Mercury -julkaisun 2021-07-16 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za TIGER Brands said yesterday that it estimated at more than R150 million the loss of stock because of civil unrest, looting and vandalism to its property in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The largest food manufacturer in the country said a number of its sites in KwaZulu-Natal have been affected by acts of looting and vandalism, resulting in damage to its rice and snacks and treats operations. “It is currently estimated that the loss of stock is in excess of R150m. The loss of profit due to business interruption is still being quantified. The situation in KZN remains volatile, presenting a further risk to other Tiger Brands facilities in the area,” the group said. It said its bakery operations and the distribution of bread have been suspended…

South Africa is still reeling from the biggest fraud in our corporate history – the Steinhoff accounting scandal – and investors and shareholders who lost billions through the company’s fraud haven’t seen recompense or justice. The scandal has raised several questions for me: What are the ethical responsibilities of businesses beyond accounting and legal compliance? Should companies exist purely to turn a profit, or to what extent do businesses have a social responsibility to improve the lives of those within their broader communities? This month is Moral Regeneration Month and I do think we need to find our moral compass again. We can’t rebuild the capacity of the state or corporations without holding our political and private sector leaders to account. If we can’t hold our leaders accountable and responsible…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za TWO LISTED property groups, Safari Investments and Vukile Property Fund, suffered damage to their shopping centres, joining the many other retail store and centre owners that have to repair and rebuild. Safari Investments said yesterday that three of its retail centres in Gauteng had become targets of lawlessness. None of the company’s other investment properties had been affected. Security measures at Thabong shopping centre in Sebokeng had been breached, the centre had been looted and severe damage had been caused to all the shops. The situation remained volatile but was under control. The property was insured from both a capital and an income perspective. A recovery plan was under way to get the centre operational again. Security measures at Denlyn shopping centre in Mamelodi and Nkomo Village…

Thami Magubane and Okuhle Hlati TEACHER unions are outraged after it emerged that several schools in KwaZulu-Natal were destroyed during the looting spree and unrest over the past few days. While the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) said in a statement that 32 schools were looted and some were burnt and vandalised, the provincial government spokesperson, Lennox Mabaso, said it did not have figures on the extent of the damage as information was still being collected. Classrooms were torched and infrastructure was destroyed while computers and other items were stolen. The Mercury has seen a video of one primary school that was set alight in Groutville, near Stanger. In a voice note about the fire, a man bemoans the damage to the school, which had educated…

ELECTIONS in Zimbabwe will be held in two years and the world is now beginning to think about the credibility of these elections. The country is desperate to join the Commonwealth. The first avenue for Zimbabwe to engage with other countries, join the Commonwealth and attract investors is by holding credible elections. The situation on the ground does not show that Zimbabwe is committed or serious about reforming the election process. The Zimbabwean government should be forced to reform the election process and ensure that the forthcoming elections in 2023 are completely free from violence and rigging. KUDZAI CHIKOWORE | Human rights activist…

| Robert Byrne IT’S the spirit of the Blitz. There we were in Florida Road seeking food and sustenance, queues to every shop snaking their way into the far distance. (The only place without a queue was the bottlestore.) Yes, these looters have certainly disrupted daily life. But the queues were a snapshot of our society in all its multicultural, multi-hued vibrancy. There was a great deal of bonhomie and goodwill. And I met up with several old mates from whom I’d been separated by the lockdown. People speculated as to whether the looters were on their way. But when you looked at the throngs of shoppers – I’ve never before seen so many people in Florida Road – it was obvious we would outnumber them. We’d be able…

MOHAMED SAEED | Pietermaritzburg I am very sorry to hear of the terrible and large-scale losses due to the looting, robbing, thieving and vandalism. None of us was prepared for such large-scale ransacking of retail outlets, warehouses and shopping centres and disruptions. I could not believe how shocking and shattering the damage was to our communities and especially to lives, properties and businesses. It is difficult to understand the emotional and mental feelings of such massive losses. I pray the Almighty will help all put their lives back in order. Together with the effects of Covid-19 and the current unfortunate situation we find ourselves in, as a community, we have to make the best out of the heartbreaking state of affairs and support each other in the process…

DEAN LE GRANGE | Spokesperson of Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry Whether the orgy of looting and destruction of the past week in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng was planned that way or simply took on a life of its own due to massive youth unemployment and simple mob behaviour and common criminality, doesn’t matter. The damage has been done. Now we must rebuild. Let the socialist academics, point-making politicians and other moralists add their pennyworths to the background noises of social media. Nothing they can say will remove the thunderous shout of common sense: only the private sector can get us out of the morass of incompetence and inefficiency that we have driven into during the last two decades. We had a marvellous start in 1994, with a…

ITUMELENG MAFISA NELSON Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela, hopes that his grandfather’s birthday on Sunday will be used to unite South Africa following days of looting, violence, and racial tension. Mandela died at the age of 95 at his Houghton Estate home. He would have been 102 years old on Sunday. Chief Mandla said the Mandela name was as relevant today as it was when his granddad was released from prison in 1990. Mandela was involved in various peace talks following his release; part of his peace mission was to stabilise the political tensions in KwaZulu-Natal, which have flared up again following days of looting and unrest in the country. There were reports of violence between Indians and Africans in Durban. “On the contrary the legacy doesn’t exist in…

Vernon Mchunu vernon.mchunu@inl.co.za THE KwaZulu-Natal traditional leadership has made a clarion call for an immediate end to looting and race-based violence. They also criticised the failure of politicians to respond to the genuine public concerns that may have contributed to the unrest. Inkosi Phathisizwe Chiliza, the chairperson of the provincial House of Traditional Leaders, said the looting should stop with immediate effect as it would soon lead to untold hunger. He added that racist attacks were dangerous as they harboured the potential to turn into severe conflict. “We can’t allow theft to be a solution. As Zulus, we are a dignified nation,” said Chiliza, who echoed the sentiments expressed this week by King Misuzulu kaZwelithini over the looting. “But to attack people on the basis of the colour of their…

A 5-month-old baby, another child and a woman are fighting for their lives in hospital after being caught in the crossfire in the latest taxi-related shooting yesterday in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. Three people, two males and a woman who were passengers were also killed in the shooting that occurred. “At around 3pm occupants of a minibus taxi opened fire at the occupants of another taxi,” said police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut. “Two males aged 32 and 25 and one female aged 22 sustained fatal gunshot wounds while a 29-year-old female and a 5-month-old baby were wounded and admitted to a local medical facility. We have reason to believe that another child who was a bystander was also wounded and taken away for treatment.” Traut said the suspects fled the scene…

Ethiopia’s prime minister has led a brutal military campaign in Tigray IT NEVER ceases to amaze that some of the very people who receive Nobel Peace Prizes turn around and sanction just the types of atrocities they would have been expected to condemn. Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the most obvious who comes to mind. Her defence of the Myanmar military’s treatment of the country’s Rohingya minority, and her failure to condemn the gross abuses of human rights committed against them, led to calls for her prize to be withdrawn. More recently, the atrocities committed in Tigray by members of Ethiopia’s armed forces who were operating under the command of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, are equally concerning. Abiy…

Mark Keohane At a time when the citizens of South African are divided on so many issues, inevitably we look to sport to unite us, even if momentarily. The Springboks did this in Cape Town on Wednesday evening with a magnificent win against the British & Irish Lions. The Boks, playing in the guise of South Africa ‘A’, put down a marker for the three-Test series that will start in Cape Town on July 24. It was a needed reminder of every quality of every player who brought us so much joy in winning the World Cup in 2019. Out of sight can be out of mind and the inactivity of the Springboks in the last 21 months because of the Covid pandemic had many doubting their capability against the…

Employers can in principle ban staff from wearing headscarves in the workplace, an EU court ruled yesterday in two cases brought by Muslim women working in Germany. A ban on religious symbols such as headscarves “may be justified by the employer’s need to present a neutral image towards customers or to prevent social disputes”, the European Court of Justice said in a statement.The employer must also show it is not discriminating between different beliefs and religions in its policy. The two women, a cashier in a chemist and a special needs carer, had taken their cases to German courts after being prohibited from wearing headscarves at work. The German courts had then referred the cases to the ECJ for an interpretation of EU law. National courts must examine in each…

WHEN they walk onto the pitch of the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca, Morocco tomorrow night, the players of Al Ahly will be armed with such intelligence on their opponents Kaizer Chiefs you would swear they have played them on numerous occasions. Ali Maaloul will know only too well not to allow Yagan Sasman the opportunity to deliver a cross from the wing. Badr Banoun will stick to Samir Nurkovic like a rash, hardly allowing the big Chiefs striker any opportunities on the loose ball. Giving away set pieces in the danger area will be avoided at all cost lest the likes of Erick Mathoho get the opportunity to slot in the aerial ball. Up front, Mohamed Sherif and Mohamed Magdy are sure to know exactly what to…

FORMER International fast bowler Roger Telemachus told the Social Justice and Nation Building hearings that he nearly came to blows with former Proteas coach Mickey Arthur during the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies. Telemachus, who played 37 One-Day and three T20 Internationals over the course of an international career that spanned nine years, said the incident with Arthur happened before South Africa’s semi-final with Australia. The incident was the culmination of a bitterly disappointing and difficult period for Telemachus, who earlier in that tournament had informed Arthur, the side’s captain, Graeme Smith, and the team manager, Goolam Rajah, that he wanted to leave the competition and return to South Africa early. In his testimony to the commission, chaired by ombudsman, Adv. Dumisa Ntsebeza, Telemachus said…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za LIBERTY Holdings’ share price leapt to a year-high of R85 a share on the JSE yesterday morning after Standard Bank announced its intention to buy the shares that it does not already own in the financial services group for about R11 billion. Standard Bank owns 54 percent of Liberty Holdings. Standard Bank said the integration of the companies would create a strong and established, unified financial services powerhouse in Africa. The offer would be made through a combination of Standard Bank shares and a cash consideration, representing a premium of more than 32 percent to Liberty’s current share price. The deal is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, and it will lead to the de-listing of Liberty. If the transaction is implemented, Liberty’s minority…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za STEINHOFF International subsidiary, the Pepco Group, yesterday said trading performance in the third quarter to the end of June improved, compared to the same quarter last year, after the easing of trading restrictions. However, despite the improvement the group still lost 7.5 percent of its trading weeks in the quarter, due to trading restrictions as a result of Covid-19, but was much better than the 18.4 percent lost in the same quarter last year. Pepco Group chief executive Andy Bond said they made good strategic progress in the third quarter, with all three of their brands delivering a resili- ent trading performance as consumers continued to come back to Pepco, Poundland and Dealz, following the gradual easing of Covid restrictions. “We continued to invest in…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa’s largest short-term insurer (STI), Santam, has paid R600 million to policyholders in addition to the R1 billion paid in interim relief to 2 500 policyholders in August last year, bringing to R1.6bn total contingent business interruption (CBI) payments to date, it said yesterday. A number of the 2 500 clients who received the R1bn interim relief in August last year had subsequently received additional payments. Most of these beneficiaries were small, medium and micro enterprises in the hospitality, retail and leisure sectors. This comes as the insurer faces off with Insurance Claims Africa (ICA) over at least 850 claims by businesses that have accused Santam of increasing unappropriated profits by more than 20 percent to a record R53.5bn, while suppressing…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za AFTER a week of unrest that saw businesses looted and burnt to ashes, scores of residents and shop owners in the Durban CBD were yesterday assessing the scale of the damage. While looting continued in some parts of the city, in many places residents queued for several hours for food, fuel and essential items. Clean-up operations were also visible in the CBD as volunteers came out in numbers. The Durban CBD and Springfield Park area resembled war zones as torched vehicles, including a police vehicle, lined the deserted streets. EThekwini firefighters were still extinguishing fires which had broke out in Springfield Industrial Park, where many of the businesses were completely wiped out. The owner of a meat factory in Springfield Park, who declined to be interviewed after…

Two dozen goats from a farm in a bucolic part of New York state went on a city outing this week – let loose in Manhattan’s Riverside Park to munch on invasive weeds. Phones out, spectators crowded around fences and counted down as the hungry black, brown and white goats were herded in a ceremonial “Running of the Goats” to begin their task as natural weed whackers. “They chowed down on Japanese knotweed, they noshed on porcelain berry, they snacked on multiflora rose, they easily traversed the hard-to-reach terrain behind me and gulped down poison ivy without even giving it a second thought,” said Dan Garodnick, Riverside Park Conservancy president and chief executive. “Putting them to work in ‘Goatham’ is like treating them to an all-you-can-eat buffet. It’s healthy for…

IN TIMES of disruption and stress, the really important things become vividly clear and what is not has a way of dropping from our individual and group awareness. The new and expensive kitchen countertops become what they ought to be, a backdrop to vital conversations. The new car, the one you wanted to keep spotless, becomes a means to ferry food to neighbours. The wi-fi speed ceases to be about gaming or Netflix, but a means to efficiently update family and friends around the world about your safety and well-being. Going to school, being present in a classroom, having a teacher live in front of your children becomes a pleasurable thought, something for which your children and you may ache. The Spar sign you spy on the way to search…

PATRICK PILLAY | Leader of the DLC IMPOSING tariff increases at a time when thousands of people have become unemployed and pensioners are barely surviving is unacceptable in a society where poverty is prevalent. At the full council meeting debating against the high tariff increases proposed in the budget, the Democratic Liberal Congress (DLC) said ratepayers were cash strapped. The party said Covid-19 had imposed unprecedented financial and social hardships on citizens and that the public participation processes were merely a canvassing roadshow without due consideration being given to the inputs and concerns of the public. The DLC also said that unemployment, economic hardships and social inconveniences have become the order of the day. The tariff increases proposed will do more harm to the pockets of the pensioners…

Vivian Warby vivian.warby@inl.co.za While it is too soon to say what the full impact of recent riots in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng will have on residential property, some experts believe it could usher in a rise in semigration to the Cape on the one hand, and a decrease in first-time home buyers on the other. But Seeff Property chairperson Samuel Seeff believes it is still too early to say what the effect will be on the property market, as “generally, it depends on how long it will take to quell the current violence. Obviously the longer it takes for the government to bring it under control, the higher the risk to the economy and property”. Calling for calm, Tony Clarke, managing director of Rawson Property Group, agrees the industry should be…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-Leigh.solomons@inl.co.za ORGANISATIONS providing relief to poverty-stricken communities say their food distribution programmes were badly affected as violent looting continued throughout the week. Trucks carrying food supplies along Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal’s major highways were looted resulting in empty tummies. Gift of the Givers has put its entire machinery into action, in spite of severe restrictions on safe mobility, to respond to the gargantuan crisis created by protesters and looters, while FoodFoward SA says it will commence with operations in Durban and Johannesburg. Commenting on the looting, Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman said: “Their inhuman activity has robbed babies of formula milk, while the elderly and the physically challenged, orphanages and ordinary civilians, of all economic strata, have been denied access to basic foods and medical supplies. Severely…

| African News Agency (ANA) AN EASTERN Cape rapist who lured his victim with chips and sweets and the title of “queen” has been sentenced to life behind bars. The National Prosecuting Authority said it welcomed the sentence imposed on the 45-year-old from Gqeberha for the rape of a minor twice in 2019 and 2020. According to evidence before the Port Elizabeth Regional Court, he would invite children for a chat in his yard in Joe Slovo and offered them treats such as sweets and chips and would refer to the most well- behaved child as “queen”. The child titled “queen” received a double portion of the treats given and thus young girls competed for the title. He lured one of the girls to his home and raped her.…

THE PAST two weeks have been challenging for almost all of us in South Africa. At the time, the core of our challenges was about our former president’s future. Noting this, we started this week seeing violent protests and looting at various malls. It will be incorrect to think all this destruction was for the former president’s support. The looting in his name is in vain. And all those who committed the acts must be held to account for their actions. We cannot celebrate the destruction of our infrastructure and businesses. It is more than a year since our national lockdown with all these efforts to add to our problems. This current challenge will affect us at three levels: at an individual level, the business sector and the national government.…

At least 45 people have died in Germany and dozens were missing yesterday as record rainfall in western Europe caused rivers to burst their banks, swept away homes and flooded cellars. Eighteen people died and dozens were missing around the wine-growing region of Ahrweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate state, police said, after the Ahr river that flows into the Rhine rose and brought down half a dozen houses. Another 15 people died in the Euskirchen region south of the city of Bonn, authorities said. In Belgium, two men died after torrential rain and a 15-year-old girl was missing after being swept away by a swollen river. Hundreds of soldiers were helping police with the rescue efforts in Germany, using tanks to clear roads of landslides and fallen trees, while helicopters winched those…

The Taliban have offered a three-month ceasefire in exchange for the release of 7 000 insurgent prisoners, an Afghan government negotiator said yesterday, as the militant group continues a sweeping offensive across the country. “It is a big demand,” said Nader Nadery, a key member of the government team involved in peace talks with the Taliban, adding the insurgents also demanded the removal of their leaders’ names from a UN blacklist. It was not clear how the government would react to the ceasefire offer, which comes as the US accelerates the pace of a troop withdrawal due to be finished by August 31. Nadery’s revelation came as Pakistan security forces used tear gas yesterday to disperse hundreds of people who tried to force their way across the border from Chaman…

“SPORT has the power to change the world.” I felt that it was important to revisit these profound words of the late former President Nelson Mandela as Kaizer Chiefs are a day away from playing in their biggest match in history, amid the civil unrest in our country. For almost a week, anarchy has reigned in some provinces in our country, with criminal acts such as looting and vandalism of property. These acts couldn’t have come at a worst time, given that we are still under the dark cloud of Covid-19. I can't help but imagine that a sense of prosperity might engulf us after the final whistle at Stade Mohammed V in Morocco should Chiefs go on to achieve the improbable by winning the African crown. They are the…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za Business Unity South Africa (Busa) has warned that the state-owned insurance company might not have enough resources to compensate businesses affected by the looting. Many companies have fallen victim to the widespread looting and vandalism of property and equipment after protests for the release of former President Jacob Zuma turned violent. Factories, warehouses, distribution centres and shopping malls were vandalised, looted and set alight by criminals over five days, leaving a trail of destruction running into billions of rand. The SA Special Risks Insurance Association (Sasria) has already indicated that it expected the insurance claims bill for the instability to cost up to R12 billion. Sasria’s current product range offered R500 million primary cover for classes of insurance, including material damage, business interruption, construction and…

GIvEN MAJOLA given.majola@inl.co.za THE FUEL RETAILERS’ Association of Southern Africa (FRA) has warned its members about the risk of filling of containers with fuel at retail service station sites, because this encouraged more acts of criminality during this volatile period. FRA chief executive Reggie Sibiya said that this was because fuel had been used in fuelling fires and the destruction of properties. The local association’s members affected by the looting were said to have been left worse off than the last period of losses caused by the Covid-19 lockdowns. “Our members have been reporting daily such incidents of looting and destruction which are on record. It is also important to realise that our members are basically now at the mercy of communities as they cannot get access to the product…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za Shopping centre group Hammerson, which has its primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and secondary listing on the JSE and Euronext Dublin, said rent collection rates continued to improve, with 89 percent of rents collected for 2020, and 68 percent for the first half of 2021. It said Covid-19 related measures remained in place affecting food and beverage, leisure and cinema operators. The group said however it expected these to be lifted in the coming weeks in the UK. Additional restrictions had also been announced in France with from July 21, though it was too early to assess the operational impact. Footfall trends in all territories were encouraging, with seven-day averages currently sitting at around 70 to 80 percent of 2019 levels, following…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za KWAZULU-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala has described the violent unrest that has engulfed the province in the past few days as “a strange grab for power” where strategic government buildings and the ports have been targeted. Zikalala was addressing members of the provincial legislature during a virtual sitting yesterday to update the members on the state of the province following a week of mayhem where shopping centres, trucks and businesses were looted and burnt. His comments came as Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said in a briefing yesterday that one of the 12 instigators who had been implicated in fuelling the violent attacks was in custody. Police Minister Bheki Cele said law-enforcement agencies had a list of 12 South Africans who had been implicated in fuelling…

VENOLIN GOVENDER | Pietermaritzburg I think we have seen enough violence in our country to last us a lifetime of bloodshed, hatred and pain. We cannot label Jacob Zuma a warlord and compare him to Sifiso Nkabinde. First, Zuma remains a loyal member of the ANC and he acted within the confines of the law. He is a father and would have never allowed his children in Nkandla to be harmed or to engage with the police as some anticipated. Zuma is no barbarian as he is made out to be. He is a gentleman and a father figure to many. Zuma never promoted acts of violence, not once. He fought for my freedom and he was jailed. The former president went to jail voluntarily and without a…

GEOFF CARUTH | Pinetown In this our present situation, for me there are three vital things to remember: First, this is not and must not be seen to be about race. It is about good South Africans against evil and criminality. I have seen kindness and humanity in abundance from my fellow black and brown compatriots over the past few days. We need to focus on and hold this as our guiding mantra. Second, we need to utterly condemn some of the sick and disgusting videos seen on social media of random shootings by some civilians. All of us have a right of self-defence when in mortal danger and to protect family and property, but those guilty of random killing are worse than the looters and cause huge…

NYANISO QWESHA | Joburg I RECENTLY reflected on former president Thabo Mbeki’s speech that he delivered when asked by the ANC executive committee to step down. At the time, I think he realised it was not about himself but for the greater good of the people of South Africa. A quote from his speech is even more relevant today: “Gloom and despondency have never defeated adversity. Trying times need courage and resilience. Our strength as a people is not tested during the best of times.” It is essential to note that we are a great nation, and we cannot allow the recent activities to define who we are as a people. This challenging time is when we need authentic leadership. As we are about to celebrate Mandela Day,…

The beaches in Jeffreys Bay have been closed, and beachgoers have been urged to be cautious after a Capetonian was bitten by a shark while surfing. The Kouga Municipality in the Eastern Cape said that it had closed beaches in the town after Wednesday’s shark incident. “The beach/swimming area from The Point to Kabeljauws in Jeffreys Bay is closed for swimmers and surfers after a surfer was attacked by a shark at The Point. “The surfer, who is from Cape Town and was bitten twice, is stable and being attended to by medical staff,” the municipality said. The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said its Jeffreys Bay duty crew was activated at 7.07am on Wednesday after receiving reports of the incident. “While responding to the scene, NSRI were…

Samkelo Mtshali samkelo.thulasizwe@inl.co.za With 20 people killed in the township of Phoenix, north of Durban, due to widespread civil unrest, violence and looting of shopping malls in KwaZulu- Natal, Police Minister Bheki Cele yesterday said the racial tension in the area was secondary to criminal behaviour. Cele yesterday visited the predominantly Indian township amid reports of racial tension between Indians and Africans. This follows members of the Indian community reportedly resorting to defending their area in armed groups to keep looters at bay, and stopping Africans from entering the area. There have been reports of Africans being shot at while driving into Phoenix. “I refuse to completely take the situation here as a racial situation, and pardon criminality, because if it were (a) racial situation, yes many people coming from…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za JAILED former president Jacob Zuma received prayers and Holy Communion before he went to the Estcourt Correctional Services facility last week, his pastor revealed yesterday. Pastor Lungisani Shangase, who confirmed Zuma as a member of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, spoke of his frustration at being unable to visit Zuma because of the level 4 lockdown conditions which limits the movement of people, and the fuel shortage that had been sparked by unrest which began last weekend in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The looting and violence across the two provinces were allegedly triggered initially by the jailing of Zuma to serve a 15-month sentence for contempt of court. “I have not been able to do anything. Literally one is stuck here, and there is no movement…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za NATIONAL Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise has yet to consider requests from parties to convene an urgent sitting and also cut short the constituency period due to the violent protests in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. The NFP, through it outspoken MP Munzoor Shaik Emam, made the request on Monday, a day before the DA wrote to Modise asking that the constituency period that ends on August 15 be cut short for the MPs to return to the legislature to play their oversight role. Yesterday, Shaik Emam confirmed that he asked for the urgent sitting to debate the chaos and violence the country was facing. In his letter to Modise, he said the House should urgently debate the unlawful protests, looting and malicious damage to property. “This matter is of…

THE Proteas, Kaizer Chiefs and the Springboks will provide some much- needed distraction for South Africa this weekend. It’s been a harsh week. Death, despair, destruction have filled our screens and news pages. The Rainbow Nation is broken. However we could all do with some solace. A time to look elsewhere, to those chasing or hitting a ball, trying to score, trying to pass, trying to tackle. It will be healthy to laugh, cry, heck or even scream at the errors of the sporting heroes of this country. We all need it. But there is also a need, from our side, as viewers and fans, for understanding. As we deal with our own anguish and seek distraction by watching the teams we support, we need to show empathy. Yes, the…

The US Pentagon is using an Air Force base in Texas to fly illegal migrants on passenger planes for “resettlement” across the US, Fox News host Tucker Carlson has revealed. “The Biden administration has enlisted the US military to move illegal immigrants secretly around our country”, Carlson said, citing an internal email sent in the Laughlin Air Force Base. Carlson showed the email sent by Lieutenant-Colonel Matthew Burrows, who was stationed at the Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas, in which Burrows explained to his subordinates: “Over the next few days, weeks, or months you may see passenger aircraft on a ramp transporting undocumented non-citizens. Please review the attached guidance on the issue. Do not take photos and refrain from posting anything on social media. “Several times ICE (US Immigration…

The world heritage committee of the UN’s cultural agency, Unesco, today begins debating its list of World Heritage sites, with Australia and Britain furious over looming changes to the status of the Great Barrier Reef and Liverpool city. Nearly 50 new sites could be added to the over 1 100 listed worldwide, during two weeks of online meetings hosted by China. The agenda is particularly heavy after last year’s meeting was cancelled because of the Covid pandemic. The World Heritage label can be a boon for tourism while encouraging governments to protect cultural or environmental treasures. But addition isn’t permanent, and sites can also be stripped of their status or be warned they are at risk. The agency will be examining the state of conservation of around 250 sites, of…

ON the eve of Kaizer Chiefs' departure to Morocco, midfield dynamo Happy Mashiane passionately promised his mother he'll bring the Caf Champions League trophy home. It was a big call by Mashiane, who is a vital cog in the Chiefs midfield that has helped the team grind out one upset result after the other. The 23-year-old Mashiane has featured in four Champions League matches to date, but he is a fine example of the dashing players who have worn the Chiefs jersey with great distinction in Africa. In all competitions this season, Mashiane has scored two and recorded several assists in 25 matches. Three years ago, he was plucked from the club's youth ranks where Arthur Zwane was the mentor at the time. A year on, he was…