Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-06-21 i Mercury

THE COMPETITION Tribunal ended the first day of hearings into the now Competition Commission conditionally approved takeover of national carrier SA Airways (SAA) by Global Aviation trading as the Takatso Consortium on a tense note, as the large sway of presentations were against the merger, at least in current form. Tribunal members, chairperson Mondo Mazwai, advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi and Dr Thando Vilakazi, heard from the commission, which was on the backfoot in justifying its recommendation of the deal. Its principal analyst, Wiri Gumbie, said that Takatso Aviation was created specifically for this acquisition and was bidding to acquire SAA operations, SAA Technical and Air Chef. He said the second part of the deal includes a “moratorium on merger- related retrenchments and to maintain a minimum number of employees at SAA.…

THE National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has given itself a month or two to make a decision on the Phala Phala case involving millions of rand in foreign currency, stuffed in couches on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Limpopo farm. The NPA confirmed it had been presented with a docket for consideration, however, a request to obtain outstanding information has been sent to the investigating team. “The NPA is abreast of the status of the investigation and as soon as the outstanding information is received, it should take us a month to two months to make a decision,” said NPA Limpopo spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi. Just over a year ago former State Security Agency director-general Arthur Fraser lodged a complaint against Ramaphosa where he disclosed details of the unreported theft of millions of rand…

They are here, the sardines, and tons of them, causing a feeding frenzy for both marine life and humans along our coast. Attacked from the air, water and land, the little fish have to run the gauntlet to reach their spawning grounds further up the coast. Sharks, dolphins, whales, seals and thousands of sea-birds have a whale of a time. Predators feed on the sardines, the bigger predators feed on the smaller predators and fishermen also join in the feeding frenzy. They net not only tons of the little fish, but they also catch the predators which feed on the sardines. Known as the sardine run, the greatest shoal on Earth is a natural phenomenon and rivals the great migration of the wildebeest and other animals on the Serengeti. As…

There are many cases of young children presently suffering from one or other diseases that were once virtually non-existent in this country. Smallpox, a deadly virulent condition that killed millions in the past, could have been prevented if the smallpox vaccine derived from “an infected cow” was discovered earlier. Measles, mumps, rubella and smallpox were virtually fully controlled by the previous South African regime, who made vaccinations against these diseases compulsory at birth, making it mandatory for schools to insist on stamped written proof as a precondition for admission to private or public schools. Now, like everything else that has been permitted to collapse, there is no compulsion to take any vaccine. Even the single miracle BCG shot which is meant to prevent tuberculosis is not mandatory any longer. Many…

Miss South Africa 2023 Top 12 finalist Levern José has withdrawn from the competition following bullying allegations levelled against her. Last week, José was accused of being a bully in high school by at least two people who shared their stories on social media. In response to the allegations, José denied that she was a bully and said she had learnt how to protect herself. “As a survivor of bullying, I learned how to protect myself from bullying during my school years. If my actions in protecting myself caused harm to anyone, I offer my sincere apologies. “The pain of being a target has left an indelible mark on my heart, and I would never intentionally cause hurt or contribute to someone else’s suffering,” she said in a statement. She…

A SENIOR researcher who was declared legally blind by his doctor and was dismissed from his job on medical grounds, turned to the Johannesburg Labour Court as he felt that his employer had unfairly discriminated against him because of his disability. Vuyisile Gugwini worked at the National Consumer Commission’s office when he was diagnosed with acute loss of vision and retinal detachment. Gugwini stated that his employer had unfairly discriminated against him in terms of the Employment Equity Act on the grounds of his disability. He experienced difficulty with his eyesight in 2016, and was diagnosed in June 2017, whereafter he went for three operations. An ophthalmologist eventually declared that he was legally blind and suggested that Gugwini be assisted in receiving a disability grant. Gugwini disclosed his condition…

The man dubbed the Facebook rapist, Thabo Bester, has appointed new legal counsel, the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court heard yesterday. Bester, who appeared virtually from the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre via audio-visual remand, could be seen sporting a stylish Louis Vuitton sweater. Bester faces an array of charges, including corruption, murder and fraud. Addressing the court, advocate Jeremiah Pela told the court he would be bringing a recusal application for himself and instructing attorney Tsireledzo Ndou in this matter. Bester was asked if he was aware of the application and he said yes. The recusal comes after Ndou was thrust into the spotlight last week when it was revealed he was currently facing criminal charges of assault. Pela was also set to go on trial soon for criminal charges against him.…

We are 29 years into our democracy, yet we have become the most unequal society in the world. The indicators are that South Africa is in serious trouble, and we must acknowledge that fact. It is a sad state of affairs that worries all of us, both young and old, rich and poor and all the races that make us a diverse nation. No one is spared as food inflation is on the rise, the price of electricity, fuel and the cost of credit has everyone struggling to meet their contractual obligations with creditors or to put food on the table. Salaries still remain low while costs have gone up tremendously, and more people are being laid off as businesses struggle. The burden is too enormous to bear, and it…

Rescue teams raced against time yesterday to find a deep-diving tourist submersible that went missing near the wreck of the Titanic with five people on board. All communication was lost with the 6.5m Titan craft during a descent Sunday to the Titanic, which sits at a depth of crushing pressure more than 3.2km below the surface of the North Atlantic. The submersible was carrying three fee-paying passengers including British billionaire businessman Hamish Harding and prominent Pakistani tycoon Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman. The US and Canadian Coast Guard have deployed ships and planes in an intensive air and sea search for the vessel, which is equipped with just four days of emergency oxygen. In an Instagram message posted just before the dive, Harding said a mission window had opened…

The head of the UN’s refugee agency yesterday urged Sudan’s neighbours to keep their borders open in spite of security worries as the number of people fleeing the conflict topped 500 000, while those internally displaced climbed to two million. Filippo Grandi warned that the two-month-old war threatened to spread insecurity in the “fragile” nations that border Sudan. “My appeal to all the neighbouring countries is to say I understand your security concerns, but please keep your borders open because these people are really fleeing for their lives,” he said during a visit to Nairobi to mark World Refugee Day. Sudan has been riven by conflict since April 15, with the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his former…

BUDAPEST: Hungarian authorities have arrested a 45-year-old Norwegian man suspected of plotting mass killings that were intended to eclipse a 2011 massacre by Norwegian far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik, police said yesterday. Breivik killed 77 people in Norway’s worst peacetime atrocity in July 2011. He killed eight with a car bomb in Oslo and then gunned down 69, most of them teenagers, at a Labour Party youth camp. Hungarian police said the man arrested in Budapest had uploaded several posts to a video-sharing portal in which he outlined plans to commit mass killings in an unspecified location. | Reuters…

PARIS: The French government said yesterday that it would soon shut down an activist climate group over a series of recent demonstrations, including one that led to fierce clashes with the police over a controversial irrigation project. The government accused the Uprisings of the Earth (SLT) coalition of encouraging violence at protests in March near Sainte-Soline in western France over irrigation. SLT has vowed to fight the shutdown order. The state said SLT “whipped up violence at Sainte Soline by inviting rioters, who came from across Europe to try to kill police officers”. SLT is part of a new wave of more radical climate activist groups. | AFP…

THE Cheetahs have learned from last year’s semi-final heartache against the Pumas in Bloemfontein and will be looking to turn the tables on the defending champions in Saturday’s Currie Cup final (4pm kick-off). Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie said they will have to be sharp on the attack to back up the efforts of their pack of forwards if they want to come out on top at home this time. After defeating the Free State side in the City of Roses last year in the semis, the Pumas travelled to Kimberley and beat Griquas in the final to become champions. They now stand between Fourie and his Cheetahs in their quest to claim the title. “Our forwards dominated in that game, and we would hope it happens again,” Fourie said ahead…

Different sectors of South Africa’s economy will be keeping a careful eye on discussions between the government and US representatives on the fate of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) agreement. South Africa’s neutral stance on the war in Ukraine and the docking of the Russian vessel the Lady R in Cape Town amid accusations from US ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety that weapons were loaded on to the ship have strained diplomatic relations between the countries. Also, the US could decide that South African exporters have benefited enough from the unilateral trade agreement. Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel told Parliament last week that the US could find South Africa had benefited sufficiently from Agoa to be removed as a beneficiary even before the agreement expires…

The DA has submitted an urgent written parliamentary question to KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Mbali Frazer, querying why more than 400 Corinth Senior Primary School learners, in the Harry Gwala District, have been sitting at home since the start of the academic year. According to reports, learners refused to return to school after a freak storm blew the roof off in January. Their reluctance also comes after an incident in the 1980s, during similar weather, when, tragically, the roof collapsed on learners, claiming two lives. Following the latest incident, the Department of Education promised 18 mobile classrooms for learners. To date, they have not arrived. The department is also yet to meet parents to discuss plans to make up for the lost learning time. There has also been no engagement with…

The so-called “employment Equity” is no different to apartheid, and we should remember the international boycotts against the old Nationalist government by morally responsible countries and companies. If the word gets out that so-called “coloured” women have lost their jobs in the food and manufacturing sectors to satisfy some racist and sexist ideology, those sectors can expect a backlash. How can the lawmakers be so stupid, and learn so little from history? Or maybe it’s a strategy to cause harm to the Western Cape, because they’re worried about CapeXit?…

I feel the following is essential to revitalise education. Instead of building one new school at the cost of R60 million, build three smaller schools in congested areas, re-instate dilapidated townships schools. We have an over abundance of teachers who can man these schools – job employment. Re-establish the training colleges for better teacher training – absolutely essential. Re-instate the inspectorate – a vital cog in education. Simplify the curriculum. Bring back a more meaningful and stricter form of punishment. Hand the running of schools back to the principal, and out of the hands of parents and pupils. Move the horrendous sex education to Grade11 and Grade 12. Bring back physical education in place of sex education – far better for the health of young people. New schools have to…

Eastern Cape police boss Nomthetheleli Mene has urged officers to use their in-house programmes when grappling with emotional or mental stress after an Mthatha constable killed himself in front of family members in Sisson Street, Fort Gale. The 35-year-old from Mthatha Flying Squad and his 20-year-old cousin were at the police official’s house with their girlfriends on Saturday. Soon after the cousin walked outside, a shot was heard. When everyone ran outside, they found the cousin lying against the wall with a gunshot wound to his head. It is alleged the cousin shot himself with the policeman’s service pistol. “According to the witnesses, the officer, who was in a state of panic, picked up the firearm and took his own life. He succumbed to his injuries on the scene,” said…

THE Msunduzi Municipality has launched an investigation into the alleged abuse of the scarce skills allowance after it emerged that it was spending over R7 million each year paying 163 employees the allowance. Last week, Msunduzi municipal manager Lulamile Mapholoba, in a special council sitting, conceded that while the idea of such an allowance had been noble, it had been abused severely by some staff. He cited the abuse of the scarce skills allowance as the reason the municipality was enlisting the help of a legal advisor to deal with the policy. Mapholoba indicated that there were individual staff without a particular and sought-after skill, who were receiving this allowance on a regular basis when they did not deserve it. “On average we are spending around R658 000 per month…

Problems facing South Africa’s young people are not unique THE debate on the freedom (or lack thereof) of the black youth, especially, has generated more heat than light. Instead of sober thought and positive analysis, we have witnessed shallow dialogue, emotional reasoning, predictable utterances and finger pointing that traps black youth to be perpetual whiners that lack human agency. The fact that this negativity is peddled by academics and self-styled youth leaders is more depressing. Perhaps what we need to understand and acknowledge is that in the global village the condition of the black youth is neither special nor unique. The same tragic reality confronts young people around the world in countries like Brazil, India, China, and Spain. All youth in the world live in what the late female…

US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter has agreed to plead guilty to two counts of failure to pay federal income tax, and admitted to illegally owning a gun, prosecutors said yesterday. Hunter Biden, 53, whose business dealings have been under attack for years from Republican lawmakers, acknowledged possessing a firearm despite being a drug user. The plea deal between him and the US Attorney’s Office in his home state of Delaware will still need to be approved by a federal judge. Hunter is unlikely to face any prison time. The White House said: “The president and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life.” According to the charges, Hunter failed to file his tax returns on time on earnings of more than…

Haitian children face a severe lack of food, medical support and education, the head of UN children’s agency Unicef said in Port-au-Prince this week after heavy shooting rang out near a packed camp of displaced persons. Heavily armed gangs have expanded their turf and now control communities accounting for some 2 million people, according to UN estimates, mostly women and children living amid frequent extra-judicial killings and sexual violence. This has fuelled a humanitarian crisis that the agency believes has internally displaced more than 165 000 people, while driving many to attempt a dangerous escape by boat. “Children are malnourished, they need help and the world needs to pay attention,” Unicef executive director Catherine Russell said after visiting the New Church of God of Deliverance camp, which now…

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis held talks yesterday with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel who was making a rare trip to the West, as police kept a demonstration demanding respect for human rights on the communist-run island away from the Vatican. The Vatican said that in Diaz-Canel’s talks with Holy See diplomats, the topic was the situation in Cuba and the Cuban Church’s charity activities. Cuba is suffering a near unprecedented economic crisis. About a dozen demonstrators opposed to the Cuban government held a protest near the Tiber River. They planned to hold it outside St Peter’s Square but police did not allow it. | Reuters…

PROTEAS netball captain Bongi Msomi can count herself as one of the lucky few to have Springbok captain Siya Kolisi’s number on speed dial. Msomi also intends to utilise it shortly, when she calls up the inspirational Bok skipper for some words of wisdom, ahead of leading her team into a first-ever home Netball World Cup starting on July 28 in Cape Town. Kolisi is currently in the midst of his own race against time to be fit for the Rugby World Cup in France later this year, but he will undoubtedly set aside time to share some of his personal experience with Msomi. He has, of course, also previously been a sounding board for the Proteas women’s cricket team during their epic journey to a maiden T20 World Cup…

THE eThekwini Municipality has defended its decision to keep the names of dead people on the list of those who were set to benefit from flood relief aid following the disaster in April last year. The City has faced scrutiny in the second report from the Auditor- General on flood-relief spending. The report found that the names of dead people were on the list of those who would have benefited from building material to rebuild their damaged homes. But the City said this was done intentionally so that the relatives of the dead could benefit. AG Tsakani Maluleke tabled her second report on how the province, and especially eThekwini, had spent money meant to help those displaced by the floods before the Ad-Hoc Joint Committee on Flood Disaster Relief and…

While consumers were warned to brace for a bleak winter amid higher load-shedding stages, Eskom has recently offered some respite from the power cuts. Energy experts have attributed the lower stages of load shedding to reduced demand for electricity and Eskom burning more diesel. Ruse Moleshe, the managing director of RUBK, an energy and infrastructure consulting and advisory company, said that due to the constrained system, Eskom was burning more diesel. “Open Cycle Gas Turbines are designed to meet peak demand and for emergencies, but system constraints have forced Eskom to utilise them much more than they are supposed to. “The more Eskom’s system performance improves, the less diesel is required. However, there has been a marked improvement in diesel use for June 2023 relative to June 2022.” Moleshe added…

How to spoil a child in a few easy steps: Run interference for your child as much as possible and so reduce all possibilities that your child may learn that actions and inaction have natural consequences. Get (aggressively) in the face of every teacher, coach and referee your child encounters (and do it as soon as possible) so your child and all officials know who is really in charge. Give your child the impression that teachers, coaches, school authorities and even the police, are all idiots so they will always feel above the rules and the law. Ignore common civility so your child will learn to behave similarly. Praise your child excessively – and suggest others do the same, especially where little or no skill, talent or meeting a challenge…

It is a travesty of justice and borders on “treason” that SAPS members are under attack by unscrupulous criminals. When a police or law-enforcement officer prepares for going on the beat, he/she is unsure whether they’ll return safely home to their families. Their spouses and families are filled with apprehension as they see their loved ones off for work. Being a law-enforcement officer is often a thankless job, and I take this opportunity to thank each and every officer for their sterling work. Often, we receive reports of police incompetence and shoddy service, but there are the exceptions. Let’s applaud the men and women in blue who are mandated to ensure our safety, and assure them that we shall pray for protection over their safety and offer our co-operation.…

OUR COMMUNIST-led government’s attempts to destroy the middle class are as clear as daylight. They are currently busy on several fronts, including the areas of education, health care and the economy. In education, to ruin the middle class, the state seeks to centralise the school application process (and) that has proven tragic as the system collapses annually, as parents in Gauteng and elsewhere can attest. Whilst giving the school governing bodies (SGBs) the financial duty to manage the schools, the state undermines the SGBs with legislation forcing schools to admit those who cannot/refuse to pay. Thus schools must reduce SGB staff as income drops and the government does not reimburse them for non- paying parents. The result, as expected, is much more kids in classes with far fewer teachers teaching.…

The Durban SPAR Women’s 10/5km Challenge is set to take place from outside the Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium on Sunday. In preparation for the event, organisers have urged participants and supporters to take heed of the road closures and make arrangements to allow for time to arrive, park and get to the start in Masabalala Yengwa Avenue. The 10km race starts on Masabalala Yengwa Avenue, outside Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium outer fields, at 8am and the 5km at 9am. The road closures for Sunday: From 2am Snell Parade between Athlone Drive and the VIP entrance to Suncoast Casino. Battery Beach Road between Snell Parade and Masabalala Yengwa Avenue. Masabalala Yengwa Avenue between Smiso Nkwanyana and Isaiah Ntshangase roads. The south-bound lane of Masabalala Yengwa Avenue between Smiso Nkwanyana and…

The SUPREME Court of Appeal (SCA) has dismissed an appeal by the Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund (LPFF) against a ruling which ordered it to reimburse a woman almost R800 000 plus interest, after her attorney misappropriated funds. The woman’s husband died on May 10, 2012. Her husband’s attorney, known only as Spencer, was appointed executor of the estate. The woman became the sole beneficiary of a life insurance policy worth R5 million and received an immediate payment of R50 000 from the policy. A balance of R4.9m was eventually paid into her bank account, however, Spencer advised her to deposit the money into his trust account because these funds were at risk due to her husband’s liabilities to his creditors. The woman did as Spencer advised. She withdrew R1.4m over…

THE eThekwini Municipality yesterday launched the U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) HIV awareness campaign in partnership with UNAids. The launch was held as the 11th SA Aids Conference was set to get under way in Durban yesterday. The campaign aims to create awareness about the scientific evidence that people living with HIV who are on treatment as prescribed, can suppress the virus to such an extent that it will not be sexually transmitted to their partners, meaning they can have children who will also be HIV-negative. It further encourages people living with HIV to commence, maintain or resume treatment and for those without HIV to use condoms, be faithful to their partners and to regularly get tested for HIV. Dr Siyabonga Nzimande, chairperson of eThekwini Civil Society, said that they…

SINCE Monday, a protest under the banner of Operation Purge has been playing itself out on the streets of Pretoria. The protest is the brainchild of community members, civil society and other stakeholders. They are unhappy with illegal immigrants, drug dealers, illegal traders, the non-payment of tax, illegal scrap yards, brothels and unregistered churches. The first two days of the week-long protest may not have had a huge impact, but a drop in the ocean has previously gone on to create devastating waves. Of particular concern is the fact that over the past two days, the protest targeted specifically foreign nationals. In September 2019, xenophobic attacks escalated dramatically in Johannesburg and Pretoria and other parts of the country. At the time, businesses belonging to the immigrants were looted, burned and…

Romanian prosecutors yesterday charged US-British social media influencer Andrew Tate, 36, who has gained millions of fans by promoting an ultra-masculine lifestyle, with human trafficking, rape and forming a gang to sexually exploit women. Tate was indicted with his brother Tristan, 34, and two Romanian female suspects. They are under house arrest pending an investigation into abuses against seven women whom prosecutors say were lured through false claims of relationships. The suspects have denied the accusations. The Tate brothers are both former kickboxers. Andrew, a self-described misogynist, has grown his following of mainly young men by building a lavish, hyper-macho image of driving fast cars and dating beautiful women. The four were held in police custody from December to March before a Bucharest court put them under house arrest. A…

KAMPALA: Parents of learners missing after an attack on a school in western Uganda are flocking to the local police station to submit DNA samples that could identify their children among the 42 bodies that have been recovered. One of Uganda’s biggest massacres in recent decades occurred at the weekend at Lhubirira Secondary School. Assailants set a dormitory full of boys alight, then attacked a dormitory full of girls, hacking victims to death with machetes and knives. Six learners were also abducted by the attackers, who the authorities say were fighters from an Islamic State-affiliated group based across the border in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. | Reuters…

MADRID: A pregnant woman died trying to reach Spain’s Canary Islands, the country’s coastguard said yesterday, after her body was found on a dinghy carrying about 50 migrants near the Atlantic coast of Lanzarote. A fishing boat had seen the migrants near Lanzarote’s Los Cocoteros beach, the coastguard said. The woman’s body was found in a boat with 42 men, seven women and three children on board, who received red blankets and medical attention after disembarking from a rescue vessel. At least 5 914 people reached the Canary islands between January 1 and June 15 this year, according to Spanish government figures. | Reuters…

SIYA Kolisi is undoubtedly a seasoned campaigner, a veteran of the trenches when it comes to experiencing every aspect that rugby can muster against him. He has battled all over the world, shed blood and flesh on vaunted fields across the globe, turned every conceivable type of grass over underneath his studs, played all varieties of opposition, and won the hard yards and lost the easy ones. He has also been in this position before where injury threatens his participation in a World Cup. As was the case in 2019, the Springbok captain is on the mend and battling against time to be ready from a knee injury for the showpiece event. Despite the enormity of the task before him, Kolisi - during a briefing in Pretoria yesterday - was…

JAPAN coach Futoshi Ikeda believes the potential Women's World Cup TV blackout could hurt the long-term development of the women's game in the country. Japan, whose Nadeshiko team won the World Cup in 2011 and reached the final in 2015, is the last major country where broadcasters have yet to strike a deal with Fifa a month out from the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. "For women's soccer to develop in the future in Japan, it's important we have many people watching and supporting us," Ikeda told Reuters. "I think it's important that the tournament is broadcast and I really hope everyone will be able to watch. “Whether it will be broadcasted or not we don't know yet, but it is important to show it on television and I…

WITH the penultimate round of matches outstanding, 15 countries have been confirmed for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire next January. When the remaining qualifiers are played in September it will be the last-chance saloon for nine countries if they wish to play in the 24-team continental showpiece in the west African country that won the championships in 1992 and 2015. It will be the second time that the Ivory Coast will be Afcon hosts after the 1984 event was held there. Among the 15 countries that have qualified are the Cosafa countries South Africa, Zambia and Namibia. Of these, Zambia (2012) and SA (1996) are former winners. Bafana Bafana won when they made their Afcon debut and the late coach Clive “The Dog” Barker…