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Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za CORONATION Fund Managers lifted fund management earnings per share by 22.9 percent to 470.9 cents in the year to September 30 supported by stronger markets and an out-performance of client mandates. Fund management earnings are used by Coronation’s management to measure operating financial performance – it excludes fair value gains and losses, and related foreign exchange, on investment securities held. Dividends for the company that is 25 percent staff-owned increased 22.7 percent to 470c per share, from 383c in the prior corresponding period. A final dividend of 226c (205c) was declared. Revenue and earnings from fund management were up 17 percent and 23 percent respectively. Markets had performed strongly, after coming off the low base of March 2020. The MSCI All…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons Tarryn-Leigh.Solomons@iinl.co.za A total of 11 teachers have been axed by the Department of Basic Education after they were found guilty of a range of charges, including sexual misconduct. The South African Council of Educators (Sace) yesterday appeared before Parliament where it listed cases of misconduct against teachers. The council received 443 cases of misconduct against educators for the 2020/21 financial year. During the briefing to Parliament’s portfolio committee on education, Sace chief executive Ella Mokgalane broke down the figures per quarter since April 2020. The top three categories of cases of professional and unethical misconduct against educators during the period under review included corporal punishment and assault; sexual misconduct, which included rape, indecent assault, sexual assault and sexual harassment; and verbal abuse or use of improper language, victimisation,…

THYAGARAJ MARKANDAN | Kloof It’s over two years since The Mercury reported an allegation of corruption associated with the orange bags re- cycling programme. Ever since the contract of R90 million for the supply of orange bags was awarded to a company which had no expertise in the manufacture of these bags, many Durban residents have been faced with a shortage of them and had to put up with an inconsistent and sporadic recycling programme. In some areas, the recycling programme has come to a complete halt. Frustrated residents have had no choice but to put their recycling material into the ordinary black bags. In Kloof, where I live, I haven’t received orange bags for several months and have been forced to put the recycling waste into the…

ZINHLE MASHININI | Thokoza, East Rand We salute the IFP founder, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, for his role during the local government elections. He was not campaigning but stated the gospel truth as it is. He showed maturity and that he is a seasoned politician. As usual, he mentioned facts which no one could vocalise, even IFP leaders. He talked about joblessness, service delivery for the people, crime and empty promises. He was the twelfth player on the political field. He utilised his experience in conveying the expected message. If the IFP and South Africa could profitably use his leadership continuously, all of us could stand to benefit. Well done Shenge, you showed political maturity.…

WHEE! Pennies from heaven … well , dollar and 20-dollar notes actually. A major freeway in Carlsbad, southern California, came to a standstill as bags fell from an armoured truck and burst as they hit the road surface, Online videos showed people rushing to gather up the notes, according to Sky News, some of then laughing, leaping about and hurling wads of notes into the air. “This is the most insane thing I’ve ever seen … literally everybody stopped on the freeway to get money off of the freeway,” said Demi Bagby, who posted footage of the chaos on her Instagram page. But all good things must end. The cops arrived and arrested two people. They are examining video footage to see if they can identify any others who…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) has increased security at its Westville campus after a violent protest on Monday. Normah Zondo, executive director of corporate relations at UKZN, said protesting students set fire to its Varsity Drive guardhouse and stoned the university’s Risk Management Services (RMS) building and RMS vehicles. The incident follows a violent student protest at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) two weeks ago. Zondo said that the protesting students were demanding that public transport be allowed on to the Westville campus. She said the fire at the guardhouse was extinguished and the protesters dispersed by UKZN RMS and private security services. “University management condemns any act of violence. We urge students to desist from engaging in criminal behaviour and adhere to the Covid-19 protocols…

Anita Nkonki anita.nkonki@inl.co.za MISS SA 2020 Shudufhadzo Musida has left the country to take part in the Miss World pageant that is set to take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on December 16. This comes amid the controversy over current Miss SA Lalela Mswane going to the Miss Universe competition in Israel. There had been calls for Mswane to withdraw from the international pageant over what Nelson Mandela’s grandson Inkosi Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela described as the “occupation and the cruel treatment of Palestinians at the hands of apartheid Israel regime”. The South African government also announced its withdrawal of support for the Miss South Africa pageant after the organisation announced that Mswane would compete in Israel. Musida said she was focused on representing South Africa at Miss World. She…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za Environmental activists have raised their concerns about oil and gas exploration work set to be carried out by Amazon Warrior, a 130m-long seismic blasting vessel on the Eastern Cape’s Wild Coast. The vessel, hired by oil giant Shell, arrived in Cape Town Harbour on Sunday morning, and was met by a large gathering of environmental activists and concerned citizens. This was the ship’s last stop before it was set to begin its seismic survey. According to a petition by OceansNotOil, the five-month survey by Shearwater GeoServices would see the vessel drag up to 48 air guns methodically through 6 011km² of ocean surface, firing shock wave emissions that penetrate through 3km of water and 40km into the Earth’s crust below the seabed. South African Association for Marine…

Uganda has had a string of terror attacks lately. The most recent bombings took place in Kampala’s central business district and were claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group. Tensions have been increasing across the border too, in Kenya. The government has instructed security agencies to be more vigilant. Moina Spooner, of The Conversation Africa, asked terrorism researcher Dr Anneli Botha, to provide insights into what drives terrorism in the region and how it should be addressed. Eastern Africa has two primary terrorism hot spots. The first is Somalia. It has experienced continuous instability since 1991, due to clan-based warlords and the lack of a functioning central government. The creation of ungoverned spaces provided al-Qaeda with a foothold in the region. Ethiopian intervention in 2006 added fuel to the…

Mavys Alvarez, a Cuban woman who had a relationship with late soccer star Diego Maradona two decades ago, said yesterday that the Argentine player had raped her when she was a teenager and “stolen her childhood”. Alvarez, now 37, gave testimony last week to an Argentine Ministry of Justice court that is investigating her allegations of trafficking against Maradona’s former entourage, linked to events when she was 16. Maradona, widely considered one of the greatest ever soccer stars, died a year ago on November 25, 2020. The complaint relates to a journey Alvarez took to Argentina with Maradona in 2001, when he was around 40 and she was 16. Alvarez said she first met the soccer star shortly before the trip, when he was in Cuba to undergo drug addiction…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za FORMER president Jacob Zuma yesterday complained about being disrespected by the three organisations that want his medical parole to be revoked. The Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF), AfriForum and the DA asked the North Gauteng High Court to overturn the decision by former correctional services national commissioner Arthur Fraser to grant Zuma parole. Zuma’s lawyer, Dali Mpofu SC, said the case was clearly a politically motivated application, and that the HSF, AfriForum and DA application was a waste of judicial processes. Mpofu described the organisations as right wing and “racist”. “Our courts cannot be used for this thing,” he said, adding that the matter was full of falsities and that the parties involved were propping up a case that was non-existent. According to Mpofu, the case was a…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za THE ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is licking its wounds after it suffered heavy losses in key municipalities, including the economic node of uMhlathuze Municipality. This comes after the deal between the governing party and the IFP to support each other fell apart this week. At the meeting of the uMhlathuze council yesterday, Dr Nkonzoyakhe Donda of the IFP was elected as the new mayor, with Nkonzo Ngubane of the EFF elected as the deputy mayor and Tobias Gumede of the IFP, as the new speaker. The meeting was a continuation of the previous sitting that had ended abruptly because of a power failure on Monday. The IFP’s win followed a deal that was struck with the EFF and marks the first time that the red berets have held…

MUHAMMAD OMAR | Durban North When I saw the ANC mayoral list over the weekend, I was deeply disappointed. No changes and consequences, especially after the July disaster. Seems the RET (Radical Economic Transformation) faction was still running the show. Making things worse was the stalemate between “Black like Me” Mr Herman Mashaba and the DA in making him mayor of Joburg. Very sad that it took a testing of nerves. This meant it was a walkover for the ruling party, with the same people doing the same things and another five years wasted. Lo and behold, the EFF, ActionSA, which sprung into action, took a bold “De Klerk”-like gesture and gave SA and the ANC a shock. They cast aside their political hang-ups and voted for the…

NARENDH GANESH | Durban North TO The chief executive of the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). My name is Narendh Ganesh, and I am a civic leader, whose precinct was attacked during the “July unrest”, during which I was shot at near point-blank range. Let me state at the outset that the hearings into the July unrest currently being held are dubious and a facade that is simulating a fair and unbiased inquiry. What exactly is going to be achieved by the form of a quasi-judicial inquiry, whose terms of reference leave much to be desired? Will a president, who was so distinctly paralysed to act when it mattered, be capable of acting on any recommendations that might be made as a result of such an inquiry? Is…

Karen Singh karen.singh@inl.co.za THE popular Hyper by the Sea Post Office had its last day of trading yesterday as its lease expires at the end of November. The post office, at the Pick n Pay Hyper in Durban North, is among 29 branches that were closed in KwaZulu-Natal this year. Speaking to The Mercury yesterday, Johan Kruger, the spokesperson for the South African Post Office (Sapo), said 29 branches had to close this year for various reasons, among them the unrest in July, termination of lease contracts and rationalisation of its network. “No employees lose their jobs; the employees and equipment are all deployed in nearby branches,” he said. Kruger said the last day of trading for the Hyper by the Sea Post Office was November 23. The lease on…

Film enthusiasts will get the opportunity to produce their own 4 to 7- minute film, for the 12th Durban edition of the international 48-hour film project. The competition will be held from November 26 to 28. The project is an international competition held in cities across the world. Movie creators, professional and unprofessional, come together to write, shoot and edit a 4 to 7-minute film in just a single weekend. All films submitted will be premiered for the public to view from December 10 to 12 at the Ster-Kinekor cinema at Gateway Mall. Nerusha Maharaj, producer of the Durban 48-hour film project, says the competition will allow the winners to showcase their work on other platforms. “All films submitted on time are judged for various awards by a local film-maker…

Five men have been arrested and police recovered a consignment of illicit cigarettes worth about R10 million in Gauteng on Monday. | African News Agencyy (ANA) “The endless efforts of the SAPS in Gauteng to fight the trade and proliferation of illicit cigarettes saw positive results when a consignment of illicit cigarettes worth about R10 million was seized and five men arrested at Sandton,” Gauteng SAPS spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Sello said. “Crime intelligence information was operationalised by the provincial organised crime unit, West Rand K9 and Customs from the SA Revenue Service (Sars). The team stopped and searched a truck with five occupants at Grayston Square where a consignment of illicit cigarettes was discovered.” The large haul of illicit cigarettes was seized and the five suspects are expected to…

IN recent weeks, at least five children were kidnapped in Limpopo and Gauteng for ransom in what appears to be the work of criminal gangs. This includes the Moti brothers – aged between 6 and 15 – who were kidnapped by seven gunmen in Polokwane while on their way to school. Zia, 15, Alaan, 13, Zayyad, 11, and Zidan, 6, were bundled into a vehicle after the gang intercepted their family car, according to police. Three weeks later, after the police failed to make a breakthrough, the boys resurfaced at Vuwani in Vhembe, more than 150km from their home, and were later reunited with their parents. National police spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo said local police were informed by a Vuwani resident that the children had showed up at their house…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za ARNO Botha says playing for Munster was “one of the best times of my life”, and now he is excited about facing the Irish team for the Bulls in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash at Loftus. Botha, who turned 30 in October, had a tough time with injuries in his previous stint at the Bulls, and tried to make a fresh start in Europe. He first turned out for London Irish in early 2018, but then soon found himself at Munster, having been recruited by one of his former Bulls coaches, Johann van Graan, who had taken over the coaching duties from Rassie Erasmus – who left Ireland for the Springboks. He repaid the faith shown in him by Van Graan with a number of impressive displays,…

“I don’t want to sound political”, said Ryan Campbell on at least a few occasions during the Netherlands’ arrival press conference yesterday. Welcome to South Africa, Mr Campbell where everything is political, particularly cricket. Campbell may be the Netherlands coach on their first ever tour of SA and fairly assimilated into the Dutch culture, but he has certainly lost none of his straight-shooting ability ingrained during his formative years back in Perth. He wasn’t, though, being “political” in the SA sense, where it naturally migrates to race relations. He was referring more to cricket’s hierarchy and its treatment of associate nations, particularly in respect of the ICC’s curtailing of the World Super League after 2023 last week, when in fact it’s due to the WSL that the Netherlands are about…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za LAWMAKERS raised concerns about the breakdown in trust between mining communities and industry after the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) officials yesterday told Parliament they had decided not to appeal the court decision confirming the mining industry’s so-called “once empowered, always empowered” principle. Officials contended there were no prospects of success. When grilled by members of the mineral resources and energy portfolio committee during a meeting held virtually, the DMRE’s head of legal services, Pieter Alberts, said the department’s decision not to appeal the court decision was “not a train smash”. “It could be overcome if we apply for a condonation and then show a very good cause as to why we believe that an appeal should be granted at this late stage…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za Certified personal trainer Bongs Ndima has been crowned Mr Gay World South Africa. Ndima is the first black man to win the title. He succeeds Louw Breytenbach, who has been recently crowned Mr Gay World. Breytenbach was initially crowned Mr Gay World SA in May. He won Mr Gay World this month and handed over his reign to Ndima, who was Mr Gay World SA first runner up. Ndima says he entered the competition because he felt there weren’t enough men of colour to represent people like him. He also wanted to push his organisation, Bongs Ndima Foundation, which focuses on male mental health. “Being the first black man to carry the title, in over 10 years of the competition running, it can’t be right. I hope…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE security breach during the eThekwini Municipality’s first council meeting on Monday has left opposition parties feeling the security apparatus of the city is not impartial, but there to serve political party interests. ANC supporters clad in party regalia stormed the meeting just as their party gave excuses to have the meeting called off after realising the opposition parties had entered into a loose alliance to vote together and take the positions of mayor and deputy mayor. Once inside the venue, the ANC supporters started overturning the tables and marched around the tent singing, then marched out with little or no interference from security officials. The IFP said the incident showed that security officials were not impartial, but were there to serve political party interests. The party…

Millions of red crabs crawled across Christmas Island yesterday, as part of their annual migration journey to the ocean on the island off the coast of Western Australia. “This year’s migration has just been absolutely epic,” Christmas Island National Park natural resource manager Brendan Tiernan said. “The roads have been a seething mass of red crabs. It’s caused traffic jams on this small island and people having to get out of their cars and rake them out the way.” Tiernan said the ecological phenomenon of crabs migrating to the sea to spawn occurs nowhere else in the world on such a huge scale. “Sometimes we call it red crab island; the island’s community acknowledge just how important red crabs are to our ecosystem and to our economy, to tourism,” he…

DAVID CARTWRIGHT | Hillcrest Two front-page articles in The Mercury (November 22) scream out for comment. So, yet another shack fire and John Citizen must weep for the hapless victims, but the article highlights the suspicion that an illegal electrical con nection was the cause? Don’t mince words – instead just accept that theft in its barest form was the cause. Sorry, but I make no pretence that I sympathise, because I don’t. Then, juxtaposed is the article about what can only be described as eThekwini’s pathetic failure to embrace effectively, a much-needed recycling initiative. A simple hour-long drive around the CBD, and the inner-city residential environs will find an utterly disgusting state of filth. And it all seems to be condoned by the useless metro council, so…

THERE are paradoxes we must embrace to be reasonable humans and somewhat successful at our relationships and careers. Here is one that is very close to my heart and experience. I am going to use “you” for ease. I am fully aware the content also applies to me. You are unique in all the world, a veritable treasure. You are special. You really are one of a kind. There is no one in the world like you. Enjoy it. Allow yourself to bring your tailored, unusual gifts to the world. You are not that different from other people or special. Get involved in the joy and the grind of daily life in the same manner required of all of us, rich, poor, educated and uneducated. Do your share. You are…

Baldwin Ndaba and Siyabonga Mkhwanazi Newly-ELECTED City of Joburg mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse and Ekur- huleni mayor Tania Campbell are incredible women who can turn both metros around. This was the view of DA leader John Steenhuisen, who yesterday was commenting on the successful elections of DA speakers and mayors in the two Gauteng metros. “Yesterday’s (Monday’s) developments in the votes for mayor and speaker in both Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni Metros came as a surprise to everyone, including us at the DA. We didn’t ask for help from the EFF to lead these governments, and we did not expect to leave these meetings with two new DA mayors, and both these metros’ first-ever female mayors,” said Steenhuisen. He added: “The election of Dr Mpho Phalatse and Tania Campbell,…

| African News Agency (ANA) The Pretoria High Court has convicted a couple living in Booysens of child neglect, common assault and failure to register a child. North Gauteng regional spokesperson for the director of public prosecutions Lumka Mahanjana said the couple, who are not being named to protect the identity of their child, were found guilty on all charges while the wife was further found guilty of human trafficking. The couple had a baby in April 2020, but did not register the child at the Department of Home Affairs as they had “the intention of selling the baby and for the baby not to be traced back to them”, said Mahanjana. “A woman, only known as Saunders, who owned a food cart in Booysens, met the couple around July…

Rafieka Williams rafieka.williams@inl.co.za The national conference on trans and gender diversity inclusion in higher education took place at the weekend, coinciding with the transgender day of remembrance. The conference emphasised the lived realities of LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual) students in higher education and was convened out of a need to foster curriculum transformation in South Africa when dealing with LGBTQIA+ communities. At the conference there were discussions on mechanisms for transformation in the higher education sector, deconstructing gender, identity and expression in education and what’s in the best interest of the trans and gender-diverse child. Khanyisile Phillips, programme director for Gender Dynamix, said: “We’re hoping to not only get the buy-in from the Department of Basic and Higher Education but to draft a position statement that…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za ENVIRONMENTAL organisations have welcomed the arrest of two suspects found in possession of ivory with a street value of R400 000 in Ballito last week. It is alleged that the suspects were trying to sell elephant tusks and were arrested after an undercover operation. KwaZulu-Natal Hawks spokesperson Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo said: “The Hawks members from Port Shepstone Serious Organised Crime Investigation, assisted by Crime Intelligence, arrested two suspects aged 27 and 57 for possession and dealing in elephant tusks. “It is alleged that members received information about suspects who were selling elephant tusks. An undercover operation was conducted at Zimbali Eco Estate and members swooped on the suspects’ residence.” Mhlongo added that 1.3kg of ivory was recovered. “Upon searching the premises, members found 1.3 kilogram of ivory…

Stockholm: A former Iranian prison official accused of handing out death sentences during a 1988 purge of dissidents yesterday slammed as “lies” the charges brought against him in a landmark trial in Sweden. Hamid Noury, 60, has been on trial in Stockholm’s district court since August on charges including murder, crimes against humanity and war crimes. They stem from the period between July 30 and August 16, 1988, when he was allegedly assistant to the deputy prosecutor of Gohardasht prison in Karaj, near Tehran. Human rights groups say about 5 000 prisoners were killed across Iran, allegedly under the orders of supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini in reprisal for attacks carried out by the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) at the end of the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88. Noury took…

mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za ORLANDO Pirates caretaker coach Mandla Ncikazi is confident they’ll be able to handle the congested schedule in the final stretch of the year, especially with the help of some of their key players who’ve returned to training from injuries. The Sea Robbers have endured a roller-coaster outing for the better part of the first half of the season. They are seventh on the log with 15 points, tied with eighth-placed AmaZulu and 11 behind leaders and champions Mamelodi Sundowns. Although they’ve had some good moments, Pirates’ main issues have been their poor conversation rate and defensive frailties. The lack of goals haunted them in the last two games, losing to rivals Kaizer Chiefs and drawing with Golden Arrows away. They’ll aim to ensure that the winless streak doesn’t…