Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-11-24 i Pretoria News

CILO CYBIN Holdings’ initial public offering (IPO) to raise R500 million was unsuccessful, leading it to delay JSE listing plans for now. Cilo Cybin said yesterday that it had only managed to raise R20.5m and did not meet the JSE Limited minimum capital requirement for a listing. “The Cilo Cybin board are humbled and express gratitude for the support Cilo Cybin received from the general public during the IPO process. “A total of 1 892 members of the public subscribed for an aggregate amount of R20.5m of Cilo Cybin shares. “Unfortunately, the JSE Limited minimum capital requirement for a listing as a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) as set out in the Cilo Cybin Prospectus, has not been met within the set timeframe, and the listing on the…

THE RAND rallied to its highest in nearly 10 weeks amid a softer dollar and expectations of a prolonged aggressive hiking cycle by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to curb elevated consumer prices. The domestic currency appreciated 0.8% yesterday to R17.11 to the US dollar, the highest since September 12, amid the greenback’s losses as investors awaited the latest US Federal Reserve (Fed) meeting minutes that could offer clues on the central bank’s future tightening plans, after buoyant corporate earnings in the US and remarks by Fed policymakers that indicated they were open to slowing the pace of rate hikes TreasuryONE currency strategist Andre Cilliers said although the rand was gaining momentum, it was still caught in the R17.20 to R17.50 range for now. “We will require new impetus…

Hilaria Baldwin has defended her decision to have daughter Lucia through a surrogate. The 38-year-old mom – who gave birth to six of her seven kids with husband Alec Baldwin – has hit back at critics and noted her 20-month-old girl is not “any less” hers because of how she was delivered. Speaking on the latest episode of her Witches Anonymous podcast, she said: “There’s no difference. And people assume that I’m less of a mom, that she’s less of my daughter… “She is just as attached to me as all my other ones. I don’t have a difference between my daughter that was born via surrogacy and my six other children that I carried.” Baldwin – who suffered two miscarriages in 2019 before choosing to use a surrogate to…

OPPOSITION parties have questioned the accuracy of the crime statistics released by the SAPS for the period from July and September. Police Minister Bheki Cele yesterday led a departmental delegation to the police committee to brief them about crime trends in the second quarter of the financial year. Briefing the committee, Major-General Norman Sekhukhune painted a grim state of affairs with an increase in virtually all crime categories, except two. Sekhukhune said murder increased by 13.6% to 7 004 and was highest in the Eastern Cape, followed by KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and Gauteng. The only crimes that decreased were arson and burglary at non-residential premises, he said. Arson decreased by 17.7% while burglary at non-residential premises dropped by 16.9%. The statistics showed that community-reported serious crimes spiked by 51…

THE Atteridgeville family of the two minor girls who were raped at the Pretoria Hotel in 2020 said they were devastated that the convicted culprit continued to insist the girls volunteered to go with him to the scene of the crime. This came after the counsel for the 46-year-old man convicted for kidnapping and raping the girls, aged 11 and 13, partially read out the psycho-social report in court as part of the pre-sentencing proceedings in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The matter was postponed after the State advocate informed the court that she would be unable to proceed after midday due to an appointment. However, before the adjournment, the defence read out the compiled report that detailed how the man had been convicted of assault with the intent to…

ACCORDING to the British newspaper The Observer – who interviewed the daughter of Janus Walus, Ewa Walus, whom he left behind in the town of Radom, central Poland, with his mother – she received funds to support her father’s appeals but not from fascist or neo-Nazi organisations. The paper reported she had not seen him since a brief visit to Poland in 1992. The report said she found out about the decision on his parole on television. “First we heard it was a Polish immigrant, and then that it was Janusz Walus … my mother aged 10 years in one minute,” she said. She told the paper that his release would not have been possible were it not for repeated appeals made possible by financial assistance from his Polish well-wishers.…

AN INFLUX of surrendered pit bulls and violence directed towards the breed has prompted the National Council of SPCAs to call on the government for urgent intervention. The NSPCA said the number of aggressive dogs surrendered to SPCAs across South Africa continued to increase. “Over the past few weeks, there has been an exponential amount of media exposure regarding pit bulls attacking humans, especially children. As a result, SPCAs around South Africa are facing the difficult task of dealing with the aftermath of these tragic attacks. “Pit bulls are being surrendered to SPCAs in large numbers and, in communities where owners have not surrendered their pit bulls, the communities are beginning to take matters into their own hands. Animals are being poisoned, stabbed, beaten, and set alight in retaliation by…

Reports perpetuate victim shaming and sensationalism South Africa is a country that experiences a very high level of gender-based violence. During the UN’s annual international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, the country’s news media coverage of violence against women and children increases. As well-intentioned as this may be, studies have exposed several shortcomings in the coverage, noting that these undermine what the campaign aims to achieve. This matters because of the importance of news outlets in our media-saturated world. Research into the factors that shape opinions on violent crimes and the criminal justice system argues that most people’s views are not based on personal encounters with the system. Instead, perspectives are formed primarily from seeing, reading, or listening to secondary sources, such as mainstream news media. French…

Britain’s highest court yesterday rejected a bid by the devolved Scottish government in Edinburgh to hold a new referendum on independence without London’s consent. The unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court torpedoed the Scottish nationalist government’s push to hold a second plebiscite next year. The Scottish National Party (SNP) had said that in that event, it would turn the next general election into a de-facto vote on splitting from the rest of the UK, threatening constitutional chaos. First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said she respected the ruling but was “disappointed”. If Scotland cannot “choose our own future without Westminster consent”, the idea of the UK as a voluntary partnership was exposed as a “myth”, she tweeted. The UK government, which oversees constitutional affairs for the whole country, has…

Russia rained down missiles across Ukraine yesterday, forcing shutdowns of nuclear power plants and killing civilians as Moscow pursues its campaign to plunge Ukrainian cities into darkness and cold as winter sets in. Officials across the border in Moldova said electricity was also lost to more than half of their country, the first time a neighbouring state has reported such extensive damage from the war in Ukraine triggered by Russia’s invasion nine months ago. A blackout forced the shutdown of reactors at the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, and the Khmelnitskyi and Rivne plants in the west, the state-run nuclear energy firm Energoatom said. Air raid sirens blared across Ukraine in a nationwide alert. Explosions could be heard on the outskirts of Kyiv, which was pitched into darkness.…

THE City of Tshwane’s anti-drug operations this week might have appeared to be targeting the nyaope-smoking boys who were stopped and searched in the inner city, but were actually hot on the heels of the big fish. Mayor Randall Williams, who joined the metro police on an anti-crime blitz, said they targeted drug dens in Edmond Street at the Lion Bridge in Pretoria’s CBD. “We searched some nyaope boys, but we are after the people selling the drugs to them,” the mayor said in a tweet. He added that the motive behind the operation was to drive “by-law enforcement operations” and rid the streets of “drug dens where nyaope boys get their fix”. “Now we will be continuing with regular law enforcement in that area to keep the area cleared…

eThekwini Municipality mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, a KZN ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) member, says it is time for the implementation of ANC resolutions by the leadership that will respect the ANC and not make themselves bigger than the ANC. This comes hot on the heels of the announcement of ANC presidential candidates Dr Zweli Mkhize and President Cyril Ramaphosa, who received the most nominations for the top spot and will go toe to toe to lead the party at next month’s elective conference. There was no need to use money for votes, Kaunda said. What was needed were clean credentials and an understanding of ANC ideology. “We need to acknowledge that cadre President Ramaphosa is still the ANC president till the December conference and will remain president of the…

A MONTANA, north of Pretoria, woman who slipped and fell as she left McDonald’s in the Wingtip Crossing Shopping Centre has lost her damages claim against the owners of the fast food outlet. Mandie Lombard turned to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, after she fell outside the outlet in June 2019. She had just fetched her lunch. She sued MSA Devco (Pty) Ltd, trading as McDonald’s Wingtip, for the injuries she suffered. During the trial, video footage was admitted into evidence showing her slipping on the ramp leading to the outside. It showed how she fell, the moment when her right foot left the rubber carpet, which partially covered the ramp area, and when she stepped onto the tiled area. According to Lombard, she slipped and fell on a wet…

The Lewende Woord Centurion Church was a sea of white yesterday as friends, colleagues and family members gathered for an all-white-themed memorial service to celebrate the life of Oupa John Sefoka, known as DJ Sumbody. “A lover of people and bringing premium experiences in the hood, his Veuve Clicquot All White parties were a testament of his passion of bringing culture, lifestyle, good music and showcasing amazing talent,” his family said earlier in the week. DJ Sumbody’s management, Sumsounds Music, confirmed that he died in the early hours of Sunday, November 20. Sumsounds Music said details of his death could not be released. Delivering an emotional tribute, Cassper Nyovest spoke fondly about DJ Sumbody and shared how their friendship had begun. “I am here to talk about my friend.,” Nyovest…

TRANSPORT Minister Fikile Mbalula’s decision to appeal against a Makhanda High Court judgment directing him to take steps to protect Intercape buses and its passengers is barely surprising, judging by his dismal track record. The fact that it took the court ruling for Mbalula to actually know he should assume some responsibilities in making the operating environment safe for the bus company should be enough to tell you he is sleeping at the wheel. Intercape should not even have had to approach the courts in order to have Mbalula and his colleagues in the police intervene and help bring to an end these senseless attacks on buses. It’s perhaps worth reminding the honourable minister of the following: more than 150 violent attacks on Intercape buses have been recorded, including the…

BEIJING: Violent protests have broken out around Foxconn’s vast iPhone factory in central China, as workers clashed with security personnel over pay and living conditions at the plant. In video on social media, hundreds of workers can be seen marching on a road and confronted by riot police as well as people wearing hazmat suits. Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn confirmed the unrest. The confrontations broke out after employees signed an agreement with the factory to work 30 days in return for a one-time payment of 3000 yuan (R7 250) saw the figure slashed to just 30 yuan, a source said. The tech giant saw a surge in Covid-19 cases at its Zhengzhou site, leading it to shut the complex. The huge facility has been operating in a “closed loop” bubble.…

Bruce Lee may have died from drinking too much water. Doctors are making the claim almost 50 years after the martial arts icon died at 32 years old, in 1973 in Hong Kong. An autopsy from the time showed the Enter the Dragon star had been killed by brain swelling, which medics blamed on him taking a painkiller. Researchers have now reviewed the evidence and concluded Lee is more likely to have died from hyponatraemia. A team of experts wrote in the Clinical Kidney Journal: “In other words, we propose that the kidney’s inability to excrete excess water killed Bruce Lee. “We hypothesise that Bruce Lee died from a specific form of kidney dysfunction: the inability to excrete enough water to maintain water homeostasis, which is mainly a tubular function.…

WRITTEN negotiation notes torn from a diary, unpaid lobola and the fact the marriage ceremony was not concluded, have prompted a court to refuse an application a man and the woman he claimed to be his wife had entered into a valid customary marriage. Makhosina Selome approached the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, for an order to have what he regarded as the traditional marriage to the late Makgaka Bella Sebethi registered by Home Affairs. Sebethi died in a car accident three years ago and left no will. But, to be recognised as an heir, Selome had to prove they were legally married. Their alleged marriage in terms of customary law was never registered. Also at play is a Road Accident Fund claim which was instituted following the woman’s death. The…

RESIDENTS in Capital Park have expressed concern and frustration about cable theft in the area, after at least 17 cases were reported at the local police station in September alone. This emerged during a recent community meeting in the suburb, where the municipality met with residents, the local policing forum, ward councillors and private security companies. The MMC for community safety, Grandi Theunissen, said all stakeholders engaged on security and safety matters, with calls on residents to report suspicious activities around municipal infrastructure. One of the burning issues in the meeting was cable theft. Theunissen said the engagement on cable theft was prompted by at least 17 cases reported at the local police station in September. “While there was a decline in cable theft in October 2022, with only 10…

One of the many advantages of living in China is you can hop on to a low-cost airline and visit any of the neighbouring countries. Since my Sussex days, a trip to Bali has been on my bucket list. A classmate in the UK came from Indonesia and had a background in tourism. In fact, to this day she runs a tourism business and was studying the developmental effects of tourism from a political and governance slant. In her study, and one supposes in any research, there was no better case study than Bali. The contradictions of development through tourism were, therefore, stark when our vacation finally came in January 2019, just before Covid-19. The developmental effect that tourism has on the local Balinese economy has been significant, bringing many…

Explosions hit two bus stops in Jerusalem yesterday, killing a teen and wounding 14, in unclaimed attacks cheered by Palestinian militant group Hamas. The first bombings to hit Jerusalem since 2016, according to security officials, targeted an area frequented by ultra-Orthodox Jews at the western exit from Jerusalem. A 16-year-old boy was killed and 11 people wounded in the first blast, before a second hit a stop nearby, wounding three people, hospitals treating the casualties said. A photographer said the blast had ripped a hole through a metal fence behind the bus stop, with an electric scooter and a hat lying on the ground. The photographer heard the second blast, which he said tore through the side of a bus. The twin blasts struck half an hour apart, police said.…

LISBON: Thirty-five people suspected of involvement in human trafficking have been arrested in a massive operation that mobilised around 400 officers in Portugal’s southern Alentejo region, police said yesterday. A total of 65 raids were carried out, resulting in the arrest of alleged members of a human trafficking ring that illegally brought migrants to work in Alentejo’s farms. The suspects, aged 22 to 58, were both Portuguese and foreign nationals, and the victims were from countries including Romania, Moldova, India, Senegal, Pakistan, Morocco and Algeria. Labour trafficking has risen as Portugal’s native population has declined amid falling birth rates and emigration to other EU countries. | Reuters…

SON Heung-min will be able to play in South Korea’s opening World Cup match against Uruguay this afternoon despite wearing a mask after facial surgery, coach Paulo Bento said. The Spurs attacker and South Korean skipper had surgery earlier this month after suffering a fracture around his left eye in a collision during a Champions League game. “Son can play and will be able to play,” Bento said yesterday. It remains to be seen to what extent the South Korean talisman features, with the Portuguese boss cautioning: “He knows and we know that after this injury we cannot take any risks.” The 30-year-old Son has been training in Qatar in a mask and South Korean fans have been eagerly awaiting updates on his fitness. At one training session in Doha…