Índice para 2023-11-20 em Mercury

THE GOVERNMENT has tightened what may be the last screw in the battle against vandalism of infrastructure, especially copper, at utilities including Transnet, Eskom and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa by requiring sellers to be registered entities, which could perplex random collectors and ensure accountability between dealers and sellers. In a gazette released on Friday, the government said it would restrict and regulate trade in ferrous and non- ferrous metals waste, scrap and semi-finished metals to limit damage to infrastructure and the economy, which at the end of April this year stood at about R46.5 billion, according to data from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition. The latest decision follows two successive periodical bans on the trade in scrap metal which had the industry in uproar,…

While the latest stats showed a decrease in some serious crime categories in KwaZulu-Natal, crime experts and political organisations have questioned whether this was the reality on the ground. The quarter three crime statistics for 2023/24 were released by Police Minister Bheki Cele on Friday. Compared to the same period last year, July to September, the murder rate in the province dropped by 13% from 1 857 to 1 603, while house robbery dropped by 9.4% from 1 513 to 1 371. In his speech, Cele said it was encouraging that KZN reported a double-digit percentage decrease in murders. He said crime stats were used to redirect resources to where they were needed most. “This redirection of resources is clearly demonstrated through the decline of certain crime categories in the…

OLD Blighty is back in comic mode. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he’s prepared to amend the law, following an adverse Supreme Court ruling, to make it possible after all to deport illegal immigrants to Rwanda, in Africa. His recently fired Home Secretary, the right-wing Suella Braveman, tears strips off him at every opportunity. The Tory divisions are huge. Labour is way ahead in the opinion polls. Yet much of the Labour front bench has rebelled against Sir Keir Starmer’s refusal to support a full-scale ceasefire in Gaza, rather than a pause in hostilities to gather up civilians to safety. And an election looms. This one will run and run … Oddities galore John Willy Hudson, the good old soul, Bought a book on birth control. But judging from his…

As World Toilet Day was marked yesterday, it is imperative to reflect on the critical role of sanitation in educational and social development to restore dignity while ensuring the safety of learners and educators. The Sanitation Appropriate for Education (Safe) initiative, spearheaded by the Department of Basic Education (DBE), represents a significant undertaking. It transcends the mere elimination of pit latrines, while addressing broader issues at the core of adequate educational infrastructure and well-being. This reflection comes when we’re emerging from the shadows of the Covid-19 pandemic, which significantly impacted all aspects of life, including the progress of essential sanitary projects in schools. Sanitation, fundamentally linked to human dignity, is critical to global health and well-being. The World Health Organization (WHO) underscores that safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (Wash)…

CONCERNS have been raised over suggestions of expanding alcohol availability, with experts warning of the public health implications this will create. This comes in the wake of Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi saying on X (previously Twitter) that his government had a briefing “to launch taverns of the future in our communities”. “The tavern of the future will blow your mind,” said Lesufi, adding that this was his personal view and investment was about individual preferences that would create jobs and opportunities. Last year 21 children and young adults died at the Enyobeni Tavern in the Eastern Cape during an end-of-exams party. The victims ranged in age from 13 to 21. The country has also experienced deadly tavern shootings with recent incidents including eight people being gunned down in two separate…

A HUSBAND who pleaded poverty following the break-up with his wife has lost his legal bid to claim interim maintenance from her pending their divorce. This was after it had emerged that while he claimed to be poor, he spent thousands of rand she gave him on, among others, online dating. The husband turned to the KwaZulu Natal High Court, Durban, where he claimed slightly more than R26 000 a month in interim maintenance from his wife, as well as R50 000 towards his legal costs. The parties were married to each other in September 2005 out of community of property with accrual. They have one child who lives with the wife, and the husband does not pay maintenance towards the child. While the husband pleaded poverty, the wife said…

Two of the accused charged in connection with the theft of thousands of undeclared US dollars that were hidden in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm have been granted bail by the Bela Bela Magistrate’s Court. Ramaphosa’s former housekeeper, Froliana Joseph, and her brother, Ndilinasho David Joseph, were granted R5 000 and R10 000 bail, respectively. But the two Namibian nationals are not allowed to leave Bela Bela without the permission of the police. Co-accused Imanuwela David, seen as the ringleader, will only apply for bail next month, according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). The trio are accused of stealing about $580 000 (now more than R10 million) in a planned robbery at the president’s farm. They are further charged with conspiracy to commit housebreaking with intent to steal,…

ETHEKWINI Municipality together with uMngeni-uThukela Water announced yesterday that Durban Heights Water Treatment Works would undergo an 18-hour shutdown tomorrow. The City said that the critical shutdown would start at 1am on November 21 until 8pm on the same day. It said the exercise formed part of uMngeni-uThukela’s efforts to repair and restore infrastructure damaged during the floods in April 2022. According to the City, the shutdown will allow the removal of a steel plate previously installed on aqueduct 2 to isolate the flow of water while repairs were in progress. “The shutdown will also include the installation of a double isolation facility to enable the contractor undertaking the repairs to continue working on the aqueduct in preparation for its recommissioning next month. “By undertaking this maintenance shutdown now, uMngeni-uThukela…

THE Democratic Republic of the Congo kicks off a month-long election campaign today with 26 candidates running for president amid a tense political climate and fighting in the east of the country. About 44 million registered voters, out of a population of almost 100 million, will elect a president on December 20. They will also choose between tens of thousands of candidates for legislative and local bodies in the country with vast resources but endemic conflict and corruption. A “pre-campaign” has been underway for a while, with President Felix Tshisekedi, who is seeking a second term, attending numerous public events while his allies praise his record. With the launch of the official campaign, big rallies, media interviews, giant posters and handing out flyers will be allowed. On opening day, Tshisekedi…

HOUSTON: Donald Trump took his US presidential campaign down to the border with Mexico yesterday, as he seeks to double down on the hardline immigration policies that were a hallmark of his first White House term. The former president warned that undocumented migrants were “poisoning the blood of our country”. The Texas legislature has passed a bill that would make entry into the state without papers a crime punishable by up to two years in jail, or up to 20 years if the person refuses to leave the US. Trump says that if he is re-elected, he will engineer a tough crackdown on the undocumented, including detention camps and mass deportations. | AFP…

SILKYARA: Indian authorities were exploring five new plans to rescue workers trapped inside a collapsed tunnel in the Indian Himalayas after a week of failed attempts. Forty-one men, stuck in the highway tunnel in Uttarakhand state since November 12, are safe and being fed through a pipe, the authorities say. The cause of the accident has not been determined, although the hillside region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods. Rescuers had been drilling horizontally through the debris toward the trapped workers in the 4.5km tunnel until the auger drilling machine broke on Friday and a new one was flown in. | Reuters…

HEALING is a glaringly missing goal in the 17 goals of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The world has to be introspective and consider this goal. Because human beings are ominously spiritual as found out by the Father Lapsley Institute of Healing Memories, the omission of healing as a goal for a planet that is bleeding and people that are bleeding marks a world that is remiss, one that has relegated the idea of consciousness to a laundry list of material artefacts. On the 16th of November I had the privilege of joining Father Michael Lapsley, a fellow National University of Lesotho (NUL) student, Professor Bonke Dumisa, another fellow student of NUL, and many distinguished guests. This magnificent seminal session was occasioned by the 25th anniversary…

Transnet Port Terminals says it may prevent trucks from bringing their cargo to Richards Bay port amid court action TRANSNET Port Terminals Richards Bay says that in the interest of public safety it may suspend the processing of trucks bringing cargo into its terminals on the uMhlathuze Local Municipality roads. This is due to the severe traffic congestion on the N2 highway and surrounding roads near the port. The repercussions of this would severely affect the economy, which is already taking strain owing to Transnet’s poor performance. Only trucks whose vessels have already been nominated would be processed. Transnet said on Friday that an urgent meeting with customers and all relevant stakeholders would be held soon to discuss the latest developments. It added that the terminal operator was currently grappling…

Power utility Eskom says Stage 3 load shedding would remain in force until 5am today due to the shortage of generation capacity and the need to manage emergency reserves. Then Stage 2 load shedding will be implemented until 4pm, followed by Stage 3 until 5am tomorrow. “Stages 1 and 3 will alternate in the morning and afternoon from Tuesday until Wednesday,” Eskom added. The utility said that unplanned outages were at 16 264MW of generating capacity including delays at Lethabo power station. The capacity out of service for planned maintenance was 6 606MW. Speaking during his update on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan yesterday, Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, said the performance of the grid in the past two weeks…

WRITERS like Farouk Araie of Benoni and lots of others, including myself, have warned about countries being driven, in desperation to use one type of nuclear bomb or other, during a conflict. The effects of either fission or fusion are annihilating, not just of the target but, over time, eventually for the whole region. It can often amount to shooting oneself in the foot if the conflict is between close geographical neighbours. So it’s definitely a no-no. Stocking up the grocery cupboard with gift-wrapped H-bombs, for example, can provide years of security from aggressive neighbours. Hence the atomic gizmos deserve a purpose in maintaining some peace in a region. Each one not daring to provoke its neighbour … just in case. However, the possession of these devices by not just…

This week Thursday, millions of people in the US will travel “home” to a family meal called Thanksgiving. After turkey and mashed potatoes and “fixings” and before the football on TV, people will express gratitude for everything from the nation to grandma for her trademark green beans. It is no easy holiday for my sons and I, with no extended family, but we have grown accustomed to it. Nolan Smith (former Beachwood and Durban North person) always includes us with his family for Thanksgiving. I have my list ready to go: I am grateful: For my sons and the men they have become. They are honest and hard working. They conduct themselves well in all contexts. I am often moved when others tell me of things they know about my…

Police are waging war against online child sexual predators. The latest to be arrested is a 60-year-old Durban man who was arrested in Umbilo on Thursday. The suspect was found with thousands of images and videos of child pornography. SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that the suspect was one of the known 27 online child sexual predators that have been identified in South Africa by a joint international operation led by the SAPS’ Serial and Electronic Investigations (SECI) unit and the US Department of Homeland Security. His arrest comes after the arrest of three others in Gauteng. “The SAPS is calling on parents to monitor their children’s devices, such as tablets and phones, on a daily basis to prevent more children from becoming victims of such criminal activities.…

The 65 alleged instigators charged in connection with the unrest and public violence that occurred in July 2021 in KwaZulu-Natal have been served with indictments. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said they were served with indictments, in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Friday. According to the eight page indictment, the accused were disgruntled following the Constitutional Court decision to jail former president Jacob Zuma for a period of 15 months in June 2021 for contempt of court. This was due to Zuma failing to appear before the State Capture commission which was chaired by Justice Raymond Zondo. It is alleged that Zuma’s supporters, including the accused, were disgruntled by the Constitutional Court decision and publicly campaigned against his imprisonment through gatherings and via social media. The indictment states that WhatsApp…

The KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) has said the recent heavy rain experienced in the province is good news for farmers. Kwanalu CEO Sandy La Marque said that the current rainfall signals a good precursor to the summer season. “The sector has experienced a relatively dry September month. Various commodities will benefit from the rainfall.” La Marque added that the weather has an impact on various aspects of agriculture, including on biosecurity, supply, and quality. South African Farmers’ Development Association (Safda) executive chairperson Siyabonga Madlala said that as sugarcane farmers they welcomed heavy rains. “In fact it’s coming at a good time for our crops as it soaks into the ground to help our fertiliser. So that’s good news. The one issue is that heavy rains make it difficult to harvest…

THE Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) says it has raised its level of alertness, heading towards the festive season following the arrest of five people at OR Tambo International Airport – two Acsa staffers and three others working for companies operating at the airport – in connection with drug trafficking. In a statement, Acsa said it had a zero- tolerance stance against fraud, corruption and any other types of illicit or criminal behaviour by its employees, both direct and indirect, at its airports. The suspects were arrested following a special joint operation between Acsa and the Hawks which resulted in the apprehension of the five. The arrests are linked to a consignment of drugs that was seized in Australia recently, making this the first operation of its kind concerning transnational…

A KwaZulu-Natal woman who killed her older sister – a police officer – has been sentenced to life behind bars. Bongeka Somani, 43, was found guilty of killing her sister, Sergeant Nokuthula Somani, in the Scottburgh Regional Court. The 55-year-old was shot dead while seated in the lounge of her Umzimkhulu home in April 2022. Provincial spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigations (known as Hawks) Lieutenant-Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo, said Sergeant Somani was stationed at Umzimkhulu police station. She was off-duty and sitting in the lounge when two suspects entered and shot her.” Investigations by the Hawks led to the arrest of Siyabulela Mbhele, 25, in July last year. He was sentenced to 22 years for his part in the killing in the Pietermaritzburg High Court last year. Mbhele…

Hamas militants battled Israeli forces trying to push into Gaza’s largest refugee camp yesterday and Israeli air strikes to the south killed dozens of Palestinians, witnesses said, as a US media report of a nascent hostage release deal was denied. The Washington Post said yesterday that US mediators were close to a deal between Israel and Hamas to free dozens of women and children held hostage in Gaza in exchange for a five-day pause in their war that would help boost emergency aid shipments to Gaza civilians, citing people familiar with the matter. The Post had reported that a tentative deal had been reached, and this was denied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US officials, with a White House spokesperson saying efforts were continuing to clinch a deal.…

Kenya yesterday said tens of thousands of people across the country had been impacted by heavy rainfall, flooding and landslides that had also interrupted cargo services at Mombasa port. The Horn of Africa has experienced intense rainfall linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon in recent weeks that has claimed dozens of lives, including at least 46 in parts of Kenya. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said at least 80 000 households in Kenya had been affected “with numbers rising every day”. He said the government was responding to “save our people” including with helicopters and other emergency services to deliver aid and rescue marooned families. “This situation has continued to threaten lives,” he said, urging the public to avoid floodwaters and evacuate homes in low-lying areas. The prolonged rainfall…

BUENOS AIRES: Argentinians headed to the polls yesterday in a delicately poised presidential run-off, with voters seeking a solution to triple-digit inflation and rising poverty, and two clashing visions for the country’s future on offer. The election sees Peronist Economy Minister Sergio Massago head-to-head with radical libertarian outsider Javier Milei, the slight pre-election favourite in the polls. Milei is pledging economic shock therapy, from shutting the central bank to ditching the peso and slashing spending, potentially painful reforms, but which have clicked with crowds of voters angry at the economic malaise. | Reuters…

RIYADH: A wave of ribbon-cutting ceremonies is sweeping the Saudi capital as multinationals face a January deadline to open regional headquarters in the Gulf kingdom or lose out on government contracts. In what has become a common scene, executives in suits and Saudi officials in white robes gather to inaugurate the new offices, sipping Arabic coffee in a haze of incense smoke while singing the praises of last year’s fastest-growing G20 economy. Saudi Arabia’s regional headquarters (RHQ) programme is seen as a bid to compete with Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. So far, 162 regional headquarters licenses have been granted. | AFP…

C-SUITE positions are those with the word “chief” in the title, those execu- tive posts that are the highest decision-making positions in an organisation, where the cream of the crop gets to be rewarded by rising to those levels. Ambitious employees, especially young professionals, are constantly observing and trying to learn the behaviours, qualities and aptitudes that enable one to get to those levels. Business schools charge significant amounts of money and retain their relevance as the best schools to choose by offering courses that best assist would-be aspirants with the necessary skills. The Black Management Forum (BMF) is also constantly involved in developing its members to exude these crucial managerial leadership skills, to drive the transformation that the organisation advocates for. Business schools spend consider- able time observing trends…

THE DA and UDM have slammed the ANC’s use of an image of Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa May on a voter registration poster. President Cyril Ramaphosa apologised on behalf of the ANC for the use of Justice Maya’s image on a party poster, also saying that judges must not be brought into politics. The poster, on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), depicted Maya in her official Constitutional Court robe, accompanied by a call for South Africans to register to vote for the ANC. Ramaphosa was reacting to a strongly worded statement from the Office of the Chief Justice distancing itself from the use of Justice Maya’s image on the ANC social media page, saying it was not authorised by Justice Maya’s office or the Office of the Chief Justice…

Just two weeks ago we were up in the clouds; now we are down in the dumps. We hoped the Proteas would emulate the Springboks and bring home another trophy. But they faced a tough opponent, the Aussies, in the Cricket World Cup semi-final and were bowled out for 212 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It turned out to not be enough to defend against their nemesis from Down Under. The Aussies ripped through the top order batsmen, taking 4 wickets for just 44 runs and it seemed South Africa would be bundled out for a paltry score. But the South Africans did not crumble and managed to steady themselves and reached a reasonable total of 212 all out. The Aussies might have been delighted with South Africa’s low score…

In response to a letter by African Democratic Change president Visvin Reddy in The Mercury on November 14, titled “Chatsworth Sassa Office Closure is a blow for the poor”: We acknowledge concerns raised by Mr Reddy. One of the guiding principles of how we work, is to put customer needs at the forefront of everything we do. It is for this reason that we have been seized with the responsibility of ensuring that we find convenient office space in Chatsworth where our clients will continue to access SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) services in the area they live in. The sudden closure of Sassa offices by the Department of Labour came to us unexpectedly and we had to find an alternative interim solution while navigating to secure medium and long-term…

THE ineffective UN Security Council recently approved a resolution calling for an urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip. More than five weeks into the war, calls for a ceasefire for the sake of humanity have only grown louder around the globe. Historically, different terms like cessation of hostilities, de-escalation, pauses, safe zones and truce have been used to halt fighting around the globe. Regrettably, whatever we want to call the halt of hostility and stopping the loss of lives, in international humanitarian law and organisations such as the UN General Assembly and UN Security Council there is no effective and binding provision or structure for “ceasefire”. Hence, the UN, like the ICC, is a toothless tiger, a two-faced body, and has done nothing to resolve…

FORESTRY SA (FSA) has welcomed a Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) declaratory order, that the National Water Act does not limit water use activities for commercial afforestation, authorised under pre-1998 legislation. The SCA was asked to consider the rights of existing water use, set-up before the drafting of the Act 36 of 1998. FSA, which represents timber growers in the country, had launched an application in the Western Cape High Court to secure a definitive interpretation of certain provisions of the act. The then-department and Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, together with catchment agencies including the Breede-Gouritz Catchment Management Agency, were respondents. The High Court had declined to make the declaratory order and held that the water use must be lawful and not merely use that took place…

Two men from Gauteng were taken in for questioning after a break-in at the South African Rugby Union offices in Cape Town, Western Cape police have confirmed. The burglary took place on October 13, however, police were only called to the scene the following morning. Video footage of the break-in has been widely circulated across social media platforms. In the footage, from different views, two men can be seen trying to gain entry to the offices from different entrance points after 8pm. In footage timestamped after 9pm, two men can be seen in the offices, walking around and looking in cupboards. Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa said that Parow police responded to a call-out in Panorama where 68 laptops, South African Rugby paraphernalia, and high-end liquor was stolen during…

THE portfolio committee on home affairs has hailed commitments to roll out Home Affairs services to more banks. Home Affairs provided a progress update to the committee over ongoing deliberations between the department and the Banking Association of South Africa (Basa). “While the committee welcomed the movement from pilot phase to full partnership phase, it raised concerns about the lengthy interactions. Despite this, however, the committee is optimistic that all impediments have been resolved. “The committee is of the view that the increase in footprint that will follow as a result of this agreement, will have a positive impact on the perennial challenge of long queues facing the department of Home Affairs (DHA). As the process unfolds, the committee has called on the department to resolve teething challenges by utilisation…

Parliament has suspended nine senior officials over the 2022 fire that swept through the building and for administrative irregularities. The national legislature said 13 officials would face disciplinary action, but out of the 13, only nine have been suspended. It said it had initially identified 28 officials implicated in the matter. However, some officials were able to provide explanations and the list was whittled down to 13 officials. Zandile Mafe is in court for allegedly burning Parliament in January last year. Parliament announced a week ago that it has made progress by fixing some offices damaged in the fire. But it maintained that work on the restoration of the National Assembly Chamber and Old Assembly will continue. They expect to meet the deadline of finishing the project by the end…

In a recent revelation that has sent shock waves through the South African financial landscape, 28 banks, including the UK-based Standard Chartered, have been implicated in manipulation of the rand. The Competition Commission’s decision to impose a seemingly paltry R42.7 million fine on Standard Chartered has left many questioning the adequacy of the punishment for such a severe transgression. The manipulation of the rand by these financial institutions not only raises serious ethical concerns, but also poses a significant threat to the stability of the South African economy. The financial market is the cornerstone of economic activity, and any form of manipulation undermines the principles of fair competition and transparency that are essential for its proper functioning. The R42.7 million admission of guilt fine, amounts to a mere fraction of…

The Ukrainian army said yesterday that it has pushed Russian forces back “3km to 8km” from the banks of Dnipro River – the first meaningful advance by Kyiv’s forces months into a disappointing counteroffensive. Ukrainian and Russian forces have been entrenched on opposite sides of the vast waterway in the southern Kherson region for more than a year, after Russia withdrew its troops from the western bank last November. Ukrainian forces have staged multiple attempts to cross and hold positions on the Russian-controlled side – with officials in Kyiv finally reporting a “successful” breakthrough last week. “Preliminary figures vary from 3km to 8km, depending on the specifics, geography and landscape of the left bank,” army spokesperson Natalia Gumenyuk told Ukrainian television yesterday, without specifying if Ukraine’s military had complete control…

More than 200 Thai nationals trapped by the surge in fighting in northern Myanmar between junta soldiers and armed ethnic-minority groups are being evacuated to Thailand via China, the Thai foreign ministry said yesterday. Myanmar military, which seized power in a 2021 coup, is losing control of several towns and military outposts around the country as well as being overrun in parts of its north as they battle the biggest co-ordinated offensive, launched last month by an alliance of three ethnic-minority groups. The Thai foreign ministry said a group of 266 Thais and an unspecified number of Filipinos and Singaporeans are being evacuated from Laukkaing the Myanmar-China border with help from the Myanmar authorities. Thai authorities earlier said some were victims of human trafficking and some might be involved with…

LONDON: A dozen departments in the UK have been profiling government critics in order to block them from speaking at public events, UK media have found. The Observer reports that 15 departments, including health, culture, media and sport, and environment, food and rural affairs, were running checks on experts and occasionally disinviting them from government-funded events. Guidelines told officials to monitor social media of potential invitees and to look through up to 10 pages of Google search results on them covering three to five years. The Education Department vetted its speakers in October but the true scale of it was uncovered recently. | Sputnik…

PARIS: France has successfully test-fired an M51.3 long-range ballistic missile, boosting the credibility of France’s nuclear deterrence capabilities, the defence ministry said yesterday. The missile, which did not carry a nuclear weapon, was fired from the French army’s Biscarosse missile testing site in southwest France and landed in the North Atlantic, “hundreds of kilometres from any coastline” the ministry said. “The flight has allowed to confirm a major improvement of the missile which will contribute to the lasting credibility of France’s oceanic deterrence in coming decades,” the ministry said yesterday. | Reuters…