Table of contents for 2022-09-26 in Mercury

The matter involves concerns about SAA not servicing allocated routes THE TAKATSO Consortium deal hangs as a millstone around South African Airways’ (SAA) neck as the International Air Services Licensing Council revoked 20 of the airline’s international routes and has asked hard questions about the nature of Takatso. Sources close to the issue said the Counsel revoked 20 of SAA’s 52 international licences because they could not prove capacity to service the aircraft. Given the nature of sensitivity around the matter, none of the sources contacted were willing to put their names on the line. The matter at hand involves the council’s concern about SAA not servicing allocated routes, which by nature lapse after three months, which SAA has not been able to do for the last two years after…

Just hours after members of the provincial legislature (MPLs) condemned the violent incidents at some KwaZulu-Natal schools, including destruction of property, a school was torched in Dassenhoek near Pinetown this weekend. Dassenhoek High School, which had two previous arson incidents, was set alight on Friday. The school is in the Pinetown District, where another school was also torched recently. Earlier this month, pupils set a part of Ndengetho High School, in KwaNdengezi, alight after their cellphones were confiscated during a police search and seizure operation at the school. KZN Education Department spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi confirmed the weekend incident, which he described as heartbreaking and confusing. “At the start of the month we condemned the torching of a school in the district, and now, just weeks after the incident, we encounter…

“NIGHT owls” could have a greater risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease than “early birds” as a new study has found that our wake/sleep cycles cause metabolic differences and alter our body’s preference for energy sources. The researchers found people who stay up late have a reduced ability to use fat for energy, meaning fat may build up in the body and increase the risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. “The differences in fat metabolism show that our body’s circadian rhythm (wake/sleep cycle) could affect how our bodies use insulin,” said researcher Steven Malin from Rutgers University in the US. For the study, the team used advanced imaging to assess body mass and body composition, insulin sensitivity and breath samples to measure fat and carbohydrate metabolism.…

Mr Fikile Mbalula, in a speech reporting on the horror crash at Pongola, stated that the government intends migrating goods transport from trucks to rail within five years so as to reduce the large volume of trucks on the roads. The idea is correct, but the success of the implementation is key, considering that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Five years? I have my doubts. Firstly, he should consider that the present private logistic sector has invested many millions in the thousands of trucks that are on the main routes daily. He will not succeed if he ignores the interests of this sector. If he were to involve the 20, 30 or 50 (or whatever) largest of these firms in a private/public partnership, he might…

ACCORDING to the number of violations reported in the mass media, it is evident that children’s behaviour at schools has generally deteriorated. A fed-up KwaZulu-Natal principal posted a stern warning on Facebook to parents of ill-disciplined pupils. I fully concur with the principal that “schools are not babysitting institutions but learning institutions”. Unruly and disruptive behaviour not only affects delinquent pupils’ learning outcomes but also learning and teaching in the classroom and the results of other diligent and well-mannered children. More worrying is the vulgarity and physical aggression that kids are displaying these days. Parents need to watch and monitor their childre’s social spaces, social media and internet usage and their interactions with others. In addition, parents need to be mindful of their own language, attitude and behaviour at home.…

Blind SA and Section 27 have welcomed the judgment of the Constitutional Court which unanimously found that the Copyright Act of 1978 is unconstitutional for limiting access to reading materials in accessible formats for persons who are blind or visually impaired. The judgment, which was handed down last week, relates to the landmark case brought in May by Blind SA, a non-profit organisation established for the purpose of promoting the interests of blind people in South Africa and public interest law centre, Section 27 about access to books for people with visual disabilities. Their case first went to the Pretoria High Court, which found that the act was unconstitutional. The high court ruling was sent to the Concourt for it to be confirmed. The organisations had argued that…

While the ANC managed to block the debate sponsored by the DA for the establishment of an ad hoc committee to investigate the break-in and theft at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm, its victory was short-lived as the motion will now be rescheduled for this week. Ramaphosa also returns to the National Assembly this week to answer outstanding questions abandoned in an earlier, chaotic session. This comes after the DA altered its initial motion on the crisis of illegal land invasions with a draft motion on Phala Phala, which the governing party deemed as having been “sneaked through the window”. DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube said the party initially submitted a motion, and then wrote to Parliament last Friday asking to replace it with another. “It is well within…

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube met Dr Motumisi Tawana, the South African consul- general in New York, to discuss unlocking economic opportunities and leveraging the existing trade ties South Africa has with the US. The engagement was also attended by the KZN MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Siboniso Duma, the provincial government said yesterday. The premier said constructive discussions were held on Friday with the consul-general on interventions earmarked to accelerate economic growth and the development of KwaZulu-Natal through employment creation, sustainable development and empowerment initiatives to support entrepreneurs. “We have previously held meetings with business people and investors at the South African Embassy in the US to showcase the KwaZulu-Natal Investment Book, as well as to reinforce our province’s position as an attractive business, investment and tourism…

A strike by air traffic controllers in West and Central Africa has been suspended, their union said at the weekend. Dozens of flights were cancelled on Saturday as a strike by regional air traffic controllers entered a second day, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at airports. The strike was called by a union representing workers of the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA), which regulates air traffic control in 18 countries. The air traffic controllers, who have threatened to prolong the strike if their demands were not met, were seeking better working conditions and wages. ASECNA has urged passengers to check airport flight information for updates. |…

ROME: Millions of Italians began voting yesterday in an election that is forecast to return the country’s most right-wing government since World War II and usher in its first woman prime minister. The Brothers of Italy party, led by one-time Mussolini supporter Giorgia Meloni, looks set to take office in a coalition with the far-right League and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia parties. Meloni, 45, has campaigned on a motto of “God, country and family”. Many voters are expected to pick Meloni, “the novelty, the only leader the Italians have not yet tried”, Wolfango Piccoli of the Teneo consultancy said. |…

JSE-LISTED Kap, which owns the retail brands Unitrans, Restonic, Safripol, Feltex, PG Bison and DriveRisk, has launched a campaign called “Being the change”, which details its “commitment (to) innovation, regenerative business practices and going beyond sustainability.” Among the many things that the Covid-19 pandemic has fuelled, conscious consumerism is one of the biggest, and a large number of companies have responded by announcing various initiatives around environment sustainability, focus on the needs of society and adequate governance across the public and private sectors (also known as ESG). And Kap is no different. In such a scenario, chief executive Gary Chaplin explains: “We are going to ensure our philosophy is imbued into every division of our company in a way that allows each company to grow and innovate independently. “We are…

ANC regional leaders in KwaZulu-Natal said they had been taken by surprise when the party’s electoral committee chair, Kgalema Motlanthe, warned political structures against making pronouncements on their preferred leadership ahead of the national elective conference. Motlanthe, in a letter to Luthuli House which The Mercury has seen, warned that disciplinary action would be taken against those who continued to flout the rules and guidelines he and his team had formulated. At least five ANC provincial executive committees (Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and Gauteng) had backed President Cyril Ramaphosa, while two regional structures had made public their preferred candidates for various positions. “The electoral committee is extremely disappointed and concerned about the recent pronouncements by certain provincial and regional structures regarding their preferred candidates for certain NEC (national…

THE EFF Student Command (EFFSC) has called for the white Stellenbosch University (SU) student who allegedly urinated on his roommate’s chair at the Helshoogte residence last week, to be expelled. The Helshoogte residence management said they were made aware of the incident in the early hours on Thursday. According to SU spokesperson Martin Viljoen, the incident was immediately reported to the relevant university structures for urgent investigation. The university said the student was suspended from the residence, while his roommate has been moved to another room in the residence and is receiving emotional and academic support. “The incident involved an intoxicated student urinating on the chair of his roommate. The implicated student was suspended from the residence pending the outcome of an investigation on September 22, 2022. “The SU…

BRING back the Nkandla party line? Has the computer age overreached itself? It seemed so the other day. Suddenly the names on the contact list of my super-duper smartphone had disappeared. The numbers were still there. But who has memorised all his contact numbers to know which matches which contact? I took it to a fundi, who was nonplussed. He couldn’t understand how this had happened. He guessed it had something to do with the service provider. But he showed me how to fiddle about and put a correct contact name to each number – but singly, not one magic push of the button. The process took me much of the day. Then, to my utter surprise, I discovered that my son had changed his contact name to Fredabeetle. Then…

THE truck carnage, which is happening so often in KwaZulu-Natal is a wake-up call for all voters. Immediately upon hearing of the accident in which 20 people died – including 18 children – the transport minister should have cut short his trip and headed back home. Based on how catastrophes and recurring road carnage occur, I am of the opinion that soon the attention on these truck disasters will fade into thin air, while the ugly situation of arrogant and irresponsible drivers will continue as the norm. With the government sitting back with their don’t-care attitude, people will keep losing their lives. The government and their entourage will be visiting grieving families for the public and media. Urgent remedial action is required – the establishment of a multidisciplinary and qualified…

I refer to the excellent opinion written by S’Manga Khumalo, a leading jockey, in Business Report on September 22, regarding the KwaZulu-Natal government’s proposed Betting Tax Amendments. Khumalo informs us that the government’s plan is to take money away from Gold Circle to be used in a so-called “Transformation Fund”, whatever that might mean. May I be so bold as to suggest that before any amendment is put in place the Legislature informs the public as to precisely what and how this “fund” is to be used. Have they consulted with those who are actually involved with horse racing? It would appear not. Khumalo goes to great pains as he points out that a Transformation Fund is not required and will, in fact, do more harm than good. So what…

THE Constitutional Court had the last word on the fate of a granny, 85, who has had eviction proceedings hanging over her head for more than a decade. She must finally move as the property owner had made a generous offer of providing her with a comfortable home nearby. While the woman and her disabled son had over the years, received relief from the courts allowing them to continue to stay in the house which she had occupied since she was 11 years old, the apex court has now ruled in favour of the homeowner. Clara Phillips moved to a farm in Somerset West in the Western Cape when she was a child. Her father worked for the then farm owner. Phillips lived in the house with her parents since…

The South African Medical Association (Sama) has demanded that all public health facilities be exempted from load shedding as the blackouts compromise the delivery of health care and can lead to unfortunate outcomes for patients. Sama said it had noted with grave concern the conditions that health-care professionals found themselves working under during load shedding. Eskom implemented Stage 6 load shedding last week, causing blackouts at more than 3 000 state-run clinics across the country that depend on the state-owned enterprise. Sama said the blackouts were adding “salt to the wound”, given the dreadful state of public hospitals. Sama chairperson Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa said they believed that the overall working environment challenged the ability of health-care professionals to deliver the most basic health care. He said in general, the health…

MPs want real-time audits on the spending of the more than R1.5 billion in funding that will be needed to restore the buildings damaged by the fire in Parliament earlier this year. This emerged on Friday when the joint standing committee on financial management of Parliament was briefed on matters related to the investigation of the fire and progress in the renovation efforts. The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure commissioned the Coega Development Corporation to conduct a detailed assessment of the damage. The Old and New Assembly buildings were gutted by the fire on January 2. Zandile Mafe will face terrorism charges next month. The report provided four restoration options, which included completely demolishing and rebuilding the Old and New assemblies to their pre-fire condition. Coega programme manager Christos…

The official death toll has nearly doubled to 35 in a crackdown by Iran’s security forces on more than a week of protests that erupted after the death of a young woman in custody. Angry demonstrators have taken to the streets of major cities across Iran, including the capital Tehran, for eight straight nights since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The Kurdish woman was pronounced dead after spending three days in a coma following her arrest by Iran’s feared morality police for wearing the hijab headscarf in an “improper” way. “The number of people who died in recent riots in the country has risen to 35,” state media said, raising the official toll from at least 17 dead, including five security personnel. Protests were held around the Islamic republic…

The Stormers got their United Rugby Championship title defence off to a solid start with a 38-15 victory over Connacht in Stellenbosch at the weekend, but it didn’t come without cost. Winger Seabelo Senatla sustained a “serious injury” to his shoulder and pectoral muscle in the final quarter of the Stormers' URC opening game at the Danie Craven Stadium on Saturday. In the 62nd minute, Connacht’s Bundee Aki was red-carded after he crashed into the Stormers speedster at a ruck. Concussion was the first concern considering how contact was made to the former Sevens superstar, but the actual injury could come with a much more damaging and lengthy prognosis. With the turnover the visitors secured at the breakdown, Connacht thought they had scored a try to get back…

AFRICA’S most decorated club coach, Pitso “Jingles” Mosimane, will be flying under the radar after his appointment as head coach of Al-Ahli Saudi Football Club, a second-tier Saudi Arabian football club. The 85-year-old club, based in the port city of Jeddah on the Red Sea, made the announcement in the wee hours of Sunday morning on their Twitter account with a short welcoming note: “Pitso Mosimane is the new manager of our first football team.” Al-Ahli was shockingly relegated from the Saudi Professional League last season. For the first time in the history of the Saudi Professional Football League, the club is campaigning in the First Division, which for promotional purposes is known as the Yelo League. At the time of Al-Ahli's relegation, the club's distraught fans compared their lot…

Trucking companies say that the proposed movement of goods from road to rail would have a negative impact on their businesses and the economy as a whole. Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula on Saturday repeated the government’s plan to move goods transport from roads to rail. He said the government was aiming for movement of 10% of freight currently transported by road to rail. The minister was speaking at the funeral service for 14 of the 20 victims who died in the horror crash in Pongola on September 16. This follows the minister’s announcement last Thursday that it would take the government at least five years for the plan to be implemented. Chris Moodley, director of freight company KZN Customs Clearing and Forwarding, said the government’s plan to move freight…

England’s famous footballer David Beckham stood in the queue for 13 hours to pay his respects to the queen. He had met the queen on a couple of occasions and wanted to pay his last respects. He had been pondering for a week how best he could go to see the coffin at Westminster Hall. Finally he decided to join the queue at 2am. Social media went crazy over Beckham standing in the queue. A member of parliament spotted him and offered to take him to the front of the queue. But Beckham turned down the offer. It was a wise decision. Social media would have gone berserk, condemning him. He would rather stand in the queue like all others than “bend” the rules and besmirch his famous name. For…

I am a “Banana Boy” by birth and spent my formative years living and studying in Durban. A lot of my family and friends still reside in the city and I visit a few times a year. Over the past few visits, I have really noticed the very obvious decline in the state of the city, and at an accelerated pace. On my last visit when I had some time to really look around, I was really shocked by the general deterioration in basic services and a very obvious “could-not-care-less” attitude. Almost all of the verges and pavements were overgrown and full of weeds, about 20% of the street lights worked, litter and rubbish was everywhere and state and municipal buildings were poorly maintained. What has happened to the once…

CLEARLY, the two articles on The Mercury (September 23) front page show that our MECs and ministers are ignorant of both adages that “prevention is better than cure” and “closing the stable door after the horse has bolted”. KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane is shocked at the rise in teenage pregnancies. She also laments the shortage of ambulances and a lack of ante-natal care. What is glaringly obvious is that sex among teenagers is the real problem, and this needs to be curbed – or am I naïve? Then, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula comes out with the pearl of wisdom that road traffic must migrate to rail. For years, the message has been going out with that specific detail but our railway infrastructure has been slowly decimated and Mbalula…

YOU can “know” some people for years and never have a sense you have really met them. They are guarded. There seems to be no gateway, no passcode, to get beyond common pleasantries. You can “know” some people for hours and have a sense you have known them forever. They appear open, transparent; common pleasantries are merely a welcome mat to intimate conversations. You meet some people and you have the impression that if you give an inch they will take a mile. There appears to be such a hunger for acceptance, for connection, that the slightest indications of welcome will lead to more than you want to handle. You meet some people and they have a well-developed shtick, a practised routine that everybody gets when they meet someone for…

SANDF members deployed in Limpopo have recovered more than R10 million worth of hijacked or stolen vehicles, as well as illicit cigarettes, in a week. Captain Moses Semono said during a routine roadblock with police officers, the soldiers impounded a Toyota Fortuner and upon routine inspection, police found that the colour and the VIN number of car did not correspond with the licence disc. He said the vehicle, estimated to be worth R530 000, was recovered in conjunction with police officers from Tshamutumbu police station. In another incident at Masisi, Semono said the station commander requested SANDF back-up after receiving a tip-off of a hijacking. “While busy with the briefing at the police station, the wife of the hijacked man arrived, informing our members that her husband is safe at…

A woman who defrauded her employer, Standard Bank, has been found guilty in the Harrismith Magistrate’s Court of fraud and money laundering. Thandeka Mlangeni, 34, faced money-laundering charges in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca) as well as contravention of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act. According to the provincial spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Captain Christopher Singo, Mlangeni issued a fraudulent bank card and transferred R1 million to a bank account belonging to her 34-year-old boyfriend. “A preliminary investigation conducted by Standard Bank forensic investigator discovered that Mlangeni issued a fraudulent bank card using another client’s details. She then transferred R1m to a bank account belonging to her boyfriend, Hopewell Mpanduli Daguma. “A further R51 000 was also withdrawn from the…

A 39-year-old Cape Town woman died in a shark attack at Plettenberg Bay’s Central Beach yesterday morning. The incident is reported to have occurred in the early hours, before life savers at the Central Beach arrived on duty. It’s believed the woman was swimming when she was attacked by the shark. The incident came after an appeal was issued by the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) to the public to exercise caution along the Plettenberg Bay and Southern Cape coastline after four sharks were spotted feeding on a whale carcass in the area a few weeks ago. NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said: “NSRI Plettenberg Bay and the police services were activated at 7.53am following reports of a shark incident at Central Beach. The sea rescue craft Eric Stratford was launched.…

Russia’s two most senior lawmakers, Valentina Matviyenko, the chairperson of Russia’s upper house, the Federation Council, and Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma, addressed complaints about Russia’s military mobilisation yesterday, ordering regional officials to get a handle on the situation and swiftly solve the “excesses” that have stoked public anger. President Vladimir Putin’s move to order Russia’s first military mobilisation since World War II on Wednesdaytriggered protests across the country and caused throngs of military-age men to flee, with queues at borders and flights sold out. He called up thousands to fight in Ukraine. The EU is facing a tough balancing act over how to deal with Russians fleeing military recruitment, as some countries look to block entry and others offer possible refuge. Flights to countries granting visa-free entry…

Bangui: The Central African Republic’s top court has annulled presidential decrees setting up a committee to rewrite the constitution, which had sparked fears Faustin Archange Touadera was seeking a third term in office. In a legal setback for the president, the constitutional court declared on Friday that the decrees “are unconstitutional and invalid”, and noted the basic law could only be revised after a senate has been set up. The 65-year-old president was first elected in 2016, then re-elected in a highly controversial poll in 2020, but the current constitution does not allow him to run again. |…