Innehållsförteckning för 2025-04-17 från Cape Argus

THE murder trial of slain underworld kingpin Mark Lifman is set to be heard in the George Regional Court early next month. This was revealed as murder-accused Gert Bezuidenhout and Johannes Hendrik Jacobs returned to court this week. Lifman died in a hail of bullets at the Garden Route Mall in George, on November 3. Shortly after the shooting, which was captured on CCTV cameras, cops busted the duo. Just days after the shooting, Lifman’s close friend Jerome “Donkie” Booysen claimed that Bezuidenhout, who is also known as “Johnny”, was the righthand man of PPA security shareholder Alwyn Landman, and said he was known to do Landman’s bidding. At the time, PPA management explained that the duo had only done contract work for the popular security company and denied any…

KIDNAPPING and trafficking accused Steveno van Rhyn faced tough cross-examination in the Western Cape High Court yesterday over his claims of police torture and coerced confessions in the disappearance of 6-year-old Joshlin Smith. However, much of the focus in court turned to Judge Nathan Erasmus, who paused proceedings to offer firm guidance on how questioning should be handled, emphasising fairness, simplicity, and comprehension. Judge Erasmus addressed concerns about Van Rhyn’s low level of education, reminding the court that the accused did not pass Standard 4 (Grade 6) and may struggle with complex legal phrasing. “I am very conscious of your level of education,” Judge Erasmus told Van Rhyn directly. “It doesn’t mean that you are not intelligent enough, I just don’t want you to trip-up because of the court setting…

A PROPORTIONAL Representative (PR) councillor from CAPEXIT in sub-counil 3 has lodged a complaint against the City of Cape Town for contraventions of the National Environmental Management Act after residents’ homes in Table View were damaged following a sewage pump failure. The City has since kicked back, saying the registration of a case was a media stunt. Councillor Karl Bodin visited Table View earlier this month, where residents said they were aggrieved that sandbags were not delivered in time to prevent the damages to their homes. Last week, four families were evacuated from their homes following the sewage pump failure. Five days after the incident, the City of Cape Town repaired the pumps. Residents were also issued with third-party claim forms and an ambulance team was on standby. Bodin said…

Nolusindiso Booi’s name will be etched into the Springboks’ history books this weekend as she becomes the first South African woman to reach 50 Test caps, when the national senior women’s team face Spain. Captain Booi made her debut for the Bok Women 15 years ago against Kazakhstan and will receive her 50th cap on Saturday, when she leads the team onto the Campo de Rugby Amorós Palao in Elche, southern Spain. By contrast, the Springboks’ most-capped player, Eben Etzebeth, began his career in 2012 and has thus far played 131 Tests for the country. Booi’s 50th appearance in national colours is a significant milestone for the Springbok Women and their ongoing development, reaffirming SA Rugby’s commitment to growing and nurturing the women’s game. “(Booi’s) humility, how she serves the…

Andre Onana will be recalled for Manchester United’s season-defining Europa League quarter-final second leg against Lyon after his costly goalkeeping errors in the first leg, manager Ruben Amorim confirmed on Wednesday. The 29-year-old Cameroon international, who was to blame for the two goals that United conceded in last week’s 2-2 draw in France, was axed for Sunday’s 4-1 defeat at Newcastle. Back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayindir played at St James’ Park, but Amorim told his pre-match press conference that Onana would be back in goal on Thursday (9pm kick-off), saying he was confident he would be “really good”. “Onana, he will play tomorrow,” Amorim said at his pre-match press conference. “As a coach, and also as a former player, I try to do things that can help a player in this…

Unai Emery believes there is more to come from Aston Villa as they exited the Champions League with pride after a thrilling 3-2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night. The French champions prevailed 5-4 on aggregate to reach the semi-finals thanks to their 3-1 first-leg lead, but lost at Villa Park for just the second time in 19 matches. Emery’s men nearly produced one of the most memorable Champions League fight-backs in history. From 2-0 down on the night, they needed four goals to force extra time, and were only denied by a series of stunning saves from Gianluigi Donnarumma after strikes from Youri Tielemans, John McGinn and Ezri Konsa. “I’m very proud of everything we did. To get to this level is the next step forward that I…

Kanye West, master of the public spectacle and known for never being far from the headlines, has once again done what he does best: stir the pot. His latest antics, however, seem to have left Mzansi feeling decidedly underwhelmed. In a move that may have been designed to show love, West posted a picture of South African Grammy Award-winning artist Tyla alongside American rapper Gunna on X. Captioned simply with “Respect and love”. But, if West was hoping for an outpouring of admiration or even mild curiosity from South Africans, he might be disappointed. The reaction from local netizens was, to put it lightly, lukewarm. Now, before anyone accuses West of lacking sincerity, one might argue that his cryptic post, short as it was, might indeed mean exactly what it…

THREE brazen thieves who stole a bus stop for scrap metal are behind bars after they were busted by Law Enforcement officers yesterday. The incident left police and crimefighters baffled as the trio were caught red-handed dragging the bus stop through Lotus River during the early hours. Law Enforcement spokesperson, Wayne Dyason, said officers were alerted to the theft shortly after 3am and immediately responded. “Law Enforcement officers responded and when they arrived at the location on old Strandfontein Road in the vicinity of Lotus River, they saw a bus shelter being dragged by three male suspects. They attempted to flee but were quickly caught. “They were arrested and taken to Grassy Park SAPS for charges of malicious damage to property and possession of house breaking implements.” Grassy Park Community…

AS THE South African stage prepares to experience music giants Lebo M and Hans Zimmer perform live in concert tomorrow, featured speakers including multi-award-winning artist Yanga Chief, internationally acclaimed producer and performer Tresor, Juliet Harding from renowned electronic band GoodLuck, and managing director at Warner Music Africa, Temi Adenji, shared their rags to riches stories at a Film and Music Workshop yesterday, designed to empower Africa’s next generation of creatives. The workshop was held between 9am and 1pm at the Artscape Theatre where Yanga Chief, Tresor, Harding and Adenji recounted the lessons they learnt in the music industry, from being penniless and dreaming big in a world overtaken by social media and the Fifth Industrial revolution. The venue was filled with aspiring artists, who eagerly listened to their stories and…

He didn’t want to say too much about facing fellow Springbok lock Jean Kleyn just yet. But Bulls captain Ruan Nortjé is confident that they can fix their lineout issues ahead of Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash against Munster in Limerick (6.15pm start). Nortjé is the ultimate lineout guru in the mould of a Victor Matfield with the way in which he analyses the set-piece. Bulls coach Jake White has often stated how Nortjé studies the lineout hour after hour on the pitch and his laptop to fine-tune the operation. But things didn’t always work out in last weekend’s 34-28 Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat to Edinburgh, where the Pretoria side wasted a number of attacking opportunities by failing to secure their own throw-ins. “It was frustrating. Our lineout is a…

Ailing Red Bull arrive on the Red Sea for this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah desperate to prevent their 2025 season sinking into mediocrity. The Austrian Formula One giants left Bahrain on Sunday in sombre mood, their limitations laid bare under the harsh floodlights in the desert of Sakhir. Here AFP Sport assesses the issues that threaten to derail Max Verstappen’s quest for a fifth successive world title... The state of play Verstappen slipped to third in the drivers’ standings, eight points behind McLaren’s leader Lando Norris, after trailing in sixth, over half a minute behind Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri, in Bahrain. He has accounted for all bar two of the team’s tally in the constructors’ championship, where they are lagging a massive 80 points behind runaway leaders…

FINANCE Minister Enoch Godongwana said any decision regarding the R5 billion allocated for the SANDF peace mission will take into account the Department of Defence’s needs amid the withdrawal of troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This comes in response to concerns raised by ActionSA’s Alan Beesley regarding the financial ramifications of the planned troop withdrawal. Beesley wrote to Godongwana enquiring about the financial implications of the SANDF’s exit from the DRC, including the impact on the R3.5bn for the deployment to the DRC after the decision by the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) withdrawal of troops from the DRC. He also wanted to know whether the R5bn allocated in the 2025 Budget for the peacekeeping commitments will be reallocated, reduced and/or repurposed in light of the SADC…

Stellenbosch FC’s 1-0 victory over AmaZulu on Tuesday evening came at a major cost, with striker Ashley Cupido expected to be out for “a minimum of six weeks” and miss this week’s trip to Zanzibar for the all-important CAF Confederation Cup semi-final against Simba FC. Cupido hobbled after just 10 minutes when his hamstring went “pop”, and was replaced by South Africa Under-20 forward Langelihle Phili. Stellies coach Steve Barker conceded that Cupido, who worked tirelessly leading the frontline in the quarter-final against Zamalek in Cairo last week, would not be on the flight to the East African island. “Yeah, it looks like it’s a bad hamstring, so unlikely that he’ll (Cupido) be available,” Barker said. “He says he felt it pop. “Unfortunate for us, especially with Bradley Mojela still…

Former Kaizer Chiefs defender Derrick Spencer has thrown his weight behind Nasreddine Nabi for now, saying there’ll be no room for the coach to make excuses next season. Nabi was expected to be Chiefs’ messiah this season: end the team’s barren run and also rebuild a strong side for future generations. The Tunisia-born coach has been obsessed with the latter, though, saying “completing the process” is much more important than grinding out results. That didn’t go down well with some of the ‘Khosination’, as they believed that he’s not the right man for the job due to a failure in finding the balance between getting results and rebuilding. Nabi, for all his flaws since his arrival, might have the last laugh this season, though, as his side could end their…

The sand had run out on the clock. The UCT Ikey Tigers were set to be crowned the inaugural Varsity Cup champions. They were about to erase years of suffering inflicted by old foes Stellenbosch University, aka Maties. The fact that the coronation was happening at Maties’ citadel, the Danie Craven Stadium, before their passionate home supporters all clad in the famous maroon added significant gravitas. There was just one play left: an Ikeys scrum on their tryline, with the visitors leading 10-9. The ball is shifted to the base for Ikeys captain and No 8 JJ Gagiano – who would later earn global fame by scoring a try for the USA Eagles against Australia three years on at the 2011 Rugby World Cup – picks up. But instead of…