Table of contents for 2022-01-07 in Mercury

Gerry Cupido geraldine.cupido@inl.co.za New year, new me. Out with old, in with new. As we step into the new year with renewed energy to start afresh, it’s the perfect time to reassess all aspects of our daily lives. After silly season, many people are looking to the oh-so-popular “January detox” mission to get on to the “new me” train. While you’re on the whole “out with old” drive, why don’t you have a look into your cosmetic bag and access your collection of make-up? There’s no doubt that you will find a few goodies in there that should be in the trash bin. Many of us have the tendency to hold on to old products, not knowing that it’s not good for us. Yes I’m talking about the shimmering eyeshadow…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za IT is a legislative defect that people arrested under the Domestic Violence Act have been charged for violating a protection order and not the violence they may have perpetrated at home. The SA Law Reform Commission (SALRC) has identified this as one of various shortcomings in how the law responds to violence perpetrated within domestic relationships. The SALRC, a statutory body, is investigating whether the country’s current legislation has done enough to protect victims of domestic violence. In a discussion document detailing the objectives of the investigation, the SALRC highlighted that partners who violated protection orders, to date, had effectively avoided charges for violence they may have inflicted. “In its current format the Domestic Violence Act provides for the issuing of protection orders with regard to domestic…

Thailand has reopened Maya Bay, a white sand beach, made famous by the 2000 film The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio, more than three years after closing it to allow its ecosystem to recover from the impact of thousands of visitors each day. The beach, surrounded by 100-metre high cliffs, lies on the island of Phi Phi Leh in the Andaman Sea, and is only accessible by boats from nearby spots such as the islands of Phuket or Phi Phi, or mainland Krabi. Authorities shut the whole of Maya Bay to the public in 2018, saying coral reefs and beach areas had been damaged by constant tourist activities. But since the start of this year some visitors have been allowed to return. “The sharks have come back, coral reefs are regrowing,…

DUNCAN DU BOIS | Bluff Although opposition parties have been vocal about the constitutionality of lockdowns, apart from the ACDP, they have been silent on the issue of vaccines (The Mercury, January 6). While the ACDP must be applauded for challenging the official narrative on the roll-out of vaccine jabs for children, the failure of the DA, Freedom Front Plus and IFP to support that challenge and to express critical awareness on the efficacy and merits of being vaxxed, is deplorable. Prominent US virologist Dr Robert Malone, along with 5 000 medical scientists, has issued a declaration denouncing the application of Covid-19 vaccines to children. Malone cites the potential to cause “irreversible” damage in children because of the genetic nature of the vaccine contents. Numerous studies concur that…

Karen Singh karen.singh@inl.co.za An off-duty police officer was assaulted during a robbery at his home in Dawncrest, Verulam. Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) spokesperson Prem Balram said its operations centre received several calls from residents at 1.13pm on Wednesday reporting a home invasion. Rusa officers established that the off-duty SAPS officer was repairing his driveway gate when a dark grey Chevrolet Aveo stopped outside his property. Balram said it was reported that four suspects alighted from the vehicle and accosted the victim, adding that at least two suspects were carrying firearms. “One suspect remained with the victim, while three of his accomplices proceeded into the residence,” he said. He said the off-duty officer attempted to tackle the suspect, but was struck twice on his head and arm with the butt…

Debashine Thangevelo debashine.thangevelo@inl.co.za LOS Angeles-based South African director Phumi Morare is making waves in the industry with her short film, When the Sun Sets (original title, Lakutshon’ Ilanga), shortlisted for a 2022 Academy Award. Morare, who is an alumnus of Dodge College at Chapman University, where she completed her MFA in Film Directing, is a strategist freelancer at Statement Films. Her film is set in apartheid South Africa in 1985. Filmed in South Africa, the story focuses on Lerato (Zikhona Bali), a young black nurse who takes care of her siblings despite their indigent background. And when her brother, who is a young activist, doesn’t return home after school, she does everything she can to save him from an unthinkable fate in a hostile climate for people of colour. Lerato’s…

Nomonde Zondi nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za A FATHER of a 2-year-old boy whose body was found on Tuesday in the Mona River at Ndwedwe says he is struggling to come to terms with his son’s death. Fika Ngwenya said he had gone to the river with his son to wash his car, since they did not have water in their area. He said his son was standing next to the car while he was washing it. “He was carrying a scrubbing brush and I suspect that it slipped from his hands and he went to the river to fetch it and that is when he drowned.” He said they were having a conversation and in less than two minutes he did not see where his son had gone. “There were boys swimming in…

Karen Singh karen.singh@inl.co.za A 29-YEAR-OLD suspect has appeared in the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court for hijacking an e-hailing driver and robbing him of his vehicle and belongings after a trip was requested to Newlands East on Tuesday. Nkosiyazi Maphumulo appeared in court for car hijacking and possession of an unlicensed firearm. Provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Thembeka Mbele, said that on Tuesday, an SAPS team together with other law enforcement agencies proceeded to the KwaMashu men’s hostel after receiving a tip-off regarding the whereabouts of the stolen vehicle. “On arrival they spotted the vehicle with three occupants and it was intercepted,” she said. Two suspects fled on foot towards the shacks, she said, while the driver was searched and found in possession of a .38 revolver with its serial numbers erased and…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za EFF KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Vusi Khoza says it is all systems go as they will slaughter four cattle today as part of the festivities for tomorrow’s Siyabonga rally to be held at People’s Park in Durban. The rally, which coincides with the ANC’s birthday celebrations, will be addressed by the party’s Commander in Chief Julius Malema and is part of thanking party members and supporters for “an impressive performance” in the local government elections. The EFF managed to more than double the number of councillors it had received, from 64 councillors in the 2016 to 164 councillors in the 2021 polls. “Interest in the Siyabonga rally has stretched beyond the borders of the country, with queries from eSwatini and Zimbabwe, it goes without saying that this is big…

NOVAK Djokovic will know on Monday whether he has been granted permission to play in the Australian Open, which starts on January 19. For now, he remains “locked up” in a refugee detention hotel after the Federal Court ruled that his appeal to be let into Australia ahead of the Australian Open would be adjourned until Monday. The Department of Home Affairs made the decision to deny Djokovic entry to Australia and to deport him, despite Djokovic arguing he had a vaccine exemption to enter the country, granted through Tennis Australia on medical grounds. It makes for dramatic reading, but don’t be in the least surprised if Djokovic, the winner of 20 Grand Slam men’s single titles and a record nine Australian Open men’s single titles, wins his appeal on…

Beirut: A Lebanese mountain town home to 70 000 Syrian refugees declared a “fuel emergency” yesterday, warning that soaring heating fuel prices would spell tragedy as winter starts to bite. The town of Arsal, also home to 40 000 Lebanese, lies at an altitude of 1 400m. The cost of fuel families need to power their stoves has risen by around 350% as a result of the lifting of subsidies caused by Lebanon’s financial collapse. Arsal mayor Basel al-Hujairi declared a “fuel emergency”, issuing an appeal to bridge the funding gap and raise $5.5 million. “Please reflect on leaving thousands of families in flimsy tents without heating.”…

World food prices jumped 28% in 2021 to their highest level in a decade and hopes for a return to more stable market conditions this year are slim, the UN’s food agency said yesterday. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 125.7 points in 2021, the highest since 131.9 in 2011. The monthly index eased slightly in December but had climbed for the previous four months in a row, reflecting harvest setbacks and strong demand over the past year. Higher food prices have contributed to a broader surge in inflation as economies recover from the coronavirus crisis and the FAO has warned that the higher costs are putting poorer populations at risk in countries reliant on imports. In its…

SACKED twice from her casino job and arrested this week on charges of endangering public security, union leader Chhim Sithar is the latest in a long line of activists to take on the challenge of campaigning for labour rights in Cambodia. Sithar, 34, has been at the forefront of a strike at the country’s biggest casino, facing off against scores of riot police at protests in Phnom Penh. Since December, employees of NagaWorld casino run by Hong Kong-listed Nagacorp Ltd’s have been protesting against the layoff of 365 workers in the wake of disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Police say the strike is illegal and the protests threaten public security. NagaWorld has described the layoffs as unavoidable. Twenty-seven people have been arrested – including Sithar, who was whisked away…

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheKingfisherFishing THE year has started off very well for the guys offshore, the guys on the shore and those who prefer freshwater. The offshore fishing has been very good along the entire KZN coastline. The gamefish have been keeping the reels screaming and the hatches full. The north coast has been the place to go with most launches proving successful. The fishing skis and ski boats have all seen good results while targeting tuna and dorado. The couta have also made their presence in most catches. The tuna and dorado have mainly been taken on trolled lures. The higher speed lures have produced most of the bites but they also allow for more water coverage. The purples and pink colours have done well. Both skirted and lipped lures have produced…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za HUMAN Settlements and Public Works MEC Jomo Sibiya has announced that the department has allocated R15.4 million to assist families affected by recent storms in the Msunduzi Local Municipality in Pietermaritzburg. Sibiya said severe weather patterns destroyed houses and left hundreds of families destitute on December 22 and 30. “When we visited some of the families on January 1 with local leadership, we committed to ensure that we would move with speed to turn around the situation.” Sibiya added that the department met the leadership of uMgungundlovu District and Msunduzi Local Municipality to discuss a package of interventions to assist the affected communities. “We wish to inform the people of Msunduzi Local Municipality who have been affected by the storms that an integrated approach involving provincial government,…

Ntombi Nkosi, Sihle Mavuso and Mashudu Sadike The ANC’s top leaders will likely have to show a united front more than ever before ahead of the party’s 110th birthday celebrations tomorrow at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Limpopo as the party continues to be dogged by disunity. Yesterday, drama unfolded at some of the party’s events hosted ahead of the main rally. This included a walkout by President Cyril Ramaphosa from a memorial lecture that was scheduled to honour the late struggle icon Lilian Ngoyi, who was the first president of the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL). It appears Ramaphosa had to be escorted out of the Lebowakgomo Civic Centre by intelligence officials amid Covid-19 concerns – drawing the ire of organisers in the ANCWL and its president, Bathabile Dlamini.…

THE other day I had occasion to phone my bank. I spoke to an absolutely charming woman who resolved my query in a jiffy. Then a disembodied voice took over, asking me to state my appreciation or otherwise of how my call had been dealt with; my appreciation or otherwise of the bank and the services it provides; and my appreciation or otherwise of the way the charming woman had handled my query. She scored 10 out of the 10, of course, but here was a problem – I had to reply to the questions by pressing certain digits on my telephone. Now some of us are technologically challenged, especially those whose first experience with technology was the Nkandla party line and who have not graduated much beyond. We prefer…

MARY DE HAAS | Durban I sincerely hope that the legal challenge by the ACDP and others to the roll-out of vaccinations to children aged 12 to 17 years will be successful (The Mercury, January 6). Twelve thousand physicians across the globe are opposing the vaccination of children, and for good reason. They argue that children’s immune responses are stronger than those of adults and the fact that thousands of children are experiencing Covid-19 as the equivalent of a mild dose of flu supports this argument. Allowing innate immunity to take control is a far better option than that offered by vaccines. A recent scientific study supports the concerns of many immunologists that mRNA vaccines may interfere with the body’s own immune responses to the virus (in MedRxiv,…

Zama Ngcoya zama.ngcoya@inl.co.za The eThekwini Municipality says it is carrying out a planned water supply shutdown in some areas in the southern region of the city. According to the city, the shutdown is attributed to a low systems volume input from the Southern Aqueduct into Umlazi Reservoir 2. It said this has caused a strain on the water supply to Golokodo System consisting of Ensimbini and Folweni and therefore the Ensimbini and Folweni Reservoirs remain very low. It said in order to fast-track the recovery of the Golokodo system, it needed to separate Umlazi 6, Ensimbini and Folweni Reticulation Reservoir outlets to build up storage. This process will allow these reservoirs to fill up and to maintain pumping between Ensimbini and Folweni, thereby stabilising supply in the affected areas. The…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za SOLDIERS who went absent without leave (awol) while on a medical course in Cuba in 2017, have once again lost their legal bid to be reinstated after the SANDF gave them the boot. The group of 36 medical students turned to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) after the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, last year ruled that the SANDF was within its rights to dismiss them. The court initially found in favour of the soldiers and ordered their re- instatement. This order was, however, overturned by three judges of the high court on appeal. Unhappy with this verdict, the group turned to the SCA, which yesterday turned down their application. The SCA judges commented that “the SANDF simply cannot function properly when its members absent themselves from…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za ELECTRICITY contractors who had been employed by the eThekwini Municipality have given the city’s political leadership until midday today to meet their demands, which include reinstating their contracts with immediate effect, or deal with the consequences. The contracts have expired and the city was in the process of awarding “new contracts”, but that process was stopped after complaints were lodged. Their warning is the second in as many days. On Wednesday the contractors warned of “war” in the streets of Durban should the city appoint new contractors to replace them. Furthermore, the contractors appear to have entered into a pact that none of them should accept renewed contracts unless all the contracts were renewed, as “an injury to one is injury to all”. The contractors have been…

The Afcon competition is constantly portrayed as an unnecessary nuisance that exposes players to injuries and, recently, Covid-19 infection. In June and July last year football fans enjoyed the Uefa Euro 2020 tournament with all of Europe’s big name players. What a great tournament it turned out to be, especially after a limited number of fans were allowed back into the stadiums. And there could be no better climax to that competition than that juicy final encounter between two football powerhouses, England and Italy, in front of 67 000 fans. In the end, the Italians were the champions after a penalty shoot-out following a 1-1 stalemate in regulation time. The Euro 2020 event (played last year) was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But when it was eventually held, players…

Mexico: Mexican prosecutors are seeking a 39-year prison sentence for a former oil executive and key figure in a corruption scandal linked to Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht, a judicial source said. Emilio Lozoya, 47, who ran state oil giant Pemex from 2012 to 2016 and was once an advisor to former president Enrique Peña Nieto, was arrested in Spain and extradited to Mexico in 2020. Charges include bribery, money laundering and criminal association, the source said. Prosecutors are seeking a 25-year prison sentence for Lozoya’s mother, Gilda Austin, who is accused of involvement in the alleged corruption, the source said.…

Almaty: A Moscow-led military alliance dispatched troops to help quell mounting unrest in Kazakhstan yesterday as police said dozens were killed trying to storm government buildings. Long seen as one the most stable of the ex-Soviet republics of Central Asia, energy-rich Kazakhstan is facing its biggest crisis in decades after days of protests over rising fuel prices escalated into widespread unrest. Under increasing pressure, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appealed overnight to the Russia-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), which includes five other ex-Soviet states, to combat what he called “terrorist groups” that had “received extensive training abroad”. Within hours the alliance said the first troops had been sent – including Russian paratroopers and military units from the other CSTO members – in its first major joint action since its founding in…

Dar es Salaam: The speaker of Tanzania’s parliament quit yesterday after a public spat with President Samia Suluhu Hassan, exacerbating divisions within the ruling party. Job Ndugai, 58, had infuriated Hassan when he criticised her over Tanzania’s “excessive” foreign borrowing. Figures by Tanzania’s central bank showed private and public external debt at $28 billion (R440bn) in November, with govern- ment borrowing accounting for more than 70%. “Is there any pride in taking around a begging bowl? A day will come when this country will be sold off,” Ndugai had said.…

French regulators have hit Google and Facebook with 210 million euros (R3.7bn) in fines over their use of “cookies”, the data used to track users online, authorities said yesterday. US tech giants, including the likes of Apple and Amazon, have come under growing pressure over their businesses practices across Europe, where they have faced massive fines and plans to impose far-reaching EU rules on how they operate. The 150-million-euro fine imposed on Google was a record by France’s National Commission for Information Technology and Freedom (CNIL), beating a previous cookie-related fine of 100 million euros against the company in December 2020. Facebook was handed a 60-million-euro fine. “CNIL has determined that the sites facebook.com, google.fr and (Google-owned) youtube.com do not allow users to refuse the use of cookies as simply…

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Archewall charity raised less than $50 000 (about R790 000) in 2020. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan set up the non-profit in 2020 after stepping down from their roles as senior members of the royal family, and filings reveal the foundation only opened a bank account in January last year. As reported by DailyMail.com, filings to the IRS reveal Archewell's first deposit came in February. This month, the charity has revealed its gross receipts for 2020 came to less than $50 000, while they spent $55 600 on legal fees in the same year. However, it should be noted that sources said last year the couple were planning to properly launch the charity “when the time is right” given the impact of the…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za KWAZULU-NATAL MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Sipho Hlomuka has read the riot act to the nine municipalities under administration, warning that a further deterioration in their performances, including an inability to generate their own revenue, could lead to even more drastic measures being implemented. The MEC held a meeting with the administrators of the municipalities on Wednesday in a bid to determine whether they were showing improvements and urged them to take unpopular decisions when necessary. Some of the matters raised by administrators during the meeting include: The lack of support provided to the administrators by officials and councillors in some municipalities. The implementation of consequence management measures against errant officials who waste municipal resources through irregular and unauthorised expenditure. Concerns that…

Aim for greater clarity and transparency in all of your relationships. The clearer you can be and want others to be with you, the more you may reduce the possibilities of missed opportunities and decrease the potential for disappointments. Greater clarity now usually means less clean-up if that becomes necessary in the future. Rather be disappointed when the investment of time and energy and resources are minimal than wait until losses are bound to be greater. Aim for an increased desire to see and experience things from the point of view of others. Get yourself into a “there but for the Grace of God go I” stance. The only way to do this is to ask questions and to listen to the answers, to be interested in others, especially in…

FAROUK ARAIE | Gauteng The fire that almost consumed Parliament bears an uncanny resemblance to the fire that engulfed the German Reichstag on February 27, 1933. That event increased the popularity of the Nazis, who were lagging at 33%, compared with the ANC, whose popularity is at its lowest since the advent of our democracy, at 46%. Many aspects of the fire defy logic. What followed could be classified as a comedy of errors, or it could be an enactment of a sophisticated conspiracy to strike at the heart of our parliamentary democracy. If it involves a conspiracy, then multiple factors and players are involved. The message is clear: any attempt to dislodge the ANC will be met with fire and fury. It is possible that the chain…

SABER AHMED JAZBHAY | Newlands West THE “defining moment” (The Mercury, January 5) hasn’t arrived, Mr President. It will come when all those implicated in part 1 of the Zondo Commission report are, following due process, removed from office, and held accountable in a court of law. Citizen trust and confidence in an ANC-led government has broken down, albeit not irretrievably, in my opinion, and it will be a defining moment when those implicated are indicted and brought before the courts. I have had the opportunity of reading the 874-page report and my first-gasp take was that it was like reading about the fable turned reality show “Tony Gupta and the Forty Thieves”, a thorough fact-checked indictment of functionaries who facilitated Ali aka “Tony Gupta” Baba’s capture…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has condemned the attack at the Constitutional Court. A statement issued by the Office of the Chief Justice yesterday said that Justice Zondo had noted with grave concern the attack at the Constitutional Court building on Tuesday. “This incident comes shortly after other important state facilities have experienced unprecedented attacks, including recent threats having been made to cause damage to some Superior Courts. “These attacks and threats seek to cause the destruction of these important facilities that the public rely on for the protection of their constitutional rights,” said the statement. It also said Justice Zondo was satisfied with the report that security officials and the police were able to act swiftly to apprehend the suspect and prevent further damage to the…

| Reuters Telkom is seeking an urgent court order to prevent the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) from holding a spectrum auction in March, which may further delay the country’s roll-out of 5G. Operators have waited more than 15 years for Icasa to release spectrum licences that are needed to lower data costs and add network capacity as data demand has surged and smartphone adoption continues to grow. A previous court ruling following separate objections from Telkom, broadcaster e.tv, and MTN Group last year prevented an auction of high-demand spectrum. The auction had been set to be held at the end of March this year. On Wednesday, Telkom said it had filed an application asking the Gauteng High Court to review and set aside the invitation to…

THE death of a 53-year-old hiker whose body was recovered on Table Mountain yesterday has renewed calls for hikers not to walk alone. The hiker went missing on Wednesday, and his body was discovered near a ravine, by rescuers conducting a search on foot yesterday. “The body of a male, 53, was recovered on Table Mountain after he fell to his death. A search was conducted after hikers found the man’s belongings on the mountain. They alerted authorities after accessing details on a cellphone found with the belongings. Due to the terrain and windy conditions, the body could only be retrieved yesterday,” police said. Glenda Doller, of Peninsula Ramblers Hiking Club, urged hikers not to walk alone. “People face many threats when hiking; hike in groups.” | Mercury…

Is the legacy of the 1912 founders and of Madiba’s term in danger of being wasted? ON THAT fateful day on January 8, 1912, when the visionary leadership quartet of John Langalibalele Dube, Pixley ka Isaka Seme, Josiah Tshangana Gumede and Sol Plaatje gathered a motley crew of chieftains, tribal aristocracy, people’s representatives, church organisations and other prominent individuals in Bloemfontein to launch the South African Native National Congress, one Rolihlahla Nelson Dalibhunga Mandela was not even born! Just as South Africa was at the time undergoing seismic socio-political and economic changes – driven by the discovery of gold and diamonds and underlined, for example, by the adoption of the pernicious 1913 Land Act, which prevented Africans from buying, renting or using land, except in the so-called “Native Reserves” –…

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis yesterday took an apparent dig at conservatives resisting change in the Roman Catholic Church, lamenting those whose religion was encased in a “suit of armour”. On the Feast of the Epiphany, Francis seemed to direct specific criticism at those who have balked at his decision to restrict the traditionalist Latin Mass, saying: “Do our words and liturgies ignite in people’s hearts a desire to move towards God, or are they a ‘dead language’?” In July, Francis tightened regulations on when it could be celebrated. Since then some conservatives have defied the pope, resulting in what some have dubbed the Church’s “liturgy wars”.…

Thousands of Sudanese took to the streets of Khartoum and other cities yesterday to protest against the military, which led a coup more than two months ago, witnesses said. Sudan’s armed forces led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan staged the power grab on October 25, sparking international condemnation and setting off a wave of demonstrations. The coup, which saw the civilian leadership ousted and detained, derailed a rocky transition toward full democracy that had started after the April 2019 ouster of veteran autocrat Omar al-Bashir. The military takeover – one of several in Sudan’s post-independence history – has triggered mass demonstrations and a bloody crackdown that has left at least 57 people dead and hundreds wounded, according to the independent Doctors’ Committee. “Our marches will continue until we restore our…

LOS ANGELES: Betty White “never wanted people to make a fuss over her”. The iconic actress died at her home in Los Angeles on December 31, at the age of 99, and Jeff Witjas – her long-time friend and agent – has revealed that Betty’s funeral will be a private ceremony. He told People magazine: “The arrangements are being handled privately and that was Betty’s wish. As in life, she never wanted people to make a fuss over her.” He encouraged fans to honour Betty’s legacy by donating to some of her favourite organisations, such as the Los Angeles Zoo, Tree People, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Wildlife Learning Center, and Actors and Animals for Others. “If someone has a desire to do something in her honour, you can support or donate…