Indholdsfortegnelse for 2025-03-12 i Cape Argus

The Zabalaza Theatre Festival has been an essential platform for emerging South African theatre-makers since its inception in 2011. Held annually at The Baxter Theatre in Cape Town, the festival has created opportunities for young, independent artists, particularly those from townships and marginalised communities. Over the years, it has helped develop new talents, offering actors, playwrights and directors the chance to refine their craft and showcase their work. Many productions that started at Zabalaza have gone on to receive further recognition, shaping the South African theatre landscape. The festival has grown in impact, offering affordable and engaging performances that reach new audiences. It provides mentorship, workshops and skills development, expanding beyond just performances to include directing and scriptwriting. The festival showcases a diverse range of works, including drama, comedy, children’s…

POLICE are investigating the murder of the daughter of a well-known minstrel fraternity member and team owner of D Six Hanover Park Minstrels, who was pregnant when she came under fire from gunmen in Woodstock. It is understood Imaan Syms, 30, was shot and killed in Sussex Street, Woodstock, on Monday. Police spokesperson, Wesley Twigg, said: “Woodstock police responded to a complaint of a shooting on Monday night in Sussex Street and upon arrival on the scene they found the body of a 30-year-old female who sustained gunshot wounds to her body. According to reports the victim was approached by an unknown suspect who shot her before fleeing the scene. The victim was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel. The motive for the attack is yet to be…

SILIZIWE Mbambo, a staff member of the Western Cape Social Development Services, said she discovered a history of drug abuse and concerning behaviour when reviewing the file on missing child Joshlin Smith’s family. Giving testimony on the seventh day of the trial, Mbambo detailed her interactions with Joshlin’s family following the 6-year-old’s disappearance on February 19, 2024, in Saldanha Bay. Joshlin had not attended school that day and her mother, Racquel “Kelly” Smith, claimed her uniform was dirty and that she wasn’t feeling well. Instead, she left Joshlin in the care of her boyfriend, Jacquen “Boeta” Appollis, who later admitted to spending the day smoking tik with his friends, Steveno “Steffie” van Rhyn and Laurentia Lombaard. All four were arrested, but Lombaard was later released after turning state witness. Mbambo…

President Cyril Ramaphosa said yesterday there was nothing sinister in his government having discussions with a variety of people regarding the diplomatic challenges with the United States. “When people make contact with us, we talk to them. We make sure our foreign policy positions are advanced and are not undermined or diluted,” Ramaphosa said during a question session in the National Assembly. He was responding to EFF leader Julius Malema, who asked why he chose to engage with businessman Elon Musk instead of using established diplomatic challenges in light of the diplomatic tension between South Africa and the US. Malema also asked what the role of the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola was in the arrangement of the meeting and the subsequent call with Musk. In his…

The good news for Springbok fans is that mighty Eben Etzebeth could make his comeback from injury in the Sharks’ United Rugby Championship (URC) match against Zebre next Saturday in Durban, and fellow Boks Aphelele Fassi and Andre Esterhuizen are hard on his heels. The three key Boks are in Cape Town participating in the Springbok alignment camp as the URC takes a break for the Six Nations finale this week. Etzebeth, in particular, is likely to feature off the bench against Zebre on March 21 and start a week later when big guns Leinster hit the Sharks Tank. Etzebeth was concussed in the Sharks’ Champions Cup defeat of the Exeter Chiefs on December 7 and hasn’t played since. He trained ahead of the Sharks’ match against Toulouse in early…

Paris Olympic finalist Prudence Sekgodiso has been in top form on the indoor circuit this year, but now she will venture outdoors in Wednesday’s opening Athletics SA Grand Prix I in Pretoria. The 23-year-old 800m star from Limpopo will compete in the 1 500m event at Pilditch Stadium on Wednesday instead of her favourite two-lap race. Sekgodiso is no slouch in the longer distance, with a personal best of 4:09.88, but considering her impressive start to 2025, she would want to lower that time on Wednesday. Caster Semenya’s 1 500m SA record of 3:59.92 may not be on Sekgodiso’s radar just yet, but she did break the national 800m record earlier this year at events in Germany and France, where she set a time of 1:59.88. On Wednesday, Sekgodiso’s main…

The latest quotas drama in South African cricket has reared its ugly head, with the Warriors being docked five log points and fined heavily for failing to field three black African players in a 1-Day Cup match. Now, strictly speaking, the Warriors were in breach of the “administrative conditions” that require them to field three black African players and six players of colour overall. But while they achieved the latter, they only had two black players in the team for the game against the Dolphins on February 16. The problem was that the Warriors and their coach Robin Peterson did not provide an explanation before the match to CSA, as they are required to do, as to why they didn’t field three black African players. A few other teams have…

When you think of King Charles, you might picture him deep in discussion about royal duties, sipping tea in Buckingham Palace or passionately advocating for environmental causes. Now, in a historical first, King Charles has released a musical playlist featuring some of his favourite artists from across the Commonwealth. To mark Commonwealth Day this year, he launched The King’s Music Room, recorded at Buckingham Palace. And let’s just say, it’s got more groove than one might expect. And it turns out the 76-year-old royal has quite the eclectic taste, with artists like Bob Marley, Kylie Minogue and Grace Jones featuring alongside contemporary talents such as Davido and RAYE. The playlist includes Marley’s Could You Be Loved, with the king in true royal style describing the reggae legend’s music as having…

The ANC appears to be cutting a lone figure when it comes to increasing Value-Added Tax (VAT) ahead of the Budget Speech on Wednesday after its Government of National Unity (GNU) partners seemed to display a united front against the tax increment. Godongwana is expected to announce a highly anticipated Budget Speech today, amid speculation that he may increase VAT or cut government spending. The move has been met with resistance from various political parties, which have urged the minister to consider alternative measures. The minister has been under fire this week after he reportedly said that he won’t raise VAT if he can cut the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grants. The speech was delayed last month due to disagreements over Godongwana’s proposed VAT hike. A proposal to…

The number of people killed in the Gauteng bus crash has risen to 16. The accident took place on the R21 near the OR Tambo International Airport yesterday morning at around 6.30 am. According to Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) the crash involved a MAN passenger bus owned by the City of Ekurhuleni and a light motor vehicle. Spokesperson Simon Zwane said preliminary reports suggest that both vehicles were travelling in the third lane (from the right) of the R21. “It is alleged that the LMV suddenly applied brakes after missing the offramp exit lane. In an attempt to avoid a collision, the bus driver also braked and swerved, resulting in the bus losing control, rotating clockwise, overturning, and coming to rest in the offramp lane, facing south.” Zwane said…

THE role of the Electoral Commission and the right of its workers to strike came under the spotlight in the Johannesburg Labour Court, with the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) being aggrieved by the fact that its members working for the commission are curbed in regarding when they can strike. The Electoral Act stipulates that the Commission is an essential service for the purposes of the Labour Relations Act. In this regard, the union embarked on negotiations through the commission’s national bargaining forum to agree on a minimum service agreement (MSA). The parties agreed on most of the terms, but they could not see eye to eye on when union members could strike. The forum proposed curbing strikes during certain times close to the elections. Nehawu felt…

THE sights, the sounds… and the traffic. Cape Town commuters are reaching their wits’ end as congestion in and around the CBD continues to worsen. While the MyCiTi infrastructure upgrade aims to improve public transport, many residents are spending hours just trying to leave their neighbourhoods. Mitchells Plain resident, Venecia Valentine, describes her daily struggle: “I leave my home at 5:45 am, but I only get to work in Blouberg three hours later. The traffic is unbearable, and there’s no solution in sight. “We left Rocklands at 5:45 and hit traffic on Weltevreden Drive, which leads to Jakes Gerwel. “Crawling between Spine Road and the R300 for an hour, we arrived at the office at 8:39 – an everyday occurrence.” The congestion has also forced drivers to cut through neighbouring…

For decades, Western aid has been portrayed as a benevolent force, a catalyst for humanitarian relief and economic development. Yet, recent events expose it as a strategic tool of control rather than a neutral force for good. Nowhere is this contradiction more evident than in the UK's decision to freeze aid to Rwanda over allegations of supporting M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), while continuing to fund Kinshasa's government – a regime that has failed to control 250 armed militias and actively collaborates with genocidal groups. Humanitarian catastrophe The DRC is home to one of the worst humanitarian crises globally, yet international outrage is conspicuously muted. With over seven million internally displaced people, daily massacres, and entire regions controlled by armed factions, the situation has spiralled into…

The Warriors and Eastern Province Cricket (EPC) find themselves in hot water after being sanctioned by Cricket South Africa (CSA) earlier this week for breaching Clause 3.2.2 of the governing body's administrative conditions, which requires teams to field a minimum of three black African players in the starting XI. Not only have the Warriors missed out on Wednesday's play-off in the ongoing CSA 1-Day Cup — having been docked five points — but they also find themselves at the bottom of the overall Division 1 standings. This puts them at risk of relegation at the end of the season, in addition to facing a hefty R500 000 fine. All of this stems from their failure to report, before their 1-Day Cup fixture against the Dolphins three weeks ago, that they…

The local documentary, Mother City, was recently awarded the esteemedPresident Thomas Sankara Award at the 2025 Fespaco Awards, held in Burkina Faso. This recognition comes as the film shines a spotlight on the vital issue of affordable housing in Cape Town, tackling systemic inequalities and advocating for social justice, values that are at the heart of the film and the activists whose stories it tells. It also challenges the status quo, urging the South African government to prioritise land justice. Mother City director Miki Redelinghuys, said: “To be awarded the President Thomas Sankara award was the best I could have imagined for our film. This award is a homage to the activists featured in Mother City, their work and the pursuit of a more equal and just society.” The festival…

Gauteng Judge President Dunstan Mlambo has issued a directive that now former advocate Senzo Mkhize – who was struck from the roll after he swindled elderly clients out of money – may not enter the court buildings in this division. Judge Mlambo directed security staff, the court managers and judges not to allow Mkhize entry. He said it has come to his attention that Mkhize continues to come into the court buildings and demand the right of appearance before a number of judges, allegedly on the instructions of his “clients”. He added that Mkhize has no legitimate business in the courts and thus should not be allowed access. Judge Mlambo also attached an order of the Constitutional Court to his directive, in which the apex court turned down an application…

A FORMER top cop will serve three years behind bars after he was convicted for his involvement in stock theft. Former acting station commander of Tweeling police station in the Free State, Mokete Jacob Mokoena, 58, will serve three years, while his co-accused, Lefa Elias Mahlaba, 44, was sentenced to two years behind bars. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson for the Free State, Mojalefa Senokoatsane, said the court heard of Mokoena’s criminal intent when he roped in the help of a civilian on the night of March 21, 2021. “Mokoena, who was also the commander of the Visible Policing Unit at the station, was on duty and patrolling in a marked police vehicle while in full SAPS uniform. “Before leaving, he requested Mahlaba, an ordinary citizen, to accompany him.…

Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi wants his team to maintain the momentum from their impressive Nedbank Cup quarter-final win over Stellenbosch when they host Cape Town City in a crucial league match on Wednesday evening at FNB Stadium at 7.30pm. Speaking to the media at Naturena on Monday, Nabi expressed the importance of keeping the same intensity in cup competitions and across the board in every game. For the Tunisian-born tactician, there is no room for complacency, and the “cup final spirit” that Amakhosi showed in their last outing must become a constant fixture in their performances going forward. “We’ve closed the chapter of the cup win and now focus on the league. This match against City is very important for us to gather as many points as possible,” he…

My father was a proud Ulsterman from Belfast and a staunch Ireland rugby fan. As I grew up during the ‘70s and ’80s, we watched Ireland countless times in the televised Five Nations and it was always the same story — the men in green shirts were fast and furious in their endeavours but they lacked structure and finesse. It was always with hope and little optimism that we tuned in to watch the headless chickens lose. Again. Neither of us would have predicted in our wildest dreams that one day Ireland would be Europe’s best team for a significant period, albeit between World Cups, and that their success would be underpinned by an impregnable game structure. Ireland would no longer be “have-a-go” merchants who lost with a shrug of…

Trail running enthusiasts will be pleased to know that the Two Oceans Marathon will once again incorporate trail races this year after a five-year hiatus, initially caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Toni Cavanagh, the Two Oceans Marathon chairperson, told Independent Media that they have spent the past few years working hard to restore the event to its former glory. “When we came back, our focus was to bring the race back to its former glory because, after Covid, it was a little difficult, given that businesses were less inclined to provide major sponsorships. So, we focused on the two main events — the ultra and the half marathon — and we’ve seen them grow every year.” Now that the 56km and 21.1km races are fully operational again, Cavanagh says they…