Inhoudsopgave van 2022-02-02 - Mercury

Dieketseng Maleke dieketseng.maleke@inl.co.za MINERAL Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe yesterday called on the coal sector to take the bull by the horns in clarifying the national development trajectory in South Africa’s energy transition. Mantashe, delivering the opening remarks ahead of discussions with South African coal producers at the Council for Geoscience, held yesterday in Pretoria, said the combination of green technologies was the future and right option for South Africa. The producers needed to be included in the conversation around the call for coal to be downscaled, the move from coal to renewables and calls for the country to exit coal. “A combination of all those technologies is the future. For example, I believe that the power stations that Eskom wants to decommission can be repurposed from…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE financial woes of the Msunduzi Municipality may worsen as the DA- controlled uMngeni Municipality seeks to cut the revenue the Pietermaritzburg- based municipality generates by supplying electricity to its areas. UMngeni Municipality, which is the first DA-controlled municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, wants the Msunduzi Municipality to stop supplying electricity to the upmarket Hilton area. Hilton falls under the uMngeni Municipality, but gets its electricity supply from the cash-strapped Msunduzi. Hilton is one of the wealthiest areas in the KZN Midlands, with luxurious estates where houses can sell for up to R8 million. It is also considered to be among the areas that has the highest percentages of residents who pay their electricity bills every month. Msunduzi has a budget of R5.2 billion and electricity alone contributes about…

CLARIFY matters for yourself, first. This may take a few days. What do you want? Even if you do not get what you want, what will be the best outcome of this conflict as far as you are concerned? Are you aware of what will satisfy or placate your desire for justice or bring you a measure of peace? Will you feel better for being proved right and your opponent (former partner, friend, whomever) for being proved wrong? Is this even about who is right and who is wrong or winning and losing? Are you able to say what it is about? Are you able to see and articulate their perspective or they who are on the other side of this conflict with you? The opposing views may seem ridiculous…

KEVIN GOVENDER | Shallcross AMONG all the evils of the world, there is no worse thing than snatching a child from its parents. The child has 1 000 faces – on bulletin boards in shopping malls, on milk cartons, on neighbourhood flyers and on national media channels. Parents will forever regret the moment they let their attention wander in the mall or agreed to that out-of-town trip, conjuring scenes of cruelty, living and reliving them in an everlasting torment of self-inflicted perdition. For Nizam and Shakira Moti, the timelessness became a reality when their four young sons were kidnapped from a chauffeur-driven vehicle while on their way to school. The boys were dropped off at a village after three weeks, unharmed. Rumours and conjecture are that the businessman…

GLEN CHRISTIE | Durban North Your main headline and the picture in particular of the metro police at an incident just highlights the ineffectiveness and the waste of resources (The Mercury, January 31, “Outrage at overtime bill”. In the picture one can see at least three metro vehicles with many officers standing around doing absolutely nothing. Having these individuals hanging around costs the taxpayers money. It also poses the question – how many metro police officers does it take to change a light bulb when no ladder is required? With municipal finances in the negative, why does one have to have so many police officers respond? Surely one vehicle with two officers will suffice. It further confirms that there is just no control on the use of taxpayers’…

ONE of two new asteroid alert system telescopes is being hosted in South Africa. The Atlas system, operated by the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, had two telescopes in Hawaii, which covered the Northern Hemisphere. Now, telescopes have been built at the El Sauce Observatory in Chile and the Sutherland Observing Station in South Africa to cover the Southern Hemisphere. The two locations were selected for their access to the southern part of the sky as well as their time zones, which allow for night observation when it is daytime in Hawaii. The four telescopes are capable of scanning the entire dark sky every 24 hours for objects that could collide with the Earth. Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Blade Nzimande said he was delighted that Atlas…

Former head of engineering services at the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) Daniel Mshushisi Mthimkhulu has been convicted on three counts of fraud, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) announced. NPA spokesperson in Gauteng Phindi Mjonondwane said Mthimkhulu was convicted in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court, sitting in Palm Ridge on Monday. “Mthimkhulu was charged with nine counts of fraud for allegedly misrepresenting his qualifications to Prasa, claiming to have acquired a Master’s degree from Wits University, and a Doctorate in Engineering Management from the Technische Universitat Munchen (Munich Technical University) in Germany,” she said. As a result of this misrepresentation, the rail agency raised Mthimkhulu’s annual salary from R1.6 million, as executive manager heading the engineering services, to R2.8 million. “In June 2010, he lied to Prasa about…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za THE Mhlathuze Water board has confirmed that they have decided to extend the special leave of chief executive Mthokozisi Duze and chief financial officer Babongile Mnyandu. The two were placed on special leave on December 8, when a whistle-blower made allegations against them. The leave was expected to last until January 31 – to allow for a preliminary investigation to get under way. Yesterday, board chairperson Thabi Shange said that a report tabled at a board meeting last Thursday recommended that the special leave for the two senior officials be extended. “On the strength of a preliminary investigation report, the board resolved to extend the period of precautionary suspension by a further three months, with the option of an extension by up to six months,” Shange said.…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za CHIEF Justice nominee Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga has laid out his vision for the judiciary, promising to improve case-flow management, intensify transformation of the Bench, review some of the court rules and ensure speedy delivery of judgments. Conceding to delays in delivering Constitutional Court judgments, Justice Madlanga vowed to streamline processes, involve mediators to fast-track justice throughout court settlements and deal decisively with male judges who displayed sexist, patriarchal and misogynistic attitudes towards women who appeared before them as witnesses. Madlanga, the first to be grilled for the country’s top judicial position, said that transformation “cannot just be for transformation’s sake”. He said people’s life experiences enabled them to bring different perspectives to the table. “Transformation is not just about different races. It is about different people’s outlook…

Copenhagen: Denmark waved goodbye to facemasks and health passes yesterday as it became the first EU country to lift all of its domestic Covid curbs despite record numbers of cases of the milder Omicron variant. Only a few restrictions remain in place at the country’s borders for unvaccinated travellers arriving from non-Schengen countries. After a first attempt at lifting restrictions between September and November, the Scandinavian country again ditched its Covid checks and limited opening hours for bars and restaurants. “For me, the best part is that we don’t need to wear masks anymore. “At least now we have a choice if we want to protect ourselves or we want to feel free,” Natalia Chechetkina, a receptionist in Copenhagen, told AFP. Marie Touflet, a 23-year-old French student in the capital,…

The US is putting pressure on Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to call off his visit to Moscow in February saying it may be interpreted as taking sides amid tensions on the Russian-Ukrainian border, the Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported, citing diplomatic sources. “During a Sunday phone call with Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Franca, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concerns again that the president’s visit might be interpreted as a sign that Brazil takes a side in the conflict,” sources in the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said. Washington does not explicitly request a change to the agenda of the talks but makes it clear that the US is working to have the trip cancelled or at least postponed, according to the report. However, the Brazilian government is still…

OSLO: British nature broadcaster David Attenborough, the World Health Organization and Belarusian dissident Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya are among the nominees for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, after being backed by Norwegian lawmakers who have a track record of picking the winner. Among the other nominees are jailed Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, the International Criminal Court in the Hague, WikiLeaks and Chelsea Manning, NATO, aid organisation CARE and the Iranian human rights activist Masih Alinejad. The 2022 laureate will be announced in October.…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za INDUSTRIAL activity in the South African manufacturing sector returned to strong growth in January following a loss of momentum at the end of last year, but rising fuel prices and electricity supply challenges could reverse gains. The seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose by 3 index points to 57.1 points in January from a dip of 54.1 points in December 2021. This pointed to a faster expansion and reflected a strong start to the year for the manufacturing sector as the industry ramped up in production after a Christmas break. Absa said yesterday that the January PMI print was supported by a strong pick-up in business activity and new export sales orders. The business activity index moved back into expansionary territory, rising…

Nomonde Zondi nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za KwaZulu-Natal South Coast residents yesterday said they were hopeful that the water crisis in the area would finally be resolved. The residents from the Ugu District Municipality spoke to The Mercury after attending a meeting with Premier Sihle Zikalala. He conducted site visits to key water infrastructure and unveiled short- and long-term plans to deal with the issue. Chairperson of the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality youth council Siphelele Cele said while water tankers were provided, each ward was given only one truck, which could not provide the whole community with water. The trucks came only on Sundays. He said that after the premier’s visit, he believed that there was hope that the crisis would be resolved. Ayanda Bhengu, of Umzumbe, said: “We have hope that this will be…

| Ted Morgan HEY, is the Idler’s column read beyond these shores? At the time of the Djokovic controversy in Australia, I noted that the pundits and commentators were all describing his being eliminated from the Oz Open as removing from him the opportunity to chalk up 21 Grand Slams and become the greatest tennis player “of all time”. I pointed out, somewhat pedantically, that “all time” is a very long time indeed, stretching from the Big Bang right through to whatever the future might hold for Planet Earth and while there are humans to count the seconds. What the pundits and commentators meant, I suggested, was that Djokovic had the opportunity to become the greatest tennis player “ever”, in the sense of “until now”. Well, Djokovic got his…

CHRIS ELSTON | Musgrave IT IS pleasing to see the public starting to defend Virginia Airport. The letter from David Cartwright should be the start of further public outcry (The Mercury, January 31). To say that the land is too valuable to use as an airport and the airport should consequently be moved further out is nonsensical. If this reasoning is pursued, there would be no end to it as the city will expand continuously and the airport will have to be moved ad infinitum. I have flown myself in and out of city and private airports in the US which are located in proximity to downtown and can attest to the value that business and the public place on their smaller city or municipal airports and how…

DUNCAN DU BOIS | Bluff Einstein defined stupidity as the expectation of a different result by repeatedly applying the same formula. The key approaches identified by the recent Salga (South African Local Government Association) conference aimed at charting a new path for municipalities are the same as the ones that have failed in the past (Ezasegagasini Metro, January 24-February 3). “Guided by the ideals of the Freedom Charter,” so the report stated, Salga committed itself to “accelerating radical economic transformation”. It beggars belief that in all seriousness and in the context of the bankruptcy and dysfunctional state of municipalities, Salga persists with a flawed and failed formula. The Freedom Charter is a Marxist document dedicated to the destruction of private property and enterprise and the accumulation of ownership…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za SACKED SABC head of news Phathiswa Magopeni says she intends to challenge her dismissal while stakeholders in the media industry have raised concerns about her axing. Magopeni was fired on Friday with immediate effect after she was found guilty of misconduct for failing to prevent the broadcast, airing and publication of an interdicted Special Assignment episode. She was found guilty of misconduct for failure to take appropriate measures to ensure that the court order was complied with. The public broadcaster said Magopeni was afforded an opportunity to submit mitigating factors and to address aggravating factors identified by the SABC, in line with the rule of natural justice and the audi alteram partem principle of listening to both sides. Following the announcement, Magopeni said she was not going…

THE process that began yesterday to identify former chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng’s replacement offers a rare opportunity to appoint the country’s first female head of the judiciary. The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has to pick and recommend the best candidate to President Cyril Ramaphosa for appointment. The shortlisted candidates include Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, Gauteng Judge President Dunstan Mlambo and the president of the Supreme Court of Appeal, Mandisa Maya, the only woman candidate. Given our country’s shameful history of patriarchy and lack of gender parity, the current process offers Ramaphosa an opportunity to appoint Judge Maya should she perform well during the interview and lay down a solid vision for the judiciary. Judge Maya already has all the necessary attributes, and her track record speaks…

A fire at a fertiliser plant on Monday night has prompted a North Carolina city to ask people living in a 1.6-kilometre vicinity to evacuate their homes because of the risk of explosion due to large quantities of potentially combustible chemical compounds stored at the plant. “The fire is still active, and there is still the potential for an explosion,” a fire chief in Winston-Salem, Patrick Grubbs, said yesterday, urging the more than 6 000 people living in the vicinty of the Weaver Fertiliser plant to immediately evacuate their homes. At least 90 firefighters had tried to contain the blaze, supported by “close to 150 personnel”, Grubbs said. Firefighters had left the scene after about two hours because of the risk of explosion tied to large quantities of ammonium…

SYDNEY: Australian researchers have developed a new software to check for potentially serious health problems in vulnerable babies and infants. Details of the medical breakthrough, published in the IEEE Xplore Digital Library, show that it can be used with digital stethoscopes to gain advanced screening of hearts and lungs to enable a more accurate diagnosis of cardio-respiratory complications. The researchers from Monash University said their invention can be used in hospitals or by parents at home and may also be particularly beneficial in developing countries or remote regions with limited health resources.…

Colombo: Sri Lanka’s navy says it has arrested 21 Indian fishermen after a confrontation with two trawlers poaching in the island’s territorial waters. A fast attack craft was damaged in the clashes, the navy said. “As the Indian trawlers were attempting to evade naval units with their aggressive manoeuvres, they also caused damages to the SLN Fast Attack Craft,” the statement said. It did not say if there were casualties, but said the navy seized equipment used by the Indians for “bottom-trawling”, a method banned in Sri Lanka that snares maritime creatures on the ocean floor. Indian fishermen are known to stray into Sri Lankan waters along the Palk Strait, a narrow strip of sea separating the two South Asian neighbours in the Indian Ocean.…

From the monkey puzzle tree of Peru to the Tasmanian blue gum of Australia, from the baobabs of Madagascar to the giant sequoias of California, the world is blessed with an abundance of tree species. How many? A new study has the answer. Researchers unveiled the world’s largest forest data base, comprising more than 44 million individual trees at more than 100 000 sites in 90 countries – helping them to calculate that Earth boasts roughly 73 300 tree species. That figure is about 14% higher than previous estimates. Of that total, about 9 200 are estimated to exist based on statistical modelling but have not yet been identified by science, the researchers said. Trees and forests are much more than mere oxygen producers, said Roberto Cazzolla Gatti, a professor…

TONY BALL | Gillitts NOT only are the Durban metro police milking weekend overtime (The Mercury, January 31) but they are very selective with their law enforcement. On Sunday afternoon in Kloof, the “long arm of the law” proceeded to “leave no stone unturned” as they examined every vehicle for licence discs outside a local informal market adjacent to Makaranga Lodge, just as they do regularly outside Maytime Stores, but they ignore my comments when I suggest that they should apply the same enthusiasm to all road users – including taxi drivers. Never mind that obtaining a current licence disc is an ordeal nowadays. It would appear that the application of by-laws is also extremely selective as the Durban metro police wasted no time in closing down an…

MAGGIE TAYLOR | Berea In response to Farouk Araie (The Mercury, January 31), you write an excellent letter and I agree with your views on the domino-effect corruption has, but as for your last paragraph, quote, the two Js, unquote, would make the perfect team to be in power – I’m amazed at how you reach your conclusion. The one J is a racist dictator who makes verbal admissions at all his rallies and press conferences. His opinion of whites and Indians is concerning and among his other bizarre beliefs are wanting to nationalise the banks, the mines and state-owned enterprises. Do you want to be under the rule of a dictator, Mr Araie? As for the other J and the above mentioned J forming a party and…

A 32-year-old North West man has been handed a life sentence for raping his elderly relative. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the North West, Nkagisang Botha was convicted and sentenced in the Itsoseng Regional Court for raping his 78-year-old relative. NPA provincial spokesperson Henry Mamothame said police reports revealed that in the early hours of October 23, 2017, the victim was woken up by a noise and went to investigate. “She was then confronted by Botha who choked and subsequently raped her on the floor. He, later on, dragged her to the bedroom and raped her again.” “All the exhibits were collected at the scene for forensic analysis. Among them was a bedsheet where the second rape occurred. “In February 2018, the DNA results came back positive,…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za The Cabinet decision to allow school pupils to return to full-time attendance has been largely welcomed by those in the education sector. Cabinet announced in a statement on Monday night that pupils can return to full-time attendance. “Primary, secondary and special schools will return to daily attendance. The regulatory provision for social distancing of one metre for learners in schools has also been removed. The Ministers of Health and Basic Education will in the coming days issue directives reflecting on this new approach,” the statement said. The Education Department said full-time attendance was expected to start on February 7. The issue of rotational learning has been under the spotlight in recent weeks with civil society organisations and the DA calling for it to end. The DA had…

Russia is in the spotlight of the Western mainstream media’s attention again. The reason being: the draft documents on legal security guarantees from the US and Nato which have been given to the US party on December 15, 2021, during a meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry. The US party was also given detailed explanations regarding the logic of the Russian approach, as well as the relevant arguments behind this step. Nonetheless, as usual, the Western media decided to “follow their own path” and started inventing their own explanations of Russia’s actions. Russia is “threatening” the West again and is “planning to invade Ukraine”: “Amid fears Russia will invade Ukraine, Putin points finger at US and Nato in a marathon news conference” (Washington Post), “Vladimir Putin threatens ‘military-technical’ reaction…

Six people were feared dead in Mozambique yesterday after they tried to cross rivers swollen by floodwaters in dugout canoes, police said. The drownings on the Zambezi and Revuboe rivers came in the wake of Tropical Storm Ana, which pummelled the region last week, leaving 86 dead in Mozambique, Madagascar and Malawi. Heavy seasonal rains have continued in central Mozambique, leaving rivers raging days after Ana dissipated. On the Revuboe River, the floodwater washed away a key bridge, forcing people to cross by boat. One canoe carrying 12 people capsized at the weekend. Eight people were rescued, but the rest are feared dead, including a three-year-old child, said police spokesperson Feliciano da Camara. “The canoe that sank in the Rovuboe River was carrying 12 people, of whom eight were rescued…

PARIS: France will launch a series of investigations into care homes group Orpea, which is at the centre of allegations of malpractice it has repeatedly denied, minister Brigitte Bourguignon said yesterday. Orpea, one of Europe’s biggest for-profit care home groups alongside French rival Korian, has lost nearly 53% of its market value since the first extracts of a book alleging malpractices in its care homes were published on January 24. The government is very concerned by the allegations in the book by independent journalist Victor Castanet, Bourguignon said after meeting Orpea’s bosses. “(The allegations) bring shame to an entire sector …” she said.…