Table of contents for NM-2021-04-13 in Mercury

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za INVESTMENT banking fees generated in sub-Saharan Africa fell 39 percent in the first three months of 2021 to the lowest quarter total since 2014. Data from Refinitiv released yesterday showed that an estimated $99.3 million (R1.45 billion) worth of investment banking fees were generated in the region during the quarter. Refinitiv, a subsidiary of the London Stock Exchange Group, is a well-known global provider of data services. The group said advisory fees earned in the region from completed M&A (mergers and acquisitions) transactions reached $15.5m, down 65 percent from last year to the lowest first-quarter total since 2005. The value of M&A transactions with any sub-Saharan African company involvement reached $6.1bn, almost level with the same period in 2020, and a five-year low. Refinitiv…

VISA, the global payments group, appointed Maurice Newa as the new MD of the southern Africa cluster, a statement said yesterday. Newa would be responsible for the development and implementation of Visa’s growth strategy in the region. He would report to Aida Diarra, senior vice-president and head of sub-Saharan Africa, and would be part of the sub-Saharan Africa leadership team. Prior to joining Visa, Newa worked at Vaya Technologies, an Econet Group subsidiary, where he was chief executive. He brought to Visa over 25 years of experience in regional and global roles in mobile telephony, Fintech (mobile money and mobile insurance), digital technology solutions and blue-chip fast-moving consumer goods companies, Visa said. “We are excited to bring Maurice on board. His appointment reflects the importance we place on the southern…

ZARCLEAR Holdings’s board said yesterday it was in the best interests of the company and its shareholders for it to delist from the JSE and A2X. In November, Zarclear’s public shareholding fell below the minimum spread requirements for companies listed on the JSE’s main board due to the take-up of the general offer to Zarclear shareholders by Legae Peresec Capital. Zarclear’s board said in a statement yesterday that the decision to delist also took into account the impact the Covid-19 pandemic had had and was anticipated to continue to have on equity capital markets in general, and on small-market-capitalisation companies such as Zarclear for an extended period. Zarclear is an investment holding company whose operating segments are market infrastructure and regulation technology investments. An offer would be made to shareholders…

Sacha van Niekerk With their warm glow and ornate designs, candles are functional and decorative, making them ideal for turning spaces from dull to cosy and vibrant. Five ways to decorate your home with candles: Coffee table A neat pile of books, fashion magazines, a gifted bonsai or a bowl of seashells from past ventures to the beach are all the usual suspects for coffee table decor. For a fresher, more styled look, try putting together a tray of succulents and candles of varying heights. The succulents require minimal attention and the candles can be lit for a cosy glow, setting the mood for movie nights. Table runner Hosting a dinner party? Make your decor a little more special by using tall, slender candles. Vases of flowers and foliage look beautiful…

Dr Thabisi Hoeane | Pretoria AT LAST there is tangible movement in the case against Judge President John Hlophe, the head of the Western Cape Division. Of course, the process has not been concluded, although he has preliminarily been found guilty of misconduct. But the issue is not about his misconduct or about Judge Hlophe as a person – it is about the processes that have been followed, which are seriously flawed. What is patently unacceptable is that this serious case is taking more than a decade to resolve. One can understand that such serious issues should be approached with circumspection and sober minds, so that any decision reached does justice to all. But to take this inordinate amount of time is simply just unacceptable and the judicial…

TONY BALL | Gillitts Not only does The Mercury treat us to the daily Idler column, but it intersperses its content with wry humour. I am referring to the article on the proposed regulations for customer care standards for postal services which, quite frankly, is laughable (The Mercury, April 9). Surely providing superior customer service should not require a formal bill, or is the post office that devoid of staff training and supervision? I live in Gillitts, and the post office here has been closed, not because of poor service, I assume, but because it failed to pay rent to the shopping centre for a long period, which seems to be the norm for government bodies. Mark Barnes was brought in to steady the post office ship but…

EBRAHIM “EBKOYBIE” ESSA | Durban I hEARD that some municipalities in Gauteng intend imposing a “recycling” levy in addition to the usual refuse-removal charges. They obviously are not aware that all notorious orange bags have been sucked into the black hole of outer space, never to re-emerge. The SABC, meanwhile, not to be left too far behind, is planning to catch you by your handbrakes for imagining that you prefer watching flicks on Netflix, even if it is too stupid to realise that you don’t even own a smart TV. Licensing offices, at some point in history, introduced a temporary administration surcharge to pay for the “upgrading” of their technology. This, like once-wet cement, has hardened into a solid concrete fee that cannot be yanked out of the…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za THE SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) said it would appeal part of a high court order requiring it to report back every three months regarding access to ivermectin for use as a treatment in Covid-19 patients. This follows a victory for several parties including the ACDP, Doctors for Life, “I Can Make a Difference” group of medical practitioners, AfriForum and others in the Pretoria High Court when Judge Cassim Sardiwalla ordered that ivermectin be made available and accessible on prescription in regulated quantities. The court order was as a result of settlement agreements reached between Sahpra, the Minister of Health and the applicants in four cases. “Sahpra is enabling the purpose of treating or preventing Covid-19 at the discretion and responsibility of the prescribing clinician,”…

THE family of six who died in a car crash on the R34 between Vryheid and Ulundi last week are preparing to hold a mass funeral. The accident involved a bakkie and a car. The six family members had been travelling together with their domestic worker, who also died in the crash. Three people from the other vehicle were also killed. Their funerals were held last week. The family spokesperson, Xoliswa Mhlungu, said they were going through a difficult time as they prepared to bury their relatives. “The pain we are going through is unexplainable. We can’t even sleep at night, trying to process what happened,” she said. Mhlungu said their relatives and their domestic worker were making their way to Johannesburg after the Easter long weekend. She said they…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za LOCAL truck drivers’ representatives are seeking a meeting with the ministerial task team set up to deal with employment issues in the freight industry, to find out what has been done to tackle their problems. The task team, which includes the departments of Home Affairs, Labour, Transport and Police, was formed in June 2019 after a number of attacks on trucks, especially in KwaZulu-Natal. At the time it was alleged the attacks were being carried out by disgruntled local truck drivers who claimed that foreigners were being given preference for jobs in the industry. However, local truck driver organisations have denied involvement in the violence. The task team is led by KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala, Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi. While local…

Nonhlanhla Hlatshwayo and Nomonde Zondi Police are investigating charges of murder and an inquest docket, after a man shot a policewoman and a former girlfriend, before turning the gun on himself. It is believed that the man, who was not named by the police, was in a relationship with the policewoman. She was shot dead in Mariannhill, while the man’s former girlfriend was killed in KwaDabeka. Thabisile Ngubo, the sister of the KwaDabeka woman Londiwe Ngubo who was killed, said the man was the father of her sister’s child and that they had broken up three years ago. Ngubo said the man and her sister were not on good terms because he did not pay maintenance for the child. “He had always wanted to talk to my sister about supporting…

It has become a familiar trend in this country that when you are poor, the rich will trample on you and the system will defend the rich. The community of Dannhauser in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, who were shot at and violently arrested by the police while protesting peacefully, appeared in the Dannhauser Magistrate’s Court this week to defend themselves against police brutality and to take a stand for environmental justice. The police shot at members of the community who were seeking to peacefully engage with the Ikwezi Mining management last month. This was on the second day of a two-day protest. The community is affected by the Kliprand Colliery owned by Ikwezi Mining, as the coal dust affects their health and the blasting keeps damaging their homes. On the second day…

The coronavirus pandemic could fuel organised crime for years to come in Europe, a continent already at “breaking point” from an unprecedented flood of cocaine, the EU’s policing agency warned yesterday. In its flagship four-yearly report, Europol said increasingly violent criminal gangs are likely to muscle in on legitimate businesses left vulnerable by the economic damage caused by Covid-19. Criminals are also offering fake coronavirus vaccines and home-testing kits as they seek to capitalise on global efforts to recover from the virus, the Hague-based agency said. “We are at the breaking point,” Europol’s director Catherine De Bolle told AFP in an interview. “The impact on the lives of citizens, on the economy, on the rule of law is too big. That’s what we see from this... report.” The “Serious…

Myanmar’s detained government leader Aung San Suu Kyi asked a court yesterday to be allowed to meet her lawyers in person when she appeared at a hearing via video link to face charges brought by the military junta that could see her jailed for years. As Suu Kyi appeared, her supporters called for people to show their opposition to the February 1 coup during this week’s traditional new year holiday in the largely Buddhist country. Suu Kyi, 75, who has led Myanmar’s struggle against military rule for decades, has been detained since the coup and charged with various offences, including violating a colonial-era official secrets act that could see her jailed for 14 years. She has only been allowed to talk to her lawyers via video link in the presence…

LOS ANGELES: Hugh Jackman’s marriage is as “natural as breathing”. The Logan actor has marked his 25th wedding anniversary with a heartfelt tribute to his spouse, Deborra-Lee Furness, who he said he felt he was destined to spend his life with as soon as they met. Alongside a series of photographs from their wedding day, he wrote on Instagram: “Being married to you Deb is as natural as breathing. “From nearly the moment we met … I knew our destiny was to be together. In our 25 years – our love has only grown deeper. The fun, excitement and adventure more exhilarating; the learning even greater. I’m forever grateful to share our love, our life – and our family together. We’ve only just begun.” The 52-year-old actor, who met his…

BEIJING: Archaeologists have found a total of 165 millennia-old tombs at a single relic site in east China’s Shandong Province. The tombs, unearthed in the city of Heze, include 156 that date back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC to 220 AD) and nine from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-221 BC), according to Shandong’s institute of cultural relics and archaeology. All of the tombs belong to the 1.3-hectare Sundayuan Site, the recent excavation of which also revealed five pits from the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) and 27 from the Neolithic Longshan Culture, said Sun Qirui, an archaeologist with the institute.…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za THE Rainbow Cup has not been cancelled, and South Africa are exploring every possible option to make the tournament happen. That was the official word from SA Rugby president Mark Alexander yesterday following reports that the event was set to be called off due to the fact that the local teams wouldn’t be able to operate out of a bio-bubble in the UK. Weekend online and newspaper reports stated that the SA teams were instructed not to apply for UK visas just yet as the British government had not given the necessary clearances for the Bulls, Sharks, Stormers and Lions to be based in a bio-bubble in Bristol. The South Africans are due to start their part of the tournament with derby matches from April 24…

HERMAN GIBBS Mamelodi Sundowns returned to winning ways, but made heavy weather of their 2-1 win over lowly Chippa United in their Premiership clash at Sisa Dukashe Stadium yesterday. Three days ago, Sundowns suffered a rare defeat when they were beaten 2-0 by CR Belouizdad. The breakthrough came in the 15th minute when Themba Zwane converted from the penalty spot. Riaan Hanamub fouled striker Aubrey Modiba in the penalty area. Four minutes into the second half, Chippa stunned Sundowns by scoring the equaliser after excellent work by midfielder Gregory Damons. He laid on a defence-splitting pass to Chippa’s lone striker, Nigerian Augustine Kwem, whose angled drive flew past Sundowns keeper Ugandan Denis Onyango. Sundowns’ response came in the 74th minute when Peter Shalulile scored with a header after the…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za MOMENTUM Investments yesterday joined other economic think tanks in revising South Africa’s growth projections, saying the economy could rebound more than expected this year if the energy crisis and the slow roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccination programme were resolved. Momentum said it now projected that the economy would grow at 3.4 percent, down from 3.8 percent forecast in March, as the global vaccination process slowed, with only 129 million people, or 1.7 percent of the world’s population, being fully vaccinated by the end of last month. In South Africa, just more than 288 000 health-care workers have been vaccinated so far, with the second phase of the programme earmarked to start this week. The 17 days of stage 2 loadshedding and the…

THE FINANCIAL Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) yesterday warned the public to act with caution when dealing with Work Your Wealth, Conray Labuschagne and Ewoudt Labuschagne. The FSCA said in a statement it suspected that Work Your Wealth, Conray Labuschagne and Ewoudt Labuschagne were conducting unauthorised financial services business and breaching various financial sector laws. The FSCA had received information that Work Your Wealth, Conray Labu- schagne and Ewoudt Labuschagne were soliciting money from the public and promising them high returns. The FSCA said Work Your Wealth, Conray Labuschagne and Ewoudt Labuschagne were not authorised in terms of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act (FAIS Act) to render financial advisory and intermediary services. “Members of the public should always check that an entity or individual is registered with the FSCA…

SIRIUS Real Estate, the owner and operator of branded business and industrial parks in Germany that is also listed on the JSE, said it would report its seventh consecutive year of like-for-like rent roll growth of above 5 percent in the year to March 31. The group said in a trading update yesterday that like-for-like rent roll growth over the period was up 5.2 percent to €94.3 million (about R1.64 billion). Sirius’s share price increased 1.98 percent to R19.05 by yesterday afternoon. Chief executive Andrew Coombs said: “Over the past 12 months we have continued to grow Sirius from an operational perspective and through the acquisition of further assets where we see a clear opportunity to add value and increase income in the future.” The…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za THE $2.8 BILLION (R41bn) antitrust fine slapped on global e-retailer Ali- baba for abusing its market dominance had little impact on the markets yesterday, with experts saying that the conclusion of the antitrust investigation had cleared the spectre of uncertainty facing the internet giant. A senior analyst at ActivTrades, Ricard Evangelista, said yesterday that while the fine represented a large sum at $2.8bn, it ended up being smaller than many expected, representing 4 percent of the firm’s 2019 revenue, considerably less than the 10 percent set by regulations of such violations. Evangelista said that on the other hand, closing the chapter was seen as positive for Alibaba, clearing the spectre of uncertainty. “For these reasons the markets reacted positively, with shares gaining more than…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za THE contentious topic of land claims in South Africa came under the spotlight yesterday as the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) began its bid to fill two vacant posts at the Constitutional Court – with candidates quizzed on legal issues critical to the work of the apex court. The first candidate to take the stand was advocate Alan Dodson SC. Dodson, who served as land claims judge between 1995 and 2000, faced numerous questions regarding his work in representing land claimants. EFF leader Julius Malema questioned him on whether his appointment to the apex court would advance transformation. Malema further probed Dodson as to why he, as a white male, should be chosen above other candidates who were black women. Dodson said he was of the view that…

The South African documentary My Octopus Teacher has bagged a British Academy Film and Television Award (Bafta) for best documentary at the 2021 edition of the awards. The film, which centres on film-maker Craig Foster, who forges an unusual friendship with an octopus in a South African kelp forest, has also been nominated for an Academy Award. The Oscars are set to take place on April 26. Directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, the documentary chronicles the unusual bond that forms between Foster, who is the director and co-founder of the Sea Change Project, when he stumbles upon an octopus while on his usual daily dive in the Atlantic Ocean. In an interview with IOL, Foster summed it up when he said: “It was very difficult, at first, to…

I saw something very upsetting the other day. It troubled me. Two cars were backed up at the exit to a large grocery franchise. At first, it appeared as if the young man in the front vehicle had left his car to assist an elderly couple in the car behind him. I slowed to a stop when I heard the younger man screaming and swearing at the apparently bewildered and afraid elderly couple. A third man pulled up and got out of his car and became a welcome distraction to the angry tyrannical driver whose focus shifted to the man much closer to his age, size and strength. It worked. The younger man rushed back to his car, over-revved the engine and departed the scene with smoking, screeching tyres. “What…

FAROUK ARAIE | Johannesburg Twenty-eight years ago, Chris Hani was killed by Polish immigrant Janusz Walus, an event that almost triggered a civil war. The truth after almost three decades remains elusive. The trail is getting cold as some of those involved have also passed away. Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We did not pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same. Chris gave all of himself to the causes of freedom and justice, he also inspired generations that followed to try to live up to his example. Had he lived, South Africa would not be the monumental mess it is today. When Socrates died for his…

NARENDH GANESH | Durban North I WAS dumbfounded, flabbergasted and stupefied – anything but acceptant of the near-unprecedented direction by the Constitutional Court in requesting Jacob Zuma to file an affidavit stating that if the court finds him guilty of contempt, what would he think his punishment should be. The ruling not only borders on the ridiculous and the incredulous, but it waylaid the ultimate jurisdiction of legal power that the Constitutional Court commands as the country’s last bastion of fair and accountable justice. Jacob Zuma has shown disdain for the Constitutional Court by making scurrilous claims against judges that they are in the pockets of politicians, and displaying crass disrespect for the rule of law, for which he once swore an oath to uphold to the best…

Lisa Isaacs lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za SOUTH AFRICA is richer as a nation due to Struggle activist and education expert Graeme Bloch’s intellectual and organisational leadership in the education sector, ushering the country towards adopting policies that opened the doors to millions of historically excluded citizens. This was according to President Cyril Ramaphosa in paying tribute to Bloch, who died aged 65 on Friday, following an illness. Bloch was part of the formation of the End Conscription Campaign. Later he was a member of the United Democratic Front (UDF), and was detained and arrested several times for his involvement in the democratic movement. He was banned from 1976 to 1981. A graduate of UCT, where he specialised in economic history, Bloch lectured at the University of the Western Cape (UWC)…

Lorna Charles lorna.charles@inl.co.za SIX weeks after xenophobic attacks in the Durban CBD, hundreds of foreign nationals say they are no closer to finding a solution to their financial plight. The foreign nationals, who worked as street vendors and barbers in the CBD, said they were warned not to return to their jobs. It has been alleged that the attacks were carried out by members of the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA), however, the provincial body has denied involvement of its members. The foreign nationals and human rights bodies have appealed to the eThekwini Municipality to intervene. This week the municipality said meetings were convened with the local traders’ leadership and foreign national representatives, MKMVA members, metro police and the SAPS to discuss ways of curbing the attacks. Mwayuma…

Staff at the Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town, where SA rapper AKA’s fiancée, Anele “Nellie” Tembe, died on Sunday, have been offered counselling. Yesterday a CCID patrol guard described how paramedics were trying to resuscitate Tembe when he arrived at the scene. The 22-year-old plunged to her death from the tenth floor of the hotel on Sunday morning, leaving AKA – real name Kiernan Forbes – and the Tembe family distraught. Tembe is the daughter of prominent Durban businessman Moses Tembe. “The paramedics were already there when I arrived. I then contacted my office and other guards. The paramedics tried to resuscitate her but after a while, she stopped breathing,” the guard said. Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst said paramedics arrived on the scene soon after 8am and found a…

LIN JING AT his first news conference as US president, when he introduced his policy on competing with China, Joe Biden told reporters: “This is a battle between the utility of democracies in the 21st century and autocracies. We’ve got to prove democracy works.” It is natural to come up with questions from Biden’s vague interpretation, about when and why the democracy of the US seems to have stopped working. According to a very conservative estimate by Brown University, since 2001, the US has launched or taken part in wars in Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Libya and Syria respectively. Millions of civilians have died and 37 million people have become either refugees or displaced, more than those displaced by any other war or disaster since at least the start of…

An unidentified man shot dead another man and injured a woman yesterday in Paris before fleeing on a motorcycle in what the local mayor said appeared to be a private quarrel and not terrorism-related. The two were shot in front of a hospital which also serves as a Covid-19 vaccination centre in the upmarket 16th arrondissement of the French capital. The injured woman was hospitalised. “It is not a terrorist attack, it was probably a case of score-settling,” Francis Szpiner, mayor of the 16th arrondissement, told reporters. The Paris prosecutor has opened a murder investigation. Police union official Rocco Contento said there had been an argument between the gunman and the woman, who had been identified as a security official at the hospital, and that a man who tried to…

Somalia’s police chief announced he had suspended parliament yesterday, saying he was acting unilaterally to prevent MPs from extending the president’s term, only to be fired moments later by the police commissioner. The chaos underscores the widening divisions within the Horn of Africa’s security services over extending the four-year term of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who faces growing pressure to quit after his term as national leader ended. Parliament was supposed to elect a new president on February 8, but the exercise was delayed because new MPs have yet to be picked by elders. “We have stopped the parliament session today. We have a responsibility bigger than a personal one. We have to solve anything that can bring violence and war in Mogadishu,” police chief Saadaq Omar Hassan…

TOKYO: More than 70% of people in Japan want the Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled or delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, a Kyodo News poll showed yesterday, just over 100 days ahead of the planned start of the Games. The survey showed 39.2% want the Games scrapped, while 32.8% favour another delay. Only 24.5% of respondents want the world’s largest sporting event to go ahead as scheduled. Tokyo has begun a month-long period of quasi-emergency measures to blunt a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections driven by virulent mutant strains. More than 92.6% of respondents felt anxiety about the resurgence of infections.…

Stuart Hess at the Wanderers Pakistan 140/9 (Azam 50, Linde 3/23, Williams 3/35) South Africa 141/4 (Markram 54, Qadir 2/26) SA win by 6 wickets This match was decided after the first ball. That one ball saw Mohammad Rizwan charge down the wicket at George Linde and attempt to belt him over long off for six. Instead, having connected with the ball with the outside corner of his bat, Rizwan skied it to Aiden Markram at mid-off. Game over. There was some criticism in the aftermath of Rizwan being arrogant, but can you blame him? His four T20 innings against South Africa before yesterday’s match read as follows: 104*, 51, 42 and 74*. His desire to dominate was thus understandable. But it immediately put Pakistan on the backfoot.…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed that the government was on track to create 100 000 new jobs by the end of 2023 as it ramps up the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) plan. This comes as South Africa last week received a second $1bn Covid-19 emergency loan to finance job creation in the country, in particular the first phase of the PES. Ramaphosa said the aim of this initiative was to create 500 000 new jobs by the end of 2030 in the business services sector, which includes call centres, technical support and back and front office services. He said the PES had already enabled the creation of 8 000 new jobs in the industry during the last two quarters, most of which have gone…

SANDILE MCHUNU sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za RENERGEN’S share price rose by more than 8 percent on the JSE yesterday morning after the domestic producer of natural gas and helium announced its first helium sales agreement with a global acting, tier-one automotive supplier to diversify its customer base beyond wholesalers. The share closed 3.7 percent higher at R28. The group said the sales agreement was its first direct-to-customer helium deal, and for reasons of confidentiality it was unable to disclose its customer or the details of the agreement, but confirmed that the customer operated in the automotive sector. Renergen chief executive Stefano Marani said the company was proud to announce its first helium sales agreement from the Virginia Gas Project. “Importantly, this contract shows the viability of accessing helium directly from the refinery by…

Rapula Moatshe rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za THE National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has called into question the integrity of Eskom’s mandated inquiry into allegations of impropriety and procurement irregularities against chief executive Andre de Ruyter. While it denied suggestions that it was pre-empting the outcome of the Eskom inquiry, the union said it had no faith in the probe based on the power utility’s questionable handling of similar allegations levelled against chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer. The union’s spokesperson, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, said they would have preferred an independent process such as the one the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) was considering. “We are basing it (our stance) on our previous experiences with them in relation to how they handled the matter involving Jan Oberholzer, the chief operating officer. It was…

Alleged voter registration fraud at eThekwini ward Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za A VOTING station in the eThekwini Municipality has been forced to stop registering voters and to close following allegations of voter fraud. Voters there could be forced to re-register as opposition parties feel the voters’ roll at the station is tainted. The parties have accused the ANC of trying to “pack” the Mount Royal voting station, north of Durban, with individuals who do not live in that ward in an effort to rig a by-election. The area falls under ward 110 which includes Sunningdale, Mount Moriah, Glen Anil and Glen Hills. The ward was held by the DA but the councillor resigned last year. The by-election is expected to take place next month. A man who opposition parties claim was…

A SENIORS’ exam comes this way, in which you need to get correct only four out of 10 questions to pass: How long did the Hundred Years’ War last? Which country makes Panama hats? From which animal do we get catgut? In which month do the Russians celebrate the October Revolution? What is a camelhair brush made from? The Canary Islands in the Atlantic are named after what creature? What was the first name of King George VI? What colour is a purple finch? Where are Chinese gooseberries from? What is the colour of the black box in a commercial aircraft? Answers: Hundred Years’ War? It lasted 116 years. Panama hats? From Ecuador. Catgut? From sheep and horses. October Revolution? Celebrated in November. Camelhair brush? Made from squirrel fur. Canary…

Hoping to capitalise on a surge in demand for home deliveries, a Singapore technology company has deployed a pair of robots to bring residents their groceries in one part of the city state. Developed by OTSAW Digital and both named “Camello”, the robots’ services have been offered to 700 households in a one-year trial. Users can book delivery slots for milk and eggs, and an app notifies them when the robot is about to reach a pick-up point – usually the lobby of an apartment building. The robots, equipped with 3D sensors, a camera and two compartments each able to carry up to 20kg of food or parcels ordered online, make four or five deliveries a day on weekdays and are on call for half day on Saturday. They use…

DR VISH RAMDIAL | Reservoir Hills I am in total agreement with Ken Critchlow that a country should field its best players in all matches (The Mercury, April 12). The players’ commitment should be for their country first and foremost as it is with the English, Australian and New Zealand players. Take for example Faf du Plessis playing in the Pakistan Super League while his provincial franchise is losing local matches. The players who have no commitment to their country should be suspended. The CSA is a toothless body with no responsibility to the cricket fans of their country. Graeme Smith was a captain of our country and he should get full commitment from all players as happens with other international cricketers. Our team that lost to Pakistan…

Four in 10 European business travellers plan to fly less often after Covid-19 travel restrictions are fully lifted, a survey showed yesterday, with many intending to stick to video conferences. Changing habits during the pandemic and worries over climate change are likely to reduce business flights in the long term, suggested the YouGov poll for the philanthropic group European Climate Foundation, which supports a goal of zero emissions. “Flying for business meetings burns up time and money, as well as our climate,” said Alethea Warrington, campaigner at climate action charity Possible, which was not involved in the poll. “This polling shows that after a year of quick and easy virtual meetings, travellers aren’t planning to go back to business as usual.” Looking ahead, 40% of about 1 400 poll respondents…

Karen Singh karen.singh@inl.co.za Raylene Louw, the mother of Miguel Louw who was murdered in 2018, said she hoped that no other parent would have to endure what she went through. Her victim impact statement was handed to the court as part of the sentencing proceedings for Miguel’s killer, Mohammed Vahed Ebrahim. He was found guilty of the 2018 kidnapping and premeditated murder in December 2020, by Durban High Court Judge Jacqueline Henriques. In her statement, Louw said Ebrahim’s lack of remorse was disturbing; no words could explain the ordeal they endured after he took Miguel, 9, and lied about knowing where he was. “It was horrific, the sleepless nights, not eating, being worried, wondering, thinking where my son could be and how afraid he must be,” she said. Louw said…

| Road Safety Partnership (RSP) The Road Safety Partnership (RSP) has noted the decline in the Easter road crash and fatality statistics with optimism. There was a 2.1% drop in the total number of crashes and 9.6% decline in fatalities. This was in comparison to the 2019 statistics due to the reduced travel during Easter 2020 as a result of level 5 lockdown. The authorities embarked on an intensified law enforcement campaign over the Easter weekend which likely contributed to the decreased figures. The RSP notes: During the 336 roadblocks over the weekend, more than 178 000 vehicles were stopped and checked. This resulted in the issuing of more than 32 000 traffic fines, over 800 discontinuations of vehicles and the impounding of 780 vehicles. It is concerning to…

The TIME has come for the national government to improve the living conditions of farmworkers, in order to calm the simmering tension that is threatening to plunge the country’s agricultural sector into turmoil. KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala on Sunday visited farm dwellers and farm owners, in the Normandien area outside Newcastle, following violent confrontations and the brutal murder of farming couple Glen and Vida Rafferty, in August last year. The escalating tension between farm owners and farm dwellers has often led to violence, murders and even the destruction of property. Farmers, who received their land through violent dispossession of the country’s black majority, have been targeted by criminal elements, while farm dwellers have complained about abuse and violation of their constitutional rights. We applaud Zikalala for taking time off his…

Spanish police said yesterday they had arrested 20 alleged human smugglers operating through the Ceuta exclave bordering Morocco. They are thought to be responsible for a February shipwreck in which four migrants drowned and are accused of trafficking migrants in rickety boats, each carrying seven to 10 people, between North Africa and Spain. Their victims, mostly underage Moroccans, were approached in Ceuta, police said. They then travelled the few kilometres to the Iberian peninsula, paying an average of €2 500 (about (R43 400) apiece. In the bust, some 150 police officers backed by Europol agents seized three boats, five firearms, ammunition and cash. Death by drowning is frequent in the western Mediterranean where 330 died last year, according to the International Organization for Migration.In the first three months…

BERLIN: The head of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU has secured the backing of the party’s senior leadership in his bid to become the conservative chancellor candidate for September elections, party sources said yesterday. “The CDU leadership is in favour of Armin Laschet running as the (conservative) candidate in the 2021 election campaign,” a source said. Laschet had declared his willingness to run for the post on Sunday along with rival Markus Soeder, the head of the CDU’s smaller Bavarian sister party CSU.…

BEIRUT: Lebanon and Israel began maritime boundary talks mediated by Washington in October, but the negotiations stalled a month later amid an impasse caused by conflicting claims. The areas under dispute are known to be rich in hydrocarbon resources. Beirut has amended the maritime boundary claim it originally submitted to the UN by 1 430km², with Michel Najjar, public works and transport minister of the country’s caretaker government, reporting yesterday that he had signed a document to that effect. The decree must now be endorsed by caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and President Michel Aoun, then sent to the UN.…