Innehållsförteckning för 2024-03-12 från Cape Argus

Comcast Corporation’s Universal Pictures dominated Sunday’s Academy Awards, propelled by the historical drama Oppenheimer, which won seven Oscars, including Best Picture. The film about the father of the atomic bomb claimed wins in several major categories, including the Best Director Oscar for Christopher Nolan, lead actor for Cillian Murphy and supporting actor for Robert Downey jr. The Holdovers, a film from Universal’s Focus Features about a strict teacher in a New England boarding school who is forced to supervise students unable to return home for Christmas, won for Best Supporting Actress, Da’Vine Joy Randolph. Disney’s Searchlight division scored five Oscars. Four of them went to Poor Things, the reimagining of the Frankenstein story, which earned the Best Actress honour for Emma Stone. Searchlight also received an Oscar for documentary…

SET to ignite stages and connect music lovers once again, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) is back with a new format, new vibe and masterclasses as Matt Bianco, Kokoroko and The Yussef Dayes Experience will join an all-star South Africa line-up. Ticket sales opened yesterday for the festival that returns on May 3 and 4 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, as four re-imagined stages will welcome artists and festival- goers for Africa’s premier jazz celebration. Head of talent at CTIJF, Lindsay Rhoda, hinted at an electrifying fusion of heritage and innovation. “We have worked hard over the past few months to compile a programme that pays homage to…

AN 87-year-old grandfather has been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment after he was convicted for shooting his “disrespectful” grandson. The Mhala Regional Court in Mpumalanga sentenced the man, whose name is being withheld to protect the minor involved, after he was convicted on a charge of attempted murder. The court heard that in August last year the mother of the 13-year-old boy had been at work when she received a call informing her that her son had been seriously injured. The teen was attacked by his grandfather at Marite Trust near Hazyview. “Upon arrival, she (the mother) learned that her father had shot her son in his lower back. “The child was taken to a nearby hospital,” said Mpumalanga provincial police spokesperson Donald Mdhluli. The grandfather informed the child’s mother…

SIX suspects have been arrested for hijacking a cargo truck carrying meat and R1 million worth of goods along the N7 near Dunoon. Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said they received a tip-off about the suspects in a VW with a blue light who stopped the truck on the road. “Police followed up the information. According to reports, the suspects used a blue light in their vehicle to stop and hijack the truck with a cargo load valued R1m. The vigilance by members of the Cape Town K9 Unit led to the arrest of six suspects for possession of stolen property.” Twigg said the suspects were expected to appear in court once charged. In an unrelated incident, police in Delft arrested a man at a vehicle check point in the area,…

ELECTRICITY Minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has asked South Africans to “be patient” as the ministry and Eskom work towards resolving load shedding over the long term. Ramokgopa was briefing the media yesterday on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan. The plan was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July, outlining steps to fix Eskom and end load shedding. Following this, a National Energy Crisis Committee was established to ensure the plan was implemented to achieve its objectives. Ramokgopa said the R80 billion cash injection from the National Treasury would allow Eskom to ramp-up planned maintenance. The ministry has already received R44bn of the money. Ramokgopa said that since May last year, planned maintenance had increased from around 3 120MW to 7 307MW in February this year. “The outside experts have…

During this year’s National Water Month in March, South Africans are encouraged to continue to use water sparingly and conserve it in their households. Water Month, an expansion of World Water Day, is observed annually on March 22 to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. The National Water Month theme for this year is “Leveraging Water for Peace”, which encourages communities to use water as a tool for peace when co-operating over this precious shared resource. South Africa will commemorate National Water Week from March 21-27, with advocacy programmes focusing on educating and conscientising all South Africans to make a difference by changing the way they use, consume and manage water in their lives. March is also Human Rights Month, and the Constitution guarantees every person’s right to…

Gaza’s deadliest war showed no signs of abating as the Muslim holy month of Ramadaan began yesterday amid a gruelling humanitarian crisis that has pushed much of the territory to the brink of starvation. UN and aid groups say only a fraction of the supplies needed for Gaza’s 2.4 million people have been allowed in since Israel placed it under near- total siege after the October 7 attack. As the Muslim world welcomed Ramadaan with the customary daytime fast, many Gazans awoke to bombardment that saw residents once more search the rubble of destroyed homes for survivors and bodies. “The start of Ramadaan has been sad and covered in darkness, with the taste and stench of blood everywhere,” said one displaced Palestinian man, Awni al-Kayyal, 50. “The (Israeli) occupation does…

Multi-talented media personality, Somizi Mhlongo took to Instagram to ask fans to chip in on his grammar. The former Idol’s SA judge, who coined several local phrases like “woo shem”, “dishwasher personality” and “acrobatly ostentatiously berivical”, asked his fans if he was grammatically correct for saying “I’ll make the time” instead of “I’ll make time”. Somgaga said it all started when his friend asked him if they could meet and he said, “OK, I’ll make the time”. In the video clip, he said, “One thing I know about myself is that my English is untouchable ... I’m the master of English. Subjects that I excel in are mathematics and English, the most difficult subjects. “So this friend says let’s meet ...is it urgent, yeah kinda. It’s okay, I’ll make the…

THE University of Cape Town (UCT) Senate has started voting on a motion calling for an academic boycott of persons and institutions linked to Israel. This follows a reconvened meeting by the Senate on Friday, which was presented three separate motions on the agenda pertaining to the situation in Gaza, UCT spokesperson Elijah Moholola said. The Senate considered only one of the motions yesterday and commenced its vote on it, which was expected to conclude tomorrow. “The Senate will reconvene at a later stage to consider the other two motions on the Gaza conflict. UCT will provide further updates on this matter at an appropriate time,” Moholola said. The motion that…

Durban-born billionaire Martin Moshal has reportedly donated around R59.5 million to political parties between April 2021 and December 2023. According to the Outlier and based on data from the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), Moshal has donated R35 million to the DA. He has donated R20.5m to ActionSA and R4m to Build One South Africa (Bosa). The Australian-based billionaire is known to be extremely media shy and, therefore, not much is known about the mega donor. Moshal lives in Camp Cove, a bay on the southern side of Port Jackson, Sydney harbour in Australia. Moshal is said to be a serial entrepreneur in the tech industry for more than 20 years. He studied Business Science at UCT. He holds an Honorary PhD from the Technion – Israel Institute of…

A terrorist is defined as a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. Contrary to international law, Prime Minister Netanyahu turned off the water, electricity, and fuel to Gaza, creating the stage for famine and diseases. Netanyahu has also turned a blind eye to international law by bombarding Palestinian homes, hospitals, UN safe havens, schools, universities, bakeries and desalination plants. Israel, as a member of the UN, and by virtue, the Prime Ministers of Israel has blatantly ignored at least 28 United Nations Security Council resolutions and the Laws of War and Occupation as stated in the Fourth Geneva Convention. These violations include the illegal occupation of land annexed by force in 1948 and 1967. Israel illegally built more than 200…

Dear Mayor Hill-Lewis, Every time you issue orders to “evict” people living on the streets, you write an opinion editorial to defend or motivate your actions. You tell us that it is done not only for the good of the city, the city’s housed community, but most importantly, for the good of those living on the streets. You also explain the caring and sustainable alternatives being offered by the City’s staff and the post-eviction services that monitor what happens to these individuals subsequent to an eviction. You go further and try to convince the city’s residents that this “model” you are using to address homelessness is successful and suggest other cities should try it as a model that is working. Besides offering my congratulations and sharing my excitement with you…

“You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to be a boss, but you can’t ever be mean. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but you must not talk about your kids all the damn time. “You have to answer for men's bad behaviour, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much. You must always stand out and always be grateful. You must never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down,…

The Premier League’s top three are separated by a single point with 10 games remaining as a thrilling battle between Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City looks set to go down to the wire. Here, we look at where each of the contenders stand and how their run-ins compare. Arsenal – 64 points The Gunners are the most in-form of the three contenders with a run of eight consecutive league wins in 2024, including a crucial 3-1 victory over Liverpool in January. Mikel Arteta’s men have smashed in 33 goals in those eight games to also open up a healthy goal difference advantage over their rivals, which could prove decisive. Arsenal are not in league action again for another three weeks, and their trip to City on March 31 is the…

Barcelona’s last-16 second leg tie at home to Napoli will be their most important game of the season, manager Xavi Hernandez said yesterday. The first leg was 1-1 and Barca have a chance to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2020 tonight after failing to get past the group stage in the past two seasons. The last time they won a Champions League knockout game was in a 3-1 home win over Napoli that year. With the club third in LaLiga, eight points behind leaders Real Madrid, Europe is now the priority. “The most important game of the season? Yes, it is, and we’re ready, we’re excited,” Xavi said. “It’s been four years since we’ve been in the quarter-finals and that’s how we see it. We want to…

John Cena presented at the Oscars naked on Sunday night, with just a (rather large) envelope to cover his modesty. The Blockers actor showed off his muscular physique as he reluctantly walked on stage at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre to hand out the Best Costume Design accolade – which went to Poor Things – as part of a sketch with host Jimmy Kimmel, who referenced one of the Academy Awards’ most shocking moments when an unnamed man ran on stage at the 1974 ceremony. Kimmel asked: “Can you imagine if a nude man ran across the stage today? I said, can you imagine if a nude man ran across the stage today? Wouldn’t that be crazy?” Shirtless Cena then popped his head up but insisted he didn’t “feel right” about…

TWO former police officers and a clerk have been sentenced to five years direct imprisonment after accepting a R700 bribe from a couple arrested for theft. Siyabulela Klaas and Mzimasi Soji were stationed at Khayelitsha police station, while Phumelele Solani was an administrative clerk at Harare police station when they accepted the bribe in 2016. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sentenced the trio to eight years direct imprisonment for corruption, with three years suspended for five years. They were also sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for attempting to obstruct the administration of justice, and Soji was sentenced to 12 months for obstructing the administration of justice. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, effectively sentencing each accused to five years direct imprisonment.…

I continue to watch with interest the events unfolding after South Africa initiated a genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice. It would seem that the entire world community should have sided with South Africa but it did not happen. On the contrary, the West, which considers itself a key player in the geopolitical arena, has shown its demonic face to the world. Germanysaid South Africa’s accusations had no basis. More than 200 US lawmakers from both parties signed a letter to Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, condemning the genocide case as baseless. They did not even bother to refute a big number of eloquent evidences presented by South African lawyers in the ICJ. South Africa has been accused of undermining US foreign policy interests as it…

The leaked list of ANC candidates confirms that the same government running the economy into the abyss and turning Eskom and SAA into tax beggars – even named in probes as complicit in corruption – will still be in the ANC government after the elections on May 29. ANC economic transformation committee deputy chairperson, Zuko Godlimpi, has already shown that after the polls, the ANC’s focus shifts to financial sector transformation. Pension funds will be targeted. Are the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) and its brokerage arm, the Public Investment Corporation, up to this government attack? “No!” GEPF chairperson Dondo Mogajane wants the GEPF to address race-based inequality. This is stealing pension funds as the law does not grant such a mandate. JOE KLEINHANS | Annlin…

UCT’s possible boycott of Israeli universities has ignited a firestorm of debate. This comes amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, a situation that evokes strong emotions and moral outrage, particularly in South Africa, a nation with its own troubled history of racial segregation. Proponents of the boycott argue that it’s a necessary symbolic gesture against a nation accused of human rights abuses. They see a parallel between the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the oppressive apartheid regime South Africa once grappled with. The “Total Onslaught” doctrine of the apartheid era sought to silence critics and delegitimise international opposition through bullying tactics and financial muscle. They see a similar strategy employed by the Israeli lobby. Latterly critics of Israel, at universities, have been faced with threats to withdraw funding. Opponents of the…

PERCY Tau, one of South Africa’s favourite players, was a notable omission from the Bafana Bafana squad named yesterday, but fans will be pleased with the call-up for the exciting Orlando Pirates central midfielder Patrick “Tito” Maswanganyi. Tau was hopelessly off-colour at the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast and his exclusion is not unexpected because the squad will be playing friendlies rather than competitive matches. Coach Hugo Broos has decided to let him stay with Al Ahly in Egypt and enjoy a break from the international scene. Instead, Broos has named 10 new players, including three uncapped players, in his 23-man squad for the upcoming international friendlies later this month. The 58th world-ranked Bafana will face Andorra (ranked 164th) at the May 19, 1956 Stadium in Annaba,…

SuperSport United are expected to be excited at the prospect of ending rivals Mamelodi Sundowns DStv Premiership invincibility. The Brazilians and Matsatsantsa will collide at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium tonight (7.30pm) in another instalment of the Tshwane derby. Sundowns, as expected, have run through most teams put in front of them in the Premiership on their way to opening up a 12-point gap at the top of the standings. Coach Rulani Mokwena has seen his team win 14 of the 17 matches they’ve played so far with the other three ending in draws. However, Mokwena will remember that their next opponents are one of just two teams that beat Sundowns last season, a slip-up they’ll be eager to avoid. SuperSport United veteran and captain Onismor Bhasera spoke ahead of their…