Table of contents for 2022-11-17 in Mercury

The 162nd anniversary of the arrival of the 1860 Indian indentured labourers in KwaZulu-Natal was commemorated by the 1860 Heritage Centre with the traditional ringing of the bell and the immersing of marigold flowers into the sea at the Durban beachfront yesterday. The event was attended by the Consulate-General of India in Durban, Dr Thelma John David, and former Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC, Ravi Pillay. David said it was important to remember the connection between South Africa and India. “The connections of the past is what will hold us stronger as we go into the future. “It is truly the connectivity of the people, our communities, our cultures and the trade and commerce that is between us that will bind us together.” Pillay paid tribute to the…

Professor William Gumede of Wits University recently wrote a very important and relevant column in a media outlet where he described the breakdown of our country’s transport system, destroyed by corruption and incompetence, as he put it. Giving examples, he illustrated the complete degeneration of transport in the country during the past two decades or so. He concluded that the president “would do well to dismiss Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula”. While I fully agree with his diagnosis of the transport system in our country, I suggest that he has not placed the blame on the primary culprit – the executive, that is, the director-general (DG) and deputy DGs of the Department of Transport. Having served as a DDG for the nine years leading up to the end of the past…

Have you seen a chameleon lately? I haven’t seen one for a very long time. The last I saw one was in my old place in Silverglen, many, many years ago. When I moved to Kloof, I thought I would see them in my large garden. But it was filled with exotic and alien plants and had virtually no wildlife. Except for a few exotic trees, I have cleared most of it and I am busy turning it into a wildlife haven. Those of you who are indigenous fanatics like me will know that it’s a lot of work to remove exotic trees and alien vegetation and rehabilitate the garden with indigenous plants. And it’s costly, too. My indigenous garden is still in the developing stage. But it is already…

From the snow-capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro to the ruins of the ancient Tunisian city of Carthage and Senegal’s slave island of Goree, Africa has a wealth of iconic cultural and natural heritage sites. But climate-change impacts, from higher temperatures to worsening floods, now threaten to condemn these and dozens more African landmarks to the history books. As rich nations scramble to protect their cultural landmarks from extreme weather and rising seas, African countries face additional hurdles such as funding shortages and a dearth of archaeological expertise, said conservationists and researchers. “These sites are places that we learned about at school – they are our identity and history. They are irreplaceable. If we lose them, we will never get them back,” said Nick Simpson,research associate at the African Climate and…

Dr Kapil Narain has been awarded the prestigious Rhodes scholarship to study at Oxford University in 2023. Narain, who is from Durban and graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) 2020 medical class, intends to read for a DPhil in Clinical Medicine, focusing on HIV immunology. UKZN said all recipients of the scholarship are people of outstanding intellect, character, leadership, and commitment to service. Narain said he was honoured to be selected as a Rhodes Scholar. “This is testament to my academic, leadership and activist endeavours, to combat injustices. I aim to utilise this opportunity to its fullest and will continue to strive and contribute towards a better South Africa, Africa and world,” he said. According to UKZN, Narain is a multi-award-winning youth leader, One Young World ambassador, medical doctor,…

Israel blamed Iran yesterday after what it said was a drone strike hit a tanker operated by an Israeli-owned firm carrying gas oil off the coast of Oman. The Pacific Zircon was “hit by a projectile approximately 150 miles (240km) off the coast of Oman ,” said Singapore-based firm Eastern Pacific Shipping, which operates the vessel, adding that there were no reports of casualties or any leakage of the cargo. The company is owned by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer, one of two sons of shipping magnate Sammy Ofer, who died in 2011. The tanker was carrying 42 000 tons of gas oil and bound for Buenos Aires, according to TankerTrackers.com, an oil shipping online research firm. The Bahrain-based US Fifth Fleet said it was “aware of the incident”. UK Maritime…

Istanbul: Turkey has launched a legal investigation into Italian company Ferrero on charges of monopolising the hazelnut market, a local official said yesterday. Ferrero employs more than 1 000 people in Turkey, where it has been sourcing hazelnuts across the country’s Black Sea regions for over three decades. But the company, Turkey’s top hazelnut buyer especially for its Nutella spread, has angered Turkish farmers, who accuse it of paying meagre sums to them for hazelnuts and then selling its products at much higher prices. Turkey accounts for 70% of the world’s hazelnut supply. | AFP…

FORMER health minister Zweli Mkhize told students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) had still not provided him with evidence that implicated him in the Digital Vibes matter. Mkhize and Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta)Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma have said they will stand for candidacy at the ANC’s December elective conference. Mkhize has been nominated for the position in KZN and is believed to have support in all provinces. He resigned as health minister in August 2021 when he was implicated in the irregular awarding of contracts to Digital Vibes, which was linked to people who worked with him at the department, the Cogta Department and the ANC. He has gone to court in a bid to have the SIU report reviewed and…

The ANC has now decided that they must retain BBBEE, to hereby redistribute wealth to enable black people to share in the wealth of the country. While it is correct that wealth is thereby redistributed, it is only redistributed to a select few, and it does not contribute towards the upliftment of the masses – the unemployed masses. Among the 18-35-year-old age group, there is, at present, over 60% unemployment. This is the highest ever, and that is after nearly 30 years of ANC rule. Of the total potential working-age population, the official unemployment figure is over 34% – one of the highest rates in the world. The truth is that the ANC has not encouraged sufficient investors in South Africa and overseas to create employment opportunities on a wide…

“My (extended) family are in a mess as far as I can tell. Our parents are ageing and need special care. Their three adult sons and one daughter are spread around the world. “We are in three different countries. We each have our own families and responsibilities. How do we decide how to do this? Some of us are in denial and some of us exaggerate the problems. “I am not too objective myself. We have done well in our new homes but that doesn’t mean we have excess resources or time to take care of our parents. “Some guidance would be of help. What do you think?” Perhaps you are the one to call a virtual meeting of the siblings and spouses in order for discussions about the needs…

A time capsule has been opened about 30 years after it was buried to mark the opening of the Shin-Sanriku Tunnel in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. Twelve people who had been pupils and teachers at the now-closed Okirai Junior High School and placed items in the time capsule when they buried it in March 1993 were among the attendees of a ceremony at the Sanriku Michi-no-Eki roadside rest area in the city on October 29. The capsule contained 21 items, such as documents from the Sanriku town government, as well as photos and writings from the school’s students. Looking over these memorabilia, the school’s former pupils and other attendees reminisced about days past. | The Washington Post…

The finale of KZN Top Business Women 2022 takes place tonight. The “Women of Influence” live show starts at 6.30pm. The organisers said East Coast Radio’s Carol Ofori will be the host and joining her on stage will be Zanele Luvuno, CEO of Metamorphosis Integrated Solutions. “KZN Top Business Women’s vision is that by sharing stories of successful women, other women will start believing that they have the power to reach their own goals. The participating women have been photographed, profiled through video, and featured in a KZN Top Business Women coffee table book. They have also shared aspects of their stories in three panel-based webinars, which were streamed remotely.” Tonight’s event will see the achievements of some of the women recognised further in several categories. These are: The courage…

THE Road Accident Fund (RAF) is unhappy with the judgment issued last month in which the high court put an end to a payout ban for members of medical aids. The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, declared the directive by the RAF not to pay for past hospital and medical claims issued by members of medical aid schemes unlawful. The RAF was interdicted from implementing the directive. But the RAF said in a notice filed in court that it was in the public interest to appeal this judgment and would ask the court for leave to appeal the judgment before the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein. Lawyers acting for the RAF said in the notice that Judge Mandla Mbongwe made several mistakes in law in the judgment. The judge at…

Thousands of world leaders, corporate elites, and civil society activists provided different visions of the future at the UNs Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFFFC) held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Known as “COP27”, the climate summit follows 26 prior failures, including Durban’s 2011 COP17 hosted by Jacob Zuma. Egypt’s goal is to become a major natural gas exporter. Therefore one strikingly discordant note was the oppression of democrats, human rights activists and other critics of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s dictatorship. He arranged the COP in a way that served the interests of nearly 700 coal, oil and methane gas lobbyists. That fact alone illustrates how little chance there was to solve humanity’s worst-ever crisis. The goal of civil society – especially the climate justice movement –is always to dramatically lower carbon…

A missile that hit Poland was probably a stray fired by Ukraine’s air defences and not a Russian strike, Poland and Nato said yesterday, easing global concern that the war in Ukraine could spill across the border. Nevertheless, Nato’s chief said that Moscow, not Kyiv was ultimately to blame, for starting the war in the first place and launching the attack that triggered Ukraine’s defences. “This is not Ukraine’s fault. Russia bears ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine,” Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels. Nato ambassadors were holding emergency talks to respond to Tuesday’s blast that killed two people at a grain facility in Poland near the Ukrainian border, the war’s first deadly spillover onto the territory of the Western military alliance. “From the…

Sharm el Sheikh: A pledge by G20 leaders, whose countries account for most global CO₂ emissions, to pursue the most ambitious target against global warming breathed new life into fraught UN climate talks in Egypt yesterday. Analysts welcomed the final communique from the G20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia, which comes as negotiators in Egypt are struggling to agree on key issues before COP27 is supposed to end tomorrow. The G20 text promises to “pursue efforts” to curb global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. It also urges all parties to “make progress on loss and damage at COP27, which is being held in Africa”. | AFP…

THE provincial government has established a task team consisting of key government departments to respond to the sewage and infrastructure crises facing eThekwini Municipality and threatening to undermine the city’s festive season plan. MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (Edtea), Siboniso Duma, said, during a telephonic interview with The Mercury, that the provincial government would do everything possible to ensure that Durban was ready for the holidays. He revealed that his department was among several that were part of a task team assembled by Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, to ensure a speedy response to some of the challenges faced by the municipality. He also implied that they wanted to ensure that by the end of this month, most of the challenges that were negatively affecting tourism were dealt with.…

The news of Gidon Novick’s exit from the Takatso consortium indeed reveals that there is trouble in the camp. The man with all the experience of running an airline, and who says there was no transparency into the goings-on, has just highlighted what many of us believe: that shenanigans have been going on between minister Pravin Gordhan of the Department of Public Enterprises and the directors of Takatso and/or Harith General Partners (Pty) Ltd. Some reports on social media seem to indicate that some of the directors have direct links to the ANC. Is this the reason the esteemed minister is keeping everything a big secret? Where there is smoke, there is fire. There is also the question of those involved in Takatso allegedly still looking for funding to secure…

King Shaka International Airport recently introduced a new Parking Management System that represents a major leap in technology. King Shaka International Airport wants to clarify some of the details around the new system, which were covered in The Mercury story. The system will ensure ease of movement in and out of the airport facilities and enhance over-all passenger and visitor experience. A substantial investment estimated at R36 million was allocated not only to the actual system but also includes the IT network and infrastructure costs. The previous system had reached its lifespan and provided limited capabilities resulting in high support and maintenance costs. Our recently launched Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) mobile app is advantageous as it provides passengers access to parking services ahead of their travel. Once…

For 80 years, the wreck of the Vorpostenboot V-1302 John Mahn, a fishing vessel turned German naval patrol boat that sank in 1942, has rested on the floor of the North Sea, a silent feature of the underwater landscape. But the World War II wreck’s placid appearance was deceiving. When a team of Belgian researchers studied the sediment surrounding the John Mahn and the microbes that have made the wreckage their home, they found modern-day hazards that may also be present in other such wrecks. Today, the John Mahn is leaching toxic chemicals, including heavy metals, arsenic and TNT, into the seafloor, according to an analysis published in Frontiers in Marine Science. The steam trawler, which sank after a strike by British Royal Air Force bombers, went down with its…

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has sought to clarify its stance on the introduction of unisex bathrooms at schools after widespread backlash over the proposal. Unisex bathrooms were among the issues mentioned in an initial draft discussion document related to the Guidelines for the Socio-Educational Inclusion of Diverse Sexual Orientations, Gender Identity, Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) in Schools. The document has been released to specific stakeholders for consultation before it is published for public comment. However, when details of the guideline were publicised recently it faced severe criticism. The department said the matter was blown out of proportion. “The narrow focus on ‘unisex toilets’ is unfortunate as it misses the bigger debate on the elimination of gender discrimination in all spheres of society and specifically creating a socially…

Creating a better world in which a just cause is pursued for the common good ON THE afternoon of November 15, local time, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Bali Summit, the first physical meeting between the two heads of state in three years since the outbreak of Covid-19. President Xi noted that, “China and South Africa enjoy a special friendship of ‘comradeship plus brotherhood’. Both being major developing countries, China and South Africa firmly uphold international fairness and justice and the common interests of developing countries”. The two heads of state had an in-depth exchange of views and reached a broad consensus on the development of bilateral relations and co-operation in various fields, as well…

NASA launched the most powerful rocket built on a journey to the moon yesterday, in a spectacular blaze of light and sound that marked the start of the space agency’s new flagship programme, Artemis. The 32-storey tall Space Launch System blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, producing a record 39 meganewtons of thrust. “What you have done today will inspire generations to come, thank you!” Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Nasa’s first female launch director, told cheering teammates. Fixed to the rocket’s top was the uncrewed Orion spaceship that will orbit Earth’s nearest neighbour, in a test run for later flights that should see the first woman and first person of colour touch down on lunar soil by the mid-2020s. About two hours after launch, Nasa said the spacecraft…

Wellington: New Zealand’s Firearms Prohibition Orders came into force yesterday to reduce gun crime in the country. Firearms Prohibition Orders would improve public safety by stopping people whose behaviour and actions represent a high risk of violence from accessing firearms or restricted weapons, the Police Ministry said. The law targets any violent offenders, including gang members. The new legislation gives a judge the power to impose an order lasting 10 years. A gunman killed 51 worshippers in two mosques in Christchurch in 2019, which was the worst terrorist attack in New Zealand history. | AFP…

Japan forward Daichi Kamada says his team’s large contingent of Bundesliga players can draw mental strength from knowing they “share the same stage” as first-up World Cup opponents Germany. Japan’s squad for the finals in Qatar includes eight Germany-based players, more than any other national league - including Japan’s first-division J1 League. Nine Japanese players play in the first division of the Bundesliga, seven of whom have been selected in the squad for Qatar. Qatar-bound midfielder Ao Tanaka also plays in Germany, for Fortuna Duesseldorf in the second division. Kamada (26), who has 12 goals in all competitions for Eintracht Frankfurt this season, will be one of Japan’s most important players in Qatar. “There are a lot of Japanese players in the Bundesliga now and I think we’re on an…

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar kicks off on Sunday when the host nation plays Ecuador in Group A. Twenty-eight days and 63 games later, one of 32 nations will lift the Jules Rimet Trophy. But who should you bet on to win it all? And what are some other smart wagers along the way? We take a look. The Contenders BRAZIL The Selecao are the world’s only five-time World Cup champions, although they haven’t won since 2002. Four of Brazil’s five previous championships have come in tournaments played in neither Europe nor Brazil. That’s a 50% win rate within that sample. And this is one of the deeper Brazilian rosters, built largely with the same players who as Under-23s helped win the 2016 Olympic soccer title in…