Indice dei contenuti per 2023-03-30 in Mercury

In yet another cybercrime matter that has reached the court, an investment company had been ordered to pay back the money a man invested with it, with interest. This comes after a cyber criminal depleted the man’s nest egg meant for him and his wife on retirement. The South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg found that PSG Wealth Financial Planning Ltd, with whom Jan Gerber had invested his money, had failed to establish that it had complied with its contractual obligations to protect Gerber against cybercrime. It was ordered to pay Gerber more than R800 000 – money which he lost due to the cybercrime – as well as interest. Gerber had a share portfolio with the company, which was to serve as retirement funds for him and his wife.…

South African consumers will have to tighten their belts yet again come April as economists have predicted yet another interest rate hike, with some also forecasting a fuel price increase. In addition, Eskom’s 18.65% tariff increase will come into effect on April 1 for directly supplied or non-municipal tariffs. The power utility said the municipal increase of 18.49% – what municipalities will pay to Eskom – is effective on July 1. Municipalities will have to decide on their own tariff increases. Also, leading medical aid schemes will also increase their contributions from April 1. Neil Roets, CEO of Debt Rescue, said they expected a 25 basis points increase to be announced when the Monetary Policy Committee concludes its meeting today. “The reason being that inflation increased by 0.7% between…

It was with sadness that I read of the passing of fearless journalist, Rajendra Chetty. Rajendra will be remembered for his unflinching support in the Struggle against oppression, endemic corruption and racism. He gave impartial and objective journalism the respect and admiration it deserved. He was a giant among journalists who strove to put the ordinary man and woman at the heart of his reporting. He was a master craftsman of journalism, a pioneer whose exceptional career spanned decades and whose legacy will influence generations to come. We have lost the most powerful voice of a journalist who stood on the side of justice and liberty. A devastated people mourn the loss of iconic and articulate Rajendra Chetty. We lost not only one of the most recognisable journalist faces but…

The IFP in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature says as government has taken a decision to increase the danger allowance for police officers, it must also review their salaries. Although a R700 danger allowance for police officers is not enough, the increase from R400 is warmly welcomed. By increasing this danger allowance for police officers, it indicates government does have money to spend. While we understand the economic situation faced by our country, the IFP is concerned about the salaries paid to police officers. These officers face the mammoth – and dangerous – task of keeping citizens safe on a daily basis. There is no excuse for not increasing police officers’ salaries while government has, on numerous occasions, spent billions of rand bailing out failed SOEs such as Eskom, SAA and the…

The right to life and security of the person is still violated daily in South Africa, 29 years after the fall of the apartheid regime. This is according to the findings of the Amnesty International Report 2022/23: The State of the World’s Human Rights, which was published on Tuesday. “Violent crime continues to plague South Africa, and the right to life and security of the person, enshrined in the Constitution as well as in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), is violated daily with murder rates soaring, mass shootings, femicides, and assassinations continuing unabated,” said Shenilla Mohamed, executive director, Amnesty International South Africa. The report highlighted that murder rates continue to soar, as shown in the October to December 2022 crime statistics, which revealed that murders increased by 10.1%,…

Several parliamentary committees are out on oversight visits throughout the country this week as part of their constitutional mandate to hold organs of state accountable. Topping the agenda are issues of service delivery, quality of low-cost houses, military bases, audit opinions and repairs to infrastructure in some parts affected by the floods. The standing committee on finance started its two-day oversight visit to the Treasury and its entities in Pretoria. Committee chairperson Joe Maswanganyi said the visits would deal with matters arising from the audit findings for the 2021-22 financial year after the committee was briefed by the auditor-general on the audit outcomes. The committee will also conduct an inspection in loco on the National Treasury’s Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) at the State Information Technology Agency in Centurion. “The…

Expanded co-operation and increased membership will be the focus At the first BRICS Sherpa and Sous-Sherpa Meeting on February 1, 2023, the BRICS chair gavel was officially handed over to South Africa from China. With the African country taking over the chairship, “2023 looks set to be the BRICS bloc’s most impactful year within the global economic and geopolitical landscape”, as observed by some international commentators. Whether BRICS is a bloc and whether its impact in 2023 will surpass all the previous years still remains to be seen. What is more likely to be true is that two things may feature prominently on this year’s agenda. First, expanding co-operation for common development. During China’s chairship last year, one of the highlights of BRICS meetings was the Global Development Initiative. This…

Britain’s King Charles III began his first state visit as king yesterday, arriving in Germany for a trip billed as “an important European gesture” to maintain strong ties after Brexit. “Today, on the day six years ago when Britain began its exit from the EU, we are opening a new chapter in our relations,” said German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a speech welcoming Charles and Queen Consort Camilla. That Charles had picked Germany for his inaugural foreign trip as monarch was a “great gesture, and an important sign for German-British relations”, said Steinmeier. Germany rolled out the pomp in their welcome of the royal visitors, greeting them at Berlin-Brandenburg airport with a 21-gun salute while two military jets made a flypast as they watched from the top of the plane…

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador yesterday vowed to bring to justice whoever was responsible for the deaths of 38 migrants in a fire at a migrant centre in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez this week. Authorities believe the fire late on Monday, which killed mostly men from Guatemala and other Central American countries, was started by migrants when they discovered they would be deported. An investigation is under way to determine what happened at the centre, which Lopez Obrador said employed staff from the government’s National Migration Institute as well as personnel from a private contractor. “There’ll be no attempt to hide the facts,” he said. All the victims were male, and Mexico’s government is under pressure to find out why they died after officials said that…

Maseru: MPs in Lesotho were to discuss yesterday whether the country should seek to reclaim large swathes of land from South Africa. A motion put forward by an opposition MP aims to have parliament declare South Africa’s entire Free State province, which borders Lesotho, as well as areas of four more regions as part of the mountain kingdom. The disputed regions where historically inhabited by the Basothos, who represent a large majority in Lesotho. The motion is based on a 1962 UN resolution that recognised the right to self-determination and independence for the people of Basutoland, as Lesotho was then called. | AFP…

Lagos: A cash crunch in Nigeria, which saw long lines of customers at banks and cash dispenser machines, was easing yesterday after the central bank reissued old naira notes back into circulation. Unions had threatened strikes over the cash scarcity, but said they would postpone for two weeks to monitor how Nigerians were accessing cash. The cash shortages began in October when the Central Bank of Nigeria gave a February 2023 deadline to change old 200, 500, and 1 000 naira bills for new ones. The policy was intended to mop up excess cash outside the banking system. Protests broke out in several cities over the shortages. | AFP…

THE DA’s election of a leader this weekend at its national elective conference will also set the tone for how the party deals with coalition agreements before next year’s national election. The party’s federal leader, John Steenhuisen, who is seeking his second term, and former Johannesburg mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse are the front runners for leadership as the party looks to gain ground on the ANC. Phalatse said if the ANC dropped to below 50% at next year’s election there would be different possible scenarios, and the worst case scenario would be an ANC and EFF coalition. She said this would set the country back, and instead a coalition bloc of progressive parties would be better to form an alternative government. Steenhuisen has described this weekend’s conference that will determine…

Recent DA oversight of the Richards Bay Airport has shown a marked improvement in operations, with the facility now poised to boost the Northern KwaZulu-Natal economy. The airport boasts a 1 300m-long runway and well-kept passenger facilities and the DA inspection noted the airport is equipped with adequate fire-fighting staff and equipment. This is coupled with passenger reception facilities and improved ground aircraft marshalling systems. This recent refurbishment and announcement by a regional airline that it will fly back into the critically important port city must be seen as a positive. The commitment to refurbish and rehabilitate regional airports must become a serious priority for local municipalities and the Umhlathuze Municipality must be commended for its efforts. Moreover, the emergence of private airstrips, in particular in the Midlands and…

I was told an interesting story by my gardener today. Apparently Julius Malema has been claiming to all who will listen to him that he was responsible for bringing about the recent reduction in load shedding. According to my gardener, most of the residents of the area in which he, the gardener, lives believe this story. This raises the issue of fake or misleading news, a phenomena which has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. I would be interested to see how the other parties go about correcting this fake news which the EFF is likely to propagate. It will not help, I suggest, merely to deny the “stories” since as in the apartheid days, the majority of voters I feel vote with their hearts and not their…

HOW do you make an Aussie missus happy? You first make a monster gold strike, that’s how. It’s almost 200 years since Australia’s great Gold Rush in the state of Victoria. But, oh boy, did this cobber not strike it lucky! Darren Kamp was in his prospecting store in Geelong, south-west of Melbourne, when a fellow walked in wearing a large backpack, according to the BBC. He took off the pack and opened it. Kamp was expecting to be shown a find of fool’s gold or something of the sort. He was startled when the fellow produced a 4.6kg rock that turned out to contain gold worth A$240 000 (about R2.9 million). “He pulled this rock out and as he dropped it into my hand he said: ‘Do you think…

The Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court sentenced a 24-year-old man to 15 years’ imprisonment for killing his friend over R10. Police spokesperson Mahlomola Kareli said the incident occurred in September 2022 after Thabo Tomanyane went to the victim’s house in Kgotsong Section. “When the accused arrived carrying a bag, he never said anything but forced the victim into the street and started stabbing him. “The 30-year-old victim was stabbed six times in the chest and back and was declared dead at the scene by emergency personnel,” he said. Kareli said that the police investigation revealed that Tomanyane got into an argument with the victim because he owed him R10. He had gone to the victim’s house to collect the money, but the victim did not have it. Tomanyane was arrested a few…

In a recent Cabinet reshuffle, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Paul Mashatile, the deputy president of the ANC, as the country’s deputy president. Ramaphosa’s Cabinet reshuffle took place in a climate of growing restlessness across the nation about the many failures of the state, high levels of corruption and organised crime. As a political scientist and researcher on security governance matters, I have been considering the role Mashatile could play in responding to the security crisis. He will serve on two Cabinet structures crucial to safety and security. Through this, he could contribute to rebuilding the trust that the public has lost in the law enforcement and criminal justice systems. One of Mashatile’s tasks is to chair the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cabinet committee. This co-ordinates the work of the…

Elon Musk and a group of artificial intelligence experts and industry executives are calling for a six-month pause in developing systems more powerful than OpenAI’s newly launched GPT-4, in an open letter citing potential risks to society and humanity. Earlier this month, Microsoft- backed OpenAI unveiled the fourth iteration of its GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) AI program, which has wowed users with its vast range of applications, from engaging users in human-like conversation to composing songs and summarising lengthy documents. The letter, issued by the non-profit Future of Life Institute and signed by more than 1 000 people including Musk, called for a pause on advanced AI development until shared safety protocols for such designs were developed, implemented and audited by independent experts. “Powerful AI systems should be developed only…

Edinburgh: Humza Yousaf was sworn in as Scotland’s first minister yesterday, becoming the first Muslim leader of a government in western Europe but already facing unrest in his party. Yousaf, 37, has vowed to revive its campaign for independence. But after he won the race to succeed Nicola Sturgeon, his leadership has been questioned after defeated rival Kate Forbes refused to serve in his cabinet. She won 48% of the preferential votes of SNP members to his 52%. Yousaf vowed to “serve His Majesty King Charles” III, despite his stated support for abolishing the monarchy. | AFP…

STRASBOURG: Thousands of elderly women have joined forces in a groundbreaking case that opened yesterday at the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that their government’s “woefully inadequate” efforts to fight global warming violate their human rights. The first climate change case at the Strasbourg court has been brought by a group of Swiss pensioners who claim that their country’s inaction in the face of rising temperatures puts them at risk of dying during heatwaves. Their lawyers are seeking a ruling that could force Bern to cut CO2 emissions faster than planned. The Swiss government has argued that the case is inadmissible. | Reuters…

NAIROBI: A coalition of international companies, including Google and Microsoft, yesterday denounced anti-LGBTQ legislation passed by Uganda’s parliament last week, warning it would damage that country’s economy. The Open for Business coalition said the legislation, which criminalises identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, would curb investment flows and deter tourists. The bill imposes the death penalty on those who commit “aggravated homosexuality”, defined as same-sex relations with people under 18 or when the perpetrator is HIV positive. It awaits President Yoweri Museveni’s signature. | Reuters…

THE eThekwini Municipality’s controversial water tankers saga is set to be the subject of an investigation by the City Integrity and Investigations Unit (CIIU), which blew the whistle on the grand-scale corruption in the Durban Solid Waste contract a few years ago. The investigation follows a directive issued by eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda at an Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday where he indicated that the investigation stemmed from questions that had been raised over the outsourcing of the water tankers service when the City had its own water delivery trucks. The tankers are used to distribute and provide water to far-flung places where the City’s infrastructure falls short. In the past there have been rumours linking politicians to the contract, but nothing has ever been tested or proven. On Tuesday,…

From the slanderous tone of the KwaZulu-Natal ANC executive’s attempt to vilify Chief Justice Raymond Zondo for his scathing condemnation of the ANC’s abandonment of principles and values held by its erstwhile leaders (The Mercury, March 29), it is clear that Justice Zondo has exposed the elephant in the room. What is significant about the ANC’s hysterical response is that it resorts to character assassination in an attempt to deflect attention from its shameless corruption. It is also risible and ironic for the ANC to describe Justice Zondo as “a reckless charlatan” when that is exactly what the ANC is. Only the ANC elite would disagree with the chief justice when he says the ANC has reversed the gains of democracy and that the sacrifices made by previous leaders have…

The tragedy of the South African educational system will haunt the country sooner rather than later – we need to pay more attention to science and maths. By far, the most valuable tool or weapon a person can possess is education. It is the one aspect that has become a transactional commodity the world over and which most people use for the progress and development of their lives. Of course, it is not the only passport for success – many have done extremely well without formal education, with sheer hard work and perseverance, but the times they-have-a-changed. South Africa ranks among the worst-performing countries in the field of science and maths – two fields vital for the technological advancement for any country. Nearly half of the current teachers are…

Am I writing to you? I hope not. Dear Business Owner Your life impacts the lives of many others. Your decisions create waves for others to sink or swim. Consider it an act of compassion to think about the impact your decisions have on many others. Live to empower and encourage rather than plunder and accumulate. Your financial status has power and how you use or misuse it reveals everything about your character. You appear unaware that some people are intimidated by wealth and feel beholden to you, while also welcoming their adulation. Walk gently. Hold on to the knowledge that there are people wealthier than you who have managed to be wealthy, kind, and generous. It is possible. Try not to forget there are people who are much poorer…

Fewer tourists overall visited South Africa last month than in January, according to the latest data collected by Statistics SA from the border statistics put together by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), and the majority of these were from SADC countries. The data released on Tuesday showed that of the 820 000 foreign arrivals at South Africa’s various ports of entry, including those in transit, 799 000 were classed as visitors, and of these 600 000 stayed overnight, becoming tourists. In January there were 1.1 million foreign arrivals of whom one million were visitors. This number was further broken down into 200 000 in-transit and 840 000 overnight visitors, or tourists. The majority of the tourists, 66.6%, were from Southern African Development Community countries with Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho…

The Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigative Unit has confirmed a search-and-seizure operation at two separate properties linked to the multimillion-rand corruption scandal at the Tembisa Hospital. Yesterday, the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation said the simultaneous search-and-seizure operations were conducted at a house in Bedfordview and offices in Germiston and Edenvale. The raid forms part of investigations into the R1 billion Tembisa Hospital tender scandal, which reportedly cost the life of whistle-blower Babita Deokaran. Hawks spokesperson Captain Lloyd Ramovha declined to divulge the name of the suspected businessman whose properties were the subject of the search and seizure, saying the suspect had not been officially charged. “At this stage of the investigation we are unable to reveal the identities of the said people as they have yet to appear in court…

The Sekunjalo Group, an investor and shareholder in one of South Africa’s largest media houses, Independent Media, has set the record straight regarding its support for its media investment. The Group also welcomed the settlement reached in the matter between the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) and Ayo Technology Solutions Limited. In a statement, which comes after an internal memo to Independent Media staff was leaked over the weekend and the recent announcement of the settlement, the Group said there had been “been great confusion caused by certain aspects of the media and a concerted effort to conflate the two entirely independent organisations and their situations”. “As an investor and shareholder in both AYO and Independent Media (IM), the Sekunjalo Group (Sekunjalo Investment Holdings/Sekunjalo) has also been drawn into the maelstrom…

US President Joe Biden yesterday urged unity among democracies in the face of Russia and China as he committed nearly $700 million (about R12.6 billion) to halt global democratic backsliding and forged an alliance against surveillance technology. Biden invited 121 leaders for his second, largely virtual “Summit for Democracy”, including the prime ministers of close US partners Israel and India, who both defended their records after charges of creeping authoritarianism. The Summit for Democracy has taken a new urgency as Ukraine fights back a Russian invasion and as China goes on a diplomatic offensive. The summit will work on “holding Russia accountable for its unjust and unprovoked war against Ukraine, showing that democracies are strong and resolved”, Biden said in brief opening remarks. After criticism that the first summit was…

The global number of operational atomic warheads increased in 2022, driven largely by Russia and China, a new report said yesterday as nuclear tensions have risen since the war in Ukraine. The nine official and unofficial nuclear powers held 9 576 ready-to-use warheads in 2023 – up from 9 440 the previous year, according to the Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor published by the NGO Norwegian People’s Aid. Those weapons have a “collective destructive power” equal to “more than 135 000 Hiroshima bombs,” it said. Moscow has raised the nuclear threat in connection to its invasion of Ukraine and Western military aid for the Eastern European country. Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that he agreed with Minsk to deploy “tactical” nuclear weapons in Belarus, a country on the EU’s doorstep.…

LOS ANGELES: Mark Hamill, best known as Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars movies, has lent his famous voice to a popular Ukrainian air raid alert app, joining a growing list of celebrities to support the embattled nation. “Attention. Air raid alert,” Hamill’s voice booms when the country’s defence system detects a threat of aerial strikes by Russia. “Proceed to the nearest shelter.” Hamill goes on: “Don’t be careless. Your overconfidence is your weakness,” a nod to a Skywalker line from Return of the Jedi. Once the danger has passed, Hamill returns to announce the alert is over, adding: “May the force be with you”. The app is available for users on Apple and Android devices. Last year, Hamill was named ambassador for an initiative set up by the Ukrainian…

SINGAPORE: Rapidly melting Antarctic ice is slowing down the flow of water through the world’s oceans, and could have a disastrous impact on global climate, the marine food chain and even the stability of ice shelves, new research has found. Deep ocean water flows from the Antarctic could decline by 40% by 2050, according to a study published yesterday in the journal Nature. The “overturning circulation” of the oceans, driven by the movement of denser water towards the sea floor, helps deliver heat, carbon, oxygen and vital nutrients around the globe. The Southern Ocean supports about three-quarters of global phytoplankton production, the base of the food chain, the study said. | Reuters…

SIYA Kolisi says that if he plays as poorly as he did last week for the Sharks against the Scarlets then he will not make the Springbok World Cup team. The Sharks and Springbok captain was frank in his assessment of his game in Wales and also of his teammates as the Springbok-laden Sharks sunk without trace against the 14th-placed URC team. “At our recent camps the (Bok) coaches told us what is expected of us as we build up to the World Cup,” Kolisi said. The most important message we received is that every one of us has to work ourselves into the team — nobody is guaranteed a place in the Springbok team. “We do not know what that side is going to look like,” the captain added.…