Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-09-19 i Cape Argus

THE case against the teenager charged with the murder of 16-year-old Deveney Nel has been postponed for another month for further investigation. The 17-year-old suspect, who cannot be named, appeared in camera in the Caledon Magistrate’s Court yesterday. A petition was signed and delivered to the court, calling for bail to be denied and the boy to be remanded to a juvenile detention centre instead of a place of safety. The suspect, who knew Deveney, was arrested by Serious and Violent Crime Unit detectives days after her bloody body was found in the storeroom of Hoërskool Overberg, where she was a Grade 10 learner at the time. It is believed he stabbed Deveney to death, while her school hosted a sports day last month. Her mother later reported her missing…

LIFTING an enormous weight off the shoulders of patients and their families as well as aid and support post-hospital care, Healthcare Workers 4 Palestine (HCW4P) South Africa and Gift of the Givers (GoTG) have started its distribution of its Ubuntu Buckets. Launched in July, the organisations partnered for the humanitarian campaign, Ubuntu Bucket Drive, aimed to supply monthly care packages to patients at regional hospitals across South Africa. Yesterday, HCW4P SA and GoTG teams visited Paarl and New Somerset Hospitals, the first two hospitals identified to benefit from the sustained initiative. The Ubuntu Buckets overflow with nutritious non-perishable food items and hygiene products, able to feed and sustain a family of four for an entire month. Forty buckets were distributed between the two hospitals, with buckets to be provided…

Who remembers Tokyo Sexwale’s public relations stunt when he was minister of housing? He decided, entourage in tow, to spend a night among the poorest of the poor, sharing phuthu, chakalaka, Lucky Star and shisanyama. The shack dweller who gave him refuge did not have electricity, running water or a toilet, leaving Tokyo high and dry as he had to make use of a “long drop”. Jislaaik! It must have been so uncomfortable, especially since it was winter. Imagine … an ANC minister, with a billionaire status, endearing himself to the landless and homeless. The question is: Have things improved since those days? I fear not. Rural dwellers gravitate towards cities and metros in droves. The ministerial portfolio of human settlements is a hot potato indeed.…

There is a growing realisation of the strength and value of developing the Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects and curriculum in Africa. Globally, it has been realised that the subjects contribute to the more significant overall development of critical thinking skills, fostering innovation and creativity and enhancing problem-solving skills. The learning of Stem subjects needs to be developed at the appropriate age for a child. At a young age, children learn the necessary skills to solve problems and think critically, analyse and process information and knowledge within the correct contextual setting and framework. The strengths are developed through academic curricula that are related to Stem subjects. South Africans have also realised the importance of the development of these skills. Last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the “Presidential PhD…

A Taiwanese pager maker denied yesterday that it had produced devices that wounded thousands of Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon when they exploded – an audacious attack that raised the prospect of a full-scale war between the Iran-backed group and arch-foe Israel. Gold Apollo said the devices were made under licence by a company called BAC, based in Hungary’s capital Budapest. Israel’s spy agency Mossad, which has a long history of pulling off sophisticated attacks on foreign soil, planted explosives inside pagers imported by Hezbollah months before Tuesday’s detonations, a senior Lebanese security source and another source said. The death toll rose to 12, including two children, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said yesterday. The attack wounded nearly 3 000 people, including many of the group’s fighters and Iran’s envoy to…

Ahead of the first bilateral ODI series against Afghanistan, the hope was to discover other players to win cricket games for South Africa. Everyone outside of Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortjé and Tabraiz Shamsi. On the evidence of last night’s humiliating first defeat to Afghanistan, the road ahead to unearth this next crop of Proteas match winners seems a long one as they went down by six wickets. While the hot and humid conditions and a low and slow pitch at the Sharjah International Stadium were tailor-made for the Afghans, there is simply no excuse for the Proteas to be bowled out for just 106 in 33.3 overs. Even more so to be reduced to a…

THE case against the man accused of killing 5-year-old Xavier Mitchell has once again been postponed. Mervyn White briefly appeared in the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s Court on Monday for the murder of the child, who was stabbed to death on August 7. Xavier had been in the care of his nanny, who is also his neighbour, when the incident happened. After Xavier was stabbed, White reportedly ran from the scene and was later caught by residents who allegedly assaulted him. During his third appearance this week, the court was informed that White had been sent to the district surgeon at Karl Bremer Hospital, where the court heard he was found to suffere from psychosis. White had spoken about aeroplanes, and said he was not aware of the murder. Magistrate Sean…

NEARLY five years after 10-year-old Ayesha Kelly was shot and killed in a gang crossfire, the two gang members accused of her murder have been convicted and are awaiting sentencing next month. It was a bittersweet moment for Kelly’s mother, Insaaf Kelly, when she heard the word “guilty” in the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday, when Cameron Julies and Chadwin Williams were convicted of her murder. The duo, who are members of the Hard Livings gang, pleaded not guilty to more than 10 charges relating to the shooting which took place on December 8, 2019, in Tafelsig. The State proved that on the fateful night, the victim was at a tuckshop when the gunfire rang out and Ayesha was struck and killed. Julius and Williams were arrested shortly thereafter.…

OFFICIALS from the City of Cape Town’s water and sanitation department are looking into the trench collapse that resulted in injuries to three construction workers in Strand. Mayco member for water and sanitation Zahid Badroodien said the site was closed following the incident on Tuesday afternoon. Workers were installing a new rising pipeline at the intersection of Broadway Boulevard and Broadlands Road when a lower part of the trench gave way. The trench, dug along the busy main road, was part of the City’s Gordon’s Bay rising main project. The project is among several initiatives as repair work on Strand’s ageing sewer network was set to start at the end of October. Badroodien said safety measures, including trench stepping and battering, were in place before the collapse. He said the…

The Department of Labour was eventually reconfigured into the Department of Employment and Labour. This was after a long and tedious discussion that first started from a draft discussion paper in October 2019. Eventually, in May 2023, the government’s technical advisory centre was appointed to analyse it in order to understand its ability, implement the employment mandate optimally and help implement the restructuring of the Department of Employment and Labour. The reasoning behind this was the fact that unemployment had become one of the most destructive issues faced by the government. The advisory centre completed its analysis and presented it to the department in November 2023. Employment creation and its functions were to be moved to the top of the agenda. Many observations were made about service delivery, organisational structure,…

Chaos and pandemonium reigns in Lebanon and Beirut after several hundred Hezbollah officials and fighters, some say more than 2 500, were injured or killed in a stunning, state-of-the-art attack by Israel. Some claim that the Mossad might have been responsible for multiple pagers exploding simultaneously in the hands and pockets of the Lebanese terrorists. In what can be described as a stroke of absolute genius, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)/Mossad somehow infiltrated the paging devices (apparently sent by Iran for Hezbollah to use as a safer means of communication), using the devices as a form of self-exploding weapons in the hands of the original aggressors. How brilliant! As injured Lebanese terrorists ran through the streets, screaming in agony, ambulance sirens ringing all over and hospitals filling with casualties,…

Stellenbosch FC have a mountain to climb if they wish to qualify for the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup, the second-tier competition of African club football. On Sunday, the Winelands upstarts will play AS Vita Club in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo in the return leg of their second preliminary round match. Stellenbosch defeated the Congolese 2-0 in the first leg at the Cape Town Stadium last Friday. Stellenbosch may have caught a lucky break last week because AS Vita, former Champions League and Confederation Cup finalists, arrived in the Mother City in the early hours of Friday morning. AS Vita’s Abdeslam Ouaddou, the former Moroccan national team player, was visibly upset after the match and said his players had not recovered from their nightmare trip to Cape…

The last time the Springbok Women played against Spain, they needed a late penalty to emerge victorious, and they will hope for an easier outing in today’s Test at the Cape Town Stadium (5pm start). The match is part of the Bok Women’s preparations for the coming WXV 2 tournament in the same region, with fixtures against Japan (September 27, Cape Town Stadium, 4pm) and Australia (October 5, Athlone Stadium, 5pm) ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup in England. Jakkie Cilliers had to slot a three-pointer in the closing 10 minutes to seal a 15-13 win for South Africa against Spain in Valladolid in March, but with new coach Swys de Bruin in tow, they will be keen to showcase their attacking skills this afternoon. The Bok Women dominated…

Award-winning South African comedian Dalin Oliver is returning home after a whirlwind six-country, 13-city tour across Europe and the UK. He’s now gearing up to bring the laughs to audiences nationwide with his one-man show 90 Day Comedian. Hot off the international comedy circuit, Oliver will make stops in Johannesburg, Durban, Paarl, East London, Gqeberha and Cape Town from October 1 to November 30. Prepare for a 75-minute laughter- filled journey that explores identity, cultural politics and what it means to be proudly South African in a world that often doesn’t understand our nation’s diversity and history. Oliver has made waves on the comedy stage with his unique perspective, earning him numerous accolades. His international tour included performances at prestigious festivals under the World Fringe Network, where he picked up…

AN ELDERLY man from Strand died a painful death when he was stabbed multiple times and run over by a car. According to Strand Community Policing Forum (CPF) spokesperson Niklaas Thysen, 60-year-old Petrus Coetzee was attacked by unidentified robbers on Monday morning. Coetzee’s sister, Johenna van Wyk, said when they arrived at the scene, he had died. “He had a black backpack on his back. He had nothing that could have been of value,” said Van Wyk. “He was on his way to Gordon’s Bay to collect tins for recycling, that is what he did every day. “He was apparently robbed by two or three unknown men. He was trying to get away from them when he was stabbed. “My brother was a quiet person and a good man. He…

THE EFF has slammed the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA’s) appointment of advocates Matthew Chaskalson and Paul Pretorius as consultants. The two lawyers previously served as evidence leaders for the state capture commission that was chaired by former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. The EFF labelled the move “gross collusion, opportunism and undermining of the wheels of natural justice”. Chaskalson and Pretorius will now advise the NPA on prosecuting cases based on evidence they developed and led during the commission. Pretorius, former head of the legal team, led evidence on the State Security Agency and Bosasa, including President Cyril Ramaphosa’s testimony. His appointment raises concerns about conflicts of interest. Chaskalson, who handled illicit financial…

VERY few pass from this strange world with happiness and a smile. I wonder what thoughts buzzed through Pravin Gordhan’s mind during his last days. I knew Pravin personally from the time that he was barely 8 years old. His father, Mr Jamnadas Gordhan, and my dad were inseparable friends for over three decades, in the 50S. Although Mr Jamnadas was a very strict “high-caste” Hindu and very seldom allowed “others” into his then Prince Edward Street home, he actually used to sit on the floor and dine with my father. They often travelled across India together and even went into a temporary business partnership “Modern Sarie Centre”, in central Durban, between 1956 and1960. Emerging from a background of relative affluence, we all expected Pravin to become just another spoiled…

As a public servant committed to improving service delivery, I have often witnessed the frustration citizens face when trying to access government services. Our system feels impenetrable to those it’s meant to serve in too many instances. A solution is adopting the No Wrong Door policy, a crucial change that could transform the way South Africans interact with government. The No Wrong Door policy originated as a public service principle aimed at ensuring that any person approaching the government is helped regardless of whether they have come to the “right” department or not. This means that no matter which government office they approach, they should be guided toward the correct solution or service – never turned away or left frustrated. The idea has been implemented in various countries, where it…

As comrades, family, friends and foes reflect on the life and impact of former minister Pravin Gordhan on South Africa’s journey from apartheid to this non-racial, non-sexist, democratic – but sadly still not prosperous – society, some hard questions are being asked. Is the ANC still committed to the “national democratic revolution”, the Freedom Charter and all the transformational founding principles its forebears fought and died for? Are its leaders still committed to fighting the basic “triple challenges” of poverty, unemployment and inequality? Judging by the results of the last general elections, more and more South Africans are beginning to doubt the “leader of society’s” commitment to bring about “a better life for all”. SACP spokesperson Dr Alex Mashilo posed this question in a poignant way during one of…