Índex per 2023-01-24 a Mercury

THE unsolvable maths question in last year’s matric exams may have contributed to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education failing to improve its overall maths pass rate. This is the view of the Education Department after it emerged that education authorities were disappointed with the KZN maths pass rate of 54%. The department told The Mercury yesterday that the problem maths question in maths paper 2 led to the undermining the confidence of pupils in tackling the questions that followed. When it emerged that the question was problematic, its marks were not counted. Head of Department Nathi Ngcobo said the department was pleased with the performance of pupils in maths literacy and physical science. However, they were not happy with maths. “We did not drop but we also did not improve,”…

IS CANADA gearing itself for a monster booze-up? It would appear not. Until recently, government guidance recommended 10 drinks a week for women and 15 for men. That’s not exactly a razzle. But now, according to the BBC, the government guidance has been changed from between nothing at all to a maximum of two drinks a week – men and women – but only if you really have to. The new report, funded by Health Canada, also suggests mandatory warning labels for all alcoholic beverages. “The main message from this new guidance is that any amount of alcohol is not good for your health,” says Erin Hobin, a senior scientist with Public Health Ontario and a member of the expert panel that developed the guidelines. “And if you do drink,…

The sun is beating down mercilessly on us. It’s so hot that one of my magnificent flat crown trees is showing signs of stress. The leaves on the top are turning yellow. In the 10 years I have been here I have never seen this happen in midsummer. It reminds me of the song Under the Boardwalk by the Drifters and the Rolling Stones: “When the sun beats down And melts the tar upon the roof; Your feet get so hot You wish they were fireproof.” If the water in the solar geyser reaches 70ºC, how hot must it be on the roof? You can fry an egg and even bake a fish on the roof. If you are sweltering and cursing Eskom and the ANC for leaving you powerless…

Permanent load shedding, Eskom’s demand for an 18.65% tariff increase and the absence of a coherent plan to remedy the electricity supply crisis, constitutes a hydra-headed threat far worse than the so-called Covid-19 pandemic. It is surprising that opposition parties and media commentators have not recognised the reality. The reasons are obvious: without a reliable electricity supply, the economy suffers, jobs are lost and businesses close. Every aspect of life is negatively affected. Tourism and international investment are deterred. Skills are lost as emigration increases because the younger generation see no future here. During the initial phase of the Covid-19 “crisis”, from which 99% of the infected survived, draconian measures were deployed. Police patrolled beaches, preventing bathing and surfing. The sale of cigarettes and alcohol was banned. Shops were required…

A 26-YEAR-OLD Cape Town woman was severely injured when she was mauled by three dogs including a pit bull on Thursday last week. The woman was passing a residence in Penhill Estate at about 4pm when she was attacked. The dogs have since been removed from the home. According to an armed response and emergency service provider in the Northern Suburbs, Titanium Securitas, they received a call for medical assistance for a woman who had been attacked by dogs. “On arrival, our medical team found her in a serious condition. “She was bitten multiple times all over her body. She sustained gruesome injuries. The patient was stabilised on the scene and required advanced-life support intervention. “Once the patient was stable, she was transported to a nearby hospital for urgent care,”…

One of former Bosasa chief operating officer and whistle-blower Angelo Agrizzi’s two criminal cases has been put on hold at the Gauteng High Court pending the outcome of a court case regarding his medical condition. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the case which was in court yesterday, is set to resume on May 9, 2023. Agrizzi, who cannot appear in court due to ill-health, stands accused of allegedly offering R800 000 worth of kickbacks on behalf of Bosasa to former ANC MP Vincent Smith, in exchange for his influence as the then chairperson of Parliament’s oversight committee on correctional services, one of the matters Agrizzi blew the whistle on. Bosasa scored a host of contracts totalling just over R1 billion from the Department of Correctional Services between 2004 and…

THE DA and AfriForum have asked the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, to declare the ANC deployment committee illegal and unconstitutional, saying it “belongs in the apartheid era”. The parties argued that the ANC used its deployment committee to appoint only its members in senior positions in the government, judiciary, media and other levers of state. Advocate Anton Katz SC, for the DA, told the full Bench of the high court yesterday that the deployment committee consisted of 15 members, drawn primarily from the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC). “It is chaired by the deputy president of the ANC.” The deployment committee’s secretary monitors the media and government bulletins for advertised vacancies in the public service. Cabinet ministers are also required to inform the deployment committee of vacancies before these…

In years to come poorer learners will face an even more unfair playing field Last week just under a million children in South Africa received their National Senior Certificate results; this week, those who do not yet have a firm plan for their tertiary education or post-school life are working out what to do next. Results are never good news for everyone, even as the matric class of 2022 achieved an 80.1% pass rate, up from 76.4% the year before. We should not ignore disappointments even as the number of university entry passes has increased – an improvement of 8.9%. But the success of schools and learners in the face of new and complex schooling and exam challenges deserves applause, considering that Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has underlined noteworthy…

The UN human rights chief yesterday called on Eswatini to swiftly and impartially investigate the brutal killing of prominent opposition politician and human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko. “Thulani Maseko was a stalwart of human rights who, at great risk to himself, spoke up for many who couldn’t speak up for themselves,” Volker Turk said in a statement. “His cold-blooded killing has deprived Eswatini, southern Africa and the world of a true champion and advocate for peace, democracy and human rights.” Maseko was fatally shot on Saturday night at his home in Luhleko, about 50km from the capital Mbabane, an opposition spokesperson said. He was shot through a window while he was inside with his family, the spokesperson added. In his statement, Turk called on the Eswatini authorities “to ensure a…

Israeli doctors staged a 24-hour warning strike yesterday, said the Israeli Medical Association (IMA), which represents most doctors in the country. The strike, attended by doctors from public hospitals and clinics throughout Israel, was announced after recent incidents of violence by patients and family members against medical staff. During the strike, only life-saving treatments and surgeries are performed, the IMA noted. Last week, a paediatrician was beaten by a patient’s parents at Soroka Hospital in the southern city of Beer Sheva, and a gynaecologist was attacked by a patient at a clinic in the central city of Ramla. The IMA warned that if the demands are not met, more severe and prolonged measures would be taken. | Xinhua…

OSLO: A former commander of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group who recently fled to Norway has been apprehended by police, an official said yesterday, and a Russian rights group said he had been told he would be deported to Russia. Andrei Medvedev is a former commander of the Wagner group fighting for Russia in the Ukraine war. He fled by crossing the Russian-Norwegian border and has said he is in fear for his life after witnessing the killing and mistreatment of Russian prisoners brought to the front lines in Ukraine to fight for Wagner. The rights group said he would face “brutal murder and death” for speaking out against Wagner if he was returned to Russia. | Reuters…

Tehran: Iranian authorities have arrested three women journalists in the past two days, local media said yesterday, amid months of protests triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini. Iran has been gripped by protests since the September 16 death of Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who was arrested by morality police for allegedly breaching the country’s strict dress code for women. “In the past 48 hours, at least three female journalists, Melika Hashemi, Saideh Shafiei and Mehrnoush Zarei, have been arrested in Tehran,” the Tehran journalists’ union said. It estimated that about 80 journalists have been arrested since the start of the unrest . | AFP…

THE presumed front-runner for the post of deputy mayor in eThekwini Municipality, National Freedom Party (NFP) councillor Zandile Myeni, has called for “politically mature” people to be appointed in positions of leadership to ensure a stable government in the city. She said the city faced many service-delivery challenges and could not afford to be bogged down in political squabbles. Myeni, in an interview with The Mercury yesterday, said it was important that those who assumed leadership positions in the city were experienced and understood that the positions went beyond politics. She has been touted, even by leaders of her party, as the next deputy mayor. The position became vacant following the ousting of Philani Mavundla. Mavundla, president of Abantu Batho Congress (ABC), was deployed as deputy mayor following a coalition…

I have had recent casual conversations with moving moments. These conversations have been with people I have known for decades and some with people I have just met. I added to the conversations and I am sure a keen listener may have heard equally sad or jolting things from me. What would your contribution be? Here is a mish-mash of expressed sentiments: My father never said he loved me. There are so many things I wish I had said to my parents but I never had the courage to say. I am angry about many unexpected changes. I never heard my father say he loved anything. My grandchildren have no idea how much their occasional texts mean to me. People seldom treat me in the ways I like to treat…

So there has been a major disconnection drive, cutting the power to those entities that are in arrears. I am a bit confused though. I pay my bill every month and always round it up. Should I not do this, I will be disconnected. Can someone explain, though, how certain municipalities owe Eskom millions, when the average person pays their bills. What happens with the revenue that is collected from law-abiding citizens? Surely this should go directly to Eskom on a monthly basis? The Nigerian Consulate is apparently about R400 000 in arrears and when they were eventually disconnected it caused a diplomatic fracas. Why were they turned back on? Sure, they said they would pay by the end of January, but why was it allowed to get that…

The National Department of Health is set to commence with compensation payouts to eligible former miners who contracted lung diseases between March 1965 and December 2019. From Monday, January 23 to February 4, the Department of Health will begin with the programme of screening, verification, medical examination and payment of benefits to eligible former mineworkers who contracted tuberculosis (TB) or silicosis while working for certain mines in the country between March 1965 and December 2019. Silicosis is a long-term lung disease caused by inhaling large amounts of crystalline silica dust, usually over many years. The nationwide programme will start in northern KwaZulu-Natal before moving to other provinces, the department said. In 2018, South African gold producers reached a class action settlement with law firms representing thousands of miners who contracted…

A business owner believed to be in his forties was shot dead on Sydney Road, near Blake Road, in Umbilo yesterday just after 8am. ALS Paramedics Medical Services spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said that when paramedics arrived at the scene, they found various security companies in attendance. “A man was found lying next to his vehicle, with multiple gunshot wounds to his body,” said Jamieson. “He had sustained fatal injuries. There was nothing paramedics could do for him and he was declared dead on the scene.” Provincial police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said Umbilo police were investigating a case of murder following a shooting yesterday on Sydney Road. “It is alleged that a man, 49, was at a parking lot outside his business premises when he was shot dead by an…

The bodies of two teens who drowned in KwaZulu-Natal rivers in separate incidents on Sunday were recovered yesterday. IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson Dylan Meyrick said its search and rescue division along with SAPS K9, SAPS Search and Rescue and eThekwini metro Search and Rescue responded to two drownings on Sunday. Meyrick said a boy, 16, disappeared while swimming in the uMkhomazi (Umkomaas) River and an 18-year-old disappeared while swimming in the Tugela River. He said the searches were called off yesterday evening due to fading light and teams returned to the scene yesterday morning. “IPSS Medical Search and Rescue and SAPS units recovered the 16-year-old from the uMkhomazi River earlier this morning, and a short while later the missing 18-year-old was recovered in the Tugela River,” said Meyrick. “Thank…

Like it or not, “when the ANC sneezes the country and the world catches a cold”. The ANC is the governing party, and therefore who it chooses as its leader affects the country generally. As it does the world because markets become nervous and react. Although Cyril Ramaphosa won his presidency campaign at his party’s 55th conference, there was the Phala Phala matter hovering over his head. He had four hurdles to get through. Two were based on Phala Phala and the other on the party. And there was another, his predecessor Jacob Zuma. He overcame the first two. It was not easy to get through the others. With the first, the section 89 issue, Ramaphosa had to go through Parliament. People from within and outside the party…

Investigators scrambled yesterday to discover why a 72-year-old gunman opened fire in a California dance hall popular with older patrons and killed 10 people before fatally turning a gun on himself hours later. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the reasons behind the Lunar New Year massacre carried out by Huu Can Tran on Saturday night remained elusive. Officials worked into yesterday trying to identify the 10 people he killed Saturday night at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, about 11km east of downtown Los Angeles. Another 10 people were wounded and seven remained hospitalised late Sunday. Tran’s rampage could have been far worse. About 20 minutes after the shooting in Monterey Park, he entered another dance club in the neighboring city of Alhambra. There, two patrons…

Melbourne: Indian Wells tournament director Tommy Haas says it will be “a disgrace” if Novak Djokovic continues to be barred from the US because of his stance on Covid-19 vaccines. The Serb is set to miss prestigious Indian Wells and Miami events after US authorities extended until April their requirement for international visitors to be vaccinated. The 21-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic missed last year’s US Open for the same reason. Haas said that he hoped the US would follow Australia’s lead in changing the rules. | AFP…

Geneva: Efforts to eliminate industrially produced fat have a long way to go with five billion people exposed to toxic fat added to many food products, the UN health agency said yesterday. The World Health Organization (WHO) called in 2018 for harmful trans fatty acids to be wiped out by 2023. They are thought to be responsible for about 500 000 premature deaths from coronary heart disease each year. Although 43 countries with combined populations of 2.8 billion people have implemented best-practice policies, most of the world is unprotected, it said. The WHO said nine of the 16 worst affected countries were not implementing best practice policies. | AFP…

Aleppo: A building collapsed on Sunday in Syria’s war-damaged second city of Aleppo, killing 16 people including five children, with the search for survivors extending into the night. Much of Aleppo was destroyed during Syria’s conflict that began nearly 12 years ago and left many of the remaining structures in a decrepit state. Four people were rescued alive from the rubble. According to the interior ministry, the five-storey building was home to seven families. Locals said about 35 people lived there. The police said that the building had collapsed “due to a water leak” in the foundations. | AFP…

President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country needed an energy mix that included coal, nuclear, solar, wind and biogas if it was to transition to a cleaner form of energy. Ramaphosa was addressing the KwaZulu-Natal ANC’s Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) yesterday amid threats of legal action and protests as load shedding continues. On Sunday, Eskom announced that it was contemplating implementing Stage 2 or 3 load shedding on a near-permanent basis for the next two to three years. Ramaphosa said 80% of the country’s energy comes from coal-fired power stations and this could not be ignored. “I have made it clear that in this transition there is no way that South Africa can shut down coal-fired power stations – we can’t shut down Medupi and Kusile.” Ramaphosa admitted that load shedding…

The National Funeral Practitioners Association, the largest funeral parlour association in South Africa, says funeral parlours are being hit hard by load shedding as they are spending large amounts of money on generators and fuel to ensure that bodies in mortuaries are properly preserved before burials. Dududu Magano, the association’s spokesperson, said funeral parlours were dealing with many challenges. “The major issue is load shedding. There is no power for a number of hours and sometimes the power does not come on at the scheduled time. This makes you incur additional costs. “We have had to invest a lot of money in back-up generators. By law, funeral parlours need to have back-up generators for storing bodies at mortuaries. “However, we have had to invest in additional generators and at times…

The word “poison” entered our political lexicon over 75 years ago. Today the mere mention of the word in our life creates paranoia across the corridors of power. Poison is today used as an instrument of intimidation and elimination in global politics. In South Africa it has become a stealthy weapon of coercion and terror. In a period of many decades leaders in the corridors of power and industry became victims of poison by stealth and deception. For over seven centuries poisoning has been used from Socrates to present-day South Africa. Poisons have made their political and social mark throughout history. Our history of poison in politics began during the Struggle. During the Struggle, over a period of more than 75 years, poison became a weapon of warfare which killed…

Dear President Cyril Ramaphosa. I do not believe that you are aware of the severe crisis that the hapless residents of the eThekwini Municipality are experiencing. From unscheduled power outages and continuous water disruptions to the stench of undiluted sewage, the situation is becoming unbearable as it is totally untenable. Repairmen employed by the municipality – euphemistically called contractors – are hamstrung to conduct work efficiently and in many cases seem out of their depth to “solve” the ongoing crisis by virtue of the fact that some do not have the adequate qualification or experience for the tasks at hand. Dilapidated, decrepit and ailing infrastructure, especially with regards to the water situation, coupled with “questionable” competencies of contractors are compounding what is becoming a very, very dangerous situation. Unscheduled power…

As UNIVERSITIES gear up for registration and orientation activities, UCT’s executive says it is working to avert a possible 3-day industrial action by academic staff. Staff affiliated to the UCT Academics Union (AU) are preparing to go on strike for the first time in the university’s history after wage negotiations reached a deadlock. This after they were offered a 3% pay increase for the 2023 year which they have since labelled as insulting and derisory. The union said in a poll, 87% of its members had shown willingness to join the protest action, expected to be three days or more. The strike may affect a number of academic activities including the release of the 2022 supplementary exam results, 2023 registration and academic teaching. According to the union, universities historically used…

The government has a moral obligation to proactively monitor the escalation of prices in the solar energy sector. It is clear that the mismanagement of the power utility Eskom by the government and politically linked individuals has plunged the country into rolling blackouts. Energy experts have warned South Africans and businesses to make alternative power plans because the country could continue to experience stage 4 and 5 load shedding. To make matters worse, Eskom also announced that its recovery plan was expected to bear fruit in about two years. This means that the country will continue to experience load shedding for the next two years. Consequently, exploring solar or alternative energy as the Eskom power crisis deepens has become even more urgent. In doing so consumers are finding, as Independent…

South Africa’s foreign minister yesterday deflected criticism of joint military drills planned with Russia and China, saying that hosting such exercises with “friends” was the “natural course of relations”. Naledi Pandor made her comments during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was visiting South Africa 11 months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A South African official, who declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak, said Lavrov would afterwards visit Eswatini, Botswana and Angola. South Africa is one of Russia’s most important allies on a continent divided over the invasion and Western attempts to isolate Moscow because of its military actions. Some opposition parties and South Africa’s small Ukrainian community have said that hosting Lavrov is insensitive. South Africa says it is impartial on…

Pakistan’s national grid suffered a major breakdown yesterday, the power ministry said, leaving millions of people without electricity for the second time in three months and highlighting the infrastructural weakness of this heavily indebted nation. Energy Minister Khurrum Dastagir said the outage was caused by a large voltage surge in the south of the grid, which affected the entire network. Supplies were being partially restored from north to the south, he added, nearly six hours after factories, hospitals and schools reported outages. The grid was expected to be fully functioning by 10pm (7pm SA time) yesterday, Dastagir said. A senior ministry official blamed this outage, and the frequent blackouts that Pakistan’s 220 million people suffer, on its ageing grid. “There’s an underlying weakness in the system,” said the official, who…

SAN FRANCISCO: Tesla chief executive Elon Musk was due to take the witness stand again yesterday, defending himself against fraud claims that he lied when he tweeted in 2018 that he had funding to take the electric carmaker private. The trial will test whether his penchant for taking to Twitter to air his sometimes irreverent views misleads investors and damages the value of the company. The case is a rare securities class action trial. Shareholders claim they lost millions after Musk tweeted that he had “funding secured” to take Tesla private. Musk called Twitter, which he bought in October, the most democratic way to communicate but said his tweets did not always affect Tesla stock the way he expected. The billionaire was to address why he insisted he had Saudi…

London: Thousands of ambulance workers held another strike across England and Wales yesterday, in escalating industrial action as unions called on the government for talks on improving pay and working conditions. Ambulance workers began strike action on December 21. Nurses have also launched unprecedented strike action. Yesterday’s industrial action comes ahead of mass simultaneous strikes planned for February 6. In yesterday’s strike up to 15 000 ambulance staff in England were striking along with 5 000 members at hospitals in Liverpool and 2 600 ambulance workers in England and Wales. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was “missing in action” , unions said. | AFP…