Indice dei contenuti per 2021-08-11 in Mercury

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE eThekwini Municipality wants to tighten a by-law related to property transfers in order to deal with “crooked conveyancers and sellers” who are using fraudulent revenue clearance certificates when properties are being sold. Revenue clearance certificates are prescribed documents issued when a property is being sold to confirm that there is no money owed to the municipality for rates and services. All municipal bills must be paid up by the seller before the property can be transferred into the buyer’s name. However the municipality said it has been incurring financial losses because of the use of fraudulent certificates purporting to be from the city. These fraudulent certificates showed no amounts being owed to the municipality and the fraud was only picked up once the property transfer had…

Juan Carlos Rodriguez and his wife Haydee were taking one of their dogs to the veterinarian in Venezuela last year when they found a sloth on the road that had fallen from a power line after apparently suffering an electric shock. They took the Brown-throated sloth – which are common in parts of South and Central America – to the vet and were able to save him, though the animal lost two hind limbs and the claws of its left arm. They named him Chuwie after the furry Star Wars character Chewbacca and decided to open a shelter for the vulnerable animals in their home in the suburbs of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. The famously slow-moving animals are usually found in tropical forests. The Chuwie the Gentleman Rescue Centre has…

EVERY garden, I suppose, has a shed, usually a pretty dilapidated affair containing rakes, spades, a lawnmower and other gardening equipment. In England, there’s suddenly a craze for dollying them up into something fancy. They even have a Shed of the Year competition, according to Sky News – first prize £1 000 (about R20 300). The winner this year is a shed that has become a cocktail bar in Southend-on-Sea, in Essex. Named Crème-de-Menthe (after the peppermint liqueur) it’s painted mint green and has a bar area and seating in a bright orange interior. Runners-up in the competition were a bra-fitting boutique (which sounds interesting) and a fairytale castle. Crème de Menthe is the work of 29-year-old Danielle Zarb-Cousin, who is described as a “social media influencer” (whatever that might…

FAROUK ARAIE | Benoni WE HAVE set aside a special day to honour our dedicated women. Women have always been respected from ancient periods onwards and in all religions they have been given due importance. A woman is a mother, sister and wife and finally a torch-bearer of human civilisation, as without a mother, one cannot see light in this world. Women stand at the frontlines of the Covid-19 crisis, as health workers, caregivers, innovators, community organisers and as some of the most exemplary and effective national leaders in combating the pandemic. The crisis has highlighted the centrality of their contributions and the disproportionate burdens that women carry. Attaining equality between men and women and eliminating all forms of discrimination against women are fundamental human rights and UN…

GLEN CHRISTIE | Durban North The front page of The Mercury, August 6, regarding Ramaphosa’s Cabinet reshuffle refers. These changes bring to mind some questions besides that of the minister of health, who was deputy minister of health and a questionable minister of finance. As for the rest of the changes, do these people have the necessary skills for their new portfolios? As an example, does the minister of defence who was the Speaker in Parliament have any experience in defence matters? Why move Lindiwe Sisulu from her past portfolio to tourism, she was really ineffective in her old portfolio so why keep her? Is this politics? We have seen from past reshuffles over the years that various ministers are just not qualified with the necessary skills to…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za OPPOSITION parties have questioned the ANC’s nomination of former Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to be Speaker – saying it was a mockery of Parliament. The ANC caucus met yesterday, when the name of Mapisa-Nqakula was announced. The governing party backed Mapisa-Nqakula for the top job in Parliament, but opposition parties would have none of it. Mapisa-Nqakula was axed by President Cyril Ramaphosa during a Cabinet reshuffle late last week. Former Speaker Thandi Modise was appointed new Defence and Military Veterans Minister. The DA, UDM and IFP said the nomination of Mapisa-Nqakula raises questions. The DA said yesterday it would not support Mapisa-Nqakula’s nomination, with the party’s chief whip Natasha Mazzone describing the move as a mockery of Parliament and the Constitution. “While the ANC seeks to give…

The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (Sactwu) announced yesterday that it had concluded its wage negotiations in the home textile sub-sector and settled for a 5.9% increase for members. Sactwu said in a statement that wage negotiations were finalised in late July. “This new collective agreement was concluded under the auspices of the National Textile Bargaining Council (NTBC) with employers represented by the South African Home Textiles Manufacturers Employers’ Organisation. “Sactwu members in this textile sub-sector will receive a wage increase of 5.9%, with effect from July 1, 2021, the day after the expiry of the last wage agreement,” Sactwu’s general secretary Andre Kriel said. The union said that the agreement will be valid for 12 months. In addition to the increase, Kriel said the agreement contains a…

The Ethiopian government has suspended the activities of three foreign humanitarian organisations that had been working in the Tigray region. Moina Spooner, from The Conversation Africa, asked Mukesh Kapila, a specialist in humanitarian affairs, to provide insights into the challenges humanitarian agencies face and what can be done to better support them. What are the main political challenges that humanitarian agencies face when working in volatile environments? Humanitarian agencies are often thrust into the heart of divisive situations. These are contentious crises without easy or quick solutions. Tools we may have turned to before, such as multilateralism – including the UN Security Council – seem to be paralysed nowadays. Diplomacy is generally ineffective and other UN-mandated interventions impossible. Examples of these crises include Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict, the resurgence of the…

THE presence of the army in SABC offices should be a cause for concern for all who care about freedom of speech and journalistic independence. It emerged recently that the government had deployed soldiers to the SABC offices in Joburg and Durban as part of a wider army deployment to guard the national key points following the unrest last month. According to reports, the soldiers were seen on the perimeters of the public broadcaster’s newsrooms. This came a week after the SABC board decided to remove a spying clause in the contracts of workers that would allow it to have access to the private communications of staff. The unions at the SABC said the public broadcaster’s management initially denied the army’s presence before making a U-turn and confirming it. Understandably,…

Sihle Mavuso and Zintle Mahlati ONCE again the health of former president Jacob Zuma took centre stage at the Pietermaritzburg High Court with the National Prosecuting Authority questioning a doctor’s note from the military health services. The last time Zuma’s health became a subject of a court dispute was in February last year when he was in Cuba undergoing medical treatment. Yesterday Zuma was supposed to be in the high court with his lawyers to argue why State advocate Billy Downer SC should not lead his prosecution for alleged corruption during the arms deal. But Zuma could not make it as he was still in the care of military health services in hospital in Gauteng, where he was booked in on Friday. His lawyers, led by advocate Dali Mpofu SC,…

VISVIN REDDY | President ADeC YOUR lead article, “City pushes bold black land plan”, (The Mercury, August 4) refers. African Democratic Change (ADeC) has always highlighted the glaring inequalities that exist in land ownership. The land audit of 2018 revealed a shocking reality. Apartheid allocation of land meant that whites, who make up 8.4% of the population, own 72% of the land, followed by coloureds, who own 15%, Indians 5% and Africans 4%. Blacks (SA Indians, coloureds and Africans) make up over 80% of the population. The decision by eThekwini Municipality to accelerate the ownership of land by black South Africans is welcome. It’s 26 years after the advent of democracy and previously disadvantaged South Africans waited patiently for access to land. We note that the city…

GARRY PHILP | Durban THERE will always be moments that stand out for you in an event such as the Tokyo Olympics. For me, first it was the look on Tatjana Schoenmaker’s beautiful face as she realised she had broken the 200m breaststroke world record. Second, typifying what the Olympics is all about, the reaction of Italian high jumper, Gianmarco Tamberi, when Mutaz Barshim agreed to share the gold. His jump into the arms of the man from Qatar was worthy of a medal itself. And who will forget Isaiah Jewett, of the US, and Nijel Amos, of Botswana, helping each other up from a fall in the 800m, and finishing the race with arms on each other’s shoulders. If only certain politicians could learn from sportsmen and…

CLYDE A BAWDEN | uMhlanga LIKE Rassie Erasmus I am totally fed up with rugby referees. Too often the man with the whistle has too much influence on matches, with no known sanctions for his role in deciding the result. Players are publicly sanctioned, on the field by the referee, while the official, whose mistakes are all too apparent to spectators, is protected and action taken against him, if any, is kept hidden. Just this weekend, the referee in the Currie Cup match between the Sharks and the Bulls yellow-carded a Sharks player for not releasing in the tackle. However, the player concerned wasn’t the tackler and unjustly had to spend 10 minutes out of the match on the “naughty chair” while his teammates had to battle on…

Jolene Marriah-Maharaj jolene.marriah@inl.co.za Police are investigating a case of murder after a security guard was killed in Springfield, Durban, in a drive-by shooting yesterday. According to police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala, the security guard, believed to be in his fifties, was on Electron Road when he was shot by unknown suspects in a vehicle, at about 6.25am. “He sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and was declared dead at the scene.” Gwala said the matter was being investigated by Sydenham SAPS. Meanwhile, police said one person was killed after people stormed a liquor outlet in Mariannhill on Sunday night. Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said a group of people went to Wilshire Road where they “helped themselves” to liquor that was dumped by the liquor outlet. “It was reported…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za MEMBERS of the Basic Education portfolio committee have described the damage done to KwaZulu-Natal schools during the violent looting and unrest last month as heart-breaking. The committee members were particularly dismayed with the damage at Sikhululiwe Secondary School in Elandskop outside Pietermaritzburg. The school was torched but nothing was stolen. One committee member also warned that the damaged infrastructure posed a danger of physical harm to pupils. IFP committee member Siphosethu Ngcobo, speaking on behalf of his party, said the provincial department of education needed to move quickly to repair the damage. Ngcobo is a member of the Basic Education committee that is touring the province to assess the damage and the impact on pupils. The committee visited three schools. It will visit more today before…

A Grade 1 pupil was raped at a school in Soshanguve, Tshwane, allegedly by a general assistant working at the school. The incident is said to have happened on Monday last week. Gauteng Education Department spokesperson Steve Mabona said initial reports indicated the incident occurred during school hours when the child asked to use the bathroom. “The girl informed her mother on Tuesday, August 3, in the evening.” Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said the news angered and disturbed him. “We always strive to make our schools safe havens for our learners. Our psycho-social unit has already visited the school and offered support to the family of the learner. The learner received medical attention and is not back at school yet.” Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Kay Makkhubele said no arrest had…

WHILE contact tracing and quarantining have long been defined as vital elements of containing the coronavirus, University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Professor of Public Health, Mosa Moshabela, says the country has lowered its guard on this front. According to Moshabela, when transmission is as high as it is in South Africa, it means you’re not doing well in terms of prevention, which can cause the infection rate to run rampant. Moshabela said: “We have relaxed in terms of contact tracing and quarantining of contacts. We often think that things cannot get worse, but actually Delta is showing us that things can get worse. In the previous two waves, the decline was quite rapid, sharp and straight down. “Now we are seeing that in the middle of it, it’s kind of slowing and…

Hydra-headed threat looms amid Electoral Commission’s bid to postpone elections A MERE 12 weeks before the local government elections, the clouds have darkened like a gathering storm over the Electoral Commission’s strategy to seek a postponement at all costs. It’s apparently a sure touch in steering the country through another democratic and peaceful transfer of power at municipal government level – but success of the electoral processes has begun to look more conditional. The commission’s political vulnerability, in the eyes of election candidates, legislative bodies and public, is more apparent now than at any time since its inception. This comes after it filed, after a long hesitation, an application with the Constitutional Court to postpone the elections to February; prompted by the findings of an inquiry by retired Deputy Chief…

Staff Reporter Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns have paid homage to their African roots in the unveiling of their new home and away kits for the 2020-21 season. The Brazilians’ new home kit is draped in the traditional colours of yellow, green and blue, with each shirt featuring a unique traditional hand-printed treatment inspired by African art and fashion. “Sundowns are known as Bafana Ba style, as they always lead the way in pushing both the football and style culture,” said Brett Bellinger, marketing director at Puma South Africa. “We believe the striking new kit will ensure Masandawana remain the envy of many fans and provide a strong statement about Mamelodi Sundowns FC African roots, aspirations and achievements across both South Africa and the continent. “The playing kit features the latest…

Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi received a hero’s welcome after flying to France yesterday to join Paris Saint Germain (PSG) following his shock departure from Barcelona. The agreement to sign the 34-year-old Argentine is a major coup for wealthy PSG, who will add one of the best soccer players of all time to an already formidable front line that includes Brazil’s Neymar and young Frenchman Kylian Mbappe. Wearing a T-shirt that read “This is Paris,” Messi beamed and waved at scores of fans who had come to greet him at Le Bourget airport on the outskirts of the French capital after his flight from Barcelona. Chanting “Messi, Messi, Messi,” the fans cheered and let off firecrackers. “It’s going to be mad. After all, it’s a legend who is arriving,”…

Manufacturing sector gains ground at slower rate off a low base and civil unrest Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za MANUFACTURING production in South Africa is expected to continue growing well into the second half of the year from last year’s significant slump, albeit at a slower rate due to recent civil unrest. Data from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) yesterday showed manu- facturing production increased by 12.5 percent year-on-year in June from a year ago, lower than the 15 percent consensus. This followed an upwardly revised 36.3 percent jump in May. This was the fourth consecutive month of rising industrial activity, although at a much softer pace than a month before due to base effects from last year’s Covid-induced decline. The largest positive contributions came from motor vehicles, basic iron…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za It’s true when they say things get better with time. When I first heard of Nikiwe Dlova, it was at the Black Hair Matters Exhibition at the Eyethu Art Space in 2018. I was fascinated by the hair extensions she created on a drawing. I then followed her work and bumped into her a couple of times, but it was in March last year, when I finally got to be styled by her. I still had locks then, and she had a stall at the Beauty Revolution with Stylin’. She was exactly the person I anticipated, so bubbly and super cool. To watch her grow into being one of the best hair creatives in Mzansi is beautiful. She’s done stunning hairpieces for well-known artists such as Busiswa,…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-leigh.solomons@inl.co.za Opposition parties have challenged the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to improve security following the damage to infrastructure during the unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng last month. The portfolio committee yesterday received a briefing by the department on the impact of the looting on the sector. The shutting down of Sapref meant that 24 000 tons of crude oil could not be processed per day during the unrest. The committee heard that the crude losses would affect the 2.7 million litres of petrol a year that Sapref Refinery produced. The refinery (jointly owned by Shell and BP) was closed to ensure the safety of the infrastructure, and because employees could not travel to work. Opposition parties asked what measures the department had in place to…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za TWO suspects, believed to be members of a prominent “business forum” group in KwaZulu-Natal, appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court yesterday on intimidation and extortion charges. Thulani Mlangeni, 42, and Msizi Sikhakhane, 31, were remanded in custody as the State requested time for further investigation into the matter. They were arrested last Thursday after it was alleged they intimidated a Durban CBD business owner. According to a statement from KZN police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele, a shop owner was at his business premises in Dr Pixley ka Seme Street renovating his shop. Mbele said the suspects entered the premises and demanded the store owner employ their workforce for future renovations. “They threatened to harm the complainants if they continued with the renovations. It is alleged the group…

THERE’S lots I love and find fascinating about humanity. One, of many, is that, as a species, we are a little self-obsessed. I can name about 16 psychological and personality tests which try to assess, understand and evaluate every nook and cranny of a person’s life. We love to try to know how we function or don’t, what we can do to fix ourselves as if it is possible or as if we were a low mileage Ford or Toyota. More than a few times, I’ve been “assessed” by people who know very little about the tests, and less about themselves and yet regard themselves as experts. My favourite by far is The Enneagram, but I’ve decided to come up with a new test. It’s easy to self-administer, score, and…

David Cartwright | Hillcrest THE letter in The Mercury (August 6) from T Markandan makes an interesting point which bears relevance in global terms. Markandan refers to the recent unrest, looting and arson as being “beneficial” to boost reconstruction and rebuilding, with all manner of builders, shop-fitters, hardware merchants and so on cashing in. He calls it job churning, the ANC’s way of stimulating the economy. In a warped way, Markandan is right. After all, how has the US economy been manipulated to prosper over the decades? Simple: foment unrest, strife, discord, war somewhere, and then mobilise the military. It has worked for the US every time.…

RICK MILLARD | Kloof ELEVEN cyclists were hit on their Saturday morning ride by a car overtaking on a blind rise on the R102 at Fraser’s near oThongathi, and one young cyclist, who was dragged under the vehicle, died. This was an appalling and avoidable tragedy. It follows a string of tragic cyclist crash deaths and serious injury cases in KwaZulu-Natal in very recent months. The injured, their families and friends of the deceased will sadly have their lives forever affected. A compounding factor to this, however, is the 3m high grass growing at the edge of the surfaced road. This restricts visibility and narrows the road shoulder which should be usable for safety purposes by vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. Common sense and any roads engineer will tell…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za THE Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has welcomed the arrest of an Mpumalanga man who allegedly tried to bribe an investigator working on a Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) tender investigation. SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the man was arrested by the Hawks’ National Serious Corruption Investigation team, in a joint operation with the SIU, after he arranged to meet the SIU investigator, allegedly to deliver a bribe of R50 000 for the case to disappear. The Hawks also seized a further R63 600 found in his possession. Kganyago said the bribe followed an intensive PPE tender corruption investigation by the SIU in the Mpumalanga Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport, which uncovered procurement irregularities. SIU investigations revealed that the department contracted a particular service provider in…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za The South African National Defence Union (Sandu) has called on newly appointed Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise to intervene over the alleged shortage of hygiene material for the army personnel deployed in KwaZulu-Natal. The army have been deployed to KZN and parts of Gauteng following the unrest and looting last month. In a letter addressed to the minister dated August 9, the union called on the minister to respond within 48 hours to what it labelled the scandalous neglect of basic hygiene for “our soldiers”. “Sandu has been unable to establish the reason for this scandalous neglect of basic hygiene for our soldiers; we call on your intervention as the new Minister of Defence to immediately rectify this unacceptable situation. We again reiterate that…

Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza says the recent unrest in KwaZulu-Natal has caused some delays in the probe into foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the province. “However, the movement control protocol and movement permit system remained in place. “During the said unrest period, a number of fines were issued for illegal movement of animals, which demonstrates that despite the difficult situation, both veterinary services and police were able to perform their duties effectively,” said Didiza. “Visible veterinary patrols and roadblocks are in place in the DMA (disease management area) to control the movement of livestock and to monitor adherence to the movement protocol. “Fines are issued for consignments which move without the necessary permission.” The national Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development says at least 22 foot-and-mouth disease positive locations…

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za President Cyril Ramaphosa will be back in the hot seat at the State Capture Commission today and will answer questions related to matters that took place while he was deputy president of the country. His appearance before Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo comes soon after the president made sweeping changes to his Cabinet, including replacing the health minister while dealing with the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It also comes after several weeks of intense scrutiny of the government’s handling of the looting and unrest that took place in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng last month. His appearance at the inquiry will mark the culmination of three years of oral evidence heard at the commission. Ramaphosa first appeared in April where he told the inquiry that…

Heroes in Zimbabwe died for nothing as many Zimbabweans live in a foreign land. It is painful and depressing to note that those Zimbabwean war liberators who died fighting for the independence and prosperity of Zimbabwe wasted their efforts as Zimbabwe is continuously decaying in all sectors of the economy. There is nothing to put smiles on the faces of Zimbabweans who have left their home country for other countries such as South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and UK in search of better living conditions. Extreme poverty and unemployment are both endemic in Zimbabwe, driven by the shrinking economy and hyper-inflation. Widespread poverty and violence including government violence to stifle political opposition have massively diluted investor confidence. Countries with the biggest Zimbabwean migrants include South Africa, the UK, Australia, Canada…

Herman Gibbs herman.gibbs@africannewsagency.com SUPERSPORT United FC coach Kaitano Tembo has raised fears that players could well be in pre-season mode rather than be match-fit, ready and raring to go when the new season kicks off with a MTN8 quarter-final clash on Saturday. Tembo, the 51-year-old former Zimbabwean defender, said the club’s pre-season preparations were hamstrung by the absence of several players who were away on national team duty. “It was tough when we first convened at the start of the pre-season,” said Tembo, who is serving a second stint as the head coach of SuperSport United. “The problem was that we did not have a full complement of players because some were representing their countries at the Olympic Games, and others were on Cosafa Cup duty. Many players only joined…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za THE world champions Springboks begin the defence of their Rugby Championship crown this week against Argentina, and coach Jacques Nienaber is adamant that there is nothing “boring” about how his team go about their job. In the wake of the Boks’ 2-1 series triumph over the British & Irish Lions, there has been worldwide criticism of the Boks’ style of play, with All Black coach Ian Foster among that number. Foster said watching the Boks play the Lions had “put him to sleep.” But Nienaber said the rugby world would in fact be a boring place if everybody played in the same manner. “That’s the beauty of rugby. There are different styles. It would be unbelievably boring if everybody played the same,” Nienaber said. “Different styles mean…