Inhoudsopgave van 2023-07-05 - Mercury

Copper 360 says metallurgical test results have confirmed a high copper recovery Junior miner Copper 360 says metallurgical test results have confirmed a high copper recovery and concentrate grade at its Rietberg copper mine drill core in the Northern Cape. Copper 360 is the only pure copper player on the JSE, and was created through a merger of the Northern Cape copper rights and projects headed by mining entrepreneur Shirley Hayes’s Ship mining company, and the SX-EW, solvent extraction electrowinning plant set up by Jan Nelson to recover copper from dump material on the site of the former O’kiep Copper Mine at Nababeep. The group was listed on the bourse only about two months ago and shares surged by up to R20. When it listed it traded at R5 per…

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The Zulu king has said he is “fit and sound”, and denied rumours he had been poisoned. “I’m very well, I’m very fit and sound,” King Misuzulu KaZwelithini said in a phone interview from eSwatini on Monday. The king’s comments come after Traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu Monarch and Nation Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi released a statement in which he said the king “was being treated in a hospital in eSwatini, having taken ill”. Buthelezi had said it was “suspected that he may have been poisoned” after the unexpected death of one of his close advisers, after “suspicions that he was poisoned”. But asked by AFP if he was ever in a hospital, the king said “never”. “It was a procedural routine check-up that I do every three months, sometimes…

“I never thought that at 68 years of age, I would be writing to you for help with family matters. I guess there would be hundreds of people in the same boat as I am and at some stage I must reach out.” I was thrilled to get this letter, not because someone is experiencing family difficulties. I was thrilled because the writer has reached a point where he sees “reaching out” is possible, necessary and healthy. The writer is apparently also aware that family issues are common. He sees there is no age at which a person cannot reach out for help. The writer’s tone expresses that there is no benefit to attaching shame to experiencing family difficulties and he apparently sees that his family is like many other…

As we grow older, those who learn from experience tend to maintain self-control with greater dignity as we have less to get excited about. We learn that the world will continue with or without us and that we are not as important as we think we are. This is part of the art of ageing gracefully. Others, who have not learnt from experience, continue to fight and argue, believing that every opportunity is a site of conflict and that it is their responsibility to ensure that they are heard. I have seen this in governance and in the religious sector and witnessed the abundant foolishness. In council, those who did not complete high school argue with those who have Master’s degrees from established universities. The uneducated do not even realise…

With unaddressed mental health disorders a growing problem, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) will be unpacking panic and anxiety disorders this month, as July marks Mental Health Awareness Month. Throughout the month, Sadag will collaborate with mental health experts and trained individuals to host a series of online events and campaigns aimed at increasing awareness and reducing the stigma surrounding anxiety disorders. Health economists estimate that unaddressed mental health conditions cost the South African economy R161 billion per year due to lost days of work, presenteeism (being at work but unwell), and premature mortality. In the Mental State of the World 2022 report, South Africa scored the lowest average on the mental health well-being scale, measured across 34 countries from around the world. Additionally, the World Mental…

A search for a local man from Port Edward on the South Coast is being conducted after he went missing while swimming at Glenmore Beach on Monday. National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson Craig Lambinon said on Monday at about 3.51pm, NSRI Port Edward duty crew were activated following a report from Medevac Ambulance Services of a drowning in progress at Glenmore Beach. Lambinon said NSRI launched a rescue craft and NSRI rescue swimmers, Medevac Ambulance Services, the SAPS, Police Search and Rescue and police K9 responded to the incident. “Despite the extensive search, there remains no sign of the missing man,” he said. | Karen Singh…

The concentration of wealth and power contributes to income inequality South Africa’s much-lauded transition from apartheid to a democratic state was a momentous occasion that held promise for a more equitable and just society. However, the harsh reality is that the untameable neoliberal dispensation, under the equally uncontrollable and extremely powerful financial services industry, has thrived at the expense of the formerly oppressed black population. The financial services industry and banks, in particular, have trampled on people's rights and shown no desire to see a truly liberated and prosperous South Africa. This opinion piece aims to shed light on the damning effects of neoliberalism and the role of the financial sector in perpetuating inequality and exploitation. American historian Michael Parenti's analysis of capitalism provides a stark revelation: "The wealth of…

Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who backs the politically split country’s eastern administration, has threatened military action unless oil revenues are divided fairly by the end of August. The country sits on Africa’s biggest oil reserves but the wedge between the eastern government and a UN-recognised administration in Tripoli has hampered Libya’s efforts to ramp up output after a surge in European demand for non-Russian oil and gas. Last month, Oussama Hamad, who heads the eastern administration, threatened to block oil and gas exports from territory under its control, claiming the Tripoli administration was wasting energy revenues. Haftar said a committee must be established “to put in place financial arrangements with a view to fair management of public funds” and oil revenues. Crude is the main revenue source for Libya,…

LONDON: A UK court yesterday fined Thames Water, the nation’s biggest supplier of the commodity, £3.3 million (about R78m) for polluting rivers, heaping more pressure on the indebted company at risk of renationalisation. Thames Water pleaded guilty to pumping millions of litres of undiluted sewage into rivers near the capital’s Gatwick Airport in 2017, killing wildlife. The fine, handed down at Lewes Crown Court, southern England, comes after the UK’s privatised water companies pledged to make massive investments to stop raw sewage being pumped into waterways. Bills could surge 40% by 2030 to fund the works amid mounting concerns over water quality. | AFP…

Berlin: A German court has sentenced an asylum seeker to life in prison for fatally stabbing a 14-year-old girl. The tribunal in Ulm said the 27-year-old Eritrean was convicted of murder, attempted murder, and grievous bodily harm for the attack in December last year. He is unlikely to be released on parole after 15 years. The assailant stabbed the girl and critically injured her 13-year-old friend who were walking past his refugee shelter in Illerkirchberg. Investigators said he intended to brandish the knife at a local immigration office to demand travel documents. The court concluded that he attacked the girls after one saw the knife and he feared they would report him to police. | AFP…

SA Rugby’s Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus says the Springboks’ split-squad approach to the Rugby Championship is a simulation of the structure of the World Cup, plus the painful experience of trying to beat the All Blacks when jet-lagged. “From experience, if you play a match in South Africa on one Saturday and then take the same team to play in New Zealand a week later, it is very difficult to win,” Erasmus explained at the team announcement press conference in Pretoria yesterday. “You only get to New Zealand on the Tuesday, have one training session and then play (still jet-lagged). “Doing it this way, with sending a core of players 10 days before the game, your starting guys are physically over the jet-lag come kick-off,” Erasmus continued. “We feel…

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz made a flying start to his Wimbledon campaign yesterday as defending women's champion Elena Rybakina recovered from a set down to reach the second round. On a soggy day at the All England Club, most of the action took place on the covered Court One and Centre Court, where the retired Roger Federer was the main attraction. Tennis’ new golden boy Alcaraz raced through the first set against French veteran Jeremy Chardy in just 22 minutes before breaking twice in the second set. Chardy, who had previously announced that Wimbledon would be the final tournament of his career, drew first blood in the third set to lead 4-2 but Alcaraz hit back strongly, sealing a 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 win with an ace. "I like to play…

THE SLOWDOWN in fuel prices in South Africa could possibly be short-lived after global oil prices rose by 1.9% to above the $76-mark (R1 426) per barrel yesterday due to extended production cuts in August, and possibly beyond. The markets were jittery yesterday after top oil exporters Saudi Arabia and Russia announced additional output cuts for Brent crude for August in a bid to boost prices, against signs of slowing global growth and weakening demand. On Monday, Saudi Arabia an- nounced that it would extend its voluntary cut of 1 million barrels per day to August, extending its June production cut in the hope of boosting prices. Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, is counting on higher oil prices to finance an ambitious reform programme that could…

SOUTH Africa’s agricultural exports fell 2% year-on-year in the first quarter to $2.9 billion (R54.5bn), but were 5% higher than the last quarter of 2022, according to Agricultural Business Chamber chief economist Wandile Sihlobo. He said South Africa’s agricultural sector had a rough start to the year when it came to production and exports. “The excessive rains brought production challenges that delayed the summer crop planting activity by roughly a month, but later improved. “Regarding exports, slowing agricultural commodity prices reduced profitability from the levels farmers enjoyed a year ago, specifically grains and oilseeds,” Sihlobo said. Moreover, some logistical challenges persisted in Cape Town port and this had negatively affected table grape and various horticultural product exports. “Still, this was not as harsh as in the previous years. The…

In a world increasingly charged with the urgency of the clean energy transition, South Africa is drenched in a wealth of potential – our abundant sunlight. With some of the world’s highest solar irradiation levels, SA is witnessing a solar energy boom, largely driven by the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (Sapvia). Sapvia and its members play a crucial role in converting this vast – largely untapped – potential into tangible clean energy. The not-for-profit association is also a cogent voice within SA’s burgeoning solar sector, advocating, influencing, and strategically aligning with government policymakers to further the imperative of a just energy transition in SA. Facing a significant knowledge gap concerning detailed, current information about installed solar capacities across SA, Sapvia is embarking on a pioneering move. The association, in…

The violent behaviour of SAPS officers attached to Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s security detail has been condemned by politicians, police management and activist groups. Mashatile was not in the convoy when a group of heavily armed officers allegedly assaulted a motorist and two passengers on the N1 highway in Fourways, north of Johannesburg, over the weekend. The incident was caught on camera by a motorist and has gone viral on social media platforms. It shows heavily armed SAPS officers allegedly brutally assaulting civilians, one of whom is seen lying on the ground, motionless. The victims have been traced and the officers have been identified. According to the SAPS, four officers have been served with notices with intention to suspend them. Mashatile, through his media team, confirmed yesterday that it was…

The members of the SAPS VIP policing unit seen assaulting unarmed civilians in a video that went viral last night, must be arrested immediately and justice must be served swiftly and unequivocally. These blue light bullies have displayed shocking abuse of power. It is not enough for these offenders to face internal disciplinary processes within the SAPS. We demand that they be arrested and subjected to the full force of the law. The video evidence, along with the prima facie evidence in the possession of the SAPS, clearly identifies the perpetrators. The SAPS is now obligated to take immediate action and ensure their apprehension. Furthermore, if the reports linking these bullies to Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s protection unit are accurate, this information must be disclosed to the public without delay.…

A curious case of a man who woke up after a late night party to find his 2010 Mercedes-Benz missing was the subject of a matter that came before the high court recently. In the matter, the man said he suspected that he was drugged by two women after a party and he later woke up a “in a daze” to discover the vehicle was gone. He put in a claim with his insurer for a stolen vehicle. The insurer refused to pay for the stolen vehicle – but the court has now ruled that fraud was not proven. Thabo Molefe earlier turned to the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court after Miway Insurance Company refused to pay him R164 880, the replacement value of his stolen vehicle. But, as in the case…

Millions of rand have been lost after the last three races at Saturday’s Holly- woodbets Durban July had to be abandoned due to power outages. Steve Marshall, Gold Circle’s events and marketing executive, said the three races had stakes on offer to the value of R390 000. “However it is the lost betting revenue on these races, as well as the lost sponsorship revenue, as these sponsored races were not run that results in millions of rand in lost revenue for Gold Circle,” said Marshall. “Not to mention the reputational damage that has been caused by these factors that were out of our control,” he added. Although the power situation was quickly resolved, jockeys refused to participate further, citing their safety, leading to the three races being abandoned on Saturday.…

Carl Lortan of the Sydenham Ratepayers’ Association said the municipality needs to be challenged as it was charging high tariffs for very poor services. “Out of all the big cities, we are paying the most in tariffs. If we were getting the best service delivery we would say fine, go ahead but we are getting the worst.” City councillor Patrick Pillay, of the Democratic Liberal Congress (DLC), urged the municipality to move quickly to address the impending rates boycott. “Whilst the DLC supports the dispute of the ratepayers, it wants to caution them to be careful and not go into arrears with their accounts as this would provide the City with reasons to take action against them through the courts and or have their services terminated in terms of…

CONCERN has been raised about the number of police vehicles that are inoperable or broken in KwaZulu-Natal. According to statistics released by the police ministry in response to a query from the DA, 26.8% of visible policing vehicles and 19.5% of detective vehicles were deemed to be inoperable or broken in the province. David Bruce, a researcher on policing and consultant to the Institute for Security Studies, said that the shortage of police vehicles was linked to issues around the procurement of services such as vehicle repairs. “It is also worth remembering that South Africa’s road network is, in many instances, not being properly maintained and this may be a contributing factor to the large number of vehicles that are out of service. Many areas are also not easily accessible…

French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday met with hundreds of French officials to begin exploring the “deeper reasons” for the country’s plunge into riots after the killing of a teenager at a traffic stop. The Elysée palace meeting with about 250 mayors whose municipalities suffered damage over a week of violence, comes as the authorities reported a calmer night across the country. “Is it a permanent return to calm? I will be cautious,” Macron said. The government has battled riots and looting since 17-year-old Nahel M was killed by an officer during a traffic stop just outside Paris last Tuesday, rekindling accusations of systemic racism among security forces. Overnight violence in French cities had halved in 24 hours, the interior ministry said, with 72 people arrested overnight nationwide. That included 24…

Relief swept Senegal and its supporters yesterday after President Macky Sall declared he would not seek a contested third term in office, a move that defused fears of bloodshed. Reactions at home and abroad were almost universally positive after Sall, ending months of speculation, said that after “long consideration” he had decided against contesting next February’s ballot. In his nationwide address, Sall said he had sought to prioritise Senegal’s progress, “in particular at a time of social-economic difficulties and uncertainties”. Yesterday, newspapers in Dakar paid lavish tribute to Sall and many local residents said they believed the country had dodged a bullet. “His speech changes many things. Senegal has become stable and governable. I am 200% happy,” said Issa Camara, who works in the maritime sector. Alioune Tine, a veteran…

MOSCOW: Russia said yesterday it had downed five Ukrainian drones in the Moscow region, calling it a “terrorist act” that briefly disrupted air traffic at an international airport in the capital. Ukrainian authorities said that Russian shelling on a residential area in the southern front-line city of Kherson had killed two people. The attack is the latest in a series of recent drone incidents that Moscow has blamed on Kyiv, and have targeted both the Kremlin and cities near the border with Ukraine. The military said it had downed all five drones and that there was no damage and no casualties. | AFP…

BEIJING: Chinese authorities have warned of extreme weather and “multiple natural disasters” in the coming month, as heavy rain damaged infrastructure and forced thousands to be evacuated in central and south-western parts. Authorities have warned the country will face “multiple natural disasters in July, including floods, severe convection weather, typhoons and high temperatures”. Workers yesterday discovered that a closed-off railway bridge on the outskirts of south-western metropolis Chongqing had collapsed. In Sichuan province, more than 460 000 had been affected by the heavy rain this month. About 85 000 people have been evacuated. | AFP…

ETHEKWINI Municipality has been confronted by a growing number of residents angered by the new tariff increases who are now threatening to withhold millions of rand in payments to the City. The new financial year, which comes with the implementation of the new tariffs which the residents have described as unaffordable and not justifiable, started on July 1. Seven more ratepayer organisations have joined the action first launched by the Westville Ratepayers’ Association (WRA), which has declared a dispute against the municipality over the increases. Asad Gaffar of the WRA said ratepayer associations from Overport, Musgrave, Sydenham, Asherville, New Germany, oThongathi Civic Association and North Beach have joined the WRA dispute. The Mercury reported yesterday that the WRA had declared a dispute against the municipality on account that the City…

I am writing to express my concern regarding the glitches that marred the highly anticipated Durban July, which is internationally acknowledged as Africa’s greatest horse-racing event. As a significant contributor to the local economy, this annual spectacle attracts millions of rand and serves as a source of pride for Durban. However, the recent mishaps have tarnished the event’s reputation and raised questions about the city’s commitment to excellence. Historically, horse racing has faced diminished popularity due to the rise of other forms of gambling. Nevertheless, the Durban July remains a favourite among both punters and non-punters alike. Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, it was encouraging to witness the excitement and festivities return to the Greyville Racecourse on July day, with an estimated attendance of 45 000 spectators.…

The cost of a basket of goods in Bloomberg’s South African Shisa Nyama Index, designed to show the price of a traditional backyard barbecue in townships and rural areas, rose 15% in June from a year earlier. That compares with 12% in May. Crunching data from the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity (PMBEJD) group, Bloomberg’s index tracks the prices of some of the key ingredients in a shisa nyama, including maize meal, onions, frozen chicken portions, beef and wors. PMBEJD’s data collectors track food prices on the shelves of 47 supermarkets and 32 butcheries that target the low-income market in the greater areas of Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg and the remote towns of Springbok and Mtubatuba. According to the data for June 2023 Household Food Index for all areas,…

A man was killed in a business robbery on Chris Hani Road in the Briardene area of Durban North on Monday when armed robbers opened fire. KwaZulu-Natal provincial police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said Greenwood Park police are investigating charges of business robbery and murder. “A 44-year-old man was shot by armed suspects who entered the business premises and demanded cash at gunpoint before they fled the scene,” she said. Ngcobo said reports indicated that the suspects fired multiple shots at the man as they were fleeing the scene. Kyle van Reenen, who is the Emer-G-Med spokesperson, said paramedics responded to the scene at about 4pm. He said when paramedics arrived at the scene a man was found to have sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was declared dead by paramedics.…

More than half of Msunduzi ratepayers are not paying for water or electricity. This was revealed in a report recently tabled before the Msunduzi council. The report focuses on the municipality’s revenue collection campaign, named Operation Qoqimali, which has seen the municipality placing consumers and businesses on terms to pay their accounts or face the disconnection of services. The initiative, which started in September last year, has enabled the municipality to collect millions of rand in the process, but also revealed the extent of the culture of non-payment. “Most of the properties (approximately 70%) are tampering with either electricity or water installations, and in some cases they are tampering with both services,” read the report. It cited a lack of co-ordination within the municipality to deal with the challenge, pointing…

Back in 2006, Bafana Bafana were hit by a pay dispute on the eve of the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. The cash row was believed to have led to the team’s miserable performance in a 2-0 loss to Guinea in a warm-up game. South Africa had also failed to qualify for the Fifa World Cup in Germany. An uproar over salaries erupted again in the Bafana camp just days before the 2009 Confederations Cup here at home. The players were demanding R34 million in incentives for the forerunner to the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa. Legendary former player Mark Fish claimed at the time that the salaries had always been an issue of contention. He added: “When we got back into international football in 1992 we were…

A car ramming and stabbing attack in Tel Aviv wounded seven people yesterday before the suspect was shot dead, on the second day of Israel’s biggest military operation in years in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian militant group Hamas praised the “heroic” attack as “an initial response to crimes against our people in the Jenin camp” where Israeli forces had killed 10 people in a “counter- terrorism” operation on Monday. The driver in Tel Aviv hit several pedestrians before getting out to “stab civilians with a sharp object”, police said. The “terrorist”, a West Bank resident, was then shot dead by an armed passer-by. The attack came as the army pushed on with its operation in the militant stronghold of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank that left 10…

Elon Musk has further alienated Twitter users with more drastic changes to the social media giant, and is facing a new challenge as tech nemesis Mark Zuckerberg prepares to launch a rival app this week. Zuckerberg’s Meta group, which owns Facebook, has listed a new app in stores as “Threads, an Instagram app”, available for pre-order in the US, with a message saying it is “expected” tomorrow. The two men have clashed for years but a recent comment by a Meta executive suggesting Twitter was not run “sanely” irked Musk, leading to them offering to have a cage fight. Since buying Twitter last year for $44 billion, Musk has fired thousands of employees and charged users $8 (about R150) a month to have a blue checkmark and a “verified”…

Kabul: The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has ordered the shutdown of all beauty and hair salons across the war-torn nation. The Vice and Virtue Ministry said that businesses had a month to comply. When the Taliban were in power between 1996 and 2001, beauty salons were shut as part of a wide range of measures imposed by the extremist group. After the fall of Kabul in August 2021, salons remained in service but shop windows were covered up and images of women were spray painted to hide their faces. The Taliban has decreed that women should only reveal their eyes, and must be accompanied by a male relative if travelling more than 72km. | IANS…

This was not supposed to happen but now that it has, everyone will have to face the music when the dust settles. Contrary to a country that prides itself as being a football nation, South Africans haven’t had much to celebrate in recent years, with most of the joy coming from a previously unthinkable source – Banyana Banyana. Unthinkable because it’s taken not only South Africa, but the entire globe, decades to believe in the talent of women’s sport, their male counterparts having been regarded as the only capable group until recently. Our beloved Banyana has been part of that significant growth, winning their maiden Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, while also qualifying for back-to-back Fifa Women’s World Cup campaigns in 2019 and this year. But a dark cloud now…

MichaeL Leask helped Scotland to a stunning 31-run victory over Zimbabwe yesterday to set up a winner-takes-all clash with the Netherlands for a place at the Cricket World Cup. Sri Lanka became the first of the top two teams in the Super Six table to have qualified for the October-November World Cup in India when they beat Zimbabwe on Sunday. The hosts could have clinched the second spot with victory over Scotland in Bulawayo but it was not to be after Scottish quick Chris Sole (3/33) ripped through their top order and they were eventually bowled out for 203 chasing down 234. "Our boys have been fantastic. Credit to the way the lads played today," said Scotland captain Richie Berrington. "The way we came out and showed faith in the…