Inhoudsopgave van 2022-02-08 - Mercury

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za RACIAL and gender diversity continue to be key themes for required change on South African boards, according to an annual research survey on non-executive directors of listed companies that was conducted by professional services firm PwC. Of the South African non-executive directors (including chairpersons), most non-executive directors (50 percent) were white, with black Africans making up 40 percent. Indian/Asians made up 6 percent and coloureds 4 percent. The representation of black Africans and whites as non-executive chairpersons increased to 35 percent from 32 percent, and to 58 percent from 52 percent respectively, while the Indian/Asian and coloured categories decreased to 4 percent from 11 percent in 2020, and to 2 percent from 5 percent in…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za MEMBERS of the Public Order Policing (POP) unit only had one water cannon vehicle servicing the entire province that they could use to disperse the crowds that were looting and burning businesses during the riots in July last year. This revelation is contained in the 154-page report by the panel appointed by the president to investigate the government’s response to the destructive unrest across KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July last year. The presidency released the full report yesterday. The members of the panel were Professor Sandy Africa as chairperson, advocate Mojanku Gumbi and Silumko Sokupa. The report said: “The numbers of POP officers are pitifully low, they are inadequately equipped and their equipment is not optimally maintained. We were informed that they have access to only one…

I OFTEN check my weather app to see how things are weather-wise in Durban and it looks like you are enjoying good weather. My dear sister wrote a few days ago from Franschhoek in the Cape to tell me it was “too hot to swim”. If you will forgive the mixed metaphor – the woman knows how to twist a dig. Here, on “your” temperature scale, as I write, it is -6ºC. It is snowing and of course, it is “sticking”. If you live here terminology is important: snow “flurries” don’t usually “stick” or stay. Sticking means the snow will accumulate. And, since it has been snowing all night, the snow is both sticking and, with the wind I hear outside, I am sure it will soon be “drifting”. The…

T MARKANDAN | Kloof In my lifetime, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of mankind. And I have always wondered what makes some of us reach out to our fellow human beings with such generosity, love and sacrifice, even risking our lives to save another life in distress. Yet, there are others who become so possessed with evil and hatred, that they commit atrocious deeds against their fellow humans. We read daily of crimes against humanity – of murders, mass shootings, suicide bombings, wars and genocides. These are evil indeed, but worse still are those against women and children, especially where the perpetrator is known to the victim – a friend or relative. Every now and then, a crime or a heroic deed grips…

| Mercury Correspondent University ranking by Academic Performance (Urap) has placed UCT as the highest ranking tertiary institution in the country in its latest findings. According to the 2021-22 world rankings, a total of 21 universities in South Africa made it on to the list, with UCT making it in the top 250. Urap gathered data of about 3 000 higher education institutes (HEI) in an effort to rank these organisations by their academic performance. Data for 3 000 HEIs was processed and the top 2 500 of them were scored. Urap is a non-profit organisation which was established at the Informatics Institute of Middle East Technical University in 2009. It said that since it is an academic performance-based ranking, publications constitute the basis of the ranking methodology. “Both…

| Mercury Correspondent TWO more people have been arrested and charged in connection with the VBS banking scandal. A total of 25 people have been charged in the investigation, according to the police, and face more than 100 charges. Police spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said yesterday that two people, aged 49 and 52, were arrested following allegations of corruption and maladministration. They were expected to appear in the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court this week. “This is following an intensive investigation by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation into inappropriate administering of state funds into the Venda Mutual Bank by the Thulamela Local Municipality,” Mogale said. “The investigation revealed that the municipality invested R30 million into VBS.” Mogale said one of the suspects was a former mayor who allegedly accepted a Jeep…

Their presence in a body appointing judges is a threat to the establishment The battle between conventional modernist thought and emerging black philosophy has defined 20th century political society since the age of anti-slavery and the independence movement in Africa. At the crux of the debate is whether the conceptual basis of our society, be it in economics, politics, literature, the law or academia, is dependent on the disenfranchisement, oppression and omission of those who have been crafted outside of the frameworks of existence. That is to say, the systems and institutions of society were created without consideration of those who were outside the bounds of what is considered civility and humanity. The law in South Africa, notably in recent times, has not been spared from what is admittedly an…

Ghana’s finance ministry said that Moody’s decision to downgrade its credit rating was made by omitting key information and revealed an institutional bias against African economies. Rating agency Moody’s downgraded Ghana from B3 to CAA1 on Friday, citing the “increasingly difficult task government faces in addressing the intertwined liquidity and debt challenges”. It was Ghana’s second downgrade in three weeks, after Fitch Ratings adjusted Ghana from B to B- last month, citing concerns for its ability to issue bonds in 2022, sent its dollar bonds tumbling. “We are gravely concerned about what appears to be an institutionalised bias against African economies in this aspect … with little regard for the adverse impact on the cost and access of financing for African Sovereigns,” the ministry said, adding Moody’s had failed to…

THIS TIME LAST year, we wrote about how difficult forecasting was and then proceeded to outline five possible investment trends for 2021. Interestingly, we were confident that the pandemic would be controlled. In hindsight, this proved unduly optimistic, as was our view that global inflation was unlikely to become a significant issue. The chart on the right shows how Covid-19 cases have soared globally, while CPI (consumer price index) inflation has remained elevated across the 20 largest industrial economies. In hindsight, these two wrong calls were related as successive Covid-19 waves and lockdowns skewed demand from services to durable goods, and severely disrupted global supply chains, leading to broad-based and substantial increases in prices. We were on firmer ground in predicting that global growth would come back strongly. In 2021,…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za SEVERAL pupils were treated by paramedics and taken to hospital yesterday at Richards Bay Hoërskool after a suspected gas leak from a nearby company. Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst said its paramedics responded to the incident yesterday morning. “Netcare 911 responded to a suspected gas inhalation at a school as well as homes in the surrounding area of Richards Bay. Reports from the scene indicate that children as well as adults developed nausea, vomiting, difficulties in breathing with many who collapsed. “It is believed an unknown gas had been blown in the direction of the school and surrounding area.” Herbst added that the source of the gas was still to be determined. “The children were removed to a safer area where they were treated and then transported…

Three patients whose lower bodies were left completely paralysed after spinal cord injuries were able to walk, cycle and swim using a nerve-stimulation device controlled by a touch screen tablet, researchers reported yesterday. The patients’ injuries to a region called the thoracic spine – below the neck and above the lowest part of the back – were sustained one to nine years before receiving the treatment. They were able to take their first steps within an hour after neurosurgeons first implanted prototypes of a nerve-stimulation device remotely controlled by artificial-intelligence software. Over the next six months, the patients regained the ability to engage in more advanced activities – walking, cycling and swimming in community settings outside of the clinic – by controlling the nerve-stimulation devices themselves using a touch…

A café in north-east Thailand has become home to cryptocurrency traders, adding banks of screens showing the latest market moves and dishing out investment advice alongside coffee and cake. Behind a calm exterior of cherry blossom trees, customers of HIP Coffee & Restaurant stare at their laptops, sipping nervously on iced coffee. “It’s exciting for me to be here because I get to meet people who share the same interests,” said Detna- rong Satianphut, a 35-year-old crypto trader. “We (traders) get to exchange information because in the trading world we are coming up against millions of people.” Cryptocurrencies have been gaining momentum in Thailand, with as much as 251 billion baht (about R118bn) in digital assets traded in November, according to the latest data. Earlier this month, Thailand said it…

DUNCAN DU BOIS | Bluff IT IS always fascinating to observe how pro-vax adherents peremptorily dismiss challenges to their narrative. Despite a worldwide push-back against Covid-19 restrictions and vax mandates, Harry Sewlall (The Mercury, February 7) insists that dissent is “specious” and “pseudo-scientific.” As such, his stance reflects the power of mainstream media, Big Tech and Big Pharma to enforce a narrative that is unscientific and is opposed by tens of thousands of scientists and medical doctors. Despite the huge significance of Boris Johnson’s abandonment of all Covid-19 restrictions and vax passports in the UK, as major news the mainstream media coyly tip-toed around it and failed to apologise for the mania and fear it stoked in the subject. Johnson’s decision vindicated the stance of vax opponents and…

Eleven climate activists glued themselves to the asphalt of the German capital’s main motorway, causing rush- hour traffic jams yesterday, in the latest protest demanding a law against food waste and cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. Activists from the group, Last Generation, who also placed food on the A100 that had been discarded earlier, previously blocked roads and motorways in Berlin, Hamburg and Stuttgart on several occasions last week. A video showed frustrated motorists getting out of their cars and pulling activists out of the way to allow vehicles to pass. By midday, activists had blocked three motorway entrances in three places in Berlin and made one unsuccessful attempt, a police spokesperson said. So far, 27 activists had taken part in blockades, 11 of whom glued themselves to…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za TWO people are expected to appear in court today in connection with the murder of 17-year-old teenager Jarell Somana. Jarell was shot dead on Sunday afternoon in Butcher Road in Sydenham. The teen had attempted to flee from his attackers, but they followed him and murdered him. In December the community of Sydenham was devastated by the murders of Larvice Nashville and Roberta Sing, who were gunned down in Georgehill Road. IOL reported at the time that it was believed that the attack was in retaliation to another shooting just days earlier. It has been alleged that the shootings and other incidents are linked to the illicit drug trade. Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said Jarell was killed after he was approached while walking along Butcher Road.…

Nomonde Zondi nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za WHILE teachers’ unions said they were happy that pupils returned to full-time attendance yesterday, they were concerned about overcrowding of classrooms and a shortage of furniture. SA Democratic Teachers’ Union provincial secretary Nomarashiya Caluza said the expectation from the union was that the department would attend to the problem of overcrowding in classrooms. “There was a consultation meeting with unions last week where the department’s director-general presented their long- and short-term plans of attending to these issues,” she said. Professional Educators’ Union general secretary Ben Machipi said they were fully behind the call for schools to return to normality after the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. He said the union was aware of the outcry of many schools because they are facing overcrowding and a…

The sudden impact of Covid-19 affected many sectors of society, including basic and higher education in the country. Some schools were able to adapt to distance or virtual learning and thrived, while others did not. The virus exacerbated the inequality that exists at primary and high schools as access to technology and devices were crucial to any form of learning. As all pupils return to full daily attendance and the social distance requirement has been removed, it is crucial that teachers and pupils remain hyper-vigilant. Education Minister Angie Motshekga said while restrictions are being eased, “all of us have a direct responsibility to ensure that we prevent the spread of the virus and its variants”. “Medical science has informed the decisions that have been made, and as a sector, we…

MOSCOW: French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday flew to Moscow in a bid to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to dial down tensions with Ukraine, where Western powers fear the Kremlin plans an invasion. Moscow gave the visit a guarded welcome, saying it would listen to Macron’s ideas, but played down expectations of a breakthrough. Russia has deployed more than 100 000 troops near Ukraine’s borders. It denies planning an invasion, but says it could take unspecified military measures if its demands are not met, including a promise by Nato never to admit Kyiv. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia was aware of Macron’s plans to ease tensions. But he added: “The situation is too complex to expect decisive breakthroughs in the course of one meeting. “In recent days there…

Netflix released a new true-crime documentary last Wednesday about a man who filmmakers claim scammed dozens of victims, mainly women, for an estimated $10 million (about R155m) after matching with them online. By Friday, Tinder said it had banned the “Tinder Swindler.” Dating app users reportedly can no longer swipe right on Shimon Hayut, also known as “Simon Leviev,” the man who, as detailed by the documentary, posed as the billionaire son of a Russian-Israeli diamond tycoon and wooed women by showering them with lavish goods, then demanded they send money, claiming his life was in danger. | The Washington Post…

JERUSALEM: Israel has announced it is setting up a state commission of inquiry after a newspaper yesterday reported illicit use by police of powerful spyware against confidants of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a string of other public figures. Pegasus, a cellphone hacking tool made by Israel’s NSO Group, was used to “phish for intelligence even before any investigation had been opened against the targets, and without judicial warrants”, Calcalist daily said in an unsourced report. Those targets included a son of, and two aides, to Netanyahu – on trial on corruption charges – as well as a co-defendant and several witnesses, and, separately, two former officials suspected in leaks to journalists, Calcalist said. Lawyers for Netanyahu – who denies wrongdoing – urged that proceedings against him be suspended.…

Mihlali Baleka mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za Orlando Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi says their win over AmaZulu in the Nedbank Cup last 32 on Sunday will serve as a huge morale booster in all the remaining competitions in the second half of the season. After a elongated-hiatus due to the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, the domestic season returned last week via the Nedbank Cup, where the Bucs defeated Usuthu 1-0 in the main attraction of the week to progress to the last-16. The Buccaneers’ goal was scored by Deon Hotto in the 53rd minute but this win was also important as it laid bare Pirates’ ambition of winning week-in and week-out in the final half of the 2021/22 season – where three trophies are still up for grabs. Ncikazi, however,…

Wynona Louw wynona.louw@inl.co.za The Stormers sure did a lot of things right in their 20-10 United Rugby Championship match against the Sharks at Cape Town Stadium at the weekend, and one of the most pleasing aspects was how they closed out the game. In their previous game against the Sharks at Kings Park, John Dobson’s team were far from their best. They were demolished in the scrums for a large chunk of the game and errors from both teams only added to what was a rather frustrating show. But on Saturday, the Stormers were well in control. They did much, much better at the scrums - even though the Sharks did manage to edge them. Their defence was the standout feature of their performance; they brought some good touches on…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za THE OCEANA Group has suspended its chief financial officer (CFO), Hajra Karrim, “on a precautionary” basis ahead of the anticipated completion of an internal audit investigation by law firm ENSAfrica into how it accounts for its US fishing interests. The fishing group said yesterday that it had started a process to appoint an acting CFO. At the end of January the company said it planned to release the investigation report around February 10. Oceana had warned the market last October that its results would be delayed due to a problem around its ownership of US fish-meal and fish oil processing company Daybrook Fisheries, which Oceana bought for R4.6 billion in 2015. The deal had included a 25 percent interest in US fishing company Wesbank, as…

Sibusiso Mboto and Siyavuya Mzantsi THE IFP has hit back at ANC KwaZulu- Natal chairperson and Premier Sihle Zikalala, claiming he was looking for a scapegoat for the governing party’s poor performance in last year’s elections. The criticism came after Zikalala made mention of the IFP during his address at the ANC KZN’s legkotla. In a political report presented to party members on Sunday, Zikalala warned of the distance between the ANC and “the people”, saying this had become evident in KZN where the party had lost support, especially in the recent local government elections. He added that the IFP had been on its “deathbed”, but had taken advantage of the trust deficit that had developed between the ANC and voters. “Exploiting the Zulu nationalism ticket, the IFP has reversed…

| Will Durant O flower of Scotland, When shall we see your like again? Who fought and died for Your wee bit hill and glen … It was a stirring moment as Scotland came back from seven points behind at a packed and vocal Murrayfield to beat England 20-17 in the closing minutes and win the Calcutta Cup (contested only between England and Scotland) back-to-back for the second year running. ’Twas an occasion of high emotion, which showed on the face of Princess Anne, Patron of Scottish rugby, as she presented the three-handled silver trophy to Scotland captain Stuart Hogg. The Calcutta Cup has been played for over 143 years now, the outcome decided by a single match every season. Ever since I first watched – this was live…

EBRAHIM ESSA | Durban TECHNOLOGY is necessary for growth, faster production and quicker communication. Mostly better accuracy of information, uniformity of description internationally, expedited building progress, growth and wealth! In the entertainment scenario, it brings better audio reproduction. Far clearer pictures, higher-density videos, miniaturised data carriers … Great, eh? One family of humans are constantly improving all the technological innovations (bless them) while the other half of humanity struggles to cope with not just the side effects of the advancements but battles to ward off the head-on devastation brought on simultaneously by this giant juggernaut. The greatest paradox is obviously how that unfeeling speed of light is switching off all forms of employment and making a simple loaf of bread disappear from many billions of tables throughout the…

| Mercury Correspondent The Chief of the Army, Lieutenant-General Lawrence Khulekani Mbatha, has expressed outrage over the job scams being posted online, purported to be employment opportunities for people to join the military. Mbatha said the fake job alerts were deceitful efforts by criminals seeking to bring the South African Army into disrepute. “The recent use of various social media platforms targeting youths as young as 15-years-old is unethical, incorrect and should be condemned by all law-abiding citizens of our country,” said Mbatha. “Neither the SA Army nor the SANDF engages in the employment of child soldiers. The Constitution of the country and the relevant legal prescripts governing employment do not allow for the recruitment of minors. It is therefore illegal and unethical to suggest that the SA Army…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za THE Basic Education Department is scaling up the introduction of entrepreneurship as a subject in the country’s public schools. Entrepreneurship as a subject was introduced in 3 600 schools last year and the department was phasing in the subject in 10 000 more schools this year. It started as a subject in primary schools and was now being introduced to secondary schools. All 23 300 public schools, both primary and secondary, will be teaching entrepreneurship by 2024. The department said in a circular sent to schools that it was scaling up the subject as part of its programme called Entrepreneurship, Employability and Education (DBEE3). In the circular, principals were invited to register their schools to be part of the programme via a platform called TeacherConnect WhatsApp, on…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za AFRIFORUM yesterday told the Equality Court sitting at the South Gauteng High Court that Struggle songs like Dubul’ibhunu (Shoot the boer) led to the murder of white farmers. Ernst Roets, the organisation’s head of policy and action, was giving evidence at the hate speech trial it has brought against EFF leader Julius Malema and party MP and former spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi. “There is evidence of songs like this leading to farm murders,” Roets testified. The matter relates to EFF leaders singing Dubul’ibhunu outside the Senekal Magistrate’s Court in October 2020 during the bail hearing of the men accused of murdering Free State farm manager Brendin Horner. “There are no white farmers being killed in South Africa,” said Malema, indicating that his party did not agree with the…

Police have arrested a 40-year-old man in connection with the fire that broke out at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town at the weekend after he was captured on surveillance cameras in the vicinity. Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said the suspect was due to appear in court today. “Our investigation into the fire that broke out in the basement of the St George’s Cathedral in Wale Street, Cape Town, during the early hours of (Sunday) morning led to the arrest of a 40-year-old man. “Surveillance cameras of a hospitality establishment in the area captured footage of a possible suspect spotted close to the crime scene when detectives conducted their investigation,” Traut said. He was arrested on a charge of arson. The motive for the arson is yet to be established,…

Vimolan Mudaly and Ronicka Mudaly THE PAST two years have wreaked unparalleled havoc on education worldwide. Parents are sharply divided on what is the best for their children. Overwhelmingly though, there has been a huge desire for schools to reopen as “normal” amid evidence that children are less likely to become seriously infected by the virus and if they do, the fatality rate is low. But some parents are beset with anxiety and grudgingly sending their little darlings back to school, hoping all will be well. This would have been acceptable in a “normal” society, but South Africa is not an ordinary country. Historical and developmental complexities have weakened social structures, disabling our propensity to provide quality education to the masses, thereby prohibiting the achievement of sustainable development goal…

Emergency rescuers were struggling yesterday to reach parts of Madagascar ravaged by a cyclone over the weekend because many roads and bridges were impassable, while rising river levels were threatening to displace more people, officials said. Cyclone Batsirai slammed into the island late on Saturday, battering the eastern coastline until it moved away late on Sunday, leaving at least 20 people dead, 43 000 displaced and some towns and villages largely destroyed. Madagascar, with a population of nearly 30 million, had already been dealing with the aftermath of Cyclone Ana, which killed 55 people and displaced 130 000 two weeks earlier, and with a drought and food emergency in its southern Grand Sud region. President Andy Rajoelina flew into the coastal town of Mananjary, normally about 500km…

ABOUT 70 episodes of Joe Rogan’s podcast were removed from Spotify as musicians protest the streaming service for allowing the controversial podcaster to amplify falsehoods about the coronavirus and object to his use of a racial slur. It was not immediately clear why the episodes of the Joe Rogan Experience were removed and Spotify did not respond to a request for comment. One guest who appeared on one of the pulled episodes said they believed Rogan used the n-word during their appearance – and all the purged episodes appear to pre-date the pandemic. The website JREMissing, which tracks missing episodes of the Joe Rogan Experience and records when they were removed from Spotify, first noted that 70 podcast episodes went missing from the streaming platform on February 4. Rogan on…

A Sri Lankan court yesterday ordered the release of a lawyer arrested over his alleged ties to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings and held for nearly two years on charges rights groups say lacked evidence. Hejaaz Hizbullah was arrested in April 2020 on suspicion of being linked to the devastating series of attacks on churches and hotels that left 279 people dead. But after prosecutors failed to provide evidence of his involvement in the attacks, blamed on a local jihadist group, he was instead charged with inciting “racial hatred” under Sri Lanka’s expansive Prevention of Terrorism Act. The Court of Appeal said “draconian elements” of the law had been misused to keep Hizbullah detained and noted that parliament had begun a process to reform the act. Yesterday’s decision to grant…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za And now for the World Cup. Actually, now for 10 days of quarantine, then practice, warm-up games and then the World Cup. The next month is both busy and not busy but will be quite long for the South African team that journeyed to New Zealand yesterday. They go into the 50-over World Cup classed in the category of ‘strong contender’. They would have been second favourites behind the Australians, but Dane van Niekerk’s injury-induced absence is such a big a blow that it drops the Proteas’ chances down a notch. Nevertheless, under the astute leadership of Sune Luus they pulled off a come-from-behind series win against the West Indies, to provide a necessary boost in confidence after four months of not playing. In addition, the absence…