Tabla de contenidos para 2022-05-19 en Mercury

Technology, presence and global reach define continent’s future trade ecosystem DELIVERING on Standard Bank’s ambition to build Africa’s dominant business trade platform is not as unlikely as many may think. As a bank committed to driving Africa’s growth, Standard Bank has for decades steadily expanded its footprint and deepened its reach and capability across 20 African territories. Today, the bank is the largest by assets in Africa. Through Standard Bank’s equity partnership with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the biggest bank in the world, the Group represents a formidable continent-wide banking ecosystem, driving Africa’s growth by linking Africans to each other – and Africa with the world. Philip Myburgh, the head of Trade and Africa-China at Standard Bank’s Business & Commercial Clients’ (BCC) division, believes recent developments…

THE OFFICE of Public Enterprises (OPE) was established in 1994 to champion and direct the restructuring of state-owned companies (SOCs) and to ensure their optimal economic and developmental impact. The Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan, on May 10, regarding the disposal of the 51 percent shareholding in South African Airways (SAA) to Takatso Consortium, confirmed that they were able to fund the transaction. The following press release was issued. “Note to Editors: This is an explanatory release to all media to highlight the salient points of the presentation to Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) by the Minister of Public Enterprises on May 10, regarding the disposal of 51 percent shareholding in SAA. The minister stated: “The intent is for the consortium to acquire a 51…

I would suggest that if you are a living, breathing person, you will be challenged with all of the following at least a few times every 24 hours. I hope you meet the challenges and are successful. In the event that you are not, life has a way of giving people fresh opportunities, and one can always try again tomorrow. The temptations: To compromise your integrity for popularity, profit or the semblance of peace. To spend more money than you can afford on things you do not need. To be quiet when it is time to speak and to speak when it is time to be quiet. To appear to be listening when someone is talking. To ask questions without listening to the answers. To eat more than you need…

IT IS beyond a joke to see how the ANC appears to believe that symbolism will be its saving grace rather than proper qualifications for legislators and civil service staff and good, honest and committed effective government. The latest costly symbolic wastage is the decision by ANC minister Nathi Mthethwa to spend R22 million on a humungous 100m-high flag to be erected at Freedom Park. With all its repeated symbolism, coupled with failed service at every state-owned enterprise, has the ANC no shame? Another symbolic overspend is the frequent flaunting of their mayoral golden chains by ANC mayors in media advertisements. If it were not for the “oh so many” failed ANC local authorities, one might even forgive their desire for personal publicity. Proper and efficient service to the public…

KWAZULU-Natal (KZN) school infrastructure – in other words, a roof over pupils’ heads, toilets, security fences and furniture, among others – is already in an advanced state of decay at far too many of the almost 6 000 schools in our province. The recent flood and earlier storms have also affected 638 schools that the DA is aware of. Then there are the 158 schools looted during last year’s politically motivated sedition. Added to this are the 982 schools that still have pit latrines and those with cancer-causing asbestos roofs. Then there are also KZN’s five mud schools. Despite provincial Department of Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu’s claim last year that there are no mud schools in our province, this is not the case and they have not simply vanished. Proper…

The National Director of Public Prosecutions has withdrawn the criminal case against 53 military veterans accused of holding hostage Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise and her deputy Thabang Makwetla. The military veterans appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday to hear whether the prosecuting authority would proceed with the charges against them for the hostage drama at the St George’s Hotel in Centurion last year. The men and women heaved a sigh of relief as the State indicated that following the representations by defence teams it had decided not to pursue the criminal case against the group. Speaking outside court following their appearance, Lwazi Mzobe, the national co-ordinator of the Liberation Struggle of Military Veterans, said they were pleased by the decision by the State. “We were…

THE Beatles, Whitney Houston and the Bee Gees topped the list in a recent poll hosted by digital radio station East Coast Gold on the top 10 artists or bands of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. The poll, which was open for two weeks, online and on East Coast Gold’s social media platforms, received more than 2 000 entries. From a list of artists, separated into three categories for the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, the station’s listeners narrowed down their top classic artists to some of the most ubiquitous names. The Beatles came in at number one, with Whitney Houston and the Bee Gees taking the second and third spots. Elton John was voted number four, followed by Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley. Next were Madonna, The Beach Boys, Lionel…

The portfolio committee on police adopted the report on the Criminal Law Forensic Procedure Amendment Bill without amendments yesterday. The committee last week adopted the bill, confirming all clauses and sections applicable to it had been approved before moving forward for parliamentary approval. The purpose of the bill is to make provisions for the full implementation of the Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Act, 2013. When enacted, the act would compel the government to take DNA samples of schedule 8 (rape, murder, human trafficking, robbery, and culpable homicide) offenders and add them to the convicted offenders’ database. It also proposed removal of the time limitation on the taking of buccal samples from already convicted and imprisoned offenders and imposed reporting requirements on the national police commissioner and correctional services. Action…

As the world emerged from World War II, it looked to countries such as Sweden and Finland where the welfare state was in vogue. Much of domestic policy at the time was concentrating on forming partnerships or social compacts to rebuild, whereas the developing world was more focused on freedom. In the foreign policy space, the world admired the noble Swedish stance on neutrality. As the international community fast moved into a bipolar world of the Cold War, Western countries such as Sweden and Switzerland stood out in their insistence on being neutral. No doubt, unofficial channels were open and opportunistic, but the official position inspired. Swedish international statesman and former UN secretary-general, Dag Hammarskjöld, once commented on this stance of neutrality. Addressing a gathering at Oxford University in 1961,…

A 16-year-old British schoolboy who is on a quest to become the youngest person to fly around the world solo, landed his small plane in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, yesterday. Mack Rutherford, who started his journey near the Bulgarian capital Sofia in March, is looking to clinch a Guinness World record currently held by compatriot Travis Ludlow, who was 18 when he completed a circumnavigation last year. “I’m hoping, with this journey, to inspire young people to follow their dreams,” Mack said after clambering out of his two-seater single prop ultralight aircraft, at Wilson Airport. The plane’s manufacturer, Shark Aero, deemed the journey too risky and declined to partner with the project. “Mack is no doubt a skilled pilot. However, we do not feel comfortable pushing the age limit to the…

The world’s oceans grew to their warmest and most acidic levels on record last year, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said yesterday, as UN officials warned that the war in Ukraine threatened global climate commitments. Oceans saw the most striking extremes as the WMO detailed a range of turmoil wrought by climate change in its annual “State of the Global Climate” report. It said melting ice sheets had helped push sea levels to new heights in 2021. “Our climate is changing before our eyes. The heat trapped by human-induced greenhouse gases will warm the planet for many generations to come,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas in a statement. The report follows the latest UN climate assessment, which warned that humanity must drastically cut its greenhouse gas emissions or face increasingly…

JAKARTA: Indonesian rescuers were battling to free a ferry with more than 800 people yesterday after it ran aground on a submerged island off the country’s southernmost province, a local official said. The KM Sirimau has been marooned for two days with 784 passengers and 55 crew members on board after it got stuck along a 184km route. As the vessel does not seem be leaking, the rescue operation has focused on attempting to dislodge the ferry to allow it to continue its journey rather than evacuating everyone, say officials. But efforts to free the ship from the submerged island using a towboat have so far failed, the head of search and rescue said. | AFP…

A PRELIMINARY report on the storm damage in eThekwini has revealed that the municipality could lose R500 million in property rates revenue if damaged businesses are not rebuilt. City officials said they were concerned about the impact of the damage to the “backbone of the city’s economy”. The officials briefed councillors during a special council meeting yesterday. City official Bongumusa Zondo, who leads the committee responding to the disaster, said a lot of work had been done to try to restore normality, and more work still needed to be done. He tabled the report, which showed that 1 152 businesses had been damaged. The report showed that the valuation roll properties that were at risk were valued at R7 billion, and the annual rates income value that was at risk…

IS THIS a doggies’ doss-house? A Tennessee couple woke to find they were sharing their bed with a large, cuddly dog. Jimmy Johnson rolled over and asked his wife: “Julie, whose dog is this?” But the story gets more strange, according to The Huffington Post. The Johnsons have three large dogs which sleep with their owners anyway on their king-size bed. Had word got around in the doggie world that the Johnsons are a good bet for bed and breakfast? The Johnson dogs made no fuss at all when the newcomer arrived and joined them. The couple shot photos and posted them on Facebook to find her owners. “This is the weirdest post I have ever had to make,” Julie Johnson wrote. “Is this your dog?” She got a…

KHUMBULANI MNGADI South Africans have become accustomed to reactive euphoria that only lasts for a few days. This has happened all too often – even our distant enemies have observed the trend. Whoever wants to destroy us as a nation can easily exploit this to our detriment, unfortunately. We tend to put so much energy and scorn on isolated incidents that happen to receive media attention, yet eat and breathe racism on a daily basis. Sadly, once the social media frenzy dies down we pat each other on the back and say we have confronted the issue head-on, and life goes on. This tendency is so myopic and fallacious in character. The transformation agenda is just a complete façade, I argue. Stellenbosch is a microcosm of society. Racism in South…

The Ombudsman for Long-term (life) Insurance and the Ombudsman for Short-term (non-life) Insurance, together put almost R400 million back in the hands of consumers who complained in the past financial year. In a joint 2021 Annual Report, the Ombudsman for Long-term Insurance (OLTI) noted an increase in the number of claims, especially funeral and credit insurance claims from 2020 to 2021, and subsequently the number of complaints received also rose. “The increase in the number of complaints can largely be ascribed to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, as insurers have widely reported on the increased number of claims,” Denise Gabriels, deputy ombudsman for Long-term Insurance, said. The 17 379 written requests to the Office of the OLTI for assistance exceeded the record of 14 198 in 2020, as did…

Smoking rates have declined globally for the first time on record, according to a new report on tobacco use, from a public health campaign group and US academics. However, the figures from the Tobacco Atlas report, described as a potential tipping point by the authors, also mask growing numbers of smokers in parts of the world, as well as increased tobacco use among teenagers in almost half the countries surveyed. Globally, there are 1.1 billion smokers and 200 million more people who use other tobacco products, the report from Vital Strategies and the Tobacconomics team at the University of Illinois at Chicago found. That represented a decline in smoking rates, from 22.6% of people in 2007 to 19.6% in 2019, they said, the first since the report began in 2002.…

A NIGERIAN citizen, who is accused of being a member of the Neo Movement of Africa, also known as the “Black Axe”, was granted bail with strict conditions. He was detained in jail after claims that the movement duped victims in the US, via the internet and cellphones in romance scams. The applicant, who is not named as there are no formal charges against him, was provisionally arrested, along with several other people. This was after the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Western Cape earlier received a request from the US in this regard. There has been no formal request for his extradition, and because a magistrate had refused him bail, he had to remain behind bars. He successfully turned to the Western Cape High Court to appeal against…

The Constitutional Court will today hear the South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) case against three major banks for their tendency to apply for default judgments in high courts against debtors who owe amounts as small as R7 000 on their home loans. The three banks in question are Standard Bank, Nedbank and FNB, which are the first to third respondents, respectively. The fourth to 16th respondents are individuals against whom summons were issued in high courts by the banks in various matters. The cases involved instances where the banks were claiming payment in respect of alleged default on mortgages or motor vehicle credit payments and these were consolidated and heard by a full bench of the high court. During that case, the Gauteng Judge President issued directions requiring the…

Country’s objective is ‘fruits should be shared by the people’ In the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the citizens are regarded as “masters of the country”. What does this mean and how can this bold statement possibly be relevant for South Africa as it still battles a living apartheid legacy, an epidemic of maladministration, inhuman inequality and climate change consequences? The PRC has built a moderately prosperous society not least by eliminating absolute poverty as set out in Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and demonstrating what can be achieved with decisive leadership strengths to arrest the Covid-19 health and economic pandemics. China’s socialist modernisation and record-high human development index (HDI) in various sectors of society, is premised on five interlinked factors that are relatively distinct to the PRC. President Xi…

The Taliban in Afghanistan have mediated a temporary ceasefire between Pakistan and a local Pakistani Taliban militant group following talks between the two sides in Kabul, an official said yesterday. The Pakistani Taliban, known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has carried out some of the bloodiest attacks inside Pakistan since 2007. It is not directly affiliated with the Afghan Taliban, but pledges allegiance to them. “During the talks, in addition to significant progress on related issues, a temporary ceasefire was also agreed upon,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter. Pakistan carried out a number of operations against the TTP, but despite reducing the militant group’s footprint, it has not been able to fully stop attacks which in recent months have begun to rise again along its western border. A…

LONDON: Diana Ross is set to perform as part of the BBC’s Platinum Party At The Palace concert. The Motown legend and former Supremes star will make her grand return to the UK at Buckingham Palace on Saturday, June 4, as part of the four-day Bank Holiday celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign on the British throne. The singer hasn’t performed on British soil since 2007. Diana, 78, was due to tour in 2020, but it was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Viewers at home and the 10 000 concert-goers attending can expect three stages and epic 3D projections beamed across the palace. | Bang Showbiz…

LONDON: A 13-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of committing terrorism offences as part of an investigation into the sharing of extreme Islamist material online, British police said yesterday. The boy was arrested on Tuesday at an address in west London on suspicion of dissemination of terrorist material. He has since been released on police bail. “While it is still very rare for such a young person to be arrested for a terrorism offence, in recent times we have seen a worrying increase in the number of teenagers being drawn into terrorism,” said Richard Smith, head of London police’s Counter Terrorism Command. | Reuters…

The Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) Council has come under criticism from the Higher Education Portfolio Committee and a workers’ union for allegedly meddling in management issues at the institution rather than carrying out its oversight role. In a heated meeting that lasted more than five hours yesterday, council members, including the chairperson, Morailane Morailane, countered the accusations, saying the meeting had been turned into an ambush session. The meeting was addressing matters raised by independent assessor Professor Anthony Staak, who had been appointed to look at the problems of governance that have engulfed the institution in the past. The assessor was appointed by Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande last year. Committee member Tebogo Letsie said while the university management and council had painted a rosy picture, the institution was…

Should a female elephant have some of the same legal rights as humans? That is the question New York state’s top court will consider this week, the latest development in a years-long push by an animal rights group to free Happy the elephant from the Bronx Zoo. The 51-year-old Asian elephant has called the world-famous zoo home since 1977. But four years ago, the Nonhuman Rights Project began asking New York courts to release Happy to one of two elephant sanctuaries in the US, saying she was being illegally imprisoned. The group said Happy was entitled to habeas corpus, a legal process in which illegally detained people or someone acting on their behalf may inquire about the reason they are being held. New York law does not define “person,” and…

THERE seems to be an increase in hijackings and home invasions in the eThekwini regions, especially in the Havenside, Mobeni Heights and Bayview suburbs of Chatsworth. There are solutions to bring down these acts of criminality, if SAPS and its crime intelligence unit and private security companies work together. When most of these hijackings take place, especially in Chatsworth, the perpetrators drive towards Lamontville or uMlazi. It seems that some residents of these townships and some SAPS members know where these hijacked vehicles are located in these townships, but nothing gets done to arrest the culprits. If the SAPS and private security companies come together and share resources, this will definitely assist to bring down these criminal acts. Private security companies use advanced CCTV cameras in some areas, using a…

In a violent fight at the Brandvlei Correctional Facility in the Western Cape in 2009, several prison wardens were attacked and seriously injured. One of the instigators of the fight – a member of the 26 gang – claimed damages after suffering injuries when the officials tried to restore order. Ricardo Wepener claimed R1 million from Correctional Services in the Cape Town High Court. He said he suffered severe injuries. In its defence, the department told the court it was faced with a dangerous situation where Wepener and his fellow inmates stabbed some of the officials with knives and other sharp objects. The correctional officers denied that they had assaulted Wepener and said they had used minimum force with certain equipment lawfully issued by the department to calm the situation.…

Worsening outdoor air pollution and toxic lead poisoning had kept global deaths from environmental contamination at an estimated 9 million per year since 2015 – countering modest progress made in tackling pollution elsewhere, a team of scientists reported this week. Air pollution from industry processes along with urbanisation drove a 7% increase in pollution-related deaths from 2015 to 2019, according to the scientists’ analysis of data on global mortality and pollution levels. “We’re sitting in the stew pot and slowly burning,” said Richard Fuller, a study co-author and head of the global non-profit Pure Earth. But unlike climate change, malaria, or HIV, “we haven’t given (environmental pollution) much focus”. An earlier version of the work published in 2017 also estimated the death toll from pollution at roughly nine million per…

SUPPORTERS of eThekwini regional chairperson and former mayor Zandile Gumede said any amendments to the step-aside resolution of the ANC should avoid a situation where it appears that people are being deliberately targeted. This was in response to media reports that an ANC National Working Committee meeting on Monday was split over whether to have Gumede and Mpumalanga ANC treasurer Mandla Msibi vacate their positions. Gumede and her co-accused are facing 2 786 charges relating to a 2017 Durban Solid Waste tender amounting to more than R320 million. The trial has been set for July 13 to August 31. Gumede was charged in May 2019 while still eThekwini mayor. She formally resigned as mayor in August 2019 after being recalled by the ANC. Msibi had voluntarily stepped aside last year…

WHILE Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza has welcomed the recent signing of the first Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan (AAMP), there have been mixed reactions from farming groups. The document was co-signed by government and organised agricultural groupings. The master plan aims to promote inclusive agricultural growth, a transparent and predictable policy environment, equitable access to the means of production and financing, competitive and transformed food value chains, food-secure households, decent jobs, better working conditions and farm safety. Speaking at the signing ceremony last week, Didiza said the vision of the AAMP was to achieve globally competitive agriculture and agro-processing sectors that drive market-oriented and inclusive production to develop rural economies and ensure food security, while growing employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. She added that to…

LISTENING to Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa justifying why his department wants to construct a R22 million monumental flag, you would be easily fooled into believing South Africa has no other pressing crises that need his urgent attention. You’d be convinced our arts industry is not on its knees and artists are not going to bed on empty stomachs and having their cars and homes repossessed. You’d not think that some of the country’s theatres have permanently closed shop due to a lack of government support and the looting of money meant to help them overcome the challenges the Covid-19 pandemic presented. You would also believe our sports facilities, especially in rural areas and townships, are world class – if they exist at all – and our athletes…

Finland and Sweden yesterday submitted a joint application to join Nato as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forces a dramatic reappraisal of security in Europe. The reversal of the Nordic countries’ longstanding policy of non-alignment came as Ukraine opened the first war crimes trial of a Russian soldier since the invasion began. Vadim Shishimarin, 21, from Irkutsk in Siberia, pleaded guilty to killing an unarmed 62-year-old man in Ukraine’s Sumy region on February 28 – four days into the invasion. “By this first trial, we are sending a clear signal that every perpetrator, every person who ordered or assisted in the commission of crimes in Ukraine shall not avoid responsibility,” prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova said. Russia’s government has no information on Shishimarin, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, adding that many such…

Belarus had introduced the death penalty for attempts to carry out acts of terrorism, Russian news agencies reported yesterday, charges that several opposition activists face in the ex-Soviet country. Belarus – a close ally of Russia that has supported its military offensive in Ukraine – is the only country in Europe that continues to carry out executions despite calls for a moratorium. “Lukashenko signed a law on the possibility of the death penalty for an attempted terrorist act,” the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing an online government portal. It said the law would come into force 10 days after its publication. Two years ago, Belarus faced protests against the re-election of strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country with an iron fist for more than two decades.…

MANILA: Philippines president-elect Ferdinand Marcos jr yesterday said his country’s ties with China will expand and “shift to a higher gear” when he takes power, signalling intent to advance outgoing leader Rodrigo Duterte’s pro-Beijing agenda. Marcos, 64, who won last week’s election by a landslide, said he held “substantial” talks by phone yesterday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who assured him of support for his “independent foreign policy”, and agreed to hold more comprehensive discussions. The son and namesake of the former dictator said Xi acknowledged his late father’s role in opening diplomatic relations between China and former US colony the Philippines. “I told him, we must not allow what conflicts or difficulties we have now between our two countries to become historically important,” Marcos said. The Philippines and China…

MEXICO CITY: Tropical cyclone Yakecan, which continues to rage across south-eastern Brazil, has damaged power lines and left 182 000 consumers without electricity, Brazilian utility company CEEE Equatorial said yesterday. The cyclone made landfall on the coasts of southern Brazil and Uruguay on Monday. “At the moment, the (climate) phenomenon is moving to the capital area, and is also affecting the south and north shores,” the company said. The Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology, Yakecan carries winds up to 100km/h and heavy rains. | Sputnik…

ARTHUR Zwane’s inside knowledge on what’s expected of the new Kaizer Chiefs coach shapes him as the right man to fill the vacant post, except the Amakhosi legend has spoken fondly of “an incoming coach”. For a second season running, Chiefs endured a trophyless season, extending their barren run to seven seasons, most recently under Stuart Baxter who replaced Gavin Hunt for the same reason. Just like the club did when they sacked Hunt, Chiefs called on assistant coach Zwane to help out on an interim basis after firing Baxter. But the Chiefs’ faithful are caught between Zwane’s readiness to assume the top seat on a full-time basis and the continuation of his role as understudy to a “more experienced coach”. The 48-year-old is mum on the matter. “As of…