Innehållsförteckning för 2022-12-12 från Cape Argus

President facing toughest week of his career HE went on a charm offensive on the Cape Flats over the weekend, but President Cyril Ramaphosa will know his political career hangs in the balance as MPs converge at City Hall tomorrow to vote on his future. This as the ANC’s Integrity Commission is set to submit a much-anticipated report on whether Ramaphosa brought the party into disrepute in the fallout over Phala Phala. The commission deferred its report – which it was supposed to release on Friday – to the party’s national elective conference, which sits from Thursday. Asked about the scandal during his two-day tour, Ramaphosa told reporters there was “no issue” and no crisis”. He said the matter would be dealt with at the conference this week. NEC member…

The banks have emerged victorious over the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) after their appeal to the Constitutional Court (Concourt) in a case where it had to decide whether banks were wrong to apply for default judgments in the high court against debtors who owe amounts as small as R7 000 on home loans. The Concourt’s Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga penned the unanimous judgment in the case against three major banks for repossessing homes when small amounts were owed on mortgages. The case was heard by Concourt in May this year and was brought by the SAHRC against Standard Bank, Nedbank and FNB. The banks were accused of avoiding the magistrate’s court, which is “more accessible than the high court to impoverished respondents” in terms of being closer geographically and less…

Anelisa Kubheka The Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court has sentenced two women and a man to a combined 48 years in prison for luring their victim under the pretence of a threesome, then assaulting him with a hammer and robbing him. On Friday, magistrate E la Grange sentenced the hitman, Syed Arif Kazmi, 34, and the “honey trap”, Rekha Singh, 29, to 15 years each. She sentenced the “mastermind”, Gwendolene Leonara Mackenzie, 40, to 18 years. The three had pleaded guilty to the crime, which took place in 2019 in Newlands West. They were charged with robbery with aggravating circumstances. The victim was hit with a hammer on the head and arm by Kazmi and Singh, while Mackenzie threw glass plates and other objects at him. Among items stolen from the…

Former speaker Masizole Mnqasela has finally broken his silence on his battles with the DA after filing his long-awaited court application challenging the DA’s termination of his membership in the Western Cape High Court on Friday afternoon. The matter is set to be heard on Thursday. Yesterday morning Mnqasela said his experience at the hands of the DA had been “a very painful, tedious, very draining experience”. He said he hadn’t spoken before as the matter had – until he filed his court application on Friday – been the subject of an internal party disciplinary process. He said the court case would be the opportunity for him to ventilate the entire saga, including his claims of the injustice he suffered and questions about the constitutionality of the DA’s process. In…

District Six residents who survived apartheid’s forced removals have decried an impending eviction akin to those of the Group Areas Act. The six households located in Searle Street, District Six, recently had their electricity switched off and are anticipating their water being disconnected imminently by the City. Originally, there was an agreement between the occupants and the Holy Cross Catholic Church in District Six, which had owned the land. The properties were owned by an Order of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, who subsequently put the property up for sale. The owner, Ettiene du Toit, took registration of the property in June 2022, and eviction notices were hand-delivered shortly thereafter. They were given one month’s notice to vacate. Du Toit purchased the property on September 9, 2014, comprising six…

AS THIS year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence drew to a close, a group of activists gathered at St George’s Cathedral to display words of survivors – words they say ring true all year round. The gender-based violence awareness exhibition was organised by “1 000 Women 1 Voice” and “Post to Parliament” on Saturday. Women and children wrote on postcards for President Cyril Ramaphosa to express their outrage over gender-based violence in the country, as well as come up with tangible steps that could be taken to reduce the high levels of abuse. Post to Parliament director Emily O’Ryan said the women also hosted “What was I wearing the day I was a victim of gender-based violence?” O’Ryan said the 20 people present represented the voices of thousands,…

The reconfiguration of the political landscape in South Africa has placed African leaders at the centre of our politics. While this is a commendable development in terms of giving Africans agency to determine their fate, it has come with certain demands and responsibilities which Africans struggle to meet. One of them is ethical leadership. Noticeably, with each leader who ascends to power, ethics tends to slip away. Consequently, the cry for ethical leaders has become louder while ethical leadership itself has become a rare commodity. This has become a general trend across Africa. South Africa too has had its fair share of this evidently dwindling ethical leadership. In a nutshell, ethical leadership combines two concepts: ethics and leadership. The word ethics means moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour. It…

Defending World Cup champions France will go into their semi-final clash against Morocco as the favourites. Les Bleus have more experience playing in the deep stages of major tournaments and also a better squad on paper, which gives them the edge in the last four over their north African opponents. However, as we have seen a few times in this World Cup, the best team on paper does not always win. Morocco will be tough opponents for Didier Deschamps’ side and have proven that they do not fear anybody. Not many gave the Atlas Lions any chance of progressing beyond the group stages of the tournament before it started. They responded by winning Group H, which contained No 2-ranked team Belgium, 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia and one of North…

The Sharks were much improved in their 39-31 defeat of Harlequins in their debut Champions Cup match at the weekend, but they are going to have to fix their discipline if they are going to be title contenders. There was a red card for Ox Nche for going into contact too upright, resulting in head contact with a Harlequins player, and then Bongi Mbonambi put his team under pressure when the referee lost patience with his repeated infringements and sent him to the sin bin. The cards meant the Sharks were down to 13 players for almost 10 minutes of the final quarter and Harlequins exploited that advantage, and almost won the game after having been outplayed for most of the match. While Nche could be forgiven for the accidental…

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix documentary is reportedly at the centre of a row over whether the Royal Family were given the chance to respond to its claims. A “senior source” insisted Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace and members of the family were not approached for comment on Harry and Meghan, according to Mail Online. The outlet reported on November 8, hours after the first three episodes of the six-part docuseries were released on Netflix – that a source from the streamer said communications offices for King Charles and the Prince of Wales were contacted before it aired, giving them the chance to react to the Sussexes’ “claims within the series”. Mail Online also said Kensington Palace responded by admitting it had received an email from a third-party production…

A woman, aged 73, is expected to appear in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court today for allegedly stabbing her husband to death. Her family are facing the devastating discovery that she might have been in an abusive relationship with her 72-year-old husband of 35 years. Her sister told the Cape Argus that the woman was cooking a meal in her home in Silvertown on Thursday, when her husband verbally confronted her. “She’s listening to this nagging all the time and she asked him to stop, saying ‘your child was in an accident, you must be thankful that he came out of the accident’. “But as she went to the room – she was making salad and cutting everything – she took the knife and all of a sudden she just…

A plot to kill former State Security Agency director-general Arthur Fraser was hatched after he allegedly refused a R50 million offer from a Cape Town underworld boss to make the Phala Phala case against President Cyril Ramaphosa “go away”. The Sunday Independent, sister newspaper to the Cape Argus, can exclusively reveal that Fraser has not seen his family since he opened a criminal case against Ramaphosa and the head of the presidential protection service, General Wally Rhoode, at Rosebank police station in Johannesburg on June 1 this year. The former spy boss has been in hiding after he received “credible information” that there was a hit on him and his lawyer, advocate Muzi Sikhakhane. Fraser confirmed this week that he was aware of the plot. “I am aware of these…

LITTLE Hands Baby Home is appealing for funds in order to provide an expanded haven for abandoned babies. The registered non-profit organisation, in Woodstock, recently created a BackaBuddy campaign to raise R300 000 to secure new premises for February. The home was opened in February last year by Genevieve Bootcov. Bootcov was a night nurse who took care of babies in their home. She converted her family home into a place to care for them. “Each baby comes with their own complicated stories – many exposed to drugs or alcohol. We are registered with child care and adoption agencies where their social workers are called by the hospital or police and once each baby is assessed and discharged, the social worker calls me to fetch the babies,” she said. Bootcov…

Over the weekend, the bilingual volume of poetry by the late Victor Wessels was launched at Livingstone High School 40 years after his death and banning. Wessels was an accomplished teacher, writer and a stalwart in the Struggle against racial capitalism in South Africa – one of many voices silenced during apartheid. The book, titled Testimony, was published by African Sun Media and edited by Allan Zinn, director of the Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Democracy at Nelson Mandela University (NMU); Denise Zinn, former deputy vice-chancellor of Teaching and Learning at NMU; and paediatrician Doctor Abe Daniels, who were all close to the poet. Renowned South African writer, poet and activist Diana Ferrus said the collection reflected the experience of suffering, resistance and betrayal from the horse’s mouth…

You could hear Stormers defence coach Norman Laker on TV shouting throughout the first half to the players to get into position against Clermont, and it worked a treat as the Cape side led 14-3 at half-time at Stade Marcel Michelin. Steven Kitshoff and the rest of the team had worked hard to contain the French club in the tight exchanges, and their reward was a maul try to Deon Fourie – who was outstanding at the breakdowns, too – and penalties by Manie Libbok and Clayton Blommetjies. But then that hard edge seemed to disappear from the Stormers’ game in the second half, and they were unable to withstand the mounting pressure from a Clermont side that grew in confidence. It is now a third week in a row…

France’s World Cup run is turning into a triumph for coach Didier Deschamps, who has won over those who felt he had stayed in charge too long and is within touching distance of another final. Victory over England on Saturday night that means France now face Morocco in the last four on Wednesday (9pm kick-off), and whatever happens there, Deschamps will be free to decide if he wants to extend his 10-year spell in charge. “The ball is in my court and I will decide. I will be here for the semi-final and then we’ll see. One thing at a time,” said Deschamps after fulfilling the objective set out for him by French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet. “The president is happy. Lots of people are happy. But I…

Rugby Australia (RA) chairman Hamish McLennan and Eddie Jones had phone discussions this weekend, a report said yesterday, with the governing body keen to entice the sacked England coach home. The veteran Australian boss was terminated by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) last week just nine months out from next year’s World Cup, paying the price for presiding over England’s worst year since 2008. Calls have been mounting in Australia to bring Jones home, with Wallabies coach Dave Rennie under increasing pressure after a year of only five wins from 14 matches. “Actually I spoke to him yesterday,” McLennan told the Sydney Morning Herald of Jones. “It’s all pretty high-level and it’s about really getting a sense of where his head is at given the drama of last week.” According…

Argentina, led by superstar Lionel Messi, came into the World Cup as one of the favourites but they face a big roadblock in the semi-final tomorrow against 2018 runners-up Croatia, who proved too much for the other title contenders Brazil. The Croats stunned the tournament favourites in the quarter-finals with a vintage performance, going a goal down in extra-time but digging deep to bounce back and force a penalty shoot-out that they ended up winning. While their elimination of the five-time world champions was largely unexpected given Brazil’s form, it was still a classic Croatian achievement. With a never-say-die attitude, even when the odds were stacked heavily against them, disciplined Croatia are now deservedly in their second straight World Cup semi-final, and underestimating them would come at Argentina’s risk. Playmaker…

The critically acclaimed thriller Lioness returns for a second season on M-Net, with Shannon Esra stepping back into the role of the complicated and captivating Sam. The series follows the story of a woman out of jail after serving time for fraud who returns to a life even more fractured than when she left. After the cliffhanger finale of the first season, season two picks up with Adrian Hugo’s second wife desperately searching for her missing husband. A fiercely protective mother, Sam must shield her son Liam, no matter the cost. But when Sam discovers that Adrian’s death was not all it seemed, the lioness goes in for the kill. Esra describes her character as a force of nature. “Sam paints outside of the lines, often diverging from what may…

A high-level round table was held on the Just Energy Transition partnership (JETP) and climate action where two new multibillion-rand programmes were launched to further support South Africa. Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele and Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy held the bilateral engagement with Robert Habeck, the German minister of economic affairs and climate action, and German state secretary Jochen Flasbarth to discuss a series of energy- and climate-related conversations. A key matter was the need for a “just” approach that did not leave coal workers and affected communities behind as the country transitioned towards a low-carbon economy. The coal sector continues to produce most of the electricity and remains the livelihood of multiple communities. As part of the JETP, France and Germany in November…

At AN age where many would be content to rest on their laurels and look back at a busy life well spent, one of South Africa’s most influential educators in the field of maths over the last three decades, Professor John Volmink, is headed to the US to continue teaching. Athlone-born Volmink, whose services have been sought by every post-apartheid minister of education whenever they needed someone to play a leading role in the transformation of the country’s education, is heading off to Cornell University’s Institute of African development to work on a book about Ubuntu. This emerged during an interview on the sidelines of a farewell lunch hosted in his honour by the board and staff of the Cornerstone Institute, where he served as chief executive and principal for…

The fringe Bulls players who starred in Saturday night’s incredible 42-36 Champions Cup win over Lyon may be “chomping at the bit” to knock over Exeter Chiefs this weekend, but coach Jake White says he will stick to his plan of fielding two competitive teams this season. It looked like a B-team that was picked on Friday, but they played like an A-team against Lyon in charging to a 28-0 lead in 25 minutes with four tries and a bonus point sewn up. White felt the fact that it proved to be so easy to breach the defence actually counted against his team in the second half as they pushed the envelope too often on attack, which allowed Lyon to fight back and regain the momentum to make it 42-36…

The Lions did not heed the warnings that they self-prophesied last week ahead of their 31-31 draw with the Dragons on Saturday at Emirates Airline Park. Before their debut in the EPCR Challenge Cup, the Joburgers knew full well that they would be disrupted at the breakdowns, that the Welsh team would run at them, keep ball-in-hand at all costs, and target their defensive lines with quick plays. The visitors did that and more with scrumhalf Rhodri Williams a particular menace around the fringes as he took advantage of some sloppy defending. In hindsight, the Dragons should have won the match, but suffered from their own foggy decision-making – especially when they had the Lions on the ropes in the last 15 minutes of the match – by opting for…

England crashed out of the World Cup against an all too familiar backdrop of heroic failure and agonising over yet another crucial missed penalty in a major championship. But as the Three Lions packed their bags yesterday, there was much about the circumstances of their exit that felt like a break from the past. No anguished wailing about tactical failings or technical ineptitude. No demands for a root-and-branch review of English football, and no calls for a change of manager. Instead, a growing consensus that Gareth Southgate should – if he wants to – be allowed to continue for at least one more tournament. The 52-year-old manager was roundly lambasted after his team’s two previous tournaments, blamed for an inability to tweak his game plan mid-course during the 2018 World…