Mercury -julkaisun 2022-05-03 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

THE search for the new city manager for the eThekwini Municipality could resume in the next two weeks. A meeting of the executive committee (exco) in two weeks’ time will chart the way forward. The position has been vacant for a year after the departure of Sipho Nzuza and attempts to fill it collapsed last month following a complaint by opposition parties that the ANC at provincial level had manipulated the process. Max Mbili, a municipal manager at a South Coast municipality, had been tipped as the front runner and the preferred candidate by the provincial ANC. However, when the matter came up for discussion and for the appointment to be approved by exco and full council, opposition parties cried foul and blocked the appointment, stating that while they took…

Extramarital affairs are seductive. They appear to offer better, more intense passion than the marriage. Hide-and-seek will do this, spawning the kind of relationship one wished was possible with a spouse. It’s amazing how “attractive” someone can sound, look and feel with added adrenalin. The secrecy idealises the other. Deception, the “ducking and diving”, gives the stolen hour its vitality. What is so ridiculously seductive (and hurts so badly) is the belief that the affair is about you. Actually, it is about who you are not. It is about what you do not represent. You are not the wife or husband; the “routine”. Yours is not the other name on the home or lease, you are not the one who drives the other car in the garage. You are not…

there are protests in the fruit-producing industry, with the destruction of fields and warehouses of picked fruit and houses. The protesters are destroying the places that supply them with employment. The Eastern Cape sees strikes in the health-care industry, with workers unhappy with working conditions and condition of ambulances. They have destroyed or damaged 20 ambulances which must surely impact on their ability to work. I no longer have any sympathy for the workers who consistently destroy the very businesses that provide them with work. Their logic is unfathomable and the objective seemingly being just mindless destruction, as is the attacking of ambulances, Eskom workers and fire department vehicles, sent into areas to provide help – help the communities obviously don’t need and by their behaviour don’t deserve. I no…

The new Covid-19 infection surge is extreme cause for concern. Under these circumstances, it becomes imperative that President Ramaphosa addresses the nation without delay. Gauteng is in the grip of the fifth wave as infections continue to climb. A pivotal factor in this steep climb is that a huge portion of the population has stopped wearing masks in public. Covid-19 fatigue is visible everywhere as the masses have thrown caution to the wind. The new strain will spread across the country as winter envelops the nation. We need to go into a higher lockdown as the nation and its strained and drained dedicated medical teams fight an uphill struggle to contain an escalating new wave accompanied by new variants whose lethality are unknown at this stage. The worrisome increase is…

The National Prosecuting Authority’s Missing Persons Task Team says it is making progress in cases that have remain unsolved for decades. The team was formed after a recommendation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and is tasked with finding persons who went missing during political violence between 1960 and 1994. In the past 17 years, 170 people who went missing during the political instability between 1960 and 1994 have been positively identified thanks to a team of eight which consists of investigators and forensic anthropologists. The investigations include researching past post-mortems, interviewing witnesses, even perpetrators, exhuming remains and testing bone and tissue DNA to solve their case. The team is led by Madeleine Fullard, who said they worked with labs in other countries, such as Argentina, to test bone…

RATEPAYERS in Pietermaritzburg want the national Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) to take over the running of the Msunduzi Municipality. Msunduzi Association of Residents, Ratepayers and Civics (MARRC) wrote to the Presidency asking for the national Cogta to take over as it believed the intervention by the provincial Cogta had failed. The municipality has been under administration for several years. This came a few days after the administrator Scelo Duma, deployed by the provincial Cogta, resigned. Anthony Waldhausen, the chairperson of the association, said since the municipality was placed under administration for the second time three years ago, there had been no improvement. “There are now daily water and electricity outages in Pietermaritzburg, the area of Lincoln Meade was left without water for the past 10 days…

A long-distance coach company has called for urgent intervention to stop violence directed at the industry after more than 150 violent incidents were recorded in just 13 months. Intercape has appealed to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the government to urgently intervene to stop the violence directed at the industry, allegedly by rogue taxi associations. “In the space of just 13 months, there have been more than 150 recorded violent incidents, a number of which have led to serious injuries to employees and passengers of the bus operators in the long-distance coach industry,” the company said. Intercape said the attacks were mainly centred on key towns and routes in the Eastern Cape but has also seen attacks in the Cape Metropole and Gauteng. The call came after three more Intercape buses…

Recently, some tennis players from Russia were prevented by Britain from taking part in Wimbledon 2022. Very quickly, many prominent tennis players condemned the hypocrisy as innocent citizens who had no qualms with Britain were being punished for nothing but being Russian citizens. Israel has been occupying Palestinian land for nearly a century, and yet, there is no condemnation or victimisation of their citizens. Many commentators clearly saw the moral dilemma if innocent citizens are to be punished for the actions of their government that they have nothing to do with. Similarly, when Russia was removed from the SWIFT system for interbank transactions, many South African farmers suffered great losses as some of their produce were already on the way to Russia per ship, and there was no way they…

Efforts to evacuate more civilians from the devastated Ukrainian port city of Mariupol ran into delays yesterday and hundreds of people remained trapped in the Azovstal steel works, the last stronghold of resistance to the Russian siege. It was not clear what was causing the hold-up although a city official said earlier that Russian forces had resumed shelling the plant after a convoy of buses had left. The plight of civilians trapped in Mariupol, which endured weeks of bombardment before Russian forces captured most of it, has been a focus of humanitarian concern. Thousands are believed to have been killed and those still stuck in the besieged Azovstal complex, whose network of bunkers and tunnels has provided shelter, were running out of water, food and medicine. Towns in eastern Ukraine…

With no United Rugby Championship (URC) games featuring South African sides this weekend, it’s back to the Currie Cup. The struggling Sigma Lions will take on the Free State Cheetahs in the first game of the weekend at 7pm on Friday, with the Sharks going up against the Pumas on Saturday (2:30pm), followed by the Bulls versus Griquas (5pm). It’s been a disastrous season for the Lions in the domestic competition. Not only are they at the bottom of the log, but they have also failed to register a single win in eight games. While they did look better in terms of performance in their last Currie Cup run out, a positive result remained elusive. Needless to say, the unbeaten Cheetahs are the favourites to come out on top. The…

THE FINANCIAL Intelligence Centre (FIC) says the closing of bank accounts should be a last resort but the banks rush to close accounts instead, which makes it difficult for the FIC to do its work. During a presentation to the National Assembly committee on finance (SCoF), earlier this year, the FIC laid out how rushing to close clients’ banking accounts was a premature step. Neither did the agency accept a bank’s explanation that closure was done as a last resort. The FIC said it informed the banks that it did not appreciate the process of closing a customer’s account because it would not then be able to freeze funds once an account was closed and the money removed. The FIC, whose mandate is to watch out for signs of money…

INSURANCE providers are dealing with a high volume of claims after the catastrophic floods in KwaZulu-Natal last month. Shakeel Ebrahim, head of operations at Standard Bank Insurance, said that since the floods there had been 3 873 claims received from the province. “The process of claims involves an assessor/loss adjuster who will attend to the property alongside a service provider. The claim will then be quantified and a report submitted. Once the claim is authorised, the claim will either follow a cash in lieu route or a service provider is given authorisation to repair the property.” Ebrahim added that if there was further damage caused by heavy rains in the interim before claims could be approved and repair work started, homeowners could still claim. “Such damage would be covered under…

THE booing of President Cyril Ramaphosa at a May Day rally in Rustenburg on Sunday has been greeted with mixed reactions, with some labour unions saying the incident highlights the anger workers have towards the ANC. Ramaphosa had to abandon the national Workers’ Day event, organised by Cosatu, after angry Sibanye-Stillwater workers disrupted the proceedings. The National Union of Mineworkers and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union – the two biggest unions in the mining sector – have demanded an increase of R1 000 per month over the next three years. Sibanye’s chief executive, Neal Froneman, said the company would not revise its final offer, as it could not sustain higher wage increases. Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, spokesperson of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA, which is an affiliate of…

THERE might be a war going on in Ukraine. But in Old Blighty there’s a different war involving mainly Tory women MPs who object to the misogyny and sexism – the groping – by many of their male colleagues. Also, Tory MP Neil Parish has resigned after being caught out watching pornography on his cellphone in the House of Commons. This seems to have sparked the misogyny/sexism row. Minister Anne Marie Trevelyan, the Secretary for International Trade, describes on Sky News once being “pinned against a wall” by one of her male colleagues. MP Caroline Noakes tells the London Independent of a prep school locker room culture in the Commons “except the inmates have not yet got to age 13”. “The bars are horrible. The receptions are horrible.” She says…

The Hollywood-style arrest of advocate Malesela Teffo was, in my opinion, clearly contrived to humiliate a lawyer poking holes in the “iron-clad” case of the State in the Meyiwa murder trial in the execution of his duty as a defence advocate. The State complaint into his line of questioning points in that direction. The comments of the learned judge, too, all point to something much deeper and sinister. It took eight years to get the matter to court. Someone has an interest in this matter and, perhaps, Teffo was probing a matter, though not relevant to the murder trial, that would open a can of worms that could embarrass highly placed people who were uncomfortable with the inferences being drawn. The charge against Teffo? I stand to be corrected, but…

The so-called “drama” in the Senzo Meyiwa trial when an advocate was arrested exposes the media and TV news for creating sensationalism out of nothing more than a normal arrest which took place. Company directors are arrested at their companies. Doctors are arrested at their surgeries, the average person is arrested either at work or at home, policemen are arrested while on duty and detained. The advocate was at work when arrested, so why does his arrest translate to anything out of the ordinary? If more attorneys were arrested, we would live in a better society today. The state of the Road Accident Fund today is a direct result of attorneys looting the fund with impunity and retiring to lives of luxury. If only the state had embarked on arresting…

Former Eskom executives Brian Molefe and Matshela Koko have decried the latest state capture inquiry report, questioning the recommendation that further investigations into their activities be carried out by law enforcement agencies. The two were reacting after Chief Justice Raymond Zondo’s report on state capture at Eskom, released last week, stated that there was a “pervasive culture of corrupt practices, mismanagement and malfeasance that had been inculcated within Eskom promoted by executives and board members since 2014”. Justice Zondo has recommended that former Eskom executives Anoj Singh, Molefe and Koko and the power utilities’ board from 2014 be investigated by law enforcement agencies. He said Singh, Koko and Molefe and board members should be probed and possibly prosecuted for failing “to exercise their fiduciary duties and prevent financial prejudice” to…

Do banks want a social welfare state or a developmental state that promotes job creation? A DEVELOPMENTAL state must play a leading role to regulate banks, retirement funds and insurance companies in shaping and strengthening the structure and output of the economy, said Dr Dennis George while addressing the Public Service and Commercial Union of South Africa, arguing that the country needs a developmental state not a welfare one, to prosper. At a stirring rally in the City of Tshwane under the banner of “Racist Banks Must Fall”, on Workers’ Day, George, former secretary-general of the Federation of Unions of SA painted a desperate picture of the country’s economic landscape while addressing the union members, and questioned the role of the banks in building future economic prosperity for the country.…

THE booing of President Cyril Ramaphosa at the national May Day rally in Rustenburg is further proof that Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) is no longer a formidable and influential voice of the working class. On Sunday, Ramaphosa was forced to abandon the national May Day rally, organised by Cosatu in Rustenburg, after angry Sibanye-Stillwater workers disrupted the proceedings and refused to allow him to speak. The National Union of Mineworkers and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union – the two biggest unions in the mining sector in South Africa – have demanded a pay increase of R1 000 a month over the next three years. However, Sibanye chief executive Neal Froneman said the company would not be revising its final offer, as it could…

One person was pulled out alive yesterday from the rubble of a building that collapsed three days ago in central China, state-run television said, with hopes of finding more survivors fading fast. The commercial building in Changsha city, Hunan province – which housed apartments, a hotel and a cinema – caved in on Friday, sparking a massive rescue effort with hundreds of emergency responders. State-run CCTV showed images of a person wrapped in a thick white blanket being carried on a stretcher, with yesterday’s recovery taking the total number of people found up to eight in three days. At least 15 people identified by authorities were still trapped in the rubble while no contact has been established with 39 others. Changsha mayor Zheng Jianxin had initially said the government would…

LIVERPOOL have only got half the job done in their semi-final against Villarreal and the Premier League side must be prepared for the worst against Unai Emery’s team in the second leg, manager Jurgen Klopp warned yesterday. The Reds beat Villarreal 2-0 at Anfield and have won every away game in the competition this season, but Emery has an 84% success rate as a coach in European knockout ties since 2010. “We didn’t win the games by sitting deep and counter-attacking,” Klopp said ahead of today’s second leg in Spain. “We tried to play as ourselves and we have to do that again. We have to be ready to suffer and sit back in moments, but not as a general approach.” Liverpool have lost only once this year as they…

Duran Krummeck, with four tries to his name, was the destroyer-in-chief for College Rovers in their runaway 94-3 victory over Richards Bay this past Friday. Any side facing the holders of the Optimum Moor Cup after they had been surprisingly beaten by Westville Old Boys in the opening round the week before, was bound to be on the receiving end of a full out onslaught from a hurting outfit. On this occasion, it was the unfortunate side from “The Bay” who suffered one of the biggest losses in their history, aggravated further by the fact that they are also celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. Crossing for 14 tries, including those from Krummeck, braces were recorded by Gerardo Jaars, Charlie Mayeza and Ryan Muller; followed with one each from Monwabisi…

THERE have been various reports in the media that Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe has fired a board member of the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) for being unsuitable to serve on the board. The person concerned is Peter Becker of the anti-nuclear activist group Koeberg Alert Alliance, an anti-nuclear body that is opposed to nuclear power. There is no doubt that Mantashe’s actions in this regard are correct. Most of the reports in various media have been rather sympathetic to Becker, but have undoubtedly misinterpreted the situation. They have said that the NNR board should have a representative of the general public. That is quite correct, but they have incorrectly interpreted the “representation” concept. But let us now digress for a moment. In various countries there is…

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health says that there may be a Covid-19 resurgence in the province. Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane said at the weekend that while there was a steady climb in cases last week, Saturday was the first time in months that the number of new infections pushed the seven-day average from 414 to 1 171. According to the latest statistics from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), there were 619 cases reported in KZN yesterday. The NICD said there were 2 650 new Covid-19 cases identified across South Africa, which brought the number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3 798 413. This increase represents a 21% positivity rate. Simelane also raised concern about the rising number of patients hospitalised for Covid-19. She said of the 437 people currently…

Small rocket builder Rocket Lab USA Inc is gearing up for a mission that seems more appropriate for a big-budget action movie: catching a falling four-storey-tall rocket booster with a helicopter. The Long Beach, California-based company is trying to slash the cost of spaceflight by reusing its rockets, a trend pioneered by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX. But unlike SpaceX’s reusable, two-stage rocket Falcon 9, which reignites its engines to return to Earth, Rocket Lab aims for a helicopter with two pilots to pluck a 11.9 metre-tall booster stage from mid-air using a combination of ropes, parachutes and a heatshield. “I’m pretty confident that if the helicopter pilots can see it, they’ll catch it,” Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said. “If we don’t get it this time, we’ll learn…

We, as African Democratic Change (ADeC), request the government to halt protests, especially in the eThekwini region. It is difficult for law-abiding, tax-paying citizens to get to work when there are blockages of major roads during protest action. Also, many of the arterial roads/bridges have been washed away, which places extreme pressure on traffic during peak hours. We are requesting the 10 000 defence force personnel to be placed around hot spots in the eThekwini region where protest action is happening daily. The taxpayers of eThekwini need to get to work on time so that they can earn a salary to pay taxes so that the protesters can have free water and electricity. Also, the image of the SAPS has been tarnished over the past 12 years and our appeal…

JENNY Durant suggests that second- hand containers be converted to economic dwellings (The Mercury, April 25). Some years ago, I purchased a small 3m by 3m as an outside storage unit and it required a substantial truck equipped with a crane to get it to my premises. It will be well nigh impossible to reach remote areas in hilly terrain, so the idea could be implemented in flat, accessible places only. Construction companies often use containers as office accommodation, but they obviously require a degree of modification to fit windows, which comes at a cost.…

A Stellenbosch widow, who is charged with her winemaker husband’s murder, has lost her bid to inherit from his estate worth millions of rand. This week, the court applied the ancient doctrine of “the bloody hand does not inherit” in the matter regarding his estate. The murder trial of Zurenah Smit, the wife of murdered Wynand Stefanus Smit, is still proceeding and she, together with her co-accused Derek Sait and Steven Damon, are facing an array of charges, including murder and house robbery. Smit, who feared for his wife's safety and that of his properties after an illegal occupation of his land, hired security and appointed Bradley Shawn van Eysland to guard her and his property, especially his homestead, the Louisenhof Farm. Zurenah and Van Eysland soon developed a close…

A 4-year-old boy in the Netherlands took his mother’s car for a drive before crashing into two parked cars, police said. Police in the central city of Utrecht were alerted on Saturday when residents spotted a youngster walking in the street dressed only in pyjamas and with bare feet. “We immediately responded, as bystanders were worried that the boy was suffering from hypothermia,” police wrote on Instagram. As they arrived, officers received a second report of a car accident close-by involving three cars. The driver suspected of causing the accident was missing. That car was registered to the boy’s mother, they said. Police phoned the mum “and when she spoke to her son, he made noises resembling a car and used gestures showing turning a steering wheel,” police said. “We…

BOTH the General Council of the Bar of South Africa and the Pan African Bar Association of South Africa have called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances under which advocate Malesela Teffo was arrested on Thursday in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. The legal representative of accused number one to four in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial was dramatically arrested in full view of the media and public seconds after the court had adjourned. The General Council of the Bar called for a thorough investigation into the matter by an independent body, and for the outcome to be made public. Chairperson Craig Watt-Pringle SC said that for the police to arrest an officer of the high court within the court precinct showed a profound disrespect for the dignity of…

“AFRICA must unite!” So echoed reggae music across the world. This was a slogan or motto of one of the authentic sons of Africa, Kwame Nkrumah. Bob Marley, with the Redemption Song, put on a stamp, “How long shall they kill our prophets while we stand aside and look?” April 27, 2022, marked what would have been the 50th anniversary of not only the first president of Ghana but a visionary, a son, and an authentic voice of Africa. Imperialists had and still have an agenda to rip off Africa. Nkrumah was not only his country’s liberator, he believed his country was not free until the entire Africa (ukhaya-khulu) was free. “The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked-up with the total liberation of the African continent.” That…

Western officials have largely lost hope that the Iran nuclear deal can be resurrected, sources familiar with the matter said, forcing them to weigh how to limit Iran’s atomic programme even as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has divided the big powers. While they have not completely given up on the pact, under which Iran restrained its nuclear programme in return for relief from economic sanctions, there is a growing belief it may be beyond salvation. “They are not yanking the IV out of the patient’s arm ... but I sense little expectation that there is a positive way forward,” said one source, who like others quoted spoke on condition of anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity. Four Western diplomats echoed the sentiment that the deal – which Iran struck with…