Tabla de contenidos para 2021-09-30 en Mercury

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za THE MOMENTUM Metropolitan Health Group, one of the biggest private healthcare groups with more than 3.2 million clients, is partnering with major labour unions and notable black business leaders to help it provide healthcare for more South Africans. The group announced a transaction yesterday that will see 32 percent of its shareholding owned by Nehawu Investment Holdings, the investment company of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), Popcru Group of Companies (PGC), investment company of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union, as well as business leaders in the health sector: Dr Gil Mahlati, Professor Lucky Mathebula, Dr Ntombi Mutshekwane, Mogologolo Phasha, Dr Sello Rathete and Dr David Sekete. Momentum Metropolitan Health chief executive Hannes Viljoen said the deal, the rand value of…

Nonhlanhla Nozizwe Hlatshwayo nozizwe.hlatshwayo@inl.co.za SOME members of the Nazareth Baptist Church have criticised the march that brought Durban to a standstill on Tuesday, saying it did not represent the church’s principles. The march saw about 6 000 people dressed in white church attire, walking from the King Dinuzulu Park to the Durban City Hall, singing and holding placards in support of Mduduzi Shembe, who they regard as the leader of the Ebuhleni faction of the church. The church has been involved in a protracted leadership dispute that went to court following the death of the church’s spiritual leader, Vimbeni Shembe, in 2011. The now late Vela Shembe was declared his successor following a Durban High Court ruling in 2016. Mduduzi took the matter on appeal to the Supreme Court…

DHAYALAN MOODLEY | Mobeni Heights SEPTEMBER 8 was International Literacy Day. It is paramount for every child to improve their literacy, furthering their education and advancing their place in the world. Access to books is paramount. Some children have not seen the inside of a library. This is worrying. My appeal to parents is to play a critical role in their future and encourage children to join libraries. They must enjoy going to the library. Every child should remember the saying “show me a child with a book in hand and I will show you a future leader”. I hope and pray libraries do not become obsolete. If that does happen, it will be a sad day. Libraries are the cornerstone of any community development. Reading, in particular,…

GLEN CHRISTIE | Durban it is obvious from the outbursts and statements he makes that Julius Malema has no education in basic accounting and mathematics. With only 5 million people out of a total of 60 million people paying tax – this figure confirmed by our minister of finance – where does he see himself getting the wealth taxes from? The white capitalists? Wrong! It was recently reported that about 4 200 super rich have left this country since 2010 and there are many more in the process of leaving. This move will further reduce the tax base. The ANC government is bankrupt – and for them to introduce a wealth tax will absolutely not contribute to stimulating the economy; in fact it will have the opposite effect.…

A cassette tape recording of an interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, including a never-released song, made while they visited Denmark in 1970 sold for $58 300 (R879 000) at an auction in Copenhagen this week. The tape, featuring the unreleased song Radio Peace, was recorded on January 5, 1970 by four 16-year-old Danish boys who succeeded in getting an interview with the couple for a school magazine. Bids for the cassette tape, which was put up for sale along with photographs from the meeting by the former school boys, started at 100 000 crowns (R236 000). It was not immediately known who bought the recording. During the 33-minute recording, Lennon speaks about the couple’s peace campaign, his frustration with the Beatles’ image and the length of his hair.…

BONGANI NKOSI bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za THE government’s final decision on the controversial e-tolling system remains far from being concluded. This is apparent from Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula’s written reply in Parliament this week. Mbalula said the final decision would be delayed because he continued to work with Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to determine a new funding system for e-tolls. Many rejected the user-pay system implemented on Gauteng freeways and calls to scrap e-tolls forced the government to reconsider the system. Gauteng Premier David Makhura stated in his State of the Province Address in 2020 that an announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa on e-tolls was imminent. But many months later, Ramaphosa remained tight-lipped. Mbalula said he tabled various funding options for the e-tolling system to the Cabinet, but was sent back to the…

Samkelo Mtshali samkelo.thulasizwe@inl.co.za THE Special Tribunal looking into the overspending on former president Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla homestead was yesterday told of shocking examples of price inflation that saw the costs of the work rocketing to R246 million. A key Special Investigating Unit (SIU) witness is testifying before the Special Tribunal, which is being presided over by Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Kate Pillay. The matter is being held in camera and witness identities are being protected. Among a litany of examples of overspending highlighted by the witness was that the SAPS guard houses and a tuckshop were approved at a cost of R500 000, however after redesigns, allegedly by architect Minenhle Makhanya, the amount increased to R2.5m – part of the R155m the SIU is seeking to recover from Makhanya. The…

David Lazarus | Sea Point THE column in the September 17 edition of The Mercury (“Palestinian call for international intervention to stop Israel abusing political prisoners”) makes a number of allegations about Israel’s management of “Palestinian” political prisoners, in particular children. The Palestinian Authority (PA) wants to capitalise on the media hype surrounding the recent escape of six prisoners from Israel’s Gilboa Prison (they have since been recaptured). What Shannon Ebrahim omitted from her article is that the term “political detainees” is the PA’s official label for all “Palestinians” captured and imprisoned for offences that have nothing to do with politics and everything to do with terrorism. Stabbings. Bombings. Vehicle attacks. Stonings. All with the objective of murdering or injuring as many Israeli civilians as possible, irrespective of their age…

LA PALMA: A river of lava cascaded into the Atlantic Ocean from Spain’s La Palma island yesterday , releasing plumes of steam which could unleash toxic gas, although so far authorities said the air inland had not been contaminated. Thousands of people have been evacuated since an eruption in the Canary Islands archipelago began 10 days ago. Three coastal villages had been locked down since Monday in anticipation of the lava reaching the sea and potentially liberating harmful gases. Residents on the western coast had been told to seal doors and windows with tape and wet towels.…

WASHINGTON: The threat of a partial government shutdown this week comes as several federal agencies are still battling to dig out from pandemic backlogs. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is struggling to serve taxpayers 18 months after the pandemic sidelined thousands of employees. Close to half a million immigrants are on a State Department list to schedule interviews for their visa applications – and the wait for a passport is now as long as 16 weeks. Thousands of documents for social security benefits lie unprocessed in field offices where in-person service has been suspended since March 2020. A shutdown would magnify these delays and further weaken services that the pandemic has hobbled while many federal offices had remained closed or with limited operations during the public health crisis, experts said.…

TOKYO: Japanese prosecutors asked a Tokyo court yesterday to send former Nissan Motor executive Greg Kelly, pictured, to prison for two years for his alleged part in helping Carlos Ghosn, the carmaker’s ousted chief executive, hide earnings. Prosecutors, who are also seeking a 200 million yen (R27m) fine for the Japanese carmaker, called for the jail sentence for Kelly during their closing arguments in a trial that began a year ago. A ruling in the case is expected next year, and if found guilty Kelly could join two other Americans serving time in Japan.…

RAY LALOUETTE | Berea THE opening paragraph of The Mercury’s lead article (September 28) provided some exciting and encouraging news on the “new” manifesto of the ANC for half the population that does not vote for the ANC. The other half who vote for the ANC must be indifferent, seeing that up to now they have been content with the status quo, which has endured for the past 25 years. “President Ramaphosa has promised that the ANC will field candidates who are honest and competent in the November 1 local government elections.” Just imagine, we shall no longer have to put up with candidates who are – by implication – “not” honest and competent. This is going to be a breath of fresh air. Perhaps, the long-suffering population…

SABER AHMED JAZBHAY | Newlands West Forgive only if the seeker is truly contrite and repentant. In the context of the current apology offered by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the launch by the ANC of its election manifesto, the question goes to the heart of the seeker’s intention. The electorate is angry if the latest bout of protest outside the house of Ivy Ramaphosa, the sister of the president, over service-delivery issues in Chiawelo, Soweto is to be used as a temperature gauge. Does the fact that the president promised the residents of affected parts a step towards rehabilitation mean the government is contrite after its bout of serial laziness? Has it finally come to its senses? Eskom has been visibly active lately, for instance. This…

HERE’S an idea for our own minibus taxis. Fleets in Thailand are giving new meaning to the term “rooftop garden”, as they utilise the roofs of cabs to serve as small vegetable plots. The rooftop plots are to raise extra money for taxi owners who have been suffering reduced business during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Associated Press. Workers from two taxi co-operatives have assembled the miniature gardens using black plastic garbage bags stretched across bamboo frames. On top, they add soil in which a variety of crops, including tomatoes, cucumbers and stringbeans, are planted. Whee! What a great idea. Let our fellows cotton on and in no time at all we’d have taxis speeding through the red lights with a rooftop crop of Durban poison. Another idea, also from…

At least one long-term Covid-19 symptom was found in 37% of patients three to six months after they were infected by the virus, a large study from Oxford University and the National Institute for Health Research showed yesterday. The most common symptoms included breathing problems, fatigue, pain and anxiety, Oxford University said, after investigating symptoms in more than 270 000 people recovering from Covid-19. The symptoms were more frequent among people who had been previously hospitalised with Covid-19 and were slightly more common among women, according to the study. The study did not provide any detailed causes of long symptoms, severity or how long they could last. It, however, said older people and men had more breathing difficulties and cognitive problems, whereas young people and women had more headaches, abdominal…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za OVERTIME pay for firefighters in the eThekwini Municipality was approved by members of the city’s executive committee (exco) after a report laid bare the glaring staff shortages in the unit. Last week, The Mercury reported on the report that stated that the fire department and emergency services unit needed 827 firefighters but had 457 owing to the 2019 moratorium on new appointments. This glaring shortage had compelled existing staff members to work overtime owing to staff shortages and demands for firefighting unit services across the city. The report was only discussed at Tuesday’s exco meeting, after being withdrawn without discussion last week. It revealed that the fire and emergency unit needed close to R30 million in additional funds for overtime pay. Earlier on in the discussion on…

THE Northern Cape’s sparsely populated landscape makes it ideal for megascience astronomy initiatives like the MeerKAT, which is making significant discoveries. The MeerKAT, a project funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), is an exceptionally sensitive radio astronomy array that is providing astronomers with insight into the evolution of galaxies and the history of stars. The MeerKAT will eventually be incorporated into the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), which is under construction by an international consortium of which South Africa is a member. When completed, the SKA will be the world’s biggest radio telescope, with antennas in Africa and Australia. The core South African SKA site is near Carnarvon in the Northern Cape. A few hours’ drive away, in the small town of Sutherland, is the Southern African Large…

Bridging language barriers between health professionals and patients GETTING lost in translation in any medical situation can have dire consequences. Take the case of Cuban-American Willie Ramirez, for example. In 1980, the then 18-year-old Ramirez was admitted to a Florida hospital in a comatose state. His Spanish-speaking family told the paramedics that he was “intoxicado”, which, among Cubans, is an umbrella term that means you’re unwell because of something you ate or drank. Confusing this with the English “intoxicated”, which implies the use of alcohol or drugs, the doctors treated Ramirez for an intentional drug overdose. Sadly, the treatment resulted in quadriplegia. In instances where language barriers exist between health professionals and patients, ways must be found to bridge this gap, so that the correct information can be communicated and…

MOSCOW: Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran’s state nuclear agency, yesterday announced an agreement with Russia to fast-track their joint nuclear projects. “We agreed to establish different mechanisms during a new round of talks that will speed up proceedings,” he was quoted by the Irna news agency as saying at a press conference, following a meeting with Russian nuclear chief Alexei Likhachev in Moscow. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has been co-operating with Russia’s Rosatom on nuclear medicine and power generation. Russia helped Iran build its first nuclear power plant, and is supply-ing the facility with fuel.…

The forthcoming COP26 summit –which could determine the viability of the Paris Agreement – would “not be easy” but an outcome matching the urgency of the crisis was an “absolute necessity”, the UN’s climate chief said yesterday. As the world faces stronger and more frequent droughts, wildfires, flooding and storm surges made worse as the planet warms, the COP26 summit in Glasgow is being billed by organisers as a key milestone for keeping the Paris goals within reach. “The point is decisions need to be taken now, that is why Glasgow is so important,” UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa told AFP. Struck to international fanfare in 2015, the Paris accord commits nations to limit global temperature rises to “well below” 2°C above those before the onset of the Industrial Revolution.…

MANILA: The daughter of Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte remains the most popular prospect for next year’s presidential election, an opinion poll showed. But her father slipped into second among contenders for the vice-presidency. Sara Duterte-Carpio has topped all surveys on prospective candidates ahead of registration, which opens tomorrow. But other potential candidates cut into Duterte-Carpio’s lead in the Pulse Asia survey of 2 400 people, held earlier this month, with her support dropping from 28% to 20%. Boxer Manny Pacquiao rose one notch to fourth, with 12% support, up from 8% previously. Ahead of Pacquiao with 15% was the son and namesake of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and Manila mayor Francisco Domagoso, with 13%. The same poll showed Senate speaker Vicente Sotto overtaking Duterte as the top contender to become…

WE REPLACE unit trust managers when we no longer think they are better than average. In our view, above-average specialist managers outperform their market benchmarks, while above-average multi-asset managers need to outperform their peers. Managers may become mediocre for various reasons, and our investment process focuses on the internal rating of three qualitative pillars rather than short-term (under)performance. These pillars qualitatively assess whether managers are above average in terms of their organisational structure and stability; people and support; and their investment approach. In the organisational structure and stability pillar, for example, some of the areas we focus on are misaligned incentives, lack of majority control, and inability to reach critical scale. This pillar also looks at whether the firm is managing its own evolution appropriately, or is ill-placed to succeed.…

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za Yoghurt is a tasty food to satiate a sweet tooth. It is also healthy and filling. As a parent, you should be looking to introduce yoghurt into your child’s diet, especially when it is available in so many delicious flavours. Moms know that anything labelled a “health food” is practically kid repellent, but this creamy, ice-cream-like food is tempting even to young tummies. Yoghurt, whether frozen or not, is available in many different flavours and children love eating it, but is it really good for them? According to Very Well Family, yoghurt is a healthy food for children, especially for those who don’t drink a lot of milk, as yoghurt is a good source of calcium. They note that when choosing yoghurt for your kids, look for…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za MORE than R100 million will be required over the next three years to set in motion the Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Department’s plan to implement the ruling of the Pietermaritzburg High Court regarding lease agreements being enforced by the Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB). An amount of R39m will be forked out in the 2021/22 financial year, followed by R39.4m in 2022/23 and then R39.5m in 2023/24, bringing the total to R118m for the project. The money will go towards establishing structures to administer ITB land-related matters and other tribal land matters across KwaZulu-Natal. The plan, which is contained in a 29-page report, was presented to the Pietermaritzburg High Court two weeks ago. In June, the court found that the Ingonyama Trust’s residential lease programme…

DAVID CARTWRIGHT | Hillcrest I was a little bemused by the front page of The Mercury highlighting Malema’s proposed “wealth tax” (September 27). Our Scarlet-clad Silly Lad wants to cram RDP housing into Sandton, cheek by jowl with all those millionaire mansions. Okay, no problem. But, if municipal rates and taxes are levied according to market value of property as here in eThekwini, it’ll be rather interesting to watch the rates base plummet in direct proportion to the growing mountain of plastic bag litter and other filthy detritus which inevitably accumulates in places bordering on informal settlements. Sorry, Julius, your envisaged cash cow will stray on to a freeway somewhere and become roadkill – fit only for your shisanyama!…

Let’s throw off our deliberate self-assuredness, our certainty and pride and embrace a little ambiguity. Let us cast aside pride, the apparent lack of need to question our own fallibility and striding through life as if we alone, are infallible. Our brazenness, hardness of heart and determination to pursue wealth are getting in our way and we appear to be none the wiser about what it is doing to the core of who and what we are. Do you, do I, not know there are no self-made men and women? We are a product of magnificent grace no matter who we are, no matter what our roots are. Yet, there are days we live as if we could not possibly be wrong, or need to learn anything, or could benefit…

PENNY DE VRIES | Glenwood While it does you credit that the letters page seems to be uncensored, I do wonder if it is right to give too much attention to minority views, especially during times of Covid-19, when it is an offence to spread harmful opinion. People are entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts. When the same person is permitted to spread discredited “information” day after day, is it not the duty of the newspaper to balance this with other mainstream, credible experts? Straight out of the right wing / anti-vaxxer playbook, we are told there is no pandemic, information is selected to support the letter writer’s view, the usual conspiracy theories are trotted out, mask use is denigrated,…

SCIENTIFIC experts representing South Africa and the UK have met amid Pretoria’s disquiet over London’s decision to keep the country on the red list of countries facing stringent Covid-19 restrictions and high costs when entering the UK. Earlier this month, the UK government announced that South Africa would remain on the red list. South Africa’s national Department of Health and the British High Commission in Pretoria said a meeting was held where the latest trends around Covid-19, respective Covid-19 testing strategies, and the prevalence and risk posed to both nations’ vaccination programmes by variants of concern were discussed. “UK and SA experts also discussed the recognition of each other’s vaccine certificates. The UK side explained that, following some initial pilots, it was now seeking to extend its recognition of vaccine…

Xolile Bhengu xolile.bhengu@inl.co.za Although Western Cape universities are considering mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for their staff and students, KwaZulu- Natal universities say the move is not being considered for their institutions. Both UCT and Stellenbosch University (SU) have announced that they are considering mandatory vaccinations for staff. Professor Wim de Villiers, SU Rector and vice-chancellor, told the council that it was an institutional priority for the university that all its staff and students be vaccinated against Covid-19. De Villiers confirmed that the university was exploring the possibility of mandatory vaccinations, learning from the experience of other institutions and organisations in South Africa and worldwide. The university said its council discussed the matter, and subsequently adopted the motion that the university council mandates management to work toward the urgent development of a…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za The Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on financial crime trends with criminals seeking new opportunities. This is according to the annual crime statistics report released by the SA Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) on behalf of the banking industry yesterday. According to the 2020 crime statistics report, digital banking fraud increased by 33%, debit card fraud rose by 22%, while on a positive note, credit card fraud decreased by 27%, ATM attacks decreased by 9% overall. ATM explosive incidents increased by 20%, and robberies and burglaries also increased, by 42% and 12% respectively. Sabric said Covid-19, in conjunction with the implementation of regulations of the Disaster Management Act, had a notable influence on financial crime trends last year. It said it triggered changes in human behaviour,…

IT’S not good enough for Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa and the National Arts Council (NAC) to simply admit to the mismanagement of the Presidential Economic Stimulus Programme (Pesp) funds allocated to assist struggling artists. Although this vindicates the thousands of aggrieved artists, Mthethwa and the NAC cannot be exonerated just because they humbled themselves and apologised for how this process unfolded. It will not reverse these blunders, but it’s the right thing to do. Pesp consisted of R300 million for job creation and retention, with 5% being retained by the NAC for “administrative purposes”. The programme benefited 1 309 applicants, according to a report presented by Mthethwa and the NAC this week. However, it was marred by serious administrative shortcomings that proved to be career-ending for some…

Greenland’s pro-independence Foreign Minister Pele Broberg was demoted after saying only Inuits should vote in a referendum on whether the vast Arctic territory should break away from the Danish Realm, of which it is currently part. In an interview with a Danish newspaper, Broberg of the national-conservative party Naleraq said he wanted to reserve voting in any future independence referendum for Inuits alone, who comprise more than 90% of Greenland’s population of 56 000. “The idea is not to allow those who colonised the country to decide whether they can remain,” Broberg said. In the same interview he opposed to the oft-used term the “Community of the Kingdom”, which is yet another formal designation of the Danish Realm that includes Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, suggesting that his…

LONDON: British troops are expected to be deployed within days to help ease a fuel supply crisis, the UK government said yesterday, as the retail and hospitality sectors called for foreign workers to be allowed to fill post-Brexit vacancies. The week-long crisis has triggered panic-buying and sparked violence at forecourts as critics blame Britain’s exit from the EU, the coronavirus pandemic and a lack of foresight in replacing thousands of foreign drivers leaving the country. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told Sky News that soldiers could be delivering fuel supplies to forecourts “in the next couple of days”, to cut long queues.…

Islamic State-linked militants leading an insurgency in northern Mozambique had kidnapped hundreds of boys and forced them to join their ranks as child soldiers, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said yesterday. A jihadist group, known locally as Al-Shabaab, has been terrorising Mozambique’s gas-rich Cabo Delgado region since 2017, raiding villages and towns in a bid to establish a caliphate. Local sources told HRW armed militants had been abducting hundreds of teenagers, some as young as 12, and taking them to training camps. “We joined many other men and boys and were trained on how to use guns and knives to fight,” said a young man who was captured last year and taken to a camp in the town of Mbau, around 150km north of the provincial capital Pemba. “They told us…