Innehållsförteckning för CA-2021-04-06 från Cape Argus

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za THE Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) is deploying scores of experts to municipalities in its efforts to bolster their ability to perform their constitutional mandate. This was according to Cogta Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma in responding in writing to parliamentary questions posed by DA MP Cilliers Brink. Brink asked about the number of civil engineers and civil engineering technicians that have been made available to work in struggling municipalities for a period of longer than six months since November 2019, as the department was obligated by the Constitution to support and strengthen the capacity of municipalities to manage their own affairs. He also asked to which municipalities the engineers and technicians had been deployed. In her written response, Dlamini Zuma said that…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za A CAPE Town artist is entering the sixth day of a year-long video performance aimed at highlighting the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa. Performance artist and actress Carin Bester undertook the gruelling endeavour on April 1, which will see her saying, “She had a name” and recording this every 190 minutes for an entire year. Over the past five years, an average of 2 763 women were murdered annually, one woman every three hours and ten minutes. This stark truth will be conveyed in “She Had a Name 365”. The performance will be enervating for Bester, with her not sleeping for longer than three hours at any given time. “For ‘She Had a Name 365’, I looked at the South African crime…

IJ Saks | Table View PLEASE can anyone tell me how are we supposed to survive municipal increases – an Eskom electricity increase of 15.5% and fuel increase by close to a rand? These increases will cause dire hardship among all communities and crime will increase due to this. The government should place a moratorium on all increases while Covid is still here and allow increases only when we’re all vaccinated. I fear the worst for all citizens of this country that we will not be able to make ends meet.…

My birthday on March 27 will never be the same again. It now commemorates the day I was picked up by Law Enforcement at Riebeek Park and transported to the new Culemborg site. The next day, Saturday, we were told we had to move to a new well-equipped site for the duration of the lockdown. On Sunday morning, I awoke to everyone packing just before 8am and outside the Culemborg gates were a row of luxurious buses. Suddenly it became compulsory to get on. It was the most anxious bus ride of my life. We arrive and the first person I see, is JP Smith. A lady pushes past and screams back at JP that they need film footage of the event. He points to e.tv and other stations, but…

Alderman Ian Neilson | Mayoral Committee Member for Finance. The article “Call to probe Day Zero ‘profits’ ” (March 30, 2021) refers. Water revenue is the total income. It is not a surplus or profit. The City does not make any profits on water sales. Any surpluses in any particular year are invested back into the water service in the following year. Customers get the full value of any payments that they make. The claims of “profit” are rejected and are misleading. Since the peak of the drought in 2018 and Level 6B tariffs, water tariffs (for average household usage and connection) have almost been halved. Water provision is a revenue neutral service, not for profit.…

CAPE Town residents are urged to have a say in the city’s spatial development priorities. The draft integrated spatial development frameworks (SDFs) and environmental management frameworks (EMFs) for the eight districts across Cape Town are available for public comment for 60 days from today. The draft SDFs and EMFs set the planning and spatial vision for Table Bay, Blaauwberg, Southern, Northern, the Cape Flats, Helderberg, Tygerberg, Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha and Greater Blue Downs. They include the City’s response to managing urban growth on a district level in a way that is sustainable, resilient and equitable. “The plans also focus on the nature and location of development on a local level to promote economic growth and job creation. This will guide the City’s decisions on how and where the private sector…

THEO NEETHLING RECENT events in Palma, a town in the volatile Cabo Delgado province in the north of Mozambique, have taken bloodshed in the region to new levels. Dozens of people were killed when hundreds of Islamist militants stormed the town on Wednesday, March 25. They targeted shops, banks and a military barracks. The attack has been devastating for the people living in the area – as well as the country. The escalating violence has already left at least 1 000 dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more. The conflict has put a temporary lid on plans that have been in the making for more than a decade since rich liquefied natural gas (LNG) deposits were discovered in the Rovuma Basin, just off the coast of Cabo Delgado. Western…

Peter N’Guila used to have no trouble supporting his family of three on his consultant’s salary. But since insurgents attacked a northern Mozambique gas hub town last month, he has seven more mouths to feed. Hundreds of people fleeing ongoing hostilities in Palma have been pouring into Pemba, a port city around 250km to the south already bursting with those displaced by previous rounds of insurgent violence and a deadly cyclone in 2019. About 90% of those arriving in Pemba are taken in by relatives, while others cram into schools, hotels, makeshift tented camps and a sports stadium, said Francesca Fontanini, spokesperson for the UN refugee agency UNHCR. N’Guila’s sister, nephew, their spouses and children found a place in his two-bedroom home, but he is not sure how long he…

MOSCOW: Militants from the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) separatist group are suspected of being behind an attack on a prison in southeastern Nigerian Imo state overnight into yesterday, state police said, with reports claiming 1 500 inmates were freed. Contrary to police claims, media reported 1 500 prisoners escaped as a result of the attack. Fighters also attacked a local police station, releasing some detainees and setting fire to the building and vehicles. The IPOB aims to restore the defunct state of Biafra in southeastern Nigeria through an independence referendum. Biafra was a secessionist state, which declared its independence from Nigeria in May 1967 but was reincorporated almost three years later after its forces were defeated by the federal government in the Nigerian civil war. | Sputnik…

TATJANA Schoenmaker has already surpassed Penny Heyns’ African records in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, but can she emulate one of her idols with a medal at the Olympics? The 23-year-old has been swimming her way into the hearts and minds of South African sports fans over the last few years, with her double gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games really putting her on the map. She followed that up with an historic silver medal in the 200m breaststroke at the 2019 Fina long-course world championships – becoming the first SA woman to claim a top-three spot in the event. Schoenmaker has proved that she is in top shape for the Tokyo Olympics by setting a new 100m breaststroke African record of 1:05.89 in Stellenbosch in February, ahead of…

Herman Gibbs Mamelodi Sundowns will continue their remorseless march to a fourth consecutive Premiership title by opening a six-point lead at the top of the standings after their match against basement dwellers Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila at the Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, today (kick-off 3pm). Since the 2017/18 season, Sundowns have not been unseated as the Premiership champions after winning the 2018, 2019 and 2020 titles. After resting several key players in last Friday's CAF Champions League match against Al-Hilal in Sudan, unbeaten Sundowns can haul out their big guns in Polokwane. After 18 matches, they head the standings by three points, and the struggling TTM are unlikely to upset the form book, which shows that they are on a three match win-less steak. TTM will also be without a head…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za INTERFERING community members who attacked fire and rescue crews and caused them to abandon a wendy house on fire in Delft have been blamed for the death of twin brothers and their parents. According to community leader Dineo Masui, after a confrontation between one resident and a firefighter, the group of firefighters dispatched to extinguish the raging blaze packed up their equipment and left the area, refusing to return even after being offered a police escort. Masui said: “I was so disturbed and confused by what happened. I don’t understand how firefighters could just up and leave a scene like that. The fire was still burning and bodies lying in the open like that. “I know there was a confrontation between one of their team members and…

Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za THE provincial department of health is working with community safety organisations and the department of the premier to tighten the Western Cape’s liquor licence laws. The move by the health department has partly been spurred by their findings that although Covid-19 hospitalisations have continued to decline, there has been an increase in trauma cases that can be traced to the irresponsible use of alcohol. According to the department, there are peaks in trauma cases at hospitals during the first weekend of the month, the end of the month and also over weekends. This has helped them to detail the correlation between trauma cases and the availability of alcohol. With the move to level 1 at the end of February, sales were allowed from Monday to Thursdays,…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za PUBLIC Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille has revealed that over 1 000 police stations owe her department more than R26 million in unpaid water and electricity. De Lille said the amount excluded other services rendered such as refuse, sanitation and property rates. She said this in a written response to parliamentary questions from DA MP Michele Clarke, who asked about the total number of police stations that have outstanding service accounts for water and electricity use. Clarke also asked which provinces the specified stations were in and the details of the outstanding amounts with regard to each of the stations. De Lille said 1 086 police stations owed R6 1919 466.12 in outstanding water accounts and R18 252 461.26 in outstanding electricity accounts. Her…

Mthuthuzeli Ntseku mthuthuzeli.ntseku@inl.co.za AN INCREASE in child-on-child violence has child rights organisations worried, and they have blamed children regularly experiencing and witnessing violence in their homes and neighbourhoods for the increase. Molo Songololo director Paric Solomons said children act out, settle scores and bully other children while also committing serious and fatal assault, stabbings and shootings to emulate everyday activities. “Many South African children live in very violent communities where they are exposed to or are threatened by violence every day and eventually they themselves become violent. Although gangs and gang violence is a factor, it is not the only contributor. “Interpersonal violence, social violence, structural violence, political violence and institutional violence all contribute to the cycle of violence. We must examine all these to understand why South Africa…

Redefined “survival of the fittest” was key to the looting of state-owned enterprises. Recently I was watching a documentary on animals in China on Netflix. A leopard with two cubs, while hunting, injured her paw on a sharpened rock concealed by snow. This injury affected her ability to hunt effectively. Knowing that she had to find food for her growing cubs soon, she approached a herd of domesticated animals grazing nearby. The leopard knew that it was her last chance at providing food for her hungry cubs. She approached the closest calf, alongside its mother, and grabbed it at the neck and brought it to the ground. The calf’s mother instinctively responded and tried to free her offspring by attacking the leopard with her horns. She poked at the leopard…

Phil Greenlees | Pinelands The Cape Argus last Tuesday ( March 30) published two reader’s letters with religious themes. One contained nothing more than rehashing of countless previous offerings. The other was more thoughtfully written in its approach to the worshipping of gods; any gods. I found that quite refreshing, but both writers make the assumption that gods do exist. I beg to differ. Not a single shred of hard or verifiable evidence exists to support that assumption. So, with god worshipping we have two extremes. At one end there are spiritual people living their lives, by adopting the natural human laws recognising right and wrong, and at the other we have zealots who consider it justifiable to make their point by strapping bombs to children. Yet, both…

APA-Harare (Zimbabwe) Zimbabwe is confident of rejoining the Commonwealth of former British colonies, with a senior official saying on Monday that the country’s application now undergoing consultations among the grouping's 54 member states. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade spokesperson Constance Chemwayi told the state-run Herald daily that Zimbabwe was in the second stage of a four-step process to rejoin the grouping. The second stage involves Commonwealth secretary general Patricia Scotland consulting member states on whether Zimbabwe should be allowed back into the group. “Commonwealth decisions are based on consensus and by that nature, every member is entitled to a say on the case of Zimbabwe,” Chemwayi said. She said laid down procedures for re-admission into the Commonwealth include a first step that involves an informal assessment by the…

Book sheds light on hidden apartheid massacre believed to have been bigger than Sharpeville Appalling atrocities occurred under the flag of apartheid as the white minority government sought to impose a racist system on the majority of South African citizens. Many of the atrocities were subsequently investigated by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and are now seared into public memory. But not all. One of the more notable gaps in the country’s collective memory is a massacre that took place in 1952. It was never officially investigated and few people know about it. I set about trying to rectify this in my book, Bloody Sunday: The Nun, the Defiance Campaign and South Africa’s Secret Massacre. After seven years’ extensive research, I have written an account of what happened on…

Floods and landslides triggered by tropical cyclone Seroja in a cluster of islands in south-east Indonesia and East Timor have killed 97 people, with many still unaccounted for and thousands displaced, officials said yesterday. At least 70 deaths were reported in several islands in Indonesia’s West and East Nusa Tenggara provinces, while 70 others were missing, after the cyclone brought flash floods, landslides and strong winds amid heavy rain over the weekend, disaster agency BNPB said. In East Timor, which shares the Timor island with Indonesia, at least 27 people were killed by landslides, flash floods and a falling tree, while 7 000 displaced, its government said. On Lembata island, authorities feared bodies had been washed away. About 30 000 people were affected by floods in Indonesia, with some taking…

Israeli prosecutors have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of formerly trading favours like “currency” at his corruption trial which, along with an inconclusive election, has clouded his prospects of remaining in office. Netanyahu has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, breach of trust and fraud in the Jerusalem District Court. Protesters for and against him could be heard yelling outside. The state said Netanyahu was behind regulations that allowed a telecom power-couple to clinch deals worth “hundreds of millions of shekels”, in exchange for them sweetening coverage of the premier on a popular news-site then under their control. Netanyahu faces two additional cases in what is the first criminal trial of a sitting Israeli prime minister. He describes himself as the victim of a politically motivated witch-hunt. Meanwhile, Israeli…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za Temba Bavuma has seen his Proteas team go to the last ball in one match, the last over in the next, witnessed a top-order collapse, two brilliant knocks from the opposition, lousy fielding from his own side, and been fined for his side maintaining a slow over-rate – all in just two matches. It’s been eventful, and there’s one more ODI to go. His first series as captain will go down to a decider tomorrow in Centurion, following the dramatic conclusion to the ‘Pink ODI’ on Sunday, but Bavuma is taking it all in his stride for now, trying to stay composed while noting all the experiences and filing them away to be utilised again in the future. “I try to be as calm and clear as…

Arsenal surrender a worry for Arteta Kevin de Bruyne has delivered so many outstanding performances for Manchester City that it is pointless trying to rank them, but his display in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Leicester City was certainly an exhibition of his qualities. Back to full fitness and in his preferred central midfield role, the Belgian struck the bar with a thundering free-kick before the break and then set-up City's opener with a superb defence-splitting pass to Gabriel Jesus. With City still in the running for an unprecedented four trophies and a big Uefa Champions League quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund coming up today, De Bruyne is hitting peak form at just the rate moment. "Kevin was injured for some part (of the season) and some players struggled after we finished…

Sihle Mavus0 sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za While the ANC refuses to be dragged into the latest saga involving former president Jacob Zuma and his 23-page letter, Cosatu says the former president should stop playing victim. “Cosatu is not interested in this rewriting of history. We do not want to discuss issues of people who suffer from a persecution complex or a victim mentality. We are busy struggling to save the jobs of the real victims, workers who are losing jobs and salaries from many SOEs (state-owned enterprises) where Comrade Zuma’s friends, the Gupta family, left their corrupt fingerprints,” Cosatu’s spokesperson, Sizwe Pamla, said yesterday. His comments follow a letter that was leaked in which Zuma accused the governing party of leaving him out to dry. The letter forms part of…

Staff Reporter THE National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) was kept busy during the Easter weekend as it responded to various incidents of drownings, struggling boats and false alarms. NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said that on Friday, Kleinmond duty crew were activated following reports of a drowning in progress at Rooi Els, where witnesses reported “two males in the water with a floatation tube” in difficulty for over 45 minutes. Lambinon said NSRI Kleinmond dispatched rescue swimmers and NSRI Gordons Bay duty crew launched the sea rescue craft Spirit of Surfski. “While responding to the scene it was confirmed that a private boat with three local men on board had launched to go to the assistance of the two casualties,” he said. NSRI Kleinmond duty coxswain, Tania Meiring, said William…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za PRESSURE is mounting on former DA leader Tony Leon from senior black leaders in the party to explain the comment he made that One South Africa movement leader Mmusi Maimane was “an experiment gone wrong”. The leaders made the call as the party was split down the middle after News24 ran an interview with Leon on his book Future Tense: Reflections on my Troubled Land and why Maimane was “an experiment gone wrong”, among others. Yesterday, Western Cape leader Bongani Madikizela said Leon should explain himself. “Tony Leon must explain what he means by ‘an experiment gone wrong’. Obviously, some of us are asking what that means,” Madikizela said. Zwakele Mncwango, former KwaZulu-Natal leader, said he wanted to know the context in which Leon made the…

Concern over rise in Covid-19 infections at tertiary institutions Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za HIGHER Education, Science and Technology Minister Blade Nzimande, student organisations and unions have warned about the growing number of Covid-19 cases in institutions of higher learning. Nzimande said he was concerned with reports of pockets of Covid-19 infections within the post-school education and training sector, and appealed to students and staff to remain vigilant and adhere to the Covid-19 regulations and Higher Health Protocols and guidelines as the 2021 academic year gets under way. Nzimande said he recently received a briefing from Higher Health, the agency mandated by the Department of Higher Education and Training to safeguard student health and well-being, that the outbreaks across some of their institutions were extremely worrying. SA Students Congress (Sasco) spokesperson Luvuyo…

Samaoen Osman | Crawford RAMADAAN is once again with us, evoking excitement and anticipation about this Holy Month in Islam. The very thought of Ramadaan conjures up images of a splendid month of fasting and guarding of the soul, highlighted by extra visits to the mosque and a general spirit of well-wishing, charity and generosity. For Muslims around the world, this month brings with it experiences they savour for the rest of the year. As we end Ramadaan, the holiest month for the world’s more than 1.8 billion Muslims, we recognise what a difficult year it has been. Kashmir, Somalia and Syria are being torn apart by civil war and sectarian violence. Afghanistan, one of the world’s most poorest Muslim countries, is teetering on the edge. And…

Yusuf Samaai | Northcliff Johannesburg It’s very disheartening to read about the crime and murder in Cape Town. Not only in Cape Town, but our country favours the criminals and the corrupt and the model citizens have more to fear from the law. More visible policing and extra boots on the ground can only do so much. The law needs to be changed to ensure quicker rates of, and harsher convictions. The criminals have no humanity when committing any crime yet want to be treated as humans when they are arrested. We in SA claim to be better developed than (other countries in) Africa yet those countries have a very low crime rate compared to SA. We can open new drug rehabilitation centres and have more police but…

Brian Isaacs is a man of integrity. He has no hesitation in raising uncomfortable truths. In his article on April 1 (“Teachers must stand up against injustices”), he tellingly draws attention to National Party abuses in the apartheid era that have conveniently been swept under the carpet at this time when blatant corruption on the part of prominent ANC apparatchiks is dominating the news. In his article, Isaacs goes on to list a number of the policy abuses ushered in post-1994 as well, particularly in the realm of education. The wholesale dismantling of the educational process through the closure of schools and downsizing of the teacher corp – in the schools of the poor, it should be emphasised – exposes the ANC governing class as pawns of neo-liberalism. Today, more…

After a tough year, rugby is set to return to the South African consciousness with full force in the next few weeks. The Rainbow Cup, involving the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers and clubs from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales, has been confirmed to start later this month, and after that, world rugby can look forward to the continuation of one of its oldest traditions when the British and Irish Lions visit these shores to face the Springboks in a highly anticipated tour. Last year, with Covid-19 hitting the sporting world hard, a schedule so jam-packed with local rugby seemed intangible, and that SA Rugby managed to host two local championships in SuperRugby Unlocked and Currie Cup, plus the recently concluded preparation series, in short order since October last year…

New Delhi: India’s daily Covid-19 tally is now the highest in the world, surpassing Brazil and the US, as it recorded over 100 000 cases in the last 24 hours. During the past one day, Brazil recorded 31 359 new Covid-19 cases, while US logged 34 282. Besides this, India, which has now recorded an all-time high of 1 03 558 new cases, has also surpassed Brazil’s average tally of 64 324 and the US’s 64 019, to become the biggest hot spot. It is now recording an average of 78 489 Covid-19 cases a day, based on a seven-day moving average to visualise the number of new Covid-19 cases and calculate the rate of change. Notably, India, which is witnessing the second wave of the pandemic, added 549 423…

Mihlali Baleka mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za Kaizer Chiefs’ attacking midfielder Lazarous Kambole is wary of the threat posed by Stellenbosch FC, saying they’ll have to be at their best and tread carefully if they are going to bag their third win in a row in all competitions. Amakhosi have been impressive lately. Before the international break, they defeated rivals Orlando Pirates in the league to claim Soweto’s bragging rights for the first time this season after three successive Derby losses. That win moved the Glamour Boys from 11th to ninth on the log standings on 23 points, three behind eighth-placed TS Galaxy and 17 behind leaders and champions Mamelodi Sundowns, who have a game in hand. However, it was on Saturday that they claimed what could be their biggest win of the season.…

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has ruled out playing Eden Hazard in today’s home Champions League quarter-final first leg against Liverpool, saying he will not risk another injury setback for his club's record signing. Belgian Hazard, ravaged by injuries since joining Real from Chelsea in 2019, returned to training on Friday ahead of schedule from his latest muscle problem but played no part in Saturday's 2-0 win over Eibar. "Hazard needs to stay calm and be patient. The most important thing is that he is completely recovered and I don't think we'll hurry his return," Zidane said yesterday. “If the player is in good shape then I'll want to play him but right now we're going to take things slowly and see what happens.” Hazard sustained two serious ankle injuries…

THE StellenSport Netball League (SNL) will make its debut on the national sporting landscape with a two-day ranking tournament, starting next weekend. The ranking tournament will be the forerunner for the 2021 SNL, which will be introduced in October. It also marks the first steps to establish a professional netball league in South Africa. There will be no cost to players at the event. The SNL will take care of tournament expenses, but players will not receive a salary. As of next year, however, they will receive a partial monthly salary. Over the next few years payments will increase, until 2024, when players will be paid in full for their participation. The CEO of StellenSport Freda Kemp said all the necessary plans are in place and tournament organisers…

Like Augusta National’s famous azaleas, it is a storyline that pops up every April at the Masters: Will Rory McIlroy finally win a Green Jacket and complete the career slam? Only five players have ever won golf's career Grand Slam and each year since his British Open triumph in 2014 McIlroy has cruised up Magnolia Lane hoping to join Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan in the club. The golfing Gods have teased McIlroy as the Northern Irishman has come close to completing his initiation, posting top five finishes three of the last six years but never closing the deal. This week he arrives at Augusta with his ranking and form in decline but oddsmakers still fancy the 31-year-old who is pencilled in as the…