Table of contents for NM-2021-04-08 in Mercury

Adapt IT said yesterday it had entered in an agreement for Volaris to make an offer to acquire up to 100 percent of Adapt IT for a cash consideration of R6.50 per Adapt IT share.The consideration represented a premium of 56.9 percent to the 30-day volume weighted average traded price of Adapt IT shares of R4.14, as at January 26, 2021, being the last trading date prior to the date on which an unsolicited general offer by Huge Group to Adapt IT shareholders was announced. Volaris specialises in vertical market software companies and is an operating group of Toronto listed Constellation Software Inc. which has a market cap in excess of $25 billion. Meanwhile, Huge Group said yesterday it had been granted an extension to April 16 to circulate its…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za BUSINESS confidence in South Africa fell to a four-month low in March as the economy battled to gather upward momentum on prevailing uncertainty over intermittent lockdowns. The SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) said yesterday that the business confidence index (BCI) dropped to 94 points in March from 94.3 points in February. This was the lowest reading in the BCI since last November 2020 and after reaching a two-year high in January 2021. Sacci said the business climate had remained constricted due to continuing economic uncertainty. It said the prospects of a further lockdown in the offing with rumours of a third wave of infections becoming prevalent was also contributing to the negative climate. Sacci chief executive Alan Mukoki said the government needed to…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za Sixteen students were arrested at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), after a violent protest yesterday that led the university to close its five campuses. More than 800 students embarked on the protest, after DUT said in a statement on Tuesday night that it had decided to immediately suspend on-campus support for online registration. The move by the university came after thousands of prospective students descended on DUT’s Steve Biko campus on Tuesday, seeking help with registration. DUT said students arrived at the campus after unauthorised social media posts inviting applicants were circulated. The protesters gathered outside the Steve Biko Campus yesterday morning, where DUT student representative council (SRC) president Zabelo Ntuli told the students they would be shutting down the university with immediate effect. Ntuli blamed…

VA VOLKER | Durban MY SINCERE condolences to the family of Dr Frank Mdlalose. In 1988 he, as KwaZulu minister of health, and I as Natal MEC for hospitals and as members of the KwaZulu-Natal joint executive authority, undertook an overseas visit to Germany, Austria and the UK to canvas for young medical doctors to do service in KZN hospitals. As a result of that visit, 67 German doctors came at their own cost to do their one or two years’ practical service in various KZN hospitals. We developed a close personal friendship.…

PAT ROCKEY | Retired teacher, Morningside Primary If the municipality is struggling to keep Durban clean, why don’t the citizens take it upon themselves to do the job by incentivising the penniless and homeless, or even teenagers looking to make a buck or two through honest labour? There must be businesses or even private benefactors who would be willing to put up some cash that could be used to pay those who do the cleaning up. I am not talking about a fortune but a little amount for each bag of refuse collected. This would be an incentive for them to return and repeat the job, and perhaps bring their friends with them. They could compete among each other to see who collected the most rubbish – and…

EVERY relationship feels temporary and threatened, if things are going poorly or if things are going well. It makes little difference since both conditions can switch in a heartbeat. All important relationships exist under a cloud of anxiety, an ever-present sense that things will fall apart, a nagging thought that anything you say or do could set off the beginning of the end. Any expressed conflict, even the slightest disagreements, feel like the relationship will fold or unravel. Everything is a trade; nothing is as it seems. You have to look behind and beyond and beside all requests, all demands, in order to see what it is that a person (any person) may REALLY want. All love is to be held in suspicion. There is no such thing as unconditional…

Yusuf Samaai | Northcliff Johannesburg It’s very disheartening to read about the crime and murders in Cape Town. Not only in Cape Town, but our country favours the criminals and the corrupt and the model citizens have more to fear from the law. More visible policing and extra boots on the ground can only do so much. The law needs to be changed to ensure quicker rates of convictions. The criminals have no humanity when committing any crime, yet want to be treated as humans when they are arrested. We in South Africa claim to be better developed than (other countries in) Africa yet those countries have a very low crime rate compared with South Africa. We can open new drug-rehabilitation centres and have more police, but this…

Vernon Mchunu vernon.mchunu@inl.co.za KWAZULU-NATAL emerging farmers are supplying R44 million worth of products to businesses every week, thanks to a public-private partnership initiative set up to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Small businesses are being targeted to benefit through a preferential procurement process involving both the public and private sectors, said Finance MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube. Dube-Ncube said procurement had been identified as a vehicle that could drive economic transformation, specifically to rescue small businesses following the devastating blow suffered as a result of the various lockdowns related to the coronavirus pandemic. “With the outbreak of Covid-19, we have partnered with retail shops to ensure that they procure agricultural products from emerging farmers. We have said, this province must no longer be a net importer of agricultural products,” Dube-Ncube…

The blockade constitutes a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of human rights ON MARCH 27 and 28, tens of thousands of people from around the world raised their voices to reject the unjust and criminal economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the US against Cuba for more than 60 years. Under the slogan “Bridges of Love”, Cuban emigrants, personalities and solidarity, political and union organisations in the five continents carried out public demonstrations on foot and in caravans of cars, motorcycles and bicycles. South Africa also joined the initiative. On Sunday, March 28, a march was organised by the Association of Cuban Residents in South Africa. Gathered next to the gigantic statue of Nelson Mandela in the Union Buildings, the participants made public their demand for an immediate…

Traditionally the month of Ramadaan commences and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon. It has been the second successive year of the novel coronavirus pandemic but an unflinching spirit is there to commemorate the month, with the submission to divine will. It is the most sacred month on the Islamic calendar, with devotees resetting the compass for acquiring mercy. The giving up of food and water is about detaching from material needs to focus on worshipping the Supreme Creator. The significance of this month is so great that two months in advance Muslims intensify their intention and anticipate mercy from the Almighty for the swift entry to Ramadaan. Thus, during this pious period they are able to perform all acts and obligations according to the Holy Qur’an guidelines.…

Rwandan President Paul Kagame yesterday welcomed a report concluding that France bears responsibility over the 1994 genocide in his country. A commission established by French President Emmanuel Macron said last month that France had “remained blind” to preparations for the mass killing of 800 000 Rwandans, mainly from the ethnic Tutsi minority. The damning report follows years of accusations that France did not do enough to halt the massacres, and was even complicit in the crimes. At a ceremony to commemorate the start of the genocide, Kagame said the report “marks an important step toward a common understanding of what took place”, said the former Tutsi rebel leader who has ruled Rwanda since after the genocide 27 years ago. The genocide, between April and July 1994, began after Rwanda’s Hutu…

MIHLALI BALEKA BANYANA Banyana ace Thembi Kgatlana is relishing the opportunity of being back in the national team structures and working with youngsters after an impressive stint with Spanish Primera Division side SD Eibar. Kgatlana has enjoyed unprecedented success at Eibar, a side she joined in June last year from Portuguese outfit Benfica FC. In 20 appearances for the club in all competitions, the 24-year-old striker has notched 10 goals. Kgatlana’s contribution has put Eibar 12th on the standings with 26 points, nine ahead of the bottom-placed Deportivo and 30 behind leaders FC Barcelona. Nonetheless, with the league on pause due to the Fifa break, Kgatlana says she’s happy to be back at home. “I think for me it’s about physicality,” said Kgatlana about what she’s learnt from her…

Vernon Mchunu and Lorna Charles WHILE today’s meeting of heads of state over strife-torn Mozambique could come up with a road map towards lasting peace and security, a military intervention was unlikely to be agreed upon, according to a senior researcher from the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to join his counterparts in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Maputo for “extraordinary” talks in the wake of the ongoing violence mainly in Mozambique’s northern most province of Cabo Delgado. The Presidency said in a statement the Extraordinary Double Troika Summit was preceded by a multi-ministerial meeting yesterday, which included International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) Minister Naledi Pandor, Defence and Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo, among others from…

In Artcurial’s auction house overlooking the shuttered boutiques of the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris, vintage fashion expert Clara Vivien is overseeing the sale of hundreds of Chanel jackets, shoes and jewelled accessories – all online. A third Covid-19 lockdown is once again sending lovers of luxury who have time to spare and money to spend on to their screens in search of the next vintage Chanel dress or Hermes handbag. Vintage was already enjoying a revival, Vivien said, driven by a growing discomfort with “fast fashion” among consumers and increasing environmental awareness. But the pandemic shifted more of it online. Handbags sell particularly well. “People who bought a Chanel or a Hermes bag today delight in the knowledge that their investment doesn’t stop growing.” Fashion and online vintage clothing…

GABI MARAIS | Gillitts THE DA puts its foot in it again. Tony, think before you speak or act. Please remember the “social experiments” that Hitler carried out, before you use the word in the context in which you did. Why can the DA not think and act rationally before they act or speak? There are too many blunders along the way, and they are driving away the support of people who are non-partisan. As I have mentioned in a previous letter, I am of the same demographic as Helen Zille, and I am married to a man who was at school with Tony, and if it peeves me, what about others?…

| George Bernard Shaw A CURIOUS tale of workplace aggro comes from Fayetteville, Georgia, in the US. A fellow who had resigned from the local auto shop got his final, overdue pay cheque in the form of a pile of oil-soaked pennies with a note from his ex-boss containing a vile imprecation that cannot be repeated in a respectable family newspaper. Andreas Flaten received a delivery of more than 90 000 one-cent coins – all soaked in oil – dumped in his driveway, according to The Huffington Post. It seems Flaten had resigned, giving two weeks’ notice. But his boss refused to give him his final pay cheque, claiming he’d caused damage in the shop. Flaten went to the Georgia Department of Labour and threatened to call in a…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure is expected to soon brief MPs on land reform in the country. This comes after Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza told MPs last week about frustration over the slow pace of land reform during the past 27 years. Didiza had said despite policies and laws, the land reform agenda had hit snags for a number of reasons. One reason related to capacity in the Land Claims Court. The ad hoc committee on land expropriation is busy with processes to amend Section 25 of the Constitution to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation. After hearing oral submissions and the presentation by Didiza, the ad hoc committee agreed to hear from the Department of Public Works…

Zintle Mahlati and Karen Singh The lack of equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines is an urgent matter that needs to be addressed. This is according to World Health Organization regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, who was speaking at the World Health Day event hosted by Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize yesterday. More than 400 million vaccine shots have been administered worldwide, but only about 11 million have been administered in Africa. In South Africa, about 250 000 health-care workers have been vaccinated. Moeti said that to ensure the safety of the world, vaccination access had to be broadened and everyone should get vaccinated. She said the pandemic had brought into sharp focus the health inequalities that were prevalent globally. She cited examples of a shortage of personal…

Indie Boyce APART from driving economic growth in South Africa, the roll-out of 5G mobile technology and infrastructure, led by Chinese company Huawei, will be a big boon for the building of smart cities. The smart cities plan was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation address to Parliament in February. A draft master plan was completed in November last year for the construction of South Africa’s first post-apartheid smart city in Lanseria, north-west of Johannesburg. The new city is expected to accommodate between 350 000 and 500 000 people in the next 10 years, be 5G-driven and set a benchmark for green infrastructure. It is expected to take about 25 years to complete. The airport will be the main economic driver for the city’s…

Myanmar troops fired at anti-coup protesters yesterday, killing at least 13 people and wounding several, media said, as a series of small blasts hit the commercial capital Yangon and a Chinese-owned factory was set on fire. The country’s military ruler said the civil disobedience movement was “destroying” Myanmar. More than 580 people have been killed, according to an activist group, in the turmoil in Myanmar since a February 1 coup that ended a brief period of civilian-led democracy. Nationwide protests and strikes have persisted since then despite the military’s use of lethal force to quell the opposition. Security forces opened fire on protesters in the north-western town of Kale as they demanded the restoration of Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government, domestic media said. A resident of the area and…

Colombo: A Sri Lankan beauty pageant winner who had her crown yanked off by last year’s champion in an ugly on-stage fracas has been re-declared the victor and says she will sue. Pushpika de Silva, who needed hospital treatment after the incident at Sunday’s gala, was named “Mrs Sri Lanka” again at a smaller ceremony this week. “I forgive everyone involved,” said De Silva. She said, however, that she planned to launch legal action against her alleged attacker, reigning champion Caroline Jurie. Jurie had forcibly removed De Silva’s crown on stage during the ceremony, saying that De Silva was divorced and, therefore, ineligible for the prize. To qualify for the title, contestants must be married. De Silva is estranged from her husband, but they are still legally married. Organisers said…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za REBOSIS Property Fund’s share price shot up more than 34 percent yesterday after the group said it was in negotiations with local and offshore institutions and pension funds for a deal that “could change the financial matrix of Rebosis and crystallise value for shareholders”. This follows a fractious shareholder meeting at the end of February where two large shareholders went into a dispute – the Amatolo Trust, which is controlled by Rebosis founder Sisa Ngebulana, and Zunaid Moti. Ngebulana held about 26 percent of Rebosis, while Moti also claimed he was unfairly barred from voting on certain resolutions. The group has struggled over the past three years, as evidenced by its share price, which traded at 31 cents yesterday after falling steadily from R8.41…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za TWK INVESTMENTS, a diversified agriculture and forestry company, yesterday reported a 41.8 percent surge in profits after tax to R89.53 million in the six months to end February and expects a good second-half ahead. The group, which operates in a number of divisions that include timber, retail and mechanisation, financial services, grain and vehicles and tyres, is listed on the ZARX exchange. Chief executive André Myburgh said the diversity of the firm’s income streams provided resilience amid the Covid-19 pandemic. “Noteworthy contributors to the improved results came from the Sawmills, BedRock mining timber, Sunshine Seedlings, general trade and the fertiliser divisions, translating into a 41.8 percent increase in profit after tax. With the careful management of working capital and cost-saving initiatives, TWK has been…

PJH TITLESTAD | Mtunzini REPORTS in The Mercury have featured radical economic transformation (RET) and a Wits professor of economics. According to the latter, there are historical forces opposed to the National Democratic Revolution and the ANC is on a neo-liberal path, but the radical economic transformation advocates have not taken matters lying down. However, according to these reports, it would appear that a number of those connected to RET are facing criminal charges of fraud and corruption. Is it not strange that radical economic transformation and democratic revolution, which would appear to be on behalf of the people, should be associated with such activity? Such jargon and slogans are reminiscent of “white monopoly capitalism”, before which we had to reverently bow some time ago, and which still…

FAROUK ARAIE | Benoni IT WAS with extreme sadness that I heard of the death of Dr Frank Mdlalose, KwaZulu-Natal’s first democratic premier in 1994. We as a nation must remember him for his dedication to free South Africa of oppression. We must express our admiration and the deepest respect for his courage and steadfastness to dedicate his life to the cause of righteousness, justice and equity. His death will serve to remind generations of our countrymen of a generous and fearless personality, and of a life of nobility and patriotism, service and sacrifice. His life, his words and his actions have done much to shape public expectations of the office that he held at a time of uncertainty, after apartheid and conflict in KZN. Under his premiership,…

Cometh Dube-Makholwa | Midrand Faced with a 55.75% youth unemployment rate, the government has proposed the introduction of a basic universal unemployment grant for South Africa’s unemployed youth. I don’t know how the majority of parents feel about this proposal, but I definitely would not want any of my children condemned to a life of government hand-outs in the form of that special grant, as it might have the unintended effect of encouraging long-lasting dependence on it. What criteria would be used to determine who qualifies for it anyway? Because 55% of unemployed youth is a huge number. How much will they receive a month: R350? It’s been hard enough for the government to fulfil its promise of the lockdown grant to all the destitute without jobs. We…

IJ Saks | Table View PLEASE can anyone tell me how are we are supposed to survive municipal increases – an Eskom electricity increase of 15.5% and fuel increase by close to a rand. These increases will cause dire hardship among all communities and crime will increase due to this. The government should place a moratorium on all increases while Covid is still here and allow increases only when we’re all vaccinated. I fear the worst for all citizens of this country that we will not be able to make ends meet.…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za RESIDENTS of Msunduzi Municipality have been called upon to get involved in an initiative that seeks to revamp part of the city centre and restore the dignity of the city. The city’s Church Street Mall is the target of the project, which will include removing tree stumps, fixing fountains and paving the mall. The initiative is the brainchild of the Pietermaritzburg & Midlands Chamber of Business. The city, chamber and Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (Edtea) announced a partnership on the initiative. Edtea has committed to contribute about R300 000 to the initiative. Residents can also take part in a variety of ways including buying paving bricks to be used in the revamp, which would have their names engraved on it so that they…

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za President Cyril Ramaphosa has committed to establishing a Charlotte Maxeke Memorial College in the Eastern Cape as he honoured the political and social stalwart at her 150th birthday celebrations in Fort Beaufort yesterday. Members of the ANC led the celebrations for Charlotte Mannya Maxeke across the country. The ANC also declared 2021 as the “Year of Unity, Renewal and Reconstruction in the Year of Charlotte Maxeke”. Addressing a congregation in Nxukhwebe, Fort Beaufort, Ramaphosa said visiting her homeland “feels like I have come to the fountain of wisdom”. He described Maxeke as a religious leader and social and political activist who was the first black woman to graduate with a university degree in South Africa with a BSc from Wilberforce University Ohio in 1901. She was also…

An expert in the use of force by police yesterday faulted the actions of former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin in last year’s deadly arrest of George Floyd, testifying that no force should have been used after Floyd was handcuffed and prone. Los Angeles Police Department Sergeant Jody Stiger appeared as a prosecution witness at Chauvin’s murder trial, as prosecutors sought to further demonstrate that the fired former officer disregarded his training when he knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. Stiger told jurors that Floyd did not pose an immediate threat and and was not actively resisting arrest at the time when Chauvin used deadly force on the 46-year-old black man while he was handcuffed in the prone position in the May 2020 incident. “My opinion was that…

COPENHAGEN: Greenland’s left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit party pledged its opposition to a large rare earth mining project yesterday after winning a parliamentary election for only the second time in more than four decades. Its victory casts doubt on the mining complex at Kvanefjeld in the south of the Arctic island and sends a strong signal to international mining companies wanting to exploit Greenland’s vast untapped mineral resources. The island of 56 000 people is part of the Kingdom of Denmark but has broad autonomy. Australian firm Greenland Minerals has spent more than $100 million (R1.4bn) on the mine. | Reuters…