Indice dei contenuti per 2023-09-11 in Mercury

THE NEDLAC performance report spoke of an existential risk to the forum, a view that Business Unity South Africa (Busa) agreed with, Busa CEO Cas Coovadia said. He was commenting on the release of the report at the start of the annual Nedlac Summit on Friday. “It is thus critical for Nedlac to grapple with its role, positioning, mandate, and value-add. Nedlac must ensure it is ‘fit-for-purpose’ to be rele-vant in the current context and the challenges of the next decade,” he said He said Nedlac needed to be a forum for social dialogue and focus on programmes on which there was the greatest scope for collaboration across stakeholders, “instead of being a conflictual platform … Our success during Covid-19 was a sterling example of social compacting,” he said. He…

IN AN urgent bid to save the livelihoods of its employees and prevent a looming catastrophe that could lead to the demise of some of the country’s oldest newspapers in the Independent Media group, the black-owned Sekunjalo group will haul Standard Bank to the Equality Court tomorrow to prevent the closure of its accounts. Standard Bank last month indicated its intention to close banking accounts of Sekunjalo-related companies, including Independent Media, a decision that would be a devastating blow to more than 30 companies and the livelihoods of over 1 000 employees under Sekunjalo, including Independent Media, if the latest court bid fails. In turning to the Equality Court, the Sekunjalo Group and its subsidiary companies will seek an interdict against the closure of their accounts, arguing that the banks…

As a concerned citizen and advocate for the betterment of South Africa, I am writing to share my thoughts on how our nation can rid itself of load shedding and pave the way towards prosperity for all. Load shedding has become a frustrating and all-too-familiar occurrence in our daily lives. However, I firmly believe that South Africa should never have to experience such outages. We have been blessed with an abundant resource – coal, which has the potential to provide us with the cheapest energy source. It is time for us to reconsider the experiments sponsored by the UN and return to coal as our primary energy source. Our country boasts verifiable coal reserves that can last us another 420 years. Yet, we find ourselves pressured by Western countries to…

South Africa lost an architect of moderation with the passing of Prince Buthelezi, who now belongs to history, which was his companion during his long life. During his political lifetime, he not only held very strong principles but he defended them with dogged determination. He dedicated his life to combating racism and extremism in our strife-torn environment for more than 70 years. He lived and worked for peace in a volatile environment, refusing to be silenced or intimidated by those in the corridors of power. A towering political leader and an unwavering champion of equality for all. A devout champion of peace, justice and the rule of law. South Africa will never forget his supreme dedication, calmness and resolute approach to formidable matters, nor the strength of his commitments.…

Local residents in Nkonjeni, Ulundi, in northern KwaZulu-Natal paid their respects to the family of the late IFP leader, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, at his home yesterday. Buthelezi, founder and president emeritus of the IFP, iNkosi of the Buthelezi clan and traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch and nation, died on Saturday at the age of 95. Many locals said while they had known that Buthelezi had been battling ill health associated with old age, they had been hoping for more time with him. The locals, many of whom are IFP members and supporters, said they wanted Buthelezi well for the 2024 elections. Speaking to The Mercury yesterday, Siyabonga Xulu said the last time he had seen Buthelezi had been in July, and he had been hopeful that the elder…

A man, who was dedicated to fighting crime in his community of Zwelisha near Verulam, was shot dead outside his home on Saturday. Bongumusa Gasa, 58, was the secretary of the Mbombela community policing forum, which works to ensure safety in the area. Nkosi Mhlongo, the ward councillor who is also acting as family spokesperson, said they were shocked by the murder. “Bongumusa was a very humble man, and his family said that he did not have any enemies. The family is shocked about his passing as his caring nature went as far as ensuring that our community is safe. “We are very hurt about this and we are pleading with anyone who may have leads, to please speak to the police. We promise the family that we will make…

The South African government has failed its people once again by making the claim that they don’t have money to perform daily operations. It would be pointless to ask how this happened when it’s obvious given the extravagant lifestyles of government officials which is likely financed by exploiting funds in most cases. The lifestyle audits that our president wants to implement will be fruitless without holding these culprits accountable and getting rid of the rot within our political system. We are living in a lawless country at the mercy of predators who have no social consciousness and take no moral responsibility. Our president and his followers have brought our beautiful country to its knees in all spheres of government, most parastatals are a failure, inflation is on a sharp rise,…

Moroccans yesterday mourned the victims of a devastating earthquake that killed more than 2 000 people as rescue teams raced to find survivors trapped under the rubble of flattened villages. The strongest-ever quake recorded in the North African country has killed at least 2 012 people and injured over 2 000, many seriously, according to the latest official figures. Friday’s 6.8-magnitude quake struck 72km southwest of the tourist hub of Marrakesh, wiping out entire villages in the hills of the Atlas mountain range. “I’ve lost everything,” said Lahcen, a resident of the mountain village of Moulay Brahim, whose wife and four children were among those killed. Rescue workers recovered the bodies of Lahcen’s three daughters, but had not yet found the remains of his wife and son.…

Google faces its biggest legal challenge in a Washington court tomorrow, as it fends off accusations from the US government that it acted unlawfully to build its overwhelming dominance of online search. Over 10 weeks of testimony involving more than 100 witnesses, Google will try to persuade a federal judge that the landmark case brought by the Department of Justice is without merit. The trial is the biggest US antitrust case against a big tech company since the same department took on Microsoft more than two decades ago over the dominance of its Windows operating system. “Technology has progressed a lot in 20 years so what results from this case will have a strong bearing on how tech platforms operate in the future,” said John Lopatka, from Penn State’s School…

WARSAW: The Catholic Church yesterday beatified a Polish family of nine, including a new-born baby, who died at the hands of Nazi Germans during World War II for sheltering a Jewish family from the Holocaust. The beatification service for Jozef and Wiktoria Ulma and their seven children was held in the southeastern Polish town of Markowa where they died in March 1944 at the hands of German military police. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro read a letter from Pope Francis during a mass attended by Poland’s president and prime minister. Beatification is the last step before sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church. | Reuters…

LOS ANGELES: Elon Musk and Grimes have secretly welcomed their third child into the world. The on/off couple were known to be parents to three-year-old son X Æ A-12, and daughter Exa Dark Sideræl, 19 months, but a new biography of the Tesla boss – who has fathered eight other children with two women – by journalist Walter Isaacson states that they have also had another son, who is officially named Techo Mechanicus but goes by the name of Tau. In a review of the book Elon Musk, the New York Times said: “Isaacson has ably conveyed that Musk doesn’t truly like pushback… The musician Grimes, the mother of three of Musk’s children, calls his roiling anger ‘demon mode’”. Grimes has said that her older children, X and Y,…

As load shedding stages intensified in the past week, cellphone service and internet providers are working to beef up security to curb the theft of batteries and vandalism of infrastructure. Imran Khan, managing executive of Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal, said the region was actively taking measures to combat the increasing problem of vandalism and battery theft at base stations. Khan added that while this type of criminal activity had been on the rise, they have noticed a slight decline recently, due to their initiatives to tighten security at base station sites. “The cost of the impact of vandalism and theft goes beyond just the equipment and resources required for restoration. It disrupts network services, causing downtime for customers and affecting communities.” The region had implemented back-up power solutions at base station sites,…

In today’s online and digital era, social media platforms have become an essential component in the lives of people, including children. The increasing use of social media is intensifying the incidence of bullying, spreading of misinformation and untruths and other destructive activities. This damaging behaviour is a concern and comes in different expressions, including stalking, harassment, cyberbullying and the spreading of gossip, slander, vulgarity and hate speech. The facelessness and namelessness offered by social media platforms allows individuals to act with absolute freedom, without the possibility of facing sanctions for their conduct. Addressing the irresponsible conduct on social media requires a multi-faceted approach involving various stakeholders like the family, social media platform owners, awareness of social media laws and regulations and institutions such as places of worship, schools and developing…

’TWAS a huge puzzlement. I was at the Bush Tavern, in eMdloti, for lunch with a recently retired colleague and a lady. We were on the outside upper deck with a superb view over the Indian Ocean where 24 ships were spread about at anchor, waiting to enter Durban harbour. What did this congestion mean? A booming economy? Chaos in the harbour? We did not allow such questions to disturb our excellent lunch. Then we called for the bill. “No sir, the waiter said, it’s already been paid.” Bill paid? Why? Who paid it? We hadn’t reocognised among our fellow-lunchers anyone we so much as knew. Who would want to pay for ours? “I don’t know the gentleman’s name,” the waiter said. “Show him to us.” “He’s left already.” We…

The greatest casualty of our times is surely the near-complete lack of confidence and faith in our leadership. To such an extent that even possibly dedicated, committed, genuinely sincere newcomers-on-the-scene are scoffed at and disregarded with gross and even very rude cynicism. “We have heard all that before” is not even processed in our brains any more. Our minds, our psyches, our very ectoplasm, all have been deafened. Eskom, electricians, engineers and artisans can work round the clock. Conferences involving “iconic” (despotic) world leaders can convene, again and again, till the moon begins to radiate its own light one night. Russian ships will get loaded with our Indian rolling pins, African assegais and Boere rugby balls up to pirate flag height. Cattle will chew dollars away at Phala Phala-type farmlands…

Health Minister Joe Phaahla has revealed that there were more than 4 000 unclaimed bodies at state mortuaries across the country as at the end of August. The number has increased from the 1 777 recorded at the end of June. “Nationally there are a total of 4 045 unclaimed bodies at the forensic pathology mortuaries,” Phaahla said. He was responding to parliamentary questions from Freedom Front Plus MP Philip van Staden. Phaahla said KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of unclaimed bodies at 1 509, followed by Gauteng with 1 049 and Limpopo with 350. The Western Cape has recorded 350 unclaimed bodies, Eastern Cape 315, North West 251, Free State 108, with the remainder of the bodies unclaimed in Mpumalanga and Northern Cape. Phaahla said out of the 4…

The leader of the African Transformation Movement (ATM), Vuyo Zungula, has slammed National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s refusal to ensure a secret ballot when Parliament votes on the adoption of the Section 194 report, which found suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane unfit to hold office. Today, Parliament is expected to decide on the fate of the suspended public protector, who might find herself forfeiting her R10 million gratuity benefits should President Cyril Ramaphosa impeach her. The sitting of the National Assembly today on the removal of Mkhwebane comes a few days after the Ethics Committee cleared Qubudile Dyantyi and ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina of allegations of bribery. Last week, following letters from the ATM and the United Democratic Movement (UDM), Mapisa-Nqakula declined their requests for a secret ballot, saying…

Three people died and a further nine were injured in accidents in KwaZulu-Natal over the weekend. Yesterday morning, ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson reported that one person was killed in a serious collision on the corner of Edwin Swales and Titren Road in Seaview between a taxi and a super bike. “Paramedics found that the biker, a man in his twenties, was in a critical condition. Advanced Life Support Paramedics worked to stabilise him but his injuries were too severe and despite all efforts he died on the scene.” In another accident yesterday morning, Reaction Unit SA (Rusa) spokesperson Prem Balram said a 19-year-old woman was killed in a motorcycle accident on Bond Street in Mt Moreland near Verulam. “Reaction officers found the dirt bike in a bush. “A 25-year-old…

Move will cause harm to over 1000 employees and their families STANDARD Bank’s decision to abruptly terminate Independent Media and other Sekunjalo Group companies’ accounts, including those of the Group’s other media entities, is a travesty of democracy. According to the bank, having these companies as clients poses a reputational risk. It is evident, though, that there is greater risk to Standard Bank’s reputation in not banking the Group, especially its media entities. Had Standard Bank not unbanked the Group, it is doubtful that anyone would have known that any of the Sekunjalo companies banked with it in the first place. However, now that the closure of accounts is imminent – expected on 15th September 2023 - Unions have united in support of Independent Media and its affiliates, recognising the…

The G20 summit in New Delhi ended yesterday as India handed over the bloc presidency to Brazil, while both the US and Russia praised a consensus that did not condemn Moscow for the war in Ukraine but called on members to shun the use of force. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the group’s leaders to hold a virtual meeting in November to review progress on policy suggestions and goals announced at the weekend. “It is our responsibility to look at the suggestions that have been made to see how progress can be accelerated,” he said in a statement. On Saturday, the group adopted a leaders’ declaration that avoided condemning Russia for the war but highlighted the human suffering the conflict had caused and called on all states not to…

Ankara: Efforts were under way to rescue a New York cave researcher who has been trapped 3 000 ft underground, the media reported. Mark Dickey, an experienced caver and chief of the New Jersey Initial Response Team, who usually rescues others, fell ill after which an international team of more than 170 rescuers has set up a medical relay system in Türkiye’s third-deepest cave to aid him. Dickey had gastrointestinal bleeding on while on a mapping expedition in the Morca cave. He was given IV fluids and at least four litres of blood. A regional official from the disaster management agency said it would take a healthy person 16 hours to be evacuated from the cave. | IANS…

Marseille: The Ocean Viking, a rescue ship chartered by SOS Mediterranee, rescued 68 stranded migrants in international waters off Libya yesterday, the France-based humanitarian NGO announced. They were rescued from a double-decker wooden boat that left Zouara in Libya last night, the NGO said. “Several of them are suffering from seasickness and are currently being treated by the medical team of SOS Mediterranee and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on board the Ocean Viking.” Italian authorities have ordered the NGO to disembark the survivors at Ancona, a distant port to which the organisation has objected. | AFP…

BERLIN: Prince Harry lost a penalty shoot-out with defence minister Boris Pistorius on German TV without scoring a goal. The Duke of Sussex, in Duesseldorf to open the Invictus Games, took on Pistorius and two athletes in the shoot-out on German late-night television. Harry failed to convert any of his six shots against a modified goal, which included two openings for players to score in the absence of a goalkeeper. Pistorius, a previous minister for sport in the German state of Lower Saxony, converted two of his six attempts. | AFP…

THE MINISTER of Electricity Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has placed all his hopes of ending higher stages of load shedding on the misfiring Kusile power station in Witbank, Mpumalanga. Kusile is a multi-billion rand 3 200MW coal-fired power station in which a number of generation units are not operating after a section of the flue-gas desulphurisation duct, which carries emissions from Kusile Unit 1 into a large chimney, collapsed in October 2022, contributing roughly two stages of load shedding. Kusile and Koeberg nuclear power stations are the biggest contributors to the ongoing energy crisis as they have taken at least 3 000MW from Eskom’s generation capacity. Ramokgopa yesterday said he will be visiting Kusile today where he expects to announce the timelines set to return some units back into…

THE funeral of the founder and president emeritus of the IFP and traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch and nation, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, will take place on Friday, his family announced yesterday. KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube said there was close communication between her office and the Presidency regarding the arrangements. Dube-Ncube said the family wanted to accommodate mourners who were streaming in and a daily service would be held at 5pm for those who wanted to pay their respects. “Communities are encouraged to attend the 5pm service so that they can allow the family the private space to prepare for the funeral.” As dignitaries, politicians and friends continue to arrive at the home of Buthelezi, the IFP – the party he formed in 1975 – will hold a special…

Mindsets (of individuals and groups), I have recently encountered. There are people and organisations (schools, churches, businesses, not-for-profits) who have: • A visionary mindset: they see possibilities and opportunities in almost everything. They are creative and resourceful. They can hardly wait to get started or continue building and participating in doing wonderful and challenging and adventurous things. They say “yes” more than “no”. They seek to solve encountered problems rather than search for them or create them. • A victim mindset: for victims, possibilities are very limited because they already perceive themselves as downtrodden by the choices of others and “large” opponents like “the education system” and “the government”. Every hurdle encountered simply underscores that success is impossible. Victim thinking defaults to “just say no” to almost everything. • A…

Adrian Gore’s claim that Discovery Green’s renewable energy platform will produce more affordable energy and reduce the carbon footprint is an assault on science and economics (Business Report, September 7). As a member of the World Economic Forum it is not surprising that he is promoting the debunked narrative that CO2 emissions are causing climate change. For all Gore’s business acumen, it is remarkable that he blithely ignores the vast quantities of minerals that would have to be mined and transported in order to manufacture wind turbines, solar panels and the batteries needed to store the energy they intermittently produce. How does he think any of that can be achieved without fossil fuel energy and lubrication? Has he considered the extent to which his green pursuit would further increase the…

Liezl van der Merwe, who was Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s spokesperson and press officer for 17 years, says his death has robbed her of a father figure and a great mentor. Speaking to The Mercury yesterday, Van der Merwe, who is also an IFP MP, fondly recalled how the IFP founder and president emeritus had introduced himself at one of the party’s conferences and how this had left a lasting impression on her. “When he was about to enter the conference venue there was this excitement from the audience including media people and in all that commotion he took time to introduce himself to me and I was simply floored by the gesture. From that moment we have been working together,” said Van der Merwe. She added that she had been…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for collaboration to address food and energy security in the world. Ramaphosa told the G20 summit in India on Saturday that the global economy was struggling to recover and the world must respond to a number of challenges it is facing. At the gathering Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the AU will join the G20. US leader Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other world leaders attended the summit. However president of China, Xi Jinping, and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin did not attend. Ramaphosa said there was a need to collaborate on many fronts as the global economy tries to recover. “We continue to face an unsteady global economic recovery. As policy makers, we therefore need to be flexible and…

THE battle between the eThekwini Municipality and the Westville Ratepayers’ Association (WRA) over the residents’ rates boycott is intensifying with the two parties set to meet in court on Thursday after the municipality disconnected services to some residents who are part of the action. The WRA, which has lodged a dispute with the municipality over the tariff increases passed in the budget, had recently filed a court application in the Durban High Court for an interdict to prevent the municipality from disconnecting their water and lights while the dispute is pending. The matter was set to be heard later this year and the municipality intends to oppose this application. However on Friday, the WRA filed an urgent supplementary affidavit in which it said that the City cut services to at…

EThekwini Municipality, together with industry role-players, is gearing up to welcome an expected 950 000 travellers to Durban. Durban mayor Mxolisi Kaunda unveiled the “Durban Sizzling Summer Campaign” last week. Kaunda said that this year alone, Durban had seen a significant influx of 123 364 international passengers at the King Shaka International Airport, marking a 126% increase from the previous year. Domestic arrivals too have seen a boost, with a 22% rise, amounting to 2.1 million passengers, he said. “During this year’s summer season, we anticipate an occupancy rate of 62% up from 57% achieved last year. Furthermore, we expect over 950 000 visitors to descend on our shores, resulting in a direct spend of over R2.1 billion and R5.2bn contribution to the GDP as well…

The G20 New Delhi leaders’ declaration and its focus on multilateralism offers hope for developing countries that international financial institutions will be reformed and that more cognisance will be paid to global debt vulnerabilities. Leaders of the world’s leading economies met in New Delhi at the weekend to discuss a range of issues from the green development pact for a sustainable future to accelerating progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These are crucial discussions for a new world order and those countries that represent the developing or emerging world stressed that there must be more balance, especially with how decisions are taken by international financial institutions, which historically have operated in a manner that benefited unilateral decision-making and developed nations. The declaration states: “We are working to deliver better,…

At least 40 people were killed and dozens injured yesterday in air strikes in the south of Sudan’s capital Khartoum, local activists said, as the war nears the end of its fifth month. The revised toll means yesterday’s raid was one of the deadliest single attacks in the war that erupted in April between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. “Military aircraft bombarded the Qouro market area,” said the local resistance committee, one of many groups that used to organise pro-democracy protests and now provides assistance during the war. “The number of victims of the Quoro market massacre” had risen to 40 by the afternoon, the committee said, revising its previous toll of 30 killed. The committee…

Stockholm: The family of a Swedish EU diplomat held captive in Iran for over 500 days called yesterday for his release, as he marked his birthday in a Tehran jail. “Today on Johan’s 33rd birthday, he should be with us celebrating,” the family of Johan Floderus said. Floderus was arrested on April 17, 2022 at Tehran’s airport. The Swede, who had been working in Brussels for the EU delegation to Afghanistan as a programme officer since September 2021, is being held at Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. Several capitals have accused Iran of practising “hostage diplomacy” – arresting Western nationals to obtain concessions such as the release of detained Iranians. | AFP…

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mali’s military ruler, Assimi Goita, yesterday advocated a political settlement in Niger, where the coup leaders have accused France of planning a “military intervention”. Mali has shifted to Russia since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021. The political crisis in Niger sparked by a coup d’etat on July 26 should be resolved “through political and diplomatic means”, the Kremlin said. Niger’s military rulers accused France of assembling troops, war materials and equipment in neighbouring countries with a view to “military intervention” in the Sahel state. | AFP…

US President Joe Biden hailed closer ties with Vietnam yesterday as the two countries struck a deal to deepen relations and co-operation on strategic supplies in the face of growing competition from China. Biden flew from the G20 summit in New Delhi to meet the leader of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, to sign off on a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, Hanoi’s highest level of diplomatic ties. The goal of the short visit mirrors Biden’s time at the G20 gathering – shoring up support against China’s increasing diplomatic influence, while securing supplies of strategically important resources from friendly countries. “This can be the beginning of even a greater era of co-operation,” Biden said as he met Trong, Vietnam’s paramount leader. “Vietnam and the United States are critical partners at…