Innehållsförteckning för 2024-03-19 från Cape Argus

Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Tyla has been accused of joining Hollywood’s secret society, the Illuminati. The accusations were made during an interview with Blac Chyna’s mother. Toni Tokyo, whose real name is Shalana Hunter, was talking about Hollywood celebrities that she allegedly regards as being a part of the Illuminat. She mentioned that the most recent “industry plants” were rapper Ice Spice and our home girl, Tyla. The three-hour-long interview by RealLyfe Productions, Street Starz, aired on YouTube recently and since then, clips have been making the rounds on social media platforms X and TikTok. Tokyo divulged a lot of sensitive information, including who she allegedly “knows” is part of the society, how the organisation gets people to join and what they offer. What sparked mixed reactions in SA,…

SMALL-scale fishers have raised concerns over the supply of snoek in preparation for Easter celebrations, as the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) cracked down on daily catch limits. This follows the DFFE enlisting the help of the SANDF at the weekend, when it inspected several vessels on the Hondeklipbaai slipway in the Northern Cape. Maria Welcome, spokesperson for environmental society organisation Green Connection, said fishers along the West Coast were struggling with quotas to meet the demands of fish supply. “Snoek migration starts a cultural ritual that has been practised for as long as fishers can remember. “Eager consumers of snoek and partakers in the Easter weekend fish rituals and delicacies should be warned – the shelves and pantries may be empty this year,” said Welcome. A…

FROM Simon’s Town to the Cape Town CBD, representing the length of the besieged Gaza Strip, a solidarity pilgrimage will take place on Human Rights Day calling for an enduring and sustained ceasefire in Gaza, Palestine. The Cape Town Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage forms part of a global movement to “walk in prayerful solidarity” during the month of Lent, with around 160 cities in 20 countries on all continents organising a pilgrimage covering the 41km in length. The Cape Town leg of the pilgrimage, organised by individuals from various churches and Christian organisations, will take place on March 21, starting at the Simon’s Town train station at 7am. It will move along the coast to Muizenberg, making its way to Main Road and then concluding at the Groote Kerk in Adderley…

IN THE fourth high-fatality crash on Western Cape roads this month, 10 people – seven adults and three children, died in a crash on the N7 between Vanrhynsdorp and Klawer on Sunday. The crash happened seven days after 13 people, including two children, were killed in a head-on collision between a truck and a bus along the N1 at the Hex River Pass, near De Doorns. Eight days ago, six people, four of whom were children, were killed in a three-car pile-up on the R43 near Villiersdorp. Five people were killed on the same day in a crash involving a sedan, a bakkie, and a bus along the N1 between Prince Albert and Laingsburg. Mobility MEC Ricardo Mackenzie said yesterday that one person sustained minor injuries in the crash involving…

Writing about homelessness in Cape Town can become a bit depressing and disheartening, but in all I do and say, I try to offer suggestions and alternatives that will make it more bearable and sustainable for us all. This week I am sharing an incident with you that clearly demonstrates the ills of our current system in trying to address homelessness. It is an incident that angered and disappointed me immeasurably but which, unfortunately, did not shock me. It also validated my belief that we should stop looking at those living on the streets as the collective “the homeless” and make changes to the “one size fits all” model we employ to accommodate them. We need to start looking at those living on the streets and accommodating them as individuals…

In the grand theatre of global diplomacy, the Summit for the Future, set to take place in New York from September 22-23, stands as a beacon of hope, a promise of concerted action against the multifaceted crises that plague our world. With the UN at its helm, this summit has been portrayed as a pivotal moment to recalibrate, realign and reinvigorate the global community’s commitment to sustainable development and multilateral co-operation. Yet, as representatives from the Global South Perspectives Network convened on March 1 to deliberate on the Zero Draft of the Pact for the Future, their reflections cast a long shadow of doubt over the summit’s capacity to steer us away from impending calamities. The Summit of the Future presents a unique opportunity to strengthen collaboration on pivotal issues…

As a US campaign to sever TikTok from its Chinese parent heads to the Senate, analysts say Beijing’s response to a forced sale of the app – and its “secret sauce” algorithm – will be clear: hands off. Under new legislation that passed the House of Representatives last week, TikTok could be banned in the US if it does not cut all ties with Chinese tech giant ByteDance. But in the battle over TikTok’s future in the US, what strikes many as a contradiction has emerged: while the company tries to convince Congress of its independence from Beijing, China has come out swinging in its defence. Beijing does not want a precedent to be set where a Chinese company is strong-armed into selling one of its most valuable assets, including…

In an entertaining game at the Wynberg Rugby Festival, Bishops had to pull out all the stops before emerging 28-24 victors over St Charles College from Maritzburg. Although both sides scored four tries apiece, it was the superior goal kicking of Bishops full-back Lucca Mynhardt, who converted all four tries, that proved decisive. The game started off at a lively pace and Bishops immediately had the Saints’ defence under pressure. In the first minute their livewire scrumhalf Kashief Joseph intercepted a sloppy pass and raced away for a try. Saints did well to regroup with Bishops doing most of the attacking. However, with their forwards in the ascendancy, it was inevitable that a score was imminent. From a line-out, their forwards went on the drive and flanker James le Feuvre…

Controversy continued in the Big Brother Mzansi house as Yolanda Monyai’s inappropriate humour saw her being disqualified from the hit local reality show. The fan favourite, who was also one of the frontrunners to win the R2 million prize money, was kicked out of the house on Thursday night. This came after she drunkenly said that she wanted to rape a male housemate. The scandal began when Big Brother brought drinks to the house to reward the contestants for completing their tasks. But she couldn’t handle her liquor and she had to be put to bed by fellow housemate Makhekhe, whose real name is Tshepo Tau. Monyai then lost it all when she woke up, rejoined her housemates and made the inappropriate joke. The next day, she was summoned to…

The fourth suspect linked to the disappearance of Joshlin Smith, 32-year-old Lourentia Lombaard, made a confession to the police, the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court has heard. Lombaard made her first court appearance after she was arrested on Friday, charged with kidnapping and trafficking in persons for the purpose of exploitation. The slightly-built woman walked into the dock and showed no emotion. She looked back at the public gallery and said: “I told the whole truth, I told them everything.” The State revealed that Lombaard had made a confession to the police, but didn’t give details. Saldanha Bay residents said yesterday that they accepted Lombaard’s confession, but wanted to know where the 6-year-old was. Lombaard is known to Joshlin’s mother, Kelly. She told the court she wanted to make use of a…

A BRAZEN attack in which a woman survived 24 stab wounds during a robbery by two men along a Table View road has been circulated on social media by her family in a bid to arrest the suspects. The 34-second video shows how the helpless woman is pinned down to the ground next to a vehicle, kicking and screaming, while two suspects dressed in white t-shirts and in what appears to be jeans, stab her repeatedly, demanding her bag. The incident took place along Gie and Circle Road just after 7am yesterday. A resident is captured in the video jumping into action and is seen kicking one of the attackers to wean them off. The suspects begin to scramble, grabbing the frantic woman’s belongings before fleeing the scene on foot.…

OPPOSITION parties have criticised the Good Governance Africa (GGA) index, which recognised the Western Cape and Cape Town municipalities as the best-performing municipalities in the country. According to the 2024 GGA report, the best three localities in South Africa were all from the Western Cape. Swartland was ranked the top municipality in the country, followed by Drakenstein, with Saldanha Bay in third place. The report also stated that Cape Town was the highest-ranked metro that scored well across the Performance Index categories, ranking first for service delivery. Commenting on the report, GOOD Party secretary-general Brett Herron said clean and unqualified audits meant the government functioned generally within the law, and it was not an achievement to operate within the law. “An achievement is operating within the law and supporting your…

THE article “TMNP joins SAPS to hunt down firebugs” (Cape Argus, March 14) refers. It is about time this task force was up and running. Every time a fire is set off it takes hundreds of workers to fight and many, many thousands of rand to keep the helicopters aloft. It is a small cost to employ 100 national park rangers who would to a large degree cut down on both fires and crime. This dual benefit will be of great relief to many of us who use the mountain daily.…

I HAVE been a “social media influencer” for just more than four years and there are some very interesting things happening in the industry right now. I started my content creation journey during lockdown, as many others did, through TikTok. At that time the platform was booming.Extensive amounts of short-form, anything-goes content at the touch of a button. However, over the years, TikTok seems to be doing everything to move away from what made them great in the first place. Their biggest downfall at the moment has been their shift to push content on the algorithm that is longer form (anywhere from 3+ minutes) and filmed in landscape. This immense shift, with the fact that Universal Music Group pulled all of their music from the platform, is a clear sign…

We often hear that South Africa is a “water-scarce” country because many parts have a dry climate or are semi-arid. It is, however, not only an uneven distribution that results in water scarcity; the huge impact of human activities such as industry, agriculture and domestic use of water should not be underestimated. Water scarcity, droughts and widespread poor service delivery have occupied our collective mind for some time now. Hardly a week goes by without breaking news of water service interruptions or service delivery protests regarding all the aspects of ordinary lives being affected by lack of water or poor water quality. The recent, massive disruption of water supply to large parts of Johannesburg is a good illustration. It is understandable that availability of water takes centre stage in most…

Eight civilians were killed yesterday in “reckless” air strikes by Pakistan’s military in the border regions of Afghanistan, prompting Afghan forces to retaliate against Pakistani military outposts, Taliban officials said. Border tensions between the two countries have risen since the Taliban government seized power in 2021, with Islamabad claiming militant groups are carrying out regular attacks from Afghanistan. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani aircraft “bombed civilian homes” in Khost and Paktika provinces near the border with Pakistan at around 3am, adding that all the dead were women and children. Afghanistan’s defence ministry said its border forces retaliated in response to the airstrikes, targeting Pakistan’s military points along the disputed border with “heavy weapons”. Cross-border skirmishes in the region were reported by both sides into yesterday afternoon, the latest…

GOLDEN Arrow Bus Service (Gabs) commuters have expressed mixed reactions about having to fork out more money from next month, after the transport service announced it will be hiking fares by an average of 7%. Gabs general manager Derick Meyer said the increase was to have come into effect in December last year. “We remain acutely aware of the difficult economic climate in which our passengers find themselves and therefore took the unprecedented decision to delay our standard end-of-year increase which should have taken place in December.” Vuyiswa Cele, 32, travels from Observatory to Cape Town and back in the evening, and currently pays R560 for her monthly bus ticket. Cele said the rise was a bitter pill to swallow. “I don’t understand the reason for the increase and it’s…

A SELF-confessed hitman has taken the stand in the Western Cape High Court against his former friends in the ongoing trial against alleged underworld kingpin, Nafiz Modack. After weeks of delays, the State yesterday began introducing evidence and called its first witness who admitted to murdering Nicolaas Heerschap, the father of a Hawks detective, allegedly at the instructions of the Terrible West Siders gang in Woodstock. The hitman, who can only be named as “Mr A”, smiled in the dock as he turned on his former friends and openly accused Moegamat Toufeek Brown, Riyaat Gesant, Fagmeed Kelly and Mario Pietersen of being the leaders of the gang. According to the State’s case, the witness killed the 74-year-old man who was shot in a botched hit on his son outside their…

All prophets sent by God the Creator confirmed that most people would be led astray by evil. This was also predicted by Muhammed, the envoy who warned that before judgement day, evil would have access to advanced technology, wealth, influence, etc. Today, we witness the fear that some individuals, societies and nations have for global Zionism. The latest to express fear is the University of Cape Town (UCT) voting on severing ties with Israeli academic institutions. The majority in the Senate just could not allow themselves to do this. The fear expressed was mostly around funding – Cape Argus, March 14. Allow me to do a comparison. If I suggested Hitler the Nazi leader of Germany was helpful, how would that be interpreted? For example, Hitler commissioned the production of…

Ex-president Jacob Zuma has lived all his adult life as a politician, fighting the injustices of colonialism and apartheid. That was achieved when all political parties were unbanned, leading to the release of all political prisoners from Robben Island, and the dawn of democracy. There is something we must understand and accept about all human beings. The need to be appreciated, recognised, and to feel that you have made your mark on the world stage, before you leave this planet. There were very strong rumours that Zuma and Duduzane had built palatial homes in Dubai, so we never thought they would be back here. But we all know, there is no place like home, where you are known and appreciated. He, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and Duduzane know no other way…

South Africa’s municipalities are facing a crisis that flows from our very taps – the inability to provide consistent access to clean water. This isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a threat to public health and a ticking time bomb for the ANC in the upcoming elections. The causes of this crisis are complex. Crumbling infrastructure, lack of proper maintenance, and skills shortages all play a role. In some cases, corruption siphons funds away from essential upgrades. These issues leave municipalities ill-equipped to handle water scarcity brought on by climate change. According to Parliament’s portfolio committee on water and sanitation, the department “had been plagued by systematic corruption for years on end”. According to a November 2023 report from the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), Lepelle Northern Water (LNW) has been involved…

There was another action-packed round of CSA T20 Challenge fixtures with a couple of tense finishes, especially in both matches involving the Lions at the Wanderers. The Warriors, however, proved to be the form team as they maintained their 100% start to the competition with another couple of bonus point victories. Here, Independent Newspapers have chosen five players that starred for their teams at the weekend. Beyers Swanepoel – Warriors After missing the first couple of matches of the competition due to the availability of the Proteas, Swanepoel made a big impact with the ball on Sunday against the helpless Rocks. The all-rounder claimed excellent figures of 4/16 to entrench the Warriors’ top spot on the log. He was particularly devastating with the new ball, claiming both Malan brothers –…

Thembinkosi Lorch is fast becoming an immense figure in Mamelodi Sundowns’ set-up, but his coach Rulani Mokwena is still demanding more of him. Lorch has been the subject of fierce debate in recent weeks after leaving Orlando Pirates for Sundowns in the January transfer window and whether he was going to fit in at the champions, having been a key figure in the Sea Robbers set-up over the years. After all, Sundowns haven’t lacked quality players over the years as the team has been dominated the local front, winning six DStv Premiership titles in a row. But after playing eight games for the Brazilians in all competitions, Lorch has been finding his form, rather than being overwhelmed by expectations. His best game in Sundowns’ colours came on Sunday night, as…