Tabla de contenidos para 2021-12-02 en Mercury

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za BUSINESS conditions in the manufacturing industry could remain subdued in the next six months in spite of the expected rebound of industrial activity in the fourth quarter of 2021. The Absa Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) released yesterday re- corded a solid increase in November, rising to a five-month high following weak conditions in the third quarter. The PMI gained 3.6 points to remain in expansionary territory with 57.2 points in November, up from 53.6 points in October, and pointing to a faster expansion in manufacturing since June. Absa said this was the highest level for the headline PMI since before the third wave of Covid-19 infections and the social unrest shock that caused a R50 billion economic fallout in July. At 55.4…

Sacha van Niekerk sacha.vannieker@inl.co.za Vibrant flowers nestled among fresh herbs and crisp lettuce leaves all beautifully arranged before making their way from the garden to plate – this is the concept of edible landscaping, a method of gardening that is as much about aesthetics as it is is about functionality and sustainability. How fast we consume resources and generate waste is one of society’s main focuses at the moment. As the movement towards being more eco-friendly flourishes, people are learning that their day-to-day lifestyle choices make a significant impact on the environment. Most of these small changes can be made at home in ways such as recycling waste, composting and being more eco-aware when it comes to your gardening. How often do we dedicate a Sunday morning to trimming hedges,…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za IT was a baptism of fire for new councillors of Msunduzi Municipality when it was revealed during the city’s first council sitting yesterday that the municipality was in debt to the tune of R1.3 billion. Councillors were briefed on the dire state of the municipality, which showed that it was deep in debt, struggling to pay key suppliers of water, electricity and to pay workers’ salaries every month. The council briefing comes as ratepayers’ associations wrote to the municipality complaining about the state of the city, crumbling infrastructure, the decaying city hall and other historical buildings that are in a poor state. Municipal manager Madoda Khathide was in sombre mood as he revealed that the municipality was in debt to the tune of R1.3 bn. Khathide…

SABER AHMED JAZBHAY | Newlands West Will proposed regulations restricting movement by unvaccinated South Africans in public spaces and buildings pass constitutional muster? Amid the howling protests and noise, let us pause, catch our breath and discuss. Permit me to say that I submit they will. My reasons are summarised in the paragraphs that follow. Constitutionally speaking, it is harsh but necessary. Simply put, whatever restrictions that the government proposes will probably pass the legality and rationality test. And therefore, they will pass constitutional muster. The fact is this variant’s transmissibility is scary. It mutates so fast that I doubt that Dean R Koontz, whose 1981 novel (Contagion) has many abuzz, could have predicted the speed at which this latest Omicron variant mutates and proliferates. The government is…

GLEN CHRISTIE | Durban North THERE is a wonderful WhatsApp message that has done the rounds, which reflects the state of things in our country. It is sure to bring a smile to one’s face: We can’t find the billions that were looted. Why can’t we find the criminals who looted and burnt down buildings? Why can’t we find the kidnappers who kidnap children? Why can’t we find stolen vehicles – why? But we can find the Omicron virus that we can’t see, touch or smell. We are indeed a unique country.…

Scientists have unveiled plans to map the world’s huge, underground webs of fungi for the first time, to identify hot spots that could better protect natural ecosystems and store CO2 to help tackle climate change. Underground fungal networks underpin the health of plants, trees and broader ecosystems by creating thread-like webs in soil that suck in CO2 and transport nutrients like phosphorus to plants. The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) said it would collect 10 000 samples over the next 18 months from around the world, using machine learning to seek out the most biodiverse hot spots and map global fungal networks. “When something obvious like a coral reef dies, people notice – but these guys are really invisible ecosystem engineers, so their losses are largely undocumented,”…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za THE ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is in a race against time as it looks to finish the hearings on disputes stemming from the nomination of councillor candidates a few months ago. The governing party started its hearings at the beginning of November after complaints from some branches that some candidates’ names had been forwarded for consideration without due process being followed. Dissatisfaction over the compilation of councillor candidates’ lists saw some party members in regions including eThekwini and Moses Mabhida marching to regional and provincial offices to raise their concerns. In reaction, the provincial leadership set up a committee chaired by Cyril Xaba to conduct hearings on grievances launched by the affected members from different branches. Speaking to The Mercury this week Xaba expressed optimism about completing the…

THE South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) said they would support mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations if they were implemented as they viewed the health of their passengers as a priority. The council was commenting after President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday night that the government had set up a task team that would undertake broad consultations on making vaccination mandatory for specific activities and locations. Speaking to The Mercury yesterday, Santaco KZN spokesperson Sifiso Shangase, said the taxi industry supports anything that will be of the benefit of their passengers and aid in the recovery of the country’s economy. He added that they were encouraging their drivers to get vaccinated. “We give our drivers information about vaccination, but it is also up to them if they decide to get the jab,…

On November 29, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and other African heads of state attended the opening ceremony of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (Focac) in Dakar, the capital city of Senegal. Four outcome documents were adopted, including the Declaration of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of Focac. Following the Focac Johannesburg Summit in 2015, the Beijing Summit in 2018 and the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against Covid-19, Focac 2021 is another major diplomatic event for Chinese and African leaders to meet and plan for the future development of China-Africa relations. In his keynote speech, President Xi spoke highly of the unbreakable fraternal friendship between China and Africa over the past 65 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. He summed…

The World Health Organization (WHO) agreed yesterday to launch negotiations on an international pact to prevent and control future pandemics as the world geared up to battle the new Omicron variant of coronavirus. Such an agreement to beef up measures against pandemics was expected to be ready in May 2024. It would cover issues from data sharing and genome sequencing of emerging viruses to equitable distribution of vaccines and drugs derived from research. “The adoption of this decision is cause for celebration and a cause for the hope we all need,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a meeting of health ministers. In the meantime, countries should abide by the WHO’s 2005 International Health Regulations, he said. The decision, entitled “The World Together”, was adopted by consensus at a special…

Dhaka: A Bangladesh mayor who refused to permit a mural depicting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s father on religious grounds was arrested yesterday, police said. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was independent Bangladesh’s first leader and since his daughter took power in 2009, authorities have erected more than 1 000 murals and monuments to venerate him. Scores of people have also been charged for defaming him under the country’s notorious internet laws. Abbas Ali, the mayor of western Rajshahi city, had an audio clip of his comments against a proposed Mujib mural go viral.“This is not correct according to Islamic sharia,” he said.…

TALK is cheap but actions are priceless. That’s why Orlando Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi has to bank on his team to back up his audacious comments - that they are on the same level as Mamelodi Sundowns - against Baroka FC tonight. Out in Liberia on Sunday, Ncikazi held court. After Pirates took a gigantic step towards qualifying for the group stage of the Confederation Cup with a 2-0 win over LPRC Oilers in the first leg of the play-offs, Ncikazi was clearly on cloud nine. He made claims that “we're on the level of Sundowns, but we even have more support than them". The latter might be true but for Ncikazi to say they are on par with a club that has won six titles - 11…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za THE Department of Health expects to be done with its investigation into the deaths of five children, allegedly after consuming noodles, in two weeks’ time. Murdock Ramathuba, a regional director at the Department of Health, said the public could be assured that there was no cause for alarm. “’We conducted tests on noodle samples taken from both the Eastern Cape, where Sinothando Gwendu, 11, Olwam Gwendu, 7, and 4-month old Athenkosi Gwendu passed away, and in Mpumalanga, where Thato Makofane, 9, and her 13-year-old brother, Keamogetswe, passed away. Our finding was that there were no pathogens (that cause diseases) detected.” Ramathuba said that the department had expanded its investigation. “There were no remaining food samples from the deceased children’s homes, so we had to get samples…

KEN CRITCHLOW | Kloof Disgusting is the first word that comes to mind when I see our latest fuel increase. When the ANC came to power, the price of petrol was less than R3/litre. R1.77 would get you a dollar, SAA was one of the top five airlines in the world, the post office was a going concern, traffic lights were never off for more than a couple of hours, Eskom worked without a hitch, and potholes were unheard of, just to mention a few things. The voters are beginning to realise its time for change and that time is now, before we become another Zimbabwe.…

JOHN KNOTTENBELT | Sherwood The front-page headline of The Mercury December 1 sounds like Senzo Mchunu (tagged as the next secretary-general of the ANC) has discovered that the ANC branches are dysfunctional. Now I wonder when this light went on? Mr Mchunu, the ANC fell apart soon after the first few presidents after the “Dawn of Democracy” respectfully ended their term, unlike many who followed, who once they started to feed from the trough of self-enrichment, dug their heels in. And this was where the focus on good governance, proper oversight and respectability was traded for the “New Elite” manner of kleptocracy. No sir, the ANC hasn’t only recently become dysfunctional; the writing was on the wall when once properly run and well-managed state entities became the fertile…

ANXIOUS times call us to non-anxious living. You are going to tell me that’s easier said than done. I have to agree with you. It is nonetheless true. Anxious reacting to anxious times will escalate anxiety, ratcheting things to greater and greater degrees of unreasonableness. Force will meet greater force, worry stirs more worry, and before you know it, things get way out of hand and out of control. “The soft answer turns away wrath,” says the writer of the Book of Proverbs. “Anxiety is more contagious than the common cold,” declares Ed Friedman in his life-changing book Failure of Nerve. If anxiety doesn’t stop with you, it will sweep you up and take you with it. You (and I) do not have to be bowled over by our own…

DRUGS with a street value of around R240 million were seized at the Durban harbour last week. The Hawks said its Serious Organised Crime Investigation team recovered a huge cache of cocaine last Thursday. “The team received information about the vessel that was sailing from South America to South Africa transporting containers with wooden flooring boards which had cocaine concealed within the consignment,” said the Hawks. The drugs found weighed 600kg. The Hawks said that on arrival, the container was searched. It was discovered that between the boards there were large black sports bags, each with bricks of cocaine. Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbambo said that the seizure was a result of collaboration with other law enforcement as well as the intelligence community. She said there was good co-operation with…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Blade Nzimande believes the new requirement for National Students Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) students to pass 75% of their modules to qualify for funding is a step in the right direction. Nzimande told Parliament yesterday the requirement would ensure more university students passed and obtained their qualifications on time. He said some of the students took too long to finish a three-year degree, which was a burden to the student and the state. He said if students finished their degrees within the prescribed period, it would ease pressure on the system. But if more students were stuck in universities trying to complete qualifications, it created a problem for the state. Nzimande has been criticised by student bodies and opposition parties…

AT THE height of the July unrest which saw massive looting and the destruction of property, Police Minister Bheki Cele and other Cabinet members claimed that “12 instigators”, including “big names”, would be arrested because they were “known to the police”. While Cele would not be drawn into revealing the identity of the so-called big-names, his colleague, the Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for State Security, Zizi Kodwa, later implied in an interview with the SABC that former head of Military Intelligence, General Maomela “Mojo” Motau, was among them. When an angry Motau hit back by labelling Kodwa a “security risk” because he had told the Zondo Commission that he was “broke”, and challenged him to lay criminal charges against him if he meant what he said, the deputy…

Kiev: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday called for direct talks with Moscow as tensions mounted over claims that Russia is laying the groundwork for an invasion. Zelensky’s call came as Nato looks to counter what it says is a build-up of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken set to meet Russia’s top diplomat, Sergei Lavrov, in Stockholm today. “We must tell the truth that we will not be able to end the war without direct talks with Russia,” Zelensky said during an annual address to lawmakers in Kiev. “Let’s be honest, the war in Donbass has been going on for eight years,” Zelensky said, referring to eastern Ukraine.“We must talk, knowing that we have a strong and powerful army,” Zelensky added, saying…

Two years after the Mexican drug lord nicknamed “El Chapo” began serving life behind bars in the US, his wife, who admitted taking part in his multibillion-dollar smuggling operation and aiding his notorious 2015 tunnel escape from a Mexican prison, was sentenced on Tuesday to 36 months in a federal penitentiary. Emma Coronel Aispuro, whose husband, Joaquín Guzmán Loera, reigned for years as boss of Mexico’s murderous Sinaloa Cartel, pleaded guilty in June to three charges in US District Court in Washington, including conspiracy to distribute 100 tons of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines. “I address you today to express my true regret … and ask that you and all the citizens of this country forgive me,” Coronel, 32, told Judge Rudolph Contreras in Spanish. Speaking through an interpreter, she…

ZAAHIER ADAMS zaahier.adams@inl.co.za FORMER Proteas captain Faf du Plessis has revealed the details related to his omission from South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad, claiming Cricket SA had “unrealistic expectations”. Although retired from Test cricket, Du Plessis, 37, remained committed to playing white-ball cricket for the Proteas, which included the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates last month. The veteran was still in fine form, having been named player of the IPL final, which was staged in the UAE just days before the T20 World Cup got underway. However, it was seemingly Du Plessis’ commitments to the various T20 and T10 leagues around the world that he now earns his living from that created the dispute. There is another T20 World Cup in Australia next year though, but…

THE majority of players and staff from the Munster and Cardiff who have been stranded in South Africa because of Covid-19 restrictions said they will leave by today. Most of Munster’s squad departed from Cape Town on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Irish club. Cardiff, the last of four United Rugby Championship teams hit by travel bans, will leave today. But both clubs had to leave behind squad members who tested positive for the virus. Fourteen of the Munster squad remained in quarantine in Cape Town, while the Cardiff club said two of their party had to stay behind. “The wider Munster touring party departed Cape Town tonight after a group of 34 players and staff received negative results on completing a fourth round of PCR testing in…

WITH their focus on the compatibility of skilled two-bowl competitors, the Port Natal Bowls Women’s Selection Committee has named the four teams which will represent the district in the KZN Quadrangular Inter-district Tournament on January 29 and 30. To select four individual talents and temperaments in the pursuit of the perfect team, where each individual will contribute equally to a shared goal, is an immensely challenging task and requires careful deliberation and analysis. Each side comprises two teams and the selectors have announced the following ladies as the Port Natal A side – Glenda Matthews (Skip - Stella Park), Cheryl Mostert (Umhlali ), Maria Dreyer (Northlands) and Leonie Koedyk (Stella Park). Their compatriots are Susan Nel (Skip - Amanzimtoti), Minette Hatton-Jones (Stella Park), Linda Didlick (Hillary) and Carol Hollenbach (Durban…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE EMERGENCE of the Omicron variant and subsequent travel bans have turned investors hawkish about the South African economy’s prospects to return to pre-pandemic levels in mid-2022. Uncertainty about the virulence of Omicron, its ability to resist vaccination and spread rapidly, among other things, have rocked global financial markets. As a result, investors have started revising downwards their economic growth forecasts for South Africa due to these headwinds. Fund managers have pointed to the new Covid-19 variant, cost-pushing inflation dynamics and unstable electricity supply as some of the risks to the economic outlook. Momentum Investments, which has more than R550 billion in assets under management, yesterday said subdued activity would have serious implications for the fiscus. Momentum economist Sanisha Packirisamy said growth was expected to soften…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za AFRICAN Equity Empowerment Investments (AEEI) halved its final dividend to 10 cents a share in the year to August 31, 2021, even though it held a strong balance sheet with R2.3 billion in cash. The total dividend for the year was up 33.3 percent to 40c. Net asset value per share decreased 12.25 percent to 1 102.54c after its investments were not spared from the negative impact of the pandemic on all global markets. The share price increased 53.9 percent to R1.40 in one deal on the JSE yesterday, Chief executive Valentine Dzvova said yesterday that while Premier Fishing and Brands had performed well, the technology business struggled with the loss of a large contract, some contracts not being renewed upon…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za A DECISION on whether Shell’s seismic survey on the Wild Coast can proceed is expected to be delivered in the Grahamstown High Court tomorrow. This after four environmental and human rights organisations filed an urgent interim interdict application against Shell this week to prevent it from commencing the survey, citing harmful impact on marine life and local communities. Acting Judge Avinash Govindjee yesterday heard arguments from Border Deep Sea Angling Association, Kei Mouth Ski Boat Club, Natural Justice and Greenpeace Africa and the respondents, Shell, BG International Limited, Impact Africa and the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy. For the organisations, Advocate Willie Duminy argued that the approved environmental management programme (EMPr) for the surveys made it clear that it should not be undertaken during December, unless…

MOHAMED SAEED | Pietermaritzburg I BELIEVE gatherings such as the matric Rage festivals, the Plett Rage festival and other year-end parties in the peak of a pandemic, is a dangerous idea. While the organisers may see the gathering as safe, the current contagion does not warrant such large gatherings or parties. The pandemic lockdown regulations have been hard on public gatherings such as religious worship and funerals, even schools had to comply with Covid-19 protocols. So, may I ask why are these large parties that can become super-spreaders not stopped by the police? Why the double standard? I think parties like this can infect human beings and possibly cause serious illness and death. In the event of an outbreak of the virus, tracing or tracking participants would…

ROLAND FISHER | Durban The human rights investigation into the recent looting and destruction has raised comments about police being allegedly instructed to not involve themselves in enforcement of the law at that time. This would seem to be borne out by the fact that, on average, the police were absent and certainly in most areas only appeared with authority when the problem was over to enforce the removal of community barricades and checkpoints. However, more at play now is the issue of 33 people killed at Phoenix. We are advised that some 350 people died in total in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, and we must presume that since only Phoenix is mentioned, that those other deaths were as a result of natural causes, and no murders or massacres…

FOOTAGE comes this way from Japan of chimpanzees competing with humans in numeracy. The numbers 1 to 9 are randomly scattered across a computer screen. The chimp clicks the cursor on each number in correct sequence. He’s rewarded with a peanut. (How long he was allowed to practise this through trial and error, we’re not told). Next, the numbers disappear, leaving behind just the background outlines on which they had appeared. The chimp then punches the backgrounds in the correct order, the way he had before with the numbers showing. He gets another peanut. Then a human tries his luck. He punches the numbers 1 to 9 in their correct sequence. He gets a peanut. The numbers disappear. He starts punching the backgrounds – but gets the sequence hopelessly wrong.…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) is opening criminal cases for each of the public servants who received the R350 social relief of distress grants for the Covid-19 pandemic. Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu revealed this when she was responding in writing to parliamentary questions from IFP MP Liezl van der Merwe. Van der Merwe enquired about the status of the investigation against civil servants who defrauded Sassa by applying for the special grant and the total number of officials who were suspended pending investigation as well as any matters referred to the National Prosecuting Authority for prosecution. The auditor-general identified 5 812 civil servants who applied for and received the social relief grant to the value of R5 498 500. Zulu said out of the…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-leigh.solomons@iinl.co.za The ANC in the Western Cape has withdrawn its coalition agreement with convicted rapist Kannaland mayor Jeffrey Donson. In 2008 Donson, a member of the Independent Civic Organisation of SA (Icosa), was convicted for the statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl while mayor. He was re-elected to the top spot following a coalition agreement with the ANC in the province in the recent municipal elections. Since the announcement of his second term as mayor, there has been backlash from child rights activists and NGOs who are opposed to him leading the community while having a criminal record. ANC spokesperson in the Western Cape Sifiso Mtsweni said yesterday that the party’s negotiating team had been mandated to process the decision of the provincial leadership to withdraw from the…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za KWAZULU-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane says no potential superspreader event that could lead to the overwhelming of the province’s health-care system should be allowed to go ahead. Simelane was commenting yesterday after the cancellation of the Ballito Rage 2021 Festival. The festival started yesterday and was to have continued until December 5. Reacting to the event’s cancellation, Simelane said: “From October, we have been working with the organisers to find the best way to manage this event. But because we could not close it down ourselves at the time, we agreed that we’d manage the numbers according to the regulations. We agreed that within that process, there will be certain protocols that are in place, such as that the participants would have to produce a vaccination certificate.…

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s world title duel will finally be settled over the next two weekends. Verstappen leads Hamilton by just eight points after 20 races. The 2021 F1 world champion will either be crowned at this week’s inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, or at next week’s season finale in Abu Dhabi. The intensity is high. It is a world championship of the highest category in motor racing sport. The championship has been narrowed to two drivers, two teams fighting for the title. The tiniest of margins will make a difference. Reliability versus performance is the fine line that both teams must get right to win the world championship. The Hamilton/Mercedes combination has had a level of reliability almost unparalleled in the history of F1. The Max Verstappen/Red Bull…

Pope Francis yesterday called for a renewed solidarity with those suffering from the HIV virus to guarantee care for those in the world’s poorest places. Speaking at his general audience, Francis said World Aids Day was an important occasion to remember people affected by the virus. In some areas of the world there is no access to essential care, he said. UNAIDS, the United Nations programme on HIV and Aids, said on Monday the Covid-19 pandemic was undercutting the Aids response in many places and services for people who use drugs for HIV were disrupted in 65% of 130 countries surveyed. “I hope there can be a renewed commitment of solidarity to guarantee efficient and equitable health care, (for those with HIV-Aids),” the pope said. The World Health Organization says…

LONDON: UK Home Secretary Priti Patel is to set off on a tour of European capitals this week as part of a scaled up effort to resolve the migrant crisis that had been plaguing the UK and souring relations with France, reported The Times. Furthermore, the UK is said to be mulling using its presidency in the G7 to summon an extraordinary meeting to discuss the Channel migrant issue after botched attempts to hammer out a bilateral fix to the crisis with France. Patel’s flurry of planned meetings comes after she had been disinvited to an emergency Calais meeting of European interior ministers on November 28 after 27 people died trying to cross to Britain in a dinghy.…

LEEDS United chief executive Angus Kinnear has compared calls for a transfer levy and an independent regulator to Maoism and the Great Chinese Famine, adding that the recommendations would not make English football any fairer. A transfer levy on top-flight clubs and appointment of an independent regulator for the English game were among 47 recommendations made by a fan-led review of football governance published last week. Writing in his programme notes before Leeds’ 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Tuesday, Kinnear said he supported the other recommendations but the two were “as flawed as they are radical”. “Enforcing upon football a philosophy akin to Maoist collective agriculturalism (which students of ’The Great Leap Forward’ will know culminated in the greatest famine in history) will not make the English game fairer,…