Innehållsförteckning för 2022-09-13 från Cape Argus

Mzansi content creators were celebrated on Saturday at the inaugural DStv Content Creator Awards, which were held at The Galleria in Sandton. It was a night dedicated to the content creators who have been bringing joy to the country with content that had many of us double tapping on social media. Comedian Loyiso Madinga hosted the awards and viewers at home got to be a part of the action as the awards were broadcast live on entertainment platform partner TikTok, with Halle B Berry and Dezz Lee bringing all the blue carpet action. The opening dance piece, choreographed by Bontle Modiselle Dance Studio, brought life to some of the most viewed social media reels and videos and set the tone for the night. Robot Boii had the audience convinced he…

The Elim businessman accused of killing his ex-wife has opted not to testify in his own defence, after the cross-examination of his co-accused who was on the stand for six days. Ashley October’s lawyer, Dorian van Zyl, told the court yesterday that his client would not be testifying after the conclusion of Tashwell van der Rhede’s cross-examination. The matter has been postponed to Thursday, when the State and defence will argue for and against conviction. The State alleges that October conspired in 2011 and 2012 to have Charlene October killed, but was unsuccessful. In 2021, however, he allegedly approached yet another of his employees, Van der Rhede, with a similar offer – money for murder. Van der Rhede has since testified that he refused to do the killing, but…

Small-scale fishers (SSF) from Arniston in the Western Cape had their homes or fishing premises raided by police and local authority agencies last week after it was found that they had failed to fit their boats and vessels with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment’s now mandated vessel monitoring systems (VMS). The fishers said there was no way they could afford these required systems, which cost about R8 000, and that this mandate was another structural barrier stopping them from accessing their fishing grounds and securing their livelihoods. Department spokesperson Albi Modise said the VMS units assisted the department’s efforts to reduce illegal fishing and poaching by enabling them to track which vessel was finishing when and where. It also acted as a safety device for fishers should their…

The Home Affairs staff at Wynberg really delivered excellent service on both days I used the branch last week. On September 1, I arrived at the offices at about 11am to apply for my replacement ID and a temporary ID. A helpful woman security officer on duty consulted with a male staff member. It was explained to me that the staff allow 100 walk-in clients a day. The bulk of clients are appointments via the online platforms. I opted to wait in the queue, without a number, with the condition that I understand that one might not be seen. Staff reiterated this condition as a reminder a few times throughout the day. At about 3.25pm, I was one of the last four waiting on the benches just outside the front…

Delays on the Clanwilliam Dam project have cost the national Department of Water and Sanitation an extra R676 million, with Minister Senzo Mchunu extending the deadline for completion by another six years. Responding to a question in Parliament about the project’s delays, Mchunu said the total difference between the original budget and projected readjusted final budget for the dam had soared by R676m. He attributed the high figure to inflation. Mchunu said construction on the dam, situated in the middle course of the Olifants River, has ground to a halt and could resume in early 2023. According to reports, former water and sanitation minister Nomvula Mokonyane in July 2014 told MPs that the project would cost R1.8bn. A 2019 update by Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC, Anton…

“Few will have the greatness to bend history, but each of us can change a small portion of events and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.” Robert Kennedy. At last! On September 1 Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s Foundation was launched. It was a source of exciting news to his band of admirers. Like all other statesmen of Shenge’s calibre, he deserves a foundation that would serve as a catalyst in reminding society about what his leadership encapsulated, and preserve his legacy cemented by his bravery and commitment to serving his people. This foundation will face challenges but is expected to weather all storms and never opt for quick-fix solutions but remain principled like Shenge in whatever he pursued in public and private…

“The Western Cape provincial Department of Human Settlements has indicated that within the City of Cape Town and Matzikama municipalities, there are 214 houses that were illegally occupied.” This was Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi’s response in Parliament to an ANC MP question about illegally occupied RDP houses. She said the three entities had so far removed 50 illegal occupants. Kubayi said officials had told her they would initiate eviction processes at the houses still occupied illegally. Human Settlements Mayco member Malusi Booi said 1 113 rental units had been illegally taken over by families in the city. Mfuleni had the highest hijacked rentals at 295, followed by Langa at 158. Ndifuna Ukwazi attorney Jonty Cogger said land occupation was not right, but the government was equally wrong to criminalise…

THIS Heritage Month, South African jazz pianist and scholar Nduduzo Makhathini is preparing to perform a series of “celebratory and thanksgiving” concerts as part of cultural work to reveal hidden stories and histories of the African continent. Makhathini will be performing at the Fismer Hall Konservatorium at Stellenbosch University (SU) for the A Thanksgiving Ritual: Umgidi, this Friday, with the concert in partial fulfilment of his integrated PhD in music. Nduduzo Makhathini – In the Spirit of Ntu references Makhathini’s new album, of the same name, released this year and will be presented at two venues, the Blue Room on September 17, Cape Town CBD, and Olympia Café, Kalk Bay, on September 18. “The spirit of Ntu is really based on the concept, an ancient philosophy in Africa called Ntu…

I am putting the finishing touches to a 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness in Cape Town. The document is meant to get us talking about seriously considering such a time-determined approach. One of the key recommendations is that people with lived experience of homelessness or otherwise, referred to by me as CEOs (community engagement officers), be drawn into not only the discussions, but the actual work that needs to be done. I had the most unpleasant experience this past weekend when I went into town which confirmed this recommendation in the 10-year plan. In fact, it made it all the more urgent. As I arrived in town on Saturday, I was confronted by how Law Enforcement officers were lining up the heroin drug users who populate that area at…

YESTERDAY marked the 45th anniversary of the death in police custody of an outstanding liberation figure of black pride, Steve Bantu Biko, then aged 30. In a tribute to Biko’s illustrious leadership, author Andile M’Africa titled his book, The eyes that lit our lives. Biko, a prominent and a charismatic leader of the black people, would have marked his 31st birthday on December 18, 1977. He died a few months earlier – killed by the oppressive, racist, minority apartheid regime. In Biko’s brief life, his ideas translated into liberating deeds. Announcing his brave entrance at the centre of oppressive South Africa’s political arena, history books could not avoid opening new pages to record the rise of Black Consciousness, which breathed life back into liberation politics. What apartheid South Africa had…

According to Sunday reports, it was a 12-year-old boy who first rumbled Elton Jantjies at a guest house in Nelspruit, where he had gone for a night of passion with the Springboks’ dietician, with whom he is allegedly conducting an extra-marital liaison. The child wanted an autograph and reportedly commented to his father something along these lines: “I have got his autograph before when he was with his wife, but this is not her,” when referring to Zeenat Simjee; and a Google search of Elton Jantjies wife did the rest ... Another guest recorded “noises of passion” from Jantjies’ room, because he could not sleep; and then later that night when the couple were allegedly having an argument and this fellow objected to the foul language. Rapport reported that when…

The Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town at the weekend didn’t lack any action, but two things that were definite failures were the format and the schedule. The quadrennial event featured the same knock-out format as in 2018, when teams also had to win every single game to have a chance of becoming world champions. The Blitzboks were the prime example of everything that could go wrong with that format and schedule. Yes, they were far from good enough in their second match of the weekend against Ireland and were knocked out of contention for the Melrose Cup on Saturday night, but they also showed how they can bounce back from defeat, and an uncharacteristic display, to produce a fantastic performance against Samoa in their fourth and final match…

Family in shock after mysterious murder While the missing car belonging to the slain Cape Town Magistrate Romay van Rooyen was recovered in Isiqalo informal settlement on Sunday night, the cause of her death remains a mystery. The 50-year-old’s lifeless body was found by family members on Saturday afternoon at her home in Marina Da Gama; her Toyota Rav4 reportedly surfaced near Mitchells Plain. Her death, the family have revealed, comes just 10 months after her sister also died under similarly mysterious circumstances. Van Rooyen’s family are awaiting her post-mortem results. At the time of her death, Van Rooyen was a magistrate at the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court. She started her career as a prosecutor in 1997, working in the district and regional courts before becoming a State advocate in the…

Another suspect linked to the murder of Collins Chabane Municipality mayor, Moses Maluleke, has been arrested, Limpopo police said. Limpopo police spokesperson, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, said the Vhembe Trio Crimes Task Team received information about the location of suspects who were committing a spate of business robberies, car hijackings, murders, rapes and burglaries in Thohoyandou, Mphephu, Siloam, Vuwani and Levubu policing areas. “The information was operationalised, which led the team to different locations at Ha-Mutodi, Duthuni, Shayandima and Thohoyandou Block F, where the first four suspects were arrested.” He said a team of investigators assigned to probe the murder of Maluleke succeeded in positively linking one of the suspects, who was arrested for a string of serious crimes, to his murder. “This linkage brings the total number of suspects arrested…

The Human Rights Commission has painted a sorry state of affairs at the temporary shelters meant for the victims of the floods that hit KwaZulu-Natal earlier this year. Briefing the ad hoc committee on flood disaster and recovery yesterday, programme manager for disaster Refilwe Chulu said the most pressing of the challenges was damage to critical water infrastructure and its effect on availability of water as well as the loss of homes. Chulu said the monitoring of shelters in Molweni, Tshelimnyama and Mariannridge presented worrying and potentially dangerous living conditions for the intended beneficiaries. “There is an insufficient supply of mattresses. Many residents sleep on the floors,” she said. Chulu also said no security provisions have been allocated to the shelters. She said most people at the community shelters were…

We are living in dangerous times Criminals are engaged in a low-scale war against ordinary South Africans and they are winning. Our leading politicians in Parliament are too busy insulting each other and do not have time to discuss our murder stats of 22 000 per year and the endless increasing violence and lawlessness. Our unemployment and the gap between the rich and poor is the highest in the world. This is a recipe for crime and violence that will eventually lead to a failed state. Ironically, we can save ourselves by creating jobs and reducing the unemployment by lowering the cost of basic foodstuff and the minimum wage to encourage business to hire more people. Logic suggests that government cannot create jobs as those in authority do not have…

Former DA provincial leader Bonginkosi Madikizela has criticised some party leaders for “obsessing” with saving President Cyril Ramaphosa and veering from the party’s vision. In a wide-ranging interview, Madikizela said it was problematic that some DA leaders saw Ramaphosa as the “better” ANC option. “There was a time when we had a vision of saving SA. We suffered a minor setback in 2019 (elections), which resulted in people retreating from that vision. But I’m still a firm believer we should pursue that vision. “There are people within my own party who are so obsessed with saving Ramaphosa because he is serving the interest of certain individuals. The obsession disturbs me. “It puzzles me. Ramaphosa is not serving the interest of the majority who are poor. I’m not going to be…

At the end of last year, South Africa recorded its highest unemployment rate since the transition to democracy in 1994 – at 35.3%. The figure has marginally dropped but there is still concern about how the country will tackle this. Dorrit Posel (DP) spoke to Trudi Makhaya (TM), economic adviser to President Cyril Ramaphosa, Kenneth Creamer (KC) and Liberty Mncube (LM), who are on the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, about unemployment, job creation, the informal sector and the country’s challenges with excessive market power. DP: South Africa has not been successful in chipping away at a high rate of unemployment. What could help? KC: There is a strong correlation between growth and job creation. The question is, why doesn’t South Africa have enough growth? I would say there are…

Xi Jinping will leave China for the first time in more than two years for a trip this week to Central Asia where he will meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin, just a month before he is set to cement his place as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. The trip, Xi’s first abroad since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, shows he is confident about both his grip on power as he heads for a third term in office and about his role as a world leader at a time of renewed great power friction. Against a backdrop of Russia’s confrontation with the West over Ukraine, the crisis over Taiwan and a stuttering global economy, Xi is due on a state visit to Kazakhstan tomorrow. China’s president will then…

Springbok forwards coach Deon Davids and hooker Malcolm Marx were on press conference duty from Buenos Aries yesterday, and a tense media engagement it was as they did their best to not answer questions on the Elton Jantjies drama. What Davids did say was that the Boks were determined to focus on beating Argentina and would do their best not to be distracted. “We have dealt with the situation in a professional manner (Jantjies and Bok dietician Zeenat Simjee were sent home in disgrace) and our focus is completely on the task at hand,” Davids said. “They are a tough team to beat, especially at home, and that needs all our focus.” Davids was asked whether director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and coach Jacques Nienaber understood the responsibility that the…