Innehållsförteckning för 2024-02-05 från Cape Argus

THE Camps Bay Community Policing Forum (CPF) has called an urgent meeting with residents and safety role-players for this week after a woman was stabbed, allegedly by a street child, on Saturday. It is alleged that the woman was running near the beachfront when she was stabbed under her arm, allegedly by the child who attempted to rob her. Residents treated the victim on the scene and an armed response company provided first aid before she was taken to a nearby medical facility. Police said yesterday an arrest was yet to be made, and advised that the victim, upon her discharge from hospital, report the incident at the Camps Bay police station. Camps Bay CPF chairperson Martin Steinau said: “We have noted with concern that just as tourists come and…

THE man accused of killing 12-year-old Firdous Kleinsmidt had been accused of murder before. This was revealed as Lorenzo Brown, 27, made his first appearance in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court on Friday. The Ieglaasi Nieyah Primary School learner was about to walk to her scholar transport when she was hit in the eye by a stray bullet and died on the Beacon Valley school premises on Tuesday morning at around 11am. Brown was arrested on Wednesday and faces charges of murder and attempted murder. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, Fadiel Adams of the National Coloured Congress, City Safety and Security chief JP Smith and Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen sat in the public gallery. In 2022, Brown was charged with murder but this was withdrawn due to an…

THE length of time goods are being kept at the port is costing millions of rand,” a distressed fruit exporter has told Independent Media. “We are forking out from our pocket,” distressed fruit exporter and managing director at Riypm, Uzair Essack said. Essack said the ports crisis in South Africa severely impacted agriculture by disrupting the timely export of perishable goods. He added that the delays at ports compromised product quality, which would lead to losses for farmers. Essack said the situation also hampered the imports of crucial agricultural inputs, affecting domestic farming and food security. “We spent a lot of money on shipment as it takes a while for our products to be loaded into the ship, and that’s money, and the longer it takes to offload, that’s money…

With plans to continue leading in the field of research and innovation, Groote Schuur Hospital’s new CEO Dr Shaheem De Vries said he looked forward to following in the footsteps of his predecessor. “I consider it an honour to be selected as the steward of such a quintessential symbol of our commitment to health care in this province. “Groote Schuur Hospital has remained an example of quality care while also leading in the field of research and innovation. “It continues to redefine what is possible within the public health system. “Dr (Bhavna) Patel has built an incredible legacy during her tenure, and I’m following in the footsteps of a formidable leader. “I am, however, excited by the opportunity and look forward to working with such a great team,” said De…

THE election issue of 2024 is: What is the plan to end gross, inhumane and lingering black poverty? No other issue is going to dominate this election as much as this one. South Africa has about 10 years left of “life as we now know it.” If there is no credible and substantially sound plan to end gross, inhumane and lingering black poverty, South Africa will become a violence-torn outpost, where the rich come to play in carefully crafted securitised enclaves and the poor live in violent, dehumanising squalor. The citizens of this country must insist that the party they vote for shows them its plan to end gross, inhumane and lingering black poverty. With a population of 62 million, the majority of South Africa’s 55.3 million collective black population,…

We ARE deep in election mode as disgraced politicians attempt a comeback after destroying and decimating our country. Earth-shattering new revelations continue to make headlines in our dysfunctional country. Do not be deceived by the current recycled shenanigans, they are all promising voters a new Shangri-La. The road to power is paved with hypocrisy and casualties. All the major political parties have lost their moral values to the affluence that comes with power and materialism. It’s the bane that has survived in our political arena, hence deserving of the term “cronyism”. Its waters are murky; it is not for the faint-hearted. We are a nation in total disarray. Petrol price hikes, e-tolls, load shedding, corruption and rampant crime aided by a powerless law enforcement system will have a major impact…

MOSCOW: Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko yesterday set a world record for total time spent in space, surpassing his compatriot Gennady Padalka who logged more than 878 days in orbit, Russia’s space corporation said. At 0830 GMT Kononenko broke the record, Roscosmos said. Kononenko is expected to reach a total of 1 000 days in space on June 5 and by late September he will have clocked 1 110 days. “I fly into space to do my favourite thing, not to set records,” Kononenko said ,from the International Space Station where he is orbiting about 423km from the earth.…

ABUJA: Nigeria’s Supreme Court on Friday ruled that Shell should be granted a hearing over an alleged oil spill in the Niger Delta after the Court of Appeal halted an asset sale and ordered a judgment claim to be paid prior to hearing its case. The case, one of several against the oil giant locally and abroad, started with a ruling in November 2020 that Shell pay 800 billion naira ($878 million) to affected communities. Shell had appealed to stop the High Court from executing its judgment but the Court of Appeal ordered Shell to deposit the money in an account controlled by the court before its appeal could proceed.…

The Proteas received a much-needed boost ahead of the second ODI against Australia on Wednesday, with star all-rounder Marizanne Kapp reportedly passed fit. Kapp was struck on her left elbow by a throw as she completed a second run to reach her half-century in the first ODI on Saturday in Adelaide, which forced her to retire hurt. She was unable to play any part in the Proteas’ fielding effort as the visitors went down by eight wickets to the world champions. Kapp has undergone scans, which cleared the star all-rounder of serious damage, with the scan revealing a “soft tissue injury” to her upper left arm. Independent Media understands that the 34-year-old is ready to take her place for the second ODI in North Sydney in a couple of days.…

The Springboks are set to warm up for this year’s international season with a Test against Wales at Twickenham in June. The Boks demolished the All Blacks 35-5 at the venue in September, and a return to the home of rugby will generate much-needed revenue for SA Rugby but also serve as a warm-up for the two-Test home series against Ireland in the first two weeks of July. The Boks can expect plenty of support from expatriate South Africans in London, while Wales, who lost 27-26 to Scotland in a Six Nations thriller at the weekend, will give them a tough workout ahead of the matches against the No1 team in the world. Ireland enjoyed an emphatic victory over France in Marseilles on Friday night and will be hell-bent on…

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe hopes Anthony Gordon does not join the long list of absentees at St James’ Park after the winger left the stadium on crutches following their 4-4 draw against Luton Town in the Premier League on Saturday. The 22-year-old, Newcastle’s leading goalscorer (seven) behind Swedish forward Alexander Isak (11) in the top flight this season, was taken off at half-time due to an apparent ankle injury. Newcastle are already without mainstays Isak, Brazilian midfielder Joelinton, goalkeeper Nick Pope and others through injury. “It looked like he (Gordon) twisted his ankle,” Howe said. “I wasn’t sure on the incident, I didn’t see what happened. But he was in a lot of pain at half-time and had to come off.” Howe said he did not know how serious…

Spellbinding display puts SA in semi-finals CAPE Verde, seeking to be inspired by Madiba Magic, were floored by Bafana Bafana’s 4x4 power in Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations 2023 semi-final against South Africa in Ivory Coast. On the eve of the match, Pedro “Bubista” Brito, the national team coach of Cape Verde, said that his team would be drawing heavily on the inspiration of former South African president Nelson Mandela. Madiba Magic had spurred Bafana Bafana to great heights in 1996. Despite being debutants then, they went on to win Afcon after substitute Mark Williams scored twice in the final against Tunisia in Johannesburg. On Saturday, though, another Williams was at the heart of Bafana’s astonishing quarter-final win. This time it was goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who produced a spellbinding display…

NTHABELENG Likotsi and her partner have become founders of the Young Women in Business Network (YWBN), the first African women-owned bank in South Africa. “Developing black enterprises is more critical in a country like ours where the economy is not only working for a select few, with millions of families left to struggle unfairly, but also has a financial sector that is dominated by white males,” Likotsi said. According to her company, operating in a sector dominated by one demographic grouping to the exclusion of the rest is incongruous to the country’s efforts of building an economy that works for all. They said: “It is this incongruity that YWBN Mutual Bank will endeavour to address. Of particular focus would be the financial inclusion of small and medium-sized businesses, particularly those…

THE busiest fire season recorded over the past four years, has seen the City’s Fire and Rescue Service put out 13 087 fires between October and January. The majority of these were vegetation fires, accounting for 55% of call-outs. Vegetation fires increased by 19%, compared to the same period the previous year, with the statistics showing an upward trend over the past three years, the City said. Residential fires recorded a slight downturn in both informal and formal fires, compared to the previous year. “The past few months have been a true test of our Fire and Rescue Service’s capabilities, as well as the various support departments. However, it has also been a testament to the planning and resourcing within the service, as well as the relationships that exist not…

What a travesty of justice in Mitchell’s Plain on Friday, relating to the death of Firdous Kleinsmidt, 12, who was shot and killed by a stray bullet, allegedly by one of the 15 “stolen” firearms from the Mitchell’s Plain police station. When the DA protested and handed over a memorandum of grievances to the Mitchell’s Plain police officials, they were greeted by National Coloured Congress (NCC) party members, who protested at their presence (DA) and uttered the most vile expletives (p-word and n**i-word). The NCC leader displayed utmost disrespect for executive mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Mayco for Safety and Security Alderman JP Smith, continuously spewing vitriolic abuse. What could have been a display of unity in protest action by the DA and the NCC, by the passing of yet another…

WHAT South Africa achieved almost two weeks ago cannot be ignored or underestimated. It was a bold move which set the stage for more dialogue towards the cessation of hostilities between Israel and the Palestinians. The fact that Hamas was the instigator that started all the trouble that has now resulted in the slaughter of Palestinians, which seems determined never to stop until the Palestinians are completely wiped from the face of the Earth, is complicated because the Israelis demand the release of the hostages that were taken by Hamas on October 7 before any talks about ceasefire, while Hamas is determined to hold on to the hostages, even though they continue to suffer untold devastation. There is no food, no water, no shelter as destroyed buildings have ended up…

Bafana Bafana, against all expectations, have reached the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 24 years after their dramatic quarter-final triumph over Cape Verde in Ivory Coast on Saturday evening. It certainly was not a vintage performance from Hugo Broos’ team. However, South Africa held out against the highly fancied Cape Verde for all of 120 minutes for a goalless stalemate and forced the eventual penalty shoot-out. Cape Verde have emerged as one of the surprise packages of the 2023 marquee continental event. After enjoying a surfeit of possession during regulation time, they were well in position to end the contest on a winning note after 90 minutes, but they failed to take advantage of their good fortune. When the dreaded penalty shoot-out emerged,…

LONDON: Protesters who climb Britain’s war memorials could face three months in prison and a £1 000 (R23 900) fine under government plans to create a new criminal offence after incidents during pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Interior minister James Cleverly said recent protests had featured “a small minority dedicated to causing damage and insulting those who paid the ultimate price for their freedom to protest”. “Peaceful protest is fundamental in our county, but climbing on our war memorials is an insult to these monuments of remembrance,” he said yesterday. The move would be part of a plan to strengthen police public order powers…

Namibia’s President Hage Geingob, 82, died in hospital early yesterday, the presidency said, weeks after he was diagnosed with cancer. Geingob had been in charge of the thinly populated and mostly arid southern African country since 2015, the year he announced he had survived prostate cancer. Vice President Nangolo Mbumba takes the helm in Namibia – a mining hotspot with significant deposits of diamonds and the electric car battery ingredient lithium – until presidential and parliamentary elections at the end of the year. A presidency post on social media platform X did not give a cause of death, but late last month the presidency said he had travelled to the United States for “a two-day novel treatment for cancerous cells”, after being diagnosed following a regular medical check-up. Born in…

The annual fixture between Wynberg Boys and hosts Grey High, played in Gqeberha, saw the visitors repeat their first-round win with a comfortable 99-run victory. Wynberg won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch that proved lively in the first hour of play. Grey opening bowler Likhona Gcora (2-15) was soon among the wickets and had both Wynberg openers Storme van Rooyen (0) and Shadley Allie (9) back in the hut with only 23 runs on the board. When SA Schools captain Beni Hansen perished shortly afterwards with the score 29-3, the Wynberg innings was on the ropes. But the in-form Paul James came to the rescue with a patient knock as he weathered the storm. He was intent on occupying the crease, but was quick to punish…

The culmination of the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations has seen records made and continued the trend of shocks in the tournament so far. The top-ranked teams were eliminated before the round of 16, and more bizarrely, none of the four teams who played in the semi-finals in 2021, made it this time around. Here, Smiso Msomi takes a look at three talking points from the quarter-finals involving Nigeria and Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea, and Mali and Ivory Coast. Elephants like a cat with nine lives Ivory Coast have experienced arguably every emotion associated with football in this tournament so far. The hosts were almost eliminated in the group stage, finishing as the fourth-best third-place team. They needed a late penalty against Senegal…

WITH no secret to his longevity and simply embracing the challenges that life throws at him, John Martin Cupido, affectionately known as Uncle Johnny, was all smiles as he celebrated his 100th birthday yesterday. Originally from Retreat and now living at the Village Care Centre in Lavender Hill, Cupido spent the day with family, friends and the carers at the home, as they spoiled him with a centurion birthday cake and a gift sponsored by the Lions Club of Tokai. Cupido made a grand entrance to his party yesterday, smiling from ear to ear with his hands in the air as his niece wheeled him into the home after a church service where everyone gathered to sing happy birthday and him repeating, “It is only God”. The God-fearing man said:…

I AM fully aware that the ICJ’s verdict against Israel is toothless, as indicated in Colin Bosman’s letter “Ultimately, the ICJ verdict is toothless” (Cape Argus, January 31). But a closer look at the reason for the ineffectiveness of the ICJ and its enforcement tool, the UN Security Council lies fairly and squarely in the hands of the US, which used its veto power 45 times out of a total of 89 to shield Israel from accountability. The US is therefore solely responsible for allowing Israel, the only democratic state in the Middle East (huh hah) to get away with heinous crimes for decades. This was pointed out in previous letters (“When it comes to Israel, UN resolutions are moot”) and (“Veto power of US shielding Israel”). How can we…

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria: Six Nigerian students and three teachers kidnapped by gunmen while returning from a school trip last week were freed yesterday but their driver had been killed, the state government said. The Ekiti state government did not say whether a ransom was paid or share details of their release. The state government’s statement said the kidnapped students from a private primary school were released in the early hours of yesterday. “However, the driver of the school bus was killed, reportedly, by the kidnappers,” the statement said, adding that the students would be treated for post-trauma therapy.…

WASHINGTON: Mike Gill, a former official in the Trump administration, has died, a few days after being shot during a deadly carjacking rampage in the US capital of Washington, DC, the media reported. Gill, who was attacked last Monday, the first of many reported in a carjacking rampage, died on Saturday, Fox News reported. Gill, who previously served as chief of staff at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, was senior vice-president for Capital Markets at the Housing Policy Council when he died. The suspect, identified as 28-year-old Artell Cunningham, entered Gill’s car and shot him, Xinhua news agency reported.…

ONLY a select few get to have a dream start to their Test careers, a format widely known for being unforgiving even to the best of the best, let alone a debutant. However, once in a while, the cricket gods are kind even to the debutants of the longest format of the game. Proteas fast bowler Tshepo Moreki became one of the select few to have a dream start to their Test careers with a maiden Test cap in the ongoing Test tour of New Zealand. Moreki, opening the bowling for South Africa at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, delivered a peach of a delivery in his very first ball in Test cricket, trapping New Zealand batter Devon Conway in front of the stumps to claim his first scalp…