Mercury的2023-09-13目录

Millions of rand are being spent on the protection of eThekwini Municipality councillors without threat assessments being carried out by the police. The Mercury has seen documentation detailing the number of councillors being protected, and the costs involved. According to the document, R27 million was spent in the 2022/23 financial year, which exceeded the budget by R6m. However, a “grand total” of R154m was also mentioned in the document. According to a source, who asked not to be named, the R154m related to all the costs that formed part of the protection function, including supply of vehicles, fuel etc. Asked about the R154m, the City said the information was incorrect. The City said: “The facts are that R21m was budgeted for salaries, and the overspend was R6m. Bringing the total…

STEADY as you go! The good ship Springbok showed itself to be absolutely on course and riding the swells at the weekend in the side’s first match of the Rugby World Cup. The Boks absolutely shut out Scotland, who had been the top try-scorers in the recent Six Nations tournament. Here the Scots did not score a single try, nor look like doing so. The Boks scored two, out-muscled the Scots in the tight-loose and tackled them out of the game. Magnificent stuff! It was exactly what the situation demanded. One niggle. The Boks have to sort out their place-kicking. In the World Cup you have to bank every possible point. Flyhalf Manie Libbok had a great game except when it came to goal-kicking, where scrumhalf Faf de Klerk had…

I am writing to express my concern about the recent decision by Parliament to remove advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane as public protector. While it is true that her tenure was marred by controversy, it is important to examine the circumstances surrounding her removal. The public protector is a key chapter nine institution that upholds the principles of democracy and independence. It is meant to be independent, unbiased and uphold the values of integrity and justice. Unfortunately, it appears that the appointment and removal of the public protector was manipulated by the president and the governing party. Former DA leader Mmusi Maimane laid a complaint with Office of the Public Protector, concerning the money that flowed into the CR17 campaign that saw Cyril Ramaphosa become head of state. The public protector’s investigation…

In a move to make it easier for people to swiftly and easily test their HIV status, several pharmacies across the country are now offering self-screening kits. The initiative, driven by the Independent Community Pharmacy Association of South Africa and in collaboration with Population Services International South Africa, aims to amplify awareness about the importance of HIV testing. About 400 local community pharmacies across the country, which are affiliated with the Independent Community Pharmacy Association of South Africa, are participating in this campaign by offering HIV self-screening testing kits at a cost of R50 or less. The advantages of routine HIV testing are multifaceted, delivering benefits both at individual and societal levels, the pharmacy association said. One of the advantages is early detection and treatment which can halt disease progression,…

A former Crime Intelligence cop has been ordered to pay back every cent he stole from the SAPS. Wilson Thanduxolo Buqa, who was a warrant officer attached to the Crime Intelligence unit in Kokstad, was convicted in the Kokstad Regional Court this week of fraud. Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana said Buqa was responsible for information gathering and it was found that from May 1, 2014 to December 2015 he submitted claims for informers but pocketed the money – a total of R122 500. Mhlakuvana said the matter was reported to the Hawks and an investigation ensued. “The investigation revealed that Buqa would visit police stations around Harry Gwala District in KwaZulu-Natal to take down names and case numbers of the detained suspects and…

It has been a double blow for former president Jacob Zuma in matters before different high courts in respect of his private prosecution action. A full Bench of the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, yesterday unanimously dismissed Zuma’s application for leave to appeal the court’s ruling that set aside his private prosecution of President Cyril Ramaphosa. Zuma had made an application for leave to appeal a judgment that declared his private prosecution of Ramaphosa unlawful and unconstitutional and set it aside. He had sought to privately prosecute Ramaphosa in the same matter in which he is pursuing State Advocate Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan in respect of the alleged leak of his medical records. He was seeking to prosecute the two for alleged contravention of the National Prosecuting Authority Act.…

THE Department of Home Affairs said it had noted a growing number of arranged marriages between undocumented nationals and South African women for transactional purposes. Foreign nationals and local women allegedly entered into this form of union as part of a business arrangement. Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi revealed that his department recorded more than 2 000 such cases every year. These marriages, often referred to as “paper marriages”, are common, usually for transactional purposes and the women can be paid as little as R300, according to immigration and refugee lawyer Ashraf Essop. “It’s called ‘paper marriages’, people usually go that route because they enter the republic illegally and need to obtain immigration status. “Some Home Affairs officials do play a role in some cases, by colluding with the perpetrators.…

The antidote to suicidality is connection, and us listening to someone who is struggling IF YOU are reading this you may be interested in better understanding why there is a need for a World Suicide Prevention Day. For some, September 10 may seem morbid, while for others it is just another awareness initiative. But for too many, suicide is personal. You may have lost someone you love in this manner. Or you yourself may be struggling with thoughts of ending your life. If you fall into the latter group you may want to skip over to the very last paragraph, because I know your attention may be waning and your energy may be low. Everybody else, please join me in better understanding the need for awareness of thoughts of self-harm…

The US argued yesterday that Google did not play by the rules in its efforts to keep its dominance in online search, paying billions of dollars to ensure that smaller rivals never got traction. “This case is about the future of the internet,” said Kenneth Dintzer, arguing for the Justice Department that Google began in 2010 to illegally maintain its monopoly. The US Justice Department accuses Google of paying billions of dollars annually to device makers like Apple Inc, wireless companies like AT&T and browser makers like Mozilla to keep Google’s search engine on top. Without serious competition, Google innovated less and paid less attention to other concerns like privacy, said Dintzer. Google argues that its overwhelmingly high market share is not because it broke the law, but because it…

MANY survivors of Morocco’s earthquake were struggling in makeshift shelters yesterday after a fourth night outside, while villagers in devastated mountain areas voiced frustration at having received no help from the authorities. The death toll from the 6.8 magnitude quake that struck in the High Atlas Mountains late on Friday rose to 2 901, while the number of people injured more than doubled to 5 530, state television reported. It was Morocco’s deadliest earthquake since 1960 and its most powerful in more than a century. Rescuers from Spain, Britain and Qatar were helping Morocco’s search teams, while Italy, Belgium, France and Germany said their offers of assistance had yet to be approved. The situation was most desperate for people in remote areas cut off by landslides triggered by the earthquake…

Maybe it is their Western Cape roots that are responsible for Schalk Brits (in 2019) and Deon Fourie ageing like fine wines for the Springboks. Brits was 38 when he played hooker for the Boks against Canada at the last World Cup. Fourie is 36 and while he can play hooker, it is more likely he will cover flank (and hooker) in the Boks’ match against Romania in Bordeaux on Sunday (3pm). Perhaps the secret to their longevity is that both are fun-loving characters. Fourie – nicknamed ‘Brannas’ (slang for brandy in Afrikaans) – said he can’t put his finger on why he still feels good and can run with the young guys. “I did gymnastics for nine years and I’m not the biggest guy for doing weights in the…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has granted Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi a category 1 state funeral. This category of the funeral is reserved for “persons of extraordinary credentials” and only the president can grant them. The category of the funeral was announced by the Presidency yesterday as mourners continue to flock to KwaPhindangene outside Ulundi in northern KwaZulu-Natal to mourn the death of the Zulu prince. “The State, Official and Provincial Official Funeral Policy of government accords Special Official Funerals, Category One, to persons of extraordinary credentials specifically designated by the president of the Republic of South Africa. The prince’s funeral will entail elements of military honours. “The president has directed that flags be flown at half mast at flag stations around the country from today, Tuesday, September 12, until the evening of…

Families reveal strengths and fault lines, unity and divisions, humility and arrogance, during periods of change and challenge. All families are tested from time to time as people grow, struggle, succeed, fail and recover. Births and naming of babies; deaths and funerals; adoptions; engagements and weddings; divorces; addictions and recovery from addictions, will test immediate and extended families and reveal their resourcefulness and mettle. Life-changing events test and expose family mettle – what the family is “made of”. Family mettle is strengthened when individuals take care of themselves within the family, no matter what the family may be facing. You demonstrate your mettle when you speak up for yourself and are clear about who you are and what you want. You show your strength and integrity when you dismiss rumours…

What did Karl Marx mean when he referred to the working class as “this race of peculiar commodity owners”? It is “peculiar” in that unlike any other commodity, it can create more value than it is worth. When the International Working Men’s Association was established, Marx and Engels formulated the battle cry: the emancipation of the working class must be achieved by the working class itself! “We cannot therefore co-operate with people who say that the workers are too uneducated to emancipate themselves and must first be freed from above by the petite bourgeois or the leadership trade of the union movement.” Marx was not an armchair revolutionary who was content with telling others what to do and why they should do it. No, he lived his philosophy. As a…

AFTER a technical glitch last week that saw thousands of pensioners unable to access their social grants, the Postbank said it was still reversing funds into customers’ accounts. This as some elderly people have been unable to withdraw money from retailers and ATMs since last Tuesday. Postbank spokesperson Bongani Diako said they were reversing money into the accounts of beneficiaries who were impacted by the system error which resulted in their accounts reflecting insufficient funds. “This is mainly in relation to the people that attempted transactions on Tuesday and early Wednesday (last week). “The count is approximately 180 000 and we have done manual reversals for over 150 000 and that process is under way. “We sincerely apologise for this incident that affected many and Postbank takes full accountability. The…

The Road Traffic Management Corporation has issued a warning to drivers whose vehicle licence discs expire in September. The RTMC said there were more than a million motor vehicle licences expiring this month and vehicle owners needed to be proactive to avoid penalties. It said it was sending out email and SMS reminders monthly on vehicle licence renewals. “Vehicle owners are encouraged to update their email and telephone contact details at online.natis.gov.za to receive the reminders,” the RTMC said in a statement. It said owners can renew on the same portal and have their vehicle licences delivered within three to five days. “Numerous extensions to the motor vehicle licence expiry date that were granted during the Covid-19 period have resulted in a high number of renewals falling within the months…

THE Special Investigating Unit (SIU) says Eskom contracts, valued at billions of rand, have been brought before civil courts. The eight matters involved Eskom-related contracts where the SIU had instituted civil proceedings to set aside and recover money lost by the power utility. Briefing the standing committee on public accounts yesterday, SIU head Andy Mothibi said the value of the contracts set aside was R10.2 billion and R1.5 billion had been recovered. Mothibi added that the SIU had made 5 671 referrals to Eskom for disciplinary proceedings against employees who had not declared that they were conducting business with the power utility. He said investigations were continuing, and he was pleased that energy experts had lauded the recent arrest of nine people implicated in coal theft and…

THE Atteridgeville Magistrate’s Court in Pretoria has granted bail to the two mothers arrested for the deaths of their five children after a fire broke out at the Itireleng informal settlement in Atteridgeville last week while they were out at a local tavern. The sisters, Lindiwe Machaka, 39, and Zanele Machaka, 37, from the informal settlement near Laudium, appeared briefly in the Atteridgeville Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The pair are facing five counts of culpable homicide for the deaths of five children aged 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6, as well as a charge of child neglect. Lindiwe was the mother of two of the children, aged 1 and 2, while her sister Zanele was the mother of the other three children. It is alleged that on the evening of August…

THE inevitable has happened, and MPs have voted to impeach advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane as head of the public protector’s office for incompetence and misconduct. One cannot help but get a sense that the now former public protector was wrongly advised, is a gutsy individual, or both. Mkhwebane may resort to the legal route to fight her removal, but history will record that she is the first head of the public protector South Africa to be removed from office. Just the other day, and while still suspended, Mkhwebane and her husband, David Skosana, declared war against anyone they believed was standing in her way back to the office. A week ago, she famously took on President Cyril Ramaphosa regarding what she perceived to be her day of returning to work. She…

A Chinese city has launched an operation to find a large number of crocodiles that escaped when floods hit the region in recent days. A typhoon brought sustained heavy rains to southern China last week, triggering inundations in Hong Kong and other areas. Deluges around the city of Maoming in Guangdong province caused a lake at a commercial crocodile farm to overflow, with over 70 animals escaping. A person who answered the phone at the local emergency management office said that officials were “working to deal with” the reptilian runaways. A video showed responders in red uniforms searching flooded fields in rescue boats. Images showed several 2m-long scaly beasts lying on the road, their fearsome jaws bound tight. “Crocodiles are still in the water, and several government departments are working…

LONDON: Britain is seeing an “epidemic” of shoplifting, the boss of retailer John Lewis said yesterday, as the owner of the Primark fashion chain joined industry calls for the authorities to crack down on the problem, saying its profit margins were suffering. “It’s become an epidemic. Sadly, in the last year we’ve seen twice as many offences,” said Sharon White, chairperson of the John Lewis Partnership that owns department stores and Waitrose supermarkets. White said town centres risked becoming “a looting ground for emboldened shoplifters and organised gangs.” Store theft is also a growing problem in the US. | Reuters…

SUPPORTERS of Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said she had every intention of attending the National Assembly sitting on Monday, where MPs voted to impeach Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, but did not attend due to ill-health. A total of 318 MPs voted in favour of the motion to remove Mkhwebane, with 43 voting against the bid. The resolution of the National Assembly will now be referred to President Cyril Ramaphosa for Mkhwebane’s removal, in accordance with the provisions of section 194 of the Constitution. On Monday, ANC chief whip in Parliament, Pemmy Majodina, said Dlamini Zuma did not send a letter of apology and she would write to the party’s secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, to demand that action be taken against her. “Her absence today was a shock to me. She has no…

THE “calamity” that could be caused by Standard Bank’s closure of accounts of the Sekunjalo Group of companies, including Independent Media, was laid bare in the Western Cape High Court yesterday, with lawyers arguing that it would give rise to a number of constitutional contraventions. Apart from the impact the bank’s decision will have on media freedom, the rights to freedom of speech and employees’ livelihoods were also at great risk, the court was told. Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane SC said making such a decision was “callous insensitivity” to the Sekunjalo Group. “We are not being dramatic or engaged in hyperbole when we submit that the applicant and thousands of its employees and dependants face an imminent calamity on Friday – they face a calamity that anybody will face if we…

I am tutoring history to a Grade 9 pupil and need some help desperately. His history textbook has a section titled: “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, stipulated as mandatory pre-requisites to be a member of the United Nations. The preamble spells out, among others, the following basic conditions: No person shall be imprisoned without a trial, freedom of religion and worship, participation in government of the country, all humans are born free regardless of race colour, sex or religion. My pupil is puzzled and checks out the countries that are all members of this very important organ isation that was formed immediately at the end of the Second World War, in an effort to make sure that “this does not ever happen again”. He confirms, after checking Google, that Israel,…

Farouk Araie paints a glowing picture of the late IFP leader Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who died on Saturday morning at the ripe old age of 95. (“Buthelezi’s contribution to SA”, The Mercury, September 11). Others like DS Rajah and Saber Ahmed Jazbhay have followed suit. For seven decades, he was a man of immense stature and “a towering political leader”. An astute and resilient figure, he built up the Zulu nation to become a political force in South Africa to rival the ANC, founded the IFP, was the Zulu monarch’s longest serving traditional prime minister and served two terms as home affairs minister in the new democratic government under Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. There’s no doubt he played a huge role on the South African political landscape. But was…

OPPOSITION parties have slammed the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Amendment Bill, aimed to make the Investigative Directorate (ID) a permanent unit within the prosecuting agency. They argued that a bill should be drafted to establish an anti-corruption commission that would be independent of the NPA. In its presentation to the justice and correctional services portfolio committee, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development said the ID was not a permanent unit at present, and was created by proclamation. Deputy Minister John Jeffrey said because of this, the directorate found it difficult to attract staff as prospective employees feared that it might be disestablished. Jeffrey noted that there were calls against making the directorate permanent, and that an anti-corruption commission should be established. “The complaints are misplaced because the two are…

Axed Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has taken a swipe at the National Assembly as well as the ANC and other party MPs who voted for her removal from office on Monday. In a tweet on X (formerly Twitter), Mkhwebane said the two-thirds majority vote that resulted in her removal should have been used to advocate for land expropriation and other social needs of the majority of South Africans who do not have access to basic services. She said her removal from office would not change the status quo for the majority of South Africans, most of whom were poor and unemployed. “This 2/3 majority vote to remove me, should have been for expropriation of land or changing the mandate of SARB. “Removing me from office will never change the status…

The presiding judge in the murder trial of Senzo Meyiwa wants a convicted KwaZulu-Natal hitman, who is also on trial for the soccer star’s murder, attended to by a doctor. Through his attorney, advocate Zandile Mshololo, accused number five, Fisokuhle Nkani Ntuli, told the judge that he would like to seek medical attention. “My client informed me this morning that he’s not feeling well and we would like to request a postponement so that he could be taken to the hospital,” she said yesterday. State prosecutor advocate George Baloyi didn’t oppose the postponement. However, Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng asked Baloyi to read Section 159 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which explains that proceedings can still continue without an accused being present. Judge Mokgoatlheng did this to indicate that despite the postponement,…

The instantaneous nature of social media makes it possible for people to have access to an abundance of information at their fingertips, however the information available online is not always reliable. Inaccurate information has the potential to create unnecessary panic, threaten public safety and erode trust in our institutions. It also hampers people’s ability to make informed decisions. To establish what information is credible online, social media users can utilise various fact-checking websites and online tools. These assist in discerning factual information from fake content. This includes fact-checking platforms such as Africa Check, which is an independent resource. Africa Check classifies certain messages as false, partly false and scams, to help people identify misleading information. Inaccurate information has the potential to create unnecessary panic, threaten public safety and erode trust…

At least 10 000 people were feared missing in Libya yesterday in floods caused by a huge storm that burst dams, swept away buildings and wiped out as much as a quarter of the city of Derna. More than 1 000 bodies have already been recovered in Derna alone and officials expected the death toll would be much higher, after Storm Daniel barrelled across the Mediterranean into a country divided and crumbling after more than a decade of conflict. A journalist on the way to Derna, a coastal city of around 125 000 inhabitants, saw vehicles overturned on the edges of roads, trees knocked down, and abandoned, flooded houses. Videos showed a wide torrent running through the city centre after dams burst, wrecking buildings that stood on either side. “Bodies…

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia yesterday ahead of a meeting with President Vladimir Putin that the US has warned could see an arms deal to support Moscow’s assault on Ukraine. Making a rare foreign trip and his first since the pandemic, an unsmiling Kim waved from the doorway of his heavily armoured private train as it departed Pyongyang on Sunday evening, according to images published by North Korean state media. Kim will meet Putin at an unspecified location in Russia’s Far East region later this week, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. Putin is attending the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, the Far East city closest to the North Korean border, though there has been no indication that the internationally isolated pair would hold their talks there.…

LONDON: The son of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s detained former leader, said he was “extremely worried” about his mother’s health, saying she was struggling to eat and was being refused permission to see an outside doctor. The 78-year-old Nobel laureate, who has been detained for more than two years, has experienced bouts of dizziness and vomiting, and is suffering from serious gum disease, her son, Kim Aris, who lives in Britain, said. Myanmar has been in turmoil since early 2021, when the military overthrew Suu Kyi’s elected government and cracked down on opponents of military rule, with thousands jailed or killed. Suu Kyi is facing 27 years of detention related to 14 criminal offences. She denies all the charges and is appealing against them. Aris, 45, has had no…