Indice dei contenuti per 2023-05-30 in Mercury

Bloemfontein magistrate Mohlolo Khabisi has denied bail to four of the accused arrested in connection with the escape of Thabo Bester. But he released Nastassja Jansen on R10 000 bail following lengthy bail proceedings. The State alleges that the five former G4S employees assisted Bester to escape from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in May last year. In denying bail, Khabisi said the four had failed to convince the court that it was in the interests of justice for them to be released. “We are happy the judgment was fair and was right; it was our version from the start that there was no evidence linking my client to the matter. I would advise that my client not be in contact with any of the accused or employees of G4S,”…

China and the US are embroiled in a titanic fully-fledged technology war with semiconductors at its core. As wars rage across the globe, conflicts that are planned and encouraged by all the major powers, semiconductors have become the oil of the 21st century. Semiconductor chips power the world. As cutting-edge technology, its immensity is beyond comprehension. Without them, our computers, phones, cars and millions of devices that are essential to our everyday lives would cease to exist. Taiwan, which produces the most advanced semiconductors chips, has managed to survive Chinese pressure because of what is globally termed “the Silicon Shield”. Any disruption in the production of semiconductors in Taiwan will have global ramifications affecting every industrial institution on the planet. Our advanced civilisation will grind to a halt. This tiny…

The DA is deeply concerned by Msunduzi mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla’s failure to respond to a memorandum handed over to the city, calling for an immediate halt to the adjusted billing cycle unilaterally adopted by the ANC-run municipality. Two weeks ago, the DA marched alongside concerned Msunduzi Municipality residents to the Pietermaritzburg City Hall in protest against the proposed billing adjustment. This after municipal officials did not follow due process, including public consultation, prior to its implementation. To our combined disappointment, both the mayor and KZN’s Cogta MEC, Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi, failed to receive the memorandum despite invitations being sent to their respective offices. The document was instead handed over to municipal manager Lulamile Mapholoba. The memorandum raised legitimate concerns regarding the unfair burden placed upon residents by the adjusted billing cycle,…

So our government wants to spend R20 billion over the next 20 years to have Karpowership supply additional power. Does that make sense? Surely it would be better to have a limited time – two years – to see us through the current crisis and spend the other R18bn on upgrading infrastructure and building new plants? Forget about what the EU and the US are trying to force us to do. We have coal, let us continue using that and come up with a solution to make the use thereof more eco-friendly. Let’s train people to maintain our plants properly. That way we can generate jobs. Let’s control the infrastructure so sabotage and theft are eliminated. We have vast areas where we could put up solar farms and wind turbines.…

National security adviser Dr Sydney Mufamadi has refused to furnish Parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) with the names of the politicians fingered by Eskom’s former chief executive André de Ruyter as being responsible for the corruption at the power utility. During his virtual engagement with Scopa on Friday, Mufamadi, accompanied by his advocate Azar Bham SC, said naming the politicians would undermine any investigation into the matter and be an injustice to the people named. Appearing before Scopa in April, De Ruyter refused to name the politicians, saying he did not want to expose himself to further legal action or risk his own security by naming the individuals. Mufamadi told the committee De Ruyter had briefed him about the private investigation report he had commissioned into corruption, theft,…

The vigilance of police resulted in the arrest of a murder suspect in the Nelson Mandela Bay district at the weekend. Eastern Cape police spokesperson, Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg, said the Nelson Mandela District Crime Combating Unit was patrolling Addo Road in Markman when they saw a wanted man at a petrol station on May 27 just after midnight. The suspect was wanted for a murder in Motherwell in November last year. “As police approached the vehicle, the suspect attempted to drive into the officers and collided with the back of the SAPS vehicle. Two warning shots were fired at the tyres, causing the vehicle to collide with a petrol pump,” she said. The suspect, 30, was arrested on the murder charge and also charged with attempted murder, reckless…

A vital piece of lifesaving equipment – the JetRIB craft used by the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) – has been found charred on an open field in Blikkiesdorp, Delft, in Cape Town. The lifesaving craft – valued at R650 000 – was stolen from the Strandfontein NSRI station 16 on Sunday. NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said after police and law enforcement initiated investigations, what appeared to be a boat recently destroyed by a fire, was located in Blikkiesdorp, Delft. “Police investigated and it was confirmed that the destroyed boat is the NSRI rescue craft. It has been completely destroyed by fire.” The NSRI said: “It is suspected that the Yamaha VX 1050 motor may have been stripped from the craft before it was set alight.” Police said no one…

The nationwide crackdown on health-care practitioners operating illegally, launched by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) is gaining momentum with arrests made in different parts of the country. “The HPCSA’s inspectorate office, in a joint operation with members of the SAPS, conducted an inspection in Kuruman, Northern Cape, where Tshifata Katembwe, a Congolese national, was found practising as a medical practitioner while not registered with council,” according to spokesperson Christopher Tsatsawane. He said during the inspection it was discovered that Katembwe has been working at a medical practice registered to one Dr TK Gopane since January 2022. “Mr Katembwe was arrested for practising illegally and in contravention of Section 17(1) of the Health Professions Act, 56 of 1974, and detained at the Kuruman SAPS.” After his arrest, Katembwe…

IS SECULARISM synonymous with liberal democracy, being civilised, modern, free and firmly pro-West? If you believe the narrative emanating from the US, UK and the EU – from politicians, business, media and NGOs – in various countries, it definitely seems so. Never mind the ungodly hold of the evangelical movement on far-right politics in the US; the fact that the daily business of the UK House of Commons starts each morning with the Lord’s Prayer and despite the head of the Church of England, King Charles III, preferring to be the ‘Defender of Faiths’ instead of the Faith; and that the EU, despite its supposedly liberal instincts, in the immortal words of past proponents such as ex-German chancellor Helmut Schmidt, remains a staunchly “Christian Club”. Never mind the fact that…

Nigeria’s new President Bola Tinubu vowed at his swearing-in yesterday to expand the economy by at least 6% a year, lift barriers to investment, create jobs and unify the exchange rate, while also tackling rampant insecurity. Tinubu inherits a struggling economy with record debt, shortages of foreign exchange and fuel, a weak naira currency, nearly two-decades-high inflation, skeletal power supplies and falling oil production due to crude theft and underinvestment. Protectionist policies and foreign currency interventions under predecessor Muhammadu Buhari spooked investors. “On the economy, we target a higher GDP growth and to significantly reduce unemployment,” Tinubu said. This would be achieved through budgetary reform, boosting power generation and improving food security. Tinubu took his oath in an open-air ceremony in the capital’s Eagle’s Square. Buhari departed to his…

Russia fired a barrage of missiles at Kyiv yesterday, sending panicked residents running for shelter in an unusual daytime attack on the Ukrainian capital following overnight strikes. A series of explosions rang out in Kyiv yesterday as Russia targeted the city for the second time in 24 hours. There were at least 10 explosions, starting just a few minutes after an air raid warning sounded. Authorities said Ukrainian air defences had downed every Russian missile launched against the Kyiv region. Kyiv’s city administration said that Russians struck in the morning when “most residents were at work and on the streets. The Russians are clearly demonstrating that they are aiming to destroy the civilian population. Debris was recorded falling in different parts of the city,” Sergiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s city…

Khumjung: The sons of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa led celebrations in Nepal yesterday to mark the 70th anniversary of the historic first ascent of Everest. The scaling of the 8 849m peak on May 29, 1953, changed mountaineering forever and made the New Zealander and his Nepalese guide household names. “It was not just Ed Hillary and Tenzing Norgay that reached the summit of Mount Everest, it was all of humanity,” Peter Hillary said at a school founded by his father in the village of Khumjung at 3 790m. “Suddenly, all of us could go.” In the past seven decades, more than 6 000 climbers have climbed the world’s highest mountain. It remains dangerous, with more than 300 losing their lives in the same period, including 12…

Luciano Spalletti confirmed yesterday that he will leave Napoli at the end of the Serie A season after winning their first league title in over three decades. Spalletti said that he would take time away from football and would not be immediately moving to coach another team. “I need to take some time to rest because I'm pretty tired,” Spalletti said. The 64-year-old guided Napoli to the Scudetto with five matches to play after a magical campaign in which his team played some of the most thrilling football in Europe. Spalletti will bow out as Napoli coach on Sunday evening when the newly-crowned champions host relegated Sampdoria at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. | AFP…

THE National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) will forge ahead with its direct payment of allowances to students through their bank cards in two days despite conceding that the recent violent protests on various campuses were an attempt to stop the system. The financial aid scheme started the pilot phase at TVET colleges last year and it now hopes to on-board universities from Thursday. But this has been rejected by students with some claiming that the system already had problems at colleges. Last week more than 100 students led by Student Representative Councils (SRCs) from at least 14 institutions marched to the NSFAS Cape Town office, alleging officials failed to respond to a number of funding concerns. Their grievances also include the 60-credits policy, close-out process for students with outstanding…

Beauty faces you and me at every turn. There’s beauty in every face, beauty in every person – if, and only if, we have the eyes to see it, mind to appreciate it and heart to embrace it. Depth and meaning are everywhere, in every conversation and even in every dilemma and problem – if, and only if, we permit ourselves the time and the energy to embrace the challenges before us. Generosity abounds in nature and in human nature – if, and only if, we have the hands and hearts to notice. Courage is in plentiful supply within others and from within ourselves when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds. It’s available if, we allow ourselves to uncover it. “This little light of mine, I’m going to make it…

With the national elections around the corner – they will be taking place next year – South Africans will need to engage and have effective and productive discussions about how to save and advance the cause of South Africa. Well-functioning democratic constructs and robust, sound political governance are essential to social and economic development – and that is exactly what is needed for this beautiful country of ours. On the other hand, a lack of voter knowledge, political parties’ performances, voting preferences and general understanding about elections can weaken the rule of law, service delivery, transparency, accountability and the decision-making of the elected party and their politicians of this country. Civil society or civic groups such as religious and educational institutions, community and professional associations, stokvels, ratepayers’ associations, free, objective,…

Participants in the Durban SPAR Women’s 10/5km Challenge are in for a treat next month with lucky draw prizes and a chance to go into a national draw to win a R450 000 Proton SUV. Also after the race, there will be a live performance by gqom star Dladla Mshunqisi before the prize-giving at Hollywoodbets Kings Park outer fields. “The charismatic entertainer has captured the hearts of thousands with his party starter melodies including his track Pakisha, and songs off his platinum album Umshunqo. “Mshunqisi will perform top featured songs off his album Amalukuluku, Chothoza, Izibalo, Thuta, and Sesfikile and his recently released single, Samba Nabo featuring J’Something and Beast & Spiritbanger,” the organisers said. Other added extras at the event include lucky draw prizes worth more than R70 000,…

Councillors have claimed the Human Settlements and Infrastructure services (HSI) committee in the eThekwini Municipality is in state of disarray and has missed several meetings that’s negatively affecting the delivery of key infrastructure projects. But the commitee chairperson, the EFF’s Themba Mvubu, said the committee was functioning. The committee, which provides oversight for more than half of the city’s budget and is tasked with overseeing the rehabilitation of the city’s infrastructure, met on Friday after another cancelled meeting last Monday. Before that it had not been able to meet for weeks, said the councillors. Even during Friday’s meeting, a committee member said, it was unable to get through some of the pressing and critical items on its agenda. Mvubu was appointed as part of a deal to “govern” the municipality…

An off-duty Durban policeman is due to face murder charges for allegedly shooting and killing his girlfriend after a domestic dispute. The incident took place near the Mdavu tavern at Emachobeni area in Inanda on Friday at around 10.30pm. It is believed the victim is also a police officer. According to an incident report, the couple had been arguing on the street next to their car when the suspect pulled out his state firearm and allegedly shot his girlfriend. A person who tried to intervene was also shot. The policeman then allegedly shot himself in the head. He survived and was taken to a nearby private hospital. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) said it was investigating a case of murder. Ipid national spokesperson Robbie Raburabu said: “The police officer…

THE unprecedented opposition by residents to the tariff increases proposed by eThekwini Municipality is escalating, with ratepayers set to attend a council meeting this week. The Westville Ratepayers’ Association (WRA) said it would attend the council meeting tomorrow when the tariffs were expected to be approved. It said it would be keeping a close eye on those parties that supported the increases. Following the publication of the proposed new tariff structure, the city has had to contend with irate residents signing petitions, marching to municipal offices and ratepayers’ associations threatening legal action. This past Friday, dozens of community members marched to the city hall, and it has been reported that close to 10 000 people across the city have signed a petition against the increases that are set to kick…

THE recent death of Philasande Yende, a bright Grade 7 pupil killed while witnessing a protest action in Mpumalanga, is a tragedy. Yende is not the first person to be killed during a protest. Violent protests have become the norm, with a “service delivery” protest taking place almost every week, marked by burning tyres, rocks blockading roads and stoning of vehicles. As I pen this letter, a violent protest by Dunlop workers is taking place in Ladysmith. One source informs me the unionised workers are demanding suspended colleagues be reinstated after disciplinary action had been taken against them. Clearly, many South Africans are not yet mature enough to embrace the idea of a “democracy”, an ideology like any other, meaning different things to different people. If the writers of our…

This positive momentum means more opportunities for the world AMID slowing world economic growth and significant external uncertainties, China’s economy made a good start this year. According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of China in April, GDP grew by 4.5% in the first quarter year-on-year, 1.6 percentage points higher than the previous quarter. Market confidence picked up significantly, consumption and investment bounced back stronger, and employment and prices remained stable overall. This speaks to the remarkable resilience, potential and vitality of the Chinese economy as well as the sound fundamentals sustaining long-term economic growth, and shows the vibrancy of China’s economy in its spring. (The growth) beats previous forecasts by many institutions. The country’s optimised Covid-19 prevention measures are credited for this growth. Data from…

Gunshots and artillery fire rocked the Sudanese capital yesterday, the last day of a frequently breached ceasefire, as calls to arms stoked fears the six-week war will intensify. Residents said they could hear street battles in northern Khartoum, as well as artillery fire in the south of the capital of over 5 million people which has been turned into a deadly war zone. Since the truce began a week ago, frightened residents have ventured out to try to get food or water, the costs of which have doubled since the start of the war. But thousands of families continue to shelter in place, rationing water and electricity. In Darfur, the UN said intermittent fighting between Sudanese armed forces and Rapid Support Forces had seen civilians killed, homes looted and tens…

Kampala: Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni yesterday signed into law a controversial anti-gay bill, his office and parliament said, introducing draconian measures against homosexuality. Uganda’s parliament said Museveni had approved a new draft of the legislation that had been passed this month by MPs, who defended the measures as a protection of culture and values. The president had called on MPs to rework the bill, although most of the hardline provisions that caused an outcry in the West were retained. “Engaging in acts of homosexuality” would be an offence punishable with life imprisonment, and “aggravated homosexuality” is a capital offence. | AFP…

A look at the options in the Springbok halfback jerseys suggests there is a feast in one department and something approaching a famine in the other, in terms of quality depth. At the Bok training camp underway in Durban, coach Jacques Nienaber is running the rule over no less than five scrumhalves, all of whom are in decent form. At the same time, he has included just two flyhalves in Damian Willemse, who has been playing fullback for the Stormers, and Manie Libbok, the man who has been steering the Cape side’s ship. It is true that Handre Pollard is still to join the Bok set-up and is with his club, Leicester Tigers, undergoing treatment for yet another injury. The 29-year-old Pollard played in just five of the Boks’ 13…

THE RAND yesterday remained subdued as emerging markets currencies tumbled due to the strengthening US dollar as the largest economy in the world debt ceiling agreement while the energy crisis dimmed sentiment against the currency. The rand started the day trading at around R19.71 against the greenback, not far from a recent record low of R19.80/$1, before claiming some ground back to return to Friday’s close of R19.65/$1 by 4pm. The US dollar hovered near its highest levels in ten weeks yesterday, supported by strong US economic data that bolstered expectations of further policy tightening by the US Fed- eral Reserve, and news that a tentative debt ceiling deal was reached over the weekend. On Saturday, US President Joe Biden and Republican leader Kevin McCarthy reached a deal to…

Former President Thabo Mbeki has again questioned the deterioration in quality of governance in the country in the wake of the cholera outbreak. Speaking in Conakry, Guinea, on the sidelines of his annual Africa Day lecture, Mbeki said the cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal was an example of the continued deterioration of governance. At least 24 people are reported to have died after the outbreak in Gauteng and the Free State. Mbeki also suggested that citizens needed to find a way to pressure their leaders. He said this pressure from below needed to be exerted on the government and that the masses should rebel against a system of government that was not working in their interests. In March, Mbeki sent a 17-page letter to ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile questioning why…

‘It is a difficult situation but schools still have operating costs’ Governing body associations and a parents’ association have said dozens of parents are struggling to pay school fees, with the rising cost of living and interest rate hikes affecting household income. Dr Anthea Cereseto, CEO of the Governing Body Foundation, said they had had reports from numerous schools where school fees had not been paid this year. “School fees are essential for the running of schools, and so we have called for schools to have a mechanism where parents start paying fees from February to March. We can’t have a situation where six months have passed and no school fees have been paid. It is a difficult situation, but unfortunately schools still have operating costs.” Cereseto added that they…

AN UNATTRIBUTED newspaper clipping comes this way, saying British Airways 747s have a redesign which means that for passengers travelling first class some of the toilets now have windows. A woman travelling to New York complained that there were no blinds on the windows. A stewardess responded: “Madam, if some pervert is clinging to the side of this aircraft at 35 000 feet, he deserves to see everything.” I guess that’s fair enough. But what was going through the mind of this fellow on an Asian Airlines flight who somehow managed to open an emergency door as the plane was 820 feet from the ground, coming in to land in South Korea. According to the BBC, a passenger’s video shared on social media shows the gap in the port side…

The recent repo rate hike implemented by the South African Reserve Bank will have a negative impact on already hard-pressed South Africans, who already find it difficult to make ends meet. The hike is the latest in a series of measures taken by the Reserve Bank to address the country’s economic challenges. While the central bank cites inflation as the primary reason for the hike, it is unlikely to alleviate the underlying economic issues. As the Reserve Bank has made clear, inflation is partly driven by external factors such as global supply chain disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, analysts believe poor governance, lack of fiscal discipline, and inconsistent policy making are also to blame. It is undeniable that the ANC-led government’s policies have led to economic instability and…

Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA) has delivered more than 10 000 written submissions to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) opposing the Hate Speech Bill. The submissions were a last-ditch attempt to have the Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill amended, after various religious organisations, political parties, and civil society groups cited concerns about the bill’s broad definition of “harm” and its lack of definition of “hate” or “hatred”. Submissions closed on Thursday. The government has defended the bill, saying its purpose was to address the increasing number of incidents involving hate crime and hate speech motivated by prejudice, and to assist victims. However, non-profit legal advocacy organisation FOR SA said the proposed bill posed a serious threat. “This proposed law is a serious threat to our constitutional…

Parents of children who attend eSizibeni Comprehensive School in uMkomaas say they were asked to contribute towards paying three teachers who are volunteering at the school. The parents said they were asked to pay R100 per pupil at a recent meeting at the school. Despite the shortage of teachers and learning materials, the school has a reputation for good results. One parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said the request was an added burden for parents. “We understood the principal’s plea. But he knows some of us are unem- ployed, and if this is necessary, maybe a payment plan should be considered.” An educator from the school, who also did not want to be named, supported the principal’s suggestion, stating that it was the only way to retain voluntary teachers…

A KwaMashu couple died in a shack fire at the weekend. While the cause of the fire is unknown, it has been reported that it started after power had been restored after load shedding. Philisiwe Gumede, 21, and her partner Andile Shabalala, 24, died in the fire in Siyanda B section. It is believed Gumede had been coming from a night vigil and Shabalala had suggested that she spend the night at his place. Neighbour Sipho Dlamini said that they were woken by screams and found that Shabalala’s shack was burning. He said they forced open the door and called for emergency services. Gumede was declared dead at the scene and Shabalala died in hospital. Bancane Radebe, Shabalala’s aunt, described the incident as horrific and said the family did not…

The South African Medical Association (Sama) has slammed the government for failing to keep its promise to exempt hospitals from rolling blackouts. Sama chairperson Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa said load shedding continued to put lives at risk. Earlier this month, the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, ordered the government to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to all government hospitals, clinics, schools, and police stations. This followed an application brought by the UDM and other political and civic organisations, which argued that the government and Eskom violated basic human rights by implementing load shedding that had knocked out critical areas of the economy such as hospitals. President Cyril Ramaphosa warned in March that the grid would collapse if the government fully implemented the court’s decision. The government is appealing against the ruling. Ramaphosa said…

Increasingly critical evaluations of electoral democracy by those eligible to vote point to an imminent crisis at next year’s elections – an indicator that fewer people will turn up at the polls compared to the local government elections in 2021. This is a serious indictment on the notion of democracy and an indication that those who choose not to vote are not doing so out of apathy or a lack of voter education, but due to their disillusionment with service delivery, fraud, corruption and maladministration. Research conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council for the Electoral Commission of South Africa paints a dismal picture of the mood and atmosphere amongst South African voters. Worse still, it highlighted the reluctance of young voters to take part in the democratic process even…

President Tayyip Erdogan and supporters yesterday revelled in an election victory lengthening his rule into a third decade while Türkiye’s opposition, which once counted on winning, braced for “difficult days” against an increasingly autocratic government. His rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu ,said it was “the most unfair election in years” but did not dispute the outcome, which gave Erdogan a mandate to pursue policies that have polarised Türkiye and strengthened its position as a regional military power. The election had been seen as Erdogan’s biggest political challenge, with the opposition confident of unseating him and reversing his policies after polls showed a cost-of-living crisis left him vulnerable. But he prevailed with 52.2% of the vote to Kilicdaroglu’s 47.8%. It reinforced Erdogan’s image of invincibility in the deeply divided Nato-member country, whose foreign,…

Shanghai recorded its hottest May day in more than 100 years yesterday, the city’s meteorological service announced, shattering the previous high by a full degree. Scientists say global warming is exacerbating adverse weather, with many countries experiencing deadly heatwaves and temperatures hitting records across Southeast and South Asia in recent weeks. “At 1.09pm, the temperature at Xujiahui station hit 36.1°C, breaking a 100-year-old record for the highest temperature in May,” a post on the service’s official Weibo account read, referring to a metro station in the centre of China’s largest city. The temperature at the bustling station climbed even higher to 36.7°C later in the afternoon, the meteorological service said. That put it a full degree above the old record, 35.7°C, which has been recorded four times previously, in 1876,…

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday warned that global plastics pollution was a “time bomb”, as diplomats began five days of talks in Paris to make progress on a treaty to end plastic waste. Representatives of 175 nations met at the Unesco headquarters with the aim of reaching, by next year, a historic agreement. Macron said that the first priorities should be to reduce production of plastics and to ban “as soon as possible” the most polluting products. Annual plastics production has doubled in 20 years to 460 million tons, and is set to triple in four decades. | AFP…