Inhaltsverzeichnis für 2021-10-27 in Mercury

Men suffering with stage IV breast cancer can increase their survival with surgical intervention, according to a study. Stage IV cancers spread beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes to other parts of the body such as the bones, liver and lungs. It may also spread to the brain or other organs. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines to treat men with stage IV breast cancer recommends systemic therapy, with surgery used to minimise symptoms such as ulcerations, pain, or bleeding, said first author Kelly A Stahl, a surgical resident at Penn State College of Medicine. However, new study findings, presented at the virtual American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2021, showed that surgery does have survival benefits for men with stage IV breast cancer, she said. “We need…

Nomonde Zondi Nomonde.Zondi@inl.co.za ACCOUNTANT Ranash Singh was killed yesterday morning while he was driving in La Lucia. A security guard alleged that Singh crashed his vehicle through the gate of a business premises on Armstrong Avenue while trying to escape his attackers. The vehicle came to rest against one of the building’s pillars. “I had gone out to buy a cigarette and I left the gate closed. When I came back, I found emergency services and the police here,” said the security guard. Family members who arrived at the scene yesterday were in shock and stood huddled together as police and forensics officers collected evidence. Singh’s brother, who did not want to give his name to the media, said Singh was a lovely person and a good brother. Another family…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa’s key corridor for the movement of goods and services, the N3 highway, was blocked by aggrieved truck drivers yesterday who are calling for reform in the industry, including an end to the hiring of foreign truck drivers. The issue of foreign nationals working in the trucking industry has been a long-standing issue. In 2019, a task team was set up by the government to address the grievances after several truck attacks took place. At the time it was alleged that the truck attacks were being carried out by disgruntled local truck drivers who claimed foreigners were being given preference for jobs in the industry. However, local truck driver organisations have denied involvement in the violence. Trucks were also torched during the July unrest. Yesterday’s blockade,…

GLEN CHRISTIE | Durban North The statement by the president of the country that only the ANC can fix the electricity problem is indeed a true statement, as only the ANC and it comrades looted this state-owned enterprise. Perhaps our esteemed president can now recoup all the monies stolen by all those ANC comrades; better still let the ANC return the billions that were looted, I am sure that some of the looted monies ended up in the coffers of the ANC. Finally, what a stupid statement for CR to make, it sounds like desperation and one wonders just how many supporters will continue to vote for a corruption-riddled party, that makes promises it can neither keep nor implement. It just goes to show that those who vote…

MALCOLM MITCHELL | Hillcrest Let me attempt to put some sense into the letter with trite comments by your respondent, Duncan du Bois, on the subject of “neglected roads” which appeared in your Monday’s edition. It is obvious from his writings that he has no concept of how “political influence of a minority party” and executive functions interact in the provision of services in a municipality. He tries, in a thinly disguised fashion to bring “party politics” into the road network problems which he describes. On a technical note, road network improvements are not decided upon by minority party councillors, but are the product of a road network management system where priorities are set on a rational basis using sophisticated road engineering techniques. The eThekwini Municipality has such…

Beverley Tsitsi Mutandiro | Human Rights Activist Zimbabwean women’s lives matters at all times, they have the ability to achieve similar goals, to access politics and leadership roles, social and economic power just like men. I wonder why the government of Zimbabwe encourages and accommodates discrimination in its governance towards women, such as in land distribution and ownership, equality or professional recognition and sexual bribery in Parliament and in the local authorities, where they are under-represented, while men are over-represented? It is sad that the Electoral Act does not include mechanisms to ensure that women are equally represented in the 1 958 wards and also make constitutional provisions for 50/50 representation in Parliament and in the local authorities, where they have only 978 seats. The crucial question is:…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za THE family of a 58-year-old Muden sugar cane farmer have been left devastated after he was shot dead on Sunday. Ajay Haripersaad, 58, was shot dead, allegedly over a cattle dispute in Muden, near Greytown. It is alleged that a known man had been involved in an altercation with farmworkers on Haripersaad’s farm. The dispute was over stray cattle that had been locked up by Haripersaad’s workers to prevent the cattle from grazing in the sugar cane crops. Ajay’s son, Pranesh Haripersaad, said his father was shot trying to resolve the altercation between the farmworker and the man, who he alleged had been armed with a rifle. “My father heard the commotion while in a vehicle with his driver and went towards the man and tried to…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za IN-FORM Kaizer Chiefs star Keagan Dolly has been included in Bafana Bafana’s 36-man provisional squad ahead of their World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Ghana next month. Dolly’s selection has hardly come as a surprise, given his recent form for Chiefs in the Premiership. Dolly played a role in creating both of Bernard Parker’s goals in Chiefs’ 2-1 win over SuperSport United over the weekend. Earlier this month, he scored a brace against Chippa United, and created goals for Khama Billiat and Lazarous Kambole as Amakhosi won 4-0. The Johannesburg-born Dolly returned to South Africa with Chiefs this season after having spent four years in France with Montpellier. Interestingly, he has scored three league goals in the current campaign for Chiefs, while he only managed one league…

Dieketseng Maleke dieketseng.maleke@inl.co.za ABSA’S share price remained un- affected amid an unfolding board spat that saw the financial group yesterday appoint Sello Moloko as chairperson as prominent businessperson Sipho Pityana late on Monday launched a surprise legal salvo against not being chosen for the position. Pityana is the former Business Unity South Africa president and also the former AngloGold Ashanti chairperson. The market barely reacted to the news that shocked the business and political sectors, the share price closing at R144.61 on the JSE yesterday. Absa announced that Moloko would be taking over from Wendy Lucas-Bull on March 31, 2022. Lucas-Bull announced in June that she would step down as chairperson of the Absa board after nine years.…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za THE disciplinary hearing of suspended KwaZulu-Natal regional court president Eric Sibusiso Nzimande has again hit a snag after two officers appointed to lead evidence against him asked to be withdrawn from the case. Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola revealed this when he was responding to parliamentary questions from Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald. This comes four months after Lamola said, when responding to a set of parliamentary questions, that the Magistrates Commission had resolved to charge Nzimande in August 2018 after it confirmed receiving a number of serious complaints. He said at the time the initial charge sheet containing 50 counts of misconduct was personally served on him in September 2018. However, the charge sheet subsequently grew with a total of 162 charges served…

The streets of Madrid were filled with sheep and the clanking of bells this week as shepherds guided their flocks through the heart of the Spanish capital, following ancient seasonal herding routes. Locals lined the route to welcome back the spectacle, which was cancelled last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The annual event, which started in 1994, allows shepherds to exercise their right to use traditional routes to herd their livestock from northern Spain to more southerly pastures for winter grazing. The route would have taken them through quiet countryside a few centuries ago, but today sees them traverse the busy city. “It’s marvellous. I come every year and this is the first year I’ve brought the children so it’s amazing,” said Graciela Gonzalez, 39. The sheep walked to…

DAVID CARTWRIGHT | Hillcrest I find it necessary to slate, with contempt, the comment by Duncan du Bois in The Mercury (October 25), concerning the diabolical condition of the M7/Titren Road area. That it is in its present pathetic and unacceptable state cannot be placed at the DA’s door. The fact that the physical location is covered by three DA wards is irrelevant. More relevant is the fact that getting anything done in the eThekwini Municipality depends entirely upon the willingness or otherwise of the council, which is top-heavy with corrupt officials from “another” party, which is well known! Mr Du Bois, our entire metropolitan environment is in a total mess. But please, don’t blame the DA, or any party for that matter, other than the ANC!…

| Andy Gibb WHO knew there’s such a thing as a World Porridge-Making Championship? Indeed there is. It’s been running since 1994 in the Carrbridge village hall in the Cairngorms National Park, in Scotland, where porridge chefs from across the world compete for the Golden Spurtle. The spurtle, ye ken, is an instrument used in Scotland for stirring porridge. The Golden Spurtle was won earlier this month by Dutch porridge maestro Miriam Groot, with a porridge that includes white wine, mushrooms, vegetable stock, lemon zest, pepper and oat aracini – pinhead oat balls coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. Yum-yum! And hey, this Golden Spurtle Porridge is surely just the thing to feed the Boks next month. The Taffys won’t know what’s hit them! Covid-19 query OVERHEARD in the Street…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za The Estate Agency Affairs Board (EAAB) is investigating the extent of rental racism in Cape Town after a complaint involving a local estate agent who said a client had a “race-specific” demand. The regulatory body has the mandate to regulate and control activities of estate agents in the public interest; and for incidental matters. Pol Osei, 26, registered a complaint at the EAAB on October 21, following an incident that occurred earlier that week. Osei said an estate agent, Gabriella Johnson from Live Real Estate, refused to proceed with a viewing and application process for a R17 000 Fountain Suites apartment located in the Cape Town CBD, stating her client was “race-specific”. An investigator from the EAAB head offices in Johannesburg will be dispatched to Cape…

Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za A NEW survey has found that during the Covid-19 pandemic, 21% of South Africans went on prescription medication to help with stress and anxiety over money issues. Some of the key findings from the survey showed that 57% of participants cited financial stress as having a huge effect on mental well-being. This was followed by 44% that worried about their own and their loved ones’ health and 38% who were worried about the uncertainty brought about by the pandemic. The survey, conducted among 1 200 South Africans on behalf of financial services group, Sanlam, found that financial stress hit young people the hardest. Those aged 18 to 24 were most mentally impacted by financial stress, and younger women were the hardest hit of all. It also…

UN report focuses on Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security and points to challenges AFRICA Day for Food and Nutrition Security is celebrated annually on October 30 to draw attention to the pressing challenges of hunger and malnutrition on the continent and how they can be addressed. No doubt it will take quite some effort and collaboration to find lasting solutions to these problems, especially if we consider that Africa’s population is expected to reach nearly 2.5 billion in 2050. Unfortunately, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) paints a bleak picture for the continent in its recent report, Africa – regional overview of food security and nutrition: Transforming food systems for affordable healthy diets. It states that “Africa is not on track to meeting the Sustainable Development Goal…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za ELECTION observers have raised the alarm about political killings, saying they posed a threat to contesting councillors, their families and supporters, and made it risky for them to monitor the polls. The comments come after a third councillor candidate was killed, just five days before the election. Dumisani Qwabe, the NFP candidate in ward 17 in the Nongoma area was found murdered on Monday night. Two weeks ago, ANC candidate for ward 101 in Durban, Siyabonga Mkhize, was killed. A day after Mkhize’s murder, EFF candidate in ward 20 in Pietermaritzburg Thulani Shangase was also shot dead. The killings have sparked calls from political parties for more forceful police intervention, including the deployment of special units. Election observers, the Election Monitoring Network and the KZN Christian Council…

The results of next week Monday’s highly contested local government elections are expected to be announced on Thursday. A total of 26.2 million South Africans are registered to participate in this year’s elections. They are set to elect 10 461 councillors who will take seats in 257 different municipal councils comprising eight metros, 44 district councils and 205 local councils. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) officially launched its National Results Operations Centre in Tshwane yesterday. The IEC chief electoral officer, Sy Mamabolo said: “We have sought to prepare for the election with diligence within the constraints of time and the constraints imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.” | Kailene Pillay…

COLIN BOSMAN | Cape Town Trawling through the media a few days ago, I came across an utterance supposedly made by Thabo Mbeki while on the municipal election campaign trail. In the article Mbeki is quoted as saying that without the ANC the country “would collapse”. Perhaps I’ve missed something as to even the casual observer it’s apparent that the country has long passed the point of collapse – with more than R1.3 trillion stolen, misappropriated, call it what you may, from the fiscus, billions stolen during the Bosasa years at the hands of Gavin Watson, the crash of SAA and billions lost under ANC apparatchik Dudu Myeni, the arms deal which cost the country billions under the watch of Jacob Zuma, billions stolen via crooked PPE tenders,…

GEOFF CARUTH | Pinetown The article “Ezemvelo land under threat” (The Mercury, October 25) refers. While every effort must be made to help communities on the borders of KwaZulu-Natal’s conservation areas, and to involve them as much as possible in matters concerning these reserves, we cannot allow unlawful land invasions or destruction of property, particularly in the world- renowned Imfolozi-Hluhluwe Park. It should be remembered that King Shaka was initially responsible for setting aside that area as a royal hunting and conservation preserve, and in that respect, can be remembered as one of Africa’s great conservationists. Any damage to its reputation or resources would have a huge impact on the many thousands of jobs – both inside and outside of its borders – that depend on its continued…

“I KNOW it’s a few months away. I am dreading Christmas and New Year. Our divorce (three years ago) means the children (17 and 19) will have to choose between me and their father about where they spend Christmas and New Year. They tell me they want to be with me but they feel they have to please their dad. I end up getting less of them because he is the one with the money and gifts.” This being the second or third Christmas and New Year since your divorce, you have surely developed some routines for holidays that are better than others. Perhaps you and your ex can repeat what has worked best and avoid what has not worked too well over the past two or three years. Why…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za DESPITE being clearly told by Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Piet Koen that his application to have senior State advocate Billy Downer SC removed as the lead prosecutor in his corruption trial was wrongly pursued, former president Jacob Zuma yesterday instructed his lawyers to appeal the judgment. The former head of state was yesterday handed another legal setback when Judge Koen turned down his application against Downer, saying, among other things, it was not for an accused person to determine the impartiality of a prosecutor. The legal fight over Downer’s status to lead the prosecution started in July shortly after Zuma pleaded not guilty to 18 counts of corruption, money laundering and racketeering. Zuma wanted Downer to be removed as a prosecutor, saying he had compromised himself. Zuma…

FIVE alleged copper thieves are due to appear in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court today for the possession of cables with a street value of R600 000. On Monday, Hawks members from Durban Serious Organised Crime Investigation team, working with the Durban Metro Police, arrested five suspects aged between 22 and 39 for the possession of property suspected to be stolen. Hawks spokesperson Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo said information was received about suspects who were allegedly stripping copper cables at Moseley Park in Pinetown. Officers searched the premises and found rolls and bags of copper cables with a street value of about R600 000. Mhlongo said the copper cables were positively identified as being the property of eThekwini Municipality. The five suspects were arrested and charged with the possession of property suspected…

THE conflicting statements by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Hawks in the case involving under-fire Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane do not inspire public confidence, especially in a country like South Africa where law enforcement agencies have historically been accused of being involved in political battles. Mabuyane has been embroiled in alleged malfeasance over funds meant for Struggle icon Winnie Madikizela Mandela’s memorial service. Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s report alleges that he used nearly R500 000 of the R1.1m to renovate his private home, an allegation Mabuyane denied, and he cried foul about the timing of the release of the report. Mabuyane fears that if charged he would be forced to step aside, dashing his hopes for re-election in the upcoming provincial conference in December. The Hawks confirmed…