Innehållsförteckning för 2025-08-21 från Cape Argus

COMMUNITY members rejoiced as the couple accused of raping and killing 7-year-old Lolitha Kowa abandoned their bail application yesterday. Odwa Jack and Nokuthula Matyeseni had been trying to apply for bail since their arrest on July 23. They were taken into custody after Kuyasa residents made the grim discovery of Lolitha’s body about 1.5km from her home. The young girl had returned from school on July 22 and went to play with Matyeseni’s daughter. The couple allegedly refused to open the door when her mother went to the accused’s house in search of her. The couple’s lawyer yesterday informed the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court that they would abandon their bail application. He said the people at the new address provided to the State had refused to house them for the duration…

THE new limit and threshold for political donations, which means political parties can accept more money from donors, could see more influence exerted on government institutions and politicians. Political analysts said although money is needed in politics, the capture of government and politics could broaden and become further entrenched. This was after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a proclamation to double the threshold and annual donation limit in the Political Funding Act (PFA). The annual donation threshold to political parties by an individual donor has increased from R15 million to R30m. He has also allowed for donations to political parties below R200 000 to remain undisclosed, up from R100 000. These amounts were set in a government gazette dated August 6. Ramaphosa said he made these decisions in terms of the…

The Science, Technology and Innovation Department has moved to allay fears that the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) will increase unemployment in South Africa. At the launch of the AI educational robot teacher, IRIS, in Durban, Deputy Minister Nomalungelo Gina urged people to embrace AI technology, dismissing concerns that it would strain employment as businesses shift towards AI over intensive labour. Gina emphasised the need to change perceptions about science and technology, saying, “It’s high time that we embrace technology, particularly AI. We must demystify the perception that science is for specific people.” The department pledged to support innovation alongside its founder, Thando Gumede. Gumede said her company, BSG Technologies, made history by creating the first educational tutor robot in the country, capable of teaching subjects from Grade R to…

THE owner of two pit bull terriers and a mixed breed dog has been ordered by the Western Cape High Court to deliver her dogs to the local pound for evaluation following attacks on people who visited the private property, from which a salon is run. Despite the dogs ordinarily being kept secure, in the backyard of their Caledon home, the court found they do attack members of the public or visitors to Romanda Marais’ property. Marais is a businesswoman and owner of a nail salon run from a wendy house on the property. On three occasions, the dogs attacked visitors, leading to lengthy hospital stays for the victims. Judge Daniel Thulare ordered that Marais deliver the dogs to Theewaterskloof Municipal Pound by August 26. If the dog owner fails…

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu wants to nail down his role on Saturday and help put the Springboks in the right areas of the field as they look to overcome Australia in the second Rugby Championship Test. The versatile youngster is part of a six-two Bomb Squad replacement bench for the clash at DHL Stadium (5.10 pm kick-off) and is aiming to replicate his performances from last year’s tournament. He knows the team is on the back foot, however, and that it will take a collective effort to turn their fortunes around. With potential playing spots up for grabs when the Boks head to New Zealand next month for back-to-back Tests against the All Blacks, Feinberg-Mngomezulu emphasised the importance of staying focused on the present and delivering a strong performance against Australia. What…

Three matches into his stint as head coach of Durban City FC, Gavin Hunt already feels the team is showing signs of improvement based on their performance last week. Two wins and a draw make up his three-match record. Even though Durban claimed victory last week against Chippa and drew with Golden Arrows on Tuesday night, Hunt believes his side produced the better football and were unfortunate to walk away with just a point. Durban looked more composed against an attacking Golden Arrows outfit, spending more time on the ball and passing with patience – signs of cool heads, something Hunt also acknowledged when asked about it. In midfield, Haashim Domingo, Kyle Jurgens and Samkelo Maseko looked more adventurous, pushing the ball forward rather than back-tracking. Durban maintained the positive…

If you enjoyed the crossover appeal of local films like Material, The Kandasamys franchise, Material, Kings of Mulberry Street and Three Days to Go, then Lucky Fish should pique your interest. Aside from the casting of household names like Jailoshini Naidoo and Jack Devnarain, it is helmed by Meren Reddy, who wears the hats of co-writer with Craig Gardner, executive producer, as well as the film’s lead, Sanjay Pillay. And Mayuri Naidu, who has several films and TV shows under her belt (Binnelanders, Savage Beauty, Kings of Mulberry Street: Let Love Reign, Noughts + Crosses and Reyka), is among the principal cast as Samantha. In a recent interview with Naidu, she shed light on the shoot, the storyline and why the character was so close to her heart. Her excitement…

THE Thabo Mbeki Foundation (TMF) is reportedly mulling over a return to the National Dialogue process, following an olive branch extended by the Eminent Persons Group (EPG). This comes after several legacy foundations, including the TMF, withdrew from the First National Convention due to concerns over preparation and process two weeks ago. Controversy surrounded the National Dialogue held at Unisa last Friday and Saturday, particularly concerning its alleged R700 million budget. This led to the refusal of several political parties, including the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, the EFF, and the DA, to participate. TMF spokesperson Bongani Kupe yesterday confirmed that all of the legacy foundations had received the letter and were considering it. “We have always said that we are open to further discussions. In the letter that we wrote to…

THE police’s Serious and Violent Crimes Unit have arrested two teenagers, aged 18 and 16, for the attempted hijacking attack on National Assembly chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron and his two colleagues in Philippi on Tuesday, which saw one of them being left with a fractured skull and a suspect being shot. The 18-year-old suspect had sought medical help at a facility in Lentegeur soon after the incident and was apprehended. It is understood a third suspect may have been detained but police have yet to confirm it. The 18-year-old was allegedly shot by Cameron who defended himself and his colleagues, DA MP Nicholas Gotsell and DA MP Lisa-Maré Schickerling, who were returning from a surprise oversight visit at the Philippi Police Training College when they…

DUE to the cryptic nature of the allegations against Nedbank by the Competition Commission that it was part of a conspiracy to manipulate the rand, Nedbank has no case to answer as there is not a shred of evidence regarding any wrongdoing against it. This is according to Advocate Anthony Gotz SC, who told the Constitutional Court yesterday that Nedbank should never have been added as a respondent in the Competition Commission’s referral of the matter to the tribunal. This argument follows the Competition Commission’s appeal following last year’s judgment in which the Competition Appeal Court (CAC) cleared 13 banks – including Nedbank – from facing the music in a later trial regarding the rand/US dollar manipulation saga. Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, acting on behalf of the Competition Commission, told the…

TOURISM Minister, Patricia de Lille, has dissolved the board of directors of SA Tourism, after it failed to convince her as to why it should remain in office. The drastic move comes on the heels of the board’s decision to suspend CEO Nombulelo Guliwe for misconduct last week. Guliwe, a qualified chartered accountant, was appointed to the CEO position for a five-year period in February 2024 following a recruitment process. SA Tourism was recently plunged into a tender scandal after allegations of irregularities in the awarding of a R100 million tender to Pomme Express, a company reported to have failed to show proof of experience and alleged to have provided false and misleading information in its bid to organise Meetings Africa 2025 and Africa’s Travel Indaba 2025. De Lille had…

THE City is calling on residents to comment on the draft Local Spatial Development Framework (LSDF) for Masiphumelele and the surrounding areas in the Far South. The LSDF proposes a development vision to address housing needs, environmental protection, and infrastructure challenges. Masiphumelele was established in 1992 with around 500 households, but today it is home to more than 38 000 people, with 90% of residents living in informal structures. The area faces overcrowding, limited access routes, a shortage of public facilities, and growing pressure on the adjacent wetlands. The draft LSDF aims to balance urban growth with environmental sustainability, setting out proposals to relocate informal settlements out of high-risk areas, provide alternative land parcels for housing, and build a new road to ease access to and from Masiphumelele. It also…

Kaizer Chiefs’ supporters have waited with bated breath for this milestone, and that’s why the team mustn’t jinx things by fixing what isn’t broken. Chiefs won their first three league games in a row on Wednesday night — for the first time since the triumphant 2014/2015 season. It has been a delightful start to the Betway Premiership campaign for the Amakhosi faithful, so much so that they are daring to dream once again. Chiefs’ three consecutive wins came without head coach Nasreddine Nabi, who is back home in Tunisia due to a family emergency. In his absence, his trusted lieutenants Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze have been steering the ship with aplomb, achieving incredible results. Not only have Chiefs won all three matches since the start, but they’ve also…

SOUTH Africa's performance Down Under in the first One Day International earlier this week left the country satisfied, but perhaps Proteas women's wicket-keeper Sinalo Jafta was the most satisfied. Following what was a difficult weekend for the country, where the Proteas lost the series-deciding T20I in Cairns, the Springboks lost to the Wallabies and Dricus du Plessis's loss of his UFC middleweight title at UFC 319, the country needed something to celebrate. On Monday, the Temba Bavuma-led ODI team came to the rescue, demolishing Australia by 98 runs to take a one-nil lead in the three-match series. Like many South Africans, Jafta was up early for the match, at 6.30 in the morning, anticipating the return of captain Bavuma and longing for a victory that would set her up for…

ACCUSED rapist and murderer, Julian Engelbrecht, has made an about-turn after maintaining innocence; he has now pleaded guilty to the charges against him as the matter goes ahead in the Western Cape High Court. Engelbrecht, 29, faces two charges of rape, murder, housebreaking, and robbery with aggravating circumstances for an incident during which he raped and killed 62-year-old Kathleen du Plooy at her Altyd Gedacht farm home in Durbanville. Engelbrecht appeared in the high court yesterday, having pleaded guilty to the charges against him this week. In his court indictment, Engelbrecht is said to have broken into the home of the deceased on April 5 or 6, 2020. He is accused of having forced Du Plooy into submission by strangling her and taking a music player and other personal items…

THE Freedom Front Plus has expressed its scepticism after Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosana Meth said there were no backlogs in the payment of claims for maternity benefits for the past years. The party’s MP Heloise Denner said Meth’s reply that all maternity leave claims were fully up to date, except for the current year, cannot be taken seriously. “The minister’s assertion that there is not a single outstanding claim, apart from the current financial year, is simply not true. Given the ANC’s track record of poor service delivery, it is hard to believe that one department functions so flawlessly,” she said. This comes after she received replies from Meth when she asked about the total number of claims for maternity benefits from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) that were…

A NEW 11-a-side synthetic soccer pitch and family park has been completed as part of the final stage of a R27 million upgrade to the Bishop Lavis Sports Ground. Previous phases delivered a grassed athletics track, hardcourts, a re-grassed cricket oval, floodlights, newly-constructed access road, parking, fencing and related security enhancements. “We’ve been working on these major upgrades since the start of this term, and it is unbelievable to see the transformation of these facilities today,” said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. “It’s a joy to think about all the good that will come from Bishop Lavis’ youth using these top-class facilities to realise their full potential. The sky truly is the limit for young athletes, and families can now also enjoy the beautiful park alongside watching their kids achieve on the…

Alexander Isak has broken his silence on his Newcastle United future, claiming his departure is now “in the best interests of everyone” as the £150 million (about R3.5 billion) transfer saga intensifies. The Swedish striker, who finished as the English Premier League’s second-highest goalscorer last season, has been absent from pre-season and missed the Magpies’ opening 0-0 draw with Aston Villa. Liverpool have already seen a £110 million offer rejected, with Newcastle holding out for a British record fee. In a strongly worded Instagram post on Tuesday, Isak said: “I’ve kept quiet for a long time while others have spoken. “That silence has allowed people to push their own version of events, even though they know it doesn’t reflect what was really said and agreed behind closed doors. The reality…

The Springbok Women’s team have a few scores to settle with Brazil in their Rugby World Cup opener in Northampton on Sunday, according to utility back Nadine Roos. The Boks and Brazil have never met in the 15-player code previously, but Roos along with teammates Ayanda Malinga, Eloise Webb, Zintle Mpupha and Sizophila Solontsi have all suffered at the hands of the South Americans on the World Sevens Series circuit. In four matches, the Bok Sevens team have only beaten Brazil once. “I’ve faced Brazil quite a few times on the Sevens circuit. Some very close, some were a bit further away, slipped out of our hands,” Roos said from the Boks’ RWC training base in Kettering. “But I definitely think facing them at the Rugby World Cup, it's going…

Jean-Luc du Preez is pretty conscious of the fact that he hasn’t started a Test in a Springbok jersey for seven years. At yesterday’s media briefing in Cape Town ahead of the second Rugby Championship match against the Wallabies, he probably mentioned it about three or four times – most of the time with some degree of emotion. Since making his debut against England at Ellis Park in 2018 – Siya Kolisi’s first Test as captain of the Boks – Du Preez has only made 14 appearances for the Boks as a bit-part player. He missed out on the Springboks’ two Rugby World Cup triumphs in that time, and during some of those long absences in between matches, he thought his Bok dream was just that – a dream. Even…

Kylian Mbappé struck from the penalty spot as Real Madrid beat a dogged Osasuna 1-0 on Tuesday to make a winning start in La Liga under new coach Xabi Alonso. The France striker, last season's European Golden Shoe winner, scored early in the second half after being fouled in the area by Osasuna defender Juan Cruz. It proved enough to seal the points in Alonso's first game in charge at the Santiago Bernabéu, with Madrid now unbeaten in their opening league fixture since 2008. "You can see that Kylian wants to do even more after this first year where he did great things," said Alonso. Mbappé finished as La Liga's top scorer with 31 goals in his first season in Spain and now wears the No 10 shirt vacated by…