Sommaire pour 2022-08-05 de Mercury

ETHEKWINI Municipality has backtracked on its decision to reduce overtime for Durban Solid Waste (DSW) unit employees after they went on a go-slow that left refuse in several parts of the city uncollected over the past few days. However, DSW head Raymond Rampersad warned that the unit would run out of money to pay overtime claims before the end of the year. This after the union struck an agreement with the city that reverses an earlier council decision which had instructed that overtime pay be cut by 50% across all departments. The policy came into effect on Monday, triggering a go-slow by staff members in the sweeping and refuse collection units of DSW. The go-slow, that left 80% of the areas under the municipality dirty, was finally resolved on Wednesday…

recent weeks were inauspicious for many world leaders. Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan, was assassinated, the prime minister of France narrowly survived a no-confidence debate, and the president of Sri Lanka had to flee the island, heading to Singapore, following public protests over corruption, inflation and the worst economic crisis in decades. In England, Boris Johnson, rejected by his party and the public after a show of brazenness and several scandals, resigned as leader of the Conservative Party and will quit as prime minister. Closer to home, our president is facing a series of allegations, such as the theft at his Phala Phala game farm that is the subject of probes for currency violations and a breach of the oath of office that requires disclosure of all…

We will be celebrating Women’s Day next week. Sadly, women in our rainbow nation are brutally assaulted, raped and murdered on an hourly basis. Our cruel society is contaminated by so many atrocities and abnormalities, it is difficult to comprehend that we could, as a human species, resort to such grotesque acts of savagery. Gender-based violence is a vastly widespread issue that presents a real, deadly threat to millions of people. This is characterised by the murder of a female partner by an intimate male partner and is considered to be the most extreme outcome of gender-based violence. A women is murdered every three hours in our country. A total of 943 children were murdered during 2019/2020. During the same period there were 42 289 rape cases, 7 749…

Social media used to be a source of light entertainment for Nora, a 47-year-old Zimbabwean domestic worker living in South Africa. But lately, they have become a source of fear. As she scrolls through her Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, she finds posts blaming Zimbabweans for everything from crime and drug rings to corruption – the kind of xenophobic hate speech she worries could fuel violent attacks against migrants. “People write that we should go home, that this is not our country, that we are bringing crime ... the messages spread so fast,” said Nora, who asked to use a pseudonym to protect her. Nora is one of an estimated 180 000 Zimbabweans living in South Africa on Zimbabwean Extension Permits that are set to expire at the end of the…

Six convicted robbers have been handed a hefty sentence for robbing a couple in their Ladysmith home after a vigilant neighbour jotted down the registration number of a “suspicious” vehicle in the area. Siphesihle Majola, 33, Sibusiso Dladla, 39, Nduduzo Xulu, 22, Thulani Mbhele, 42, Sithembiso Mbuyazi, 36, and Bongani Nxumalo, 35, were recently sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment by the Ladysmith Regional Court for the robbery they committed in Ladysmith in November 2019. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the men followed the 63-year-old victim into his house where they assaulted him with a gun and robbed him and his wife at gunpoint. The robbers took R600 from the victim and fled. NPA regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said Majola, Xulu and Nxumalo had been sentenced to a further eight…

CONTROVERSIAL advocate Malesela Teffo’s legal career may be over if the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, rules in favour of an application by the Legal Practice Council to have him either struck from the roll or suspended pending further legal action. The watchdog body yesterday told the court it had received 22 complaints against him, and it was in the interest of the public not to allow him to practise law any further. Its counsel told two judges presiding over the matter that the complaints came from police officers and individuals. These include that he is being investigated for alleged corruption, that he has failed to co-operate with the investigation of the council into complaints received against him, did not adhere to previous court orders against him and that he has…

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) yesterday reported a causal link between the death of an individual and the Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) Covid-19 vaccine, the first time such a direct link has been made in the country. The person presented with a rare neurological disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome soon after being given J&J’s vaccine, after which the person was put on a ventilator and later died, senior scientists told a news conference. “At the time of illness no other cause for the Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) could be identified,” Professor Hannelie Meyer said. The person’s age and other personal details were not disclosed for confidentiality reasons. Last July, US authorities added a warning to a factsheet for J&J’s vaccine saying data suggested there was an increased risk of GBS…

The financial health of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is in focus again following the payment by Denel of backdated salaries to the tune of about R300 million after a lengthy court battle fought by unions. The unions had gone to court to demand that all outstanding money be paid to workers. Trade union Uasa’s spokesperson, Abigail Moyo, said the union’s members reported that the company started paying them salaries owed over the past two years last Friday. Moyo said: “For more than two years, Uasa members in Denel’s employ showed up for work while surviving on little to nothing, until a Labour Court ruling by Judge Andre van Niekerk on July 26, 2022 ordered the company to effect payment of the outstanding remuneration for the period August 1, 2020 to May…

Rwandan troops have attacked soldiers inside DR Congo and aided the M23 rebel group, according to a report by independent experts for the UN yesterday. The findings follow months of deepening tensions between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda over the notorious M23. The DRC has repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing the militia, which has captured swathes of territory in recent months. Kigali has repeatedly denied any involvement. But according to the 131-page report by experts for the UN Security Council, Rwanda has launched military interventions inside Congolese territory since at least November 2021. Rwanda also “provided troop reinforcements” for specific M23 operations, the report said, “in particular when these aimed at seizing strategic towns and areas”. The investigation also found that Congolese forces had been providing support…

RESIDENTS of Kagiso on the West Rand (Mogale City) took to the streets yesterday, protesting against the influx of illegal immigrants who are mining in the area illegally. One person was killed. The area has been in the news after a number of women and men had become victims of crime, including murder and sexual offences. The latest incident was the robbery and rape of eight women who were shooting a music video eight days ago. More than 80 people were arrested and appeared in the Krugersdorp Magistrate’s Court this week in connection with the rapes and illegal mining. The protesting community managed to close down unused mines, and collected what looked like gold from illegal miners who had abandoned it as they fled the scene following the clampdown. “We…

In her recent address to the Palestinian African Heads of Mission in Africa Conference Dirco (Department of International Relations and Co-operation) Minister Naledi Pandor launched a most vicious attack on Israel, describing that country as the greatest abuser of human rights on the planet. In the face of some other very “minor” human rights violations around the world, the honourable minister focused entirely on one country whose very existence is an affront to her and her ANC colleagues. As recently as March this year, Saudi Arabia, a country that the ANC maintains very warm relations with, publicly executed 81 people in a single day by the sword, beheading those hapless victims. That same month the ANC president was due to visit there, but had to postpone it for a later…

A 62-year-old French man survived for 16 hours in an air bubble inside his capsized sailboat in the Atlantic Ocean before being rescued by Spanish coastguard divers in what they described as an operation “verging on the impossible”. The 12m Jeanne SOLO Sailor sent out a distress signal at 8.23pm on Monday 14 miles from the Sisargas Islands off Spain’s north-western Galicia region, the coast guard said. Tracking data show that it had set sail from the Portuguese capital of Lisbon on Sunday morning. As a rescue ship carrying five divers set sail, one of three helicopters sent to aid the search located the upturned vessel as the sun went down. A diver was winched onto the ship’s hull to seek signs of life and the man inside, who has…

POLICE in Mpumalanga are investigating an incident where a police officer, who had allegedly demanded R500 000 from a mining deal, was shot and injured in a shoot-out with officers who had set up a sting operation to catch him red-handed. Police spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said they were investigating a case of corruption and an additional charge of attempted murder. “A suspect, aged 45, a member of the police, is said to have engaged in a shoot-out with other SAPS members from the national anti-corruption and intervention unit in Highveld Park near Witbank. The incident is said to have occurred on the evening of August 2,” Mohlala said. He said the officer, employed by SAPS as a warrant officer in the organised crime unit, had allegedly solicited…

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has closed the public participation window for amendments to the norms and standards for public school infrastructure. The department will now consolidate the amendments incorporating the comments received from members of the public and interested parties in the education sector. This process is set to conclude on September 9. DBE spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the department was expected to embark on a round of consultations with stakeholders between September 19 and October 20 before taking the process to the next level of reporting in the sector. The Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, published a Government Gazette on the proposed amendments to the norms and standards for public school infrastructure on June 10 this year. Equal Education and Equal Education Law Centre have raised…

THE IFP in KwaZulu-Natal staged a protest yesterday over the eThekwini Municipality’s failure to deal with the plight faced by flood victims, growing transit camps, rampant crime and unemployment. IFP eThekwini secretary Joshua Mazibuko said it was giving the municipality and the provincial government 30 days to respond with solutions or they will stage a protest in larger numbers. “Today (August 4) we only had 100 members representing the IFP and the rest of KZN. If the issues we raise are ignored we will come out in numbers, we will be like a sea marching through the city. Even if it means moving our wives and children into the (Durban) City Hall, we will do so.” He said it was their duty as the official opposition in the province…

Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini will perform the traditional ceremony of entering the cattle kraal at KwaKhangelamankengane Royal Palace on Saturday, August 20. This was announced by Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch and nation. Buthelezi said the ceremony would be performed in line with Zulu custom in order for the king to fulfil the necessary rituals in celebration of his installation as king of the Zulu nation. “As the president of South Africa has recognised and announced His Majesty’s position, the king has ascended to the throne de facto and de jure. “The handing over of a certificate by the president, which is both symbolic and formally required, will take place on a date yet to be determined. It has been agreed between the king and…

A father and son who have been arrested on charges of human trafficking involving Mozambican nationals have been denied bail. Cornelis Johannes Uys, 60, and his 23-year-old son, Cornelis Johannes Albertus Uys, have been denied bail by the Belfast Magistrate’s Court. Mpumalanga provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi, said the duo would be back in court on August 22. “Bail was denied, and the matter remanded to August 22, 2022 for further investigations,” said Sekgotodi. Previously, the father and son duo appeared in court alongside their co-accused Mozambican brothers, Carlos Bernardo Guambe, 34, and Gabriel Bernardo Guambe, 32. The four have been charged with contravening the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act and participating in or conspiring to traffic in persons. Last week, in a…

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her South Korean counterpart vowed yesterday to support efforts to maintain a strong deterrence against North Korea and achieve its denuclearisation. A joint statement was issued after Pelosi met South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo in Seoul, in which they expressed concerns over the North’s evolving nuclear and missile threats. Pelosi also said she and Kim discussed ways to boost co-operation on regional security and economic and climate issues. Pelosi arrived in South Korea after a brief stop in Taiwan, and met US embassy officials in Seoul before talks with Kim and other MPs. Pelosi visited the Joint Security Area near the heavily fortified inter-Korean border, patrolled together by the American-led UN Command and North Korea, a South Korean official said.…

PREMIER Sihle Zikalala’s KwaZulu-Natal administration has improved the governance of government departments in the province as shown by the improvement of the audit outcomes. In 2019, there were only two departments that achieved clean audits and this number has grown to seven in the 2021/2022 financial year, Zikalala revealed during a sitting of the provincial legislature yesterday. Zikalala recently suffered a bruising defeat at the ANC provincial conference which has also put his premiership in a precarious position. The audit outcomes could well be his swansong as premier of the province. Briefing the legislature, Zikalala said the auditor-general (AG) had briefings with members of the executive council relating to their latest audited financial statement and non-financial performance. He said the AG had communicated the outcomes of the departments and entities…

IT’S a long time since I watched a swimming gala. But watching footage of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, I notice that the shallow racing dive of my youth has long since disappeared. The contestants now dive from raised platforms, deep into the water, and swim furiously underwater before surfacing and breaking into the crawl stroke. ’Twas not always so, which brings to mind an incident from schooldays. My pal Finton was a strong swimmer. A tall good-looking fellow with a shock of black hair and blue eyes, he was every schoolgirl’s dream. Except he was painfully shy. If a girl so much as spoke to him, he would blush crimson. But a great sprint swimmer he was. He had a flat racing dive almost as good as an outboard…

I am not a close follower of horse racing, although I usually have a flutter on the Durban July and the Gold Cup. It was thus with interest I watched the Gold Cup race last Saturday. What disturbed me, though, was that as the horses entered the final 200 metres, was the picture of the horses being beaten with a riding whip, euphemistically called a crop. In this enlightened age surely it is not necessary to beat horses in this fashion. I am aware that in recent years the use of the whip has been modified in that a jockey is limited in arm movement, whips are made of a lighter material and there is a limit on the number of lashes that may be given per horse stride. I…

LISTENING to each other takes discipline, patience, focus and self-restraint. It is an act of love and commitment and respect which requires deep awareness of nuance, tone and body language. It takes commitment to maintain eye contact, reflect on what is being said so neither person gets lost in the words, or distracted by surroundings, or seduced by “hijack thoughts”, where totally unrelated matters capture one person’s imagination and they’re gone, even if they appear to be listening. Listening is a way of honouring and validating and an indication that the person talking and the person listening is thoroughly human and worthy of time and investment in every respect. To listen to each other’s words and then to try to hear what is behind the words and what is inside…

The two most significant risk factors linked to a relative and absolute five-year chance of acquiring any cancer are old age and smoking, according to a study conducted by scientists at the American Cancer Society (ACS). The findings of the research were published in the journal, Cancer. The findings demonstrate that, in addition to age and smoking history, clinicians should consider excess body fat, family history of cancer and other factors that may help patients determine if they may benefit from enhanced cancer screening. Researchers analysed two ACS prospective cohort studies to identify the risk factors associated with greater than 2% absolute risk of any cancer within five years. The authors studied 429 991 participants in the US with no prior personal history of cancer, and followed up for cancer…

Independent Media announced yesterday that former editor of The Mercury Yogas Nair has been appointed as the New Business Development and Strategy Executive, beginning on August 1, 2022. The company said the national role would include a specific focus on the KwaZulu-Natal region, an area Nair was most familiar with, considering her roots as editor of The Post and The Mercury. Nair has recently served as the company’s independent in-house press ombudsman. The company also announced that Mazwi Xaba, who is currently regional managing editor in KZN, has been appointed Group Executive for editorial content and strategy. Of her new role, Nair said: “I want to thank Independent Media chairman Dr Iqbal Survé for yet another opportunity in the group. My career has progressed in leaps and bounds since I…

THREE Intercape buses have been attacked in the Western Cape in the span of a week, with two drivers injured and recovering in hospital. An Intercape driver was wounded after gunmen opened fire on a bus outside the company’s depot in Airport Industria on Sunday. On Wednesday, two Intercape buses were attacked on the N2 highway near Nyanga, just before the Jakes Gerwel off-ramp, within moments of each other. One of the drivers was shot in the stomach and leg. Intercape said a total of 124 criminal cases have been opened with police following incidents of shooting, stoning and intimidation levelled at Intercape employees and members of the public and to date, there has not been a single arrest. “Two Intercape coaches came under attack in Cape Town on Wednesday…

HEALTHY life expectancy in Africa increased on average 10 years per person between 2000 and 2019, a World Health Organization (WHO) assessment report has shown. The WHO said the rise was greater than in any other region of the world during the same period. The report also noted that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic could threaten these huge gains. The Tracking Universal Health Coverage in the WHO African Region 2022 report showed that healthy life expectancy – or the number of years an individual is in a good state of health – increased to 56 years in 2019, compared with 46 in 2000. It added that while this was well below the global average of 64, over the same period global healthy life expectancy increased by only five years.…

For the mother of parliaments, British democracy has descended into a farce worthy of the Carry On film genre. Just as well it is the Silly Season as parliament is in recess till early September, save for the fact that the country is ghost run by a lame duck, disgraced and disinterested Conservative Party prime minister Boris Johnson, who was unceremoniously dumped last month by his own backbenchers for his lack of integrity and bringing his office into disrepute. Such is the dysfunction in the “ruling” party that Johnson could not even be bothered to attend last Sunday’s Women’s Euro 2022 Finals at Wembley between England and Germany to cheer on the Three Lionesses, especially when his German counterpart, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, travelled 1 026km from Berlin to cheer…

RUSSIAN Daria Kasatkina said she feels more "free" since coming out as gay last month as support poured in for the women's world No 12 from her fellow players. Kasatkina said last month that she was inspired to come out after Russian football player Nadya Karpova revealed she was gay in a country where homosexuality is frowned upon. Russia's existing "gay propaganda" law, passed in 2013, has been used to stop gay pride marches and detain gay rights activists. "I don't know how the social media filter works, but I've just heard very good things," said Kasatkina, whose girlfriend, Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiako, has been cheering for her at the Silicon Valley Classic in California this week. "I'm really happy about it. As I saw, it was not just…

JUST like that, we are into August! The fishing has been consistent with some brilliant edibles being caught and a few decent inedibles joining the reports. The offshore fishing has been brilliant on the whole with most of the KZN coast producing fantastic fish. The north coast has seen a good mix of both bottom fish as well as good game fish. The snoek have been around in the early mornings around most of the river mouths. Trolling a fillet bait just as the sun is coming up is a great way of targeting these beautiful game fish. The bottom fish have started on the deeper pinnacles and reefs. Mostly geelbek and daga have been coming out. The central coast has seen a lot of tuna on trolled lures and…

THE breakdown in communication has become a major issue at Royal AM Football Club and it has led seasoned administrator Sinky Mnisi to go rogue. Mnisi, a former Highlands Park FC shareholder, is no stranger to controversy and two years ago he took legal action after disputing the sale of the club to Tim Sukazi. Nothing came of Mnisi's efforts to prove that the sale could not go ahead without his approval. This time Mnisi, the CEO of Royal AM, has plunged headlong into a nightmare confrontation with club owner Shauwn 'MaMkhize' Mkhize, who after a year in top-flight football, has established herself as one of football's most powerful personalities. In the past year, Mkhize has taken the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and the National Soccer League to…