Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-05-26 i Pretoria News

Bishop Marothi Mashashane has issued a warning to the ANC following the formation of a new political party – the African Amalgamated Restorative Movement (AARM), which was launched on Wednesday. Mashashane, who has been a strong critic of some of the government’s decisions, including mandatory vaccination, said the new formation was aiming to restore the dignity of Africans in the country. He said the launch, which happened as Africa Day was observed in many parts of the continent, marked the beginning of a new era that would bring about changes in the lives of ordinary people. “The reason for the formation is that we have come to the conclusion that as long as the ANC is ruling the country, nothing is going to change for African people. We believe this…

LAWYERS for Human Rights approached the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, this week in an urgent bid to prevent the eviction of more than 100 families from the Nkandla informal settlement in Laudium. This followed an attempt by the City of Tshwane, the Tshwane Metro Police Department and several security companies to allegedly evict these people without a court order. It is stated in court papers that the community had to endure three “evictions” over the past few months, during which their structures were demolished and some of their property confiscated. Deborah Raduba of Lawyers for Human Rights said these attempts rendered the families homeless and left women-headed households, children, the elderly and people with disabilities destitute. “This is not a mere eviction but also the destruction and theft, under the…

A tight-knit Latino community in Texas was wracked with grief yesterday after a teen in body armour marched into an elementary school and killed 19 small children and two teachers, in the latest spasm of deadly gun violence in America. Details of the atrocity, the victims and the 18-year-old suspect -- who was killed by police – emerged as America grappled with its deadliest school shooting since the Sandy Hook tragedy in Connecticut a decade ago. “This town is heartbroken, devastated,” said Adolfo Hernandez, whose nephew was at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, a small community about an hour from the Mexican border, during the Tuesday shooting. “We feel like there’s a black cloud above this town,” he said. “You just want to pinch yourself and wake up from that horrible…

China’s Covid-19-hit capital Beijing further tightened its dragnet on the virus with zero-community transmission as the target, punishing workplaces that flout rules or circumvent curbs and imploring residents to police their own movements. Since late last month, the city of 22 million has wrestled with dozens of new cases a day. While these have been mostly in quarantine areas, a handful have been found in the community at large, illustrating the challenge the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant poses, even to the world’s most stringent pandemic policies. With Shanghai, China’s commercial hub, and other cities also shackled by curbs, the zero-Covid-19 approach remains the government’s focus. Some employees at the state-run Beijing postal service were dismissed or given a stern warning after Covid cases hit a private logistics company…

SEOUL: North Korea fired three missiles yesterday, including one thought to be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile, after US President Joe Biden ended an Asia trip where he agreed to new measures to deter the nuclear-armed state. South Korea’s deputy national security adviser, Kim Tae-hyo, said the North also appeared to have conducted multiple experiments with a detonation device in preparation for its seventh nuclear test. In response to the missile launches, the US and South Korea held combined live-fire drills, including surface-to-surface missile tests, both militaries said. | Reuters…

TUNIS: Seventy five people were missing after a crowded boat of migrants sank off Tunisia yesterday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and a security official said, as the numbers risking the crossing to Europe increase. The IOM said 24 people had been rescued from the boat, which departed from the beaches of Zawara in Libya and sank off the coast of Sfax. A Tunisian official said the coastguard had recovered a body as they continue to search for 75 others who were missing. In recent months, dozens of people have drowned off the Tunisian coast. More than 123 000 migrants arrived in Italy in 2021, against 95 000 in 2020. | Reuters…

THE Skukuza Regional Court has sentenced convicted poacher, 47-year-old Sam Khoza to a “well-deserved” nine years imprisonment after he was arrested in the Kruger National Park. “The accused was sentenced following an incident in which three armed intruders entered the Kruger National Park through a section on November 11, 2020. However, they were spotted by the field rangers who were on duty that day. It is said that when the three men noticed the field rangers, a shooting ensued,” said Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala. Two of the suspected poachers evaded arrests but Khoza, who sustained some injuries during the shooting, was captured. “The police at Skukuza were notified about the incident and upon their arrival, the accused was arrested and charged accordingly. During his arrest, he was found…

SIX people have been confirmed dead and nine others were seriously injured in a head-on crash on the N1 south between Mokopane and Mookgophong in Limpopo. Limpopo department of transport and community safety spokesperson Mike Maringa said the deadly collision involved a sedan and a minibus taxi. “It is alleged that the driver of the sedan driving north lost control of the vehicle and collided with an oncoming kombi,” said Maringa. “The sedan burst into flames on impact, killing the only occupant instantly. Five others, including the taxi driver, were confirmed dead on the scene and nine escaped with serious injuries.” “A case of culpable homicide is under investigation,” he said. The N1 freeway was temporarily closed after the crash. Limpopo Transport and Community Safety MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya has sent…

FOR at least eight months SAPS officers at the Ga-Rankuwa police station have been working without power due to continuous power outages. As a result of the blackouts, police working at night often use their cellphones to provide them with alternative lighting. The situation has impacted on the services to residents, as the police were said to be unable to access the 10111 line as a result of a lack of wi-fi due to the non-availability of electricity. The DA PR councillor in Ga-Rankuwa, Ofentse Madzebatela, yesterday told the Pretoria News that the situation was getting worse by the day. “They have even started to remove the kitchen equipment and I’m worried that people are going to lose jobs because of that,” he said. Madzebatela recently visited the station with…

Driving through KwaZulu-Natal following the devastating floods, one noticed an abundance of soil in places not seen before. Roads, verges, homes, entire settlements and coastal developments were covered in soil as water coursed through long-forgotten drainage lines developed for economic advancement. Nature violently sent angry waters through built structures, showing no mercy for human life or for the value placed on property. Science has warned us for decades about the possible consequences of global warming and climate change. As much as we attribute extreme events such as the recent floods to climate change, we cannot deny the role humans have played in degrading landscapes for developments to accommodate our burgeoning population. To provide for human needs, agriculture has replaced naturally vegetated areas, and hard surfaces have replaced soil which would…

In a part of Nigeria that has dealt with monkeypox outbreaks for years, one doctor saw the photos circulating in Western media and chuckled. “Those are the very severe cases,” said Oyewale Tomori, a virologist. The virus, discovered five decades ago in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), causes mild illness in most people, he said, along with blisters that usually clear up in weeks. It’s much less transmissible than Covid-19 and much less deadly than Ebola. There’s already an effective vaccine. What bothers infectious disease experts across Africa is the double standard that has emerged since monkey- pox grabbed the world’s attention. Few seemed to care, or even notice, until people in the West started getting sick. In the past two weeks, cases of the animal-borne virus typically found…

Almost 2 million children from South Africa and around the globe recently cast their vote for activist Malala Yousafzai Malik as their “Decade Child Rights Hero”. Through the Malala Fund, she fights, around the world, for girls’ right to education in Pakistan. The award forms part of the World’s Children’s Prize Programme, the world’s largest annual programme educating and empowering children to stand up for the equal value of all people. The awards ceremony, held at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred, Sweden, was attended by the country’s Queen Silvia. Malala was nominated alongside seven other candidates. She follows in the footsteps of Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Graça Machel. All the candidates had fought for the rights of vulnerable children. The ceremony was led by children from 12 countries, including Sesethu…

NEW YORK: US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said it would sell its patented drugs on a not-for-profit basis to the world’s poorest countries as part of an initiative announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “The time is now to begin closing this gap” between people with access to the latest treatments and those without, CEO Albert Bourla said. Rwanda, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal and Uganda have committed to joining “An Accord for a Healthier World”. Another 40 countries are eligible to sign bilateral agreements. Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, said “additional investments and strengthening of Africa’s health systems and pharmaceutical regulators” would be needed. | AFP…

PARIS: Princess Charlene of Monaco, who had been away from the principality for months, with the palace saying she needed to treat health issues including a “profound general fatigue”, said she was better but her health was still fragile. The 44-year-old former Olympics champion, who married Prince Albert in 2011, returned to Monaco in March as her health improved. She only recently resumed official duties. “My health is still fragile and I don’t want to rush things,” she said. “It’s been a long, difficult, painful path. I feel more serene.” “I’m very happy to be back home in Monaco,” she said. | Reuters…

MAMELODI Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi is sitting on the fence about the Brazilians’ season after missing out on a quadruple. Sundowns’ three wise men, Mngqithi, Rulani Mokwena and Steve Komphela, started life at the helm on a high note last season, winning the championship which was the club’s fourth in a row – and 11th in total. This season, the club broke the bank and bolstered their squad with local and international stalwarts such as Teboho Mokoena. With the arrival of the new blood, Sundowns were expected to return to the pinnacle of African football. However, the Brazilians crashed out of the CAF Champions League quarter-final for a second year running under the triumvirate. To their consolation, though, Sundowns are on course to win a domestic treble after winning the…

THE Nelspruit Regional Court has convicted and sentenced 38-year-old Nicholas Magagula to one life term and 15 years direct imprisonment for the murder of his employer, Liesl Nel, 41. The National Prosecuting Authority’s Mpumalanga regional spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said that on February 16, 2018, Magagula was on duty as he was working as a gardener at Nel’s house on Uitkyk Road in Nelspruit. “He got inside the deceased’s house and strangled her to death, then got inside the deceased’s motor vehicle, switched it on, and tried to drive it. He took the deceased’s red bag and fled the scene with the deceased’s cellphone and laptop,” Nyuswa said. Nel was found dead in the drain the following morning. Magagula was arrested as a suspect. “In court, he pleaded not guilty, and…

THE conduct of an investigating officer in a rape and abduction case will cost the taxpayer dearly. The officer failed to tell the court that an alleged victim had a change of heart on the day of a man’s arrest and told police he did not rape her. The man, who is not being identified because of being accused of rape, turned to the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg to claim R6 million in damages from the police for unlawful arrest as well as for unlawful incarceration. He was locked up for 90 days before the prosecutor discovered what the alleged victim had told the officer. The officer never mentioned it in the case docket. He also did not arrive at court on numerous occasions when the accused appeared…

FRUSTRATED residents of Zwartkop in Centurion, Pretoria, who were without electricity from Sunday, yesterday expressed disappointment after the City of Tshwane failed to honour its promise to fix the prolonged outage. For days residents were left in the lurch and forced to use cold water for bathing in the morning, despite the freezing weather. Perishable foods, such as meat and vegetables that were kept refrigerated, went bad due to lack of power. One resident griped about the fact that he was forced to work from a local mall’s charging station in order to access power. However, his workstation was not comfortable as he had to sit all day at the mall, incurring unbudgeted expenses like buying coffee and food. The situation saw another resident moving her children to Pretoria North…

President should be acknowledged for working to resolve his country’s internal issues Why is the People’s Republic of China (PRC) pursuing a zero Covid-19 strategy when other countries are relaxing their approaches to tackling this global public health pandemic? Why is there no industrial-scale embezzling or misappropriation of public funds (kleptocracy) by political leaders in the PRC, as is common practice in other polities? Why has there been no individual or group acts of religious or racial terrorism in the PRC as happens elsewhere? Part of the sensible answer lies in what can be termed a human rights path development with Chinese characteristics. In September last year, the Communist Party of China (CPC) released a comprehensive fourth human rights action plan, for the 2021-25 period, which details the government’s core…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy blasted the West for lacking unity yesterday, as the Russian invasion entered its fourth month and Moscow’s troops advanced in eastern Ukraine. Fighting reached the edge of the industrial city of Severodonetsk, which is under fierce bombardment by Russian forces who are trying to encircle it in one of their key goals in Ukraine’s Donbas region. Moscow told the West to lift sanctions to stave off a global food crisis sparked by the war between two countries that together produce nearly a third of the world’s wheat. Zelenskiy renewed calls for heavy weapons from foreign partners, saying the billions of dollars’ worth already put up were not enough to help Ukraine’s outgunned forces. “Unity is about weapons. My question is, is there this unity in practice?…

Loon-Plage: Police have dismantled a camp housing hundreds of migrants near Dunkirk in northern France yesterday after one person was killed and three wounded in suspected score-settling between smugglers, authorities said. Around 500 people, mainly Iraqi Kurds, had been living at the wooded site near a canal that often serves as a key launching point for boats hoping to cross the English Channel for Britain. One migrant was shot and killed and another wounded by what aid workers described as machine-gun fire, the day after two others were also shot and wounded, one seriously. | AFP…

JERUSALEM: Israel and Turkey’s top diplomats said yesterday their countries were hoping to expand economic ties as they seek an end to more than a decade of strained relations. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is on the second-day of a two-day trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories, the first such visit by a senior Turkish official in 15 years. Turkey and Israel have been working to mend their strained ties, with energy emerging as a key area for potential co-operation. They have often traded barbs over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Cavusoglu said that normalisation of ties would have a positive impact on peaceful resolution of the conflict. | Reuters…

NEW YORK: Captain Abdelrazakh Hamit Bahar of Chad, who was killed as a peacekeeper in Mali in January last year, is to be honoured with the UN’s highest award for valour. UN Secretary-General António Guterres will award the “Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage” to Bahar’s family during the International Day of UN Peacekeepers commemorations in New York today. It is only the second time the UN Security Council-authorised Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage has been awarded. The medal was named in honour of Diagne who saved hundreds of lives while serving as a UN peacekeeper in Rwanda in 1994, before he was killed in action. “Abdelrazakh’s willingness to risk his own life to save others exemplifies the courage and dedication of the more than one million…

THOSE hoping to see Johan Goosen back in action sooner will have to wait that much longer after the Bulls flyhalf revealed that his prolonged stint out of the game due to injury, has a few more months to go. The No 10, capped on 13 occasions by the Springboks, was expected to return to the field in the coming weeks and, indeed, was even touted as a possible selection by coach Jacques Nienaber in the Bok squad for Wales’ inbound tour in July. That, however, will not be happening as Goosen explained that his anterior cruciate ligament injury, picked up in October last year, had to undergo another operation recently. “I actually had a second surgery after the first one about two months ago,” Goosen said yesterday. “There was…