Innehållsförteckning för 2023-05-19 från Cape Argus

Cape Town has a wealth of cultural musicians and those who keep the memories of legendary musicians alive through theatrical tribute concerts. One such offering is the Greatest South African Song Book, a tribute to the many South African entertainment luminaries with songs that have proudly raised the bar on the entertainment arena, globally. The evening will showcase some of Cape Town’s entertainment heavyweights including Mujahid George, the PJ Twins, RJAY & LK, who are known for their hit song Wikkel Wikkel, Madeegha Anders, the multiple award winning queen of District 6: The Musical , internationally renowned performer Ramaine Barreiro-Lloyd and multi-talented singer and actress Kashiefa Blaauw. The event will be hosted at the Joseph Stone Auditorium in Athlone, that celebrates 90 years of existence. The venue was also the…

IN A victory for the Liesbeek Leisure Property Trust (LLPT), the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has dismissed an appeal application from the Observatory Civic Association (OCA), which is trying to stop construction at the River Club site pending a legal battle over development approvals. The site, which is expected to house online retailer Amazon’s African headquarters, has been the subject of several court battles between the OCA, which is a community-based organisation, and the LLPT. The OCA had challenged the Western Cape High Court’s finding that the initial interdict order was granted as a result of incorrect and misleading submissions at the behest of OCA. The SCA’s latest order set aside the OCA’s attempt to appeal against last year’s decision of a full bench of the Western Cape High…

The WESTERN Cape High Court has awarded developer Cape Estates Properties its appeal in a long-running zoning dispute with the George Municipality over an old sawmill site on the eastern outskirts of the city. The process leading to the appeal started in 2001 when the land was originally zoned. However, at the centre of the appeal was the adoption of a new zoning scheme map by the George municipal council in August 2017. That map came into effect in September 2017 and split-zoned the extent of the erf into two categories, industrial zone II and agricultural zone. The developers contested the extent and the nature of the zoning the municipality allocated to the erf through the 2017 zoning map and said in their arguments that the municipality had made a…

Eskom interim chairperson Mpho Makwana says the Board will take action against former chief executive André de Ruyter for breach of trust and confidentiality in “a repulsive manner” through his recently published disclosures in a “tell all” book. Makwana was speaking during Eskom’s “State of the System and Winter Outlook” briefing. He said: “In the course of publishing this book, transgressions were carried out by an executive who was in a fiduciary position and in possession of proprietary information of a national key point.” He alleged that De Ruyter “evaded being vetted” by processes that involve the country’s national security services agency. Makwena was alluding to a statement in November last year by the then state security deputy minister Zizi Kodwa who said De Ruyter had not been fully vetted…

Over the past four years, an unprecedented increase in illegal succulent poaching has been observed within the Succulent Karoo region, with tens of thousands of rare and whimsical plants leaving South Africa through local plant poaching syndicates to supply traders and collectors overseas, largely to Asia. In 2020, while the government, businesses and society scrambled to respond to Covid-19, the large-scale removal of wild and unique plants through illegal collection was beginning to gain momentum and threaten the country’s biodiversity. South African National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) spokesperson Nontsikelelo Mpulo said this increase in global demand for the country’s collectable “ornamental” plants over the past few years was because South Africa’s rich botanical diversity of unique species, including leafy succulents, caudiciform succulents and bulbs, were prized in internation al markets for…

MANCHESTER City’s time to conquer Europe may have finally come after Real Madrid were slayed by the English champions on Wednesday night to reach their second Champions League final. City thrashed the Spanish giants 4-0 at the Etihad for a 5-1 aggregate victory that exacted revenge for a dramatic semi-final exit to Madrid 12 months ago. Pep Guardiola’s men are not just closing in on the trophy the club’s owners have desired since an Abu-Dhabi backed takeover in 2008 began pouring billions of pounds of investment into the club. Victory against Inter Milan in Istanbul next month could complete a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, matching local rivals Manchester United’s historic achievement in 1998/99. A fifth league title in six seasons appears a foregone conclusion with…

RAFAEL Nadal yesterday withdrew from the French Open because his hip injury has not healed and said he expects 2024 to be his final year in professional tennis. “It’s not a decision I’m taking, it’s a decision my body is taking,” said the 36-year-old Spanish player, who has played at the claycourt major every year since 2005 and won it 14 times. Nadal said he was taking a few months off, without training, meaning he will also definitely miss Wimbledon and most likely the US Open, before starting to play again. And he said next year would bring down the curtain on a career that has so far produced 22 Grand Slam singles titles. “It’s probably going to be my last year on the professional tour, I can’t say this…

WESTERN Province stuck to their promise of giving their youngsters an extended run in the Currie Cup even if they have a bunch of fringe Stormers players available for today’s clash against the Pumas in Athlone. WP coach John Dobson decided to keep the faith in the squad who have been punching above their weight in the competition and will look to topple the reigning champions to stay in the top four on the log. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who was on Stormers duty last weekend, returns to the WP starting line-up alongside Cornel Smith as the centre pairing. Godlen Masimla is back as starting scrumhalf after missing last weekend’s game due to an injury. In the other change to the backline, wing Tom Nel also comes into the starting line-up. Up…

Thabang Moleya, who is responsible for making and directing award-winning shows like Gomora, The Herd and iconic shows like Jacobs Cross and Jozi H, took to Twitter recently to celebrate his sobriety. “Eleven years sober from alcohol and substances. Not a drop, not a sniff,” he proudly tweeted to his fans. He added that he was grateful to the people that fought for him despite him not wanting to “live” and admitted that the recovery was a “journey” that he takes a day at a time. “Grateful to those who fought for my life even when I didn’t feel like living. It’s a journey, one day at a time,” tweeted the production boss. Moleya achieved great success in the industry, having worked on productions like Happiness Is A Four Letter…

Two elderly brothers were stabbed by men who pretended to ask for water. One of the Ocean View siblings, Gerald Geldenhuis, died just three days before his 84th birthday and the other is fighting for his life. The incident happened on Wednesday afternoon at about 2pm. A relative who asked not to be named said before the other brother – James Geldenhuis, 73 – was rushed to hospital, he told them what happened. “He was found by a neighbour who came around to see them. The door was closed but he managed to shout for attention. Both brothers were on the floor with multiple stab wounds,” the devastated man explained. “The neighbour came to call me and told me what happened.” He told the Cape Argus the 73-year-old victim asked…

A TAXI driver from Hanover Park was shot in the head and died while his taxi drove into a Golden Arrow bus. The incident in Govan Mbeki Road, Philippi, left two passengers injured. Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said: “On Thursday morning at about 7.30 police attended a crime scene at Govan Mbeki Road, Philippi. The members found a taxi which collided into the rear of a bus. “The taxi driver died of a gunshot wound to the head and two of his passengers were injured as a result of the impact of the collision. They were taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment. A case of murder has been registered at Philippi SAPS for investigation. The case will be transferred to the provincial Taxi Violence Unit for further…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa will today lead the sixth Presidential Imbizo at Cape Winelands District’s Dal Josaphat Stadium in Paarl. A statement from the presidency said: “As part of the imbizo, communities will have an opportunity to speak to the president on key service delivery issues so that he can unblock any blockages.” Ramaphosa’s plans have irked the DA in the province. DA chief whip Wendy Kaizer-Philander said: “It is a transparently obvious attempt by the ANC to use state resources to electioneer in the province.” Kaizer-Philander said the ANC in the Western Cape had yet to hold its own provincial conference and were almost an entire year behind schedule, yet despite this lack of a simple accomplishment they hoped to regain control of the province. “Ramaphosa is undoubtedly aware of…

Zandile Lorraine Khumalo, one of the people who was in the house when Bafana Bafana star goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa was killed in October 2014, has begun giving evidence before the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. Zandile, a musician, is the sister of musician and actor Kelly Khumalo who was dating Meyiwa when he was killed. Zandile was led in giving evidence by State prosecutor advocate George Baloyi. He asked her to tell the court about the relationship between the soccer star and the diva. “Did they have a relationship, a love relationship?” Baloyi asked. Zandile responded: “They had a beautiful relationship. They loved each other to an extent where they would follow each other everywhere.” She said their relationship started around 2012 or 2013. Meyiwa was killed on October 26, 2014,…

A few weeks ago Manchester City’s path to a treble still looked littered with obstacles, but suddenly Pep Guardiola’s side have a clear run to sporting immortality. The sky blue juggernaut has laid waste to everything in its path in a staggering run of form and they are now just three wins away from matching Manchester United’s 1999 feat. They can tick off the first box this weekend by wrapping up the Premier League title for the fifth time in six seasons. What had looked like being a two-horse race right to the wire now looks like being a procession after Arsenal buckled under the pressure exerted by a relentless City. City might be crowned champions before they even kick a ball this weekend if Arsenal lose at relegation battlers…

JC Pretorius admits that the Blitzboks are in a bit of a slump at the moment, but the former Sevens star remains confident that the team will return stronger once they rediscover who they are. The 25-year-old left the Blitzboks set- up last year and joined the Lions to pursue his ambitions in XVs. Despite his shift, Pretorius keeps a watchful eye on his former teammates over on the World Sevens Series. Like the rest of South Africa, he has witnessed a team in flux – one that can produce brilliant moments in one instance, only to implode a match later. Pretorius, who played in 122 games for the Blitzboks and scored 50 tries during that period, revealed his opinion on Wednesday night as to why that might be…

110-year-old deal with Botanical Society ends Members of the Botanical Society of South Africa (BotSoc) are outraged that a more than century-old arrangement with the SA National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) for free access to the country’s botanical gardens, including Kirstenbosch, has been cancelled. BotSoc said their members had had free access since Kirstenbosch was established in 1913. It said the loss of this mutually beneficial agreement would collapse the society, which had been furthering the conservation, cultivation, study and wise use of the indigenous flora and vegetation of southern Africa for over 100 years. The decision means that the yearly BotSoc membership fee of R400 a member, allowing free entry to all Sanbi national botanical gardens, has been reduced to R200 with a 10% discount on the entry fee to…

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) picketed outside court asking for murder charges against their members to be dropped. Four correctional services officials and their former colleague appeared in court for the killing of an inmate, Luzuko Maseko, who allegedly stabbed a warder. The incident happened in November 2020 at Medium-B, Pollsmoor and the police opened an inquest docket for investigation. It was later found that the victim had died from injuries he incurred when the officials assaulted him during an altercation. Siyakudumisa Siqola, Xolani Kom, Sithembiso Mpondlwana, Bulelani Kulashe and Thembile Mbutuma made their second appearance at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court. The case was postponed to next month for one of the accused to appoint a legal representative and their bail was extended. Local Popcru secretary Xolisa…

As more South Africans look to loyalty programmes to help cut back on their monthly budgets as the cost of living crisis spirals, Pick n Pay has announced it will pay for lucky shoppers’ grocery bills. One of the largest retail stores in the country, Pick n Pay, said it would reward its Smart Shoppers by randomly selecting one winner from every store nationwide every day until June 18. Pick n Pay said it also aimed to give away up to R10 million in groceries over six weeks. The initiative aims to provide some relief to shoppers during a difficult period while also creating moments of true excitement. The initiative, launched on May 8, has already surprised more than 2 700 winners with a free shop collectively valued at R1.6m.…

Solid waste, ranging from vehicle parts to panels and waste wood, was just some of the waste collected in Woodstock this week during a massive clean-up by a team of volunteers and members of the Asez group (Saving the Earth from A to Z), their families, colleagues, and some city councillors. While getting down and dirty, they appealed to Woodstock residents to protect their environment as they collected about 4 000 litres of household waste, such as plastic pieces and disposable cups scattered all over the street, as well as solid waste items. The Asez group forms part of the World Mission Society Church of God which strives to make the Earth a sustainable home for mankind, and thus they set out to conduct one their many clean-up operation around…

Stormers fans wanting tickets for the United Rugby Championship final next Saturday against Munster were left fuming yesterday when the Ticketpro website “crashed” under the demand. Ticket sales for Cape Town Stadium’s second consecutive final in the competition went on sale at 10am yesterday, but supporters looking to buy tickets for the Munster clash were greeted by a “Please be patient” notice as patrons were first put in a queue to get on to the website. You get a number of your place in the queue, and the total minutes it will take to get to the front of the queue and onto the website. The website keeps refreshing to bring you to the front of the virtual queue, but crashes every time it reloads. Once you’re in to select…

LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp has been suspended from the touchline for two matches and fined £75 000 (about R1,8-million) following his comments to the media after the match against Tottenham Hotspur on April 30, the Football Association said yesterday. After Liverpool’s 4-3 home win, Klopp accused referee Paul Tierney of having something “against” Liverpool. The referees’ body reviewed the audio of Tierney’s exchange with the Liverpool manager and said he acted in a professional manner. The FA said the first match of Klopp’s touchline ban was effective immediately and the second suspended until the end of the 2023/24 season, on the condition that he does not commit any further breaches of FA Rule E3 in the meantime. The decision means that the German will not take charge of his side…