Mercury -julkaisun 2023-05-08 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

THE MINISTER in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has made an undertaking to return South Africa’s largest power plant to service sooner than expected in a bid to end load shedding. Ramokgopa on Friday said that Eskom was implementing interventions that would speed up the repairs to unit 4 at the Medupi power station. The unit was taken off-line for repairs in August 2021 following an explosion that caused extensive damage during a short-term outage for maintenance. It was initially expected to return to service in August 2024, adding about 2 000MW of generating capacity to the system. Eskom is currently implementing the worst bout of power cuts, moving between stage 4 and stage 6 load shedding, on a daily basis due to constraints to generation…

WHILE the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, has ruled that load shedding constituted an infringement of constitutional rights and gave the minister of Public Enterprises 60 days to implement a plan to exempt all government hospitals, clinics, schools and police stations from the power cuts, questions have been raised about how feasible the judgment is. This followed an application by the UDM and other political and civic organisations, which argued that the government and power utility Eskom had violated basic human rights by implementing load shedding that had impacted critical areas, such as hospitals. The case, in which the parties were represented by advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi against the Department of Public Enterprises, resulted in an order being granted on Friday exempting certain sectors from ongoing load shedding to ensure the…

MAJOR and minor military powers have embarked on a military rearmament programme that is truly staggering. An arms race that could destabIlise the geo-politics of the decades ahead. Many of the participants are already affluent, powerful and technologically advanced in global terms. Drone warfare and artificial intelligence will change the combat arena of the future. Space will become an area of immense conflict, that could destroy communications sending us to the Stone Age. Many nations are surging ahead in high-tech electronic warfare. There is a dialectic opposition between attack and defence, destructive and protective means, which dictates the development of warfare methods. Typical examples are rivalry of the sword and shield, arrow and chain mail, shell and amour and this kind of relationship also applies to electronic warfare. Every facet…

THE South African mortgage market and high interest rates have squeezed the working class to live from hand to mouth due to the South African Reserve Bank (Sarb) hiking or increasing interest rates. Regrettably, bankers are not friends of the working class and they use a deeply inhuman and exploitive system to control wealth. Like the capitalist, bankers are profit-sucking institutions who make loans available to less-privileged individuals in order to accumulate vast sums of money and wealth. Charging interest to human beings to purchase basic needs such as a simple home or a small vehicle or pay for an education has proven to have a negative impact on the dignity of human beings, society and the economy. Sadly, with so much of natural and financial resources available, the charging…

A woman who was bitten by a friend’s Husky dog more than nine years ago – when she was 17 – is due to receive R50 000 from the pet owner as compensation. The owner also has to pay for the medical expenses she incurred. In terms of the Western Cape High Court judgment, Theo Pillay – owner of the dog – had to also foot the bill for six physiotherapy sessions which the victim, Micayla Marshall will still have to undergo. In total, Pillay will have to fork out about R80 000. Marshall told the court that on January 11, 2014 she and her sister were invited by Pillay’s son to their home for a social gathering. She was driven there by her mother. Upon arrival, she…

NASA scientists have found that four of Uranus’s largest moons probably contain an ocean layer between their cores and icy crusts, which suggests that these hold oceans that could be dozens of kilometres deep. In all, at least 27 moons circle Uranus, with the four largest ranging from Ariel, at 1 160km across, to Titania (1 580km). The study is the first to detail the evolution of the interior make-up and structure of all five large moons: Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon and Miranda. Published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, the findings showed Miranda is unlikely to have hosted water, but the rest all have it. The study also has implications that go beyond Uranus, said lead author Julie Castillo-Rogez of Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “When it…

The family of Janine Francis, who survived the tragic N3 crash near Hilton in April, say they are grateful for the generous donations made to the trust set up for her recovery expenses. Francis survived the crash that claimed the life of her parents, Ralph and Michele, and her brother, Matthew, however she was severely injured and had to have both her legs amputated. She is still in hospital. Silas Marimuthu, family spokesperson, said Francis was coping well but faced a long road to recovery. “Janine is awake and speaking and she is aware of what happened. She is recovering well after her legs were amputated, but she remains in high care and is still under medication.” He explained that Francis had been trapped under the vehicle for five hours…

Country’s people can decide who they want to lead them without shenanigans of media ON SUNDAY May 14, over 60 million eligible voters will have the chance to go to the polls in Türkiye in the 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections, probably one of the most important elections in recent history given the country’s strategic geopolitical location, juxtapositioned between Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and its perennial spats with the US, UK and the EU over a number of political, trade and socio-cultural issues. In recent years Türkiye has also been forging a rapprochement with Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), using its soft power of largely trade and investment and increasing its presence in the rising continent. Türkiye was the first country to recognize the new government in conflict-torn Somalia followed…

ROME: Italy remains dissatisfied with the apologies offered by Paris after a French minister accused Rome of mishandling the influx of migrants, Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani said yesterday. “Clearer words are needed,” Tajani, who is member of the conservative Forza Italia party, told Italian state-owned TV RAI in an interview. “I hope the French government changes its position and an apology comes that represents a contrast to the positions adopted by the interior minister.” French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said last week that Italy’s right-wing PM Giorgia Meloni had been unable to solve the migration problems on which she was elected.…

THE Taliban's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari discussed bilateral trade and security co-operation during a meeting in Islamabad, reported Pajhwok Afghan News. The two sides held a candid and in-depth exchange on key issues of mutual concern, including peace and security, as well as trade and connectivity. The foreign ministers reaffirmed their desire to pursue continuous and practical engagement, read a statement from the Pakistani Foreign Office. Muttaqi has long been subjected to a travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo under Security Council sanctions. According to a letter to the 15-member Security Council, Taliban sanctions committee, Pakistan’s UN mission requested an exemption for Muttaqi to travel between May 6 and 9 “for a meeting with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and…

WASHINGTON: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said yesterday her department was running out of the ability to take extraordinary measures to avoid default, with the US expected to hit the debt ceiling on June 1. Earlier this month, the US Treasury said the US government will likely begin defaulting on its debt by June 1 if the so-called congressional limit on the country’s debt servicing is not raised by then. In late April, House Republicans passed legislation to raise the debt ceiling in exchange for cuts in federal spending and other measures to reduce the deficit. But Senate Democrats and US President Joe Biden rejected the proposal. Inversely, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said a “no-strings-attached” debt limit increase would not pass the lower chamber.…

Arsenal kept the Premier League title race alive as Martin Odegaard's strike and Fabian Schar's own goal beat Newcastle 2-0 yesterday to close to within one point of leaders Manchester City. City have a game in hand on top of their slender lead, but the Gunners are refusing to give up the fight in their hunt for a first league title in 19 years. Newcastle's second home defeat of the season slows the Magpies' charge towards Uefa Champions League football next season as their lead over fifth-placed Liverpool remains three points. Arsenal held an eight-point lead just a month ago but had won just one of their last five league games to let the destiny of the title slip out of their hands. Mikel Arteta's men, though, showcased their improvement…

Kaizer Chiefs, once again, failed to live up to their lofty ambitions as they extended their trophy drought to eight seasons over the weekend. At a sold out FNB Stadium on Saturday, Chiefs lost 2-1 to Orlando Pirates in extra time of the Nedbank Cup semi-finals. And right there, their failure to end their trophy drought was signed, sealed, and delivered. An unfamiliar position for a club regarded as the “Cup Kings of South African Football”. Sure, Chiefs took the match to extra time, with Yusuf Maart having equalised after Kermit Erasmus’ early goal, before Sandile Mthethwa put paid to their dreams, but this was not the season they had in mind. Go back to last year, Amakhosi were full of optimism that they would bring back the glory days…

THE country’s major banks have come under scrutiny by the Department of Employment and Labour for non-compliance relating to employment equity. Chief director of statutory and advocacy services Fikiswa Mncanca-Bede said the department had been monitoring the compliance of JSE-listed companies for compliance with affirmative action in the last financial year, but found that 99% were not compliant and the banks were among them. Earlier this year, the department explained that in 2017 it embarked on a review of JSE-listed companies as part of a project by the director-general to test compliance with Employment Equity Act (EEA) implementation. Agreements were reached with companies for the department to come back and assess and review compliance. The purpose of the EEA of 1998 is to achieve equity in the workplace – by…

THE Head: National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Ms Shamila Batohi. Madam, I have to ask: “What is going on with the NPA?” Who can blame the Guptas, Iqbal Sharma, Ronica Ragavan, Anoj Singh, Ace Magashule, Mosebenzi Zwane, Brian Molefe and Matshela Koko for thinking that Christmas came early? I must admit that I had high hopes when you were appointed to lead a critical aspect of our judiciary – the prosecuting authority. I had, in fact, written in praise of you, agog for great things to come under your stewardship. I now look in trepidation as the NPA and its prosecutors leave much to be desired when prosecuting matters where the public expect positive outcomes. Needless to say, our judicial system in terms of prosecuting the corrupt among us is at…

SOMEONE sent me an excellently chronicled narrative on the complexities of the human experience, and I’ve added a light seasoning of my own banter and wish to share it with you. In the clip, a Zambian man talks in polished English and it goes like this ... “After your funeral, everyone gathers at your house or an outside venue to share a meal. The crying has stopped! Some will reminisce about your good deeds and the good times but the conversation will quickly turn to current events. Then everyone goes back home. Your married children go back to their homes, your kid goes back to school and your spouse returns to work. In a few months your spouse will watch a comedy on TV and laugh. Your memorial service or…

Two years have passed since the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment announced its intention to phase out the captive lion industry, but progress has been slow. This is according to global animal welfare organisation Four Paws, who fear the government may not know how to implement the phase-out. The captive lion industry in South Africa is a multimillion-dollar industry where an estimated 12 000 lions are kept in captivity and bred for financial gain. In every stage of their lives they are used for profit, whether it’s from tourists petting cubs at predator parks, walking with juvenile and adult lions, taking selfies, canned hunting or trophy hunting and controversially for a lion bone trade. Four Paws said animal welfare at these facilities, whose primary goal is commercial gain,…

A member of Muslim minority political party Al Jama-ah, Kabelo Gwamanda, was elected as the new mayor of Joburg on Friday. His election came after former mayor Thapelo Amad, also of Al Jama-ah, resigned on April 24. He resigned shortly before he was expected to face a motion of no confidence. For him to win the position, Gwamanda received the backing of the ANC, EFF and minority parties. The ANC leads a coalition in the metro. He beat ActionSA’s Funzi Ngobeni and DA member and former Joburg mayor Mpho Phalatse by 139 to 59 and 68 votes, respectively. The total number of votes was 266. Speaking to the media outside the city council chamber, Gauteng Premier and ANC chairperson in Gauteng Panyaza Lesufi said three advisers would be placed in…

Africa’s Travel Indaba will kick off today at the Durban ICC and the province’s hospitality industry is expecting a major economic boost as this year’s event takes place without any Covid-19 restrictions. The event will run until May 11. Phelisa Mangcu, CEO of South Coast Tourism and Investment Enterprise (SCTIE), said they were delighted that through Africa’s Travel Indaba the province would be able to showcase its premium spots. “It’s wonderful that the province is able to host an event of this calibre, with delegates from all over getting the chance to experience our tourism offerings in person. On the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, we are proud to be home to the highest number of Blue Flag beaches in the province, two world-renowned dive sites at Aliwal Shoal and Protea Banks,…

The KWAZULU-NATAL government has to move with speed to establish its own version of Crime Wardens to assist the police to fight the high rate of crime in the province. The ambitious Gauteng crime-prevention warden programme was launched amid much fanfare by Premier Panyaza Lesufi last week. The 4 000 crime-prevention wardens, who graduated after three months of training, will join the SAPS, metro police and Gauteng Traffic Police to fight crime in areas such as Krugersdorp, Tembisa, Wedela in Carletonville, Pretoria and Westonaria. The programme has elicited strong reaction from members of the public who raised concerns about the quality of the training, the R450 million price tag and duration of the training. However, there is no doubt that the programme can go a long way towards reducing the…

Cubans in Caimanera, a small port town near the US military base at Guantanamo, took to the streets late on Saturday evening, according to social media and official reports, in the first known anti-government protests of the year in Cuba. Videos on social media, many shared by dissidents outside Cuba and by human rights groups, showed what appeared to be men in military uniform and others in civilian clothing confronting dozens of protesters. The videos showed the protesters voicing anti-government chants. Tensions have run high in communist-run Cuba for weeks as a dire fuel shortage has stressed the country’s public transportation, power generation and food supply. State-run radio journalist Mabel Pozo said on social media that the protest began when “citizens, some in a state of drunkenness, yelled statements against…

LIMA: A fire in a small gold mine in southern Peru has left 27 people dead, authorities said yesterday, in the country’s single deadliest mining accident in more than two decades. In a statement, the local government said a short-circuit sparked the fire in the early hours of Saturday in the southern region of Arequipa. Images on local media and on social media showed dark plumes of smoke pouring out of the site. The mine is operated by Yanaquihua, a small-scale firm. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “It’s been confirmed by the Yanaquihua police station, there are 27 dead,” local prosecutor Giovanni Matos told local television yesterday.…

TOKYO: At least one person died and 33 others were injured as a result of a 6.5-magnitude earthquake in the Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa followed by 45 aftershocks. On Friday, the earthquake occurred on the west coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu in Ishikawa, with the epicenter located at a depth of 10km. No tsunami warning was issued. The quake resulted in the destruction of buildings and shortages of water. Meanwhile, the Japanese weather officials have issued a warning that heavy rains may increase the probability of landslides in the earthquake-hit areas, the report added.…

MORE than a year after the deadly April floods, a Durban family who were left devastated when they lost 10 relatives in the storm is still waiting to bury four of their loved ones due to a delay in DNA testing. The Mdlalose family from the Pola Mission, near Inanda township, north of Durban, say they feel let down by the government. The family lost 10 relatives and while they were able to bury six of them, the remaining relatives have yet to be positively identified through DNA tests in order to allow their burials. Since being recovered, the remains of the four have been kept at a government mortuary. Among those the Mdlalose family are still waiting to bury are: Thobeka, 25, Kholeka, 18, Lusanda, 16, and six-year-old Manelisi.…

“My daughter-in-law is pregnant with our first grandchild. We are over the moon with excitement. I want to be as much help as I can be without overwhelming her and our son. I noticed some resistance to some of the things I bought for the baby and had delivered to their home. Is this normal? We have had some tensions in the past and I don’t want problems in the future. This is a happy time.” Congratulations. This is an exciting time for you and for your extended family. I suggest that you purchase nothing for your son and his wife and their soon-to-arrive new baby without prior conversations and agreement. Give your son and his wife all the power – which is already theirs – over what is brought…

SOUTH Africa is undoubtedly a country with abundant resources, from its vast mineral wealth to its fertile agricultural fields, capable of producing enough to feed the entire population and beyond. It’s disheartening to find that more than 14 million South Africans go hungry every day, according to a report by the Human Sciences Research Council. The poverty levels in the country paint a bleak picture; about 55% of South Africans live below the poverty line, meaning they can’t afford basic needs like shelter, food, health care, and education. The wealth gap also continues to widen, with the top 1% of the population controlling over 70% of the country’s wealth, while millions barely scrape by. South Africa used to be a major exporter of agricultural products like maize and sugar. I…

ALL I can remember from the film of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953 is that the wheels of the carriages went round the wrong way. So this time I paid particular attention. The wheels of the carriages this time went round the correct way. The royal kids inside the carriages seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. The crowds in The Mall and in front of Buckingham Palace were huge, some of them camped there for days. They were also enjoying themselves immensely. Some individuals had come vast distances, from Australia and America, even though they do have TV at home. They all appeared to thoroughly approve of monarchy and coronations. The mood was festive. Footage of proceedings inside Westminster Abbey was fascinating. First of all, the abbey itself – an…

The Pretoria High Court has sentenced a 42-year-old father from Vereeniging, to four life terms and 73 years of direct imprisonment for sexual crimes committed against five minor children. The children involved were aged 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 years old and the crimes took place from 2019 to November 2020. Two of the minors are his biological children, and the court also ordered that his name be added to the National Register for Sexual Offenders. He cannot be named to protect the identities of his children. According to Lumka Mahanjana, National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson, the man was convicted of two counts of statutory rape, two counts of rape, two counts of sexual grooming and two counts of instructing a child to commit sexual offences, incest and possession…

THE IFP is losing a golden opportunity to transition from its founding leader Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, to its current president Velenkosini Hlabisa, and may rue its decision to use Buthelezi as the face of its election campaign. This is the view of political analyst Thabani Khumalo, and comes in the wake of an instruction issued by the IFP top brass last week to deal decisively with any members wearing T-shirts bearing Hlabisa’s name and face. Last week, IFP secretary-general Siphosethu Ngcobo justified the instruction to party members saying it was in line with enforcing brand discipline, which he said was a common feature in all organisations. “The IFP, like all political parties, is gearing up for 2024 and we have had internal discussions about brand discipline. Nobody will deny that…

Russia stages its annual Victory Day parade on Red Square on Tuesday amid particularly tight security after a series of drone attacks, including on the Kremlin citadel, symbolic heart of the Russian state, that Moscow has blamed on Ukraine. Victory Day is a key anniversary for President Vladimir Putin, who often evokes the spirit and sacrifice that helped the former Soviet Union defeat Nazi Germany in 1945 to kindle Russians’ sense of patriotism, especially since launching what he calls a”special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. But several Russian regions have already scaled back events,citing concerns that they could be targeted by pro-Ukrainian saboteurs. In Moscow, there appeared to be fewer military personnel and less military hardware involved in rehearsals for the parade, though residents wanted it to…

King Charles yesterday said he was “deeply touched” by the celebration of his coronation, which continued with street parties ahead of a concert featuring singers Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Andrea Bocelli at Windsor Castle. Amid pomp and pageantry, Charles and his wife Camilla were crowned at London's Westminster Abbey on Saturday in Britain’s biggest ceremonial event for 70 years. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said Charles and Camilla were “deeply touched by the events of yesterday”. They were “profoundly grateful both to all those who helped to make it such a glorious occasion – and to the many who turned out to show their support in such numbers in London and further afield”, the spokesperson added. Senior members of the family were out in force yeseterday. Charles’s heir Prince William…

ZURICH: The Swiss government is planning to work out a stance on a possible resale of 25 decommissioned Leopard tanks to a German manufacturer in the near future, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said yesterday. In March, Germany sent a request to Switzerland for the purchase of Leopard 2 tanks. However, the Swiss legislation allows the sale of only decommissioned tanks and any sales deal is subject to parliamentary approval. Later in March, the Commission on Security Policy of the Swiss National Council approved the decommissioning of 25 Leopard 87 tanks, which made their sale to a German manufacturer possible.…

Israeli authorities demolished a Palestinian school in the occupied West Bank yesterday, drawing harsh condemnation from the EU. Cogat, a branch of the Israeli military, said in a statement that the building, located about 2km from Bethlehem, had been constructed illegally and “was found to be dangerous to the safety of anyone studying or otherwise visiting there”, and thus an Israeli court “had ordered it demolished”. The EU delegation to the Palestinians, on its Twitter account, said it was “appalled” by the school’s demolition, which it said would affect 60 Palestinian children. It was “illegal under international law” and would “only increase the suffering of the Palestinian population and escalate an already tense environment”, the EU said. Cogat said the building’s owner had refused several attempts by Israeli authorities to…