Sommaire pour NM-2021-03-31 de Mercury

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@in.co.za THE BANK OF America (BofA) has warned that the ongoing energy crisis constituted the most serious risks to South Africa’s economic outlook in the medium term. BofA yesterday said Eskom’s electricity supply challenges could delay the country’s economic rebound in the next three years in spite of a faster recovery expected in 2021. The bank said its outlook ahead was of a 3.5 percent consensus growth this year. BofA raised its 2021 gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast to 3.8 percent from 2.9 percent while maintaining its outlook for 2022 at 2 percent. BofA’s head of South Africa research Paul Steegers said they were cautiously optimistic about South Africa’s output this year, but medium-term outlook was faced with headwinds. “Despite the upgrade, we acknowledge…

XPATWEB’S Critical Skills Survey 2020/21 showed 77 percent of organisations were struggling to recruit and obtain critical skills in South Africa for their local and cross-border operations. A further 76 percent further confirmed that an international search would assist them in meeting business objectives,” Xpatweb MD Marisa Jacobs said in a statement yesterday. According to the latest survey, the top ten skills businesses were struggling to recruit include engineers (18 percent), ICT (13 percent); foreign language speakers (10 percent); media and marketing specialists (9 percent); artisans (8 percent); C-suite executives (7 percent); senior financial executives (6 percent); health professions and related clinical sciences (5 percent); science professionals (4 percent) and accounting (1 percent). The usinesses indicating that engineers were difficult to recruit rose to 18 percent from…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za BALWIN Properties sold 2 550 apartments in the year to end-February, despite lengthy construction delays caused by the pandemic, compared with 2 715 sold in 2019. No construction activity occurred from March 26 to June 1, and the phased start-up thereafter, all due to Covid-19 restrictions, meant construction activity was adversely impacted through three months or 25 percent of the year, the group said in a trading statement yesterday. Chief executive Steve Brookes said he was “exceptionally proud of our team’s delivery against these odds, literally working around the clock to ensure that we met customer demands and the quality they associate with the Balwin brand”. About 3 300 apartments were pre-sold beyond the reporting period and had not been recorded in…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za THE MINERALS Council South Africa has urged mine employees to avoid travel where possible and to behave responsibly if travel is unavoidable ahead of a possible third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The council, which represents 80 percent of the mining industry, yesterday advised mining companies to discourage employees from travelling over Easter where possible, and chief executives, management and union leadership should be seen to be leading by example. The council recommended that public holiday work incentives should be used to encourage employees not to take leave over the long weekend and, where possible, the offer of four days’ leave later in the year should also be considered. It said existing measures related to high-risk travel and high-risk activities should be maintained, such as negative…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE future of Sipho Nzuza as the eThekwini municipal manager hangs in the balance after the Durban Commercial Crimes Court yesterday dealt a serious blow to his attempts to return to work. The court ruled that Nzuza could not resume his duties as city manager while the criminal case against him was under way. Nzuza, who is out on bail on corruption allegations, had gone to court to apply for some of his bail conditions to be relaxed. He argued that the bail conditions were restrictive and did not allow him to do his job. A judgment handed down by regional magistrate Garth Davies held that the bail conditions should remain in place. He also tightened some of the bail restrictions, a move that could prove devastating…

A court in Vietnam has handed a two-year suspended jail term to a Vietnam Airlines flight attendant after finding him guilty of breaking Covid-19 quarantine rules and spreading the virus to others, police said. Duong Tan Hau, 29, was convicted of “spreading dangerous infectious diseases” at his trial in the People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security said. Vietnam has been praised for its efforts to contain the virus through mass testing and tracing and strict centralised quarantining. It has recorded fewer than 2 600 Covid-19 infections and only 35 deaths due to the disease. Hau breached the country’s 14-day quarantine regulations and met 46 other people following his flight from Japan in November, the indictment stated. Hau had mingled with other people during a…

JEAN MICHEL BOUVIER | Bryanston IT WAS disheartening listening to Justice Minister Ronald Lamola lamenting the non-co-operation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the fact that they have been begging them for a year for the extradition of the infamous Gupta brothers, who reside there, without much success, and adding that it was a slow process and would take time because the UAE was refusing to ratify extradition treaties. He said they would now approach the UN for assistance. How pathetic. Think of what the Japanese managed to do in “zero time” when Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive of Nissan who was accused of a “humongous crime”, skipped the country. The Japanese showed once more how efficient, capable, effective and competent they are by approaching and requesting…

TERENCE GRANT | Cape Town IN AN effort to cling to power, the ANC has handed out tens of thousands of jobs at state-owned enterprises – such as Eskom and SAA – to employees who are not needed and therefore vote for the ANC out of a fear of being retrenched by a DA-led government. Unfortunately, the government does not have the money to pay for these employees and is already taxing its citizens too heavily. Consequently, it is forced to choose between retrenching unnecessary employees (which will cost votes) and relieving whites of their wealth (their land, businesses, investments and pensions). As the ANC receives little support from the white community, it is almost certain to do the latter if Ace Magashula’s Radical Economic Transformation faction…

BONGANI NKOSI bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za THE Department of Basic Education (DBE) has asked schools to look into their own coffers to ensure that pupils continue receiving food during the holidays. In a March circular, the department proposed schools use their National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) surplus funds from the 2020/21 financial year to feed poor pupils. Equal Education (EE) criticised the proposal, saying it meant only pupils from schools with surplus funds would be fed. Since the hard lockdown, there has been pressure on education authorities to provide pupils with meals while they were at home. NGOs took the department to court last year and won. In the national circular, deputy director-general Granville Whittle noted that the department was making the proposal due to pressure from education stakeholders.“ More pressure is being…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za THE KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Sipho Hlomuka, has assured the frustrated residents of Ugu District that a permanent plan to curb water outages is on the cards. Hlomuka was speaking yesterday during his second visit to the district after disgruntled communities went on the rampage in violent protests against water supply disruptions. The protests, which started last week, saw the destruction of a municipal building and the torching of state vehicles and four municipal trucks. Shops were also looted, allegedly by unruly protesters. Yesterday, Hlomuka led a delegation of municipal and provincial government officials to address Ugu residents on the steps that were being taken to resolve service-delivery challenges in the district. He was accompanied by Ugu District mayor Sizwe Ngcobo and…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa affirmed his grip on the ANC when the NEC eventually concluded the so-called step-aside policy. However, history suggests that the matter may be far from over. Party secretary-general Ace Magashule’s world, in all its black, green and gold glory, crumbled around him when the NEC resolved that those facing criminal charges had to step aside within seven days. Magashule and his 15 co-accused are facing 74 charges of fraud, theft, corruption, money laundering and asbestos regulations contraventions before the Bloemfontein High Court. Magashule has previously said that only a special conference could remove him from his position. During the reportedly chaotic NEC sitting, Magashule received a lifeline when the resolution was changed after he asked for 30 days to consult party elders, including former presidents. While Magashule…

BEIRUT: Hosting Syrian refugees cost neighbouring Lebanon about $46.5 billion (R695bn) in the first seven years since the Syrian conflict began, caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab said yesterday. “In Lebanon, the massive Syrian displacement weighs heavily on the economy and already cost our country around $46.5 billion, according to the estimate of the Ministry of Finance for the period 2011-2018. Moreover, it continues to affect the social fabric of Lebanon,” Diab told the Brussels-hosted Syria donor conference. Diab urged more international help for Lebanon’s plan to return displaced persons amid its own crippling financial crisis.…

All THREE major commercial property sectors – retail, industrial and office – remained oversupplied in the first quarter of 2021, although noticeably less in the industrial property market, according to FNB’s Property Broker Survey. Brokers in the office and retail property markets perceived, on average, a rise in average time of properties on the market prior to sales, with a slightly declining average time on market bias only seen in the industrial property sector, FNB Commercial Property Finance Sector Strategist John Loos said in the survey yesterday. The broker group perception was tilted strongly towards the existence of an oversupply, and this was most severely the case in the office property market. As many as 96.6 percent of respondents in the office sector pointed to oversupply, 90 percent…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za The wait is over: Design Indaba has announced the emerging creatives Class of 2021. Running for 16 years, Design Indaba is a programme supported by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture to nurture new talent. The list of 40 creatives is divided into categories including fashion, visual art, graphic design, film and photography, illustration, jewellery, interior, furniture, and ceramics. Here are the 40 members of the Class of 2021: Representing the world of fashionistas under fashion are Azola Tanzi, Mashoto Tshoga, Nikiwe Dlova, Aria van Rooyen, Tristan Shaun Henry and Lunga Mzimba. From visual art, we have Lerato Lodi, Akhona Mbange, Alizwamazizi, Boikanyo Mashigo, Brad Jackson, Chelsea Robin, Danielle Jordaan, Gerald Genie, Mboma and Pule Magopa. Under graphic design are Caleb Pillay, Clinton Myeni, Ntobeko Nkumalo,…

Baldwin Ndaba and Sihle Mavuso ANC alliance partners, Cosatu and the SACP, have vowed to support President Cyril Ramaphosa’s efforts to fight graft following the ANC’s decision to suspend leaders accused of fraud and corruption if they do not step aside. The long-awaited move was put into action on Monday night after ANC president Ramaphosa revealed that the party had given its secretary- general, Ace Magashule, and several others accused of fraud and corruption 30 days to step down from their official positions pending the conclusion of criminal charges against them. However the RET forces, which were muzzled by the ANC NEC on Monday evening when Ramaphosa closed the four-day meeting, hit back yesterday saying they felt betrayed. ANC leaders facing criminal charges include ANC NEC member and former state…

“The time has come,” the Walrus said, “To talk of many things: Of shoes – and ships – and sealing-wax – Of cabbages – and kings – And why the sea is boiling hot – And whether pigs have wings.” AN ARCTIC walrus has been spotted relaxing on rocks on the Pembrokeshire coastline of south Wales. He is believed to be the same one as recently seen in County Kerry, Ireland. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has been called out to keep an eye on him. Arctic walruses are unheard of this far south and, according to Sky News, this is the first time the RSPCA has been called out to observe one. Says animal rescue officer Ellie West: “He was resting on rocks…

CLINTON FENNER | Durban THIS is the first time I have written to The Mercury. I couldn’t take any more of the lies spewed by Duncan du Bois and have to respond to the outright propaganda. I remember reading his letters to the editor back in the apartheid days. If my memory serves me correctly, he was a member of the Conservative Party. What has riled me up is his fawning over Donald Trump. I wonder what attracts a South African to politics on the other side the world. Granted, Du Bois has read up and memorised all the Republicans’ talking points. He’s concerned that 15 000 people will lose their jobs. Biden is concerned, like most of us are, about the environmental impact the Keystone Pipeline was…

THEMBA MZULA HLEKO | Pretoria THE meeting between the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development with stakeholders including agriculture unions, labour unions and civil society to assess progress on the drafting of the agriculture and agro-processing master plan is a welcome step towards fulfilling the imperatives of the president’s economic reconstruction and recovery plan. By identifying agriculture and agro-processing as crucial economic sectors to transform the economy, the government will make much needed strides towards creating sustainable employment, business opportunities, attracting investment and growing the export base. In 2014, I attended a 14-day seminar on poverty reduction and rural development in Beijing, China. Throughout the seminar, I was enthralled by how China used what is called the household responsibility model to empower smallholder farmers. The…

Lee Rondganger lee.rondganger@inl.co.za KWAZULU-Natal police have dealt a blow to a multi-million rand cable theft syndicate operating from the South Coast, seizing more than R4 million worth of cables belonging to the eThekwini Municipality. One bust took place at a homestead in Inkwali near Illovo on the South Coast, and another in Isipingo on the same day where nearly 50 rolls of cables – each costing R80 000 – were discovered last week. During the raids, three men and a woman were arrested. They appeared in court and are expected to apply for bail this week. The raid came after George Snowdey, of the Amanzimtoti Community Crime Prevention Organisation (CCPO), spotted thick black smoke during a drive through sugar-cane fields near Inkwali. He said he suspected it was the work…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za THE KwaZulu-Natal provincial government opened the state-of-the-art Pholela Special School in Bulwer under the Harry Gwala District yesterday. The facility, which was opened by KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala and MEC for Education Kwazi Mshengu, has an enrolment of 350 pupils. According to the provincial government, the school has many amenities essential for pupils with special needs, including hostels for them and residences for educators. It also has two consulting dispensaries and a sickbay. Speaking at the opening, Zikalala said more than R220 million was spent building the facility. He said with this school, they wanted to ensure they restored dignity among rural communities. “It is known that our history is characterised by a lot of challenges, especially where African disabled learners were not catered for during apartheid.”…

Beijing is considered to have elevated Africa’s position in its foreign policy planning and increasingly regards the continent as a proving ground for this core foreign policy vision of “building a community with a shared future for mankind”. To step up engagement with Africa in a more comprehensive and targeted manner, the administration is seen to have focused on the principles of sincerity, pragmatism, affinity and good faith, while supporting it with major economic and financial initiatives, for example, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. It is said that China’s development and governance model represents an alternative to the hitherto under- delivering Western approach that has been practised by many African nations over the past decades. Beijing respects Africans’ political and economic choices, but…

Myanmar faced growing criticism yesterday over a surge in violence against opponents of military rule that killed more than 140 people in one day, with a new offer to help promote dialogue by neighbours alarmed by the crisis. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army ousted an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, detaining her and reimposing military rule after a decade of tentative steps towards democracy. At least 512 civilians had been killed in nearly two months of protests against the coup, 141 of them on Saturday, the bloodiest day of the unrest, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group. Fighting has also flared in old wars between the Myanmar army and ethnic minority insurgents in frontier…

SOUTH Africa recorded foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows of R16 billion in the fourth quarter from outflows of R12.2bn in the third, the central bank said yesterday. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) said in its Quarterly Bulletin that the inflows in the latest quarter were caused by non-resident parent entities increasing equity investments and granting loans to domestic subsidiaries. The country saw FDI inflows of R51.1bn for all of last year, down from inflows of R74bn in 2019. Portfolio investments, reflecting a record of buying and selling of securities such as bonds and shares, recorded inflows of R24.1bn in the October to December quarter compared with outflows of R39.5bn the quarter before. Annual portfolio outflows, however, were at R159.3bn, against inflows of R87.5bn in 2019. South Africa is…

BR Reporter Business Report online MTN, AFRICA’S biggest mobile operator, has been appointed as a service provider to the SA government through its new mobile communication services contract, known as RT15-2021. The partnership is over a five-year term. The contract, the value of which was not disclosed, will come into effect tomorrow. In a statement yesterday, the service provider said the RT15-2021 Transversal contract allowed for all entities of State to use the contract for mobile communication services, which would “further assist with cost containment”. The contract allows for unmetered, uncapped data, but personal voice and SMS bundles will be charged at a flat rate. MTN, which for the year to December said that it had a total of 280 million subscribers across 21 markets, will be replacing Vodacom,…

Nonhlanhla Hlatshwayo Glenwood street vendor Rodney Dongo catches the eye of his customers, not only with the colourful matching masks, handbags and hats he sells, but also with the motivational quotes he puts on display. The 30-year-old is a human resources graduate from KwaMashu. He said he started his own company, which links crafters to their potential customers in Pietermaritzburg in 2015. “My business partner and I had a store in 2017 that, unfortunately, had to shut down the following year because it was unsuccessful. My business partner resigned and I was left alone. In 2019, my mom fell sick and I had to take care of her the entire year,” he explained. Dongo said his goal last year was to resurrect his business, but he felt like it…

Larger gatherings allowed as Easter weekend approaches Vernon Mchunu, Lorna Charles and Sakhiseni Nxumalo RELIGIOUS leaders last night welcomed the news that the restrictions on gatherings had been adjusted to allow for more people to be present as Easter approaches. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced last night that after seeking the advice of experts and consultations with representatives of provincial and local government and traditional leaders, it was decided that the country should stay at lockdown Level 1 – with some amendments. Religious and other gatherings over the period would be allowed to have a total number of 250 people indoors and 500 outdoors. This is an increase from the 100 people indoors or 250 outdoors that had initially been allowed. There had been fears earlier this week that the government…

DAVID LAWSON | St Lucia TOWARDS the end of his letter (The Mercury, March 29) Duncan du Bois mentions that God-fearing principles and values guided America’s founding fathers. Au contraire Mr Du Bois – as with the Constitution, at no time is a god mentioned in the Federalist Papers. At no time is Christianity mentioned. Religion is only discussed in the context of keeping matters of faith separate from concerns of governance, and of keeping religion free from government interference. The founding fathers could not be clearer on this point: God has no role in government; Christianity has no role in government. They make this point explicitly, repeatedly, in multiple founding documents – “We are not a Christian nation”. Also interesting to note that some of the original…

THYAGARAJ MARKANDAN | Kloof MILITANTS are right at our doorstep. Islamic State (Isis)-backed militants and jihadists didn’t concern us much as they seemed so far away, spreading fear and mayhem in Nigeria, the horn of Africa and the volatile Middle East. Now they have moved all the way down the east coast of the continent and are right next to us, Malawi and Zimbabwe, destabilising the oil and gas-rich northern Mozambique region. These insurgents have captured parts of the strategic town of Palma and killed dozens of people. Tourists fleeing from a hotel were ambushed by the militants. One South African was among the casualties. Islamic terrorists have found it easy to infiltrate Mozambique. The country has a long history of strife and instability ever since it expelled…

There are widely acknowledged things that are good for your health no matter what your physical condition. Drinking more water, increasing your levels of exercise, getting more fresh air, more light and warmth; consuming fresh fruits, vegetables and grains, will improve your health if you are elderly and very healthy, or young and horribly out of shape. All the above, employed in concert, will result in immediate gains. You will feel better and you will be nicer to be around. It is that simple but it is not easy. It takes effort to be well. There are equivalents in mental and emotional health. Speak up more than you usually do if you are prone to holding back. Hold back if you are prone to voicing your unconsidered or unfiltered opinion.…

Karen Singh karen.singh@inl.co.za While Experian South Africa found that the rate of first-time consumer credit defaults improved in quarter four (Q4) of last year, consumer debt has increased to R1.81 trillion. Experian’s Consumer Default Index (CDI) for the last quarter showed an improvement, down from 4.68 in September 2020 to 4.07 in December 2020. The index tracks the marginal default rate as it measures the sum of first-time (accounts that have never) defaulted balances as a percentage of the total sum of balances outstanding. “The rate that people defaulted on their loans fell at the end of last year, primarily due to a combination of the impact of payment holidays and lenders tightening their criteria.” The reason for the decrease of first-time defaulters according to Experian was driven by the…

SISEKO MAPOSA CRISIS has a particularly good way of generating a politically valuable kind of pandemonium. Politicians certainly know this, and they adore it too. The hullabaloo of crisis opens space for political parties to articulate public policy which attempts to soothe the worries of citizens – the hope is that these policies will ultimately lead to greater electoral support. The Covid-19 crisis has devastated the local economy. Earlier this month, Statistics South Africa reported that the country’s economy was projected to contract by 7%. Business and retail confidence has dropped significantly, unemployment has surged, and a great sense of relative deprivation and hopelessness has engulfed citizens. As the pandemic rages on, and the 2021 local government elections approach, politicians are in a desperate search for a profitable political…

London police acted appropriately at a vigil for a murdered woman earlier this month, an independent watchdog said yesterday, after the force was criticised for a heavy-handed approach which saw mourners dragged away by officers. The murder of Sarah Everard, 33, sparked a huge outpouring of grief and dismay in Britain at the failure of police and wider society to tackle violence against women. At a vigil in her memory, which police said broke Covid-19 lockdown rules, officers faced accusations of acting with undue force after a number of women were dragged away in handcuffs after the crowd refused orders to disperse. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary investigated and cleared the Metropolitan Police of any wrongdoing.…

ASHFAK MOHAMED TRUE champions know when they need to step up and deliver their best, and that is exactly what Wayde van Niekerk did to beat Akani Simbine in a 200m event in Johannesburg yesterday. Running in the Athletics South Africa invitational meeting at the Ruimsig Athletics Stadium in Johannesburg, Van Niekerk posted a superb time of 20.10 seconds – it would have been the second-fastest in the world this year, and also significantly quicker than the Olympic qualifying time of 20.24, but a strong wind of +2.1m/s means that it cannot count towards the official world list. It’s not that Simbine ran a bad race at all. In fact the 100m star was the first to take the lead as he sprung out of the blocks, an advantage…