Indice dei contenuti per 2022-12-12 in Mercury

THE Constitutional Court on Friday dismissed the application brought by Chris Hani’s widow, Limpho Hani, and the SACP for a stay of execution of its order to release Hani’s killer, Janusz Walus, on parole. The SACP said it was disappointed with the decision and would pursue the matter with the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights. Eight judges of the ConCourt were unanimous in their decision to dismiss the application, even before it was argued. The registrar of the apex court, Sibusiso Mapossa, issued the order to the legal teams which said that the court had considered the application for a stay of the November 21 order. “It has concluded that it should be dismissed because the applicants have failed to make out a case,” the order read.…

THE political stability of the eThekwini Municipality is hanging in the balance as the coalition that has been governing the metro for a year teeters on the brink of collapse following plans by the ANC to oust deputy mayor Philani Mavundla. He is going to court today in a bid to secure a court order to stay in his post. Mavundla, the president of the Abantu Batho Congress, and a bloc of smaller parties formed a coalition with the ANC after the party failed to secure outright control of the metro during last year’s local government elections. Yesterday two parties in the smaller bloc of parties said they supported the move for Mavundla to be removed. On the future of the coalition, the parties hinted that talks were under way…

While not absolving President Ramaphosa of anything he might have done or not done in respect of the Phala Phala affair, it just strikes me that if only half of the vigour were to be spent by his accusers in the ANC faction and the opposition parties in half of the corrupt contraventions, we would be without any sort of government and the space in South Africa’s prisons would have to be trebled in a very short time. I have been consistently critical of President Ramaphosa’s lack of action in dealing with South Africa’s serious problems, and especially his ongoing support of cadre deployment. I am convinced that the policy of cadre deployment is – to a large extent – at the root of much of the corruption. Whereas President…

I WANT my children… To know and to love the world and to be as comfortable and free abroad as they usually are in their neighbourhood and always are in their home. To know and to love a small group of peers and to discover the power friendship has to shape and inspire. To live in respectful, equal and mutual intimate relationships where they are challenged to speak their minds, share dreams and understand the qualities of mercy, freedom and reciprocity. To understand the power of generosity, forgiveness and hospitality to heal the scars of meanness and cruelty. To understand their boundaries and have growing knowledge of who they are and who they are not, what they can and cannot shape. To have a growing, vibrant faith that includes, loves,…

A jogger who stumbled and fell on allegedly unkempt paving lost her R3 million damages claim against the local municipality. In the matter, the court found that while the pavement wasn’t perfect, it was usable. Khanyisa Skenjana turned to the Eastern Cape High Court where she claimed damages from the Buffalo City Municipality in East London after she sustained injuries from a fall. She suffered serious injuries to her right knee and alleged that these were caused by the negligence of the municipality’s employees, as they failed to maintain the pavement properly. Her claim included compensation for past and future medical costs and general damages. The municipality denied liability, and told the court that it regularly checked and repaired pavements within the constraints of the budget. It further…

FISHING rights organisation Masifundise has again called for the recognition of inland fishers after three fishers were charged with “unlawfully entering or remaining in a special nature reserve or world heritage site” in the Eastern Cape when fishing to survive. On November 16, three inland small-scale fishers from Norvalspont were charged and were each fined R1 000, to be paid on December 6, or they had to appear in court on December 13. The organisation explained that access to natural resources is an important part of ensuring their food security as well as a small income. “The local fishers have been active on the Orange River for generations,” Masifundise said. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said plans were in motion to assist inland fishers. |…

Britain’s government yesterday rallied to the defence of the beleaguered royal family after a new racism row was sparked by a Netflix documentary. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said he would catch up first on Netflix hit Stranger Things in preference to the tell-all programme of Prince Harry and wife Meghan. But he stressed there was no stronger supporter of a multicultural Britain than King Charles III. “And I think the royal family’s attitude to this country reflects the modern country that we see,” Cleverly told Sky News. “That’s my personal experience. But I also think that is something that the whole world sees when they look at us.” | AFP…

Morocco’s unexpected march to the World Cup semi-finals can be attributed partly to a policy of deliberately seeking out talent in the diaspora to strengthen the national team and give them a better chance of success. Fourteen of Morocco’s 26-man squad were born outside the country, more than any other team at the tournament in Qatar, providing an eclectic mix of players from growing migrant communities across Europe who have helped them break new ground. The shock 1-0 quarter-final win over Portugal on Saturday made Morocco the first African and Arab country to reach the last four of a World Cup. Canadian-born goalkeeper Younes Bounou has conceded only one goal, Madrid-born Achraf Hakimi has been outstanding on the right flank, Dutch-born Sofyan Amrabat a powerful midfield enforcer and French-born Sofiane…

As Kylian Mbappe was being muzzled by England’s defence, it was France’s old guard who took the defending champions through to the World Cup semi-finals in a nerve-racking 2-1 victory on Saturday. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, midfielder Antoine Griezmann and striker Olivier Giroud were all influential in a thrilling match, playing their roles close to perfection to see off an England team who were left thinking they deserved better. Lloris pulled off superb saves to deny his Tottenham Hotspur teammate Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham either side of the interval. Against one of the top midfields in the tournament, France needed Griezmann to find the right balance between defence and attack and the Atletico Madrid player excelled. Griezmann capped his performance with two assists, the first for Aurelien Tchouameni’s first-half thunderbolt,…

Premier Fishing and Brands’ (PFB’s) minority shareholders are being offered R1.60 a share in terms of a scheme by major shareholder African Equity Empowerment Investments (AEEI) prior to a proposed delisting of PFB. The offer represents a substantial premium to the share price of 99 cents on Friday. The offer is also a 23% premium to the R1.30 that the share was trading at on November 9, when AEEI first announced it was considering making an offer to buy the shares in PFB not held by AEEI and shareholders acting in concert with AEEI. AEEI owns 146.2 million out of the 260m issued shares in PFB, or 56.23% of the shares in issue. Minority shareholders hold 6.14%, while Sekunjalo Investment Holdings and asset management firm 3Laws Capital South Africa respectively…

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) and the Department of Transport say they are prepared for large numbers of motorists on major routes as the festive season break officially kicks in this week and will be enforcing traffic laws. As schools close for the December holidays and the long weekend awaits, authorities said they were expecting traffic along major routes. At the launch of the festive season road safety campaign last week, Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula said: “This is a period when migrant workers make their way home from the cities where they earn a living, crossing provincial and national boundaries, resulting in congested roads. This places tremendous pressure on our roads and requires heightened law enforcement to ensure that every road user reaches their destination alive. This congestion…

With exams finally over, matric pupils in the province can breathe a sigh of relief. The DA takes this opportunity to wish these young men and women all the very best as they step into what we sincerely hope will be an opportunity-filled future. Regrettably, as is the case every year, there will be disappointment for some pupils when it comes to their results. They should remember that this is not the end of the road and that doors have not necessarily closed. Where there is drive and determination, it is never too late to succeed and the DA urges these young people to reconsider their options and go for it. With so-called “pens-down parties” and the festive season now well under way, we also take this opportunity to remind…

THERE’S a tussle in Australia for top spot in the music charts. American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift presently leads the charts but there’s a strong movement for her to be overtaken by a chorus of frog calls. Scientists want to raise awareness of the declining frog population in Oz, which has seen a steep fall since the 1980s – by releasing an album of frog sounds, according to Sky News. The album features 43 of the most threatened frogs and the researchers behind it want to take Taylor Swift’s number one spot in the ARIA Top 50 songs. Asked if the frogs could knock the star off the top spot, lead scientist at FrogID Dr Jodi Rowley said: “I’m hoping the frogs can do it. It’s an amazing album for a…

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) says it will add more foot soldiers to assist with search and recovery efforts in the Joburg area after heavy rain and floods caused massive damage on Friday. The most-affected areas appeared to be the West Rand, Soweto, Lenasia and Johannesburg South, where roads, infrastructure and houses were damaged by the floods. Rescue missions included helping people in danger due to the flash floods and those trapped in their homes or vehicles. NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said the NSRI Gauteng and NSRI Hartbeespoort Dam were assisting the joint emergency services and risk management, fire rescue services, Johannesburg emergency services and Gauteng health services at the West Rand in Johannesburg. “From about 4.30am (on Friday) calls started being received from people affected by the…

IT will cost close to R23 million to fix the children’s pool on Durban’s beachfront which has been in a state of disrepair for the past few years. The eThekwini Municipality, under its Parks, Recreation and Culture (PRC) unit which manages the pools, only has R3m to fund the repairs and would need an additional R20m. The report on Children Amusement Centre (CAC) pools tabled before an executive committee meeting recently, revealed that it could take up to three months to rehabilitate the pool and ensure that it was available for use during the Easter holidays next year. There was extensive damage to the pool and parts of it have to be rebuilt from scratch, according to the city. The municipality has come under criticism over its failure to…

CHURCH leaders who continue to put the lives of their congregants at risk during baptisms should be charged and prosecuted for breaking the law. It was reported last week that 15 people drowned in Joburg’s Alexandra informal settlement during a flash flood along the Jukskei River. They were swept away during a baptism ceremony. Also last Thursday, one person died and a pastor went missing after a baptism at the Inanda Dam near Durban. The pastor’s body was recovered a few days later. It is clear that authorities can no longer turn a blind eye to the drownings of church members. First and foremost, we need to state up front that it is not our aim to curtail people’s religious rights and beliefs. This is a fundamental right enshrined in…

France’s Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera wore a sweater with rainbow-coloured sleeves to France’s quarter-final game in Qatar on Saturday in an apparent message of support for gay rights. Oudea-Castera, a former professional tennis player, watched as France beat England 2-1 for a place in the semi-finals. LGBTQ+ rights and the use of the rainbow symbol have been a recurrent point of discussion at the World Cup in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal. Before the tournament, France saw calls for a boycott of the competition. President Emmanuel Macron, who argued “we must not politicise sport”, is set to travel to Qatar on Wednesday to watch France play Morocco in the semi-final. | AFP…

England came up short against a football superpower in a major tournament once again but unlike previous eliminations, Gareth Southgate and his squad can take plenty of encouragement after going toe to toe with reigning champions France. England have not had a whiff of World Cup silverware in over half a century and though Southgate’s team have come close to realising that dream, the trophy will not be coming home for at least another four years. A young England team revitalised by Southgate had defied the odds in Russia with a semi-final run that ended in extra-time heartbreak against eventual runners-up Croatia. Despite arriving in Qatar with more belief than they did four years ago, however, the semi-finals proved to be a step too far. For a squad now rich…

THE ANC will hold its 55th elective conference this weekend with “blood and severe incompetence all over its face”. The country under its leadership is a “Gwara-Gwara”-like state – which embodies a demoralised land of disorder and decay. These were the comments made by former statistician-general Dr Pali Lehohla when delivering the keynote address at the 2022 Chief Albert Luthuli Memorial lecture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend. Lehohla said: “The economy is at its worst, unemployment is at its highest and not only poverty, but hunger and malnutrition are on the rise, racial tensions have reached boiling point. “The electricity grid can hardly cough now having reached load shedding level 6 while the Cabinet is bickering about whether they can afford diesel or open new solar and…

Water is life. As a water-scarce country, South Africa celebrates and rejoices when we receive rainfall, as rain is our main source of water. More rain means more water and water security as every drop counts, but water can also be dangerous and cause harm and even loss of life. More rain means more water, and this calls for people to be careful. We are currently receiving heavy downpours in many parts of the country, and this leads to flash floods and swelling rivers, streams and dams. This calls for all of us to be extra careful and to respect water at all times, especially during rainy days, as water can be deceiving. It is a hard pill to swallow to read, hear and see news bulletins about people who…

SOUTH Africa is such a wonderful land of opportunity. If you live by your wits, there are easy pickings at every turn. If you are a public speaker, you can become a politician and live a carefree life of abundance in Sandton. If you are an ANC member, you can become a public servant and have the time of your life. Rounding off this triumvirate of opportunists are the men of the cloth, who are often wolves in sheep’s clothing living on the gullible and naive among us. In fact, religion has become big business all over the world. There is a proliferation of churches, pastors, evangelists and fly-by-night bogus prophets operating with reckless abandon and impunity in our country. The pickings are so plentiful and rich that places of…

While the Constitutional Court legalised the private consumption of cannabis, it definitely did not allow its use in the workplace. The Labour Court sitting in Johannesburg has confirmed the dismissal of two workers who tested positive for the substance at work. The fact that the two were employed by PG Building Glass as manufacturing operators, where they worked in a dangerous environment with large forklifts, extremely hot processes and dangerous chemicals and that the very heavy glass could potentially cut or crush a person, were all the more reason for them adhering to their employer’s zero tolerance policy towards drugs and alcohol, the court found. The National Union of Metalworkers in South Africa turned to the court after the workers were dismissed in May 2020 following a disciplinary hearing where…

DISAGREEMENTS over the delegates attending the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) KwaZulu-Natal elective conference have delayed the start of the crucial gathering, with some members alleging that this is a deliberate plot to exclude them from participating. By late yesterday, the conference being held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre had not officially started. The gathering was supposed to start on Saturday and the delay forced ANC presidential candidate Zweli Mkhize to abandon his planned address at the conference. Aside from electing new leaders, the gathering is expected to pronounce its preferred leadership for the ANC between Mkhize and sitting president Cyril Ramaphosa. Delegates from the Moses Mabhida region vented their frustration at not being registered, suggesting foul play in the process. “We have delegates who were part of…

Thornwood residents in ward 14 in eThekwini Metro have said a faulty drainage system has led to their homes being flooded in Saturday’s downpour. Residents said the flooding occurred due to blocked drains which overflowed in heavy rains. Phili Shezi said she had tried in vain to clean up her home as the heavy rains led to it being flooded. “This goes back to the floods earlier this year, and yesterday’s (Saturday) rainfall did a lot of damage to our houses. The water was overflowing and my house was just full of water, the water here is uncontrollable,” she said. Sandile Msomi, whose house was also damaged, said blocked drains were an old issue which had been reported many times to the councillor since the floods earlier this year. “I…

LONDON: Any peace talks in Ukraine cannot be a fig leaf for Russian rearmament, British foreign minister James Cleverly said yesterday, adding he had not seen any signs that Moscow would enter into negotiations in good faith. Britain wanted to see peace talks “sooner rather than later”, he said but reiterated that Ukraine should set the parameters for any talks held. “Any negotiations need to be real … and meaningful. They can’t just be a fig leaf for Russian rearmament and further recruitment of soldiers. “I’m not really seeing anything coming from the Russian side that gives me confidence that Vladimir Putin is entering these talks in good faith. The wider rhetoric is still very confrontational.” | Reuters…

A Japanese start-up’s spacecraft was launched to the Moon yesterday in the country’s first-ever lunar mission and the first of its kind by a private company. The launch was carried out by Elon Musk’s SpaceX in Cape Canaveral in the Florida, US, after two postponements for additional pre-flight checks. The spacecraft, produced by Tokyo-based startup ispace, blasted off aboard a Falcon 9 rocket at 2.38am local time. So far only the US, Russia and China have put a robot on the lunar surface. The startup’s CEO, Takeshi Hakamada said the ispace mission is called Hakuto-R (“white rabbit” in Japanese). ispace says it “aims to extend the sphere of human life into space. | AFP…

Theunis de Bruyn says the Proteas won’t flinch in the face of what many anticipate will be a barrage of Australian aggression in the three-match Test series that starts on Saturday. De Bruyn, who scored a breezy 88 off 86 balls in the Proteas’ only tour match before the first Test at the Gabba, said it was teams that have stood up to Australia, which have been successful there recently. “You have to stand (your ground),” De Bruyn remarked. “If you look at the teams that have been successful here over the last few years - India and South Africa - Virat (Kohli) brought that to the India team, to bring it to the opposition’s faces. It doesn’t have to be verbally, but (through) body language and eye contact.” SA…