Innehållsförteckning för 2023-08-01 från Cape Argus

Heritage authorities greenlight social housing HOUSING activists have urged the City to move quickly now that it had secured heritage approval for its biggest inner-city social housing development of about 700 units at the former Woodstock Hospital site. Announcing the green-lighting of the project by Heritage authorities, mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the approval was a critical milestone towards the design and submission of building plans for the site. “Heritage approval for social housing at Woodstock Hospital is welcome progress towards our goal of faster affordable housing land release in well-located parts of the City.” Acting human settlements Mayco member James Vos blamed what he called “building hi-jacking” for having been the main obstacle at the site. “Both the Woodstock Hospital property and the provincially owned Helen Bowden Nurses Home were…

STATE witness Colonel Lambertus Steyn faced gruelling cross-examination by the defence counsels for the five men on trial for the murder of Senzo Meyiwa in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria yesterday. Steyn, a qualified data analyser with the SAPS National Cold Case Investigation Unit, gave his analysis of the data retrieved from phone downloads of the occupants at the Vosloorus home of Kelly Khumalo the day Meyiwa was murdered, which he received from the investigation team. On Friday, he told the court that they had established that Sifisokuhle Ntuli had been in contact with Khumalo on at least two occasions before Meyiwa’s murder. Ntuli was said to have called Khumalo on August 2, 2014, and again on October 15, 2014. He said the fifth accused had also been in contact…

The DA and AfriForum have slammed EFF leader Julius Malema for singing the “Kill the Boer” song during his keynote address at Soccer City Stadium this weekend. The EFF celebrated its 10th anniversary on Saturday, with the two parties saying the song promoted hate speech. AfriForum said Malema made controversial chants during his speech at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg over the weekend. This comes after AfriForum previously filed a hate speech case against the EFF, which was dismissed by the Equality Court last year. AfriForum’s chief executive for strategy, Ernst Roets, said they are still appealing this ruling. “The matter has been heard in the high court, and there was a ruling on this last year, and the matter is going on appeal, so it will be going…

The SA Weather Service (Saws) has warned of rough seas and strong gale-force winds over the Cape. The forecaster had issued an Orange Level 5 warning over parts of both the Eastern and Western Cape regions later yesterday. “A tight pressure gradient between a cold front and a ridging high is resulting in strong winds that are enhancing the sea state,” Saws said. This means strong waves along the coast between Plettenberg Bay and Port Edward. “Further, there is a full moon which could amplify the wave heights even further,” Saws warned, adding that there could be abnormal or “rogue” waves in the Agulhas current between Port Alfred and Port Edward. Saws said this could impact smaller vessels, damaging beaches, dunes and estuaries.…

Bongeka Gamede has outlined the key factors that Banyana Banyana will need to beat Italy and keep their chances of reaching the World Cup last-16 alive. Having crashed out in the group stage at their first World Cup in 2019, Banyana could make history and reach the knockout stage in Australia and New Zealand. But that’s easier said than done. They must win their last Group G tie against Le Azzure tomorrow (9am kick-off) in Wellington and bank on the result between Sweden and Argentina favouring them. The South Africans have been the architects of their fate after squandering leads in their 2-1 loss to Sweden and 2-2 draw with Argentina. Gamede pointed out yesterday that it will be crucial for the team to improve their game management in the…

England beat Australia by 49 runs to win the fifth Test at The Oval yesterday and end the Ashes series all square at 2-2. Australia, chasing 384 runs to win, collapsed from 264/3 to 334 all out, with England’s retiring paceman Stuart Broad taking the final wicket. England did the bulk of the damage when, after a rain break of more than two hours, they took four Australia wickets for 11 runs in 19 balls. Off-spinner Moeen Ali took three wickets on his way to innings figures of 3/76 and all-rounder Chris Woakes ended with 4/50. Broad, England’s all-time leading Ashes bowler, then polished off the tail. Australia, as the holders, had already retained the Ashes, but they remain without an Ashes series win in England since 2001. “It was…

Money lessons that South Africans were forced to learn during the Covid-19 pandemic are quickly being forgotten as high interest rates and inflation take their toll and drive up their financial stress and debt levels. Two surveys released recently, Old Mutual’s 2023 Savings and Investment Monitor and DebtBusters’ second annual Money Stress Tracker, show that high numbers of consumers are experiencing financial stress and they have rising, unsustainable levels of debt in proportion to household income. DebtBusters survey The DebtBusters survey polled users of its online platform who are not in debt counselling – 35 000 subscribers participated this year. More than three out of four respondents (78%, up from 70% last year) said they felt stressed financially. The stress was more prevalent among women than men, and it was…

THE province has released a report on the causes of truck congestion at the Port of Cape Town which recommends the appointment of a private service provider to operate the terminal. The report also says the greatest bar to efficiency at the port is a lack of equipment. The effectiveness and efficiency of the port was announced as a strategic priority for the province during Premier Alan Winde’s State of the Province Address. One of the primary issues was noted as the reduction of transporter congestion. Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC Mireille Wenger yesterday released the Transporter Congestion Report commissioned by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism and finalised at the end of May. “The single biggest limitation to the efficient functioning of the port is the status of…

Anti-Gang Unit detectives are investigating a mass shooting which left four people dead in Delft. The murder happened on Sunday evening in Bakkiesblom, Roosendal. Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said: “The Anti-Gang Unit detectives are probing the circumstances that left four men aged 20, 26, 60 and a yet to be determined age with fatal gunshot wounds and a fifth victim aged 31 with injuries last night at around 8.50pm in Bakkiesblom Crescent in Roosendal, Delft. “It is believed that a group of five suspects entered the residence of the victims and opened fire, before fleeing the scene in an unknown motor vehicle. “We have reason to believe that the motive for the incident is gang-related, and we are pursuing our investigation in that direction. Arrests are yet to be made.”…

The Theewaterskloof Municipality has accused Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis of lying about its electricity tariff increase in his speech to council last week. The Theewaterskloof Municipality wants an apology. Theewaterskloof deputy mayor John Michels, of the GOOD Party, who is part of the coalition running the municipality with the ANC and the PA, said Hill-Lewis’s statement was inaccurate and “cheap politics”. GOOD Party Cape Town councillor responsible for finance Anton Louw claimed Hill-Lewis made a false claim. Louw said: “Using Theewaterskloof as an example, was not only a completely irrational argument but the facts were not accurate.” He said that Theewaterskloof’s website clearly showed that the tariff increase was in line with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) approved 15.1%. The City is one of six municipalities…

A Cape Town resident, Ian Adams, says he is fed up with name-calling and insults from Cape Coloured Congress (CCC) leader Fadiel Adams on Facebook and has written to council speaker Felicity Purchase, asking her to discipline the councillor. An irate Ian Adams called the Cape Argus with his complaint about the councillor and shared screen shots of an exchange of words, and threatened to lodge a crimen injuria matter with the police. Ian Adams said he was appalled by the verbal abuse he experienced from a public figure who is meant to be an example to the public. “I commented on Facebook on Thursday, July 20, on a CCC post where I said people are filthy/morsig, they need to look after their communities. “I also said I thought he…

Given the form Argentina have displayed in their last two outings, it is possible that the Springboks have all but written off this weekend’s match in Buenos Aires to World Cup planning. That is not to say they don’t believe they can win – and the Pumas might well field a second-string side – but if you look at the Boks that have travelled, this will be a makeshift team that is about giving game time to individuals who have been on the fringes. The Pumas are returning home after beating Australia away and making the Boks sweat for a grim 22-21 win in Johannesburg. It remains to be seen how coach Michael Cheika approaches this warm-up game but the Boks have shown their hand and it looks like they…

Another masterful display and triumph from Max Verstappen ensured Red Bull finished the first half of the season, before the European “summer” break, unbeaten after Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix. The defending double world champion’s victory was his eighth consecutive success, his 10th in 12 races this year, and completed not only a hat-trick of Belgian wins, but also meant he has won every race in the last three months since teammate Sergio Perez’s victory in Azerbaijan on April 30. Here, we look at three things we learned from Sunday’s race. Playful Max toying with rivals The 25-year-old Dutchman is so dominant that he can still win from sixth on the grid after taking a five-place penalty. He is on a different plane to his rivals to such an extent seven-time…

Buying a car, whether brand-new or used, is exciting, but how do you make sure you get a great set of wheels at the best price? “Getting rid of that old skorokoro or buying something more suited to your needs and lifestyle is exciting, but it’s important to make sure you’re getting the best deal,” says Tyrone Lowther, head of Budget Insurance. “This involves, among other things, being clear on your needs, realistic about what you can afford, as well as ticking off some very important Ts and Cs when doing your research.” Budget Insurance offers the following money-smart tips when buying a new vehicle: Needs analysis: Make a list of things that you need in a car. The amount of passengers, cargo space, safety, fuel consumption, power, creature comforts,…

A house-warming celebration ended with four family members dead from smoke inhalation. The New Woodlands homeowner, Chumisa Madinga, had just moved into the area. On Saturday, they had a braai and reportedly went into the house with the coals. They went to sleep and when a family member visited, he found Madinga and her husband’s bodies. The two young children were rushed to hospital, where they died. The family of the deceased said they were not yet ready to speak about the tragedy. Phumlani Madinga said only: “We were all at my sister’s house which she just got. We were celebrating, it was a house warming.” Community leader Shameem Nelson said when he arrived, four people were being transported to hospital in a private vehicle. “It was three children and…

Unknown suspects shot an off-duty LEAP officer while he was carrying his child in Beacon Valley. Toufeeq Williams, 37, was at the corner of Trampoline and Cadillac Streets when he was attacked on Sunday afternoon. Beacon Valley residents arrived at the scene and found his daughter sitting next to his lifeless body. Williams, who was stationed at Hanover Park, has been described as one of the best officers there. Mayco member for safety and security Alderman JP Smith said: “With great sadness, we can confirm a LEAP officer, Williams, was killed on Sunday afternoon in Mitchells Plain. “The 37-year-old was off duty at the time. The officer was walking along with his young daughter when they got caught in a gang crossfire. He was struck by a stray bullet and…

Agri SA has said the Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS) proposed water-use licence applications, amendment and appeals regulations are promoting “legally impermissible racial quotas”. Agri SA’s remarks were made in the organisation’s submission of its objections to the proposed amendments. DWS Minister Senzo Mchunu published the revision of the regulations regarding the procedural requirements for water use licence applications in May. The draft regulations said that businesses applying for water-use licences to take or store water would have to allocate shares of at least 25%, 50% or up to 75%, depending on the volume of water abstracted or stored or the area covered, to black South Africans before a water-use licence was granted. However, Agri SA legal and policy executive Janse Rabie said given the legal and food security…

Police Minister Bheki Cele has promised to resolve the matter of illegal miners who have made Riverlea and Zamimpilo informal settlements a war zone. Cele, who visited Riverlea yesterday afternoon, said he would not allow the residents to be terrorised by illegal foreigners, adding that he would return to the area with a comprehensive plan to curb the shootings by illegal miners. He said the Department of Mineral Resources would close the seven holes used by zama-zamas. “Hold me on my word. We will change the situation. We will make sure that this community feels safe. We can’t allow the state to be terrorised by illegal miners who are illegal foreigners. We will not be terrorised by people who are undocumented. Our first task is to close down all these…

PARENTS of a Grade 4 Sid G Rule Primary School pupil and anti-gender-based-violence activists returned to the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to express their frustration over the lack of progress in a case of sexual assault at the school. Walk In The Shoes Of Survivors (Witsos) activists and the parents of a nine-year-old former Sid G Rule pupil went to the WCED head office on the Foreshore, yesterday. The pupil was allegedly sexually assaulted by a pupil in the same grade, on April 25, when she left the bathroom. The boy was suspended for two weeks. A meeting was held with the WCED Districts’ chief director Alan Meyer, and a social worker. The social worker agreed to review the matter, while the activists called for stronger intervention. Witsos founder,…

An EASTERN Cape police officer who was arrested last week, has appeared in court for the murders of two University of Fort Hare (UFH) staff members and the attempted murder of vice-chancellor and principal Sakhela Buhlungu. The 31-year-old Mthatha police Constable, Lindokuhle Manjati, of Madeira police station in the Eastern Cape, appeared in the Alice Magistrate’s Court on Monday after his arrest last Friday. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said Manjati was remanded in custody until his bail application on August 10. Manjati is believed to have driven the hitmen to carry out the murders of UFH fleet manager Petrus Roets and Buhlungu’s bodyguard Mboneli Vesele. This brings the number of people arrested for the Fort Hare attacks to six. The accused, Sicelo Mbulawa, Mthobisi Khanyile and Mthobisi Dlamini…

South Africa got back to winning ways with a victory over Trinidad and Tobago yesterday, sealing the game 69-28 in their first Super Six clash at the Netball World Cup at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Trinidad and Tobago started well with some good passing and patience while the Proteas has some nice movement from Ivette Griesel at wing attack and Ina-Mari Venter made no mistake inside the circle. Venter started against the Caribbean nation having came on in the fourth quarter in SA’s loss against Jamaica. Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago’s goal scorer Afeisha Noell was certainly making the Proteas work for everything with her presence on court. Nonetheless, Venter continued to be on the mark with her scoring precision and skill. It was an impressive first 15 minutes…