Table of contents for 2023-07-12 in Mercury

PRESCIENT Investment Management announced this week that it has con- cluded a deal with H1 Holdings to provide R220 million to fund the latter’s invest- ment in three Grootfontein 75MW (each) solar PV farms located in Touws River in the Western Cape. This was done through Prescient’s Clean Energy Fund. The projects were awarded as part of the fifth bidding round of the Department of Mineral Resources’ Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procure- ment Programme to deliver much-needed renewable energy as part of a 20-year power purchase agreement. On comple- tion, the projects are expected to power some 100 000 households daily in the surrounding communities and reduce approximately 630 000 tons of CO2 emis- sions annually. Prescient portfolio manager and credit structuring specialist, Luzuko Nomjana said…

SOUTH Africa’s middle-distance Olympic champion Caster Semenya was discriminated against after not being afforded “sufficient procedural safeguards” when challenging World Athletics regulations that effectively forced her off the running track. There had also been a violation of the prohibition of discrimination taken together with the right to respect for private life, as well as a violation of the right to an effective remedy. This is contained in a precedent-setting judgment by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) where Semenya had challenged the regulations issued by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which required her to lower her natural testosterone levels through hormone treatment in order to be eligible to compete as a woman in international sporting events. When she refused to undergo the treatment, she was no longer…

The National Freedom Party (NFP) vehemently condemns the recent extradition of former Mozambique minister, Manuel Chang, to the US. We firmly believe that Chang should stand trial in Mozambique, as this extradition sets a terrible precedent and raises concerns about foreign interference in African countries’ domestic policies. The NFP recognises the importance of upholding justice and ensuring that individuals who have committed crimes are held accountable for their actions. However, we strongly believe that justice should be served within the jurisdiction where the alleged crimes occurred. In this case, Chang’s alleged offences were committed in Mozambique, making it only fitting that he faces trial in his home country By allowing the extradition of Manuel Chang to the US, we risk undermining the sovereignty of African nations and creating a dangerous…

There is no science in blaming climate change for flood disasters, as eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda would have us believe (The Mercury, July 10), because the blame for those disasters lies with the ANC for failing to uphold the science of town planning and urban development. Climate change is a natural, historic phenomenon unrelated to human activities. The most extreme weather in KwaZulu-Natal took place on May 31-June 1, 1905, when fossil fuel development was in its infancy. So, Kaunda’s plea that “all of us work together towards finding lasting solutions” to violent storms is a false narrative intended to cover up the ANC’s failure to respect natural topography regarding drainage and water tables, and to maintain infrastructure designed to minimise flooding. As for adhering to the unscientific, Paris-aligned Climate…

The European Central Bank (ECB) launched a survey this week asking citizens to weigh in on the redesign of euro banknotes, with rivers, birds and European culture among the shortlisted themes. “We want Europeans to identify with the design of euro banknotes, which is why they will play an active role in selecting the new theme,” ECB president Christine Lagarde said. The online survey, running until August 31, asks respondents to share their opinions on seven possible themes for the new notes. These include “Birds: free, resilient, inspiring” and “Rivers: the waters of life in Europe”, as well as more abstract ideas such as “The future is yours”, “European culture” and “Our Europe, ourselves”. The ECB, which has also tasked a research company with asking a representative sample of euro…

Widespread corruption in the form of complicity by officials has been identified as a key challenge in addressing all transnational crime, including human trafficking. At least two National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) prosecutors, police officers and an acting judge have been implicated in related crimes. This is according to this year’s Trafficking in Persons Report by the US Department of State, which provides a comprehensive overview of the state of human trafficking around the world and the tools being used to stop it. The department prepared the report using information from US embassies, government officials, non-governmental and international organisations, published reports, news articles, academic studies and consultations with authorities in every region of the world, along with information submitted to tipreport@state.gov The report found traffickers recruit victims from neighbouring countries and…

For those not enjoying the colder weather conditions, the South African Weather Service (Saws) said most places should become warmer by tomorrow. The country, including Durban, has been gripped by cold temperatures following snowfall in Gauteng and parts of the Drakensberg on Monday. However, Saws forecaster Lehlohonolo Thobelo said conditions were expected to change by tomorrow throughout the country, with maximum temperatures reaching the mid-twenties. Thobelo said no more snowfall was predicted for any other parts of the country. On Monday, the weather service released an advisory for very cold temperatures in Mpumalanga and Gauteng. Thobelo said most of the country should brace for rain next week, as pupils head back to school. | Jolene Marriah-Maharaj…

THE DA and IFP in KwaZulu-Natal say the working arrangement agreement that they presented and signed at a press briefing yesterday provides an opportunity for them to determine how they could work together if they manage to topple the ANC as the ruling party in the province come next year’s elections. Labelled the “service delivery pact”, the agreement has been six months in the making, and according to the two parties, it is aimed at improving the lives of residents and services provided to them in areas where the two parties co-govern, with the ultimate aim of governing KZN after the 2024 elections. “Our common goal is to remove the ANC,” said DA leader Francois Rodgers at the media briefing. He said the mood was extremely optimistic. The DA leader…

CASTER Semenya, you proudly South African beauty. In winning her appeal against the rules forcing her and other female athletes born with differences of sexual development to lower testosterone levels in order to compete, the double Olympic 800m champion displayed resilience second to none. The 32-year-old has been in a long-running dispute with World Athletics since the regulations were introduced in 2018. She twice failed in legal battles to overturn the decision. Semenya ran in the 5 000m at last year’s World Championships. She did not qualify for the final and said afterwards that the testosterone-reducing medication could endanger her health and prevent her from relying on her natural ability. During her time in limbo she has been focusing on her running project that boasts 30 athletes in Pretoria,…

Human Rights Watch yesterday called on the International Criminal Court to investigate possible war crimes in Sudan’s Darfur region where fighting has intensified despite calls for an end to the conflict. The New York-based group charged that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Arab militias “summarily executed” at least 28 members of the Massalit ethnic minority when they ransacked and torched much of the town of Misterei in May. Efforts to broker an end to the violence have continued, and the east African regional bloc IGAD on Monday led a renewed push, calling on the warring parties to “sign an unconditional ceasefire”. The Sudanese army boycotted the gathering in Addis Ababa, dampening hopes for an end to the nearly three-month-old conflict with the RSF. Air strikes again shook the…

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s coast guard said yesterday it had seized an Iranian-flagged supertanker suspected of involvement in the illegal trans-shipment of crude oil. The MT Arman 114 was carrying 272 569 metric tons of light crude oil, valued at 4.6 trillion rupia, when it was seized last week, the Indonesian authorities said. The supertanker was captured after being seen in Indonesia’s North Natuna Sea, carrying out a ship-to-ship oil transfer with the Cameroon-flagged MT S Tinos on Friday. The authorities also detained the Arman’s Egyptian captain, 28 crew and three passengers, the agency said. | Reuters…

London: Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson has become a father again, his wife Carrie said yesterday, with the couple’s third child, and the ex-leader’s eighth, born on July 5. “Welcome to the world Frank Alfred Odysseus Johnson,” Carrie Johnson wrote on her Instagram page, accompanied by a picture of her holding her new baby. She joked “can you guess which name my husband chose?!” in reference to Johnson’s well-known love of ancient Greek myths. Their first son Wilfred was born in April 2020, not long after Johnson was treated in hospital intensive care for Covid-19. Daughter Romy then arrived in December 2021, when Johnson was still prime minister. Johnson, who has been married three times, has four children from his second marriage to lawyer Marina Wheeler. He has another…

AS THE WORLD grapples with the urgent need for sustainable energy, Scatec, a key player in the renewable energy landscape, is making significant strides in the field of energy storage. Our recent achievements and innovative approach to integrating cutting-edge storage technologies into renewable energy projects are helping to shape the future of this burgeoning industry. The initiation of our three Kenhardt projects in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, under the auspices of the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, exemplifies this innovative spirit. These ambitious projects, involving a total capital expenditure approaching a staggering $1 billion (R18.84bn), represent one of the most extensive photovoltaic endeavours globally. Their unique design, incorporating a total solar capacity of 540MW and a battery storage capacity of 225MW/1 140MW/h, is…

KwaZulu-Natal water issues will now be handled by the uMngeni-uThukela Water board, an entity that came into existence this month. The move is a culmination of efforts by Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu to do away with the two water entities of Umgeni Water and Mhlathuze Water, which have controlled the supply of bulk water to municipalities across KZN for several years. The move had been prompted by the plan to rationalise the water boards in terms of their number and their geographic footprints, as outlined by the minister in his budget vote speech last year. Mchunu noted that the boards played an important role in supporting municipalities by providing, managing and operating regional bulk water services infrastructure, and it was important that they had sufficient capacity in order…

Mr Mushtak Parker has provided an in-depth argument regarding the introduction of the new health bill (NHI) in Monday’s Mercury (“Unique convergence of South Africa’s NHI and UK’s NHS”). For common citizens who do not have any medical aid insurance, this route to better health care will certainly be a great improvement if it is administered correctly, and without the usual greedy predators, waiting in the aisles. For the small fraction of the population that do have some sort of medical aid or insurance, there is fear that the quality of the service that they are used to presently will plunge downwards as the playing fields become levelled. In the meantime, capitalistic private health professionals fear the worst – they will not be able to attend to private patients any…

As South Africa joins the world in commemorating Nelson Mandela Month this month, the government has called on citizens to contribute to turning the tide against food insecurity and climate change in honour of Mandela’s legacy. Following the devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal last April and more damage in recent months, food security challenges have worsened as many farmers could not produce their usual stock, resulting in increased food prices. “Due to food shortages, the floods did not only push prices higher, but also left many in dire poverty and without shelter. Consequently, as we commemorate Mandela Month and Mandela Day, we urge you to look around your neighbourhood and identify those who may be in need of your help and do something to better their lives,” said acting government spokesperson…

There are growing calls for legislation that will ensure the stability of local governments in the coalition era of South African politics. Since 2016, local governments around the country have seen numerous changes in mayors and senior managers in municipalities, which has negatively affected service delivery. Johannesburg alone has seen at least seven mayors since the DA took power in 2016. South African Local Government Association (Salga) spokesperson Sivuyile Mbambato said since the November 2021 municipal elections, local government had been characterised by unstable coalition governments. Mbambato said if the trend continued, it would pose a potential threat to the stability of local government. “With the exception of Cape Town and Buffalo City, six of the eight metropolitan municipalities are governed through coalition governments; 19 months into the new term…

The SAPS is calling on all former police officers to re-enlist for its detective services. The SAPS said it was looking to re-enlist 400 former members with former rankings of Constable, Sergeant, or Warrant Officer. “The posts contained in this advertisement are earmarked for the capacitation of the detective environment, and successful candidates will be re-enlisted in the ranks they previously held (Constable, Sergeant, and Warrant Officer only) in the SAPS. All successful former members will be placed in Detective Services, irrespective of the environment that he/she served previously in the SAPS,” the advertisement read. The criteria for former members include not being older than 55 at the time of the application, closing date of July 24. They need to have a good disciplinary and attendance record, a Code 8…

THE African Democratic Change (ADeC) led by councillor Visvin Reddy is pushing for the ousting of eThekwini Municipality speaker Thabani Nyawose on the grounds that he misled the council. Reddy had presented a motion of no confidence against the speaker and said the motion would be debated in the council meeting this Thursday. Reddy’s motion alleges that the speaker had misled the council when he said there had been no criminal charges facing the city manager Musa Mbhele. The Mercury has previously reported that a 2019 report issued by the City Integrity and Investigation Unit (CIIU) allegedly implicated Mbhele in a violation of the Municipal Finance Management Act for entering into a Memorandum of Agreement that changed the terms of a tender contract without council approval. The City has stated…

NATO leaders yesterday dashed Ukrainian leader Volodymr Zelenskiy’s hopes for a clear timeline to join the alliance, saying they would offer an invite to become a member only when “conditions are met”. At a summit in Vilnius of the 31 Nato nations, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg insisted the alliance had never used “stronger language” to back Ukraine in its bitter fight to defeat the Russian invasion. Nato leaders pledged that “Ukraine’s future is in Nato” and shortened the eventual process Kyiv would have to go through to enter the alliance. “We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance when allies agree and conditions are met,” a statement said. But the failure to go much beyond a 2008 vow on future membership appeared…

Le Vernet: French police and soldiers backed by helicopters searched the terrain around a tiny hamlet in the French Alps yesterday, saying they still hoped to find a toddler who has been missing for three days. Emile, who is two and a half, was staying with his grandparents when he went missing on Saturday. He was last seen by two neighbours walking alone on a street of Haut-Vernet, a tiny village of 25 inhabitants at an altitude of around 1 200m. After 48 hours of combing through the area, the search was becoming more targeted. | AFP…

WASHINGTON: Former US president Donald Trump and his aide, Walt Nauta, have asked a federal court in Florida to postpone their criminal trial in a classified documents case, saying Trump’s busy presidential campaign schedule before the 2024 election would make the trial schedule “untenable”. Trump pleaded not guilty in a federal court in June in Miami to charges that he had unlawfully kept classified national security documents when he left office in 2021, and had tried to obstruct justice when the federal government made a bid to retrieve them. | Reuters…

ALUMINIUM semi-fabricator Hulamin faces an indefinite strike at its KwaZulu-Natal operations as its 1 800 workers downed tools. Workers want an increase in the company’s medical aid contribution and for contributions to the Pension Fund to be equalised and to be settled separate from salary negotiations. The medical aid contributions are currently capped at 40% by the employer with the workers contributing the balance. The National Union of Metal Workers South Africa (Numsa), which represents 1 050 of the workers, said it would sustain the strike with production being interrupted until a meaningful offer was put on the table. Numsa’s head of communications, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, said: “Management is resisting and they have not tabled an offer. They say they want to combine these issues with wage negotiations. “However,…

THE KwaZulu-Natal police have established a task team to investigate the truck attack incidents taking place in the province after two freight trucks were set alight on the N2 between Enseleni and Empangeni on Monday night. This follows the torching of six trucks on the N3 at Van Reenen’s Pass on Saturday night. Five trucks were also torched on the N4 in Mpumalanga on Sunday night, and three trucks were burnt in Limpopo on the R547 Lydenburg road on Monday morning. While no motive has been given for the incidents, in which the attackers all appeared to have the same modus operandi, a security company said yesterday that truck drivers attacked in the Empangeni incident had been warned that the action was linked to foreign drivers being employed in the…

Backseat driving is a good metaphor for how some people choose to live. When driving, if I get an inkling that my passenger is a backseat driver, I usually suggest we switch places (but this is not always possible). I may say that there is a good reason cars only have one driver’s seat. It is in relationships that backseat driving interests me: relating as if in charge, as if the other person is incapable of making decisions for him- or herself. It’s being “on duty” for another with or without his or her permission. Adult-to-adult steering of another’s life, or attempting to, suggests at least two things: a lack of trust in self and a lack of trust of he or she whose life apparently is in need of…

I was speechless with rage as I watched the footage of thugs, masquerading as police officers, brutally kicking and beating members of the public who lay defenceless on the ground, incapable of offering the slightest resistance. These savages – and I believe the word is entirely appropriate – then climbed back into their car and drove off, totally unconcerned by the possible fate of their one victim who lay motionless and who, for all they knew, might have succumbed to his injuries. Suggestions were doing the rounds that the victims were being dissuaded from laying charges, in the apparent hope that the matter would simply vanish from the radar, and that the miscreants could continue their evil rampage against society. Well, on SAfm today, I received some intoxicating news to…

The people who were attacked by Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s VIP protection unit officers on the N1 in Joburg last week have hired legal representatives as they want to ensure that the police officers are prosecuted, and are also mulling the possibility of filing civil claims. “Our mandate is to act on behalf of three of those four victims of the highway assault,” said attorney Ulrich Roux of Ulrich Roux & Associates, speaking to Newzroom Afrika. “Our mandate is to ensure the criminal prosecution ensues and that proper prosecution by the NPA is instituted against the police officials. “Subsequent to that, we will also be exploring possible civil claims for damages against the police, and the minister of police following this unlawful assault on our clients.” Roux said the damages…

WHILE the Auditor-General, Tsakani Maluleke, has painted a gloomy picture of municipalities around the country, her management reports regarding the state of the municipalities will remain under wraps. This is according to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, which recently turned down an application by public interest group Sakeliga for the AG to make these reports public. Judge Jan Swanepoel found that the management reports prepared by the AG are not “reports’’ as defined by the Constitution. The judge said the AG was thus not under a constitutional obligation to make the management reports public. Sakeliga turned to the courts as it wanted the management reports regarding 154 problem municipalities to be made public for the first time. The management reports differ from the summary audit reports published annually in that…

Newcastle Municipality has settled its electricity arrears debt with the power utility Eskom. The municipality settled the massive debt with a payment of R127.4m on July 5, ahead of the August 15 deadline. Eskom spokesperson Joyce Zingoni said that the state-owned power utility welcomed the settling of the debt. “Eskom is grateful for the thorough and professional way the municipality has conducted itself during the tenure of the debt.” Zingoni said the payment marked a significant milestone for Eskom, the Newcastle Municipality, the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) and the KwaZulu-Natal treasury. She said the payment had settled the debt which had stood at R343.4m. “The municipality successfully discharged the conditions of the payment arrangement signed between the two organisations as facilitated by the chief director, Cogta…

Zulu nationalism has to be understood from its colonial context A few years after Mangosuthu Buthelezi led the African natives in the Colony of Natal to a quasi- independent state called KwaZulu, the coastal province descended into a low-scale civil war that pitted his Inkatha Ye Nkululeko Yesizwe (now the IFP) and the then-exiled African National Congress (ANC) against one another. This war claimed many lives, displaced millions, and burdened the already suffering Africans with poverty, almost-permanent violence, diseases, and other social ills. The KwaZulu homeland was formed as one of the Bantustans by the white minority government as part of its segregationist, apartness (apartheid) policies. What is often not said is that Buthelezi skilfully enmeshed this apartheid creation with the defunct Zulu empire. He expropriated all its symbols and…

Thousands of protesters blockaded Israel’s main airport and major highways yesterday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition pressed ahead with a justice bill that has opened the deepest splits seen in the country in decades. A day after parliament passed a key element in the bill, which aims to curb the power of the Supreme Court, crowds of flag-waving protesters stopped morning traffic in major intersections and on highways nationwide. Some lay down on roads, while others threw flares. Police on horseback were deployed to deal with the hundreds of demonstrators in Israel’s business hub, Tel Aviv. At the entrance to Jerusalem, officers used a water cannon to disperse some protesters and dragged others away by force. At least 66 people were arrested, police said. Around 1 000 police…

New Delhi: The world of cryptocurrency may be tumbling amid regulatory crackdowns, but 19 individuals in the world achieved the title of a billionaire through it. One cryptocurrency that has led to investors amassing impressive returns is Bitcoin. Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym for the creator of Bitcoin, is estimated to have a wallet containing around 1.1 million BTC. This would convert to around $25 billion. Looking at BTC investing across countries, the US takes the lead. India is in second place and Pakistan third. | IANS…

TOKYO: Japan’s Supreme Court ruled yesterday that restricting a transgender woman’s use of toilets at her workplace was “unacceptable”. The ruling comes after a law to promote understanding of the LGBT community. An official at the economy ministry who was assigned male at birth sued because she was only allowed to use women’s toilets several floors away from her office. A Tokyo District Court ruled in 2019 that these restrictions were unlawful, but the decision was reversed in 2021 by the Tokyo High Court. | Reuters…