Mercury的2021-05-26目录

THE RAND yesterday rose to a near two-year high as economic data showed that early signs of turning points in business cycles in South Africa continued ticking up in March. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) said yesterday that the composite leading business cycle indicator increased further by 1.7 percent in March following an upwardly revised 2.8 percent increase in February. This was the strongest leading indicator print since October last year. In response to this data, the rand strengthened to R13.82 against the dollar, its highest level since mid-July 2019, as the dollar continued to weaken in May despite favourable seasonality. The greenback also lost ground after dovish comments from the US Federal Reserve officials tempered fears about inflation-driven rate hikes. TreasuryONE’s currency strategist, Andre Cilliers, said…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za CORONATION Fund Managers’ headline earnings a share increased by 43.5 percent to 255.8 cents after it benefited from fast-rising markets since March last year and a strong outperformance of its client mandates, chief executive Anton Pillay said yesterday. Pillay said the unprecedented stimulus that was pumped into economies by central banks globally had buoyed capital markets, resulting in record-breaking short-term returns. As at March 31, 2021 most major indices were up well over 50 percent from their March 2020 lows. “Market reaction to Covid-19 presented rarely-seen opportunities for active investors like us, which, in turn, we converted into strong returns for our client portfolios, which positively impacted our revenue,” he said. However, Coronation’s management viewed this as a cyclical high for investment returns and…

Kristen Chase TikTok as an educational tool? Somehow it’s working for my 13-year-old. “Mom, how do you spell ‘suspicious’?” my 13-year-old daughter asked me recently, not even looking up from her phone. Other than for meals, she had hardly made her presence known, so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to give her a hard time, before spelling it out. “How about I use it in a sentence? ‘It’s pretty suspicious that you’ve been on TikTok an awful lot lately’.” I was waiting for the predictable eye-roll, and to hear about how her older sister, an animé cosplayer with a following of almost 100 000, was always on it, too. Instead I got a reply that I was not expecting. Apparently, after becoming engulfed in the Harry Potter…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za THE KwaZulu-Natal government spends more than half a billion rand each year renting mainly office space, but less than a 10th of this money reaches black property dealers because of skewed commercial ownership patterns in the province. This was the frank admission by Public Works MEC Jomo Sibiya following the tabling of his budget last week. “It is important to note that as part of the provision of office accommodation for all government departments, the department currently has 178 leases. Unfortunately, the ownership of such properties is not reflective of the demographics of this country,” Sibiya said. According to figures released by Sibiya, broken down in terms of demographics: Indians have 79 leases, which is 44%, with a total lease portfolio of R344 million. Whites have…

EBRAHIM “EBKOYBIE” ESSA | Durban HOORAY for the ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict. There shall now be celebrations all around. Eid, the Muslim festival, will be belatedly enjoyed. Everything that happened over the past few days shall be forgotten. The millions of dollars of damage to buildings will easily be restored by donations. Hospitals, clinics, water reservoirs, electricity pylons and generators all will be rebuilt within months. Netanyahu (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) will pat his airforce on their backs and promise them a bonus. Hamas will return to reload more rockets and point them towards Tel Aviv again. The few Israelites that so sadly lost their loved ones will forgive Netanyahu. After all, the Palestinians started this conflict. The 250 lives lost in Gaza will now undergo their…

FAROUK ARAIE | Gauteng WHEN considering gun controls, a nation must first acknowledge that that this world is, by definition, broken. It’s a given that evil will erupt from time to time, no matter what anyone does to prevent it. The last thing we want is to have our elected government remove our ability to defend ourselves against endemic and brutal crimes confronting us on a daily basis in every part of our country. The shocking nature of complete lawlessness in our country has been covered ad nauseam. However, one aspect of our crisis that does not receive much coverage is the country’s proliferation in illegal arms, and their usage in many deadly robberies. Firearm bans, confiscation and selective registrations gives the criminal a monopoly on violence, thus…

I try to wake up in the morning and ask myself, “What kind of person will you be today?” This intimate exchange is crucial to my all-round well-being. It stops me blaming others and helps me to be grateful for all I have and enjoy. I wish I’d started asking myself this and similar questions years ago. It might have saved others and myself a lot of hurt and pain. I am not always successful when it comes to living out my ideals, but I have to have them. I have to have railroad tracks to guide me into the new day, week, month, year, decade. I wonder what you do? I’d love to know. How do you keep yourself on track with your goals and align yourself with your…

Nonhlanhla Nozizwe Hlatshwayo nozizwe.hlatshwayo@inl.co.za With the second phase of the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out under way, old-age home residents in KwaZulu-Natal are gearing up to receive their shots, while some have already received them. Old-age home residents form part of the 16.5 million South Africans to be prioritised in phase 2. During the launch event for the phase 2 vaccination programme last week, KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane said the Health Department would target the province’s 41 old-age homes, which have a total of 3 363 residents. “The department has 1 299 dedicated outreach staff who will be conducting community vaccination. These staff members will be going to various old-age homes, and visiting homesteads to vaccinate the elderly and frail.” She said the community vaccination sites would not be opened at…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za PUBLIC Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille yesterday said the funding spent on state funerals will be reduced by about R11million in the next three years. “Under the prestige programmes for government functions, state visits and funerals will reduce from R94 million in 2021/22 to R83m in 2023/24. “The department is continuing to implement austerity measures, mainly for the state functions, hence the decreasing budget over the medium term for this programme,” she said. De Lille made the statement when she tabled her Budget vote speech in the National Assembly. The expenditure on state funerals has been a topic of concern amid reports that service providers who manage state funerals were allegedly inflating invoices for services rendered. The department is currently engaged in a process to…

MTHUTHUZELI NTSEKU mthuthuzeli.ntseku@inl.co.za CIVIL society organisations advocating for the extension of the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant and the introduction of the Basic Income Grant (BIG) say there is no justification for terminating the grant. This as the amandla.mobi campaign recently received a response from the Presidency after handing over a petition with more than 58 000 signatures calling for the R350 Covid-19 SRD grant to be extended and increased. The campaign said that after accepting signatures and promising a discussion on the extension, the Presidency had referred them back to the Department of Social Development. “Speaking on behalf of the collective organisations, Black Sash national director Lynette Maart said the recent Nids-Cram Wave 4 study illustrated that the decision to terminate social relief measures was not…

SINCE Covid-19 struck in March last year, the government and other decision-makers, including chapter nine institutions, have cited science as the determining factor for all major decisions taken in response to the pandemic. From the decision to shut down the country to imposing restrictions and, later, re-opening the economy in a staggered manner, President Cyril Ramaphosa, Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, Parliament, the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) and others were quick to remind all who cared to listen that theirs was a science-guided and led approach. It, therefore, came as a surprise when the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) announced this week that it had appointed former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke to review the legality and feasibility of proceeding with the polls in October. IEC chairperson Glen…

Sri Lankan authorities rescued 25 crew members on board a foreign ship which was engulfed in flames off the Colombo Harbour yesterday. The navy said an explosion had been heard within the vessel in the morning. The container ship X-Press Pearl registered under the flag of Singapore, was carrying 1 486 containers with 25 tons of nitric acid, other chemicals and cosmetics from the Hazira port, India, on May 15, according to the navy. The vessel sent out a distress call close to the Colombo Port on May 20, and soon caught fire. The Sri Lankan Navy dispatched vessels to bring the fire under control. By yesterday morning, eight cargo containers had fallen into the sea and the vessel was reported to be unstable, the Marine Environmental Protection Authority said.…

Members of the Malian military arrested the country’s acting president and prime minister yesterday, regional officials said, raising the specter of a second coup d’etat in nine months and drawing a fierce rebuke from the African Union and others in the international community. The detention of interim president Bah N’Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane followed a controversial cabinet reshuffle that removed two members of the junta that overthrew Mali’s government in August. The international body monitoring Mali’s 18-month transition to a civilian-led government - comprising the AU, the West African bloc known as ECOWAS, the United Nations and US officials, among others - said in a statement that it “expresses its deep concern” at the arrests. Members of the monitoring group “strongly condemn the attempted coup,” the statement said,…

THE HAGUE: A UN tribunal set up to prosecute those behind the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has run out of funding amid Lebanon’s economic and political crisis, threatening plans for future trials. Closing the tribunal would dash the hopes of families of victims in the Hariri murder and other attacks, but also those demanding that a UN tribunal bring to justice those responsible for the Beirut port blast last August that killed 200 and injured 6 500. Last year, the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon, located outside of The Hague, convicted ex-Hezbollah member Salim Jamil Ayyash for the bombing that killed Hariri and 21 others.…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za US PRIVATE and equity investment firm Sassoon Group has approved $50 billion (R692.5bn) for possible investment in South Africa over five years, chairperson David Sassoon told Business Report yesterday. J Sassoon Group, which is more than 500 years old and is the world’s oldest independent family-owned investment firm, planned to launch a Joburg office before the end of the year, said Sassoon. Sassoon said the group’s first investment in the country was $20 million in finance to a South African 100 percent black-owned energy start-up, Bluedrop Energy, for the construction of a state-of-the-art LPG cylinder manufacturing plant. The $20m was the first investment that formed part of $100m private equity funding that was available to invest in emerging, entrepreneurial and innovative businesses in South Africa.…

GRINDROD Shipping Holdings, the JSE listed logistics group said yesterday that it had completed sales of the 2013-built medium-range tankers Leopard Moon and Leopard Sun. In conjunction with the sales, appro-ximately $24.7 million (R344.4m) debt remaining on the credit facility with NIBC Bank NV was repaid in full. The sales generated $17.9m in net proceeds after debt repayment with a further $2.7m release of restricted cash associated with the loan. Last month’s sale of the 2009-built small tanker Breede, which constituted part of the security package for the group’s $100m senior secured credit facility and was released from the security package in connection with the closing of the transaction. The group said that some $3.8m debt was repaid on the facility and the sale generated net proceeds to the company…

Vuyolwethu Fundam Vuyolwethu.Fundam@africannewsagency.com While some are properly aware of most of these medical facts that were recently shared on a Reddit thread, but perhaps hearing them again from health-care professionals may encourage people to take them more seriously. A Reddit user asked the question: “Doctors and medical professionals of Reddit, what one medical fact do you wish everybody knew?” We selected five responses from the long thread: Vaccines are safe and save lives Vaccines don’t cause autism; nor do they contain elemental aluminum or mercury. – u/KyleRichXV Your immune system is one of the greatest assets you have In your life, your body will autonomously eradicate between 6 and 10 cancers without you even realising it. It will fight your infections, repair micro-traumas, and police the entire population of…

Vernon Mchunu vernon.mchunu@inl.co.za SMALL businesses operating within eThekwini Municipality, still reeling from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, are set to benefit from the R21 million economic recovery stimulus approved by the city’s executive committee (Exco) yesterday. This comes as new data reveals that at least 72% of the country’s small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) are in financial distress, with KwaZulu-Natal among the hardest hit provinces. Exco heard that of the 2 942 small businesses that met the criteria for qualification, only 700 would be assisted because of a limited budget. Scattered around the city’s seven regions and including those in rural and township areas, the SMMEs would be paid R30 000 each. The sectors include rural and townhip based taverns, catering businesses, spaza shops, construction, tourism establishments, co-operatives,…

TWO poems come this way: A Woman’s Poem Before I lay me down to sleep, I pray for a man who’s not a creep, One who’s handsome, smart and strong, One who loves to listen long, One who thinks before he speaks, One who’ll call, not wait for weeks. I pray he’s rich and self-employed, And when I spend won’t be annoyed. Pull out my chair and hold my hand, Massage my feet and help me stand. Oh, send a king to make me queen, A man who loves to cook and clean. I pray this man will love no other, And relish visits by my mother. A Man’s Poem I pray for a deaf-mute gymnast nymphomaniac with big boobs who owns a bar on a golf course and…

KEVIN GOVENDER | Shallcross WHEN I saw the nightly TV visuals of rockets whizzing through the midnight sky, my thoughts instantly bivouacked to Diwali night in India or Guy Fawkes celebrations in Britain but this was no fireworks display but rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip in Palestine. Israel responded with co-ordinated missile attacks. Amid all the destruction, 243 Palestinians died, of which 66 were children. Killing children – denying them the full flight of life – is one of the most abominable acts ever perceived by man at his most evil. Mothers carrying children with hurried steps and haunted eyes. The grief was so raw, so confronting and overwhelming. The memories of Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq came back to haunt us for 11 days until…

NEARLY a third of Cabo Delgado’s 132 health facilities have been damaged or forced to shut by the recent violence, leaving more than 1.2 million people urgently needing health assistance in Mozambique. “The plight of thousands of families is worsening and many of the violence-affected people depend on humanitarian aid for survival. We must swiftly step up assistance to save lives and alleviate suffering. “We call for increased donor support to provide critical health services and other relief supplies that are desperately needed,” said World Health Organisation (WHO) regional director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti. The attacks by Ansar al-Sunna, a native extremist faction with tenuous international connections, has deprived poor communities of basic health services, sparking emergency health needs for HIV, malaria and TB treatment as…

Karen Singh karen.singh@inl.co.za Three years after public ablution blocks were installed at the Uganda informal settlement in Isipingo, the facilities stand unused and vandalised, while local residents say their pleas for help have fallen on deaf ears. The residents said the eThekwini Municipality installed incomplete ablution blocks three years ago. Eric Cele, a Uganda settlement community member, said the issue of the incomplete ablution blocks was a long-standing one. He said the municipality installed two containers with six toilets and two showers about three years ago, but no water supply was connected to the blocks and the facilities were then taken over by vagrants, who moved in and vandalised the toilets and showers. “People started sleeping inside the containers and they started vandalising and selling the parts,” he said. Cele…

From droughts and diseases to floods and famine, Africa has seen and, in many cases, continues to experience wide-ranging challenges. Our continent’s legacy of colonialism and its dire effects, as well as current socio-political systems that often mar development, count among the many reasons why African countries often struggle with challenges that high-income countries seemingly solve easily. But those “First World” solutions can seldom be replicated in Africa to achieve the same results – our continent faces its own unique challenges, which require its own solutions. As we celebrated Africa Day yesterday, we again have the opportunity to contemplate how different sectors – from industry to education – can contribute and ensure we address global challenges with African solutions. For more than a year, the world has suffered due to…

An earthquake measuring 5.3 magnitude rocked the borderlands between Rwanda and Congo yesterday morning, the Rwandan Seismic Monitor said, raising worries about a fresh eruption following one on Saturday that killed at least 32 people. On Saturday Democratic Republic of Congo’s Mount Nyiragongo, one of the world’s most active and dangerous volcanoes, erupted sending a river of lava downhill towards Goma, a city of some two million people. The area has experienced repeated tremors since then, and the lava lake in the volcano’s crater appears to have refilled, raising fears of new fissures or another eruption, the United Nations Refugee agency said. The earthquake appeared to have collapsed several buildings in Goma, a Reuters reporter said, although it was not yet clear if there were any casualties as police had…

KIGALI: Ten days after the release of US rapper Jermaine Lamarr Cole’s sixth studio album The Off Season, he met with the Rwandan president during a basketball game. Cole, known as J. Cole, was pictured with Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame at a basketball game between Patriots BBC and Union Sportive Monastirienne, part of the Basketball African League (BAL). J Cole signed to the Rwandan-based Patriots BBC for three to six games in the BAL. He also thanked fans from Kigali as his album reached the number one spot on the Billboard Charts |…

San José: Six presidents of Latin American and Caribbean countries have called on the international community for equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines. “We strongly appeal to countries which have a surplus of doses or which have already vaccinated their populations at risk, to implement measures so that these surpluses are distributed equitably and immediately,” said Costa Rica’s President Carlos Alvarado. The appeal was signed by Argentina’s Alberto Fernandez, Mexico’s Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Bolivian President Luis Arce, Ecuador’s Guillermo Lasso and Uruguay’s Luis Lacalle Pou.…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za INFORMATION and communications technology group AYO Technology Solutions (AYO), which posted moderate results for the six-months to February 2021 amid the subdued Covid-19 restricted economy, expected a “far improved” second half, chief executive Howard Plaatjes said yesterday. Not beating around the bush, he said: “One can’t really expect great results from any business in this environment. The pandemic has contracted revenues across all industries, which leads to a reduction in customers’ spend on IT infrastructure and services, and has a knock-on effect on our group performance.” He said low interest rates had also put pressure on investment income. While the group had “taken a knock in some divisions,” there had been good demand in other divisions, as well as strong potential for the second half of the…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za THE GOVERNMENT’s moves to limit the number of foreigners working in South Africa, have been cautiously welcomed by labour and employers, both stressing that it needed to strengthen its enforcement division. Labour and Employment Department spokesperson Musa Zondi confirmed yesterday that a draft policy was before Cabinet and that the inter-ministerial committee of various government departments, including transport, home affairs and labour and employment, had been set up. It focuses on all spheres of employment and cuts across industries varying from hospitality and tourism, to agriculture and security. But it is the transport industry that has been the focus area, because of continued allegations by local drivers that the sector was overloaded with foreign truck drivers. The transport sector has been affected by truck attacks since 2019…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za FORMER finance minister Malusi Gigaba yesterday opened up about the infamous February 2018 interview he conducted with US news broadcaster CNN (Cable News Network), where he said he hoped former president Jacob Zuma would “do the right thing”. In an exclusive interview with Independent Media in Durban yesterday, Gigaba said the full context of why he said this was explained to Zuma when they met in Nkandla shortly after the interview. Many, especially fervent Zuma supporters, viewed the interview as a stab in Zuma’s back since the former president had appointed Gigaba as finance minister despite the markets having preferred Pravin Gordhan to retain the position. They alleged Gigaba made the comments to please the incoming Cyril Ramaphosa administration when it was clear Gigaba would be removed…

HOSIA SITHOLE | Communicator at the Department of Water and Sanitation. THE annual commemoration of Africa Day on May 25, which has been described as a fuss about nothing, must be changed to rid itself of this negative perception. Attention must be shifted to creating an enabling environment for fundamental social and economic change. The day should not be one of empty sloganeering but should provide a platform to engender a desire for the development of insightful strategies for the continent to be better prepared to deal with present challenges. In light of the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is even more pressing that solidarity and unity of the continent takes precedence over everything else. The continent faces profound challenges that are widening the divide between rural…

SAO PAULO: Stunned by the swirl of red lights and blaring sirens, confused pedestrians who spot a New York City Police Department motorcade screaming down the streets of Brazil’s biggest city may need a second to get their bearings. Behind the spectacle is a group of Brazilian fans obsessed with one of the world’s most recognisable police forces, whose hobby is refurbishing NYPD cars and motorcycles, inspired by nostalgia for cop movies and shows such as Law & Order. “To tell you the truth, it creates some confusion sometimes,” said Fabio Denzin, who owns not just a Ford Crown Victoria painted as a NYPD car, but also a van and motorcycle. “People even think that it is the real police from New York on patrol, as if they came to…

| Mercury Correspondent THE National Consumer Commission (NCC)​ in collaboration with Sars’ Customs Special Operations says it continues to intercept imports that are in contravention of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA). Between July last year and March 31, the NCC said it had issued 88 compliance notices to the value of just over R18 million. This was after the commission inspected consignments of goods from different countries that did not meet the labelling requirements of imports as provided for in the CPA. The goods include footwear, leather, clothing and textiles. Section 24(5) of the CPA requires that footwear, leather, clothing and textiles imported into the the country must have a label permanently affixed and clearly indicating a country of origin, care instructions and fibre content. NCC acting commissioner Joseph Selolo…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za THE family of a senior police officer who was gunned down in Ndwedwe believes that his murder was orchestrated by a criminal syndicate operating in the area. According to the police, the acting station commander of Ndwedwe police station, Lieutenant-Colonel Jabulani Ndawonde, was driving home when he was gunned down near the Bhamshela Taxi Rank on Monday night. According to preliminary investigations, the suspects who were travelling in a mini pick-up truck opened fire at Ndawonde as they passed his vehicle. National police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo said the 56-year-old succumbed to his injuries at the scene. He said the National Commissioner of Police General Khehla Sitole had called for anyone with information on who may be responsible for the crime to contact the police. Mbuso…

Msawakhe Mayisela ACCORDING to the UN, 55% of the world’s population live in urban areas. This is expected to increase to 68% by 2050. Both Africa and Asia are expected to account for a substantial number of people moving to cities. In eThekwini, we are beginning to feel the pinch of this unprecedented migration. As a result, the needs of the poorest of the poor are alarmingly increasing. Compounding our woes is that the coronavirus has thrown a spanner in the works of numerous development programmes, not only in Durban but in other cities as well. It is not all doom and gloom in eThekwini. Strides are being made in restoring the dignity of residents by building them decent houses. Notwithstanding this progress, we have a long way to…

WASHINGTON: The US said Americans should avoid travelling to Japan, with much of the country under a state of emergency over a Covid-19 outbreak that has sown doubts about Tokyo’s plans to host the Olympics in less than two months. The State Department raised its travel advisory to level 4 on Monday, putting Japan in a category with a broad group of nations from Latin America to Europe that Americans are urged to avoid due to coronavirus concerns. The action – which comes despite far lower infection rates in Japan than the US – is a fresh blow to a country struggling to convince its own public and the international community that it’s ready to host the Summer Olympics beginning on July 23, following their delay in 2020. Japan’s Chief…

Americans yesterday marked the first anniversary of the murder of George Floyd beneath a white Minneapolis police officer’s knee, which catalysed the largest US protest movement in decades over police brutality against black people. In Washington, President Joe Biden met privately with members of Floyd’s family at the White House. In Minneapolis, a foundation created in Floyd’s memory by some in his family organised an afternoon of music and food in a park near the downtown courtroom where Derek Chauvin, the former officer, was found guilty last month of murdering Floyd at a landmark trial in US policing. Chauvin, 45, faces up to 40 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 25. The three other officers at the scene have pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting Chauvin,…

MOSCOW: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has demanded the release of Roman Protasevich, pictured, a detained co-founder of Telegram channel Nexta that co-ordinated last year’s protests in Belarus. Protasevich was detained by Belarusian law enforcement after his flight made an emergency landing in Minsk on Sunday. The activist, who has been designated a terrorist by the Belarusian authorities for his alleged role in the post-election civil unrest, may face up to 15 years in prison. On Monday, in a video message circulated by state-run Belarusian media, Protasevich confessed to fomenting mass riots. Johnson tweeted: “The video of Roman Protasevich makes for deeply distressing viewing. As a journalist and a passionate believer in freedom of speech I call for his immediate release. Belarus’s actions will have consequences.” Nexta has been designated…

MIHALI BALEKA mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi has downplayed any aspirations of treating their clash against arch-rivals SuperSport United as a potential title decider, saying their focus is to reach their target of 12 points after five matches. There are four matches remaining before the Brazilians’ league campaign comes to an end. At the moment, they are sitting at the summit of the Premiership standings with 57 points, seven ahead of second-placed AmaZulu who have played a game more. Sundowns will cross paths with SuperSport today at Lucas “Masterpieces” Moripe Stadium where a win will guarantee them their fourth championship in a row. But Mngqithi is not getting carried away, saying they just want to improve their record. “According to our process this is the second match of our…

MIHLALI BALEKA mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za COACH Josef Zinnbauer understands the frustration from some Orlando Pirates supporters who have lamented the team’s inconsistent form in the last few months, but he says they’ll fight until the end to qualify for continental football next season. After a bright start to their campaign, which included winning the MTN8 cup, Pirates have found the going tough in the last few months. They are out of the title race as they trail leaders Mamelodi Sundowns by 14 points after 26 games. Last weekend they saw their Confederation Cup journey come to an abrupt end as they were hammered 5-1 on aggregate by Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca in the quarter-finals. That defeat leaves them with only a top three finish to play for this season. In the last…