Innehållsförteckning för 2022-03-10 från Cape Argus

Oluthando Keteyi oluthando.keteyi@inl.co.za SINGER Makhadzi has spoken out about the video in which she is seen pushing her dancer off stage during a performance. The Ghahama hitmaker had many of her fans shocked after they witnessed the viral video. During a Facebook live following the uproar, Makhadzi apologised to her fans for pushing her dancer off the stage, and also explained it was not intentional. She explained she didn’t push her dancer off stage, but simply wanted to move her out of the way, and things just didn’t go according to plan. “I’m sorry to those who felt otherwise about that video. I really, really feel sorry for the lady as well, but she is okay. It’s just that when I see something like that trending, I must also come…

Rafieka Williams rafieka.williams@inl.co.za A VIGOROUS debate ensued in the Western Cape High Court yesterday, where Godfrey Jantjies stands accused of the murder of 3-year-old Robyn-Lee Gertse. Robyn-Lee was found dead on May 24, 2015. Jantjies allegedly abused her by assaulting her and exposing her to behaviour that harmed her psychologically or emotionally. Judge Vincent Saldanha asked State advocate Leon Snyman if the State was relying on what had been referred to as a pattern of abuse inflicted upon Robyn-Lee by Jantjies. The State alleges that Jantjies hit Robyn-Lee in the face with a kettle, which resulted in the area around her eye turning blue. It also emerged that Robyn-Lee had a fractured jaw, which the State alleged could have been inflicted by Jantjies. The evidence presented in court…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za Parliament wants the National Treasury to make sure that the restriction of companies from trading with the State was water-tight and hold personally liable individuals involved in corruption. This emerged yesterday when the National Treasury informed the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) that it had blacklisted 143 companies. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) also reported that it had referred 506 cases for restriction of companies to different departments and entities. Gauteng leads the pack with 202 referrals, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 183, Free State 88, Limpopo 56 and the rest of other provinces that recorded SIU referrals that ranged from one to 15. Scopa chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said the department and law enforcement agencies should look into blacklisting individuals because company names and registration were an…

Staff Reporter The wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship the Endurance has been discovered east of the Antarctic Peninsula in the Weddell Sea, and South Africa’s ice-breaker, the SA Agulhas II, played a major part in the discovery. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said it was extremely proud to have played a key role in the successful Endurance 22 Expedition. The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust had chartered the SA Agulhas II for the expedition, with the aim of locating, surveying and filming the wreck of the Endurance, which sank during an Antarctic expedition by Sir Shackleton in 1915. The expedition team announced yesterday that the wreck of the Endurance had been located on March 5. “We are proud of the role that South Africa, through the…

Cllr Yagyah Adams | Cape Muslim Congress During the unfolding of any conflict, truth is the first casualty. When monitoring the mainstream media, it’s vital to identify propaganda. What is reported on BBC and RT news is often opposed. Even channels like Al-Jazeera must be taken with some scepticism. The BBC regard the Russians as “invaders” and Russian reports portray the Russians as “defenders” of the Russian minority in Donetsk and other parts of Ukraine. It’s ironically similar to what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan where the Western alliance portrayed themselves as liberators, only to engage in a gruesome war against those they claimed to liberate. Comparisons are vital as they give insight into a bigger picture. In the beginning, the Western Alliance (US, Britain, Nato, Canada, Australia,…

PAT LEKKER SITTING in the committee meeting on the Albert Fritz report, the words of that song came to mind. The more things change in the DA, the more things stay the same in the DA. John Steenhuisen, Mmusi Maimane, Gavin Davis, Edmund van Vuuren, Solly Msimanga, Stevens Mokgalapa, Archie Figlan, Lennit Max, Paul Boughey, among other men, have all been accused of or embroiled in some sort of scandal in the DA. Albert Fritz was not the first and certainly is not the last. In 2015, before the DA’s national conference, someone as anonymous as the accusers of Albert Fritz, sent an email to all 1 500 delegates that were meant to attend the conference. The person must have clearly been a DA insider to have had access to…

Lindy Heinecken South Africa has the 26th most powerful military in the world, up from 32nd in 2012. It is ranked second in Africa, after Egypt. But, analysts have for years warned that the country’s military is in a state of critical decline. The defence ministry and military leaders have lamented the debilitating cuts to its budget over the years. The SANDF is an amalgamation of the former apartheid-era SADF, the armies of the four former “independent homelands” Transkei, Ciskei, Venda and Bophuthatswana, as well as the armed wings of the liberation movements, the ANC and the PAC. They formed the SANDF in 1994. This swelled the ranks of the forces, necessitating a process of right-sizing and the introduction of a flexible service system. This entailed short-, medium- and long-term…

ZAAHIER ADAMS zaahier.adams@inl.co.za WILL she play, won’t she play? That remains the Lizelle Lee dilemma ahead of the Proteas’ second ICC Women’s World Cup match against Pakistan at Mount Maunganui tomorrow. Lee has been “training well” with her teammates all week, since being discharged from the mandatory seven-day quarantine period last Sunday, but the Proteas management have yet to confirm whether the blockbusting opener will indeed take her place in the starting XI. There’s no doubt that Lee will be given every opportunity to fulfil her fitness obligations with the Proteas particularly lacking her immense power at the top of order, but in the same breath they would dare not risk a long-term injury with the tournament still in its infancy stages. The impact of Lee’s absence, which was originally…

Smiso Msomi smiso.msomi@inl.co.za PITSO Mosimane will reportedly take home a whopping salary of R60-million a year following the extension of his contract with Africa’s club of the century Al Ahly. Mosimane’s contract has been extended by two years, which confirms Al Ahly’s confidence in the South African mentor. His R2.5m a month salary excludes bonuses. While his critics have argued that Mosimane does not deserve a contract renewal with the African football kings, the statistics tell a very positive story about the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach. Mosimane has been in Egypt for about two years now and has won two back-to-back CAF Champions League and Super Cup titles. He also won his second consecutive Club World Cup bronze medal with the Red Devils, becoming the first manager in history to…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za A CITY family are concerned about the well-being of their mother, who they believe is not provided adequate care at the Lotus River Place Old Age Home in Lotus River. Juanita Gilbert said her mother, Louisa Lombard, 84, suffered from dementia and had alleged that the gold in her dentures had been stolen while she was at the Cape Peninsula Organisation (CPOA) facility. A dentist’s note, which the Cape Argus has seen, stated that there were attempts to forcefully or deliberately remove the gold from the dentures. “They told us that they will investigate the matter, but they did not get back to us. This is not the first time I lodged a complaint. “The last time the complaint was not resolved. We also complained about the…

THE impasse between state employees and the government, resulting in a Constitutional Court ruling, has created havoc with the relationship between the trade unions and the government. Last week, Acting Justice Isaac Madondo lashed out at the public service union, saying they were unjustifiably enriched from an agreement entered into with the government in 2018. The unions had a written agreement from the government outlining increases for three years. The government paid the increases for the first two years and, in the third year, challenged the agreement, stating that it was illegal. The agreement added up to an extra R75 billion and, of course, a higher base cost for future agreements with the public service. In 1996, the Labour Relations Act was established to bring in a new framework…

Khotso KD Moleko | Mangaung Bloemfontein Maybe something good can still come out of the standoff between Russia, Nato, and the West, such as a new world political, economic, and military order where no single group of people has a monopoly on how things happen on Earth. It has become crystal clear now that we have powerful people who can decide who lives or dies. As tragic as the situation in Eastern Europe is, it cannot be correct for righteousness’ sake to pour arms into Ukraine, encourage Ukrainians to kill Russians, and in the same vein, claim to stand for peace. Unless, of course, the pain of some is more than others. The pouring in of weapons meant to kill in Ukraine is justifying the war because the…

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into Ukraine nearly two weeks ago, Russia has been cast swiftly into economic isolation never before visited on such a large economy. The US said yesterday it was banning imports of Russian oil, a major change in policy after energy was previously exempted from sanctions. Western companies have mostly withdrawn from the Russian market. In a stark symbol, McDonalds said it was shutting its nearly 850 restaurants in Russia. Its first, which drew huge queues to Moscow’s Pushkin Square when it opened in 1990, had been an emblem of the end of the Cold War. Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Heineken and others made similar announcements. The EU added more Russian oligarchs and officials to its sanctions blacklist yesterday, and targeted Russia’s maritime sector…

AT what point should the national cricket selectors just give up on a player? In the case of Sisanda Magala, according to convener of selectors Victor Mpitsang, that point hasn’t been reached yet. Magala is an excellent limited-overs all-rounder. He blasts the ball miles with the bat, has a rocket launcher for an arm, buckets for hands, and with the ball, he displays control, consistency and pace. He should be in the national ‘white-ball’ teams. The selectors would love him to be, teammates want him to be, but does Magala want it enough? “I spoke to him on Tuesday morning,” Mpitsang said. “It’s important to tell the player, ‘dude, you need to help us here, we definitely want to pick you’.” It’s not the first time Magala’s fitness has been…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za Agriculture MEC Ivan Meyer has outlined steps to improve productivity and efficiency at the Port of Cape Town. This comes after concerns about food security and agricultural trade in the Western Cape as the Ukraine/Russia war drags on. Meyer recently met Agri Western Cape, Vinpro, Wines of South Africa (WoSA), the fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum, Grain SA, the South African Table Grapes Industry, Citrus Growers’ Association, and the Wool Growers’ Association. He said the Russian and Ukraine markets contributed to South Africa’s foreign income through exports of agricultural products, with a significant share of those products coming from the Western Cape. Meyer said South Africa’s agricultural exports to Russia and Ukraine combined were valued at R4.1 billion in 2020. “The horticultural products, oranges, pears, apples, mandarins, lemons,…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za AFTER four years of attempts to negotiate with the City and ward councillor Antonio Van der Rheede for the use of a field in Hanover Park, the Alcardo Andrews Foundation (AAF) decided to move their feeding container to the space, but have now been told to remove it. This followed a meeting in February between Hanover Park community leaders and the City to address the councillor’s alleged misconduct, bullying tactics, dereliction of duty, gender-based violence, non-service delivery and many other allegations over the past five to seven years. Van der Rheede said the law must take its course regarding the illegal placement of the container on City land, and said he had answered the “baseless allegations” in the past, and that they had no merit. “Officers…

Nomalanga Tshuma nomalanga.tshuma@inl.co.za FRIENDS of Table Mountain (FOTM) have started a project to repair worn-out hiking pathways along the Devil’s Peak trail that have eroded with time, and to raise funds to purchase materials and equipment to repair the popular trail. Chairperson Andy Davies said months before they took on the challenge to rehabilitate the path, members met and engaged with SANParks to collaborate on the project. “We met with the SANParks CEO in September 2020 and agreed that SANParks would arrange for community involvement with the rehabilitation process.” However, after no visible action was forthcoming from SANParks, his organisation decided to take charge of the initiative and repair the trail with the support of volunteers and the community, Davies said. “We officially started rehabilitation efforts last weekend, but we…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za WITH her Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Medicine in the bag and with financial support from the Klipheuwel Wind Farm, Keishia Joseph is on track to be the first member of her small Grabouw community to become a nuclear medical radiographer. This 22-year-old is completing her community service at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Rondebosch, Cape Town, and looking forward to her career in the specialised medical field that uses small amounts of radioactive materials (radio-pharmaceuticals) to look at specific organs and see if they are functioning properly. Klipheuwel Wind Farm economic development specialist Tsholofelo Moote said: “Keishia is an example of our country’s tremendous talent pool that can be harnessed if sufficient access to tertiary bursary funding and mentorship is made available.” The Cape Peninsula…

THROUGHOUT my life I have always tried to be optimistic. Reading and watching the news in South Africa there is so much wrong in our society. The governing party is defensive about its mistakes and very rarely speaks about the positives it brought to South Africa, such as compulsory education for students from Grades 1 to 9 and university fees for students whose family income is below R350 000 a year. Whether we agree with a pupil-teacher ratio of 40:1 or not, it is a step in the right direction. Yes, the Department of Education made many mistakes. It made life difficult for parents, teachers and students. As a teacher, my educational philosophy is – despite the problems we face in education – as teachers we remain optimistic and ensure…

Rights eroded by corruption Human Rights Day in South Africa (on March 21) not only commemorates the massacre of peaceful protesters against passing laws in Sharpeville in 1960, but also celebrates the human rights now available to all in the post-apartheid constitutional order. The duty of the state to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights guaranteed to all, is taken very seriously by our independent and impartial courts. Unfortunately, this duty is taken less seriously by our government. The harsh truth is that insufficient resources are available to deliver on the obligations to promote and fulfil the expensive socio-economic rights that are included in the Bill of Rights. The shortage of resources is not due to the poverty of the state. It is due to the diversion of public…

A Russian gambit linking its war on Ukraine to negotiations aimed at restoring a landmark nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers is poised to postpone an anticipated resolution of the talks. The Kremlin’s demand for US guarantees that sanctions imposed over its Ukraine invasion won’t affect Moscow’s business with Iran has sparked concern among some diplomats. While it’s unlikely to derail the nuclear talks completely, it potentially adds new complications to discussions that envoys had predicted would conclude in days. Iran’s chief negotiator in Vienna, Ali Bagheri Kani, unexpectedly returned to Tehran this week for a “short trip” to consult with officials, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported. The negotiations to rein in Iran’s nuclear work remain snarled over the scope and timing of US sanctions relief. EU…