Indholdsfortegnelse for 2025-02-20 i Cape Argus

Nearly a decade ago, Britain’s perennially hapless rom-com heroine Bridget Jones actually did make it to marriage and motherhood after three movies and countless comical indignities. But in the tender, sexy coda Mad About the Boy, the fourth film adapted from Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary novel series, she discovers there’s more life to live after the happily- ever-after. It’s the best of the sequels yet. The reason Bridget (Renée Zellweger, buoyant and luminous) has a new adventure at all, however, may be sobering for fans of the bubbly erstwhile singleton, last seen in 2016’s Bridget Jones’s Baby newly wedded and romping into the sunset with her stoic barrister beau, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). So let’s just rip off the bandage, which won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s…

BANK transfers made in error are not gifts that can be spent, a judge once again reminded clients who suddenly receive unaccounted money in their accounts. In a case before the Northern Cape High Court, sitting in Kimberley, First Rand Bank approached the court for an order that one of its clients, who holds an academic doctorate degree, pay an amount of R935 949.83 back to the bank. The court was told that in August 2020, the bank’s representative, who is a private client banker, telephonically contacted the client, on a recorded call, to advise him about a more beneficial investment product in the form of a Money Maximiser. This was said to accumulate more interest than the Money-On-Call account. The respondent (the client) was the treasurer of a trust…

A GROUP of porters who serve at the OR Tambo International Airport have expressed their collective outrage against the Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA), alleging that they are being squeezed out of their livelihoods. The porters claim that their voices have been ignored while illegal foreign workers are seemingly allowed to operate without restraint. These airport workers, who rely heavily on customer tips for their income, have warned that their ability to earn a living is being compromised by security personnel and some executives who allegedly enforce restrictive measures against them. The porters say they are not allowed to operate the counter, which allows them greater tips and earning potential. They also argue that their permits were withdrawn arbitrarily by executives, with some porters having confirmed that more than…

A GRIPPING new film titled Athlone ’85 tells a story 40 years in the making. During the apartheid government’s 1985 State of Emergency, coloured communities and especially learners, rose up in the Struggle for liberation. The new film is inspired by true-life events with its tagline: Damned if you do! Dead if you don’t! Based on true events, the film is inspired by the Trojan Horse Massacre at Alexander Sinton Secondary School on Belgravia Road, where young people were shot at and three were killed who were part of anti-government demonstrations. Director, Theo Davids, said it is time this history is told to the younger generation and how it affected the people of Athlone. “It is a sense of identity and how people stood together and overcame adversity at a…

The Stormers should have star players Damian Willemse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu back on the rugby field in about four weeks, if there are no setbacks in their rehabilitation. Willemse (hip) and Feinberg-Mngomezulu (sternum and thumb) will be joined by Suleiman Harzenberg (hand) and Jean-Luc du Plessis (wrist) in boosting the side as early as next month. That means the Cape outfit will head to Loftus Versfeld next weekend without any returning players. For a third game-week in a row, director of rugby John Dobson will have a limited squad to select from. This has been a struggling period for the Stormers without some of their key players. Currently, they are on a three-match losing streak in the United Rugby Championship (URC), and the trip to Pretoria won’t be an easy…

WITH South Africa’s opening fixture in the Champions Trophy right around the corner, one can only imagine the selection headache that limited-overs coach Rob Walter is battling. The 49-year-old has nine batters who can bat in the top five. Somehow, the coach needs to make room to slot them into the top seven. Does he open the batting with the two lefties Ryan Rickelton and Tony de Zorzi? But that would mean Temba Bavuma, who’s been successful opening the batting in ODI cricket, shifts down to four as Rassie van der Dussen has made the number three spot his own. With Bavuma at four, Aiden Markram would bat at five, Heinrich Klaasen at six, and perhaps David Miller at seven, which would be too low for each of the batters.…

The Blitzboks have always enjoyed success in Vancouver, winning three titles, one during the Commonwealth Games, in the Canadian city and making the final of the SVNS showpiece twice. But, after a lacklustre ninth-place finish in 2024 and some ordinary performances in 2023 and 2022, a period marred with inconsistency, the Blitzboks gear up for their opening match against New Zealand with hopes of turning their recent fortunes around. Co-captain Impi Visser said they will look to fix their errors of the last couple of seasons, especially after last year. “Last time around, we were a bit disjointed, and it showed in our play,” he said “Credit to the management who sorted all the little niggles out, as we arrived here a happy and determined squad, cold as it may…

SALDANHA Bay residents yesterday released white balloons for missing Joshlin Smith, to mark one year since the then six-year-old disappeared from her Middelpos home in Diazville. Her mother Racquel “Kelly” Smith, told the police her daughter fell ill on February 19, 2024, and she left her in the care of her boyfriend, Jacquen “Boeta” Appollis. Now, her mother – Smith, along with Appollis and Stevano van Rhyn, are accused of her kidnapping. A prayer walk was held yesterday in Diaz Road to mark the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of the young girl. The event was attended by people from both Saldanha Bay and surrounding areas. Smith’s cousin, Ralph Cloete, recalled the last time he saw Joshlin was on the day of her disappearance. “Boeta, Steveno and I smoked a…

POLITICAL analysts have cast doubt that the newly appointed interim ANC leaders in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal to revive the depleted organisation will succeed. By yesterday afternoon, the ANC had not confirmed Amos Masondo and Jeff Radebe as the party members who will lead the reconfigured Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provincial executive committees. These two seniors, however, have reportedly been called upon to spearhead the organisation's revival in these provinces. It appears that Masondo and Hope Papo will be the leaders of the Gauteng ANC, with Panyaza Lesufi serving as the co-convener. Radebe has been partnered with Siboniso Duma as KZN conveners, with Mike Mabuyakhulu serving as coordinator, which is the equivalent of secretary. Notably, Bheki Mtolo, who was provincial secretary, Sipho Hlomuka, deputy secretary and Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba, treasurer, are likely…

Even though the stars seem to be aligning for batters in the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan, the Proteas batsmen don't intend to be complacent in their training. If anything, South Africa’s best batters will want to work harder and seize the opportunity they’ve been presented with, Keshav Maharaj said on Wednesday. The 34-year-old described the Proteas' training sessions in Pakistan as intense as they come, as they prepare for their first match in Group B against Afghanistan on Friday. “I think they are quite happy with the conditions but they understand it's not just walking up and scoring runs; there is still a process and method” Maharaj said. “I think when wickets are in your favour, you train that much harder because you want to make the most of…

As Bangladesh prepare to embark on their ICC Champions Trophy journey against India, young fast bowler Nahid Rana has emphasised the importance of executing their plans effectively on what are expected to be batter-friendly pitches. The encounter marks the beginning of Bangladesh's Group A campaign, set to take place on Thursday in Dubai, before they head to Rawalpindi for subsequent matches against the hosts, Pakistan, and New Zealand. Rana, who played a pivotal role in securing a memorable 2-0 series victory against Pakistan recently, remembers the thrill of his earlier performances. “We played on pitches that were very good for batting and the margins for the fast bowlers were less. Despite that, we made the right adjustments and bowled exceptionally as a fast bowling group. The pitches could be even…

AC Milan are licking self-inflicted wounds after a painful Uefa Champions League exit at the hands of Feyenoord which has cast a dark shadow over what has already been an awful season. Seven-time European champions Milan have the Italian Cup and a Top 4 finish left to play for after a bizarre elimination at the play-off stage caused in large part by Theo Hernandez's daft sending off. Milan dominated Tuesday night's match at the San Siro until the 51st minute, when Hernandez hit the turf in the penalty area despite not being touched by Givairo Read. The France full-back, who earlier had hit the post, was already on a booking for a needless foul on Anis Hadj-Moussa just before half-time and referee Szymon Marciniak wasted no time in showing him…

This was not supposed to happen, but this is happening! So, such is the reality of the situation, Kaizer Chiefs’ fans must get used to this normalcy. Chiefs were hammered 4-1 by SuperSport United in the Betway Premiership on Tuesday night at their home, the FNB Stadium. And this loss comes on the back of a purple patch, having the team previously won back-to-back matches, including in the league and Nedbank Cup. The Nedbank Cup last 16 win over Chippa United was so convincing that many believed that the team had turned the corner and will be consistent going forward. But no, that was too soon to predict. Gavin Hunt and his men exposed Chiefs’ weaknesses all round as they tore them into shreds. It’s clear that Chiefs are already…

ALLEGED underworld kingpin, Nafiz Modack, has denied giving an instruction to launch a grenade attack on the home of slain Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) detective, Charl Kinnear. Modack, who faces over 100 charges in the mammoth underworld trial, returned to the stand at the Western Cape High Court yesterday, where he continued his testimony before Judge Robert Henney. While Modack has dropped several bombshells in the past week amid claims of collusion between high-ranking police officials, he said he played no role in the “grenade attack” at Kinnear’s home in November 2019. According to the State’s case, Modack along with a couple, Amaal Jantjies and Janick Adonis, allegedly hatched a plan to have a suspect throw the grenade at Kinnear’s home. The State claims that while Adonis was in prison at…

VOTED Time Out’s best city in the world, the reality is that for many Capetonians the lived experience is different. Many spend nearly half their salaries on transport just to get to work, and have to stretch the rest of their money out for food and other necessities. However, the idea that affordable housing could be built close to economic hubs leaves the Nimbys (Not In My Backyard) up in arms as they fear property prices will drop and areas will be unappealing. “While some local residents are obviously concerned, I hope they can take comfort from the fact that mixed-income housing has been used successfully all over the world for a very, very long time, and that the few examples we have in South Africa generally function extremely well”,…

IN A MOVE hailed as a long-overdue step toward transparency and accountability, Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, announced this week that the SAPS will begin rolling out the use of body cameras as early as April 1. The announcement, made during a parliamentary session in response to a question by the DA, has been met with widespread approval from unions and political parties. Despite the expenditures involved, the rollout has garnered broad support and is said to be consistent with improved policing procedures, ensuring that contacts between officers and the public are documented for both accountability and protection. During the initial phase, the SAPS plans to procure 100 body cameras, with each unit costing approximately R29 000. The total investment for the rollout amounts to nearly R2.88 million for the…

Lewis Hamilton said he felt "invigorated" and "full of life" following a move to Ferrari as his new car was unveiled in front of some 15 000 raucous fans during the 2025 Formula One season launch at London's O2 Arena on Tuesday. Seven-times world champion Hamilton has left Mercedes after 12 seasons to join the Italian giants for the upcoming campaign that starts with next month's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Ferrari have been ever present throughout Formula One's 75-year history and the prospect of winning a record eighth drivers' championship with the 'Scuderia' has clearly proved enticing for 40-year-old British motorsport great Hamilton. "The word I am thinking of is invigorated because I feel so full of life and so much energy because everything is new and I'm just…

IT is strange what is happening at Cape Town City. The side that had built itself a reputation of a Top4 finish or better in the Premiership, dropped to 10th place on the log after their 2-0 loss to Chippa United at home on Tuesday. A rare scorer Sinoxolo Kwayiba helped himself to a brace at the Athlone Stadium, leaving City interim coach and technical director Muhsin Ertugral pointing fingers to his side’s lack of confidence in a post match interview. “These are the times that coaching is the most difficult. “I think in the first 20 minutes the game could have been over,” said Ertugral on SuperSport TV of his side’s missed chances. This has happened now a couple of times, and you can see mentally how our shoulders…

It may still be early in the year to talk about the Springboks, but after coach Rassie Erasmus announced two squads for upcoming alignment camps, it has whetted the appetite for some serious selection discussions. The 56-man group for the in-person alignment camp in Cape Town in early March, and then the 26-player list named on Wednesday for a virtual camp later next month – which mainly included overseas-based stars – saw almost every Bok contender included. But it is likely that Erasmus will pick experimental line-ups for the opening three Tests of the year against Italy and Georgia in July, and some of the newcomers will be pushing for an opportunity in those games. That is why Saturday’s United Rugby Championship showdown between the Bulls and Lions at Loftus…

Gavin Hunt should have been purring like the cat that just got the milk, delighted that his team finally found their scoring mojo. The SuperSport United coach should have been stoked at having completed a Betway Premiership league double over a club that treated him shabbily in the past. Damn, he had seen to a 4-1 defeat of Kaizer Chiefs in their own backyard, the kind of result many a coach would rave about for weeks on end. But deep in the bowels of the calabash that is the FNB Stadium, Hunt was moaning about how he’d lost the spine of his team. He grumbled about how he has a new team that still needs to gel. And then he said the masterclass his team delivered on a wet Tuesday…

IF ever there was an award for “People’s team of choice” something like a Players’ Player of the Season in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), surely Stellenbosch FC would be front runners if not the ultimate favourites. The Maroons have consistently punched above their weight and as a result, on Thursday afternoon the whole of Mzansi will be waiting with eagerness to see who they are drawn against in the Caf Confederation Cup quarter-finals draw. The draw will take place in Doha, Qatar and will be televised live at 4pm South African time. This will be followed by the Caf Champions League draw at 5pm, in which PSL giants Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, will be representing the Rainbow Nation. Now, going back to Stellenbosch; what makes this more special…