Inhaltsverzeichnis für 2022-03-09 in Mercury

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za INTERNATIONAL oil and commodity prices continued rising yesterday as Western countries mulled stricter bans of Russian oil and gas imports over its invasion of Ukraine. The UK yesterday announced plans to phase out Russian oil imports in the coming months while the EU would reduce Russian gas imports by almost 80 percent this year. The US is also hinting at the possibility of banning imports of Russian oil, with Moscow threatening to retaliate by suspending gas exports to Europe. Brent oil prices touched $130 (R2000) per barrel as concerns grew over the disruption of Russian oil exports. Total Energies was the first big oil company to announce its traders will no longer buy Russian crude and most buyers are already shunning its supplies. Shell yesterday followed suit,…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za THE ANC faction of Zandile Gumede in the eThekwini region at some point allegedly approached eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda to run on its ticket and take over the position of regional chairperson. The approach allegedly happened early this year, in anticipation that the region would convene its elective conference later this month. Kaunda allegedly turned them down because of his bigger political ambitions. The eThekwini region, one of the biggest regions of the ANC in the country, has a membership of about 120 000 and its influence has seen party leaders lobbying it ahead of the national elective conference in December. Two factions are vying for power. The first one, led by Gumede, is openly sympathetic to former president Jacob Zuma. The other faction is led by…

LINDOKUHLE XULU | Youth Activist Dear leaders and organisers of operation Dudula: I write this letter to you as a concerned citizen and a youth activist in this country, regarding your operations of trying to enforce the law as it relates to immigrants in our country. I believe we can all agree that this is a sensitive issue in South Africa for various reasons. It is common knowledge, which nobody can deny, that there is a high influx of immigrants into our country, from the world over as well as various African countries. We do have a problem of illegal immigration, which is indeed a legitimate concern that we can all agree should be dealt with by the government. While the above is true, it is however not correct and…

DUNCAN DU BOIS | Bluff In the wake of the abandonment of Covid-19 restrictions overseas, admissions that they were unnecessary and that the death data was exaggerated, the silence of the narrative adherents is deafening. The headline in London’s Daily Mail on March 1 posed the question Covid-19 critics have been asking for nearly two years: “So what was the point of masks?” The paper referred to a recent study that proved what the signatories of the Great Barrington Declaration (GBD) stated 18 months ago, and a meta-analysis at Johns Hopkins University and 400 studies at the US Brownstone Institute endorsed: there is no science in wearing masks as they do not inhibit viral transmission. The absence of masks at Biden’s State of the Union Address exposes…

Harvest Thwala harvest.thwala@inl.co.za The principal of Grosvenor Girls’ High School on the Bluff has been placed on precautionary suspension pending investigations into allegations of racism and financial irregularities. The Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal said in a statement that the precautionary suspension came after it had received advice from an independent panel which was appointed to investigate allegations against the school. Two weeks ago, pupils held a protest at the school to complain about racism. Some pupils claimed that there is unfair treatment of black and coloured girls. Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu visited the school last week and spoke with teachers, pupils and the management of the school. During his visit, Mshengu had noted that it was not the first time that the department has had to intervene after allegations…

Police in Gauteng and Mpumalanga have made significant inroads in copper theft cases. On Monday, two Cameroonian nationals appeared in court after they were arrested by Joburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) undercover officers for possession of stolen copper in Bramley, north of Johannesburg. JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla said the two men were nabbed on Saturday for possession of the stolen copper with an estimated value of R3 million. “When questioned, the two failed to give a valid explanation on how they acquired the copper and were immediately arrested. Upon arrest, the suspects attempted to bribe officers with R10 000 cash,” Fihla said. They face multiple charges including damage to infrastructure, possession of stolen copper, and bribery. Fihla said it was discovered that the copper belonged to Transnet and the…

| Nomonde Zondi Civil society organisations are uniting to challenge government’s plan to disconnect the analogue TV signal of over 14 million people on March 31. More than 100 organisations are expected to attend the People’s Assembly to #SaveFreeTV tomorrow which will be held at 10am in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. Organiser Mark Weinberg said the assembly would start a campaign to demand government delay the analogue switch-off and keep their commitments to support the move to digital TV. Sthe Khuluse, of the Right2Know Campaign, said if they did not act now, millions, including the most marginalised, would lose access to vital news, information and education. “Free TV is critical to enabling our rights to free expression and access to information,” said Khuluse. Rehad Desai of the SOS Coalition…

DA must do the right thing for the City and all concerned Albert Fritz, the former MEC of Community Safety, became the third consecutive DA provincial leader to be removed unceremoniously from office. It seems as if all DA provincial leaders who fall out of favour with Jean-Pierre Smith and the influential white boys’ club will bite the dust one way or the other. The removal of all three former leaders followed the same modus operandi, and all three had Jean-Pierre Smith’s hand in them. In January, JP Smith, mayoral committee member for Safety and Security in the City of Cape Town, was quoted in the media as confirming he had prior knowledge of the allegations of sexual misconduct against Albert Fritz, and that he had advised one of the…

Paris: Russia is directly targeting Ukraine’s nuclear facilities in a strategy to undermine Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion but the tactic carries grave risks, observers say. After advancing Russian forces seized Ukraine’s defunct nuclear plant at Chernobyl and the still-operational reactors at Zaporizhzhia, their sights could be on a third facility, Konstantinovka, in the south. French President Emmanuel Macron said a key priority of the West was to avoid “catastrophes” with Ukraine’s nuclear power plants in the Russian invasion. With 15 operational reactors, Ukraine is the seventh-largest producer of nuclear electricity in the world, according to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) figures for 2020. The country, which relies on nuclear energy for more than half of its power supply, has made significant improvements in safety over the years, experts…

Flood warnings stretched across Australia’s east coast yesterday and tens of thousands of Sydney residents fled their homes as torrential rains again pummelled the country’s largest city, flooding several big suburbs. Australia’s eastern rivers were already near capacity after record downpours in parts of Queensland and New South Wales over recent weeks, cutting off towns, and sweeping away farms, livestock and roads. A 67-year-old woman and her 34-year-old son were found dead near an abandoned car in a stormwater canal in western Sydney, authorities said, while Queensland police confirmed the death of a man missing in floods since February 27, taking the death tally to 20 since the deluge began. Most people were found dead in flooded homes or in cars attempting to cross flooded roads. Bureau of Meteorology forecaster…

Washington: A mentally-ill inmate from Guantanamo Bay has been repatriated to Saudi Arabia, the US Department of Defense announced. Suspected of being Al Qaeda’s intended 20th hijacker for the September 11, 2001, attacks against the US, Mohammed al-Qahtani was tortured by interrogators at the US military base in Cuba, where he has been detained since his capture in Afghanistan in December 2001. The government dropped its case against him in 2008 due to the abuse he experienced at the prison. In February this year, US authorities recommended he be released and repatriated.…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE business community in Durban has sharply criticised the poor state of cleanliness in the city, calling it “deeply embarrassing” and an impediment to the growth of the tourism industry. Chief executive of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry Palesa Phili said the city’s level of cleanliness was deeply embarrassing, saying it was one of the reasons the city recorded low tourist numbers. The issue came into focus yesterday as the chief financial officer of the eThekwini Municipality, Sandile Mnguni, briefed the business community in an event that involved the chamber, on the city’s annual report. The annual report covered the period that ended June 2021, and looked at the challenges and what had been achieved by the province’s only metro. The report implied that cleanliness,…

Rapula Moatshe rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa’s major banks have failed to demonstrate that there was any irreparable harm to their businesses. Instead, they relied on “ill-conceived reputational risk” as the reason for closing the banking facilities of Sekunjalo Investment Holdings (SIH) and its related entities (Sekunjalo Group). This was the argument put forward by Sekunjalo’s legal representative, advocate Vuyani Ngalwana SC, during the conclusion of the two-day hearing at the Competition Tribunal. SIH and 35 other applicants have brought an urgent application seeking interim relief to have their banking facilities restored and to prevent their other accounts from being closed. The respondents are Access Bank, Nedbank, Investec Bank, Sasfin Bank, Absa Bank, First National Bank, Mercantile Bank and Bidvest. The applicants are seeking interim relief pending the final determination of the…

| Robertson Davies A NASTY surprise could be in store for Russian forces in Ukraine. Should they raid homes in the town of Severodonetsk, in eastern Ukraine, they could meet up with a black panther and a jaguar. Indian doctor Girikumar Patil has the two pets. He has been holed up with them in his basement for more than a week, according to the BBC. Patil, who hails from the Indian state of Andrha Pradesh, bought them from the Kyiv zoo. He has practised in the town for six years. He says he will not leave home without his pets. Since the war began, he has stepped out of his cramped basement only to buy them food at four times the normal price. “My big cats have been spending…

Mmabatho Tembe, MPL | DA KZN Spokesperson on Social Development THE DA recognises the distressing decision by KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of Social Development (DSD) to suspend funding for the Durban Association for the Aged. The acknowledgement comes with great sadness as the people who are most affected are the aged. The DA understands that if an organisation is failing and does not comply despite numerous attempts to resolve disputes, then action must be taken. There can also be no allowances by the DSD when it comes to organisations not utilising funding appropriately, without consequences. This upsetting story speaks directly to the fact that there is no proper oversight of NPOs funded by the department, including how funding is allocated and how it is used. Moving forward, it is clear…

Nicola Daniels The SA Medical Association (Sama) has expressed outrage at the 13% professional fee rate increase recently announced by the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA), saying it was “unfair and not justifiable”. The association said the increase comes at a time when many doctors were still recovering from the financial impact of Covid-19, and trying to rebuild their prac- tices. This after a 15% increment last year, and a 13% increment the year before: effectively a 30% increase over two years. The new fees take effect on April 1. “This is seen as a callous disregard of the effect the protracted pandemic has had on the medical profession,” Sama said, adding that these increases demonstrate an unwillingness by the HPCSA to assist doctors – many of whom remain…

Jonisayi Maromo jonisayi.maromo@inl.co.za The Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) says it has an operational evacuation plan for South Africans stuck in Ukraine. Dirco was responding after South Africans who arrived in the country on Monday said they had felt abandoned. Some of the South Africans arriving from Ukraine have complained that they were not provided with monetary assistance and neither did they receive tickets to return home or chartered planes, as other nations did. In response, Lunga Ngqengelele, spokesperson for the Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, Dr Naledi Pandor said the department was trying to get people into neighbouring countries. “From there, they are coming to South Africa using the usual means of transport. That, in the main, is what we are doing.” He added that one…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za AS THE globe marked International Women’s Day yesterday, labour unions expressed their disappointment that South Africa’s gender pay gap still persists. International Women’s Day is commemorated annually to honour the achievement of women and to continue to empower them. United Association of SA (UASA) said the gender pay gap persisted in South Africa and elsewhere and it was disappointing. “South Africa has countless female-headed households with women working hard to make ends meet and ensure a better life for their children. The gender pay gap stands in the way of many who struggle to realise their dreams for their offspring. The gender pay gap represents a real stumbling block in the way of a more successful country,” said UASA spokesperson Abigail Moyo. According to UASA, South Africa…

Kamogelo Moichela and Ntombi Nkosi Schools, businesses and informal traders in Gauteng’s Alexandra township face huge challenges following a stand-off between members of the “Dudula Movement” and foreign national business owners. Community members and some shop owners (citizens and foreign nationals) yesterday said they were afraid to walk on the streets or even open their businesses because they fear losing their goods, money and even their lives. Bangladeshi national and shop owner Rumon Miah said he was losing business because of Operation Dudula. He urged the government to bring in the army to deal with the situation. “The government should deal with this matter because it is going to be a big thing going forward,” he said. South African informal trader and Alexandra resident Ntshieng Letsoalo said she could not…

What is meant by high-quality development? Why is it relevant, for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and South Africa, as the world transitions to a post-Covid-19 new normal? In 2017, at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, President Xi Jinping, noted that the PRC was moving from a period of unprecedented fast economic growth to a stage of high-quality development. The shift from quantity to quality production has become evident in China’s ascendance in scientific advancements and high-end technological industries. High-quality development has seen the PRC claim its world status with the landings on Mars and the moon. Its technological rise is witnessing China leading in 5G wireless network and the development of electrical vehicles. In strategic policy terms, for President Xi, high-quality development speaks…

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered a crackdown on motorcycle taxis after a group of riders attacked a female motorist in an incident that has shocked the nation. The young woman was assaulted by the taxi riders – commonly known as boda-boda – apparently after a traffic accident last week in the capital Nairobi, according to police. A viral video of the daytime incident showed the men grabbing at the woman’s clothing as she screamed from inside her car. “I have instructed the law enforcement officers to use the instruments within the law to punish these perpetrators,” Kenyatta said at an event to mark International Women’s Day. “There should never be a repeat of what we saw for this is a blight on the entire Kenyan society.” He ordered that all…

Caracas: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced the resumption of talks with the opposition, which were halted five months ago after the extradition of a presidential ally. In October, Maduro suspended the negotiations for the extradition to the US by Cape Verde of Alex Saab – a Colombian national accused of money launderering. The government had made Saab’s release a condition to resume negotiations. The US is one of almost 60 countries to have recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s acting president, having rejected Maduro’s 2018 re-election in a poll widely viewed as fraudulent.…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za MOTORISTS will need to brace themselves for sharp fuel price increases in the coming months owing to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, according to the Fuel Retailers Association and economists. Reggie Sibiya, CEO of the Fuel Retailers Association, said the country should prepare for a prolonged period of expensive energy, especially in countries that are net importers like South Africa. “The current South African estimates (for April) are showing petrol close to a R2 per litre increase and close to a R3 per litre increase on diesel, which is already a fully deregulated product and is more expensive than the regulated petrol price.” He said if there was no resolution to the conflict in Ukraine, South African motorists could even face an increase of about R5…

Covid-19 can cause the brain to shrink, reduce grey matter in the regions that control emotion and memory, and damage areas that control the sense of smell, an Oxford University study has found. The scientists said that the effects were even seen in people who had not been hospitalised with Covid-19, and whether the impact could be partially reversed or if they would persist in the long term needed further investigation. “There is strong evidence for brain-related abnormalities in Covid-19,” the researchers said in their study, which was released on Monday. Even in mild cases, participants in the research showed “a worsening of executive function” responsible for focus and organising, and on an average brain sizes shrank between 0.2% and 2%. The peer-reviewed study, published in the Nature journal, investigated…

WHILE there are more than three, here are the individual and organisational mindsets I have come across lately. There are people and organisations (schools, churches, businesses) who have: A visionary mindset – the possibilities of life and creativity are endless. They can hardly wait to get started or continue building and participating in doing wonderful, challenging and adventurous things. They say “yes” more than “no”. They seek to solve problems rather than search for them, or create them, before they start. A victim mindset – possibilities are very limited because people perceive they are downtrodden by the choices of others and large opponents like “the education system” and “the government”. Every hurdle faced proves success is impossible. This is a platform of “let’s just say no” to almost everything before…

Back in 2020 when South Africa went into a strict Covid-19 lockdown, a local company pressed on with opening a hotel with a difference in a tourism hotspot – and two years later that gamble is paying off. The hotel is a nearly 100-year-old train that sits on the Selati suspension bridge, which spans a river in the heart of the Kruger National Park. Lovingly restored, it offers 24 full-carriage rooms against a spectacular natural backdrop, a wildlife viewing deck and even a swimming pool jutting out beyond the tracks. “I thought we were taking a very big risk. I never thought we are going operate and have guests coming in during that time,” said cabin manager Justice Muchinya. But the Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge proved an…

| Mercury Correspondent Google announced yesterday that its philanthropic arm is committing R15.3 million to support programmes as part of a series of new initiatives aimed at women-owned businesses. “Research shows that 58% of small and medium-sized business entrepreneurs in Africa are women,” says Mojolaoluwa Aderemi Makinde, head brand and reputation, Africa – Google. “Despite this, women-run businesses show, on average, 34% lower profits than those run by their male counterparts. They are also less likely to receive funding and investment. This is why we are announcing a series of initiatives today.” Google has also announced #LookMeUp, a campaign to showcase women entrepreneurs and tell their stories. These stories feature women such as South African Mosa Mkhize, who launched Origins Publishers to provide children with books in their home…

| Jolene Marriah-Maharaj A 32-year-old man made his first appearance in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court yesterday, charged with the alleged kidnapping of a Durban businessman. The businessman was kidnapped from his business premises in Reservoir Hills on March 4 and the suspects took cash from the premises. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal, Natasha Kara, said the accused, Hagge Yasse, faced charges of kidnapping, attempted extortion, robbery with aggravating circumstances and contravention of the Immigration Act. “He is alleged to have robbed and kidnapped a Durban businessman, and held him captive while he demanded R1 million from the man’s family,” said Kara. The accused, the NPA said, was remanded into police custody and the matter was adjourned until March 15 for bail investigations. In a statement on Sunday,…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za Jomo Sibiya, the MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works, has said the proposed government precinct in Pietermaritzburg will strengthen service delivery and ensure better co-ordination of government work. He was responding to the IFP that had raised its concerns about the project. The party said some of the infrastructure required for this precinct already exists in Ulundi and there was no need to waste money. There have been proposals in the past to build a precinct with government offices and other necessary amenities to eliminate the duplication of offices between Durban and Pietermaritzburg and reduce the need to rent space. Sibiya said yesterday that KZN government departments are located in various locations in Pietermaritzburg and Durban. “The proposed provincial government precinct forms part of a resolution…

THE first casualty of war is truth, as US Senator Hiram Johnson once said. When Johnson coined this phrase, he may have been merely referring to distortions or the manipulation of data about the war, including the numbers of soldiers killed, captured, wounded and missing. His phrase, however, encapsulates the ongoing war on journalism and the acts of MultiChoice and others, who shut down Russian 24-hour news channel Russia Today (RT) last week. The decision to remove RT from the DStv platform was taken just days after America and the EU imposed sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine. In a statement, MultiChoice said: “MultiChoice confirms that as of today (March 2) Russia Today (channel 407) shall not be carried on the DStv platform until further notice. Sanctions imposed on Russia…

UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said yesterday that the responsibility for the deaths in Ukraine lies with Western countries, as they refuse to close the airspace over the country and provide planes. Zelenskiy said in a video address that for 13 days, Ukraine had been hearing “only promises” from the West to send planes to provide assistance in the sky. The blame for the deaths of people in Ukraine lies with Russia, and the responsibility for this lies with Western countries as well, he said. Meanwhile, a representative of the Donetsk People’s Republic told Sputnik yesterday that militants had been blocking civilians from escaping battlegrounds of Mariupol and Volnovakha. “Responsibility for this is also on those who have not been able to make a decision for 13 days, somewhere in the…

SEOUL: South Korea’s military seized a North Korean boat that crossed into its waters yesterday and fired a warning shot to see off a North Korean patrol vessel that tried to intervene, Seoul officials said. The vessel was described as a fishing boat, but officials said that had still to be determined. Seven unarmed sailors were aboard the vessel, but six appeared to be wearing uniforms, a South Korean military official said. A North Korean patrol boat that was tracking the seized vessel briefly crossed the Northern Limit Line, the de facto sea boundary, but turned back after the South Korean military broadcast warnings and fired a warning shot.…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za SISANDA Magala’s international future hangs in the balance after he was omitted from the Proteas squad for the one-day international series against Bangladesh after failing a fitness test. It’s not the first time the 31-year-old all-rounder’s fitness has cost him international selection, with convenor of selectors Victor Mpitsang describing the latest omission as a “massive concern”. “This has been an issue that’s been there since before I started. He played two games against India ... He’s been getting exposure to international cricket, but we also need to have him around most of the time,” Mpitsang said yesterday. “It doesn’t help that he’s not passing his fitness tests. We want to start getting an XI that we can start building towards that World Cup next year.” The latest…

Herman Gibbs herman.gibbs@inl.co.za ORLANDO Pirates are ready to pick up the pieces and stake their Nedbank Cup claim in today’s last-16 round clash against ever-improving Marumo Gallants at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane (6pm kick-off). After tasting defeat in the Soweto Derby in the league over the weekend, Pirates have two cup games this week. Apart from today’s Nedbank Cup clash, Pirates have a CAF Confederation Cup date with cross-border rivals, Eswatini’s Royal Leopards, at the Orlando Stadium on Sunday evening. “It is always disappointing when you come off a defeat. On top of that, not the first defeat, but the second defeat this season concerning the Soweto Derby,” said Fadlu Davids, the Pirates co-interim coach. “It was very important to reset the thinking and not wallow too much…