Table of contents for 2021-07-19 in Mercury

BANELE GININDZA banele.ginindza@inl.co.za JULY HAS come with severe challenges for South Africa’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which have to face, in addition to an extended lockdown and widespread looting, increases in electricity charges, a hike in property rates and higher fuel prices. This as SMEs across the country, particularly in looting-hit KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, began picking up the pieces after they were wiped out when protesters helped themselves to goods. According to insights from funder Retail Capital, the lockdowns impact SMEs not only financially, but also sentimentally, because as soon as increased restrictions are put in place, there is a general hold on spending. This, in addition to having to fork out extra money for utilities and fuel, means that available income is compromised, which has a significant knock-on…

SANDILE MCHUNU sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za RETAILERS are starting to count the cost of the impact of the past week’s looting and violent protests that ravaged their outlets in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng. Pepkor Holdings said on Friday that 489 of its retail stores, or 9 percent of its overall portfolio, had been damaged and looted. The Steinhoff International subsidiary said its operations has been impacted by the civil unrest of the past week. The damaged properties include one of the JD Group’s distribution centres in Cato Ridge, KwaZulu-Natal. The JD Group operates 16 distribution centres countrywide, and its KwaZulu-Natal stores, once reopened, would be serviced in the short term from its other distribution centres. Chief executive Leon Lourens said the vast majority of the stores across their footprint were operational,…

BEN BIERMAN JULY is the mid-year mark at which many business owners spend time reflecting on the first six months of the year and plan for the months that lie ahead. It’s an ideal time to review goals and set new ones. Goal-setting is an important exercise, because it helps businesses set tangible, reachable milestones that provide a shared vision and sense of direction for the team. It also provides a way to track progress and affirm whether the action taken today is making enough of an impact on what happens in the business tomorrow. However, setting new goals can be intimidating. It is normal to experience hesitancy and the fear of failure can plague business owners at least once in their entrepreneurial journey. Even though goals can be…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za THE Road Freight Association (RFA) said the freight industry would pull out their trucks and employees in KwaZulu-Natal should further violence arise. This comes after allegations that parts of the province may expect unrest today. Messages and voice notes circulated at the weekend. In one voice note, a man is heard telling people to burn more infrastructure, including courts, to ensure that people bring the province to a standstill. The RFA said they had been made aware of the threats and were concerned. The association’s chief executive, Gavin Kelly, said: “We don’t know what will happen tonight (last night) but we are hopeful that there won’t be any reports. The industry has experienced a lot of damage and huge financial losses, and we are hoping such can…

Baldwin Ndaba and Zintle Mahlati A senior Joburg politician who allegedly incited mobs to attack malls on Gauteng’s West Rand is due to appear in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court today. This as Police Minister Bheki Cele said the police had identified three more suspects positively linked to the violent protests in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The identities of the three would only be revealed after law-enforcement agencies had executed their arrests, Cele said during Mandela Day celebrations and a crime-prevention campaign in KZN yesterday. The politician, who will be identified after he appears in court, and who is linked to one of the political parties represented in the City of Joburg, made the call to his supporters and members of the ANC Youth League and Women’s League on Thursday last…

GARY VAHL | Bluff THE proposal by Duncan du Bois (The Mercury, July 12) to introduce martial law is one of the worst ideas that have been proposed. The government has already used the Disaster Management Act to suspend our civil liberties for more than 400 days. Are you seriously suggesting even more liberties are surrendered to the government by a declaration of martial law? Shooting people on sight? Are you seeking to escalate an already bad situation that can be resolved without escalation into a full shooting war? More than 200 people are already dead, is this not enough? This situation needs cool heads and a proportional response as we have seen by sensible citizens who have protected and taken back their suburbs and now the…

CHARL VAN WYK | Cape Town MANY have voiced their concerns and presented their views on the proposed changes to the Firearms Control Amendment Bill. The biggest issue of contention is the proposal to scrap self-defence as a reason for applying for a firearm licence. Police Minister Bheki Cele has gone on record stressing that arming citizens will not solve the country’s high crime rate. Firearms make it easier to kill, but firearms also make it easier for citizens to defend themselves, or other innocent victims. Several photographs and videos on social media have shown armed citizens resisting looters busy with their latest “shopping sprees”. Private businesses apparently stepped in to donate ammunition to the police and private security companies during the latest riots. For communists, social regeneration…

Nathan Adams nathan.adams@inl.co.za APPLICATIONS for the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Covid-19 Temporary Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) payouts open today. Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi has signed the directive which allows for the third phase of Ters, with payments set to start from July 26. Employees who qualify for phase 3 payouts include those who work at venues hosting auctions, professional sports, venues hosting social events, concerts and live performances, the liquor industry, hospitality and tourism as well as industries and businesses that form part of these value chains. One of the major changes is that the UIF would be primarily making Ters payments directly to beneficiaries. Acting departmental spokesperson Musa Zondi, said the reason for this change was that “a lot of workers never received their monies (in…

Shanice Naidoo shanice.naidoo@inl.co.za The Children’s Institute has called on Parliament to use its influence to allocate R1 billion to social grants in the medium-term budget in October. This R1bn would ensure that the Child Support Grant (CSG) of R460 a month could be increased by R10 in October (as has happened for the past 5 years) and the SA Social Security Agency could start providing a larger CSG for orphans in the care of relatives. The institute made a submission to Parliament’s standing committee on appropriations, to use its influence to persuade the national Treasury, two months ago. “At the time we made the submission, it was clear that Parliament would not use its power to amend the austere budget that the national Treasury had tabled in February 2021. This…

Karen Singh and Nonhlanhla Nozizwe Hlatshwayo The eThekwini Municipality has warned the public to stop picking up dead marine life from the Umdloti and uMhlanga coastline as they are contaminated with toxic chemicals. While the city has not yet confirmed the cause of the chemical spill in the area, it is believed that it emanates from a chemical warehouse which was burnt down amid the looting and civil unrest in the province in the past week. “Authorities are urging the public to refrain from picking up and collecting dead marine life off the Umdloti and uMhlanga coastline as they have been contaminated with toxic chemicals and could be harmful to humans. “The public is also reminded that the beaches north of the Umgeni River are closed as a precautionary…

INDEPENDENT Media has appointed respected veteran anti-apartheid lawyer, advocate and acting Judge, Michael Donen SC, to chair its external inquiry into the decuplets story published in the Pretoria News early last month. Since breaking the news of the birth of the 10 babies, the story has received international exposure and local censure, with many decrying the news as fake. Piet Rampedi, the editor of the Pretoria News, who exclusively broke the story, maintains that Gosiame Sithole was pregnant with multiple babies. However, the story has become mired in controversy, conflicting accounts, and contradictory evidence, with Independent Media’s reputation also under the spotlight. Consequently, the news organisation has launched several measures to uncover the facts behind the story. One of those actions is an independently led inquiry, which will now be…

Movement for a United South Africa We call on all democratic and non-partisan citizens, community- based organisations (CBOs), faith-based-organisations (FBOs), structured and non-structured coalitions, associations and movements to join us in our call for implementation of sustainable peace and security for all citizens of our country. We call on state institutions to uphold the democratic function of government espoused in the Constitution and the justice system of law and order. We call for active participation by communities in promoting calm and local stability including the National Action Plan (NAP) adopted by Cabinet in August last year and launched in March this year for Women Peace and Security (WPS). All state institutions and all three spheres of government (national, provincial, and municipal) as well as all three arms of government…

Thirteen people were killed and 24 others seriously burnt when a “huge fireball” engulfed a crowd in Kenya as they siphoned fuel from an overturned petrol truck that ignited. Police said yesterday the death toll could rise, with investigators trying to account for the missing, and charred bodies found among the twisted wreckage of the fuel tanker. The truck collided with another vehicle and overturned late on Saturday near Malanga, 315km northwest of Nairobi, on the busy highway between Kisumu and the border with Uganda. Onlookers rushed to the crash site with jerrycans to collect the leaking fuel but soon after the truck exploded, consuming the crowd in an inferno. “We were woken up by a very loud blast. When I rushed out, I saw a huge fireball and people…

Cairo: Egyptian activist and journalist Esraa Abdel-Fattah, one of the symbols of the 2011 revolution, has been freed after nearly 22 months in pre-trial detention, lawyer Khaled Ali said yesterday. Ali, as well as friends of Abdel-Fattah, posted photographs online of her being released from prison. In 2008, Abdel-Fattah created an “April 6” Facebook page in support of striking workers and to call for political reforms, at the start of the mobilisation of protests that would lead to the toppling of president Hosni Mubarak three years later. Abdel-Fattah, 43, was arrested in 2019 on charges of “spreading false news” and “collaborating with a terrorist group”. Her detention sparked international condemnation, with the US calling it “scandalous”. Activist Mahienour el-Masry, journalist Moataz Wednan, leftist columnist Gamal al-Gamal, leftist politician Abdel Nasser…

ANKARA: Turkey yesterday slammed a ruling by a top EU court allowing the banning of headscarves under certain conditions as a “clear violation of religious freedoms”, saying the move would exacerbate prejudices against Muslim women in Europe. The Luxembourg-based EU Court of Justice ruled on Thursday that companies in the bloc could ban employees from wearing a headscarf under certain conditions, if they needed to do so to project an image of neutrality to customers. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the ruling was a sign of rising Islamophobia at a time when Muslim women were being subjected to increasing discrimination.…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za COBUS REINACH made his Springbok debut in 2014 but has just 15 Test caps to his name. That is a bit of an injustice to a man as talented as the former Sharks scrumhalf, who now plays his club rugby for Montpellier in France, after a lengthy stint at Northampton Saints in England. He missed out on selection for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, with Rudy Paige getting the nod as the third No 9 behind Fourie du Preez and Ruan Pienaar. It looked like he was going to be overlooked for the 2019 edition as well, with Faf de Klerk and Herschel Jantjies having emerged. But he was brought into the Bok mix by coach Rassie Erasmus that year, and made it count as he…

Economists not expecting Reserve Bank to raise interest rates at MPC meeting Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE SOUTH African Reserve Bank (SARB) is expected to keep interest rates unchanged at 3.5 percent this week as consumers continue struggling with rising fuel and electricity prices. The central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will this week announce its interest rates decision following a unanimous decision to keep them unchanged in May. SARB Governor Lesetja Kganyago, however, warned that the implied policy rate path of their projection model indicated an increase of 25 basis points in each of the second and fourth quarters of 2021. Inflation is forecast to be moderate at around 4.9 percent in June from 5.2 percent in May, above the SARB’s 3 to 6 percent target range,…

OPEC IS AT it again – or to be exact, two of its eminent constituent members are. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the de facto owners of Opec and the United Arab Emirates, the third-largest producing power in that group, are mulling over the possibility of a discord. At its conclusion, yet uncertain, it must permit for the recognition of the UAE as a powerful broker within the brotherhood without wresting the reins of control from Riyadh. The inevitable consequence of so much sabre-rattling has been the sharp increase in the oil price. From the depressed West Texas Intermediate oil contracts priced below zero in early 2020 to a staggering $75 per barrel in mid-July, so many questions are bound to follow. The reasons for the stand-off, rhyming quite close…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za THE movement by individuals, communities, businesses and other civic organisations to clean up cities and malls after the looting and unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in the past week and the observation of Mandela Day were some of the key drivers that has lifted the mood among some South Africans. The torching of trucks, shopping malls and other key economic structures over the past week, saw South Africa’s mood reaching a low of 3.68 last Monday compared with the previous low point of 3.9 recorded a day earlier, according to the mood barometer, the SA’s Gross National Happiness index. University of Johannesburg (UJ) academic Professor Talita Greyling said the decline in the Gross National Happiness index in the country had started when President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that…

Meteorologists were stunned this week when three successive thunderstorms swept across the icy Arctic from Siberia to north of Alaska, unleashing lightning bolts in an unusual phenomenon that scientists say will become less rare with global warming. “Forecasters hadn’t seen anything like that before,” said Ed Plumb, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Fairbanks, speaking about the storms that started on Saturday. Typically, the air over the Arctic Ocean, especially when the water is covered with ice, lacks the convective heat needed to generate lightning storms. But as climate change warms the Arctic faster than the rest of the world, that's changing, scientists say. Episodes of summer lightning within the Arctic Circle have tripled since 2010, a trend directly tied to climate change and increasing loss of sea ice in…

KUDZAI CHIKOWORE | Defender of Human Rights I am disappointed that South Africans have learnt nothing from the violence in Zimbabwe that chased away investors, created unemployment and infrastructure decimation. It is beyond belief to watch South Africa, with excellent infrastructure and development, being dragged by violence into Zimbabwean-style destruction. The ANC should demonstrate that they have brains, strong leadership and do care and can act decisively, unlike the clueless, careless and corrupt Zanu-PF party which continues to embezzle and loot public finances. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is capable of discharging his duties with excellence and success, unlike Emmerson Mnangagwa, as due to the series of catastrophic failures in his governance Zimbabweans continue to join the number of migrants heading to South Africa. The world should not…

| Albert Einstein The minutes seem like hours, The hours go so slowly … YES, it’s like West Side Story … I could’ve planned things a little better. For the nine hours or so over two days spent queueing to get into the Windermere shopping centre to get coffee and a few other odds and ends, I should have set myself up with one of those little portable canvas chairs, a portable reading stand and the two volumes of Tolstoy’s War and Peace. To be with the drama and angst of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 would have put into perspective the drama and angst of the invasion of our shopping centres by … well, whoever they were. And Tolstoy would have whiled away the time appreciably as…

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za Gift of the Givers has turned its focus on procuring medicines to support clinics, private practices and hospitals following the shutdown and destruction caused by riots and looters in the past week. Gift of the Givers’ Imtiaz Sooliman said it found that 70 pharmacies, two huge pharmaceutical wholesalers and a pharmaceutical manufacturing company were burnt by looters and rioters. He said at a time when South Africa was in its third Covid-19 wave, it was imperative to secure and distribute medicines. Sooliman said Gift of the Givers was finalising a list from medical facilities on what medicines were needed so it could source be sourceda. Sooliman said his staff and volunteers had hit the ground running in packing food parcels for medical personnel who worked in clinics…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za THE alleged role of former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu in the illegal transfer and subsequent death of 144 mental health patients at bogus care centres will come under sharp focus at the inquest hearing probing their deaths in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria today. The families of the 144 victims are expected to take the stand and testify before Judge Mnonoa Teffo about their grief since the Gauteng Health Department terminated the contract of Life Esidimeni Healthcare in Krugersdorp. Life Esidimeni was contracted to look after more than 2 000 patients, but Mahlangu and her senior officials, who included former head of department Dr Barney Selebano, allegedly terminated the contracts because of financial constraints in June 2015. Yesterday, DA health spokesperson Jack Bloom said…

| Mercury Correspondent A CAPE TOWN man who is part of an international child pornography network has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after his conviction on more than 3 000 counts of distribution, importation and creation of child pornography. The Wynberg Regional Court suspended two years of the sentence for five years on condition that Clinton Calder is not convicted of Sexual Offences and Related Matters and the Films and Publications Act offences. He was convicted on 3 195 counts of possession of child pornography, a count of distributing child pornography, a count of importation of child pornography and a count of creation of child pornography. Calder was arrested in August 2015.…

The rampant looting and acts of vigilantism that dotted parts of Kwa Zulu-Natal last week point to the lack of leadership in some communities. Communities that prevented looting from taking place in their neighbourhoods are being lauded for preventing shopping malls and areas from being looted or set alight. They have contributed to ensuring food security in these areas, whereas in areas where looting and destruction took place, food security is tenuous, at best. At the same time, vigilantism in some communities has seen innocent people targeted, and the horrific stories are slowly being revealed. The leadership vacuum in these communities led to community members taking up the initiative to protect themselves. In some incidents vigilantes became judge, jury and executioner and, as invariably is the case with kangaroo courts,…

Thousands of Cubans gathered at the La Piragua esplanade in Havana to show support for the island nation’s government after recent unrest. Raul Castro, the leader of the Cuban socialist revolution, President Miguel Diaz-Canel, high-ranking officials and leaders of social organisations attended the event at the weekend.Diaz-Canel said that the Cuban revolution continued to stand by its people, and accused the US administration of sponsoring a campaign against the Caribbean country. Unity had helped Cubans overcome crises, said Gerardo Hernandez, national co-ordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, adding that the US administration wanted to destabilise the island’s suburbs. “This revolution was made by Raul and Fidel (Castro) for the humble, with the humble, and for the sake of the humble,” he said. Julio Cesar Crespo, who…

The widow of Haiti’s slain president, Jovenel Moise, returned home at the weekend after being treated in Florida for wounds she suffered in the attack. Martine Moise, 47, with her right arm in a sling and wearing a bullet- proof vest, was received at Port-au-Prince airport by interim prime minister Claude Joseph, secretary of state for communications Frantz Exantus wrote on Twitter. Under grey skies and buffeted by strong winds, the first lady gingerly descended the steps of the plane before firmly shaking hands with those assembled to welcome her. “The first lady … has just arrived in Haiti to take part in preparations for the state funeral of her husband,” Exantus wrote, posting pictures of Moise disembarking from a private plane accompanied by multiple security agents. She had spent…

JERUSALEM - Brief clashes erupted yesterday between Israeli police and Palestinians at Al Aqsa mosque over visits by Jews to the compound revered in Judaism as the site of two destroyed Biblical temples. No serious injuries were reported in what police described as stone throwing early in the day by several Palestinian youngsters who it said were then dispersed. Palestinian officials said police forcefully evacuated Muslim worshippers to clear the way for Jewish visitors and fired rubber-coated bullets during the confrontation in one of the most sensitive venues in the Arab-Israeli conflict.…

Lewis Hamilton won his home British Grand Prix for a record-extending eighth time yesterday despite a 10-second penalty for a controversial first lap collision that sent Red Bull rival Max Verstappen crashing out of the race. The Mercedes driver, now only eight points behind Verstappen after 10 races, passed Ferrari's Charles Leclerc for the lead with two laps to go as a capacity 140 000 crowd rose to cheer him. Hamilton's teammate Valtteri Bottas was third after obeying team orders to let Hamilton through and chase Leclerc in a race halted after Verstappen's crash and then re-started. The win was the 99th of seven-time world champion Hamilton's Formula One career and fourth of the current campaign. It was also the worst possible result for Verstappen, who had started on pole…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za RICHEMONT reported a strong first quarter of its 2022 financial year with 129 percent sales growth in the three months to end June boosted by the performance of jewellery maisons and the specialist watchmakers. The group said almost all its opera- tional regions reported triple-digit growth in sales during the quarter. Jewellery maisons and specialist watchmakers were the best performers after reporting sales growth of 142 percent and 143 percent respectively. The group’s 2020 first quarter was severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to a triple-digit growth in sales during the current quarter, with the exception of Asia Pacific, online distributors and online retail, where sales grew by double-digits. “The other business area, mostly composed of our fashion and accessories Maisons, also…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za GOVERNMENT’S proposal to enable companies to produce up to 100 megawatts (MW) of electricity for their use and on-selling to the grid might not be a blue swan after all, as Eskom and energy experts confirmed the utility would still have to charge higher tariffs to keep its boilers going. The utility would also have to make up for the revenue lost as South Africa’s intense energy users, the most diligent revenue generators, cut down on Eskom supplies as they utilise their own generation capacity. “There needs to be a cost reflective, transparent tariff structure to address issues like Eskom being the supplier of last resort and wheeling across our networks. “This would be the same for similar situations on the municipal networks,” Eskom confirmed this…

Bang Showbiz Chrissy Teigen feels “lost” and “depressed” after becoming a part of “cancel club”. The Lip Sync Battle star recently apologised for being a “troll” following bullying accusations from Courtney Stodden – who claimed the 35-year-old beauty used to message her to tell her to take her own life – she admitted the scandal has taken its toll on her mental health and she doesn’t feel “right” about leaving the house any more. Alongside a photo of her own legs, Teigen wrote on Instagram: “Iiiii don’t really know what to say here... just feels so weird to pretend nothing happened in this online world but feel like utter s**t in real life. “Going outside sucks and doesn’t feel right, being at home alone with my mind makes my depressed…

Vernon Mchunu vernon.mchunu@inl.co.za POLICE Minister Bheki Cele says the district police commissioner has been tasked to assemble a peace committee, made up of community representatives, who will work towards addressing racial tensions and crime challenges in Phoenix and KwaMashu, Bester, Bhambayi, Amaoti and Zwelisha, as part of a peace-restoring mission to rebuild broken community relations and bring about social cohesion. Cele revealed this as a high-powered delegation of leaders converged on the violence-torn communities. Cele said at least 20 people were killed in the area, amidst the unrest last week. Some of those who died were innocent people caught in the crossfire, said Phoenix community poilicing (CPF) chairperson Umesh Singh. Finance MEC Nomusa Dube, who hails from the area, visited the family of one such victim, a community activist. A…

PARENTING has tried very hard to teach me a few valuable lessons.Although sometimes a slow learner and some crucial principles have demanded refresher courses, I think the lessons are transferable to all relationships: Identifying and stopping when I’m projecting my history, fears, frailties, failures and temptations on to their motives and behaviours. Knowing when to stop talking, when words, shared thoughts and ideas, have turned into chasing, demanding “suggestions” or have transformed into strong-arm tactics. Knowing when my actions, as loving as they may appear, promote laziness or dependence. Knowing when to stop thinking, anticipating for each of my sons when they are quite capable of planning and organising themselves and understanding that if they are not, my doing it for them is hardly helpful if they are to ever…

ROBIN NAIDOO | Phoenix IT’S ironic and bizarre, but only in South Africa, where one former president, a former prisoner now in jail again, can try to keep us prisoners in our own homes. But he, together with his faction, have failed miserably, but with great cost to lives, businesses, stocks, medicare, food and job security. Parts of South Africa burn while one man in prison is given safe haven and is provided free food. My heartfelt thanks and appreciation to our community for their bravery and putting their lives at risk to protect property, businesses and the livelihoods of others. Well done to you that our Phoenix/Chatsworth CBD and other areas and businesses are safe and food is now available – because you stopped the potential looting,…

DR F SULIMAN | Chairperson of SAMNET YASIERA MAHOMED | Chairperson of CSN I APPEAL to our community to refrain from becoming racist during this period of heightened tensions, stress and loss of property, etc. This is not a theoretical exercise for me. My wife’s three optometry practices and my own medical practice, combined 46 years of practising in the KwaMashu township, have been completely wiped out, so I am as badly affected as everyone else, and there are those affected even more than we have been. However, we must completely refrain from becoming racist and losing our humanity in moments of anger and emotional and financial stress. Let us not lose our dignity nor forget that we are a mercy unto mankind. The principles of Qur’an…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE number of schools damaged across KwaZulu-Natal during the violent looting spree that engulfed the province has climbed to 50. Last week, The Mercury reported that about 30 schools had been damaged during the violence. Department of Education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said about 50 schools had been damaged, as well as two educational centres and two circuit offices. Some of the damaged classrooms might not be ready for pupils by next Monday. “Obviously there are schools that are adversely affected, that will require us to provide mobile classrooms, which will be very difficult given the budget,” said Mahlambi. Last week, parts of KZN resembled a war-zone as looters targeted malls and other businesses and later torched them. Schools were not spared. Some were burned and food from…

Nonhlanhla Nozizwe Hlatshwayo nozizwe.hlatshwayo@inl.co.za THE KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs has asked a team from the department’s Consumer Protection Unit to conduct an investigation into complaints about alleged unreasonably inflated prices. This comes with a high demand for food, especially staples such as bread and milk, due to the freight industry grinding to a halt and only limited stores operating following the looting and unrest last week. While the freight industry has resumed operations and stores that were not looted started operating late last week, some products remain in short supply, including baby formula and nappies. Since then, there has been an outcry about alleged inflated prices, especially with the price of bread rising sharply. People have taken to social media claiming that loaves of bread…

Mercury Reporter THE eThekwini Municipality said its service units were expected to be back to normal operations today. It said refuse collection and street sweeping services will resume, and residents were requested to take out their refuse bags on their scheduled collection days. “Landfill and garden sites will also reopen. Details of categories of waste, that are accepted at the different sites, are outlined on the municipal website. “The City would like to thank all the stakeholders, who are participating in the clean-up operations that are taking place,” said the municipality. The municipality said primary health care facilities (clinics), including mobile services, will be operational. “Community vaccination sites will also be opened. Residents who are eligible to receive the vaccine are encouraged to register. “Members of the public are urged…

BERLIN: CHANCELLOR Angela Merkel said yesterday she was horrified by the “surreal” devastation in the flood-ravaged region of Germany, as the toll in western Europe reached at least 184 people dead with dozens still missing. The veteran leader walked through the village of Schuld in Rhineland-Palatinate state, one of the two hardest-hit regions in western Germany. Merkel listened to the accounts of residents in areas where the swollen Ahr river swept away houses and left debris piled high in the streets. “It is a surreal, eerie situation,” a visibly shaken Merkel said, as she pledged quick aid to rebuild. At least 157 people have died since Wednesday in Germany’s worst flooding in living memory, police said. In Rhineland-Palatinate state alone, authorities reported 110 dead and 670 injured. At least 27…

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis made his first public appearance since returning to the Vatican mid-week after an 11-day hospital stay, telling well-wishers they should take a break and switch off from the stresses of modern life. “Let us put a halt to the frantic running around dictated by our agendas. Let us learn how to take a break, to turn off the mobile phone,” Pope Francis said in his weekly address from a window overlooking St Peter’s Square. The 84-year-old pope had part of his colon removed in an operation on July 4.…

Rebels in Ethiopia’s war-hit Tigray have carried out operations against pro-government troops in neighbouring Afar region, a spokesperson said yesterday, opening a new front in the widening eight-month conflict. The “very limited action” targeted special forces and militia fighters from Oromia region, Ethiopia’s largest, who were massing along the Tigray-Afar border, the rebel spokesperson, Getachew Reda, told AFP. “We took those actions to ensure those forces are sent back to Oromia, and we have managed to do that,” Getachew said, adding that there were some casualties but he could not provide figures. “Our action was very limited to dispersing the peasant militia from Oromia that was mostly press-ganged into fighting the useless war.” Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops into Tigray last November to detain and disarm leaders of…

Bangkok: Thai police deployed water cannon against protesters in Bangkok yesterday as demonstrators defied Covid-19 restrictions to call for Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha’s resignation and mark the one-year anniversary of a pro-democracy movement. The kingdom is currently facing its worst-ever Covid-19 wave, registering record numbers of cases daily as hospitals buckle under pressure. Exacerbating the toll has been the government’s slow procurement of vaccines, which has drawn criticism from all sides as Thailand’s economy is kneecapped by increasingly severe restrictions.…