Innehållsförteckning för 2024-10-22 från Cape Argus

From tax advantages and disciplined savings to investment growth potential, retirement annuities can be effective for housing one’s retirement funds. There are, however, complexities to be navigated when investing through a retirement annuity. Here are 8 things to know about retirement annuities: You can transfer your insurance RA to a unit trust platform If you have a traditional, insurance-based retirement annuity in place, you can transfer your policy to a unit trust platform, although it is advisable to understand if your insurer will charge any cancellation fees for doing so. If you’re contemplating such a move, your financial advisor should request costs from your current insurer and prepare a cost-benefit analysis for you so that you can make an informed decision. You can use an RA to preserve your retirement…

In a stark revelation regarding the financial wellness of South African workers, an analysis by Standard Bank indicates that nearly half of salary earners are left with less than R1 000 in their accounts or face negative balances come payday. This study scrutinised the financial status of over 402 000 individuals who receive their salaries on popular payment dates, including mid-month, the 25th, and month-end. On the eve of payday, the findings found that 21% of these earners had R1 000 or less available, while 28% reported having negative balances or resorted to overdrafts. Alarmingly, only half of the participants were able to keep more than R1 000 in their accounts, sparking concerns about the increasing financial strain faced by many households. Standard Bank’s head of personal and private banking…

Liam Payne is expected to be buried next month. Following the One Direction star's tragic death in Buenos Aires on October 16, aged 31, Argentinian newspaper Clarín claims his body could remain in Argentina for 10 to 15 days. Once toxicological tests have been performed, Payne's remains will be available to his family for return to the UK. The British Embassy said: "We are supporting Liam Payne's family and are in contact with local authorities." The Strip That Down singer died from “multiple traumas” that caused “internal and external bleeding”. The singer plunged from a third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires and preliminary autopsy findings reported by the Daily Mirror newspaper found the results were consistent with his 10m fall. Toxicological and anatomical-pathological studies of blood…

THE Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court yesterday heard that Joshlin Smith’s mother was the “mastermind” behind her daughter’s disappearance. The 6-year-old went missing on February 19 and has not been seen since. Her mother, Racquel ‘Kelly’ Smith, left Joshlin and her brother Requin at home with her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, that morning before going to work. On March 5, Smith, Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn were arrested, and 10 days later, Lourentia Lombaard was also taken into custody. They were all charged with human trafficking in persons for the purpose of exploitation, and Joshlin’s kidnapping. During their appearance yesterday, the State told the court that charges against Lombaard were dropped as she turned State witness. The summary of facts provided by the State reveals Smith had planned to have her…

The national Department of Health has said a chemical agent could be behind the series of food poisoning incidents. Environmental inspectors and others began their work in Naledi, Soweto, yesterday to identify the chemical agent. Six children in Naledi, Soweto, died of suspected food poisoning after consuming snacks allegedly bought from a spaza shop in the area. There have been other cases of alleged food poisoning involving snacks bought from foreign-owned spaza shops. The incidents have sparked widespread outrage and led to communities shutting down spaza shops in Gauteng and destroying their supplies. Spokesperson for the national Department of Health, Foster Mohale, said various authorities and departments had been seized with the matter including the SA Police Service, the metros of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni which deployed their environmental inspectors to…

RACISM at schools is systemic and remains widespread, the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) noted as it hosted a dialogue on the issue in Cape Town yesterday. The SAHRC’s Western Cape office convened and facilitated the engagement, placing learners, parents, teachers, principals, and other key stakeholders around the same table to assess the prevalence of racism at Western Cape schools, and how to address this in a transformative manner. The dialogue, which also included representatives from the Department of Basic Education, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), civil society and experts on education, anti-racism, diversity and inclusion, took place at the Southern Sun Hotel. SAHRC national commissioner focusing on education, justice and anti-racism, professor Tshepo Madlingozi, said the issue of racism within schools is systemic and widespread, and not limited…

IN THE last few weeks before the upcoming US elections, both Donald Trump and Kamila Harris are relatively silent on fundamental issues affecting the American voters. The speeches from Trump and Harris are focused more on pettiness, rabble-rousing inaccuracies and dirty politics. Fundamental issues like the possibility of the US economy edging towards a recession, increase of mass job layoffs, the crumbling social services, foreign policy and international conflicts amongst other important topics are not being reviewed, deliberated and discussed. The war in Ukraine, the escalation of the year-long genocide in Gaza, the bombing of Lebanon by apartheid Israel, the high possibility of targeting Iranian military facilities by the Israeli regime are not being appropriately discoursed by the presidential candidates. These key topics of discussion are extremely important not only…

Jude Bellingham's first season at Real Madrid was marked by a stunning influx of goals and a triumphant finish, culminating in a memorable Champions League victory. However, as the 21-year-old England international embarks on his sophomore season, he finds himself grappling to replicate his previous exploits. This Tuesday, Bellingham is set to confront his former club Borussia Dortmund at the Santiago Bernabeu — a rematch of last season’s Champions League final, where his contributions helped Real Madrid secure the prestigious title for an astounding fifteenth time. Signs of frustration have begun to surface in Bellingham’s performances, as he has taken on greater defensive responsibilities in midfield this season, a shift attributable to the arrival of French superstar Kylian Mbappe. In a recent La Liga match against Celta Vigo, Madrid coach…

JIMMY Nevis has been one of the busiest men in music over the past few months. The Cape Town-born singer and songwriter, along with fellow Mother City musicians Acoustic Element (AE), which comprises cousins Callen Petersen and Jody Abel, released Rebel Heart earlier this month. The feel-good anthem fuses Nevis’s smooth vocals along with AE’s signature violin and guitar mix to create a vibe that screams “rebel with a cause” and it’s the kind of track that makes you want to break free from the ordinary. It has made waves internationally, with AE debuting the track at the Gasteiner Lido Sounds Festival in Linz, Austria. There, they shared the stage with globally recognised acts such as Kings of Leon, Milky Chance and The Kooks. In July, Nevis…

A POOL player from Strandfontein is making waves on the international stage after recently achieving a historic milestone in artistic pool. Joy Willenberg, 37, made history by becoming the first woman to win a discipline at the 2024 WPA World Artistic Blackball Pool Championship held in Bridlington, UK. She secured the championship place in the stroke shot discipline, marking a significant achievement for women in the sport. Artistic pool is a unique variation of the game that involves trick shots, fancy shots, and skill shot challenges, setting it apart from traditional pool. The cue sport features eight distinct disciplines, each requiring players to execute five shots. These are trick and fancy, special arts, draw, follow, bank/kick, stroke, jump, and massé. “I feel pretty excited. It is something that I didn’t…

THE trial of a Durban man accused of selling firearms to a Cape Flats gang has been delayed again at the Western Cape High Court. Anderson Padayachee was expected to plead yesterday, but proceedings were hamstrung when it was revealed Judge Daniel Thulare had to complete another trial. Padayachee, arrested in February 2021, is set to stand trial on over 60 charges as the State alleges he supplied guns to the notorious Terrible Josters gang. At the time of the arrest, the Hawks said they seized 17 illegal firearms in George in transit from Johannesburg. Further investigation revealed the firearms were allegedly destined for the Cape Town gang. A further 44 firearms were seized from his business during the investigation process. According to the indictment, Padayachee is now facing…

THE University of Cape Town (UCT) has taken a decision to oppose litigation instituted by senior academic, head of Historical Studies professor Adam Mendelsohn, over its Gaza resolutions, stating this was in line with the university’s commitment to its values, social justice and human rights. Subsequent to a Council meeting held at the weekend, Council chairperson, Norman Arendse, released a statement to the university community, providing an update on Council’s decision to oppose the review application filed at the Western Cape High Court. On June 22, the UCT Council adopted two resolutions, which had been passed by the Senate. Following a debate on the motions, both were passed by a majority vote. Arendse said the Council met on Saturday, to consider whether to oppose or abide by the High Court…

A FIRE that ravaged Taiwan informal settlement in Site C, Khayelitsha, has left at least 90 people destitute. The blaze broke out Sunday evening, destroying around 40 structures in the area. Linda Nyinga, 37, one of the affected residents, expressed her confusion about how the fire started, saying they were unable to salvage anything. “The fire came from my sister’s room, and I don’t know what the cause was. I have lost everything, my children’s school clothes as well as their books,” she said. “My children need school clothes because they still have to go to school.” The mother of three said they could only watch helplessly as their belongings were consumed by the flames. Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson for the City’s Fire and Rescue Service, said 50 personnel were deployed…

ESKOM is urging prepaid electricity customers to recode their meters by the November deadline as required by the Standard Transfer Specification Association. Prepaid electricity customers need to recode their meters by November 24, Eskom said, as the current metering software will expire for all prepaid electricity meters in South Africa. There will be no extension to the November 2024 deadline for the Token Identifier update, Eskom said. The process of recoding will have an impact on around 6.9 million prepaid meters in Eskom-supplied areas. Prepaid customers who fail to recode their meters by the deadline will not be able to load electricity tokens, therefore their meters will be inoperable. “Eskom has already prepared 97% of the meters by pre-coding them, making it simple for customers to complete the process themselves,”…

All eyes were on the Carling Knockout as the round 16 kicked off on Friday evening at the King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi, Durban. Few could have predicted the spectacular goal glut of 27 goals – averaging a remarkable 3.3 goals per match – that unfolded throughout the weekend, culminating in an enthralling finale with the match between Richards Bay and Sekhukhune United on Sunday. As fans and analysts reflect on this pulsating round, Herman Gibbs reflects on five key takeaways that encapsulate the highs and lows experienced over the weekend. PSL teams rusty after the break in fixtures The PSL began the domestic season with an opening round consisting of four MTN8 matches in August. The subsequent break meant that some teams had been out of action for…

BRITISH boy band Blue are bringing their 20th-anniversary tour to South Africa in March. The group, which comprises Simon Webbe, Duncan James, Antony Costa and Lee Ryan, will perform at the Grand Arena, Grand West in Cape Town on March 7, and at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria on March 8. Tickets for their concerts, supported by Jacaranda FM and eBet, are available from iTickets. They are sold on a tiered system – the first 2 000 standing tickets will sell at preferential prices. Blue shot to fame in the early 2000s when they smashed music charts worldwide with All Rise, U Make Me Wanna, Fly By II, Guilty and Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word, among others. They went on to become one of the UK’s all-time top-selling…

Cape Town’s motorists are grappling with fuel shortages as several petrol stations ran dry due to an unplanned outage at the Astron refinery in Milnerton, prompting frustration and long travel times for refuelling. Various fuel stations such as BP, Shell and Engen around Cape Town metro experience shortages of Unleaded Petrol 95 (ULP 95) due to an unplanned refinery outage. In a matter that has been resolved in other areas, motorists were forced to travel long hours to fill up their vehicles with the higher octane petrol. BP Southern Africa spokesperson, Hamlet Morule told the Cape Argus its service stations are among those that have been impacted by a shortage of ULP95 in Cape Town, due to an unplanned refinery outage. “To mitigate the unforeseen challenge, BP SA diverted a…

THE Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) President Velenkosini Hlabisa has defended the party’s long-standing relationship with the wealthy Oppenheimer family, who donated R30 million to the IFP, before the May 29 elections. At a press conference held in Durban yesterday, Hlabisa said he was responding to continued references about an IFP funded by the Oppenheimers. Hlabisa said that the IFP remained proud of its decades-long friendship with the Oppenheimer family, which resulted, for example, in the construction of the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT), opened in 1979. The financial support was delivered in two instalments of R15 million by Jonathan and Nicholas Oppenheimer, raising questions among critics about potential influences on party policy and direction. “This relationship has led to monumental developments, such as establishing the university, a beacon of hope…

Arsenal were the big losers in the Premier League title race this weekend as the Gunners were shockingly beaten 2-0 at Bournemouth, while Liverpool and Manchester City secured vital wins on Sunday. City needed a controversial 95th-minute winner from John Stones to see off bottom-of-the-table Wolves 2-1. Liverpool were pushed all the way by an impressive Chelsea, but maintained their stunning start to life under Arne Slot in a 2-1 win. Here, we look at three talking points from the Premier League weekend. Liverpool rise to Chelsea challenge Arne Slot's impressive start to the daunting task of succeeding Jurgen Klopp had come with the caveat of an inviting run of fixtures. Prior to Chelsea's visit to Anfield, they had not faced any of the current top nine in their opening…

The Stormers are gearing up for their next challenge in the United Rugby Championship (URC) as they prepare to face defending champions Glasgow Warriors at the Danie Craven Stadium this Saturday. Despite only starting on-field training today, Springboks Damian Willemse and Warrick Gelant, who sustained serious knocks during last weekend’s comprehensive victory over Munster, are both fit for training. This week’s earlier-than-usual kick-off at 1:45pm comes with heightened expectations as the Stormers look to build on their strong performance against Munster, where they showcased their impressive ability to score four tries for five crucial points. With only prop Sti Sithole ruled out due to injury, the Cape side is positioned for a largely stable selection as they hunt for their second consecutive win in the competition. The Stormers are hopeful…

Coach Manqoba Mngqithi and Mamelodi Sundowns are where they want to be. And it seems no detractors nor ‘silly players’ can stop them in their tracks. Sundowns have had a fine start in their pursuit of an unprecedented eighth title in a row, winning all three games in the Betway Premiership so far. They’ve been so good that they’ve scored a whopping eight goals and conceded just two. Hence, they moved to their usual spot of comfort – top of the log standings. The team’s strong start must have been satisfying for Mngqithi, whose appointment as Rulani Mokwena’s successor was met with mixed emotions. Some Sundowns fans were publicly against Mngqithi’s ascension, albeit him being at the club for more than a decade, as they felt he hasn’t earned his…

BEFORE Kagiso Rabada departed to Bangladesh with the Proteas Test squad for the ongoing two-match Test series, Independent Newspapers caught up with the 29-year-old speedster. With the fast bowler returning to the city of Dhaka where he announced his arrival to international cricket with a six-for, we asked what keeps him hungry for success. "I want to be the best. Simply put. I want the team to be the best, winning trophies, winning series. “That's what it's about," Rabada explained. Yesterday, the right-arm fast bowler etched his name in the game's history books as he claimed his 300th Test wicket, becoming only the sixth South African to achieve the feat. Moreover, the fast bowler became the fastest player to reach the milestone in terms of balls bowled in Test cricket,…