Tabla de contenidos para 2021-07-27 en Mercury

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za TIGER Brands, the company whose polony factories were responsible for the highest listeriosis outbreaks four years ago, yesterday recalled 20 million canned vegetable products due to “an extremely small number of defective cans” from a packaging supplier. The recall was as a result of a weld defect that could lead to a leak and would likely be concluded in 120 days, the group said. It also estimated that the impact would be up to R650 million, including the cost of the potentially affected stock that may be written off, transport and storage costs, and the loss of margin on the returned stock. “Tiger Brands has product recall insurance for the logistics of recalling the products. The company’s claim under the contract with the third-party supplier…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE RAND FELL to a four-month low yesterday as investors continued to worry about the global economic recovery amid the ongoing waves of Covid-19. The rand galloped to the psychologically significant mark of R15 to the dollar, continuing last week’s slippery slope, in spite of the easing of the lockdown restrictions, before recovering by 0.8 percent to R14.82 by just after 5pm. The rand also ignored recent factors positive for the currency, such as the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) keeping interest rates on hold last week, as well as the ramping up of the vaccine roll-out by the government. Analysts said dovish comments from the SARB last week continued to weigh on the rand, while President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of the move to level 3 failed…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za TEN suspects linked to killings that took place in Phoenix during the unrest that gripped the province two weeks ago are set to appear in court for bail consideration on Friday. This comes after the suspects made their first appearance yesterday, in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court, facing various charges. National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Natasha Kara said the charges faced by the accused included murder, attempted murder, possession of stolen property, malicious damage to property, unlawful possession of firearms and unlawful possession of ammunition. Kara said the matters were held in camera as identity parades were yet to be conducted. The suspects were arrested at the weekend and, according to the police, some were allegedly connected to more than one murder. More than 22 people died, several…

EVERYTHING begins on the inside. Every act of benevolence, of mercy, human kindness, begins within whoever generates it. The head, heart, mind and the soul of the person conceiving it is where it begins. Then, of course, it can be developed and shared with others until it grows, sometimes even becoming a movement. Destruction also begins on the inside. Deceitful plans begin on the inside. Selfishness begins on the inside. Such motivations may be born out of desperation, hunger, jealousy, selfishness or lust, but nonetheless they come from within. There are many poor people who do not cheat. There are many desperate people who do not feed the desperation with immoral actions. The soul, that powerful combination of heart and mind and spirit, is the rudder, the rudder that steers…

DUNCAN DU BOIS | Bluff THE Freedom Front Plus regards eThekwini Municipality’s road show on safety and security, being rolled out across the metro in the wake of the recent violence and looting, as a face-saving exercise to mask the unpreparedness of the ANC-run municipality in anticipating and deterring what occurred. It should not be necessary for the municipality to ask what can be done to safeguard suburbs from future wanton destruction when the lack of preparedness in terms of riot control equipment, rubber bullets, water cannon and mobility was obvious. Consequently, the FF+ has little confidence in the distribution of booklets advertising the role of the Civilian Secretariat for Police Service (CSPS) in combating unrest. Besides the complex bureaucratic lineage of responsibility within the CSPS, the FF+…

VA VOLKER | Pietermaritzburg The one lesson the past few weeks has shown us is that the gap between the well off and the poor in South Africa could result in an explosive situation. A political system based on confrontation between the political and social groupings is not conducive to peaceful and progressive development. In 1994 an effort was made to introduce a calming situation whereby a government of national unity (GNU) would ease the initial transition. Unfortunately the experiment did not work, basically because past differences were still too raw. Now, after 26 years, and no sign of “a better life for all” we have had the explosion, because a small group of instigators could exploit the teeming masses to loot and ransack, while the instigators…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-leigh.solomons@inl.co.za FOLLOWING the announcement by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) that it would approach the courts to request a postponement of the October 27 local government elections, two political analysts shared their opposing views. The IEC on Friday said they would adopt the recommendation of retired Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke that it would not be safe to hold the local government elections in October in the wake of the increasing number of Covid-19 infections and deaths. Spokesperson Kate Bapela, however, said she could not confirm when the electoral commission would approach the courts. “At the moment, we are unable to provide a firm date. The IEC has made an undertaking to provide feedback on a regular basis to South Africans,” she said. University of KwaZulu-Natal…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has said that the first day of school went smoothly without any major incident reported in the province. About 6 000 schools reopened yesterday for the third term. Department officials including Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu visited different parts of the province to assess the situation. They also visited the Phoenix area where amid the looting last week people were killed and racial tensions have flared. “The MEC was there on Sunday and again yesterday. The issue of violence there was not directed at schools. It was a matter that happened in the society, and because we are in society, we were also affected,” said department spokesperson Kwazi Mthethwa. Mthethwa said they were confident that the area was safe for their teachers…

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) welcomes Sunday’s address to the nation by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who announced that the country now moves to adjusted alert level 3 lockdown. While we welcome this decision, we remain concerned that the president, together with the executive, have forgotten that Parliament is a sphere of the state. We find the lack of transparency and consultation with the leaders of political parties in Parliament worrying. We therefore call for greater consultation in decision-making processes, as there has been no consultation of late with leaders of political parties who represent the people of South Africa. The announcement by the president on the implementation of many of the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan measures are welcomed. We note the reinstatement of the Social Relief of Distress Grant…

Thousands of US firefighters are battling a blaze in California that has grown so big it is generating its own weather system, with authorities warning conditions could worsen yesterday. The flames have grown so large that they have created clouds that can cause lightning and high winds, which in turn can serve to fuel the fire. Around 5 400 firefighters were struggling to contain the inferno. The Dixie Fire has been raging in the forests of northern California since mid-July, part of a climate crisis that has brought sweltering heat and an alarming drought. Wildfires are common in the state but this summer has been particularly incendiary. Fires have already ravaged three times more vegetation this year than they had at this time in 2020, the worst fire year in…

Israel’s new government is looking to take advantage of a rare political opportunity to push more ultra- Orthodox Jewish men into the workforce to boost the economy, a measure that could pit powerful religious leaders against politicians. By 2065, Israel’s “haredi” community is expected to make up 32% of Israel’s population, up from 12% now, according to official estimates. Only about 50% of ultra-Orthodox men work. The other half study religious texts in seminaries, and the Bank of Israel and economic leaders have warned of long-term strains on the budget if they are not integrated into the workforce. “Raising the employment and labour productivity rates of the ultra-Orthodox population, especially men, are issues of strategic importance to per capita GDP, labour productivity, and reducing income disparities between the ultra-Orthodox and…

LONDON: A 19-year-old is paving the way for girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) by setting the record for the youngest woman to fly solo around the world next month. Belgian-British Zara Rutherford sets off on her 51 000km journey in her bespoke Shark ultralight plane, the world’s fastest microlight, on August 11. Once complete, Rutherford will be the youngest person to fly a microlight around the world and the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. The current world record for the latter is held by Shaesta Waiz who completed the journey aged 30. “My goal is to bring the records closer and then hopefully inspire other girls to try to beat my record and then go and start competing with the boys,” she said. The…

Wynona Louw wynona.louw@inl.co.za Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids says injury was the reason for the starting front-row’s halftime substitution. The Boks suffered a 22-17 defeat in the first game of the three-Test series against the British & Irish Lions, piling on the pressure as they now have to win both remaining games to take the series. One of the big talking points after Saturday’s first Test has been not only the performance of the starting front row of Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi and Trevor Nyakane (it was a surprising selection considering first-choice props Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe were available), but their substitution at halftime despite producing a top first-half performance. It naturally led some to questioning the decision and whether it was pre-planned. In the build-up to the first…

Comment by Matshelane Mamabolo kolobe24@gmail.com ANOTHER MAJOR football tournament, another first round exit for South Africa! What’s new as our national teams continue to make a mockery of our assertion we are a footballing nation? Nothing new really, for even the reaction is what one has come to expect. Praise for failures. And then we wonder why we just don’t achieve much on the big stage. The general feeling among most soccer followers after the SA Under-23s’ 4-3 defeat by France at the Tokyo Olympics was that “the boys tried” and many called for the team to be “kept together for the future”. David Notoane’s players were praised for their “great effort” and some described them as being “unlucky”. That the team thought by most to be “the best group…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE BUSINESS sector has welcomed the government’s support package to get the economy moving again following the destruction left by civil unrest and the lockdown restrictions. President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday announced a range of measures to support economic recovery and provide relief to the poor. These include the reinstatement of the R350 a month Social Relief of Distress Grant until March next year, and R400 million for the Humanitarian Crisis Relief Fund to assist communities affected by the unrest. “This has been made possible by the slight improvement we have seen in our revenue collection,” Ramaphosa said. South Africa, one of the world’s largest exporters of commodities, has enjoyed a healthy trade balance this year on a tide of rallying commodity prices buoyed by rising global…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za PATRIOTIC Alliance (PA) West Rand leader Bruce Nimmerhoudt, charged with terrorism and incitement of violence, has vowed to plead not guilty to all charges against him. Yesterday, his lawyers argued that the charges of incitement of violence and terrorism against him were an “over-zealous act” by the police. Nimmerhoudt’s counsel, Calvin Richards, made the submission during his closing arguments in his client’s bail application, in which he argued that Nimmerhoudt was not the author of a voice note. Richards also expressed concern to the court that they only became aware of the new charge of terrorism against their client during their arrival for the bail application yesterday. He said Nimmerhoudt was initially charged with a schedule 1 offence of inciting violence, but the prosecution had added another…

Keep me cockatoo cool, Curl, Keep me cockatoo cool … A FEW years ago, a Sydney scientist noticed a sulphur-crested cockatoo opening his trash bin. Ornithologist Richard Major was impressed by the ingenuity, according to Associated Press. It’s quite a feat for a bird to grasp a bin lid with its beak, pry it open, then shuffle far enough along the bin’s edge so that the lid falls backward. Intrigued, Major teamed up with researchers in Germany to study how many cockatoos learnt the trick. In early 2018, they found from a survey of residents that birds in three Sydney suburbs had mastered the novel foraging technique. By the end of 2019, birds were lifting bins in 44 suburbs. “From three suburbs to 44 in two years is a pretty…

SABER AHMED JAZBHAY | Newlands West I watched a video recording where Julius Malema clearly threatens violent outcomes if the police don’t apprehend those who were allegedly responsible for the vigilante-styled killing of alleged looters in Phoenix two weeks ago when hell was literally in session. Permit me to address this letter to him and all like-minded people. I totally agree with the principle of the rule of law and order and that without that we have a revolution which then degenerates to people engaging in acts of abomination such as we have witnessed. Yes, Mr Malema, the SAPS must investigate and call all perpetrators to account for what went down during the unrest and this must factor in those who on camera participated in the wanton looting…

THYAGARAJ MARKANDAN | Kloof President Cyril Ramaphosa said it had become clear that the recent violence was not just a spontaneous uprising of the masses over social and economic inequality, but a deliberate, planned attempt to overthrow a legitimate government. It was an insurrection. But Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula contradicted the president, denying it was an insurrection. Initially, she had refused to deploy the army when the looters were running riot, saying the country was not at war. Her response wasn’t surprising. She’s a Zuma acolyte. And there’s the spat between state security and the police. Police Minister Bheki Cele said there were no intelligence reports of the impending unrest. But the state security minister said the police were informed. But does it matter whether it was a…

IN GEARING up to celebrate the inaugural Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day in Africa, a competition will be held for photographers of all ages and skill levels to show off their creative images. The MPA Day Alliance, with partners including the Two Oceans Aquarium Trust, Dyer Island Conservation Trust and Wild Oceans, will mark the day on August 1. Participating photographers will have a chance to win prizes in one of three categories: Scenery: photos of beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and other scenic shots, above or below the water. Creatures: photos of marine and estuary wildlife large and small, above or below the water. Activities: photos of friends and family enjoying activities in MPAs – hiking, surfing, diving, snorkelling, kayaking etc. In South Africa, all MPAs are ultimately managed by the…

AN OPEN letter to the board and management of UPL, Fortress Real Estate Investment Trust, eThekwini Municipality and to national and provincial environmental authorities. In the middle of this month, South Africans had to fight for their constitutional democracy. As the dust settles, we are fighting for the openness of that democracy. But openness is being trampled on in the handling of the chemical fire that broke out at a warehouse owned by Mumbai chemicals multinational United Phosphorous Limited (UPL) in Cornubia, north of Durban, on July 12. The building, which is irreparably damaged, is owned by Fortress Real Estate Investment Trust. Residents and affected stakeholders have been denied essential information about chemicals and related by-products stored at the warehouse. As a result of the fire, and attempts to hose…

The time has come for President Cyril Ramaphosa to be decisive by releasing the long-awaited SIU report into allegations of corruption involving Digital Vibes and Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. The SIU conducted its investigation and handed the report to the president early this month. The Presidency subsequently confirmed receiving the document, and promised “to keep the public abreast of developments in this matter”. Four weeks later, we are still waiting. Make no mistake, the public health-care sector is facing an unprecedented crisis. The third wave of the coronavirus is claiming thousands of lives and the government’s vaccination drive is not operating at full throttle. It is puzzling why Ramaphosa has allowed the Health Department to continue to operate with an interim minister, who happens to have her own responsibilities, when…

Rescue teams in India were digging through thick sludge and debris yesterday to find more than 60 people trapped in landslides caused by torrential monsoon rains that have so far claimed more than 160 lives in four days. The western states of Maharashtra and Goa, as well as Karnataka and Telangana in the south, are the most affected by heavy rains that have flooded croplands over thousands of hectares and forced authorities to move more than 230 000 people to safer places. In Maharashtra, 149 people have died mainly in landslides and other monsoon-related accidents, while another 64 are still missing, the state government said. In Karnataka and Telangana, more than a dozen people died because of floods but waters in the main Krishna and Godavari rivers are receding, authorities…

Kano: An envoy who delivered a ransom payment for the release of more than 100 Nigerian children abducted in May had himself been kidnapped, the headteacher of their Islamic school said yesterday. Northwest and central Nigeria are a hotbed of cattle thieves and kidnappers who raid villages, killing and abducting residents after looting and burning homes. On July 20, parents and school officials sent Kassim Tegina, 60, to deliver $73 000 (R1.08 million) to the kidnappers, but the bandits seized him after collecting the money. “They were angry that the ransom was too small,” said Abubakar Alhassan, the headteacher of Salihu Tanko Islamic School. | AFP…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za IT became a bit of a “dog-fight” against Kenya, but now that the Blitzboks have made it through to the quarter-finals of the Tokyo Olympics, they will feel much more confident of their medal chances. Assistant coach Renfred Dazel said following the 14-5 victory over Kenya yesterday that the players were “really disappointed” with their performance in the second match of the day, after beating Ireland 33-14 earlier. After running up a 14-0 lead through tries by Selvyn Davids and captain Siviwe Soyizwapi, a flurry of sloppy tackles, poor handling and line-out errors allowed the east Africans back into the game, and Kenya took full advantage through a try by Collins Injera. The Springbok Sevens side had to scramble in the second half to keep the…

Loose forward Evan Roos has been the best feature in Western Province’s Currie Cup campaign so far. As far as performances go, Province have been satisfactory at times, but there have also been disappointing displays from John Dobson’s charges. They have won just three of their six games, a stat that can never be considered good enough for a union with the talent pool and rich Currie Cup history Province has. And while there have been some issues, one thing that has been impossible to miss is Roos. The big No 8 has wreaked havoc since touching down in Cape Town from Durban. The 21-year-old made his Currie Cup debut for the Sharks back in 2019, and while he was a standout in the Sharks’ SuperHero Sunday fixture last year…

Adam Peaty labelled his achievement in becoming the first British swimmer to defend an Olympic title an “immortal moment” after claiming gold in the 100m breaststroke yesterday. Peaty lived up to his billing as the overwhelming favourite by powering to the line in 57.37 seconds, ahead of Dutchman Arno Kamminga (58.00), the only other swimmer besides Peaty to ever go under 58 seconds. Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi took bronze in 58.33. It is now seven years since Peaty was last beaten in the event, a run that includes his gold medal in Rio in 2016, when he broke the world record in the heats and then again in the final. “It doesn’t matter what happens, these moments are immortal,” Peaty said after his latest Olympic triumph. “I will take these moments…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za South Africa's premier tech stocks, Naspers and Prosus, took a broadside on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) yesterday as China’s clampdown regulations filtered down, resulting in the portfolios losing up to 7.5 percent of value in intraday trade. “It started in April and the Chinese government has given the companies more than 100 items of compliance requirements covering many aspects, antitrust, data, advertisement, pricing, and lots of things,” a legal analyst who declined to be named said yesterday. Naspers, a global internet and entertainment group and technology investor operating in more than 120 countries and markets with long-term growth potential lost up to 7.3 percent to R2 748.01, while Prosus, a consumer internet group operating across a variety of platforms and geographies, primarily in China,…

Vernon Mchunu vernon.mchunu@inl.co.za THE eThekwini Municipality has issued a proactive warning against any disruptions following reports of “extortion by criminal groups” as businesses begin to rebuild following the civil unrest and looting that took place in KwaZulu- Natal two weeks ago. Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said he was aware of fears about business forums and their possible hijacking of development work. Kaunda’s comment comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday said that the looting, vandalism and sabotage of businesses and infrastructure were a great threat to economic recovery He added that steps were in place to strengthen the capacity and preparedness of security forces to prevent similar events in the future. Ramaphosa added that this included “responding quickly and decisively to reports that we are now receiving – of extortion by…

As authorities on Spain’s Canary Islands struggle to accommodate a sharp rise in the number of migrants arriving on its shores, a local man has turned his garage into a classroom to teach arrivals Spanish. Between January and mid-July, 7 260 people landed on the Canary Islands in the Atlantic after making the perilous sea journey, compared to 2 800 in the same period last year,the Spanish Interior Ministry said. Authorities attribute this increase to the impact of Covid-19 on tourism and other industries in north and sub-Saharan Africa, pushing many more to leave home for Europe. Tito Martin, who lives in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, was inspired to start his makeshift language school after noticing there were not enough resources for the growing number of migrant arrivals.…

MALCOM MITCHELL | Hillcrest Some political commentators have expressed the opinion that many ministers in the current government are incompetent in the way they “manage their functions”. I make no judgement on this opinion, however, I understand that a particular department has had six different ministers during the past 10 or so years. I am, however, concerned at the way some government departments are currently operating. My first area of concern is the apparent working relationship between the political head and the executive head of government departments, and the second is the unbridled expansion of posts in departments during the past decade or more. I feel that my background enables me to comment realistically on these two issues. For nine years spanning the advent of democracy in our…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za Advocacy groups the Right2Know campaign in KwaZulu-Natal, and Ubunye bamaHostela, have distanced themselves from a campaign calling for the release of former president Jacob Zuma, suggesting that reports on social media about their support for Zuma were part of a campaign by “a third force element” aimed at destabilising them. The two organisations also dismissed rumours that they were part of any group planning a media conference yesterday, purportedly to discuss the release of Jacob Zuma from prison and a response or mobilisation against the killings that took place in Phoenix. “As the campaign, we strongly condemn the killing of people that occurred during the riots, especially in Phoenix, and we call on law enforcement and the justice system to ensure that everyone involved in those…

Origin-tracing, anti-China propagamda and Trumpism behind move ANWAR ADAMS THE US may have replaced Donald Trump but Trumpism continues to reign in the country. Last week, the world witnessed the acrimonious exchange between Republican senator Rand Paul and one of the leading US scientists, Dr Anthony Fauci, who has been at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19. As has come to characterise the Republicans these days, it was a direct attack on the science. And at one stage of the exchange, Dr Fauci, in the presence of Paul’s senate colleagues, had to say publicly: “Senator Paul, you do not know what you are talking about, quite frankly.” The exchange between Paul and Fauci continues on the trajectory that has come to haunt the fight against Covid-19 globally. As the…

Nearly 200 nations started online negotiations yesterday to validate a UN science report that will anchor autumn summits charged with preventing climate catastrophe on a planetary scale. “The report to be finalised is going to be very important worldwide,” World Meteorological Organization head Petteri Taalas told 700 delegates by Zoom. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment “is critical for the success of the Glasgow climate conference in November”, he said. Record-smashing heatwaves, floods and drought across three continents in recent weeks – all amplified by global warming – have added pressure for decisive action. “For years we warned that all of this was possible, that all of this was coming,” the UN’s climate chief, Patricia Espinosa, said in a statement. A key G20 summit with climate on the…

Tunisia faced its worst crisis in a decade of democracy yesterday after President Kais Saied ousted the government and froze parliament with help from the army in a move denounced as a coup by the main parties including Islamists. It follows months of deadlock and disputes pitting Saied, a political independent, against Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and a fragmented parliament as Tunisia has descended deeper into an economic crisis exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi, the head of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party which has played a role in successive coalitions, decried it as an assault on democracy and called on Tunisians to take to the streets in opposition. Supporters and opponents of the president threw stones at each other outside parliament yesterday morning leading to injuries…

LONDON: Tobacco group Philip Morris International will stop selling Marlboro cigarettes in Britain within a decade, in line with the country’s ambition to stamp out smoking by 2030, its chief executive said. Jacek Olczak said the Marlboro brand “will disappear” from British store shelves along with its other brands. Olczak has embarked on a more aggressive strategy to diversify the company away from cigarettes. Philip Morris has launched a bid for British asthma drug-maker Vectura that would see it get more than 50% of its revenue from smoke-free products and at least $1 billion (R20.5bn) from products beyond nicotine by 2025. | Reuters…

Flyhalf Quade Cooper is happy to be back helping the Wallabies prepare for a tough series against the All Blacks, even after being snubbed for Australian citizenship. The New Zealand-born 33-year-old, capped 70 times for Australia, earned a surprise recall to the Wallabies squad on Sunday for the first time in four years, less than two weeks after bemoaning another rejected citizenship application. He will head to New Zealand with the squad this week to prepare for the Bledisloe Cup opener against the All Blacks at Eden Park, 10 years after suffering a horror ending to the 2011 World Cup at the venue. He said he was looking forward to working with young flyhalf Noah Lolesio, who played a key role in the recent 2-1 home series win over France,…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za It all started so splendidly well for the South African women's hockey team, but ultimately they went down 4-1 to a rampant Great Britain outfit in their Pool A clash at the Tokyo Olympics yesterday. Early pressure from the South Africans on the Great Britain goal resulted in three penalty corners. It was third time lucky for the women in green and gold when Nicole Walraven swept the ball home to give her team an early lead. This was easily the best period of the game for the South Africans as they forced Great Britain into making plenty of mistakes in the first half. However, the British team have loads of experience and started to settle into their more natural passing game. They also started slowing the…