Innehållsförteckning för 2022-09-06 från Cape Argus

It has been almost four years since the Constitutional Court ruled that South Africans have the right to use cannabis in the privacy of their own homes, effectively decriminalising the personal use of cannabis. Since then there have been important milestones that have enabled the emergence of tbe country’s fledgling cannabis industry. In 2019 cannabidiol (CBD) was officially rescheduled a level 4 substance, meaning CBD containing preparations were rescheduled and fully legal. In June last year, the Cannabis Master Plan was unveiled detailing how cannabis can be incorporated into South Africa’s business sector as part of government’s ongoing drive towards legalisation and commercialisation. Government has good reason to want to focus on this industry, which the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development estimates is worth an estimated R28…

Entrepreneur Zulfiq Isaacs started his now 21-year-old technology company at a time when, as far as technology went, there were not many businesses that were black-owned. Second, not many of these businesses had young founders. He was about 23 when he started Liquid Thought. He said that they started the company at a time when they would not have been able to predict what would happen 10 days later with 9/11. “So we started in the midst of serious global economic downturn with a host of geo-political challenges that then had a negative impact on South Africa, companies and the economic climate at the time. “We had a really difficult start to our journey but, like all entrepreneurs, we had to find a way. “As part of the resilience and…

The SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) has condemned the violence that erupted in several parts of Cape Town over the past two weeks during protests by aggrieved taxi operators. In the most recent incident, taxi drivers operating in Hout Bay staged a demonstration in the area, blocking several roads and calling for the City to take their grievances seriously. The Hout Bay Taxi Association (HBTA) said drivers in the area had been struggling to make ends meet since the City introduced the MyCiTi bus service which operates on the same route as the taxis. A representative of the association said that when the City introduced the MyCiTi service in the area, taxi owners were promised compensation for loss of revenue. However, they have not received anything, but instead they say…

England’s man of the summer won’t be donning the whites at The Oval later this week, perhaps creating an advantage for the Proteas. Jonny Bairstow has been the toast of English cricket, encapsulating the essence of ‘Bazball’ like no other, revitalising his Test career in the process, and also topping the batting charts in 2022. Bairstow injured his ankle while walking to a tee box during a round of golf with some mates up in Leeds last Friday. It was a catastrophic injury that not only keeps the 32-year-old out of the series decider that starts on Thursday, and also the T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in Australia next month. So what effect will it have on England and by extension the Proteas? From England’s perspective it puts…

For Paris Saint-Germain, each season begins with the question of whether this might be their year in the Champions League, which kicks off for Kylian Mbappe and his teammates against Juventus tonight. In a decade of trying to get their hands on the biggest prize in European club football since the transformational Qatari takeover, PSG have appeared in the final just once, losing to Bayern Munich in 2020 after the Covid-19 pandemic forced Uefa to innovate with a “Final 8” format. Otherwise, it has been regular disappointment heaped upon occasional humiliation, such as last season’s exit to Real Madrid in the last 16, when they led 2-0 on aggregate an hour into the second leg. PSG have spent the close season trying to ensure that this time there is no…

In the past decade, increasing gender diversity has been a prominent issue for boardrooms across the globe. In fact, studies show that female chief executives tend to produce better results for their companies than their male counterparts do. According to a Diligent Institute report, Norway, France, Sweden and Italy are among the countries with the highest percentage of women serving on boards. Regionally, countries in the Americas and Asia Pacific region have progressed the least. With respect to women chairs, the three regions have about the same percentage: Europe, the Middle East and Africa (5 percent), the Americas (4 percent) and Asia-Pacific (4 percent). Yet locally, the percentage of female CEOs in JSE-listed companies improved 8 percent as of end June 2022, up from 5 percent a year earlier –…

The 16th annual South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas) were held on Saturday night in yet another virtual show. Ahead of the beginning of the official awards show, and indeed during the show, media personality Lasizwe was the talk of social media with his striking look. @AYESwirie wrote: “Ladies and Gents please put your hands together for our swirie @lasizwe, the IT gurl of the night,” shared @AYESwirie. “He brought the whole vibe to the #SAFTAs red carpet rocking a flawless wig, a unique suit and those gorgeous black heels. Looking like Zulu Royalty.” Themed “Frame the Future”, this year’s main awards show was hosted by broadcast personality Khutso Theledi, comedian and TV personality Mpho Popps and actor and TV presenter Ryle de Morny. When Saturday’s broadcast eventually got…

A decision will be made today on the application brought by advocate Zandile Mshololo, the legal counsel for the fifth accused in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, as to whether the current trial proceedings were irregular and not according to the law. Mshololo, the legal counsel for Sifisokuhle Ntuli, started proceedings by requesting that the letter by the National Prosecuting Authority in which docket 375 was said to be dealt with only once the proceedings in docket 636 were completed, was not communicated to the defence and should be declared irregular and unlawful. She submitted that it was untrue to say that docket 375 formed no part of, or had no bearing on, the current trial before the court. Mshololo’s application comes a week after director of public prosecutions Sibongile…

Deputy Social Development Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu has warned women who drink alcohol while pregnant that they risk giving birth to unhealthy babies as a result of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD). Bogopane-Zulu was speaking at the Stellenbosch Town Hall on Saturday, where she met women, youth, parents of children with FASD, and tavern and shebeen owners as part of the national 9-9-9 campaign to educate women on the dangers of alcohol while pregnant. FASD results in significant birth defects and developmental disabilities that can’t be cured post-birth. South Africa has been identified by the World Health Organization as having the highest reported prevalence of FASD in the world, at 111 cases per 1 000 people. The global average is 7.7 per 1 000. The department has partnered with the Beer…

Creatives, lobby groups and political parties are divided over the Copyright Amendment Bill passed by the National Assembly last week. The bill, which has now been sent to the National Council of Provinces for concurrence, will become the focus of parliamentary hearings, as well as public hearings, in all nine provincial legislatures. The draft legislation seeks to introduce fair copyright to South Africa, ensure fair royalties for creators and fair use for communities, as well as to bring it in line with international treaties and best practice. It also seeks to balance the rights of originators or artists with those of the users, while simultaneously giving support to the creative and commercial success of SA art and artists. ReCreate South Africa, which promotes the interests of South African creatives with…

Capetonians are divided on how they feel about the City’s proposed upgrades to the Muizenberg beachfront. While the repairs and upgrades have been widely welcomed, the proposed parking area has received fierce opposition, with some saying this sought to put in place infrastructure that went against climate change, water plans, and biodiversity policies. Among the proposed upgrades and repairs is a stepped revetment coastal protection structure, refurbishment of hard and soft landscaping and amenities along the beachfront, a 3m-wide promenade, demolition of the existing ablution facility and construction of a new one. However, Parkscape chairperson Nicky Schmidt said it was hideous and bereft of soul and character and destroyed Muizenberg’s unique sense of place. Schmidt said the roads intended to service this “vast chunk of environmentally unfriendly hard landscape” did…

Garth Napier, managing director of Old Mutual Insure, says acquiring specialist insurer Genric will satisfy a number of strategic objectives for the company, including an enhanced customer experience. “This deal brings us closer to our goal of customer centricity, as we will be able to access a wider range of valued-added products and innovative offerings. “It will also give us access to new insurance markets with low-cost products that can contribute meaningfully to our transformation strategy,” said Napier. He explained that the transaction brings Old Mutual Insure the ability to not only rapidly test and scale new product ideas, but to access to a new customer base in accident, health and medical insurance, as well as other niche insurance offerings such as value-added products, cash in transit, equine, marine, travel,…

Controversial blogger Musawenkosi Khawula is set to return to court this month after he was arrested in connection with the fatal wounding of a Vredenburg man. Khawula is accused of stabbing Wandile Khambule in March after the pair had a quarrel outside the deceased’s home. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Khawula said he was in a relationship with Khambule when the incident happened. In an interview with the Sunday World, the girlfriend of Khambule, Sweetness Jaftha, claimed Khawula came to her home in Vredenburg at about 5pm on March 4 and demanded to speak to the deceased. Jaftha said: “Khambule refused to speak to him and said he was not interested in what he wanted to say because he was not interested in him romantically. I then asked…

Police in Malipsdrift have launched an urgent probe into an incident in which five women were allegedly gang-raped, one man shot and injured and six others were brutally assaulted. Limpopo police spokesperson, Motlafela Mojapelo said the incidents were allegedly carried out by a group of six gun-wielding suspects who stormed into two funeral parlours situated next to Leporong, along the R37, in the early hours of Sunday. “According to reports, two female friends were on their way to visit a boyfriend working at Wisani Burial Society, which is a funeral parlour. (They were) walking along the R37 Road when they were accosted by six men who grabbed them and took them to the first mortuary where they shot and injured one employee,” said Mojapelo. “They then proceeded to the next…

UCT vice-chancellor bags another award UCT vice-chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng has been announced as the inaugural recipient of the Africa Education Medal. Founded this year by T4 Education and HP in collaboration with Intel and Microsoft, the award recognises the work of changemakers who are transforming African education, with Phakeng’s impact, leadership and advocacy. Phakeng became the first black South African woman to achieve a PhD in maths education in 2002, and in the two decades since has published over 80 research papers and five edited volumes on maths education. In 2016, she was conferred the Order of the Baobab (Silver) by President Cyril Ramaphosa, and named the most influential female academic in Africa by CEO magazine. In 2020, she was included in Forbes’ inaugural list of the 50 Most…

Conservation lobby groups and activists have intensified their calls to the City to reinstate rangers to the Constantia 2 baboon troop. This after a recent incident where several shots were fired at members of the troop, resulting in police, law enforcement and the SPCA being called to the scene. The City attributed the withdrawal of the rangers to the unfavourable forest environment and the rangers’ lack of access to residential properties. It said the growth in the baboon population affected the allocation of rangers to new troops. The City further said that its service provider advised residents on baboon-proofing their properties and responsibly managing their waste and bins to reduce access by baboons. This while the City is currently holding public meetings with residents from baboon-affected areas to discuss sustainable…

The Rugby World Cup Sevens, to be played at Cape Town Stadium this weekend, will be special for the home side for a number of reasons. For one, it’s the first Rugby World Cup to be hosted in South Africa since the Springboks triumphed in 1995, and it’s also the first Sevens World Cup in Africa, and that alone makes it significant. It will also be Blitzboks mentor Neil Powell’s last assignment in charge of the Sevens giants after being involved with the unit for 15 years, first as a player and then leading them to major milestones as coach. Out of all that is special heading into this weekend, for Angelo Davids, that send-off to Powell tops the list. Davids joined the South African Rugby Sevens Academy in 2018…