Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-12-23 i Pretoria News

A murder case has been opened after 26-year-old Kearabetswe Makane was found dead at a graveyard in Ga-Rankuwa. Makane, from Soshanguve, on December 18 went to her aunt Mmaphuti Loate, also from Mabopane, and they attended a church ceremony with her mother, boyfriend and their daughter. According to Loate, she left her home at about 5pm after the ceremony with her boyfriend and their daughter. She was carrying a handbag containing her ID, mother’s driver’s licence, and bank cards. They were planning to go to the shops and return to her aunt’s house. But after two hours her mother realised it was getting late and they had to return home. She tried calling Makane on her cellphone several times, but the call was rejected. Her mother eventually left without them…

E-HAILING and emergency services are becoming more reluctant to service areas such as Eersterust, following the recent attack and killing of yet another Bolt driver. Tsireledzo Wanga Mphaphuli, 20, was killed by passengers who pretended to be clients, requesting a ride to Eersterust on Friday night. According to reports, Mphaphuli allegedly received a request to take some passengers from Garsfontein to Eersterust. He picked them up in his silver Volkswagen Polo hatchback, and on arrival in Eersterust, the passengers robbed him of his belongings and stabbed him in the upper body. He managed to drive away and get as far as George Hood Street in Eersterust before community members who saw him in distress called the police. Mphaphuli was able to narrate his ordeal upon the arrival of the police,…

THE Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, has dismissed with costs an urgent application brought up by fired Tshwane chief financial officer (CFO) Umar Banda, who wanted a decision to terminate his contract to be nullified. Banda’s contract was set to expire on December 31, but municipal manager Johann Mettler terminated it on December 2. It transpired in court that Mettler fired him for financial misconduct after his misrepresentation of the City’s 2021/22 financial statements submitted to the auditor-general. The court found that it could not be of assistance to the applicant at this juncture on the basis that it had no jurisdiction to hear the matter. Judge Mashudu Munzhelele said: “What is at stake is the decision taken by the municipal manager; that decision to be set aside there needs to…

Labour unrest in Iran this month – including a three-day nationwide strike, among the largest the country has seen in decades – has hinted at the potential role labour could come to play in the uprising that has swept the country since September. Recently, small groups of oil workers in Iran’s energy-rich south went on strike to demand better pay and working conditions, following similar, limited actions that have punctuated the protests. The ongoing movement, sparked by the alleged police killing of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, has been fuelled in part by poverty and despair at economic deterioration under years of Western sanctions and state mismanagement. Many demonstrators have embraced broad demands to oust Iran’s clerical leaders and dismantle their tools of repression. But massive labour disruptions on…

The insecticides that target disease- spreading mosquitoes are running into nature’s ultimate defence mechanism – evolution. Scientists reported this week that mosquitoes in Cambodia and Vietnam increasingly carry a mutation that makes them resistant to a commonly used insecticide. The report, in the journal Science Advances, focuses on Aedes aegypti, a vector for dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, Zika and other diseases. In Cambodia and Vietnam, 78% of sampled mosquitoes had a mutation that shows resistance to permethrin, which is part of a class of insecticides known as pyrethroids. The new study found extreme resistance to two different insecticides sprayed in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, where mosquitoes had more than one mutation conferring resistance. One insecticide sprayed there killed only 10% of mosquitoes, while the other did not kill any.…

Wellington: A signed transcript of a parliamentary exchange in which New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called a political rival an “arrogant prick” raised more than $63 000 (about R1 million)for charity when bidding closed yesterday in an online auction. “Can’t say I expected this,” Ardern posted on social media after what she described as her “faux pas with the old mic in parliament” raised the sum for New Zealand’s Prostate Cancer Foundation. A microphone picked up New Zealand’s premier muttering the insult, aimed at political opponent David Seymour, following a heated exchange between the pair last week. Seymour petitioned the speaker of New Zealand’s parliament to get an apology from Ardern, which meant her comment was entered into the official record. Seymour came up with the idea of joining…

Washington: A powerful “once-in-a-generation” winter storm in the US that has brought crippling snow and freezing temperatures, may disrupt travel during the holiday season. The Arctic winter storm began in the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday, and made its way east through the Rockies. It is expected to become a “bomb cyclone” and hit the Great Lakes by today. More than 70 million people from Washington state to Maryland in the US and parts of Canada are under a winter weather alert. The National Weather Service said wind speed was expected to be greater than 88.5km/h. The US states could see the mercury dip below -6°C. | IANS…

Jofra Archer has been recalled to the England squad for the three-match One-Day International series against South Africa, which will be played next month. Archer (27) last featured for England in a T20 International against India last year, and has suffered a number of injuries, the most recent to his right elbow, which has sidelined him for more than 18 months. Archer was called up to the MI Cape Town side for the SA20 League that will be played from January 10. The three ODIs are a crucial part of the ICC World Super League which will determine the automatic qualifiers for the 2023 World Cup. The Proteas, face the embarrassing prospect of having to play a qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe in June/July, should they fail to attain a top…

Intense physical, emotional, and mental changes in women seem to occur every decade, from adolescence to pregnancy, childbirth to parenthood, and all the pauses in between. And that’s before we throw in everyday regular stresses of society, work, family, and education. Let’s be honest. Despite how natural they may be, women rarely discuss their health experiences. Menopause and peri-menopause aren’t often regarded to be appropriate conversational subjects. Women also frequently bear the brunt of crude jokes concerning mood swings and hot flushes. Women’s health issues have been taboo in public discourse for far too long. The new platform called w-Spot aspires to reclaim power for South African women by changing the narrative surrounding the normal progression of menopause, peri-menopause, and post-menopause. What is the w-Spot? The w-Spot is a new…

One thing you can never take away from South Africans is their sense of humour. Our people will turn everything into a joke. International hip hop publication Daily Loud posted a video of Chief Keef showing off his jewellery. The American rapper is seen in a video singing while recording a video of his jewellery stacked in a box. The video racked up 1.8 million views (and counting) in just a few hours, with more than 2400 retweets, over 28K likes and more than 2k comments, where people were saying it looks like food. People from other countries say at first glance it looks like seafood boil, pepper soup, or Korean barbecue, but South Africans saw mogodu (tripe). “Legit thought ke mogodu,” commented @JustMe_Dolly. And while we are still…

Communities in Winterveldt and Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, have been warned by the police to remain vigilant in the face of growing online scams targeting residents. The warning comes after the SAPS Organised Crime investigation team, working alongside the Highway Patrol and K9 Unit, arrested three suspects for suspected armed robbery. According to police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili, the three were apprehended after allegedly robbing a couple that had responded to an online advertisement for CDs. Muridili said arrangements were made for the couple to meet the person selling CDs in Winterveldt. On arrival at the location, the couple met a man who took them to another location where they were then robbed of an undisclosed amount of money, cellphones and bank cards. The police said after the incident was…

A SPRINGS man who went viral on social media for boxing it out with a police officer has been arrested. Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said the man assaulted the police officer following a confrontation during a routine patrol on Tuesday. “The incident was recorded on video, which is currently circulating on social media,” she said. “It is reported that two members on routine patrol came across about five people drinking in public. When the police warned them about public drinking, one of the men turned on the male police officer. “The suspect then fled the scene. Back-up was called, and the suspect was arrested later in the evening.” In another case involving police officers, political party ActionSA said they were devastated to learn that 23-year-old police constable Mlungisi…

THE North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria this week suspended the implementation of new medical tariffs promulgated by Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula and implemented by the Road Accident Fund (RAF). Judge Ronel Tolmay suspended the implementation of these tariffs retrospectively to January this year. She ruled that her order would remain in place pending the outcome of a further application in May, in which the court would be asked to review and set aside the tariffs. The new tariffs were promulgated by the minister in August for medical professionals in the private sector to be paid reduced tariffs. Should the new medical tariffs not be scrapped, they would see thousands of vehicle accident victims having to turn to the already overburdened public health sector, which would most likely in most…

Will a president tainted by diminished moral authority take the vital difficult decisions? THE Comrades have spoken; long live the president, long live the ANC! Despite the various scenarios of imminent defeat pedalled by some of the doom and gloom merchants of political punditry, 70-year-old Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa decisively won re-election as president of the governing ANC at its elective 55th National Conference on Monday in Nasrec in Johannesburg, perhaps more to the relief of his international supporters and financial markets than his bitterly divided party, let alone the country at large. Ramaphosa romped home with 2 476 votes against the 1 897 votes of his only rival, his former health minister Zweli Mkhize. Pro-Ramaphosa supporters on the NEC also won many of the key positions, including transport minister Fikile…

Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian militant during an incursion into the West Bank city of Nablus yesterday, Palestinian sources said. The exchange of fire came just hours after veteran Israeli hawk Benjamin Netanyahu announced he had formed a new government, returning to power as the head of the most right-wing coalition in Israel’s history. The Palestinian health ministry said Ahmed Atef Daraghmeh, 23, a footballer from the nearby town of Tulkarem, sustained bullet wounds to the back and foot. Islamist group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, said Daraghmeh was a member of its military wing who “was killed by occupation bullets during clashes at dawn on Thursday”. The Israeli army said its troops had entered Nablus to “secure the co-ordinated entrance of Israeli civilians to Joseph’s Tomb”, a…

Dozens of women gathered outside Kabul University yesterday to protest in the first big public demonstration in the capital since the Taliban’s decision to close universities to female students. According to witnesses, about 50 mainly women protesters assembled while holding banners and chanted: “Education is our right, universities should be opened.” The backlash towards curbs on female education is complicating the Taliban-led administration’s efforts to gain formal recognition and the lifting of sanctions that are hampering the economy, diplomats say. A heavy security presence was present in the Afghan capital, including at gatherings at universities, in recent days. A spokesperson for Afghanistan’s higher education ministry said its minister would hold a press conference to “to elaborate more on the closure of universities for women”. The previous day at Nangahar University…

MOSCOW: Russia said yesterday that US supplies of Patriot missile systems to Ukraine, announced during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit to Washington this week, would not contribute to settling the conflict or prevent Russia from achieving its goals. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there had been no calls for peace or signs of willingness to “listen to Russia’s concerns” during Zelenskiy’s visit, proving that the US was fighting a proxy war with Russia “to the last Ukrainian”. The Patriot (Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target), is a US air defence systems, capable of intercepting aircraft and ballistic missile threats. | Reuters…

KATHMANDU: Charles Sobhraj, a convicted killer who police suspect was responsible for a string of murders in the 1970s and 1980s, will be freed from a prison in Nepal today after nearly 20 years. Sobhraj, 78, a French national, is suspected of killing more than 20 Western backpackers through Asia, usually by drugging their food or drink. Nepal’s Supreme Court ordered his release from prison, where he has served 19 of his 20-year sentence, citing his age. Sobhraj escaped from India’s Tihar jail in 1986 after drugging prison guards. Police caught him in Goa. He was jailed in India until 1997 and returned to France. In 2003, he was arrested in Kathmandu. | Reuters…

The Lions will have looked at the Sharks match-23 announced yesterday and thought to themselves, with perhaps a slight bit of over-confidence, that they can travel to Durban and possibly return with a result today if they fire on all cylinders from the onset. The Durban-based team revealed a much-changed side to the one that secured two victories in the Champions Cup in as many weeks, with director of rugby Neil Powell opting to prioritise player welfare over picking his strongest team. The Lions, meanwhile, have also applied their rotational policy, but to a lesser degree, and will fancy their chances in the United Rugby Championship clash at Kings Park. They have the more settled combinations, whereas Powell has picked a handful of pairings that are untested or still finding…

Umesh Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin claimed four wickets apiece yesterday as India bowled out Bangladesh for 227 runs in their first innings of the second Test in Dhaka. Mominul Haque top-scored with 84, but the hosts lost wickets at regular intervals to end their innings about an hour before stumps after electing to bat first. India reached 19/0 before bad light forced an early end to the opening day, with six overs still to be played. Stand-in India captain KL Rahul was batting on three, with Shubman Gill 14 not out at stumps. Rahul was given out LBW on three off Shakib Al Hasan in the final over of the day, but the decision was reversed after review. Umesh earlier picked up 4/25 and Ashwin grabbed 4/71 as India stopped…

A judge was outraged by the conduct of the director-general of Home Affairs, who for years simply turned a blind eye towards an elderly German couple’s desperate plight to retire in South Africa. The couple fully qualify in terms of the law to obtain permanent residency here, yet their application was turned down by the department. Western Cape High Court Judge Vincent Saldanha said he considered holding the official personally liable for the legal costs. He commented that the court noted the egregious conduct of the official for the manner in which he had conducted this litigation and in handling the couple’s application. Jakob Maier, 80 and his wife Maria, 78, dearly want to retire in Cape Town, where they bought a house about 11 years ago. They applied for…

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to appoint Paul Mashatile as deputy president and a younger Cabinet when he reshuffles his executive in the new year. Mashatile, who rallied the Gauteng ANC to nominate the Top 7 leadership in Ramaphosa’s favour, is expected to take over the role from David Mabuza, who did not make it onto the national executive committee (NEC) list that was released on Wednesday. The president of the ANC has traditionally selected ministers from the NEC and very rarely appoints someone from outside this list. However there has been a recent exception: GOOD party leader Patricia de Lille who was appointed Minister of Public Works. Ministers who did not make the NEC list include Blade Nzimande, Thulas Nxesi, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and Naledi Pandor, who were not nominated…

THE Department of Water and Sanitation has urged Gauteng residents to use water sparingly ahead of the Christmas weekend. The department said this was as the province’s overall storage capacity recorded a minimal increase from last week’s 101.0% to 101.5% this week. “According to a weekly report on the status of dam levels issued by the department earlier this week, the Integrated Vaal River System, which comprises 14 dams, has increased from 99.5% to 102.3%. “The Vaal Dam, in the Vaal system, stands at 106.8% from 101.2%, while Klipdrift Dam on the Loopspruit River is unchanged at last week’s 102.9%. Bon Accord Dam on the Apies River has marginally decreased from 108.1% to 107.2% and Rietvlei Dam on the Hennops River has increased from last week’s 100.9% to 101.2% this…

I AM used to adversity. In 2007 I had a stroke that left me half paralysed and unable to work. The doctors said I would never work again, but I was determined to prove them wrong. A few years later, in 2014, I set up my own business working in civil construction. At its height I had almost 50 employees, with multiple projects going on simultaneously across South Africa. I was optimistic for the future. Working as a female CEO in a male-dominated industry has never been easy, but despite my resilience, nothing could have prepared me for the reality of load shedding. I was wrong to be optimistic. My company, Hensu Projects, now has 20 employees and we can no longer take on multiple jobs as load shedding makes…

France’s privacy watchdog said yesterday it had fined US tech giant Microsoft €60 million(R1 billion) for foisting advertising cookies on users. In the largest fine imposed this year, the National Commission for Technology and Freedoms (CNIL) said Microsoft’s search engine Bing had not set up a system allowing users to refuse cookies as simply as accepting them. The French regulator said that after investigations it found that “when users visited this site, cookies were deposited on their terminal without their consent, while these cookies were used for advertising purposes”. It also “observed that there was no button allowing to refuse the deposit of cookies as easily as accepting it”. The CNIL said the fine was justified in part because of the profits the company made from advertising profits indirectly…

LONDON: King Charles’ coronation will not be a “cut-price” occasion. The 74-year-old royal took the throne in September following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, but will be crowned in an official ceremony at London’s Westminster Abbey on May 6 – and despite reports the event will be scaled back, it is now believed that the king wants to use it to showcase the UK, palace insiders say. Although the guest list is likely to be much shorter than that for the queen’s coronation – 2 000, rather than 8 000 in 1953 – the event will be a spectacle to promote Britain. | Bang Showbiz…

New Delhi: Although China had not released any detailed numbers of the Covid-19 infections, the infection rate could be over 50% in the greater Beijing area, even more than 70% in the worst-hit areas, reports said yesterday. According to an analysis in Nikkei Asia, crematories in Greater Beijing are operating at full capacity, “but some bodies are having to wait to be burned”. While the omicron variant kills relatively few of the people it infects, the variant will deal a heavier blow to China due to the country’s large elderly population, the report says. China ceased its zero-Covid policy in November and has seen a spike in infections. | IANS…

Tokyo: Japan has approved a blood test kit to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, its manufacturer said yesterday, a rare advance in tackling a condition that affects tens of millions worldwide. Sysmex Corporation said it was working to get the kit, which measures the accumulation of a protein that is a marker for the disease, to market soon. Existing methods of diagnosing Alzheimer’s are expensive, such as a brain scan or spinal tap. Data has also showed a new drug called lecanemab slowed cognitive decline in patients by 27% across 18 months. The data revealed adverse effects but the drug was hailed as a “real treatment option”. | AFP…

Mamelodi Sundowns defender Grant Kekana has been impressed with the level of quality shown by the club’s youngsters as they step up their preparations ahead of the second half of the season. The Brazilians are currently hard at work in Polokwane, preparing to defend their trophies from worthy challengers. Masandawana have placed great emphasis on acquiring a strong enough squad to sustain their trophy challenge on both domestic and continental fronts, and have added a couple of academy products to their squad for the season. Kekana, who has been one of the best players at Chloorkop in recent years, is happy with the level at which the youngsters are operating. “The youngsters are showing a lot of quality and a lot of desire, and they’re willing to work hard, which…