Table of contents for 2022-08-29 in Mercury

REBOSIS Property Fund was suspended on the JSE on Friday after it went into business rescue because of provincial government and municipal delays in rent payments and the impact of rising interest rates on its debt. The share was suspended at 16 cents, after falling from 29c a year ago and after plunging from as high as R10.95 five years ago. It’s management had always cited its “sovereign tenants”, which make up more than 50 percent of its turnover, as a defensive aspect to its portfolio – as government tenants were once considered reliable – even in times of economic hardship. Its portfolio includes Baywest and Hemmingway Mall, office block 11 Diagonal Street in Johannesburg, Sunnypark Mall and Grand Central in Cape Town. Rebosis was established in…

BEN LA GRANGE, the chief financial officer of what became South Africa’s biggest corporate fraud, Steinhoff, was censured on Friday by the JSE, fined R2 million and barred from holding a position in a listed company for 10 years. In October 2020, the JSE censured the European furniture retailer Steinhoff and imposed a R13.5m fine for its transgressions of listings requirements. Steinhoff first disclosed a hole in its accounts in December 2017, and subsequently more than R100 billion of accounting fraud between the 2009 and 2017 accounting years were discovered, involving a small group of top executives and outsiders. The JSE said La Grange should have known, for example, that a purported €23.5m (R395m) transaction between a Steinhoff subsidiary and some of its suppliers was not an actual…

The Comrades Marathon brought a tourism boom for Pietermaritzburg, with accommodation occupancy in the city reaching more than 90%. Msunduzi mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla said they were pleased with the success of the Comrades, especially the tourism revenue as “every bed in the city was occupied”. Thebolla said the city would look to take advantage of the recent success to rebuild its tourism industry, and thereby rebuild the economy, saying it was one of the industries that had suffered the most during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Many of the runners stayed here, we saw them in our hotels. It is an indication that people are seeing the improvement in restoring the city,” he said. Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube said the tourism boom in Durban and Pietermaritzburg could trigger a revival of the tourism…

Love always looks like love. It doesn’t dress in other fancy clothes or pretends it is something else. It always leads to light, ultimately to fewer complications, to greater expressions of art and goodwill and freedom and beautiful humour. It doesn’t manipulate or dominate or intimidate. It doesn’t have to. Love is open with its goals and agendas and dreams and visions. Love trusts. Love lets you in, doesn’t shut you out. Love speaks its mind but does so with care and kindness, even if the truth is tough to express. Love learns. Love does all it can to not repeat mistakes and repeat hurtful behaviours. Love shares. Love includes. Love reaches out. Love listens and responds. Love offers room for others to think and to feel. Love gives room…

ETHEKWINI Municipality has closed many beaches and declared the water unsafe for activities such as swimming, fishing, bathing and canoeing. This is due to the high levels of E coli found in the water. E coli is a bacteria found in the intestines of humans and animals and is a strong indication of sewage contamination. The eThekwini municipality treats all raw sewage before it is discharged into the rivers or sea, ensuring that any risk of E coli contamination is reduced. These are done at waste-treatment plants, all of which are in a serious state of disrepair owing to reduced funding and poor maintenance. This is no secret as the warnings are contained in a report that paints a bleak picture of the state of waste-water treatment in eThekwini. The…

WHAT better place to watch a rugby international than Notties, up in the Midlands? Blazing log fires against the early morning chill, hearty breakfast and much bonhomie with the locals. A local lady tells us all you want to know about reflexology, demonstrating how she massages her tummy to rid the body of all known maladies, no muti required. Fascinating, educational, entertaining. A very good vibe indeed. And then some damn fool switched on the TV. The utter failure of the Boks in Adelaide is beyond comprehension, it defies analysis. They did nothing as the Aussies ran through and around them. Our much-lauded driving forward play was simply absent. How does this happen? Can it be explained by jetlag? Would reflexology help? Should coach Jacques Nienaber engage the Nottingham Road…

A HIGH-level government delegation met with oThongathi residents on Friday to discuss water supply challenges following violent protests last week. Hambanathi residents burnt JoJo tanks and tyres on Thursday due to the lack of water since the April floods hit. OThongathi was severely affected by the floods as the town’s Water Treatment Works washed away, resulting in the interruption of water supply in the area. A meeting at oThongathi Sports Centre on Friday night was attended by Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Sihle Zikalala, eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, deputy mayor Philani Mavundla and municipal water and sanitation officials. The city said during the meeting a task team was established to ensure constant communication among all parties on the implementation of the water…

The South African Revenue Service (Sars) at OR Tambo International Airport intercepted drugs worth millions of rand that had been falsely declared as multi-purpose anti-slip mats. Sars commissioner Edward Kieswetter said the 785kg crystal meth shipment with a street value of R236 million had been destined for Australia. “The consignment had been declared as multi-purpose anti-slip mats. However, upon physical inspection customs officers found mats concealing crystal meth. “I want to send a clear warning that our officers are alert and working very hard to stamp out such criminality. “The excellent co-operation with other law-enforcement agencies at these ports is enabling all of us to deal a deadly blow to these illegal activities,” Kieswetter said. Following the bust, Sars said the case was referred to the SAPS’s Directorate for…

LIZ TRUSS, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the UK, is aspiring to become Britain’s third woman prime minister. Truss is the worst Foreign Minister the UK has had in more than 100 years. She is ill-equipped and most certainly ill-informed about the role of being the premier of a nuclear power. She told a Tory event in Birmingham that she is willing to hit Britain’s nuclear button if necessary, even if it meant “global annihilation”; ironically, it would be Birmingham that would be wiped out. In a nuclear counter-strike Liz Truss cannot be trusted to issue such orders. Love her or loathe her, Margaret Thatcher was a formidable stateswoman. Liz Truss is a third-rate under-educated Tory politician. A secret report drawn up in 1955 by Sir Keith…

Conakry: A political coalition in Guinea said it was calling off planned protests against the country’s ruling junta, at the request of a West African regional group. The National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC) had called for fresh demonstrations in the capital Conakry today and September 4, after accusing junta forces of killing two teenagers during previous protests. But on Saturday, the FNDC said it had “complied with a request from the heads of the Economic Community of West African States and Guinea Christians to suspend the peaceful citizen demonstrations”. The September 4 protest would also have fallen on a Sunday, “a day of prayer for our Christian compatriots”. |…

Clashes between backers of Libya’s rival governments killed at least 23 people and damaged six hospitals in Tripoli on Saturday, sparking fears that a political crisis could spiral into a major new armed conflict. Small arms fire and explosions rocked several districts of the capital, when smoke could be seen rising from damaged buildings. The health ministry in Tripoli said 23 people had been killed and 140 wounded in the fighting. Six hospitals were hit and ambulances were unable to reach areas affected by the clashes, the ministry had said earlier, condemning “war crimes”. The two rival administrations vying for control of the country and its vast oil resources – one based in the capital, the other approved by a parliament in the country’s east – exchanged blame. The head…

Turkey has lashed out at what it described as French President Emmanuel Macron’s “unacceptable” comments in Algeria on foreign powers spreading anti-French propaganda in Africa. On a visit to France’s former colony aimed at mending troubled ties, Macron on Friday appeared to warn young Algerians and Africans against manipulation by “networks” influenced by Turkey, Russia and China that present France as an “enemy”. “There is immense manipulation,” Macron told reporters. “Many political Islam activists have an enemy: France. Many of the networks that are covertly pushed – ... by Turkey... by Russia... by China – have an enemy: France.” Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgic slammed what he described as the French leader’s “extremely unfortunate” comments. “It is unacceptable that ... Macron, who has difficulties in confronting his colonial past…

Eva Mendes has learnt to embrace a “messy” home since becoming a mum. The 48-year-old actress shares two daughters – Esmeralda, 7, and 6-year-old Amada – with her partner Ryan Gosling and she’s admitted it’s been a struggle to keep the house tidy with two young kids in the house, but Mendes tries not to let it bother her because it’s “impossible” to keep a home looking perfect. She told People.com: “My house is not always clean. I open my closet and it’s messy and it’s okay! I have two children, so it’s impossible. “Having kids, you have to be okay with a mess. But the point is when my house is clean, I feel better. “My mental wellness is literally connected to how clean my house is. I just…

ZULU King Misuzulu KaZwelithini is expected to give his final seal of approval to a 12m-tall statue of King Shaka at the airport before it is unveiled. The statue has been erected at King Shaka International Airport, but for now is under wraps, with the provincial Department of Sport, Arts and Culture keeping the date of the unveiling secret. The new statue comes after the late King Goodwill Zwelithini and other members of the Zulu Royal house in 2010 had objected to the previous statue of King Shaka at the airport, saying the sculpture made Shaka look like a herdboy and not the warrior king of Zulu history. They further complained that the spear placed at his feet could suggest surrender. It is understood that the late King Zwelithini was…

People infected with monkeypox must isolate their pets, said an official from the World Health Organization, after a report showed the first-ever case of human-to-dog transmission of the virus in France. In a Lancet report earlier this week, French researchers documented the first case of a dog with confirmed monkeypox infection that might have been acquired through human transmission. Earlier a monkeypox outbreak in the US was linked to prairie pet dogs, but no human to animal transmission was reported. According to Dr Rosamund Lewis, WHO Technical Lead on monkeypox, the first human-to-dog transmission of the virus is new but not surprising, The Washington Post reported. “It has not been reported that dogs have been infected before. So, on a number of levels, this is new information. It’s not surprising…

I RECENTLY read in an article that more than half of young South African children are regularly watching pornography, with at least 10% of them watching it every day. The article was based on the findings of a study by Unisa’s Bureau for Market Research’s Youth Research Unit (BMR unit). Dr Antoinette Basson, a psychologist attached to the BMR unit, places the blame on the easy access to technology such as smartphones. As reported by many studies around the globe, pornography has potentially damaging effects on the minds and well-being of adults and young people. Some impacts are extremely disturbing; particularly pornography’s role in enabling the sexual objectification of women, perpetuating sexual violence and reinforcing other sexist social behaviours. Just because pornographic material is allegedly, the “modern culture”, default sex…

THE ongoing debates about all things miserable do no better than propagate that misery thereby caused. So, as one who tries to see the bright side of every scenario, I strive to dispel doom and gloom from the fact of my very existence, which I tailor as best I can to be compatible with my immediate environment. It seems that, to some, this equates to one swallow making a summer. Rather, I would prefer to think of one happy fact destroying multiple miserable ones. Putting this in context with Duncan du Bois’ way of thinking is simple: apropos the “heinous fraud debacle” of Big Pharma’s Covid vaccine, yes, there may well be big issues involved. But, that doesn’t detract from the personal satisfaction which I have derived from the vaccine…

Scores of supporters gathered yesterday at Drummond, the Comrades Marathon halfway point to cheer runners participating in the 95th running of the race. Some were there to support their relatives and friends, while others came for a braai and to be a part of the race action. Among those supporting runners, were local and international people and a local celebrity. For some runners, the halfway was a highlight of their race as they beat the cut-off time and were able to continue on their way to Durban, however, for others it was bitter disappointment as they failed to make the time and it was the end of their race. Willie van Staden was the last runner to make it past the halfway point before the cut-off gun at Drummond. Before…

ANYONE disqualified from receiving the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant as a result of earning more than R350 can breathe a sigh of relief as the new regulations will allow more people to receive grants. The Department of Social Development and SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) announced that the low number of approved applications for the Covid-19 SRD and the public outcry over regulations that unfairly excluded applicants prompted it to make the necessary changes. Last month, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu gazetted changes to the R350 grant, which increased the income threshold for the means test from R350 per month to R624, from the food poverty line. Sassa spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi said this meant that applicants who had an inflow of funds in their bank accounts of…

THE Department of Public Service and Administration has revealed that backlogs in misconduct cases and precautionary suspensions have increased. This emerged when the department briefed the portfolio committee on public service and administration. “The total cost for precautionary suspensions stabilised around R82 million for provinces and R25m for national departments,” chief director of the public administration ethics, integrity and disciplinary technical assistance unit (TAU) Salomon Hoogenraad-Vermaak said. Hoogenraad-Vermaak said the data presented only reflected the departments which captured their information on Persal. He also said misconduct cases for national departments increased from 651 cases in March 2021 to 1 890 cases as at March this year and for provinces increased from 2 004 to 2 517 during the same period. His report showed that 151 senior managers were placed on…

Omitted vital need to promote human rights and our shared humanity IN SOUTH Africa, over the past few days, the topic of Limpopo Health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba’s shunning of foreigners for draining the province’s limited health resources has induced an avalanche of outrage. In a video that surfaced online, Ramathuba reprimanded a Zimbabwean patient scheduled for a medical procedure at the Bela Bela Provincial Hospital. Opposition to Ramathuba’s conduct has united many, with more than 20 000 people of different ages and races taking to social media to express their contempt. In the kaleidoscope of disparate groups involved, the main unifying banner is the assertion that Ramathuba’s conduct infringes the South African Constitution’s tenet of respect for human rights. She deserves criticism for her handling of the matter,…

NEW YORK: A US judge has recommended that victims of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks not be allowed to seize billions of dollars of assets belonging to Afghanistan’s central bank to satisfy court judgments they obtained against the Taliban. US magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in Manhattan said on Friday that Da Afghanistan Bank was immune from jurisdiction, and that allowing the seizures would effectively acknowledge the Islamist militant group as the Afghan government, something only the US president can do. |…

Some 300 people demonstrated on Saturday in the Central African Republic’s capital against changing the constitution after the president ordered a rewrite of the basic law. Opposition and civil society called the protest a day after President Faustin Archange Touadera ordered the creation of a committee to rewrite the constitution, sparking fears he was seeking a third term in office. The 65-year-old was first elected in 2016, then re-elected in a highly controversial poll in 2020, but the current constitution does not allow him to run for a third term. “No to manipulation,” “No to dictatorship,”, read protest banners at a rally called by the 20-party Republican Bloc coalition grouping opposition forces and civil society organisations. |…

TUNIS: Japan pledged $30 billion (about R507 trillion) in aid for development in Africa on Saturday, saying it wanted to work more closely with the continent, with the rules-based international order under threat after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Addressing a Japan-Africa summit in Tunisia virtually, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tokyo would work to ensure grain shipments to Africa amid a global shortage. Kishida said the $30bn would be delivered over three years in co-ordination with the African Development Bank. |…

DESPITE a massive windfall after winning this year’s Comrades Marathon, the men’s champion says he plans to keep his day job as a security guard. Tete Dijana, 34, from Mafikeng in North West, won the 95th edition of the race, on his second attempt. His first attempt was in 2019 where he ran for a different running club and finished outside the top 10. He now runs for the Nedbank Running Club. He secured the R260 000 prize money and a gold medal with his time of 5:30:38. The men’s and women’s races have an equal prize value of R260 000 for the winners. In a brief interview with The Mercury yesterday, he said he did not anticipate winning this year’s marathon, a down run from Pietermaritzburg to…

A Ford Escort RS Turbo Series 1 driven by the late Princess Diana fetched a whopping £724 500 (R14.3 million) at an auction held at Britain’s Silverstone racing circuit at the weekend. Silverstone’s website describes the car as the Princess of Wales’ last Ford Escort, with 24 961 miles (40 170km) on the clock. It belonged to the Princess of Wales between 1985 and 1988. The princess was often seen driving the car around Chelsea and Kensington and clocked up 10 943km before returning it to Ford. The car had multiple owners before making its way back to Ford. The website makes no mention of the winner of the auction. The RS Turbo Series 1 was usually made in white but the royal family police guard asked for Diana’s…

THE solution of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to reduce the government’s budget deficit by raising taxes reflects astounding ignorance (The Mercury, Business Report, August 26). In the first place, given the ANC’s record of financial profligacy, additional revenue would simply be looted and misspent. But where the OECD’s view is particularly ignorant is in its failure to appreciate two economic fundamentals: the declining extent of the taxpayer base in South Africa and the role of tax reduction in the stimulation of economic growth. Until 2012 the taxpayer base grew by about 7%, but since then it has stagnated and contracted by 2.1%. Personal income tax, which contributes 40% of the tax revenue, is derived from only 9% of the population. On closer examination, one-fifth of that…

ONCE again the question of statues comes to life as the mummy of Ramesis II cries out above the howling wind across the Sahara: “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings. Look on my works, ye mighty and despair.” But here we go again. Heat and dust from the desert deafen and blind us to the never-failing future misfortune that must eventually pursue past glory. Statues continue to be churned out, at heavy expense, while the bread and petrol price try to outrace each other to reach the R30 mark first. Street names are still being changed at heavy costs. Black rhinos and bulls at our airport welcome tourists, while the Mahatma is confined to a street even now known for its good, bad and bawdy outlook. Cecil Johnny…

The DA notes reports that KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of Education has instructed teachers and pupils to wear traditional attire on August 30 to celebrate and honour new Zulu king, Misuzulu KaZwelithini. The DA fully supports the marking of this historic occasion – as long as no individual is forced to observe it. South Africa is a culturally diverse country with the Bill of Rights ensuring the right to practise one’s religion and culture in keeping with the law. This must be respected by all. Schools have “civvies” days and it is common place for uniforms not to be worn on such days. As long as principals and school governing bodies are in agreement, the department – and least of all the MEC – cannot force them to do anything not within…

Two men were arrested after police traced the vehicle they hijacked in the Mpumalanga township near Hammarsdale to Inchanga on Friday. Provincial police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said the suspects were between the ages of 24 and 33. The pair were arrested for unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, possession of a jamming device, possession of a stolen vehicle as well as possession of stolen property, she said. Describing the events that led to the arrest, Ngcobo said that on August 26, at 8.30am police received information regarding a vehicle that was hijacked in the Mpumalanga township. She said Mpumalanga police with the assistance of other role players traced the suspects to Inchanga and proceeded to the area for observation. Hours later the vehicle the suspects were travelling in was…

A fire destroyed dozens of homes at an informal settlement in Canelands, near Verulam, leaving several residents homeless at the weekend. Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) spokesperson Prem Balram said several residents were displaced after their homes were gutted by the fire. He said members of Rusa arrived at the scene just after 10pm on Saturday night after receiving multiple calls. “On arrival, reaction officers discovered approximately 70 wood and iron homes engulfed in flames,” said Balram. Balram said eThekwini Fire and Rescue Services arrived shortly after Rusa. He said firefighters battled the fire which had been rapidly spreading. He added that the cause of the fire was not immediately established. Earlier this month, a man was killed when a fire destroyed several homes in the Waterloo area, north of…

THE Special Investigating Unit (SIU) should leave no stone unturned now that it has been authorised to unearth the rot that has plagued the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) for years. The probe should also provide NSFAS with an opportunity to cleanse itself as the organisation has fallen short in fulfilling its mandate of providing poor tertiary-level students with much-needed funding. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently gave the green light for the SIU to investigate alleged corruption and maladministration at NSFAS and recover any financial losses. The first aspect of the investigation will focus on the scheme’s finances, while the other will zoom into the allocation of loans, bursaries and any other funding payable to students in terms of the provisions of NSFAS. Other issues on the unit’s radar are…

HE WAS the scion of the political aristocracy – son of the respected second prime minister of post-independence Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Razak, and nephew to its third prime minister Hussein Onn. That Najib Abdul Razak hailed from one of the most powerful families in the country is an irrelevance, seemingly untouchable given that as Malaysia’s sixth prime minister he exercised immense control over the levers of power, including the judiciary, the anti-corruption agency and, crucially, the Treasury in his capacity also as Finance Minister in an anachronistic autocratic democracy. Last week, Najib started a 12-year prison sentence after the country’s chief justice, Tun Maimun Tuan Mat, dismissed a final appeal by the disgraced ex-premier. He was found guilty in 2020 by a lower court on seven charges of corruption and…

WARSAW: In Poland vehicles line up at the Lubelski Wegiel Bogdanka mine as householders fearful of coal rations and winter shortages wait for days and nights to stock up on heating fuel. Nearly 3.8 million households in Poland that rely on coal now face shortages and price hikes after the country and the EU imposed an embargo on Russian coal in February. While Poland produces more than 50 million tons of coal, imported coal from Russia is a household staple because of competitive prices and the fact that Russian coal is sold in lumps more suitable for home use. Last month Poland ordered the import of fuel from Indonesia, Colombia and Africa. |…

Angolans and foreign dignitaries gathered yesterday for the funeral of former president José Eduardo dos Santos on what would have been his 80th birthday. Dos Santos died in a clinic in Barcelona, Spain, on July 8, but his funeral was delayed by a family request for an autopsy. It also took place days after an election appeared to have returned his Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) party to power. The funeral was attended by about a dozen foreign leaders, including the presidents of Portugal, Mozambique and South Africa. A few family members attended but none of his children were present. Some of them were at loggerheads with the government and his estranged wife over where and when he was to be buried. A Spanish court ruled last week…

Belgrade: Serbia said it would not host EuroPride – a pan-European LGBT event – next month as the country faced growing problems, but the organisers vowed to proceed with the parade. “The pride parade, however you call that thing, scheduled for September, will be postponed or cancelled,” President Aleksandar Vucic, pictured, said. He said Serbia was “pressured with all kinds of problems”, underlining recent tensions with its former province Kosovo, but also issues around energy and food. “Simply, at some point, you can’t handle everything (as in) another time, a happier one,” Vucic said. Organisers struck a defiant note. “The state cannot cancel EuroPride – it can only attempt to forbid it, which would be a clear breach of the constitution”, EuroPride 2022 co-ordinator Marko Mihailovic said on Twitter. “Pride…

Sometimes there can be a myriad of reasons for a loss as comprehensive as the one suffered by South Africa in the second Test against England at Old Trafford - sometimes there is just one. For the Proteas it was the latter. “First innings runs kind of stabilises your game,” said captain Dean Elgar. “I didn’t think we batted particularly well.” There you have it. Not selection, not the toss, not the fact he didn’t utilise his fast bowlers properly at a crucial stage after lunch on day two. The Proteas batted badly. There had been signs against New Zealand and then in the home series with Bangladesh that a corner had been turned. Batting collapses had been a regular feature when Ottis Gibson was coach and which continued through…