Table of contents for 2022-05-05 in Mercury

There are overwhelming emotions – feelings, mind traps – most will face, to one degree or another, especially as we advance in age, hopefully grow in awareness, and have moved beyond the innocent, but necessary, belief in our individual invincibility. A sense of being disqualified – the lurking thought that the past denies a person access to possibilities. Being too bad, too reckless, he or she feels undeserving. The shame of being disqualified can become integral to a person’s personality and is often confused with humility. A sense of living in exile – the lurking belief that a person’s history, reputation, class, a lack of status puts him or her on the outside of groups to which he or she longs to belong. Habitual trepidation, fear of rejection, can become…

Once again, a typical corrupt activity of another ANC government minister, this time (KZN Premier Sihle) Zikalala, having a water tanker deliver water to his residential house while other KZN residents suffer with weeks and weeks of no water supply. He obviously believed he was important enough to jump the queue, and get preferential treatment. Rightfully, the public who witnessed this cried foul. There is no difference at all to the scenario where a black motorcade of BMW X5s, flashing blue lights, usher normal road users into the left lane, so that our “important” ministers are able to leave late for an appointment, intimidate every other road user in their way, and fly past at 180km/h, putting everyone at risk. Who do they think they are? Preferential water and preferential…

WE are told that the intervention of the SANDF will cost the government R500 million. My first thought was what a convenient round figure and supplied in a flash – perhaps they are more focused on the numbers than getting on with the help and does the auditor general know about this? My next thought was where does this huge figure stem from? Surely we are using existing soldiers who would be paid as a matter of course every month. Items such as vehicles and fuel would form part of the defence budget and the only area where I would expect an expense would be arranging some temporary accommodation for the troops, but in my day we were housed in a tent – even within established military bases. Today’s soldiers…

Advocate Malesela Teffo, the lawyer dramatically arrested in court while representing four of the five men accused of the murder of Senzo Meyiwa, is no stranger to courtroom drama. Teffo has endured the wrath of at least two judges over his conduct in court. In March, Judge Winston Msimeki removed Teffo as the defence advocate for two co-accused of Radovan Krejcir in their ongoing criminal trial. Judge Msimeki said Teffo was so highly disruptive in court that it became clear that there could be no progress in the criminal trial while he was one of the court officials. The judge said in his judgment that he had never, in his decades as a lawyer and later a judge, seen anyone behave in such a manner. But, the judge said, while…

Veteran musician and producer Chicco Twala was released on R2 000 bail after appearing briefly at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. Regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, Phindi Mjonondwane said Twala was facing charges of pointing a firearm and common assault. This follows an incident that took place outside Twala’s Bloubosrand home in the north of Johannesburg Mjonondwane said that on May 1, two City Power technicians attended to a power outage call in the area. “On arrival the technicians had to switch off the power and that is when Twala allegedly charged at one of them, strangled him and pointed (at) him – with what resembles a firearm.” City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said: “It cannot be right that City Power teams are intimidated when doing their…

A 40-year-old man was shot while dropping his child off at a day-care centre in New Germany yesterday. The man was taken to hospital by emergency services. ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said paramedics responded to the shooting. “ER24 paramedics arrived to find local authorities and several security forces already in attendance. Medics were led into the school where the man had been taken. A schoolteacher was already treating the patient. Medics assessed the man and found he had sustained a gunshot wound to his upper arm.” Meiring added that the man was treated and later taken to hospital. “Local authorities were on the scene to investigate,” said Meiring. Mzamo Billy, DA PR councillor in Pinetown, said it was shocking that the crime had taken place outside a day-care centre. “Criminals…

MSC Cruises has postponed the planned inauguration event for the new cruise terminal in Durban until further notice after the devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal last month. The launch event was meant to take place on May 15. This comes after MSC Cruises postponed the December opening ceremony of the new KwaZulu Cruise Terminal due to the evaluation of the Covid-19 pandemic at the time. “In light of the recent flooding and extensive devastation in the KwaZulu- Natal region, we at the KwaZulu Cruise Terminal have concluded that we must postpone our proposed event to inaugurate the new cruise terminal in Durban until a later date,” said MSC. MSC said the affected communities are very close to the company’s heart. The company said the MSC Foundation, which is the charitable arm…

A BRUISING dispute is brewing at the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA) as the deputy registrar made damning claims that a proposed new structure continued to be used as a defence to axe black women that should be equipped to replace the 67-year-old registrar who has apparently reached retirement age. Aggrieved deputy registrar Nhlanhla Mthembu has now approached the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria and filed an application challenging her boss’s continued employment. Mthembu, 33, has asked the court to declare the extension of Dr Louis Mullinder, the registrar’s employment contract beyond his 65th birthday unlawful, and to review and correct or set aside the decision to extend it beyond his birthday. Mthembu was appointed as the deputy registrar in August 2020 following an interview with a…

An insightful account of the life and times of a remarkable and gentle leader Beyond Fear, the autobiography of Ebrahim Ebrahim, is an insightful account of the life and times of a remarkable and gentle leader of the South African Indian Congress, ANC, SACP and Umkhonto we Sizwe. The life of commitment, activism and fortitude of Ebrahim Ebrahim, whom we affectionately called comrade “Ebie”, provides an excellent canvass through which we can better understand our history. He played a pivotal role in the armed Struggle, and very few comrades have survived both the harsh prison known as “the university” of Robben Island, and exile. He was one of the few who was sentenced twice to Robben Island. The book sets the record straight on a number of issues. For instance,…

North Korea fired a ballistic missile yesterday, Seoul said, a week after Kim Jong-un vowed to boost Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal and just days before the South inaugurates a new, hawkish president. Pyongyang has conducted 14 weapons tests since January, including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at full-range for the first time since 2017. Last week Kim oversaw a huge military parade, vowed to rapidly expand and improve his nuclear arsenal, and warned of possible “pre-emptive” strikes – as satellite imagery indicates he may soon resume nuclear testing. The test comes days before the May 10 inauguration of South Korea’s President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, who has vowed to take a hard line with North Korea and ramp-up security co-operation with the US after years of failed diplomacy. North Korea fired the ballistic…

New York: Country music icon Dolly Parton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame yesterday even though she called herself unworthy of the honour. “I never considered myself a rock artist,” she said. Parton was among a group of new inductees that include the rapper Eminem, the crooner Harry Belafonte, rocker Pat Benatar, the British band Duran Duran and pop singer, songwriter and producer Lionel Richie. Parton, 76, had asked last month that her name be withdrawn from consideration. When the hall of fame rejected her rejection, Parton eventually relented. | AFP…

Kabul: Flash floods and storms killed at least 18 people after ravaging several provinces of Afghanistan over the past five days, an official said yesterday. Deputy Minister for Disaster Management Sharafuddin Muslim said the latest deluges wracked the provinces of Faryab and Parwan, as well as various other regions. Muslim said that more than 100 houses were destroyed. Two people remain missing while 30 others have been injured. Relief teams have been despatched to the affected areas with tents and food and the authorities are distributing cash to families of those killed, he said. | AFP…

The Springboks actually have a great record when facing the Wallabies at cricket grounds in Australia over the years. Earlier this week, Rugby Australia announced that the Boks will play at the Adelaide Oval on 27 August against Dave Rennie’s team, as well as at an unnamed venue in New South Wales a week later in the Rugby Championship. Of course, the Adelaide Oval was the place where former Proteas captain Faf du Plessis made a name for himself as a Test batsman with an heroic 110 not out against the Australians in November 2012. Du Plessis was on debut, and while he made 78 in the first innings, he had to save the Test with the Proteas on 45/4 in the second – and he did it with a…

A WILD turkey has been attacking walkers, joggers and bikers on a trail in Washington DC, according to Huffington Post. Several people have reported being chased, slammed into, clawed and pecked in encounters with the big bird on the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. The turkey made for musician DeDe Folarin last month as he rode his bike through the area. “He jumped in the air and almost clawed my face,” says Folarin. “He kind of knocked me off the bike and literally chased me around for like five minutes.” When the turkey took off after another biker, Folarin recorded the confrontation on his cellphone – then chased the bird off with a stick when the woman under attack called for help. “There is an element of humour to it,” says wildlife…

Despite numerous calls by the DA to Premier Sihle Zikalala to immediately dismiss KwaZulu-Natal’s Arts and Culture (DoAC) MEC Hlengiwe Mavimbela, this department continues to be driven into the ground. The calls come after numerous ongoing failures on the MEC’s part One of these issues is the purchase of two 65-seater buses – to be used as mobile libraries – at a cost of R4 million each. In October 2021, the DA exposed that the buses had been left parked and unused for seven months at KZN’s Museum Services in Pietermaritzburg. Seven months later, there has still been no action taken. The department’s excuse is the buses cannot be converted into mobile libraries as their mechanical structure does not physically allow for such a change. The DA has since established…

As Bitcoin hovers in the range of $38 000-$40 000 per digital coin, billionaire Warren Buffett has said that he will not even pay $25 (about R396) for all the Bitcoin in the world. Addressing Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting, the ace investor said Bitcoin is not a productive asset and doesn’t produce anything tangible, reports CNBC. “If you told me you own all of the Bitcoin in the world and you offered it to me for $25, I wouldn’t take it because what would I do with it? I’d have to sell it back to you one way or another. It isn’t going to do anything,” he was quoted as saying in the report. “Whether it goes up or down in the next year, or five or 10 years,…

The Road Freight Association (RFA) has said the huge hike in the price of diesel this week will hurt many businesses in the transport industry. While petrol had a marginal decrease, the prices of diesel increased between 92c/l and 98c/l inland to between 88c/l and 94c/l for diesel at the coast. RFA CEO Gavin Kelly said the increase in the diesel price was significant. “It’s almost R1 a litre. There are a number of transporters who live from hand to mouth, they don’t have the luxury of contracts. They have to go out and find work, and for them this is going to be a deal breaker where they are going to say I’m now going to charge you more for every kilometre that I drive with your load, and…

Only 2% of South Africans will first dial 10111 in an emergency, while 56.8% will call private security companies and 40.7% neighbourhood watch groups. This is according to a recent survey conducted by civil rights organisation Action Society to determine whether residents of the country trust the emergency number 10111 as their number one choice. Action Society spokesperson Ian Cameron said the results show most residents do not trust the police. “In middle-class communities people will rather approach a neighbourhood watch for protection and emergency assistance, and in richer communities more money is spent on private security,” said Cameron. “SAPS is an organisation whose core aim must be to serve and protect citizens, and currently they are failing miserably on various levels.” The survey asked four questions to determine the…

CHIEF Justice Raymond Zondo’s first test in ridding the judiciary of the perception of being captured will start with getting to the bottom of claims by an activist. The activist apparently knew the outcome of a case involving the public protector even before the Constitutional Court had pronounced on it. Ismail Abramjee, who described himself as a legal commentator, reportedly informed Andrew Breitenbach, a member of the legal council for Parliament, via an SMS, that he “had it on very good authority” that Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s Constitutional Court rescission case was going to be dismissed. This was before Mkhwebane’s interdict case was postponed in the Western Cape High Court. After being quizzed about the origins of this information, Abramjee was quick to deny that being in possession of it was a…

The European Commission proposed a gradual ban on Russian oil imports yesterday to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, as Russian forces pounded sites to the east of the country and hit targets in the far west near the EU border. The EU also pledged to “significantly increase” its support for Moldova, Ukraine’s neighbour that has seen a series of attacks in a Moscow-backed separatist region, sparking fears it could be drawn into the conflict. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced the bloc would “phase out Russian supply of crude oil within six months, and refined products by the end of the year”. If approved, the oil ban would be the EU’s toughest move yet against Russia’s strategic energy sector that helps the Kremlin finance its war,…

Mali’s junta said France no longer has a “legal basis” for carrying out military operations in the country after Bamako quit key defence accords, in the latest round of a spat between the two former allies. The announcement late on Tuesday came a day after the junta walked out of several agreements underpinning French and European missions in the jihadist-hit state. Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop declared that it would take six months for the formal end of a 2014 defence co-operation agreement with France to take effect. However, the legal end of agreements signed in 2013 and 2020 on France’s Barkhane and Europe’s Takuba operations in Mali applied immediately, he said. “So, as of May 2, the agreement covering Barkhane and the agreement covering Takuba cease taking an effect with…

Los Angeles: A man armed with a replica gun that works like a knife tackled comedian Dave Chappelle as he performed a stand-up set in Los Angeles this week, police said. Video footage circulating on social media shows that as the comedian was finishing a set during the Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival at the Hollywood Bowl, a male audience member climbed on stage and threw him to the ground. The attacker then ran behind a screen on stage and was detained by security guards. Chappelle, 48, has recently attracted protests for jokes seen to be transphobic but the motive for this attack was not known. Chappelle was not injured. The Los Angeles police department said the assailant was carrying a replica gun that can discharge a knife…

New York: The jersey that Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona wore when scoring twice against England in the 1986 World Cup, including the infamous “hand of God” goal, was auctioned for $9.3 million (R143m), a record for any item of sports memorabilia, Sotheby’s said yesterday. Seven bidders vied for the garment. The jersey had been owned since the end of the controversial encounter by opposing midfielder Steve Hodge, who swopped his jersey with Maradona after the game. The previous record for a game-worn shirt from any sport was $5.6m, set in 2019 for a jersey Babe Ruth wore while at the New York Yankees. | AFP…

An emotional Brandon Truter has launched a scathing attack on his former club Swallows FC, claiming that Birds’ faithful threatened him and his family during the latter stages of his tenure, while the management still owe him his settlement fees. On Tuesday night, Truter returned to Swallows for the first time since he was sacked late last year as he inspired AmaZulu to a 1-0 win that piled more misery on his relegation-threatened former employers. Despite Swallows being the better side from start to finish, a lone strike from Usuthu’s Sphesihle Maduna late in the second half ensured that the Durban-based side got all three points on the night. With that victory, Usuthu remained seventh on the log with 39 points, three ahead of the eighth-placed SuperSport United. Swallows, meanwhile,…

A divorcee was dealt a major blow in the Western High Court when it dismissed her application to have her monthly maintenance increased from R71 000 to R125 000 – with no evidence of why the increase was needed. The woman – whose name is withheld due to it being divorce action where three minor children are involved – further sought among other costs R56 000 to be paid to her legal counsel for each day the matter remains on trial. Legal costs would amount to R935 000 for preparation and imminent pending divorce action. The separated couple, who were married for five years from 2009 to 2014 out of community of property, parted ways after the woman allegedly engaged in a “clandestine extramarital affair with another man”. In his…

Dear eThekwini Municipality, Today (Tuesday, May 3) the community of oThongathi (Tongaat) has gone without water for 23 days. You should be embarrassed at your inability to provide effective, alternative water solutions to this town during this post-storm crisis. The city’s municipal water tankers have been an absolute failure. There is a lot of talk about them, but there have been few in sight. You need to be reminded that this community consists of many old, frail people and others who do not own vehicles to fetch water. Their reality is to wait and wait and wait for the city’s water tankers to pitch up. Sometimes that’s in vain for days on end. Many homes are incurring huge costs trying to secure JoJo tanks and water-flow tanks to ensure a…

According to KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane (The Mercury, May 3) the unvaccinated “are more likely to be infected with Covid-19, more likely to transmit it to others and are at a much higher risk of dying”. But overseas research findings debunk those claims entirely. Sixteen months of observation by the Centres for Disease Control and the UK Health Ministry indicate that vaxxing is ineffective in preventing transmission and causes depletion of natural immunity. Dr Meryl Nass examined the data of 30 million Americans, 75% of whom had been vaxxed, and found that the vaxxed were three times more likely to develop Covid than the unvaxxed. MEC Simelane’s claim that being vaccinated minimises the risk of dying is completely at odds with reality. The death rate from vaxxing recorded by…

Fast food outlet chain Nando’s said it would respect the Labour Court overturning the dismissal of its kitchen worker who ate two slices of carrot. “We respect the findings in concluding this matter. We will manage further correspondence with the former employee and discuss the verdict of reinstatement,” Nando’s spokesperson Cheryl Reddy said. Ntokozo Gwala was fired four years ago from Nando’s Scottsville branch in Pietermaritzburg for eating the two slices of carrot. He was a front griller and a community forum representative at the time. He explained that he took two slices of carrot from the pan of hot water and ate them as he wanted to taste them before serving to customers. According to him, the carrots were still frozen in the middle and he discarded them in…

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport has launched an internal investigation into a video that has gone viral on social media inviting drivers to collect their driving licence cards from the flood-damaged Rossburgh Driver Licence Testing Centre (DLTC). The video which has been circulating on social media showing hundreds of driving licence cards lined up in rows on the grass at Rossburgh DLTC. “Whoever has a driver’s licence made at Rossburgh must come look for it here,” says the woman shooting the video. Transport Head of Department, Siboniso Mbhele, said the video being circulated was not an official government communique and should not be treated as such. Department spokesperson Kwanele Ncalane, said the department has launched an internal investigation into the video. Ncalane said the video shows driving licence cards being…

THE ANC caucus in the KwaZulu- Natal Legislature has called on govern- ment departments to be humane and kind when they start tabling their budgets today. Premier Sihle Zikalala will deliver his budget policy presentation, followed by the provincial treasury and the transport department. The ANC chief whip at the legislature, Super Zuma, pleaded for “reasonable, robust and frank debates as the province might face challenges financially due to the need to prioritise flood victims and rebuilding of infrastructure”. He said they were appealing for an increase in the budgets of the Health, Education and Human Settlement departments. “We have noted the maturity displayed by some opposition parties during these trying times and we hope constructive criticism continues to make us work towards a better life for all,” Zuma…

Northwood High School has said it will take disciplinary action against the parent of one of their rugby players who caused a fracas at the end of an Under-16A match at Kearsney College over the weekend. The parent was convinced that the referee had cheated the Northwood team and a video clip has gone viral of the man first trying to engage the (retreating) referee and then manhandling a Kearsney player. While nobody was hurt, the incident was unsavoury and both schools have moved to voice their displeasure. Northwood headmaster Paul Viljoen said in a letter to parents: “We are an educational institution and need to be impeccable in terms of the standards and example we set for our boys. It is within this context that I want to assure…

Forget Botox, just doing brisk walking daily may shave off 16 years from your biological age by midlife, a study has found. University of Leicester researchers in the UK studied the genetic data of more than 400 000 adults. The study revealed a link between walking pace and a genetic marker of biological age. In the paper published in the journal Communications Biology, they confirmed a causal link between walking pace and leukocyte telomere length, an indicator of biological age; and found that a faster walking pace was associated with longer telomere. The team estimated that a lifetime of brisk walking could lead to the equivalent of 16 years younger biological age by midlife. Telomeres are the acaps’ at the end of chromosomes, and hold repetitive sequences of non-coding DNA…

THE devastation caused by the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal has again reminded us of the importance of our national roads to South Africa’s economy. The national road network of more than 22 000km exemplifies the best of South Africa after 28 years of democracy. South Africa’s national roads are known to be among the best in the world. Roads give us the freedom to connect with loved ones throughout the country. They give us the freedom to transport goods and provisions to different provinces, and to neighbouring countries. They give us the ability to achieve the economic freedom we all want. At the end of every year and every Easter weekend – as we have seen again this year after the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions – hundreds of thousands, if…

US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion that would end the recognition of a constitutional right to abortion could imperil other freedoms related to marriage, sexuality and family life including birth control and same-sex nuptials, according to legal experts. The draft ruling, disclosed in a leak that prompted Chief Justice John Roberts to launch an investigation, would uphold a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and overturn the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that legalised the procedure nationwide. The draft’s legal reasoning, if adopted by the court by the end of June, could threaten other rights that Americans take for granted, according to University of Texas law professor Elizabeth Sepper, an expert in health-care law and religion. “The low-hanging fruit is contraception, probably starting with emergency…

The number of people facing hunger rose to 193 million last year as conflict, climate change and economic crises ravaged people’s livelihoods, the UN said yesterday. While experts have warned that Russia’s war in Ukraine could cause famine, the FAO said in an annual report that nearly 40 million more people were pushed into “acute food insecurity” in 2021. Among the 53 countries facing the problem, the most affected include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Yemen and Afghanistan, where millions face hunger after the country plunged into financial crisis following the Taliban takeover in 2021. The UN noted that several countries battling major food crises obtained almost all of their wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine last year. It warned that the “outlook moving forward is not good”.…

BEIJING: Beijing shut scores of metro stations and bus routes and extended Covid-19 curbs on many public venues yesterday, focusing efforts to avoid the fate of Shanghai, where millions have been under strict lockdown for more than a month. The central city of Zhengzhou earlier also announced restrictions. With dozens of new cases a day, Beijing is hoping mass testing will find and isolate the virus before it spreads. Latest data showed Shanghai found 63 new cases outside areas under the strictest curbs, suggesting it has a way to go before reaching the goal of no cases for several days for curbs to be eased. | Reuters…

Baroka FC gave their Premiership survival hopes a massive boost after recording a vital 1-0 win over Golden Arrows at Peter Mokaba Stadium yesterday. Baroka took the lead in the 30th minute as Bonginkosi Makume made no mistake in converting from the penalty spot. Arrows looked to attack from the off, with Nduduzo Sibiya and Velemseni Ndwandwe producing some good combination play. Sibiya ended up shooting at goal, but experienced Baroka goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane was alert to the danger. Relegation-threatened Baroka appeared to lack confidence in their attacking play and employed a high defensive line, looking to catch Arrows out on the counter. In the 15th minute, Siboniso Conco met a corner from Sibiya, but his effort was saved by Mabokgwane. Just prior to finding their goal, Baroka came close…