Innehållsförteckning för 2023-09-05 från Cape Argus

Renewed hope that a low-cost benefit option (LCBO) framework will soon become a feature of the South African health-care funding landscape offers a practical step towards achieving quality health care for more people until the National Health Insurance (NHI) is realised. The industry regulator, the Council for Medical Schemes, has rightfully said the introduction of LCBOs should complement the roll-out of the NHI by expanding private health-care coverage by making it affordable to more people. The basket of services currently included in Prescribed Minimum Benefits ensures all medical scheme members have unlimited benefits for emergencies, maternity and chronic conditions, including HIV, asthma and diabetes. This means that irrespective of what members claim for these, a person has the security of knowing they will never have to pay out of their…

UNSCRUPULOUS lenders are fleecing as much as 75% of South Africans’ monthly pay, leaving them with little to no income for maintaining themselves and their dependants. A report compiled by the Law Clinic at Stellenbosch University (SU) has shown that lenders use a bag of tricks to side-step the legal requirements enforced by the emolument attachment order system, also known as a garnishee order. The emolument attachment order system limits the amount that can be deducted from an employee’s salary to a maximum of 25%. Dr Stephan van der Merwe, a senior attorney and lecturer at the SU Law Clinic, who conducted the investigation and compiled the report, explained that while garnishee orders remained a potentially lucrative and secure collection instrument, it was now considerably more difficult to issue them.…

Philippi residents have welcomed the planned rollout of CCTV cameras in violent crime hot spots which community leaders believe will help decrease incidents. Ward councillor Melikhaya Gadeni said the cameras would be installed during this financial year. He said the focus would be Brown’s Farm, where many robberies and hijackings are likely to occur. The crime statistics show that between April and June, there were 81 carjackings, some of which occurred in Browns Farm. This is the same area where many Facebook market robberies occur. “This is because the CCTV also serves as a deterrent factor, and as an evidence-gathering tool that can be used in a court of law. One of the reasons crime has escalated in our township is because of the low conviction rate. This will help…

I do not normally respond to the proxies of the DA, but I am compelled to respond to the Zionist-co-opted Cape Muslim Congress and its leader, Councillor Yagyah Adams. I agree with him that the rules of council are of paramount importance. These rules, councillor, apply to all of us, not only the white and deputy white side of the house. The EFF had a right to protest silently, if only to make a point. The mayor agreed with this before flip-flopping, as he is prone to do. Sadly, this City council is saddled with a speaker who, at virtually every council sitting, breaks the very rules you demand everyone else to uphold. We do not see the Cape Muslim Congress addressing this issue, but we understand: posters come at…

The deaths of almost 80 people in Marshalltown, Johannesburg, was foreseeable. The chaos is a result of the failure of a few people who were paid to do their duty. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s words, “we are all responsible for the calamity that has unfolded”, are a sad excuse, as those who are liable can be identified. First, who owns the building and allowed it to be hijacked and become a death trap? Media reports suggest that the Johannesburg City Council is liable for the building and failed to implement a management strategy for years, which led to the building being hijacked. We must examine who caused the management failure and hold them liable. It must be a councillor or an official, as someone had to sign off on documents. The…

After a shameful rigged and unprofessional election on August 23, Zimbabwe has sought to inaugurate a contested election. The world has stood aloof while Zimbabweans are taken for a ride by a losing candidate who seeks another term through the back door. People in Zimbabwe have decided but their will is oppressed by the use of the Forever Associate Zimbabwe (FAZ), the Central Intelligence Organisation, the army, police and other state institutions. The judiciary has been captured and all the judges have been given soft loans during the election period. Tafadzwa Chivaura, of Leicester, commented on the next five years of the Zanu-PF rule. People have been held to ransom in the name of the liberation war. There has been widespread violence after the elections. FAZ members are going door…

SIX days after a devastating fire tore through the hijacked Usindiso Building in Johannesburg, in which 77 people are confirmed dead, questions are still being asked, and blame is being roundly attributed. What makes it worse is that this building is owned by the Johannesburg City Council and had previously been a shelter, run by the Usindiso NGO, for abused women and children until it was hijacked, allegedly by some of the women who were housed there. Anyone who has braved the Joburg CBD could have predicted Thursday’s tragedy. The Usindiso Building housed hundreds of people – refugees and asylum seekers – and had illegal utility connections. The phenomenon of “hijacked” buildings, in which owners abandon their distressed properties, which are in turn taken over by criminal gangs who then…

Proteas white-ball coach Rob Walter has tough calls to make as he is expected to announce his 15-man squad for next month’s World Cup today. T20 and one-day internationals are two totally different formats and failing in one doesn’t necessarily guarantee failure in the other. Yes, the Proteas were outplayed alarmingly in the recently T20I series against Australia, but South Africa rested a lot of their key players during the series. Most importantly, the T20I series revealed how far behind the South African domestic system is as far as producing players with the quality that is required in international cricket is concerned. “We’re not there yet, as we’ve learnt in this series that our next best have work to do and we have work to do as a collective to…

Just months after launching a series of upgraded banknotes and coins, the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) has officially launched a new R5 coin featuring the buffalo. SARB said the coin provided a fitting culmination of the Big 5 Series II range. Series II coins, like Series I, are available in gold, platinum, and silver. SA Mint managing director Honey Mamabolo said: “Series II made its mark in 2021, with a significant design refresh while maintaining the high craftsmanship associated with the Big 5 series, and the Buffalo coin exemplifies this exceptional design aesthetic.” The SA Mint said the buffalo, also known as the warrior, was a symbol of fertility and aggression. Mamabolo said the impact was evident through the transformational effect the buffalo had on the African environment. She said…

Our country being in chaos is not a good image for the rest of the world. Corruption, corruption ... the question is, when will all this stop? The June chaos of looting and the floods in KwaZulu-Natal. The recent taxi strike in Cape Town. The recent fire in Johannesburg that killed 76 people. What is next? Ministers who are supposed to be intelligent and learned people still blame apartheid for these atrocious behaviours. Mr Ramaphosa says: “Let these things be a lesson.” When will our leaders learn from these things? Only after something happens. These are expensive lessons that could have been prevented. History has taught us that the Group Areas Act forced our people to move to the townships. This was many years ago, not 30 years into our…

There is a stark contrast between public perception and the reality of how people experiencing homelessness spend money. I was sent the final research report conducted by one of the presenters at the International Journal on Homelessness (IJOH) conference, where I also presented earlier this year. She and her team gave 50 people experiencing homelessness in British Columbia, Canada, $7 500 (about R142 000) ) each to do with as they wished. They were also offered accommodation at a transitional home, where they were expected to pay towards the rent and food. Instead of blowing the windfall on “temptation goods”, such as alcohol, drugs or cigarettes, they spent it on rent, clothing and food, the study led by the University of British Columbia (UBC) found. The handout even generated a…

South Africa joined Brazil, Russia, India, and China in the BRICS co-operative alliance, with more members added this year. In the past, South Africa had a chance to play a key role in the world’s markets, but some of the incumbent politicians and sectors of the population are not showing the characteristics needed to build a winning country. On February 17, 2009, I wrote that South Africa could lead the world out of the fiscal crisis of the time if it established a completely gold-backed rand. My proposal was not to return to the generally understood “gold standard”, which requires the central bank to demand the exchange of paper currency for gold at a fixed exchange rate. The mechanism that I proposed was for the establishment of a currency board,…

Kenya’s president said yesterday that Africa had an “unparalleled opportunity” to benefit from action to tackle global warming but needed massive investment to unleash its potential, as Nairobi hosts a landmark climate summit focusing on the continent. The inaugural Africa Climate Summit comes ahead of a flurry of diplomatic meetings leading to the November COP28 international climate summit in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, which will likely be dominated by clashing visions for the world’s energy future. The three-day event is billed as bringing together leaders from the 54-nation continent to define a shared vision of Africa’s green development – an ambitious aim in a politically and economically diverse region of 1.4 billion. “The overarching theme ... is the unparalleled opportunity that climate action represents for Africa,” President William Ruto…

The WESTERN Cape High Court has ruled in favour of the wife of the late Springbok player, Chester Williams, who had instituted litigation against Pick n Pay over a “slip and trip” incident and subsequent injury at one of its stores. The judgment was handed down electronically on Friday, September 1, in the case between Maria da Luz Williams and Pick n Pay. The incident took place on November 13, 2017 at the Pick n Pay at the N1 City Mall in Goodwood. Williams, accompanied by her sister, realised upon reaching the till that she had forgotten an item. She went back to the aisles and while making her way back to the till “at a fast pace”, she slipped and fell. While on the floor, Williams said…

The family of the Mitchells Plain mechanic who was murdered and had his body stuffed in the boot of his car, screamed their disapproval at the magistrate when one of the accused in his murder trial was granted bail of R6 000. Ridhaa Sasman’s half-naked body was found tied up in the boot of his Renault Megane in Morgan Village on June 25, three days after he went missing. According to family members, Ridhaa went to drop off one of his workers on the night he disappeared. When the father of three didn’t return home within an hour, his family got worried and started asking around. They later got a lead when street people tried to sell them Ridhaa’s takkies. The trail led them to the accused, Marwaan Martin and…

Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Sihle Zikalala has vowed to reclaim more than 1 000 illegally occupied buildings. Yesterday, Zikalala said in a statement that his ministry had been tasked with conducting a government-wide investigation into hijacked buildings in the country’s metros. He said that out of the 29 000 government buildings in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure asset register, 1 260 were identified as being illegally occupied. Zikalala’s statement comes just days after a government-owned building hijacked by syndicates was gutted by fire in the Joburg city centre, killing 77 people. On Thursday, residents of the city centre woke up to screams and cries from residents of the Usindiso building, a former shelter they had taken over as their residence. The department said…

Amusing display of righteous indignation from Roscoe Jacobs (Cape Argus, August 31) about the tree falling on the shacks in Imizamo Yethu, and taking down the electricity lines. One wonders if there was the same indignation about those shacks (and electrical lines) not complying with City planning requirements? Probably not; as the usual approach is for land invaders to NOT consult with the City about where would be safe to erect a home – but then to expect the City to help them when the need for help could have been avoided with a bit of consultation. But let’s not look at the facts if we just want to play the party political game ahead of the elections. Thanks Roscoe – you’ve helped our decision on where to put our…

The incomprehensible utterances by Minister Lindiwe Zulu regarding the catastrophe in Jozi has raised the ire of many South Africans. Blaming apartheid for the monumental disaster is naive and politically infantile. There are numerous causes for the disaster, least of which is the decay and rot thrust upon this country by inexperienced ANC cadres since 1994. The buildings, which have been hijacked by swarms of illegals and criminal bandits, were allowed to be destroyed by ineptitude from within the ranks of the ruling party. Minister Zulu is playing with fire as she attempts to move focus away from the party she serves, by blaming apartheid and white South Africans. When will President Cyril Ramaphosa appoint intelligent people to his Cabinet, people who will stop whining and start acting to close…

All countries have a variety of water resources – some are on the surface, like rivers, and some are beneath the ground. This groundwater provides almost 50% of all global domestic use and 43% of all the water used for agriculture. Groundwater is stored in aquifers, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They can be accessed in several ways, but mostly by drilling wells. Not all groundwater is useful to us – it depends on whether it’s fresh or mixed with salt and on how deep it is, as this will affect how easy it is to tap into. In Africa, groundwater is important. It supports almost 100% of household and agricultural activities in rural areas. And, because it’s underground, it’s protected from evaporation, a crucial resource…

Captain Laura Wolvaardt’s career-best 72 could not save the Proteas Women from a 3-0 series whitewash as they lost by six runs to Pakistan at the National Stadium in Karachi yesterday. Having done so well in the T20 World Cup earlier this year, the South Africans were expected to win the series despite visiting Pakistan for the first time in history. It might have been a dead rubber in the context of the series but for skipper Wolvaardt and her team, redeeming themselves carried a lot of weight. The cricketing gods were on their side yesterday, with the captain winning the toss for the first time in the series and sending Pakistan into bat, an easy decision as the home side had chosen to field first in the first two…

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised his team’s mentality after they sealed a 3-1 stoppage-time win over Manchester United on Sunday, but said they must find a way to finish teams off earlier in games rather than rely on “magic moments” at the end. Declan Rice scored in the 96th minute and Gabriel Jesus added a third in the final seconds to seal the Premier League win, after captain Martin Odegaard had cancelled out Marcus Rashford’s opener. “I love the mentality of the team, the determination, the eagerness to win,” Arteta said. “The team was very dominant and deserved to win the game, but the margins with this team are so small, and it could have gone in a different way.” Arsenal were held by Fulham the previous week after beating…

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos will contact his Kaizer Chiefs counterpart Molefi Ntseki to iron out a few issues after his return from Belgium. Bafana assembled for camp yesterday, preparing for their friendlies against Namibia and DR Congo at Orlando Stadium on Saturday and Tuesday. But Broos ruffled feathers prior to the camp by saying that Chiefs’ performances haven’t been up to standard this season, which is why he didn’t include any of their players in the 23-man squad. Before his squad announcement, Amakhosi had a lukewarm start to the season, winning three games, drawing one and losing two across all competitions. But Broos had a change of heart after seven withdrawals from the initial squad due to injuries, including replacing Mamelodi Sundowns skipper Themba Zwane with Chiefs winger Pule…