Inhaltsverzeichnis für 2024-01-19 in Mercury

A RIGOROUS class schedule that included studying for long hours and even on weekends, backed by the support of the teachers and parents, has been credited for the superb performance of Sibusisiwe Comprehensive Technical School. The Umbumbulu-based school has significantly increased its number of top performers in the 2023 matric exams. It went from one student getting eight As last year to eight learners scooping eight distinctions each this year. The pupils said the results were earned, as they were in school seven days a week and for close to 14 hours each day, except on weekends. One of the school’s top performers, Amahle Shezi, said she had to leave the comfort of her home and live closer to her school in order to focus on her school work. “I…

I MUST congratulate Kamini Prakash for her well-researched and well-written letter responding to Ebrahim Essa’s skewed views in his letter, “Hypocrisy abounds across the world” (The Mercury, January 9), on the Israeli-Hamas conflict. (“The world should show outrage to all conflicts,” The Mercury, January 16.) I was going to respond to his letter but I see Kamini has done an excellent job. Before anyone gets the wrong impression that this Markandan is a Zionist sympathiser, I want to state categorically that I condemn the atrocities the Jewish nation is committing against the Palestinians in Gaza. Such senseless killing of women and children should melt the hardest hearts. The death toll has now risen to 23 000. What makes this conflict especially abhorrent is that the very race which suffered the…

THE ANC national conference that took place at Nasrec in December 2017 was meant to be a turning point for the party. However, it seems that the conference only served to deepen the divisions within the party. The pinnacle of the conference was the election of Cyril Ramaphosa as the ANC president, which was mired in accusations of vote-buying and corruption. It is no secret that hundreds of millions of rand were invested by established businesses in the CR17 campaign that aimed to secure Ramaphosa’s victory. However, even with all of this funding, Ramaphosa emerged as president by a narrow margin. Delegates at the conference spoke out about money changing hands to secure their votes for Ramaphosa, and this has been an ongoing source of anger among branch leaders…

The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) has offered its support to learners, parents and carers as thousands of learners receive their matric results. The group emphasises that the outcome of matric results might elicit a variety of emotions and they wanted to offer aid, such as coping techniques. Sadag said it would be hosting various online live events on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok this week to help start the conversation. Sadag spokesperson Roshni Parbhoo Seetha told Jacaranda FM that pressure and expectations contribute to the anxiety felt by matriculants. “Sadag said that during its sessions, parents and carers will gain practical strategies to help them manage stress and anxiety, talk to their child about options, help them navigate the various feelings over the next few days, and navigate…

A fledgling political party that hoped to be added to this year’s ballot paper – Arise Afrika Arise – has had its hopes dashed. The Electoral Court sitting in Bloemfontein confirmed that this name was almost similar to that of an existing party, namely Arise South Africa and that it was likely to confuse or deceive the voters. Arise Afrika Arise turned to the court after the Electoral Commission earlier refused to register it as a political party because the applicant’s name resembled that of another registered party. Arise Afrika Arise also asked the chairperson of the Electoral Court, Judge Dumisani Zondi, to overlook the fact that this application was launched outside the time in which it was allowed to be. Ben Suping Mothupi, who describes himself as the founder,…

It was just over an hour long, outlined eight tasks, and comprised more than 3 829 words, but what did Cyril Ramaphosa’s January 8 statement to more than 40 000 ANC supporters at a packed Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga contain? In some ways, quite a lot – but in others, remarkably little. What does the prospect of losing power mean for a political party and former liberation movement that feels it was born to rule “until Jesus comes back to Earth”? That question has been haunting the ANC for almost six years, ever since Ramaphosa’s captaincy of the party and the government started to unravel with the deepening of factions and the failure to implement several of its conference resolutions – since 2017 – the period when a probably decisive…

Tens of thousands of public sector workers in Northern Ireland walked off the job yesterday in what one union boss said could be the biggest strike in the province. The mass strike, dubbed a “co-ordinated day of action”, was predicted to cause havoc to already crumbling public services. The walkouts come with no end in sight to a protracted political crisis that has left the UK province without devolved government for almost two years. Around 16 trade unions representing teachers, civil servants, nurses and transport workers were expected to join picket lines and rallies, according to organisers. Six rallies were due to take place across Belfast with another two in Londonderry, also known as Derry, and one in Enniskillen. Trades union chief Owen Reidy said he expected yesterday to be…

Donald Trump said yesterday that “total” presidential immunity against criminal prosecution should apply even if his actions “cross the line.” Republican Trump is running for a White House comeback in November while fighting 91 criminal charges in four separate cases that include allegedly seeking to overturn his 2020 election loss and hoarding top secret documents at his golf resort. In a social media post, Trump argued that as president, he enjoyed complete immunity from prosecution, and he urged the Supreme Court to rule in his favour. He suggested that US presidents need immunity to be able to make hard decisions. He likened the situation to the police, who must keep working despite the “occasional rogue cop.” A federal appeals court in Washington is currently considering Trump’s claim. |…

PARIS: French police officers protested yesterday to press their claim for extra pay during this year’s Paris Olympics, underlining the threat of strikes and disruption to the Games. Authorities are scrambling to agree to pay deals with a host of public-sector trade unions which are demanding bonuses for working during the July 26-August 11 Olympics. Several police unions have urged officers to show “minimum activity” , with protests called for in front of police stations nationwide. France is banking on its first Olympics in 100 years to showcase its best and is desperate to avoid reinforcing France’s reputation for violent street protests. | AFP…

Guayaquil: The Ecuadoran army and police yesterday launched an operation in a vast jail complex in the port city of Guayaquil, the nerve centre of a drug war between the government and powerful criminal groups. Video released by the army showed hundreds of soldiers pouring into the prison, from which gang boss Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito”, escaped last week. The jailbreak sparked a government crackdown and fierce retaliation from the criminal groups who have made Ecuador a hub for the global export of cocaine. The operation came a day after a prosecutor was gunned down in his car in Guayaquil, the latest in a series of high-profile assassinations in Ecuador. | AFP…

THE summer fishing has been brilliant, with many anglers who target inedibles making trips up north to take advantage of the diamond smashes. The recent rains have made for plenty of colour in the water. Dirty water, north-east wind and warm summer days ... most inedible shore anglers are trembling with excitement at that sentence. The diamonds are here, and the summer fishing has been wild! Top tip: With summer upon us and lots of rays being caught, it’s easy to make a few handling errors while landing or releasing these beasties. With rays and skates, there are a few do’s and don’ts. Much like the sharks, you do not want to pull the rays too far from the water. Ideally, keep them in the wash zone. Keep your fingers…

THE Proteas Women are Down Under for their multi-format cricket tour, which will get under way with a three-match T20I series, followed by a three-match ODI series, before the tour concludes with a one-off Test. The 15-player squad departed in two groups for the white-ball leg of the tour this week. The first group, which included captain Laura Wolvaardt, left on Wednesday, while the second group departed yesterday. One of the key players on the tour of Australia will be all-rounder Nadine de Klerk, who has had a great season thus far. Since the tour of Pakistan that marked the beginning of the season for South Africa, De Klerk has been among the runs and the wickets. When the team was without the experienced all-rounder Chloe Tryon, De Klerk was…

EDUCATION in KwaZulu-Natal continues to improve with the latest Grade 12 results showing that the province registered yet another increase in the pass rate. The 2023 Grade 12 results show that the province registered another impressive rise in the pass rate to an all-time high of 86.4%, an increase of 3.4% from 2022. Last year it recorded one of the biggest jumps, going from 76% the previous year to 83%. Nationally, the 2023 NSC overall pass rate was 82.9%, up from 80.1% in 2022, and 76.4% in 2021. Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga congratulated the matric Class of 2023 yesterday for defying the odds and making the country proud in spite of the many challenges they faced. She noted that for the past 10 years, the NSC pass…

“ISRAEL puts Western imperialism on trial” (The Mercury, January 17) by socio- economic commentator Siyabonga Hadebe is an excellent summary on the main issue of the illegal occupation of Palestine, and also on ramifications that touch on Western supremacy. It’s most laughable – even puerile – that just because some countries, or even a whole people, were once victimised in the past, that these unfortunate incidents, horrific as they must have been, give them a ‘carte blanche’ licence to be immune from future, basic accountability insofar as a clear breach of human rights is concerned. Both the major world wars (1914-1918 and 1939-1945) were initiated under dubious circumstance, many of them not too clear. The world has always, thus far, been viewing almost all history from Western eyes…

IN REPLY to the debate surrounding school uniforms, a letter writer in a local newspaper blames the “colonials” for this custom. True. Fortunately for South Africa, “colonial missionaries” also introduced education to the country. Even Mandela received his education at mission schools. Uniforms are a vital “import” indeed. Remember the uproar when the Springboks played in their “Checkers” jerseys and not the traditional green and gold? Uniforms create a sense of belonging, a sense of pride, unity and community building. So do school uniforms. Studies have shown that uniforms reduce bullying, remove peer pressure, eliminate comparisons between those who are rich and those who are poor, and create a good, neat impression – an aura of discipline and professionalism. It definitely contributes positively to a child’s behaviour at school and…

A Hillcrest High matric pupil from the class of 2023, who achieved eight distinctions in the National Senior Certificate exams, believes it is important to pace yourself to prevent burn-out. Joshua Blom, 18, said that with the support of teachers, friends and family he was able to make it through the final matric exams quite well. “Most of the pressure was put on me by myself. My parents told me to do my best,” he said. He was able to cope by talking to and going out with friends, adding that he also had a very supportive English teacher. Joshua recalled how challenging it was because at first he did not understand the advice that he was getting to pace himself. “I worked very hard and was burnt out by…

It was a proud day in the Kganyago household, as well as for Cornwall Hill College, as the school’s 2023 head girl, Mmabodiba Kganyago, scored a whopping 11 distinctions in her matric exams. It was a stressful wait for the talented Gauteng matriculant, who had hoped that she would get distinctions in all her subjects. Mmabodiba is the daughter of the South African Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago and his wife Zibusiso. Asked how she felt about her daughter’s outstanding achievement, Zibusiso said she was ecstatic. “But I am also conscious that it takes a village to raise a child. Mmabodiba’s achievements are a testament to hard work, dedication and drive.” Mmabodiba was one of the school’s star pupils and the school said it was proud of her. Not…

Almost 50 South African lawyers are preparing a lawsuit against the US and UK governments on the grounds that they are complicit in the Israeli government’s alleged war crimes in Palestine. The initiative, led by South African lawyer Wikus van Rensburg, aims to prosecute those said to be complicit, in civilian courts in collaboration with lawyers from the US and UK. Van Rensburg, who has been writing letters to various countries and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the past few weeks demanding that Israel and its supporters be prosecuted, has begun preparations to file a lawsuit against the two Western countries, with the support of his colleagues. "The United States must now be held accountable for the crimes it committed," Van Rensburg told Turkish news publication Anadolu Agency…

THE families of deceased ANC icons Collins Chabane and Peter “Dambuza” Malada have rejected the proposed visit to their grave sites in Limpopo by the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party, saying the visit would violate the ideals and principles that both men had lived by. Messages circulating on social media have suggested that former president Jacob Zuma, as part of campaigning for the party, would visit the grave sites in Limpopo from today. Chabane was Minister in the Presidency under Zuma when he died in a car accident in 2015. His family and his foundation said any visit to his grave site by a party in opposition to the ANC would be a violation of the principles Chabane stood for. Professor Muxe Nkondo, chairperson of the Collins Chabane Foundation, said:…

When growing up, youngsters tend to watch their sporting heroes on television – or live at a match venue – and then go home and try to copy what they saw on the pitch or court. One of those memorable moments arrived for Bafana Bafana when they earned a penalty against Mali in their Africa Cup of Nations opener in Korhogo, Ivory Coast on Tuesday night. First it looked like Teboho Mokoena was going to take the spot-kick as he claimed the ball, but when we looked again, it was Percy Tau lining up the shot. Considering the prowess of the Al Ahly star, Bafana fans would have expected him to bury the ball into the back of the net. Alas, it was not to be as Tau skied the…

Generative artificial intelligence could transform healthcare through things like drug development and more rapid diagnoses, but the World Health Organization (WHO) stressed yesterday that more attention should be paid to the risks. WHO has been examining the potential dangers and benefits posed by large multimodal AI models (LMMs), which are relatively new and are quickly being adopted in health. LMMs are generative AI which can use multiple types of data input, including text, images and video, and generate outputs that are not limited to the type of data fed into the algorithm. “It has been predicted that LMMs will have wide application in healthcare, scientific research, public health and drug development,” said WHO. The UN health agency outlined five broad areas where the technology could be applied: diagnosis; scientific research…

Kampala: Ugandan opposition leader and former presidential candidate Bobi Wine said yesterday that police had surrounded his residence and put him “under house arrest” ahead of a planned protest. Opposition politicians had planned protests yesterday against the poor condition of roads in Uganda, which is hosting two global summits this week. Wine challenged veteran President Yoweri Museveni in Uganda’s last election in 2021, calling for an end to his iron-fisted rule. Former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye of the Forum for Democratic Change opposition party said yesterday that he, too, was not allowed to leave his house. Opposition parties have accused the government of detaining homeless people and razing thousands of kiosks in a clean-up ahead of two summits in Kampala. | AFP…

Los Angeles: California has a more than 95% chance or greater of a damaging earthquake over the next 100 years, according to a new US Geological Survey (USGS) map. Nearly 75% of the US could experience damaging earthquakes and intense ground shaking, threatening the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the next century. More than 50 scientists and engineers worked on the latest USGS National Seismic Hazard Model. It suggested that California and Alaska faced a greater degree of shaking. The study showed that 37 US states had earthquakes exceeding magnitude 5 in the past 200 years. | IANS…

A SIZEABLE number of SABC viewers, who watch their programmes on the OpenView platform, were excluded from watching the Rugby World Cup 2023 final due to MultiChoice’s market dominance and its decision to block OpenView from broadcasting it. This was the argument presented yesterday to the Competition Tribunal by eMedia Investment, owner of OpenView. As a result of this event, and looming changes in the market with the switch from analogue public broadcasting to digital expected this year, Hosken Consolidated Investments subsidiary eMedia Investment, owner of OpenView, went to competition authorities to seek relief against DStv operator MultiChoice SA Holdings, and the SABC. As with 90% of all major sport events in South Africa, MultiChoice had acquired the pay-to-air and free-to-air television rights for the matches, and it sub-licensed the…

Chinese researchers have cloned the first rhesus monkey, according to the BBC, a species that is widely used in medical research because its physiology is similar to that of humans. They say this could speed up drug testing, as genetically identical animals give like-for-like results, providing greater certainty in trials. Dr Falong Lu of the University of China Academy of Sciences says, “Everyone is beaming with happiness at the successful outcome”. Previous attempts to clone a rhesus monkey have been unsuccessful. The most famous cloned animal, Dolly the sheep, was created in 1996. Scientists reprogrammed cells from another sheep to turn them into embryos, which are building block cells that can grow into any part of an organism. These embryos were then implanted into Dolly’s surrogate mother. The Chinese researchers…

THE IFP in KwaZulu-Natal expresses its deepest condolences and condemns in the strongest terms the tragic murder of Induna Lucia Nonina Mahlaba, a revered female traditional leader of the Shabalala Traditional Council in Emadlangeni. The IFP is appalled by the heinous and horrific attack that claimed the lives of Induna Mahlaba, her son Thando Mahlaba, a friend Asanda Zikhali, and a brave neighbour, Mama Shonaphi Mbatha. The IFP in KZN is shocked by the brutality of the act, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to the Mahlaba, Mbatha, and Zikhali families. This incident is not only a profound loss for the affected families but a dark moment for our communities, threatening the stability of our traditional leadership institutions. The IFP has consistently advocated for the protection of Traditional Leaders, recognising…

IF YOU are divorcing and are parents: When it is time to tell the children, try to tell them your decision together. Avoid blaming each other no matter how much you believe one or the other spouse is to blame. While there are indeed situations where one spouse is the singular reason for the divorce, such situations are rare. Do whatever it takes to relate to your former spouse in a cordial and respectful manner. How you treat people will teach your children how to treat people. Try to recall the good times you did enjoy with each other as husband and wife. While the good times may be hard to recall at times of heightened anxiety, the memories will, in time, offer each of you some comfort. Lighten the…

OPPOSITION parties have urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to use next month’s State of the Nation address (Sona) to declare a provisional election date. Ramaphosa is consulting with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on a date for the elections, which must be held within 90 days of the end of the current legislature’s term in May. The IEC has suggested May 22 as the date for the elections but the ultimate decision rests with Ramaphosa. The IEC has said the elections will be held somewhere from May and August to elect a new National Assembly, and the legislature in each province. “These will be the seventh elections held under democracy since the end of apartheid in 1994. The new national council of provinces will be elected at the first…

Four people have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder of senior SAPS Hawks (Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations) officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Sikhetho Mawila. Mawila, 63, was attached to the Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit in Durban and was allegedly accosted by suspects while travelling back to the city from Gauteng. It was reported that Mawila informed his family that he was going to fill his car with petrol before travelling back to Durban. His family raised the alarm after they failed to get hold of him some hours later. A passer-by stumbled on Mawila’s body in an open field in Tsakane and alerted the police on January 8. His family were able to positively identify him. A case of murder, kidnapping and hijacking was opened at the Hlanganani…

Core values need to be firmly in place when they leave home THE transition from high school to higher education is one of the most significant steps in a young person’s life. It represents a coming-of-age journey usually associated with great excitement and big dreams, but also with a fair amount of trepidation and uncertainty. Very often students find themselves ill-prepared for this important phase in their lives, causing even the most promising to struggle. The old African proverb, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, is true of a university context too. Because it requires nothing less than the combined effort and input of schools, parents, communities, alumni, higher education institutions, and the students themselves to ensure that they are adequately prepared for a successful journey from first…

Israeli strikes have killed dozens more people, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said yesterday, including in the territory’s south where Israel has intensified operations. In the occupied West Bank, where violence has surged alongside the war in Gaza, an Israeli raid continued into a second day around Tulkarem, an official said. Palestinian sources reported a sixth person had been killed in the operation. The latest violence came as medicine for hostages held by the militants and fresh aid for civilians entered the Palestinian territory under a newly brokered deal, mediator Qatar said. The measure provided at least some relief in a region where tensions flared further following Pakistani strikes on an Iranian border region, and new US military action targeting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. Gaza’s health ministry said 93…

BRITISH Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday urged Britain’s unelected upper house of parliament to pass his contentious plan to send migrants to Rwanda, saying it was the will of the people. The premier was speaking the day after he survived a key test of his leadership by fending off right-wing rebels to win a crunch parliamentary vote on the issue. Sunak, who became prime minister in October 2022 after winning an internal party contest in the wake of Liz Truss’s short-lived tenure, said the elected House of Commons had supported the legislation with a “very strong majority”. Sunak said they would keep working on the Rwanda plan even before the upper house voted on the legislation. Conservative Party rebels had threatened to kill the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration)…

Mombasa: A Kenyan court yesterday charged the leader of a starvation cult with terrorism over the deaths of more than 400 of his followers. Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 94 suspects pleaded not guilty to charges of radicalisation. He was also charged with “organised criminal activity”. Mackenzie is said to have incited his acolytes to starve to death in order to “meet Jesus”. He was arrested last April after bodies were found in the Shakahola forest near the Indian Ocean, with autopsies revealing that the majority of the 429 victims had died of hunger. Others appeared to have been strangled, beaten or suffocated. | AFP…

Paris: Ukraine’s defence minister warned yesterday about his country’s ammunition shortage in its battle against Russia, as Western allies met in Paris to discuss new artillery supplies. “A shortage of ammunition is a very real and pressing problem,” Rustem Umerov said after speaking by video link to a US- and French-led gathering of the Ramstein contact group, which is made up of 50 countries supporting Ukraine. France said it would cover the cost of 12 new guns out of 78 it could make this year. The EU had promised to deliver one million shells by spring, but MPs say only 300 000 have been delivered so far. | AFP…