Innehållsförteckning för 2022-12-20 från Cape Argus

Markets jump as president wins 2nd term President Cyril Ramaphosa defeated NEC member Dr Zweli Mkhize to retain the presidency, and cement his slate in the Top 7 structure at the ANC’s national elective conference yesterday. Out of a total of 4426 voting delegates, Ramaphosa garnered 2 436 votes to Mkhize’s 1 897 in a contest that had four spoiled votes and seven abstentions. In the recent nominations process, Ramaphosa tallied 2 037 nominations in contrast to Mkhize’s 916. Mkhize’s upsurge wasn’t enough to upset Ramaphosa. Paul Mashatile is the new deputy president after accumulating 2 178 votes compared to Justice Minister Ronald Lamola’s 315 and Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane’s 1 858. Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, who is deemed to be…

The Supreme Court of Appeal has reprimanded a former military judge whose remarks ordering the president to take action against the defence minister caused disquiet within the SANDF. The SCA said Lieutenant-Colonel Kevin O'Brien had made remarks in matters that came before him about the brief, renewable assignments of military judges, which was usually for a year at a time, and the implications that held for the institutional independence of military courts. “His remarks caused disquiet within the SANDF, with the independence of the military courts being called into question.” O’Brien presided in two trials where the accused encountered substantial delays before their matters could come before the military courts. This prompted an application on behalf of the accused for their matters to be struck from the roll on account…

Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has issued a final deadline of March 31 next year for TV analogue migration following a June 28 order by the Constitutional Court. Minister Ntshaveni said the matter was urgent and that the government had issued a Gazette notice inviting industry, affected parties and members of the public to make substantive submissions by January 27. “Analogue switch-off must be concluded without further delay in order to enable the telecommunication network operators to de-congest the networks with the deployment of 4G and 5G networks.” She said the quality of connectivity was degrading across the country and some areas had completely lost network coverage. Pushing for a speedy conclusion of digital migration, Ntshaveni said the ministry had already received reports of cross-interference between Broadcasting and…

Power utility Eskom yesterday announced plans to implement Stage 4 load shedding from 5am today for the rest of the week after reducing it to Stage 5 yesterday morning. In an alert broadcast on its Twitter account, Eskom said it would publish a further update as soon as there were any significant changes. In Cape Town, Eskom’s non-stop load shedding is affecting the city’s electricity infrastructure. The City said nearly 75% or 1 228 of the 1 652 signalised intersections on its road network are equipped with uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems. However, the UPS batteries do not have sufficient time to recharge when Eskom implements non-stop Stage 4 load shedding or above. Asked about the effect that this was having on the city’s festive lights display, Mayco…

Maths statistics graduate Jean Durand is the recipient of the coveted Stellenbosch University (SU) Chancellor’s Medal for 2022. The medal is awarded annually to a final year or postgraduate student, who has academically excelled, contributed to campus life, as well as developed co-curricular attributes. Durand, who focused on data science, received the medal during the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences graduation on December 8. He passed every module of his Bachelor programme with distinction. More than 75% of his undergraduate modules were in the range 90% – 99%, while in the remaining seven of the 28 modules of his undergraduate studies he obtained final marks in the range 83%–89%. During his Honours B Com year in mathematical statistics, he obtained an average of 90% for his registered modules.…

In the wake of another batting collapse by the Proteas, the last thing supporters want to hear is excuses, but in the case of the defeat at the Gabba, it’s worth considering what Australians have said about the pitch used for the first Test at the historic venue. Ricky Ponting: “These are very, very good bowling teams, no doubt, but I don’t think that the batting teams are that bad.” Matthew Hayden, who played his domestic cricket for Queensland at the Gabba said: “In my opinion, it started too green. And that’s from someone who has seen this (pitch) from a very young age. There is no need to make it so full of grass, such heavy grass content because it seamed too much.” Steve Smith, who scored 36 and…

France will be heartbroken after losing the World Cup final to Argentina in a penalty shootout, but the genius of Kylian Mbappe and the depth of talent in the squad bode well for the future. France began the World Cup without Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, striker Christopher Nkunku, midfielders N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba and lost left-back Lucas Hernandez in the first game, yet still reached the final, where they lost 4-2 on penalties after a spectacular 3-3 draw. Mbappe, who turns 24 today, netted all three French goals, taking his tally from two World Cups to 12. All of his goals on Sunday came after coach Didier Deschamps sent on Randal Kolo Muani (24), Marcus Thuram (25), Eduardo Camavinga (20), and Kingsley Coman (26). “Potentially, this France team…

Hollywood star Tom Cruise has once again jumped out of a plane but, this time, to deliver a thank you to fans of Top Gun: Maverick. “Hey everyone! Here we are over stunning South Africa, and we’re filming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Parts One and Two,” Cruise yells to a camera over the blaring ambient sound of an aircraft whirring, reports Variety. “I didn’t want the year to end without thanking you all for coming out to the theatres, and thank you for supporting Top Gun: Maverick.” A little over 20 seconds in, the camera pans to reveal Christopher McQuarrie, who returns to the Mission: Impossible series to helm Dead Reckoning. McQuarrie also wrote Top Gun: Maverick and produced the action feature, alongside Cruise and David Ellison. McQuarrie also…

A private security company is offering a R50 000 reward for the successful prosecution of the killers of Gauteng businessman Kevin Soal. Soal, 68, was reported missing on December 14. His body was later found in Olifantsfontein. He had been shot execution style and nearly R350 000 had been transferred out of his bank account. Mike Bolhuis, a private investigator and crime expert from S.S.S. Specialist Investigators, said the company had received a call from the victim’s daughter about his disappearance. The company has been hired by Soal’s family to work with police on the case. Bolhuis said Soal was last seen at his home close to Grand Central Airport in Midrand at about noon that day. “The victim’s car, a white Mercedes-Benz, was found at a tavern in Tembisa…

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decisive victory at the ANC elective conference was widely welcomed by international financial markets, with the rand strengthening against all three major currencies. By noon yesternday, shortly after the results of the ANC’s elective conference were announced, the rand strengthened to R17.28 to the dollar after opening the day on R17.59 and way up from Friday’s opening of R17.63. As for pound sterling, the rand firmed to R21.06 at noon after opening the day at R21.41 and coming off the back of opening at R21.45 on Friday. Gains were also made against the euro with the rand strengthening to R18.33 after opening the day at R18.68. On Friday the rand opened at R18.72 to the euro. KwaZulu-Natal economist Bonke Dumisa told news channel eNCA that the “numbers…

The Milnerton Central Residents Association has flagged the height of a proposed development and its potential impact on traffic in the area as unacceptable and has vowed to oppose it. The 15-metre-high proposed development is a five-storey building of 31 flats at Zonnekus Road (erf 35106). The association said the erf was consolidated and rezoned to GR2 in November 2020 to build a 10-unit townhouse complex but the applicant was now seeking approval for flats which it said was not in line with the application to which the rezoning was initially granted. Spatial Planning and Environment mayoral committee member Eddie Andrews confirmed that an initial application consisting of 43 dwelling units received 22 objections and subsequently, the applicant amended the application to reduce the number of units to 10. He…

In an effort to collect the oral history of the former Tiervlei community – now known as Ravensmead – Stellenbosch University and community members recently engaged about the university’s restitution of the Hardekraaltjie cemetery. The university, which has been in consultation with community members with ties to the Hardekraaltjie cemetery over the past two years, has committed to a restitution process for the cemetery which extends across sections of land it owns or controls, including the Tygerberg Hospital and Prasa. The university gained ownership of the decommissioned cemetery where its Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) is currently located and where people from the Tiervlei community were buried. The engagement follows a call by Professor Aslam Fataar from the university’s Transformation Office for a “deep human-centred community participation process”…

And then there was one! Argentina duly confirmed their tag as one of the favourites when they won the World Cup on Sunday for the third time. After 63 matches of scintillating action in Qatar, the curtain finally came down on Sunday as Argentina faced defending champions France in the final. It was La Albiceleste that reigned supreme, winning 4-2 on penalties after a spectacular encounter ended 3-3 after extra time. Having been billed as the Lionel Messi versus Kylian Mbappe show, the Paris Saint-Germain teammates lived up to expectations, scoring five goals between them. For years, Messi has been dragged into the debate of who is the greatest footballer of all time between him and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal. But after Sunday’s victory, Messi may well have put the…

Is it worth going over the numbers regarding South Africa’s batters, again? Is it worth repeating what has been said about the batting, over and over again? Is it worth going over the fact that the problem regarding the Proteas’ Test batting is systemic? No, no and no. Everyone seemingly knows the problems. They all have worked, to use Dean Elgar’s words, “bloody well” in the build-up to the first Test against Australia, and in the build-up to other Tests in the last three years, but they just can’t seem to find the answer about how to score runs on anything approaching a consistent basis. South Africa is a bad batting team, and listening to Kyle Verreynne speak after the first day’s play in Brisbane when he had top scored…

a TRIPLE murder that left the Bishop Lavis community baffled has prompted the residents to take a good look at the way they deal with trauma behind closed doors. The killing of 13-year-old Peter Kemp, 46-year-old Elmoline Kemp, and 54-year-old Shireen Isaacs, allegedly by their 18-year-old relative, has left residents disturbed. Even the most experienced officers were unsettled by the sight of the three bodies sprawled on the lawn in Mavline Lane when they attended the scene on December 15. The community policing forum’s Amanda Davids said: “There are so many questions, especially the neighbours and people who were close to them. “They are shell-shocked, so we have arranged this memorial so people can talk and get it out, so we can come together as a community and deal with…

Police have arrested two suspects – a man and a woman – after they allegedly kidnapped an elderly couple from Table View at the weekend. The suspects were expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court yesterday. According to police, the couple were busy picking flowers near Big Bay on Saturday, when they were approached by the two suspects, who were unknown to them. The suspects were allegedly brandishing knives. The suspects demanded the belongings of the couple, and the man told them he had a cellphone at home that he would give them. According to police, the suspects then forced the elderly couple into the vehicle and drove to the security complex in Parklands where the couple live. “Arriving at the gate, the security guard noticed the unknown…

EASTERN Cape ANC chairperson Oscar Mabuyane has downplayed tensions between the Eastern Cape and their Gauteng comrades. However, Mabuyane was firm in criticising comments by his Gauteng counterpart, Premier Panyaza Lesufi, relating to a lopsided provincial semi-migration. Mabuyane, speaking ahead of the elective process, was responding to the Cape Argus’ questions on tensions between the two provinces. Mabuyane contested and lost against Gauteng’s favoured candidate, Paul Mashatile, for deputy president. Tensions between the two provinces reached a crescendo after reports quoted Lesufi as taking digs at the party’s Eastern Cape leadership during a speech ahead of the national elective conference. HeraldLIVE reported that Lesufi, who is also Gauteng premier, said the ANC in Gauteng would speak to the party’s Eastern Cape leaders to get an apology and retract some…

There has been some uncertainty around whether or not two out of the three women elected to the ANC’s Top 7 positions are related. Yesterday, former Gauteng health MEC Dr Gwen Ramokgopa was announced as the governing party’s new treasurer-general at the ANC’s elective conference held in Nasrec, Johannesburg. Maropene Ramokgopa was voted second deputy secretary-general. While many are left wondering if the two women are siblings or share relations, according to their close associates they are not related but merely share a surname. Shortly after Gwen Ramokgopa was announced treasurer-general, the two women could be seen hugging and chuckling, with Maropene Ramokgopa wearing a sweater with her surname on it. Gwen is, however, related to another ANC member. She is the sister of former Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa who…

Anyone with a modicum of self- respect and intelligence would frown upon the shenanigans that were allowed to engulf the ANC elective conference. The noisy Zulu contingent, headed by none other than wannabe Shaka – Zuma himself – was embarrassing. The technical fiasco that almost scuppered the conference was inexcusable. The protagonists, seeking to ingratiate themselves with the “crowd”, should be placed under a microscope. The president’s speech – well, what could he say? Except to acknowledge that for well over a decade, the ANC political vehicle suffered a flat tyre which could not be repaired as there was no spare – in addition to facing some rather nasty politically inspired potholes. Onwards to 2024 with promises that have been made before, and never realised. The chaotic scenes at…

With a critical shortage of toxicology experts in South Africa – more specifically skilled in identifying toxins unique to Africa – Tygerberg Hospital and Stellenbosch University (SU) celebrated the recent graduation of their first cohort of accredited postgraduate diploma students from the first medical toxicology programme in Africa. The programme with SU’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences was launched in January last year, with the cohort of 19 South African students graduating on December 6. The 18-month-long online course is the first accredited postgraduate training programme in medical toxicology in Africa. Its first cohort consisted of medical doctors, PhD participants, biomedical technologists, pharmacists and emergency medicine specialists, among others. On completion of the course, graduates are able to assist in the diagnosis and management of patients exposed to poisonous…

We all remember Paul the psychic octopus who correctly predicted a number of results at Euro 2008, and during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The World Cup in Qatar had its own psychic animals, and they got every result wrong. After correctly predicting that England’s Lionesses would win the European Championship earlier this year, meerkats at the Sussex Zoo were given the task of doing their magic during the World Cup ... but they sucked. They predicted England would beat France and reach the semi-finals, but it did not happen. The French beat England and went to the final, where they were beaten by Argentina. We take a look at “psychic” animals who have become famous through the years. Paul the octopus The most famous “psychic” animal of…

South Africa is heading towards a national coalition government triggered by the decline of support for the governing party, and pro-poor policies championed by rival opposition political parties. Amid the deteriorating state of governance coupled with the triple challenges of poverty, inequality, and unemployment, the issue of immigration has regained significance in the political landscape. It is arguably a campaigning tool that will shape voting patterns in the 2024 general elections. The post-2007 period in South Africa saw the recurrence of xenophobic attacks in 2008 and 2015, allegedly sparked by competition over resources with black South African people claiming their African counterparts were taking their jobs and depriving them of limited public services. At that time, the attacks received widespread scathing condemnation across all sectors of society, with the ANC…