Innehållsförteckning för 2021-07-15 från Cape Argus

Khumalo takes aim at the President amid Mzansi protests Kedibone Modise kedibone.modise@inl.co.za Award-winning singer and reality TV star Kelly Khumalo spoke out against the ongoing criminal activities that are threatening to halt the country’s economy. In the video clip that she shared on Instagram, the star addressed the ongoing violent protests and looting that were allegedly sparked by the call to free former president Jacob Zuma, who is currently serving 15 months in prison. Khumalo joined a handful of local celebrities who have condemned these criminal acts that gripped KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. “I know it’s very hard to be rational when you are frustrated and feel defeated. I hope we understand that, in the end, we are the ones to continue to suffer. Looting and vandalising property is not…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za A 31-YEAR-OLD man, alleged to be part of a syndicate stealing VW Polos in the Western Cape and Gauteng, was released on R3 000 bail in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said Lesego Motsatsi was the 19th accused in the case, which included officials working in the licensing department, who allegedly helped re-register the stolen cars. Hani said Motsatsi, who was reported to be an outstanding suspect in the investigation, was arrested on a search warrant in Cape Town on Tuesday, after an in-depth investigation by the Hawks team which resulted in arresting a syndicate involved in the theft of VW Polo vehicles that operated in the Western Cape and Gauteng. She said that during the first leg of the investigation,…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za AmaZulu King MisuZulu KaZwelithini has appealed to the Zulu nation not to allow politics to destroy the country. He further appealed for calm and peace following days of violence and looting during an address to the Zulu nation yesterday. This was prompted by the violent protests which started in KwaZulu- Natal and spread to Gauteng. Widespread looting of businesses and violent scenes began last week following the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma. The government said more than 200 incidents of looting had been reported and at least 70 people have died in the violence, while hundreds of people have been arrested in KZN and Gauteng. King MisuZulu said he could have never imagined that following the death of his mother and father he would witness such…

THE Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning has called on the public to make submissions on the Western Cape Biodiversity Bill. Biodiversity and Coastal management director Marlene Laros said a few of the bill’s objectives include the protection and conservation of the province’s environment and unique biodiversity, long-term ecological sustainability and resilience of ecosystem services and ecological infrastructure. “This is to ensure human well-being and the long-term resilience of society and the economy through the conservation of protected areas.” Standing Committee on Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning chairperson Andricus van der Westhuizen said one of the bill’s highlights was the stewardship and partnership idea of Cape Nature in conserving areas as a joint partnership with private landowners as they did not have the funds to purchase large tracts…

Rodney Mazinter | Camps Bay According to current anti-Israel reporting, Jewish home construction is somehow responsible for the lack of a two-state solution and not the Palestinian leadership’s propensity for rejecting peace and celebrating terror. Contrary to what most commentators would have us believe, Palestinian leaders have rejected numerous offers and proposed negotiations for a “two-state solution” in which two states, one Arab and the other Jewish, would live side by side and in peace. Palestinian leaders have refused opportunities for statehood going back to the 1930s; rejecting the recommendations of the 1937 Peel Commission Report, the 1947 Partition Plan, efforts after the 1967 Six-Day War and the Camp David Agreement. As part of the Oslo accords, Palestinian leaders promised to “renounce the use of terrorism and other…

IS IT true that many people in the world do not have a good experience of school? One often reads various opinions of people on this topic. Across the world, some have questioned the usefulness of schools. There is the personal experience of people at school and the view of others at the schools they attended. Many complaints have been raised about schools which include the following: l The curriculum is not in line with what happens in real-life. l Schools are far removed from the world of technology. A criticism often levelled by businesses against public schools. l Schools are too academic and do not give students practical skills needed in the workplace situation. l Learners drop out of school, especially at high school because they do not cater…

Metrorail in Gauteng has announced the resumption of some of its train services suspended this week due to the spreading violent unrest. “Metrorail Gauteng has taken a decision to formally resume the train service in many of its corridors as from Wednesday (yesterday). The service was suspended on Monday … following the chaotic incidents witnessed in Johannesburg,” Metrorail said. “After assessing the situation, Metrorail management is comfortable that the situation is now calm (and we are able) to provide a normal service in the interest of fare-paying customers. “Based on the advice received from law enforcement agencies, the train service between Leralla-Elandsfontein (Tembisa Corridor) will remain suspended until further notice.” |…

SLEEPLESS nights and the sounds of gunshots and helicopters flying over suburbs have become the norm for citizens in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng over the past few days. Many residents have been stuck in their homes, unable to leave the area to buy food because roads have been blocked or closed due to looters nearby vandalising businesses and shopping centres and, later, setting them alight. Those able to get to neighbouring suburbs are not being allowed through as community policing forums are asking for proof of address, allowing only their community to buy at the shops, understandably trying to keep what little reserves they have for their own. Hospitals are battling to cope as staff have not been able to travel to work, with many health-care workers working double…

Tel Aviv: The United Arab Emirates opened an embassy in Israel yesterday, housed in Tel Aviv’s new stock exchange building, in the latest normalisation move to come from a deal brokered by Washington last year. The venue in the heart of Israel’s financial district highlighted the central role economic co-operation has played since the UAE became only the third majority-Arab country to recognise the Jewish state. At the ceremony, attended by new Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Emirati ambassador Mohamed al-Khaja called the embassy opening “an important milestone”. Israel and the UAE have signed a raft of deals since normalising ties as part of the so-called Abraham Accords brokered by former US president Donald Trump. | AFP…

I’D liked this column to have been about Ireland’s first win against South Africa on Tuesday – a huge achievement for the Irish, and a staggering setback for the Proteas. South Africa were poor. And reading what Temba Bavuma had to say, and the tone of his words, indicates that the SA captain is angry. Understandably. Does it matter that Andile Phehlukwayo played a rubbish shot, or that David Miller dropped a catch? Or that the “death” bowling was rubbish? Ja, in the context of a cricket game, that may be the case. But those players wore “South Africa” on their shirts and this week SA is broken. Colleagues and friends in KwaZulu-Natal can’t sleep because they are worried about protecting their neighbourhoods and families. Others are rationing food, while…

HERMAN GIBBS Bafana Bafana warmed up for tomorrow’s semi-finals with a 0-0 draw against Zambia in their final Cosafa Cup Group A match at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium yesterday. The outcome meant South Africa completed their Group A assignments undefeated and will play Group B runners-up Mozambique in tomorrow's first semi-final. In the later semi-final, Group B winners Senegal will go up against Eswatini, the Group A runners-up. After the stalemate, Zambia continue to lead the Cosafa Cup head-to-head count 7-5. The South Africans, after four matches, have yet to concede a goal and it has been a long time since Bafana have enjoyed a run of four matches without defeat at a tournament. hey are the only team at the tournament yet to concede a goal. The first…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za The EFF has continued to demand that President Cyril Ramaphosa clarify the deployment of the SANDF. Ramaphosa confirmed on Monday, during a televised address to the nation, that thousands of SANDF soldiers would be deployed to assist SAPS to halt violent looters who rampaged through Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. SANDF members would be taking a cue from the police, the government said. This development was met with concerns from the EFF. The party’s leader tweeted concerns over the deployment and even warned that EFF fighters would take to the streets if the soldiers were deployed. The red berets then wrote a legal letter to Ramaphosa on Tuesday giving him 12 hours to explain the deployment of soldiers. The party threatened to take legal action if no response was…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za TROUBLED national carrier SAA has promised to resume paying its creditors it owes almost R26 billion from next month. Siviwe Dongwana and Bongani Nkasana, SAA’s receivers who took over after the airline was discharged from business rescue proceedings in March, this week informed the creditors that, as provided for in the adopted business rescue plan, they will receive the first of three dividend payments in respect of their claims by August 31. SAA's creditors – who include other airlines, aviation companies and the SA Revenue Service, which is owed millions of rand – are expected to be paid over the next three years. Dongwana and Nkasana officially commenced SAA’s receivership reconciliation process on July 1. Their duties include receiving the restructuring proceeds, making payments to pre-commencement creditors…

Ebrahim Wydeman | Mitchell's Plain READING into the comments from Monessa Shapiro makes me doubt the humanity within humanness. My sentiment is directly focused on a better life for all. And if we are soulfully reared and driven that an injury to one is an injury to all, then Palestine as well as Israel deserves a better and peaceful life. We cannot expect peace if we are to forcefully deny others a similar peaceful existence. What sort of existence does Israel commit itself to when they deny Palestinians their right to their own peaceful existence in their land of birth by forcefully flattening their homes and in the process murdering its inhabitants with the specific aim of claiming land by violent means? Make me understand how inner-peace is…

CLIVE SOLOMON | Goodwood The current acts of wanton criminality prevalent in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, must be seen in the context of the history of South Africa. Since the arrival of the Europeans in the 15th century our country has been looted by every successive government that has come to power. The Portuguese were given a hiding in 1510 at the Battle of Salt River, which resulted in the Dutch visiting our shores well-armed. Their exploits, British imperialism and Afrikaner nationalism has further added to the woes of the Foundation Nation (Khoisan, Hottentots, coloureds, brown people) of the country. The dawn of democracy and freedom, brought new hope, but A-LOOT-A Continua. The stealing continued. Was it really the incarceration of Jacob Zuma that provided the powder keg to…

NTOMBI NKOSI and SAMKELO MTSHALI THE country’s biggest taxi association, the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco), has teamed up with members of the communities in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal in a bid to protect infrastructure from being destroyed amid the civil unrest that has engulfed both provinces. In KZN the taxi industry organisation’s chairperson, Boy Zondi, said that Santaco in the province condemned the looting and the damage of infrastructure. “As from today, the industry will ensure that the places that have not been damaged are safe. Santaco KZN takes a stand to prevent looting in the malls and shopping centres that have not been affected by KZN protests. “In the course of helping stop vandalism and looting, we call on our structures countrywide to refrain from engaging in…

This week parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal saw unprecedented scenes of public violence in which mobs looted malls and warehouses. Supporters of former president Jacob Zuma had threatened that his incarceration, for defying a Constitutional Court order to testify at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry, would be the catalyst to a violent public outrage. The South African government has responded to day of looting by deploying SANDF soldiers to crucial hot spots while private citizens, and taxi associations have taken it upon themselves to arrest suspected looters and protect businesses like malls which have been targeted. At least 76 people have been killed during the anarchy..…

David Everatt South Africans spent most of mid-July glued to the news to see just one thing: would Jacob Zuma blink? Would the country finally get a taste of revenge for the state capture, looting, destruction of institutions and threats to the country’s democracy their former president had enabled and championed? Would the rule of law win? But protests that had been low-key since he was arrested on Wednesday night exploded into an an orgy of looting, marching, xenophobic attacks, arson, truck-burning, stabbing and shooting, and blockading of roads and freeways by Sunday. For nine years as president, Zuma outmanoeuvred pretty much all and sundry – he reshuffled cabinets to destabilise opponents; he forced the whip and faced down multiple votes of no confidence; he allowed R50 billion…

Taliban fighters in Afghanistan seized control of a major border crossing with Pakistan yesterday, achieving a key strategic objective during a rapid advance across the country as US forces pull out. A Pakistani official said Taliban insurgents had taken down the Afghan government flag from atop the Friendship Gate at the border crossing between the Pakistani town of Chaman and the Afghan town of Wesh. The crossing, south of Afghanistan’s main southern city Kandahar, is the landlocked country’s second busiest entry point and main commercial artery between its sprawling south-west region and Pakistani sea ports. Afghan government data indicate that the route is used by 900 trucks a day. The Taliban takeover forced Pakistan to seal parts of its border with Afghanistan after heavy fighting between insurgent and Afghan government…

Washington: Facebook on Wednesday filed a formal request calling for the recusal of Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan in any antitrust action against the social media giant, arguing that she was biased and could not rule impartially. The move follows a similar request from Amazon last month in anticipation of a wave of antitrust enforcement action against Big Tech firms from the regulatory agency under its new leader appointed by US President Joe Biden. In its petition to the FTC, Facebook said Khan “has consistently made public statements not only accusing Facebook of conduct that merits disapproval, but specifically expressing her belief that the conduct meets the elements of an antitrust offence.” | AFP…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za THE SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) in the province is calling on Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula to intervene in the ongoing taxi war that has claimed multiple lives and left scores wounded. The organisation believes that the current MEC for Transport and Public Works was in over his head and not able to stem the violence. Sanco provincial spokesperson Akhona Jonginamba said it was high time Mbalula intervened, because they had no trust that MEC Daylin Mitchell had requisite capacity to find a permanent solution. A taxi driver, who did not want to be named, advised commuters not to use minibus taxis for their safety. He alleged that some taxi operators had been shot in Maitland, and near the N2. One of the operators from Mfuleni was…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za TWO MINORS died and four shacks burned down in a tragic incident in Gugulethu in the early hours of yesterday morning. Police opened an inquest docket following the death of two children in a fire at Khikhi Hostel in Block 7, Gugulethu. Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said: “We can confirm that an inquest case has been registered at Gugulethu police station on Wednesday, July 14, after two boys aged 9 and 12-years-old died in a shack fire.” The City’s Fire and Rescue Services who responded to the incident just after 7.30am said by the time fire crews arrived on the scene four shacks were engulfed in flames and a fifth structure just beginning to burn. Spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said: “When firefighters arrived at the scene…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa may soon run out of basic services due to the damage caused by those involved in burning and looting the country, President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned. He met leaders of political parties yesterday to find a solution to the carnage that has unfolded in the past few days in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Ramaphosa also told party leaders the deployment of the army was being considered in relation to increasing the number of soldiers. Initially, 2 500 soldiers were deployed in the affected areas. Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the number of soldiers deployed had been increased to 5 000. Law enforcement agencies were working around the clock to contain the situation. Ramaphosa said. He said they had roped in the defence force…

FAROUK ARAIE | Gauteng THE political earthquake and inferno now rocking our beloved country proves that the entire intelligence establishment was fast asleep. An event of this magnitude and scope evaded its high-tech radar screens. A failure of this depth must have repercussions for those who are entrusted with safety, security and the analysing of real-time intelligence. The extent of this failure is staggering. It will cost the country at least R20 billion or perhaps more in terms of destruction and frightening job losses, and the inevitable rapid increase in Covid-19 deaths and infections. As time passes, more information will become available, and the bare facts of what happened will become clearer. The mandate of the State Security Agency (SSA) is to provide the government with intelligence on…

I FIND it hard to understand the thinking behind the rioting and looting that’s happening in Gauteng and KZN. Actually, I doubt whether there’s much thinking there at all. The organisers of the riots may claim it’s all in support of Mr Zuma, but where’s the logic in that? “I am stealing this TV set in your honour, Mr Zuma, to show that I believe you are innocent of theft of any kind, including state capture.” Oh really? Should we go out and shoot somebody to show we are innocent of murder? I don’t get it. On a smaller, day-to-day scale of plundering, I went to buy a doorbell this week (I’d prefer looters to knock before they enter). And the model I chose required three little AA batteries. Unfortunately…

Staff Reporter Due to an error in the editing process, the comment from the City of Cape Town, in response to calls for the City’s “pipe levy”(Fixed Basic Charge) to be scrapped because the dams supplying the city would soon be at 100% capacity, was omitted. (July 14). Here’s the response from the City’s mayco member for Water and Waste Xanthea Limberg: Q: How feasible is it for the City to scrap the pipe levy/ Fixed Water Charge outside the usual annual tariff budget cycle? A: The water tariff comprises a fixed component and a usage component. It forms part of the overall tariff structure…

THE AU Commission has condemned the ongoing violence in South Africa, which left numerous people dead, calling for an urgent restoration of peace and order in one of the continent’s economic powerhouses. “The chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, condemns, in the strongest terms, the surge of violence that has resulted in the deaths of civilians and appalling scenes of the looting of public and private property, destruction of infrastructure, including the suspension of essential services in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and other parts of South Africa,” it said from Addis Ababa. The AU warned that instability in South Africa would inevitably have a negative impact on the Southern African Development Community region. “The chairperson calls for an urgent restoration of order, peace and stability in the country in…

South African riots and food security: why there’s an urgent need to restore stability When President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on July 12 amid violence and destruction of property in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, he warned of several risks if the situation was not resolved swiftly. One of them was food security. South Africa is, generally, a secure food country at a national level. But food security is about more than just having sufficient supplies. It also requires food accessibility, affordability, nutrition and stability over time. This is where the challenge lies. Continued disruption will affect supplies, given the specifics of South Africa’s food supply chains. KwaZulu-Natal, the epicentre of rioting and looting, is a major producer of various agricultural products such as sugar, milk and poultry. The…

EU policymakers yesterday unveiled their most ambitious plan yet to tackle climate change, aiming to turn green goals into concrete action this decade and set an example for the world’s other big economies to follow. The European Commission, the EU executive body, set out in painstaking detail how the bloc’s 27 countries can meet their collective goal to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 55% from 1990 levels by 2030 – a step towards “net zero” emissions by 2050. This will mean raising the cost of emitting carbon for heating, transport and manufacturing, taxing high-carbon aviation fuel and shipping fuel that have not been taxed before, and charging importers at the border for the carbon emitted in making products such as cement, steel and aluminium abroad. It will consign the…

Brisbane: Australia took a group of ambassadors snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef yesterday in a lobbying effort to keep the World Heritage site off Unesco’s endangered list. The UN cultural agency last month recommended that the world’s largest reef system be downgraded because of damage to the corals from climate change. That sparked an intense lobbying campaign ahead of Unesco’s virtual meeting hosted by China starting tomorrow, when a vote will be held on downgrading the reef to “World Heritage In Danger” status. “They’ll be able to see for themselves the beauty and the diversity of it and the importance of making sure that we look after it,” said the government’s special reef envoy Warren Entsch. | AFP…

MIKE GREENAWAY mike.greenaway@inl.co.za JASON Robinson was nicknamed “Billy Whizz” when he played for England, after the Beano comic book character that ran like the wind, so he knows what he is talking about when he says Cheslin Kolbe is a “Box Office” player who could be a match-winner for the Springboks in the approaching series against the British & Irish Lions. Robinson, the first black man to captain England, was one of the most experienced rugby players of all time. As a dual code international, he played 12 rugby league Tests for Great Britain and seven for England before switching to rugby union and playing 51 times for England. He played a whopping 300 league matches for Wigan and then in union, 159 games for Sale Sharks and 13 for…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za THE South African Football Association have appointed Banyana Banyana legend Amanda Dlamini as their new senior manager for commercial and marketing tasks. “It has been Safa’s tradition to promote our past legends to administrative roles and Amanda’s appointment is one such. We welcome her to the Safa family,’’ said Safa CEO Tebogo Motlanthe. Dlamini’s duties will include the overseeing, management and service of Safa’s commercial partners/sponsors for all Safa events, projects and opportunities. They will also include the coordination and compilation of updates on events and marketing reports. Among other things, the statement issued by Safa indicated that Dlamini’s roles will include, “creating a true partnership with commercial partners by building a strong relationship through frequent relevant communication, familiarising oneself with the commercial partners by building a…