Innehållsförteckning för 2024-06-03 från Cape Argus

Award-winning comedian Shimmy Isaacs is adamant that divine timing played a vital role in the release of her new show, Mince Jou Hare. The feel-good, small-town comedy based on her mother, Frieda Baartman, debuted on Showmax in May. But the series, which is set in the fictional town of Hex Valley in the Western Cape and follows Frieda Klaasen (Melissa de Vries) as she quits her factory job to set up an at-home hair salon, almost didn’t end up on television screens. Isaacs, who is the Mince Jou Hare creator, producer and writer, explained that the show, which was initially called Frieda, was shelved for about five years. It was initially meant to air on another network but due to issues like a management hand-over and the complications brought on…

Three Cape Town metro police officials seen in a viral video assaulting a taxi driver have been placed on administrative duties pending investigation. This comes after three City officials were captured on video swearing at and assaulting a taxi driver in Lower Crossroads, Nyanga, on Thursday. In the video, the two male and one female metro police officers can be seen throwing punches and swearing at the driver at the same time. Narrating the incident, 47-year-old Amos Nkohla said the officials followed him when he decided not to stop at Lower Crossroads because taxi drivers fell victim to robbery by criminals. “One thing that the traffic officials or metro police don’t understand is that we are not safe because criminals rob us more, especially on those roads in Nyanga. These…

SAHRC says voting The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) says the elections proceeded smoothly, and the minor challenges monitored did not affect the overall declaration of the elections as free and fair. The SAHRC observed the elections on May 27, 28 and 29, including 161 voting stations, and gathered 98 reflections from human rights officials. “Our preliminary observations revealed that, operationally, 83% of voting stations observed opened on time, and 98% of ballot boxes were assembled in the presence of party agents and observers, although some party agents arrived late. “Additionally, 95% of stations had all essential materials, including ballot papers and pens. “Most voters took more than 30 minutes to complete their voting process: 16% took two hours or longer, 46% took 30 to 90 minutes, and 38%…

ALTHOUGH the tally of votes had not been finalised, the situation on May 31 showed clearly that South Africa was on the cusp of political change. In that respect, it is significant how May 31 has marked turning points in our history. On May 31, 1844, Natal was officially annexed as a district of the Cape Colony. On May 31, 1902, the Treaty of Vereeniging was signed, concluding the Anglo-Boer War. On May 31, 1910, the four British colonies united to become the Union of South Africa. On May 31, 1961, South Africa became a republic. Given the outcome of the poll, it‘s clear that without an outright winner, political change has to occur. In that respect, there are two coalition options: one in which the ANC has the…

Here is my tongue-in-cheek organogram of South Africa. Joint Presidents: Steenhuisen and Ramaphosa. Deputy President: Helen Zille Minister of Finance: Allan Winde Minister of Comica Propaganda: Bra Mbaks Minister of Arts and Culture: Jacob Zuma’s oldest daughter Minister of Health: Pravin Gordhan Minister of Social services: Panyaza Lesufi Minister of Scandalous Opportunities: Jacob Zuma Minister of Old Age Pensions: Thabo Mbeki Ministers of Education: Julius Malema and Naledi Pandor. Minister of Plural affairs: Gayton McKenzie Minister of Police: Herman Mashaba Ministers will in future use Uber vehicles. Blue light gangsters will be used as ambulance drivers. No more business class seats on aircraft. Foreign travel will be approved by a panel and terms of reference will be strictly defined. Entertainment of foreign dignitaries will be confined to KFC ... shisa…

Cricket may be coming to America with all the positive energy of a new dawn, but the Proteas begin yet another ICC World T20 Cup with a great deal of trepidation against Sri Lanka in Nassau County, New York today. Regardless of what they may say publicly, and even internally, the baggage of 32 years of disappointment at major ICC tournaments is a heavy burden to be carrying around. And even though the majority of this squad were not even born yet when this all began, they are quickly reminded that ICC tournaments cut just a little bit differently, especially for Proteas teams. “We are quietly confident,” Proteas captain Aiden Markram said yesterday. “Obviously, it’s a World Cup and there are some really good teams here, but we feel that…

DANCER and media personality Bontle Modiselle, pictured, recently visited Botswana for the first time for the Forbes 30 Under 30 summit and made time to sit down with popular podcaster, Tkay. Modiselle and Tkay chopped it up on his podcast, The Juice 2.0, where they spoke about the summit, motherhood and cleared up rumours. “Botswana feels like home, it feels so familiar ... The people are great, such a warm embrace, they are so hospitable, warm and accommodating,” said the Bloodsisters leader. Last year, the Forbes 30 Under 30 organisers reached out to Modiselle’s dance studio to perform at the summit. However, due to logistical challenges, she was unable to make it. This year they reached out again, asking her to be one of the speakers. “To be acknowledged is…

AS THE ANC’s 20-year reign came crashing down in KwaZulu-Natal after the spectacular rise of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), many names are being punted for the plum premiership position. Among them is that of Duduzile Zuma- Sambudla, the daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, who leads the MKP. Against the odds, Zuma’s MKP, formed in September last year, stunned many critics and naysayers after mustering a whopping 45% of votes in KwaZulu-Natal in the elections. Duduzile was seen criss-crossing the country with her father, wooing voters. Despite being the majority party in KZN, MKP fell short of an outright majority by just 6%, which would have paved the way for it to formulate a government without smaller parties. A senior MKP leader in KZN said yesterday that the party…

THIS grave was dug a long time ago. It was dug when Thabo Mbeki wounded Jacob Zuma in their spear fight on June 14, 2005. It was dug when Jacob Zuma was wounded a second time, when Julius Malema campaigned for Zuma to be removed from ANC leadership ahead of the December 2012 ANC National Conference in Mangaung. Jacob Zuma was wounded a third time, by Cyril Ramaphosa, when he was asked to vacate the Presidency on March 14, 2018 on instruction from the ANC leadership. A thrice-wounded Jacob Zuma became a most dangerous man. His mission to bury Mbeki and Ramaphosa’s ANC became his life mission. He would bury it spectacularly, not through a political coup, but in a free and fair election. And only he now has the…

IN THE build-up to the elections, several black commentators went out on a limb to trash the DA, as exemplified in Mphumzi Mdekazi’s partisan feature, “ANC-DA coalition can’t bring about true reconciliation” (The Star on Wednesday). Irrationally afraid that a substantial DA poll might take the country back to apartheid, such commentators crudely appealed to ideologically-driven arguments about the Struggle and black sacrifice. They conveniently forgot that some whites, coloureds and Indians also shed blood for this democracy. I will not deny the evils of colonialism and slavery. My question to aspiring intellectuals like Mdekazi is why after decades of independence, African countries have not attained the nirvana they had hoped for. Why is it that black and brown people risk life and limb to go to Western…

It WAS derby day in the final round of Western Province schools rugby when the teams clashed in the Southern Suburbs. At the foot of Table Mountain, traditional rivals SACS visited Wynberg as the underdogs, and in an epic encounter edged out the hosts by the narrowest of margins, winning 30-29. Although Wynberg outscored SACS by five tries to four, their normally reliable flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed could only convert two. It was a game of fluctuating fortunes, with the lead changing hands throughout. Wynberg, with several WP players in their line-up, were pumped up from the kick-off. Their forwards contested the rucks and mauls ferociously as they tried to establish dominance up front. They spurned several early kickable penalties, but were unable to breach the solid SACS defence. Their tactics…

Despite a warning by former president Jacob Zuma at the weekend not to release officials results, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) last night went ahead and declared the 2024 general elections free and fair. IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya said despite receiving 579 objections and complaints by 21 parties, it emerged “triumphant” in the face of challenges, including attempts to undermine its credibility, social media attacks, disinformation campaigns, “unwarranted allegations”, and ”acts of intimidation”. “As a nation, we have emerged triumphant, having conducted these elections with the utmost transparency, fairness, and adherence to the highest standards of democratic practice. “After carefully considering the extensive measures put in place and acknowledging the provisions of section 57(3) of the Electoral Act 1998, the commission declares the results of the 2024 national…

A THIRTY-nine-year-old woman has become the latest victim of a shooting at a Rocklands tavern in Mitchells Plain, where three people were killed last month. The latest victim reportedly heard shooting and ran for cover, later realising that she had been shot. Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said: “The circumstances surrounding a shooting on Friday evening in Viscount Avenue, Rocklands, where a 39-year-old female was shot and wounded, are under investigation. “Mitchell’s Plain police attended to a complaint involving a female who was shot and taken to hospital. “According to reports the victim was walking in the road when she heard gunshots going off. She ran for cover and later realised that she sustained a gunshot wound to her body. “The unknown suspects are yet to be arrested. An attempted murder…

POLITICAL parties were grappling with the issue of a coalition government last night as the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) completed its tally of the votes, with no single party securing enough support to form a government on its own through a parliamentary majority. This left political parties with no option but to form coalitions. Although the ANC is still the leading party with more than 40% of the national vote, it fell short of the required 51% to govern on its own. And that has necessitated the formation of coalitions with a lot at stake. Provincial ANC spokesperson Khalid Sayed said although they would talk about coalitions in the national government, the issue was off the table in the province. “We are the official opposition in the province.…

How the country’s new Parliament will be created In democratic countries such as South Africa, Parliament plays a crucial role in making legislation and holding the government to account. Under a proportional representation electoral system, members of Parliament (MPs) are elected to represent the people of the country and act as their voice. Parliament, therefore, is accountable to the people of South Africa. Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo explained that every five years, the people of South Africa have the opportunity to cast their votes for a new Parliament. Each new five-year term of Parliament is numbered. For example, in the elections of 1994, people voted for the first democratic Parliament, referred to as the first Parliament. The second Parliament followed after the general elections in 1999, the third Parliament in…

ATHLONE High School is expected to bring books from a broad range of genres, art, photography and music to one venue at its inaugural Book Fair this weekend. The fair will cater for children, teenagers and adults with several local authors in attendance, including artists exhibiting their photographic and paint works and will be available to interact with visitors at the fair. Part of the programme will include a cultural line-up featuring the school’s dance students - with music and poetry readings. The objective of the fair is to promote reading in addition to raising much-needed funds for school projects. Principal Vincent Hendricks said a mobile library will also be on site for those who are unable to purchase books. Visitors have been encouraged to detach from their cellphones…

Guess what? The Zionist Movement of South Africa, right in the middle of elections, when some of our very own pro-Israel political parties are under the microscope for supporting the atrocities in Gaza, puts its foot deeper into the bacterial sewer-pit, by – you are not going to believe this -– attempting to place a ban on a colouring book. The article “Bombarded with hate messages over ‘River to the Sea’ book”, Weekend Argus, June 2) refers. The book tells the story of how Zionists booted the original indigenous people out of Palestine before establishing their very own, exclusive, apartheid-stained paradise in the desert! In spite of more than 36 000 innocent people killed, most of them women and children. In spite of Israeli forces crushing and razing Gaza…

Gwede Mantashe, a senior member of the ANC, has sparked outrage with his recent tribalistic comments. By implying that voters are driven by tribal loyalty rather than issues and policies, Mantashe has perpetuated harmful stereotypes and deepened existing divisions within South African society. This article examines the implications of Mantashe's comments and their potential to undermine national unity. Mantashe's comments have far-reaching consequences that threaten to undo the progress made towards building a united and equitable society. By perpetuating tribal divisions, he: Reinforces harmful stereotypes and inaccurate assumptions about different groups. Deepens existing tribal and ethnic tensions, creating an "us versus them" mentality. Dismisses the importance of political issues, policies, and individual choices. Undermines the democratic principle of citizens making informed decisions. Silences diverse voices within tribal groups. Mantashe's comments…

While there were reasonable grounds for the inclusion of affirmative action during the drafting of the Constitution as a way of addressing the job reservation act of the apartheid era, its application has, in some cases, proved to be a stumbling block. For instance, a new position for a manager overseeing site outages was created at Eskom in 2017. The application by a white man, Alwyn Erasmus, was accompanied by a recommendation that he had helped run a multimillion rand project in a managerial position since 2004. His application did not state his qualifications. In a letter of recommendation, his boss had this to say: “I cannot afford to lose Erasmus.” Employment equity officials insisted the job advert had indicated that “African males and females of all races should be…

HE may be yet to deliver the domestic championship title that Orlando Pirates desperately crave, but there can be no denying that Jose Riveiro has done very well for the Buccaneers. Four knockout trophies in two seasons is a decent return for a coach who came into the country a virtual unknown, and was viewed in some circles as part of the “plumbers from Europe” who take jobs from locals. The Spaniard once again delivered the big one at the weekend when he led the Pirates to a 2-1 Nedbank Cup final victory over Mamelodi Sundowns in Mbombela. It was the Bucs’ second trophy of the 2023/24 campaign after they also overcame the Brazilians in the MTN8 final. Saturday’s win is sure to go a long way to removing the…