Indice dei contenuti per 2022-12-15 in Mercury

CONSUMER prices have softened to a five-month low in South Africa as global inflation is starting to show signs of slowing down, in spite of food and transport prices exerting upwards pressure. According to Statistics SA (Stats SA) yesterday, headline consumer price inflation (CPI) cooled slightly to 7.4% in November from 7.6% in October. This was the lowest reading since June but slightly lower than the consensus forecast of 7.5%. But inflation still remained above the upper limit of the South African Reserve Bank’s 3% to 6% target range, which could pave the way for yet another interest rate hike early next year, though less aggressive than the 75 basis points increase the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee announced at last month’s meeting. Nedbank economist Johannes Khosa said they were…

WITH the ANC’s 55th national conference in Nasrec starting tomorrow, all four contenders for the presidency and their lobbyists remain upbeat about their chances. Despite current ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa and former health minister Zweli Mkhize leading with the most nominations for the position, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu also believe they have a chance. Chief lobbyist of Mkhize’s campaign, Siphiwe Blose, said their campaign was gaining momentum ahead of the conference. “The campaign is doing very well. We are receiving delegates from all corners of the country (who want to work with them),” he said. He said party members who wanted to make it on to the NEC (national executive committee), were approaching the campaign to discuss support. He said…

IT’S below freezing in Old Blighty. Taken with mushrooming inflation and a festive season that will be blighted by strikes on the railways, in the health services and elsewhere, who would be in England now December’s there? (with apologies to Robert Browning). Yet I look out of the window of where I am currently quartered and I see hills shrouded in mist, I see pelting rain. I put on warm clothing and I mentally debate what time I should light the fire. The temperature has plummeted; snow would not surprise me. And yet I feel elated. I am in a part of The Dargle, in the Midlands, where I have never been before. It’s a place of mists and mellow fruitfulness where you could imagine you’re in the Scottish border…

KWAZULU-NATAL witnessed devastating storms that ripped the province apart, and Gauteng has over the past week borne the brunt of destructive storms that tore a section of the province into shreds. The immense deluge of water was unprecedented. Planet Earth is in turmoil. Earthquakes are rumbling across the world. Ravaging storms are causing havoc in the northern and southern hemispheres. Volcanoes are erupting with savage fury. Humanity is paying the price for abusing our sensitive eco-systems. Global warming is a grim reality. Environmental changes can threaten global, national and human security. Climate change also poses a dire threat to global security. It is clear that as a global community, we must take decisive, collective action to alleviate the incredible threat. While sceptics continue to dispute the existence of global warming…

Christmas came early for the family of four-year-old Samantha Nwelana of Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, following much-needed surgery to repair a hole in her heart. Samantha is one of 13 children whose operations were made possible by the Pelo Foundation and its partners, the Busamed Private Hospital Group in Gauteng, and Wings and Wishes, an NGO which transports the children from their homes to the hospital and back. According to the Pelo Foundation, the Eastern Cape has about 500 children on the waiting list for heart surgery. Speaking from her home in Mandela Park, outside Mthatha, Samantha’s mother Nomfusi said she was relieved that the operation had been a success and that her child would for the first time enjoy Christmas like other children. “I’m relieved. It will be…

As the festive season gets into full swing from this weekend, the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa) say they expect a large number of holidaymakers to flock to KwaZulu-Natal. The reason for the influx, Fedhasa said, is that this will be the first festive season since 2019 without any Covid-19 imposed restrictions and many accommodation outlets, including hotels and bed and breakfast establishments, were expecting a good number of visitors. Brett Tungay, Fedhasa East Coast chairperson, said that the feedback from establishments was that they were looking at good numbers for accommodation in December. “We are expecting an influx of visitors during the festive season. From the feedback I have got, restaurants are expecting good numbers and accommodation establishments have experienced good bookings for the festive season.” He…

Listening to ANC MPs defending and voting to shield a wounded president who is trying by all means to avoid accountability, you get a sense this is a scenario South Africans are all too familiar with. Readers with keen interest in the Nkandla scandal and how then-National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete used every trick in the book to protect erstwhile president Jacob Zuma from being held accountable, will have an idea of where this is bound to end. What we do know is that it’s not going to be a happy ending, either for the country or President Cyril Ramaphosa. But judging by the chorus of no’s by ANC MPs in shooting down the adoption of the Section 89 panel report, which found Ramaphosa has a case to answer over…

Meta Platforms was accused in a lawsuit filed in Kenya yesterday of letting violent and hateful posts from Ethiopia flourish on Facebook, inflaming the Ethiopian civil war. The lawsuit, filed by two Ethiopian researchers and Kenya’s Katiba Institute rights group, alleges that Facebook’s recommendations systems amplified violent posts in Ethiopia, including several that preceded the murder of the father of one of the researchers. “Not only does Facebook allow such content to be on the platform, they prioritise it and they make money from such content,” said Mercy Mutemi, the lawyer representing the two Ethiopian researchers. The lawsuit also said Meta failed to exercise reasonable care in training its algorithms to identify dangerous posts and in hiring staff to police content for the languages covered by its regional moderation hub…

Eskom board says there is no immediate plan to appoint Mpho Makwana as interim CEO André de Ruyter’s sudden resignation as Eskom Group CEO yesterday has exposed the chasm in opinion about the direction of the country’s renewable energy programme within South African business and industry. The business sector expressed mixed feelings yesterday about De Ruyter’s resignation as Eskom CEO. De Ruyter, who has been under immense pressure due to the ongoing electricity crisis, submitted his resignation earlier this week to the Eskom board. When he first took office in January 2020, De Ruyter set himself a target of 18 months to end the country’s persistent load shedding and ramp up the utility’s maintenance programme. His failure to meet his ambitious target and Eskom’s serious challenges became the stick…

RETAILER Pick n Pay said yesterday as it opened its 300th stand-alone store in South Africa that its clothing unit sourced more than 40% of its range locally and remained focused on its growth. In a bid to develop local designers as part of its strategy, Pick n Pay Clothing said in a statement that it had collaborated with South African designer Gavin Rajah for its Futurewear collaboration initiative to curate exclusive collections at affordable prices. Pick n Pay Clothing general manager, Hazel Pillay, said: “We rely heavily on our local manufacturing base to create consistency. This has helped us largely mitigate the impact of global supply challenges that the industry has experienced over the past three years. We’ve grown local content from 28% three years ago to 40% now,…

THERE has been mixed reaction to the sudden resignation of Eskom Group CEO André de Ruyter amid Stage 5 load shedding. With the country limping from Stage 6 to Stage 5 load shedding over the past week, there had been widespread calls for the embattled CEO to leave. Yesterday the IFP was among the parties that welcomed De Ruyter’s exit. “We have long been calling for drastic changes at the beleaguered power utility and, among others, went on the record in September to state that, ‘based on Eskom’s pitiful track record, (we have) no confidence in the Eskom board, executive or CEO’. The IFP further stated that ‘those currently at the helm of Eskom are not fit for purpose’. The IFP therefore welcomes De Ruyter’s resignation. What we hope (for…

Everybody knows the ANC is in a shambles. Their time is up. Their job is done. With the support of several international countries and funders, they have succeeded as a liberation organisation, i.e to transform South Africa into a so-called “democratic state”. However, the state has been transformed into a failing one. The ANC leaders, at most SOEs, have failed to be successful in running efficient structures. Think of SAA, the SA Post Office, the potholes, the local authorities, the stealing by way of tendering. The corruption is so endemic that it already starts at learner level, where matric pupils bribe teachers to provide them with answers prior to exams. The ANC is split, because they now fail to provide all their “supporters” with opportunities to “self-enrich”. The Phala Phala…

“The privilege against self-incrimination is one of the great landmarks in man’s struggle to make himself civilised.” – Dean Erwin Griswold, 1955 Most evidence is imbued with an undoubtedly human quality. “Human evidence”, Lord Pearce noted, “shares the frailties of those who give it.” Most South Africans want the President Ramaphosa scandal to end soon but are conflicted about how to bring that about. There seem to be only two possibilities, both unsatisfactory: removal of Ramaphosa from office by impeachment or resignation, or censure by Parliament if that is possible, possibly with a fine. Removal seems wrong because a substantial majority of the electorate, despite the myriad challenges that are bedevilling our country, approves Ramaphosa’s job performance. Thus his impeachment – or forced resignation – would punish not just him…

The water quality at two uMhlanga beaches has improved over the past few days, the eThekwini Municipality has said. The city said it was waiting for one more water quality test that would determine whether the beaches could be reopened. UMhlanga Main and Bronze beaches were closed after water quality tests earlier this month showed there were high levels of E coli in the water. The closure came just days after they were reopened as the city had claimed it was safe to do so. The deputy city manager for Community and Emergency Services, Musa Gumede, said this week that the latest results showed that E coli levels in the water were at around 100. Levels of 500 or less are considered safe. “We committed to the public that…

Believe it or not, the internet – that global network of information and communication that rules our lives – mirrors the social hierarchy of our physical world. For a start, you will always find the naive beginner on Facebook or social media who we geeks (read: seasoned or know-it-all users) call a newbie. They try to friend (with) every and anybody. They then “grow up” and commence the painful unfriending process. We geeks call this digital rightsizing – getting the right group of friends you talk to, who listen and talk back with respect. What about other online “bies”? Here are a few festive examples I made while imbibing my favourite beer. Take the wanna“bie”. These are shameless, desperate social climbers who follow and latch on to public figures’ walls…

The US has warned that China and Russia are destabilising Africa with their growing inroads as it rolled out the red carpet this week to the continent’s leaders and pledged billions of dollars in support. Forty-nine African leaders flew into the Washington cold for the first continent-wide summit with the US in eight years as President Joe Biden seeks to use personal diplomacy to win back influence. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, at a panel with several African presidents at the start of the three-day summit, charged that US rivals had a different approach. Austin said China was expanding its footprint in Africa “on a daily basis” through its growing economic influence. “They’re not always transparent in terms of what they’re doing, and that creates problems that will be eventually destabilising,”…

As the news spread that the CEO of power utility Eskom, André de Ruyter had resigned, labour unions and the SA Youth Economic Council said while his exit was expected, Eskom must act to end load shedding. Numsa said the Eskom board must act with urgency to announce a replacement, even if on a temporary basis. The replacement must have the skills and capability to continue all efforts to reduce load shedding. Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said, “The resignation of De Ruyter is a major blow for Eskom and the efforts to address the energy crisis we are facing on an ongoing basis. While this is a blow, it is hardly surprising, given the irresponsible comments made by some in government and some other sectors. “Business remains committed to working…

There seems to be a lot of references in popular self-help books about finding and using one’s voice. I would like to make a few points about this matter: Finding your voice is not only about talking. It is about establishing and securing what you want your life to say. Your life speaks. The people with the most profound voices often have to say very little. When finding your voice does involve talking, it is about being prepared and knowing what it is you want to say. It is also about knowing that not everything anyone thinks has to be said. It’s about knowing what not to say, as much as it is about knowing what to say. Finding and using your voice does not for a minute mean you…

We saw their faces as they stood up and said no. With the exception of five brave ANC MPs, all the rest, 242 of them, are faceless cowards who put party before the country. Shamelessly they toed the party line, voting against the adoption of the S89 panel report. Yet the irony is that it was Parliament which asked for the report into the Phala Phala farm scandal. Now they don’t trust their own report. But they trust a man who stands accused of violating his oath of office. We expected it, but to see these men and women stand up and say without flinching that they would protect their crooked leader says much about their character. What gutless and spineless leaders we have in Parliament. What a stink they…

With reference to the letter by Mr Wolman in Tel Aviv (The Mercury, December 14), there are certain issues which arise. While the abuse of human rights is not to be condoned anywhere in the world, we must also consider those countries which get away with it. What can the treatment of Palestinians by Israel be classified as? Is this not also abuse? While Iran is to be condemned, who put it all into motion? If we look at what is happening around the world, the US has a finger in the pie. Afghanistan, Libya, Korea. The list can go on. As for human rights abuse, what about Guantanamo Bay? Held captive without trial for years on end. Is that humane? Further to the so-called Lady R, so what if…

They kill more people than infectious diseases: 41 million a year Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardio- vascular conditions account for 41 million deaths each year. That’s more than 70% of all deaths globally. Most of these deaths (77%) are in low-income and middle-income countries – including those in Africa. These conditions are currently more prevalent than infectious diseases. Sixty-seven percent occur before the age of 40. Besides being the leading causes of death worldwide, non-communicable diseases carry a huge cost to individuals. They also undermine workforce productivity and threaten economic prosperity. Health-care provision in much of Africa still relies on external donors. There’s insufficient funding to help low-income and middle-income countries control non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Most development assistance for health funding provided by international donors is allocated…

A small boat loaded with migrants heading for British shores from France capsized in the freezing waters of the English Channel yesterday, resulting in four deaths, the British government said. Lifeboats, helicopters and rescue teams working with the French and British navies responded to the incident, which took place as immigration to Britain organised by people- trafficking criminal gangs has become in priority issue for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government. “At 03:05 (GMT) today, authorities were alerted to an incident in the Channel concerning a migrant small boat in distress,” a government spokesperson said in a statement. “After a co-ordinated search and rescue operation led by HM Coastguard, it is with regret that there have been four confirmed deaths as a result of this incident.” An investigation was under way,…

While playing “Fortnite” around January 2019, a boy’s body grew warm as he struggled to breathe and formulate thoughts, according to a new lawsuit. His guardian claims the boy, now 17, was experiencing his first panic attack, feeling pressure from the popular video game. After the boy suffered another panic attack eight months later, his guardian claims he was diagnosed with cyberaddiction and began meeting with a counsellor at an addiction rehabilitation centre. The allegations are part of a lawsuit brought by three Canadian parents against Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite. The parents argue the game is addictive and has upended their children’s lives. “There is no doubt that the defendants have achieved their objective of making Fortnite as addictive as possible,” the class-action lawsuit alleges, “and have therefore…