Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-06-20 i Pretoria News

Road Freight Association, Busa call on President Ramaphosa to deploy military TRANSPORT Minister Fikile Mbalula was yesterday evening locked in a meeting with logistics stakeholders to quell the fires lit over the last week by truck drivers who blocked South Africa’s main road arteries to protest against the hiring of foreign truck drivers, which was enforced with a heavy hand by the South African Police Services. The Road Freight Association was among the organisations that confirmed being in a closed meeting with the minister for the scheduled gathering that started late yesterday afternoon and was going well into the evening yesterday. Solutions were sought after the private sector threw the strongest challenge yet of government’s resolve to keep the economy running as the N3 to Durban ports and beyond was…

East Lynne, Pretoria non-profit organisation Rea Thusa (We Help) has vowed to facilitate effective, efficient and accountable health and social care services for senior citizens and those in need of palliative care. This was as the world commemorated World Elder Abuse Awareness Day last week. Elder abuse can take various forms such as physical, psychological or emotional, sexual and financial abuse. The NPO’s founder and CEO Virginia Keppler said it was a continuous battle for the poor, both young and old, to get proper health-care services as well as decent services in old-age homes and frail care centres. “This is where we are very in touch with the community, and we are on the side of those who cannot speak for themselves. We fight for them to be treated in…

THE Namibian Police Force’s scathing statement largely contradicting the South African government over the theft of millions of US dollars “concealed” under furniture on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm has necessitated the country’s justice department to seemingly make an about-turn on its stance. The statement released on Thursday reveals that the Namibian Police Force identified individuals, bank accounts and various properties including lodges, houses and vehicles suspected to have been purchased with the proceeds of crime, and consulted the Office of the Prosecutor General to consider a preservation order of the assets. A preservation order was issued and a formal request made through the Ministry of Justice to South Africa to confirm whether or not a crime was registered in South Africa, according to the statement. Among those…

LEADER of the Pimville Community Forum and member of the Operation Dudula Movement, Thabang Moloi, has urged Sowetans to come out in numbers and join their march to the office of the Joburg mayor tomorrow. Moloi who in the past week has been lobbying Soweto residents with meetings in the township, took to Diepklof Zone 1 on Saturday where he urged residents to join the march to mayor Mpho Phalatse’s office after her visit to Pimville following the killing of Kgomotso Diale in April. The march forms part of the community’s bid to root out cable theft and other issues faced by Pimville and the rest of Soweto, with the organisers expected to hand over a memorandum of their demands to the mayor. On Saturday, in one of the meetings…

ON THURSDAY, June 16, coinciding with Youth Day, the Pinkie’s Chow Team, as well as the community bade a sad farewell to its beloved founder, Hajji Abduraghman Galant, fondly known as “Pinkie”. He was loved by many for his humour and selfless nature. Pinkie, 65, formerly from Draper Street, Claremont, Cape Town was the youngest son of Achmat “Aggies” Galant and Gadija Gaidin. The Galant sons and family are well known for their community, academic and religious work, cultural entertainment as well as sport. Before the pandemic, Pinkie and his team fed up to 500 people three times a week with hot meals in Hanover Park. Or they would make soup, fruit packs, pap, and/or sandwiches. They would also try to expand to other areas with volunteers to Mitchells…

President Joe Biden has distanced himself from a coming encounter with controversial Saudi leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, saying the reason for his trip to the oil-rich nation was not to meet the prince. Biden plans to attend a regional Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Saudi Arabia next month. The White House said he plans to meet the formal leader, King Salman and his team, notably de facto leader, Prince Mohammed, also referred to as MBS. US intelligence blames Prince Mohammed for the 2018 murder of Saudi-born critic Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote for The Washington Post. Asked by reporters about how he would handle the subject when he meets the prince, Biden said, “The same way I’ve been handling it. I’m not going to meet…

Mali’s transitional parliament has approved a draft electoral law, a measure designed to ease the return of the country to civilian rule. The bill must be approved by the head of the military junta, President Assimi Goita, before it becomes law. The military government has said that once the law is adopted it will propose a timetable for a return to democracy. West African leaders slapped stringent economic and financial sanctions on Mali in January, following two military coups last year. The 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) imposed the measures after the Malian army said it would hold on to power for five years. After Ecowas piled on the pressure, the junta reduced that time frame to two years but the regional body insists it must leave…

London: Britain’s biggest strike action on the railway network in over 30 years will go ahead after talks over pay broke down, the Rail Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union said. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said there had been discussions in recent weeks with rail infrastructure body Network Rail, train companies and the London Underground. But he said that “no viable settlements” were found. More than 50 000 workers will take part in a three-day national strike tomorrow, on Thursday and on Saturday. London Underground workers will also stage a 24-hour walkout tomorrow. |…

HARARE: Zimbabwe government workers have rejected a below- inflation, 100% wage hike offer, with a state health workers union Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions saying it would begin a jobs boycott today. The workers are pushing the government for a $840 (R13 500) a month payment in US dollars, saying their wages have been eroded by inflation, which rose to 131.7% last month. The lowest paid government worker earns 18 000 Zimbabwe dollars ($53.18 or R852). The government faces additional pressure from nurses and doctors, who have called for a strike, starting today. |…

STORMERS captain Steven Kitshoff says winning the United Rugby Championship was “up there” with winning the World Cup. The Stormers produced a second-half masterclass to come back from being 7-3 down at halftime and ultimately beat the Bulls 18-13 in a wet Cape Town on Saturday night. The result marked the Stormers’ 11th straight URC win, while it was also the third time the Cape side have beaten Jake White’s Bulls this season. Speaking after the game, Kitshoff, who won 2019 World Cup with the Springboks, said: “This win is definitely up there. Looking back, when we started our home leg, we were just thinking of getting a top-eight spot and qualifying for the European Rugby Champions Cup.” In the build-up to the game, Stormers coach John Dobson also spoke…

THE FIGHT against inflation has already led to outsized interest rate hikes by central banks in major economies and further hikes are foreseen in the coming months. The likelihood of a global recession is increasingly unavoidable as higher borrowing costs and high energy prices as a result of the Ukraine conflict will hit hard. The ratio of spare capacity to employment in the US tends to lead the US yield curve at major turning points in the business cycle. Since December last year the ratio is testing the lows that occurred before the 2000, 2008 and 2020 recessions. Yes, the US economy was running at full capacity. With near-full employment in the US and elsewhere it means that business will be reluctant to expand. Capital goods orders are likely to…

The ANC in Tshwane is likely to act against party members who embarked on a protest over disputed branch delegates during its elective conference in Johannesburg two weeks ago. This was articulated during the first meeting of the newly-elected regional executive committee last week. Party regional spokesperson Bafuze Yabo indicated in a media statement that the committee was mandated to initiate a process of holding to account all members who took part in the protest and “where disciplinary action is required to move swiftly and take action”. According to the party, the behaviour of the aggrieved members, who engaged with the media outside Indaba hotel in Fourways, amounted to putting the party into disrepute. Yabo said: “The meeting took a stern view of these developments, including members who were duly…

THE 16th annual South African Child Gauge has revealed that up to 20% of children will develop a mental disorder or a neurodevelopmental disability during childhood. In fact, the annual review of the situation of the country’s children reported that the worrying statistic of children being hard hit by mental disorders was just the tip of the iceberg. The review, released to coincide with Youth Day last week, was published by the Children’s Institute at the UCT, in partnership with Unicef SA, the DSI-National Research Foundation’s Centre for Excellence in Human Development, Wits, the Standard Bank Tutuwa Community Foundation as well as the Lego Foundation. The 2021/22 issue focused on the Child and Adolescent Mental Health, under the theme: “Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods and Resilience of Young People for a Better…

THE FAMILY of Kopano Makweng is not sure if the 16-year-old teenager will ever recover after he was assaulted by a gun-brandishing Corrie Pretorius, 52, after an argument at a shopping centre in Groblersdal, Sekhukhune, Limpopo last week. The family have also accused the Pretorius family of displaying a “no-care” attitude toward their beaten son, saying they had made no effortto apologise. Pretorius, who is from Marble Hall, 30km from the scene of the incident, was arrested at his home on Thursday after being caught in a video that has gone viral on social media, viciously kicking and stomping on a helpless Kopano, with a gun in his hand. It is alleged Pretorius and his cousin were in a shop when the Kopano, asked to use the same seasoning as…

FOR soon to be married couples needing wedding attires, props and services, the Umshado The Wedding expo will provide an opportunity to showcase ethnic and white weddings under one roof. Founder and organiser Marinda Botha said after more than 37 years in the promotions and marketing industry, one of the things that always struck her was that bridal expos were always about the white wedding dresses and accessories. “There is never a section where brides can get their traditional/ethnic attire and wedding needs under the same umbrella, and it frustrated me – knowing how ethnic brides has to run all over to get their weddings organised. “South Africa has some of the most talented and creative black designers, but they never get the chance to showcase their work, as there…

Child brides, female genital mutilation rife on continent SPARE a thought for the 130 million child brides and nearly 140 million girls and women who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) in Africa, of which over 40 million have experienced both harmful practices. Spare a thought for the nearly 2 million child brides in South Africa, where 364 000 were married or in union before the age of 15, and 1.6 million before the age of 18, where one in 28 young women were married or in union in childhood. One of the oft-forgotten aspects of the gender discourse is this pernicious practice of child and forced marriages. A staggering 650 million girls and women alive today were married in childhood. These statistics of shame are highlighted in…

The UN has turned to crowdfunding to raise the $80 million (R1.3 billion) needed to remove more than a million barrels of oil from a decaying tanker in the Red Sea and prevent a potential environmental catastrophe. The FSO Safer tanker has been rusting away off Yemen’s coast since 2015. Sitting in the delicate ecosystem of the Red Sea, famous for its corals and fish, it threatens to release about four times the amount of crude oil spilled off Alaska in the Exxon Valdez disaster of 1989. Seawater has seeped into the engine room, according to UN officials who are sounding the alarm that a tank rupture or explosion would wreak havoc on marine life, vital shipping lanes and regional economies. For years, the UN has sought to launch a…

VICTORIA: Seychelles’ President Wavel Ramkalawan has reaffirmed his country’s commitment to protect the rights of every citizen and foreigner on its land through its constitution. Ramkalawan made the statement while speaking at the annual flag-raising ceremony on Saturday at the Lavwa Lanasyon Monument (the Voice of the Nation) in Peace Park on Mahe to mark Constitution Day. This year is 29 years since the constitution of Seychelles was adopted through a referendum on June 18, 1993, paving the way for a Third Republic and the introduction of a multi-party system. |…

LUCKNOW: Indian authorities suspended internet services in several parts of the eastern state of Bihar in a bid to stop gatherings and violent protests over a new military recruitment plan for short tenures, police officials said on Saturday. The Agnipath or “path of fire” system aims to bring more people into the military on four-year contracts and to cut pension costs. Protesters say the plan will limit opportunities for permanent jobs with the defence forces. Social media platforms have been blocked in 15 of 38 districts of Bihar, said Sanjay Singh, a senior police official in the state, where protesters burned passenger trains and buses. |…

TORONTO: Canada’s government has introduced a bill to hold people criminally responsible if they harm someone else while intoxicated. It follows a Supreme Court ruling last month that said people could claim extreme intoxication as a defence. “Extreme intoxication” is a state akin to automatism in which a person is not acting voluntarily and its use as a defence requires the introduction of expert evidence. Being drunk or high is not a defence to criminal charges in Canada. The bill, introduced on Friday, is meant to provide liability for “extremely intoxicated violence” in a way that complies with Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. |…

THE upsurge of South African women footballers plying their trade abroad has bolstered the tenacity in the ranks of Banyana Banyana. South African superstar Thembi Kgatlana who plays for four-time Spanish Primera Division champions Atletico Madrid feels it is time to end the domination of Nigeria’s Super Falcons. The Nigerians are 11-time winners of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon). Kgatlana will be leading Banyana at the upcoming Wafcon in Morocco starting next Saturday. She is one of several players who are playing abroad and Kgatlana said this will serve Banyana in good stead. “Things are starting to look good and exciting for Banyana because we have a number of overseas-based players,” said Kgatlana in an interview with Caf. ”Being professionals at clubs aboard, means they are training every…

THE CAPITAL & Counties Properties (Capco) and Shaftesbury merger will create a portfolio mainly in London’s West End of about 670 buildings across 2 000 commercial and residential units. The portfolio will comprise 35 percent retail, 34 percent hospitality and leisure, 17 percent offices and 14 percent residential. The trend precinct has seen a steady return of shoppers and patrons with the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. The Capco and Shaftesbury boards on Friday released details and terms of their “recommended all-share merger” to form a combined group, with the new merged company to be called Shaftesbury Capital once the deal is completed. In terms of the mechanics of the mer- ger, a scheme of arrangement by Shaftes- bury, with the existing Capco sharehold- ing, will…

Britney Spears has thanked Donatella Versace for making her feel like a “real-life princess” in her custom wedding gown. The Toxic hitmaker has shared a behind-the-scenes look at the intricate handy work that went into making the Versace dress she wore to her wedding to fitness model Sam Asghari, 28, a week ago, and thanked the fashion legend. Alongside the clip, Britney wrote on Instagram: “Over 700 hand stitches went into tailoring and crafting my dress. A huge thank you to @donatella_versace and the @versace team for making me a real-life princess.” The pop icon is said to have used Charlotte Tilbury make-up for her big day and wore Stephanie Gottlieb jewellery. The couple tied the knot at her home in the Thousand Oaks area of Los Angeles in front…

LAST year President Ramaphosa took steps to block any attempt to reveal CR17 contributions. Today he is fighting for his political survival in light of the burglary at his farm and violation of crucial steps that he should have taken to alert the law enforcement institutions about the theft of $4 million. Ramaphosa is almost invariably guilty of pervasive gross moral dereliction of duty. It was Michael Mayalo who said: “A crime, like an onion, has many layers to it.” It is indeed tragic and sad that virtually all our leaders over the past 20 years have been steadfastly impervious to shame. What is alarming is that our crop of leaders are a symptom of a societal problem.They are a reflection, a mirror held up to South African society. What…

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned allies to prepare for a long war in Ukraine, urging sustained support for Kyiv or risk “the greatest victory for aggression” since World War II. In an article in The Sunday Times (UK), Johnson said Ukraine’s foreign backers should hold their nerve to ensure it has “the strategic endurance to survive and eventually prevail”. Johnson made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Friday, a day after European leaders from France, Germany, Italy and Romania were in the Ukrainian capital to back the country’s EU ambitions. Johnson offered President Volody- myr Zelenskiy a ramped-up military training programme to help in its fight against Russian forces. “Time is now the vital factor,” Johnson wrote in a 1 000-word article. “Everything will depend on whether Ukraine…

Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati called on all political parties to expedite the selection of a new premier who can form a new cabinet capable of dealing with Lebanon’s steep crisis. Lebanon does not have the luxury of time to address its problems, he said, adding that any delay in addressing the country’s crisis will cost the Lebanese more in the future, Xinhua news agency reported. Mikati said he had no objections to being appointed as prime minister to form a new cabinet as “he has never hesitated to take responsibility and serve the country, especially in critical and dangerous stages”. The caretaker government was considered to have resigned with the start of the mandate of the newly elected parliament on May 22. Members of the new parliament will…

New York: Julian Assange’s father and brother said they were counting on European legislators to stop Britain from extraditing him to the US, and welcomed a promise of citizenship by French leftist politician Jean-Luc Melenchon. “I think there’s a great chance of stopping this extradition. We have great support among the European nations,” said Gabriel Shipton, Assange’s brother. The Assange case has become a cause celebre for media freedom and his supporters accuse the US of trying to muzzle reporting of legitimate security concerns. The WikiLeaks founder is wanted to face trial for violating the US Espionage Act by publishing military and diplomatic files in 2010 and could face up to 175 years in jail if found guilty, although the exact sentence is difficult to estimate. On Friday the British…

Addis Ababa: The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has said that security forces executed residents in Gambella, suspecting them of collaborating with rebels who attacked the city last week. The assault on Tuesday triggered a gunfight between security forces and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), a rebel group which is branded a terrorist organisation by the government. After soldiers repelled the attack by the OLA and a local armed group, “residents faced various human rights abuses at the hands of the Gambella regional… forces,” the state-affiliated independent rights body EHRC said while calling for an investigation. |…

HE admitted that he was “hurting” after his team lost the United Rugby Championship (URC) final, but Jake White feels that his young Bulls outfit have a bright future ahead of them. The Pretoria side were dominant in the opening 30 minutes against the Stormers, but failed to capitalise on a number of attacking opportunities and eventually went down 18-13 at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday night. Centre Harold Vorster’s early try got the Bulls off to the perfect start, but by half-time, Marcell Coetzee’s team were only 7-3 ahead, and the Stormers roared back in the second half through tries by Evan Roos and Andre-Hugo Venter, while Manie Libbok slotted a late drop goal to clinch a welcome triumph for the Capetonians. In the immediate aftermath of the match,…

LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT world champion Artur Beterbiev has his sights set on undisputed status after stopping American Joe Smith Jr in two rounds to add the WBO title to his WBC and IBF belts. The Montreal-based Russian racked up three knockdowns with a flurry of brutal shots, leaving Smith looking badly hurt before referee Harvey Dock waved the fight off with just over 40 seconds remaining in the second round. Beterbiev, 37, preserved his unbeaten record with the 18th win of his career, all of which have finished inside the distance. His victory on Saturday takes him closer to a unification fight with WBA holder Dmitry Bivol, who defended his title with a unanimous win over Canelo Alvarez in May. “Joe is a little open and it was easy to get to…

SAFA were kept busy extinguishing fires as disgruntled presidential candidates tried to hijack the upcoming Elective Congress. Over the weekend, the Western Cape High Court dismissed the Kannaland Local Football Association’s interdict to stop the Elective Congress with costs on Friday. A few days earlier, the Pretoria High Court dismissed Safa vice-president Ria Ledwaba’s attempt to stop the Elective Congress. Ledwaba’s interdict was struck off the roll with punitive costs. Safa also had to deal with a campaign that targeted Danny Jordaan, who will be running for a third term as president. Several social media platforms carried reports that Jordaan had informed the public broadcaster that presidential candidate Ledwaba was withdrawing from the race. On Saturday, the Safa held its Extraordinary Congress at the Sandton Convention Centre and eased the…