Indice dei contenuti per 2021-05-31 in Mercury

President calls different other vaccination suppliers after J&J delayed because of regulatory issues Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa said yesterday that the government was in discussions with other Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers in a bid to boost the country’s slow inoculation roll-out. This comes as the scheduled delivery of 31 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines has been delayed due to regulatory issues related to lack of adherence to proper standards at a manufacturing plant in the US. Ramaphosa said that some of these manufacturers were in the process of seeking the necessary approvals from South Africa’s health products authority. The president, however, emphasised that the government had secured enough vaccines to reach all adults in the country, which is around 40 million people. “We are waiting for these issues…

LIBERTY Two Degrees (L2D) said the relaxed pandemic restrictions had stimulated early signs of a retail recovery, and average footfall for the four months to April was 101 percent above that for the same month in 2019. Comparison with 2020 was avoided due to the lockdown, the group said in a pre-close statement on Friday. The average footcount at L2D’s retail malls such as Sandton City, Eastgate and Midlands Mall, was 82.4 percent in January 2021 compared with January 2019, 84.7 percent in February, and 79.5 percent in March. Improved customer counting software had been implemented from April 1, allowing the group to count customers and analyse shopping patterns within the shopping centres. Additional operational metrics tracked by the software in April 2021 included customer count zones, dwell times,…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za NASPERS shareholders should be better compensated in the proposal by Amsterdam-based subsidiary Prosus to issue new shares as part of a capital raise, so that it could increase its shareholding in its parent, Old Mutual Investment Group portfolio manager Neelash Hansjee said on Friday. The complexity and reasons for the proposal, which Naspers management have said is aimed at reducing the discount at which Naspers trades, have generated much discussion and criticism among market analysts and commentators. This month, Prosus announced its intention to acquire 45.4 percent of the issued Naspers shares from Naspers shareholders by a voluntary share exchange offer of new Prosus shares for Naspers shares. For instance, according to a story in the Techcentral online site, Switzerland-based research and investment firm Alternative Investment…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za Covid-19 PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South Africans to postpone social engagements, avoid public spaces and not travel unless absolutely necessary, warning that the severity of the third wave of Covid-19 infections would have a lot to do with people’s behaviour. Last night, he said the Cabinet had decided that the country would be placed on adjusted level 2 lockdown with effect from today. Under level 2, the hours of curfew will now be between 11pm and 4am. “Non-essential establishments like restaurants, bars and fitness centres will need to close by 10pm. This is to allow employees and patrons to travel home before the curfew. All gatherings will be limited to a maximum of 100 people indoors and 250 people outdoors. “Where the venue is too small…

MATHS have never been my strong point and, I suspect that – like many others – I have become numbed by the numbers being bandied about by those who know about these things when it comes to sums of money lost due to corruption. So-and-so was paid R185 million as an “introductory fee” or as “commission” on some or other deal in which they had no role to play whatsoever, but they beetle off back to the Gulf states with their grubby fingers clutching their ill-gotten gains. Well, I read the other day that the total amount lost to the state is estimated at roughly R46 billion (a billion being a 1 000m). Divide that by 50m, which is the approximate population of South Africa, then – if my sums…

South Africa has the highest Gini coefficient in the world. Unfortunately, none of the legislation has changed this and the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It is well-known that relevant education is the only thing that will lift the workers out of poverty. This education doesn’t just stop at schooling and tertiary institutions but is also on the job training. We need to rethink the handbrake the government is trying to put on bringing in foreign scarce skills. My experience has been that with every foreigner brought in to perform a specific job, that foreigner enables the business to employ three or four others and imparts his skills to local labour. We also have a fine example in Germany, where for hundreds of years they have…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za KwaZulu-Natal Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Sipho Hlomuka is set to visit the Nquthu Municipality this week to establish the reasons behind the “chaos” in the council. This comes after a council meeting was disrupted when armed private security guards entered the Nquthu council chamber last Thursday. In videos of the incident a group of men can be seen entering the chamber and removing two council members. Members can be heard raising safety concerns in the IFP-run municipality. “Why are we being attacked? Kill us if you want to do so. Speaker, why are you allowing such to happen,” said one of the ANC members. The ANC in KZN said it was disgusted by what had occurred. Nhlakanipho Ntombela, the ANC KZN spokesperson,…

ITUMELENG MAFISA There are divisions among public service unions in the wage talks with the government, with two unions linked to the Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) and the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) declaring a dispute. The Public Service Association (PSA) has not even been part of the facilitation process some unions have been participating in over the past few weeks. The public service unions and the SA Police Union (Sapu) are due for conciliation and arbitration with the government this week, while the rest of the unions are expected to report back to the facilitators over the government’s 1.5% wage offer on June 4. It is understood that Sapu cannot go on strike because the police are regarded as an essential service. PSA spokesperson Reuben…

I FIND myself at a restaurant in the company of a lovely blonde of my acquaintance, a renowned food writer. It is no ordinary restaurant. It’s in Florida Road in a magnificent colonial-era building that has had many different occupants over the years but is now significantly different. It is decorated with colourful art pieces, magnificent huge black and white photographs of Mozambique; it has bespoke designer furniture. And it is also festooned with traditional Mozambican face masks and other sculptures in metal melted down from the weaponry of the now-subsided civil war between Frelimo and Renamo. The name of the place is “#258”, which is the dialling code for Mozambique. We are there to speak to the owner, João Pereira. The blonde engages him on the restaurant’s astonishingly wide…

THIS year is a special one both in South Africa and in China. Contrary to what happened across the globe three decades ago with the decimation of the communist parties, the South African Communist Party and Communist Party of China both celebrate their centenary this year. Yet this year, Tibet also celebrates the 70th anniversary of its freedom. On May 23, 1951, the local government of Tibet signed an agreement with the central government of China leading to the autonomous status being declared by 1965 in Tibet. Despite this autonomy and often being in the news for controversial reasons, the people of Tibet have reason to celebrate today because of the vast development that has occurred in the past seven decades. Besides endless stories of the people of Tibet benefiting…

Ethiopia staged a massive rally yesterday in Addis Ababa to rail against the US imposing curbs on economic and security assistance over the conflict in the Tigray region. Demonstrators packed a stadium in the capital for the pro-government rally, chanting against the US sanctions and waving posters accusing foreign powers of interfering in Ethiopia’s sovereignty. “Ethiopia does not need (a) caretaker,” declared one banner at Addis Ababa Stadium, while others denounced “Western intervention”. “We will not submit,” Adanech Abiebe, Addis Ababa mayor told the thousands, according to the state-owned Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation. “The US and its allies have to stop and consider the wisdom, as well as correct the preconditions, they have imposed on our internal affairs.” The rally, and smaller ones elsewhere in Ethiopia, was organised by the Ministry…

LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson married his fiancée Carrie Symonds in a secret ceremony at Westminster Cathedral, the first time a British leader has married in office in 199 years. Johnson, 56, and Symonds, 33, said “I do” at the Roman Catholic church in central London on Saturday afternoon in front of a small group of family and friends. On Saturday evening, The Sun newspaper said the couple exchanged vows in a ceremony that caught senior staff off-guard. It quoted a staff member saying that when Symonds walked down the aisle, Johnson “didn’t take his eyes off her. They read vows then kissed. They looked besotted.” | Washington Post…

West African leaders met yesterday to discuss how to respond to a coup in Mali, gathering in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, for a summit to be attended by Assimi Goita, who was named interim Malian president after leading the takeover last week. The revolt has prompted sanctions warnings from foreign powers, which fear it will derail a promised transition back to democracy following another coup last August led by Goita, an army colonel. He was appointed interim president on Friday, setting Mali on a collision course with the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has insisted the transition, which is due to end with elections in February, should be led by civilians. Goita has flown to Accra for the summit, according to his administration. ECOWAS closed borders…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za SAB ZENZELE Kabili listed on the JSE’s empowerment segment on Friday at an opening price of R40 a share, giving black South African retail shareholders the opportunity to invest in the world’s largest beer producer, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev). SAB Zenzele Kabili, the black empowerment scheme which replaces SAB Zenzele, will see black shareholders owning R5.4 billion in AB InBev shares. AB InBev chief executive Carlos Brito said: “As we afford the opportunity of ownership to qualifying South African shareholders with SAB Zenzele Kabili, we take great pleasure in welcoming more ‘owners’ to the AB InBev family – a global family of local companies, with approximately 180 000 colleagues in nearly 50 countries, with over 500 iconic brands sold in more than 100 countries around…

SAMSUNG Electronics overtook Chinese brand Xiaomi to become the world’s second-largest vendor of wearable devices in the first quarter of the year, a report has shown, on the back of its wireless earbuds sales. The South Korean tech giant moved ahead of China’s Xiaomi for the first time to take the runner-up spot with a market share of 11.8 percent, which was up 0.6 percentage point from a year earlier, according to the latest report from market researcher International Data Corporation. At third place, Xiaomi was the only company among the top five brands to suffer an on-year decline in its wearable devices sales. Xiaomi's market share dropped to 9.7 percent from 13.3 percent from a year ago after its wearable shipments slipped 1.8 percent on-year…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za EDUCATION stakeholders believe that schools have to return to a semblance of normality, with teachers and pupils learning to live with the Covid-19 pandemic as failure to do this could cripple the country’s education system. Spelling out the disadvantages of the current situation, education experts said while pupils sit at home they are not getting the quality education they need. On Friday, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga issued directives that all primary school and special needs school pupils should return to daily attendance and traditional timetables from July 26. For almost a year, several primary schools have been attending classes on alternative days to limit the number of pupils in schools in order to adhere to Covid-19 safety protocols, including social distancing. However, the latest move has…

FIVE things loving parents of growing sons and daughters must face, “square away”, no matter what the outcome: My son/daughter is as wilful as I ever was, perhaps even more so. Like I was and am, he/she is fully capable of greatness and disaster. The sooner he/she sees this the better. My son/daughter is an autonomous being over whom I have very little, if any, control. The more I try, the less likely my efforts will prove to be effective. My son/daughter is as prone to human mistakes and pitfalls as the next person. No one is immune to things that pull humans down. My son’s/daughter’s success (and mine) will almost entirely pivot on the acceptance of personal responsibility and the sooner he/she (and I) accepts this, the better. While…

JEAN MICHEL BOUVIER Bryanston SO THAT bright spark and possibly still ambitious “presidential candidate“, as he has tried before, was not aware of what was happening in his own department – and even his own office. So the Health Ministry blew R150 million on a highly irregular and fraudulent communication contract to “Digital Vibes” – run by persons well known to the minister as one was even his PA – but they were not friends but comrades (as he said trying to justify the scam). Then Digital Vibes was paid another R3.65 million to organise to exalt, glorify and praise a self promotion slot of Dr Mkhize on TV public broadcasting. The company even co-ordinated the minister’s media appearances and interviews related to Covid-19, but he claimed he was completely…

Two men and a woman in the Eastern Cape have been charged with human trafficking. The three appeared in the Keiskamahoek Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape on Friday on charges of trafficking in people, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) said. Rome Mohammed, aged 36, Tanva Kahman who is 32 and a 42-year-old woman made their first appearance after their arrest last Wednesday, Hawks provincial spokeswoman Captain Yolisa Mgolodela said in a statement. She said the identity of the woman was being withheld to protect the identities of the trafficking victims. “The trio’s appearance in court emanates from their arrest during a joint operation by the East London Serious Organised Crime Investigation team of the Hawks and King William’s Town K9 unit,” Mgolodela said. The woman allegedly…

FORMER president Jacob Zuma had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the courthouse in Pietermaritzburg to face charges including 18 counts of racketeering, corruption, fraud, tax evasion and money laundering. Last Wednesday he finally appeared before the judge pleading not guilty to the charges. On the same day Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize issued an unusual 6-page media briefing – tantamount to a departmental mea culpa and ongoing “independent investigation” relating to a R150m “irregular” contract given by his Ministry to company Digital Vibes, which was allegedly grossly overpriced. Are Zuma’s trial and Mkhize’s confessional “a defining moment for South Africa” and the independence of its judicial and governance processes? Do these mantash moments signify initial success of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s anti-corruption drive? That South Africa in its 28th…

ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu manoeuvred yesterday to try to dissuade opponents from forming a “government of change”, with media reports saying a deal to unseat Israel’s longest-serving leader could be imminent. Opposition chief Yair Lapid, who has until Wednesday to put together a coalition after the fourth inconclusive election in two years, was closing in on an alliance of right-wing, centrist and leftist parties, Israeli media reported. The new coalition’s parties would have little in common apart from a plan to end the 12-year-run of Netanyahu, a right-wing leader on trial over corruption charges he denies. Lapid’s chances of success rest with far-right politician Naftali Bennett, whose Yamina party’s six seats in the 120-member parliament are enough to give him the status of kingmaker. Bennett, 49, was widely expected…

UK intelligence agents are probing a possible leak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. British agents now believe the coronavirus leak is “feasible”. UK Professor Angus Dalgleish and Norwegian scientist Birger Sorensen had conducted a study claiming to have proven that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was of laboratory origin. The study alleges that Chinese scientists developed SARS-CoV-2 in a Wuhan laboratory, after which they made attempts of “deliberate destruction, concealment or contamination of data” to make the virus appear natural, transmitted from bats. Beijing has denied such accusations. In January, iWorld Health Organization (WHO) experts travelled to Wuhan examining a laboratory, hospitals and markets for clues on the origins of Covid-19. Their report said a leak from a laboratory was unlikely. The US and…

Naomi Osaka was fined $15 000 by tennis’ grand slam organisers yesterday, and warned of possible ejection from the French Open and suspension from future majors after the world number two skipped a news conference after her opening win at Roland Garros. The 23-year-old, a four-time grand slam winner, cited the impact on players’ mental well-being for her decision ahead of the claycourt major not to hold news conferences, saying the nature of questions from journalists is like “kicking a person when they are down”. Osaka started her French Open campaign with a win over Romanian Patricia Maria Tig 6-4 7-6(4) and then boycotted the post-match news conference, although she did hold a court-side interview immediately after the game. The board of the four grand slams said in a statement…

THERE is an African proverb that states, “wherever a man goes to dwell, his character goes with him” – meaning that a man is described by his character, regardless of his location. Julius Malema dispelled any apprehensions about his innate character as his near-violent outburst, threatening death against a fellow member of the Pan-African Parliament which went viral, paradoxically, showing the kind of qualities he exhibits as a “leader”. Malema is heard shouting: “I will kill you outside, I will kill you, you don’t know me” – this from a man who hopes to become the president of South Africa – heaven forbid. Whatever disagreement or dispute that led to the altercation, one cannot expect a person considered a “leader”, to utter such words, no matter what. This affirms Malema’s…

THE eThekwini Municipality does not need to spend R6 million on consultancy fees to research how it can “re-invent itself and attract new visitors” (The Mercury, May 28). Advice like this comes free of charge. Firstly, we don’t have the tourists that Durban constantly dreams of. And tourists who do make their way to Durban, tend to flock more towards the North Coast areas due to the better facilities and more upper-class living spaces. Most “tourists” are savvy enough to know by now, to avoid the Durban city area, which is crime- and grime-ridden. And then there is the drive to get to uShaka Marine World, along Mahatma Gandhi Road. In the past it was bad, now it is really bad – a slum with people sleeping in the…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za The Red Meat Producers Organisation (RPO) has called on the government to intensify efforts to contain the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. This is after tests conducted last week by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development confirmed an outbreak in Mtubatuba in northern KwaZulu-Natal. “The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in KwaZulu-Natal is a setback for the red meat industry,” said RPO chairperson Koos van der Rys. He added that if the disease was not contained it could have a negative impact on exports. According to the department’s statement, it collected samples on May 26 during routine disease surveillance, after local veterinary officials noticed cattle showing suspicious lesions at one communal location, and the diagnosis was confirmed the next day by the Onderstepoort Veterinary Research…

Karen Singh karen.singh@inl.co.za THE Restaurant Association of SA (Rasa) says the industry would not survive further restrictions as the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise and the country braces for the announcement of possible stricter restrictions to curb the spread of the virus. Rasa chief executive Wendy Alberts said the association was aware that the government was discussing how to manage the third wave of the pandemic. President Cyril Ramaphosa told the ANC’s Northern Cape elective conference on Saturday there were indications that the country was entering the third wave. “Our ability to manage this phase of the pandemic will depend on people’s behaviour, the speed at which we can vaccinate eligible citizens and the extent to which we can contain further spread,” he said. The president urged the…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has again issued a warning over an imminent third wave in the country as all children with special educational needs and primary school pupils are expected to return to class during the next term. With deaths and new Covid-19 infections rising, all the indications are that the country is indeed about to enter a third wave. Teacher unions are cautiously optimistic about the return of all primary school pupils, saying while they welcome the move, they will also be monitoring developments at schools. The slow pace of vaccinations in the country is one of the factors that has led to the trepidation over the return to a “normal” routine for so many pupils. Close to a million coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered to people aged…