Innehållsförteckning för 2021-05-03 från Cape Argus

THE FEDERATION of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) announced the launch of its mobile application in Cape Town on Thursday. Fedusa said it was the first time a South African trade union federation had digitised its services for its members. “The services include training, recruitment, collective bargaining planning, union and federation news, among others, at the fingertips of members belonging to the 19 affiliates,” it said. Fedusa said the app’s content would be 100 percent locally produced. It plans to embark on a roadshow over the next 12 months to reach its 100 000 or so users. The roadshows will be held in cities and towns where the union has a following. Fedusa wants to encourage its members to embrace and familiarise themselves with the app. “The federation believes…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za POLICE are on the hunt for more than 30 Matroos Plein, Kensington, residents who participated in the aiding and abetting of a suspect known to be a gang member in the community who had been apprehended by police for the possession of an illegal firearm. Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said: “On Saturday, May 1, at about 3.30am, police saw a known gang member walking with an exposed firearm in Matroos Plein, Kensington. “The well-known suspect was apprehended and the firearm confiscated. However, the suspect started calling out for help, and about 30 members of the community came out of their homes and threatened to shoot the police members if the suspect is not released. “The community members began throwing stones at police and the vehicles,…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za THREE suspects arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, extortion and kidnapping are expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court today. The trio, aged 29 to 49, who include alleged underworld boss Nafiz Modack, spent the weekend behind bars after they were arrested on Thursday, following investigations by the Hawks' national task team, a special task force, Anti-Gang Unit, Vehicle Safeguarding Unit, and Crime Scene Management after the execution of six warrants of arrest in the Western Cape. Hawks spokesperson Katlego Mogale said the arrests followed cases of the attempted murder of an advocate, as well as gang-related extortion, kidnapping and intimidation in the Milnerton area. Mogale said the suspects were noticed by the team in Century View. When the team…

THANKS to the initiative of a UWC social work researcher, pavements that have become dumping grounds for dirt and rubble in the informal settlements of Fisantekraal and Greenville in Durbanville are being turned into thriving community food gardens. Post-doctoral research fellow Dr Rissa Niyobuhungiro studies community behaviour and perceptions around illegal dumping. This is a pilot project that also monitors whether “beautifying the area” would curb illegal dumping and one that fills her with hope. “It’s one of those projects which I didn’t choose; it chose me. Such projects taught me to engage with people of different cultures and I realised that everybody on this earth is able to do something good. “But in some cases, the circumstances and opportunities and knowledge may be a challenge. Since then I regularly…

Before She Disappeared Lisa Gardner Dutton Books Review: Beryl Eichenberger LISA Gardner is a prolific author and Before She Disappeared is a gritty, gripping thriller that brings an unlikely and unforgettable heroine into focus. The news is full of missing persons, for a few weeks at most, then, unless that person is found the case goes cold. What happens then? Social media plays a huge role in that search when the world seems to have forgotten keeping them alive as time moves on. Families post notes, others post sightings and behind the scenes, there are those who pick up the threads and go out on a limb to close the case – civilians with a purpose. Frankie Elkin is one of those people. “My name is Frankie Elkin and finding missing people…

By The Fading Light Ashraf Kagee Jacana THE prologue of By The Fading Light sets up the story by an unidentified narrator who, it is later discovered, is one of the three main characters, now grown up, reflecting on the past. Kagee writes, “The sun begins to set and twilight falls over the Cape Town suburb of Salt River. The year is 1960, the year of the Sharpeville massacre. Three friends, Ainey, Haroun and Cassius, comrades-in-arms and merry pranksters, make a discovery that changes their lives. “Mired in their troubled families, they valiantly struggle through their childhood. With the help of a powerful woman they confront an awful truth that for ever changes their lives.” Amin Gabriels, disappears – an event that creates fear and anxiety in the community, especially…

I DRIVE down the main street of my home village of Fish Hoek and look sadly at all the shops that have closed in the last year. It’s been a tough year for businesses of all kinds, what with Covid-19 and massive looting of taxpayers’ money and an impending election where all the contenders appear to be almost equally corrupt. Interestingly, one or two businesses have actually thrived during this depressed time. I’ve been wondering whether there’s a magic message in there somewhere. Do the successful businesses have some magic formula that’s separating the winners from the losers? I believe there is and I think the secret is focus. If you have a single aim and stick to it, you’re likely to succeed. I occasionally frequent a local fish shop…

Education and inequality in 2021: how to change the system ANCIENT Greek schools, such as Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum, were restricted to a small elite group. Through time, even after learning societies began to flourish, it was still an education for some and not for everybody. In the 1800s black people were denied access to quality education in the US. In European colonies, education was used to strip people of their cultural heritage and relegate them to a future of menial labour. Education has always been less accessible to women than men. Even today, more than 130 million girls are still out of school. Although the difference between girls and boys is lessening, the disparity disadvantaging girls persists. From a socioe-conomic perspective, in many countries, private schools continue to…

Thousands of anti-coup protesters marched in Myanmar yesterday, calling for a “spring revolution” with the country in its fourth month under a military regime. Cities, rural areas, remote mountainous regions and even rebel-controlled border territories have been in uproar since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup. The junta has aimed to suppress dissent through a brutal crackdown involving mass arrests and an escalating death toll. Demonstrations kicked off early in commercial hub Yangon as activists called for a show of force. Youths gathered on a street corner before marching swiftly down the streets in a flash mob, dispersing soon after to avoid clashing with authorities. Local media reported that security forces were chasing protesters down and arresting them. Bomb blasts also went…

LONDON: The Group of Seven richest countries will look at a proposal to create a rapid-response mechanism to counter Russian “propaganda” and disinformation, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said yesterday. Speaking ahead of a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in London, Raab said the UK was “getting the G7 to come together with a rapid rebuttal mechanism” to counter Russian misinformation. Russia denies it is meddling beyond its borders. Raab is to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken today, for talks aimed at reinvigorating the G7’s role. | Reuters…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za AFTER a far-from-perfect performance against the Lions, Bulls coach Jake White hopes to have Springboks Duane Vermeulen and Trevor Nyakane back for what he expects to be a “fired-up” Stormers side on Saturday. The Currie Cup champions scored three tries without reply in their 22-9 win over the Lions at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday night, but apart from the opening sequence that led to a touchdown, the Bulls didn’t reach great heights as they continue their journey to a multi-faceted style of play in the Rainbow Cup SA. White praised some of his experienced replacements, such as flyhalf Morné Steyn and prop Jacques van Rooyen, for bringing much-needed composure in the second half to help the Bulls close out the victory, having held on grimly to a…

TARRYN-LEIGH SOLOMONS ANC MP and former North West premier Supra Mahumapelo says he will continue with his ANC activities until the outcome of his suspension appeal. Anyone against his continued membership should raise it with the office of ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, he said. “I’m the victim here. I received a response from the SGO (secretary-general’s office) and I’ve accepted their decision. “If anyone is uncomfortable about the decision, they should take it up with the SGO,” he said yesterday. This clarification comes after the interim provincial committee (IPC) of the ANC in North West said Mahumapelo remained suspended from the party after he was found guilty of violating its code of conduct. “My membership is still in good standing until the outcome of the appeals process. I’m continuing…

A Cape Town granny recently celebrated her 101st birthday after winning her battle against Covid-19. Mina September, from Bellville, was born on a farm in 1920 and says her secret to life has been a passage from the Bible: “Honour your father and your mother, so you may have a long life.” September has nine children, 27 grandchildren, 49 great-grandchildren and 24 great-great-grandchildren. She contracted Covid-19 after five people in the household had tested positive. September understands nothing about technology and spent her life as a housewife making clothes she stitched by hand. “I have never smoked or drank in my life. Instead I always attended church. I was an only daughter to my father, who also only passed away at the age of 107, ” September said. She married…

Critical but, Stable Angela Makholwa Pan Macmillan Review: Barbara Spaanderman IT’S not often that a novel comes dressed in a perfect pink gift wrap, with ribbon. What lies beneath the apparent soft veneer of pink? The cracked wedding ring is the first clue. It’s cracked, but not broken. The title reflects the image: Critical but, Stable. Marriage? Infidelity? Makholwa is the mistress of her craft as she draws the reader into the lives of three couples in their forties, after the introduction where “he” has a “beautiful body now lying so still” in his bed. The scene is set. The Manamelas have been married for 27 years. Noma applies make-up for all occasions that Ratu, her husband, calculates the hours she has done this during the course of their marriage. The Jiyas,…

AS A PART-TIME alchemist, I studied the oxygen molecule in depth and discovered that apart from the ozone molecule which has temporarily three oxygen atoms, there is no other mutation that has an extra “M” atom for a Muslim-type oxygen, an extra “H” addition for a Hindu version or a “C” type that is exclusively breathed by Christians. Research assisted by self-styled scientists (also known as charlatans) has proved beyond any doubt that this non-discriminatory, life-giving, life-sustaining, totally invisible abstraction does not differentiate among Catholics, Presbyterian, Sunni, black, white or green people. There will always be mad Mullahs intent on converting every Tom, Dick and O’Grady into a Muslim – some to get a short detour to Heaven, others to continue existing and making a living, using public funds. There…

AS TENSIONS escalate across the world, a major global conflict becomes a grim, deadly reality. Many powerful nations will deploy artificial intelligence in their military strategies. Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is expanding every day – self-driving cars, service and cleaning robots, etc. Millions of jobs will be lost through automation linked to AI. Future combat and 21st century warfare – when crucial decisions will be made by AI-enabled software – is staggeringly frightful. Late British physicist Stephen Hawking warned AI could be the “worst event in the history of our civilisation”. Tesla founder Elon Musk labelled AI an “immortal dictator”. Yuval Harari in his book Homo Deus, that a society deeply embedded with AI will witness the devaluation of humans. Once hi-tech weapons like guided missile systems make…

THERE were lots of smiles and slaps on the back last week as Cricket SA (CSA) unveiled its new Memorandum of Incorporation, which lays the platform for a new era of administration for the organisation. It was a long time in coming – too long, in fact. But for all the smiles and back slaps, all that the MoI does is take CSA to the start line. This race is a long one, with many hurdles along the way, hopefully none put there by CSA itself, as has been the case far too often in the recent past. The reformed administration will feature a new board of directors dominated by independent officials drawn from outside of cricket’s structures, including the legal fraternity, marketing and business, among others. Cricket SA’s presidential…

Berlin: Berlin police yesterday said they had arrested more than 250 people after May Day rallies descended into “unacceptable” violence that saw protesters pelt officers with stones and bottles and set fire to bins. About 30 000 people from across the political spectrum took part in several marches in the German capital on Saturday as part of the traditional Labour Day workers’ rights demonstrations. Most of the demonstrations passed off peacefully, police said. But the mood darkened in the evening after police pulled far-left “black block” protesters out of the crowd for not adhering to pandemic hygiene regulations. Heavy scuffles ensued. | AFP…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za MAMELODI Sundowns sent an emphatic reminder to any potential title challengers that they are not going to relinquish their Premiership crown without a fight by thumping Orlando Pirates 3-0 at Orlando Stadium yesterday. Having been pushed into second place over the weekend by an energetic AmaZulu, Sundowns roared back into top spot on the league standings by trouncing the Buccaneers. After both teams were unable to create any genuine opportunities during a deary first half that saw the action confined to the middle of the field, the Brazilians turned on the style during the second period. That was primarily due to the enterprise provided by Gift Motupa, who replaced injured striker Kermit Erasmus at halftime. The opening was eventually created when Peter Shalulile volleyed a strike from…

England scrumhalf Ben Youngs has ruled himself out for the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa to spend more time with his family, with his wife pregnant with their third child. Youngs, 31, was among more than 50 players under consideration for the tour, which will take place under strict Covid-19 protocols. Lions coach Warren Gatland is set to name a 36-man squad on Thursday. “Whether or not I would have made the final cut, I’ll never know,” Youngs told the Mail on Sunday. “I’ve got two young children, and my wife is heavily pregnant with the third. This summer, I’ve got an opportunity to be with my family and my kids. “I have always loved the Lions. I’ll be cheering them on, and I wish everyone involved…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za GUN-WIELDING robbers are terrorising eateries in Claremont, with restaurants and their patrons being robbed of cash and personal belongings more than once. This after two incidents at the Oblivion Restaurant and the Village Bicycle where robbers struck last month, with claims that the easing of the lockdown was behind the recent spike in robberies. The owner of Oblivion, who did not want to be named, said last week’s incident was “very quick, calm and controlled”. She said the robbers fled with cellphones and a laptop. According to her, the police’s response time was good, but they needed to up their game when it came to prevention. “The police must be visible, and the CCTV cameras must be linked directly to a unit or a response team,…

A CAPE Town entrepreneur is not allowing anything to stand in her way as she conquers business one chick at a time. Ncumisa Mkabile, 27, from Khayelitsha, made headlines last year when she entered the agriculture sector. Having studied tourism and travel, she explored other ways to not only sustain herself but to also create jobs within her community. On May 20, 2020, she planted seedlings and by July she had harvested more than 1 000 bunches of spinach. She employed seven people within the community, six of them women. She then began to dabble in the poultry industry and has yet again made a success of her business. Mkabile said she started investing in broiler chickens in March 2021. A broiler is any chicken that is bred and raised…

THE political leadership in South Africa behaves like being married to an abusive partner, promising that he will reform himself but at each turn, the promise gets broken and the hope dashed. All I ever wanted was to be married to a country that loves me and that I could love in return, crawl up safely into its arms and be protected from the harshness of the world around me. Instead, I keep thinking of 50 ways to leave this lover. Hope appears to be another country. On a crisp, cold autumn morning this loveless marriage takes my thoughts to my early childhood spent across three homes in Cape Town. My earliest memories are about waking up in Caledon Street in Bellville South, the children all gathered outside on…

Three Mothers – How The Mothers Of Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X And James Baldwin Shaped A Nation Anna Malaika Tubbs William Collins Publishing IN HER groundbreaking debut, Three Mothers, Anna Malaika Tubbs celebrates black motherhood by telling the story of the three women who raised and shaped three of America’s most pivotal heroes: Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin. While so much has been written about Berdis Baldwin’s son James, Alberta King’s son Martin Luther, and Louise Little’s son Malcolm, virtually nothing has been said or is known about the extraordinary women who raised them. They were all born at the dawn of the 20th century with its horrendous landscape of racial prejudice. The start of the 20th century saw Jim Crow, exploitation, unpoliced violence and…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za THE Department of Basic Education (DBE) is holding discussions to “review and repackage” the Presidential Youth Employment initiative, with a proposed second phase to start later this year. DBE spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the initial duration of the programme, which started in December last year, was four months, but it was extended by one month until the end of April. He said the basic education sector created employment opportunities for more than 320 000 education and general education assistants, who were placed in schools around the country. “The contracts will not be extended, but instead discussions are under way to review and repackage the initiative, with a proposed second phase to commence later this year,” he said. SA Democratic Teachers Union provincial secretary Jonavon Rustin said the…

Zainul Dawood zainul.dawood@inl.co.za IT IS expected to be an emotional farewell service for South African playwright, activist and author Dr Sathieseelan Gurulingum “Ronnie” Govender today. Govender, 85, died on Thursday. He was born in Cato Manor, Durban, and recently moved to Cape Town. Durban University of Technology (DUT) in 2014 awarded Govender an honorary doctorate in technology in arts and design for his contribution to literature and the arts in general. DUT’s interim executive dean of the faculty of arts, Professor Brian Pearce, said over the years students from the department of drama and production studies had produced plays that Govender wrote as directing projects. Pearce said these plays had been well received. “Dr Govender was a legend in the theatre world as well as in South African literature.”…

Khotso KD Moleko | Mangaung Bloemfontein AFTER the presidency of Donald Trump, I am now more than convinced that the media is no guardian of truth and morality. Moreover, I am now assured that nothing good can exist without God. With regards to Trump, respected journalists and media houses stooped to the lowest levels to prove lies as true and stop at nothing in ensuring that their own wishes, as a minority, triumph over the will of the majority. All this happened in a so-called great democracy like the US. On the home front, one can only marvel with sadness when some journalists who convinced South Africa that Thabo Mbeki was a heartless monster and Jacob Zuma was a saint and victim of political cruelty, today…

Leo Zeilig EARLIER this month a court in Burkina Faso’s capital indicted former president Blaise Compaoré for his role in the murder of his comrade, Thomas Sankara, on October 15, 1987. The military court detailed Compaoré’s “complicity in the assassination”, the first time a court in the country has made such an accusation. Compaoré ruled the country until 2014 when he was forced to flee for neighbouring Cote D’Ivoire during a mass uprising. The decision to try the former leader has been called a landmark moment. Sankara’s family has pursued justice for almost 34 years but while Compaoré was in power there was no possibility of bringing his murderers to justice. The political history of Burkina Faso is one I have studied and written about extensively, with a particular…

Israel’s ultra-Orthodox residents exist in a world within the world, citizens of Israel by pledging their allegiance, attention and obedience instead to their rabbis and God. In isolated enclaves, they are exempt from the military draft, outside the national school system and largely oblivious to the surrounding culture. Now, this shocked country is asking whether that self-segregation – and the secular politicians who have enabled it for decades – is responsible for the worst civilian catastrophe in Israel’s history, the trampling death of 45 ultra-Orthodox men and boys at a massively overcrowded religious festival early on Friday. The ultra-Orthodox, or Haredim as they are known in Israel, follow some of the most conservative tenets in Judaism and have a lifestyle based on the Jewish culture that evolved hundreds of years…

paris: Brazilian Amazon released nearly 20% more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere over the last decade than it absorbed, according to a report that shows humanity can no longer depend on the world’s largest tropical forest to help absorb man-made carbon pollution. From 2010 through 2019, Brazil’s Amazon basin gave off 16.6 billion tons of CO2, while drawing down only 13.9 billion tons, researchers reported in the journal Nature Climate Change. The study looked at the volume of CO2 absorbed and stored as the forest grows, versus the amounts released back into the atmosphere. Deforestation increased nearly four-fold in 2019 compared to the two previous years, from about 1 million hectares to 3.9 million hectares. | AFP…

Manchester United’s Premier League match against Liverpool was postponed last night after United fans forced their way into the stadium and stormed the Old Trafford pitch to protest against the club’s owners, the Glazer family. “Following discussion between the Police, the Premier League, Trafford Council and the clubs, our match against Liverpool has been postponed due to safety and security considerations around the protest today," United said in a statement after the game was called off. "Discussions will now take place with the Premier League on a revised date for the fixture,” the club added. Liverpool issued a statement saying they were in full agreement with the decision. An hour after the scheduled 5.30pm local time kick-off, both sets of players were still stuck in their hotels. The Lowry Hotel,…

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton won the Portuguese Grand Prix for Mercedes yesterday to stretch his Formula One lead over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to eight points after three races. Verstappen finished second at the Algarve circuit with Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas completing the podium, and taking a bonus point for the fastest lap, after starting from pole position. Verstappen’s Mexican teammate Sergio Perez was fourth. The victory was a record-extending 97th of Hamilton's career, his second of the year, and repeated his win at the same circuit last season. “That was such a tough race, physically and mentally, just keeping everything together. “It was very windy out there so it was very easy to put a foot wrong," said Hamilton, who started on the front row with Bottas. "I just…