Sommaire pour 2022-07-20 de Mercury

“SILENCING Independent Media is the ruthless aim of Pravin Gordhan and Cyril Ramaphosa,” said Dr Iqbal Survé, executive chairman of Independent Media, who also asked if South Africa could still claim to have a democracy when the media is muzzled from showcasing a diversity of views or from holding those in public office to account. This, as Standard Bank – which has reneged on its submission to the Competition Commission where it said it was not closing the Group company bank accounts – has now expressed its intention to shut the banking facilities of the country’s largest independent media organisation. Survé said they, too, had now succumbed to political pressure and collusive conduct in the banking war against the Sekunjalo Group of Companies. “The political pressure at play has nothing…

SKY News has been running a documentary, The Unmaking of Boris Johnson. It goes back to his early days, his continual pushing to get ahead in various ways, his extravagant, exuberant style, not always very mindful of the realities, which reached its apogee in the Brexit campaign. Then the series of setbacks and scandals that have finally caused his downfall. What the documentary doesn’t mention is the inquiry by the House of Commons Privileges Committee into whether or not he lied to parliament. Has that now disappeared with his impending stepping down as prime minister? Could it be that the Privileges Committee was about to make a report that would have left him no option? That the word got about? Could that explain the sudden avalanche of Tory resignations? Perhaps…

It is shocking to note from media and social media that our beloved country is facing the worst crisis since 1994. We are in the midst of a rising cost of living crisis, political instability and the possible mass scale unrest due to the forthcoming Zuma trial. What went wrong, and who’s to blame? Well, the answer is obvious. It is when leaders forget their vision and conscience for the sake of greed and corruption. Unfortunately, the ruling party has to take the blame for turning our beautiful county into ruins while our late Struggle leaders are probably turning in their graves because this is not what they sacrificed their lives for. It is a disgrace on the ANC that our people are still living in poverty while the present…

THE letter dated July 19 by Mr Duncan du Bois, “Ukraine is not a democratic state”, needs a response. In the world that Mr Du Bois lives in, Russia is a democratic state and has the full right to invade and kill innocent people in Ukraine. Since when do opposition parties in Russia have the full right to challenge Putin or since when has he allowed freedom of speech? Opposition leaders getting poisoned in Russia? Mr Du Bois has made his point very clear regarding Covid and how anti he is regarding the vaccine. I think even The Mercury has lost count of how many letters they have published from him regarding his opinion regarding Covid and the vaccine. Now that Covid is under control, is the letter section in…

Like many students preparing for exams, Lindokuhle Mdlalose has been revising in the early hours of the morning and losing out on sleep. However, the 21-year-old’s midnight study sessions are by necessity, not choice, as power cuts cripple the country. The country’s worst load shedding in more than two years, intended to take pressure off the creaking power grid after worker strikes and years of poor maintenance, have left households struggling in darkness each day. Those who can afford extra internet data, generators and solar panels can cope, but for many, their studies, businesses and ability to work from home are on the line, widening the gap between the digital haves and have-nots. “I wake up at midnight, study for two hours while there is power, sleep and then go…

A police task team has been established to tackle taxi violence on the South Coast which has claimed the lives of 24 people since the start of the year. Last week Police Minister General Bheki Cele held a meeting with taxi associations in KwaZulu-Natal in Ugu on the South Coast to discuss the problems that lead to the violence. Cele said 24 people had been killed in the Ugu and Harry Gwala Districts. Crime experts and the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) this week welcomed the establishment of the task team. Cele said the death toll due to taxi violence in the area had more than tripled compared to the same period last year where five people were killed in the area. “If there is no special intervention we…

Health authorities in the Eastern Cape have ruled out a stampede and high alcohol intake (binge drinking) as the cause of the 21 deaths at Enyobeni Tavern in East London last month. However, the probe into what caused the deaths of the pupils from local schools in the tavern at Scenery Park township, is not over. Giving an update to the media yesterday from East London, Dr Litha Matiwane, deputy director for clinical services from the Eastern Cape Department of Health, said more forensic work has to be done. The briefing was attended by Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane, and Minister of Police, Bheki Cele. “We have now received the initial blood results from the lab and those blood results … the first three findings are for blood alcohol levels,…

Cloud hanging over judge serving in Constitutional Court President Cyril Ramaphosa’s continued insouciance to his constitutional duties coupled with his persistent corruption of the judiciary are all matters of grave concern to those yearning to build a capable state within an appropriate ethical framework and the required competent and incorruptible executive and the judiciary. As originally envisaged, the “Thuma Mina” or ANC renewal battle cry was to be anchored around several pillars: the battle for ANC renewal as it continues its journey to cleanse itself and recover its original values; the battle for the soul of our nation as the ANC gears itself up for the tough electoral battle in 2024; the continued struggle of the black majority for social, economic and racial justice; and the renewed determination to fight…

There is much to be said about Cricket South Africa and their decision to withdraw the Proteas men’s team from a One-Day International series in Australia in favour of hosting a domestic T20 tournament, but my focus is instead on the Proteas women’s team. For the past two years, Hilton Moreeng’s side have been the darlings of the nation. They were virtually the single ‘feel-good’ factor during the period when the beleaguered Cricket SA were desperate for any positive news. Unfortunately, the wheels are coming off in spectacular fashion on the current tour of England. It was always going to be a testing examination, particularly due to the multi-format nature, with the Proteas scheduled to play their first Test match in over eight years. But it is not only the…

ANC KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Sihle Zikalala says he will not embark on grandstanding or self-promotion in his quest to assume the party’s top job as he believes in the values of the governing party which emphasise discipline and serving the people. With the highly anticipated provincial elective conference just two days away, Zikalala downplayed any excitement about the all-important conference which may decide his political future. “I am not the kind of person who likes grandstanding, I have been schooled in the politics of the movement which deals with the concept of the National Democratic Revolution and does not deal with individuals,” he said. Zikalala has been nominated by a number of branches and regions, including the Moses Mabhida Region who boldly endorsed him for another term as the chairperson. He…

Astronomers have spotted in a galaxy adjacent to our Milky Way what they are calling a cosmic “needle in a haystack” – a black hole that not only is classified as dormant but appears to have been born without the explosion of a dying star. Researchers said this one differs from all other known black holes in that it is “X-ray quiet” – not emitting powerful X-ray radiation indicative of gobbling up nearby material with its strong gravitational pull – and that it was not born in a stellar blast called a supernova. Black holes are extraordinarily dense objects with gravity so intense that not even light can escape. This one, with a mass at least nine times greater than our sun, was detected in the Tarantula Nebula region of…

Phakamile Hlubi-Majola (Numsa spokesperson) does not mince her words in the not-so-veiled threat to business (July 17) about inequality. Part of inequality is obviously financial, but nobody in any form of media addresses the real elephant in the room. Our population is ballooning, aided no doubt by the appeal of children’s social grants and then exacerbated when it’s time to firstly educate youngsters and finally provide them with employment. Until this nettle is grasped we will continue at runaway speed on the slippery slope to financial disaster and no amount of wealth tax or regular implausible presidential promises will arrest the journey. In his chapter in the book Black Tax Fred Khumalo pointed out that white families are not always wealthier – they choose to have only two children and…

There’s a global renaissance regarding women’s rights in the sporting world and some seismic shifts in political appointments too. France, always at the forefront of gender-equality endeavours, has appointed its first female prime minister in 30 years. In fact Emmanuel Macron’s cabinet is made up of 14 male and 14 female ministers. Colombia has appointed its first female vice-president in its history. Ketanji Brown Jackson has just been appointed the first female black US Chief Justice, as President Joe Biden continues his relentless promotion of women, since choosing a woman as his second-in-charge. Both the Finnish and Swedish prime ministers (females) have launched a bifurcated and well-synchronised bid for Nato membership and the entire block is backing them. Moldova’s first female president, Maia Sandu, has launched a bid to join…

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) mandated that by 2030 the world should end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, but Africa seems to be moving further away from this goal than towards it. It is the only continent where the number of hungry people will increase, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022 (SOFI 2022) report, released this month. The SOFI, the annual assessment of progress of all UN member states toward the SDGs, warned about slow progress being made to end hunger globally. Some 310.7 million of the 669.1 million undernourished people worldwide in 2030 will be in Africa. The report also revealed Africa’s grim picture in 2021, when it bore the heaviest burden of hunger globally. One in five Africans faced hunger…

CRITICAL services like issuing of ID books and birth certificates could soon be available in many Sizakala centres across eThekwini provided that the Department of Home Affairs accepts an offer from the eThekwini Municipality to host these services. The municipality revealed yesterday that it had made an offer to host these services in many of its centres and buildings. The matter came up during a discussion at an Executive Committee (Exco) meeting where Exco approved a report to renew a Memorandum of Understanding between the city and Home Affairs that allows outreach workers to carry out programmes on some of the home affairs services, among other activities. The proposal could bring welcome relief to thousands of community members. The Mercury recently reported about the frustrations at home affairs offices in…

President Cyril Ramaphosa needs to understand that being asked to account is far from being bullied, as he claims, unless he thinks he is immune to being asked difficult questions. Perhaps being treated with kid gloves by his comrades in Parliament and in the ANC has made Ramaphosa forget what true accountability means. His remarks at the recently concluded 15th SACP national congress that former State Security Agency boss Arthur Fraser’s criminal complaint against him and other “related matters” were an effort to stop him from renewing and uniting the ANC are in stark contrast to the president who preached about a clean, transparent and accountable government after occupying the country’s highest office. Ramaphosa has repeatedly refused to come clean on why millions of US dollars were hidden in furniture…

THE FINANCIAL markets were jittery yesterday ahead of the release of consumer inflation data, which is expected to show that the cost of living in South Africa has accelerated further. The rand danced around the R17-to-the-dollar mark as investors adopted a wait-and-see approach to South Africa’s upcoming headline inflation figure. Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) will publish the consumer price index (CPI) for June today amid historic highs in the US and Europe, which have propelled fears of the onset of a global recession. Inflation data globally continues to show an uncomfortable rise owing to rising energy and food costs, with the US printing a higher-than-expected inflation number of 9.1 percent last week. South Africa’s consumer inflation also quickened by more than expected to 6.5 percent year-on-year in May,…

Three men have been criminally charged in Manhattan with possessing about 100 pages stolen from the singer Don Henley of handwritten notes and lyrics for the Eagles’ blockbuster 1976 album Hotel California. Glenn Horowitz, Craig Inciardi and Edward Kosinski were accused yesterday of trying to sell the materials, worth more than $1 million (R17m), and lying to auction houses, prospective buyers and law enforcement about how they obtained them. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the materials include lyrics to the songs Hotel California, Life in the Fast Lane and New Kid In Town, with many of the lyrics recovered through warrants. Horowitz, 66, Inciardi, 58, and Kosinski, 59, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and criminal possession charges, and Horowitz to hindering prosecution. In a joint statement, their lawyers said…

Power comes with your humanity. You have the power to love, create, enrich others and to be a source of encouragement for those around you. You have the power to be very generous. You have the power to be kind, very kind. The positive use of your inherent human power – we all have power and no one is excluded – will enhance and enrich your life as you seek to enrich others. And, you also have the power to be vengeful, angry, resentful, and you may have many justifiable reasons to express vengeance and anger and resentment. Such power, too, comes with your humanity. I hope you will not use it. The deployment of your power to spread negative emotions and damage upon others, even if you think they…

In his letter of July 18, Mr Du Bois once again extols the virtues of Donald Trump. How is it that everything that Mr Du Bois comes up with is fact, and when someone disagrees with him, it is regarded as fiction? While I am not a fan of Biden, seeing as he has reached his sell-by date, the Donald is not the genius, saviour of the Universe, as made out by Mr Du Bois. He mentions North Korea. Yes, the Donald hopped over the fence and fist bumped, but has that stopped Little Kim from flexing his muscles? No, he is still blasting all over the place. Why is it that during the inquiry into the events of January 6, his own daughter conceded that he had overstepped the…

There is a debate raging about whether South Africa is a failed or failing state. This suggests that our democratic government is failing to govern the country. Nelson Mandela must be turning in his grave. But I digress. Does SA have intelligence? And who is the intelligence minister? Is he or she competent? Not at all. In our beloved country, incompetent Cabinet ministers are hardly ever fired. Instead, they are rewarded for their incompetence. In July last year, violence erupted in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Shops and companies were looted. And more than 300 people lost their lives due to violence. (May the souls of the departed rest in peace). Where was our intelligence? Since the start of the month, citizens have been dying in shootings. The killers are targeting revellers…

The South African tourism sector, one of the hardest hit economically by the Covid-19 pandemic, has shown positive signs with income for tourist accommodation increasing by 86.6% for the year ending May 2022. This, according to a Statistics South Africa report published this week. The 86.6% increase includes restaurants, bar sales and “other” income. The hotel industry saw the biggest increase in its revenue for the year-on-year period, accounting for the bulk of the income from accommodation. “Income from accommodation increased by 61.6% year-on-year in May, the result of a 31.9% increase in the number of stay unit nights sold and a 22.5% increase in the average income per stay unit night sold. “In May, the largest contributors to the 61.6% year-on-year increase in income from accommodation were hotels (93.2%…

The KwaZulu-Natal Liquor Authority (KZNLA) has shut down 18 illegal liquor outlets and seized thousands of litres of alcohol in Pietermaritzburg, uMlazi and Empangeni following the shooting at a tavern in Sweetwaters, Pietermaritzburg, that left four dead and eight injured. The KZNLA said it had conducted blitz operations in various areas. The KZNLA legislative mandate is to control and regulate the retail sale and micro-manufacturing of liquor throughout the province. KZNLA acting communications manager Nomthandazo Dlamini said the operations, which were conducted with law-enforcement agencies and other government institutions, aimed to ensure compliance and adherence to the conditions of the licence granted. The blitz operation held on July 15 in the Plessislaer policing area uncovered four unlicensed outlets. The owners were charged with dealing in liquor without a licence and…

DEPUTY Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka has threatened to invoke her subpoena powers against President Cyril Ramaphosa after he failed to meet the deadline to answer 31 questions relating to the Phala Phala farm scandal. The public protector initially had until July 3 to finalise an investigation into whether Ramaphosa had violated the Executive Members Code of Ethics. Ramaphosa requested an extension to allow him to answer the questions that had been posed by the now suspended Public Protector Advocate Busi Mkhwebane. She was controversially suspended a day after confirming she had opened an investigation following a complaint against the president from African Transformation Movement (ATM) leader Vuyo Zungula, who was concerned that Ramaphosa may have violated the code by doing paid non-government work. Zungula also wanted the public protector to…

Banyana Banyana goalkeeper Andile Dlamini has said the team’s success is due to an unbreakable bond among the players. Coach Desiree Ellis’s charges advanced to the final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) on Monday night, following a hard-fought 1-0 win over southern African rivals Zambia. Banyana will face Morocco in the final on Saturday after the hosts upset Nigeria in the other semi-final. “There is something about this team that is just different and unbreakable. Every player in this team wants to win. They are motivated,” Dlamini said. “I know that every player wants to do this to inspire change and positive vibes in South Africa. “When you walk onto the field, nobody wants to lose a game. We want to inspire youngsters who are depressed and…