomy of a South African Genocide, written by distinguished emeritus professor of history Mohamed Adhikari at UCT. Adhikari clearly explains what genocide is and how the extermination of the Cape San people happened in South Africa. Genocide is a term that evokes images of unspeakable human suffering, violence and systemic destruction. Defined by the UN in the 1948 Genocide Convention, it involves acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. The acts include killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm, imposing conditions leading to the group’s physical destruction or preventing births within the group. However, at times, massacres can become politicised and exploited for…

There is no such thing as a Palestinian state. Palestinian statehood has been disputed for decades. ‘Palestine’ was given ‘observer status’ in the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2012. The state of Israel was declared in May 1948, and admitted to the UN as a full member. Israel is a parliamentary democracy in a multi-party system with strong, independent institutions. It is in no way an ‘apartheid’ state. ‘Palestine’, an authoritarian regime, has, as an ‘observer state’ been granted limited powers. Although some of the UN members (140 out of 193) have recognised Palestinian statehood, it cannot be considered a de facto state. According to the 1933 Montevideo Convention, statehood implies a territory with a permanent population, a specifically defined territory, its own government and the capacity to…

I KEEP coming across discount pundits taking aim at the Cape Town and Western Cape governments for “failing” to deal with the housing needs of low-income residents. But when you start poking at the arguments put forward by yapping opposition parties, they turn out to be nothing but fluff. As I have it, DA Mayor Hill-Lewis just tabled the largest infrastructure budget in the history of the City, rubbishing both Durban and Johannesburg. In fact, the mayor will invest more in city infrastructure over the next three years than his two colleagues combined. And that’s not all – of this year’s R11 billion infrastructure allocation, 73% will be spent on lower-income areas and informal settlements. Numbers don’t lie, but people do, and it is easy to entice the gullible to…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Shanghai yesterday with US-China ties on a steadier footing, but with a daunting array of unresolved issues threatening the stability of relations between the global rivals. Blinken will meet with business leaders before heading to Beijing for talks tomorrow with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and a likely meeting with President Xi Jinping. Blinken’s visit is the latest high-level contact between the two nations that, along with working groups on issues from global trade to military communication, have tempered the public acrimony that drove relations to historic lows early last year. But Washington and Beijng have made little headway on curbing China’s supply of chemicals used to make fentanyl, Taiwan remains a flashpoint, and strains are intensifying over China’s backing of…