Indice dei contenuti per 2022-04-11 in Mercury

Former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede emerged victorious as the ANC eThekwini chairperson last night at the party’s regional conference. Gumede was up against current eThekwini speaker Thabani Nyawose for the position. Gumede’s slate made a clean sweep of the positions with the following other positions announced: Deputy chairperson Tembo Ntuli Secretary Musa Nciki, Deputy secretary Nkosenhle Madlala Treasurer Zoe Shabalala The conference, at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Conference Centre, got off to a late start yesterday after disputes. Tensions were palpable at the eagerly awaited elective conference, with rival factions trying to out-sing each other and booing nominees from the rival slate. Security had also been heightened following rumours that some members were planning to disrupt the conference by storming the venue. After much delay over the credentials, nominations…

THE Mercury’s sister newspaper, the Cape Times’ Friday report headlined: “Gems ‘injustice’ exposed”, refers: It is typical of our government to speak about equality and fairness on the one hand, but when it comes to their own actions, there never is evidence of that sort of fairness. In this particular instance, independent pharmacies were being cheated to a large degree. We see this when the government doesn’t pay small businesses their invoices after the promised 30 days. We also see this in that the two political parties that are in partnership in governing the country, both the ANC and the Communist Party, had not paid their own employees. At least in this instance with Gems (Government Employees Medical Scheme), a deal has been brokered and the disastrous situation has turned…

THE Mercury is a wonderful forum for a full range of political views. Articles such as several defending the Russian invasion of Ukraine include Paul Tembe’s piece in The Mercury of April 8. In it he suggests that Ukraine’s quest for arms to defend itself against the “Russian special military operation” might inflame things further. He adds that the quest by some countries wanting to join Nato might affect Russia’s territorial integrity. Does Paul seriously believe any of those nations would ever wish to invade Russia? Perhaps we should consider why so many democratic countries want to join Nato. Here is a headline from a British newspaper, the Daily Mail, published recently. “At least 39 dead, including 2 children and 87 hurt, as Russian missile hits Ukranian railway station…

I WRITE often about integrity. It is important to me. It was not always so. Over the years I have had to do a lot of costly mending. Some breaches of my integrity have hurt others, some perhaps beyond repair, but I remain hopeful. Integrity is often reduced to a matter of keeping your word or paying your debts on time. I think it’s about that, and much more. It is about being integrated. It’s being unified within. Focused. It’s about you and me bringing all of who we are to all of what we do and stand for. It’s welding the body (physical), heart (passions), head (thinking), spirit and soul (the core of life and identity) into one focused life. While people are more complicated than dividing them up…

EVEN though the amendments to the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill will make sending children to Grade R compulsory, an education stakeholder has raised concerns about how this will be effectively implemented and monitored. Following Social Development’s handover of the responsibility of Early Development Centres to Basic Education last week, two years of early childhood development is set to become compulsory for all children before they enter the formal school system in Grade 1. The amendments were announced by Minister Lindiwe Zulu at a handover of responsibilities event on April 1. The compulsory schooling change included in the draft bill states that children be sent to school from the age of 5 and that a parent may, if they wish, enrol their child at school to start Grade R at…

THE failure of Ugu District Municipality to provide a reliable water supply has prompted fed up South Coast residents to consider approaching the courts to compel the troubled council to fulfil its mandate. A committee made up of the business sector and the ratepayers’ association, supported by the DA, is planning legal action against the municipality. The legal action is two-pronged, the first step is to ask the court to place the municipality under administration, while the second leg of the strategy involves getting a supervisory order against the municipality that will compel it to report to the court on a regular basis on the progress it is making to resolve the water crisis. For the past few years, the municipality has been battling to supply water to the area,…

The AA said that blue light brigades transporting politicians posed a road safety threat for all motorists and their operation should be reviewed. The AA said that it would communicate with the ministers of police and transport to have such a review of the so-called blue light brigades instituted urgently. Layton Beard, spokesperson for the AA, said that “blue light brigades are, simply put, a threat to other drivers”. Beard added that Section 58(3) of the National Road Traffic Act (NRTA) permits drivers of emergency vehicles such as traffic officers and duly authorised drivers, as well as a person appointed in terms of the SAPS Act who drives a vehicle in the carrying out of his or her duties, to disregard the directions of a road traffic sign displayed in…

Islamabad: Imran Khan was dismissed yesterday as Pakistan’s prime minister after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament following weeks of political turmoil. A new premier will be chosen today, with Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif almost certain to be picked to lead the nuclear- armed nation of 220 million people. No prime minister has ever served a full term in Pakistan, but Khan is the first to lose office this way. Opposition supporters took to the streets early yesterday, waving national and party flags from car windows as they raced through the streets. While addressing the Pakistan national assembly on Saturday, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that sabotaging the no-trust motion would imply contempt of court. He said that if voting did not take place…

Bangkok: Thailand has banned styrofoam and single-use plastics from national parks as it fights a scourge of waste threatening wildlife. Waters off the coast of the country are choked with pollution and the coronavirus pandemic has brought a surge in plastic waste as demand for takeaway food grows. The Thai Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said the ban was necessary to protect the ecology. Offenders can be fined up to 100 000 baht (about R43 000) if caught travelling into the parks with single-use plastic items or styrofoam containers.…

“LAZY” city workers have been put on notice, with eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda issuing a stern warning that the city intends to deal decisively with workers who are failing to perform their duties. Kaunda said that from July, all city workers would be subjected to performance contracts, and not just top management, to ensure that each individual met the conditions of their employment. He was addressing the media recently on the state of the city and the progress made to deliver services to communities. His address touched on issues including infrastructure and the performance of city workers. The Mercury understands that similar concerns were raised by the city’s political leaders in a meeting with ratepayers last week. Some ratepayer organisations said this conversation over the workers’ performance was long overdue.…

AN ITEM comes this way, projecting into the possibly not too distant future. A fellow is trying to order a pizza over the phone. “Hi, is this Pizza Hut?” No sir, it’s Google Pizza.” “Sorry, I must have got the wrong number.” “No sir, Google bought Pizza Hut last month.” “Okay, I’d like to order a pizza then.” “Do you want your usual?” “My usual? You know me?” “According to our database the last 12 times you called you ordered an extra large pizza with three cheeses, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms and meatballs on a thick crust.” “Super! Yeah, that’s what I want.” “May I suggest that this time you order a vegetarian pizza with sun-dried tomatoes, on a wholewheat gluten-free crust?” “No, I don’t want a vegetarian pizza. It…

IT IS a racing certainty or foregone conclusion that the Prevention and Combating of Hate Speech and Hate Crimes Bill, which provides for a first-offender to be jailed for up to three years, is never going to be used against a black person who allows his hatred of white people to gain the upper hand and get the better of him except in the most egregious circumstances, and then only to administer a slap on the wrist similar to the one Velaphi Khumalo received for suggesting that whites should be hacked to death like Jews etc. Consequently, I suggest that we guard against being accused of double-standards by re-naming the bill as the Prevention and Combating of Unjustified Hate Speech and Unjustified Hate Crimes Bill. In addition, we could…

The report (The Mercury, April 8) on the shocking state of KwaZulu-Natal’s roads makes for very concerning reading. On a recent trip to the Cape, we travelled over Oliviershoek Pass on our way to Clarens. At the lower end of the pass, a large section of southbound road had collapsed and a second imminent road failure was creating a large indentation over a second stormwater culvert. On our return trip a month later, absolutely nothing had been done except for a small warning sign at the T-junction on the Harrismith side warning large trucks not to use the pass and some unlit New Jersey barriers positioned adjacent to the major collapse. Neither of these warning signs were effective as I was reliably informed that: 1) heavy trucks still use the…

SURROGATE motherhood has over the years become a big topic in the country’s courts. This is because every surrogate motherhood agreement has to first be confirmed by the court. A judge has now developed criteria and ordered that the interests of existing children on both sides must also be taken into account. Gauteng High Court Judge Brenda Neukircher, in a recent judgment, took a closer look at the issues surrounding the children already in the existing families – the family due to receive a new baby as well as the children of the surrogate mother who will be carrying the child for nine months. Up to now the courts, in dealing with applications to confirm a surrogate motherhood agreement, mostly looked at the parties involved and whether such an agreement…

THE Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) said it was disturbed and disappointed following the arrest of two of its officials and one member of the public for theft and illegally dealing in ammunition of the JMPD. “On Friday, April 8, the department’s internal affairs unit received a tip-off from the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) who have been conducting an ammunition operation, and had earlier arrested a member of a shooting range in Randfontein,” said JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla. “The ammunition operation led the police to a man, who pointed out a JMPD official whom he was in cahoots with. The JMPD official further pointed out the second official who is the alleged supplier of the ammunition.” Fihla said the second JMPD official was apprehended near The Glen Mall…

The Kloof and Highway SPCA said a stray dog that was picked up in Westville had been confirmed as having rabies. Kloof SPCA manager Barbara Patrick said that on April 4, the inspectorate received a call to collect a stray dog from the Westville area. “The owner of the home had noticed the dog lying by her gate, so she opened it and he entered the property and made himself comfortable in their garage,” she said. Patrick said the resident made sure that the dog was isolated from her animals and she did not handle it. “Field officer Philani Nzama immediately went and collected the scared dog and brought it into our Kloof and Highway SPCA,” she said. Upon arrival, the stray dog was checked, scanned for a microchip and…

The EU will discuss its support for war crimes probes in Ukraine in meetings with the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, the European Commission said. Karim Khan, of The Hague-based court, met EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Luxembourg yesterday, before participating in a meeting of EU ministers today. Moscow has denied the war crimes claims. On Saturday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid an unannounced visit to Kyiv in a “show of solidarity” with Ukraine a day after a missile strike at Kramatorsk railway station killed 52 people, including children. A further 109 people were injured. The prime minister met with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Downing Street said. Johnson tweeted that Britain was “setting out a new package of financial and military aid” because of “President Zelenskiy’s resolute leadership…

Washington: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has voted to ban Will Smith from all academy events for 10 years for slapping comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars ceremony. Asked for comment, Smith told Page Six celebrity news site: “I accept and respect the academy’s decision.” The academy also said: “We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances.” The incident occurred after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head at the Oscars. Smith, 53, will keep the Oscar he won this year for King Richard. |…

THE Jacob Zuma Foundation is calling for a private prosecution of advocate Billy Downer, the chief prosecutor in the Arms Deal corruption case. Zuma’s arms deal corruption trial is scheduled to start today. The foundation briefed the media yesterday in Sandton. It confirmed that former president Zuma would be present at the Pietermaritzburg High Court. Zuma accused Downer of being biased and has attempted to get him off the case. However, his special plea to have Downer removed failed at the Pietermaritzburg High Court and the Supreme Court of Appeal also turned him down. The foundation’s spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi said “the wheels are being set in motion” to ensure private prosecution goes ahead. The foundation also announced that Zuma intended to apply for a postponement of his corruption trial. “This…

A picture of Doctors Without Borders responding to threats of malaria in Southern Sudan says it all. Nineteen small children crowded around the doctor, with a few adults. We need to limit our numbers worldwide, as it is patently obvious the burgeoning numbers cannot cope with climate-related issues – from food shortages, lack of water, housing, medical care, schooling, etc. Those with too many dependants will continue to be mired in poverty. Millions of jobs lost after our July unrest saw millions going to bed hungry. Poverty is everywhere, but people have to start taking responsibility for their reproductive lives. Only have the number of children you can afford. The onus is on you.…

For some time now, it has been the de rigueur of society for women to take on their maiden surname together with their husband’s surname, acquired through marital annexure. This resonates with a type of cultural identity. Timothy Maurice Webster in his motivational book, Soul to Sole, says among the many reasons names carry so much weight is that they give the brain an easy and efficient way to assign power, purpose and class. So what’s in a name, I ask? Society values names to such an extent that they provide the very order we rely on, without which we would be blind to recognition. In the Shakespearean drama, Romeo and Juliet, Romeo, out of his passion for Juliet, rejected his family name, denied his father, and at Juliet’s request,…

A TEAM of scientists have for the first time discovered microplastics in live human lungs, a finding that indicates we are inhaling the dangerous substances that can have a major impact on our respiratory health. Micro-plastic pollution is one of the most crucial environmental issues in recent times. The latest finding comes after two major studies, published last month, showed the presence of microplastics in cosmetic products and in human bloodstreams in detectable levels. While synthetic fibres have previously been found in lung tissue, there are limited studies confirming the presence of microplastics, and none as robust as this. The research led by a team from the University of Hull and Hull York Medical School found 39 microplastics in 11 of the 13 lung tissue samples tested, considerably higher than…

SA REVENUE Service (Sars) employees are preparing to go on strike over the taxman’s refusal to increase their salaries for the second year in a row. Sars staff are demanding a 10% pay hike for the 2022/23 financial year but their employer has offered them nothing. Sars is also accused of unilaterally withdrawing several employee benefits. The Public Servants Association (PSA) says Sars maintains that it cannot afford a salary increase and proposed a 0% salary increase for the 2022/23 financial year, which the union has rejected. PSA assistant general manager Reuben Maleka said the parties reached a deadlock at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), which was trying to resolve the dispute. “The CCMA will issue a certificate (of non-resolution of the dispute). We are…

The SACP yesterday marked 29 years since the assassination of its then general secretary Chris Hani. The party described Hani’s murder as “a gaping wound that is still bleeding” yesterday in Ekurhuleni. Hani was murdered by Polish immigrant Janusz Walus outside his home in Dawn Park, Boksburg. Walus and Clive Derby-Lewis were sentenced to life imprisonment for Hani’s murder. SACP leader Blade Nzimande delivered the keynote address at the event at Thomas Nkobi Memorial Park in Boksburg east of Johannesburg. Nzimande said Hani’s family and the SACP wanted the truth regarding his murder. He said the SACP remained firm that there should be no parole for an “unrepentant” Walus. He said Walus claimed he was remorseful but “he has not moved an inch to make full disclosure. “We want the…

THE stern warning issued by eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda to “lazy” city officials should resonate with all municipal employees around the country. Kaunda’s message is critical to prevent the total collapse of governance at this important sphere of service delivery. Kaunda, who is believed to be vying for the position of ANC provincial leader at the party’s upcoming conference, was addressing the media on the state of the city and the progress made to deliver services to communities. Kaunda said that from July, all city workers would be subjected to performance contracts, instead of just top management, to ensure that everyone met the conditions of their employment. “Those who are lazy, not doing their work, I am sure you are aware that this year in July the issue of the…

SUVA: Fiji reported four more deaths from leptospirosis, a bacterial disease, in recent days, bringing the death toll from the disease to 35 this year. Permanent Secretary for Health James Fong said all the new deaths occurred in Lautoka, the second largest city in Fiji, between April 1 and 4. There have been 1 638 confirmed cases of leptospirosis so far this year. There were also 1 353 confirmed cases of dengue fever and 93 cases of typhoid this year, with five deaths from typhoid. Fong attributed the rise in these cases to the consistently high levels of rainfall in recent months.…

FrENCH citizens went to the polls yesterday in the first round of a presidential election, with far-right candidate Marine Le Pen posing an unexpected threat to President Emmanuel Macron’s re-election hopes. French overseas territories voted on Saturday to take account of the time difference, starting with the island of Saint Pierre and Miquelon off the coast of Canada, in Québec, in the US and in territories in the Caribbean followed by French Pacific islands. Some 48.7 million voters registered across France to vote in this election. Polls predicted that Macron would lead Le Pen by a handful of percentage points in round one, with the top two going through to a second round vote on April 24. Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon was snapping at their heels in third place and…

Uruguayan Gaston Sirino, who featured as an attacking midfielder in Mamelodi Sundowns’ 4-2-3-1 formation, turned in a five-star performance to help the team advance to the Nedbank Cup semi-finals. Sirino was on the scoresheet after only eight minutes of play in Saturday’s quarter-final against Clinton Larsen’s Summerfield Dynamos. Afterwards, he played a significant role in Sundowns’ overall performance with three assists in the side’s eventual 5-0 win. Deservedly, Sirino won the man-of-the-match accolade, and Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi was moved to say that the Uruguayan played like a new acquisition. “With Gaston, it was like a new acquisition for us,” said Mngqithi. “We were excited (by his play) as a technical team. When you look at Gaston, you can say this is like a new player for us. “As he…