Indice dei contenuti per 2024-01-05 in Mercury

As the festive season has left some people with a dent in their pockets, experts have urged consumers to tighten their belts to avoid the January blues. Neil Roets, CEO of Debt Rescue, said consumers should prioritise and review their spending in January. “This will help to prevent a situation of ‘Januworry’ with all its financial challenges. First, set up a budget and look for opportunities for living expenses to be revised. “This can include forgotten debit orders for services no longer used or needed.” Roets added that consumers need to review habits that might have gone unnoticed, such as eating out. “Next, tackle debts to avoid extra interest charges and costs. Planning your finances is of utmost importance, now more than ever, with the financial difficulties consumers are facing…

As we head for the most crucial general election in our history it becomes a moral obligation on us all to cast our vote, which will decide the fate of our beleaguered nation. The stench of corruption is so pungent that it has toxified the political atmosphere in the country. Accountability requires that those who have been unmasked must be permanently banned from entering the political arena. The acrid smoke of brazen corruption has enveloped our entire land in a deadly haze and a fog of deception, that has emasculated our hard-won democracy. The ANC was once vibrant and it made a real contribution to the birth of democracy more than 25 years ago. Today, time and circumstances have changed. Any political party that refuses to adapt will suffer the…

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) said it had noted a “negligible increase” in the number of vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, although it could be attributed to normal trade factors. This as a number of cargo vessels and others have rerouted from the Red Sea and are travelling through the Suez Canal to the Cape of Good Hope in an effort to evade potential attacks by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis. As a response to Israel’s deadly and unceasing military bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip, Houthis have attacked a number of commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea with drones and missiles in a show of solidarity with Palestinians. The Houthis said they would be targeting vessels linked to or en-route to Israel or occupied Palestine, with the…

Police have arrested two foreign nationals following the discovery of drugs in a vehicle en route from Tanzania. Officers in Limpopo intercepted the bakkie on January 1. Police spokesperson, Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, said the men were allegedly found transporting heroin with an estimated street value of R3 million. “Acting on intelligence, officers intercepted the vehicle on the R510 as it was en route to Thabazimbi and discovered a substantial quantity of heroin drugs hidden within a false compartment,” Mashaba said. He said the suspects, aged 55 and 56, were currently in custody, and investigations are ongoing. Provincial Commissioner of Limpopo police, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, praised police for their sterling work. Mashaba urged anyone with additional information related to this case to come forward and assist in the ongoing investigation.…

The Department of Home Affairs has said that its services are currently not available due to a technical fault on the State Information Technology Agency (Sita) mainframe. It said this affected access to the National Population Register (NPR). “The Department of Home Affairs wishes to regrettably alert citizens that its services are not available at the moment due to a technical problem on the State Information Technology Agency mainframe, which affects access to the National Population Register,” it said in a statement. It is believed the system crashed due to the high volume of data being recorded. South Africans have long been frustrated by the long queues at Home Affairs offices to access services and foreign nationals are also affected when trying to get their documents legally captured. The department’s…

SOME residents in Verulam and Phoenix say they are fed up and angry after having gone months without water. DA councillor Yogis Govender described the ongoing water issues in Phoenix, Verulam and oThongathi as a catastrophe. She said the hardest hit areas included the new phase upper Madrona Drive near the reservoir, which has had no water for 75 days, while nine upper roads have had no water for 54 days “The whole of Trenance Park, new and old phase, has had no water since the morning of January 1 this year,” said Govender. Trenance Park resident Joshua Ramsamy said while the issue was ongoing for years, it had become much worse. “Every day you wake up in the morning and you expect water in your taps, but you…

IT IS not always the party in power or government that must be blamed for failures, but sometimes a department. When it comes to the honouring of activists, heroes, and heroines, the comrades from the party must put pressure on its comrades in government to do something. Some heroes who fought against the apartheid system on various fronts did not even see the freedom they had fought for. Even those who did are/were not known or honoured. When the history of this country is both written and read, it is rare to hear about the role Christians played against apartheid. Even if it is done, it is in small pockets. From the white community side, they know of only a few individuals like Beyers Naudé. They do not know about…

Israeli bombing killed dozens of people in besieged Gaza, the health ministry of the Hamas-run Palestinian territory said yesterday, as regional tensions have surged over the almost three-months-old war. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to head to the Middle East, a US official said on condition of anonymity, the top diplomat’s fourth trip to the region since the Hamas attack of October 7 triggered the bloodiest ever Gaza war. The Israeli military, in its campaign to destroy the Islamist militant group, has reported more strikes in and around Gaza City, now a largely devastated urban combat zone, and Khan Yunis, the biggest city in the territory’s south. The Gaza health ministry reported “dozens of martyrs and more than 100 wounded in the continued barbaric aerial and artillery…

Thousands of Japanese rescuers yesterday battled rubble and blocked roads as hopes faded for dozens listed as missing three days after a devastating earthquake that killed at least 81. Hundreds of people in more than a dozen communities remained cut off in Ishikawa prefecture in central Japan, devastated by the 7.5-magnitude quake on New Year’s Day. Regional governor Hiroshi Hase told a disaster management meeting that hours after the quake, “the survival rate of those in need of rescue is said to drop precipitously”. “This is the worst catastrophe” in the current Reiwa era in the Japanese calendar, which began in 2019 when the current emperor ascended the throne, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. An elderly woman trapped in a house destroyed by a huge earthquake in central Japan was…

London: Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler says he has what it takes to become a world champion after falling at the final hurdle in his history-making bid. The 16-year-old set London’s Alexandra Palace alight during the PDC World Darts Championship, which began in mid-December. He was one win away from becoming the youngest world champion after a gripping run to the final. But new world number one Luke Humphries came out on top on Wednesday, winning 7-4 to lift the Sid Waddell trophy for the first time. Littler said: “I just wanted to win one game … so this is a massive bonus. I have gained a lot of experience … I am in the top 32 now.” Humphries, 28, praised Littler. “He is going to win plenty, that’s for…

London: Tens of thousands of junior doctors in England have started six days of industrial action over pay disputes, marking the longest strike in the National Health Service’s (NHS) 75-year history. The walkouts came after talks collapsed between the government and BMA members, who have been calling for a 35% pay increase. In September 2023, NHS doctors in England began to receive pay rises, with first-year doctors in training awarded 10.3%, while the average junior doctor got 8.8%. The strikes have put mounting pressure on an already overstretched medical system. | IANS…

Former Bafana Bafana midfielder Mandla Masango has great hopes in the huge Mamelodi Sundowns contingent instilling a winning mentality in the side ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations. The continental spectacle will kick off on January 13 in the Ivory Coast and run until February 11. Bafana will play their first match on January 16 against Mali. National team coach Hugo Broos has selected 10 Sundowns players in his 23-man squad. Bafana captain Ronwen Williams is expected to be the first name on the team sheet. Sundowns club mates Grant Kekana, Thapelo Maseko, Aubrey Modiba, Mothobi Mvala, Khuliso Mudau, Themba Zwane, Teboho Mokoena, Terrence Mashego and Thapelo Morena are also expected to play a huge role. The Brazilians captured the inaugural African Football League (AFL) title in November. The…

ALTHOUGH he acknowledges age is no longer on his side, Itumeleng Khune is not about to entertain the “R” word just yet. Instead, the popular Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper, who has been placed on ice by his club for disciplinary reasons, still dreams of more success. His drive to add more achievements to an illustrious career has been fuelled by the continued love and support he enjoys from the football public. For the 11th year running, he has received the highest number of votes for the Carling Cup competition and will be in goal for the All-Star team that will take on Carling Knockout winners Stellenbosch FC in Polokwane tomorrow. Khune was frank yestereday as he responded to questions about his recent troubles with Chiefs, as well as how long he…

About 12 years ago, I wrote the biography of conservationist Ian Player under the title Into the River of Life. As a senior officer in the then Natal Parks Board, he saved the white rhino from extinction; he established the Wilderness Trails, where townsmen and women camped in the wilderness alongside the wildlife, an absolute first in Africa, the opposite being the practice elsewhere; he established the Wilderness Leadership School; he established a world network of wilderness protection and development conferences. Ian recognised the importance of wilderness in mankind’s psyche, long before the idea reached today’s popularity. Speaking to him in his farm office in the Karkloof, in the Midlands, we would often be interrupted by phone calls from the US, Australia and elsewhere for advice on conservation matters. Also…

A FOREIGN national’s honesty has caused him ongoing problems and legal fees. For four years, the father of two worked in the country with a fraudulent work visa, but the moment he reported the fraud to Home Affairs, rather than assisting him, he faced deportation. The man, only identified as TC in a judgment delivered shortly before Christmas, told the Western Cape High Court he had no idea he was issued with a fraudulent visa. Being honest, he immediately reported it to the department. This was the start of his uphill battle in a bid to obtain his work permit in a legal manner. The department time and again refused to issue him with a work permit and the man turned to the court in October last year in a…

Mopping up operations at the Shelley Point Hotel & Spa in St Helena Bay in the Western Cape have commenced after a devastating fire ripped through the iconic establishment on Tuesday. The blaze, which started in a kitchen on Tuesday morning, led to the evacuation of hotel guests and staff as firefighters from different municipalities on the West Coast banded together to battle the blaze. Carel Steenkamp, CEO of the Lone Bull group, said they were conducting assessments to determine the extent of the damage. He said the hotel was first constructed in 2007. “The main block and A block was constructed in 2007 and the B block in 2009. A full refurbishment was done in 2018/19.” Saldanha Bay mayor André Truter said the loss of the R350 million hotel…

Two workers were killed following a lightning strike at a farm in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday. The pair were working on a farm in Bergville when they were struck. “About 50 people were affected by the lightning strike and received on-site medical attention, while four were transported to the hospital, where they are currently in recovery," the provincial Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) said in a statement. Provincial media liaison officer Sboniso Mngadi said that disaster teams were monitoring the situation. Cogta MEC Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi expressed her condolences to the families of the deceased. Sithole-Moloi said it was saddening that weather-related disasters continued to claim lives in the province, despite efforts to mitigate the risk. The province was hit by heavy rains over the festive season that…

A TEEN believed to be 16 years old allegedly gave birth and dumped her baby in an abandoned pit latrine in the Maphumulo area within Ilembe District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. IPSS Search and Rescue spokesperson Dylan Meyrick said yesterday that members of IPSS alongside uMhlali SAPS K9 Search and Rescue responded to the area after receiving reports of a newborn dumped in a pit latrine. “Reports from the scene indicate that a 16-year-old female allegedly concealed the birth of a baby and disposed of it in a 2m-deep abandoned pit latrine in a neighbour’s yard after placing it in a plastic packet,” he said. Meyrick said the packet containing the newborn’s body was successfully retrieved from the pit latrine. He said once the newborn was confirmed as being deceased, the…

Prominent ANC figures may end up facing corruption charges A NEW Year column brings the unstated responsibility to strike a note of optimism and renewal. It’s a tradition, like a pagan ritual, to observe a sacred pause between one year and the next, and to make an offering of resolution. To acknowledge this, despite all that seems squashing and mind-boggling, and to strike such a note – believing there is still some measure of personal freedom to be better and do better as a citizen of a “Rainbow Nation” alive with possibilities – is more challenging this year than in previous ones. A new year is a time for new beginnings, but those beginnings look dicey to this prognosticator. In South Africa, where unintended consequences are a part of life,…

Argentine judges this week suspended labour law changes that form part of a mega-decree of sweeping economic reforms and deregulation announced by the country’s libertarian new president, Javier Milei. The CGT trade union body had challenged the changes, which technically took effect last Friday, on grounds that they erode basic worker protections such as the right to strike and parental leave. The three judges of Argentina’s labour appeals chamber froze elements of Milei’s decree which, among other things, increased the legal job probation period from three to eight months, reduced compensation in case of dismissal, and cut pregnancy leave. Judge Alejandro Sudera questioned the “necessity” and “urgency” of the decree Milei signed on December 20 – just days after taking office – and suspended the measures until they can be…

Pilots on a Japan Airlines (JAL) plane that burst into flames just after all 379 passengers and crew escaped had no “visual contact” with the other aircraft in the collision, the airline said yesterday. The three pilots were also unable to see the fire from the cockpit when it first broke out and were informed of it by cabin crew, a JAL spokesperson said. The airliner hit a coast guard plane after landing at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday evening. All but one of the six people on the smaller aircraft were killed. A ball of flame erupted from the airliner before it came to a halt and was consumed by a huge blaze. But the pilots said they had no “visual contact” with the other plane, although one of…

Brussels: Ambassadors from Nato and Ukraine will hold a meeting next week as Kyiv urges faster deliveries of air defences after mounting Russian strikes, the alliance said yesterday. Moscow has over the New Year unleashed some of its biggest missile and drone attacks on Ukraine since February 2022. At least 32 people were killed in the deadliest attack on Kyiv on December 29. Meanwhile, Polish farmers yesterday resumed their blockade of a border checkpoint with Ukraine, claiming that grain prices have been depressed by Ukrainian imports. On Wednesday, Ukraine and Russia carried out a prisoner swop, returning 230 Ukrainian captives and 248 Russian prisoners. | AFP…

Bangkok: An armed Myanmar ethnic group claimed yesterday it had downed a military helicopter, killing six soldiers onboard in a northern region of the country. The junta is under increasing military pressure in the north from armed groups, but retains dominance in the sky thanks to its Chinese- and Russian-built aircraft. A spokesperson for the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which has fought the military for year said the helicopter had crashed yesterday. The KIA said six junta soldiers were killed in the incident in Waingmaw township in Kachin state. | AFP…

Ongama Gcwabe highlights plays from the record-breaking New Year’s Test at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town. Guard of honour: As Dean Elgar crossed the boundary ropes for the last time in his career, the Proteas Test squad formed a guard of honour to bid farewell to one of the best Test openers to ever put on a Proteas jersey. Aiden Markram on Elgar: “He’s been fantastic. He took me under his wing from the first day at the Titans, I think that was nine years ago. He’s looked after me ever since. “He’s a tough character, he never shies away from an honest conversation and a guy that you always want in your dressing room. It’s going to be sad to see him go but he’s been a fantastic…

TOTTENHAM Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou said Son Heung-min’s departure for the Asian Cup is a “big loss” as he urged his side to make up for the South Korean’s untimely absence. Postecoglou’s team host Burnley in the FA Cup third round today in the first of up to six matches without Son. The Tottenham skipper has scored 12 times in all competitions this season, helping his club to climb to fifth place in the Premier League. Postecoglou believes they will miss the forward’s influence off the pitch as well as his goals, with vice-captains Cristian Romero and James Maddison both injured. “Sonny, if you name a team of the year at the moment, he’s in it,” Postecoglou said. “He’s been a hell of a player for us. “It’s a big…

THE KWAZULU-NATAL parents association has warned that some of the changes proposed in the Basic Education Law Amendment (Bela) Bill would be impossible to implement and could be detrimental to pupils’ welfare. The bill is out for public comment, a process expected to be completed in the coming weeks. It has proposed a raft of measures to ensure that children’s rights to education are protected. Changes include that Grade R will be made compulsory. It also amends the penalty provision in the case where the parent of a pupil, or any other person, without just cause, prevents a pupil who is subject to compulsory attendance from attending school. It provides too that the governing body of a public school must submit the admission and language policies of the public school…

On January 2 2024, the Israeli government announced that it will appear in the Hague at the ICJ and the first hearing is set for January 11 and 12, 2024. South African Jews for a Free Palestine (SAJFP) wholeheartedly welcomes South Africa’s submission to the ICJ as part of a set of tactics towards (attaining) justice, in the pursuit of a free Palestine and the absolute ending of the genocide in Gaza. The genocide in Gaza has its roots in the ongoing Nakba that marked the establishment of the apartheid Zionist settler colony of Israel in 1948, in continuity with the establishment of the apartheid state in South Africa in the same year. 1948 was also the year in which the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime…

TO listen is to love. Listening, no matter how skilled you are, cannot be faked. You may be skilled at multi-tasking but even you can’t listen and, at the same time, do other things. Even if you’re one of those people who can “spin a lot of plates at one time” or whatever the metaphor is, even you can’t do other things and listen and really hear the person talking to you. Listening takes more than both ears. It takes both ears, both eyes, a closed mouth, and your whole focused body. Even thinking about or wanting to check your phone, let alone the shifty reptile-like quick glances you give it and think no one notices, upsets your capacity to hear and it disturbs the speaker’s ease in talking to…

Students who will be applying for National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) assistance only need to provide copies of their IDs and personal details during the application period. Supporting documents will be required when prompted by NSFAS in cases where they cannot verify the parental relationship. The applications for student funding will close on January 31. Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande had previously said he was pleased with the improvements that the scheme had made to relieve stress on students who will be applying. “I was pleased to hear that, as part of improving the services to students, for this application period there will be no supporting documents required at the time of application,” he said. He explained that the South African Social Security Agency, the South African Revenue Service…

THE marathon trial of Rivers of Living Waters Church leader Bishop Bafana Stephen Zondo, is far from over, with the clergyman expected to present his defence this year on rape charges. All of Zondo’s alleged seven victims have testified before the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria since the start of the trial towards the end of 2021. Zondo has pleaded not guilty. The prosecution is expected to wrap up its evidence when the trial resumes on February 19. While it is not confirmed that Zondo will take the witness stand in own defence, he is expected to do so. Armed with one of the top criminal advocates in the country, Piet Pistorius, the court was on numerous occasions told that Zondo will testify that his alleged victims are all out to…

A WOMAN who claimed to be the wife of a man who died four years ago turned to the court to obtain an order that she is his lawful widow, together with his second wife, and thus entitled to inherit half of his estate. The applicant, only identified as MZ, turned to the Durban High Court for an order declaring she and the deceased had entered into valid customary marriage. However the court ruled against the applicant. The woman said the marriage subsisted until the man’s death. The second wife opposed the application and said she and the man were married under civil law and she was thus the only lawful widow. She is, however, embroiled in separate legal proceedings in a bid to claim maintenance from his estate. The…

The country’s blood stocks remain low and this could adversely affect those who required life-saving procedures in which blood transfusion was needed. The SA National Blood Service (SANBS) said stocks usually decline during the festive season and urged people to donate as much as possible, to ensure stocks were replenished as and when they were required. “Regular blood donors go on vacation, schools and workplaces close, and recently fluctuating weather conditions often lead to the cancellation of mobile blood drives, which account for many of the blood units collected daily,” the SANBS. It said this naturally led to decreased blood donations and disruption, often severely affecting patients in need. “Let’s come together, not just in celebration, but in an act of giving that can truly make a difference. Our blood…

The African Cup of Nations is the most prestigious football competition in Africa and on Thursday, Bafana struck up camp to start their earnest preparations in recapturing the continent title. The showpiece event kicks off next Saturday in the Ivory Coast, with 24 teams dreaming of being crowned champions of Africa. These 24 nations emerged victorious from the qualifying campaign involving 54 teams. This will be the 34th edition of Africa’s biennial national men’s team football competition. Over the years, it has expanded in size and is now a far cry from its origins more than 60 years ago. The event was first staged in 1957 when three teams participated. There was a fourth team, however, but South Africa was disqualified due to the apartheid policies of the national government…

A New York judge this week began to unseal the identities of people linked in court documents to Jeffrey Epstein, the US financier who killed himself in 2019 as he awaited trial for sex crimes. Notably included in the unsealed documents, which include almost 1 000 pages of depositions and statements, were former US presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, who have not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case. The list of around 150 people include a host of Epstein associates previously identified as John or Jane Does in a lawsuit brought against Epstein’s former mistress, Ghislaine Maxwell. It carries no allegation of complicity in Epstein’s crimes. The list of names features both notable figures and individuals who have openly discussed their connections to Epstein in media interviews,…

Bristol: Britain’s main opposition leader Keir Starmer said yesterday that a general election this year would offer the UK the chance to “get our future back”. The Labour leader laid out what he called “Project Hope” in a speech. Starmer, whose centre-left party is well ahead in opinion polls, said the election will be a choice between “14 years of decline” and “a decade of national renewal”. He pledged to spur growth, put more police on Britain’s streets and create a publicly owned clean energy company. | AFP…

Stockholm: Hundreds of cars were stuck along highways in southern Sweden and Denmark yesterday, authorities said, with heavy snowfall behind the gridlock as a cold snap hit the region. In Sweden, the military was dispatched to assist stranded motorists between the towns of Horby and Kristianstad in Sweden’s far south. In Denmark, motorists were advised to avoid driving around Aarhus, where traffic jams reached 30km. In Norway’s far north, the temperature fell to -41.6°C. In Finland, a new record was registered in the northwest, where the mercury hit minus 42.1°C. | AFP…

Paris: French energy giant TotalEnergies yesterday said it had launched a review of its land acquisition practices for controversial $10 billion (R187bn) projects in Uganda and Tanzania slammed by environmentalists. TotalEnergies is pushing ahead with its Tilenga drilling project in Uganda and the 1 443km East African Crude Oil Pipeline to transport it to the coast in Tanzania. Tilenga targets oil under the rich Murchison Falls nature reserve in western Uganda with a planned 419 wells, triggering fears for the region’s fragile ecosystem among the people who live there. | AFP…

JUST like that, we say good bye to 2023. It has been a year of fish, festivities and plenty of fun. Top tip: Remember the good. It is too easy to focus on dirty water, rubbish on the beach or blank fishing days. These often put you in a negative spin. There are so many things to be thankful for and positives to focus on. Remember why you go fishing and spend your time focusing on the good. The summer fish have been keeping most of the visiting anglers happy along the coast. The North Coast has seen some good inedible action. Sandies have been the most targeted of the summer fish. These brutes can weigh over 100kg and put your tackle to the test for hours. Many of the…