Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-02-13 i Mercury

WITH THE RACE to electric vehicles hotting up, Anglo American is broadening its exposure into electric battery manufacturing after signing a memorandum of understanding to explore opportunities with the Finnish government. The diversified resources group believes that “low carbon technologies, such as renewable power generation infrastructure and electric vehicles (EVs) powered by batteries and fuel cells (will) generate additional demand for many metals”, including battery metals. While prices of some metals used in the manufacture of vehicles such as platinum have been volatile, spelling uncertainty for PGM producers such as Anglo American, Impala Platinum and Sibanye-Stillwater, the uptake of hybrid vehicles has provided some respite. Anglo American and Sibanye-Stillwater have also started to bump up their exposure in lithium mining. This has led to Anglo American and Finnish Minerals Group…

SIRIUS Real Estate, the UK and Germany branded business and industrial park operator with listings on the JSE and London Stock Exchange, is acquiring two more properties in Germany for €40 million (R819m). The acquisition of two business parks had been notarised, one in Köln and the other in Göppingen. The acquisitions were made using proceeds of November’s £147m capital raise, Sirius said in a statement yesterday. The acquisitions followed the three acquisitions in North London, UK at the end of last year for £33.5m.The t wo business parks in Germany added just under 55 000 square metres of primarily light industrial and production space to the group’s 1.9 million square metre German portfolio. The Köln business park comprises 19 114 square metres of light industrial…

ECONOMISTS have painted a bleak picture of the country’s economy, saying the 1% growth expected for 2024 will not produce much-needed jobs. However, chief economist for FNB Mamello Matikinca-Ngwenya had a slightly more optimistic outlook, saying that she expected the economy to grow by 1.4% on average between 2024 and 2026. “Last year, economic activity was stifled by a number of factors, including high inflation. We expect inflation to improve this year and easing interest rates to follow during the year.” Matikinca-Ngwenya expected a marginal improvement in employment in South Africa in 2024. “The social relief of distress grant (SRD Grant) is expected to continue and we expect that to support the South African consumer.” In contrast, economist Dawie Roodt said he felt that economic growth would be less than…

TENSION on the India-Chinese border – a pigeon held by the Indians for eight months on suspicion of spying for China has been released, according to The Washington Post. This was after the Indian authorities determined it was, after all, a disoriented Taiwanese racing pigeon that had lost its way. Police found the pigeon near Mumbai last May, with two metal rings tied to its leg and what looked like Chinese writing on the underside of its wings. For eight months, the alleged secret agent was held in custody, first by police and then by the city’s Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals. Mumbai police said that after “deep and proper investigations”, they did not find any suspicious material or fact associated with the pigeon. It was released last week in…

When first cousins Grace and Mercy show up from within you (they live rent-free, without exception, within us all) and reveal their natural beautiful ways, human encounters get an added touch of the divine. The cousins are hard at work and always ready to assist any person who wants to participate in acts of unmerited kindness. They play a willing hand in every expression of goodness and delight in participating in all moments of empathy. Mercy and Grace become especially evident and empowering when you express even a smidgeon of desire to offer forgiveness and generosity as a way of life. When we want them to influence and become a way of life, they dance a little jig of joy. When you and I permit Grace and Mercy to do…

A Home Affairs official, who was initially given a suspended sentence for selling identity documents and birth certificates to foreign nationals who were in the country illegally, has now been ordered to serve two years in jail. Kedibone Serumula in 2022 received a suspended sentence after she was found guilty in the trial court. The National Prosecuting Authority was not happy with this sentence and appealed it. They were successful, as the Polokwane High Court came to a new conclusion and ordered that Serumula serve an effective two years in jail. Provincial Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Matimba Maluleke said that between 2015 and 2016, Serumula, who was employed by the Department of Home Affairs in Lephalale as an Administration Officer, sold documents to foreign nationals who were in the…

The date for the legal battle between the ANC and the Jacob Zuma-backed MK Party over the registration of the party has been set for March 19 at the Electoral Court in Bloemfontein. This comes after the ANC had last month requested the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to reverse the registration of the new MK Party while it has at the same time taken the party to court over a trademark dispute. On Saturday, Zuma filled the Alexandra Stadium with throngs of party supporters eager to hear Msholozi (Zuma’s clan name) speak. During his address, Zuma said members of the MK Party should be wary of people coming from the ANC to join the organisation as they might not join it with good intentions. “These people would come…

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has suspended seven councillors from the Umzumbe Local Municipality on the South Coast who abstained from a vote of no confidence that led to the removal of an ANC mayor last week. The abstention meant that the ANC’s mayor Bongani Nyuswa was removed from his position and replaced with IFP councillor Mlungisi Ndlovu. The ANC has 21 seats in the council, while the IFP has 14. Opposition parties such as the EFF, Apemo and ATM have one seat each. At least 25 of the 39 council members debated a motion of no-confidence against Nyuswa. ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo said the party had suspended the membership of seven councillors who participated in “a circus purporting to be a special council meeting held last Friday”. The councillors…

The president cannot even control the things within his influence WHEN assessing President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation address, it is all about perspective. For the glass-half-full crowd, it marks a celebration of the story of Tintswalo, a 30-year-old symbolic democracy baby who was an established woman with her own family whom the ANC government had supported since birth. Ramaphosa said Tintswalo has a job, aided by affirmative action and BEE policies, can earn a good income, has moved to a better house and can “live a better life” because she has benefited from free public health care, free housing, free schooling, nutritious meals at school, scholar transport, child support grant and funding through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme to attain her university degree. Now, let us look…

MADRID: Spanish customs agents said yesterday they had seized eight tons of cocaine inside a container from the Latin American country of Suriname in one of the largest such shipments to date. The container arrived at the southern port of Algeciras and inside it was a metal structure made with a special alloy that was designed to confuse the customs agents’ scanning equipment, the Agencia Tributaria tax and customs authority said in a statement. Even so, the scanner managed to detect that the structure contained “a large quantity of merchandise” which turned out to be eight tons of “very high purity cocaine”. Police arrested three suspects, including the person who received the shipment.…

MAJED al-Afifi was just 40 days old when he was killed, his uncle told AFP in Rafah where Israeli forces bombed multiple homes while rescuing two Gaza hostages. “We heard the bombing without warning,” said Said al-Hams, 26, in Rafah refugee camp. His nephew, a twin, “was born exactly 40 days ago and was killed”, while their mother was wounded. The newborn is among around 100 people killed by Israeli forces overnight in Rafah, according to the health ministry in Gaza. Dozens of Israeli strikes pounded Rafah, where some 1.4 million people have sought refuge during four months of war between Israel and Hamas militants. While there was jubilation in Israel over the liberation of the two hostages, in Rafah people recounted a fearful night. “The situation was hell,” said…

With the United Rugby Championship restarting this weekend with two South African derbies in Johannesburg and Durban, it will mark the start of the run-in to the play-offs and provide several players with the last chance to impress the Springbok coaches ahead of the international season starting in July. Tests against Ireland and New Zealand await, while an experimental side could feature in the one-off clash against Portugal and a possible friendly match with Wales. Independent Newspapers takes a look at the players who have been impressive enough so far to secure their place in the Bok squad for the 2024 Test season. Here, Leighton Koopman features the No 5 lock. The incumbent: Lood de Jager Despite missing the World Cup last year due to a heart condition, De…

Sapa says it will co-operate with the envisaged inquiry, but is surprised that it is necessary FALLOUT from the Competition Commission’s decision to probe allegations of anti-competitive practices in the poultry sector continued to pour in, with, for instance, the South African Poultry Association (Sapa) yesterday expressing its concern and surprise at the move. Sapa said it would co-operate with the envisaged Poultry Market Inquiry, even though it was “surprised that the inquiry is considered necessary,” and was “concerned at some of the statements and assumptions” in the commission’s announcement. “Central to the inquiry will be the issue of the concentration of large companies in both the broiler and egg industries. There seems to be an underlying suspicion this is bad for the industry and for consumers. We will provide…

THERE are two critical numbers to watch in the upcoming Budget Speech, as the government, the National Treasury, and Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana seek to successfully chart a narrow path for the country’s fiscus through difficult terrain. Following significant shortfalls in expected public income from tax revenue, these are the country’s budget deficit and its debt-to-GDP ratio. Notably, both were revised upwards in the November 2023 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, as a weak global environment, and energy and infrastructure challenges weighed heavily upon the economy. Consequently, the Treasury estimated that tax revenue would total R56.8 billion in 2023/2024, with a further R121.1bn shortfall over the next two years. As a result, the forecast budget deficit has been revised from 4% in the 2023 Budget to 4.9%, while public…

Estate agents expect a better 2024 in terms of house sales and prices after a disappointing 2023, where less than 40% of those surveyed said they had achieved volume or value sales targets. A survey of estate agents by Lightstone released yesterday showed that estate agents were aware of the challenges facing the country this year, from various government interventions such as the repo rate, the national Budget and the State of the Nation Address, the general elections and a host of other factors that affected sales last year. Sale values were driven down last year due to a cocktail of instability, including rising interest rates, load shedding, overpriced stock, a paucity of new developments, failing municipalities and the deterioration of areas, and rising crime and lack of safety and…

More than 100 unemployed KZN doctors who have completed their community service marched to the Department of Health offices in Pietermaritzburg yesterday. The group handed over a memorandum with their grievances as well as their Curriculum Vitaes (CVs). The Mercury spoke to Dr Siyaneliswa Shozi, the spokesperson for the unemployed doctors, who said the memorandum was addressed to provincial and national government officials. The memorandum called for an end to health-care budget cuts and an additional budget to accommodate all qualified medical practitioners, including nurses, optometrists and pharmacists, among others. It called for all bursary holders and doctors with contracts to be immediately reinstated once the medical officer contracts are completed. The doctors also asked for resources such as medicine and vaccines for rural areas. “No doctor must work…

Prominent in the Denis Hurley Centre is a 2m-wide copy of a famous photo from the archives of this newspaper showing the Freedom March of September 1989. It features Archbishop Denis Hurley – always the tallest in every photo – standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the leaders of other Christian denominations and faiths marching along Queen Street (now Denis Hurley Street) to speak out against apartheid. It reminds me every day of the role that Hurley and other religious leaders played in the struggle against injustice; it is uppermost in my mind today as we mark 20 years since his death on February 13, 2004, aged almost 90. Having been made the youngest bishop in the entire Catholic world in 1947, and retiring in 1992, Hurley’s time as head of the Catholics…

Joe Biden’s wishy-washy response to the carnage in Gaza lacks all credibility. Describing Israel’s unholy war as “over the top”, months, and 27 000 dead Palestinians later, is pathetic and represents a slap on the wrist with a wet noodle. Biden should man up and demand from his Middle East proxy an immediate ceasefire, not offer a half-hearted suggestion while the slaughter of innocents goes on. One has to ask who is the real puppet master in the Gaza debacle. Netanyahu’s proclamation that dead civilians are collateral damage in a war is hard to digest, considering that 70% of the 27 000 dead were innocent women and children. Shame on him. His resignation is long overdue.…

Auditor-general Tsakani Maluleke said a total of 268 material irregularities on non-compliance and suspected fraud in municipalities resulted in R5.2 billion in financial losses in the 2021/22 financial year. This comes as 61 accounting officers in municipalities did not take appropriate action when Maluleke’s office notified them of the material irregularities. She has since invoked her powers, including referring matters to public bodies for further investigations. Briefing the standing committee on the auditor-general’s office, Maluleke said the amount found to have been lost covered only a sample of transactions and was not the full state of finances in all the municipalities and their entities. She told the MPs that the types of issues her office identified related to payments for goods and services not received; unfair and uncompetitive procurement; ineffective…

IT IS an old saying that in disputes, there is your version, my version and the truth. In Rule 43 applications (for interim maintenance pending final divorce), there are often many more versions a court has to consider; especially regarding children. There is seldom an objective truth. These were the words of an acting judge who was recently confronted with an interim maintenance issue between two divorcing parents. The wife, on the one hand, inflated her monthly expenses, and her husband, on the other hand, made offers towards her maintenance which were far below what she could survive on. The husband told the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, that his soon-to-be ex-wife could make attempts to obtain a job, as he could not be solely responsible for maintaining two households. Acting…

THE country’s four SAPS forensic service laboratories completed 525 538 cases in the past financial year and has significantly reduced the DNA testing backlog. The number of completed cases increased from the 298 439 registered during the prior financial year. “The total number of cases finalised is higher than those registered because it included the backlog carried over from the previous financial year. The set target of 90% was achieved,” reads the annual report of the DNA board. The report, tabled recently in Parliament, stated that the analysis of data for 2022/23 showed an improvement in the reduction of the backlog by 63.8% from 154 204 cases at the end of the 2021/22 financial year to 55 681 at the end of the 2022/23 financial year. Board acting chairperson Raymond…

“NO STRUGGLE can come to an end without casualties. It is only through determination, absolute commitment and self-assertion that we shall overcome,” Abram Ramothibi Onkgopotse Tiro once said. South Africa’s history is not only written in ink but also in tears and blood. This means it is with pleasure and pain. Tiro is among those whose history is written in blood. Since we cannot change the part written in blood, it would have been better if all the truth came out and remorse was shown. It is unfortunate that the cold-blooded killers who ruthlessly murdered unarmed people hid until their deaths. Others did not want to show remorse but went scot-free. By the way, history is repeating itself as their offspring are racially discriminating, beating up and killing the same…

A plane carrying four Canadian skydivers made an emergency landing on a beach in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca on Sunday, the state civil defence’s office said, resulting in the death of a 62-year-old man who was on the beach. The plane was forced to land on a populated section of Bacocho beach in the popular Pacific resort town of Puerto Escondido. The victim’s wife, who was on the beach alongside him, was unharmed, it said. Footage from Puerto Global showed the damaged aircraft on the beach having crashed into what it said was a turtle rescue centre. Those on the aircraft, including the four Canadian skydivers aged 35 to 60 and a 40-year-old Mexican man, were removed from the plane and taken for medical treatment.…

The Proteas face the prospect of being on the wrong side of history this week after the second Test against New Zealand started in Hamilton last night. The tourists have never lost a Test series to the Black Caps since they first started competing back in 1932. They are currently 1-0 down in the two-match series after a 281-run thumping in Mount Maunganui last week. And despite suffering an even heavier defeat in the first Test the last time the Proteas toured Down Under in 2022 – they lost by an innings and 276 runs, before bouncing back in the second Test – the chances of history repeating itself now are slim. The circumstances are entirely different on this tour with the current Proteas squad missing virtually…

THE ADVENT of artificial intelligence (AI) and impact of industrial automation has decimated a significant number of industries across the globe, in the process rendering certain skill-sets redundant in the new economic order and creating opportunities for new skill-sets. Could local mining become the next sector to face an existential threat in the wake of the global push for adoption of regulatory requirements some of which are aimed at supercharging the just energy transition? It’s a fact that local mining is a vastly transformed sector compared to the pre-1994 era. From how mining operations are run and measurably ensuring inclusive participation, the sector has evolved. During this period, new black-owned mining companies, including women- owned entities, have emerged, with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) playing a critical role in supporting…

Tinder users who use emojis are 30% more likely to get responses from messages sent to a match than those who don’t, a new study has revealed. Ahead of Valentine’s Day, the research – conducted by the Danish Gambling Regulatory Authority DKcasinospot – also found that women used 41% more emojis than men in their Tinder bios. In addition, travel, drinking and photography emojis are among the most commonly featured emojis. “Using emojis in bios has become an increasingly popular way to portray characteristics, hobbies, jobs as well as many other things in a fun and visual manner,” researchers explained. To conduct the research, DKcasinospot analysed 23 172 Tinder profiles to determine which emojis were the most commonly used. The individual emojis were then extracted, and the exact number of…

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has yet to acknowledge the appointment of new Zulu Traditional Prime Minister, Thulasizwe Buthelezi. This despite King Misuzulu kaZwelithini announcing the appointment during his address last month at an event to mark the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Isandlwana in the Nquthu area, northern KZN. Thulasizwe Buthelezi has taken over the position that was left vacant after the death of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who was in the position for more than six decades. Thulasizwe Buthelezi is currently the mayor of Zululand District Municipality and a senior leader of the IFP, but the king shot down any speculation that the appointment was political. King Misuzulu said Thulasizwe Buthelezi had worked with Mangosuthu Buthelezi for many years and he wanted to appoint someone in the position who…

A woman, who obtained the services of a psychic on social media to contact her dead mother so she could find closure after her mother’s death, claimed millions of rand from the psychic after the latter allegedly blackmailed her by threatening to divulge intimate details about her if she was not paid. The plaintiff, only identified as KA, turned to the Pietermaritzburg High Court in a bid to retrieve almost R5 million she paid to the psychic over months. Her father also instituted a claim for R540 000. This is money he paid over to his daughter in the belief that she was setting up a beauty shop. His daughter, without telling him, used the money to pay the psychic. The psychic, only identified as Ms Govender, represented herself…

Whatever the shortcomings of his interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tucker Carlson succeeded in exposing the falsehood of the globalist narrative that Putin is a threat to Europe and the wider world. Unsurprisingly, the likes of Hillary Clinton, whose foundation has profited enormously from Ukraine, have dismissed Carlson as Putin’s mouthpiece. Their reason is that Putin’s deprecation of the Biden regime’s aid to the corrupt Zelenskiy dictatorship of Ukraine echoes the growing opposition in the US to the globalist narrative on Ukraine. From a wider perspective, as L Oosthuizen wrote in The Mercury, January 31, “the common sense revolution is gaining traction”. The unprecedented response of farmers in France, Holland, Germany, Italy and elsewhere to the lunatic demands of the Orwellian globalists, the political rejection of globalism in Argentina,…

For centuries, Europe, Britain and the US have mass murdered and stolen global resources. On YouTube, there are authentic documentaries detailing how the US, Britain, Europe and so on destabilised and ruined nations for something as ridiculous as bananas or sugar in South America. The decades of killing in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen and Sudan was about oil/gas and subduing black and brown people. The historic disregard for human rights and so on is detailed/defined and gives perspective to what is happening in Palestine. The leaders of Europe, the US, Britain, Israel, etc simply do not regard Palestinians as human. Like Africans and others during slavery/colonialism, we must accept the racist arrogance that is confirmed by historical patterns. Why is this acceptance important? There are basically three types of people:…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa says reforms in the visa regime were being undertaken as the country seeks to attract critical skills to meet the growing demands of the economy. A responsive visa regime was key to attracting businesses and investments in South Africa, said Ramaphosa. It has been shown internationally that workers with critical skills boost economies and improve productivity, and competitiveness of the companies they work for. The Department of Home Affairs last week published immigration regulations for critical skills. Ramaphosa, writing in his weekly newsletter yesterday, said the draft regulations would address the issue of the needed skills in South Africa. “In line with our ongoing efforts to attract higher levels of investment and promote job creation, the new work visa regulations are a milestone. They are part…

Police have arrested five people in connection with the attempted murder of an attorney in East London. Two of the suspects were arrested at a house in Westville, KwaZulu-Natal, while the other two were arrested on a bus bound for Durban. Eastern Cape provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Priscilla Naidu, said the 70-year-old attorney had parked his car at approximately 10am on Friday. He was about to enter his office when two suspects approached him and fired several shots. Naidu said the victim was injured in his upper body and taken to hospital for further treatment. “While police were still at the crime scene, the East London Crime Intelligence was already hard at work gathering crucial information,” said Naidu. Within an hour after the shooting, the getaway vehicle, a silver Mercedes-…

The ANC has lost its appeal in the Constitutional Court against an earlier court decision which ordered it to hand over all cadre deployment records to the official opposition. The Concourt has ordered the ANC to hand over the records to the DA within five days. The ANC went to the apex court after the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein dismissed its application for leave to appeal a Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg ruling. The high court had ordered the ANC to hand over the cadre deployment records, stretching back to 2013. At the time, President Cyril Ramaphosa was the ANC deputy president after he was elected at the party’s conference in December 2012 in Mangaung. Ramaphosa also chaired the deployment committee until he became president of the party in…

As the United States Congress deliberates over the fate of the African Growth Opportunity Act (Agoa), South Africa finds itself at a crossroads in its trade relations. The recent bill filed by US Republican congressman John James and Democrat congressman Jared Moskowitz in the House of Representatives seeking a comprehensive review of the bilateral relationship between the two nations comes as no surprise to many international relations experts. South Africa’s bold decision to take Israel to the International Court of Justice for its bombardment of Palestine was always likely to carry economic consequences, and now those consequences are becoming increasingly apparent. It is understandable that America, like any nation, prioritises its own interests. However, turning a blind eye to atrocities and human rights violations in the name of national interest…

The Durban duel in the United Rugby Championship (URC) between the Sharks and Stormers will cap off a weekend of South African derbies on Saturday. It promises to be another nail-biter at Kings Park (kick-off 5.05pm) like it was at the DHL Stadium at the end of December when the Cape side took the spoils 16-15. Leighton Koopman takes a look at five areas of play where the contest could be decided. The scrums The Sharks owe the Stormers a good showing in the tight battle after the inaugural URC champions out-scrummed them in December, despite Ox Nche being part of the front row. With no Springboks playing in this match due to their resting protocol, it should provide for a decent scrum battle between the so-called second-stringers of the…

The SA20 has once again thrilled for the past 30 days. Here, Zaahier Adams takes a closer look at the highs and lows of season 2. HIT 1: The score Runs, runs and more runs. It certainly overflowed in season 2 with Ryan Rickelton breaking the magical 500-run barrier for the first time. Heinrich Klaasen (447), Matthew Breetzke (416) and Jos Buttler (408) also passed 400 runs for the first time. MISS 1: Extra knockout The newly-formulated play-off structure allowed for an extra match to be played with the normal semi-finals being replaced with Qualifier 1, Eliminator and Qualifier 2. That wasn’t so much the problem, but rather the fact that the staging of Qualifier 1 between the top teams on the log was predetermined to be played at Newlands…