Indice dei contenuti per 2023-08-29 in Mercury

ADvTECH, which owns Trinityhouse and Crawford, yesterday posted robust interim results for the six months ended June 30, 2023, boosted by enrolments and moderate fee increases across all parts of the education division. The private education group said headline earnings per share increased by 24% to 84.3 cents per share, while revenue increased by 16% to R3.9 billion. Operating profit before interest and non-trading items increased by 23% to R754 million. An interim dividend of 30c per share was declared compared to the 23c per share dividend declared for the comparable period. The group achieved a 7% increase in the schools division, 6% growth in South African schools, 10% in the rest of Africa, and 4% in its tertiary. ADvTECH CEO Roy Douglas said: “We think it’s…

DURBAN residents are battling to keep up with their municipal bills, with the latest report on eThekwini Municipality consumer debt showing that it had ballooned by more than R1 billion in just one month. A report on the debtors’ analysis shows that the municipal debt has grown from R25bn in June to R26.5bn in July, representing an increase of R1.5bn in consumer debt in just one month. For the total debt, the biggest defaults are in water, contributing 36%, followed by property rates at 27% and electricity at 16%. “The total debt outstanding of R26bn represents an increase of R6.3bn compared with July 2022. Council has adopted a short-term debt collection strategy that includes, among others, targeted collection by a customer group,” read the report. The bulk of the debt…

It was just a harmless kiss. But the world didn’t see it that way. It has caused a stir in sporting circles across the world. Fifa and the Spanish nation are outraged at Spain’s soccer chief’s indecent behaviour. At the World Cup finals medal ceremony in Sydney, head of Spain’s soccer federation Luis Rubiales, in a moment of madness, forcibly kissed Spanish soccer star Jenni Hermoso in full view of the public, the media and the world. In his defence, he said it was consensual but Hermoso denied that she had consented to the kiss. The World Cup kiss has turned ugly for Rubiales and Spanish soccer. There have been several repercussions over the soccer scandal. Hermoso’s team mates protested and said that they would not play for Spain again…

Recent health functionality oversights by MPLs – to various facilities across KwaZulu-Natal – have highlighted our province’s teenage pregnancy epidemic, with girls as young as 12 believed to be pregnant. The reality is that the age at which young women in KZN are becoming pregnant is becoming lower and lower. Yet the correlation of statutory rape numbers in the province does not speak to this, with many cases simply not filed. KZN’s Department of Social Development has several programmes that try to address teenage pregnancies – including Chommy and YOLO – which hold discussions or dialogues on teen pregnancy and HIV prevention. The aim is to change social behaviour and encourage positive lifestyle influences for young women and girls, yet the number of teenage pregnancies in KZN continues to increase…

Child Welfare Durban and District and the Sibaya Community Trust said more than R300 000 had been raised for the rebuilding of the Edit Benson Babies’ Home through the Dial For A Child Telethon held last week at the home in Sherwood. The babies’ home was destroyed in a fire in 2018. Jane Pillay, trust fund manager of Sibaya Community Trust, said over R300 000 was raised over the two-day period. “The final figures from the telethon is yet to come in as a good number of people made the calls remotely from their own premises, the totals could exceed R400 000 in collections.” Among the participants were the CEO of Lenmed Ethekwini Heart Hospital, Niresh Bechan, Deshun Naidoo, head of Operations at Sibaya Casino and trustee of Sibaya Community…

The KwaZulu-Natal government has achieved 100% compliance in the form of disclosures of interests made by the senior managers in government and public entities, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) was recently told. A presentation by the Public Service Commission (PSC) at the KZN Legislature revealed that officials had met the May 2023 deadline to submit details of their financial and business interests. According to the PSC, this marked the first time in five years that KZN senior officials had met the deadline. A PSC official commended Scopa members for their role in ensuring officials disclosed their interests in time. Scopa committee member Francois Rodgers said it was encouraging to note that the officials were taking the rules governing the conduct of public servants, especially senior officials, seriously. He…

Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane has welcomed the discovery of gas reserves in the province, saying it will boost energy security in the country. This comes after the national Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) announced the discovery of gas reserves in Mpumalanga. Mtshweni-Tsipane said it was believed the gas project would be crucial in adding more megawatts to the grid. It was estimated that in the first phase the gas project will produce 50MW, but in the second phase this will be increased to 500MW. “The gas discovery positions our province at the centre of the just energy transition.” The DMRE said the gas reserves were discovered by an Australian company, Kinetiko Energy, in Amersfoort, Mpumalanga. “Natural gas forms part of the energy mix envisaged in the Integrated…

PARLIAMENT has asked members of the public and interested parties to make written comments on the Public Procurement Bill. The bill, now before the standing committee on finance, was introduced in the National Legislature by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana after approval by the Cabinet in May. Godongwana previously said the bill was revised to take into account the Constitutional Court judgment on the preferential procurement regulations and the Zondo Commission that highlighted abuses in state procurement. Committee chairperson Joe Maswanganyi said stakeholders and interested parties should submit written submissions on the bill by September 11. “Those who want to make submissions at public hearings on Tuesday, 12 and Wednesday, 13 September, 2023 should specifically request this,” he said, adding that the public hearings would be conducted virtually. Maswanganyi said the…

Thousands of people across Pakistan have taken to the streets to protest against soaring electricity bills and high taxes imposed by the government at a time when surviving high inflation has become impossible for the common man. The angry protesters also burnt thousands of electricity bills during the demonstrations against the government’s high electricity tariffs and taxes. “This government has made it impossible for a common man with a small family to run their household expenses, by increasing prices of everything that is a basic necessity. “Now, they send us bills with towering tariffs and taxes. Imagine a house which has two fans and three lights, but the bill is over 20 000 PKR (about R1 225). “This is unacceptable and we will protest until this deliberate attempt to suck…

India’s first space-based observatory to study the sun will be launched on September 2, the country’s space agency said yesterday. The announcement, in a post on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, comes days after India became the first country to land a spacecraft on the unexplored south pole of the moon. The Aditya-L1, India’s first space-based solar probe, aims to study solar winds, which can cause disturbance on earth and are commonly seen as “auroras”. The craft, named after the Hindi word for the sun, will be launched from the country’s main spaceport in Sriharikota using India’s heavy-duty launch vehicle, the PSLV, which will travel about 1.5 million kilometres, the agency said. “The total travel time from launch to L-1 (Langrange point) would take about four months…

KABUL: Rights monitors have condemned a ban on women visiting one of Afghanistan’s most popular national parks, the latest curb to shut women out of public life. The Taliban government’s morality ministry closed the Band-e-Amir national park to women at the weekend, claiming they were failing to cover up with proper Islamic dress. Women have been barred from visiting parks, fairs and gyms, and must cover up in public since the Taliban authorities returned to power two years ago. They have also mostly been blocked from working for UN agencies or NGOs, with thousands sacked from government jobs or paid to stay at home. | AFP…

PARIS: France’s ambassador to Niger will stay in the country despite pressure to leave from leaders of a recent coup, President Emmanuel Macron said in a speech to diplomats yesterday. Macron also reiterated France’s support to Niger’s ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum, whose decision not to resign Macron called courageous. Last week, Niger’s junta, which seized power in a coup on July 26, said it had ordered French ambassador Sylvain Itte to leave the country within 48 hours. Macron also dismissed calls from some in the US and Europe for Western powers to give up on Bazoum. | Reuters…

Proteas batter Reeza Hendricks has a clear objective in mind at opening the new season: Start the new season in fine style by building on the successful campaign he enjoyed the last time around. The 34-year-old is still on cloud nine after being named the Men’s International T20 Batter of the Year at the Cricket South Africa Awards in July. The story of Hendricks is one of great dedication and resilience. The Kimberly-born cricketer missed out on the 2022 T20 World Cup, an omission he has admitted being difficult to deal with. Now back again and a shoo-in to lead the SA T20 batting line for their upcoming series against Australia, Hendricks is determined to light up the white-ball stage once again. “I think last season was a good one,…

78 new contract grower houses are being constructed in R400m investment by the growers LOCAL employment and chicken were in the spotlight yesterday after Rainbow Chicken, a division of RCL Foods, opened its second processing plant at Hammarsdale, west of Durban. This marked a return to full production, which was welcomed by the government and poultry industry. In 2017 Rainbow had to close half of the Hammarsdale operation and retrench some 1 200 workers as cheap chicken imports decimated the poultry sector. Rainbow said it had invested R220 mil- lion in their Hammarsdale abattoir and 78 new contract grower houses were being constructed at an investment by the growers of another R400 million. The investment was announced in April during the South African Investment Conference at the Sandton…

THE ANC’s Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) yesterday confirmed that it was in discussions with former president Jacob Zuma to assist it in the province ahead of 2024’s general elections. Zuma was released from prison earlier this month due to a remission of sentence for non-violent offenders approved by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The presidential pardon came after Zuma had been sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2021 after he refused to testify before the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. Zuma is also facing an ongoing trial, together with French arms company Thales, in which both face charges of racketeering, corruption, money laundering and fraud charges relating to the 1990s arms deal. Last week, the PEC revealed that former KwaZulu-Natal deputy chairperson Mike Mabuyakhulu had been roped in to…

WHAT a to-do! The crisis in Spanish football has echoes of Alexander Pope’s burlesque, The Rape of the Lock. The Spanish women footballers defeat the English Lionesses in Sydney, Australia, in the Women’s Rugby World Cup. Celebration across Spain. Luis Rubiales , the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, is in Sydney for the final and after the game, he seizes and kisses player Jenni Hermoso. Unasked, she says. With her permission, he says. Extraordinary. Anyway, outrage. Eleven members of the Spanish women’s team coaching staff tender their resignations, expressing their “firm and categorical condemnation of Rubiales’s behaviour towards Jenni Hermoso”. Rubiales says he’s the victim of a witch-hunt by “false feminists”. Now he has been suspended for 90 days by Fifa while it looks into the matter. Fifa…

South Africa has received high praise for its successful hosting of the BRICS Summit. The event, which drew massive media attention from across the globe, was a testament to the country’s ability to successfully organise and execute world-class events. The summit also highlighted South Africa’s strategic importance as the only country in Africa represented in BRICS. The benefits of BRICS are immense and will change the global markets. BRICS is reshaping global financial markets and moving away from reliance on the US dollar, creating a more equitable and sustainable global financial system. Many believe that the increasing economic power of the BRICS countries will have a significant impact on the global economy and contribute to a more balanced global order. South Africa’s entry into the BRICS club was initially met…

A 48-year-old police officer accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend made a second appearance in the Ixopo Magistrate’s Court on Friday. Sergeant Mbuyiseni Gema is accused of killing his girlfriend, Busisiwe Mathembi Ngcobo, 34, in the eHlanzeni area. Ngcobo was on her way to deliver her babies when she was killed and her body dumped 1.4km from her home. Initially it was reported she was pregnant with twins,but after her death, it was revealed that Ngubo was in fact pregnant with triplet boys. Gema is expected to make a bid for bail this week. National Prosecuting Authority Natasha Kara said the State intends opposing the bail application. Robbie Raburabu, spokesperson for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, said in addition to murder Gema may face charges of dealing in dagga, after…

The ad hoc committee responsible for selecting a candidate for the position of public protector (PP) will deliberate this week on the eight people interviewed last week for the position. The interviews were held over two days last week. Suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s term comes to an end in October. After the deliberations, the committee will make a recommendation to the National Assembly. The preferred candidate will require 60% of the votes for his or her name to be forwarded to President Cyril Ramaphosa for appointment. Last Thursday’s interviews saw Acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka’s probe into the Phala Phala scandal come back to haunt her. When EFF MP Omphile Maotwe raised Gcaleka’s membership of the ANC Youth League, she said: “I possess no membership of the ANC or…

Just over a month after a waste picker was killed and others were injured in an altercation with security guards at the Buffelsdraai landfill site north of Durban, eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has unveiled plans to resolve issues related to the site. During a community meeting on Saturday, Kaunda said he was pleased to report that the City had commenced with the process of profiling waste pickers in the area. Kaunda said about 40 young people would be recruited for a period of three months to clean the area and clear illegal dumping sites. | Karen Singh…

South Africa’s influential role at the recent BRICS Summit in Joburg should never be undermined and to maintain that level of influence in a bloc that now contains 11 developing nations, the country has to get its house in order and deal with the issues that prevent equality, job creation and attempts to eradicate poverty. President Cyril Ramaphosa had an excellent team, including Naledi Pandor, Minister of the Department of International Relations and Co-operation, who was assisted by the country’s BRICS Sherpa, Ambassador Anil Sooklal, whose work heading up to the summit included foreign minister and Sherpa meetings. The success of the summit was highlighted by the expansion outcomes and there has been all-round praise for the substantive outcomes, as adopted by the heads of state in the Johannesburg II…

Libya’s internationally recognised prime minister has suspended his top diplomat after she met her Israeli counterpart, with news of the encounter triggering demonstrations in a country that does not recognise Israel. Oil-rich Libya, which was plunged into chaos after dictator Muammar Gaddafi was toppled and killed in 2011, has been divided since 2014 between the UN-supported government of Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah in Tripoli and a rival administration based in the country’s east. Angry protesters took to the streets of the capital and other western cities on Sunday night, blocking roads with burning tyres and waving Palestinian flags, after it emerged that Najla al-Mangoush had met her Israeli counterpart in Rome last week. Al-Mangoush was “provisionally suspended and subject to an ‘administrative investigation’,” Dbeibah’s government said, after Israeli Foreign Minister…

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court yesterday quashed a sedition case against former prime minister Imran Khan, a relief for the embattled leader whose appeal against conviction in a separate corruption case will be decided on by a high court today. The former cricket hero, 70, had filed an appeal in the Islamabad High Court seeking to suspend his three-year sentence on corruption charges, saying he was convicted without being given a right to defence. Khan lost power after falling out with Pakistan’s military. | Reuters…

BAMAKO: A two-week blockade by Islamist militants has created food and aid shortages in the ancient city of Timbuktu, the mayor and residents said, as security deteriorates across much of northern and eastern Mali. Timbuktu has been surrounded by violence since French forces liberated it from militants in 2013 after an uprising. The unrest, driven by local affiliates of al-Qaeda and Islamic State, has intensified over the past year after the country’s military leaders kicked out French troops, asked UN peacekeepers to leave, and teamed up with Russian private military contractor Wagner Group. A local al-Qaeda affiliate, JNIM, has blocked the roads to Timbuktu since August 13, residents said. | Reuters…

Jakarta: Indonesia has sanctioned 11 industrial firms for failing to meet operational standards as the government moves to deal with major pollution spikes in the capital, Jakarta. Air pollution levels in the megalopolis of about 30 million people have risen to some of the highest in the world in recent months, topping global rankings multiple times, Swiss air monitor IQAir said. The government had blamed weather patterns and vehicle emissions for the spike but some ministers have acknowledged coal-fired power plants and factories around the capital were also partly responsible. | AFP…

Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has shed light on the agreements he signed with Chinese companies to assist with the country’s energy supply. According to Ramokgopa, the latest Memorandum of Co-operation he signed with eight Chinese companies during the 15th BRICS Summit last week is set to enhance energy security through infrastructure and technology development, human capital development and research. In addition, during President Xi Jinping’s state visit last week, the South African and Chinese governments exchanged letters under a technical assistance programme that would see about 450 petrol generators shipped to South Africa – which Ramokgopa said would assist in providing sources of energy needed at hospitals and clinics. In a press conference last week, Ramokgopa said the equipment had left Beijing and was en route to South Africa,…

The death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash probably took place in the shadows of the Kremlin, an ominous event that harks back to the elimination many years ago of Boris Nemtsov. Leaders have paid their tributes, expressed their horror and pledged as they always do when one of their leaders is murdered, that democracy will triumph. Within the corridors of the Kremlin, tales of skulduggery, intrigue, violence and murder have existed since the days of Vladimir Lenin. Powerful Russian leaders do not tolerate dissent. In 1934, top Soviet leader Sergei Kirov was assassinated on Stalin’s orders when he became a threat to those in the corridors of power in the Kremlin. Prigozhin’s fate was sealed when he violated the fundamental principle of Putin’s power, by challenging…

Bonding is a beautiful thing, while binding is not… Bonding – there is a sense of connection between spouses and people in committed relationships. The connection extends to children and, at various degrees of intensity, it includes extended family members. Bonding is not “controlled”. Grandparents and grandchildren may bond very deeply to the benefit of the whole family. The bond is secured with love and freedom. Bonding – there is a “freeing awareness” of the people in bonded relationships. They want the very best for each other while all are fully aware that success is in every individual’s hands. No matter how bonded and close people may be, each is aware that each must determine his or her own path. The bond is secured with regular and honest encouragement. Binding…

The search to track down a wandering leopard in the vicinity of the Roode- plaat Dam Nature Reserve, north-east of Pretoria, is continuing after it was reported to be on the loose on Friday. Control biodiversity officer at the nature reserve, Mpumelelo Mnci, on Sunday said “unfortunately we have not spotted the animal and the search continues”. He said it didn’t belong to the nature reserve and its owner was unknown. “We don’t keep predators in the nature reserve,” he said. On Friday, the Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment urged the community in the vicinity of the Roodeplaat Nature Reserve Dam to be on high alert. Spokesperson Andile Gumede said conservation reserve management officials and neighbours to the reserve were on the lookout for the animal. Should…

EFF LEADER Julius Malema has confirmed that the party will recall all its public representatives who failed to organise buses for their constituencies to attend the party’s 10th anniversary celebrations at FNB stadium a few weeks ago. Malema said there were 210 public representatives including MPs, MPLs and councillors, who are affected by the decision of the party. The party decided that the 210 members must resign from their positions with immediate effect failing which they will face disciplinary action, he said. Despite the fact that they will resign from their positions, whether in Parliament, provincial legislatures or councils, they will remain members of the EFF, he added. Initially, it was believed that more than 400 public representatives of the EFF would be recalled for failing to organise buses to…

KwaZulu-Natal police are investigating a case of murder after a homeless man burnt to death in Verulam, north of Durban, on Sunday. While the details around the man’s death are the subject of a police investigation, it is alleged that in the early hours of the morning, a group of residents approached two men who had been asleep under the bridge near the uMdloti River. Security company Reaction Unit SA’s (Rusa) Prem Balram said they were informed that two men had been sleeping when the occupants of two unbranded vans with white flashing lights stopped on the R102. It was alleged that the vehicles’ occupants approached them and burnt their blankets and belongings. One of the homeless men reported that he managed to flee and when he returned to the…

Agency, advocacy, and political will are key in fighting for justice IT IS August and I want to bury my head in the sand to avoid being part of what is turning out to be a condescending South African ritual against women – “speak justice in August, and practise injustices for the rest of the year”. The requests to feminists to rise up and give talks to dignify yet another August with sophisticated speak about quite a simple moral matter – women are as human as men. The ritual is tiring and it is creating despondency. How difficult can it be to switch to action on equality and fairness towards women as human beings too? How difficult can it be to be fair? How difficult can it be to see…

Record levels of government debt, geopolitical tensions that threaten to split the global trading system, and the likely persistence of weak productivity gains may saddle the world with a slow-growth future that stunts development in some countries even before it starts. That sobering view of a post-pandemic global economy emerged from research organised by the Kansas City Federal Reserve and debated in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, this past weekend. It explored issues like the outlook for technological innovation, public debt, and the state of international trade at a time when the Russian invasion of Ukraine and conflict between the US and China have eroded a once-broad global agreement to boost the free flow of goods and services. “Countries are now in a more fragile environment. They’ve used a lot of their…

Tropical Storm Idalia strengthened as it neared Cuba and the abnormally hot waters of the Gulf of Mexico yesterday, with forecasters predicting it could become a major hurricane before roaring ashore in Florida this week. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned the storm could have a “major impact” along the Gulf coast, telling a news conference that evacuations would take place and residents should “prepare accordingly” for Idalia. US President Joe Biden spoke with DeSantis and approved an emergency declaration for the state, promising it would have his “full support”, a White House spokesperson said. Idalia was set to reach hurricane status as it nears Cuba yesterday, where a hurricane warning was already in place for western Pinar del Rio province, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. It will then…

Washington: Fresh out of the first Republican primary debate, Indian-American candidate Vivek Ramaswamy suggested he would want Elon Musk as an advisor if he won the 2024 presidential election. Ramaswamy said he wanted to bring in people with “a blank fresh impression”. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know Elon Musk better recently. I expect him to be an interesting adviser of mine because he laid off 75% of the employees at Twitter,” he said. Ramaswamy has complimented Musk’s management of X, previously Twitter, saying he would run the government the way Musk runs the social media company. “Take out the 75% of the dead weight cost, improve the actual experience of what it’s supposed to do,” he said. Musk called Ramaswamy a “very promising candidate”. | IANS…

KAMPALA: A 20-year-old man has become the first Ugandan to be charged with “aggravated homosexuality” under the country’s recently enacted anti-gay law, prosecutors and his lawyer said. In May, Uganda prescribed life in prison for same-sex intercourse. The death penalty can apply in cases deemed “aggravated”, which include repeat offences, gay sex that transmits terminal illness, or same-sex intercourse with a minor, elderly person, or person with disabilities. Justine Balya, an attorney for the defendant, said she believed the law was unconstitutional. The law has been challenged in court, but the judges had not yet taken up the case. | Reuters…

Proteas spin kingpin Tabraiz Shamsi has waved away any concerns of complacency as the team prepares to face Australia before the Cricket World Cup. The Aussies will tussle with the Proteas in a three-match T20 International series starting tomorrow - with all three games at Kingsmead in Durban - before both teams tour the country for the five-match One-Day International leg. With a couple of their usual ‘big guns’ given a break for the upcoming games, suggestions of prioritising the ODI World Cup have surfaced with a few new faces introduced to the national team set-up. The global spectacle will take place in India from October 5. Shamsi, now 33, revealed that both contests will take equal significance, while expressing a great desire to clinch a win against one…