Sommaire pour 2021-10-22 de Mercury

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za The family of a wealthy Limpopo businessman, whose four sons were kidnapped on their way to school, are stressed and traumatised as the police intensify their manhunt for the kidnappers. The police in Westenburg outside Polokwane have intensified their operations after the sons of Nazim and Shakira Moti were kidnapped on their way to Curro Heuwelkruin in Dalmada this week. Their sons, Zidan, 6, Zayyad, 11, Alaan, 13, and Zia, 15, were forcefully removed from their scholar transport by a group of about seven suspects armed with rifles on Wednesday morning. The Moti family lawyer, Philip Smit, said yesterday that the family was anxiously playing the waiting game. “The father and mother are very stressed and it’s very traumatic for them. The criminals have not only taken…

I am often asked “can people change?” and my response is usually somewhat similar. “Yes,” and “no,” and “not much.” People can change bad habits. People can recover from debilitating substance use and people can recover from being in abusive relationships. I’ve seen all of this many times. The “No”? There are some things that are indelibly part of who you are and will not change no matter what you try or do. The skill is to embrace these expressions of who you are and to love those aspects of yourself. Rejecting aspects of the essence of who you are will highlight those things about you that you reject. Loving who you are will make you more comfortable and you’ll find pleasure even in those things you consider negatives. You…

TONY BALL Gillitts ETHEKWINI Speaker Weziwe Thusi demands that all vestiges of colonialism must be aggressively removed. Perhaps we can start with scrapping of our democratic system and all the trappings that go with it. This includes the considerable salaries and benefits which are behind the many killings of existing and aspirant councillors as it is quite a lucrative position – both from a salary and an influence point of view. It beggars belief that someone in her position can be so oblivious to the fact that so much around us came from colonialists and her rantings make it clear that the concept of a rainbow nation – envisaged by Nelson Mandela is a pipe dream. Perhaps Thusi could start by resigning her position which came about through colonialism. Be…

DAVID LAWSON St Lucia LET’S address the elephant in the room – a letter from October 19 refers. Well said, Barbie Sandler, for drawing attention to this particular elephant. He should be coaxed into the centre of the room, put on a pedestal and spotlighted so that the public, especially those of childbearing age, can be left in no doubt how serious overpopulation is. A Pandora’s box which is opening wider with every birth. Shame on the many world leaders this century – monarchs, presidents, prime ministers who have set a bad example to their subjects/citizens by producing and glorifying large families. Although a democrat at heart, I now reluctantly accept that autocratic policies must be introduced worldwide similar to the Chinese single-child policy. We may be too late, the…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za UCT may soon be challenged on its decision to approve mandatory vaccination in principle, for its campus community for the next academic year. As of January 1, all staff as a condition of being able to perform their duties and students as a condition of registration, will be expected to provide “acceptable” proof of having been jabbed against Covid-19. The council met at the weekend to deliberate on the proposal and the university announced the decision on Wednesday, after weeks of engagements with both staff and students. A short survey for the UCT community was also conducted. UCT Student Representative Council (SRC) said they note the decision and remain concerned about the exclusionary aspects of the policy and will continue to engage the executive on the matter.…

Xolile Bhengu xolile.bhengu@inl.co.za Large-scale shedding of jobs, a high number of Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) enquiries and an application backlog have contributed to the long queues seen outside Department of Labour offices in the province. This is according to Simenyiwe Mchunu, provincial assistant manager for the UIF in KZN. The Department of Labour in KZN this week gave the media an update on the disbursement of funds. Mchunu said they had seen a surge in demand for UIF claims in the previous and current financial year. Mchunu said between the first and last quarter of the 2020/21 financial year in KZN, 490 178 benefit payments had been made valued at R 2.4 billion. The R2.4bn represented 15% of the national R15.8bn in benefit payments that had been made to 3…

The Master of the High Court, which deals with matters concerning deceased estates and trusts, has experienced an unprecedented backlog at its offices countrywide. The Fiduciary Institute of Southern Africa (Fisa) reports that there have been some recent positive developments, but the situation is still serious. The Master of the High Court has been hard-hit over the past 18 months by Covid-19 closures and, more recently on September 5, a major cyberattack. These incidents have resulted in an almost total breakdown in services by the 15 Master’s offices around the country. Regarding the cyberattack, the Department of Justice said earlier this month that progress had been made to restore services. It said that parts of the integrated case management (ICMS) system had been restored but it was working on the…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE number of independent candidates contesting the November 1 local government elections in the eThekwini Municipality has grown exponentially, with more than 50 candidates hoping to bag a seat at the 200-member council chamber. Political analysts said the dramatic increase in the number of independent candidates posed a real threat to big parties, as they could take away just enough votes to shift the balance of power in the council. The danger, experts said, lay not in the independents winning outright the wards they were contesting, but in their siphoning away enough votes from one party, which could allow another party to seize the ward. A list of candidates on the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) website shows there are 58 independent candidates who will be contesting…

THERE is no doubt that South African cricket has recently experienced its most difficult phase in the post-isolation era. And this continues to be the case, as is being witnessed at the Social Justice and Nation Building hearings that resumed this week. As the world struggled with the pandemic that forced big changes on how sport is played, the Proteas faced an added burden of boardroom shenanigans at Cricket South Africa. The organisation was in a mess, and the misdeeds at leadership level had to affect the national team – CSA’s money-spinning machine – adversely. But the show must go on. The Proteas are still expected to represent the country well when they begin their 2021 Twenty20 World Cup campaign against cricket giants Australia in the United Arab Emirates tomorrow.…

A lack of access to vaccines is dampening economic recovery in sub-Saharan Africa and the region will lag behind developed nations for years, the International Monetary Fund said yesterday. Confirming its sub-Saharan Africa growth forecast of 3.7% for the year and 3.8% for next year, the IMF said rising commodity prices and favourable harvests had benefited some countries but “the outlook remains extremely uncertain, and risks are tilted to the downside”. “Much hinged on the trajectory of the pandemic and vaccinations, but disruptions in global activity and financial markets could also derail recovery.” Sub-Saharan Africa’s 2021 projected growth rates mean the region suffered the “slowest recovery in the world”. South Africa is expected to expand by 5.0% this year before growth slows down to 2.2% next year. Rising food…

Netflix employees across the world walked off the job on Wednesday in protest of Dave Chappelle’s latest special, the company’s defence of the comedian and its dismissal of concerns that the content was dangerously transphobic. Dozens gathered outside the streamer’s West Hollywood offices to denounce both Chappelle and the company’s chief executive, Ted Sarandos, who has stood by The Closer after employees, LGBTQ organisations and the platform’s own talent likened the special to hate speech. Some Chappelle supporters also attended the rally, clashing with protesters. | The Washington Post.…

Russia said yesterday it had taken offline a reactor at a nuclear plant in the south of the country after detecting a steam leak, but said radiation levels were normal. State nuclear agency Rosatom operates 38 reactors – mostly built during the Soviet period at 11 nuclear power stations across the country. The second of four reactors at the Rostov Nuclear Power Plant was taken offline yesterday for repairs after a steam leak was detected at around 10pm on Wednesday, said Rosenergoatom, a subsidiary of Rosatom. Rosenergoatom said the leak was due to a welding defect on an 18-millimetre pipe carrying non-radioactive water in the reactor’s steam generator, saying it “posed no danger”. | AFP…

ASHFAK MOHAMED ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za Morne Steyn hung up his Springbok boots this week following an excellent career, in which he scored 742 points in 68 Tests. We took a look at five of his most memorable displays for his country … 27 June 2009: Springboks 28-25 British & Irish Lions After Ruan Pienaar missed a number of goal-kicks, Steyn was belatedly introduced around the hour mark with the score at 19-8 to the Lions. The Boks were dead and buried, but Bryan Habana started the comeback with a try that was converted by Steyn, who slotted a penalty soon after that as well to suddenly make the score 19-18 with 13 minutes to go. Lions flyhalf Stephen Jones replied with a three-pointer of his own, though, and at 22-18, the visitors…

THE seas have been a bit calmer of late. That being said, some of the days have been complete no-go launches, though the dorado season has started and summer fishing is picking up. The North Coast has seen some very potent snoek action in the early mornings. Tinley Manor and Jex Estate have been the two prime locations. Fillet baits, minnows and small spoons have been the ticket on most mornings. Remember to try and go as small as you can effectively throw on the spoons. The snoek are generally after the small sprats around the river mouths so you need to match the baitfish size as best you can if you want consistent results. The Durban section of the coast has seen some dorado action already for those trolling…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za KUMBA Iron Ore was the latest company yesterday to flag concerns about Transnet’s rail and port challenges, which knocked its production guidance lower. Petrochemicals company Sasol also said yesterday it was facing logistical challenges in transporting export coal due to Transnet Freight and Rail. Chrome and platinum group metals producer, Tharisa Minerals, said last week the South African inland logistics issues had led to longer supply chains and thus increased pricing for products. Yesterday, Kumba said it expected full year production and sales to be at the lower end of its guidance due to Transnet’s rail and port logistics performing below planned levels. Kumba, a unit of Anglo American, said it would limit production in the months ahead and to finish the year at the low…

| Bang Showbiz GWYNETH Paltrow accepts her children won’t want to talk to her about sex. The 49-year-old actress – who has Apple, 17, and Moses, 15, with her ex-husband Chris Martin – is happy for their teachers to take the lead when it comes to educating her kids about sex. She explained: “I try always to be neutral on the topic. I think my generation, we got a lot of messages around sex that made us feel bad about it. “I try to just be curious, and teenagers are never going to want to talk to their parents about sex, ever, so I sort of follow their lead and luckily, in middle school they had a very thorough sex education, so the school handled the kind of birds…

Jonisayi Maromo PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has, in his capacity as chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) organ on defence, politics and security co-operation, appointed special envoys to engage with King Mswati III of the Kingdom of eSwatini on security and political developments there. This followed rising reports of escalation of repression and human rights abuses. Acting Presidency spokesperson Tyrone Seale said Ramaphosa had expressed appreciation for King Mswati III’s availability to receive the SADC delegation comprising former Cabinet minister Jeff Radebe and deputy minister of International Relations Candith Mashego-Dlamini; a representative of Botswana, the former chair of the organ; a representative of Namibia, the incoming chair; and Ramaphosa’s special adviser on international relations, Maropene Ramokgopa. “The special envoys will be accompanied by SADC executive secretary, Elias Magosi,…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za ADDITIONAL law enforcement agencies will be deployed in KwaZulu-Natal’s hot spots in a bid to quell the increasing incidents of killings that are believed to be politically motivated. Asked about the possible deployment of the SANDF, the Police and Defence departments confirmed that the Security Cluster ministers will brief the media on Monday on the matter. This comes after KZN experienced a surge in killings in recent days, the latest being that of an EFF councillor candidate Thulani Shangase in Pietermaritzburg on Monday. Last week ANC councillor candidate Siyabonga Mkhize was shot and killed in Cato Crest. EFF KZN leader Vusi Khoza expressed suspicion that Shangase’s killing was politically motivated, saying that party members had experienced difficulty while campaigning in Pietermaritzburg. The ANC said it was greatly…

Do you know the muffin man? Do you know the muffin man? Do you know the muffin man Who lives in Drury Lane? NOSTALGIA corner… rugby songs. The lines might sound innocuous but were accompanied by knee bends and a balancing of pints of beer on heads. And quite a bit also that best goes unmentioned. Rugby scribe Mike Greenaway sends me a newspaper clipping that starts as follows: “A dozen naked men shocked patrons at Durban’s Central Hotel last night when they roamed down the corridors and ran into West Street. “All were members of local rugby clubs who were celebrating at one of the hotel’s bars.” The hotel manager is quoted: “The party got a bit rowdy. Two or three naked men ran into the street and…

BEVERLEY TSITSI MUTANDIRO Human Rights Activist. IT IS BEYOND belief that women in Zimbabwe struggle to have access to land and few women in Zimbabwe own land. The Zimbabwean government has not been issuing land to women as they did to men. Women in rural areas contribute effectively to the economy as they work hard to ensure the production of crops. It is not clear why the Zimbabwean government is failing to give rural women the abundant land available so that they can venture into significant and meaningful commercial production of crops. There is too much corruption in the allocation of land in rural areas and the Zimbabwean government has failed to redistribute land in a fair and transparent manner. The clueless, careless, and corrupt president of Zimbabwe has failed…

JEAN LOWENSTEIN Johannesburg AT ONE time voting for the looting party, the ANC, would have been considered incomprehensible. And I have never, and would never, do it. But now, when we hear about voters who think they will cast their vote for the party which has damaged the country beyond repair, beyond hope and beyond redemption, we don’t turn a hair. The EFF’s “grand plan” is to take, take, take in the name of redistribution, equality, and all the other euphemisms to which the masses are attracted. The governing party has perfected the art of pillaging; the EFF will make the “Grab Act” a law. Looters, pillagers, redistributors, their campaign promises all turn to ashes, with dashed hopes, promises and dreams. The aftermath of these elections will be bloody and…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has said it was up to the courts to decide on imposing any sanctions for the contravention of the electoral code of conduct. Addressing the media at an information session, Western Cape provincial electoral officer Michael Hendricks said the Supreme Court of Appeal this year again reinforced and confirmed that when it came to contraventions of code of conduct and the imposition of sanctions, it was the domain of the judiciary, not the IEC. “The IEC cannot enforce any provision by imposing any sanction,” he said. “Yes, the IEC can on its own go to the Electoral Court, but a party or any person can go to the Electoral Court, or in a case that is a criminal offence, go…

Nomonde Zondi Nomonde.Zondi@inl.co.za TWENTY three pupils were left injured yesterday after an SUV, driven by an underage driver, allegedly collided with the taxi they were travelling in, in KwaMashu’s L section. Police said an SUV, allegedly driven by a 13-year-old boy, was involved in a collision with a taxi. Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst said they responded to the accident at 7.40am yesterday. “Medics from different emergency services assessed the scene and found approximately 23 children who had sustained injuries ranging from minor to serious,” he said. He said all the patients were treated on the scene and once stabilised they were taken by ambulance to hospital. Provincial police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala confirmed the accident. She said it was alleged that the 13-year-old was driving the SUV along Sibisi…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za ACTIONSA has asked the Full Bench of the Electoral Court to postpone the local government election – where it is contesting several wards – or force the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) to include its party’s full name on the ballot paper ahead of the November 1 polls. This was submitted by the party in its court application before the Full Bench of the Electoral Court sitting in Joburg yesterday, in which it is contesting the IEC’s decision not to include the name ActionSA in their draft ballot paper ahead of the elections. The ballot paper only has ActionSA’s logo. Counsel for ActionSA advocate Adilla Hassim SC argued that her client became aware of the omission on October 2, and wrote to the IEC’s deputy chief executive,…

Another person was arrested this week for business robbery and the murder of a security guard killed during a robbery in Mayville on October 12. Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said the suspect was arrested yesterday in Folweni and was due to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court today. Four armed men entered the business premises on Jan Smuts Highway in Mayville and held up the staff. “They took an undisclosed amount of cash and robbed the security guards of their shotguns,” police said at the time. “A 35-year-old security guard was shot in the head and declared dead on the scene … Another employee was shot in the shoulder and taken to hospital for medical attention.” Two people, aged 34 and 27, were arrested later that week. They have…

World leaders used to say that we had 20 years to reverse global carbon emissions to avoid global catastrophe, but scientists now fear that our time has run out. Top environmental experts say we are in the final throes of life support for our planet. We have had climate conference after climate conference, but the action taken by governments has been almost negligible. For 27 years world climate conferences have produced very little results, largely owing to the corrupt relationship between major corporations and the political elite, which ensures carbon emissions just keep churning out in the race for profits. Just look at the Amazon – the green lungs of the earth. Last year there were 103 000 wildfires in the Brazilian rainforest, the most important ecosystem on earth.…

A high-stakes legal battle between Poland and the EU has escalated into a political crisis, setting off an internecine fight between the bloc’s institutions, as leaders debate withholding billions in EU money over concerns that Warsaw is violating democratic norms. The conflict was supercharged this month when Poland’s top court ruled that the national constitution trumps some EU laws – a direct challenge to the connective tissue of treaties and agreements that holds the 27-member club together. The move has forced EU leaders to once again confront an existential question: How should a bloc built on liberal values respond when one of its members backslides on democracy? “This is a much bigger crisis than the euro crisis, Brexit or the migration crisis, because it undermines the whole foundation of the…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday threatened to expel the ambassadors of the US, Germany and eight other Western countries after they condemned the detention of a civil society leader. Parisian-born philanthropist and activist Osman Kavala, 64, has been in jail without a conviction since 2017, becoming a symbol of Erdogan’s growing intolerance of dissent. The 10 ambassadors issued a joint statement on Monday, saying Kavala’s continued detention “cast a shadow” over Turkey. “I told our foreign minister that we cannot have the luxury of hosting them in our country,” Erdogan said. Kavala has faced a string of alternating charges linked to 2013 anti-government protests and a failed military coup in 2016. In their statement, the US, Germany, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden called…

TRIPOLI: Libyan prime minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah yesterday supported the holding of a national election on December 24 as envisaged in a UN-backed peace plan. Speaking at the Libya Stabilisation Conference in Tripoli, he said it was possible to end the lengthy crisis that has engulfed the country since the Nato-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. “We support the efforts of the higher election committee to hold (the vote) on the planned date. I call for a wide and effective participation of Libyans in the elections,” Dbeibah said. The election, agreed under a UN-supported peace process, has been held up as a key step in efforts to end a decade of violence by creating a new political leadership whose legitimacy is widely accepted. Wrangling over the constitutional basis for…

ZAAHIER ADAMS zaahier.adams@inl.co.za PROTEAS coach Mark Boucher may want to have a word with the T20 World Cup organisers about putting off the scoreboard when Rassie van der Dussen walks to the crease at the upcoming tournament. Van der Dussen stroked a splendid 101 not out off just 51 balls, including 10 fours and four sixes, to spearhead a confidence-boosting run chase on Wednesday against Pakistan as the Proteas hauled in a 187-run target off the last ball in their final warm-up match. The tall right-hander struck two boundaries off the last two balls to get the Proteas over the line. More importantly, though, in the context of the Proteas’ T20 World Cup campaign that starts against Australia in Abu Dhabi tomorrow, Van der Dussen's strike-rate during Wednesday’s innings was…

MIHLALI BALEKA mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za MANQOBA Mngqithi says he’s optimistic that Mamelodi Sundowns will be able to force Maniema Union to commit mistakes when they visit the PSL champions in the second leg of the Champions League second round preliminary qualifiers on Sunday. Last Sunday, the Brazilians started their continental season away to Maniema in the DRC. They ended the match the happier of the two teams after the 2-2 draw, taking a healthy away goal advantage to Tshwane. A favourable result for the Brazilians in the return leg will see them qualify for the group stage for the sixth consecutive season. But Mngqithi, who has been part of this incredible run, knows that won’t come easy against the visitors. He believes that they’ll pose a threat – just like they did…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za THE PROLONGED metals and engneering sector strike, which has cost the economy more than R600 million, has ended after the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) yesterday announced it would accept a 6.6 percent incremental wage hike over three years from employer organisation the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) General secretary Irvin Jim of Numsa, South Africa’s biggest metalworkers union, said employers, the National Employers Association of South Africa (Neasa) and the Consoli- dated Employers Organisation had to quickly accede to the new wages that would give workers R52.52 per hour in the first year, R55.67 in the second year and R59.01 in year three. Seifsa chief executive Lucio Trentini said the industry had lost more than R600m…

Zuckerverse. Timesuck. Faceplant. They’re just a few of the suggestions being bandied around online following reports that Facebook plans to rebrand itself with a new group name. The company refused to comment on rumour or speculation, of course, but the Twitterati had no problem. The debate careered from sensible to screwball to strange. “Meta” was one of the more sober trending suggestions, referring to Facebook’s reported desire to assume a name that focuses on the metaverse, a virtual environment where users can hang out. Others included Bookface, Facegram, Facetagram, FreeFace, FreeTalk, World Changer. On the wilder side, Twitter user Dave Pell drew a comparison with musician Kanye West who recently changed his name to “Ye”. “It would be awesome if Facebook changes its name to Ye,” he said. Several humorous…

COLIN BURGER Assagay THE general public is under the impression that Jacob Zuma was released from prison for medical reasons. Having seen him live on TV, there is nothing wrong with the man. Is this yet another ANC lie to curry favour among its loyal supporters? We had the same scenario with Schabir Shaik many years ago. He was reportedly on his death bed yet fit enough to be strolling around the golfing fairways just a few days after his release. The man who authorised Zuma’s release is an ANC former spy boss who ended up as head of the Correctional Services Department and was told by the ANC to release Zuma. What a farce. This is another glaring example of why the ANC is not to be trusted –…

FAROUK ARAIE Johannesburg IN COMMEMORATION of the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, humanity must urgently strive to halt the escalating nuclear arms race. North Korea’s testing of a submarine-launched missile and recent launch of a hypersonic missile and associated hi-tech systems will trigger a nuclear arms race in Asia. As deadly global events unfold, many aspiring nuclear nations will go the nuclear route. Pakistan will probably increase its nuclear might, which could enable it to have the third largest nuclear arsenal. The volatile situation in the Middle East could prompt nations in that area to acquire nuclear weapons. World War II ended with the historic understanding that recourse to war between states could no longer be treated as a matter of national discretion, but must be…

THEMBA KHOZA Department of Water and Sanitation Infrastructure vandalism is a serious crime and must be treated as such as it has dire consequences for communities and society at large. There is no justification for it, no matter the situation. Water infrastructure vandalism is one of the main challenges facing the country in relation to reliable water supply to communities. The vandalism of water infrastructure leads to leaks in the water supply system, leading to major water losses, which we cannot afford as a water-scarce country. There is no life without water, and water has no substitute, so let us make every drop count by protecting and preventing water infrastructure vandalism in our communities. Access to water is a basic human right, and the vandalism of water infrastructure denies some…

Ntombi Nkosi ntombi.nkosi@inl.co.za Scores of people affiliated to the Khulumani Support Group are currently camping outside the Constitutional Hill precinct, demanding that the government fulfil promises it made decades ago on reparations for those who suffered apartheid atrocities. The national protest, which also saw a similar protest in Cape Town, outside Parliament on Wednesday, saw people sleeping outside Constitutional Hill on Wednesday night. The group wants reparations, of not less than R1 million, to be paid to all victims and survivors of apartheid. They base their quest for reparations on a statement made by then President Nelson Mandela on October 29, 1998, after he received the initial report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). “It is for those who have suffered losses of different kinds and magnitudes to be…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za THE DA staged a picket outside the Ugu District Municipality’s offices yesterday over the ongoing water supply challenges on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. DA leader Francois Rodgers and a large group of supporters held the picket. The municipality has faced water challenges for years, with a lack of infrastructure maintenance and upgrades being cited as one of the issues. Infrastructure was also damaged during the July unrest, leaving several communities without water for days, and even weeks in some instances. Rodgers said that residents were fed up with the water situation in Ugu district that has been going on for six years. “The water challenges in Ugu have now been going on for close to six years. So it’s not a new problem. It’s something that’s been…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za Law enforcement agencies are fast-tracking investigations into the killings in Phoenix and other areas in KwaZulu-Natal during the unrest in July. This was said by Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele, who said the government was also facilitating dialogue between communities affected by the violence. Replying to a written question from DA legislator Joe McGluwa in Parliament, Gungubele said the agencies would ensure that they finalised investigations into the killings. The KZN and Gauteng provinces were gripped by violence and looting in July when more than 300 people were killed. Businesses lost billions of rand worth of stock. In Phoenix, 36 people were killed in allegedly racially-motivated attacks, and 42 face charges for crimes in connection with the incidents. The government has called for an easing of…

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech titled “ Working Together to Build A Community of All Life on Earth” at the Leaders’ Summit of the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) held in Kunming. His calls have injected confidence into advancing the global undertaking of ecological civilisation, pointed the way for future governance of global biodiversity and drawn a blueprint for jointly building a clean and beautiful world. In his speech, President Xi Jinping emphasised the philosophy of building a community of all life on earth, and for the first time, put forward the vision of building a homeland of harmonious coexistence between man and Nature, a homeland of coordinated advancement of economy and the environment, and a homeland…

DATA from a Phase III trial demonstrated high efficacy of a booster dose of their Covid-19 vaccine against the virus, including the Delta variant, Pfizer and German partner BioNTech said yesterday. A trial of 10 000 participants aged 16 or older showed 95.6% effectiveness against the diseases, during a period in which the Delta strain was prevalent. The study also found that the booster shot had a favourable safety profile. Pfizer had said its two-shot vaccine’s efficacy drops over time, citing a study that showed 84% effectiveness from a peak of 96% four months after a second dose. Some countries had plans to give booster doses. The drugmakers said the median time between the second dose and the booster shot or the placebo in the study was around 11…

Denmark, Costa Rica, the Marshall Islands and six other countries yesterday urged the world’s biggest economies to hike their climate pledges, warning that their actions would set the tone for the upcoming COP26 summit in Scotland. Extreme weather events and increasingly urgent calls from scientists to curb global warming are cranking up pressure on lawmakers who will meet in Glasgow later this month to discuss action to reduce carbon emissions. “The window for taking decisive climate action is rapidly closing,” said a letter sent to Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy, the president of the G20 club of rich nations. G20 leaders will gather in Italy on October 30-31 for a summit. Climate change will be high on the agenda, with divisions deep over the rapid emissions reductions scientists say…

BENI: Suspected Islamist militants killed 16 people and burnt down houses on Wednesday in a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a witness and a civil society leader said. An army spokesperson said yesterday that a combat patrol unit had clashed with the rebels. “All of a sudden we heard gunshots. Our first instinct was to flee. This morning we found 16 bodies, the victims including my eldest son,” said Luc Kakule Messo, a resident of the village of Kalembo, near the city of Beni. Mumbere Meleki Mulala, a co-ordinator of a human rights network, confirmed the death toll and blamed the attack on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan armed group active in the region. | Reuters…