Innehållsförteckning för 2023-04-28 från Cape Argus

It’s finally here. The most talked about event this month kicks off today as Mzansi’s creatives get together to express their inner child at the Comic Con Cape Town. For those parents suppressing their jealousy over their kids getting to play dress up, well now you can join them and unleash your superhero alter ego at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). With dress-up, numerous free-to-play gaming areas, tabletop gaming, shopping, movie screenings, activations and so much more on offer, families are in for a weekend to remember until Sunday, April 30. Comic Con fulfils every child’s dream to meet their favourite hero characters, such as Spiderman, Batman and others. At the show, kids are able to use all this energy to run around and request photos with the…

An average one billion rand has been siphoned off every month from Eskom which is battling to supply power, former CEO André de Ruyter told lawmakers on Wednesday. “This is, if anything, a conservative estimate and is based on my assessment of the losses suffered by Eskom that have come to my attention,” he said in a document he gave to Parliament on Tuesday. South Africa is facing the worst electricity shortages in 15 years, blamed on corruption, crime, ageing infrastructure and sabotage. De Ruyter appeared virtually before a parliamentary committee and divulged details about alleged endemic graft at the utility. He was forced to make an abrupt exit from the power utility in February, a month before his planned departure, after just two years at the helm. He left…

The City has announced a list of winter preparedness risk reduction measures including identifying at-risk informal settlements that are flood-prone due to location or topography and moving residents to higher ground where possible. The announcement of the measures by Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith came in the wake of questions to mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis about winter risk mitigation in informal settlements. The questions came from councillors following the mayor’s speech to the council on Wednesday in which he sought to counter impressions that the City and the DA do not care for the poor following recent criticisms. Councillor Bongani Maqungwana (UIM) said the speech was “nice” but had failed to address the challenge of the coming rainy season. Maqungwana asked: “How will flooding be prevented here in…

Hardened Western Cape criminals, a constant headache for the Justice and Correctional Services Department, are proving to be serial violators of parole conditions as 8 221 of them have broken regulations since 2019. A grand total of 6 677 Western Cape parolees have been rearrested since then, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola told MPs. He was responding to questions posed by DA MP Alexandra Abrahams, who inquired about the total number of parolees who had violated their parole conditions annually since January 1, 2020; parolees who have been re-arrested and/or taken back to jail; those who remain out of jail; and the percentage of absconders who remain on the run for Schedule 8 crimes. Schedule 8 crimes include rape, murder, human trafficking, robbery and culpable homicide. Lamola said 8 221 criminals…

Noel Daniels’ death on April 18 this year of heart failure was a shock to all who knew him. He knew, and we knew, he had a weakened heart after his first heart attack a few years earlier, yet he deliberately chose to continue living life to the fullest, as he had always done, but still his end came too soon, and so suddenly. Noel attended Alexander Sinton High School in Athlone, the area he grew up in. He was at school during the student revolts of 1976 and rose to the challenge of the time, becoming part of a group of students who were leading their peers; he was head prefect and an SRC executive member, early signs of his leadership roles he would come to play all his…

A serious knee injury has brought an end to Stormers utility forward Ernst van Rhyn’s United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign. He is out of the quarter-final against the Bulls next weekend at Cape Town Stadium after tearing his medial collateral ligament against Benetton in his side’s final round-robin match last Friday in Stellenbosch. Van Rhyn, whose season has been disrupted by injuries, has been in good form for his side and his versatility is something they will miss against the Bulls and going forward. After the 25-year-old walked off gingerly against the Italian club at the Danie Craven Stadium, there was a sense that his injury could be more serious than that of his teammate Ruben van Heerden, who also left the match in the first half. Clarity over Van…

Royal Challengers Bangalore stand-in skipper Virat Kohli delivered a blunt assessment of their performance in Wednesday’s IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders, saying they were not “professional enough” and deserved to lose. Bangalore, one of three teams who have never won the IPL title, slumped to their fourth defeat in eight matches with their 21-run loss at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. After opener Jason Roy smashed 56 and skipper Nitish Rana, who was dropped twice, hammered 48 off 21 balls to power Kolkata to 200/5, Kohli (54) led the Bangalore reply with his fifth half-century of the season. While their chase was derailed by a slew of soft dismissals, Kohli said it was their sloppiness in the field that gifted the opposition victory. “To be honest, we handed over the game,”…

Sheffield United were planning to party long into the night after clinching promotion back to the Premier League with a 2-0 win against West Bromwich Albion at a jubilant Bramall Lane on Wednesday. Paul Heckingbottom’s side saw off Albion thanks to goals from Sander Berge and Anel Ahmedhodzic, ensuring they earned the second automatic promotion spot behind Burnley in the Championship with three games to spare. Second-placed United sprinted to the finish line, with six wins from their last seven games as they moved seven points clear of third-placed Luton, who have just two matches left. The Blades were relegated from the top flight in 2021 and lost in the Championship playoff semi-finals against Nottingham Forest last season. But Heckingbottom, in his second season as United boss, has astutely guided…

A businessman in Gatesville, Athlone, fears for his life and that of his family after receiving numerous life-threatening calls from extortionists demanding a R3 million payout. Harun Bhai, 50, said the callers threatened to kidnap him should he fail to pay the amount. Bhai said he first received a call from an unknown number on April 14 when a male voice demanded cash payment. He said the man threatened him and made it clear that he knew Bhai’s movements and the times he operated his shop, before ending the call. Bhai said that on April 20, another call from the same voice was received, this time informing him that he knew which school Bhai’s children were attending. Bhai said this further infuriated him and he started fearing for…

Police have confirmed the arrest of two people suspected of murdering and mutilating the bodies of Nqobizitha Zulu and Tshiamo Rabanye. The children were killed after they were kidnapped in White City in Jabavu, Soweto last week Wednesday. Their bodies were found the next day. Police said a 50-year-old woman and her 39-year-old partner were the suspects behind what members of the community believed to be an act of muti-related killings. On Wednesday, police spokesperson Brigadier Mavela Masondo said a team put together by Gauteng provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela had eventually cracked the case following the discovery of body parts at the residence of the woman. “Yesterday (Tuesday), following a forensic investigation at the boys’ homes, the team brought in two suspects for questioning. The duo has since…

Delft residents had a lot to say during a discussion to improve services related to gender-based violence (GBV) in their community. The discussion on Wednesday was led by the Western Cape Department of Social Development, provincial minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety Reagen Allen, the SAPS and various stakeholders. The imbizo got Delft residents talking and sharing ideas on dealing with the crisis, where women and children died at the hands of men, leaving the community crying out for help. The purpose of the imbizo was to find community-led solutions to prevent and end GBV, and to bring together the government and society to form an implementation plan for the crime-stricken area. The provincial head of the SAPS’s Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit, Brigadier Sonja Harri,…

Many communities on a daily basis experience the scourge of crime, which is slowly but surely reaching crisis proportions, leaving many members of these residents at their wits’ end. Communities around Durban and its fringes find themselves face to face with menacing criminals and are forced to put their lives at risk, day and night. The recent mass murder of 10 members of a Memela family of Imbali in Pietermaritzburg is a clear indication that crime has got out of hand, and the safety and security authorities have a mountain to climb in the fight against this pandemic. The criminals who attacked the family apparently shot indiscriminately anyone they met within the homestead, where even a 64-year-old and a 15-year-old boy were murdered. Sources revealed that the killing was associated…

PEP Guardiola labelled Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland as “extraordinary” after the Manchester City stars destroyed Arsenal in a 4-1 victory that put the champions in control of the Premier League title race. De Bruyne was at his masterful best as he put City ahead with a lung-bursting run and cool finish. The Belgium midfielder provided the cross for John Stones to head City’s second, and then netted again himself before Haaland wrapped up the crucial victory in the final seconds. “The connection between Kevin and Erling is extraordinary … Today, we tried to use it as much as possible,” Guardiola told BT Sport. Second-placed City are now just two points behind leaders Arsenal with two games in hand. If City win six of their last seven games, they…

FORMULA One returns this weekend after a month’s break. AFP Sport takes a look at five talking points ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix … Red Bull winging it Three races, three poles, three wins, two 1-2s, two fastest laps – Red Bull arrive in Azerbaijan on a magical roll. Double world champion Max Verstappen kept his cool in Melbourne to fend off Lewis Hamilton and steer clear of the triple red-flag drama, while Sergio Perez sliced through the field from last to claim fifth, and the fastest lap, in the latest display of the Red Bulls’ speed supremacy over the rest of the grid. Team boss Christian Horner praised Verstappen’s “great patience” in not getting embroiled in a Mercedes dog fight at the start, and was nonplussed at Mercedes’…

WORLD Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin has said draws for future Rugby World Cups will be better balanced following complaints about the lopsided format of this year’s edition in France. The draw for a 2023 World Cup starting in September was made in 2020. But the world rankings have changed markedly during the past three years and, as a consequence, the top four sides in the current standings – Ireland, France, New Zealand and the Springboks – are all on the same side of the draw. Only two of the top four will make it into the semi-finals. Furthermore, top-ranked Ireland, reigning champions the Boks and Scotland are all in the same pool, meaning one of those teams will be eliminated before the last eight. By contrast England, for all…

WITH extortion causing the loss of millions of rand to the construction industry and businesses on the Cape Flats and across the province in general, questions have been asked about just how the scourge is being fought. In the legislature, Al Jama-Ah Party MPL Galil Brinkhuis asked Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen whether the department had a plan to deal with the increasing criminal activities of extortionists who are terrorising businesses on the Cape Flats. Allen said the investigation of extortion remains the mandate of the police. However, he said the department co-chairs the Anti-gang Provincial Joint Operational and Intelligence Committee and partners with the SAPS at their bi-weekly extortion priority committee meetings. “The department also monitors extortion matters which have been struck off the roll…

FORMER Beaufort West mayor Truman Prince has lost his Western Cape High Court application for leave to appeal against Local Government MEC Anton Bredell’s nullification of his appointment as acting municipal manager of the Central Karoo District municipality. Handing down judgment, Judge Patrick Gamble ruled that the matter was moot since Prince’s appointment expires on April 30. Last month the court declared Prince’s appointment to the Central Karoo District Municipality null and void. Prince had been appointed as the municipality’s acting manager in February, after the resignation of Zwelithini Nyathi. Judge Gamble said: “Any prospective appeal, whether it be to the Supreme Court of Appeal or to a full Bench in this division, will not be heard by that date. In the circumstances, if leave be granted, when any such…

The provincial Health and Wellness Department has announced massive infrastructural upgrades for New Somerset Hospital. Upgrades will include a new acute psychiatric unit (APU) in addition to upgrades to theatres and ventilation systems. The regional hospital, which is located in Green Point, is South Africa’s oldest hospital and the first to provide training to medical doctors. The hospital opened in 1864 and has been declared a provincial heritage site. It was the original academic hospital attached to UCT prior to the opening of Groote Schuur Hospital. On Wednesday, Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo inspected the R147.992 million project, of which the construction of the APU and upgrades will cost R62.779m and R34.608m respectively. The APU will allow the facility to better deal with the issue of mental health in the province.…

A team from the SAPS’s K9 unit travelled back to Türkiye to receive an award from Turkish president Recep Erdogan. The team, consisting of five sniffer dogs, handlers and a team leader, were acknowledged during a special ceremony held at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Türkiye, on Tuesday. Team lead Brigadier Vimla Moodley was in attendance to receive a medal of supreme sacrifice on behalf of the team. The twin quakes caused immeasurable devastation in the affected 11 provinces in Türkiye and Syria. Team leaders of the nearly 100 countries who dispatched rescue teams to Türkiye, accompanied by their respective ambassadors, were present at the ceremony. The search and rescue K9 unit formed part of the rescue team facilitated by the relief organisation Gift of the Givers (GOTG), who sent…

Public benefit non-profit organisation Molo Mhlaba is set to build a second and new private primary school for girls in Montclair, Mitchells Plain. Looking to open its gates for the year 2024’s intake, construction will begin towards the end of May. Founded in 2018 and currently with a school in Khayelitsha, the Molo Mhlaba Primary serves as a Montessori and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) school. It provides girls aged 3 to 14 with literacy development, physical health education and outreach programmes. In Montclair, the campus will accommodate 275 children. The building will include 11 bespoke classrooms, three specialised maker-spaces for arts and culture, science and engineering, a school hall, dedicated dance studio, outdoor play area and sports fields. Partnering with the NPO, on behalf of Cultural Care…

The Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident, Vaclav Havel, wrote: “They say a nation has the politicians it deserves. In some sense, that is true. Politicians are a mirror of society and a kind of embodiment of its potential. “At the same time, paradoxically, the opposite is also true. Society is a mirror of its politicians. It is largely up to the politicians which social forces they choose to liberate and which they choose to suppress, whether they choose to rely on the good in each citizen or on the bad.” The school nutrition imbroglio conveys the precarity of people living on the edge, where a single negative life event or a helping hand from a nascent civil society organisation can make the difference between the spiralling downwards…

Even if the two sides do not want to admit it outright, the Currie Cup derby between Western Province and the Blue Bulls tomorrow night (6.30pm kick-off) could be a season-defining one for their respective United Rugby Championship (URC) campaigns. While both teams require a victory at the Cape Town Stadium to stay among the top four on the log in the domestic competition, it will be equally, or even more, important for the sides to land that psychological blow in ahead of the more prestigious derby in the quarter-finals of the URC next weekend. Both Currie Cup teams are hoping for a win and to score the psychological edge over their opponents in order to stay in or close to the top four. That would place them in a…

Kaizer Chiefs kept their chances of playing continental football next season alive yesterday as they beat Chippa United 1-0 at a full Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Ashley du Preez scored his side’s only goal in some style as Amakhosi remained fourth on the standings with 44 points, two behind Orlando Pirates, who have a game in hand. Speaking after the match, Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane was pleased with his team’s win, even though he feels that they need to improve in some areas heading to the last games of the season. “We want to keep improving. It’s great that we kept a clean sheet and got a goal. We need to improve some aspects, and make sure that we become a better team,” Zwane said on SuperSport. For Chippa United,…

A bullet header from Joel Matip gave Liverpool a 2-1 Premier League win over West Ham United that moved them above Tottenham Hotspur and back into the European places after a frenetic end-to-end game at the London Stadium on Wednesday night. The Reds are in sixth spot in the standings on 53 points, ahead of Spurs thanks to their far superior goal difference, and one point behind Aston Villa with a game in hand, as they seek to salvage a disappointing season. The visitors had to battle hard for their victory, with West Ham taking the lead in stunning fashion in the 12th minute when Lucas Paqueta cut in from the left and played a one-two with Michail Antonio, before firing home from the edge of the area. That lead…

BILLED as a Premier League title decider, it was barely even a contest as Manchester City thrashed Arsenal 4-1 on Wednesday to close in on becoming English champions for the fifth time in six years. City have not even hit top spot yet as Arsenal remain two points in front. But the momentum of the title race looks to have decisively swung the way of Pep Guardiola’s team as they have the chance to pull away into the distance with two games in hand. The Gunners have only lost four games all season, but tellingly, two of them have come when faced with the ultimate test in City. A 3-1 home defeat when the sides met in February was at least a game decided by fine margins. This time round,…