Innehållsförteckning för 2024-01-26 från Cape Argus

As the sun paints the horizon with hues of gold tomorrow, people from all walks of life are expected to gather at Grotto Beach in Hermanus as they prepare to embrace the Sunrise Joy Wiggle session. The beach, where sand meets waves and majestic mountains stand sentinel, serves as the perfect canvas for a morning of movement, magic and healing. Upon arrival, attendees will receive state-of-the-art headsets, which will be a gateway to a multi-sensory experience curated by accredited facilitators. The session, more than a mere rhythmic journey, incorporates meditation, breath work and movement. Each participant becomes a part of this symphony of movement and positive energy. Attendees are encouraged to express their individuality and are urged to dress up according to the chosen theme, which will set the tone…

Law Enforcement has received 312 complaints in the past 3 months and warns more evictions can be expected The City of Cape Town has said it has more than 300 cases of “problem buildings” across the metropole. Law Enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason said in the last three months of last year, 312 complaints about them had been lodged. Nearly 80% of the buildings cited were privately owned. “It is important to remember that compliance with all relevant safety legislation is the responsibility of a building owner. “They are also responsible for seeking eviction orders where unlawful occupations have occurred. Should there be an imminent threat to public safety or some other cause to evacuate a particular building, the Problem Building By-law makes provision for the City to approach the courts…

A large group of protesters outside the Mitchells Plain precinct yesterday called for the police commander to go. The Cape Flats Safety Forum along with residents were in full voice following the disappearance of firearms in November last year. The station was in the spotlight throughout the week, after it was revealed that 15 firearms and eight imitation weapons used in criminal activities had been stolen from the station’s SAP-13 storeroom in November last year. A 30-year-old police officer stationed in Mitchells Plain was arrested and dismissed from the SAPS. The group, on the other hand, demanded that additional measures be taken as this was the second time firearms had vanished from the station. Fourteen guns disappeared from the station in 2017, which prompted the suspension of then-station leader,…

The police hosted a fundraising event to raise funds for the educational needs of the children of police officers who died in the line of duty. The event took place at the Strand Golf Club with more than 100 golfers from corporate companies. The South African Police Service Education Trust (SAPSET) was established by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in 2010, to provide educational support to the children of SAPS personnel (SAPS Act and Public Service Act members) who died in the line of duty. Deputy Minister of Police, Mr Cassel Mathale and the National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fanie Masemola took part in the challenge. “The aim was to raise funds for the children of deceased members of SAPS and the aim is to get corporations…

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has been authorised by Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande to increase its budget by R10 billion, some of the money collected from previous loan repayments. The announcement was made during a media briefing after a site visit to NSFAS offices at Cape Town City Centre, yesterday. The visit was to monitor and assess NSFAS’s state of readiness for the 2024 academic year. Nzimande said that some of the challenges facing the scheme were not new. “We know where some of them come from. For instance, we need to do something much more significant than we have been able to do to increase the administration budget of NSFAS. NSFAS handling these billions of rand has never really had the necessary…

THE following is a response to article in the Cape Argus by Martin van Staden, “Provinces Should Conduct Own Foreign Affairs”, January 23: Civil society organisations, ordinary people and progressive governments across the world have applauded South Africa for having the audacity to present its case to the International Court of Justice that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. There has been more international support for South Africa’s position on the issue than perhaps any other foreign policy position the country has taken since the advent of democracy in 1994. Sadly, it is the reactionaries in our own country who fail to see the merit of our government’s actions, and their only pushback is to put forward nonsensical arguments that perhaps provinces should conduct their own foreign affairs. Of…

Angola, Namibia and South Africa will fly the flag for the Cosafa region when the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 starts tomorrow. Of the three southern African sides, the lowly ranked Angola (117 in the world) performed like rock stars to complete their Group D campaign undefeated. The group included eventual runners-up Burkina Faso (57), Algeria (30) and Mauritania (105). Angola sounded an early warning when they defeated two-time champions Algeria in their opening round fixture. On Tuesday, they wrapped up their group matches by defeating Burkina Faso. For the first time in eight trips to the Afcon finals they had won two group games. After the match, central defender Kialonda Gaspar said the team is like one big family off the field. “It is important to qualify.…

Right from the beginning of the season, it was clear the Proteas Women team leaned more towards 50-over cricket than they did the T20I format. It was rather a shock, given the team’s success last year during the home T20 World Cup, where South Africa reached the country’s first World Cup final. They lost to Australia in front of a sold-out Newlands in the decider. With Laura Wolvaardt the new captain, the Proteas started off the season with a 3-0 T20 series whitewash at the hands of the Pakistan Women in their first tour of the Asian country. From that point onwards, the side have had two 1-1 series draws at home, against New Zealand and Bangladesh last month. Their difficulties in T20 cricket came back to haunt them two…

Liverpool will face Chelsea in the League Cup final after surviving a scare in their 1-1 draw against Fulham in the second leg of the semi-final on Wednesday night. Holding a 2-1 advantage from the first leg, Liverpool took the lead through Luis Diaz early in the first half at Craven Cottage. Jurgen Klopp’s men wasted no time getting on the front foot as Diaz glanced a header narrowly wide from Harvey Elliott’s free-kick inside the first two minutes. Crucially, Joao Palhinha wasted a golden opportunity to put Fulham ahead when the unmarked midfielder met Andreas Pereira’s corner with a volley that whistled over from 10 yards. Diaz made sure Liverpool took advantage of that escape in the 11th minute, the Colombian rising to win an aerial challenge before darting…

Lerato Sengadi, the widow of Motswako legend Jabulani Tsambo, better known by his stage name Hip Hop Pantsula (HHP), is set to anchor the newest reality series coming to screens. The PR specialist and marketing professional is a part of Widows Unveiled, a 10-part Showmax Original that follows the lives of five women who were married to public figures who died. The series was produced by Passionlane Productions, the brains behind Mzansi Magic’s Safta-nominated hit show Uthando Nes’thembu. The reality TV show documents the journey of each woman, from pain to triumph, as they navigate the drama and scandal that followed the deaths of their husbands. The cast includes award-winning philanthropist, executive producer of Nkalakatha: The Life of Mandoza and stroke survivor Mpho Tshabalala, the widow of musician Mandoza; broadcaster…

Tik worth more than R18 million and mandrax and dagga worth more than R10 million formed part of a R90 million drugs haul destroyed by the police yesterday. National commissioner of the SAPS General Fanie Masemola presided over the destruction of the drugs, accompanied by provincial commissioner Thembisile Patekile. There were 17 boxes consisting of mandrax, tik and cocaine. Masemola said: “These are drugs that were confiscated during police operations in the Western and Eastern Cape at roadblocks and tracing operations, operation Shanela, stop and search and intelligence-driven operations. They include tik worth over R18m, and cocaine and mandrax worth R10m in terms of street value. “After the drugs are confiscated they are counted at a local police station and then transferred to the forensics lab where they get tested…

ActionSA wants the state to go back to its old ways and have a single education department as opposed to the current two departments of basic and higher education. The party was speaking outside Parliament during its picket against the Basic Education Law Amendment (Bela) Bill. Among other things, the bill seeks to make education compulsory from Grade R to Grade 12 and criminalise parents or guardians who block children from attending school without a just cause. The bill also states that the head of the department may, when considering an application, require a delegated official to conduct a pre-registration site visit. It also provides that the minister of basic education may institute regulations relating to the registration and administration of home education. It also states that a school governing…

Turkish ambassador to South Africa Aysegül Kandaş with Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu opened two new artisan workshops in Cape Town yesterday. The first took place at the Cape Town Society for the Blind in Salt River, with the handover of a basket workshop renovated by the Turkish Co-operation and Co-ordination Agency (TİKA). Kandaş said TİKA tries to do projects in all provinces and especially in the Eastern Cape, particularly enhancing the lives of the youth and women and those who are disadvantaged in society. These projects invest strongly in human capital through workshops and training, she said. “TİKA has many offices around the world, 23 of them are in Africa alone. So one of their offices is based in Pretoria. The office was established in 2018. Since that year,…

THE Africa Cup of Nations moves to the knockout phase after a remarkable group stage packed with goals, drama, shock results and a huge scare for hosts Ivory Coast, but holders Senegal remain the team to beat. The tournament is on course to be far more prolific than either of the two previous editions to feature 24 teams, after 89 goals were scored in the group stage. That average of 2.5 goals per game marks a huge increase after 68 were scored in the first round in Cameroon two years ago, and in the first expanded Afcon in Egypt in 2019. Senegal got to the final of both of those tournaments, and won the title for the first time in 2022. They have lived up to their billing in Ivory…

Zheng Qinwen coasted past Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska yesterday to become the first Chinese finalist in a decade at the Australian Open, setting up a decider against defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. The 12th seed, heading into the world’s top 10 in next week’s updated rankings, delivered a controlled performance on Rod Laver Arena to win 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 42 minutes. “Queen Wen” is the first Chinese player to reach the final at Melbourne Park since her idol Li Na, who won the tournament in 2014. “I’m super-excited to have such a great performance today and arrive in the final,” said the 21-year-old, who had previously never been beyond the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam. “My opponent was playing unbelievable tennis and had a really good baseline stroke.…

The man is ready – now it is time for the machine to catch up. That was Brad Binder’s assessment this week, while speaking to Independent Media as he prepares for the 2024 MotoGP season, which starts in early March. Now on the cusp of the pre-season and with a shakedown test in Malaysia on the horizon, the 28-year-old Binder and Red Bull KTM are busy searching for solutions for minor oojamaflips that could have a major impact on their performances. Last season, Binder found himself in the thick of the action, battling for the most part at the front end of the grid. This ensured five podiums, two sprint race victories, a fourth-place finish in the world riders’ championship, his best performance in the elite class and a second-place…

He LEFT, he faced off, and then he conquered. And just yesterday, South Africa’s first UFC middleweight champion, Dricus “Stillknocks” du Plessis (21-2-0), returned home to a hero’s welcome at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Du Plessis captured the hearts of millions of Africans and MMA fans from across the globe when he made history by becoming the first athlete training out of Africa to earn the Ultimate Fighting Championship gold after he beat former 185-pound champion Sean Strickland of the US at UFC 297 at the Scotiabank Arena in Ontario, Canada last weekend. Thousands of fans gathered at the airport yesterday morning, with Du Plessis’ flight scheduled to land at 7.30am. Thunderous applause erupted as Stillknocks took a corner, with cameras and flashing lights illuminating his golden…

South African Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago announced yesterday that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) had decided to keep the repurchase rate (repo rate) for the country unchanged. This means that the repo rate will remain at 8.25%, while the prime lending rate also stays at 11.75%. The governor said: “Achieving permanently lower inflation and interest rates requires inflation expectations to be closely anchored to the mid-point of the target band.” Kganyago said that at the start of the new year, economic conditions remained mixed and the outlook uncertain. “While headline inflation continues to ease in much of the world, core inflation remains sticky and high,” he said. Both advanced and emerging economies are likely to see modest economic growth this year, despite better-than-expected outcomes in 2023. “In most countries,…

Three suspects are expected in court on Monday after they were arrested for having a vehicle hijacked near Delft. The three men, between the ages of 26 and 30, were caught by police yesterday morning after they were tracked down in the possession of a silver 4x4 Nissan Hardbody. The vehicle was found along Stellenbosch Arterial near the Belhar cemetery, and is believed to belong to a 40-year-old man whose body was found behind a sand hill near a construction site in the area. It’s alleged that the three men hijacked the vehicle before 5am, killed him and then dumped his body in a field. Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said police were investigating. “Delft police are investigating a case of carjacking and murder following an incident today (Thursday) at…

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have voiced their dissatisfaction over the postponement in the appeal hearing of Western Cape legislature's deputy speaker Beverley Schäfer. The appeal revolves around her alleged misuse of a BMW X5 SUV, incurring a cost exceeding R150 000 to the state. The hearing was postponed by the legislature’s appeals committee chairperson, as it was originally scheduled to be completed within a 3-day period starting last week. Schäfer’s case started almost five years ago after complaints that she refused to downgrade her luxury state-funded BMW X5 when her six-month stint as MEC ended in May 2019 were investigated. The legislature’s conduct committee found her guilty of violating the code of conduct by misusing the BMW X5 SUV. Schäfer was found guilty and fined R17…

THE South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) has called on all residents to take a stand against the Engen refinery on the Bluff. The SDCEA claimed that Engen acted irresponsibly when it started up the Kerosene Hydrotreater Unit (KHT) at its Tara Road refinery in December. The SDCEA said there were health concerns among affected fenceline communities in Merebank and Wentworth due to emissions from the plant. SDCEA head Desmond D’Sa said despite Engen having published a notice in a community newspaper on October 24 last year, no warning was given to the community alerting them of the dangers, risks and emissions that would arise from the flaring. “This resulted in a bleak Christmas celebration for many residents, who reported this to us that they’re experiencing respiratory-related difficulties arising from…

After my third trip to the World Economic Forum (WEF), I remain convinced that there is nothing like it. Presidents, global business leaders, innovators and more are all brought together in snowy Davos to engage, resulting in fascinating conversations that can shape the global economy. This year focused on AI+, Climate, and Africa. There is simply no denying that the future revolves around the topics, and here is why: Artificial Intelligence As Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, rightly said, GPTs have paved the way for the mass adoption of AI. ChatGPT has become a common tool and many others have started building their own GPTs or interacting with AI in various forms. Bill Gates framed AI as the tool with the potential to impact every household and to create…

After every SA20 game, the Paarl Royals break out into a song, Royals, jou lekker ding, inside their changeroom. Seam bowler Codi Yusuf, who is from Florida in Johannesburg, is often the lead choirboy, but is quickly joined by all his teammates, who range from Jamaican Fabian Allen to Lancastrian Jos Buttler. Despite the language barrier, with the Afrikaans theme song meaning “Royals, you good thing”, it crosses all divides and shows the Boland Park-based side’s close-knit team spirit. Middle-order batter Wihan Lubbe believes this is the reason for the Royals being at the summit of the SA20 table heading into their crucial top-of-the-log clash against Durban’s Super Giants tonight in Paarl (5.30pm start). “Winning does help, of course, but we are enjoying each other’s company off the field. We…

Themba Zwane is confident that Bafana Bafana can compete for the Africa Cup of Nations crown, considering the quality of players within the squad. Bafana will face Morocco in the last 16 of the biennial showpiece in San-Pedro on Tuesday night (10pm kickoff, SA time) after finishing second in Group E with four points, one behind log leaders Mali. It was a job well done for the South Africans, given that they managed to do what was needed in the last game: get a result against the third-ranked nation on the continent, Tunisia. Bafana held the Carthage Eagles to a 0-0 draw in their last group stage match in Korhogo on Wednesday night, having trounced Namibia 4-0 in the previous game and lost 2-0 to Mali in the opener. Zwane…

With the Stormers’ run-in towards the United Rugby Championship play-offs starting in the middle of next month against the Sharks, the Cape side will welcome back several injured stars to boost them during a period when they will be losing their World Cup-winning Springboks. Flyhalf Manie Libbok, utility back Damian Willemse and loose forward Deon Fourie will all rest according to their Springbok protocols. But regular captain Salmaan Moerat, World Cup-winning tighthead Frans Malherbe and loose forward Evan Roos should all be back for the next URC match on February 17 in Durban. The inaugural champions will also have put new recruit Wandisile Simelane through some friendly matches over the next few weeks that will allow him to slot in alongside inside centre Dan du Plessis should they call on…