Table of contents for 2021-10-01 in DFA News

Traditional healers are consulted by about 60% of the South African population writes Advocate Michelle Smuts No Medical Certificate – No Pay What is required for a medical certificate to be valid? What about Covid-19 medical certificates? Validity of medical certificate What does this mean for me as an employer? LABOUR legislation states an employee is entitled to sick leave, and a sick leave cycle, during the employee’s duration of employment. An employee’s sick leave cycle means that during each 36-month period of employment starting from the first day at work, an employee is entitled to paid sick leave. The sick leave cycle is equivalent to the exact number of days that an employee usually works in a typical six-week period. This means that in case the employee works five days per week, then the…

Staff Reporter in Cape Town NEW ZEALAND want to rub salt into South Africa’s wounds by winning the Grand Slam when the two teams meet at the Robina Stadium in Queensland tomorrow at 12.05pm. Eyeing a clean sweep in the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks already wrapped up the title when they beat the Springboks 19-17 last weekend. And heading into the sixth and final round tomorrow, coach Ian Foster tells the New Zealand Rugby website: “The energy levels are high in the team, it’s our fifth Test in a row, and we’re highly motivated ahead of another big Test against South Africa and the last Test of the Championship. “We’ve achieved the Championship title, which we’re really proud to have achieved. The fact that we now have the chance…

Boipelo Mere staff reporter THE SAPS Provincial Organised Crime Detectives arrested a 30-year-old Douglas man for the murder of Klaas Small, 27, whose death could be linked to insurance fraud. Northern Cape police spokesperson Captain Sergio Kock said that Small’s body was discovered by a passer-by in a ditch in Breipaal, Douglas on January 27, 2021. “The police followed up on information and arrested the male suspect at his house in Breipaal, Douglas on September 29, 2021, at about 1.30pm,” said Kock. “It is alleged that the murder could be connected to insurance fraud and more arrests could follow.” The suspect is expected to appear before the Douglas Magistrate’s Court today.…

Boipelo Mere staff reporter THE POSTMASBURG police are investigating a case of culpable homicide after a tipper truck crashed into a home and killed a family of three in Newton, Postmasburg on Monday. The deceased family members are Marshall Messelaar, 28, his partner Shariffah van Wyk, 30, and their two-month-old baby. Messelaar, who was originally from Griekwastad, was reportedly working at Kolomela Mine near Postmasburg. The truck destroyed two rooms, which are part of 11 “hostels” that are mostly rented out to mine workers. The deceased were tenants of one of the rooms. The truck also “flattened” a vehicle, an Opel Corsa, that is believed to have belonged to the deceased. The police are still searching for the driver of the truck, who is on the run after fleeing the…

Like an upset, scolding coach trying to fine-tune his team that has just endured a horrible run, sometimes a word of censure could do some good, writes Lance Fredericks WHAT a sad record. Three games and three losses. The Northern Cape Heat seemed to be rather off the boil in their Pool A clashes against South Western Districts, Western Province and the Lions in the CSA T20 KO competition at the Diamond Oval recently. The hosts never seemed to pitch up, taking losses of 24 runs against SWD, a super-over loss to the Lions, and then that four-wicket loss in their last game against Province. When I read the reports of the games one thing kept surfacing – the Heat had butterfingers. Yes, sure their batsmen seemed to be firing,…

Zaahier Adams in Cape Town KAIZER Chiefs struggled during Gavin Hunt’s reign. They may have gone on a dream run to the Caf Champions League final, and were the only team to beat champions Mamelodi Sundowns on the Brazilians’ road to a fourth consecutive Premiership title, but Chiefs won just seven league matches out of 28 under Hunt, leaving them 11th on the standings at the time of his dismissal. The situation was so bad that the Amakhosi faithful marched to Chiefs’ Naturena offices demanding more from their team. Fast-forward to the present day and Chiefs are again faltering in the opening weeks despite having a new man at the helm. The difference now, though, is that Stuart Baxter is not entirely new to the club, and knows all about…

Unchanged Lions ready to weather Scarlets storm MORGAN BOLTON THE conditions the Emirates Lions face tonight at Parc y Scarlets might have just as much say in the outcome of their United Rugby Championship match, as the opposition that they face. Inclement weather – “grey, wet and cold,” as described by head coach Ivan van Rooyen – is expected in LLanelli on the South-west coast of Wales and will be closer in conditions to a rain-swept Newlands, than the magnificently dry and humid surroundings the Lions found themselves when they beat Zebre last week. Expansive rugby might, therefore, not be on the cards and the tight exchanges could be where the match is won or lost. Playing in the right areas of the field, and hunting for territory, might…

Sandi Kwon Hoo chief reporter THE NORTHERN Cape Department of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism is investigating the awarding of a gambling licence by the chief executive officer of the Northern Cape Gambling Board, Vincent Mothibi, while the board’s term of office had expired on March 31. A bookmaker operating licence was awarded to Vengies Gaming (Pty) Ltd in Postmasburg on May 1, 2021, although a new board has not been appointed yet. The bookmaker site application in Main Road, Postmasburg was approved for Vengies Gaming after the board had rejected the same bookmaker site application at the same address by Deeps Betting a few days earlier. Deeps Betting objected to Vengies Gaming being awarded a bookmaker licence. In terms of the Northern Cape Gambling Act, only the board can…

The Conversation By Alastair Smith GLOBAL food prices shot up nearly 33% in September 2021 compared with the same period the year before. That’s according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)’s monthly Food Price Index, which also found that global prices have risen by more than 3% since July, reaching levels not seen since 2011. The Food Price Index is designed to capture the combined outcome of changes in a range of food commodities, including vegetable oils, cereals, meat and sugar, and compare them month to month. It converts actual prices to an index, relative to average price levels between 2002 and 2004. This is the standard source for tracking food prices – nominal prices, as they’re known, which means they’re not adjusted for inflation. While nominal prices…

opinion Zwanga Matsila and Colin Thakur “UNHINGED” and “anarchy” were some terms used to describe the July mayhem in our beloved country. The chaos ostensibly triggered by the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma spiralled into the country’s worst post-democratic era unrest. At least 330 citizens were killed and over 200 shopping malls were devastated. The overwhelmed police could do little but stand and watch. Citizens and businesses in hitherto unheralded acts of confluence formed vigilante groups to protect people and property. While these vigilante groups had the effect of mitigating some damage and violence, they also fuelled racial discordance. Vigilantism occurs when civilians act in a law enforcement capacity without legal authority. In the aftermath, South African rekindled the ubuntu spirit by creating their own supply chains to freight food…

Neville Motlhabakwe sports Reporter THE CONTINGENT from the Northern Cape Chess Association landed in Kimberley on Tuesday after competing in the Africa Youth Chess Championship in Ghana. The four amateur chess players from the Northern Cape returned home empty-handed after taking part in the tournament held in Accra, Ghana from September 17-26. The Northern Cape Chess Association players made up of the three Ahjum siblings Annabelle (10), Kirsten (14) and Savannah (16) and a fourth player Omaatla Mothata all collected too few points in the Swiss-formatted annual continental chess competition. Co-ordinator Warren Ahjum said the Northern Cape chess contingent had the odds stacked against them from the outset. Firstly they had to be cut down drastically from the initial squad of 12 members to a mere four players. “The processes…