Inhaltsverzeichnis für 2023-03-07 in Mercury

AFRICAN Rainbow Mineral (ARM)'s shares took a knock yesterday despite a 40% increase in its interim headline earnings as it was boosted by thermal coal prices. The shares dropped by 1.84% to close at R258 on the JSE yesterday. In its interim results for the six months ended December 31, 2022, the group reported that headline earnings per share was R26.38 in the reported period from R18.87 per share the prior year. It declared an interim dividend of R14 per share, an increase from R12 a year earlier. Anchor Capital investment analyst Seleho Tsatsi said while ARM reported strong earnings growth,unfortunately, there was unit cost pressure. “That is a theme that we’re seeing across the mining sector. There was generally double digit unit cost pressure across ARM’s businesses. “If we…

Police are searching for the driver of an articulated truck who allegedly abandoned his vehicle after slamming into at least 46 vehicles on the M41 near uMhlanga yesterday. At least 16 people were injured, including a pregnant woman who had to be airlifted from the scene, as paramedics and police rushed to assist with what was described as carnage. Durban metro police spokesperson Boysie Zungu, who was at the accident scene, said it was alleged that the truck driver ploughed into car after car before his vehicle flipped over. “The driver of the side-tipper truck fled the scene and no one knows his whereabouts, but the search and the investigation are ongoing. “We have established that 16 people were injured and one was airlifted to the hospital because she was…

EThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda’s message of welcome to delegates at last week’s Transformation Summit (The Mercury, March 1) is both ironic and disingenuous, particularly with regard to the slogan he boasts: “By 2030 eThekwini will be Africa’s most caring and liveable city.” Before 2012, the date on that slogan was 2020. But then the ANC mandarins realised achieving their objective by 2020 was unrealistic, so they moved the goalpost to 2030. With seven years to go, they really need to scrap the slogan altogether because conditions in eThekwini are worse now than in 2012 and indeed appear irreversible. For the mayor to describe Durban as a “beautiful city” simply does not accord with reality. Crumbling infrastructure, filthy pavements, gutters featuring plant growth, clogged stormwater drains, street lights that don’t function…

THE State Security Agency (SSA), which is supposed to provide the government with intelligence on domestic and foreign threats or potential threats, is prone to breaches of security at its headquarters in Pretoria. This emerged when Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele was responding to written parliamentary questions from DA MP Dirk Jan Stubbe. Stubbe asked Gungubele whether the security breach, where two feeder electric cables had been cut and stolen from the perimeter fence of the SSA headquarters at Musanda in January, had been reported to the joint standing committee on intelligence (JSCI). He also enquired whether he had received a full report of the security breach and asked if he was briefed on it. In his written response, Gungubele said the security breach was not reported to the…

A RED Ferrari California, which was almost split in half and damaged beyond repair when it hit a lamp-post, was the subject of a legal wrangle between the insurer of the car and the owner, after the insurer refused to pay out. It accused the driver of the Ferrari of speeding along William Nicol Road in Joburg during rainy conditions. Owner of the Italian vehicle, Sashin Govender, turned to the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to force Guardrisk Insurance Company to honour its contract with him. Judge Anthony Millar ruled in favour of Govender and ordered the insurer to pay him R1 827 500 plus interest and legal costs. The court was told that on the night of February 22, 2019, Govender lost control of the vehicle and it…

The active involvement of parents or guardians in their children’s education is one of the most effective ways to eliminate the ill-discipline of pupils in our schools. There is no doubt teachers are battling to deal with the bad behaviour of pupils, due to reported cases of violence in schools in which the lives of teachers and fellow pupils have been threatened. The dramatic rise in indisciplined acts by pupils has raised concerns about the safety of the school population. Several incidents of violence perpetrated by pupils have been reported in the media in recent months, including instances in KwaZulu-Natal where pupils torched a school because they were denied certain privileges. According to the SA Journal of Educ-ation, ill-discipline is a serious problem in schools. In some cases, pupils are…

The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary force has warned that Russia’s position around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was in peril unless his troops got ammunition, the latest sign of tension between the Kremlin and the private militia chief. Ukrainian military officials and analysts also reported leaders of Russia’s 155th Brigade fighting near the town of Vuhledar, south of Bakhmut, were resisting orders to attack after sustaining severe losses in attempts to capture it. For its part, the Russian Defence Ministry on Sunday said Russian forces had hit a command centre of the Ukrainian Azov Regiment in south-eastern Zaporizhzhia region. The ministry did not elaborate. Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield accounts. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said Russia’s front lines near Bakhmut could collapse if his forces did…

At least 15 people were killed and dozens feared missing after torrential rains and landslides battered one of Indonesia’s outermost islands bordering the South China Sea, disaster officials said yesterday. Pictures provided by the national disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) showed mud and debris from the landslides had inundated houses near a cliff on the remote Serasan island. Bits of metal torn off roofs and fallen trees were visible. The remoteness of the village where the landslide struck in the Natuna region of Riau province, combined with poor weather and downed communication lines, complicated rescue efforts, according to officials. “We’ve been updated that 50 people were missing, 15 dead people were evacuated,” Natuna Search and Rescue Agency’s head Abdul Rahman told AFP, revising an earlier toll. Riau Islands Disaster Mitigation Agency’s…

ATHENS: Greek rail workers went on strike for a sixth day yesterday to protest over safety conditions following the train crash last week that killed 57 people. The busy rail route that connects the capital Athens with the northern city of Thessaloniki has been suspended pending investigation into the February 28 disaster, when two services on the same track were involved in a head-on collision. A rolling strike by rail workers since the crash has brought passenger and freight rail services to a standstill across the rest of Greece. Railway workers’ unions and drivers have extended their strike until tomorrow, saying safety systems have been deficient for years. | Reuters…

ALEPPO: The Syrian government and Türkiye-backed rebels have blocked more than 100 trucks carrying humanitarian aid from entering two zones in Aleppo province hit by last month’s deadly earthquake, Amnesty International said yesterday. The aid – food, medical supplies, tents and fuel – was sent by Kurdish authorities, the rights group said. It said the Syrian government had prevented 100 trucks from entering Kurdish-majority areas of Aleppo city. To the north, rebels blocked 30 trucks from entering Afrin. So far, most aid to opposition-held areas of Syria has come via border crossings with Türkiye. Aid into government-controlled zones has come in by plane, truck and sea. | Reuters…

AS SOUTH Africans – especially small business owners – grapple with daily load shedding, online retailer Takealot said yesterday it has seen a record volume of search queries and orders for alternative energy solutions. Since the start of 2023, every day of the year has seen power disruptions, causing frustration for consumers and operational pressures on most businesses. “Our data tells an insightful story about how South Africans are becoming intentional in how they adjust to load shedding,” said Fredrik Zietsman, CEO of takealot.com in a statement. “On our platform, we’ve seen a surge in sales of load shedding mitigation products, such as generators, inverters and uninterrupted power supply units. “In fact, ‘UPS’ was the third most-searched term on the Takealot platform in 2022,” he said. Takealot had prioritised sourcing…

Like an egret on a buffalo’s back, the Phala Phala scandal refuses to go away as the SA Revenue Service (Sars) claims to have no record of the supposed transaction’s dollars. The DA successfully filed a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application with Sars to find out whether US dollars stuffed under a couch on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm were declared at Sars customs as they entered the country. Ramaphosa’s account is that his farm sold 20 buffalo for $580 000 (about R10.5 million) to Sudanese businessman Hazim Mustafa, who later claimed in a TV interview that the dollars were declared at OR Tambo International Airport. A fallout from the 2020 burglary on the farm led to Parliament appointing a three-member panel, which found that Ramaphosa…

The Proteas should not get carried away with their 80-runs victory against one of the poorest Test-playing nations in the West Indies. The win was due solely to Aiden Markram’s superb innings, first and second, and some brilliant bowling by Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje’s six and five wickets. The batting was woeful and if this is the sort of team the new head coach is going to produce, we will have no chance against the likes of Australia, England and India. Once again, Temba Bavuma failed, he was out second ball for a duck and followed that with a first ball duck. How long can he be selected on the strength of one good innings? Markram, should have been the obvious choice for captain. Keegan Petersen was poor again…

If the report which appeared on an online news site is correct, the Sanral board, which has no professional engineers in its make-up, has just committed a fundamental engineering and financial management error. Last year the board against rational engineering reasoning chastised its professional engineers, regarding its procedure for adjudicating engineering tenders. The tender adjudication process then in use had stood the test of time over many decades and was in line with world practice and sound engineering approaches. Despite protestations from most of the engineering profession, the board in its wisdom allocated the task of adjudicating contracts to the Devel opment Bank of SA. This “chicken” has now laid its first egg. Apparently the DBSA recommended to the board that the contract for the new Mtentu bridge to be…

THE Steve Biko Academic Hospital and University of Pretoria’s Bariatric Surgery Department continues to grow in leaps and bounds, after adding another accolade to its belt after receiving its second international award. The hospital received the international award recently from Proventi, a highly respected organisation that accredits bariatric units around the world, for a medical procedure that involves the alteration of the digestive system to help with weight loss. Proventi awarded the hospital following a visit in its bid to ensure that people and hospitals they accredited maintained the high standards required in bariatric surgery. The award also comes against the backdrop of World Obesity Day commemorated this past Saturday, and with alarmingly concerning rates of obesity in the country, which research showed affected more than half of all adults…

THE fraud and corruption trial involving former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede, former eThekwini city manager Sipho Nzuza and their co-accused finally got under way in the Durban High Court yesterday, with State advocate Hazel Siramen detailing a raft of charges against them. The charges include racketeering, fraud, corruption and money laundering. Siramen told the court that the State was ready to demonstrate that Gumede was at the top of a criminal enterprise, closely linked to the radical economic transformation (RET) faction of the ANC. She said the State would demonstrate how millions of rand were channelled through a Durban Solid Waste (DSW) contract to companies with close links to Gumede. In her presentation, Siramen told the court the State was ready to proceed with the case and would present a…

DIASPORA bonds have been successfully tapped by many developing countries. These are long-term financing instruments issued to attract investments from expatriates. Such financing instruments have been used to raise funds for building dams, education, and even war. Israel, for instance, has used them to raise as much as $32 billion since 1951. India has raised over $11.3bn – mostly for infrastructural projects. Diaspora bonds have helped both avert a balance of payments crisis. In 1998, expatriate funds helped India buffer the impact of international sanctions imposed after it ran a series of surprise nuclear tests. Now Ukraine is mulling the issue of bonds to its large diaspora to fund its war efforts. So why should African governments consider issuing diaspora bonds? For one thing, it is a low-cost instrument…

South Korea has announced plans to compensate victims of Japan’s forced wartime labour, aiming to end a “vicious cycle” in the Asian powers’ relations and boost ties to counter the nuclear-armed North. Japan and the US welcomed the announcement, but victims’ groups said it fell far short of their demand for a full apology from Tokyo and direct compensation from the Japanese companies involved. Seoul and Tokyo have ramped up security co-operation amid growing threats from Kim Jong-Un’s North Korea, which is expanding its nuclear weapons programme in defiance of UN sanctions. But Seoul-Tokyo ties have long been strained over Tokyo’s brutal 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean peninsula, when around 780 000 Koreans were conscripted into forced labour by Japan, Seoul data shows. This does not include Korean women…

Islamabad: Pakistan TV stations have been banned from broadcasting speeches by former prime minister Imran Khan, the latest hurdle facing the politician as he campaigns for early elections. Khan was routed from office in a no-confidence motion last year and has been pressuring the fragile coalition which replaced him with daily speeches, regular rallies and allegations of corruption. The 70-year-old former cricketing superstar has been tangled in a slew of elaborate legal cases. He is accused of failing to declare gifts received during his time in office or the profit made from selling them. | AFP…

Tehran: Iran’s Supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, yesterday said those behind the poisoning of schoolgirls in recent months should face “severe punishment”. In total, several hundred cases of gas poisoning have been reported in more than 52 schools across Iran since the end of November, according to an official count. Female pupils have reported suffering symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea and vertigo after detecting “unpleasant” or “unknown” odours, sparking calls for authorities to act. Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said that individuals arrested for poisoning the schoolgirls would be put on trial. | AFP…

MEXICO CITY: Four Americans were shot at by gunmen and then kidnapped in Mexico after crossing the border, the US Embassy in Mexico said. The four unidentified Americans were in a white minivan with North Carolina licence plates when they entered Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on Friday, the embassy said, seeking the public’s help in identifying the alleged kidnappers. The armed men allegedly fired on the passengers shortly after their vehicle crossed into Mexico and then herded them into another vehicle before fleeing. The FBI is offering a $50 000 (R911 520) reward for the return of the victims and the arrest of those involved. | Reuters…

In a major boost for the Sharks, former All Black assistant coach John Plumtree is set for a dramatic return to the Shark Tank as the new head coach for the next United Rugby Championship (URC) season and beyond. In effect, Plumtree will be taking over from Sean Everitt, who parted ways from the Sharks in November last year. That prompted Director of Rugby Neil Powell to step in as acting coach but at the end of this season, he is to step back from coaching and start performing his role of director in earnest. Plumtree, of course, is a proud Sharks old boy. He played 80 games for Natal between 1988 and 1994 and was in the side that famously won the Currie Cup for the first time, in…

JSE All Share Index gains for second straight session, lifted by industrials SOUTH African markets started the week in divergence as the rand remained subdued while stocks were in the green, but investors were unmoved by the prospect that the appointment of an electricity minister would solve the protracted energy crisis. President Cyril Ramaphosa last night named a new deputy president after the Presidency announced David Mabuza’s resignation, and announced the new position of electricity minister. The rand fell 0.6% to R18.23 against the dollar yesterday, after stabilising over the past week when it was supported by a resurgence in global risk appetites. The rand has been struggling to gain momentum, falling 5.2% month-on-month in February against the dollar, bringing its year-to-date decline to 7.2% against the greenback. The domestic…

HULAMIN saw its shares surge on the JSE yesterday by more than 6% after announcing its normalised annual headline earnings per share and revenue had increased and that 2023 “commenced with solid customer demand”. The shares had increased by 9.43%, to reach R2.90 by the JSE close yesterday, despite the Pietermaritzburg-based aluminium product manufacturer not declaring a dividend. In its results for the year ended December 31, 2022, normalised headline earnings per share increased by 28% to 105 cents per share. Revenue increased to R15.93 billion despite sales volumes declining 4.6% to 211 328 tons. The group said that the principal difference between headline earnings per share and normalised headline earnings per share was the metal price lag, which is the profit or loss arising from the timing…

It’s Partygate time again in Old Blighty, the script now getting some energetic new twists. Has British politics ever been more entertaining? “Partygate”, of course, is code for political scandal that could end a participant’s career. It derives from the “Watergate” scandal in the US which caused the downfall of President Richard Nixon. Partygate refers to a series of booze parties at No 10 Downing Street during the Covid emergency, in defiance of strict rules against such gatherings, imposed by, er, No 10 Downing Street. At issue now is not whether such parties were actually held, or whether they were indeed illegal – the London Metropolitan Police have already fined a range of individuals, including prime minister at the time Boris Johnson. The issue now is whether Bojo misled parliament…

No citizen is under any obligation or compulsion to adhere to the call by the EFF for a national shutdown on March 20 if they do not wish to. The Bill of Rights, as enshrined in Chapter 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, confers rights to all citizens of the country without prejudice or favour and is the cornerstone of our democracy. These are inalienable rights that cannot be subverted or undermined by agendas of political parties or abused or enforced by such entities in whatever form to achieve a political end. Considering the above, a call for a national shutdown by anyone must not infringe on or violate the rights of other citizens should they not wish to participate in such action, but it also…

Could you believe it, Man United torn apart like a rag by Liverpool? Humbled, humiliated, dejected and disgraced, Man United left Anfield with their heads down when they suffered their biggest loss in almost a century at the hands of their arch-rivals, Liverpool. It was way back in 1931 when Wolves thrashed them 7-0. A resurgent Man United, having just won their first trophy since 2017, went to Anfield riding on the crest of a wave. Everyone expected a tightly fought, thrilling contest between the two arch-rivals. But it was a one-sided affair as Liverpool soon showed their dominance and blew United away. Four-nil was bad enough for United but 7-0 was a disgrace. Marcus Rashford, who has been in scintillating form recently, was nowhere to be seen on the…

SOME of the country’s prosecutors are committing a miscarriage of justice by not ensuring that justice is being done – they are corrupt or incompetent. This is the perception of some of the magistrates who took part in a survey, “Magistrates’ Perceptions of Prosecutors”, which showed that 81% of magistrates indicated that prosecutors requested postponements too easily, and there was a correlation between this perception and the perception of incompetence and corruption. The 2022 survey by NGO Magistrates Matter, in conjunction with UCT’s Democratic Governance and Rights Unit, had 230 responses and is said to be informed by magistrates’ direct experiences. The study found: “A majority of magistrates appear to be doubtful of the competence of prosecutors and a significant minority the independence of prosecutors. “A minority of magistrates…

A routine briefing to the provincial legislature’s standing committee on the premier and constitutional matters by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) became the stage for a dispute over whether MPs should be allowed to “gatecrash” and ask questions alongside committee members. Trouble began when committee member and leader of the opposition in the Western Cape Cameron Dugmore (ANC) raised a point of order about the appropriateness of DA parliamentary Home Affairs spokesperson Angel Khanyile being treated as a member of the committee instead of as a guest and ordinary member of the public. Dugmore said Khanyile’s participation in the committee, where chairperson Christopher Fry allowed her to ask the DHA officials a series of questions, was unprecedented and asked him to make a ruling. Committee member Deidré Baartman (DA)…

FORMER eThekwini deputy mayor and Abantu Batho Congress (ABC) leader Philani Mavundla has condemned the actions of social movement group uMsinsi WokuZimilela, who staged a march to his home this past weekend, saying it had left his family traumatised. ABC secretary-general Phumelele Phahla said the group staged a protest at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidential guest house in Durban, and later proceeded to “storm the private residence of the ABC president, Mr PG Mavundla”. Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya did not respond to requests for comment on whether there had been a march to the presidential guest house. Last month, the group marched to KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube’s private home, in a move that prompted an angry response from the ANC in KZN and Ramaphosa. “Not only do we find this conduct…

China’s core stance is to promote peace through direct dialogue It has been one year since the full-scale escalation of the crisis in Ukraine, with the conflict showing a trend towards protracted and expanding severity. Countless people have suffered greatly, and the spillover effects have been increasingly pronounced, making the situation deeply concerning. Over the past year, China has maintained an objective and impartial stance, actively promoting peace talks and negotiations. President Xi Jinping has put forward four principles, called for joint efforts in four areas and shared three observations on Ukraine, which have pointed the way towards easing tensions and resolving the crisis. Recently, China released a document titled “China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis”, which elaborates on China’s propositions, incorporates the legitimate concerns of…

Four jihadists have escaped from prison in Mauritania after a shoot-out left two guards dead, the interior ministry said yesterday, a rare event in a nation spared the insurgency sweeping through the Sahel. “The National Guard has tightened its control over the prison and immediately started tracking down the fugitives,” the ministry said in a statement to the official news agency. Two other guards were lightly wounded, it said. The identities of the escaped prisoners were not revealed. According to a military official, two of the prisoners had been sentenced to death, while the others were awaiting trial for membership of a terrorist organisation. The official, asking not to be named, said their vehicle had been found north-east of the capital Nouakchott, site of the central prison. The death…

London: Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson has put his father Stanley forward for a knighthood, according to a report yesterday slammed by the Labour opposition as “outrageous”. The Times reported that the former Conservative leader, who left office last September, had nominated Stanley as part of his resignation honours list. The list reportedly includes the nominations of several allies for membership of the House of Lords, where Johnson appointed his younger brother Jo in 2020. “The idea that Boris Johnson is nominating his dad for a knighthood – you only need to say it to realise just how ridiculous it is,” Labour leader Keir Starmer said, querying what Stanley Johnson had done to deserve a knighthood. Stanley Johnson would be a controversial pick also because of accusations of sexual…

ABUJA: Nigerian presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar yesterday led hundreds of supporters in a peaceful protest over the electoral commission’s handling of last month’s disputed vote which the commission says was won by ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu. Atiku and senior members of the opposition People’s Democratic Party led supporters during a march to the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) in Abuja, where they handed in a petition. Inec’s results showed that Tinubu won the February 25 election with 37% of the vote against Atiku’s 29%, while the Labour Party’s Peter Obi polled 25%. | Reuters…

Fielding at short-leg Tony de Zorzi has the best seat in the house. Being so close to the heat of battle, he can almost feel the sense of fear setting into the opposition batters when Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje are charging in. De Zorzi, and the Proteas, won’t have that pleasure this week at the Wanderers with Nortje being ruled out of the second Test against the West Indies with a “mild groin discomfort”. However, the Centurion debutant will certainly not forget the adrenaline rush that burst through his veins after his first Test cricket experience. “It was exciting, obviously it was much better because we ended up winning,” the stylish Western Province top-order batter said. “I was telling friends afterwards, to be that close to see KG take…

Aston Martin are just getting started on a big adventure and for double world champion Fernando Alonso, back on the Formula One podium at 41 years of age and in his 20th season, it seems too good to be true. The evergreen Spaniard was even talking about future wins after finishing third in Sunday's Bahrain season-opener behind the Red Bull pairing of Max Verstappen, also a double champion, and Sergio Perez. Aston Martin, seventh in the championship last year, were suddenly second in the standings and beating both Ferrari and Mercedes. "When you are P3 in race one, there are 22 (more) opportunities this season," Alonso said of a possible 33rd career victory. "You know, anything can happen in 22 races with different conditions. And, you know I will try…