Tabla de contenidos para 2022-06-27 en Mercury

Staff members in the eThekwini Municipality supply chain management (SCM) unit are allegedly withholding letters of appointment for service providers in order to solicit bribes. At least three councillors in the Finance Portfolio Committee said the committee was briefed on the allegation by mayor Mxolisi Kaunda during a committee meeting last week. Letters of appointment give service providers, who have been appointed to do work for the municipality, the authority to start working. Without the letter, the service provider cannot legally work and risks not being paid for any work that has been done. The councillors said they were not surprised by the allegation as they have long suspected that there are many illegalities happening inside the SCM unit. They cited the unusual delays whenever procurement requests had to be…

POLICE Minister Bheki Cele broke down after visiting the horrific scene where 21 teenagers died under mysterious circumstances at an East London drinking spot, known as Enyobeni at Scenery Park. The dead were all under the age of 18. While police could not provide a reason for the deaths, there was speculation that the incident might have been caused by a gas leak or a stampede. Police said in a statement that they received a call at 4am yesterday about the incident. “Upon arrival police found 17 bodies inside the building. It was later established two more died at a local clinic, one died en route to hospital and another died in hospital. “Nine of the deceased are female while 12 of the deceased are male.” Cele, who visited the…

I have had more responses to my column about reaching out to others with kindness (The Mercury, June 24) than I ever anticipated and I thank you. This hand-written and beautifully penned note reached me via scanning and then email. What a delight! “Dear Rod, “Your column of 24 June 2022 tickled me in my waning years because in our earlier days this (friendliness to strangers) was the norm. “In Zululand villages it was especially so. When I walked down the main street in our village (no pavements) with my dad and my grandfather, when they passed a lady both of these two gentlemen doffed their hats. Where do you see that today except in pantomimes? In 1957 I was transferred to Durban and caught a bus from Glenashley to…

THERE’S a football renaissance taking place in Chatsworth at the moment, and I can’t help but share my enthusiasm with your readers. The 2021/22 year has been a successful year in the history of Summerfield Dynamos FC, who won the ABC Motsepe League for the second time in three years. They made history by becoming the first KwaZulu-Natal team from the ABC Motsepe League and the first team from Chatsworth to reach the quarter-finals of the prestigious Nedbank Cup. Someone once said “I have so much bad luck that if I bought a cemetery tomorrow, people will stop dying.” That’s how Collin Naidoo, owner and chairman of Dynamos must feel after being bundled off in the play-offs yet again – despite being so close to being promoted to the PSL…

South Africans may soon be able to do checks on the National Register for Sexual Offenders (NRSO) – but they will need to follow strict protocols that include written consent. NRSO’s registrar Ntombizodwa Matjila manually goes through the applications. She said there were just a few more steps that needed to be done before the law will come into effect. This follows the signing into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Bill that amends Chapter 6 of the Act to expand the scope of the register. There are 32 000 registered sex offenders. Matjila said once promulgated, the public would have access to the register by making use of the application process. Currently only employers in the public or private…

LIMPOPO police have made a breakthrough in the murder of a university lecturer, 51, who was shot while jogging in Polokwane three months ago. In March, Professor Mohamed Saber Tayob, a lecturer at the University of Limpopo who was also a chartered accountant, was shot by occupants of a white VW Polo vehicle. The “major breakthrough” came as a suspect – in custody for the murder of two other people and a robbery at a BMW car dealership in Polokwane – was positively linked to Tayob’s murder. The suspect, 33, was initially arrested after killing a customer at a BMW car dealership in Polokwane, during a business robbery in April. “The same suspect had killed someone who was building for him. On 1 April, 2022, the victim was shot at…

WHILE horse-racing fans and fashionistas were still celebrating the return of the in-person Hollywoodbets Durban July, Health Minister Joe Phaahla added the cherry on top by announcing the removal of all Covid-19 regulations last week. This new amendment means that all Covid-19 restrictions and regulations related to gatherings have been lifted, and that all sporting and other events have opened up unconditionally. Hence, Gold Circle will welcome thousands of horse-racing fans without any Covid-related requirements on July 2 for the Hollywoodbets Durban July. Gold Circle marketing and events executive Stephen Marshall said proof of Covid-19 vaccination or negative PCR tests were no longer a requirement for entry to the Hollywoodbets Greyville racecourse. “The Durban July has traditionally brought the rainbow nation together in a spirit of goodwill and excitement and…

How government ​handles the Zondo inquiry fndings will test integrity of our system JUDICIAL commissions and public inquiries are costly but an essential checks and balances of last resort in a vibrant democracy, albeit after-the-fact to uncover a particular situation and where appropriate to seek recourse and potential redress in law for the state, citizen and taxpayer. The usual checks and balances normally come from government departments, specialist cross-party parliamentary committees, an independent judiciary, an anti-corruption agency, a free press and citizen activism. When it comes to allegations of state capture, fraud and corruption in the public sector including organs of state on an industrial scale, then they assume an importance that goes to the very survival of our democracy. In this respect, South Africa is no exception but also…

BERLIN: Some 4 000 people marched in Munich on Saturday calling on leaders of the Group of Seven countries to take action to fight poverty, climate change, world hunger and end dependence on Russian fossil fuels. Leaders of the US, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Japan met yesterday for a three-day summit at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian mountains, aiming to increase pressure on Russia whose actions in Ukraine have created food and energy shortages. Protesters demanded the G7 allocate more funds for crisis prevention, civil conflict management and economic development. |…

Prince Charles has told Commonwealth leaders that the choice to become a republic or abandon the queen as head of state was theirs alone, and expressed “personal sorrow” at Britain’s legacy of slavery. The British heir to the throne addressed the opening of a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali as host nation Rwanda faced scrutiny over its rights record and a much-criticised migrant deal with the UK. Charles is representing Queen Elizabeth II as the 54-nation club of mostly former British colonies grapples with questions over its future relevance and modern profile. Republican movements are taking root in a number of Commonwealth nations and some are seeking reparations for colonial-era injustices like slavery. Charles acknowledged the change underfoot and said the Commonwealth – which represents one-third of…

The US Supreme Court’s ruling overturning a constitutional right to abortion has sent fear among LGBTQ people after the release of the decision set out potential targets: Supreme Court cases legalising same-sex intimacy and marriage. Justice Clarence Thomas, agreeing with the majority that US states could ban abortion, called on the Supreme Court to re-examine cases allowing LGBTQ rights as well as the right to contraception. “In future cases, we should reconsider all of this court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence and Obergefell,” Thomas said in his concurring opinion. “We have a duty to ‘correct the error’ established in those precedents.” The 2015 Obergefell decision guaranteed same-sex couples the right to marriage; the 2003 Lawrence decision overturned a Texas law which made gay sex criminal, and the 1965…

THE announcement by eThekwini Municipality that written permission from the municipality has to be obtained when animal slaughtering takes place has been welcomed by religious and cultural bodies. Moulana Syed Aftab Haider, from Ahlul Bait Foundation of SA, said the organisation did not have a problem with the written permission that needed to be obtained for the slaughter of animals as announced by the municipality. “We have Eid-al-Adha coming up in July and the significance is that a sheep, goat or a cow must be slaughtered. However, I don’t see a problem with applying for written permission for the slaughter of animals; at the end it is about hygiene and cleanliness and for the safety of our members. We have to understand that certain areas and places have their rules…

The largest-known bacterium – a vermicelli-shaped organism that was discovered in shallow mangrove swamps in the Caribbean and is big enough to be seen with the naked eye – is redefining what is possible for bacteria, Earth’s most ancient life form. Scientists said the bacterium, called Thiomargarita magnifica, is noteworthy not merely for its size – colossal for a single-celled organism at up to about 2cm long – but also because its internal architecture is unlike other bacteria. The DNA, an organism’s blueprint, is not free-floating inside the cell like in most bacteria but contained within numerous small membrane-bound sacs. Membrane-bound structures in cells are called organelles. “It is thousands of times larger than regular-sized bacteria. Discovering this bacterium is like encountering a human being as tall as Mount Everest,”…

HOO Boy! An old Aussie expression comes to mind of being up a sewage creek in a barbed-wire canoe without a paddle, sport! British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has lost two by-elections – one to Labour in the biggest swing to that party since 1945; the other to the Liberal Democrats who overturned a Tory majority of 24 000 in a seat in the Tory heartland that they had held for more than 100 years. Plus Tory chairman and cabinet member Oliver Dowden resigned as a result. The sewage doesn’t come richer and more aromatic than that. Okay, by-elections are by-elections. They can be seen as protests, warnings to government, not necessarily to be repeated in a general election. But the creek and the barbed-wire canoe remain. The Tories seem…

It is often easier to believe a lie than to accept that you have been lied to. Gabi Marais’s continued belief in the efficacy of masks (The Mercury, June 24) is a case in point. From the outset in March 2020, the dictate that masks were compulsory was the result of collusion between power-addicted politicians, always eager to impose controls over society and to inhibit freedom, and scientists beholden to the financial backing they depend upon from Big Pharma. As I have pointed out on various occasions in these columns, there is a very practical reason masks are ineffective in inhibiting the transmission of the Covid virus: apertures in the average weave of masks are between 70 and 80 microns. The size of the Covid virus is one micron. So…

THE Western Cape High Court has reversed the decision of a magistrate who had ordered a woman to pay R50 000 in damages for defamation because she had reported that a father was sexually abusing his children. A magistrate’s court had earlier found that the woman had bad-mouthed the father in the letter of concern she had sent to the police. She was ordered to pay him damages. However, the woman, who is not identified to safeguard the children, took the judgment on appeal to the high court. She maintained from the start that her intention was not to defame the father, but she insisted it was her legal and civic duty to report her concerns to the welfare authorities and the SAPS if she suspected that children were…

While more cases of monkeypox are being detected around the world – including one case in South Africa – scammers remain busy. Mimecast Threat Intelligence has warned that a new email phishing scam is doing the rounds using monkeypox to trick people into sharing their personal details. Mimecast’s Tim Campbell said monkeypox was high on the news agenda so cyber criminals were exploiting it. Cyber criminals adjust their phishing campaigns to be as timely and relevant as possible, using traditional attack methods to exploit current events to lure distracted people to engage with links in emails, applications or texts, he said. “Now, they are using monkeypox to send phishing emails to company employees. In this latest phishing campaign, recipients are asked to click on a link to complete ‘mandatory training’…

ANC KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Sihle Zikalala has called for the fair application of the ruling party’s step-aside policy, saying that its current application raises questions. Speaking at a Youth Day event in the Moses Mabhida Region in Pietermaritzburg yesterday, Zikalala raised concerns over the slow pace of prosecutions in matters where ANC members have been asked to step aside. He insisted that while they subscribed to the step-aside policy, there were concerns over the slow pace of the cases of those who had been charged and asked to step aside, saying this had led to unnecessary delays in people’s lives. “We should see the application of step-aside policy across all ranks, and equally we want to see prosecutions that are swift, not just a prolonged episode because such a move amounts…

FREEDOM to abort one’s own “child” has now been mostly banned in the US: Absolutely the step in the right direction! Can’t allow people killing innocent foetuses. Bad enough that gun laws allow near-unborn babies to own bazookas,water pistols and titanium military tanks. To add to the rocket-launchers exported to Israel and other adopted areas abroad. No! Abortion to add to the carnage in Palestine, Syria, Yemen,Africa? No! Most inhuman. Sick enough to attempt to sink Hiroshima,Nagasaki and try to make them become neighbourly with undersea kingdoms like Atlantis. Enough is enough! What did the poor unborn baby do to be terminated? Compared to all those born-babies in Iraq? Babies who have just lost their homes to Zionist- driven “settlers” in Palestine? No. no! The thousands of millions…

Manila: A US navy destroyer sunk during World War II has been found nearly 7 000 metres below sea level off the Philippines, making it the world’s deepest shipwreck ever located, an American exploration team said. The USS Samuel B Roberts nicknamed “Sammy B” sank during a battle off the island of Samar on October 25, 1944, as US forces fought to liberate the Philippines – then a US colony. The Battle of Leyte saw intense fighting between US and Japanese forces. According to US Navy records, Sammy B had a crew of the 224 of which 89 died, perishing from wounds and shark attacks. |…

Oslo’s Pride march was called off on Saturday after “terrorist” shootings in the centre of the normally tranquil Norwegian capital killed two people and wounded 21 others. Police arrested a suspect, a 42-year-old Norwegian man of Iranian descent, shortly after the shooting started around 1am in three locations in central Oslo, including at a gay bar. Organisers of the Pride march that was due to take place in the afternoon said they were calling it off. “All events linked to Oslo Pride have been cancelled” following “clear” recommendations by the police, the organisers wrote on Facebook. “We do not yet know the reasons for this terrible act, but to all the homosexuals who now are afraid and are in mourning, I say we are all with you,” Prime Minister Jonas…

A FULL-scale battle is in progress within the echelons of the ANC for control of a once-illustrious movement, that will without doubt lose its majority in 2024. As it strays further away from genuine measures and standards of civil conduct, it will be humiliated at the next general elections. Current and aspiring leaders are attempting to destroy the foundations of our hard-won democracy. The octopus of corruption has spread its tentacles, ensnaring every leader within the corridors of power. Such malignant behaviour has shown us that the existence and spread of evils in any society is bound to harm the well-being and growth of our poverty-stricken land. Our country currently runs on an ad-hoc basis, everything at the last moment, no planning, no debate and no accountability. Leaders who strut…

INEQUALITY is a favourite word bandied about by the ANC, with the blame squarely laid on certain sections of the population. But a recent media report refers to exorbitant pay packages for CEOs in charge of SOEs and other government departments. A number of them earn more than the president. Do these so-called top 10 sleep at night when they consider the parlous state of the nation and that millions of their fellows go to bed on empty stomachs – that’s if they have beds and roofs over their heads? Had the SOEs and departments been flourishing entities and making big profits, one could almost excuse their self-indulgence. But it’s common knowledge they’re all functioning at half-mast, relying on the ever-so- patient taxpayer to fork out the funds. So, ANC,…

The Umzinyathi District Municipality has dismissed claims that it is in dire financial straits and that it lacks funds to pay workers their June salaries. The municipality’s mayor, Petros Ngubane, said the allegations were aimed at painting his municipality in a bad light when it was, in fact, working hard to get its finances in order. The municipality is made up of Endumeni (Dundee), Nquthu, Umvoti (Greytown) and Msinga Local municipalities. Ngubane’s response comes after an anonymous email was sent out on Friday by someone who claimed to be a member of staff. In the email, the sender alleged the municipality had to borrow money from local financial institutions to finance salaries. It also claimed that it had to dip into developmental grants from the provincial and national governments to…

South African poultry farmers are grappling with the high-risk avian influenza, with producers in the Western Cape having been the hardest hit. The Western Cape reported 68 outbreaks, followed by Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, which had 39 and 18 outbreaks, respectively. The industry was forced to destroy 3.7 million hens, mainly in the eggs sector. The SA Poultry Association (Sapa) said that since the first outbreak of the virus in April last year, there had been 145 reported cases in the country, with 13 new outbreaks reported in the first three months of this year. “The egg industry in the Western Cape has suffered the greatest losses, with an estimated 30.6% of their layers having been affected by the H5N1 outbreak,” the association said. According to Sapa’s monitoring report for January…

THE DA has called on the eThekwini Municipality to move quickly to protect one of its councillors who was nearly assassinated last week. Gunshots were fired at the DA ward councillor’s house last week, and one of the bullets hit the television set. The party said the councillor, who they declined to name for fear of her safety, had been under siege since she won the ward following the local government elections in November last year. She is the ward councillor for areas in the upper Highway area of Durban. It was a former ANC ward and flipped to the DA. Attempts to speak to the councillor were unsuccessful yesterday and the DA said the party will speak on her behalf as it needed to protect her. DA councillor Thabani…

THE cleansing ceremony conducted by the Zulu royal household over the weekend – following Zulu king Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu’s passing last year – was conducted in line with the rituals dating back years ago. This was the view of cultural expert Professor Sihawukele Ngubane. He was commenting after some royals dismissed the event as a charade, insisting that the same ceremony had been done months ago, and the weekend event was simply a muscle-flexing exercise by Zulu Traditional Prime Minister Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi. Last week some royals led by Prince Mbonisi Zulu questioned the logic behind holding ihlambo, saying the cleansing ceremony had been conducted earlier this year. In a press conference held in Durban on Thursday last week, the prince insisted that the ritual conducted over the weekend was…

While the decision to drop the use of masks indoors would come as a major relief to many in the country, caution should still be exercised if we don’t want to see our new freedoms being short-lived. Last week, Health Minister Joe Phaahla scrapped some of country’s last remaining Covid-19 regulations, ending the mask mandate, limitations on gatherings and checks on travellers coming into the country. Phaahla’s announcement was well received by event organisers, the tourism sector, sporting organisers and members of the general public. After all, it has been two years of living under the state of disaster that limited individual freedoms. However, as a country we need to take heed of the warning issued by scientists that if we become complacent public health measures may need to be…

Rome: Had movie stars Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck hopped on an electric scooter rather than a Vespa in the film Roman Holiday, their spin around the Eternal City might have ended in tears. The number of crashes involving the two-wheelers, and free-wheeling tourists has prompted Rome authorities to impose some order on a booming rental market by restricting operators and the use of the scooters to adults, who must provide formal ID. The havoc came to a head earlier this month when two US tourists attempted a drive down the 18th century Spanish Steps, causing damage amounting to more than €25 000 (about R417 200). |…

Russian forces have established full control over the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, Russia’s Interfax new agency cited the defence ministry as saying. Ukrainian officials said their troops had withdrawn from the city after a prolonged battle and they were regrouping in neighbouring Lysychansk to gain a tactical advantage. In an interview in Kyiv, Kyrylo Budanov said Ukrainian forces would continue their defence of the front from Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine and that it was no longer possible to hold the line in Sievierodonetsk. “Russia is using the tactic ... it used in Mariupol: wiping the city from the face of the earth. Given the conditions, holding the defence in the ruins and open fields is no longer possible,” Budanov, head of the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of…

The retirement of stalwarts Anya Shrubsole and Katherine Brunt, and seamer Emily Arlott testing Covid-positive, has forced the England women’s squad for the one-off Test against the Proteas into a reshuffle, with an uncapped player promoted from the reserve list. The Test will be played from today at the County Ground in Taunton. Uncapped pace bowler Issy Wong has been promoted from the reserve list and into the 13-player squad for the four-day clash, and is in contention to claim a spot left vacant by the recently retired duo of Shrubsole and Brunt. Wong is among a group of players that could earn a Test debut, with fellow seamers Freya Davies and Lauren Bell, batter Emma Lamb and all-rounder Alice Davidson-Richards all having a chance of earning a first cap…