Tabla de contenidos para 2023-03-24 en Mercury

There are growing calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa to make the performance agreement of new Minister of Electricity, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, public and to spell out the time line set to deliver on targets as the country grapples with a worsening power crisis. Ramokgopa is currently visiting all 14 Eskom power stations nationally and engaging with the senior managers, technicians, workers and organised labour. He has already visited Kusile, Kriel, Duvha, Tutuka, Camden and Lethabo power stations. He said several power stations were not performing well but a comprehensive plan was needed to improve their efficiency, instead of shutting them down. Yesterday, Deputy President Paul Mashatile, during a question and answer session in Parliament, said the government had acknowledged the negative effects of load shedding on all citizens and the economy.…

WHILE the government is yet to confirm what it will do after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant of arrest for Russian President Vladimir Putin, some experts say South Africa should have long withdrawn its membership from the “eurocentric” institution. This comes as the EFF yesterday vowed to protect Putin if necessary. South Africa will host the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China at the 15th BRICS Summit from August 22 to 24 this year, raising questions around whether or not the government should act if Putin attends. Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) Minister, Naledi Pandor said discussions were still needed. “Many countries that should sign on are not members of it. We had hoped other forms of warrants would be issued by the ICC…

One of the clauses in Independent Newspapers’ code of conduct pledges to “strive to eliminate distortion”. But the publication of the article, “Frightening effects of climate change”, (March 23) does not uphold the clause because it distorts the reason for climate change. By repeatedly propagating the narrative ordained by the globalist, New World Order elite that climate change is man-made, the article is distorting reality. Claiming that the credibility of the narrative is beyond question simply because it reflects the consensus of the UN is a further distortion of truth. It is well known that there are scientists who will produce the findings that their financiers want. The key error in the March 23 article is that fossil fuels are causing climate change and that unless CO2 emissions are eliminated,…

King Phillipe and Queen Mathilda of Belgium have arrived in Pretoria, on a state visit. They will be hosted by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The Presidency in Pretoria announced that the Belgian royals will be in the country until Monday next week, and it was at the invitation of Ramaphosa. A ceremony was set to take place at the Union Buildings in Pretoria yesterday to welcome the royals to South Africa. “The president and His Majesty will address the South Africa-Belgium Business Forum which will commence at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Brummeria at 2pm,” Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said. “The state visit will serve to expand and strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries and revitalise economic relations with a focus on trade, foreign direct investment, and…

The eThekwini Municipality has urged residents to report cable theft after spending over R40 million to replace six tons of stolen cables in the past financial year. It said cable theft affected businesses and residents. The municipality said cable theft and illegal electricity connections were some of the challenges that crippled electricity distribution in the city. “Multiple electricity breakdowns are mainly due to the theft of cables and connecting to the grid illegally. The city has appealed on numerous occasions for the public to report cable theft in order to curb it.” Cable theft not only damaged infrastructure, it impacted residents and businesses who bore the brunt of this criminal behaviour, it said. “In the last financial year, the City spent over R40m to replace six tons of stolen cables.…

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has warned students to be aware of fraudulent websites and social media links that ask them to provide their personal information to withdraw their allowances. This comes after fraudulent messages with links were circulated on social media encouraging students to submit their details to easily access their allowance. NSFAS said the websites were identified as fake with the intention of scamming students of their funds.Students were also urged to be careful of a fake appeals notice making the rounds on social media. “Note that this is fake news and should be ignored. Students are advised to monitor our website and official NSFAS social media pages for accurate and correct updates and information on appeals,” it said. Meanwhile, the scheme announced a 10% increase…

An early settlement in wage negotiations between government and trade unions may be on the horizon after the employer improved its wage offer to public servants to 7.5%. In a briefing held by a coalition of trade unions that constitute a majority in the Public Sector Coordinating Bargaining Council, the unions said they were seeking a mandate from their members on the latest and final offer from government. The coalition of trade unions include South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) an affiliate of Cosatu, together with the unions affiliated to the Federation of Unions of SA, namely Naptosa, PSA, Hospersa and Saou. Together, these unions form a 53.9% majority in the council. This does not include unions that embarked on an illegal strike earlier in the month. The striking unions…

Gauteng MEC for Health Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko has confirmed that none of the companies that allegedly benefited from tenders worth R1 billion which were allegedly irregularly awarded at Tembisa Hospital were blacklisted by her department. Nkomo-Ralehoko was replying to written questions submitted by DA health spokesperson Jack Bloom. Bloom had asked the MEC to give details of the number of companies that were blacklisted after they were found to have benefited from the tenders. These questions emerged after Nkomo-Ralehoko and her predecessor, Nomathemba Mokgethi, had admitted in the legislature that one of the beneficiaries of alleged irregular tenders was the ANC’s Ekurhuleni treasurer, Sello Sekhokho. In their responses, the political bosses said Sekhokho had scored R14.5 million in 55 contracts from Tembisa Hospital in the past three years.…

LIVING close to green spaces like parks and greenhouses has been proven to improve health and quality of life. Our interdisciplinary research on Integrative Green Infrastructure Planning (Grip), which is aimed at improving green and open space planning in Pretoria, revealed that staying close to green areas, practising urban agriculture or house/community gardening, relaxing in park areas and planting trees can provide several benefits to human health and social well-being. However, our cities keep expanding daily, with green areas shrinking in size. This contention between green spaces and the need for shelter – one of our basic human rights – is one of the challenges faced by local authorities. Everyone deserves a roof over their heads and, at the same time, access to green spaces is good for our health.…

An Indian court yesterday found opposition leader Rahul Gandhi guilty of defamation for a 2019 campaign trail remark implying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a criminal. Modi’s government has been widely accused of using the law to target and silence critics, and the case in the premier’s home state of Gujarat is one of several lodged against his chief opponent in recent years. Gandhi, the leading face of the opposition Congress party, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment but immediately granted bail after his lawyers announced their intention to appeal. The case stemmed from a remark made during the 2019 election campaign in which the 52-year-old had asked why “all thieves have Modi as (their) common surname”. His comments were seen as a slur against the prime minister, who…

Advertisers are seeking any assurances from TikTok, the viral app that helped usher in a wave of short-form video across social media, as the Chinese-owned company again faces a potential ban in the US over national security concerns. TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew was to testify before Congress yesterday, and advertisers would be watching closely, several ad agencies said. TikTok’s US ad revenue was expected to reach $6.83 billion this year, from $780 million in 2020. The app, which is owned by China’s ByteDance and is popular among younger users, now has 150 million monthly users in the US, it said. The company faces growing calls from lawmakers who are pressuring the Joe Biden administration to ban the app over concerns that Americans’ user data could fall into the hands…

JERUSALEM: Israeli MPs yesterday passed a law to make it harder to declare Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unfit to serve, the first in a series of laws comprising the far-right government’s controversial judicial overhaul plan. The bill was approved despite warnings from Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who said the law would shield Netanyahu from being ousted over his graft trial. Under the new law, a prime minister can only be forced to step down if three-quarters of ministers confirm so due to physical or psychological incapacity. The vote came hours before Israelis launched another day of nationwide protests against the judicial overhaul. | Xinhua…

ADDIS ABABA: The Ethiopian government said yesterday that it had appointed a senior official in the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) as head of an interim government for Tigray after a peace deal ended a brutal two-year conflict. The announcement comes a day after parliament removed the TPLF from an official list of terrorist organisations, a move it said would help bolster the November 2022 agreement between the rebels and the federal government. There was no immediate response to the announcement from the TPLF. The agreement had stipulated the establishment of an “inclusive” interim regional administration until elections could be held. | AFP…

IT’S hard to believe that Juan de Jongh will be turning 35 in a few weeks’ time. The side-stepping centre from Wellington made his senior Western Province debut as a teenager in 2009 and hit the big time with a sensational Super Rugby campaign for the Stormers in 2010 – with the highlight being a brilliant try against the Waratahs in the semi-final. He was so good that he made his Springbok bow in the same year against Wales in Cardiff, and he went on to earn 19 Test caps up to 2016. In that time he also won a few Currie Cup titles with WP, with the most memorable being the 2012 triumph over the Sharks at Kings Park, where he again scored a trademark solo try…

SOUTH Africa’s Under-23s hopes of qualifying for next year’s Olympics were dealt a minor blow yesterday as they played out a 1-1 stalemate against Congo at the Dobsonville Stadium. It was the visitors that broke the deadlock in a tight first half through attacker Bissila Mabiala, the big man capitalising on poor positioning by the home side’s defence in the 43rd minute. The Congolese put together a couple of decent passes in the middle of the park before a ball outside saw a quality cross played on the blind side of the Olwethu Makhanya at centre-back and Mabiala capitalised, heading into the bottom corner. Thapelo Maseko, who was South Africa’s best player, found the all-important equalising goal, assisted by second-half substitution Mduduzi Shabalala, in the 69th minute. Shabalala…

THE MOTHER of 2-month-old Lwandle Mdletshe, who was kidnapped from their home in Chatsworth two weeks ago, is pleading for his safe return. Zinhle Mdletshe alleged that two men stormed into her Welbedacht home on March 11 looking for her brother after a quarrel over an alleged stolen bottle of whiskey. “They said that he had stolen a bottle of whiskey from a tavern. I tried to explain that my brother was not there and lives in the college residence where he studies. “They did not listen. One of them pulled out a gun and pointed it at me. The other went to the bedroom and took my baby who was fast asleep. “I am still in shock and devastated that they took my child; they didn’t take anything else.”…

Various comments in The Mercury reflect on mostly “the single day that was fought”; there’s relief that it’s “all over”. Gratitude is loudly expressed for “Ramaphosa’s support and security preparation”. Others point to the actual choice of that specific Monday. There was also a comment that continuous parades of army and police on a regular basis could reduce crime. All these viewpoints are very valid. However, I feel that there are far more serious implications than just those expressed. The shutdown was successful in globally highlighting that this country is on the edge of destruction in so many areas – financial insolvency, physical infrastructure, moral decay and that much action is urgently and permanently needed. Let’s not lie to ourselves. Continuing with the same government attitude that has become…

ORANGES and lemons Say the bells of St Clement’s … There’s a bit of a panic on in Old Blighty to find enough bell-ringers to sound the chimes for King Charles’s coronation on May 6. It’s not the bells at Westminster Abbey and thereabouts that they worry about. It’s just that for a coronation, every bell tower in the country should be simultaneously giving tongue. The number of these is 38 000, according to Sky News, and the shortfall of bell-ringers right now is 8 000. There’s a big recruiting drive on, that has so far found 1 000 individuals to be trained. Some of these are children. Now as anyone who has been in a bell tower will know, ringing is an exact skill. Hang onto the rope too…

A woman who claimed that she was the first customary wife of a now dead man failed for the second time in her legal bid to have a say as to where her “husband” should be buried. The woman turned to the high court, sitting in Polokwane, for an order forcing the woman who claimed she was the true wife, as well as the funeral parlour involved in burying him in 2021, to exhume the body of Frans Mfana Radingwana. He was buried at the Legolaneng cemetery, but the woman wanted him to be reburied at the local Ga-Mampuru cemetery in the Sekhukhune District. She told the court that she was bringing the application on behalf of herself and with the blessing of her late husband’s children. Following the death…

The GLOBAL disco revival is coming to South Africa this autumn with The Bee Gees Night Fever tribute show announcing a run of performances at Sibaya Casino’s Izulu Theatre from March 31 to April 10. Produced by Showtime Australia – the team behind last year’s Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic tour – the international tribute show brings together the voices of Australia’s Zac Coombs and South Africans André Behnke and Warren Vernon-Driscoll to recreate the iconic three-piece harmonies of siblings Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb – better known as the Bee Gees – alongside a live band and full pop concert production. Audiences can expect to hear all the disco dance floor fillers, smooth ’70s ballads and ’60s pop standards that made the Bee Gees timeless, including Stayin’ Alive, Jive…

AS the one-year anniversary of the devastating April floods draws closer, the municipality has confirmed that it has received R1.5 billion from the national government for relief and repair efforts. Mayoral spokesperson Mluleki Mntungwa said the last portion of the money was received last Friday. Also last week, the City’s top brass, including mayor Mxolisi Kaunda and City manager Musa Mbhele, met the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Portfolio Committee. Mntungwa said they were waiting for the municipal treasury unit to determine how the funds would be allocated, noting that many departments within the municipality were in need of the money. At last week’s meeting, Cogta committee chairperson Zinhle Cele expressed relief that the City had received the money, noting that this had been cited as the reason for…

National lottery operator Ithuba says it has paid out more than R371 million to 15 jackpot winners since January. Among them is a Gqeberha grandfather who had been watching television when he realised he was R23m richer. The pensioner, who had worked as a delivery driver, won the Powerball Plus from the March 14 draw. He walks away with R23 377 517. The winner, who is in his seventies, said he had watched the draw show on TV and realised immediately that he had the winning numbers and had become a multimillionaire. “I couldn’t sleep that night, I was so excited and I had so many thoughts going through my mind.” And another retired Cape Town resident plans on wasting no time in spoiling himself. The resident,…

It has long been intervening in the internal affairs of other countries At a time when the world is in turmoil and faced with numerous global challenges, the US has once again positioned itself as a “leader of democracy” by hosting the second “Summit for Democracy”. However, in the process of pushing for a single or absolute model of democracy and using democracy as an instrument or weapon in international relations, the US has purposefully stoked bloc politics and confrontation, which is none other than a breach of the spirit of what democracy stands for. The summit is essentially about creating division. The US, obsessed with power politics, stubbornly engages in zero-sum games and clings to a Cold War mentality. Since its birth, the “Summit for Democracy” has been nothing…

A London jury yesterday found Nigeria’s former deputy senate president guilty of plotting to harvest a street trader’s kidney for his sick daughter, in the first UK case of its kind. Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, and a doctor, Obinna Obeta, 50, were found guilty at the Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey, of conspiring to exploit the young man from Lagos for his body part. The Ekweremadus’ daughter Sonia, 25, shed tears as she was cleared of the same charge after jurors deliberated for nearly 14 hours. It was the first time organ harvesting conspiracy charges had been brought under the UK’s 2015 Modern Slavery Act. The maximum sentence is life. Sentencing was adjourned until May 5. In Britain, it is legal to donate a kidney but…

GENEVA: Twitter chief executive Elon Musk said yesterday that countries should not “cede authority” to the World Health Organization (WHO). “Countries should not cede authority to WHO,” wrote Musk, whose Twitter account has more than 132 million followers, in response to right-wing Australian senator Malcolm Roberts criticising the WHO. “Countries aren’t ceding sovereignty to @WHO,” director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted in response. “The #PandemicAccord won’t change that. The accord will help countries better guard against pandemics,” he said. | Reuters…

The Hague: Ukraine and the International Criminal Court yesterday signed a deal for a field office to probe war crimes, days after the tribunal issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin last week, saying he was allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine. Russia said the warrant was “void”, and that it was not a member of the court. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev warned this week that attempts to arrest Putin on the ICC warrant would be seen by Moscow as a “declaration of war”. Russia has opened a criminal probe into an ICC prosecutor and ICC judges. | AFP…

SHANGHAI: More than 400 people lost their billionaire status last year, most from China, as global monetary tightening, Covid-19 disruptions and Beijing’s crackdown on major tech companies hurt the super wealthy, a ranking of the world’s wealthiest showed. China lost 229 billionaires from the Hurun Global Rich List 2023, accounting for more than half of the 445 people who disappeared from the list, which ranks moguls with a minimum net worth of $1 billion, the Hurun Report said yesterday. The world’s second biggest economy also added 69 new billionaires to the list. The number of billionaires in the world was down by 8%, while their total wealth dropped 10%. | Reuters…

AUSTRALIA leave India with the world number one ranking in one-day cricket and will return to the subcontinent for this year's World Cup with confidence after edging the hosts 2-1 in the series. Australian white-ball cricket looked to be at a crossroads only a few months ago, with Aaron Finch stepping down from the one-day captaincy and the T20 team failing to reach the World Cup semi-finals on home soil. Yet Australia’s ability to quickly reset, rebound and ultimately dominate was on display again in India where they sealed the series with a 21-run win in Chennai on Wednesday under stand-in captain Steve Smith. It was India’s first defeat in an ODI series on home soil since Australia beat them four years ago. “I think in World Cup years, it…

THE NATIONAL Treasury is preparing a Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) Circular dealing with the relief strategy regarding more than R50 billion debt owed to Eskom by municipalities. This was announced by Deputy President Paul Mashatile yesterday in Parliament during his maiden oral questions session in the National Assembly. This government intervention was first announced by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in his Budget Speech last month when he said Eskom would provide incentivised relief to municipalities whose debt was unaffordable. Mashatile said the MFMA Circular was expected to be released later this month, with implementation expected to start on April 1. “Under the National Treasury, the Multidisciplinary Revenue Committee is continuing with its main task of ensuring that all municipal debts are co-ordinated, tracked and resolved on an ongoing…

DEPUTY President Paul Mashatile yesterday said the fact that public institutions investigated President Cyril Ramaphosa over the Phala Phala scandal spoke volumes about the strength of the country’s democracy. Mashatile said Phala Phala was being probed by more than one agency, following the break-in and theft of US dollars on Ramaphosa’s farm in 2020. “We take this opportunity to support these institutions concerned and emphasise that they must be allowed to complete their work,” he said. The deputy president said Ramaphosa had expressed his commitment to co-operate fully with all the investigations. “The government supports this position without reservation.” Mashatile made the statement while responding to oral questions in the National Assembly after EFF MP Ntombovuyo Mente asked whether unanswered questions about Phala Phala served to undermine the government’s efforts…

We ALWAYS say that there is nothing to beat home-cooked meals. Those of us who have been away from home for a long time cannot wait to taste our mother’s or mother-in-law’s cooking. It always tastes better than the takeaways. But the same cannot be said of home-brewed alcohol. While home-brewed alcohol has been around for a very long time, it cannot come anywhere near the traditional alcoholic drinks that are commercially produced by the big brand manufacturers in various countries around the world. While all alcohol consumed in immoderate amounts can be harmful to human health, home-brewed alcohol can be especially lethal. There have been many instances of alcohol poisoning in poor communities around the world. There was the notorious alcoholic Indian concoction known as guveen. Years ago, when…

When you stop and listen to your life – your emotions, urges, compulsions, complaints – what may your life be attempting to say to you? Here are some things I perceive my life tries to draw to my attention, and what I have seen clients self-identify as they pay attention to their lives: ∎ You are carrying fear. Have you considered finding out where it comes from? It may come from a generation or two before you. Fear can travel from generation to generation. What purpose is it serving for you? What will it take for you to lay it aside for a while or get rid of it completely? ∎ You want to reconnect with old friends and several people who have known you for a long…

Four people accused of illegal adoption and fraud have appeared in the Botshabelo Magistrate’s Court in the Free State. The four, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the children, are aged between 29 and 59, and further face a charge of fraud. According to the provincial spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) Captain Christopher Singo, two of the accused were arrested on Friday, March 17, while the parents of the children were arrested on Saturday, March 18. The four were remanded in custody by the court. Their arrests came after a tip-off from a home affairs official. “It is alleged that two females, a Lesotho national and a South African, went to the Botshabelo home affairs (office) for late registration of applications for…

A scenic picture opportunity on the rocks of the picturesque Hermanus shoreline in the Western Cape ended in tragedy on Tuesday when a man drowned. According to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Hermanus, its duty crew and the police were activated following witness reports of three men, believed to be Zimbabweans, being swept by the waves into the surf. On arrival at the scene, it was found that two men had managed to reach the shore and were safely out of the water. A search commenced for the missing man. Minutes into the search, he was located and recovered from the surf on to the NSRI rescue craft. “He was brought to the NSRI Hermanus rescue station where CPR efforts were commenced by NSRI medics. They were joined by…

The latest spate of drive-by shootings across the city of Durban has once again shone the spotlight on KwaZulu-Natal’s thriving “hit men for hire” industry. Ten people have been killed in separate shootings across Durban in the past few days. Yesterday police said five people were shot dead in separate incidents in OThongathi. While police said the motive was not yet known, they said taxi-related violence could not be ruled out. On Tuesday, Brandon “Puff” Kalicharan, his wife and their 9-year-old daughter were shot while travelling along Peter Road in Springfield Park. Emer-G-Med spokesperson Kyle van Reenen said a VW Amarok on scene was found to have been peppered by large-calibre bullets. Kalicharan and his wife died at the scene while their daughter died in hospital. Also on Tuesday, two…

A new research report – compiled by the SA Anti-Money Laundering Integrated Task Force (Samlit) – on modern slavery and human trafficking, titled Follow the Money, shows the Western Cape reports the highest number of modern slavery and human trafficking (MSHT) incidents. The province is followed by Gauteng, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Free State, and the report noted: “It is indicative that tourist destinations are the biggest hot spots for human trafficking, especially related to sexual exploitation.” The report, the brainchild of Standard Chartered Bank in South Africa, focuses on financial flows and key indicators in the detection of financial transactions and behaviours related to MSHT in South Africa, thereby helping the banking sector to assist in combating this crime. The research found that human trafficking generates an estimated $150…

The BANK of England yesterday followed the Federal Reserve and the Swiss National Bank in hiking interest rates, as policymakers ploughed on with their fight against inflation in the face of the instability that rippled through the global banking system this month. Investors had questioned whether the central banks could press on with tightening policy after the collapse of two US lenders earlier this month triggered turmoil in banks around the globe, ensnaring one of Europe’s biggest banking names in 167-year-old Credit Suisse. After its eleventh straight hike, the BoE said it had noted the “large and volatile moves” in financial markets, but that Britain’s banking system remained resilient. “The (monetary policy committee) will continue to monitor closely any effect on the credit conditions faced by households and businesses, and…

French workers angry with President Emmanuel Macron and his plan to raise the pension age blocked access to a terminal at Paris’s main airport yesterday as part of a nationwide day of protests, forcing some travellers to get there on foot. At Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport and across the country, wildcat actions by small groups of protesters blocked roads and access to schools and universities, while protesters gathered. Near Toulouse, in the south-west, plumes of smoke were seen rising from burning piles of debris blocking traffic on a highway. Union activists also blocked the train tracks at Paris’s Gare de Lyon station. Opinion polls have long shown that a majority of voters were opposed to delaying retirement age by two years to 64. Voters were further angered by the government’s…

PYONGYANG: What to wear to an intercontinental ballistic missile launch? For Kim Ju-ae, the daughter and heir apparent of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, it appears to be this season’s Christian Dior. The girl, who is about 10 or 11, was seen attending yet another missile launch with her father last week – a Hwasong-17, capable of reaching the US mainland, that Pyongyang said it fired to demonstrate a “tough response posture” to ongoing US-South Korea military drills. Kim Ju-ae wore a black quilted jacket. South Korean broadcaster TV Chosun reported that it looked exactly like one being sold by French luxury fashion house Christian Dior. It wasn’t clear if the jacket is real or a knock-off, but it’s a bold state-ment in an impoverished nation that is,…

London: A 28-year-old man was remanded in custody yesterday accused of attempting to murder two elderly men who were set on fire after leaving mosques in the UK. Mohammed Abbkr, 28, from Edgbaston in Birmingham, was placed in custody by the city’s magistrate’s court after the attacks last month and earlier this week. Abbkr, originally from Sudan, will next appear at Birmingham Crown Court on April 20. Abbkr allegedly sprayed a substance on the two men outside or near mosques they had attended and then set them alight, in west London on February 27 and Birmingham on Monday. Police are appealing for video footage for the investigation. | AFP…

THE colossal presence of Eben Etzebeth alone in the Sharks’ tight five against Scarlets tomorrow is enough to suggest that a glaring weakness in the team is about to become a mighty strength. When Etzebeth and fellow Springboks in Bongi Mbonmabi, Ox Nche, Thomas du Toit and Siya Kolisi were in the pack for United Rugby Championship matches, a Curwin Bosch penalty kicked to the corner almost guaranteed five points. But when the aforementioned vanished to the national training camp, the opposite occurred. It was the opposition that scored at will when they kicked into the Sharks’ 22, while the Durban team gave up even attempting to score from their own lineout maul. That was because they did not have the forward “cattle”, as they say in New Zealand.…

THE rock and surf fishing has kept itself on a high for the past week. There have been edibles and inedibles to catch along most of the coast. The north coast has been fishing very well around the river mouths and off the deeper points. There has been plenty of scratching action along most of the north coast with some very good bronze bream and kob being caught. The kob have favoured chokka and live baits. The bream have favoured pink prawn. The central coast has also seen some good fish being caught on lures. There are fish for all levels and interests. The shad have been full up around the piers and are always keen to eat a drifted sardine or spoon. The snoek have been scarce as well…