Innehållsförteckning för 2023-02-24 från Cape Argus

If Police Minister Bheki Cele’s response to Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen on the Makhaza police station matter is anything to go by, the community should have a temporary police station by the end of next month. Cele indicated that the appointment of the contractor for the placement of the temporary parkhomes was still in progress after experiencing delays. The completion of these parkhomes is estimated to be by the end of March. In his response, Cele said the bid process to erect the temporary structures encountered a setback due to the non-responsiveness of the bidders, which he said resulted in the cancellation of the bid in September last year. This necessitated the re-submissions of a new bid which closed on December 14 and was expected…

Researchers studying fossils near Makhanda (Grahamstown) have unearthed and described in their latest paper a giant 360 million-year-old killer fish species with fangs that likely preyed on humans’ ancestors. The researchers call it Hyneria udlezinye or “one who consumes others” in Xhosa. The new fish, which belonged to an extinct group of lobe-finned fish called the tristichopterids was close to 3m long and considered the biggest prehistoric bony fish ever discovered in the southern African region from the Late Devonian period, 383 million to 359 million years ago – before dinosaurs were discovered. The fossil of this gigantic killer fish species was unearthed in the Waterloo Farm locality of South Africa near Makhanda and existed on the Gondwana continent now recognised as Africa, South America, Antarctica, India, Madagascar and Australia.…

THE letter “Supposed upgrade for Broken Road is a downgrade” (Cape Argus, February 14) refers. The City is aware of the long cultural history of fishing from the broken Fisherman’s Lane and how important this structure is to the community. In 2019, the consulting engineers conducted a site inspection and geotechnical assessment of the sea wall that supports the road to determine whether the wall could be repaired. Unfortunately, it was found that the wall was irreparable, and had to be reconstructed at a cost of R28.2 million – this amount alone is about R8m more than we have budgeted for the whole project. Due to the outcomes of a cost benefit analysis, it was decided to demolish the broken road with its retaining wall, and instead formalise the link…

IN the past few months and years a lot was said about the fragmentation of our South African politics. The ANC appears to be split into factions. Municipalities have to contend with awkward coalitions. This is actually good news. It is a sign of our fledgling democracy starting to mature. In the beginning some measure of stability was assured by the dominance of one party. This, however, is against the concept of democracy. It leaves no room for real debate. If democracy is government of the people by the people, then opposing views must be heard and be taken seriously. It is normal for a new democracy to grow towards a state where divergent views of the people are accommodated, and frequently this leads to coalitions. That is not an…

FORMER Eskom CEO André de Ruyter has fired a stunning parting shot that has rocked the power utility and the ANC government to its core. Although the nation has long suspected that systemic corruption has crippled Eskom, contributing to the current load shedding crisis the country faces, we never knew how deep the rot went. And no one at the electricity company or in the government dared to expose it – until now. Speaking in an explosive interview on eNCA this week, De Ruyter came out and said it: Eskom is a feeding trough for the ANC. And that wholesale looting continues in the post-Jacob Zuma state capture era. He cited one example thereof, the $8.5 billion (R150bn) investment in South Africa’s transition away from coal power, and a “high-level”…

PASCHAL Werhlein is having quite the Formula E season in his Porsche as the German is top of the standings ahead of the Cape Town ePrix. Werlein’s teammate Antonio Felix de Costa was third in the Hyderbad leg of the Formula E calendar, while Werhlein finished fourth. Despite not finishing on the podium, Wehrlein extended his lead at the top of the standing. They will be hoping for much of the same when they hit the track in Cape Town in a few days time. Wehrlein says he wants more of the success they have been currently having. “We are leading and we want more that so I think our package looks strong. We need to do a step forward in qualifying because that is our weak area at the…

Camps Bay police are investigating an altercation that led to the stabbing of three Camps Bay High School (CBHS) pupils this week. In a circular sent to parents, principal Louis Mostert said three pupils were injured in an off-campus altercation on the corner of Kloof and Victoria roads on Wednesday. He said the pupils received medical attention. Mostert said the perpetrators were not from the school. “We are taking this incident extremely seriously as the safety of our learners is our main priority. While is is disturbing that something like this could happen in the vicinity of our school, we have strict protocols in place to ensure learners are protected from outsiders while on campus.” Mostert called for calm while the matter was being investigated. Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg…

CITY laboratories are buckling under a backlog of 6 452 toxicological reports relating to children as a result of old equipment, and shortage of skilled staff, the Health Department said. Health Minister Joe Phaahla told MPs there were 11 948 outstanding reports for children aged between one and five in laboratories in Cape Town, Pretoria and Johannesburg. In response to a Cape Argus query requesting figures for city laboratories, Health Department spokesperson Forster Mohale said of the 11 948 backlog, 6 452 cases were in Cape Town. Phaahla broke down the ages of children’s toxicology reports delayed in the three cities’ backlogs. There are 11 948 delayed reports for children aged one to five years; 3 391 for those aged five to eight; 2…

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana was castigated by opposition MPs for shunning them, appearing virtually for only an hour at a crucial joint sitting meant to scrutinise the Budget speech. The virtual meeting to discuss his Budget speech kicked off shortly after 10am yesterday. As soon as Godongwana suggested he be excused at a later stage in the meeting because of other commitments, the opposition MPs criticised him for seemingly de-prioritising important sittings. Freedom Front Plus MP Stephanus du Toit said: “It’s an important point we need to raise in this meeting. If I recall in most of these meetings where the minister joined virtually, he (excused) himself before the meeting was finished. “We’re currently sitting in a situation where this Budget is one of the most important events on the…

The 14th International Congress of Human Genetics (ICHG 2023) saw a well-represented and diverse group of over 1 200 researchers, scientists and students from what seemed to be every part of the world converge at the Cape Town International Convention Centre to deliberate on the latest research and developments in human genetics. Themed “Coming Home”, it was the first time the ICHG was held in Africa, with the crammed five-day programme opening on Wednesday. ICHG 2023 is hosted by the African Society of Human Genetics, the Southern African Society of Human Genetics, and the International Federation of Human Genetics Societies. Genetics is the field of study of genes and heredity, and how certain traits and characteristics are inherited by offspring from their parents. Human genetics can also shed light on…

Our beleaguered nation is in critical mode, maintained by artificial respiration, as normalcy rapidly fades into oblivion. Over the past 20 years leaders from all walks of life have warned us that South Africa is becoming a powder keg, that could erupt with volcanic fury. The latest warning comes from Busisiwe Mavuso of Business Leadership South Africa. Her stark prediction forecasts mayhem that saw change in Egypt and Tunisia in 2011 could become a reality in trouble-torn and lawless South Africa. We witnessed shattering events in July 2021 that almost destroyed our rainbow nation in an orgy of grotesque violence and destruction that seemed unstoppable. The social architecture formed over three centuries confirms we are the world’s most unequal society. It is absolutely shocking that 3 500 adults own more…

South Africa’s electricity crisis has been described as “a perfect storm”. A number of factors have converged to reach this point: an ageing and inadequately maintained fleet of coal power stations, delays in upgrading the Koeberg nuclear power station and significant failures at the recently built Medupi and Kusile coal power stations. Since the beginning of 2022, Eskom’s inability to meet the country’s electricity demand has resulted in unprecedented load shedding. Last year, electricity interruptions totalled 3 775 hours over 205 days. The situation almost certainly will not improve any time soon. At the same time, Gauteng has experienced critical water supply issues. In late 2022 and early 2023, the combined impact of heat waves, intermittent pumping of water because of electricity interruptions and infrastructure failure led to demand outstripping…

THE US, European and other governments yesterday urged Nigerian leaders to ensure a fair and calm election this weekend, when the country votes to choose a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari. More than 93 million Nigerians are registered to vote on Saturday in what has developed into a tense, competitive race among three presidential frontrunners for the first time since military rule ended in 1999. After two terms under Buhari, Africa’s most populous nation is grappling with widespread insecurity from different armed groups, high inflation and growing poverty. “It is vital for Nigeria’s stability and democratic consolidation that the process is conducted and concluded safely, fairly and credibly,” said a joint statement from the diplomatic missions of the US, Britain, Australia, Japan, Canada and Norway. “We encourage all actors to…

Government hits back at Eskom interview IN THE wake of Eskom CEO André de Ruyter’s sudden removal following a damning interview on eNCA in which he alleged a minister and high-level politician were enabling corruption at the power utility, the ANC has warned that it will take De Ruyter to court. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the governing party’s lawyers would write to De Ruyter to prove his claims within 7 to 10 days. “We will challenge him for saying our party is corrupt and failing to prove how. I am not going to wait for some parliamentary committee to summon him. I am going to write to him through our lawyers. He must prove within 7 to 10 days what he said.” De Ruyter tendered his resignation in December…

In recent police Flying Squad operations, four suspects were arrested at different locations for dealing in drugs and firearms. On Tuesday, Tulbagh SAPS responded to a tip-off about a minibus taxi going from Cape Town to Robertson that was supposedly carrying a large amount of drugs. Officials said the information was operationalised and the taxi was spotted on the R60 in Robertson, where it was pulled over. During the search, 6 000 mandrax tablets and 1kg of tik were seized. Two foreign nationals, one from Nigeria and the other from Zimbabwe, were arrested. Elsewhere, in the early hours of Wednesday, Flying Squad members, acting on intelligence, searched a house in Kraaifontein where a 20-year-old in possession of a 9mm pistol without a serial number was arrested. Meanwhile, police arrested a…

A catch-up surgery programme is ensuring timely and holistic cancer treatment is made accessible to government hospital patients who might have had to wait for months to receive lifesaving treatment. Established by Dr Liana Roodt, the Flamingo Project was established in 2010 as a back-up surgery programme for breast cancer patients. The programme has since performed over 1 083 back-up surgeries, and distributed 14 000 pamper packs to patients. Patients are placed onto the programme by one of the referring hospitals: Groote Schuur Hospital, Tygerberg Hospital, George Hospital, Livingstone Hospital or Cecilia Makiwane Hospital. “The intent was to basically see how long patients have to wait for their breast cancer operation in the state sector because of constraints of resources at the time, and what we really tried…

Our young democratic government has not made a wise start in choosing its international friends. Has the ANC hierarchy forgotten the human rights atrocities committed against its own people under the former National Party government? And here we are, buddying up to Russia and China, two of the leading countries with dismal records of human rights. Additionally, we seem to be buddying up to Iran in our stance against Israel. It is obvious our government has forgotten that the Palestinians, with the backing of Iran, want a Jew-free land they can call their own. Any fairly intelligent person will realise this is wishful thinking. The real solution, which is a two-state deal, has been constantly rejected by the Palestinians who want “all or nothing”. If one wishes to compare the…

Most problems are created by people who use the methodology of stupidity. Yes, stupidity can be a practice/procedure/approach or system. How else can we explain load shedding, increased cost of water and other problems that have practical solutions but which are ignored by the authorities? I have attended enough seminars to know that solutions are available as they exist elsewhere. For example, the Cape Argus’s headline, “Taxi bosses lift the blockade on scholar transport” (February 16) is an example of stupidity. A few years ago, the Cape Argus published a letter in which I offered a practical solution to the needless mass transportation of learners into the surrounding City of Cape Town. As a resident of Walmer Estate, it is evident the majority of learners at local schools are transported.…

AIDEN Markram’s elevation to the Proteas T20 captaincy received a major boost after he was named captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad for IPL 2023. Markram is set to succeed Temba Bavuma, who relinquished the T20 leadership reins last week as the new national short-format captain. The 28-year-old’s stocks are certainly on the rise after leading the Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the inaugural Betway SA20 title earlier this month. Bavuma will now lead the Proteas Test team with his debut as a skipper being the series against West Indies in Gauteng next week. Markram has led the Proteas before in one-day international cricket for a brief period of five matches in 2018. He has, however, taken his game to an entirely different level in T20 cricket the past few years. Markram is…