Innehållsförteckning för 2023-01-30 från Cape Argus

Hollywood actor and producer Greg Kriek continues to fly the South African flag higher on global stages. The Cape Town-born actor won the Best Supporting Actor of the Year for his stellar performance in the Holocaust drama Trust at the Indie Short Fest (ISF), Los Angeles Annual Film Awards. Over 35 countries were represented at the festival, which also serves as an official qualifier for the Oscars and the Baftas. Kriek dedicated his award to survivors of the Holocaust and their families. “It was a tremendous honour working with such a dedicated team. Our fearless director Diane Lansing set the tone from day one and we could all feel we were making something really powerful and special,” said Kriek in the statement shared with IOL Entertainment. In Trust Kriek plays…

After a rough 24-day voyage at sea, five youngsters from marginalised communities around Cape Town made history by being the first complete crew from the Royal Cape Yacht Club (RCYC) Sailing Academy to cross the finish line of the gruelling 50th Cape2Rio yacht race. The Alexforbes ArchAngel crew from Masiphumelele, Khayelitsha, Grassy Park and Athlone made their families, friends and country proud by landing in third position after spending nearly a month at sea competing in the Cape2Rio race between the RCYC and Rio De Janeiro club. Departing on January 2, the crew were one of 16 from South Africa, Brazil, India, Italy and the US that set out to finish the iconic 3 300 nautical mile voyage from Table Bay in Cape Town to Guanabara Bay in Rio…

The City has allocated more than R5 million for residents whose homes were destroyed by fires over December and January. It says the focus will be on those who have not yet rebuilt, especially Phola Park in Philippi. This allocation was included in the City’s adjusted budget, presented in council on January 26. The funds have been made available by the national government from the Municipal Emergency Grant. The grant follows the visit two weeks ago by Human Settlements’ mayco member Mmamoloko Kubayi, who together with Human Settlement Mayco member Malusi Booi visited the townships and promised starter kits to those affected. The allocation will be used in areas determined by Kubayi, including Phola Park, Khayelitsha, Dunoon and Masiphumelele. The community recently had a meeting with their leader, Teenage…

ZANDILE Christmas Mafe, the man accused of torching Parliament a year ago, has for the third time refused to attend court on Friday. The NPA said Mafe refused to come out of his Pollsmoor Prison cell to attend the pre-trial conference at Western Cape High Court. Provincial NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said: “This time he (Mafe) didn’t furnish any reasons or make any demands but just refused to come out of his prison cell. “The prosecutor, advocate Mervyn Menigo, told the court that several prison officials, including the head of Pollsmoor Prison, attempted to persuade the accused to get out of his prison cell, but he refused. “It is the third time that he has pulled this stunt. At the first pre-trial conference, Mafe refused to come out of the…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged the ANC to start the election campaign as it faces the most difficult elections since the democratic state. The ruling party has over the past few years lost support in national and local government elections. Ramaphosa told the NEC lekgotla yesterday that the sooner they started with their campaign the better. He said while there had been no official launch of the campaigns by political parties, the campaigns were under way. He said they needed to get into election mode with campaigns across the country. This came hot on the heels of the Constitutional Court ruling granting Parliament an extension until the end of February to finalise the Electoral Laws Amendment Bill. The bill will allow for independent candidates to contest national and provincial elections.…

Cape Town matriculants have been told there are options open to them in the field of business education, as two renowned business schools set up shop in Woodstock. On Friday, the Regent Business School (RBS) held an event to showcase its rebranded Woodstock campus. The event, at which RBS showed off its tech-driven programmes, was attended by mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. After touring the exhibitions and displays, during which he was given the chance to operate a drone, Hill-Lewis said the school’s idea of merging tech studies with courses such as BCom (accounting) and BCom (Law) was very exciting. He was speaking to journalists after being interviewed on GoodHope FM Breakfast, which broadcast the event live. Told there was a cohort of City employees enrolled at the institution, Hill-Lewis said: “If…

The UCT Student Representative Council (SRC) protested at the weekend over a lack of student accommodation due to fee blocks and other related issues. The SRC said it condemned the ongoing housing crisis “where thousands of returning and first-year students are being left in the cold without food or a roof over their heads”. “We further note the blatant ignorance and disregard the university has for its students,” it said. The SRC called on all students to take part in the protest at Upper Campus from as early as 6am on Saturday to “make that campus our home”. “Come in your pyjamas, bring a blanket and may the realities of being black and poor in the ‘top university in Africa’ be exposed.” SRC president Hlengiwe Dube said more than 1…

Rock legend Stevie Nicks wrote a heart-warming letter to the Ndlovu Youth Choir following their stellar performance at the America’s Got Talent All-Stars in Los Angeles. In her letter, shared on her social media platforms this week, the Dreams hitmaker hailed the choir for their performance. She was impressed with their rendition of We Will Rise. “To the Ndlovu Choir, I just wanted to congratulate you on your brilliant and moving performance last night on America’s Got Talent,” said Nicks. “It made me feel like maybe, someday, with your help, the whole world will rise again. You are the world! “Can I be in your choir?” In their response, the choir welcomed her proposal to join them. “Thank you for your inspirational letter. It means so much to us. We…

As the impact of load shedding worsens across all sectors of society, Premier Alan Winde is requesting a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa after his letter requesting a national state of disaster be declared to better manage the response to the load shedding crisis was ignored. When Winde sent his letter earlier this month stressing the need for decisive action, he warned that if a response was not received by January 27, they may consider pursuing an intergovernmental dispute as this crisis could not continue unaddressed. “Not only is load shedding ravaging the economy, there is also the risk of food insecurity due to the devastation being wrought on the agricultural sector. This has the potential to develop into a humanitarian crisis. Our citizens have every right to be angry…

The Maitland Flying Squad arrested three suspects allegedly found in possession of catalytic converters worth R5 million in Killarney Gardens on Thursday. Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi said officers were on patrols on Thursday when they received information indicating that the cargo of a hijacked truck was stored at a warehouse in Killarney Gardens. “The members proceeded to the address and upon arrival at the premises, they accosted two men who were visibly nervous and could not even respond to questions posed at them. “The members then proceeded to search the entire premises. Their persistence was rewarded when they confiscated a huge consignment of catalytic converters. “While the team were carrying out the seizure, a man, claiming to be the manager, arrived at the business premises,” Swartbooi said. He…

Legislators have sent the Province, the City and police a message with regard to the construction Mafia and extortion syndicates that have caused several housing developments to be halted across Cape Town – get your act together. Presentations tabled before the committee portrayed a bleak picture of gangs taking over the affairs of the state and the standing committee said that all departments, both in local and the provincial governments, should craft one plan that brings solutions to all these challenges. The committee heard from mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, Mayco member for Human Settlements Malusi Booi, Human Settlements MEC Tertuis Simmers, Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen and deputy provincial commissioner Preston Voskuil. The police bore the brunt of the committee’s anger with their self-confessed abysmal rate of arrests…

Officials from the Department of Forestry and Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) virtually briefed the portfolio committee on environment, forestry and fisheries on the outcomes of COP27 in Egypt, particularly the country’s latest Green-House Gas (GHG) emissions. The presentation to the committee was made by South Africa’s chief negotiator on climate change, Maesela Kekana, together with the DFFE team which echoed the department’s statement welcoming the final outcomes of COP27, including the historic decision to establish a fund to assist developing countries to respond to loss and damage caused by climate change. Kekana said there were various perspectives on whether COP27 was a success or not, but for them success was measured in terms of their mandate and in this regard, he believed that COP27 delivered on its mandate. Kekana…

The body of a woman has been found on Camps Bay beach a week after a woman, who people believed went for a swim and never came out of the water, went missing, sparking a frantic search. She left her belongings on the beach, but police were unable to identify her. Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi confirmed that a passer-by spotted the body of an unknown woman on the beach in Camps Bay and the victim was declared deceased on the scene by the medical personnel. “Camps Bay police registered an inquest for further investigation. Anyone with information that can assist with the identification of the victim is kindly requested to call Crime Stop on 08600 10111. “It remains unclear whether the two cases are related and if the body was…

As the old Chinese saying goes, “A butcher becomes a Buddha the moment he drops his cleaver.” There is an old Korean proverb that takes a stab at power, influence, and the distinction between the two: “Power lasts 10 years; influence not more than a hundred.” There is one person though whose power and influence are not time-bound. His name is Vivian Reddy, the always effervescent and ever smiling savvy business magnate and philanthropist. Reddy is cherished by his admirers for his wit, common sense, the elegance of his prose, and the way he shuns high ambition in favour of modest goals. There is something about the persona Reddy projects that makes it seem wrong to call him anything else. I call him Mr Benevolence, whose work is always suffused…

The Stormers would have been delighted to land back in Cape Town yesterday after a forgettable trip to Belfast, but coach John Dobson feels that the “pressure is on” to beat the Sharks in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship (URC) clash in Durban (kick-off 2pm). While facing Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium is always a difficult task – even with a full-strength team – the Capetonians were missing some key Springboks, and then had to deal with the withdrawals of Clayton Blommetjies and Junior Pokomela on match-day. Then on Friday night, during the first 20 or so minutes, they lost JJ Kotze, Evan Roos and Jean-Luc du Plessis, and unsurprisingly went down 35-5. But the “extraordinary” situation is one that is not worth dwelling on, as the Stormers now need to…

Reaction to ‘Citizens of Mzansi’ Facebook page that says heritage site neglected The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport has dismissed recent social media claims that the Robben Island heritage site is in a state of disrepair as “false news being deliberately spread with malicious intent to cause reputational damage”. The department was reacting to a post on a Facebook page belonging to “Citizens of Mzansi” which was widely shared. Robben Island Museum’s (RIM) management also issued a statement in which it said the photographs in the post, which showed certain buildings with their roofs collapsed, were taken after storm damage in 2019 during site inspections with the contractor to assess the damage and plan for the repairs RIM posted its own “before and after pictures” to make its…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated that the government was busy addressing the energy crisis even as the country was in the grip of various stages of load shedding. Ramaphosa told the NEC lekgotla in Gauteng yesterday that while Eskom was fixing the energy problem, this would take time. He said part of the immediate solution was to add thousands of megawatts from various players, including renewable energy from the private sector and procuring excess power from neighbouring countries. It has been indicated that the government planned to add 9 000MW of renewable energy by the end of the year. Ramaphosa also said load shedding had dampened investor confidence and affected businesses. Health and education sectors have also been reeling from continuous power cuts while Eskom has been implementing rolling…

South Africa has been praised for its collaboration with the EU for global vaccine equity and taking a pioneering approach to vaccine manufacturing on the African continent. The sentiments were shared by a delegation of the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies (MAV+) at the Westin Hotel on Saturday. The objective of the MAV+ is to increase equitable access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential vaccines, medicines and health technologies for Africans. EU ambassador to South Africa Sandra Kramer said they had committed to boosting local manufacturing capacities and to strengthening the pharmaceutical systems in South Africa. “We saw during the Covid-19 pandemic that Africa as a whole was largely dependent on vaccines being brought in … and that is an…

Liverpool’s disastrous season suffered another blow yesterday as the holders were dumped out the FA Cup with a 2-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion. Kaoru Mitoma’s brilliant control and finish in stoppage time earned the Seagulls a place in the fifth round. Liverpool had led at the Amex through Harvey Elliott, but have now won just once in their last six games. Lewis Dunk levelled before the break for Brighton and they were well worthy of the victory given to them by a moment of magic from Mitoma. The Japanese winger cushioned Pervis Estupinan’s cross into his path, flicked the ball over Joe Gomez and fired high past Alisson Becker in the 92nd minute. Liverpool are languishing in ninth in the Premier League, 21 points behind pacesetters Arsenal. Their…

Novak Djokovic, who won a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title yesterday, is driven on through controversy by his determination to be the greatest ever. The Serb’s victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Australian Open final drew him level with great rival Rafael Nadal at the top of the list of all-time men’s major champions. For 35-year-old Djokovic, it matters to be the best, and he has a strong sense of his historical place in tennis. But he also keeps ploughing on through the highs and lows because it is “a great school of life”. “I play professional tennis for several different reasons,” he said in Melbourne ahead of his latest title triumph. “Some personal reason is that I feel on the tennis court I always have an opportunity to learn…